Reviews by KickAssChewGum
Huge thanks to the incredibly lovely team at @Softears for sending me the RSV free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.
When I recently reviewed the @Softears Cerberus, I expressed an interest in hearing more of the brand’s products. Thanks to the lovely folks at @Softears, I didn’t have to wait too long to do so, as the RSV was soon winging its way towards me.
As many of you already know, the @Softears brand is the luxury, high-end division of the Moondrop brand, responsible for many popular IEMs such as the S8, Variations and the Blessing 2 Dusk edition (tuned in collaboration with renowned reviewer/head-fier @crinacle).
Unboxing:
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not one to get too hung up on unboxing experiences but, I have to say, I think the RSV packaging is pretty cool, giving it a somewhat understated yet premium feel. Inside the main oblong box, there’s a beautifully crafted, round black leather carry case which contains the earpieces in individual bags for safe transport. On the opposite side of the box are the cable and accessories (including a cleaning brush and 2 sets of tips – silicone and foam in S, M and L sizes – and a braided, matte black 4 wire cable that’s soft and pliable, terminated with 2pin and 3.5mm connectors at each end. It’s a simple package but high-end in feel, much like a designer-label accessory, functional but very classy.
Design:
This premium feel extends to the IEMs themselves. Each earpiece, of the pseudo-custom type, is beautifully crafted from medical grade black resin with carbon fibre inlays, interspersed with a few gold foil flakes. Even the printed logos are sexy as hell, with the @Softears logo on one earpiece and the (pretty cool) RSV logo on the other, reminiscent of that of a high-end sports car. All in all, a TOTL presentation for a mid-range product that retails at just $729. Bravo @Softears!
The shells are mid to average size and provide a very comfortable fit (for my ears at least) and provide a good level of isolation. They are also very lightweight (largely thanks to only containing 5 BAs, I suspect) and can be worn for a very long time with no fatigue. In fact, I have found myself completely forgetting they were in my ears on occasion, which is not something I can say that often about IEMs in general.
Inside, these are all BA IEMS - 5 in total - with 2 BAs assigned to the lows, 1 BA taking care of the mids and a dual-BA looking after the highs, all connected by a 3-way crossover. At an impedence of 8 ohm@ 1khz and a sensitivity of 125db/1VRMS@1khz, they are very easy to drive from either a DAP or smartphone.
Sound:
A premium look and unboxing experience is one thing but that all amounts to nothing if the sound is lacklustre. But I’m pleased to report that the RSV really delivers where it counts the most. And I mean REALLY delivers!
The moniker RSV stands for Reference Sound Five and whilst the RSV certainly delivers on the promise of a reference sound, it is also infused with a deep musicality that is often missing from IEMs labelled as such. Their sound definitely leans to the warmer side of reference neutral, although that emphasis is reflected more in the sub-bass than the mid-bass. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of mid-bass slam when it’s required, but the sub-bass texture and rumble is the star of the show here, lending tracks a weight and authority that is not often common in ‘reference’ monitors, let alone ones made up entirely of balanced armatures. In fact, the bass is so impressive on the RSV, that I constantly find that I’m having to remind myself that there is no dynamic driver in their make-up. Even more impressive is that there is absolutely no bleed from the lower registers into the mids.
The mids themselves are equally impressive, with a weight and texture that make both male and female vocals extremely natural. As the mids in any good reference tuning should, they sit very comfortably in the overall mix and, thanks to a slight recess in the tuning of the upper mids, never get harsh or shouty. Similarly, instruments have impressive body and texture, creating an overall very satisfying mid-range that never feels lacking in the way that warmer tuned IEMs often can.
In keeping with the RSVs overall warm to neutral tonality, the treble is incredibly well controlled, with a slightly laid-back quality that is never overly aggressive or sibilant. Despite this control, detail retrieval is still very impressive, with nothing lacking in the presentation.
Overall a very pleasing and incredibly coherent signature with excellent timbre.
From a technical perspective, resolution is much better than average in this price bracket. Actually, I would go so far as to say it’s pretty impressive. Is it as highly resolving as, say, the Orilous Trailli or even @Softears’ own Cerberus? Of course not, but those are monitors that are WAY more expensive than these. Having said that, the RSV are not a million miles away which is super impressive. Separation and layering are equally impressive, even more so, in fact, than in a few much more expensive TOTL IEMs that I have experienced. Soundstage, too, is above average for this price point, with impressive depth and height in particular. Width, whilst still above average, is not the widest that I’ve heard, perhaps somewhat owing to the overall warmer tuning and dead-central vocal imaging, but it’s certainly nothing to complain about.
When I reviewed the Cerberus, @Softears’ super impressive TOTL tribrid, I found its one failing to be the stock cable. Not so in the case of the RSV. The included cable, as well as being supple and comfortable to wear, is actually a pretty decent performer and matches the overall sleek look of the RSVs aesthetics. I would have preferred a balance termination rather than the 3.5mm offered here, but that’s a very small niggle, especially given the asking price.
Because I’m a cable freak, though, I couldn’t help myself and just had to see how the RSV would scale with a higher-end cable. I know many feel that it’s ridiculous to pair a mid-range monitor with a high-end cable, but I don’t agree, as I feel that if the combination of cable and IEM attain a level comparable to a similarly priced TOTL IEM, then that cost is justified. Given the overall sound signature of the RSV, I suspected that it would be a great match with the Eletech Iliad (@Eric Chong's outfit makes some exceptional cables) and, spoiler alert, boy was I correct! Paired with the Iliad, the RSV steps everything up to the next level. Soundstage is wider and deeper, resolution is noticeably increased, positioning and layering is even more precise, whilst bass is even more well-controlled with incredible texture. The mids, too, are refined further, with more texture and micro details present, and the treble has more sparkle whilst still retaining that pleasing, detailed, non-fatiguing, laid-back quality that keeps the overall signature so natural.
