ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia
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ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia – Even Handed Musicality
PREAMBLE:
This initially was a difficult review to write. There are those rare times when a product being reviewed doesn’t immediately impress or stand out. It then can go either way. Either it doesn’t have much to offer or with patience it reveals something very positive. The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia follows the latter result. With this iem I had to take time off from listening to anything else except for my “reset” set in order to clear my mind. It doesn’t help that recently I had listened to quite a few iems, some very good, over a short period of time. Maybe I am different from other people, but patience and a reset are often needed between good sets to get a clearer perspective as to what I am actually listening to presently and consequently give a meaningful and fair evaluation of the sonics. I had to put in some work the Phoenixia, and it was worth it.
ivipQ may not be a brand known to all but they have been steadily producing products for a few years now. The Q-09 lands somewhere in the middle, pricing wise, of their product line at $266 CAD. It boasts a driver compliment of a single dynamic 10mm Bio-Titan driver mated to six balanced armature drivers per side. Further details are unfortunately not available at the time of this review. Those drivers are housed in an attractive and beautifully finished resin shell.
Tuning wise we have a balanced sound signature with a touch of sub-bass upward tilt. The Phoenixia’s sound doesn’t try to impress with embellishments, but offers a natural presentation well suited for marathon listening sessions with well recorded music and maybe a beverage of your choosing.
Relatively easy to drive but benefitting from more capable sources the Phoenixia synergized well with a more neutral and resolving source for best sound. Tips used were of the short barrel, wide bore variety.
SPECS:
BUILD AND FIT:
The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is a beautiful looking and well built iem. The black resin shells are flawless and finished immaculately. The top plate is adorned with what looks like a feather print with additional ivipQ branding. Clear L/R markers are visible as well, if anyone actually needs those for iems.
The Phoenixia is a larger iem with a pronounced extra “wing” and thicker than average nozzle. For best comfort I went down a tip size to medium which allowed a deeper insertion and a more secure fit. Those listeners with smaller ears may have to experiment a bit for best fitment and comfort.
The included accessories are of similar quality to the iem itself and everything including the earphones come housed in a larger than average attractive zipped hard-shell case embossed with company branding. Interestingly enough I may have received an early production item as the tips came in a separate package outside of the retail box. The quality of the included tips and cable should be highlighted and are very good indeed. The cables is a keeper, if being a little stiff out of the box, but of apparent high quality. Some thought has obviously been paid as to accessories and their inclusion.
SOUND:
Bass:
Bass goes deep and is tight and clean. I immediately threw on “Stella” By A Guy Called Gerald and came away impressed with how solid yet controlled the bass presence is. Switching to “Angel” by Massive Attack I came away with the same observation. The Phoenixia can produce prodigious bass but it never lacked control. Detail and texturing were also good, though not necessarily the absolute best I have heard. That being said it was definitely satisfying. The bass had great snap and speed, this heard on “Inside Stuff” by Wayman Tisdale. Everything sounded clean and once again with great control.
There is a pleasing meatiness to the bass that just adds to the overall natural delivery I find compelling. Often other earphones that have this type of bass presentation have other issues with control, overhang and tightness. The Phoenixia has none of these issues at all. The bass of the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is a winner to these opinionated music lovers’ ears. It serves as a solid foundation to the rest of the frequency range. Musical indeed.
Midrange:
The Phoenixia offers a clean and balanced midrange with a good mix of both micro and macro detail retrieval. The midrange, in particular the lower mids, offer a warmth that is enough to add a nice touch of organics without becoming a distraction. Male vocals benefit with good weight when needed and female vocals are comparatively a touch more immediate with clarity and great expressiveness.
Anita Baker’s vocals on “Love You To The Letter” were wonderfully reproduced with not only great detail but a sense of dynamics I had missed from some recent iems I had recently listened to.
Pinna gain is thankfully kept under good manners adding to the listenability of the Phoenixia and staying away from sibilance or harshness. Listening to “He’s a Carioca” confirmed my Phoenixia experiences with vocals. The Phoenixia does vocals justice in particular with well recoded tracks. The smaller nuances are clearly audible.
