General Information

Impedance: 32Ω
Frequency range: 20-20000Hz
Cable: Black Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC)
Driver diameter: 15.4mm

Korven Orora is an MX500 shelled earbuds made by Kris Sumabat of the Philippines. He is an audio-hobbyist who prides of making earbuds with quality and definition.

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mervindc146

New Head-Fier
A Dynamic Display of Rhythm
Pros: + Well-textured lows
+ Decent sub-bass presentation
+ Punchy, full-bodied bass
+ Lows to midrange transition done tastefully
+ Articulate mids, clean tonality
+ Rich female vocals, warm and natural for males
+ Inoffensive, for longer sessions
+ Decent attack on percussive instruments
+ Well-timed treble decay
+ Micro-detail capable, decent sparkle
+ Coherent midrange to treble transition
+ Closest Harman Target OE 2017 tuning I've heard (so far)
+ Good layering & separation
+ Good horizontal imaging, present depth and height
+ Lightweight build
+ Price to performance ratio
Cons: - Mid-bass depth can be improved
- Bouncy on some tracks, slight slow bass decay
Disclaimer: I bought Korven Orora from a reseller. This will be as honest a review as it can get. I uphold my morale code to be fair and just. All you can read here will be my own opinion, subject to different factors such as gear used, tracks and what my own ears perceive. I also only write reviews after thoroughly listening to it for a week or more rather than just a day; both casually and critically with reference tracks I'm personally familiar with. Please be respectful towards the comments section. With all that on the side, let's talk Korven Orora.

Price: 26 USD/Php 1300

Specifications:

Impedance: 32Ω
Frequency range: 20-20000Hz
Cable: Black Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC)
Driver diameter: 15.4mm

Gear used:
(Hiby Music) Mi 9T Pro (naked)/Mi 9T Pro > Tempotec Sonata HD Pro w/ 2 Vrms. (Foobar2000) Desktop (naked)

Reference Music:
Dream Eyes - Mine, Kosuke Quintet (DSD 128)
Evolution Orange - Earth, Wind & Fire (DSD 128)
Giorgo by Moroder - Daft Punk (DSD256)
Making of a Cyborg - Kenji Kawai (FLAC 24bit)
On the Run - Pink Floyd (FLAC 24bit)
Charlie Wasn't Afraid - Day Din (FLAC 16bit)
Uchiage Hanabi - DAOKO x Kenshi Yonezu (FLAC 24bit)
Upstairs - Psapp (FLAC 16bit)
Grand Escape - RADWIMPS ft. Toko Miura (FLAC 24bit)
Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach - Gorillaz (FLAC 16bit)
Hotel California - The Eagles (WAV 32bit)
Black Rainbows - Hawaii: Part II (FLAC 16bit)

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Introduction:
A source told me there's a new #lokal earbuds for sale on Facebook marketplace. I checked it out and was saddened to see it reserved. Fast forward a couple of days, I messaged the same seller to check if it was already sold, after several inquiries; my smooth talking pulled off and got the Korven Orora. When they arrived, I took a listen with my jammies on and got swopped then and there. From that day onwards, it became my go-to earbuds and if you keep on reading, you'll know why.

A brief introduction to Kris Sumabat's Korven Orora:

Here's his answer when I asked him to discuss why he started creating earbuds: "Hobby I guess? since I also have background in electronics plus I love music especially rock, I just did it" and when I asked about the name? "Just saw Aurora and then there was also a word spelled as: Orora, so I went with the second one". The end.

Build:
Typical mx500 shells with black semi-gloss paint and white L & R markings near the bottom of the stem, nothing special. The Ororas are light, you'll sometimes forget you're even wearing them.

Korven Orora sports an Oxygen-free copper cable in black. There are no chin sliders which is a slight bummer but not a deal-breaker. Termination is Single-ended in gold-plated straight plug. The cable isn't too stiff and can be set down to any flat surface with ease after a good "over and under" cable wrap.

Comfort:
Again, any mx500 shell earbuds gives me heat spots after some time, fortunately I can bear listening to Orora far longer than most because of how light it is. Coupled with fabric-like foams, they can sit on my ears for three hours straight with no discomfort, that is until my dermatitis reacts.

