intime SORA 2 碧【アンティーム】

Well, you know: I do have a passion for final’s IEMs. First of all about their sound delivery, of course, but also about the technological effort they endure on their development, and share in good details with their customers. Is that a unique case, or maybe a tendency – a sort of “regional school” ? Is final’s attitude – and hopefully good result – common to other Japanese audio manufacturers?

Intrigued by the question I recently conceded myself a go at a couple of other Made-in-Japan models, one of which is what I’m talking about today.


Intime Acoustic, a.k.a. Ozeid Co., a.k.a O2aid.com…
Intime Acoustic is a brand owned by Ozeid Co., Ltd., a quite young (2016-founded) Takasaki City (JPN) based company. Its main business is actually not manufacturing, but consulting.

The owner and key developer mr Yoshiyuki Watanabe has 35+ years of experience on devices and applications that use piezoelectric materials.

Rotate his company name “ozeid” (or even better its web domain name “o2aid”) by 180°. What do you read ?

That said, mr Watanabe also decided to deliver some of his competence in form of earphones, targeting young users – young like his children – aiming to convey (in his own words) “the good sound of Japan“.

Well I’m more the age of mr Watanabe than of his children, but this all is anyhow more and more intriguing, isn’t it ?


Key technologies
The model I got is called “Sora 2”, quite evidently the second generation of the model previously released under the name of “Sora”.

Similarly to other models in Intime lineup, Sora 2 is based on a dual-driver system including a 10mm dynamic driver, and a somewhat special ceramic tweeter taking care of the upper treble / top octave end.

A number of very interesting details are available regarding the technology inside Sora 2, let me summarise what the main claims are.

1 – “Vertical Super Tweeter”
Adopted on Intime’s TOTL Ti3 model – VST is made of some sort of special laminated ceramics, instead of the most commonly adopted titanium oxide.

Fundamentally, laminated ceramics is supposed to offer more controllable vibrations.


Conventional “super tweeters” are so-called as they reproduce sounds outside the audible range, but this Intime’s variation, thanks to the uncommon material selection in addition to their calibrations, has a different behaviour and reproduces overtones, effectively contributing to the highest-end part of the audible spectrum.

2 – Graphene coating
A graphene coating has been applied to the Dynamic Driver unit, which – always according to Intime – improves mid-high range frequencies reproduction power and definition.

3 – Stainless steel housings
Stainless steel has been adopted for the housings. Besides obvious robustness, the choice reportedly offers a significant impact on sound.

In general, the more solid & heavy a material is used, the better is unwanted extra vibrations suppression obtained on the housings, but at the expense of equally unwanted extra weight.

On Sora 2 the adoption of stainless steel, the application of a heat treatment and a careful internal cavity shaping – according to Intime – turned into higher material rigidity, excellent vibration control, better sound transmission speed and – why not – scratch resistance too, all within a limited weight.

Well, weight is not feather-level in my books to be honest. I don’t have a subjective comfort problem with that, YMMV.

4 – HDSS
Another unique (patented, actually) technology adopted inside Sora 2, as much as inside Ti3 too, is called “HDSS” as in High Definition Sound Standard.

Its purpose is to suppress sound reflections inside the housing, resulting in cleaner output.


Some sound waves are commonly uncontrolledly reflected inside the housing, impacting onto the dynamic driver diaphragm, causing dissonance from the intended purpose. With HDSS technology, the sound inside the housings is more controlled and does not invest the diaphragm, allowing the dynamic driver to move only as a consequence to the signal source.

This – according to Intime – increases sound realism and decreases fatigue. It has a down side though: it tends to purge too much of the high frequencies off the dynamic driver vibration.

This is where a careful calibration between the resolution of the ceramic VST mentioned above and the mid-high range tuning of the graphene coated DD becomes vital, resulting in a bass with a solid outline, harmonious mid-high range and wide spatial expression – as in facts Sora 2 does deliver, big time !

Enough intro. Here's my experience with this.

Test setup

Hiby R5 single ended and Apogee Groove + Fiio A5 as sources
final E ML-size tips
Lossless 16/44.1 – 24/96 – 24/192 FLAC tracks.