Another metric that is done well on the Phoenixia is the presentation of dynamics. Transients are relayed with a punch and natural falloff that is admirable and just adds to the natural midrange delivery. Timbre is also nicely portrayed. While listening to the excellent release from Robert Glasper “Double Booked” I was drawn into the music specially the live tracks. Everything sounded as it should, natural and unrestrained. With respect to separation and layering the Phoenixia also does well, yet not the best I’ve heard in this price range. Still it managed to keep busier tracks open sounding without that “Wall Of Sound” effect.
The Midrange of the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is well done. When driven by a neutral and resolving source and fed high quality recordings the mids excel at pulling the listener into the music never distracting the listener with extra energy or embellishments. This isn’t a “Fun” midrange in a good way. The Phoenixia offers more “musical” experience and that folks will get the serious listener involved every time.
Treble:
The treble is extended with great clarity and again notable control. Detail retrieval is also good. This is not an over emphasized “sizzle-fest” but a treble that definitely leans towards being more natural and musical.
That being said the one small issue I have with the Phoenixia is that for my listening preferences the treble could use just a touch more energy and sparkle, being musically minded of course. Treble sensitive folks may take offence to my statement and it does not take away from the overall performance of this iem as it does well top to bottom. I just found that on some tracks the treble could have been a little more energetic to offer a better balance to that wonderful bass shelf and open up the sound even further.
The Phoenixia is NOT a dark or reserved sounding iem and I don’t want people to think otherwise. Audio is subjective and preferences being what they are, these are my observations. The treble here is icing on an already tasty cake.
IMAGING AND SOUNDSTAGE:
The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia offers up a moderately large soundstage with easy to discern instrument placing. Sound does extend outside the ears laterally with good height and moderate depth as well. When listening to “Stimela the Coal Train” by Hugh Masekela the venue dimensions were relayed nicely.
Versus:
QOA Mimosa:
The Queen of Audio Mimosa offers a more fun yet still musical sound compared to the more business like sonics of the Phoenixia. With respect to bass the nod goes to the Phoenixia as while the bass on the Mimosa is satisfying the Phoenixa’s low end has better control while being even more meaty. Midrange is well done on both and each lean towards a midrange that is lush yet again musical. Dynamics are handled well on both but the nod goes to the Phoenixia which is just noticeable on the leading edge of transients which are a touch sharper. The Mimosa does have a more vibrant midrange presentation but not at the expense of any misbehavior such as sibilance or harshness. Treble is interesting as the Mimosa has a clearly a more vibrant and airy treble but can be a little crisp at times at the very top end. The Phoenixia offers a treble with a more even-handed approach.
With respect to soundstage the Mimosa presents a larger soundstage in all dimensions with a touch more air around the instruments, possibly due to its airy treble. Both offer solid instrument placement.
In terms of overall musicality this really depends on the listener and their preferences. Musical with a dose of fun or musical with more balance. Both will satisfy but the listener and their preferences will make the final determination. Treble sensitive folks may find the Phoenixia more to their liking while those who prefer more air may find that the mimosa suits them better. I find that both are keepers and sound different enough while still being suited to long and satisfying listening sessions. Both are capable all-rounders.
CONCLUSION:
IvipQ has produced a very good sounding iem with the Q-09 Phoenixia. It is an excellent choice for those long listening sessions. Admittedly It did take me some time to wrap my head around its sonics but this has happened before on a rare occasion and usually leads to a better than usual experience. Thankfully my experience with the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia has been a good one. I came away very pleased with the sound.
The Phoenixia offers a mature balanced sound with a good dose of organics. Cobine that with the obvious build quality and attractive looks and it becomes a compelling entry in the increasingly crowded ~$200 USD iem market segment. The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia gets a recommendation and could be on your shortlist if you are after the balanced and quality sound that it offers.
