All pictures sourced from MMR’s website
As per many of the other reviewers here, let me say thanks again to Joseph Mou and
@mvvRAZ for arranging the EU review tour of the Thummim. I was a late addition to the tour. I was a late addition because I’d read heaps about them and frankly I thought these are waaay out of my league. So far out of my frame of reference are they that I didn’t really want to waste peoples time or deny access to them for people for whom these are a viable purchase. As 2020 has gone on, (proceeded by not the best 2019 for me either), frankly I thought, “**** it”! Even if it’s just for a week, I’m going to treat myself to a taste of how the IEM glitterati live!
So, here we are; about 24 hours on from when I first tried the Thummim and about 23 hours and 30 minutes on from realising I may have made the mother of all errors. You see, having tried them, now I really (like really), WANT a pair of these! For that 23 hours and 30 minutes, I’ve been mulling over many a cunning ruse to fund a purchase. Like Wiley Coyote planning a new way of dropping an Acme anvil on Roadrunner, I’ve been planning, ruminating and scheming. I’ve considered a crime spree but I don’t think, what I think they call the ‘thug life’, is for me. I’ve toyed with hiring the kids out as cheap labour but probably not practical during a pandemic. The wife wasn’t keen on the idea either and I have to admit, I’ve grown attached to the little tykes. That said, the youngest is on ‘thin ice’ behaviour wise so I haven’t completely ruled this one out. Finally, I contemplated the old ‘the dog ate them’ excuse. I thought better of this because, looking at the Thummim, the chances of anyone ingesting those without requiring surgical intervention are slim at best.
The dog did however play a part in causing me to nearly suffer cardiac arrest. I left the box in, which the Thummim were delivered, in my bedroom. Being the room where ‘the magic happens’ the dog had wandered in and promptly made several sheets of bubble wrap and the top of the Thummim cardboard tube ‘disappear’. Assuming that the IEM glitterati would be displeased, I quickly dismissed thoughts of blaming the kids (well, maybe the youngest) and was relieved to find the Thummim themselves on my desk where I’d left them. Phew!
Anyway, let’s talk Thummim. I really can’t add to what all the previous reviews have described at length and far more eloquently than I could. My impressions as a result will be suitably brief but hopefully fully convey my admiration for them.
In somewhat time honoured tradition, let’s start with build. These don’t look like IEMs, they look like little bits of cubism, the shell design is beautiful and the build quality stellar. I mean, look at them!! They might look like nothing else but man, they can’t be comfortable can they?! Short answer is yes. The inner side of the shells maintain the same aesthetic but dialled down sufficiently enough to ensure no issues comfort wise for me. This is helped by the nozzles being a decent length.
Packaging, as people have remarked, doesn’t necessarily scream premium and although the leather case is well made, it’s not necessarily the most practical. At this point, let’s get the price out of the way. These things aint cheap, by any stretch. Let’s remember though that these are essentially low production runs of a boutique IEM and cables; they’re not going to be cheap. If the bulk of the budget has gone toward the actual hardware, I’m OK with that. I’d rather have a kick ass pair of IEMs for that money than elaborate accessories.
Most of my listening has been done using an iBasso DX160; a suitably musical and engaging DAP for a musical and engaging IEM. The Plato cable seems to have taken a beating during it’s journey round the continent and as such listening was conducted using a different Eletech Litz cable.
Signature wise, these are probably W but honestly so well balanced that nothing really sounds missing, crowded out or subdued. Detail and separation across the spectrum are the best I’ve heard. To cram all that in without them sounding either too reference or fatiguing is a hell of a feat. I can only assume that a fair degree of the purchase price is going towards recouping the time and effort that must have gone into achieving this.
Technicalities are just ridiculous too. Imaging is stunning with depth and height rendering listening an almost 3D like experience. Throw in the excellent sound staging too, these really do wrap you up in a holographic like presentation I’ve not experienced before. Separation is spot on, it allows the listener to pick out layers with ease but without sounding artificial. It’s much more coherent than probably any other BA midrange I’ve heard.
Sonically, lets continue as we’ve started, running bottom up; starting with the bass. The bass, to me, is as good a DD implementation as I’ve heard on a hybrid. It packs a punch, it’s quick & tight but also extends beautifully. Detail and texture are top notch. On about 1% of tracks I’ve listened to, the upper registers of bass may, very occasionally, infringe into the mids, slightly. If you were looking for negatives, you can stop here because that’s honestly as close as I get towards criticism of the Thummim.
Moving on to the mids. More of the same really, everything is there in spades. Vocals across the range are all beautifully reproduced and the instrumentation is exactly where the sound engineer intended it to be. Detail wise, you’re not missing out on anything but again, it’s just all so darn cohesive, it never gets too intense or in any way fatiguing.
Treble is a delight. Just the right (& I mean JUST RIGHT!), level of sparkle and air. Detail again is top level but the balance is once more tweaked to perfection, seeing off any hint of harshness.
In summary, these look like art, they sound engineered to perfection and they achieve the most perfect balance of technicalities whilst remaining hugely musical & engaging, fun and non-fatiguing to listen to. This level of performance ladies and gents, is always going to come at a premium.
These to me, are pretty much all I could, personally, hope for in an IEM. It may take me a while to save for a pair but in the long run I it would be a saving (honestly!). I’d genuinely stop looking, stop trying other IEMs, yes, I’d happily call it quits with these. Now if that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know `what is!
I've had a taste of how the IEM 1% live and I want in!