Signature analysis

Tonality: Sora 2’s key identity is “clean energetic musicality”. The signature is a U whereon snappy, textured and detailed bass and highs compensate each other in presence most of the times (with an occasional bright-ish prevalence… sometime!), while each keeps setting the pace and the rythm to deliver a very engaging and cohesive musical experience. Yes, I like Sora 2 a lot.

Sub-Bass: Very nicely present, fast and detailed. A true pleasure. For my own taste, I’d have loved it even a further bit higher but I’m being subtle.

Mid Bass: Less eleveted than sub-bass yet very present, fast, punchy, detailed. I love that. Similarly to sub-bass, a tad more elevation – keeping the same speed features – and I would call it perfect.

Mids: Not recessed nor forward in terms of elevation, clear and detailed, they might feel “on second light” as they lack some body – especially the lower ones. Globally, I can say mids and vocals are good, even very good, but I wouldn’t choose Sora 2 a “vocal specialist”

Male Vocals: Present and well detailed but somewhat too lean for my tastes. Or maybe I’m pretending too much, difficult to say. Certainly, can’t expect cavernous male singers sounding like lions on Sora 2

Female Vocals: Better than males, a bit more forward and especially bodied, but still way south of flutey let alone buttery.

Highs: Energetic, clear, sparkly but never peaky, extended, somewhat airy, not overly sharp let alone zingy. Somewhat remembers planar treble. Depending on tracks it may come accross a bit more abundant than bass let alone mids, scanting the entire presentation temporarily into bright territory, but that’s it. Very well done – also considering the price we are talking about !


Technicalities

Soundstage: Resaonably extended although not huge. Seems taller than wider actually. Not bad at all anyhow.

Imaging: Better than the soundstage. Voices are corretly positioned on the space, ofter with good air amongst them. Thumbs up here too.

Details: Fast bass and snappy trebles offer a way above average amount of details, while always avoiding excesses. Cymbals & snare drums – which is what I listen to most often due to my jazz passion – get a special treat. Very nice.

Instrument separation: Separation and layering is very much above average for this price bracket.

Driveability: Benefits from moderate amping due to modest sensibility.


Physicals

Build: Stainless steel, with heat treatement and nive mirror finish. Not lightweight (not overly heavy either)

Fit: Fat bullet shape, easy to fit for all apart who hates the genre of course. As it almost always happens to me I had to fiddle a lot to find tip allowing for the correct insertion calibration to avoid sibilance. I finally settled onto final E’s ML size (my size on those is M actually – ML in this case supports a shallower but equally firm insertion).

Comfort: Very subjective. I personally find them extremely comfortable, also in spite of their relatively heavy wight. YMMV. I also prefer wearing them cable up, which is facilitated by silicon earhooks. About those, well… nice try, but final’s type-B are miles better (and that’s what I adopted of course).

Isolation: Bullet shape does not offer any concha shielding. Deeper insertion typically helps getter a stronger seal improving isolation from external noise too, but in my case I couldn’t opt for that to prevent sibilance. Some sound does also leaks out from the vent.

Cable: Sadly just fixed, non-braided, 4-core oxygen-free copper, single-ended 3.5mm. I’m not overly demanding on this aspect, I know quite a few will consider the lack of replaceability a serious annoyance, especially once considering the great sound quality.


Specifications (declared)

Housing: Full stainless-steel
Driver(s): Φ10mm graphene-coated Dynamic Driver woofer + laminated ceramic Vertical Support Tweeter (VST)
Cable: Fixed, non-braided 1.2m 4-core oxygen-free copper, with single-ended 3.5mm angled termination
Sensitivity: 102 dB/mW
Impedance: 22 Ω
Frequency Range: 20-40000Hz
Package & accessories: 1 set of 4 pairs (S, M-, M+, L) Acoustune ET07 eartips, 1 pair of silicon earhooks and a snap-button leather strap
MSRP at this post time: JPY 6.499 ($61.55)

TL;DR
Best under $100, basshead excluded.

Package
IEM, AET07 tips, earhook, cable clip, pouch. (Hmm what else...)

Build
Full metal finish stainless steel? (Can't remember the exact material)

First thought/What to expect
First foray into Japanese IEM after budget chi-fis. Expecting some good things?

Bass
Quality bass with power. Punchy, rocky etc2, not so much in quantity.

