non aff link

https://hifigo.com/products/elysian-acoustic-labs-pilgrim

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256806735808497.html



This is an interesting iem. A lot of people have called this a baby Anniliator, but it’s not it’s different it’s it’s own monster. So there is a hint of disappointment to my ears as I want to say “Hey, this is just like the anniliator!” There is a trend to jump on the bandwagon. I could throw shade and try to call others out in a way, but I want this iem review to start off with some simple statement about what this iem is, and is not. This is a satisfying iem, that is well worth the price, but it isn’t exactly what an Anniliator is.

This is a purchased set. I had to move a few headphones around to be able to afford this set. While purchasing or samples can effect how a reviewer might want to review, I try to remain unbiased when possible.






This is a personal product and I am fully happy with my purchase. I really enjoy this iem. I was able to demo it at Can Jam 2023. I would never recommend buying any iem past say 200 dollars if you haven’t demoed it first. Maybe your limit is higher, but that’s my default recommendation to all. I try to tell the story of purchase or acquisition whenever I buy an iem. I asked Hifigo about this iem and told them that I was interested in reviewing it, I did buy this iem with my own cash and had to move some gear around to afford this.

Let me share what music that I listen to:

Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs (needs to be edited a bit)




Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. The bass seems well-controlled and fun. One thing the Pilgrim isn’t is lean, it has a nice tonality that is very suiting and pleasant. I do find the quality of the bass is correct. I feel percussions on it sound great. The iem is clean and lush even in the bass.


The Above is my Targe with the Bass only on the Pilgrim. It’s a nice fit!

Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone is great on this iem, people have described it as near perfect or class leading and they aren’t joking. It is basically perfect for what I want out of an iem. . It has nothing that will often plague other iems. No weird plastic feeling, voices sound right with no plastic feeling.
I don’t find it shouty but fun, smooth and enjoyable. The Timbre of this iem is lush and energetic. This comes across slightly energetic and U shaped, but is still a smooth listen and very enjoyable.



Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The 5-6k region which is still fairly accurate on a 711 coupler is very hot for me. This might be an issue with some people. I personally prefer sets that have this down a lot more. Is this an issue, no in fact in just reviewed a set that had a peak around that level. But for what I am used to the 5-6k region comes across very bright.




The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I would think it would sound neutral or boring without the 3k spike, but I enjoyed it. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming

Gaming is great on this iem, it’s cozy and has a world class feeling of fit to me. Details sparkle for me, but the treble and space aren’t much better than the Hexa, it is fairly similar and on about the same level. It has a beautiful open and clean sound. The stage isn’t too wide, but just right. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fantastic. It has great imaging and a good sense of where I am.

Shell -
The shell is pretty, it fits great and I find it an exceptional fit. I’m not a huge fan of metallic shells but this iem feels great in ear. It feels pretty great in ear. I had some minor concerns over the shell of the iem, and I was pleasantly surprised.



Case- The case have an odd feeling and doesn’t feel as good in the hands that it looks. It has a beautiful look, but the inside has a ridge aroud that it doesn’t feel super durable. Almost like a cardboard ridge that could be destroyed very easily. Overall it’s a nice case that feels and looks great. I took it to work to do some testing and it worked great for my use.

Cable- The cable comes in 3.5 or 4.4. I would recommend to chose carefully as it is a pennaconn cable and those are expensive to come by. Overall the cable is very nice and premium feeling. I was concerned about the cable. But it feel durable in hand and thick.


Tip Selection - The tips are Spinfits W1, they are the same used in the anniliator. I found myself using Eletech Baroque tips, as the iem was having a slight issue staying in my ear.

Comparisons:

Vs Anni 2023

Ok, vs the iem of the same brand that, I own and love. The bass is better a tad more rich and organic, the upper treble isn’t as natural, but it’s close, it’s so close. The midbass in the anniliator is much better, and the overall natural tone of the anniliator is better by a lot to my ears. This doesn’t mean the Pilgrim is a bad iem, but to me it just a strong iem that isn’t exactly perfect. Some people might even like The Pilgrim better as the sound is a little bit more organic. I always say to demo anything over say 200 dollars when possible, and take everything with a grain of salt.

It amplifies the slightly odd fun treble of the annihilator up to 10. Some people might be reminded of how bright the annilator sounds, but to my ears the Pilgrim is brighter, almost plastically so. It’s a unique experience. Again, the Pilgrim is a very good iem, I’m using my audiophile microscope here. But using that, the Pilgrim is brighter, the Annilaitor has better vocals, bass, and more balanced treble with a better fit. It by no means takes “Anni’s” place to me in the market. Despite being a very solid and nice product.


Vs Hype 4. (The similar price)

Let’s compare the iem that I’m reviewing vs an iem that is of the same price. I think the mids of hype 4 are slightly better. I like the eargain region of the Hype 4 better. I wouldnt’ call the hype 4 much better, just a different colorization of sound. I think the Hype 4 has a more mainstream tuning for those looking for something similar to JM-1 curve.

The Pilgrim is brighter, but to my ears sounds more technical and right. But it is a close comparison as their graphs are somewhat similar. They trade blows and are both very good iems. At their prices I recommend both, one isn’t better than the other. The Hype 4 would be my recommendation as I like the resin shell a bit more, and I think the sound is a little less colored. The Pilgrim is slightly flavored and fun, and an overall masterful sound for it’s price. Like if I wanted to recommend to someone in the hobby who had only 400 dollars I’d say go Pilgrim easy, but to someone who wanted a one and done set to ride off into the sunset, I’d go Hype 4.



VS MEGA 5 EST

This is the that hype tuning that many are searching for. If you want to experience that hype tuning the Xuan NV might be the better source for you. The Pilgrim is a very good set with slightly recessed Male Vocals and female vocals, but it is still very nice. Demo both, but if I had to recommend one over the other I’d go with Pilgrim due to its much cheaper price. I really didn’t like the Mega 5 EST, but don’t find it a poor iem, just dull. The Pilgrim isn’t dull and has better bass and better air and technicalities. The Mega 5 est is more neutral and plain and lacks anything of excitement to me. It feels like a iem made in a factory by robots and doesn’t get me excited. Just way to neutral and bland.

But again, demo everything first.

VS Aful 5

Similar tonality in some ways. It is much better than the P5. But has some similarities and it is an option that gets you pretty close to the tonality of this iem. I think the Aful 5 might be a better value, but the Pilgrim is a great set if you can afford it. If you can’t and only have money for a cheaper set, the Aful Performer 5 is my recommendation at the cheaper price point.


Graph:


Sound - Final Impressions

While this iem is very good, and almost perfect, especially at its price it doesn’t fall into the category of “BLIND BUY THIS NAO!!!”, but more of yeah it’s pretty good, enjoyable, but not an Annihilator. I welcome the day an iem takes or beats the 2023 Elysian Annilator for me, but this aint it. It’s a super good iem, that I would feel is competitive with it’s peers and either class-leading or better. I recently review the hype 4 and loved it. I think the Pilgrim is on par with the Hype 4, and maybe better sonically. I think both of these 400-ish dollar iems are better than MANY 1000+ sets that I’ve listened to. But again, all my opinions are based on my ears and your mileage might vary.

Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my own graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have an that doesn’t need EQ. This iem does sound better to me with this eq, more neutral and less colored.

Preamp: -2.1 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 34 Hz Gain 1.9 dB Q 0.700
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 150 Hz Gain 0.7 dB Q 2.000
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 670 Hz Gain 0.7 dB Q 1.200
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1400 Hz Gain -1.7 dB Q 2.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3700 Hz Gain 3.3 dB Q 1.900
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 5600 Hz Gain -4.4 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 7900 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 1.200
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 9500 Hz Gain 3.1 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 12000 Hz Gain -2.2 dB Q 0.500
Filter 10: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000



Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, it is an expensive iem but overall it’s a solid package that sounds fantastic. It’s a handsome shell, a good-looking cable, but it is a little too white for my take. If price wasn’t a concern I’d probably consider the Noire due to its superior color and 350 dollar included cable. But the packaging of the Pilgrim is very much so on point and very enjoyable.

I do think this is a worth mainstream iem for the masses and gives you a taste of the Elysian sound. It may or may not be the best dollar-for-dollar iem for your tastes, but it is an exceptional product that is exceedingly enjoyable from a packing sound and build quality. I have no doubt these shells will surivie the Zombie Apocalypse.

Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to really have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems.

Summary-

Great iem, it gets my recommendation and I think it's competitive at the price point.

This is a short review, as I have a lot of products coming in. This is a loaner set, but to me is a special iem. Not just your average iem, but a very good one. Maybe one of the best that I've tried in that it does something just perfectly. But as this iem hasn't got what I feel is its due attention, I thought I'd give it a review to let others know that it's a solid product. Beyond that, I fully enjoy its bassy but fun tuning. I wish that we could recapture this iem in a cheaper cost.

Shell

The shell is fantastic and feels great. I like that you can easily cable swap with this.

Cable

The cable is very nice and I really enjoy it. I find it a treasure to use and hold in hands. I'm not much of a cable snob, but this is a fine cable that is appropriate for the cost of the iem.


Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs (needs to be edited a bit)




Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. The bass is impactufl and beautiful.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone is great on this iem, there is a slight amount of warmth. Think of a basshead who wants to be able to listen to anything. This is your set! It has nothing that will often plague other iems. No weird plastic feeling, voices sound right with no plastic feeling.
I don’t find it shouty at all but fun, smoothe and enjoyable. Podcasts and voices all sound great on it, and it has a good feel to it. Overall this iem is fresh, non fatiguing and just an easy clear listen. Vocals sound detailed and lifelike. The best part of this item is there is no fatigue in the upper Mids, it's just nice.


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I would think it would sound neutral or boring without the 3k spike, but I enjoyed it. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming

Gaming is great on this iem, it’s cozy and has a world-class feeling of fit to me. Details sparkle for me, but the treble and space aren’t much better than the Hexa, it is fairly similar and on about the same level. It has a beautiful open and clean sound. The stage isn’t too wide, but just right. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fantastic. It has great imaging and a good sense of where I am.







Vs Monarch MK 3

This is much more resolute monarch, and to my ears is better and more fun at the same time.





Graph:


This hits my target very well and is a nice graph.

Sound - Final Impressions
This iem is a high end love affair with Bass. I fully enjoy it and recommend all to demo it or try it if they can afford it. It's a special iem, and one of my favorites that I've tried. The tuning is lovely.

I have a silly ranking list to help people out of what to buy or what to recommend. Despite it's price this comes in very strongly at 3rd! Being one of the best sonic iems that I've ever tried (Only Elysian Anniliator 2023 and FF GM are better, but even then it's somewhat debatable.) It gets my full recommendation, but again it's expensive and I hope someone can do this tuning for cheaper.

Here is a short youtube video if anyone would rather watch!

This was a sample sent to my by Hifigo. You may purchase one here.
Non afflilated link here: https://hifigo.com/collections/new-arrival/products/kinera-celest-pandamon-2

HiFiGo：https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-celest-pandamon-2…Amazon US:https://amazon.com/dp/B0CZ98TQ1Z/celest+pandamon+2.0/…Amazon JP:https://amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CZ91BFX5/celest+pandamon+2.0/…Aliexpress：https://aliexpress.com/item/1005006811792383.html

The original Padamonium is a set that I never got to experience but I always thought about it. It was always on my radar. It has a unique faceplate. Fortunately Kinera has updated this faceplate with a new one here that is beautiful. I like the design of this iem, and frankly am impressed they can do this iem justice at any price.

The overall packaging of this iem is nice. The cable is nice and shimmers and looks great to look at. It feels sturdy and it is one of the nicer cables that I've used at this price point. Kinera always does cables right, they look and feel premium like an iem much more expensive.

The tip selection is very fair with 2 sets of silicons. One red and one grey. Many items at this price only have one full set, so this is a nice addition to the standard of well packaged iems that Kinera has started.

There is a standard way most Kinera iems are packaged and this iem comes in very nice packaging and case. This is a much-refined iem and very enjoyable.

The overall packaging is a fantastic experience. Kinera doesn't disappoint in their ability to package an iem well. I recently unpackaged the Cinno and Singolo. Both were reasonable sonically but had almost nothing in the way of packaging. So this is a huge welcome as this iem is at $60 dollars right now. I love that while this iem is on the inexpensive side it is packaged extremely well, just as well as their 140 dollar sets. These sets are really a joy to unpackaged. I love this iem but to be honest, I think the sound profile could be better with a DD in the bass. It looks like one of the Kinera sister brands is dong something soon QOA Adonis 2.0 is coming out soon and looks more to my taste as it is supposed to be more warn and bassy.
Pictured here:



For 60 dollars this is a nice little set. To me it has problems. If I was to recommend an iem at 60 I'd probably go with the Truthear Hexa, but that iem also has many of the same issues. This iem isn't sonically what I'd go for, but I could see it working for people who want a unique fun experience that is fresh with a nice overall sound.


New Pink 1 DD + 2BA iem is coming called QOA Adonis 2.0 looks more my style. It’s relaxed and clear. Inoffensive and great with classical music, Opera, and chill music. It’s nice and enjoyable. Timbre is lacking. I’d recommend adding a DD to the bass to bring up the shelf.
Like this but to try to get the bass to flatten out a little earlier at say 200.

The instrumentals sound lovely on it. But the vocals are a bit off without the bass shelf for my ears as well as Guitar strings arre a bit off. But if you are sensitive to bass, or like a lower bass shelf, this could be good for you.

Cymbal hits are a bit fatiguing, and guitar strings don’t come across as very natural. Yet, for some types of music I list to I just ask myself, how does this sound so awesome?


Summary
This iem has a lot of great qualities, and I think if I were looking for an iem to give to a friend this might be my first pick. I feel many people who aren't super bassheads would appreciate this as the soundstage is nice, and the detail is nice for the price. Personally, I wanted a bit more bass and found a huge improvement when that bass shelf was added. I wouldn't call this iem for me, but I could see it for other people. I definitely like the design language of the new Pandamon 2.0, and I think this a fine entry point for those who want a product with this design language for a much cheaper price.

I also made a video of this iem. Please feel free to post any questions blow or on Youtube. Thanks for reading!

This is a funny hobby. We have different types of collectors, some have massive collections and other collectors have smaller collections or just one set they use until it breaks. I recently decided to have fewer iems in my collection and strive to have things that I love and can enjoy. When and if I walk away from the hobby, I want it to be because I’m happy with my purchases.

This is a personal product and I am fully happy with my purchase. I really enjoy this iem. I was able to demo it at Can Jam 2023. I would never recommend buying any iem past say 200 dollars if you haven’t demoed it first. Maybe your limit is higher, but that’s my default recommendation to all. This is about what iems can be bought on Amazon or what the Apple air pods pro 2 are.

I’m going to share my music that I use to test tracks below. I try to use a variety of music that I love and enjoy. At the end of this video I’m going to share a Youtube video with an unboxing. I have small children at home and it’s hard to sometimes record a long video. Written thoughts are sometimes easier to share with people


Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs (needs to be edited a bit)




Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. The bass seems well-controlled and fun, but beyond that is deep and rich. I love this iem so much because its base just feels wonderful. I have no idea why this is but it sounds great to me. Call it magic by Ben the main tuner of Fat Freq (That I know of). I find the quality of the bass is correct. The bass is easily adjustable in the Noah modules. We’ll talk more about them later. The iem is clean and lush even in the bass. It has this fantastic chewy viscerale timber that just sounds amazing, and I love every second of it.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone is great on this iem, people have described it as near perfect or class leading and they aren’t joking. This is my favorite sounding overall iem I’ve ever heard. It is basically perfect for what I want out of an iem. . It has nothing that will often plague other iems. No weird plastic feeling, voices sound right with no plastic feeling. Things feel organic and speaker like.
Overall this iem is fresh, non fatiguing and just an easy clear listen. Vocals sound detailed and lifelike. The resolution is life-like, and it’s almost daunting compared to my average speakers and car audio setup!