In fact, the RSV/Iliad combo reminds me very much of that enveloping, ‘just right’ sound of the Orilous Trailli, and, just like the Traili, the RSV (with or without the Iliad) excels across pretty much all genres of music to equally pleasing effect. Is the resolving power of the RSV/Iliad combo equal to that of the Trailli? Is the layering, separation and staging as impressive? Not quite, of course, but, even with a TOTL cable such as the Iliad, the overall cost is less than a third of the cost of the Trailli, with FAR more than a third of the performance. Trailli lovers, please put the pitchforks away. I still love the Trailli and don’t ever intend to part with mine, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to how many times I reached for the RSV/Iliad combo over the Trailli in the last few weeks. That sub-bass rumble is just so damned addictive!
At the cheaper end of the cable scale, I found the @Penon OSG and @ISN Solar to be really fun pairings with the RSV as well, both adding a bit more sparkle to the treble whilst leaning even further into the slam and rumble of the low end, for a highly musical presentation.
From a source perspective, I tried the RSV from both my Astell & Kern SP2000Cu (with and without the @Cayin C9) as well as my @Cayin N6ii (with the recently released R2R R01 motherboard).
Out of the Sp2000Cu, the sound was exactly as described above (I tend to use the SP2000 as my benchmark DAP). Adding the Cayin C9 to the chain increases the size of the soundstage a touch in all directions and enhances the layering and separation slightly, with a slight increase in bass and overall note body.
The Cayin N6ii/R01 takes everything up a notch, retaining the clarity and detail of the RSV whilst ramping up the musicality, giving everything more of an analogue liquidity, particularly in the mid and lower registers.
This is pretty much in keeping with what I’d expect of a monitor like the RSV where, because of its relatively neutral signature, it is likely to be affected by the colouration traits of specific sources.
If it isn’t clear already, I absolutely love the RSV. Quite frankly, it’s astounding what @Softears have achieved with only 5 BAs, from their incredibly well-balanced signature and impressive layering, to their spectacular DD-like bass. It is a perfect match with almost any genre of music and retails for an incredibly impressive $729.99. As such it is simply astounding value for such an accomplished product and is possibly the easiest IEM recommendation I have made to date. @Softears, fast becoming one of my favourite brands, have excelled themselves once again by pushing the boundaries of what can be done, not only within this price bracket but with BAs in general. The RSV is an astonishing success that makes me hunger even more for a chance to hear their two other IEMs, the RS10 and the Turii. Very highly recommended!
When I recently reviewed the @Softears Cerberus, I expressed an interest in hearing more of the brand’s products. Thanks to the lovely folks at @Softears, I didn’t have to wait too long to do so, as the RSV was soon winging its way towards me.
As many of you already know, the @Softears brand is the luxury, high-end division of the Moondrop brand, responsible for many popular IEMs such as the S8, Variations and the Blessing 2 Dusk edition (tuned in collaboration with renowned reviewer/head-fier @crinacle).
Unboxing:
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not one to get too hung up on unboxing experiences but, I have to say, I think the RSV packaging is pretty cool, giving it a somewhat understated yet premium feel. Inside the main oblong box, there’s a beautifully crafted, round black leather carry case which contains the earpieces in individual bags for safe transport. On the opposite side of the box are the cable and accessories (including a cleaning brush and 2 sets of tips – silicone and foam in S, M and L sizes – and a braided, matte black 4 wire cable that’s soft and pliable, terminated with 2pin and 3.5mm connectors at each end. It’s a simple package but high-end in feel, much like a designer-label accessory, functional but very classy.
Design:
This premium feel extends to the IEMs themselves. Each earpiece, of the pseudo-custom type, is beautifully crafted from medical grade black resin with carbon fibre inlays, interspersed with a few gold foil flakes. Even the printed logos are sexy as hell, with the @Softears logo on one earpiece and the (pretty cool) RSV logo on the other, reminiscent of that of a high-end sports car. All in all, a TOTL presentation for a mid-range product that retails at just $729. Bravo @Softears!
The shells are mid to average size and provide a very comfortable fit (for my ears at least) and provide a good level of isolation. They are also very lightweight (largely thanks to only containing 5 BAs, I suspect) and can be worn for a very long time with no fatigue. In fact, I have found myself completely forgetting they were in my ears on occasion, which is not something I can say that often about IEMs in general.
Inside, these are all BA IEMS - 5 in total - with 2 BAs assigned to the lows, 1 BA taking care of the mids and a dual-BA looking after the highs, all connected by a 3-way crossover. At an impedence of 8 ohm@ 1khz and a sensitivity of 125db/1VRMS@1khz, they are very easy to drive from either a DAP or smartphone.
Sound:
A premium look and unboxing experience is one thing but that all amounts to nothing if the sound is lacklustre. But I’m pleased to report that the RSV really delivers where it counts the most. And I mean REALLY delivers!
The moniker RSV stands for Reference Sound Five and whilst the RSV certainly delivers on the promise of a reference sound, it is also infused with a deep musicality that is often missing from IEMs labelled as such. Their sound definitely leans to the warmer side of reference neutral, although that emphasis is reflected more in the sub-bass than the mid-bass. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of mid-bass slam when it’s required, but the sub-bass texture and rumble is the star of the show here, lending tracks a weight and authority that is not often common in ‘reference’ monitors, let alone ones made up entirely of balanced armatures. In fact, the bass is so impressive on the RSV, that I constantly find that I’m having to remind myself that there is no dynamic driver in their make-up. Even more impressive is that there is absolutely no bleed from the lower registers into the mids.
The mids themselves are equally impressive, with a weight and texture that make both male and female vocals extremely natural. As the mids in any good reference tuning should, they sit very comfortably in the overall mix and, thanks to a slight recess in the tuning of the upper mids, never get harsh or shouty. Similarly, instruments have impressive body and texture, creating an overall very satisfying mid-range that never feels lacking in the way that warmer tuned IEMs often can.
In keeping with the RSVs overall warm to neutral tonality, the treble is incredibly well controlled, with a slightly laid-back quality that is never overly aggressive or sibilant. Despite this control, detail retrieval is still very impressive, with nothing lacking in the presentation.
