So I became part of the small Blue Ella club this past week. I've had them for less than five days so please take all this with a big grain of salt
. This is only my very subjective opinion and could very well change when I spend more time with them.
The Blue Ella has a warm smooth natural and musical signature. People looking for a an overall bright signature with a sparkle treble should look elsewhere. They are non fatigue and I can listen for hours without any problem. Which leads me to comfort. I had trouble the first few days, they are a bit heavy with a relative strong clamp force. But I have slowly gotten used to them and now they are actually very comfortable.
For these impressions I have used my Ibasso DX200 and the HTC10. H10 can easily drive them but are also on the warm side, the DX200 are more neutral and for my ears have better synergy with the Ella. Of course this is not a night and day difference and the they do pair very well with the HTC 10. I don't think Ella's benefit with more power.
The bass is very well controlled and have enough quantity, maybe I would prefer slightly more subbass. Putting the amp on "on+" increases the bass. It's a nice setting to play with, but for bass heavy tracks the bass can get boomy and out of control and bleed into the other frequencys.
I couldn't really pinpoint the mids and highs the first few days. To begin with i thought the mids were recessed but I am not sure this is the case. Then it dawn on me
. I have heard this signature before, theye are very similar to my 64 Audio U12 Adel! Yes I know apple vs oranges...all differences a side, for my ears they have a very similar signature.
Member "subguy812" have written a very good review of the U12. I will quote his description of mids and treble here. This is exactly how I feel about the Blue Ella and I can't write it any better
. Link: http://www.head-fi.org/products/64-audio-u12-universal-in-ear-monitor
"Midrange:
The mids are clear and incredibly detailed but you will not realize this when you first listen to the U12, they appear to have a bit of a veil. With brain burn-in you realize there is not a veil at all it is how the frequencies are served up. The tone of all vocals shine and with male vocal sounding strong and females sounding sexy. The soundstage is good and the imaging was providing me with some occasional nice effect. The U12, have a warm, smooth, sound while creating space with the B1 module. In comparison the Solar are a bit cleaner and a bit more detailed sound out of the box. The U12 requires some getting used to in order to appreciate just what all is going on. If you dedicate the time you WILL be rewarded handsomely!
Treble:
Treble is delivered differently than any other IEM I have heard. It is certainly not the focus. It is restrained and included as part of the rest of the mix. It extends and is not lacking and not rolled off. It is just blended into the mix which creates an illusion that the treble is neutered. This one aspect has taken me the longest to grow accustomed to. It is a bit of a strange sound signature that had to grow on me longer than any IEM I have heard. They are so smooth, warm and never fatiguing. Never any sibilance or harshness. I can listen not fatigued for hours. In comparison I feel the Solar offers a more balanced sound and is clearly more sparkly than the U12. If you need a more sparkly treble I would say the Solar would be more to your liking."
Of course they are not 100 % identical, the U12 has more subbass and maybe because of that the Ella has slightly more clarity in the mids and highs.
Listening to Meridian - Breaking the Surface - The Bravest Face, this become very apperant. The recording is relatively dark with emphasis on drums and guitars. I think most people would prefer a bright headphone with this. My DT1990 is brighter and pair very well with this album. But I have to say I love it with both the U12 and Ella.
Queensryche - Promised Land - One More Time. Bright recording with emphasis on vocals (Geoff Tate). This doesn't pair well with the DT1990 but excellent with the Ella. Vocals in the center, guitars, drums, bass, upper right/left corner. Huge soundstage.
Again please note, this is very early impressions, but I have to say the more I listen to Ella, the i more i like them!