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. The stuff beyond the graph is perfect as it isn’t fatiguing sonically and I can wear it for days. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. I love the upper mid-spike at around 3k. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming

Gaming is great on this iem, it’s cozy and has a world-class feeling of fit to me. But due to it’s larget shell I wouldnt’ recommend it. It’s also expensive so I would recommend maybe a cheaper set for those looking for an iem for gaming only. It has a beautiful open and clean sound. The stage isn’t too wide, but just right. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fantastic. It has great imaging and a good sense of where I am. Imaging is great on this iem and would work amazing for gaming.


Shell -
The shell is pretty, it fits great for me. I do think it is very large shell. I typically use it as my bench mark iem for size being on the large end. The outside of the shell is large but it has a nozzle that is easier to fit in ear. So there is a slight weight issue, but the comfort is amazing.

Case- The case isn’t something that I personally would use. One case is for the noah modules is nice and small. The other case is larger and the most premium case I’ve ever seen in my life. Would I actually store my iems in either case, no but I like the look of the large case and the function of the smaller case and Noah modules. It’s premium, but cases are subjective. I typically use small boring plastic boxes.

Cable- The cable it comes with is pretty and simple. I enjoy cable swapping but with the recesses nature of the connection, I’m cautious to disconnect it. I have cable swapped a little but prefer the stock cable. I’m not a huge cable believer but I think it’s an extremely important part of your chain and it can go better.

Tip Selection - I was pleasantly surprised with the tip selection! I enjoyed them. I typically use Divinius Velvet tips on my iems, but I found the tips included to be a nice selection and enjoyable.

Comparisons:

Vs Anniliator 2023
It’s different than the Annilitator. Richer, deeper, better tonality. More natural and fun, less bright yet has that limitless extension. It’s darker but richer, and completely natural and sweet.


The size is much larger than the annihilator, and it’s a 2-pin which is nice. It’s a bit uncomfortable as well but still a lovely sound. After you adjust it is great and I love it. But I could see how others might be bothered by it. They trade blows. When I want a simple hassle free experience that is mind blowing I go with Anni, when I want to goof around with something more silly more fun and feel more adventurous I go with Anni. Both are fantastic sets that I love.



Sound - Final Impressions

This iem is near perfect for what I want in an iem. It’s a lovely choice if you are looking for a good iem.
Recommended EQ/Noah Modules:
I don’t feel this iem needs eq, I don’t say that about many iems. It does have switches that do different things. I encourage you to try different profiles if you do get to demo this. There are new Noah modules incoming. I’ll likely buy them when they come out, and do a quick review of them on my youtube channel, or answer questions as needed about them.




Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, but it’s expensive. That’s the only issue. If you have that level of cash. I want to be your friend. XD

Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to really have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems.
Summary-

This is a fantastic iem. It’s not perfect but it’s a lovely experience. And easily one of my favorite iems. I recommend all to demo it, and give it a go when you are able to. It’s so much fun, so versatile, and so well packaged. I can’t see people not enjoying this product as it has the Noah modules and you can tune as you want. Maybe if you can’t fit it in ears, that could be a problem. But as is….just so nice.

This is a simple written review as I don't have too much bad to say about this iem.

I love the build quality of it, and it fits in my ear perfectly. The shell is world-class. I was able to demo this iem first at Can Jam So Cal 2023 and loved it there.

The Tip selection is a little bit lackluster as you only get one set of W1s. The packaging is a little boring given the price of the iem as well, but overall it is a strong iem.

The included case is fairly boring. So overall the packaging doesn't feel pristine, and the money is in the sound not the packaging.

The Cable is world-class and is fun to play with while listening to music. It has a beautiful shimmer. I've tried to cable swap and keep going back to the original cable.


BASS
The bass response is really enjoyable and underrated. It rumbles and sounds good in the ear in certain tracks. It's really fun, the shell will vibrate at times. Sometimes I wish for more bass, but it's very strong and worthy for most music.

Mids
The mids are perfect and faultless. They sound correct and clean to my ears. Vocals come up well and it just pleasant.

Trebble
It can be fatiguing and a little bit much at times but sounds overall really strong. I feel it shines with details and has a great lovely sound.

Timbre
It's perfect, a little sweet. It sounds great on anything that I throw at it.

Conclusion
I am in awe, and in love. It's a fully great set. I have a little bit of time in between a few structured reviews and thought that I'd drop a review and a YouTube video on a personal set. It's been on my desk for a long time. I've tested and tried many iems over my journey in the last year. This is one that always impresses me, even in its simplicity and clarity and it's just the right fun factor. I can't say anything bad, but limitless Extension. This iem is stellar and gets my recommendation for all those who are interested in it despite its price.
Quick Summary video if anyone is interested.

“Not Just a Bass Cannon’”

### TECHNOLOGY So this does have a lot of technology, let’s show it here and then move on.

-BASS CANNON™

(Patent Pending) Using proprietary dynamic woofers, bass chambers and acoustic damping networks, FATfreq was able to design the deepest bass ever recorded of over 30dB, expertly controlled below 200Hz with zero mid-range bleed. A FATfreq innovation pioneered and perfected for sheer bass power.

-LINEAR IMPEDANCE

FATfreq uses proprietary circuits to correct the non-linear impedances of multi-driver systems. The different output impedances across all your devices cause frequency response to vary. Having this tech ensures consistency in frequency response for all our IEMs when plugged into any device - Be it your mic-pack, mixer board, phone or dedicated DAP.

-SONAR LA TROMPA™

Inspired by the anatomy of the traditional french horn, FATfreq uses exponential horn curvature for gain control and to improve treble tonality via acoustics. Providing you with Smooth, natural sounding highs, grounded by a nice timbre in the mid and low frequencies.

-PHASEALIGN

The absence of a DSP in IEMs means that we have to match the phase of multi-way systems via Acoustic delay. Using proprietary structures, we were able to align the low, mid and high frequencies such that they reach your eardrum in a coherent manner. Giving you the sound accuracy and resolution demanded on stage and studio.

Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

Bass good, but how good. It’s strong and overpowering. I want bass quality and rumbling, not just volume. I think the quality is fine, but a bit too much for my personal take.

Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone is great on this iem, the vocals are very nice and podcasts sound good on it. But there is a richness to voices that is off to me a bit. It’s nice, its fun, but it pushes somestuff out a little bit.

Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has good detail and technicalities but it doesn’t seem class-leading or perfect to my ears. I like it, but it feel tonally off a bit to me for what I want. It has a certain bass head type that it pushes towards and not a push for naturalness or a balanced signature. It does have a great tuning and is very impressive.

Shell -

The shell is pretty, it fits great and and it’s small. Often time high end shells are massive but part of the apeal of this set is how small it is. Very comfortable for me.

Case- The case isn’t something that I personally would use. But it’s a nice case and I enjoy it a great deal.

Cable- Not a huge fan of this cable. I would personally recommen getting the cheaper version with a cheaper cable and swapping it out. If you want a fancy cable, go for, but it’s not for me.

Tip Selection - I was pleasantly surprised with the tip selection! I really enjoyed them.

Graph:

Sound - Final Impressions

While this iem is very good, and almost perfect is seems that there could be some room for some slight improvement here. I think the bass physical impact of the Monarch MK 3 is better, and I think the tuning could be slightly improved with EQ, but

Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, but it is rather expensive. I would recommend a cheaper product for most people. It is very nice, but the shells look a little blarg for an 800 dollar iem. The packaging is fine, but just that… fine. It’s a good iem for bassheads, but I don’t think it’d be a safe bet to give to someone.

Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem did feel better when it had more power in my ears. I’m not sure exactly why, as the vibration was more apparent when it was. I could be wrong, but it’s just my experience in my limited testing

Summary-

This is a fantastic basshead iem that I fully enjoy. I do like it a great deal, and have enjoyed my time with it, but tonally prefere Fatfreq GM or their SE. (Those were just demos). I do like this iem a great deal, and could see myself owning in my collection if money were no issue. But I think personally I’d rather own something else, but this is an exceptional iem, and probably the best basehead Iem that I’ve ever tried. Very enjoyable, very fun, but it does need a ton of power, and some songs feel a tiny bit off as this is not my preferred sound signature

I would love to own a Basshead iem if price was no issue, maybe I would spend 300-400 for one, but I think I’m going to pass on buying a Scarlett mini on a personal level. I don’t need it in my collection, but It is tempting with its darn beautiful shell, forward vocals and a beautiful fun vibrating shell.

I wanted to thank Mark from Supereviews a fellow Californian Audiophile who lent me this iem. This is just a fan review.

This is just a short written review as a fan and not meant to be a crazy long review. The Volur is almost 4 months old and is almost ancient in terms of hype! As this is 64 Audio's most recent release it is still a remarkable set and deserves a review.




Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.



Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. The bass seems well-controlled and fun. Everything on this iem sound great with a hint of warmth. It sounds like strong speakers and has a natural timber and is fantastic.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone is great on this iem, people have described it as near perfect or class leading and they aren’t joking. It is basically perfect for what I want out of an iem. It has nothing that will often plague other iems. No weird plastic feeling, voices sound right with no plastic feeling. Rich note weight and everything is just a nice strong sound.

I don’t find it shouty at all but fun, smoothe and enjoyable. Podcasts and voices all sound great on it, and it has a good feel to it. Overall this iem is fresh, non fatiguing and just an easy clear listen. Vocals sound detailed and lifelike.

Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. Yet the 2-4 region is a little flat and I enjoy a little more 3k energy. No major issues here, just a minor nitpick. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming

Gaming is amazing on this em. Do I think you should buy this iem to improve your gaming experience? No, but this is perfect. Great shell, Super comfortable, and never has sibilance. It has a beautiful open and clean sound. The stage isn’t too wide, but just right. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fantastic. It has great imaging. The iem is light and feels durable with this .fantastically textured cable. It’s truly a treasure to have for long gaming sessions as the details of the game sparkle.

Shell -
The shell is metalic and beautiful. It’s easy to cable swap.

Comparisons:

Having got to listen to a lot of iems over the last few years I will recommend this as a strong piece to anyone’s collection that can afford the cost. It is a truely remarkable iem for the cost and just a beauty to listen to. It does things for me that other iems don’t and is one of my favorite iems that I’ve heard.
Graph:


Sound - Final Impressions

While this iem is very good, and almost perfect is seems that there could be some room for some slight improvement here. The 2-4k region is one area that I have an issue with. The details and imaging are very nice on this iem, but I don't think it's absolutly perfect and that at time certain tracks aren't as good as I wish. But overall the really only downfall or huge fault I have that might prevent me form owning this is the price and the price alone.


Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my own graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have an that doesn’t need EQ.

Preamp: -10.8 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 24 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 1.400
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 72 Hz Gain 1.9 dB Q 0.500
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 180 Hz Gain 0.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 300 Hz Gain -1.6 dB Q 1.200
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1600 Hz Gain -1.1 dB Q 0.900
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3300 Hz Gain 4.8 dB Q 1.700
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 3600 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 2.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 6100 Hz Gain -2.4 dB Q 1.400
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 7600 Hz Gain -2.4 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 10000 Hz Gain 12.0 dB Q 2.000

Does the Volur need eq. No but this is a fun profile for it.




Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, but it is very expensive. I’d almost recommend a cheaper iem. Even the u4s might be the better pick. This isn’t for pure bassheads, but those who enjoy good tight beautiful bass and an energetic iem that is true end game. Dont’ get me wrong, it’s expensive but if you compare it to the 8000 dollar iems from um it is a beautiful yet semi affordable iem.


Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to really have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems. (I personally am not a huge mmcx or planar fan.)

Summary-
This is a fantastic set, that compliments or exceeds many sets that I have ever heard. I full enjoy this set and recommend it.


Thanks for reading, and maybe even watching. Any feedback is welcome.

I get a lot of stuff across my desk. Price is a funny thing. You expect a 1000-dollar iem to sound a certain way, but then you realize so much is dependent on the tuning, not the drivers, or price but how an iem is tuned. Many iems that I hear have a deadness inside of them, that match a frequency response but offer nothing remarkable on any track other than sounding neutral and acceptable. This iem is not dead, it has a liveliness that I fully enjoy an was impressed with on the first listen and am fully enjoying this while I write this review!



Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


Song impressions:
Worship at 0:31 has a really nice vocals, that sound airy and majestic, nothing at this price should sound this nice. Just wow, great sense of space and air.

Ari Abdul

Drums in Firestarter around :35-:40 sound Tinny and unrealistic

Kids by Sam Smith
This song is very majestic and lovely :30
Do you even think about it? So good, vocals are so nice and fine.

This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs (needs to be edited a bit)




Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong dynamic and punchie. It’s like I can feel the bass and for a set this price or any price that is a fun experience. I feel vibrations it seems through the shell and the bass quality is really strong in this set. It hits so very hard and the dynamics and the quality of the bass on this set is just wow. Extremely impressive.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone is great on this iem, it has energetic vocals, but I like that for the music that I generally listen to for fun. Yet in some genres the spikes could come across a bit harsh to others. Vocals are very forward, and fun and energetic. The mids on this set are pretty good, but the upper mids are a bit too much for my taking and I wisht they were recessed a tiny bit.


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble of this set is it’s weakest point. I do find it a bit lacking in the air region and things sound a bit off. Yet I’m being critical. This set is fully enjoyable and unique and musical.

Gaming

Gaming is great on this iem, it has good detail for the price and nice bass quality so explosions and call outs are easy with this set. I think this is a great set for gamers or for gifts as it is super fun-looking, has a nice package, and could be a great option for gamers who want an inexpensive set that has great sonic qualities.

Shell -
The shell is pretty, it fits great and it comes in three colors. It feels pretty great in ear.


Case- The case isn’t something that I would use. But at this price to have a case is huge! I’ve seen 100-dollar iems with no case. Cases to me are very important and something to consider. It’s a nice thing to have, and is acceptable.

Cable- The cable comes normally in 4.4 mm connection. I requested a 3.5 and they delivered with no issue. This is an exceptional cable, and it feels great on the skin. This is easily my favorite cable that I’ve ever used.

Tip Selection - I was pleasantly surprised with the tip selection! I really enjoyed them.

Graph:



Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference.
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have an that doesn’t need EQ.
Preamp: -8.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 2.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 120 Hz Gain -1.6 dB Q 0.900
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 560 Hz Gain 3.5 dB Q 0.700
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 2000 Hz Gain -6.8 dB Q 1.600
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2700 Hz Gain 2.6 dB Q 2.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3500 Hz Gain -4.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5100 Hz Gain 8.7 dB Q 1.900
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 8600 Hz Gain -12.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 11000 Hz Gain 9.2 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 15000 Hz Gain 3.7 dB Q 0.500

I think the db2 can benefit from eq.


Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, it looks amazing, and has a great package. This is important as many non audiophiles this is the most important thing. It has impressive tonal balance for the price and great vocals. It’s priced at a point where I think it’s an easy win for those that want a fun set. In comparison to other sets out there that are more neutral and packaged worse, I dont’ see how this is a bad thing at all.

Go to NiceHCK and buy a fancy cable for yourself, get a nice gift of an iem that is exceptionally packaged and an easy gift to give to anyone on your list. Or just buy it if this is the only set that you can afford, I think it’s a treasure.


Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Atom 2 amp my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to really have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems.





Summary-

I think this is a great little set. It’s packaged well but has some minor issues with tuning, yet is a fun engaging set that grabbed my attention on the first go. I think the issue is that times all sets go for a linear boring tuning this set achieves a fun engaging tuning for a price that is nothing less than remarkable. While personally, I think the NiceHCK F1 pro is a little more worth the price if you can afford it, I would recommend that set if you have the money. But as far as for those who don’t have the extra money or for those who need a gift set to give to a friend, this is a remarkably fun bassy set that doesn’t disappoint. I like this set. I don’t think it’s perfect, but in a world of sub 200 mostly sounding neutral and dull, this is a vocal fun set that cracks and lets me fully enjoy the music.