Mids
Thought the treble is the cream of the crop. Guess again.
The mids is where the IEM really shines. No muddiness, clear and transparent mids.
Vocals just sounds really good, no-peakiness issue whatsoever.

Treble
Sparkly treble with energy, non-sibilant in the slightest. Plenty of details everywhere.

3d-ness
Near field soundstage with good instrument separation. Can locate sound source eg. top-left, bottom-right etc. Have a complete full surround.

Tonality/Timbre
No idea what this' but didn't notice anything weird or out of ordinary. Didn't notice any metallic/artificial sound either. Overall SQ is really well defined.

Itsy Bitsy Tips
CP145 does the job and mobile friendly too.

FR


Closing thought
Blown away. That's probably the word to describe it.
Worth the penny? You betcha. Every single one of them. Truly an ear-opener after hearing budget chi-fis. Can probably compete with higher price brackets ($100~$300) in some areas.

Verdict
5/5.

Disclaimer: I bought this directly from Intime (via contacting their mail: info@o2aid.com) at full price

Price: 56 usd (I paid 100 usd in total due to shipping and other fees and will judge this iem as if it costs 100 usd, since I believe most people will end up paying around the price I did)

Specifications:

Impedance: 22Ω

Earphone sensitivity: 102 dB/mW

Frequency range: 20-40000Hz

Interface: 3.5mm

Plug Type: L-shaped

Colors: Silver

Cable type: Built-in

Driver unit: Φ10mm DD＋VST


Accessories:

Silicone S/M/L Narrow bore tips

Silicon Ear hook “adapter”


Cable: Non-detachable cable and it is a pretty standard cable (non-braided). It has a working chin-slider but the divider and connector are made out of rubber like material. It’s not very thick nor very thin.




Build: Stainless steel build, including the nozzle. So, it is very well made, with high quality and has some weight to it. It is a smaller than average for a bullet style iem. The L/R markings are on the back but is a bit hard to see.

Fit: A bit hard for me to get a fit since it is a bit too small for me and especially since bullet style iems don’t fit me that well anyway. But once it is in and sealed, it is good enough for normal use, although definitely won’t stay in place if used during physical activity.

Comfort: Pretty comfortable since it is smaller than average and that means it won’t come into contact with my ears as much. So, heat generation is lower and can be used for longer sessions because of that.

Isolation: Below average due to the bullet fit and small size (also because it has a vent hole).

Setup: Ibasso DX160 (low gain, volume around 40), stock cable, Spinfits CP145 L sized

Lows: Very clean bass despite having pretty high quantity. A bit more sub-bass focused than mid-bass.

Mid-bass: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), tight, fast and textured so the quality is really good here but I would have liked a bit more quantity to make it more fun.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (02:55-03:01), the chopper sound is hearable but not very clear. (01:11-01:52), every single bass hit is pretty good at being distinct, due to the speed and tightness.

Sub-bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), Very good extension and doesn’t rumble that much but it is very high quality. The punch is very satisfying.

Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), good texture, very good tightness and speed along with a very satisfying punch.

Mids: Female vocals are a bit forward while male vocals are a bit behind. That contrast makes you perceive it as the male vocals being recessed. But the mids are very clean and detailed.

Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), very clean and beautiful, but it needs to be a bit brighter and thinner to be natural.

Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), vocals are very clean and beautiful but again it needs to be a bit brighter and thinner to be natural (lacks a bit energy as a result) (the piano also needs to be a bit brighter and thinner).

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), Not sharp at all so it passes my sibilance test with flying colors. (although it also needs to be a bit brighter and thinner to sound natural, I take this over it being sharp though).

Male-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17), clear and very natural sounding, although I would like it to be a bit more forward.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), warm and thick enough to sound natural while still being very clear.

Highs: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), really well done treble and nothing is sharp (including the electric guitars).

Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), energetic while not being sharp, although the male vocals are a bit recessed here.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59) the cello and violins are very textured and sounds natural because of that, although It needs a touch more brightness for it to have more energy.

Extension is pretty good and there is air present.

Soundstage: Average in width but above average in depth.

Tonality: Reverse L-shaped but isn’t warm nor bright, it is brighter on bright songs while warmer on warm songs so it sounds very accurate because of that. But because of the unique sound from the driver, it is bottlenecking the otherwise very natural sound.

