ORIVETI O400 - Premium 4BA HiFi IEM Headphones

F700

Headphoneus Supremus
Oriveti O400 - My Sweet Spot
Pros: + Allrounder set of IEMs with 4 BA (Knowles)
+ Professional tuning all across the frequency range bringing fun, details and emotion under the same roof
+ Impactful, precise and highly enjoyable sub-bass
+ Natural, full and balanced mids
+ Vocals have great textures and are neither too forward nor recessed
+ Extended, airy yet sweet treble
+ Imaging, separation and sense of depth
+ Easy to drive
+ Premium built and comfortable resin shells
+ Well thought-out accessories package
+ Terrific price-to-performance ratio
+ Top-notch communication with Marco from Oriveti
Cons: - I prefer to pair the O400 with a warmer source - synergy with brighter sources?
- Badass sub-bass lovers will crave for more (at the cost of cohesiveness, but that’s their problem)
Hi everyone, here are my impressions about the Oriveti O400. Those are good. Oh yes, they really are.

Enough infos have been written about the O400 in the above Pro/Contra section, let's avoid repetition in the following lines as much as possible and let's keep it short, yet informative and to the point. No unboxing or debate about tips and cable, eventhough those have their importance, especially in terms of comfort and fine-tuning. I am using a Satin Audio Hyperion 10 Braid cable and Azla Crystal tips with the O400. This works great for me and my ear anatomy.

Disclaimer:
I purchased the O400 directly from Oriveti webshop. I paid the USD 399.- full retail price. Thanks Marco Lin for the great communication, top notch customer experience. I am 41 years old, my hearing ability is being tested every year (audiologist says « you’re good, man »), but I feel I am able to stand and enjoy the higher registers a bit more than 2-3 years ago. My ears, my brain, my abilities to recognize strengths and weaknesses within a set of IEMs, my bias and my sound preferences are what they are. I like a potent bass with real impact in the sub-area and a bit less in the mid region (my taste have changed a bit lately) and I love a full, detailed and textured midrange, especially with voices and powerful instruments. The treble needs to be controlled and extended enough, but I prefer to get less of it than too much.

THE ORIVETI O400 - 4 BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVERS IEMS TUNED WITH MAESTRIA

Technical datas and general information are available here: https://www.oriveti.com/o400

These impressions of mine will be quite short and a good portion will focus on comparison with other IEMs I own or used to own.

The O400
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What can 1 Bass BA, 1 Bass-Mid BA, 1 Mid-Treble, 1 Treble BA, 4-way crossover and 4 bores do? Well, this configuration has been making my ears happy since a few weeks now. Very happy indeed, hence the following impressions. For some time now, I have been looking for the right balance between « realistic » sub-bass, full/natural midrange presentation and sweet yet extended treble with all the details my recordings have to offer. I honestly did not expect to find all these aspects united in a pair of BA-only IEMs priced under USD 400.-.

The package
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Simply put in a few words: The O400 are pretty neutral sounding IEMs with a touch of warmth and the perfect implementation of a hard-hitting-clean sub-bass. Instrumentation separation, imaging and detail retrieval are remarkable. Mids are neutral yet full, well-textured and the treble is extended enough to deliver a sense of air that will satisfy most of the audio enthusiasts down here. Sibilance-free tuning (as long as the recording does not call for it). Why are the O400 worth a try? Big and precise bass in a 4BA structure, magistral midrange, controlled highs with the right amount of sparkle, high-level of details and tuned for many different kind of musical genres. The O400 are true allrounders.

