SWEEAR SR11--Hybrid 11 driver in-ear monitor

Sweear is one of the lesser known companies in the IEM market (at least in the USA and Europe they are not very common) and was therefore not necessarily one of the IEMs I have been looking at the most recently. Fortunately, a chance contact brought the SR11 to my attention and I was able to test this top of the line Sweear model. I can already say without a doubt that this is another undiscovered gem on the IEM market. Similar to my last tested IEMs of the brand AME Custom, which are also not so well known, the SR11 is another example of how to create a hybrid IEM consisting of DD, BA and EST drivers that does everything right tonally and plays technically at flagship level.

The SR11, priced at 2599 USD, uses 11 drivers, as the model name suggests. A custom-made 10mm DD driver is exclusively responsible for the low bass. 2 BA drivers are responsible for the mid-bass range. An unusual combination, but one that sounds exceptionally good in the end result. More on this later. 2 BA drivers are responsible for the mids, 2 BA drivers for the transition from the mids to the highs range and 4 EST drivers for the highs range and super highs range. All of this in conjunction with a 5-way crossover network. Sweear also uses a technology called Independent Pipeline Purify (IPP), which is designed to enhance the sound impression of a large music hall. For this purpose, 5 bores are brought together at the end of the nozzle. This makes the nozzle slightly thicker in diameter, similar to an EE Raven.

The housing is made of plastic and consists of two parts. The bottom is in glossy black and the top has a design in the form of a jade marble plate with the golden Sweear logo on it. The size of the IEM is smaller than expected considering that 11 drivers are installed here. All in all, a solid design with a great finish. Despite the thicker nozzle, it is very comfortable to wear due to its low weight and ergonomic shape. I find an Empire Ears Raven, which also has such a thicker nozzle, more uncomfortable in the ears.

The scope of delivery includes a range of different eartips, a warranty card and a connection cable that is absolutely right for the price and for a flagship. It reminds me of the AME Custom Old&Wise cable in terms of diameter and touch quality. It is very light and absolutely free of any microphony. It is an 8 core silver-plated copper cable. It can be operated via 2.5mm, 3.5mm or 4.4mm using three full metal plugs. The plugs are a real eye-catcher, very robust and have a carbon look.



My recently tested iBasso Flagship Stack consisting of DX320 MAX Ti + D16 + PB5 is used for the sound test. I test the SR11 directly on the MAX Ti as well as on the complete chain. With an impedance of 14 ohms and 112 dB/mW, the SR11 is very easy to drive and the lowest gain level is completely sufficient for all applications.



Tonally, we are dealing with a presentation that immediately reminds me of the APX SE. Yes, you read that right, probably the best IEM in the world at the moment! The coherent presentation from the bass to the treble and its dosage is very reminiscent of the flagship from PMG Audio. The SR11 sounds slightly warmer than the APX SE. The slight difference lies in the treble range. The SR11 is slightly lower in the super high frequency range than the APX SE. If I use the AZLA Crystals, I can clearly hear the decay of cymbals with the APX SE, whereas with the SR11 it sounds somewhat muffled. What surprised me, however, is how well the SR11 harmonizes with the SpinFits W1. This is the first IEM that is an absolute hit with these eartips! I thought these W1 eartips would stay in their packaging forever because I never found a use for them. With the W1, the difference in the high frequency range to the APX SE is significantly smaller. In terms of resolution, the EST drivers are almost on a par with the APX SE. The latter is still slightly ahead in terms of tuning. However, the part is also a masterpiece and the fact that the SR11 comes so close in this category is very good for this price.

However, it is the bass range that is the most outstanding feature of the SR11 for me. The bass lines come across very crisply and it offers a lot of punch in the low bass. You can simply hear that the DD driver only works in this area. The bass range is a lot of fun with modern genres such as metal and EDM. And the quality is not neglected here either. On the iBasso Full Stack it punches for all it's worth. Direct operation on the DX320 MAX Ti, on the other hand, is somewhat more neutral.

The connection between the bass and the mids is smooth and the bass never plays itself into the foreground or comes across as muffled. It is always fast and controlled and completely detached from the rest. The mids are very neutral and offer enough fullness. This is a tuning that is a little fuller here. The instruments still have enough room to breathe. In terms of instrument separation, it can't quite keep up with the specialists in this genre such as the Multiverse Mentor and APX SE. An AME Raven also separates more strongly, but this also sounds thinner overall than the SR11 and cannot keep up with its BA drivers in terms of slam in the bass range. You can't have everything at once! In direct mode and iBasso Full Stack, the SR11 brings a smile to everyone's face with its wonderful sound colors. Even if the iBasso Full Stack is a bit punchier, I like the slight restraint in direct mode on the DX320 MAX Ti even better. Because it has enough punch at all times!

The stage is not one of the biggest representatives, but rather in the mid-range. However, in my opinion, it doesn't always have to be expansive, but rather coherent. And it certainly is, even if it is only slightly wider than average. However, the depth gradation is very well done, conveying a holographic representation of the instruments and their proportions to each other. The technically very clean presentation also contributes to this, conveying the smallest nuances in the recordings with ease.