I think it’s important to be price-appropriate in our reviews. It’s fantastic, I love it. It is beautiful, and I don’t see how NckHCK is making a profit on this. It’s that good. Am I saying it is better than some of my 100-dollar benchmark sets like the NceHCK F1 pro? No, but it’s important to note that not everyone can afford a 100-dollar set, so it is important for me as a reviewer to find sets that I recommend from $25 all the way up to the big boi range of 3K+. I am not saying the DB2 is a better set than many of the 100-dollar benchmarks that I’ve experienced like the Simgot EA500LM or the NiceHCKF1 Pro. If you have 100 dollars and want something with more technical chops the f1 is my favorite planar that I’ve ever heard! (I purchased my unit despite being offered an F1 pro later by NckHCK with this unit.)

NceHCK has beautiful cables and it a leader in that part of the industry. Watch out they have two bangers that I’ve got to experience in already this year already, and they aren’t stopping from what I hear on the grapevine, more are coming.

Thanks for reading, and maybe even watching. Any feedback is welcome.

This is a review sample sent from Hifigo. The opinions are my own, but I am going to try to express them in a clear manner after having had some time on them. This isn’t a set I would buy from looking a the graph. I’ve been highly disappointed in just buying the latest craze set, but this set is fully enjoyable for me and I am loving my time with it. I was able to choose what color I wanted looking at the shells. This set has created many memories for me.



Cute story I allowed my 7 year old son to pick which version he wanted and he picked blue. A few weeks later when it came in I showed it to him and he said. “That’s what I wish I could own when I’m an adult.” Suffice it to say the little guy is a big fan of the Plutus Beast, and for good reason, it’s crazy beautiful and classy looking.

This is a funny hobby. I have a watch case, and for various reason I keep 5 iems in this case next to my desk where I spend a big of time each day. Right now I keep the NiceHCK F1 Pro, 7hz Acoustics Supernova, Gizaudio Binary x Chopin, Aful Performer 5, and you might have guessed it the Plutus Beast.

We have different types of collectors, some have massive collections and other collectors have smaller collections or just one set they use until it breaks. I am rethinking my place in this hobby as I’ve given hell into this whole YouTube thing spending a ton and exposing my time, my voice, my wallet and my thoughts to this hobby. A few things that I’ve learned in the Philosophy of Jaytiss. You only get one life, live it well. Having said that you only get one set of ears so owning an excessive amount of headphones is almost silly. Each headphone need to do something that the others can’t do. I have been gifted a few sets to do promotional work, but I also buy a lot and share my collection with a few US reviewers to try to help them.

So for get the reviewer name and responsibility that I have to others here what kinds of sets do I feel that people should have. Personally, about 5. 1 Big money set, one banger cheaper set to take with you where you won’t cry if you lose it, one old set, and a few fun sets that you enjoy. How do you break down your top 5? Personally I find a place in collection even tho this iem isn’t my perfect sound, but often it is exactly what I need to get my heart racing and feel the music.

I think as a reviewer we typically come across the race for the most linear set. I’m rethinking my approach to audio as a whole, but I think having a clear list and recommendations is important as it helps others understand my opinions in a clear manner.. So the question I am going to ask in this iem, is not… Is this iem good. But more so we are going to ask does this iem have a place in your collection. Do we judge a bear the same way that we would judge a Gizelle? No they are different, and they have a unique skill set and use. And I am going to try to give you reasons why I think this is a fantastic non-linear set.

Important songs.
Enemy from the series arcane.

Forward fun vocals, bass hits hard. Song feels fantastic, sounds smooth, like in a live concert like the world is my Oster. This transports me to another place, and unique. This is one of my favorite songs and this plays it really well, like how is this only 89 dollars well. The bass hits so strong in this song, it brings me back to my youth, away from responsibilities and into the music. So lovely.

Worship by Ari Abdul sounds airy, and spacious. Her voice comes across wide with such great air and detail, I love it so much. This has great holographic space and does great things to the music. I feel like I’m at a Concert and that’s a majestic experience that I love a great deal, with Space and air. It takes me to a new place. I feel like I’m getting the coolest detail with her vocals. I can’t describe it but love it so much.




This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs (needs to be edited a bit)




Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. The bass seems wild and fun, and untamable. It It is not lean or poor. I do find the quality of the bass is appropiate for the price and maybe even great. I have found that while it doesn’t match my target amount of bass, I do fully enjoy it. I feel the PR driver adds additional bass, but I’m not sure. This is all by ear and flow, not by science. I feel percussions on it sound great. I think a lot of this is due to the unique shell that vibrates. The iem is lush even in the bass and fun. It has this fantastic chewy viscerale timber that just sounds amazing, and I love every second of it. The bass slams and has a distinctive texture that you could only get from a Bone Conductor driver. I love my bass a great deal, and while not a basshead I find it one of the biggest killers for me. This bass is very nice. The bass response is just so good on the Beast, that I can’t describe it as I feel it goes through my body.





Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

Midrange is very sollid and podcast come across well in this. Vocals seems fun and livly. Enjoyable yet unrelaxed. There is a holographiciness to the vocals that is impressive and wonderful. It has a real-life sense to it like I’m there with people and there is a beautiful richiness to what I am hearing and I enjoy it. The mids are probably the weaker part of this set.

The upper mids to the treble is a bit much for some, it could be more smooth. There is a little bit of unnaturalness to this iem. On some tracks it is off, and I can see how some might now like it.

Vocals seem slightly hazy in podcasts, but this is in comparison to more expensive iems. This does well in comparison to my ears to iems at this cost. This is more of a colored sound overall but generally natural smooth and clean, appropriate for the price but not the best. Vocals will pop alive and have some kick and spice during certain tracks. Yet this is a different experience of energy and a holographic experience. This has one of the wider soundstages of any iem that I’ve ever heard. Certain instruments are very special on this.


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is energetic in this set and it isn’t bad but not exactly what I’m used to. The shell and bone conductor of this iem effects this iem a great deal. In some ways, it makes it a more interesting engaging listen, in other ways it makes it a big no no.
On Hotel California I was getting some interesting reveriation that I believe was from the shell. It felt a lot like a Passive Radiator driver in many ways. Lush Holographic and having a wide sound stage are the ways that I would describe this set. The trebble is good, but some instruments sound oddly either too natural or not natural enough. It's hard to say, but it's not as safe as I'd like. It's music-dependent, but never boring.

Gaming

Gaming is great on this iem, it’s cozy and has a world-class feeling of fit to me. The staging on this iem is great with a nice open feeling. I think the imaging is good for the price with a lot of details in the treble. I do think it is comfortable, and that is a huge requirement for me.



Shell
The shell is pretty, it fits great and it comes in blue or orange. It feels pretty great in my ear, and that is important to me. I can fit pretty much any shell in my giant audiofile ears, but I think it’s cozy as can be, but this shell is special and is so easy to recommend. Fit is important and this iem fits very well and is super enjoyable.


Case
I love this case, it looks like a leather case and is very impressive. This iem is in the same range as the Ziggaat Cinno which didn’t have a case at all and was packaged the exact same as the iem that costs ⅕ of the cheaper Ziggat Nuo. I appreciate detail, packaging and a fun experience to which I can enjoy in my collection. This is the same case as the Phoenixcall but in a different color. Great choice, amazing they are doing this at this price!

Cable- The cable is pretty! I love it. It shines when I look at it from my watch case. I so often want to replace the cables that I get, but this cable feels so fantastic that I have no complaints about it especially often at this price you get an afterthought.

Tip Selection - I was pleasantly surprised with the tip selection! I feel it was adequate and I have no issues with it.

Comparisons:

Vs. Kinera Phoenixcall

Personally, I like the sound of the Phoenixcall better as it is more tame on an entire evening experience, on some tracks but on others the bass wins of the Plutus beast. Beast for vocals, Phoenixcall is more chill less engaging. The bass is better Plutus Beast is a little better, but treble mids and vocals are better on the Phoenixcall. I liked the Phoenixcall as a fun enjoyable set that doesn’t just try to be neutral. The Plutus Beast is a unique set, a specialist, a mad lad you keep around to really enjoy a few special tracks and to have a special night.


Vs Rosetechnics Quietsea
Rosetechnics has an analog leaner style that I full enjoy that reminds me a great deal of a concert experience. This is a fun experience to be had at different times that electrify a room and makes you feel that you are there and not having an intimate studio presence but a wide concert feel. Both iems feel analog and are good on certain genres. The Plutus Beast wins out on vocals and engagement.

Graph:


Sound - Final Impressions

This is a good linear set, but a great fun set. It punches above its weight on certain tracks has a holographic feeling and is engaging as all heck. I’ve listen to tracks and it has really sated me when having a bad day, or just wanted to let loose with a fun listen.

Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my own graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have one that doesn’t need EQ. This iem sounds crazy amazing with this eq. So technicalities I have to say it is a strong iem. Very clean and easy to EQ, if the 2k shout is hard for you.



Preamp: -20.6 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 21 Hz Gain 3.5 dB Q 0.500
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 590 Hz Gain 3.3 dB Q 0.500
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 2000 Hz Gain -6.7 dB Q 1.000
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 2800 Hz Gain 2.2 dB Q 2.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3800 Hz Gain -3.6 dB Q 2.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 6100 Hz Gain 7.2 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 8000 Hz Gain -5.3 dB Q 2.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 10000 Hz Gain -9.4 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 13000 Hz Gain 12.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 13000 Hz Gain 11.6 dB Q 0.700



Does the Plutus need Eq,? Yes, I think it needs a little less upper middle-range energy for my liking. This eq makes the iem a bit better in my eyes, and this driver and configuration has a nice tone and technicalities to it with having such an easy simple shell, it’s very enjoyable.


Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, my kid really likes the design and flow of it and I think it looks fantastic and sounds fun and engaging.

Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems.

So who is this for? Let me show you a little part of my ranking list where I try to talk about every iem.


So is this set for those who spend 50 a year, at $89 dollars this is a good-priced iem. For the medium people, maybe as it is a fun set, but I don’t think it’s the best linear or easiest recommendation to all, yet I encourage all to try it and experience it if they can. The 3rd is the group to which I belong to where you spend 2000-12000 a year on audio and I think this is a good member of that group’s collection. Now for the Uberr rich, I’m going to have to say maybe just get the Kinera Loki as that is a more premium set and so I’m going to tell you maybe on it, and for the fans of the series I’m going to say yes as like the lovers of the phoenixcall this is an important set.

Now first off is this iem is interesting as it is coming in at under 100 dollars with a Bone Conductor driver, a BA, and a PST small planar driver. This is an interesting driver configuration that I have not experienced except in the very expensive Kinera Loki. This is by Celestee. I can’t really afford a 3000-dollar iem, despite wanting all of them. So for a bone conductor driver to come in realistic price for me is nice. The lush presentation of this iem makes those tracks that it hits with to be so majestic and fun.

Summary-

Iems just inject goey lovely music into your brain and it’s a special part of this hobby. But if you’re willing to branch out into the unknown and try something you might find something especially unique and lovely. The space and air of this iem is majestic, the richness to the iem is unique, and I feel it is very special but holographic and I don’t say that easily about many sets. It does something for me when I listen to music that I didn’t think would be possible from a set that is 100 dollars or less. It makes me enjoy music and satisfies me down deep with a fun awesome concert-like experience that is vivid and emotional in a way that I didn’t know that I needed. This iem lives up to its name and is a BEAST. Enjoyable analog feeling for those who need a beautiful set, that doesn’t need a recable or case to be bought. This is an easy recommendation for yourself or a gift to a friend. They’ll love it, and so will you.

But we don’t always need the same set to listen to music. It’s fun to have various beautiful easy-to-fit sets in part of your collection. And this is why I think the Plutus Beast is a treasure, not because it it perfect but in its imperfections and uniqueness make it stand out in this world of AI imperfections and writing and everything sounding sterile and docile, this iem is the analog to the digital and it satisfies the beast in me. For it's price it is a unique set that is easy to fit in the ears, beautiful, and plays some tracks better than many 1000-dollar sets.

Any feedback is welcome.

First off I have no affiliation with Headphones.com and am a small reviewer who hasn’t been active very long. I am a customer and a user and that is all.

I also have a YouTube channel that I started about three months ago. Any subscriptions or comments are appreciated as they help motivate me to continue to do reviews in general. It’s not a financial decision to do YouTube but more of a social decision, a mental health decision, and a decision to be an active member of the community as I find it good for my mental health, but poor for my wallet.

I can say that I have tried the Mirai, and different models of it and that I am impressed. And this had led partially to my purchase decision. I’ve been in the market for a bassy set, and I chose this based on its price and the deal that I got being a loyal Headphones.com Customer, with a free Dragonfly Cobalt that I will probably sell for 100-150. This isn’t a professional review in any case, but just a simple fan review. I’m going to try to do the best that I can and only speak of this iem as to not only give you an impression if you should buy it but a feeling of how it might sound. This is mainly to help those that can’t afford this and give into the fantasy of such an iem. I come across a lot of iems on my desk being a buyer of many iems, and having a few friends in the hobby that lend me their sets, and on very rare occasions getting a few samples. This iem is special to me and is a unique iem, so I want to be clear about my opinions of it, and this review might be longer than some of my reviews.

My experiences with the team at Canjam and in the past have been positive. I enjoy their sales team Sam, April, and the other nonreviewers are all very nice people and easy to deal with as some of my questions have been extensive and probably annoying. I am a bit of a troll and a loudmouth in my hobby as my day job is sometimes dull and unexpressive. I appreciate the kindness and warmth that I have experienced on the forums, on the headphones.com site, and meeting the staff at Can Jam and listening to this iem both at the Headphones.com booth and the Dunu Booth. The Dunu booth was probably more fun, as they were a riot to talk to as they had a gentleman there who was closer to my age and had some fun industry insights to share their booth was a little more quiet and less front stage being in the back corner. This has impacted my decision to buy this iem, but also have the experience and ability to demo an iem. I think this is important, as one should never buy an iem or audio piece this expensive without trying it first. Also, the ability to return this iem for credit someday is a valuable thing, 365-day returns and all that. Nobody can fully keep up with the audio game as each month has multiple major iems that release. I doubt I will ever buy an iem this expensive again if I don’t get the chance to demo it first as it’s a crazy hobby that I’m only learning more about as time passes.

So having said all that positive mushy crap, let’s let into the review in more depth.

I have a fair and solid ranking list of how I rank my iems with over 89 iems ranked and many more that have demos and some impressions of them. I try to update it weekly if things or recommendations change. As this is an expensive iem, the max rating of value that I will be giving this is a 5, and I can tell you that this has earned a 3 score and is a good value at its price, but not a great value and we’ll dive very specifically into why I am giving this lowish score in a bit.

Finicky brightness

So I have to be honest, I’m not much to believe that sources make a huge difference. But to be sure, I’ve done a lot of testing as this channel is founded loosely on graphing and science. I graphed this from my Topping D70 Pro and saw no statistical difference. If there is it is what I call graph sniffing, and being hyper-picky about graphing. Having my own rig, and having graphed and regraphed a lot of stuff, I have a middling sophomoric knowledge of graphs and am developing my skill set. I also graphed this with impedance adapters only to find that it had a linear impedance across all grades. The extra impedance was almost impossible for my apple dongle to drive, thus matching db and looking at the graphs was very hard. Yet, I am fairly confident that unlike the Truthear Red or some other iems impedance or sources weren’t an issue, but that was my limited testing. Impedance just made it harder to drive and was overall linear in my testing
I tried all the audiophile stuff, swapping cables, swapping tips and everything else that you can thing of. Suffice it to say, this iem could be extremely bright for some. Like as bright as the sun, and sibilant as can be on many tracks. Many people will reject this iem instantly.
I say this as this is one of my major criticisms of this iem and I have done my best to mitigate those and figure out what it is. I tried a great deal trying to figure out the issue, not just say bruh it’s bright then moving on.



