Unique Melody Mason FS Red Halo FE

Today I'll be looking at one of my most wanted and eluded IEMs, the Unique Melody Red Halo FE. With the help of Andrew and Musicteck/UM I was finally able to get my hands on a pair. You can find the rest of the Unique Melody products available on Musicteck at https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/um-unique-melody.

On this review I'm going to jump right into things, as this wasn't a purchased I fully intended to make but saw an opportunity and jumped at it.



The packaging is pretty "standard Unique Melody" here, if you've ever unboxed the Multiverse Mentor, Indigo, etc. you've seen and experienced this. That's not to say it's a poor experience, it's more of a mental thing that an IEM nearly 1/3rd the price of these has the same unboxing experience, but UM found something that worked and has stuck with it and it's hard to fault them on it as it is a nice experience.

The package comes in a nice silver outer box which contains the typical UM magnetic clasp top with bottom drawer design. Contained in the top portion is your Dignis leather case with your cable, cable clasp and the Red Halo FE. The bottom drawer contains your accessories to include extra filters for the twist off nozzle, UM stock silicone tips, other sizes of Azla elastecs, a(nother) cable clip, microfiber cloth and your ownership/serial# card.

If I were to deduct any points it would be here. The Red Halo FE share the same build quality and aesthetics with my other favorite UM IEM, the Mest Indigo and sadly it is also subject to the same faults and flaws. The IEM is beautiful, fits fantastically for me with a near "custom" fit easily fitting flush against my ear without any discomfort or becoming displaced over time. Now for the part where they suffer from the same potential problems as the Indigo, the metal band surrounding the face plate can feel a little flimsy or frail. Other than that, fantastic fit and quality, shells feel durable and well made while still being light and comfortable.

Cable: The stock PWA Bright Fire (Atilla Shielding) is a cable that is touted as a high end cable, and it definitely has a great sound when paired with the Red Halo FE but it has that distinct PWA very mild bloom to it (luckily it is barely present on the Red Halo due to how technically adept it is, but it's there if you listen hard enough). As for aesthetics, it's gorgeous and matches the IEM perfectly, aside from the orange, a weird choice, I'd personally have went with a gold or rose goldish color to match the metal frame around the IEMs faceplate. In terms of ergonomics, considering the shielding and absolutely abhorrent paracord, it's pleasantly "not that bad". However, as all pwa paracord cables, it twists and turns and stays that way, it can be highly frustrating when moving your source around to suddenly realize your cable is now in 20 different directions and coils. I didn't get much of a chance to cable roll the Red Halo as out of my cables available, I did find this the best pairing, so at least it has that going for it.
All testing for the Red Halo FE and comparisons were done using the iBasso DX320 max, low gain, volume matched (to the best of my ability) with ultimate mode on and fast roll-off filter. The Red Halo FE was paired with it's stock PWA Bright Fire (Atilla Shielded) cable and Divinus Velvet ear tips. Keep note that the DX320 max is a bass leaning source, so that could skew impressions vs other users on the bass, even when paired with other sources such as the SP3K and N7 I did not feel the bass to be lacking or otherwise poor quality.
Soundstage/Imaging/Resolution: I found the soundstage of the Red Halo FE to be rather large and spherical but on the smaller side compared to other IEMs, but when changing sources I did notice that it had a drastically larger (similar to others such as the Indigo and Nostalgia Audio Tesseract but still smaller). The Red Halos mid focus is the driver behind this smaller stage as in order to get the flow and quality via boosting the upper mids, it causes the stage to shrink relatively. Compared to the Noble Audio Ragnar, the stage is much smaller and not near the holographic nature of the Ragnar. The imaging and resolution are a touch above even the Indigo, thanks to the new BCD, all sounds are well placed even in the elusive top left/right and bottom left/right which many IEMs leave empty. Cymbals and others sound extremely well placed, just in front of the drums but a touch behind vocals. This set is easily the most coherent and adept in the imaging department. The superb imaging lends itself to the resolution as all instruments are easily separated and clear against a black background.