Overall a very pleasing and incredibly coherent signature with excellent timbre.
From a technical perspective, resolution is much better than average in this price bracket. Actually, I would go so far as to say it’s pretty impressive. Is it as highly resolving as, say, the Orilous Trailli or even @Softears’ own Cerberus? Of course not, but those are monitors that are WAY more expensive than these. Having said that, the RSV are not a million miles away which is super impressive. Separation and layering are equally impressive, even more so, in fact, than in a few much more expensive TOTL IEMs that I have experienced. Soundstage, too, is above average for this price point, with impressive depth and height in particular. Width, whilst still above average, is not the widest that I’ve heard, perhaps somewhat owing to the overall warmer tuning and dead-central vocal imaging, but it’s certainly nothing to complain about.
When I reviewed the Cerberus, @Softears’ super impressive TOTL tribrid, I found its one failing to be the stock cable. Not so in the case of the RSV. The included cable, as well as being supple and comfortable to wear, is actually a pretty decent performer and matches the overall sleek look of the RSVs aesthetics. I would have preferred a balance termination rather than the 3.5mm offered here, but that’s a very small niggle, especially given the asking price.
Because I’m a cable freak, though, I couldn’t help myself and just had to see how the RSV would scale with a higher-end cable. I know many feel that it’s ridiculous to pair a mid-range monitor with a high-end cable, but I don’t agree, as I feel that if the combination of cable and IEM attain a level comparable to a similarly priced TOTL IEM, then that cost is justified. Given the overall sound signature of the RSV, I suspected that it would be a great match with the Eletech Iliad (@Eric Chong's outfit makes some exceptional cables) and, spoiler alert, boy was I correct! Paired with the Iliad, the RSV steps everything up to the next level. Soundstage is wider and deeper, resolution is noticeably increased, positioning and layering is even more precise, whilst bass is even more well-controlled with incredible texture. The mids, too, are refined further, with more texture and micro details present, and the treble has more sparkle whilst still retaining that pleasing, detailed, non-fatiguing, laid-back quality that keeps the overall signature so natural.
In fact, the RSV/Iliad combo reminds me very much of that enveloping, ‘just right’ sound of the Orilous Trailli, and, just like the Traili, the RSV (with or without the Iliad) excels across pretty much all genres of music to equally pleasing effect. Is the resolving power of the RSV/Iliad combo equal to that of the Trailli? Is the layering, separation and staging as impressive? Not quite, of course, but, even with a TOTL cable such as the Iliad, the overall cost is less than a third of the cost of the Trailli, with FAR more than a third of the performance. Trailli lovers, please put the pitchforks away. I still love the Trailli and don’t ever intend to part with mine, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to how many times I reached for the RSV/Iliad combo over the Trailli in the last few weeks. That sub-bass rumble is just so damned addictive!
At the cheaper end of the cable scale, I found the @Penon OSG and @ISN Solar to be really fun pairings with the RSV as well, both adding a bit more sparkle to the treble whilst leaning even further into the slam and rumble of the low end, for a highly musical presentation.
From a source perspective, I tried the RSV from both my Astell & Kern SP2000Cu (with and without the @Cayin C9) as well as my @Cayin N6ii (with the recently released R2R R01 motherboard).
Out of the Sp2000Cu, the sound was exactly as described above (I tend to use the SP2000 as my benchmark DAP). Adding the Cayin C9 to the chain increases the size of the soundstage a touch in all directions and enhances the layering and separation slightly, with a slight increase in bass and overall note body.
The Cayin N6ii/R01 takes everything up a notch, retaining the clarity and detail of the RSV whilst ramping up the musicality, giving everything more of an analogue liquidity, particularly in the mid and lower registers.
This is pretty much in keeping with what I’d expect of a monitor like the RSV where, because of its relatively neutral signature, it is likely to be affected by the colouration traits of specific sources.
If it isn’t clear already, I absolutely love the RSV. Quite frankly, it’s astounding what @Softears have achieved with only 5 BAs, from their incredibly well-balanced signature and impressive layering, to their spectacular DD-like bass. It is a perfect match with almost any genre of music and retails for an incredibly impressive $729.99. As such it is simply astounding value for such an accomplished product and is possibly the easiest IEM recommendation I have made to date. @Softears, fast becoming one of my favourite brands, have excelled themselves once again by pushing the boundaries of what can be done, not only within this price bracket but with BAs in general. The RSV is an astonishing success that makes me hunger even more for a chance to hear their two other IEMs, the RS10 and the Turii. Very highly recommended!
CT007
Lost me at, "several multiples".
As is probably clear from my Head-Fi signature, I’m a bit of a cable freak and a huge fan of many of @Penon's recent products, including their excellent Totem and OSG cables. So, when they announced their new TOTL flagship cable, the Storm, I was particularly excited and reached out to @Penon to see if I could buy one before they were even officially on sale. I'm happy to say that they obliged.
The Storm is a 4-wire cable with a gold, silver, copper and palladium mix in a Type 6 Litz configuration. My particular cable has a gold-plated copper, 4.4mm balanced plug (also available in 2.5mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended versions) with 2-pin termination (also available in MMCX). All accessories, including the Y-split and cable cinch are a combination of gold-plated copper and carbon fibre which, matched with the deep, muted brown of the individual cable coatings, makes for a very elegant, understated overall appearance. It’s a fairly thick cable, similar in thickness to the 6-wire EA Onyx, but is very pliable and comfortable with zero microphonics. When I say thick, I don’t mean Dunu Hulk-style thick though (a cable I also love, by the way), and I really can’t see anyone having any issue with its size or comfort.
I know the perceived changes attributed to cables can be very subjective so, as always with cable reviews, please read the following as my personal take on its properties. I also know that many cannot hear the changes that a cable makes to a setup, and to them I say a huge congratulations as that’s one audio rabbit hole/money pit that they can avoid. (Un)fortunately for me, I am not one of those people and the changes I attribute to various cables have played, and continue to play, a very important part in my Head-Fi journey, finding the specific synergies that bring the very best out of my IEMs.