Build Quality
The build quality of this iem is great. I don’t like metal-shelled iems that much, as they tend to get cold and slightly bother me. Is this a big deal no, but I prefer shells like this. I also don’t have a green iem, and I find the packaging of this iem and build to be unique and beautiful.
There is a vent on the iem that I notice often when putting it in my ears. It isn’t a bad thing but adds a texture to the iem that I don’t particularly love. Almost as if a hole in a favorite pair of pants or gloves. It sort of triggers my OCD, but other than that the build quality of this iem is very nice. I want to say a medium-sized shell that is fully enjoyable.

It has a slightly longer than-average nozzle and a slightly larger shell. For those who like a smaller iem a Symphonium meteor, or Gizaudio Chopin might be a better go. I find this not small, but not uncomfortable. I overall do like the build quality of it, as it is a bit of green overkill but the iem shell is beautiful and the cable and case match the green and white them.

Shell size is so often discarded as a secondary thing. When talking to real audiophiles this is a very real thing. I find this shell very comfortable and enjoy it. It doesn’t hurt my ears during long sessions, and yes I can do the drake while I sleep with these iems. So this is a benefit to me.

Cable

The cable included is this white cable. For those following Headphones.com had some minor issues in getting this cable and that might have delayed the iem overall. Boy, this cable is worth it! Many of their photos come with a darker more boring cable. This cable is fantastic. The connectors are quality and it includes all four types of connectors, I generally don’t find a sonic difference but it can happen in a poor cable. (Note I’ve had two bad cables in my life, and it can happen.) It feels oddly like paper, but it is a great-looking.

A premium earphone costs over 300, and better than average cable should be included. Cables are very subjective but this one is good, in fact, one of my favorites. I don’t love the 90-degree connectors but that’s a nitpick for me and how I use an iem. I think this is a fantastic choice as it has all four major connections which is a bonus for many for studio use. I would rate this cable as a 150-dollar cable and of exceedingly high quality. As it matches the theme and has a unique color, I fully enjoy it. This adds thematically to the value of this iem and is an appropriate cable for a high-priced iem. I find this to be the best stock cable that I have used save the one of the Kinera Loki which is a 3100 dollar iem.


Case

The case is solid. I enjoy it for what it is. I do appreciate a solid, well-built case and for me, it is an expectation in any iem past the 30-dollar mark. (I’m looking at you Ziggatt Cinno). The poor performance and sound quality of the Cinno are part of the reason, that I bought this instead of the Jupiter. It’s a little bit odd as it doesn’t open up the entire way. But it does include little iem booties, which I find to be super enjoyable and premium. I like putting on my iem socks, and I enjoy that they come together, as when they are separate they are easy to lose. They add a nice touch and detail. In fact, I did find a link to purchase a similar iem from NCKHACK on Alliexpress thanks to community member Trio-N on Super Review discord, a person who I consider a friend and a great guy. I’m happy to say I’ve bought some to add to my collection and they are coming!

The feeling of the case is very nice. It feels plush, and premium, and it isn’t after afterthought or a cheap product that I can easily buy on Alliexpress for 20 bucks. It’s a product that adds true value to a set like this, and helps justify the price, but more so adds to the experience of the iem. To me with headphones.com I not only want a quality product but one with great care, thought, and precision. As most iems that I’ve unpackaged feel themeless, I will say this one feels exceptional in that regard. There is a great deal of preference for the sound, a quality unboxing experience is highly important and valuable. For me it’s like someone showing up to a job interview and having good hygiene, it doesn’t take a great deal of effort but it shows care and precision.

Suffice it to say that I am extremely happy with the build quality and presentation of this iem. It’s a treasure to unbox and own. I fully enjoy the quality of the build.



Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs






Music genres

This iem is very good in certain genres but lacks in some female vocal tracks. It has good detail and resolution. I find it good in Rap, rock, and metal, but extremely poor in vocal tracks including most RB music. It’s very technical and when you get used to the tuning it does a lot of music well. I’d say it does 40 percent of my library at a 10/10, 40% of my library at a 7/10, and the remaining part of my library is a 5/10. Some nights I prefer an iem that is more comfortable but this is a contender and does a lot of music very well.

If I compare this to the Gizaudio Binary Chopin, that does 50% of my library at a 10/10, and the remaining part at a 9/10. Its issue is the Bass tuck, and maybe some high-end technicals but that’s it.

From a purely music experience, some music is fantastic if the track is recorded well. Other music is horrible, sharp, and sibilant. I just can’t recommend it all as an all-around for music or as your only iem, but when it hits, it’s exceedingly enjoyable.

Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass are strong and everything sounds good on this iem, strong impactful, and fun. The bass seems well-controlled and fun, but it doesn’t have the thundering crack that I wanted. Does anything? Hard to say. I enjoy the bass on this, but find the dynamics could be better, a little stronger. I don’t find it partially lean but it does feel a tiny bit light. The Sub Bass is fine and good, but the Midbass is very lacking for me. I feel the percussion on it sounds great. It has this nice timber that just sounds amazing, but it doesn’t slam in the way that I wish it would have, yet sounds very good and not lacking or boring in the bass. I am not a bass head, but I am very sensitive to the bass quality and quantity, and when it’s done wrong it is not for me. I wish this set slammed a little harder, but it’s very strong in the bass. Does this slam and resonate the way the Monarck MK 3 does. No, but it’s still enjoyable.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone are great on this iem, but is this class-leading? I think that it’s solid and appropriate for the cost of the iem, does it dethrone the Supernova for me in mids? Supernova is a special Tone and mids are nice, and this is a solid performing little iem. No weird artificial feeling, voices sound right with no plastic feeling.
I don’t find it shouty at all but fun, smoothe and enjoyable. Podcasts and voices all sound great on it, and it has a good feel to it. Overall this iem is fresh, fatiguing, and just an easy clear listen. The vocals sound detailed and life-like. The resolution is life-like, and it’s almost daunting compared to my average speakers and car audio setup!


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I would think it would sound a bit peaky or off but it was good.
Air

The air is the issue for me. While I wanted it to be my bassy set, I think it might be my spicy air set. For certain podcasts, I just feel I’m getting a lot of detail that is making it a thing that is a bit harsh. The vocals sound a little much in that region. It’s like I’m getting a part of the frequency response that I don’t exactly want. It’s harsh and poor. Really ugghhh.

Sometimes I love it and it sounds amazing, but on older tracks, I feel something is off in the recording or something and this set just comes across too bright and fancy. ACK, save meh. It hurts us! There is something in the upper tuning of this. The 11-15k frequency range? I don’t know, but it’s not great. It hits some tracks and is hyper-painful, and many people will find this bright. Again, not to beat a dead horse, but this is an iem to demo first., but also not great.


Gaming

Gaming is great on this iem, it’s cozy and has a world-class feeling of fit to me. Details sparkle for me, but the treble and space aren’t much better than the Aful P8 at 30% of the cost, it is fairly similar and on about the same level. It has a beautiful open and clean sound. It hits the V needed for gaming. Imaging is fantastic. The stage is beautiful and wide. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fantastic. It has great imaging and a good sense of where I am.






Tip Selection - I was pleasantly surprised with the tip selection! I enjoyed them. They are colorful and feel premium. They are solid and add value.

Comparisons:
While I could compare this to other iems, I’m focusing on the iems that I have in my collection as of right now as I feel that those are more fair comparisons. I try not to have too many iems on me all at once as I don’t find a great deal of value in having too many at the same time.

Vs Monarch MK 3

Both are end-game iems in my mind. Part of what it boils down to is the form factor. The Mirai has a bit more lush timber, while the Monarch sounds a bit more like a monitor with great reverberation that makes me feel like I’m at the concert. Both are great, but on a few rare tracks, you hear something different on each set. I think the driver tech in the Monarch helps this shine, but we are talking about very minor differences. They are both very quality iems, and the fact the Mirai competes with an iem that is made with EST drivers is impressive in its own right. The tuning of the Monarch is closer to what I want out of an iem, and the timber and tone of it wins every time for me. I can’t deny that the Mirai is a good iem, and has great space and staging if that is what you are interested in.


VS Supernova
Supernova to me is a better set but it’s also my favorite no-money as an option set, but that doesn’t take away from what the Mirai is and what it does. Supernova has amazing timber but sometimes is slightly lacking bass. The Mirai does have that element of space and is strong. But if you can wait, the Supernova is the better value, has a customizable faceplate and is 300 dollars cheaper.

Vs Meteor

I liked a lot about the Meteor, and I find it a solid semi-mid-fi iem that many have tried, so I feel it is a very solid comparison. To me, this is the shell improvement and sonic improvement to the Meteor. Both have some special sauce in the upper air, but the Dunu Mirai sounds a little more neutral and clean to me overall. The bass quality is slightly stronger in the Mirai and the vocals sound better. Meteor has that space, that the Mirai also has. If the tonality of the Meteor was too much, this set might be for you. Also, fit on the Meteor was a bit hard for me.

VS Gizaudio Chopin

Why Chopin, cause’ i like the Chopin a great deal. I think the fit is much different. The resolution and detail of the Dunu Mirai is much better than the Chopin, but that would be expected. I find bass quality and technicalities to be a bit better as well. Is it 900 dollars better? I think not. Chopin still remains a strong pick for me, and I’m going to talk about it when I think it’s relevant as it is a treasure at its price. The sub-bass is better on the Chopin. Both sets are bassy, and fun, but the treble on the Chopin feels a little less excessive for me and more like how I feel my music would be coming from the band, or live from a concert. Vocals are not as resolute, but it is still strong. This is important for me to have a good strong iem that is recommendable and comparable at a much cheaper price. The Mirai is expensive, and a designer product that isn’t accessible by many. I recommend all to try Chopin if they haven’t as is a reasonably priced iem that is 98% of many much more expensive iems.

Graph:

This is the headphones.com graph. The 11-15k region or whatever is as bright as the Sun for me. The Subbass is nice, but the midbass is poor for my liking. I do like this iem, and don’t find it too outlandish or unique.
Sound - Final Impressions

While this iem is very good and something that I could daily, I can see how others might find it ever so slightly bright, ok I lie I find it insanely bright on many tracks, but I’m old and have older ears. I could see how others might want to save up for a more expensive set that might be better. But is this an absolutely beautiful set that knocked it out of the park? I think so. I fully enjoy it despite it being expensive. I wish it were cheaper, but sonically I think it is a treasure, and I fully enjoy it, but it isn’t my favorite iem at the price. The design language is pristine, and I wish more sets would have cohesion like the Dunu Mirai. I don’t like dip switches, impedance adapters, or any nonsense. I want a good set that someone backs with 100% of their heart, and I feel that this is the case with this set. I feel that this is the set that Theo aka Precog has done and it is a treasure for what is it. It reminds me of him and is a fine set that gives me a taste of what I want to hear. But is it my sonic bliss? It is not, I find myself liking a slightly more dark and less bright set with more sub-bass.

Do I wish it had more visceral bass and impact on the low end? On certain tracks, it comes across as bright and harsh. Is this a cohesive all-around that is a beautiful set with one of the greatest unboxing experiences and cables I’ve ever had? Yes, ohh man yes. I love this unboxing experience. I find this iem to be exceeding great, but I feel we could do better.


This iem is great, and beautiful, and reminds me of the trip of my life meeting a few reviewers and really thinking about what it is like. It’s a special set for me, that I’ve enjoyed purchasing and think it is a solid pick and that it plays my library well, but it has some moments of Brightness and the visceral bass needed in some sets doesn’t work. If you like Precog’s library (Seemingly a lot of country) it does that music exceedingly well. I don’t recommend this set to those who are saving money as it will cure your depression or make every song sound perfect. There are better sonic sets out there.

But for someone who spends a moderate amount on audio a year, this is a great purchase. For those that have money to burn, and want a beautiful unique set that will complement other sets. I’m going to tell you that 100% that you won’t be disappointed. You’ll love the presentation, the sound, and what the Mirai does. It’s a special iem, that can do much of your music well. Again, demo it first, I can also see how this set might not be for everyone. Bassheads will find this dull and bland lacking a crazy slam of the monarch mk3. Treble-sensitive people might find the air region just too fatiguing. Don’t take my word, but demo it, but I think this is a special set for audiophiles to own and enjoy.

Do I recommend this set for those with exactly 1100 looking to get their first iem? Absolutely not, to quote Precog: “Ultimately, this begs the question: how much extra should you be willing to spend for premium materials and for what is essentially functional jewelry?” The sonic quality of this green iem is strong, it’s fun, it’s enjoyable and I look forward to comparing it to other sets as they come in. As far as sonic quality goes, it’s hard to rank something, but I’d go as far as to say I think this iem is a bit overpriced.

I think the bass dynamics and physical impact of the Monarch MK 3 is better, and I think the timber of Mirai isn’t same level as the Supernova, it is no slouch and a great iem in its own right. To my humble ears a fantastic all-around that doesn’t disappoint, but it isn’t an easy recommendation due to the poor sub-bass and the brightness that is just way too much for me.


Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have one that doesn’t need EQ.
Does the Mirai need Eq,? no but to my ears it sounds about 5% better with this eq. Yes, the final question of what is my preference target has been solved.

Preamp: -5.2 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 0.9 dB Q 2.000
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 73 Hz Gain 1.8 dB Q 0.500
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 270 Hz Gain 0.9 dB Q 1.700
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 560 Hz Gain -0.9 dB Q 2.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2500 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 1.400
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3400 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5700 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 1.800
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 9100 Hz Gain -7.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 11000 Hz Gain 7.9 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000

Who is this for?
First I wanted to talk about that on my ranking list I’ve listed 5 different buying categories. It is up to you to decide which one you belong in. The person who is looking for a 50 and under set, a 50-400ish set and one and done, an iem collector with 3-5k a year budget (Which I would fall into), a fan of the company/collaborator, or Mr. Money bags who can spend a lot. Now my philosophy is built around someone owning 5 iems at the top 3 categories and only 1 at the lower categories of 50 and 50-400 range.

Under 50, 200-400 no, Fans of Dunu, fans of Precog maybe, For those who spend 3-5k a year on Audio…maybe just maybe. For those who Spend a great deal more, I do this might be a fun set that in unique, beautiful, and could truly work for you. If you can’t afford this set, I fully recommend my 2023 50 and under set the Simgot EW200 and 50+ set in the Gizaudio Binary Choppin. This is an expensive set, that I rank a little below the Monarck and the Supernova but as a very good sonic set that is fully enjoyable. If you only have 1000 and are patient, get the Supernova and Choppin to wait, if you want a set that might be more slammy and is probably a little better in my eyes the Monarck mk3 is better, but at this level, it’s not about better or worse, it’s about style of music and what it does for you. That’s important to note.


Gifting: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, but it being so expensive it might not be the one to gift. I think this is more the kind of iem you will want to keep for yourself, but would make a fine gift as needed. My go-to at this price would probably be the Aful Performer 8 or Celestee Phoenixcall as they are packaged well and very beautiful, sound good, and not the cost to you. This is exceptionally packaged, much better than other iems at this price that I’ve tried. I like the intelligent use of colors and find it a joy to use.

Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my SMSL 6S Dac through my Topping A70 pro for my Desktop PC. Normally pairings are an afterthought but this iem was very bright on the Topping A70 Pro, and often too bright, like piercing insanity bright for me. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven but was seemingly source and tip dependent. Typically I only find overears to have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems. Again, when you get a treble-sensitive source it is a challenge to deal with.

