Soranik MEMS-3

Today, we look at one of the first IEMs with full-ranged xMEMS driver on the market, the Soranik MEMS-3

Forewords​

• What I look for in an IEM is immersion. I want to feel the orchestra around my head, track individual instruments, and hear all of their textures and details. I’m not picky about tonality, as long as it does not make the orchestra, violin, cellos, and pianos sound wrong.
• I rate IEMs within with a consistent scale from 1 (Poor) to 3 (Good) to 5 (Outstanding). An overall ranking of 3/5 or above is considered positive.
• Ranking list and measurement database are on my IEM review blog.
• The terminology for subjective impressions in this review is based on the Audio Wheel for reproduced sound defined in the technical report ITU-R BS.2399-0
• This review is based on the Australian Head-Fi tour arranged by Soranik and @Damz87 (Thank you!). I have no affiliation with or financial interest in Soranik.
• The unit retails for US$1600 at the time this review was published. Unaffiliated link: Soranik Web Store

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General Information​

MEMS-3 is the second IEMs equipped with MEMS drivers from the Vietnamese boutique Soranik. It is available in both universal and custom moulded form factor (CIEM). Each side of this IEM contains one full-ranged xMEMS driver, one full-ranged dynamic driver, and one sub-woofer dynamic driver, all of which are housed within a 3D printed shell with open-back design. The star of the show is, of course, the full-ranged MEMS driver from the manufacturer xMEMS, which promises a significant leap in resolution and details due to the lightning-fast response of this new driver type. If you are curious about MEMS drivers in general, please have a look at my previous review article of HiBy Xeno where I went into more details and provided some references to follow up.





One critical point to notice is that MEMS-3 must be connected to an (included in the box) energizer unit boost the voltage of the signal enough for MEMS drivers to work. The energizer accepts an input analog signal via a 4.4mm jack, and output the amplified signal via another 4.4mm to the earpieces. You can use amplified signal from your dongle DAC or DAP as input to the energizer unit if you don’t have access to a 4.4mm lineout. In my tests, I found that MEMS-3 sounds better from the phone out than line out of my DAP.





Due to the high voltage involved in operating MEMS-3, you need to follow the safety procedure outlined by Soranik. In particular, you need to ensure that everything is properly powered on and plugged in and turn the volume to a low level before wearing the IEMs. Personally, I also ensure that the audio content starts properly before putting the IEMs near my ears to avoid any software mishaps. That said, there is still somewhat unease feeling when using MEMS-3, which I expect would pass with prolonged exposure.

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Non-sound Aspects​

Soranik was not very fancy with the packaging. However, they supply MEMS-3 with a generous accessory pack, including a metal puck case that actually fit the IEM and cable. The included cable has a rubbery coating that feels somewhat annoying at first, but I quickly grew to like the cable due to how soft and easy to handle it is.





MEMS-3 earpieces are very well built. I have never seen the pattern of the resin in any other IEMs, and the finishing of the earpieces is flawless. The only problem here is the length of the nozzle, which makes a deep and stable fit impossible. The best I can do is to use shorter ear tips like Eletech Baroque to reach a medium fit, and let the rest of the earpieces sitting away from the concha. This fit reminds me of some of older Jerry Harvey IEMs, and that’s not a good memory. That said, with Baroque tips, I can listen to this IEMs for hours without getting ear fatigue.

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Sonic Performance​

Timbre and tonality:

















MEMS-3 has a U-shaped sound signature that looks really nice on the graph, with tightly tucked bass shelf, flat by-the-book midrange, and well extended yet smooth treble. Yet, the actual listening experience where these parts fit together was less than ideal, at least with some parts of my library.


MEMS-3 does a great job with more energetic, “epic” orchestral recordings such as from video game soundtracks. Where it really struggles (or at least were I really struggle with this IEM) is vocal music and acoustic recordings. I found that these problems boil down to three issues:

• The bass shelf is tucked way too far, leading to a deficit in the lower midrange and mid-bass region. It means cellos sound hollow. It also means attacks of kick drums can sound somewhat dulled, despite significant subbass rumble.
• The region around 1kHz, rising to 3kHz, is too recessed. Not only it hollows out the vocals, it also creates a strong contrast against the (proper) ear gain peak around 3kHz, which further intensifies the harshness of some vocals.
• The amount of treble is a few dB too high versus the midrange. Noted that the treble of MEMS-3 itself is rather high quality with great details and no harsh peaks or dips. It’s just the total amount of treble can be rather overwhelming.