THE FR-GRAPH (DF-compensated - from 120HZ, follow the gray line)

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HEAD-TO-HEAD(s)

ORIVETI OH500 (1DD & 4BA) - from memory, sold in 2020
The OH500 sport the same amount of BA as the O400, but surely not with the same tuning and 1DD coming on top. I am not a real fan from hybrid IEMs. The OH500 are warmish sounding and somewhat laid-back in their presentation. The bass kicks hard enough, but not as convincing as the O400 (w/o DD!). Upper midrange is a bit shouty at times, but the treble section was perfect to me in the O400’s older brother. On the contrary, no mean peaks to be heard and found with the O400, the midrange taking the cake by offering a full and natural presentation with vocals and instruments. Oriveti took the right direction in terms of tuning with the O400, keeping the smooth but extended-enough treble, while massively improving the sub-bass and mids sections. The O400 are a mature-sounding set of IEMs, the OH500 is an agreeable set, but the tuning ended up being slightly fatiguing, especially in the upper-mids section. There is no doubt, the O400 are better sounding than the OH500 to me.

FEARLESS S8F (8BA) - from memory, sold in 2019
The O400 surpass the S8F in every aspect in my opinion, even if this comparison is made from memory, as I sold my SF8 two years ago. O400’s bass is hitting harder and is cleaner. More midbass presence and thinner mids on the S8F. The S8F upper mids might create discomfort at times, especially if the track has been averagely recorded, showing sibilance. The treble is well extended and lots of details in both cases. The O400 has better separation and even if the soundstage is narrower than on the Fearless, it is more realistic, with superior imaging and less artificial presentation.

The O400 are tuned close-to-perfection for my taste. The S8F are not bad IEMs, far from it, but lack the sub-bass impact, refinement and technical abilities of the O400. Last observation: where is Fearless in 2021? It seems the company went off the radar… hopefully they are coming back in the game with something new and great sounding in a near future.

P-EAR-S SH-2 (2BA)
The O400 and the SH-2 are complementary. The SH-2 are warmer and definitely laid-back sounding compared to the O400. The bass is impactful and present, but while it’s able to pound as hard as the O400, the SH-2 also are a tad boomier and less precise. The soundstage is narrower on the SH-2 and the resolution one step behind. The treble is less energetic on the SH-2, but not rolled-off. It’s inoffensive, yet with all details available, but not presented with the same Maestria and extension.

An analogy might help you further: the O400 are like a complex Negroni mixed with the finest Vermouth and Gin, while the SH-2 are like a plain whisky coke. Thing is, someday I rather drink a whisky coke over a Negroni, depending on my mood.

GAUDIO CLARIDEN (3BA) - https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/gaudio-nair.24642/reviews#review-25218
The O400 and the Clariden share a common DNA in their tuning and are very musical to my ears. They seem to be on par in terms of resolution and separation. Imaging also is outstanding in both cases. The Clariden are a little bit colder than the O400. In percentage terms, maybe 10% colder and 15% brighter. Just a hint. No sibilance or harshness to be found in any case. I give the impressive sub-bass to the O400 and the superb treble presentation to the Clariden.

As the Highlanders say, there can be only one. Mine are the O400, which are just a hair ahead (no pun intended) of the Clariden.

DUNU ZEN (1DD)
The ZEN were the first good surprise of the year. Everything starts (and somehow ends) with the bass. ZEN’s bass, from the sub to the lower portion, is so enjoyable. The midrange is very nice too, with a hint of warmth and forwardness to it. The upper-mids required some tuning from my side, namely tips-rolling (Symbio W Peel), copper cable from Kimber and source matching (L&P W2). If the ZEN never will be the allrounder one can wish, they surely belong to anyone’s IEMs collection, as long as bass, slam, comfort, built quality and laid-back sound signature are important. They are to me. The ZEN stay, yep. The O400 cannot pretend to be as potent in the bass as the ZEN in the bass region, but the sub-bass is real. This is quite impressive, especially during the first listening hours. All of this coming from a BA? Ah ok, unexpected. Then, as the FR-graph shows it, the O400 avoid the mid-bass region as much as they could and dive steep into the mids section, allowing a perfect transition, while effortlessly showing what a musically tuned IEM can do in the midrange and in the treble. Management summary: Get both if you like bass and mids. If you are more into treble, forget the ZEN and give the O400 a try. The ZEN cannot be considered an allrounder set in my book, but the O400 can.