In many cases these changes/enhancements created by a specific cable can be very small and nuanced, allowing one to fine-tune a sound signature ever so slightly. The @Penon Storm is not one of those cables. In fact, I defy even cable non-believers to not hear the change in signature once the Storm comes into play. It’s an unusually bold swing for the fences on @Penon’s part and I really admire that they’ve gone out of their way to create something that has a really different character than most cables I’ve encountered. As such, this is not a cable that will work for every use case. In fact, I suspect that @Penon had a very specific idea of the types of IEMs that would match well with it, and, for that, I thank them.
You see, I have a couple of IEMs in my collection that I absolutely love, for one reason or another, but have never been able to find the perfect cable combo to sort out their very apparent limitations – namely the Empire Ears Hero and the AME Radioso. The Hero has stunning bass, a very slightly recessed, thin lower mid range (which I actually don’t mind) and a somewhat elevated upper mid-range and treble, that whilst impressive in creating a sense of air and scale, can be fatiguing, feel a little ‘digital’ and even, at times, be uncomfortably sibilant. The Radioso, on the other hand, has a nicely subdued, very detailed signature but it too is maybe a little thin, ‘digital’ and even boring for those that long for a more musical kind of sound.
Enter the Storm…
When paired with the Hero - a single DD, 3 BA hybrid - the Storm elevates all its best features, giving the mid bass a fuller, more analogue texture and the sub-bass a slightly deeper rumble, whilst ‘correcting’ pretty much all its shortcomings. The mids become noticeably richer overall and the upper mids are significantly tamed. The treble too becomes far more relaxed without losing detail, and, even tested with tracks that almost always root out harshness and sibilance, is remarkably well controlled. The Hero has never had the widest stage, in my experience, and the Storm does very little to change that, but it certainly doesn’t reduce it in any dimension. If I really had to nit-pick, and I do mean REALLY nit-pick, then I’d say that perhaps the overall layering of the presentation is reduced a notch but, again, the Hero can at times be a bit much in that regard, so I don’t really see this as a negative. I’ve been so loath to part with the Hero as I’ve always really loved its overall signature but, being honest, I’ve always felt it was just one notch away from greatness and have been searching for a cable that would help it get there for some time. The closest that I had got before the Storm was the Plussound Tri-Copper, which pulled back some of that high-end harshness but just couldn’t quite get to the rich, analogue sound that the Storm lends it. All in all, I think my quest for the perfect Hero cable is complete, and the Storm is it. Any Hero owners, I urge you to try this cable above all others.
When paired with the AME Radioso - a single DD, single BA and quad-estat tribrid - that can come across as a little digital and dry, the Storm magnifies the low-end, again adding a nice analogue texture and a satisfying thump to the already well-managed mid-bass and, again, enhances the somewhat recessed and fairly dry mid-range with a more liquid, analogue richness that definitely wasn’t there before. I also find that it brings the mids a touch more forward in the mix which, coupled with the slightly tamed treble (interestingly not quite so restrained as with the Hero), the Storm makes the Radioso sound that little bit more coherent, an issue that can very often plague hybrids and, particularly, tribrids. Prior to trying the Storm with the Radioso, the best match I had found was the Effect Audio Janus Basso, but the Basso never really fixed the, albeit very minor, cohesion issue, perhaps because it never quite added that level of ‘liquidity’ to the mids. Again, I’d say the Storm is, by some margin, the best pairing that I have personally found for the Radioso.
Interestingly, I also tried the Storm with @Penon’s own, excellent tribrid, the Volt. The Volt has an overall much warmer, more mids focused, signature than either the Hero or Radioso. Whilst not exactly lacking in mid-bass, the Volt is perhaps not as satisfying in the sub-bass frequencies as the Hero, nor as relaxed at the high-end frequencies as the Radioso, but with a much richer, more forward mid-range than either. The Storm does pair fairly well with the Volt but quite significantly alters its signature. By elevating the bass and taming the treble, I felt that the Storm robbed the Volts slightly of its spacious stage, creating a more intimate experience, and setting those spectacular, rich mids back a little too much in the mix, for my preference, so that the overall signature felt much less aggressive and more laid back. I do appreciate that, for many, this will be a hugely positive attribute, as a very lively, exciting listen can become a bit fatiguing over time, but, whilst I love a ‘musical’ IEM, I do prefer one with a bit more energy (so long as there’s no harshness or sibilance, of course). So, with that in mind, I guess I’m a little split on whether to recommend the Storm for the Volt or not. I think it all comes down to personal preference. If you’re a Volt owner that likes a more relaxed, intimate, laid back and musical signature, then I’d absolutely recommend that you give the Storm a try. If you prefer a spacious, still very musical but energetic sound, I’d probably suggest thinking about @Penon’s excellent Totem cable instead.
And there you have it, I believe. The Storm is the direct counterpart to the Totem, both offering TOTL sound properties for two very different signature preferences. I must believe that this was a very deliberate move on @Penon’s part.
Overall, I’d say that the @Penon Storm is a very specialist and unique cable that seems to have been designed to add a very musical, analogue texture and restraint to IEMs that might feel a little too dry or over excitable (of which there are many recent examples - even at the TOTL end of the category). It’s not a one-size-fits-all cable and has a very specific, arguably niche, use case. Most other cables that share many of the Storm’s strengths aim to extend and/or increase both ends of the frequency range, including the treble, and the few I am aware of that don’t, are significantly more expensive than the Storm. In my opinion, there isn’t a cable that comes even close when paired with the Empire Ears Hero, really pulling out the very best that those specific IEMs are capable of. For that reason alone, the Storm is worth every penny to me. It is THAT special a synergy. This is definitely a cable for listeners who crave a richer, more 'analogue' type of sound.
Incidentally, I understand that the Storm has been developed as a potential upgrade cable for @Penon’s upcoming Legend all-BA flagship IEM. I’ll be getting my hands on the Legend soon so will update my findings as soon as I’ve had a good chance to listen to the pairing.
