Venture Electronics Asura Pure White Shining
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Asura Pure White Shining - The Seat of the Soul?
Preamble
I entered the portable ‘Head-Fi’ world in 2020 and I still consider myself a relative newcomer to Hifi in general. There are plenty of people who have heard more and know more and many of these are forum members that I owe a debt of gratitude for helping me along my own path. Starting with IEMs and expecting the more recent tech innovations might be the right path to audio nirvana, I started out with hybrid driver configurations and then found the appeal of multi-dynamic driver sets that offered greater coherency. Then I fell into the world of earbuds…
I was taken by the open sound, natural presentation and comfort of them. They often appeared in such an unassuming package and would flaw me with their natural spacial reproduction and tonal coherence. Well, I’ve been consistently surprised by what a good earbud can offer. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for my experience with IEMs. It’s quite a minefield out there, with a plethora of tunings and driver configurations and a somewhat marginal difference in performance, particularly when paying any more than $1000 dollars. It can be very difficult to navigate towards a preference. Sometimes it’s only through serendipity that I find my way or where something finds me that I didn’t know I needed…
This chance crossing is also how I found the Asura Pure White Shining (APWS). I got talking to Carlos (@Charlyro222) who kindly sent over some his IEMs/buds and his own touring Venture Electronics ‘Warbag’ that included Sun Dice, Sun Copper, APWS and Zen Su. At the time, I wasn’t even looking for any more earbuds. In fact, I was only looking forward to listening to his TXN Des Ti, a 4BA+2EST IEM. Long story short, I went through the Warbag, sampling them all and for at least a week did an excellent job of completely overlooking the APWS. I gave it a fleeting listen on the Shanling M8 and it didn’t grab me at all. Then after prompting by Carlos to try again, I connected it to the ifi GoBar and was floored! What followed was a rediscovery of my entire instrumental library with a fresh and ‘special’ sound that hasn’t let up (now about 6 months later). I have since also found great synergy with the DX300 + Amp11Mk1 (a somewhat warm, vocal forward amp card).
I will try my best to put this ‘special sound’ to paper but I imagine this will be the trickiest review for me, so far. There is a lot of character in the APWS and I have found it more challenging to ‘unpick’ compared to my reviews of other buds. Nonetheless, I hope this gives some flavour of what to expect to potential buyers.
Note Bene
After quite literally falling in love with APWS, I purchased my own but without the bundled RA2B-FE amp. From what I could establish the APWS has been in existence in some form for a number of years now – possibly since 2018. APWS is only made in small numbers and is not advertised on the Venture Electronics website. This means to purchase you have to make enquiries with Lee (the owner of Venture Electronics) and it seems, at least from my impression, beyond that it is totally at his discretion as to whether he will make one. Part of me has wondered what the value was to writing a review for an earbud that is not widely available and second, for one that costs $898 (with RA2B-FE amp – that sells individually for $298RRP). Let’s get this out of the way, I’m not a fan of the price. It’s difficult to swallow. However, I’ve been far more pleased with the APWS than I have with many of my more expensive IEMs and many (less expensive) earbuds. I’m willing to pay a fair sum for something takes my heart and the APWS certainly has. For that reason, despite the sets scarcity and pricing, I think this review is worthwhile, even if only one reader sees the appeal of this set and finds their own nirvana too.
Fit, Build Quality & Accessories
The APWS was sent in a VE branded metal puck case. These puck cases are functional, solid and last for a long time. The build of the APWS itself is great. It is a stemless metal bell that’s small and contoured with a very good balance in the ear. Fit with earbuds is notoriously tricky and this can be made worse by using the bell shape that lacks the neck to sit in the inter-tragal notch. The bell has to sit within the concha and be weighted properly, otherwise, if the concha is too shallow or the bell too long it will shift and lose its effacement with the ear and this will dramatically alter the sound presentation. This could be a particular issue for the APWS that is tuned quite flat in the bass to begin with and where any deviation in fit will reduce that bass transmission further. This is why demoing is so valuable and if you can’t demo a functioning unit, to demo an empty shell to ensure you can achieve a good fit.