“You talk a lot, show me what you got!” you might say. I have created a PEQ to address these short-comings and I found MEMS-3 becomes much more enjoyable with this profile. Interestingly, the response after EQ seems to align, in principles, with the response of Soranik flagship model MEMS-3S.


(I will update this article with the PEQ profile after extracting it from my DAP)


Percussion, Bass, and perceived dynamic:





MEMS-3 has a sub-bass focus response with all the pros and cons of this bass tuning. When you listen to sub-bass content, you will be impressed by the power and control of the sub-woofer. And then you will find some tracks unusually hollow if they rely on mid-bass kicks instead of sub-bass rumbles. That said, the sub-woofer is highly capable and responds to EQ well. If you boost the mid-bass by a few dB, you can have the best of both worlds.


Resolution:





In one word: outstanding. Everything has a precise place on the soundstage, and nothing masks anything else. You can listen down to the most minute details that your DAC can pulls out. This characteristic also makes MEMS-3 an interesting IEM to test and compare different DAC and amplifiers.


Stereo imaging and soundstage:








Imaging and staging are other areas where MEMS-3 impresses. Surprisingly, the open-back design does not sound that “open” to me. Despite this “limitation”, MEMS-3 still convey a great sense of space and capable of casting background, distant elements in the mix into the distant around me. Live recordings with real audiences are a treat with this IEM.

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Conclusions​

What I like about this IEM:

• Outstanding resolution, details, and imaging precision
• Great dynamic (with the right track)
• Great subbass rumble and texture

What could be improved:

• Tonality needs further refinement
• The need for a separate energizer unit

Updated: March 2, 2025

I was able to test out the Mems 3 as part of the Australian tour, thanks to @Damz87 as always for these amazing opportunities. We had the enhanced energiser option and I had the revised version of the IEM that had tried to address coherence issues.

Build/Aesthetics

The Mems three seem solidly enough built, but I demo'd the revised version after the left side of our original tour unit died, so make of that what you will. They come with a very nice cable, flexible and easy to work with. They were comfortable for long sessions.

They require use of an energiser to power the microspeaker drivers. The energiser was fiddly and not well built. It rattled and required usb-a to c to charge. I think if you owned these you'd get set up to charge the energiser and so it would probably be fine.

SOUND

The first thing to say here is the resolution and detail these produce is stunning, true flagship level. It was the kind of resolution that makes you want to go back to all your favourites to see what they can dig out of them you may have missed before. Soundstage is wide and deep with excellent imaging. They are open back IEMs, but not super open like open back full size cans but it does help them sound more open, airy and spacious than most IEMs.

The tonality is pretty neutral, light and airy. I didn't have a problem with the bass like some others have but I'm okay with a bit more subdued bass like this. But if you like a visceral thump, you may find these too lean. The bass is nicely detailed and well balanced. The mids were neutral, spacious and beautifully detailed. The treble extends for ever and is open and airy.

I did find them a bit splashy with poorer recordings and found myself knocking the treble down on the mojo2. But I didn't have the same issues with coherence that others have reported. I believe they addressed that on the revision and most of those reports came from folks who heard the first version. But some have reported it with the revision so YMMV.

CONCLUSION

These are a unique and impressive IEM. I think they would suit someone with a decent collection looking for something a bit different. They represent pretty good value with detial and resolution that competes with IEMs twice their price. But if you're like me and only ever have one or two IEMs, then you might be better with something more versitile. But definitely with a listen if you get the opportunity.

I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks with the Soranik MEMS-3, many thanks to Soranik and @Damz87 for providing the tour!

I didn't really know what to expect going into this one, and had in fact almost forgot about this tour, so I really had no expectations one way or another about MEMS-3. That was probably a good thing, as on first listen I was floored with the technical capability I heard, and quickly had to check the price of this IEM. I was pleasantly surprised to learn the universal version can be had for $1600, and the CIEM for $2200 from Soranik's web site.



