“Eartech Music is a custom in-ear studio dedicated to making the highest quality and most affordable in-ear products for musicians, sound engineers and audiophiles.”
In Eartech Music's “Who We Are” statement on their website (eartechmusic.com) they mention competitive prices, lower costs, affordable, etc. 9 times.
And if meeting that goal is a “home run” for EM, then I would say the 4 Driver (two bass, one mid and one treble) Quads hit it WAY out of the park!!! These are audiophile ciems, not just good enough “for the price”.
I am not a musician, but a music lover (audiophile? well no golden ears here!) who has to walk every day for health reasons. To make that walk bearable I need music on the go. I have tried 2 different sets of iems (listed below) and could not get any tips to fit. They break their seal and lose sound isolation and sound terrible only seconds after cramming them in tight. So when in the U. S. recently I bit the bullet and went to an audiologist and had custom impressions made of my ears, at a cost of $80. My search for custom iems was frustrating, as I did not find much info, not many reviews of affordable monitors. Then I found Eartech Music, and after speaking with Richard Trent there and exchanging some emails, I ordered their new Quads.
Their online “Design Studio” lets you customize the look in a staggering number of colors/options from custom art, laser etching to wonderful real wood choices. I like my Texans choice and the two different colors make it easy for me to get the right one for the correct ear.
Since I live in Thailand I was worried about the fit and the 30 day warranty. It would take more than 30 days to get them! But EM agreed to extend the warranty for me because of ordering overseas. Fortunately they fit perfectly, so no problem. Really, working with Richard, who was extremely responsive and helpful was like dealing with family. Only more professional.
What I got were the new, probably soon to be released in 2017 Quad prototypes. Stated specs for the Quads are 12Hz—18kHz at +/-20 ohms impedance. Sensitivity is 112 dB SPL/mW @ 1 kHz. And a -26 dB noise isolation. They have a passive tuning network and voicing. And Eartech stresses that they are careful to keep the phase correct, which I believe contributes to the openness and wide soundstage I experience. The sound is not just center of the head, but a clear left to right soundstage, wonderful!! And these babies are so efficient, they play LOUD and everything I tried can drive them easily and well.
The Quads come with a good, lightweight cable (with clear shrink wrap curved over-ear pieces, so micro-phonics are no problem)in a beautiful Pelican case along with a desiccant disc to keep out moisture, a cleaning tool, shirt clip and a free nice T-shirt as well, thanks.
The Quads are EM's most expensive ciem at $499 plus custom work and shipping. They also made a 2 driver Dual and a 3 driver Triple for less money. All use Balanced Armature drivers which is a first for me. I am comparing them with dynamic driver iems, the Shure SE215, RHA MA750 as well as HiFiMan HE400i headphones with over ear planar magnetic drivers.
I have broken them in with well over 150 hours so far playing mostly FLAC, WAV files or CDs. Even played a couple of low quality MP3s and a nasty digital sounding CD which still sounded nasty digital. I've listened to quite a few Hi-Res files but cannot swear I heard much improvement. I can say for sure that well recorded music always sounds better than poor recordings on the Quads.
I have listened primarily with the iBasso DX90 DAP, and less time with a Samsung Galaxy Tab, with Vincent hybrid tube/transistor headphone amp, headphone outputs of my computer and XMC-1 Pre-processor (with CD, movie and TV sources.) As I said, they are easy to drive, and the better the source, the better the sound. BUT they sound great with any source I have tried.
Eartech Music says the Quads are popular with bass players and drummers. So I expected boosted, exaggerated bass. They do have 2 bass drivers after all. And they do have bass; gorgeous, round, full deep bass. Just give Gary Karr's “Deep River” and “Old Black Joe” spirituals from 'Super Double-Bass: The Artistry of Gary Karr' a listen. Or “The Bottom” by Charlie Robison on 'Good Times'.
But what surprised me was the amount, quality and beauty of the midrange. Vocals are truly special on the Quads! I auditioned the usual Norah Jones, Lydia Gray and the amazing Laura Fygi (check out her beautiful “Bésame Mucho” for the REAL DEAL in awesome female vocals), all are perfect! No chestiness, etc. Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, B.W. Stevenson and Bob Schneider (listen to “Digging for Icicles” on his 'Burden of Proof' album, another REAL DEAL), I have heard all these guys in person, and this is exactly how I remember they should sound.
These are not V shaped sound like some, not boosted bass like my old iems. When I first put them on and was amazed at the fit (they are hardly noticeable), I thought the sound was teardrop shaped with more mids, less but well rounded bass and short on treble. But soon the bass came on and with the right tracks it is warm and glorious to this bass-head! Lots of Bass and Mids, but where is the “air” the delicacy and resolution? After more play time I put on Janine Jansen “Vivaldi-Four Seasons” and there was a lot more treble than I realized. Pure, clean and articulate, very decent but still lacking in “air” and equal treble volume.
I would now describe the sound of the Quads like this: Vocals and midrange is King, Bass is Queen and treble is Jack. The ACE is the FUN/MUSIC!!!!
So, walking down the road the Quads sound wonderful!!! But as an audiophile wannabe, I have to sit down and listen critically as well. Playing one of the best albums ever for close listening, Jesse Cook's “Blue Guitar Sessions” is a revelation all the way through. It is close-miked and you can hear LOTS, TONS of detail. I “thought” I heard a little coloration or resonance that did not belong, perhaps? from the inside of the monitors? The B/A drivers are vented, so I wonder if there should be some cotton or something packed in around them (course that would ruin the great looks where you can see the drivers through the translucent bodies). To compare I played the same cuts through my HiFiMan headphones and my GoldenEar Tech. Triton One floor-standing speakers. I did not hear any coloration/resonance with them, and I realized the music was more refined, just a bit richer and better balanced. I don't know how mature the technology of these B/A drivers is. Likely not as well developed as that of my speakers or the planar-magnetic drivers in the headphones. Not a very fair comparison.
I am enjoying the Quads so much that I feel that they will likely be perfect for an aftermarket silver cable upgrade. The included cable is fine, and I like that it does not retain shape, is super light, but it does get tangled. My bet here (and it is a $400 bet, but I feel the Quads are worthy of it) is that the the new Whiplash Audio Dynamics TWag Litz V4 cable will bring out the treble and a touch more bass, such that the overall sound should be perfectly balanced.
I will wrap it up: The Eartech Music Quad is a nearly perfect custom in ear monitor for exercise, travel and late night private listening. They are musical, fun, involving and a little warm sounding. I really enjoy the sound of music through these monitors. I love vocals and bass, and that is available in spades here. The Quads look and sound great, so open and musical, never bright/harsh, sibilant or analytical. They may not offer the utmost in high end resolution/refinement but I hope to get them there with a silver cable
(I will report back on that later). And they are great value for money from a company that treats you like family. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all kinds of music, Hendrix to Hooker, Bonamassa to Beethoven, Janice to Jarrett, and Pink Floyd.
I am not in any way affiliated with Eartech Music and I paid full price for my ciems.
I am not that great at writing so please feel free to ask any questions or make any comments.
Thanks, God Bless,
Tex Thai
Added 25 Mar. 2017
Here is my review on the new cables I am using with these ciems: http://www.head-fi.org/products/twag-v4-litz-ciem-replacement-cable/reviews/18291