Unlike the shell of the Zen Sun Ultimate, Sun Dice, Sun Copper etc, the ‘Shining’ bell sits flatter to the ear and has no real ‘neck’ to speak of apart from a small plastic strain relief for the cable. For me this allows for a deeper and closer fit within the concha and it doesn’t move an inch, while also allowing the option of wearing it over the ear – which is my preferred way of wearing these. For the other models with the ‘stouter’ bell, I need to use the Venture Electronics Air plastic over-ear clips to keep them balanced and fitted. Notably, the Air clips do not work with the APWS due to lack of a neck to the bell where those clips would normally attach. Fit is incredibly personal but there are measures to help with this and I imagine if you’re considering purchasing the APWS, you are likely aware of these measures already, e.g. silicone rings, doubling up on foams and using fins. The APWS is tuned for use foamless or with donuts so you won’t hear what I’m hearing if you go full foams (or double up). There is a fairly clear change in clarity and overall balance if you do use full foams and I prefer using the APWS with the included VE ExPack Lite donut foams (the lower density ones).
The shell has a nice weight to it and the build is very solid. The cable is non-detachable and is VE’s own pure silver variety. I have the 2pin version of the same cable and it’s an excellent pure silver that manages to retain dynamism and note weight while improving transparency and perceived detail. My unit features a rhodium-plated Furutech plug that can be added at an additional cost (~$50) over VEs own high quality gold plated plug that comes as standard. There is a metal Y split and a plastic chin cinch that does the job. Beneath the Y split the pure silver cable is covered with a grey paracord (other colours available). Ergonomically the cable is very light, helping with balance and over ear comfort, does not retain memory and is somewhat stiff. This stiffness isn’t really an issue in practice and actually prevents tangling and is still able to be wrapped without issue using a cable clip / tie. I couldn’t be happier with the build quality. Check out some of the photos below…
Drivability & Source Pairing
The APWS is rated at about 150ohm impedance. The two main sources used for this review are the ifi GoBar (7.2Vrms) and the iBasso DX300 (Amp11Mk1 – 7.1Vrms) both have no issues driving this earbud. More clarity and space can be pushed from this driver using these higher powered sources but scaling isn’t as grand as I have experienced as on other high impedance earbuds. A modern DAP with a reasonable power output should have no issue making this set shine. In terms of tonal pairing I would lean towards a warmer and more analogue source to fill out the midrange of the APWS that is on the thinner side.
Tonality
Tonality & listening impressions are made on my own APWS with fewer hours on the clock than Carlos’ unit. I am approaching the 200 hour mark. I have appreciated a tightness to the driver decay that has settled over those hours. Driver response is now more true-to-life while not being sluggish. I am told that by about 100hours, changes become rather subtle. Indeed, there’s very little difference between my APWS and Carlos’ unit with more burn-in.
Source: DX300 (Cirrus DAC), Medium Gain (Amp11Mk1)
Foams: VE thin donut foams
Burn in: ~200hours
Venture Electronics APWS Sound Signature Chart
This plot should be interpreted on all axes at the same time. I have provided the primary sound signature that is represented by the black bullet point, with secondary and tertiary signatures identified by balloons and an arrow, respectively. In grey I have plotted the primary placement of Sun Copper and Sun Dice for comparison.
Primary Signature – Mid-centric aggressive
Secondary sound characteristic (strong) – Forward midrange
Secondary sound characteristic (strong) – Detailed
Secondary sound characteristic (weak) – Flat
Secondary sound characteristic (weak) – Thin and tinny
Tertiary sound characteristic (complementing) – warm
Sound Signature Breakdown
I entered the portable ‘Head-Fi’ world in 2020 and I still consider myself a relative newcomer to Hifi in general. There are plenty of people who have heard more and know more and many of these are forum members that I owe a debt of gratitude for helping me along my own path. Starting with IEMs and expecting the more recent tech innovations might be the right path to audio nirvana, I started out with hybrid driver configurations and then found the appeal of multi-dynamic driver sets that offered greater coherency. Then I fell into the world of earbuds…
I was taken by the open sound, natural presentation and comfort of them. They often appeared in such an unassuming package and would flaw me with their natural spacial reproduction and tonal coherence. Well, I’ve been consistently surprised by what a good earbud can offer. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for my experience with IEMs. It’s quite a minefield out there, with a plethora of tunings and driver configurations and a somewhat marginal difference in performance, particularly when paying any more than $1000 dollars. It can be very difficult to navigate towards a preference. Sometimes it’s only through serendipity that I find my way or where something finds me that I didn’t know I needed…
This chance crossing is also how I found the Asura Pure White Shining (APWS). I got talking to Carlos (@Charlyro222) who kindly sent over some his IEMs/buds and his own touring Venture Electronics ‘Warbag’ that included Sun Dice, Sun Copper, APWS and Zen Su. At the time, I wasn’t even looking for any more earbuds. In fact, I was only looking forward to listening to his TXN Des Ti, a 4BA+2EST IEM. Long story short, I went through the Warbag, sampling them all and for at least a week did an excellent job of completely overlooking the APWS. I gave it a fleeting listen on the Shanling M8 and it didn’t grab me at all. Then after prompting by Carlos to try again, I connected it to the ifi GoBar and was floored! What followed was a rediscovery of my entire instrumental library with a fresh and ‘special’ sound that hasn’t let up (now about 6 months later). I have since also found great synergy with the DX300 + Amp11Mk1 (a somewhat warm, vocal forward amp card).