The Storm is a 4-wire cable with a gold, silver, copper and palladium mix in a Type 6 Litz configuration. My particular cable has a gold-plated copper, 4.4mm balanced plug (also available in 2.5mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended versions) with 2-pin termination (also available in MMCX). All accessories, including the Y-split and cable cinch are a combination of gold-plated copper and carbon fibre which, matched with the deep, muted brown of the individual cable coatings, makes for a very elegant, understated overall appearance. It’s a fairly thick cable, similar in thickness to the 6-wire EA Onyx, but is very pliable and comfortable with zero microphonics. When I say thick, I don’t mean Dunu Hulk-style thick though (a cable I also love, by the way), and I really can’t see anyone having any issue with its size or comfort.
I know the perceived changes attributed to cables can be very subjective so, as always with cable reviews, please read the following as my personal take on its properties. I also know that many cannot hear the changes that a cable makes to a setup, and to them I say a huge congratulations as that’s one audio rabbit hole/money pit that they can avoid. (Un)fortunately for me, I am not one of those people and the changes I attribute to various cables have played, and continue to play, a very important part in my Head-Fi journey, finding the specific synergies that bring the very best out of my IEMs.
In many cases these changes/enhancements created by a specific cable can be very small and nuanced, allowing one to fine-tune a sound signature ever so slightly. The @Penon Storm is not one of those cables. In fact, I defy even cable non-believers to not hear the change in signature once the Storm comes into play. It’s an unusually bold swing for the fences on @Penon’s part and I really admire that they’ve gone out of their way to create something that has a really different character than most cables I’ve encountered. As such, this is not a cable that will work for every use case. In fact, I suspect that @Penon had a very specific idea of the types of IEMs that would match well with it, and, for that, I thank them.
You see, I have a couple of IEMs in my collection that I absolutely love, for one reason or another, but have never been able to find the perfect cable combo to sort out their very apparent limitations – namely the Empire Ears Hero and the AME Radioso. The Hero has stunning bass, a very slightly recessed, thin lower mid range (which I actually don’t mind) and a somewhat elevated upper mid-range and treble, that whilst impressive in creating a sense of air and scale, can be fatiguing, feel a little ‘digital’ and even, at times, be uncomfortably sibilant. The Radioso, on the other hand, has a nicely subdued, very detailed signature but it too is maybe a little thin, ‘digital’ and even boring for those that long for a more musical kind of sound.
Enter the Storm…
When paired with the Hero - a single DD, 3 BA hybrid - the Storm elevates all its best features, giving the mid bass a fuller, more analogue texture and the sub-bass a slightly deeper rumble, whilst ‘correcting’ pretty much all its shortcomings. The mids become noticeably richer overall and the upper mids are significantly tamed. The treble too becomes far more relaxed without losing detail, and, even tested with tracks that almost always root out harshness and sibilance, is remarkably well controlled. The Hero has never had the widest stage, in my experience, and the Storm does very little to change that, but it certainly doesn’t reduce it in any dimension. If I really had to nit-pick, and I do mean REALLY nit-pick, then I’d say that perhaps the overall layering of the presentation is reduced a notch but, again, the Hero can at times be a bit much in that regard, so I don’t really see this as a negative. I’ve been so loath to part with the Hero as I’ve always really loved its overall signature but, being honest, I’ve always felt it was just one notch away from greatness and have been searching for a cable that would help it get there for some time. The closest that I had got before the Storm was the Plussound Tri-Copper, which pulled back some of that high-end harshness but just couldn’t quite get to the rich, analogue sound that the Storm lends it. All in all, I think my quest for the perfect Hero cable is complete, and the Storm is it. Any Hero owners, I urge you to try this cable above all others.
When paired with the AME Radioso - a single DD, single BA and quad-estat tribrid - that can come across as a little digital and dry, the Storm magnifies the low-end, again adding a nice analogue texture and a satisfying thump to the already well-managed mid-bass and, again, enhances the somewhat recessed and fairly dry mid-range with a more liquid, analogue richness that definitely wasn’t there before. I also find that it brings the mids a touch more forward in the mix which, coupled with the slightly tamed treble (interestingly not quite so restrained as with the Hero), the Storm makes the Radioso sound that little bit more coherent, an issue that can very often plague hybrids and, particularly, tribrids. Prior to trying the Storm with the Radioso, the best match I had found was the Effect Audio Janus Basso, but the Basso never really fixed the, albeit very minor, cohesion issue, perhaps because it never quite added that level of ‘liquidity’ to the mids. Again, I’d say the Storm is, by some margin, the best pairing that I have personally found for the Radioso.
Interestingly, I also tried the Storm with @Penon’s own, excellent tribrid, the Volt. The Volt has an overall much warmer, more mids focused, signature than either the Hero or Radioso. Whilst not exactly lacking in mid-bass, the Volt is perhaps not as satisfying in the sub-bass frequencies as the Hero, nor as relaxed at the high-end frequencies as the Radioso, but with a much richer, more forward mid-range than either. The Storm does pair fairly well with the Volt but quite significantly alters its signature. By elevating the bass and taming the treble, I felt that the Storm robbed the Volts slightly of its spacious stage, creating a more intimate experience, and setting those spectacular, rich mids back a little too much in the mix, for my preference, so that the overall signature felt much less aggressive and more laid back. I do appreciate that, for many, this will be a hugely positive attribute, as a very lively, exciting listen can become a bit fatiguing over time, but, whilst I love a ‘musical’ IEM, I do prefer one with a bit more energy (so long as there’s no harshness or sibilance, of course). So, with that in mind, I guess I’m a little split on whether to recommend the Storm for the Volt or not. I think it all comes down to personal preference. If you’re a Volt owner that likes a more relaxed, intimate, laid back and musical signature, then I’d absolutely recommend that you give the Storm a try. If you prefer a spacious, still very musical but energetic sound, I’d probably suggest thinking about @Penon’s excellent Totem cable instead.
