Signature Acoustics O16 Live

Preamble:

Before Faheem contacted me on Head-Fi and introduced me to the company and asked if I was interested in checking out their recent and upcoming products, I never heard of the Indian audio company “Signature Acoustics”.

In 2011, a group of enthusiasts and reviewers of the Indian hi-fi distributor Pristine Note decided to found their own headphone company, Signature Acoustics (http://www.signatureacoustics.com/). They sell their in-ears in India, but also world-wide.
Faheem then kindly arranged the shipment of their three models, the current C-12, O-16 and the upcoming Be-09 for my honest evaluation. I have then merged the three reviews into one for a better overview.


Technical Specifications:

C-12 Wooden:

O-16 Metal:
MSRP: ~$55
Type: Open back
Driver: 8 mm (CCAW)
Impedance: 17 Ohms @ 1 kHz
Frequency: 12 to 22 kHz         
Sensitivity: 102 dB
Total length: 1.2 m (split length 28 cm)
Channel Balance: < 2.5% dB @ 1 kHz
Connector: 3.5mm Gold Plated Stereo Pin

 
Be-09:



Delivery Content:

C-12 Wooden:


O-16 Metal:
See Be-09 (the test sample arrived only in a clear plastic bag with the medium silicone tips).

Be-09:
 

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Looks, Feels, Build Quality:

C-12 Wooden:

O-16 Metal:
Just as the name says, the in-ear bodies are made of metal and have got a good build quality. The faceplate features a silver metal mesh which is surrounded by an orange metal ring which contains the Signature Acoustics lettering as well as the side markers.
The cable is the same as the one that is used for the C-12, though the coating seems to be a bit thinner, hence the cable is more flexible.

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Be-09:
 

Comfort, Isolation:

All three in-ears have got the same good wearing comfort but strong microphonics as well when they are worn with the cables straight down. However, microphonics can be reduced by a strong amount by guiding the cables over the ears, which works very well as the in-ears are fairly small. This drastically reduces microphonics, but they could be even completely eliminated if there was a chin-slider.

C-12 Wooden:


O-16 Metal:
As the O-16’s back side is completely open and only covered by a silver metal mesh, isolation is only barely present as a consequence of it.

Be-09:



Sound:

The in-ears were burnt in (just in case) before I started listening and testing. Source devices were mainly the LH Labs Geek Out IEM 100 on the computer as well as the iBasso DX80 and Shanling M2.

Tonality:

C-12 Wooden:


O-16 Metal:
I’d consider the sound as being warm and bass-oriented.
Bass alongside with the ground-tone is emphasised by about 10 dB compared to a flat IEM and gives the O-16 a warm and smooth character. The emphasis goes evenly from the sub- over the mid- and upper bass and starts evenly rolling off from the upper lower ground-tone on, into the upper ground-tone, where it still bleeds in a bit.
Mids are present and more on the warmer side; voices however sound quite good, without too much warmth, although a certain amount of warmness and sweetness can’t be denied.
Presence area is recessed and guarantees for strenuousness-free listening. There is a small peak at 5.6 kHz in my ears, else the treble is soft and in the background.

Be-09:


Resolution:

C-12 Wooden:


O-16 Metal:
Here, the resolution is on a really good level. Mids as well as treble are high resolving, with a good amount of details and precisely differentiated instruments, although voices are minimally veiled.
Bass is (comparatively) fast, although rather on the soft side. Fast double- and triple-bass punches are still recognisable as such, although I wouldn’t mind more aridness.

Be-09:


Soundstage:

C-12 Wooden:


O-16 Metal:
The soundstage extends very wide and deep and is very spacious. Its dimensions remind me of soundstage monsters like the Brainwavz R1, Sennheiser IE 80 or KZ ZN1.
Instrument separation could be a bit better and so there is not too much space between single instruments, but that is really nothing to blame the IEMs for at this price.

Be-09:



Conclusion:
 


The O-16 is definitely the strongest IEM out of the Signature Acoustics line-up. The sound is warm and bassy, but quite controlled and resolution is quite high as well, although the lows could be more arid. The in-ears only barely isolate ambient noise which could be a problem for some.
The soundstage these in-ears generate is very spacious and outstanding.
The build quality is quite excellent. The accessories (carrying care) are good.
Overall, I give the O-16 77.5% or rounded 4 out of 5 stars.
 

First off, I want to thank Faheem and Singnature Acoustics for this O-16 Live unit and apologize for the humongous delay (it’s been very long) of this review.
 
Packaging and Accessories
 

 
The package is relatively simplistic. On the front here are two plastic windows showcasing the SA leather case and the O-16’s housings.
On the back of the box there is a short description of the Elements series.
 

 
Inside the box reside the O-16 and the genuine leather case. There are also the included shirt, some extra filters and the included tips. There are 3 different types of single flange tips.
 


 
Also inside is a pamphlet/warranty card
 

 
Build Quality, Design and Fit
 

 
The O-16 has metal housings, which feel solid and durable. The cable looks and feels sturdy but is on the stiff side and is memory-prone, although I have to admit that it feels a touch softer and less prone to kinks than the cable of Signature Acoustics’ C12 even though supposedly they are the same.
 


 
Design-wise the O-16 seems fairly standard until you look at the back of the housings and see the metal mesh. The O-16 is an actual open-back design unlike some iems, which only appear to be such but the meshes on the back are purely cosmetic.
 