Timbre: This is one of the areas the Red Halo excels at. All instruments from sub bass to treble sound incredibly natural and coherent (a huge plus from an all BA implementation). Piano keys and violins are standouts as often IEMs can make these sound unnatural or plain wrong when not well implemented. This is a set I'd easily recommend to anyone who loves classical and similar genres but it also does well with rock and symphonic metal.

Dynamics/Transients: As expected of an all BA set with a BCD to boot, the speed of these drives is absolutely top notch, they are able to keep pace with even the most complex music passages and never miss a beat. The BCD enhances the tactility of both, despite being quick, there's still that rumble and punch to the sound similar to a DD. While the dynamics of this set are great, they do fall short of a tribrid implementation or especially a quadbrid like the Indigo.



I'll be clear from the start of this, I am FAR from a bass head, I enjoy lean, very high quality, quick bass that has no bloat, bleed or overlap into any other frequency, even sub to mid bass is a no go for me. For this reason, my favorite IEM is still the Viking Ragnar with both the Indigo and Red Halo FE right up there with it. The red halo actually shares a lot in common in the bass area with the Indigo. It is quick, controlled, concise and incredibly clean and accurate sounding, that's why despite this being a mid/vocal leaning set, it even works well with rock and metal tracks due to how well it articulates the bass. I attribute a lot of this quality to the BCD as if you really let get a good fit where these sit flat against your ear you can feel the tactile response of the bcd. There is little reverb but plenty of depth, rumble and punch to the overall presentation. While the Indigo is decidedly DD bass, it is one of the fastest transient DD bass I've ever experienced (even against the Ragnar) and that's where these two sets can sound very similar in their bass presentation, with the only two real "wins" for the indigo going to timbre and air movement, which a DD simply can't be beat at. No fault of the RH, as it truly is an outstanding bass presentation given an all BA build.

To keep a more "apples to apples" comparison, my only other BA bass set I've had a long enough period of time with to truly compare is the Nostalgia Audio Tesseract. Both are distinctly BA, very quick and accurate sound but the Tesseract is slower than the RH. The Tesseract is also much more heavily textured (for those familiar with the Ronin, less than Ronin but more than Mentor, in my brief experience with both of those IEMs). In terms of rumble and punch, due to the BCD the RH is the clear winner. The Red Halo also has much less mid bass emphasis where the Tesseract has more, leading to a much warmer tonality than the Red Halo. As a fan of more technical, brighter IEMs, the Red Halo is much preferred to the Tesseract, despite my love for that IEM as well.

Red Halos speciality, bread and butter, star of the show (I could go on but it'd be redundant). The mids aren't overly forward like the EE Odin or other "shouty" iems but they are slightly elevated. Normally with this elevation comes a slight loss in detail and staging but with these the only perceivable loss is in the soundstage width (this is standard, any IEM with a mid focus is going to lose soundstage as a result). However there are loads of details here and female vocals are definitely a stand out for the Red Halo. The main feature is the cohesive flow of the mids throughout. There is air but at the same time the vocal presentation will feel like there are no gaps or fillers, just a natural cohesion to everything that flows like butter without being smooth or losing detail. The tonality of the mids is similar to the Indigo but the Indigo has much more air between and lacks that distinct flow. These stand out with female acoustic performances, such as The Pretty Reckless' 25 (Acoustic), this song is an excellent example of what these IEMs are capable of.

When compared to the Tesseract, the warmth of the Tesseract really begins to show through the vocal presentation. There is more air due to the ESTs and overall configuration but detail and tonality is in favor of the Red Halo. The mids are cleaner and have a much more natural tonality than the Tesseract does, while the Tesseract is easily one of the best BA/EST combinations I've heard it simply doesn't compete with the Red Halo. These truly are the best mids oriented set I've heard to date.