I will try my best to put this ‘special sound’ to paper but I imagine this will be the trickiest review for me, so far. There is a lot of character in the APWS and I have found it more challenging to ‘unpick’ compared to my reviews of other buds. Nonetheless, I hope this gives some flavour of what to expect to potential buyers.
Note Bene
After quite literally falling in love with APWS, I purchased my own but without the bundled RA2B-FE amp. From what I could establish the APWS has been in existence in some form for a number of years now – possibly since 2018. APWS is only made in small numbers and is not advertised on the Venture Electronics website. This means to purchase you have to make enquiries with Lee (the owner of Venture Electronics) and it seems, at least from my impression, beyond that it is totally at his discretion as to whether he will make one. Part of me has wondered what the value was to writing a review for an earbud that is not widely available and second, for one that costs $898 (with RA2B-FE amp – that sells individually for $298RRP). Let’s get this out of the way, I’m not a fan of the price. It’s difficult to swallow. However, I’ve been far more pleased with the APWS than I have with many of my more expensive IEMs and many (less expensive) earbuds. I’m willing to pay a fair sum for something takes my heart and the APWS certainly has. For that reason, despite the sets scarcity and pricing, I think this review is worthwhile, even if only one reader sees the appeal of this set and finds their own nirvana too.
Fit, Build Quality & Accessories
The APWS was sent in a VE branded metal puck case. These puck cases are functional, solid and last for a long time. The build of the APWS itself is great. It is a stemless metal bell that’s small and contoured with a very good balance in the ear. Fit with earbuds is notoriously tricky and this can be made worse by using the bell shape that lacks the neck to sit in the inter-tragal notch. The bell has to sit within the concha and be weighted properly, otherwise, if the concha is too shallow or the bell too long it will shift and lose its effacement with the ear and this will dramatically alter the sound presentation. This could be a particular issue for the APWS that is tuned quite flat in the bass to begin with and where any deviation in fit will reduce that bass transmission further. This is why demoing is so valuable and if you can’t demo a functioning unit, to demo an empty shell to ensure you can achieve a good fit.
Unlike the shell of the Zen Sun Ultimate, Sun Dice, Sun Copper etc, the ‘Shining’ bell sits flatter to the ear and has no real ‘neck’ to speak of apart from a small plastic strain relief for the cable. For me this allows for a deeper and closer fit within the concha and it doesn’t move an inch, while also allowing the option of wearing it over the ear – which is my preferred way of wearing these. For the other models with the ‘stouter’ bell, I need to use the Venture Electronics Air plastic over-ear clips to keep them balanced and fitted. Notably, the Air clips do not work with the APWS due to lack of a neck to the bell where those clips would normally attach. Fit is incredibly personal but there are measures to help with this and I imagine if you’re considering purchasing the APWS, you are likely aware of these measures already, e.g. silicone rings, doubling up on foams and using fins. The APWS is tuned for use foamless or with donuts so you won’t hear what I’m hearing if you go full foams (or double up). There is a fairly clear change in clarity and overall balance if you do use full foams and I prefer using the APWS with the included VE ExPack Lite donut foams (the lower density ones).