And there you have it, I believe. The Storm is the direct counterpart to the Totem, both offering TOTL sound properties for two very different signature preferences. I must believe that this was a very deliberate move on @Penon’s part.
Overall, I’d say that the @Penon Storm is a very specialist and unique cable that seems to have been designed to add a very musical, analogue texture and restraint to IEMs that might feel a little too dry or over excitable (of which there are many recent examples - even at the TOTL end of the category). It’s not a one-size-fits-all cable and has a very specific, arguably niche, use case. Most other cables that share many of the Storm’s strengths aim to extend and/or increase both ends of the frequency range, including the treble, and the few I am aware of that don’t, are significantly more expensive than the Storm. In my opinion, there isn’t a cable that comes even close when paired with the Empire Ears Hero, really pulling out the very best that those specific IEMs are capable of. For that reason alone, the Storm is worth every penny to me. It is THAT special a synergy. This is definitely a cable for listeners who crave a richer, more 'analogue' type of sound.
Incidentally, I understand that the Storm has been developed as a potential upgrade cable for @Penon’s upcoming Legend all-BA flagship IEM. I’ll be getting my hands on the Legend soon so will update my findings as soon as I’ve had a good chance to listen to the pairing.
A big thanks to @mvvRAZ for sending me the @Softears Cerberus to review. He knew I’d had some previous experience with them at various CanJams over the last few years and that I was keen to do a deep dive with them, so the opportunity is much appreciated.
As many of you know, the Softears brand is the luxury high-end division of the Moondrop brand (who have been creating some fantastic mid-range IEMs like the terrific Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk edition, tuned in association with @crinacle). I’ve not had the benefit of listening to the rest of the Softears line-up (I’d certainly like to, that’s for sure, and from what I’ve read the rest of the line-up is incredible) but I suspect that the brand is reserved only for when they feel they can do something truly exceptional in a particular market segment. Softears have been around for a few years now but, for some reason, have not been gaining as much attention and praise as they should have been. It’s really only now that they seem to be emerging as a brand that are really getting noticed, largely owing to their mid-range RSV, that I hear are category-breaking performers.
Like I mentioned a couple of paragraphs back, I’d encountered the Cerberus at a couple of CanJams a few years back (I was lucky enough to be in several countries on business that year at the same time as CanJams taking place in each). I only listened to the Cerberus for a short time at each and loved what I was hearing. I even tried to purchase them at each one but someone had already beaten me to it, which was immensely frustrating but par for the course. I haven’t been able to get them out of my head since and even tried a few times to find them on internet stores but just couldn’t track them down. It had, until recently, been one of the big regrets that I’ve had in my Head-Fi journey thus far. But recently, Michael reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in reviewing them and, of course, I leapt at the chance.
Over the years since I’ve heard the Cerberus, I have wondered though, if it was one of those ‘moments’ that I had remembered with ‘rose-tinted’ ears. For us Head-Fiers, CanJams are exciting and an ‘experience’. As such the experience can rub off on one’s impressions of what one hears in much the same way that the ‘buzz’ of a new movie at a festival can generate overly favourable reviews. So, I was ready to be heavily critical of the Cerberus, perhaps more so than most. With that in mind…
Like @mvvRAZ, I’ve got to applaud the genius who came up with the name Cerberus for a tribrid but, unlike Michael, I’m going to straight up say that I LOVE the Cerberus. That’s not to say that I don’t agree with most, if not all, of his findings, but these IEMs perfectly fit my preferred sound signature(s)(…with the right source and cable pairing in some cases - please keep reading to the very bottom of this review for an explanation).
Initially I plugged the Cerberus into my SP2000Cu and found much the same as RAZ did. To summarize:
Treble – extremely detailed, somewhat bright but never harsh or sibilant. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this is the most pleasing, well-controlled treble that I’ve ever heard in an IEM (and, yes, I have included my sacred Trailli in that appraisal too – which is really saying something as the Trailli is exceptional in that area – not to mention over three times the price).
Mids – As RAZ mentioned, the Cerberus has very forward mids, particularly in the upper mids. He is very open about his dislike for a bump in the upper mids, which is why he, understandably, doesn’t like the EE Odin. This is perhaps the one area where I tend to differ from RAZ’s preferred signature, as I am actually quite fond of a forward mid-range and I like the clarity that a bump in the upper mids brings to the overall presentation. Probably why I’m a fan of the Odin too. In fact, I’d say the Cerberus shares quite a few similarities with the Odin and perhaps does many of them better (again, I’m a huge Odin fan, before the fanboys start pulling out the pitchforks). The mids are definitely forward in the Cerberus but they, like the treble, never become harsh or unpleasant to listen to, for me.
Bass – This is where the Cerberus is most unusual in its presentation. With the SP2000Cu, I found the sub-bass to be incredibly textured and well controlled, despite being very present in the overall mix. Its quantity and quality are, for me, almost perfect, bringing that weight to tracks that need it in a way that no other IEM (except perhaps the Odin) has ever done for me. But unlike the Odin which has a very clear sense of air being pushed through the DD, this feels much more subtle and textural in its delivery, but equally as forceful – like the perfect hybrid of DD and BA. It’s very difficult to describe which is why that last line might sound a bit contradictory. All I can do is urge you to listen for yourself if sub-bass quality and quantity is important to you, because I don’t think you’ll find an IEM that can do it better.
The mid bass is where the Cerberus (on the SP2000Cu, at least) is a little unusual. Despite the heavy presence of sub-bass, the mid bass quantity is far less. Don’t get me wrong, it IS there but it’s incredibly restrained and very controlled to the point where some may feel they are missing something in the overall mix. Personally, I have mixed opinions about this. Whereas (and, I stress, on the SP2000Cu) the mid bass may be less present that I’d ordinarily like it to be, it does create a very interesting sound signature that is very mids focused but accompanied by a very grounded, almost guttural, earth shaking sub-bass that gives the overall presentation this somewhat ethereal gravitas and sets it apart from almost any IEMs I have ever heard. When, like so many here on Head-Fi, you own multiple IEMs that are all playing in similar fields, it’s a nice change to have a pair that do something so different.