Anyone that has read my reviews or any of my posts, know this is where I'd likely kill any IEM out of my collection quickly if it didn't perform well. Luckily the Red Halo performs superbly, with a minor note that some people may not like. The treble is extremely well extended, bright and sparkly BUT it can be a little splashy at times with cymbals, not overly so that it does not sound realistic to the type of cymbal being used. Overall the presentation is excellent but I'm fully aware that not everyone's hearing or ears are as receptive to treble or aforementioned splashiness as my own is. The treble always remained in the perfect position within the soundstage and was extraordinarily imaged and untainted by any bleed from the upper mids (like odin). It is as clear and incisive as the rest of the FR without ever being fatiguing (for me, as I said, high tolerance). It is bright for a BA set, those who own the mentor may see some similarities here but, off memory, I found the presentation of the RH to be a step above the MM.
As for comparisons to the Indigo, hilariously enough, it's again VERY similar despite the driver differences. There is a noticeable difference in air, with the advantage clearly going to the Indigos ESTs and a slightly better tonality but they are not far off. The Tesseract is the airiest IEM i've ever heard, even pushing past the Ragnar in many ways but it lacks the extension that the Red Halo has, but the RH is slightly clearer, which I'll again attribute to the BCD enhanced imaging and resolution.
The Red Halo is one of those specialty sets which also manages to perform excellently outside of it's main focus, leading it to be an excellent contender for a one and done IEM that most aren't able to achieve. As I mentioned throughout, there are many similarities to the UM Mest Indigo, and for someone who wants a little less mid focus, DD Bass and EST treble but a similar tone as a top end set such as this, the Indigo is a great option. The biggest loss is that distinct and beautiful flow of the mid range and vocals which, to date, is completely uncontested. I simply adore this set and it is now tied for my favorite IEM with the Ragnar (Treble), Indigo (All-rounder/bass) and now the Red Halo (Mids!). These 3 together are a true trifecta (pun intended, for those that know) of end-game.

Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed! As always, for your Unique Melody fix of IEMs, you can visit Musicteck at https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/um-unique-melody.

Disclaimer: These were bought new by myself with my own money. A modest discount was given by Musicteck in return for an unbiased review. I am into audio for my own personal enjoyment & i do not try to force my opinion onto others. I'll very rarely give my opinion unless directly asked for it as i do not want to be responsible for other's purchases. This is my 1st review and all opinions are my own.

Into:

Thought i'd start with a little bit about myself. I always find it useful to understand how a persons opinion of gear is formed, whether that be professional reviewer, collector or modest enthusiast....

I've been into audio for as long as i can remember. I grew up listening mostly to rock music thanks to my parents. Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Led Zepp, Beatles etc, all featured heavily in the folks vinyl collection. I was born in the 70's which meant i also had to endure the 80's every time i jumped in the old mans car, Yes, Car's, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, all the big names of the time got us from A to B. Classical, Orchestra, Jazz, none of these were featured and this has most likely resulted in them being omitted from my library despite being the ripe old age of 43 now.

I got into "hi-fi" in my early teens after being donated and Audiolab 8000A integrated with a pair of small bookshelf Tannoy speakers from the old man. Wasn't long before this was upgraded to MA silver 3's and the 8000A had split into two mono's and a pre. This was the beginning of my own slippery slope down the rabbit hole of audio gear.

I also played Bass guitar for some number of years before work (ex forces) and family took over. This might give me more appreciation for bass done well.

Why am i telling you this? It sets the scene and what's all important for reviewing gear and is missed out most of the time....Preference! Over time i went through a considerable amount of gear in my main rig and found what i like best - fidelity. This on it's own comes at cost though and it's like walking the finest of tight ropes. To me, fidelity is being able to hear every last drop of detail in the recording and have it presented in a natural way without coming across as clinical or harsh. It's a preference that can easily tip the scales in the wrong direction and spoil enjoyment of the music. I'm not a bass head, mid head, treble head etc. I love technical ability to retrieve detail, imaging, separation, stage, layering but like a balanced tonality. This is probably even more important to particularly to myself as i'm a one item type of guy. I don't collect IEM's / DAP's etc and i prefer one that does it all well...

