Hello Coolers! I have spent the last few weeks listening to four IEMs that share many similarities: Annihilator 23, Fei Wan, Loki, and Erebus. I’ve focused on the first three in several comparison posts recently. Now it is Erebus’ turn in the spotlight. Many people may be saying “Ere-what?” since this is such an unknown in circles like Watercooler and seemingly the rest of Head-Fi. This is definitely a TOTL IEM, and in a universe where that expression may be overused, Erebus stands out.
I will note that NGAudio has done itself and the portable audiophile community no favors with its lack of marketing. I have heard it is more widely known in China and parts of Asia. But why release a $4700US retail IEM in all other markets just to let it languish, unknown and unheard? It is a shame particularly since it is a fantastic IEM, and I personally would love to have more of you to banter with about the Erebus in the same way we all dish on newer hot properties like Canpur 622B, Annihilator 23, Storm, Trifecta and more.
Putting that aside, I truly enjoyed listening to the four IEMs at hand over the past few weeks. It’s been an absolute treat to have access and time to put them all through my gauntlet of test tracks. All four share the so-called Asian/Eastern top-down profile, and with solid to great DD bass. Their retail prices range from $3000US to $4700US, which to feels random to me since they are all very close in performance and joy factor, with some key distinctions.
Note that in my comparisons, when I say “Anni” I mean Annihilator 23. When I say Loki I am referring to the international edition.
Setup:
My test chain for Erebus was N30 DAP (hyper off, A/B amp, P)>doctorjuggles copper cable>Erebus>Azla Max tips. I used N30 to test the other three IEMs for this round.
Erebus is relatively easy to drive, almost the same as Loki. Fei Wan requires less power. Anni requires a lot more juice to sing.
I am a big fan of
@doctorjuggles custom cables - in particular his copper cable tops some I have on hand Erebus, including First Times Shielding (too much energy), Cleo II (too little bass), and stock (too little of everything).
Music:
A mix of classic rock, modern rock, folk rock, singer/songwriter, jazz vocal, jazz, pop, dance pop. All the same test songs I used in my other recent comparisons between Anni 23, Fei Wan, and Loki.
Build and Fit:
Premium build. The Erebus shell feels like a small piece of polished marble.
The plate design is not super attractive, and I never would have chosen this on looks alone. That said, appearance doesn’t matter much to me, since I don’t see a IEM while it is in my ears and it is otherwise stored safely in a case.
Erebus is almost as comfortable as Fei Wan, making it more comfortable than any other IEM I have tried except that one. I could have Erebus in all day and barely notice.
Nozzle width is medium, so no difficulties putting on tips.
The 2-pin port is not recessed so it feels tenuous when I am attempting to insert a cable. Recessed would have been easier and felt more secure.
Slight DD flex on insertion.
No pressure thanks to venting.
Sound Profile:
Erebus has a more relaxed sound than other three but is not relaxed in absolute terms: it has some verve, scales extremely well, works with just about any type of music, for any mood I brought to it.
It features a largely uncolored, very slightly warm, reference-ish sound (its bass strength and upper mids energy keep it from being what I imagine truly reference style to be).
At first it does not sound really special, rather just very good, but with more extended listening, the full scope of how impressive and top-shelf Erebus is becomes clear.
Erebus features a more balanced W shaped sound than the other three. All parts of the FR are distinct and still coherent, unlike some other W shaped IEMs like Rn6 that to me sounded slightly less coherent.
Erebus’ sub bass has punch and snap, close to FW, moreso than Anni and Loki. More articulate and tactile sub bass than Anni and Loki, though not quite as much as FW. Medium decay, as opposed to FW or Loki.
There is a medium amount of mid bass, not close to FW’s, also less than Loki, and more similar to Anni. Erebus’ mid bass comes up to lower mids just enough to bring them a bit forward and add depth and a little warmth. No muddiness across the spectrum.
Erebus’ mids are the best of the set of four. Its mids are more forward than the other three, with what feels like just the right amount for vocals and acoustic instruments to assert their space well and not be left behind, as can be the case with Loki in particular. Erebus’ mids are neutral-ish. To go beyond this set of four, are not as warm and romantic as for example Trailli, but as detailed and similar-charactered I would argue as Mentor.