The MEMS-3 is a hybrid IEM implementing 2x dynamic drivers, one full range and another dedicated sub-woofer, and the eponymous xMEMS full range driver. Despite just using 3 drivers, the acrylic shells are very large, with thicker and longer nozzles. I'd recommend a demo of these before making a commitment, as they may not be a good fit for all ears.


The Noble Spartacus is quite a lot smaller than MEMS-3.

I rolled through the stock tips (which I didn't like) and a few others, and settled on Azla Sedna EarFit Origin tips. I found the MEMS-3 to be a little finicky to get in just the right spot to sound their best, but once I got them seated properly I had no issues. Then again, I never left my desk with these as I had to remain tethered to the Energiser, so they stayed put pretty well.

Yes, the Energiser, which is necessary to provide the correct constant voltage to the MEMS drivers. The version included with this demo from Soranik is the AP-1, which has a 4.4mm input that connects to the 4.4mm headphone out from your DAP or amp, and a 4.4mm output that you connect the provided IEM cable; which you have to do first before turning on the energiser, pressing play on your source, and THEN putting the IEMs in your ears. I'm not sure what happens if you don't follow this exact procedure, however there are warnings in the included booklet that you may risk damage to the IEMs if you don't, and maybe your ears as well. The energiser is battery operated, with a couple of LEDs on the front to indicate battery charge level and charging state, and a USB-C on the back to charge it. This makes settling in to use MEMS-3 a bit more of a ritual experience, but I think once you get used to the setup, it's ok. The AP-1 unit included with the tour kit had something inside it that rattled around a little when I picked it up, not sure if that's normal or not. But then again, this is not an on-the-go listen anyway, so it's probably ok.



Once you've completed all of the preparation, you are ready to enjoy your music, which I mostly did pretty much every time I heard MEMS-3. MEMS-3 gives you a "best-of-both worlds" combination of outstanding technical performance, coupled with a lively, in-your-face, sit-up-and listen kind of tuning. Sub-bass from the dedicated sub-woofer digs extremely deep and I suppose it's the xMEMS driver layered over top of it that delivers exceptional detail down low. Mid-bass is more of the "correct" type, with just enough warmth to be engaging but with not so much as to bleed into the upper frequencies. Upper mids are very forward and perhaps at times a bit aggressive, but tame enough with better-quality recordings. Treble extends upwards very nicely, and while perhaps not quite the same quality as something like Elysian Annihilator, is still excellent considering the price-bracket.

Technically, the MEMS-3 delivers excellent micro-detail all up and down the FR. I can easily pick out nuances that by now I've heard many times with other gear, but it's a credit to MEMS-3 that it does so well considering it's pricing. Stage is well extended in all directions, and you get quite a large sense of space with very accurate instrument placement. This does come at a bit of a cost however...as the main gripe I have with the MEMS-3 is the very different speed & timbre that you can hear distinctly from the DD vs MEMS drivers. It's not obvious on all tracks, but after you notice it once, it's hard to ignore thereafter.

On a slower electronic track like Thom Yorke's "Not The News", this coherence problem is not as noticeable. The light electronic pings and effects float nicely in space above the deep rumbly synths, and you get quite an ethereal presentation that works well for this haunting track.


Likewise, the slow pace of Waxahatchee's "Right Back To It" works very well with MEMS-3, the lighter guitars and percussion have plenty of space to breathe and reveal detail over top of the vocals and the bass guitar down low.


However anything much faster or complex than that starts to get messy. MEMS-3 takes Pear Jam's "Dark Matter" and splits out the high-hats and cymbals from Eddie Vedder's vocals, and from the bass drums and guitars down low.


Unfortunately it sounds like I'm listening to 3 different songs layered on top of each other. The all-BA 64 Audio A12t ($1999), or the BA+BCD Noble Spartacus($1799) for example pull everything together into a cohesive whole that sounds much more natural.

So I guess I have mixed feelings about MEMS-3. It's interesting as a concept for showcasing this new MEMS driver tech, and works well for some types of music. But it's a little hard to recommend whole-heartedly, considering the compromises involving the Energiser and at times disjoint sound presentation.