UM MEST MKII (1DD, 4BA, 2EST & 1BC)
This comparison might be disturbing to read for some. I am awaiting home-coming missiles in the comment section. But I am ready guys! :) After getting my MEST MK II, the honeymoon phase started as follows:

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This set was sounding so good out of my gears back in the days, 2 daps (Calyx M & DTR1) and with or without a portable amp of choice (Romi BX2+), that I made my au revoir to HF, thinking that my endgame has been reached. Technically speaking, the Mest MK II is kind of a marvel. The sense of height and panoramic sound, this pumpin’ bass, wonderful imaging and separation, out-of-your head soundstage… impressive. After 2-3 weeks of intensive listening I started getting used to those « perfect » IEMs, but I faced one major issue: enjoyment. Technical proficiency cannot be taken in default, but I kind of lost connection with my music. The Mest MK2 are maybe too ahead of my time or it’s not my dope at the end of the day, I don’t know. I never will actually, because I have sold them a few weeks ago. The Oriveti O400 are not claiming to be as good as the MEST MK2. Technically, there are inferior, it’s pretty clear. However, they convey the music and it’s inherent emotion with another flavor, much more in accordance with my taste. It’s all about coherency and musicality. I am at home with the O400, on holidays with the Mest MK2. Thing is, there is nothing like home…but sometimes I miss holiday’s sunshine.

ORIVETI OV800 (8BA)
The O400 represent a trickled down version of the O800 (according to Oriveti). I never have listened to the O800, but I recently purchased the OV800, which basically is an upgraded version from the O800. Thing is, two switches allow to boost the bass and/or the treble and this feature makes the OV800 being much more interesting than its older sibling.

Logical upgrade? Not automatically based on your preferences...to me, the OV800 finish the job the O400 have started
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Keeping the fancy green color, the faceplates now are showing a stabilized wood pattern. Nice visual upgrade, they look stellar. As you can imagine, the OV800 sport 8BA instead of 4 in the O400. The major difference between the two sets lies in the midrange. Yes, the OV800 board 4BA (out of 8!) for the mids. Even if O400’s midrange already is highly enjoyable, the OV800 go the extra mile. Unlike the above-mentioned Mest MK2, soundstage remains realistic, wide enough and the imaging more coherent. No fireworks. I am a midrange guy, but need my sub-bass and some decent extension in the highs. Both deliver in this context. The OV800 are a grown-up version of the O400, but are not able to bury the younger brother. In fact, the O400 are slightly warmer than the OV800 (all switches off), but the DNA comes from the same genitor and this trickled down version of the O800 actually is able to keep the pace in almost all registers. Why almost? Well, the bass switch from the OV800, while not being Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde level, surely do justify a portion of the higher entry ticket, and, on the other end, the 4BA for the mids are really special. Are the OV800 a « true » upgrade over the O400? Not really to be honest. I could live very happy with the O400, even knowing OV800’s existence. Once more, I am biased, because I own both and I already enjoy music at highest level with the O400. Still and ultimately, the OV800 are just that small bit better.

JUKEBOX

Here are some tracks I enjoy listening to via the O400 paired with the Calyx M tonight while fine-tuning my impressions :



















END WORDS

The ones who knows me a bit, in person or through PMs, music has been part of my life since more than 30 years. Everyday. Being over 40 today, this passion never ceased to increase. I’ve had my highs and lows, like everyone, but music was always there. Apart from my beloved wife, my twins, my family members and close friends, music is the next best thing in the world (and some know how I like food and wine). I feel blessed being able to enjoy the music through my current portable setup(s).

October 2021 - tips/cable setup
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It’s simple as this: The O400 is a must try for anyone looking for a pair of IEMs, which plays back music with fantastic accuracy, without coloring the sound too much and as long as the source matches one’s tuning and sound signature preferences. In a word, for me, they are almost perfect.