This leads me nicely onto budget. Red Halo is summit fi in sound but also price. Head-Fi covers gear at all price levels but it does seem to...steer you...up the ladder. This is not something i'm unfamiliar with having been a member of one of the UK's main hifi forums for years, but it is something i feel like i need to elaborate on from my own perspective.

I don't have a massive disposable income as audio is not the only hobby (or cost) in my life. I do put importance on audio gear though as it's near enough a daily hobby for me but i'm not obsessed with it enough to have multiple setups for different genre / mood etc. I've learned over time that the cure my natural human greed for excellence is to jump right in at the top then i'll never be wanting. I'm not an audio snob, i've had gear at all price points but i usually get maximum smiles from the top of the shelf. It's maybe only a few % more (to try and quantify it) at times but for me that's what makes the excellent change to exceptional and the wow factor enters the room.

Before i get on topic, i'd like to give Andrew @MusicTeck a mention. Customer service is one thing i value maybe more than price. It's probably a bit of an old fashioned mentality these days but for me it plays a big part of any hobby i have. This isn't the first and won't be the last product i buy from him. The communication, courtesy, helpfulness have all been superb, not to mention the speed of shipping to the other side of the pond. I was aware of Musicteck for quite some time as it often gets mentioned on here but was always a little hesitant due to locational differences. I'm glad i took the jump not too recently as it's been an enjoyable ride right from the get go!

Let's begin...

Why Red halo? I took a break from personal audio for maybe a year and missed it immensely. I had to start from scratch and DAP i had already decided on, M9. Unfortunately it still wasn't available, along came MAX 300 and that was source sorted. I spent many (MANY!) hours reading IEM reviews, videos, threads to find my ideal IEM. It's not an easy task as you need to try and figure out how all of the opinions are given. The bird and Mason FS were both hot potatoes at the time but came with a heavy price tag. Mason really appealed to me as i'm not a fan of superwide soundstage and Mason seemed to be popular for music i like. I was soo close to hitting the buy button on FS but chickened out at the last minute due to price. Instead, i bought Indigo. There's a YT 'personality' that i like going to for review as his library isn't too dissimilar to my own, he's not on this forum any more and rubs people up the wrong way i think but i don't watch his reviews to like the guy, only to hear his opinion. He led me to VX which i really liked and Indigo was the same. I'd been loosely following MEST since day one but never got a pair and decided this would be my entry point.

Indigo arrived and i was quite blown away by what they do with BCD. It added more tactile realism to the music, from 2D to 3D, more immersion. DD i was already familiar with from having Ra but EST was new. EST on Indigo i thought was pretty good although i do prefer a fuller treble. Anyway, i put lots of hours on these with MAX, they played everything well and i was a happy camper. i jumped onto Head-Fi one day to see UM had announced both Red's. Price again was steep but man, those FE looked amazing. A Red version of indigo, what's not to like. Having Mason still in the back of my head, reading that these were a more 'do it all' tuning and having a unique improved version of BCD, these really got my attention. The limited run of 20 units didn't mean anything to me, i don't collect, i'm not interested in exclusivity and if they made 10,000 units, it wouldn't have changed my thoughts either way. I'd already tied myself up with 3 DAP's (MAX, M9, N8ii) which wasn't sitting well with me (i only want one!) so gave them a miss. Few weeks later Andrew asked if i would take them with a modest discount in exchange for a review. I'm not a review type of guy but thought why not, you only live once. So, here they are.....

Spec:

I'm not going to regurgitate so specs can be found here at Unique Melody.