PREAMBLE:
This initially was a difficult review to write. There are those rare times when a product being reviewed doesn’t immediately impress or stand out. It then can go either way. Either it doesn’t have much to offer or with patience it reveals something very positive. The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia follows the latter result. With this iem I had to take time off from listening to anything else except for my “reset” set in order to clear my mind. It doesn’t help that recently I had listened to quite a few iems, some very good, over a short period of time. Maybe I am different from other people, but patience and a reset are often needed between good sets to get a clearer perspective as to what I am actually listening to presently and consequently give a meaningful and fair evaluation of the sonics. I had to put in some work the Phoenixia, and it was worth it.
ivipQ may not be a brand known to all but they have been steadily producing products for a few years now. The Q-09 lands somewhere in the middle, pricing wise, of their product line at $266 CAD. It boasts a driver compliment of a single dynamic 10mm Bio-Titan driver mated to six balanced armature drivers per side. Further details are unfortunately not available at the time of this review. Those drivers are housed in an attractive and beautifully finished resin shell.
Tuning wise we have a balanced sound signature with a touch of sub-bass upward tilt. The Phoenixia’s sound doesn’t try to impress with embellishments, but offers a natural presentation well suited for marathon listening sessions with well recorded music and maybe a beverage of your choosing.
Relatively easy to drive but benefitting from more capable sources the Phoenixia synergized well with a more neutral and resolving source for best sound. Tips used were of the short barrel, wide bore variety.
SPECS:
- Model: ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia
- Material: Resin
- Driver Configuration: 1 dynamic driver (10mm) + 6 Balanced Armature
- Cable: Copper with Silver Plated
- Cable Length: 1.2m
- Connector Type: 0.78mm 2-pin
- Plug Type: 4.4mm balanced
BUILD AND FIT:
The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is a beautiful looking and well built iem. The black resin shells are flawless and finished immaculately. The top plate is adorned with what looks like a feather print with additional ivipQ branding. Clear L/R markers are visible as well, if anyone actually needs those for iems.
The Phoenixia is a larger iem with a pronounced extra “wing” and thicker than average nozzle. For best comfort I went down a tip size to medium which allowed a deeper insertion and a more secure fit. Those listeners with smaller ears may have to experiment a bit for best fitment and comfort.
The included accessories are of similar quality to the iem itself and everything including the earphones come housed in a larger than average attractive zipped hard-shell case embossed with company branding. Interestingly enough I may have received an early production item as the tips came in a separate package outside of the retail box. The quality of the included tips and cable should be highlighted and are very good indeed. The cables is a keeper, if being a little stiff out of the box, but of apparent high quality. Some thought has obviously been paid as to accessories and their inclusion.
SOUND:
Bass:
Bass goes deep and is tight and clean. I immediately threw on “Stella” By A Guy Called Gerald and came away impressed with how solid yet controlled the bass presence is. Switching to “Angel” by Massive Attack I came away with the same observation. The Phoenixia can produce prodigious bass but it never lacked control. Detail and texturing were also good, though not necessarily the absolute best I have heard. That being said it was definitely satisfying. The bass had great snap and speed, this heard on “Inside Stuff” by Wayman Tisdale. Everything sounded clean and once again with great control.
There is a pleasing meatiness to the bass that just adds to the overall natural delivery I find compelling. Often other earphones that have this type of bass presentation have other issues with control, overhang and tightness. The Phoenixia has none of these issues at all. The bass of the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is a winner to these opinionated music lovers’ ears. It serves as a solid foundation to the rest of the frequency range. Musical indeed.
Midrange:
The Phoenixia offers a clean and balanced midrange with a good mix of both micro and macro detail retrieval. The midrange, in particular the lower mids, offer a warmth that is enough to add a nice touch of organics without becoming a distraction. Male vocals benefit with good weight when needed and female vocals are comparatively a touch more immediate with clarity and great expressiveness.
Anita Baker’s vocals on “Love You To The Letter” were wonderfully reproduced with not only great detail but a sense of dynamics I had missed from some recent iems I had recently listened to.
Pinna gain is thankfully kept under good manners adding to the listenability of the Phoenixia and staying away from sibilance or harshness. Listening to “He’s a Carioca” confirmed my Phoenixia experiences with vocals. The Phoenixia does vocals justice in particular with well recoded tracks. The smaller nuances are clearly audible.