The shell has a nice weight to it and the build is very solid. The cable is non-detachable and is VE’s own pure silver variety. I have the 2pin version of the same cable and it’s an excellent pure silver that manages to retain dynamism and note weight while improving transparency and perceived detail. My unit features a rhodium-plated Furutech plug that can be added at an additional cost (~$50) over VEs own high quality gold plated plug that comes as standard. There is a metal Y split and a plastic chin cinch that does the job. Beneath the Y split the pure silver cable is covered with a grey paracord (other colours available). Ergonomically the cable is very light, helping with balance and over ear comfort, does not retain memory and is somewhat stiff. This stiffness isn’t really an issue in practice and actually prevents tangling and is still able to be wrapped without issue using a cable clip / tie. I couldn’t be happier with the build quality. Check out some of the photos below…
Drivability & Source Pairing
The APWS is rated at about 150ohm impedance. The two main sources used for this review are the ifi GoBar (7.2Vrms) and the iBasso DX300 (Amp11Mk1 – 7.1Vrms) both have no issues driving this earbud. More clarity and space can be pushed from this driver using these higher powered sources but scaling isn’t as grand as I have experienced as on other high impedance earbuds. A modern DAP with a reasonable power output should have no issue making this set shine. In terms of tonal pairing I would lean towards a warmer and more analogue source to fill out the midrange of the APWS that is on the thinner side.
Tonality
Tonality & listening impressions are made on my own APWS with fewer hours on the clock than Carlos’ unit. I am approaching the 200 hour mark. I have appreciated a tightness to the driver decay that has settled over those hours. Driver response is now more true-to-life while not being sluggish. I am told that by about 100hours, changes become rather subtle. Indeed, there’s very little difference between my APWS and Carlos’ unit with more burn-in.
Source: DX300 (Cirrus DAC), Medium Gain (Amp11Mk1)
Foams: VE thin donut foams
Burn in: ~200hours
Venture Electronics APWS Sound Signature Chart
This plot should be interpreted on all axes at the same time. I have provided the primary sound signature that is represented by the black bullet point, with secondary and tertiary signatures identified by balloons and an arrow, respectively. In grey I have plotted the primary placement of Sun Copper and Sun Dice for comparison.
Primary Signature – Mid-centric aggressive
Secondary sound characteristic (strong) – Forward midrange
Secondary sound characteristic (strong) – Detailed
Secondary sound characteristic (weak) – Flat
Secondary sound characteristic (weak) – Thin and tinny
Tertiary sound characteristic (complementing) – warm
Sound Signature Breakdown
Most earbuds sit within the mid-centric region. It’s no different here. I hear APWS to be mid-centric but due a generous bump after 1kHz the focus is heavily shifted into the midrange and more ‘aggressive’ (however, aggressive isn’t the right word given the delicacy and transparency of APWS and I’ll explain more later). The relatively flat bass leaves the midrange open and pronounced without a sense of congestion. Vocals (especially female) and woodwind feel intimate, detailed and close to the ear. Midrange fundamentals are on the thinner side, as are male vocals (not unnatural) and the focus is on higher harmonics and the acoustic properties of the room. This lighter, more transparent midrange reveals plenty of detail. I perceive this detail as a strong secondary characteristic and central to the magic the APWS can cast with vocals & strings. The flat bass and softer impact places rhythm elements into the background and makes me think of some form of neutral or flat signature (before the subbass rolls off). There’s a thinness to the tonality due to this bass not counterbalancing the upper midrange but dynamics are still good with instrumental music. This thinness can sound unnatural with drums but manages to produce some of the most realistic and nuanced guitar strings and vocals I’ve ever heard. To top the signature off there’s a warmth thanks to little bump to the lower midrange.
The name Asura Pure White Shining is apt – tonally it doesn’t have a colouration. For example, the Sun Copper and Sun Dice are noticeably warmer and weightier.
Technicalities
The name Asura Pure White Shining is apt – tonally it doesn’t have a colouration. For example, the Sun Copper and Sun Dice are noticeably warmer and weightier.
Technicalities
The APWS is a great performer from a technical perspective. It’s tonality lends itself to midrange detail retrieval and I do believe the driver backs that up with very good resolution. Vocal nuance and string textures are perfectly complete. I consider the stage width and depth to be competitive with other well respected sets in this regard (e.g. Serratus). Imaging and layering is good but not the standout feature here due to the tonal transparency and weight that does not lend itself to localising sound. The presentation here puts you at the centre of the performance as the music swirls around in a delicate, midforward and ethereal harmony. The accentuation of reverb, higher harmonics and the flat bass really gives an open dream-like feeling to the sound.
Timbre
Perfect. Should I move on? No? Ok! I’ll expand.
Timbre
Perfect. Should I move on? No? Ok! I’ll expand.