For me, after the Gaia and Raven models from AME Custom, the SR11 is another undiscovered gem which, in my opinion, is wrongly not on the radar of many IEM audiophiles. In view of the price and the technical refinements, this piece is a contender for the title “Endgame IEM”. You have to search for and find such a coherent presentation with technical finesse in this price range. You simply have to hear the SR11. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a balanced all-rounder and perhaps wants to put the IEM chapter to bed.

The design

The faceplate of SR11 is mainly colored in turquoise, and the clever fusion of dark green and azure brings infinite mystery, and is also embellished with glitter to make it more dynamic. Thanks to SWEEAR's continuous research on the unique aesthetics of its products, the SR11's refinement also meets public expectations, as it always does. The cavity is handmade of skin-friendly resin, without the slightest bubble or impurity, looks crystal clear, and the unique luster also makes the texture pull full. As an eleven-unit headphones, SR11 cavity size is just right, the overall weight is also lighter, there will be no sense of falling ear, wearing feeling is still quite good.


CABLE

SR11 comes with 8 cores of silver-plated cable, with 3.5, 2.5, 4.4 three interchangeable plugs, wire and headset connection using 0.78 double pin, and the pin with a groove design is also more stable.

Sound Design

Bass/Mids/Treble:
SR11 is also worthy of the flagship newcomer, sound into the ear on the sense of surprise, the overall quality of performance than other headphones in the same price range is not inferior in any way. The wide horizontal, excellent vertical layers, almost impeccable. The performance on the separation is also very good, even if the low-frequency ferocious, there is no offense to cover the location of the human voice. The soundstage extension is dense and thin, very far-reaching, but even with such a wide soundstage, the SR11's sound density is still sufficient to fill in the gaps in the sound. At the same time, the richness of detail brought about by the powerful resolution is also very stunning, and the sound of strings touching the piano is audible. The overall listening experience is excellent.

And in testing the quality of SR11, I first chose Min Huifen's "River Water", this track is full of dynamics, up to the clouds of high notes down to the faint details are included, with SR11 to dry listening, the details than the headphones used in the past to come more, especially the first section of pulling strings clearly visible, coupled with a sense of air is quite obvious, SR11 does not show other headphones in the very high frequency part The burr of other headphones, overtones of the details are also very warm, not tired of listening for a long time. Another song is the more dynamic <Tracy's Tune>, the guitar texture is exceptionally clear, the sound of string rubbing alive. The tambourine in the distance is well-defined, with a strong dive that brings a sense of sink and is also full of elasticity. The wide sound field makes the rendition of the track more infectious, and also shows this very South American style song to the fullest.

In the three frequency performance, the SR11 has been enhanced in the very high frequency part while maintaining the overall balance, and the ultra-wide frequency response of 5Hz-102kHz can also show more details of the sound. Overall, the SR11's high-frequency performance is delicate and full, without lacking flavor and power, and the contours of instrument shapes are cohesive in the ultra-high frequencies, making the presentation of instruments more realistic. The vocal and string instrument performance in the midrange is particularly good, with full vocal image shape, moderate instrument separation, and natural overall articulation and density; the low frequency also has a surprisingly expressive, large and loose volume, elasticity and rebound are very good; rich musical atmosphere, supplemented by good thickness, moderate reverb, and deep throat dive, excellent presence performance, which is a representative of quality and quantity.

In order to verify more possibilities of the SR11's musical expression, I also conducted some tests on other styles of tracks.

For female voices
I listened to Sweetheart Goddess Wang Xinling's "Rainbow Smile" and Faye Wong's "Rush Hour" and found that the SR11 was able to handle both sweet and lovely and ethereal and clean music styles very well, with a slight sense of veneer that made the sound very dynamic, with a very clear vocal base and an overall embodied sense of vocal moistness.

For the male voice
I chose Jay Chou's "Cowboy is Busy" and Eason Chan's "Red Rose", two songs with different tempos and different timbres. The SR11 was not afraid to show the performance and details of the song. Jay Zhou's lazy voice spread every note of the song without swallowing the sound due to the fast tempo, while Eason Chen's thick bass was magnetic, and the SR11 rendered it with a delicate texture.

In terms of instrumental music
Liu Mingyuan's "Five Shifts of the Moon", known as the "master of the Huqin", was chosen. The middle section has the lightness and tenderness of Liang Zhu, and the latter section picks up speed and bounce. The crispness and clarity of the banhu is very well interpreted, and the artistic quality of the babbling is also a bit more rhythmic; many instruments are played together, and in this atmosphere we can clearly feel the harshness and transparency of the instrument lines; the burst of images is quite full, and the sound is portrayed with a kind of sculptural beauty, and each instrument is clearly sounded in its designated position, presenting a bright and spontaneous atmosphere. The SR11 fully integrates the player's rich depth of feeling into the music.


THE END

Each of SWEEAR's headphones have a more distinctive style, each attempt to bring us a new experience, is progress and innovation; each iteration seeks to solve different pain points, each innovation, is a breakthrough in the product, but also the upgrade of the entire industry.

The same goes for the SR11 this time, as a representative of SWEEAR's current flagship plug, its extraordinary strength also shows us SWEEAR's determination, and I believe it has poured a lot of effort into the product, and it is enough to make you indulge in it.