The Acoustune 1695TI is a model that I didn’t know existed until well, a couple of days ago. I had gone to my local audio store to demo some stuff, most of which I was pretty heavily disappointed by, so I decided to extend my suffering a bit further and go back to Acoustune. I had previously heard the 1670SS, which I thought was mediocre at the very best and regardless of my almost inexistent treble tolerance limit, I still found it’s treble reproduction to be rather thin, sharp and generally terrible. I figured why not, what’s one more poor IEM for the day
Well, as it turned out, not only was I pleasantly surprised by just how good the 1695TI is, I instantly bought it as I found it to be one of the most impressive products the audio industry has to offer. I am here to convince you that this is not only one of the best options at 1000ish USD, but at any price point (also why it swiftly landed in Tier 1 on my very own ranking list). Anyhow, enough hype, let’s get to my 100% objective review that speaks pure fact because it’s been posted on the internet
Disclaimer: the 1695TI was purchased with my own funds, with a 50-euro discount because I’m the dream customer of any audio store and they want me to continue blowing salary after salary on their stuff
I haven’t purchased the 1695TI directly from Acoustune, so I can’t really comment on how the experience would be with them, but the packaging and presentation are certainly on point, You get two great cases, one is more pocket friendly, while the other would be more appropriate for home storage as pictured below. There’s also a nice assortment of tips and other accessories. Honestly, I love all the stuff that come with the 1695TI, but I also think this should be pretty standard once you enter the 500++ price range. Unfortunately I can’t show you what they look like just yet as I have the dealer’s unit and not my own..
The cable deserves special attention here, as it’s pretty much the only sub-2000$ IEM that I’ve ever purchased and not gotten the urge to change the cable within 15 minutes of use. It’s nice, thick and golden. Ngl, I love the bling. Wouldn’t call it stiff or supple, it’s somewhere in the middle but it certainly feels great to use. No microphonics to be reported.
This part might be more of a personal sentiment, but Pentaconn Ear Connector? Seriously Acoustune? I mean, it’s nice that it isn’t entirely proprietary, but I still harbor a certain resentment for anything that isn’t the standard 2pin and MMCX, since I am a bit of a cable rolling lunatic. I’ve spoken to Eletech about it and they’ll likely be able to procure it, but still. If the whole industry doesn’t make a unanimous push to a new connector, I’d rather they just stick to the basics
Anyhow, the IEMs look…. Shiny? I can’t say I love or hate the look, it’s a bit too golden but the build quality is rather great, I can’t really complain. It is slowly growing on me, but a different color wouldn’t have been a terrible idea either. I find the shape of the IEMs fit me really well but sealed rather poorly. So far I’ve had best result with the SpinFit double flanges, one size larger than what I normally use.
To recap because you’ve probably only looked at the photos as I do when reading reviews:
- Awesome packaging and accessories
- Awesome cable
- Awesome build quality and decent looks
- Stop with the new connectors
- Good fit, poor seal
The good news is, it gets even better once you get to how these sound, but before that a bit more about me
I guess you could say I’m a bit of an elitist when it comes to sound, because price to performance is something that’s never been of particular interest of me. Yeah, I get the VE Monks sound great for 5$, but also give me back my VE Elysium. I’ve never really judged gear based on how much it costs, but rather how it sounds completely irrespective of whether my children will be able to go to university or not. In essence, I’m judging these the way I’d judge anything at any price point….
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…
..
And they are spectacular. I’ve never considered multi-driver setups to be inherently incoherent, but the Acoustune 1695TI can certainly make them feel like they are. The single DD makes for a consistent and extremely coherent presentation, ranging from the lowest bass to the highest treble. The frequencies just feel like they belong together. What’s even better about the 1695TI is that Acoustune have been able to squeeze out an impressive level of technicality out of that oh-so-lonely driver, so it comfortably competes with much more complex configurations but has the clear upper hand when it comes to the overall presentation.
In terms of FR, I wouldn’t say any frequency has had a significant boost, but it does have that intensity (not unlike the FiR M5) with a few specific tweaks. It also has a certain vocal orientation, where female vocals sound heavenly, while male vocals that operate in the lower midrange have incredible body and weight. The vocals do take center stage, but don’t completely overshadow the rest of the performance, so that gets the thumbs up for me. They sound rather realistic in terms of what you’d experience in reality
The bass is phenomenal on the 1695TI. Far from excessive, but with excellent slam and decay. There’s a noticeable subbass lift too, which has managed to maintain that quality and I love it. I’m far from a basshead, and almost no other IEM’s bass has managed to get my attention, while the Acoustune have done a remarkable job. I’d say the fact that a DD executes the midrange is what’s making me enjoy the bass, as BA mids are quite inherently inferior to a well-tuned DD. BAs can get the detail right, but the texture isn’t even close (except for maybe the VE8). Anyways, the combination of DD lows and BA mids has always felt odd to me, as you get this deep, wonderful, textured bass and then a comparatively overlooked midrange – yikes, no thanks. Either way, I love the Acoustune’s lows.
