Neat! How's the experience?
Sorry guys, I’ve been busier than I would’ve liked…
And this is my first time compiling my impressions and writing about an iem, so it is what it is.
I think it’ll be easier to pass on my thoughts by taking the Sony IER-M9 as a base reference, as it is known from most around these parts. Another full BA set that became somewhat of a kilobuck benchmark with good detail retrieval, 3D soundstage, warm tuning and a coloured timbre.
As for the Crimson, it leans more for a U shaped tuning where everything feels very balanced, every part of the spectrum is clean, without congestion. With tip rolling (I’m using spinfit W1 at the moment) what could be perceived as sparkly treble recedes to give way to excellent treble extension.
The timbre is natural but uncoloured like the M9. (I do like the M9 timbre, but it feels like a sonic artefact was added at the end of each note, some sort of artificial timbre, warm on top of warm, if that makes any sense…) With the Crimson, it’s the
appropriate timbre, no fuss, no extravagance. More of a clinical sounding iem I’d say.
But for me the
essence of this iem - and what sets it apart from the rest of the pack - lies in its unique way of portraying music through the combination of soundstage and imaging. You could say that the M9 has a good 3D soundstage. But this is different. It’s on another level entirely. If the M9
gives you the impression of spatialization. The Crimson
is the embodiment of space. Like if music going through the Crimson was disassembled and then reassembled in a multi-layered presentation without any loss of detail. For example, when you listen to a song with supporting vocals in the background, normally they’ll feel further than the main vocal by being on a lower volume, with less details. Not on the Crimson. Instead, the supporting vocals will be on a different plane and with as much details, making for a precise and full portrait of every component of the song. So it’s not only the tuning that is balanced, but the presentation itself which is balanced. For those of you that prefer a more visual explanation, this a short video on Disney multi-plane camera :
The direct consequence of this feature is that it needs to be fed well recorded albums to shine. On poorly recorded tracks it’ll sound bland, common even. In this sense, and unlike the M9, it’s not really what I would call an all-rounder.
So what to expect when listening to the Crimson ? Well, I would describe it as a supremely competent iem in every aspect. Every part of the spectre is efficiently rendered, you won’t find any fault in the bass, midrange or treble. The same can be said about the fit, tuning, and timbre. It really feels like the culmination of all their past effort.
And when I think of all the other iems I own, there was always something wrong, either the fit, the bass lacking, no treble extension, a cramp soundstage, whatever it was, it was always something getting in the way of a simple listening experience. Now, I finally feels like I own an iem that is reliable. That's what makes it an addictive. Just plug and play. In my view and from now on, it’s my new benchmark,
the next standard.
Cheers !