The upper mids can be energetic at times, though not peaky and generally not fatiguing. This quality lends urgency to many vocals, which 90% of the time is welcome. Still, I would prefer it was dialed down. At points the danger zone is approached, but never fully entered into thankfully.
Erebus has fantastic treble, not dry but rather neutral to slightly sweet, loads of air with just the right sparkle, softened crispness, medium extension, zero sibilance, not at all fatiguing. Very close to Anni’s treble, I would say 95% of it, just lacking a very slight bit of the superior transient snap that Anni possesses. Erebus’ treble to me is better than Fei Wan and Loki, as excellent as those two are in the higher end.
Erebus’ timbre is more neutral than FW, equal to Anni. Realistic, minimal color. More how the music was intended perhaps (as overused an expression as that is).
Emotive listening experience, very musical and not at all clinical, even with its relatively neutral sound profile.
Technicals:
Superb technicals, maybe the best as an entire presentation of any IEM I have heard (note I have not heard Storm, Jewel, Canpur 622, or Amber Pearl, which are also described as technical frontrunners).
Excellent layering and separation of instruments, better than the other three, in spite of their excellence. Superior imaging as well.
Wider stage than the other three, though very close to FW. More width than any IEM I have heard except Trailli, which is on par. Stage not as deep as FW. Deeper than Anni and Loki.
Excellent transients, particularly acoustic and brass instruments, on par with Anni.
As much or more detail than other three, which is saying something as these are all extremely resolving IEMs.
Equally fast as the other three.
Vocals:
Maybe the best part of Erebus’ performance. Up and down vocal ranges, it scales so well, from Ella Fitzgerald ballads and Sarah Jarosz’s singer/songwriter songs, up through faster and more robust vocals such as Robert Plant on Led Zepplin’s “Immigrant Song” and Beastie Boys “So What’cha Want”, and more baritone voices like Gregory Porter on “Liquid Spirit” and Paul Simon’s background singers on “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes” - so many Wow moment. All across the vocal spectrum, I hear excellence of pacing, timbre, intonation, detail.
Best Genres:
All of them!
Jazz and bass vocal sound superb
Classic rock, modern rock, pop, dance pop: all excellent
I suspect classical would sound terrific, though I don’t listen to it
Live music sounds fantastic - Wynton Marsalis Septet at Lincoln Center with many guests sounds exhilarating and enchanting, perfection in my mind. In terms of scaling, The Who “Live At Leeds” sounds vigorous, fast and alive on Erebus, on par with Fei Wan even without FW’s full bore bass intensity.
Bottom Line:
Erebus is most similar to Annihilator 23 out of the other three. The key differences are Erebus has for me much better bass performance, more forward and textured mids, and much larger staging. All of that with treble that is almost on-par with Anni. These two IEMs are similar enough that I would not include them both in the same roster.
Erebus makes an excellent complement to the other two, Fei Wan and Loki. It makes an even better apples and orange complement to Trifecta, which I also have. I would say Erebus plus any “fun” IEM like Fei Wan or bottom-up set like Xe6 or maybe Raven (which I haven’t heard yet) would be a great two-IEM tag team.
Erebus is the most all-rounder of any in my roster, with Anni closely behind. Any genre from my library that I play, with any tempo or level of complexity, sounds excellent on it. It scales better than the other three, better than any IEM I have heard.
I realize my impressions have been almost entirely positive to raves. I don’t mean to be a fanboy about the Erebus, I just can find few flaws for my preferences. One would be the plate design, not a big deal for me but still it is not attractive. The lack of recessed 2-pin connector ports is not great. The other nitpick is the energy in the upper mids, which if they were slightly reduced would make this the IEM I could quit the hobby with. Even still, it very well could be if that sad day were ever to come.
Hopefully more of you will get to hear Erebus. It is first-rate and should be in the conversation when we all debate which are the TOTL of TOTLs in the IEM world.
I’m not gonna complain though, the regular locals and the shops tenants are super cool and friendly! 