On the technicalities side of things, I’d say that the Cerberus excels on most fronts. The stage is expansive (perhaps a bit more width than depth or height, but not lacking in those either). The detail retrieval is exceptional, as are imaging and placement. I’d say that, in those categories, Cerberus are at the top of the pile for me. And the coherence is pretty exceptional for a hybrid, let alone a tribrid, which is doubly surprising to me, given the separation between sub-bass and mids (again… on the SP2000Cu).
I’m not really one who cares about the look of things, but the Cerberus are really great looking, and the build quality is exceptional, befitting a true TOTL experience. If I had to criticise one element, it would probably be the cable that is supplied with them. It’s a really strange choice of cable as it really doesn’t bring out the best in the Cerberus. It’s by no means awful and does the job but, in these days of TOTL IEMs being supplied with customised TOTL cables, it’s perhaps a little lacking in that department. But, and this is a big BUT, the Cerberus have been around since 2018, before that became a thing, and they are also priced at around $2k rather than the $4k to $6k that such modern TOTL IEMs command.
If you’ve read this far (thank-you) and you’re into Jazz, Movie Scores or Classical music then, honestly, you can stop reading now. The Cerberus are pretty much the best IEMs (even through the SP2000Cu) that I’ve ever heard for these types of music (yes, sorry Trailli fanbase – of which I’m one – but these really are THAT good).
If you’re into Rock, EDM or Hip Hop, keep reading…
So, then I switched the cable to the EA Onyx, a 6-wire palladium plated silver cable, and plugged them into my Cayin N6ii with the new R2R R01 board and, HOLY crap, PLOT TWIST…
… suddenly all the awesome qualities that I’d discovered with the SP2000Cu were still there but they’d been joined by an exceptionally controlled, very present mid-bass and lower mid-section. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this is the best controlled mid-bass that I’ve ever heard in an IEM, with exceptional separation between frequencies, none bleeding into the other. Along with that exceptional sub-bass, those incredible mids and treble, the Cerberus has suddenly become something TRULY exceptional.
This change (I’m loathe to use the term ‘improvement’ because, for certain types of music, the Cerberus were already perfect for me) is so huge, yet strangely didn’t make listening to Classical or Jazz any less gratifying. I’ve never heard a change so dramatic when adjusting cable or source (or both) before and it really took me by surprise.
This made me want to try them out with another source, so I immediately tried them on the Cayin N6ii/A02 and Cayin C9 combo and, again, a slightly different presentation that lies somewhere between that of the R01 and SP2000Cu, with a slightly larger stage (in all directions) but no less satisfying than either. I haven’t had any time to do more cable rolling or tip rolling (I'm currently using the Azla Sedna short, for those that are interested) but I’m willing to bet that I’ll find slight changes in the presentation again, and I’m also willing to bet they’ll be equally pleasing too, just in different ways.
Since I’ve had the Cerberus, I’ve mainly been listening to either them or the Trailli through the same equipment. Both different sound signatures, both immensely satisfying and both complimentary to each other. If I could only have two IEMs, these would be them (sorry Odin and many others in my signature - I love you too, but…).
Is the Cerberus quite as ‘holographic’ as the Trailli? Perhaps not quite, but we’re talking tiny fractions here and the immense sub-bass (and stunning mid-bass on some pairings) more than makes up for that. In fact, I’ve found myself reaching for the Cerberus more in my late-night listening sessions than the Trailli. And if that isn’t the highest praise imaginable then I really don’t know what is.
Are the Cerberus my favourite IEMS? Quite possibly, yes!
As many of you know, the Softears brand is the luxury high-end division of the Moondrop brand (who have been creating some fantastic mid-range IEMs like the terrific Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk edition, tuned in association with @crinacle). I’ve not had the benefit of listening to the rest of the Softears line-up (I’d certainly like to, that’s for sure, and from what I’ve read the rest of the line-up is incredible) but I suspect that the brand is reserved only for when they feel they can do something truly exceptional in a particular market segment. Softears have been around for a few years now but, for some reason, have not been gaining as much attention and praise as they should have been. It’s really only now that they seem to be emerging as a brand that are really getting noticed, largely owing to their mid-range RSV, that I hear are category-breaking performers.
Like I mentioned a couple of paragraphs back, I’d encountered the Cerberus at a couple of CanJams a few years back (I was lucky enough to be in several countries on business that year at the same time as CanJams taking place in each). I only listened to the Cerberus for a short time at each and loved what I was hearing. I even tried to purchase them at each one but someone had already beaten me to it, which was immensely frustrating but par for the course. I haven’t been able to get them out of my head since and even tried a few times to find them on internet stores but just couldn’t track them down. It had, until recently, been one of the big regrets that I’ve had in my Head-Fi journey thus far. But recently, Michael reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in reviewing them and, of course, I leapt at the chance.
Over the years since I’ve heard the Cerberus, I have wondered though, if it was one of those ‘moments’ that I had remembered with ‘rose-tinted’ ears. For us Head-Fiers, CanJams are exciting and an ‘experience’. As such the experience can rub off on one’s impressions of what one hears in much the same way that the ‘buzz’ of a new movie at a festival can generate overly favourable reviews. So, I was ready to be heavily critical of the Cerberus, perhaps more so than most. With that in mind…
Like @mvvRAZ, I’ve got to applaud the genius who came up with the name Cerberus for a tribrid but, unlike Michael, I’m going to straight up say that I LOVE the Cerberus. That’s not to say that I don’t agree with most, if not all, of his findings, but these IEMs perfectly fit my preferred sound signature(s)(…with the right source and cable pairing in some cases - please keep reading to the very bottom of this review for an explanation).
Initially I plugged the Cerberus into my SP2000Cu and found much the same as RAZ did. To summarize:
Treble – extremely detailed, somewhat bright but never harsh or sibilant. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this is the most pleasing, well-controlled treble that I’ve ever heard in an IEM (and, yes, I have included my sacred Trailli in that appraisal too – which is really saying something as the Trailli is exceptional in that area – not to mention over three times the price).