Isolation:
These are earbuds, don't expect too much.

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Sounds:
I believe reviews are meant to be guides not scriptures. They can be used to widen your knowledge about certain equipments but not as sacred texts to be worshiped and deemed absolute. We all have our own preferences. With that in mind, I've heard from some that Korven lineups sound good so when I saw the opportunity to grab one, I didn't let go. Still a skeptic, I told myself that it might be another one of those hyped earbuds that sounds good but not extraordinary. Oh boy was I wrong. Immediately after burning YOASOBI and the whole Hawaii Part II album, I uttered "Mamma mia" and kept on throwing different genres to see how they measure, and they are what they say: "Excellent". It then became a staple to my bed side and is now my go-to earbuds ever since. If you want to know why; in-depth review below:

Lows:
Korven Orora's greatest strength. The first reference track I played is of course Charlie Wasn't Afraid by Day Din, and despite it showing some weakness in note weight and decay; I am highly satisfied with what I've heard. They might not reach too deep, but there aren't any bleeding which are usually found on earphones that dwells too much with mid-bass (200khz slow roll-off). The texture is probably one of the best I've heard so far in my collection. I am confident when I say that this deserves more recognition than it has garnered. Mid-bass is punchy, when listening to Kenji Kawai's Making of a Cyborg; it gives a more than satisfactory thump along with good push of air. Despite the sometimes slow decay on some bass focused tracks, the full-sounding lows really compensates its few weakness. If you do get a pair, try and listen to the whole album of Hawaii Part II, these won't disappoint.

Midrange:
In my three years, I have never listened to a midrange that distinguishes itself as articulate but clean. Probably the weird but best part about Korven Orora's midrange is how it takes these two opposites of the spectrum and fuse them with cohesion. They can be transparent and very natural sounding; as evidence when listening to Black Rainbows by Hawaii Part II, the male vocals display its usual raspiness and texture but isn't overwhelming like most mid-centric earbuds. They are smoothened over, making male vocals rich and warm whilst the female lush and natural. They are musical but not overly-excited, they won't shout at you nor will they be undermined by instruments. Uchiage Hanabi by DAOKO x Kenshi Yonezu sounds clear, dynamic, and the best part about them is DAOKO's voice feels tonally correct without being edgy or shouty.

Treble:
With decent attack on percussive instruments, the Ororas aren't bright but they won't shy away with the competition. Despite it not having loud first cymbals/hi-hats strike, they do well with how they handle decay. They are sparkly and the vibrations coming from these metallic percussions provide melody until the very end of each track. Listening to treble-centric genres such as Blues & Jazz, the Korven Orora won't be beat when it comes to defining highs, as evidence when playing Dream Eyes by Mine, Kosuke Quintet; the hi-hat strikes sounds justified and saxophones are lovely with no details lost. If you do find yourself wanting more treble; go for bright earbuds like Tingo TC200 Old but these Korvens should still hold its ground when it comes to overall tonality.

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Soundstage:
Quick Note: Soundstage is a highly subjective spectrum of audio. Different factors such as how the track was recorded or if it was properly mastered, plays a crucial role in identifying soundstage. Please take everything with a grain of ajinomoto seasoning.

Soundstage for Korven Orora is above average. It won't be as wide as the coveted TC200 but they have really good horizontal imaging. They're not spatial but depth can be heard when well-mastered tracks are played. Songs like On the Run by Pink Floyd showcases this really well. Height can certainly be improved as most other earbuds, but for the price? this does better compared to other higher priced buds.

Layering and Separation:
Now here is what I want to talk about. I have listened to some #lokal earbuds and I did my fair share of chi-fi as well, but the Korven Orora takes the cake when it comes to imaging, layering and separation. Much like Joemanji who I will review in the coming weeks, the separation for some tracks that I tested with Orora are outstanding. They do not overwhelm and smear each other with boosted frequencies. You can hear lows very clearly and feels like there's a good margin between mid-bass and lower midrange. Transitions between frequencies are done tastefully which results in a perfectly blended audio presentation. Even with complex tracks such as Metropolis Part 1 of Dream Theater, Korven Orora executes this without a hitch. Magnificent.