Summary-

The bottom line, this is a bit of a Niche listen that will sound good on some music but not all. It can get to be a little too much in the treble but is generally a safe set but not the exception for what I wish it would be. This is what you get if you want something bright with some bass, and not overly bad. It’s an experience, that I feel isn’t for me, but it is growing on me the more that I listen to it. I struggle to find if I love it or just accept it for what it is. The more I a/b vs other iems I find it resolute, clean, and detail-rich, but I worry that it might slap me with the sharpness that I hate so much. As of right now, it only gets a cautious recommendation as I don’t feel it is all that I wished it were, having some issues in dynamics but not exactly being terrible, just in no way worth the price tag that it is, despite it being a strong product from a technical standpoint, having a very good frequency response and technicals, yet the upper treble is just death for me. I’ve a/b’ed vs a few 200 and 300-dollar sets and it doesn’t sound as good. Take that for what you will, but this set isn’t something that will take the spot of those who own 5000-dollar sets, but it will be a part of an army of those who already own a few thousand-dollar sets. Again know what category you belong in of my recommendations 200 a year no, 3600 a year maybe, fan of the brand maybe, People with a huge budget yes.

Yet if you can handle the upper treble, if you dare to take hold of this sharp knife ever so gently, you could be in a treat that sounds lush promising, and enjoyable, just don’t get cut. As a wounded animal crawling back for more, I do enjoy this iem cautiously, but it’s just not an easy listen, too pristine and not enjoyable. It has a tactful V which is more and more common in good sets, that can strike well in some sets and songs.

I’ve recently redone my ranking system drastically, and I often times will update it daily after reading my listening notes some of which are crazy mind maps and just cursing. I am also releasing a video on YouTube. It went live a few days ago but is still very recent. If you’d like to visit there and comment, I’d appreciate it. I just do this for fun and social reasons.

Thanks for reading, and maybe even watching. Any feedback is welcome.

This is a strong product that I’m happy to test and review. I like Bluetooth Dongle Dacs and I’m glad to review this one. This was a sample sent out by Hifigo. It’s a good product but not perfect, yet I really enjoy it and listen to it daily. I was on a personal kick about a year ago testing and trying multiple Bluetooth dongle dacs, before finally settling on the Quidelix 5k. But the Quidelix 5k has problems.

The Muse M4 has a similar design language of the Queststyle products. Yet this price is very affordable to those who don't value the high cost of those products. Yes, this does give me reminisent of "We have that at home memes" but I think it's important to note that scources can be a huge cost of money. We can spend a great deal on them when they don't provide a major sonic impact in many cases. While for some a 600 price for the new CMA 18 might be very expensive, the question we must ask ourselves is this is good value not if it better than a product that is in a much higher class.

The Quidelix 5k is my other Bluetooth dongle dac that I use and enjoy. It’s small, lacks power, and its app can be a bit finicky in that there are a lot of choices. EQ while a powerful tool, can be problematic as if you forget to turn it off or on it can cause issues, as well as the case use for it. Generally, I only do a little bit of EQ for my iem testing, as I feel there is no need to EQ, and if I EQ I only EQ on the Go. So when I take my Quidelix on the go to meets, I just want power, clarity, and transparency, and this device delivers on everything. I feel for those who want a portable device for a reasonable price that is also beautiful, this could be a great choice for you despite some minor flaws.


You can buy it here:

Hifigo Web :- https://hifigo.com/products/muse-hifi-m4

Amazon USA :- https://www.amazon.com/HiFiGo-M4-Headphone-ES9038Q2M-Amplifiers/dp/B0CLRPTP71

Minor Flaws

It has some minor issues. It doesn't come with a USB C to USB C cable, or have a lighting cable. It could use a cheap case as well. These are minor packaging issues, but important as for some 130 dollars is not a cheap amount. It is also a fingerprint magnet, and I feel that if one were to get this device I would recommend not taking off the protective cover as it might be good to help protect the device a bit.

Drivability and Power

As far as how did it perform with my devices? Very well. Not a single device had issues being driven by this Bluetooth dongle dac. My iems had no noise and it was a pleasure. I find myself listening to my Gizaudio x Binary Chopins a lot and they sound well on that set.
In my YouTube video, I do a short sound test of the device itself if anyone wants to hear it. It powers everything fine, with plenty of headroom.

Subjective Sound:


I currently own a lot of amps and dacs for different reasons as I have three desks all with different operating systems and issues. I own an iBasso DC04 pro that I enjoy a great deal, a few apple dongles, a Moondrop Dawn Pro and have tried other products as well. I enjoy the Muse M4 an find it to be clear like glass from a sonic perspective. It’s fully beautiful, and it’s sound reflects that.

I find this device to be transparent and clean. I think it is power and no audible noise while connected to Bluetooth to my phone. Even hard-to-drive iems and Planar headphones sound good and supported on the device. No major faults with it.

I think dac/amps are generally transparent. But as far as my enjoyment of this iem, I find it better than my Quidelix 5k and able to power my devices a bit better. It’s hard for me to give long audiofile reviews of amps as I feel most of sound is related to Sinad, power, and noise from the source. This device sounds great over Bluetooth, an on most of my computers sounded great, but I did have some issues on my Windows 10 PC that is generally noisy. I did report this to Hifigo. Generally, at my desk I use a balanced DAC/AMP combo

Here is my video if anyone is interested.
MUSE HiFi M4 Bluetooth Dac amp

Summary:

Having tested more expensive devices, I find the Muse M4 to be competitive sonically and very beautiful. This competes with the Topping G5 and BTR7 for me and my uses. I like the price, look, and sound despite it having a few minor flaws in packaging and on use on my PC. I do wish it came with a case or had one and a working USB c to lighting and a USB c to lighting cable, but overall it's a solid product that could work for you.

In a world with millions of sequels one brand stands up to do something new, something unique and special. This unit is a review sample from Hifigo, and I wanted to thank them for sending this out.

This is a special iem, and I really enjoy it despite it having a few flaws. This company and brand are doing great things. While other companies are just redoing old models with a new name, different tuning, this company is trying a new driver set up. First off, not everyone needs to buy this iem, but I think this is a definite experience that I recommend to everyone to try as it’s fantastic. This is’t the Aful 5.2 or the Aful 8.2, this is a special iem. This also isn’t a book club iem that is released every month. Aful seems to be releasing iems about two a year since they released the Aful 5 last year, but that cadence might shift, but it’s nice to look at patterns despite a small sample size.




This iem has been on my radar for a long time. I was one of the luckly people who got the Aful 8 early. I fully enjoyed my Aful 8, and at the time I got information that I could share about a 1 BA driver iem. I’m happy to be reviewing this iem now, as I think it’s a fantastic little set. This is maybe the most important release (as it is the cheapest Aful product) and costs only 139.99 dollars.

This story all started with the Aful Performer 5. I fully enjoy the Performer 5 and this it is a competitive benchmark at the price. This was provided to me by Hifigo for review. This will not impact my view of this iem, as I try to be extra careful of how I speak about any iem that I’ve been given a sample of. But if I have any biases, I want to share them to be as honest and truthful as possible.

I also had the opportunity to demo this iem at Canjam, and I’m happy to say I feel that the tuning I am hearing in my home is much better than the tuning I heard at Canjam. I believe the tuning has changed and I wanted to mention that so that those who have tried it there, will give it another chance. I always recommend demoing first, or borrowing from a friend when you can. But this is a special beautiful iem. I’m really in love with the sweetness of the appearance and the sound.


Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs (needs to be edited a bit)




Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass aren’t terrible and is at a good level. It doesn’t disappoint, but it is the weakest part of this set. The bass seems well-controlled and fun. I don’t find it partially lean but it does feel a tiny bit light. I do find the quantity of the base is about right. I have found that while it doesn’t match my target amount of bass, I do fully enjoy it. I feel percussions on it sound great. The iem is clean and lush even in the bass, yet this is the weakest part of this iem.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone is great on this iem, what is mind-boggling is that you won’t think of it as a BA iem. It’s just nice. Really nice. . It is basically perfect for what I want out of an iem. . It has nothing that will often plague other iems. No weird plastic feeling, voices sound right with no plastic feeling.
I don’t find it shouty at all but fun, smooth and enjoyable. The vocals sound right and rich on this iem. Is this iem as good as it’s big brothers and sisters as in resolution, no but it’s pretty darn close as it’s really good. Not just for the price but this is an Aful product and it shines in every way. Podcasts and voices all sound great on it, and it has a good feel to it. Overall this iem is fresh, non fatiguing and just an easy clear listen. I don’t feel it muddies up the vocals at all and it is strong and clean. The vocals sound detailed and lifelike. Resolution is life-like, and it’s almost daunting compared to my average speakers and car audio setup!


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has good technical and it comes across in the timbre and the tone of this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I would think it would sound neutral or boring without the 3k spike, but I enjoyed it. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming

Gaming is great on this iem, it’s cozy and has a world-class feeling of fit to me. It’s a little bit small, but comfortable. It’s basically the same shell as the other performer sets and I really appreciate that. This has good detail retrieval, and good tonal balance. It has a beautiful open and clean sound. The stage isn’t too wide, but just right. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fantastic. It has great imaging and a good sense of where I am.

For me when I game, I listen to music, chat on Discord, watch a YouTube video, and Gaming all at the same time. Some iems come across more muddly when dealing with lots of information. No issues here. .



Shell
The shell is pretty, it fits great. It has a nice dip here and it feels pretty great in ear. This iem is so light I will oftentimes think that I don’t have it in my case. It’s very light and pretty. It will sometimes have a yellow glint from the cable, seeming like it is turning color to yellow but that is my only complaint. I am also not used to clear shells as much. So it’s different to see one. It’s a nice shell, and it fits me well. It’s on the slightly small side, so it should fit everyone.



Case
The case is great. I like this case and feel it is protective. The only complaint is that is is exactly the same as the Performer 5. I love the case, and find it very protective, but find myself using the case from the Rose Techs Quietsea a lot for travel as it has a Zipper.
.


Cable
The cable comes normally in 4.4 mm connection or 3.5. This cable is lightweight I have a 4.4 which isn’t ideal for myset up, but I have plenty of connectors at home. This is an exceptional cable, and it feels great on the skin. This is my favorite of the Aful cables. I also want to applaud the company for taking feedback in having a 4.4 available at launch.






Tip Selection
I was pleasantly surprised with the tip selection! I enjoyed them. It’s a normal solid tip selection from Aful. I’m not too bothered with tips as I am very tip-dependent and always Use Divinus Velvet L. I am a Divinus stan according to my friends, and yes I did have to use Urban Dictionary to figure that out.



Graph:
This is my squig, feel free to use. I measured this with foam tips and with regular Divinius Velvet tips as well.


Sound - Final Impressions

While this iem is very good, and almost perfect is seems that there could be some room for some slight improvement here. I think it has an almost manufactured hyper-clean sound like it is coming from a studio rather than a concert. If you are looking to recreate an old concert feeling this may not be for you. It lacks slam, and umph for those bass heads. If you want something with insane vocals that fits great and is a modern marvel this is for you. I am not gong to tell you this iem is better than the P5, although it might be depending on your preference, it’s definitely not better than the Aful 8. I love the Aful 8 a great deal, and find the tonal balance to be good.

This is a solid choice for those looking for a wonderful iem. I could easily take the Aful 1 as my island iem and I find it exceedingly enjoyable.

Recommended EQ:

I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my own graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have an that doesn’t need EQ. This iem doesn’t really need EQ, but it is helpful for sure. I find a definite improvement with EQ when I try this profile.

Preamp: -5.6 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 5.6 dB Q 0.600
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 170 Hz Gain -1.9 dB Q 1.000
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 660 Hz Gain 0.3 dB Q 2.000
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 3400 Hz Gain -0.9 dB Q 2.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3700 Hz Gain -3.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3900 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 0.700
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5600 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 6700 Hz Gain 5.5 dB Q 1.300
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 9100 Hz Gain 4.5 dB Q 1.900
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 11000 Hz Gain -10.4 dB Q 2.000


This sounds much better with eq, and goes from an average experience to an amazing smooth out of body experience with EQ. The timbre and audiophile qualities of this iem are special. It is unique and a great hifi value at its price.




Gifting/who is it for:
I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone. The packaging is very simple and clean. The box is small and compact. It has a good selection of tips, a useful case, and great little cable.


Pairing:
I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well, and this is a pretty poor pairing. This iem needs a tiny bit of power and shines with some umph.
This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to really have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems. (I personally am not a huge mmcx or planar fan.)

Summary

I’ve recently redone my ranking system to include a gaming/comfort quality, an overall rating along with Crinacle style rating. Is this a one and only set? Maybe maybe not. This is the upgrade to the hexa that you’ve been looking for. It has an incredible neutral profile, and sounds good on most of my music. I fully enjoy and recommend this set.

Final scores
Giving the Aful an A+ for Tuning as I think it needs some EQ and isn’t perfect,t I think the technicals are very good for the price but again some tracks are world-class, and other are average. Nothing terrible. Bass response could be better and is a 6, Mids are strong but not perfect, and Highs are very nice. The overall score is the highest 92 I have and the highest under 150 dollars. It’s a great set, and very nice.


I am also releasing a video on YouTube



Thanks for reading, and maybe even watching. . Any feedback is welcome.


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This iem has been on my radar for a while time, and I heard about it a few weeks ago from a Youtuber named Arkos. This is a collaboration with IKKO, but to be honest I’m not sure how that impacts the iem as far as tuning or packaging or what. I will say first of all this set is bonkers. The overall quality of it is baffling to me how they expect to make any money on it, or just my perception of what cost is impressive.

I love dynamic drivers. I just do. They are simple, clean, and do a lot of things right. I am reminded that sometimes mutlidriver iems can distort each other, so sometimes a pure clean DD is nice. This is an interesting driver with a Dual-Chambered Single Dynamic Driver Unit. This is the same driver in the much more expensive Dunu Kima (109), Nothing ear 2, TFZ SERIES 1 IEM, and a few other more expensive items.
This was provided to me by Hifigo for review. This will not impact my view of this iem, as I try to be extra careful of how I speak about any iem that I’ve been given a sample of. I’d recommend actually buying this from Hifigo as it is cheaper from them at 49.99 vs 70 (after a big coupon) from the manufacturer on the site or on Amazon. (This was at least as of time when I looked at this information up.)


Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.
Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)
The details of the bass is strong and clean. While the quantity isn’t in excess, the quality is certainly there. The dynamic driver seems to be doing it’s job very well in the quality of the bass. While not a bass head iem by any means, the iem technical response isn’t poor, and is satisfying in the bass and very enjoyable.
Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)
The timber and tone is great on this iem, podcasts are really great on this and vocals sound really good. With the good overall comfort. Things are great on it. The vocals don't’ come across wonky or shrill and the mids are just really nice and clear. Female vocals are clear, but slightly recessed, and male vocals seem a little more prominent and good. Very solid mids and certain music is just delightful, while some EDM and pop comes across off and muddled.
Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)
The treble is a bit dry on this set and subdued. It’s nice, as I expected the treble to be out of control and outworldly. It’s solid and detail retrieval is acceptable for the price. I haven’t had this treble be sibilant in my hours of testing and find the overall sound quality to be good, and borderline excellent, especially at the price. Like a day on the ocean, the iem is peaceful, not disruptive or altering.

Gaming
The gaming on this iem is fine. Not great but good. When I game, I listen to music, chat on Discord, watch YouTube videos, and Gaming. This iem has a hard time keeping up with so many different sources and it doesn’t seem to work for me. Imaging of this iem is what you’d expect at the price, and while not bad, it leads to poor positioning, Air strikes, and gunfire come across as a bit poor. Layering and separation is somewhat poor, and I’d give this a 6 for gaming. Not terrible, but not an easy recommendation for gamers.


Shell

The shell is perfect to fit those whose ears are sensitive to large iems. Comparing it to the Truthear Red, it has a better fit for me and is very nice.. It looks and feels good in the ear as well.




Case

This case is amazing and I really like it. It’s small and pocketable. It reminds me a lot of the case on the Theiaudio iems. Very nice, and it can fit a great deal in it as well. I found that I could fit a Quidelix 5k or my IBasso DC04 dongle dap in it as well. I feel it is better than the Theiaudio case as well because it is slightly smaller and can fit into a pocket really nicely. Well done here. Love it! Easily worth 20 dollars.