Timbre is very good for something that uses a driver similar to piezo drivers. It also means it has a touch of uniqueness that other iems don’t have unless they also have piezo drivers.

Details: Above average, very impressive for something in this price range.

Instrument Separation: Above average (technicalities are really good in this iem).

Music: The Sora 2 suits Linkin park (Hybrid theory, Meteora and Minutes to midnight albums) a lot. The vocals are right where I want it to be (not too forward nor too recessed) and treble is energetic and detailed while avoiding sharpness.

Bass also sounds very natural although I do wish it had more since it is so high quality and makes it more fun. It even sounds much better than my current nr 1 (LZ A6) with Linkin park songs.

Most Hiroyuki Sawano songs also sounds very good and natural. Although the bass definitely needs to have more quantity to make it more fun (more urgent than in Linkin park songs).

Songs that highlight the IEM:

Good genres: Trance, OST, Rock/Metal (VERY good for Linkin Park), Epic Orchestral (“trailer” music, Two steps from hell kind of music), Jpop, Pop

Bad genres: Acoustic songs, it’s a very versatile iem but acoustic and vocal centric songs isn’t very suited for the Sora 2.



Comparisons:

LZ A6 (pink filter): Similar treble quantity, but the A6 has better extension, details and is much airier (a bit too airy), although the Sora 2 sounds a bit more natural here. Both have really well done treble because even with the high amount it has, it is not sharp at all.

Female vocals are a bit more forward on the Sora 2 and also more natural, but A6 has much more details here.
Male vocals are also a bit more forward on the sora 2 and also more natural, but the A6 is cleaner and more detailed here (sora 2 is a bit grainy in comparison).

Sub-bass extension is much better and rumbles a bit more on the A6. Tightness, speed and texture are much better too along with much higher quantity.

Mid-bass quantity, speed, tightness and texture are also better on the A6.

Soundstage vastly bigger in both depth and width on the A6, details and instrument separation are also much better. Timbre is better in the Sora 2 and sounds more natural, due to it not sounding as unique as the A6.

The A6 is better in terms of SQ and technicalities but if you want to have a more natural, more vocals and still have a bit of uniqueness in the sound then the Sora 2 is better.


BQEYZ Spring 2: Treble is a bit higher on the Sora 2 and has better extension with a bit more air while also sounding a bit more natural (also less peaky).

Female vocals are more forward, detailed, clearer and more natural on the spring 2. Male vocals are also a more forward, detailed, cleaner and a bit more natural on the spring 2.

Sub-bass extension is better on the Sora 2 while rumble is about the same. Speed is faster on the Sora 2 while tightness, texture and quantity are about equal. Mid-bass quantity is equal while speed is faster on the spring 2 and tightness and texture are better on the Sora 2.

Soundstage, details and instrument separation are better on the Spring 2 while timbre is a bit better on the Sora 2

Sora 2 is better for those that wants a more natural sound with more treble and better bass quality. Spring 2 is better for vocals and technicalities.


Shuoer Tape (oratory1990 EQ): Treble is more natural and has more quantity on the Sora 2 and is better extended with a bit more air.

Female vocals are more forward on the Tape but sounds more natural on the Sora 2. Male vocals are more forward on the Sora 2 and also sounds more natural.

Sub-bass extends and rumbles more on the Tape. More quantity, faster and more texture on the Tape while tightness is equal on both sub and mid-bass.

Details, instrument separation and soundstage are much better on the Tape. Timbre is better on the Sora 2.

The Tape has better technicalities and bass but the Sora 2 has better mids and treble while also sounding more natural (no need for EQ too).


Conclusion: In conclusion, the Sora 2 manages to have excellent technicalities and sounds quite natural while at the same time having some uniqueness to it. If a non-replaceable cable isn’t a deal breaker for you, then I highly recommend the Sora 2 even at the much higher price I paid for it.

EQ Setting for the Shuoer Tape: Preamp -3.9db, band 1 (peak): 900 Hz, Q:1.0, Gain: 2.8dB, band 2 (peak): 1350 Hz, Q:2.5, Gain: 1.8dB, band 3 (peak): 3300 Hz, Q:1.7, Gain: -5.6 dB, Band 4 (peak): 3950 Hz, Q:3.0, Gain:-2.7 dB, Band 5 (peak): 6000 Hz, Q:1.4, Gain: 5.0 dB