In a nutshell, they're an all BA IEM with BCD. What differs from Mason is the tuning, not sure if the drivers differ, and the BCD. The BCD on these is unique to the FE and the non FE. These were requested by UM specifically for the Red editions and from the UM rep, they won't be made again in this format.

They also come with a 2 pin PW Audio cable which is an Attila Shielded. This one is made specifically for the Red FE by Peter and is in essence a regular shielded Attila with rather nice red sleeving and hardware. You had the option to specific which type of plug you required and i opted for 4.4mm balanced as this is what i use exclusively now.

Build, Ergonomics & Accessories:

Build quality is top tier.

Shell and faceplates are seamless and are joined by a lovely metallic trim as does Indigo. The trim has a slightly golden hue to it depending on the light. The finish on the shells and faceplate is superb, the lacquer is smooth as silk and there are zero imperfections.

The faceplates are made from Pinewood which are rich and vibrant in colour with a lovely mix of red and blue. The shells are made from carbon fibre and although quite a bit darker than the faceplates, have a very nice depth of colour to them and velvet like appearance.

The nozzles have replaceable filters just like Indigo, these are screw fit and done very well. They've got a ridged edge which makes taking them off / putting them back on very easy. The machining of these is also high quality and they surprisingly feel more durable than you might think. I think these are a great idea and means you can run them under a hot tap to get rid of any ear wax if you have particularly waxy ears. My 'ear admin' is pretty good so i've not needed this feature yet!

Ergonomically, they're what i've come to expect with good universals these days. They're exceptionally comfortable in my ears just like Indigo. I've never owned CIEM before but i would think you won't get much closer in a universal. My wife commented last night that she felt the shells on my Indigo's were slightly large for her small ears but 1) she's used to a pair of Sony BT buds which are tiny and 2) she does have very small ears! If you're an 'average joe' like myself, they should be perfect.

Accessories wise, they come with what you expect these days but done to a very high standard.

The travel case is one of the best i've had, really nice leather (Italian and vegetable tanned(?)), good size and most importantly, functional and practical! It's a little larger than usual but i would assume this is to accommodate the shielded Attila which is slightly thicker than the norm. There's still room to spare and a thicker / longer cable shouldn't be an issue either.

You also get a cable clip (i don't use them but i know a lot of you do), a ring wire sleeve (not quite sure on this one, i just roll the cable up in the case), spare filters (cool to have if you drop one / loose it), cleaning cloth like you would with sunglasses and a variety of tips including the ever popular Alza Xelastics. Good to see good tips being provided with IEM's these days.

I'm don't put too much importance into packaging etc as it usually gets put away into a cupboard for the rest of it's ownership but i do like a quality package. Not so much for aesthetical gratification but more so a reflection of the company making the product. I like to see a bit of pride taken in this area and it tells me the company takes genuine interest in providing a quality product from top to bottom rather than just another sale.

Onto the good stuff...the sound:

This is where i feel a might let you down. Not for the quality of Red but content of the review. I don't have a vast selection of gear that i can directly compare to. This is frustrating me somewhat as it's one of the main parts of a review i seek out myself. It's also most likely the most asked question going..."what does it sound like compared to XXX?". I also don't have experience with the abundant choice of 'TOTL' IEM's that are available to us these days....

The 1st time i plugged these in i was genuinely wow'd. I don't think i've heard such a lifelike presentation to date. This is something i enjoy so smile factor was an instant 10/10.

Soundstage: These nail my preference down to a tee. I'm not a fan of super wide stage as it takes away some of the intimacy i like when listening. These are wide enough to give me out of head sound but not at the expense of spreading the stage to thinly. I find when stage is super wide it breaks down the track too much and removes the sum of all parts from the music. It's still easy to zone in on a particular instrument if needed but not to the detriment of the overall presentation.

Height i feel is really good. This is highly dependent on the way the recording is engineered / mastered but there is notable delta between top and bottom when the track provides it.