Prior to this, TGXEar Alpha was ‘Timbre King’ but that crown was quite easily snatched away once I had heard the APWS. I needed to listen to all of my library again and it was reimagined in a fresh and more delicate light. The driver in the Alpha behaves really well but it’s limited by a warmer tonality and lower resolution. The APWS has a more realistic (lighter) note weight, greater transparency and texture with more harmonic detail. These tonal differences and better resolution across the board makes every instrument more characterful and offers a truer reflection of timbre. Every key hit is more nuanced and vocals more soulful and expressive.
(N.B. as previously mentioned the APWS sounded too tight and incisive OOTB but settles by about 50hours or so).
Listening Observations
To begin I’ll summarise the strengths and weaknesses of the APWS with regards to musicality across genre:
Strengths
In short, anything that benefits from midrange detail, nuance and transparency.
In short, anything that relies upon deep bass extension or midbass impact. There’s very little reason to include the following genres in my individual track impressions because there are plenty of better options if you want more bass and warmth (VE Zen Copper, VE Zen Su, TGXEar Serratus, TGXEar Ripples, Yinman 600 to name a few).
Billy Raffoul – 1975 – Acoustic
A simple vocal track with male and female elements. The clarity and resolution on show here is superb. Billys voice is tonally spot-on and textured. Beautiful. The bass hits throughout the track do lack substantial weight and impact but the vocals are lifted so forward (but without shout) and done so well that I struggle to care.
James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart – Friends That Break Your Heart
Another great male vocal track and another absolute win for APWS. Every bit of vocal resonance and texture can be appreciated. Not able to criticise APWS on this track.
Chet Baker – Stereo - Alone Together
Brassy and perfectly articulated trumpet and sax here. Incredible detail and a very controlled presentation of these instruments with no nasty peaks. I quickly lose myself in this track.
Dominic Miller – Vagabond – Clandestin
(Not available on Youtube but search streaming services)
This is a very delicate and open recording with guitar, piano and drums. Another faultless rendition on the APWS and very ethereal. The piano is captured from key hit to harmonic decay, the drums are tight and have a light echoing impact and the guitar is textured, resonant and organic.
Lars Danielsson – Lars Danielsson Edition – Pasodoble
The bass strings on this track lack weight but string texture is exposed, entirely. I’ve included this because it represents a limit to the APWS. It’s still an enjoyable track but I would like more weight from the bass here. It’s a similar story for most tracks with bass strings, they fall into the background and are quite flat and harder to identify.
Ballake Sissoko – Les Egares – Amenhotep
This is a warm recording with the kora, cello, saxophone. I always test kora tracks because the strings are very metallic and can sting if the tuning is too hot and if the resolving power is poor they quickly lose their delicacy and nuance. I have no issues with kora on APWS - perfecto. Cello is sufficiently weighty and saxophone is beautiful. The oboe (?) makes an appearance at the 1:00 mark that can become quite shouty on some sets but the APWS tows a very fine line of controlled presence that’s just right.
Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita – Diamanche
Another kora track but with harp and male vocals. Harmonics galore. You’re right there next to the strings. The quick finger picking, the increasing pace and the Malian singing. It’s a swirling play of sound that touches my soul. No other set can do it like the APWS can.
Angus & Julia Stone – Down the Way – Draw Your Swords
Any fan of this pair should hear their music through the APWS. Their music was made the qualities of the APWS. Perfectly soulful and isolated vocals and strings in a spacious presentation. My only critique for the APWS here is the lighter kickdrum hits and which take a backseat from the vocals and strings (which are arguably the focus anyway).
Oded Tzur – Here Be Dragons – 20 Years
(Not available on Youtube but search streaming services)
A perfect example how APWS works with jazz. Airy, textured saxophone, weighty piano key hits with nuanced decay and crisp drum playing across the snares and cymbals. Nothing is lacking in this from a tonal or technical perspective. Instruments are well separated and dimensional on the stage.
Ulf Wakenius – Momento Magico – Momento Magico
I know this track like the back of my hand. Not all sets have the resolving power to bring out the resonance of the strings or quick enough to express their attack. Technically string replay here is TOTL. With a tonality that controls the upper midrange and treble perfectly to avoid sharpness, this track demonstrates how the APWS is a timbre powerhouse. Listen to D’ici la by Antoine Boyer if you’re still not convinced how well the APWS does guitar.
Vox Clamantis – Arvo Part: The Deers Cry - Part: Most Holy Mother of God
(Not available on Youtube but search streaming services)
(N.B. as previously mentioned the APWS sounded too tight and incisive OOTB but settles by about 50hours or so).