Strongly recommended set of IEMs. Hats off Oriveti.
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F700
F700
@twiceboss : subbass implementation in the O400 is very solid for a BA-only set and in general. The OV800 with the bass switch on might fix the O800´s subbass issue you’ve experienced. I confirm that O400 have more subbass than the O800. With the switch on, it equals and even surpass the O400, while being perfectly clean. I find the imaging great on both sets. Once more, Mest MKII are better in this regard, but it was a bit artificial to me. Matter of taste, as usual.
F700
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@twiceboss : the best way to compare both is to ask Oriveti for a review unit of the O400
bmnathe
bmnathe
what copper cable is that with the O400?

CK Moustache

100+ Head-Fier
Link to my review and measurement index thread where one can also find a full review overview, more information about myself as well as my general-ish audio and review manifesto: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/956208/




I only give full stars. My ranking/scoring system does not necessarily follow the norm and is about as follows:

5 stars: The product is very good and received the "highly recommended" award from me.

4 stars: The product is very good and received the "recommended" award from me.

3 stars: The product is good/very good, but not outstanding/special enough to get any of my two awards. ["Thumbs Up"]

2 stars: The product is only about average or even somewhat below that and somewhat flawed/flawed in some areas. [neither "Thumbs Up" nor "Thumbs Down"]

1 star: The product is bad/severely flawed to outright bad. ["Thumbs Down"]





ORIVETI O400


Source:


Review sample.


Miscellaneous:

ORIVETI’s second BA-only in-ears.

Very nice unboxing experience (except for that the cardboard box was somewhat difficult to open); nicely arranged accessories and a wide range of different ear tip styles (various single-flange silicone tips including AZLA tips, double-flange silicone tips, foam tips and double-flange tips).
High quality, premium appearing round storage/carrying case manufactured from genuine leather and with beautiful red stitching and padded interior; however I wouldn’t mind if it were just slightly more spacious and were even better protected against moisture and dust getting in (as the lid does not really close hermetically, which is something that unfortunately most boutique-styled IEM cases that place form/aesthetics over ultimate protection and function have in common, but after all it’s still a better and more protective case than the one from my Campfire Audio Andromeda or Logitech/Ultimate Ears UE900).

Excellent, flawless build quality.
I really like that one can see the drivers, acoustic tubing, filters, wiring and crossover network through the shells.
Really nice smoke blue translucent colour scheme; can appear a bit purple-ish in some lighting situations.

Beautiful cable; I really like its visual appearance.
Eight conductors that are braided below and above the y-splitter. Premium looking plug, connectors, y-splitter and chin-slider.
Very soft and supple; very high quality.
2-pin connectors.

Four BA drivers per side; four acoustic ways; quad-bore design.




Sound:

Largest included black single-flange silicone ear tips (same type as those that were already installed).

Tonality:

Fairly neutral midrange and treble with nicely integrated sub-bass elevation. Harman-oriented, if you will, but with less strongly boosted bass (therefore more oriented around the Harman over-ear target).