Depth is reasonable. I find myself seated quite forward, 1st -3rd row depending on track. Even though being quite forward, i still get a sense of stage depth between instruments as well which add's to the immersion.

Imaging: Really good. I'd place these above Indigo which are already excellent. If the track allows, i can pinpoint each band members location within the studio on both axis. Not only that, drums which are usually centre have great width between each part of the kit. I love this type of stuff and there's no other better demo than the toms on PF's 'time'. These are one of my go to pieces of music to test imaging & height accuracy and i've never heard it done better.

Dynamics: For an all BA set i would say they're surprisingly good. You'll get better with a DD like Indigo but Red has no problem differing between variations in loudness within a given track.

Layering: Double edged sword this one and it really is track dependent. On clean tracks / passages they're absolutely superb but on congested tracks i feel this is where they can become undone slightly. I think technically they are quite capable within their own right, i.e, all BA, but the mix of tuning (strong on mids) and lack of DD results in a slightly muddied lower half. They're great with really well recorded material but on the not so great recordings they can get a little bit lost down low.

Timbre: Summit-fi indeed. This is where these separate themselves from anything else i've heard. Whether it's acoustic guitar or electric, drums or bass, these just blow my mind for timbre. If you like a realistic timbre, these would probably give you a big grin factor. The amount of sustain and decay they can capture is one of the main contributors to giving me the wow factor. I can't think of a moment in previous audio gear ownership where i've heard reproduction of certain tracks sound so lifelike. Even my main rig doesn't compete.

Tone:

Bass: Ok, so these are all BA, no DD to be heard in these. BA can only take you so far but there's good BA bass and there's mediocre. These i would most definitely say are on the good side but i found one big caveat with these and that's tip choice and insertion depth. As with Indigo i found TWS tips to work best. They don't 'colour' the sound in either direction but they do let everything come through to it's fullest. Tips i find handy to alter different parts of the frequency range albeit not precisely and TWS i feel give you absolute clarity / transparency. I also found out depth also plays a big part in bass for these. I already had a good seal but pushed them in firmly after reviewing the UM guide for MEST. I found bass jumped up by a fair bit albeit at the expense of comfort so had to go down a half size in tips.

Bass i found full, tight & organic. They don't have the sub bass extension of Indigo but the low to upper bass quality is better in my opinion. They've got great texture which for me makes it fairly easy to identify what type of bass the bass player is using. They really shine on clearly presented bass but loose out on some presence / detail when the track gets busy with lots of heavy guitar. Red can be quite forward with heavy guitar with distortion. This can sound absolutely superb but it can put the underlying bass in the shadow and makes heavy distortion guitar more of the driving force than the bass. I felt it it quite hard to figure out what was going on here initially as the BCD plays a big part here but having spent quite some time with specific tracks it's easy enough for me to identify now.

The BCD. This tech is just amazing full stop and i wish all IEM's had it. It just adds another dimension from top to bottom but with regard to bass, it gives the kick drum and seriously nice physical kick. The kick drum to me usually sits around the mid-upper bass region depending on how the kit is tuned and the BCD gives it the welly it deserves.

Mids: This is where Red takes the crown for me. For me this is the meat on the bone for music. It probably one of the reasons i'm not a fan of V shaped signatures and liked the indigo for it's W shaped signature. Mids are where the vocals, guitars and skinned parts of the drum kit reside for the main part. This can make or break an IEM for me if it sounds out of whack against what i consider natural. I do like a touch of warmth on mids but not typical 'warm'. My warmth comes from the mids being full bodied and capturing all the details the recording can give. It's probably more of a texture thing than warmth but i tie them in together. Mids are the body and soul of a track for me.