The midrange on the 1695TI is great but is highly dependent on what kind of seal you get. When I don’t get it just right the upper mids become rather excessive and overpower the rest of the frequencies, resulting in a very bright and fatiguing presentation. Anyways, once you find the right tips for you, the midrange is extremely textured and yet not overly heavy and thick. It maintains a great balance between all frequencies that I don’t think I have experienced just about anywhere else so far. It’s a neutrally positioned midrange, with an extremely high level of intangibles and sheer quality.
I think a better testament to how the 1695TI does mids is the fact that I really enjoy them, as that’s the frequency I’m definitely most critical of. Consider my comments and criticism as somewhat amplified by my pickiness.
The treble follows suit and is relatively neutral, sparkly and detailed. The dynamic driver is able to handle peaks and older recording very well, maintaining excellent clarity regardless of what’s going on. Can’t say anything bad about the treble’s extension either, cymbals sound great, gets the thumbs up from me. It maintains the presentation of the bass and midrange, where you don’t have a sheer boost in quantity, but the execution is of the highest quality. As a mid/treble head, I can say I absolutely love both
I’m thrilled to report that Acoustune have done an excellent job with both the FR and the technicalities. The 1695TI is fast as mentioned already (handles complexity well), with a very wide soundstage, great resolution and decent detail. Honestly, if the midrange was able to deliver just a little more detail, I’d appreciate that, as both the bass and treble perform at the highest standard in that respect. Once again though, this is me being especially picky with the mids.
Where they definitely lack is in soundstage depth. To me personally that is irrelevant for music, as a soundstage that has good height and width is more than sufficient, but I know some people would have an issue with that. You don’t get to hear stuff behind you and in random places around your head, take that as you will. It is once again, very wide and in my book that’s more than good enough (I prefer width to depth).
So far I've listened to them on the Chord Hugo2, the SP1000M and RME ADI2 DAC. I liked them best on the Hugo2 and RME, as the AK took the upper mids a bit too far and somewhat threw the balance off. I'd say a neutral and highly analytical source would work best with these, but this part is up to you to test and see how you enjoy best! I wouldn't say they're too pretentious when it comes to pairings however, like say the Elysium
As this has gone on for far too long already, let’s conclude. I can’t help but give it a heavy recommendation, regardless of whether you’re looking for something around the 1000, 2000 or 3000$ mark. Ultimately though, the 1695TI passed my weekend test – where for 3 days I lock away all my other gear and spend 3 days with that IEM alone. It’s currently day 3 and I’d say I just can’t get enough. To offer some comparison, by day 3 I couldn’t wait to swap my Fusion for something else, same goes for my Katana and my now sold Khan. The 1695TI is a remarkable piece of engineering, well done Acoustune!
Well, as it turned out, not only was I pleasantly surprised by just how good the 1695TI is, I instantly bought it as I found it to be one of the most impressive products the audio industry has to offer. I am here to convince you that this is not only one of the best options at 1000ish USD, but at any price point (also why it swiftly landed in Tier 1 on my very own ranking list). Anyhow, enough hype, let’s get to my 100% objective review that speaks pure fact because it’s been posted on the internet
Disclaimer: the 1695TI was purchased with my own funds, with a 50-euro discount because I’m the dream customer of any audio store and they want me to continue blowing salary after salary on their stuff
I haven’t purchased the 1695TI directly from Acoustune, so I can’t really comment on how the experience would be with them, but the packaging and presentation are certainly on point, You get two great cases, one is more pocket friendly, while the other would be more appropriate for home storage as pictured below. There’s also a nice assortment of tips and other accessories. Honestly, I love all the stuff that come with the 1695TI, but I also think this should be pretty standard once you enter the 500++ price range. Unfortunately I can’t show you what they look like just yet as I have the dealer’s unit and not my own..
The cable deserves special attention here, as it’s pretty much the only sub-2000$ IEM that I’ve ever purchased and not gotten the urge to change the cable within 15 minutes of use. It’s nice, thick and golden. Ngl, I love the bling. Wouldn’t call it stiff or supple, it’s somewhere in the middle but it certainly feels great to use. No microphonics to be reported.
This part might be more of a personal sentiment, but Pentaconn Ear Connector? Seriously Acoustune? I mean, it’s nice that it isn’t entirely proprietary, but I still harbor a certain resentment for anything that isn’t the standard 2pin and MMCX, since I am a bit of a cable rolling lunatic. I’ve spoken to Eletech about it and they’ll likely be able to procure it, but still. If the whole industry doesn’t make a unanimous push to a new connector, I’d rather they just stick to the basics
Anyhow, the IEMs look…. Shiny? I can’t say I love or hate the look, it’s a bit too golden but the build quality is rather great, I can’t really complain. It is slowly growing on me, but a different color wouldn’t have been a terrible idea either. I find the shape of the IEMs fit me really well but sealed rather poorly. So far I’ve had best result with the SpinFit double flanges, one size larger than what I normally use.