The mids and highs generally follow the diffuse-field target quite well, with somewhat less level around 2 kHz wherefore the presence range is not intrusive but rather somewhat relaxed sounding. Level is back at neutral in quantity at 3 kHz and 4 kHz, with a mild but not narrow dip around 5 kHz, and neutral quantity right above that again towards 9 kHz, with a very mild, rather broad elevation around 7.5 kHz, wherefore the tuning is ultimately very slightly on the v-shaped/mildly loudness-compensated side to my ears. The level around 10 kHz is just a bit in the background again when listening to sine sweeps and therefore ultimately takes just a little bit of sharpness/splashiness from overtones and cymbals without making them sound dark at all, just to come back to neutral again already at 11 kHz and subsequently above that.
Super treble extension is good past 16 kHz.
Listening to sine sweeps generally shows a smooth treble presentation (that, for most parts, sounds fairly natural with music as well), with neither of the dips seeming to be placed in the positions where they are coming in as sudden, narrow or strongly recessed but generally quite mildly recessed, wherefore the highs, while ultimately not 100% flat and linear, sound mostly natural and clear together with the mild 7.5 kHz lift that is overall really just a notch above neutral in quantity, yet at the same time are not offensive or sharp but have a slightly milder character, but one shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that the O400 were inoffensive and forgiving with badly mixed/mastered tracks that have exaggerations in the high frequency range, since ultimately their upper-end neutrality (and “mercilessness”) above 3 kHz is not too far away from Etymotic’s in-ears, but in the end just a bit more “forgiving” in comparison, combined with a milder, more relaxed presence range presentation (“natural neutral/relaxed neutral” on the ORIVETI compared to Etymotic’s “no compromise flat studio neutral” approach in the upper midrange/presence range). If there’s anything to criticise about the highs’ reproduction, it’s that the O400s’ appears ultimately just a notch less authentic and refined compared to Etymotic’s in-ears that sound even more authentic and refined to my ears in terms treble tuning when it comes to my ears; but even though the ORIVETI are ultimately a tad below Etymotic’s products in this area to my ears, they are nonetheless among the best in-ears especially in their price range in this regard.

The midrange follows a tuning that could be considered “natural neutral” as the lower mids are completely flat without any hint of warmth thanks to the brilliantly integrated low bass boost, with a subsequently flat central midrange and, compared to Etymotic standards and what I perceive when listening to sine sweeps, an upper midrange/presence range that is recessed moderately enough to place voices a bit further away from the listener, thus making them somewhat less intimate, yet present enough to not making brighter voices and lower voices’ overtones appear as recessed or dark but correct. Thankfully to this, the midrange tuning and timbre is reproduced correctly to my ears even in the presence range.

In my opinion, while the O400s’ midrange and treble are already tuned well and sound natural as well as coherent, the “star of the show” when it comes to tuning is clearly the bass, and I’d go as far to writing that this is the best sub-bass elevation that I have ever heard from any in-ears so far.
Listening to sine sweeps, I hear the bass’ elevation as starting to climb around 500 Hz, and it reaches its climax nicely low around 30 Hz (with a lift of around 7 dB compared to diffuse-field standards), with already a bit of punch in the upper bass around 100 Hz, but the “main action” is definitely happening in the lower midbass and actual sub-bass, with a fantastically implemented elevation that nicely stays out of the fundamental range and therefore really just accentuates the true bass without adding any warmth to the sound or colouring the mids.
Therefore, and as 200 Hz are about in-line with 1 kHz, bleeding of the bass into the midrange is avoided completely and instead it stays nicely out of it with adding just the slightest possible hint of warmth to the low fundamental range.

All in all, one can definitely say that the O400 are tremendously well-tuned in-ears with an extremely good integration of a mild loudness compensation/mild v-shape with the lows’ climax sitting nicely low in the true sub-bass, and in terms of a true sub-bass-only focus, the ORIVETI manage to place the focus on the actual sub-bass even more than the Etymotic ER2XR, my Shure SE846 and my Earsonics ES3.
Due to the way they are tuned, they also sound largely neutral/”natural neutral” most of the time since the moderate bass elevation is placed nicely low and really only shows its presence when the recording/track reaches this low.
On a personal note, I am undeniably still quite impressed by just how well the lows are tuned (as a really nice and quite addictive addition to the rest of the entire frequency range that sounds natural as well).

Frequency Response:


ER-4S-Compensation


ProPhile 8-Compensation

Resolution:

When it comes to technical performance, it can generally said that the O400 are definitely and, if one can say so, quite easily worth the price.

