Cardas-Em5813 earspeakers..I had the opportunity to have these in the house for a couple of weeks and I think I am ready to write how I hear these. These earphones at current cost of $425 are intriguing for several reasons.. It is the type of phones one has to own or have for several weeks to understand what type of sound these earphones portray..
I went to a dinner party yesterday and it was interesting that the host of the party had a old family RCA Victorola phono player that was owned by his father in the living room. Looked kinda like this
Had and integrated tube amplifier and speakers within the unit playing some old 60s records. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised with the warm full bodied sound this thing played in the background while we was enjoying some Lasagna and wine. It has been a while since I heard something like this..As old and analog the sound was it was captivating and just added to the charm of the familys house. He wasn't too much of an audiophile but he had his fathers collection of old records and this box to add to the ambiance of the living room..That was when it hit me.. I was thinking about the Cardas.
These Cardas have an old school sound to them. I immediately equated the full bodied sound to what I was hearing on the Cardas. To me what is interesting about the Cardas is it is not tuned like your average in ears..I think some of the old time guys we have on the threads will appreciate the sound of these Cardas to the fullest. And even younger guys that are more in tuned with how music was portrayed in the past will appreciate the sound of the Cardas.. A warm full bodied deep and wide sound that captivates you.. These do sound like speakers in your ears vs earphones that just have a big sound. The sound presentation is a grand one and one that you have to get used to in order to fully appreciate the sound they emit..Once you do adjust to the sound. Other earphones like the MA750, S2 XBA-3. All sound like small fry sound. Lol. Well like earphones..
These are not a neutral reference type sound or do they claim to be. As much research and delay of the phones there is some split in how guys view the sound but to me it was more of how enjoyable the sound ultimately is. And enjoyable they absolutely are..Now one thing I did notice when I first got them was the need for burn in. They already had 200 hours on them but to me they had a bit of a veil going on so they have had an additional 150 plus hours on my burning station..
So one word for guys that own these. These absolutely require a large amount of burn in. I noticed with almost 400 hours of burn in the sound has opened up big time. The mids especially has cleared up tremendously. Cleaner clearer tighter which lets more treble presence play a part of the sound. I don't know if it was intended by Cardas to include such a driver to perform better over time but these earphones are exactly that. The more you get them drivers loose the better and better these sound.. The mids of the earphones are where they shine. the sheer range of emotion in the mid range is at a grand scale. The bass end has foundation in the presentation but done in a tasteful way. Where music bass notes are fluid and don't over step the overall sound in presentation.
This sound sticking to a true old school sound has the highs and treble as accents for the music. The highs are not hidden or missing but these are clearly not a highs first earphone..Treble range has ample presence on this sound and is just as deep as the other ranges. Though not emphasized more than the mids or the bass end. One might think. Well this might sound off. But it don't. The sound is fluid. Smooth dimensional full of body and warmth...Yes this sound is not for everyone but for guys that are good with and old school presentation of sound. These are stunning in ears.. They don't have the best treble refinement or bass refinement but they have arguably one of the most unbelievable mid sections for in ear phones I have ever heard. The meat of your music is portrayed in a grand scale unlike anything else I have ever heard.. Now comes the negatives. They do cost a lot of money but for sound purists. These are a must own. The bulk of the cost was in the materials used for these in ear. As for all the research done for these..
They have a one of kind sound that is absolutely enveloping and done in such a big scale. They literally sound like I have a warm tube amplifier hooked up to them..And it sounds marvelous. It is hard to hear regular in ears after getting used to the sound..Mine are borrowed but I don't want to return them. lol.