Cable

This cable is exceptional and I really enjoy it. It feels premium in the hand and looks great as well. It definitely adds a high amount of value to this product. I would buy this cable for $30 dollar or so, and find it to be very quality. Not microphonic either! It has nice connectors and a fantastic chin slider. I’ve paid more for cables like this.


Tip Selection

The tip selection is the only part of this iem that is average. It’s just ok with one set of tips. It’s not bad, but one can always hope for more as tips are cheap to include.





Graph:
I think the graph of this is interesting, but the tuning overall is pretty quality as they try to not muddy up the bass with the single Dynamic Driver.



Sound - Final Impressions
While this iem is very good it isn’t perfect. It’s a clean clear crisp sound. with fantastic mids. I haven’t had this treble be sibilant in my hours of testing and find the overall sound quality to be good, but not mind-blowing or perfect. It is very enjoyable and solid for what it is. Not magical, but a good little set with no gross faults. It struggles with details and technicals and for my use it isn’t what I would use daily, but I find a great comfortable set. This has a rich timber gooey, and nice. Rich abrupt, good note weight. A good specialist for mids and certain genres of music, but not exactly what I want from my music. Yet as I didn’t like the Juzear 41T as I felt the treble was out of control this has a nice timber in the low end and clean and clear mids that make it a fantastic set. Old style iem, a lot like a budget Legato, with a pretty look and appearance.


Recommended EQ:
I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my own graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have an that doesn’t need EQ.
Preamp: -8.8 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 24 Hz Gain 8.7 dB Q 0.500
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 70 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 1.500
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 170 Hz Gain -0.9 dB Q 1.100
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 710 Hz Gain 1.4 dB Q 0.900
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2600 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3200 Hz Gain -2.7 dB Q 1.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 4100 Hz Gain 2.9 dB Q 0.600
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5000 Hz Gain -8.3 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 7300 Hz Gain 12.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 11000 Hz Gain -12.0 dB Q 2.000
Does the Quiet Sea need Eq,? Yes, it sounds much better with Eq to me. It’s a nice little set, but needs a little more to get everything out of the driver for me. The EQ profiles will sometimes cause some minor issues, and in some ways, I feel this happens with this iem. The eq profile does fix many things, and sometimes it makes some things even worse.

Gifting/who is it for:
I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, amazing in fact. It’s beautiful, great cable, case, and decent tip selection. For $50 dollars, people will think it’s much more expensive, or at least might. This is a classy set for a sophisticated person. This is a fantastic set to bring to work, or on the go, and a good gift set.


Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven.

Summary:
I’m a sucker for effort, and this has effort for days. This isn’t a perfect product, but is exceptional in packaging, and the feel of the product. I think it’s a fun package and an enjoyable listen, despite not being class-leading for the price, it’s certainly a great little option to consider.
I’ve recently redone my ranking system to include a gaming/comfort quality, an overall rating with a Crinacle style rating. I am also releasing a video on YouTube at the same time. I think while this isn't for me, it could be for others who listen to certain types of music and could work very well for them. The more I get used to this set the more I like it for whatever reason. I think this set is competitive at the price, and very enjoyable as you get a unique driver, solid cable, case, and an unboxing experience that rivals 1000-dollar sets.
Thanks for reading, and maybe even watching. Any feedback is welcome.
Value of
️️️
B Tuning
C+ Technicals
Overall 78
Bass 6, mids 7, Treble 6





My RoseTechnics QuietSea Review. Solid iem, just insane value for 50 dollars.

I was given this iem to me as a review sample from the glorious people at Hifigo. I Like their products and buy from their store when I can. Here is a nonaffiliated link to where you can go buy their product.

I’ve been a headphone guy for almost 40 years, but finally gave iems a try not long ago and am hooked. I got the chance recently to go through and finally move my stuff out of my parent's house and found an old pair of cans and man, it brought back the feels of the good old headphone days. Inner ear monitors take a lot of getting used to. And many people in the hobby have claimed their ears have almost grown over time in size. Going to CanJam was enlightening as many people complained of ear discomfort, and I get that myself. Even more people prefer buds or slightly outside-the-ear style earbuds as well. The Dusk and Dioko while sonically are good iems that I rate, I can’t have them in my ears for long at all.

I wasn’t a fan of Timmy’s first collab the Galleo, but seeing the graph got me interested in this collab. I found Galileo off timber-wise, and bass-shy and thin, as well as lacking finesse and sparkle. It wasn’t a bad-looking iem, but it just didn’t make what I wanted at the time in my collection. Graphs aren’t always everything, but you can see here that Chopin is a much bassier set with a little more energy in the 10k region.


I wanted to say it’s and slightly warm iem that is extremely well-tuned. I have turned down review units before as my integrity is important. I have no desire to review an item I’d never use myself. I’m middle class and money is tight. I’m also a middle-aged father of two school-aged children and I value my time and money. I’m not trying to make a collab, or money off my reviews, but share my opinions so others can make good choices about what to buy.

Saying everything is good only benefits sales but is untruthful. When asked about a demo unit I only agreed when I heard the product and felt it in my ears. It feels and sounds like a product worth reviewing and was one of my favorite items at Canjam. I wanted to convey to you that I was seriously concerned about the fit, tone, and technical ability of this iem.

Sonic impressions are strong as my library sounds good on it. I listen to a lot of music on Tidal and am happy to share my playlists. I like Metal and rock, but also love classical music as well. I tend to think I have a wide collection of music, but maybe I’m wrong.

The shape was a major concern for me as I thought it wouldn’t fit but I find it works well for me and it’s comfortable. It’s odd as the iem not only feels good in my ear, it lets more air into my ear as there is less contact with my skin. It feels really good. Isolation is also excellent, not what I expected at all. The older that I get the more I realize comfort and enjoyment are important to the experience. Not all of us want to have large iems in our ears for long as it is uncomfortable. This iem hit both of my major concerns.

It has a unique sound signature that sounds good on everything that I throw at it. The bass quality is not as strong as the Monarch MK 3, and it doesn’t give that magical sense of air and space, but its frequency response is generally good.

It sounds natural and juicy on my music. Rich and full. Mids are deep and rich. I like it a great deal. Binary is a fairly new company to the west This was a concern for me. But I feel they have delivered sonically with this iem.



Going to Canjam this past weekend was game-changing for me. I find this iem better fitting than most as the shape seems to allow more air into my ears. This helps me feel less fatigued and allows me to listen longer.

The iem has an extremely classy design, juicy gooey timbre, music, and podcasts are rich and enjoyable without being bloated or sibilant. I just wanted to share some opinions on this iem that may not be on your radar. If you get a chance to hear it or got to hear it at Can Jam, I’d love to hear what you thought. With this in my collection, it makes many other iems redundant.


It has a unique sound signature that sounds good on everything that I throw at it. The bass quality is not as strong as the Monarch mk 3. Hype 2 has the same base as the Monarch, tonal balance is much better than Hype 2 in Chopin. Hype 2 just wasn’t good for me. Chopin’s treble is nice and crisp yet not over the top. It is a weakness of this item as is bass quality.

It sounds natural and juicy on my music. Rich and full. Mids are deep and rich. I like it a great deal. Binary is a fairly new company to the west This was a concern for me. But I feel they have delivered sonically with this iem.
The older that I get the more I realize comfort and enjoyment are important to the experience. Not all of us want to have large iems in our ears for long as it is uncomfortable. This iem hit both of my major concerns. I don’t think it is the best iem in the world but it competes with other iems in a higher bracket.
Going to Canjam this past weekend was game-changing for me. I find this iem better fitting than most as the shape seems to allow more air into my ears. This helps me feel less tired and allows me to listen longer.

The iem is an extremely classy design, Juicy gooey timbre, and the music and podcasts are rich and enjoyable without being bloated or sibilant. I just wanted to share some opinions on this iem that may not be on your radar. If you get a chance to hear it or got to hear it at Can Jam, I’d love to hear what you thought. With this in my collection, it makes many other iems redundant. Thanks for reading.
I don’t know the price yet. I’m excited to hear what it is.


Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron Man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments make this a favorite for me.
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.



Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The detail of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. Warm lush, and male and female vocals pop and are exceptional. The bass seems well-controlled and fun. I don’t find it partially lean but it does feel a tiny bit light. I do fully enjoy it. I feel percussions on it sound great. The iem is clean and lush even in the bass. It has this fantastic chewy visceral timber that just sounds amazing, and I love every second of it.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone are great on this iem. I feel warm and pleasant. Think of a gooey chocolate chip cookie. It’s very nice and the vocals sound good along it.
I don’t find it shouty at all but fun, smooth, and enjoyable. Podcasts and voices all sound great on it, and it has a good feel to it. Overall this iem is fresh, non-fatiguing, and just an easy clear listen. The vocals sound detailed and lifelike. The resolution is life-like, and it’s almost daunting compared to my average speakers and car audio setup!


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

Metal on guitars comes across as a weakness and the iem seems to lack clarity and separation of higher-end sets and it is a potential weakness for some in my test. Drums seem a bit off and lacking bite. This just comes across as a little peculiar timbre. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I would think it would sound neutral or boring without the 3k spike, but I enjoyed it. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming

Gaming is great with this. Detail retrieval could be better, but overall it is very nice. Do I think you should buy this iem to improve your gaming experience? No, but this is perfect. Great shell is super comfortable with a reasonable-sized nozzle but poor isolation. I think the isolation is good, but not world-class for those who need it for various reasons. The stage isn’t too wide, and slightly narrower. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fair but not perfect. It has good imaging. The iem is light and feels durable with its metal faceplate and hard black shell. It’s truly a treasure to have for long gaming sessions as it is very comfortable, and sonically very good. Many other iems will be more of a challenge to use.
Shell -
The shell is very unique and I find it comfortable and great. The shell truly sets this set apart from other sets as it is unlike anything I’ve tried before. It reminds me a bit of a bud-style like the t4 Plus or an FF3 earbud, but comfort is just so easy to sit in my ears. I was personally extremely wary of the iem, but I feel that it is a strong set for comfort and an easy recommendation.

Case: The case is very premium and nice. It has nice foam on the inside and is generally a nice case that I can easily recommend to others. It’s extremely easy to open, durable, and looks great matching the iem’s design.

Cable:
The cable isn’t fantastic, but it is fine. It has no microphonics, but a 4.4 was given to me. I’m not a fan of a 4.4 mm connection personally but I do see value in them as many other people like them, and in a sense, it is a sign of a higher marked iem for audiophiles. Not a bad thing by any means, just nothing too special as the s12 pro and z12 have a nice 3 cable connector at 165 or 135 on sale with a better cable.


Tip Selection:

The tip selection is adequate at best. Not a wide variety. I enjoyed them. But they were a fairly limited selection.

Comparisons:

I’ve recently compared this iem to others near the price on my channel. I feel this iem is better than other iems at the price.
The Big one you’ve all asked for:

Chopin vs Truthear Nova

These two iems graph the same so they are the same right? Well, maybe not. I feel sonically the Chopin is a fantastic set and is worthy of the extra price. Would it be easier to recommend if the price was 150 like the Nova? Absolutely. But how are they different?

The Chopin has a warmer richer timber and feels more lush and detailed on most tracks that I listen to. It’s very close but I do feel the edge goes to the Binary Gizaudio x Chopin. Tracks on the Nova feel a little bit more alive than on the Nova.

Nova has a dry timbre but is nice to listen to. Its tonal balance is damn near perfect, but it seems to lack space and air in general. The Chopin has a pretty similar sound signature but is slightly more dry. It just comes across a bit more boring.

If I wanted to reach for one for daily use, I’d go to Chopin. I do find the Nova comfortable, and easy to drive, but is a slight level below the Chopin, and would give it the recommendation Sonically, and for comfort. It’s hard to recommend one over another, but in the world of 6000-dollar earphones, 50 dollars isn’t too much more for some higher-end users wanting a variations style tuning for much much cheaper.

Quick-Fire Comparisons



In this section, I'll quickly compare the

Truthear: Aful Perfomer 5 VS. Chopin
Overall Tuning: Chopin
Details: Chopin, very close although


Truthear: Kiwi Ears Quintet VS. Chopin
Overall Tuning: Chopin
Details: Kiwi Ears Quintet

Truthear: Nova VS. Chopin
Overall Tuning: Same, slight Edge to Chopin
Details: Same, slight Edge to Chopin


Graph:


Sound - Final Impressions

I fully recommend this iem to all to try it first from a friend or at a convention before buying. But I 100% recommend for all to at least try this iem, give it a go, as it is special in my books at the price. I think sonically it is fun and things sound very tonally correct with good sparkle and detail. Timber and sparkle could be slightly improved on this iem, but it’s not far away from where many higher class iems could be. It’s very nice and I feel it competes or beats many iems in the 600-dollar Space not only in technicals but in the overall feel of it. It’s a classy feeling and a great recommendation for those who don’t want a giant Monarch MK 2/3 style iem.

Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could be an end game for some and a cozy set for others. It does shine a bit more with this eq. The goal for me with an iem is to have one that doesn’t need EQ. This iem doesn’t need eq and is enjoyable.

Preamp: -6.4 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 21 Hz Gain 3.9 dB Q 1.500
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 100 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 0.900
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 250 Hz Gain 1.9 dB Q 0.900
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1200 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 1.700
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1900 Hz Gain 2.1 dB Q 2.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3000 Hz Gain -0.8 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 4400 Hz Gain -3.2 dB Q 0.700
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 6600 Hz Gain 5.3 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 13000 Hz Gain -12.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 15000 Hz Gain 11.2 dB Q 1.200



Does Chopin need EQ? No, but to my ears it sounds about 1% better with this eq. Yes, the final question of what is my preference target has been solved. Yet who knows, I might change it up someday!

Spider Graph
This shows a few iems here. All of these iems are good, but you can see how while Chopin is better, it isn’t by much. The Binary x Gizaudio Chopin is very solid iem, it’s well-tuned, affordable, good technicals, and I just can’t explain it. It sounds amazing to my preference tuning, it might not be the bang for the buck experience and it is in that dreaded midrange iem hell. (This is done with the guess that Gizaudio Chopin will come in at 180-240.)



Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, it’s clean and easy to fit for people. I think many iem users have giant ears and can stomach more pressure on their ears than normal people. This iem has a Unique Geometry that makes it crazy comfortable. If I were to give an iem to a friend who is new to the hobby, the Chopin would be one that I’d consider because of its beautiful packaging and easy fit.

This iem is made to take to work with you and move on the go. The case is industrial and strong which means giving to a colleague means they will be less likely to lose it using it for work. I can see this being used in studio use for long periods.

The fact that the Nova exists, makes this iem tough for some to recommend, but given that it has what I feel is a slightly better technical approach, and better tuning, It is a great recommendation and a value proposition, especially in comparison to other iems. It has value and promise in the market, and if it comes in lower than the Nova, then I think it will be a default option, if not a good option for those who want a more relaxed fit, or who are fans of Gizaudio.


Pairing:
I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. In fact, it was a tiny bit too easy to drive and I often needed to turn the volume down when A/B during songs. Typically I only find overears to have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems.

Summary:

I don’t think it is the best iem in the world but it competes with other iems in a higher bracket, and a little under 300 competes with this iem. This is a special iem, that I am happy to review. .It’s technical and clear, and the music is enjoyable on it. I fully enjoy it.
I’ve recently redone my ranking system to include a gaming/comfort quality, an overall rating along with Crinacle style rating. I am also releasing a video on YouTube at the same time. Here is the link:

Thanks for reading, and maybe even watching. Any feedback is welcome. Please comment below if you liked it. It means the world to me. I’m debating even doing more head-fi reviews, as I feel oftentimes I get little feedback on them.

This iem has been on my radar for a long time. I’m a huge fan of it, and as of now, my only regret is not buying one earlier.
Photos 6 minimum March 30th until now is when I got interested

I try to tell the story of purchase or acquisition whenever I buy an iem. Basically, it took 3 major reviewers and lot of chatting with 7th Ascoutics on Facebook (Precog, Super, HBB, and lots of annoying MRS). I started talking to them around March 30th, Finally ordered my iem on June 13th, then finally got it on Sept 12th. So I’ve taken my time with this iem, as it is pretty darn special to me in the time I’ve taken to get it.