Comparison:

Vido Red:
Winner (Korven Orora, and it beats Vido Red in its own game) Vido as of now, has never been beat by any #lokal earbuds when it comes to lows. I've always mentioned that the Reds have control over the "tugs tugs" territory. They're like this big freaky bouncer stopping you from entering the bass zone with good and full-bodied punches. Well their reign is officially over. Step aside freakishly huge red bouncers, Korven Orora now takes over the club genres with its outstanding lows texture, better separation and a punch that should send any thin-sounding earbuds packing. Need I say more?

VE Monks Plus: Winner (Korven Orora) Absolute respect to the $5 VE Monks Plus for the legendary price to performance ratio but Korven Orora takes the cake this time when it comes to pure sound quality. Despite Monks having good midrange and decent highs, the Korven Orora provides a cleaner presentation especially the midrange to treble transition; something the Monks Plus lacks. The Monks Plus can sometimes feel untamed and somewhat metallic but still arguably really good sounding. The weaknesses of Monks have been addressed with Korven Orora and frankly just does better overall. The challenger also has better textured lows when compared to VE Monk's punchy but sometimes lack of body in its bass region.

Qianyun Qian39: Winner (Korven Orora) And they were beaten at last. The $9 sleep buds champion is now beaten by arguably a better sounding earbuds. The Qian39 has been my recommended earbuds for quite some time now when somebody asks me "How would you like your bass?". When some #lokal folks approach me and asks me what they lack, I always point to Qian39 as a good example for presenting lows as main selling-point without compromising other frequencies. Decays are perfectly timed, texture is nice and oh boy how these 14.8mm earbuds can sing. But at last, the Qianyun Qian39 is now dethroned by our challenger: Korven Orora. I can't praise Orora enough for its really well defined mid-bass texture. They also have ample rumble which doesn't feel disjointed unlike Qian who completely ignored the sub-bass region. Though Korven might feel bouncy on some tracks, the well presented lows just has too many winning sides to even notice these small errors. Qian39 has smooth, serenading mids but Korven Orora makes you appreciate the vocal transients of the singer whilst still inoffensive and relaxing. Sure they can't be used for sleeping because of the mx500 shell profile but if God blessed my ears like Dumbo, I'd be taking our challenger to bed, tuck myself in and listen to my "go to #$%^& sleep" playlist without hesitation.

Tingo TC200 Old: Winner (Korven Orora) I have mentioned in the treble section that Korven Orora aren't bright but they're still good for treble appreciation. However when it comes to good treble presentation, the chi-fi champions TC200 won't budge down easily. They come with sparkles and micro-details that shouldn't even be possible with $5 earbuds. Not to mention how spatial the soundstage is, they just punch way above their pricepoint. Now here's the thing with Korven Orora; sure they're not as outstanding when it comes to cymbal strikes and percussive crisps but they still do a good job. They might not have Tingo's immersive soundstage but layering and separation does superb that you can play any complex tracks and the Orora can sing it without discomfort. If they are at least good on treble then how does Korven Orora perform in lows and midrange? The answer? Excellent. Oh yes I just said it's excellent, if you really want to know why then read the whole goddamn review. The TLDR here is that Tingo TC200 has really good treble presentation but Korven Orora does better on both lows & mids and does not slouch on its highs either. So who do I pick more? Korven Orora lies on my bed table whilst TC200 is tucked in my mmcx storage, who do you think I reach more often?

Conclusions:
If after reading the whole thing you still have doubts whether or not these are worth purchasing then you've got to lay low on your supplements man. I'm just gonna say that these are worth every penny you'll spend. For a price of $26 it's definitely not cheap but it won't break the bank either, especially when you here how good these sounds; you'll start asking "how is this so cheap?". With a lot of #lokal earbuds showing up recently, the Korven Orora makes a mark as a cheap but incredible bang-for-buck earbuds in the market. I've heard that Orora is discontinued now but who knows? maybe with a little bit of push; Kris Sumabat would budge and give Orora another go. Do I recommend them? If you are listening to music then a definite all-caps YES. If you do however just want it for your collection; go purchase some golden shelled earbuds instead.

Want to get Korven Orora? Contact Kris Sumabat here: Kris Sumabat

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