Like the Gaia, the Raven is one of the flagships of the South Korean manufacturer AME Custom (Acoustic Mastered Engineering). While the Gaia uses a DD driver for the bass range, the Raven uses two BA drivers from Sonion. Both are identically priced and currently have a retail price of 3200 USD.
Just like the Gaia, the Raven is meticulously handcrafted and I personally like its black design even better. In general, these two IEMs are at the top of my IEM collection in terms of workmanship and design.
The Gaia, which I tested extensively some time ago, has a total of 11 drivers. The Raven uses 12 drivers in the configuration 8x BA + 4x EST. Like the Gaia, the Raven is available in two different tunings, one for the South Korean market and one with a slightly more pronounced bass range for the US market. The latter is also the Raven that I am using for the test.
As with the Gaia, the 2-pin socket is recessed into the IEM housing, ensuring a very secure connection without bending or breaking the connector pins. The 4-way crossover network is also used here and the impedance is also 14 ohms. I can't see any differences between the two in terms of size and comfort.
The scope of delivery is also identical to that of the Gaia. On board is the metal warranty card with serial number, a round leather case, a cleaning brush and cloth, the superb 4.4 mm Old & Wise cable and various ear tips. For the test, I used the AZLA Clears, which I found to be the most comfortable and balanced sounding with both AME Custom IEMs.
The sound test is accompanied by two different DAPs, the DX320 MAX Ti from iBasso and the FiiO M15s. These are joined by the iBasso PB5 corgtube amp, which I use in combination with the two DAPs.
As I already know the Gaia, the first notes were to be expected. Once again, we are dealing with a superbly tuned IEM with fabulous technical capabilities. Tonally, the range from the mids to the highs is almost identically tuned to the Gaia. Well, what can you change in this treble range with the EST drivers? It sounds perfect to me, even with the Raven! Overall, the Raven sounds a little warmer and fuller. This has to do with the fact that the bass range is boosted a little more than with the Gaia and the timbre of the Sonion BA drivers for the bass range.
The Graphene DD driver sounds a little more purified with a focus on even more audibility. You can also see in comparison how damn fast this Graphene DD driver really is with the Gaia. In terms of speed, I can hardly make out any difference to the Sonion BA drivers of the Raven. The Raven plays with more texture at the bottom and surprisingly good punch and impact for a BA driver. For comparison, I also used my Multiverse Mentor, which was previously my reference in terms of BA bass. Since the Raven, I would put it on the same level as the Multiverse Mentor. The Raven conjures up a bass range that is currently one of the best in the BA sector. But as good as the impact is even with the very best BA drivers, in direct comparison with the Gaia you simply feel its dynamic impact even more. No BA driver can achieve this in the same way.
Due to the slightly warmer and fuller tuning, the instrument separation is not quite at the level of the Gaia, but the Raven is slightly more pleasing overall. In terms of resolution, they are both on a par, which is thanks to the fantastic treble range with the 4 EST drivers.
Raven there was something? Exactly the Empire Ears Raven with the same name. How do they differ from each other? The EE Raven is a technically brilliant IEM with an insanely good bass range and very good stage imaging. Unfortunately, it is not quite as well tuned in the mids as the AME Raven and, depending on the recording, you can hear these problems as they are already very recessed. With the subsequent peaks around 6K and 8K, it simply doesn't sound as natural as the AME Raven. Overall, I therefore prefer the AME Raven.
I like the operation of the Raven directly on the M15s best. The slightly brighter overall tuning of the FiiO makes the Raven more transparent and the bass is really crisp and full-bodied. When used with the DX320 MAX Ti, the bass loses a little of its punch and the stage imaging is slightly wider and deeper. While the Gaia really comes into its own when used with the PB5, I like the Raven a little better directly on the DAPs.
With the Raven and Gaia, AME Custom really has two top-class products in its range that complement each other wonderfully. It is comparable to the two headphones Austrian Audio Composer and Focal Utopia 22. The Gaia sounds a little airier, more transparent with better instrument separation. It comes very close to a Composer tonally. The Raven, with its warmer and more pleasing tuning, sounds similar to the Focal Utopia 22. Personally, I find it difficult to say which of the two I like better. It also depends on the recordings. With some the Gaia shines more, with some the Raven. Both sound incredibly good and get a clear recommendation from me!