 
The fit is good but that’s also the first time one comes face to face with the open-back design drawbacks of O-16. As there is pretty much no isolation that makes it hard to determine if you’ve achieved a good fit or not as surprisingly despite the open back tips should still make a good seal at the nozzle which is a hard thing to do and can take some fiddling and trial and error.
 The O-16 is meant to be worn straight down but could be used in an over-the-ear just as easy due to the short strain reliefs. There is no driver flex, which is no surprise given the low isolation. The same goes for microphonics – nonexistent due to the open-back design.
 
Sound
 
The O-16 Live has over 100 hours of burn-in at the time of writing this review. O-16 is the second iem from Signature Acoustics' Elements Series and apparently is supposed to represent "air".
 
The bass is not too pronounced and is relatively tight but lacking a bit in depth and impact most likely due to the low isolation. It’s still decent but a touch on the soft side and slightly lacking in thickness and body. On the positive side, it doesn't bleed into the mids and has good speed.
 
The mids are fairly neutral and balanced with the rest of the spectrum. The note presentation is a touch thin. The overall tonality is slightly on the warm side. Vocals have good presence but there is a hint of dryness in them. Clarity is pretty good due to the thinner note presentation and good separation. The mids are natural with some sweetness to them but O-16 seems to struggle a bit with the layering. Overall there is just certain naturalness to the sound and its timbre. I also experimented with blocking the vent and that natural sound is lost and vocals start sounding nasal.
 
The highs are well extended. O-16 is not prone to pointing out sibilance but can sound a bit shouty at higher volume. There is a good amount of shimmer and sparkle. Overall the treble has good presence without imposing but is slightly smoothed over.
 
O-16 sounds airy. It has good center imaging and overall positioning. Width and depth are pretty good but even though O-16 has pretty good imagining it’s not really throwing sound cues as far as other iems despite its open-back design. But still while the overall soundstage might not be the biggest, O-16 is fairly open and with good separation.
 
Summary
 
The O-16 Live is only the second iem from the Indian company Signature Acoustics but it’s showcasing their improvement since their first product the C12 and that they know their stuff.
 
On the other hand, there is the huge drawback in the design, which cannot be just brushed aside – the open back. Signature Acoustics acknowledges and accepts that it creates limitations in the use and also in the number of potential buyers. As can be seen even on the pamphlet included with O-16 they admit that the isolation suffers and that they think O-16 should be used in quiet listening environments, which kinda defeats the general purpose of iems. But some people like to be more aware of their surroundings and if they can get past the fact that there will be also sound leaking to the outside and people might judge their musical preferences, then the O-16 might be exactly what they are after.
 
In the end O-16 Live is a solid performer overall, especially for its price, which at the moment is around $30. It has its pros and cons and it’s up to the potential customers to weigh them in and decide. I for one had a smile on my face when I first heard it and I think it’s quite competent and enjoyable. 

It might be a bit odd to name an IEM the O-16, as in ‘oxygen’. But given their first IEM is the carbon (C-12), I guess the India based Signature Acoustics does meant to create a real ‘Element’ series based on the periodic table. As their second product, the O-16 continues to target the budget IEM market and one can be found for just US$30 or so.
 

 

 
Spec
Driver: 8 mm (CCAW) Open Back Dynamic
Impedance: 17 Ohms @ 1Khz
Frequency Response: 12 to 22 Khz
Sensitivity: 102 dB
Total length: 1.2 m
Channel Balance: Less than 2.5% dB @ 1 Khz
Connector: 3.5mm Gold Plated Stereo
 

 
Packaging, Accessories and Build Quality
The new IEM comes in the case paper box as its elder sibling, so there really isn’t much to say about. Accessories wise, it is the same story – there are three pair of eartips, shirt clip, two pair of replacement filters and the really good looking leather case. Build quality is decent as well, nothing to complain about. The two tone color scheme is quite shape, in a good way no less. The only thing to mention is the cable - while good quality, it is a bit on the stiff side with minor memory effect. Same as the one found on C-12.
 
Last but not least: since this is an open back IEM, isolation is, as expected, not great. So it is not going to be a good choice on noisy places, but more for in-da-house kind of situation.
 

 
Sound Quality
The sound signature of O-16 is warm and sweet with a slight emphasis on the midrange. Good extension on both ends, but does get a bit rounded off. Bass has good quality and decent quantity, polite in a way but not shy by any mean, though not stand out on their own either. Same can be said to the treble – clean, clear, polite and not exactly bright or exciting. There are some sparkle and micro-detail, but often they don’t stand out enough. Mid is just slightly sweet, well textured with a good thickness to accentuate the vocal. It is further helped by a good soundstage that is aided by the open back design to give it a musical and fluid presentation.
 
All and all, the O-16 has a well-rounded sound – mature, polite, not boring by any mean but also lacks just a touch of excitement that could have excelled it to the next level. It could very well being said to be a gentleman’s IEM – a rather safe choice, so to speak. It has the same easy-goingness of its elder sibling, the C-12, but a little conservative in tuning. If C-12 is that one you want to listen outdoor, then O-16 is definitely the one that you want to listen indoor, in a nice quiet place with some smooth music. The safer tuning does however make O-16 more adaptive than C-12 when it comes to different genres of music.
 

Sum-up
Overall, O-16 maintains about the same level of performance of C-12, but tuned in quite a different way with their own pros and cons. The openness of its presentation does in fact gives O-16 kind of a ‘live’ feeling, though it is more of a small venue with Jazz music rather than a big stadium with Rock music. For the price of US$30 however, it won’t be fair to ask for perfection anyway. All being said, the O-16 is still well ahead of most of its competition in the same price bucket. Once again, Signature Acoustics might be a new comer in the IEM world, they certain know their game.
 
A thanks to Signature Acoustics for the sample