This was the first view I had of my faceplates. You get a large list to pick them out depending on what they have available.



Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. The bass seems well-controlled and fun. I don’t find it partially lean but it does feel a tiny bit light. I do find the quality of the bass is correct. I have found that while it doesn’t match my target amount of bass, I do fully enjoy it. I feel percussions on it sound great. The iem is clean and lush even in the bass. It has this fantastic chewy visceral timber that just sounds amazing, and I love every second of it.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The timber and tone are great on this iem, people have described it as near-perfect or class-leading and they aren’t joking. It is basically perfect for what I want out of an iem. It has nothing that will often plague other iems. No weird plastic feeling, voices sound right with no plastic feeling.
I don’t find it shouty at all but it fun, smooth, and enjoyable. Podcasts and voices all sound great on it, and it has a good feel to it. Overall this iem is fresh, fatiguing, and just an easy clear listen. The vocals sound detailed and lifelike. The resolution is life-like, and it’s almost daunting compared to my average speakers and car audio setup!


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I would think it would sound neutral or boring without the 3k spike, but I enjoyed it. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming

Gaming is amazing on this em. Do I think you should buy this iem to improve your gaming experience? No, but this is perfect. Great shell, Super comfortable, and never has sibilance. It has a beautiful open and clean sound. The stage isn’t too wide, but just right. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fantastic. It has great imaging. The iem is light and feels durable with this fantastically textured cable. It’s truly a treasure to have for long gaming sessions as the details of the game sparkle.

Shell
The shell is pretty, it fits great and it’s customizable. It has a nice dip here and it feels pretty great in the ear.

Case
The case isn’t something that I personally would use. I find it a bit heavy, but each to their own. If I wanted to store my supernova for the long term I would definitely use this case, but a Supernova is meant to be used. Thus in that circumstance, it is a bit bulky, but it does feel extremely premium.

Cable
The cable comes normally in 4.4 mm connection. I requested a 3.5 and they delivered with no issue. This is an exceptional cable, and it feels great on the skin. This is easily my favorite cable that I’ve ever used.

Tip Selection
I was pleasantly surprised with the tip selection! I really enjoyed them.

Comparisons:

Vs. Imperial Loki
The Supernova has a more comfortable shell, and you can pick your own design. I think this in a way is a leg up over the Loki. If I wanted to buy an IEM as a gift I’d probably go with the Loki as it does feel more premium and it wouldn’t have a 90-day wait, but the Supernova is no slouch. Sonically both are good and at 800 dollars vs 3000 you are looking at a really good-priced iem that competes with iems of a higher cost, the Supernova is an amazing experience. The Loki’s shell felt massive in my ear, and that is one of the major issues I had with it but the quality of the bass experience is better on the Loki.

Vs. Butasurr (Longer comparison as some have asked for it.)

While Butasurr is a very solid pic, it isn’t perfect, and seems the overall tone and timber of the Supernova is a bit better. Supernova does sound better, but not a great deal better. I would recommend Butasurr to those who want to save money and get 95% of the way to a Supernova or top-of-the-line iem. For the genre of music that I like the Supernova is better in the bass texturing. This is a link to my favorite music from Tidal that I typically enjoy. The Supernova is a slightly better tuning and tone of an iem, and the packaging on the Supernova is much better. For classical music and pop music, the Butasurr is just amazing. Exceedingly impressive, and competes with anything I’ve ever heard level good.
The Butasurr feels like a reasonably packaged iem, of what I’d expect out of a 300-dollar set. The Supernova has a premium feel of perfection, it’s just very well presented. The case, tip selection, and cable all feel very detailed and well chosen and more warranting of an end game iem.


Wearing comfort is much better for me in the Supernova. It has a shape that doesn’t seem to slip from my ears and seems more snug like a custom-fit iem. The Butasurr needs constant adjustment and the right tip (H570 tips) to feel right. Yet isn’t a bad shell, but it feels a tiny bit delicate. It reminds me a lot of the Aful Performer 8 shell, of which I’m a huge fan of. Again, fantastic fit, great iem. But the fit for me on the Monarch ML III and Supernova are much better than the Butasurr.

I think sonically both the iems have good Trebble note definition and tangibility. Both have great midrange and timbre. The Supernova is a tiny bit more lush almost like the Simgot EA500 or EM6L, while the Butasurr timbre is a bit more dry yet clean.

Bass slam, rumble, and texture the battle is won by the Supernova, but this is a close race. Both are enjoyable in the lower end, but my feeling is the Supernova has a slight edge.
The Space and transparency on both iems are world-class. They do certain tracks better than anything that I’ve heard. I’ve had almost a month with the Butasurr and about 2 weeks with the Supernova and both are exquisite.

The treble energy on both is done very well and I have no major issues with either level of treble, but the Supernova is better in the treble and is the best thing that I’ve heard. The Supernova and the Aful 8 both get a 10 in the treble for me, while the Butasurr gets a 9. Again, extremely world-class and great, but not the best that I’ve heard. The tone and timbre carry the iem to heights I’ve never really heard before, just impressive.

Vs Monarch MK 3

Both are end-game iems in my mind. Part of what it boils down to is the form factor. The Supernova has a bit more lush timber, while the Monarch sounds a bit more dry like a monitor. Both are great, but on a few rare tracks you hear something different on each set. They both have incredible shells, details, and resolution. I think the driver tech in the Monarch helps this shine, but we are talking about very minor differences. They are both very quality iems, and the fact the 7th Ascoutics Supernova can compete with an iem that is made from a much larger brand is impressive in its own right.





Graph:


Sound - Final Impressions

While this iem is very good, and almost perfect is seems that there could be some room for some slight improvement here. I think the bass physical impact of the Monarch MK 3 is better, and I think the tuning could be slightly improved with EQ, but
Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my own graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have one that doesn’t need EQ.


Preamp: -6.1 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 2.6 dB Q 0.500
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 150 Hz Gain -0.6 dB Q 2.000
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 510 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 0.800
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1200 Hz Gain -1.3 dB Q 2.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 5600 Hz Gain -2.6 dB Q 2.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 6700 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 7900 Hz Gain 1.8 dB Q 1.200
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 11000 Hz Gain -5.7 dB Q 0.900
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 12000 Hz Gain -7.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 15000 Hz Gain 10.1 dB Q 1.000

Does the Supernova need Eq,? no, but to my ears it sounds about 1% better with this eq. Yes, the final question of what is my preference target has been solved. Yet who knows, I might change it up someday!

Spider Graph

This is my first time doing a spider graph. Much thanks to TonedeafMonk and Leonarfd who both helped me with this a little. This shows a few iems here. All of these iems are good, but you can really see how while the Monarch is a bit better, not by much. The Supernova slaps and could be a good value for you. The Hexa is my work iem. I have tried to dethrone it with something around that price but can’t see myself doing it. (I like having a set at work that is relatively cheap and affordable, so in case I lose it, it’s not a big deal. And that it has reasonably good tuning to not need EQ.



Gifting/who is it for:
I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, but the issue is the faceplates being customizable becomes an issue. I think this is more the kind of iem you will want to keep for yourself, but would make a fine gift as needed. My go-to for a cheaper price would probably be the Aful Performer 8 or Celestee Phoenixcall as they are packaged really well and very beautiful. This is exceptionally packaged, much better than other iems at this price that I’ve tried. So if the waiting list is quick, it’s an easy buy. If you wanted to gift someone a special unique iem, it would be fantastic, for a surprise gift…. Not so much due to the wait queues.

Pairing
I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to really have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems. (I personally am not a huge mmcx or planar fan.)

Summary
I’ve recently redone my ranking system to include a gaming/comfort quality, an overall rating along with Crinacle style rating. I am also releasing a video on YouTube at the same time of this review.
Here is my Ranking list.
Thanks for reading, and maybe even watching. Any feedback is welcome.

Delete please

Thanks for reading. Any feedback is welcome.

A Whole New World is a fantastic song. Disney yes, but that doesn’t always mean for children but often times universal made for all. The point of the song to me is that there is a different approach something can give you. This iem has baffled my mind as I listen to it unlike any audio product before. It’s unique and interesting.
I haven’t listened to many high-end iems, and this is the most expensive inner ear monitor that product that I’ve purchased. The Theiaudio Monarck MK III. As a disciple of Crinacle, the Theiaudio Monarch MK ii has been on my radar for a while. So as I wanted to get a good big high-end benchmark it has been on my radar for a while. After first impressions of the Monarck iii started to get posted I quickly pulled the trigger and I bought it from Headphones.com. This product can be bought from many other stores as well.

So this iem, what can I say. It’s tough to describe as my experience with iems is limited. But I’m learning more and more what my preferences are. I like my bass big, my treble airy, and my mids tame and flat. This iem hits everything perfectly. It has the treble of the Aful 8 and is overall just fantastic.

This iem has many unique features The IMPACT2 subwoofer solution revolutionizes personalized audio with its isobaric design and enhanced bass power and texture. These Dual DD drivers sound really good with studio-like performance in the 200-800 range. It’s really remarkable. I’m personally excited to try out the Hype 2 a 300-dollar set that uses this technology. I think it could be a game changer for those who love quality bass with impact and no bleed without the need to EQ. Everything I’ve heard leads me to believe the Hype 2 could be a new benchmark at 300, especially for those who love bass.

I normally listen to 10-30 hours of music before a review depending on how much I like the product. For this iem, I’ve listened to it for hours on end, probably 100 or more in the past few weeks that I’ve had it. Everything sounds really strong on it.

Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. You don't hear the bass… you FEEL it. It’s rubmly. It is reminiscent of being at a concert with my crazy girlfriend years in the past. You get next to the bass speakers and just feel something, you feel the stress of work, and the pains of life fade away. The bass timing is fantastic and natural. When testing the headphone it goes low and is beautiful extremely low and natural, an almost old school feeling as the iem almost shakes as it plays. It’s unreal The bass seems well-controlled and exceptional. Percussions sound fantastic, and all music sounds silly good on it.

Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The resolution is perfect and wonderful. The voices sound amazing. It has a high-end speaker or headphone feeling. In fact, the sound is just right and wonderful The MK3 has smooth treble and good detail. Voices sound right, podcasts sound right, and voices sound supported with the bass also being present. I don’t find it shouty at all but fun, smooth, and enjoyable. Podcasts and voices all sound great on it, and it has a good feel to it. Overall this iem is fresh, non-fatiguing, and just an easy clear listen. The vocals sound detailed and lifelike. Resolution is life-like, and it’s almost daunting compared to my average speakers and car audio setup! The sound could be described as colored right. Not over the top, but good still. Unfatiging and refined.


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I would think it would sound neutral or boring without the 3k spike, but I enjoyed it. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming
I find this iem ideal for gaming. I highly recommend it. The space and detail sound right, the explosions are amazing and I feel I get a great sense of where I am. It's a top-notch pic for gaming.

Shell
The shell is not large. It fits snugly but not too big. My ears have grown as I wear iems 5-12 hours a day at times, and this iem is fine for me and I really enjoy it. It feels great and looks great. The shell I purchased is more expensive but I am happy with the design and my purchase.


Case

For those who have purchased a Thieaudio case, this case should be familiar. It is fairly large but provides good protection for the iem. I personally am a little scared of my iem breaking and typically use the case as protection when not in my ears. This case is rigid and strong on the outside, and delicate and soft on the inside. It included pockets as well. It can easily fit a few cables, connectors, tips, and a small dongle or Bluetooth amp dac like my Quidelix 5k. Cases are subjective but this is a nice case that doesn’t feel glossed over.

Cable

The cable is very nice and smooth on the skin. It lays flat and doesn’t have a lot of memory and has a connector for all types. It has come out a few times from the connector, but that is an easy price to pay for a 3:1 lovely cable that I would easily value at 200 dollars or so. It’s wonderful.

Tip Selection
The tip selection is very nice. I enjoy their presented tips and find them great to have and to use. They are passable for this level and nice, but not exceptional for the price.

Comparisons

Thieaudio Monarch MK III VS. Butasurr

This is the one I am asked a lot about. The Monarch MK is the better iem. It has a better timbre and tone, and personally a slightly better fit. The design of the iem shell, the stock cable, the tips, and the case are all much better. But if none of that matters and you just look at sound. They are close. Butasurr is a fantastic iem, but does come across a tiny bit neutral and an all arounder. The Monarch is more visceral and impactful in the bass. Theiaudio Monarch MK III would be like having a spicy dish, while Butasurr would be like having something safe and almost calming like a steamy calming soup. Both are great and contrast each other well and should be looked at as benchmarks for the price range.



Thieaudio Monarch MK III VS. Kinera Imperial Loki
The Loki has some of the most impactful banging bass that I’ve ever heard and it is a great iem for a lot of music. The Monarch has a flair of spice and better treble response with better tone and wow factor. The Loki is a fantastic iem, yet I did have fit issues with it. I felt like it was hard to have in my ears for a long time say longer than an hour. The monarch is something that doesn’t bother as much. Yet it is an engaging listen not a relaxing set. The Loki has a large nozzle and has a lot of tech in it which makes things sound fantastic and realistic. The Monarch does this with much more modest packaging and is my pic for the lower price and faceplate choices will give you a great ability to customize your iem and make it yours. The Loki does feel like an iem made for a King, but a King who can deal with large iem nozzles.


Thieaudio Monarch MK III VS. Symphonium Meteor

The Meteor is a much more exciting listen for an iem and is a bit fatiguing. Sonic quality isn’t as great to be honest. Monarch iem to me is just overall better. It has the best qualities of the Meteor for me in the cable and the engaging sound, but the sound is clearer how my preference target is closer to. The extra energy of the Meteor at the 200-400 makes a few tracks go a bit weird for me. While the Meteor on this graph may not show it exactly as 10K+ can be unreliable it does feel more energetic and has a slightly different timbre. Bass impact is better, and overall timbre is as well.



Thieaudio Monarch MK III VS. ThieAudio Oracle MKII

I find the bass better in its quality on the Monarck and the energy of the Oracle was also a little bit too much for me. I think the Oracle was mistuned trying to do something special for those who love the V-shaped presentation. The Monarch seems to do it right and has quality technicals that sound absolutely fantastic. I think they listened to feedback from the community and tried to make a better product with a pleasant mainstream tuning.


Graph:

Here is a graph that lets you compare a few things. It's solid, with amazing technicals.


Sound - Final Impressions

Sonically I know more than the average person having listened to a lot of headphones and music in my days, but not nearly as many as others have. I find this iem my favorite for many reasons. It’s excellent and the music sounds and feels right to me. The only complaint that I have is it is a bit exciting as far as iems go. It’s exciting but not overly so. It’s tactful in its exciting presentation in that it doesn’t seem to attack you in the way the Oracle MK II can.

Recommended EQ: I don’t really recommend EQ on this iem. It’s my favorite iem, and it sounds right out of the gate. Often times I will switch it out for a more relaxing listen.

Gifting/Who is it for: It’s hard to know who to gift this to but the packaging is really strong. I think the customization for many is as or more important than the sound. Like if I were to gift my wife an iem, I think the ability to pick whatever she wanted would be a great thing to do. It opens the door immensely, but if I were, to be honest, my gifting alpha iems would be Phoenix Call or Aful 8 as they are great iems much cheaper, and most people won’t know the difference in packaging. Theiaudio’s packaging is a tiny bit bland outside of the high-quality cable, case, iem, and reasonable tip selection. While not poor, it feels only adequate as the Oracle was packaged almost identically for much cheaper. Personally, I'd gift a cheaper iem for most people, unless the person I was buying for was me, then I'd definitely get this.

Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well.