Mids – As RAZ mentioned, the Cerberus has very forward mids, particularly in the upper mids. He is very open about his dislike for a bump in the upper mids, which is why he, understandably, doesn’t like the EE Odin. This is perhaps the one area where I tend to differ from RAZ’s preferred signature, as I am actually quite fond of a forward mid-range and I like the clarity that a bump in the upper mids brings to the overall presentation. Probably why I’m a fan of the Odin too. In fact, I’d say the Cerberus shares quite a few similarities with the Odin and perhaps does many of them better (again, I’m a huge Odin fan, before the fanboys start pulling out the pitchforks). The mids are definitely forward in the Cerberus but they, like the treble, never become harsh or unpleasant to listen to, for me.
Bass – This is where the Cerberus is most unusual in its presentation. With the SP2000Cu, I found the sub-bass to be incredibly textured and well controlled, despite being very present in the overall mix. Its quantity and quality are, for me, almost perfect, bringing that weight to tracks that need it in a way that no other IEM (except perhaps the Odin) has ever done for me. But unlike the Odin which has a very clear sense of air being pushed through the DD, this feels much more subtle and textural in its delivery, but equally as forceful – like the perfect hybrid of DD and BA. It’s very difficult to describe which is why that last line might sound a bit contradictory. All I can do is urge you to listen for yourself if sub-bass quality and quantity is important to you, because I don’t think you’ll find an IEM that can do it better.
The mid bass is where the Cerberus (on the SP2000Cu, at least) is a little unusual. Despite the heavy presence of sub-bass, the mid bass quantity is far less. Don’t get me wrong, it IS there but it’s incredibly restrained and very controlled to the point where some may feel they are missing something in the overall mix. Personally, I have mixed opinions about this. Whereas (and, I stress, on the SP2000Cu) the mid bass may be less present that I’d ordinarily like it to be, it does create a very interesting sound signature that is very mids focused but accompanied by a very grounded, almost guttural, earth shaking sub-bass that gives the overall presentation this somewhat ethereal gravitas and sets it apart from almost any IEMs I have ever heard. When, like so many here on Head-Fi, you own multiple IEMs that are all playing in similar fields, it’s a nice change to have a pair that do something so different.
On the technicalities side of things, I’d say that the Cerberus excels on most fronts. The stage is expansive (perhaps a bit more width than depth or height, but not lacking in those either). The detail retrieval is exceptional, as are imaging and placement. I’d say that, in those categories, Cerberus are at the top of the pile for me. And the coherence is pretty exceptional for a hybrid, let alone a tribrid, which is doubly surprising to me, given the separation between sub-bass and mids (again… on the SP2000Cu).
I’m not really one who cares about the look of things, but the Cerberus are really great looking, and the build quality is exceptional, befitting a true TOTL experience. If I had to criticise one element, it would probably be the cable that is supplied with them. It’s a really strange choice of cable as it really doesn’t bring out the best in the Cerberus. It’s by no means awful and does the job but, in these days of TOTL IEMs being supplied with customised TOTL cables, it’s perhaps a little lacking in that department. But, and this is a big BUT, the Cerberus have been around since 2018, before that became a thing, and they are also priced at around $2k rather than the $4k to $6k that such modern TOTL IEMs command.
If you’ve read this far (thank-you) and you’re into Jazz, Movie Scores or Classical music then, honestly, you can stop reading now. The Cerberus are pretty much the best IEMs (even through the SP2000Cu) that I’ve ever heard for these types of music (yes, sorry Trailli fanbase – of which I’m one – but these really are THAT good).
If you’re into Rock, EDM or Hip Hop, keep reading…
So, then I switched the cable to the EA Onyx, a 6-wire palladium plated silver cable, and plugged them into my Cayin N6ii with the new R2R R01 board and, HOLY crap, PLOT TWIST…
… suddenly all the awesome qualities that I’d discovered with the SP2000Cu were still there but they’d been joined by an exceptionally controlled, very present mid-bass and lower mid-section. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this is the best controlled mid-bass that I’ve ever heard in an IEM, with exceptional separation between frequencies, none bleeding into the other. Along with that exceptional sub-bass, those incredible mids and treble, the Cerberus has suddenly become something TRULY exceptional.
This change (I’m loathe to use the term ‘improvement’ because, for certain types of music, the Cerberus were already perfect for me) is so huge, yet strangely didn’t make listening to Classical or Jazz any less gratifying. I’ve never heard a change so dramatic when adjusting cable or source (or both) before and it really took me by surprise.
This made me want to try them out with another source, so I immediately tried them on the Cayin N6ii/A02 and Cayin C9 combo and, again, a slightly different presentation that lies somewhere between that of the R01 and SP2000Cu, with a slightly larger stage (in all directions) but no less satisfying than either. I haven’t had any time to do more cable rolling or tip rolling (I'm currently using the Azla Sedna short, for those that are interested) but I’m willing to bet that I’ll find slight changes in the presentation again, and I’m also willing to bet they’ll be equally pleasing too, just in different ways.
Since I’ve had the Cerberus, I’ve mainly been listening to either them or the Trailli through the same equipment. Both different sound signatures, both immensely satisfying and both complimentary to each other. If I could only have two IEMs, these would be them (sorry Odin and many others in my signature - I love you too, but…).
Is the Cerberus quite as ‘holographic’ as the Trailli? Perhaps not quite, but we’re talking tiny fractions here and the immense sub-bass (and stunning mid-bass on some pairings) more than makes up for that. In fact, I’ve found myself reaching for the Cerberus more in my late-night listening sessions than the Trailli. And if that isn’t the highest praise imaginable then I really don’t know what is.
Are the Cerberus my favourite IEMS? Quite possibly, yes!
Buckeyedentite
Just bought one today, so excited to hear it!
Buckeyedentite
How does this compare to the Shuoer EJ07 if you've heard both?