To recap because you’ve probably only looked at the photos as I do when reading reviews:
- Awesome packaging and accessories
- Awesome cable
- Awesome build quality and decent looks
- Stop with the new connectors
- Good fit, poor seal
The good news is, it gets even better once you get to how these sound, but before that a bit more about me
I guess you could say I’m a bit of an elitist when it comes to sound, because price to performance is something that’s never been of particular interest of me. Yeah, I get the VE Monks sound great for 5$, but also give me back my VE Elysium. I’ve never really judged gear based on how much it costs, but rather how it sounds completely irrespective of whether my children will be able to go to university or not. In essence, I’m judging these the way I’d judge anything at any price point….
..
…
..
And they are spectacular. I’ve never considered multi-driver setups to be inherently incoherent, but the Acoustune 1695TI can certainly make them feel like they are. The single DD makes for a consistent and extremely coherent presentation, ranging from the lowest bass to the highest treble. The frequencies just feel like they belong together. What’s even better about the 1695TI is that Acoustune have been able to squeeze out an impressive level of technicality out of that oh-so-lonely driver, so it comfortably competes with much more complex configurations but has the clear upper hand when it comes to the overall presentation.
In terms of FR, I wouldn’t say any frequency has had a significant boost, but it does have that intensity (not unlike the FiR M5) with a few specific tweaks. It also has a certain vocal orientation, where female vocals sound heavenly, while male vocals that operate in the lower midrange have incredible body and weight. The vocals do take center stage, but don’t completely overshadow the rest of the performance, so that gets the thumbs up for me. They sound rather realistic in terms of what you’d experience in reality
The bass is phenomenal on the 1695TI. Far from excessive, but with excellent slam and decay. There’s a noticeable subbass lift too, which has managed to maintain that quality and I love it. I’m far from a basshead, and almost no other IEM’s bass has managed to get my attention, while the Acoustune have done a remarkable job. I’d say the fact that a DD executes the midrange is what’s making me enjoy the bass, as BA mids are quite inherently inferior to a well-tuned DD. BAs can get the detail right, but the texture isn’t even close (except for maybe the VE8). Anyways, the combination of DD lows and BA mids has always felt odd to me, as you get this deep, wonderful, textured bass and then a comparatively overlooked midrange – yikes, no thanks. Either way, I love the Acoustune’s lows.
The midrange on the 1695TI is great but is highly dependent on what kind of seal you get. When I don’t get it just right the upper mids become rather excessive and overpower the rest of the frequencies, resulting in a very bright and fatiguing presentation. Anyways, once you find the right tips for you, the midrange is extremely textured and yet not overly heavy and thick. It maintains a great balance between all frequencies that I don’t think I have experienced just about anywhere else so far. It’s a neutrally positioned midrange, with an extremely high level of intangibles and sheer quality.
I think a better testament to how the 1695TI does mids is the fact that I really enjoy them, as that’s the frequency I’m definitely most critical of. Consider my comments and criticism as somewhat amplified by my pickiness.
The treble follows suit and is relatively neutral, sparkly and detailed. The dynamic driver is able to handle peaks and older recording very well, maintaining excellent clarity regardless of what’s going on. Can’t say anything bad about the treble’s extension either, cymbals sound great, gets the thumbs up from me. It maintains the presentation of the bass and midrange, where you don’t have a sheer boost in quantity, but the execution is of the highest quality. As a mid/treble head, I can say I absolutely love both
I’m thrilled to report that Acoustune have done an excellent job with both the FR and the technicalities. The 1695TI is fast as mentioned already (handles complexity well), with a very wide soundstage, great resolution and decent detail. Honestly, if the midrange was able to deliver just a little more detail, I’d appreciate that, as both the bass and treble perform at the highest standard in that respect. Once again though, this is me being especially picky with the mids.
Where they definitely lack is in soundstage depth. To me personally that is irrelevant for music, as a soundstage that has good height and width is more than sufficient, but I know some people would have an issue with that. You don’t get to hear stuff behind you and in random places around your head, take that as you will. It is once again, very wide and in my book that’s more than good enough (I prefer width to depth).
So far I've listened to them on the Chord Hugo2, the SP1000M and RME ADI2 DAC. I liked them best on the Hugo2 and RME, as the AK took the upper mids a bit too far and somewhat threw the balance off. I'd say a neutral and highly analytical source would work best with these, but this part is up to you to test and see how you enjoy best! I wouldn't say they're too pretentious when it comes to pairings however, like say the Elysium
As this has gone on for far too long already, let’s conclude. I can’t help but give it a heavy recommendation, regardless of whether you’re looking for something around the 1000, 2000 or 3000$ mark. Ultimately though, the 1695TI passed my weekend test – where for 3 days I lock away all my other gear and spend 3 days with that IEM alone. It’s currently day 3 and I’d say I just can’t get enough. To offer some comparison, by day 3 I couldn’t wait to swap my Fusion for something else, same goes for my Katana and my now sold Khan. The 1695TI is a remarkable piece of engineering, well done Acoustune!
Cheers