These in-ears’ bass character is really interesting and ultimately just great – the lows have got a somewhat dynamic-driver like body and rumble but BA-like speed and control (there is no muddiness or softness even in demanding and fast passages/tracks) wherefore they reproduce a controlled, tight punch with a clean and fast decay, yet punches feel dynamic and have got some sort of almost tactile vibrations wherefore the bass sounds natural and is highly involving; it just feels “right”.

Speech intelligibility is really high for this price range, and the general resolution and level of transparency in the midrange are high as well.

When it comes to high notes, the O400 don’t disappoint either but feature a high level of details and remain clean sounding even in busy and fast passages of the music.
Especially noteworthy is the generally clean and precise separation across the entire frequency range that is definitely a major contributor to the ORIVETI sounding very controlled, resolving and clean even with fast, dense and busy music.

Soundstage:

The O400s’ imaginary soundstage shows no congestion and sounds quite open and spacious to my ears (not NocturnaL Audio Atlantis/Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors/Campfire Audio Andromeda tier in terms of size and openness, but still very good; it expands further than the space between my ears and is ultimately perceived as somewhat larger than the Etymotic ER2XRs’ soundstage that doesn’t appear small to my ears either but is in fact the largest soundstage among all Etymotic ER series in-ears). Since the in-ears don’t sound flat but manage to layer well, the virtual room sounds three-dimensional and therefore very authentic to me; ultimately the soundstage is just a bit more on the oval than round side to my ears.

Thankfully the imaging is really precise and the ORIVETIs’ soundstage also handles very fast, dense, complex and demanding music material tremendously well without losing much control even when pushed to the limits by the music.
Especially these in-ears’ very clean spatial separation is really noteworthy as their imaging ability is really clean and precise, with the “empty space” between and around instruments/tonal elements being reproduced very accurately without any blur.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Comparisons:

Etymotic ER2XR:

Both in-ears’ tuning direction is generally quite comparable.

The ER2XR are elevated a bit stronger in the sub-bass and bass in general, and have therefore got a bit more upper bass punch and somewhat more warmth in the low fundamental range in comparison.
The O400 have got the less intimate/more relaxed midrange presentation (voices are less placed less closely to the listener on the O400 and appear closer to the listener/more intimate/direct on the ER2XR) while both in-ears’ midrange timbre is similar.
The ER2XR have got the slightly more even/refined treble tuning to my ears when listening to music and thus sometimes slightly more realistic treble response/high note timbre in direct comparison; the treble tuning is generally comparable with the exception being in the upper highs where the O400 are slightly brighter than the Etymotic in comparison.

The O400 feature the slightly better separation in general.
They have also got the somewhat higher transparency and resolution.
Treble details are about comparable but the ORIVETI are ultimately still a bit ahead here as well, especially in fast passages.
The sub-bass reproduction is cleaner on the O400 whereas the ER-2XRs’ is a bit soft in comparison; the ORIVETI are generally a bit tighter/faster in the lows.

In terms of soundstage size, I hear the O400s’ as appearing a bit wider and generally somewhat larger than the ER2XRs’.
The imaging is somewhat more precise on the ORIVETI that have also got the better instrument separation in comparison.

Earsonics ES3:

Both in-ears’ bass elevation starts about similarly, but the difference is that the ES3, while they also avoid any lower midrange warmth just like the O400, have got the stronger elevation in the upper bass as well as midbass wherefore they are ultimately tuned a bit bassier/punchier than the ORIVETI that really mainly concentrate their elevation on the true sub-bass (that’s also a little stronger elevated on the ES3, although just slightly).
The O400 have got the more linear upper midrange and treble tuning (wherefore they sound more realistic) whereas the ES3 have a more recessed upper midrange and middle treble and a brighter upper treble elevation.

Bass control, tightness and details are higher on the O400.
The same goes for the midrange where the ORIVETI sound more transparent and resolve better.
This is also true for the O400s’ treble whose resolution is higher and features the cleaner note separation.
The note separation is generally cleaner and superior on the O400.