Another metric that is done well on the Phoenixia is the presentation of dynamics. Transients are relayed with a punch and natural falloff that is admirable and just adds to the natural midrange delivery. Timbre is also nicely portrayed. While listening to the excellent release from Robert Glasper “Double Booked” I was drawn into the music specially the live tracks. Everything sounded as it should, natural and unrestrained. With respect to separation and layering the Phoenixia also does well, yet not the best I’ve heard in this price range. Still it managed to keep busier tracks open sounding without that “Wall Of Sound” effect.
The Midrange of the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is well done. When driven by a neutral and resolving source and fed high quality recordings the mids excel at pulling the listener into the music never distracting the listener with extra energy or embellishments. This isn’t a “Fun” midrange in a good way. The Phoenixia offers more “musical” experience and that folks will get the serious listener involved every time.
Treble:
The treble is extended with great clarity and again notable control. Detail retrieval is also good. This is not an over emphasized “sizzle-fest” but a treble that definitely leans towards being more natural and musical.
That being said the one small issue I have with the Phoenixia is that for my listening preferences the treble could use just a touch more energy and sparkle, being musically minded of course. Treble sensitive folks may take offence to my statement and it does not take away from the overall performance of this iem as it does well top to bottom. I just found that on some tracks the treble could have been a little more energetic to offer a better balance to that wonderful bass shelf and open up the sound even further.
The Phoenixia is NOT a dark or reserved sounding iem and I don’t want people to think otherwise. Audio is subjective and preferences being what they are, these are my observations. The treble here is icing on an already tasty cake.
IMAGING AND SOUNDSTAGE:
The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia offers up a moderately large soundstage with easy to discern instrument placing. Sound does extend outside the ears laterally with good height and moderate depth as well. When listening to “Stimela the Coal Train” by Hugh Masekela the venue dimensions were relayed nicely.
Versus:
QOA Mimosa:
The Queen of Audio Mimosa offers a more fun yet still musical sound compared to the more business like sonics of the Phoenixia. With respect to bass the nod goes to the Phoenixia as while the bass on the Mimosa is satisfying the Phoenixa’s low end has better control while being even more meaty. Midrange is well done on both and each lean towards a midrange that is lush yet again musical. Dynamics are handled well on both but the nod goes to the Phoenixia which is just noticeable on the leading edge of transients which are a touch sharper. The Mimosa does have a more vibrant midrange presentation but not at the expense of any misbehavior such as sibilance or harshness. Treble is interesting as the Mimosa has a clearly a more vibrant and airy treble but can be a little crisp at times at the very top end. The Phoenixia offers a treble with a more even-handed approach.
With respect to soundstage the Mimosa presents a larger soundstage in all dimensions with a touch more air around the instruments, possibly due to its airy treble. Both offer solid instrument placement.
In terms of overall musicality this really depends on the listener and their preferences. Musical with a dose of fun or musical with more balance. Both will satisfy but the listener and their preferences will make the final determination. Treble sensitive folks may find the Phoenixia more to their liking while those who prefer more air may find that the mimosa suits them better. I find that both are keepers and sound different enough while still being suited to long and satisfying listening sessions. Both are capable all-rounders.
CONCLUSION:
IvipQ has produced a very good sounding iem with the Q-09 Phoenixia. It is an excellent choice for those long listening sessions. Admittedly It did take me some time to wrap my head around its sonics but this has happened before on a rare occasion and usually leads to a better than usual experience. Thankfully my experience with the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia has been a good one. I came away very pleased with the sound.
The Phoenixia offers a mature balanced sound with a good dose of organics. Cobine that with the obvious build quality and attractive looks and it becomes a compelling entry in the increasingly crowded ~$200 USD iem market segment. The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia gets a recommendation and could be on your shortlist if you are after the balanced and quality sound that it offers.
so your battle seems like it was over before it even really started, haha! That is, took any kind of root at
the frontlines...
i can only afford the budget IVIPQs but with these have i already soared over the audionical moon, a kind of aural delight i've never known w/ some 150 previous IEMs. Unfortunately your review fails to give me any sensation of what the Phœnixia might deliver that i have not already got here with IVIPQ-14 and IVIPQ-15