Red have an utterly natural tonality to mids. They capture every bit of decay from a tom, the gradually increasing volume and body from a long sustain (Gilmour!), the resonance on an acoustic guitar...just incredible. What Red also does really well is manage to put these across the whole stage with incredible placement, separation and clarity. I've not heard FS but have read that some thought FS had slightly veiled mids, this is most definitely not the case with Red and they really are the star of the show. They are quite forward though and this may be too much for some. To my ears there seems to be a little extra emphasis around 3.5-4k which brings vocals and some guitar more forward / present. I think it would really boil down to the type of music you listen to and whilst i don't listen to it, i can understand how these would be exceptional with Jazz, classical, orchestral. Acoustic i can relate to and Eric Clapton unplugged just blew me away with these, definitely a wow factor.

Treble: I'm not a treble head but i do like to hear it. Ra had incredible treble due it's AMTII driver, Indigo have EST which whilst it puts the treble clearly on the table but it doesn't have the timbre / body (?) to give it a 10/10. Red take care of treble with BA, just like the bass and mids. What i hear with Red is the missing body from Indigo. The treble isn't as prominent but the tonal quality is superior. There's absolutely no harshness, fatigue or brightness to it.

Like bass though, maybe due to me hearing them as mid centric, i feel like the treble could do with being pulled forward a little. The detail is there but it just needs pulled forward a touch. One difference ive noted between red and Indigo is the treble timbre. Although Red has more treble body, i think Indigo has more treble timbre. If you combined both, you'd have a solid 10/10.

Pairing:

I'll keep this short as i've got too much stuff on right now to go into massive detail but all of my listening was done with N8ii. I did try them with M9 and LP6 but i found the presentation of N8ii to suit my preference better, and also when paired with Red. I find it quite hard to evaluate a transducer across different sources when i've got a very particular preference to source sound. I find N8ii to be extremely transparent with Red allowing them to perform to the best of their ability without adding too much colouration to sound. I'm not going to start writing about the differences in sound between DAP's but Red are pretty good at giving you a reflection of what your DAP does.

Cables:

Attila is already a great pairing with Red but i did go and purchase an Orpheus and in hindsight maybe FT would have been the better way to go. Orph does a lot of things really well and there is a notable change in sound from attila, but i felt it add's just a bit too much to the mids. It does add to bass as well but with red being mid centric it pushed them past the mid range oomph i've happy with. Treble detail went up a few notches but Orph smoothed the treble compared to Attila which kind of works against Red. I'd say a cable that gives you a bit more on top and bottom without making the mids richer would probably be a great pairing.

Summary:

1st an apology. I would have loved to include specific tracks i've listened to in this review but it's school holidays, the wife is at work and i've got an 8 year old boy full of energy to entertain as well as everything else in life. I've also cut short source and cable as i really need to head out the door.

It's also photo shy. 1) I don't have a DSLR for taking sexy shots and 2) i really need to go entertain this young man!

I'll live with it, 1st review so can only get better!

Stand out music with Red regarding rock have been fairly 'clean' and well recorded. This is where these things absolutely shine, without a doubt. This doesn't omit distortion as well mastered metal is also superb. For all the albums in my library that are well recorded, i don't think i've heard any better. Probably why they do so well with jazz, classical, orchestral etc. They're...alright....with EDM but apart from not having a DD, they can push vocals too forward and upset the balance of what EDM is about.

What didn't work for me....

Layering / separation on the bottom end of busy tracks. Definition could be better but that's probably not a failing of red themselves but the difference between BA vs DD. Treble i would like pulled forward a touch and this was apparent again with busy guitar driven tracks where the high hat was back stage. And finally which was kind of the deal breaker for me, i've got a lot of 90's / early 2000's albums which are grunge / alternative etc where they didn't really care about recording quality. I find these work better on Indigo and it improves the dynamics on bad DR recordings. Red doubles down on this even further with its pronounced midrange and something like Smashing Pumpkins turns into a muddy mess.

These are insanely good IEM's but are more niche than jack of all. If you're library / preference suits, then you're looking at potential....end game...keepers.