The O400s’ soundstage a bit larger to my ears.
The spatial separation and imaging are also somewhat more precise on the ORIVETI (especially the ability to portray “empty space” around and between tonal elements; their soundstage also remains better controlled in fast and busy passages).

NocturnaL Audio Atlantis:

The Atlantis have got the thicker, warmer lower fundamental range and bass with a punchy upper bass and strong midbass whereas the O400 are tuned without any lower fundamental range warmth and slightly higher quantity in the lowest possible sub-bass, while otherwise the Atlantis are audibly bassier in the low midbass and upper sub-bass in comparison.
The middle treble is a bit brighter on the O400; otherwise their highs are quite comparable although Atlantis have ultimately got the somewhat more refined sounding treble response to my ears.

The Atlantis’ bass is tighter and faster.
Likewise they also feature the generally somewhat higher transparency and resolution and also even somewhat cleaner separation.

The Atlantis’ soundstage appears larger to my ears and also even somewhat more precise imaging.

Shure SE846 (white “Treble” Filters):

Both in-ears’ tuning direction is generally quite comparable.
The SE846 have got somewhat more upper bass quantity in comparison wherefore it’s reproduced punchier; as their bass radiates comparatively more into the lower fundamental range than the O400s’ that are more “sub-bass-only-focused” with pretty much no fundamental range warmth, the Shure have got a bit of warmth in the low fundamental range while the ORIVETI truly limit their elevation in the lows to nothing but the actual low bass.
Both have got comparable lower midbass and sub-bass quantity, while the O400 are actually even slightly more elevated in the true sub-bass which is audible in the rarer cases when the audio material really extends this low.
Both in-ears’ midrange tuning is comparable.
Extension in the super treble is easily won by the ORIVETI as the Shure simply start to roll off far too early and thus lack treble overtones. Maybe as a result of this, but also generally, the O400 have got the more correct midrange and treble timbre to my ears whereas the SE846 appear somewhat artificial, especially with their treble that appears as the decay and reverb were lacking (which is definitely a result of their at best mediocre treble extension).
As for tuning, the O400 are slightly brighter in the upper highs before the super treble where the Shure are more or less lacking.

In terms of technical performance, the Shure have a bass that is generally a bit tighter and features the comparatively higher control as well as details in the lows. Sub-bass control is almost similarly good, but the SE846 are again just slightly ahead here.
The O400 have got the slightly higher speech intelligibility to my ears whereas the SE846 have got ultimately the overall very slightly higher midrange transparency and fine details/”true” resolution in this area in direct comparison (their midrange detail presentation appears minimally more “effortless” to me).
Treble resolution and separation is clearly higher on the O400.
When it comes to separation in general, the ORIVETI are generally audibly better which gives them an audible advantage over the Shure in busy and fast passages as well as dense arrangements, as except for the bass where the Shure have definitely got an advantage in terms of control and quality, the O400 are ahead in the rest of the frequency spectrum when it comes to control and separation, and they therefore just sound generally audibly cleaner.

To my ears, the O400s’ perceived soundstage is larger.
The ORIVETI also feature the cleaner imaging and sharper instrument separation in comparison, and their reproduction of “empty space” around and between tonal elements appears also cleaner as well as more effortless.




Conclusion:

Highly Recommended.

Excellent tuning with a truly fantastic integration of the moderate bass elevation that really only concentrates on the lowest registers and doesn’t add any warmth to the fundamental range, natural and realistic midrange reproduction, as well as cohesive (although ultimately a notch below Etymotic’s in-ears’ treble response) and realistically tuned treble that is ultimately set to be just a notch on the brighter side in the upper highs.
Combined with the technical performance that is excellent in the in-ears price range and even generally very good and highly competitive, with especially the high control and excellent note and instrument separation as well as three-dimensional and therefore authentic soundstage being worthy of note, the O400 represent such a great overall package and even place them clearly among the upper range of my personally favourite IEMs for recreational music listening.


Photos:









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