Introduction
Oriveti. They are a Hifi company that’s founded in 2015, so they can be considered as an old player in the game. In the past, they’ve release several high quality iem like the OV800 (8BA) and O400 (4BA) yet they didn’t have much traction into the market. That is, until now.
At the end of 2023, they suddenly make a grand come back with 3 new back-to-back iem at three different price range: The OD100, OD200 and OV700. These iems, in such short amount of times, have received a lot of love and being talked about from many audiophiles accross the globe.
I’ve finished my review of the OD200 recently. Today’s turn will be the OD100
Packaging
Different from its brother the OD200, the packaging of the OD100 is smaller and relatively simple. The inside content of it is quite basic. They consists of the iem itself, a cable, a small carrying case and 9 pairs of tips
I think this the the bare minimum you can ask for from a 70$ iem.
Design/Build quality/Comfort
The OD100 shell is made out of CNC aluminum. The finishing was nicely done and there’s no rough edge around it. The overall built quality feels really sturdy. You can confidently throwing this iem around without having to worry about breaking it.
Design wise, the OD100 has a similar DNA to a bullet shaped shell due to its size rather than a more ergonomic shape. The nozzle is at a slight angle to the body, which is why it’s not a true bullet iem.
The cable is a SPC 4 cores cable. I think this is the highest quality cable i’ve seen coming from a sub $70 iem. It’s light, supple and has no memory to it. That being said, since the iem was too light as well as being a near bullet shape, pairing that with the stiff earhook of the cable, it makes this iem not very comfortable to wear. Truth be told, i can’t fit the OD100 with any stock silicone tips. I have to use the stock foam tips to have a decently secure fit.
Sound impression
Tonality: Bright W shaped
Bass: 7.25/10
The bass of the OD100 is actually quite decent once you manage to get a good fit with it. The bass is not too overly boosted. Subbass extention is only around average. Kick drums does pack a punch to it, but feels bit mellow and was drawn out by the rest of the frequency. It does sounds clean and quick in its decay nonetheless.
Guitar rift in AC/DC’s songs sound a bit light and overly boosted in its presense, making it sounds a bit unnatural and not enough bite. It was more easily heard than felt
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Mids: 5.75/10
Put the OD100 into your ears, the first thing that pops out is how bright and forward the vocal was. On one hand, it’s bright and energetic; on the other hand it’s way too harsh and shouty.
Male vocal is not too recessed, but it’s definitely on a leaner side, as opposed to a lush and hefty sounding vocals. Female vocal is way more emphasized and priorities with the OD100. It’s way more vibrant and energetic than male vocals, more forward compared to other instruments. Celine Dion's "All by myself" sounds lively. Her voice was definitely stands out the most, hence the shouty characteristic, when listening with the OD100
Talking about instruments, violin and piano's noteweight feels a bit too light and too dry
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One thing i would like to mention. The fit matters greatly with the OD100. With such a high pinna gain region, if you don’t have a great fit, for example if you’re wearing the OD100 with a shallow fit, the pinna gain region will sound even louder, which in turn will make the iem sounds harsher and shoutier. I would advise you to go down a size on your usual tips and fit the OD100 deeper than usual.
It did not save the midrange region entirely, but it definitely sounds better when deep fitted.
Treble:7.25/10
The treble is highly resolving, above average compare to its peers. It’s airy, well extended and leaning towards bright. It sounds slightly metallic and sibilant especially in higher volume. There’s a peak above 10khz which boost the treble presence, making percussions intruments sounds crisp, but almost sounded too sharp. Cymbals and hihats has this edginess or graininess to its attack and decay.
Treble head would be able to enjoy this due to how standout it was compared to the bass and low mids.
Tech: 6.5/10
The OD100 only has around average technical capabilities. It has more width and height compared to depth. Layering is quite blurry, not very distinct. Imaging is also not great.
Timbre was not the best either, mainly affected by how the uppermids was done
Comparison:
Vs Simgot EA500LM
Since these 2 are in the same price bracket, it’s only logical to compare these 2 to each other.
Right of the bat, the EA500LM is way easier and more comfortable to fit due to its ergonomic design. The OD100 on the other hand has this bullet-ish type of design. I’d have to use foam tips or Spinfit CP100+ in order to get a better fit and seal.
The cable on the OD100 is more well built and looks nicer
As for the sound, i like the EA500LM more.
The EA500LM has more bass slam with deeper subbass extension. The OD100 bass feels more pillowy, like it has a “poof” sensation to it. Note weight is a touch heftier on the OD100.
Vocal on the OD100 feels way less refined. Compared to the EA500LM, it’s a bit honkier, more nasally. With louder volume, you can feel the shoutiness coming through.
Treble is less sparkly and airy on the OD100. EA500LM just has better treble extension and detail retrieval. Percussion instruments have more shimmering to it on the EA500LM. I think the OD100 has crisper and sharper treble, but not by much.
Soundstage is wider on the EA500LM. Layering and imaging are also better on the EA500LM due to how well its bass and mids was done.
Vs Blon BL-03
When comparing against the old legend, the Blon BL-03 does show its age. The BL-03 has a warm-bassy-dark tonality.
The bass on the Blon is noticably boomier and looser, where as the OD100’s bass is way tighter with better texture.
The midrange of the Blon BL-03 is of higher quality, where it sounds more naturally and easier on the ear than the OD100. Female vocal sounds less harsh, although it can sound too mellow at times. Live instruments has a better timbre with heavier note weight on the Blon.
There is more treble quantity on the OD100 than the BL-03, but it does sound more splashy and less refined, where as the treble on the BL-03 has a darker edges.
Soundstage is around average on both. There are more detail retrieval with the OD100.
Fit wise, both iems are equally hard to fit. The BL-03 due to its short nozzles and the OD100 due to its bullet shape. Coincidentally, i have the best fit with these two using the Spinfit CP100 Plus.
***Mod***: Hidden gem
As much as i want to enjoy it, the bright uppermids is simply too much for me unless i turn down the volume. I have a close friend Tzennn, a fellow head-fier who truly enjoy this iem because his usual listening volume is only around 60-65db
So in order to make the OD100 more suitable for me, i did these two simple mods:
First, use a metal squeezer and carefully take of the metal guard over the grill.
Second, use a 400-500 mesh filters from the Simgot DIY kit or Aliexpress and apply it over the existing filters.
This right here will bring the uppermids region down by a few db, as well as smoothen out the treble a little bit. The harshness and shoutiness feeling was not as great, the metallicness is almost gone too. Vocal will sound smoother. The bass is now more easily felt, almost like it was brought to life, since it was easier to perceive the bass when the uppermid was lowered.
Although this may void the warranty, as well as erase the intended tuning from Oriveti, these two mods have turned the OD100 into something more of an all rounder, more compatible and easier to enjoy with my library and listening volume. The drivers inside of the OD100 are more than capable, it’s just that it wasn’t in its best form right out of the box.
Conclusion
For $70, the Oriveti OD100 does have a struggle against many of its competitor in the same price bracket. If you’re someone who’s looking for a robust, small build iems with a bright W shaped tuning and usually have a low listening volume, the OD100 might be what you’re looking for.
Since the raw material a.k.a the drivers and the build quality are already there, if you’re willing to do some light mods, the OD100 will raise to an even higher level.
That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.