Summary
Whelp, I tried. This was a hard review for me to write on many levels as this iem is very special to me and it’s been hard to describe as I want to do this review justice. It took me a lot longer than I anticipated to do. I also have redone my preference list to account for the Monarck MK 3 and my own feelings on what would help me decide what to get. Each iem is getting not only a Crinacle style rating for tone and technicals, but a gaming/comfort rating, and an overall score. This iem is fantastic. It’s a 10 for gaming, S for tuning, S+ for technicals, and is overall a 100, a perfect score out of 100 for me. I can’t see many iems topping this for a few years, especially at this price point, and the custom faceplate… just so remarkable. I am super happy as this hits everything that I would want from an expensive iem and makes me feel lacking as to what else I might want or need.

Thanks for reading. Any feedback is welcome.

Teddy Roosevelt is a badass. This is a great quote by him, and feel free to skip past it if you don’t want to read it.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Personally, I live my life by this. Any dumb dumb can criticize and say some raunchy things about another company. But we need to look at what others are doing and respect them for the survival for the efforts put in. KZ does make a lot, and I mean a lot of iems, not just in product but different types. This isn’t a once-a-season iem producer but a company that has so many iems like a new one every week. I'm impressed by their volume of iems, and feel they have great value in manufacturing and surviving especially at their insane prices often times a third of similarly driver iems.

As someone fairly new to the hobby I want to experience everything that I can, but as my funds for new gear go low and my shelves go high, I like many of us need to watch out what I have and gain for gear. KZ has been on my radar for a while, while I’ve tried a fair amount of their gear I don’t own anything from KZ as many reviewers have said poor things about them. Audio for me is about finding what I personally like and enjoy. So the challenge of reviewing a $1 dollar iem seems like a good deal. I spend a lot more than 1 dollar a month on audio, so 1 dollar is a fun amount of money as it might pay for the shipping costs of the iem. So a dollar to me is of no consequence to own a product that may or may not be enjoyable.
This iem took 8 days to get to me from California. (Note this is not the stock cable or tips, as I often test with a different cable to focus on the quality of the transducer, and I hate QDC connectors with the fire of a thousand suns.)




Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.

Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Base)

The base tuning is pretty good. The quality of the base isn’t amazing but the tuning of it is fine. I do plan to try burn-in and such over the next few days.


Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The mids are tuned well and music sounds great on the KZ Krilla. Podcasts are great on this with no issues.


Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The treble is the worst part of this set, I feel it needs some help. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I thought that I would enjoy it more, but lacks a bit in the treble for me.

Gaming
This is a fine iem for gaming. While not extremely resolving, I would recommend it to many people. The technicalities and tuning are very strong for what it is at the price.

Shell -
The shell is solid, and clear with a black face plate. It fits well and doesn’t cause any fatigue. I think it has one of the better shells that I’ve encountered and the design isn’t perfect but it’s very strong and not boring for the price. It doesn’t stand out or bother me in any sense. This is a good shell with a good fit. My only complaint is the QDC connection and lack of a design motif.

Case- There is no case for the Krilla, which is somewhat disappointing, I think given the price it is understandable. The 7hz Zero doesn’t have a case or even a pouch.

Cable- It’s pretty average and just okay. I didn’t use it and used a different cable as I normally do when I use an iem as I feel it gives the iem the best chance to succeed and unbiased review a cable. While not a huge believer in the sonic quality of cable, I do find a bad cable frustrating and annoying. The cable pictured is an Altalune

Tip Selection - The tip selection is really nice! It has foam tips on it and two pairs of silicon tips with it. I used Divinius tips to give every iem a fair shake in comparison to other more expensive iems to test.


Quick-Fire Comparisons

In this section, I'll quickly compare the

Truthear: KZ Krilla VS. Hola (20 dollars)
Overall Tuning: KZ Krilla
Details: KZ Krilla

KZ Krilla VS. Truthear: Zero: Blue (50 dollars)
Overall Tuning: KZ Krilla
Details: Maybe a slight edge to Krilla


KZ Krilla VS. Hexa
Overall Tuning: Krilla in the base, Hexa in the treble, very on par with each other
Details: Hexa


Graph:


Sound - Final Impressions

This is a solid tuned iem. It’s very nice and strong for the price. The tuning is exceptionally done, but it lacks technicalities. But it is very nice. It has a similar tuning to the Kiwi Ears Quintet which I consider an amazing iem. Details and sparkles aren’t as good, but mids and base are basically perfect. It’s exceedingly enjoyable on most tracks and does very well. The quality of the base could be better. While this iem isn’t the say-all end of all, it has reasonable technicalities and comfort, especially for the price. I’m giving a recommendation and a solid 4 stars as an iem. I find it an excellent value at the price with a 3-star recommendation at a Tuning of an A and a technical grade of a B. It’s really solid and enjoyable, especially with the listed EQ below.

Recommended EQ: This iem is tolerable as far as quality goes. This EQ brings the pinna gain of the 3-4k region down a little and the 8k spike down a tiny bit as well. This also adds a significant base shelf to the Krilla. I find since the Krilla’s base seems a little less impactful the extra base increases the quality of the iem overall and I enjoy it a bit more. With EQ, this iem is a banger. The quality of the base just needs more. I didn’t really mess with the tuning switches.

Preamp: -4.8 dB
Preamp: -4.8 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 34 Hz Gain 4.6 dB Q 0.500
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 960 Hz Gain -1.1 dB Q 1.800
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 3700 Hz Gain -3.4 dB Q 1.800
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 5700 Hz Gain -3.8 dB Q 2.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 6100 Hz Gain 1.9 dB Q 1.300
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 11000 Hz Gain -12.0 dB Q 2.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 13000 Hz Gain 5.4 dB Q 0.500
Filter 9: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000
Filter 10: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000





Gifting/Who is it for: Due to its current price, I’d highly recommend this as a cheap iem to get started in the hobby. It is functional, cute, and practical. Great for a niece, nephew, or cousin who you don’t really see that often but want to give a nice little present to. It’s not the greatest gift iem from a presentation standpoint, but it sounds good and has a great shell design making it, not the worst either.


Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the apple dongle as well.

Thanks for reading. Any feedback is welcome.

First off, I bought this iem with my own money from Penon Audio https://penonaudio.com/Night-Oblivion-Butastur.html. (non aff link)
This is an iem that has been on my radar for a while. American Spirit is one of the nicest people I’ve encountered in the Hobby. I got mine in the second wave partially due to rave reviews of people that I trust. (HBB and Akron) I like their philosophy of Price of Med-fi performance of TOTL. I feel the hobby is a beautiful thing, but it is a challenge as there are so many expensive iems. It’s hard to find value in anything extremely expensive but I feel 600 dollars is a sweet point where it is expensive but not too bad.

I made the decision to sell my Dunu SA6 MK2 as while I love it, I have found that you need to get things that you enjoy and use instead. After my most expensive iem was sold (well technically the Meteor is 20 dollars more) I decided to try a new flavor of iems. I’m very excited to review this iem. While the Dunu was a strong experience, I favored the Aful 8 over them and was looking for something new, and didn’t see what the Dunu had to offer as something different in my collection, as the fit was a bit large, the upper mids weren't fun. I thought that the Butastur was going to be very expensive and am very happy with it’s price and thought that I'd take it.

I am going to share a larger list that I have of songs that I like in this review. 61+ songs Here
This list is my go to test songs for the first go.
Top 10 Tidal list here:

Bass

The details of the base is strong and everything sounds right on it. The base seems well-controlled and fun. I don’t find it partially lean but it does feel a tiny bit light. I have found that while it doesn’t match my target amount of base, I do fully enjoy it. I feel percussions on it sound great. My Monarch MK 3 just came in a few days ago and I've been listening to the base on the Butasur, While not as impactful, it is very good and doesn't disappoint. It just isn't earthshaking or rattling. Just good or within 98% of the much more expensive Monarch.


Midrange

It has smooth treble and good detail. Voices sound right, podcasts sound right, and voices sound supported with the base also being present. I don’t find it shouty at all but fun, smoothe and enjoyable. Podcasts and voices all sound great on it, and it has a good feel to it. Overall this iem is fresh, non fatiguing and just an easy clear listen. Vocals sound detailed and lifelike. The resolution is life-like, and it’s almost daunting compared to my average speakers and car audio setup!


Treble

The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. No issues here. I’m able to game, listen to music, and a podcast all at once with this iem. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Details shine, and the music is extremely enjoyable and lush. Very happening set.

Gaming-
This iem is fantastic for gaming and movies. Great detail and space, I really feel like I'm in a room with speakers and vocals sound amazing.

Shell -
The shell is pretty amazing as it has a unique look of the claw of a hawk. It has a beautiful shell that is black, but with some purpose. I love black audio products, and this doesn’t disappoint. I was worried as others have had issues with their shells (Pennon was good about sending a new unit), and I'm very happy. It has a great fit with a medium sized shell.

Case- This case is pretty nice, but nothing special. It does it’s job and functions, but I prefere something different personally. But it is a fine case that fits the iem and the stock cable well, but not much else.


Cable: This cable has three selections of 2.5, 3.5, and 4.4 connections. It’s hard to complain about. Personally I can’t stand the 4.4 only connections and am part of the 3.5 mm gang, so a 3 in 1 is perfect for me.


Tip Selection - I wasn't overly impressed with the tip selection, but I find myself tip-sensitive. I am ordered the favored pairs from Alli express H570 and the recommended cable and might update the review later depending on that.


Quick-Fire Comparisons

NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR VS. Symphonium Meteor
Overall Tuning: NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR
Details: NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR

NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR VS. Dunu SA6 MK2
Overall Tuning: NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR
Details: NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR

NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR VS. Thieaudio Oracle MK 2
Overall Tuning: NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR
Details: NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR

NIGHT OBLIVION BUTASTUR VS. Thieaudio Monarch MK 3
Overall Tuning: Tied
Details: Thieaudio Monarch MK 3

Graph:

Very nice graph, I go with the Red UD configuration and it's very nice.





Sound - Final Impressions

Some iems take time to get used to or are good on some tracks and not others. This is not the case with this iem. It has nice base, fantastic treble, and really has a great sound for the price. I'm super impressed with it and give it an easy recommendation.

Recommended EQ: I’ve been messing around with Peace APO as I further level up my audio game. I’ve been enjoying my time with it. I will often times recommend EQ, for this one I will not but I do keep the first dip swith up for a little more base. I do find many iems lean, and find that base is needed. This iem is almost exactly to my preference, and I'm really impressed by it.

Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone. But the packaging is meant to be a sonic treat, not a gifting item. I personally find an iem like the Kinera Celests Phoenixcall a great gifting iem due to it's lower price. This is the kind of iem you keep because of its cool look. So its Gifting possibility isn't great. This is a keeper iem, not a gifter. This is for those who want a special experience with well-done technicals and treble for a great price.


Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. The iem is easy to drive and a delight on everything that I tried it on.

Summary-

I'm a huge fan of this iem. I haven't had great experiences with most collabs I've tried as of late and am hesitant to try one and recommend it. While I know of American Spirit and have talked to him once or twice via pm's I don't consider him a personal friend but a likable person in the hobby that I only know of but respect. This iem is very excellent. How excellent... I can't say. But it holds its own with anything at it's price. And is just overall resolute and pristine. I'm in love, but in shock at the price and the sound quality.
Be scared at when some minor changes come to packaging and American Spirit gets his second iem, as I feel this is just a banger and is a huge success for the price.
I'm giving this an S for technicals and S for Tuning. While not perfect, even after 20 hours of listening and tip swapping, I am just in awe at the product. I'm sated and happy. A new standard has been set.
I wanted to finish this review and might be updating it when the recomended tips, cables come in. If any questions or comparisons please ask.
Thanks for reading. Any feedback is welcome.

About me, I’m pretty new to the hobby and I made a post a while ago on reddit pre-head fi days and asked “What is the best open back under $1000?” I got the usuals but a few guys recommended the JM audio editions XTC. So for me the XTC has been on my radar for a long time. I consider myself an overear headphone guy first, speakers when available, but iems have a fun place in my heart as well.

I’ve probably sent Jon 100 messages asking him about things over the last six months and a few days ago I saw a picture of one of his headphones and asked for one similar to it (the one pictured was sold), and I quickly had my headphone to me.

I bought this headphone with my own money and I bought it directly from JM Audio Directly.


Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.

Cable- This comes with two cables, both are of high quality and neither disappoints. I personally would value the cables at about 100 dollars each, so for a 800-dollar headphone to come with not one but two really nice cables, is very high value.

Ear Pads - The stock pads on this headset are so cozy, but beyond that you get two extra sets. This adds a great deal of value for me. It's a really nice setup. So not only do you not need to replace the pads, they give you extra options. Very strong value to be found here. Easily adds 100 dollars or more to the value of this headphone.

Case The case that the headphones come in is very nice, and can fit all the extra pads and cables. It defiantly adds value as it is not too large, but a good size.

Quick-Fire Comparisons

In this section, I'll quickly compare the edition XS to other Headsets near this level.

JM Audio Editions XTC vs Arya Stealth V2 (999)
Overall Tuning:JM Audio Editions XTC
Details: Arya Stealth V2 (Slight Edge in the treble, but XTC is better base and mids)

JM Audio Editions XTC VS. Meze 109 Pro (800)
Overall Tuning: JM Audio Editions XTC
Details: JM Audio Editions XTC

JM Audio Editions XTC VS. Audeze LCD-XC 2021
Overall Tuning: JM Audio Editions XTC
Details: Audeze LCD-XC 2021

Value: I find solid Value in this headset. To me it competes with other headphones near this price that I’ve listened to or beats them. But what is special is the packaging. This is packaged better than any headphones I’ve got the opportunity to open. It has two beautiful audio file cables and 3 sets of pads, a nice case, and looks amazing to me. I find strong value in these headphones.

Graph:
As far as I know there isn’t a graph of the XTC out in the wild. If I find one, I would be happy to share it with you.


Bass

The base sound really good, and has no major issues. I feel it is pretty strong.


Midrange

The Midrange and timbre of this headset are just mint. The upper mids seem a little recessed but it's hard for me to say exactly.


Treble

The treble is sparkly and airy, and delightful to listen to. Details are out of the box very good for me on this headset. My music sounds very good. It doesn’t sound shrill or cut. But I find when I eq the base, sometimes I do miss out on some details and it’s difficult to get the right sound out of the gate for this headphone. But it’s magical Treble, and extremely enjoyable. I have found other headsets that pull a slight bit more detail but lack in the soundstage.

Comfort: The comfort of this headset is quite amazing. I usually put my headphone on my entire family so they can try it: two boys and the wife. Everyone seemed to like it. It’s very cozy.

Recommended EQ: For my tuning I did EQ the treble up a bit, and I do enjoy it. I don’t think the headphone needs EQ but this is what I came up with: I did ask Jon for a graph, but he tunes by ear mainly which from what I understand is pretty common.



Gifting/who is it for: This is an expensive headset, but it’s a great headset for anyone who loves audio and wants to see what the latest and greatest headset is. The comfort is much better than the Hifiman’s or Audeze’s that I’ve tried. The ability to try different pads is a cool feature in itself.


Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. This is a very easy-to-drive headphone and has no major issues with anything I tried it with.

Summary-
The headphone game is different from iems in many ways. Comfort is important as well as something to look at and feel good about on your head. This headphone checks all the boxes. I have been looking at other headphones for a while like the new Mod House Planner, maybe a HE 1000 v2, Audeze MM-500, or even a ZMF headphone. This one has the pads, the cables, the carrying case, and is only 800 plus 30 for the premium wood. I am super happy with what I purchased to be able to support Jon in his audio journey and I honestly feel this product is well worth the money. I’ve heard a lot of headphones and have a personal list of headphones in which I Rank them. This headphone is competitive or beats anything that I’ve heard. It’s really great sonically, but more importantly, it is packaged well and has high value. My only regret to this purchase is that I didn't purchase one earlier.

Overall I am giving this an S- for tuning and an S- for technical abilities. It is fantastic.

Thanks for reading. Any feedback is welcome.