Listening Observations
To begin I’ll summarise the strengths and weaknesses of the APWS with regards to musicality across genre:
Strengths
In short, anything that benefits from midrange detail, nuance and transparency.
- Folk / singer-songwriter – vocal & string elements are the biggest strength of APWS, nothing demonstrates the perfection of APWS better than this sort of music.
- Classical – the true to life, highly resolving and open character complements large orchestral and small ensemble equally. Viol and Violin are superb. Cello is very good. Bass and double loses fundamental weight and is less enjoyable sounding somewhat flat.
- Jazz & vocal jazz – the APWS isolates vocals perfectly and it has the ability to bring out the detail, musicality and accents of complex jazz performances.
In short, anything that relies upon deep bass extension or midbass impact. There’s very little reason to include the following genres in my individual track impressions because there are plenty of better options if you want more bass and warmth (VE Zen Copper, VE Zen Su, TGXEar Serratus, TGXEar Ripples, Yinman 600 to name a few).
- Pop – too delicate and lacking in bass and macrodynamics
- Electronic – as above
- Hip hop – as above
Billy Raffoul – 1975 – Acoustic
A simple vocal track with male and female elements. The clarity and resolution on show here is superb. Billys voice is tonally spot-on and textured. Beautiful. The bass hits throughout the track do lack substantial weight and impact but the vocals are lifted so forward (but without shout) and done so well that I struggle to care.
James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart – Friends That Break Your Heart
Another great male vocal track and another absolute win for APWS. Every bit of vocal resonance and texture can be appreciated. Not able to criticise APWS on this track.
Chet Baker – Stereo - Alone Together
Brassy and perfectly articulated trumpet and sax here. Incredible detail and a very controlled presentation of these instruments with no nasty peaks. I quickly lose myself in this track.
Dominic Miller – Vagabond – Clandestin
(Not available on Youtube but search streaming services)
This is a very delicate and open recording with guitar, piano and drums. Another faultless rendition on the APWS and very ethereal. The piano is captured from key hit to harmonic decay, the drums are tight and have a light echoing impact and the guitar is textured, resonant and organic.
Lars Danielsson – Lars Danielsson Edition – Pasodoble
The bass strings on this track lack weight but string texture is exposed, entirely. I’ve included this because it represents a limit to the APWS. It’s still an enjoyable track but I would like more weight from the bass here. It’s a similar story for most tracks with bass strings, they fall into the background and are quite flat and harder to identify.
Ballake Sissoko – Les Egares – Amenhotep
This is a warm recording with the kora, cello, saxophone. I always test kora tracks because the strings are very metallic and can sting if the tuning is too hot and if the resolving power is poor they quickly lose their delicacy and nuance. I have no issues with kora on APWS - perfecto. Cello is sufficiently weighty and saxophone is beautiful. The oboe (?) makes an appearance at the 1:00 mark that can become quite shouty on some sets but the APWS tows a very fine line of controlled presence that’s just right.
Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita – Diamanche
Another kora track but with harp and male vocals. Harmonics galore. You’re right there next to the strings. The quick finger picking, the increasing pace and the Malian singing. It’s a swirling play of sound that touches my soul. No other set can do it like the APWS can.
Angus & Julia Stone – Down the Way – Draw Your Swords
Any fan of this pair should hear their music through the APWS. Their music was made the qualities of the APWS. Perfectly soulful and isolated vocals and strings in a spacious presentation. My only critique for the APWS here is the lighter kickdrum hits and which take a backseat from the vocals and strings (which are arguably the focus anyway).
Oded Tzur – Here Be Dragons – 20 Years
(Not available on Youtube but search streaming services)
A perfect example how APWS works with jazz. Airy, textured saxophone, weighty piano key hits with nuanced decay and crisp drum playing across the snares and cymbals. Nothing is lacking in this from a tonal or technical perspective. Instruments are well separated and dimensional on the stage.
Ulf Wakenius – Momento Magico – Momento Magico
I know this track like the back of my hand. Not all sets have the resolving power to bring out the resonance of the strings or quick enough to express their attack. Technically string replay here is TOTL. With a tonality that controls the upper midrange and treble perfectly to avoid sharpness, this track demonstrates how the APWS is a timbre powerhouse. Listen to D’ici la by Antoine Boyer if you’re still not convinced how well the APWS does guitar.
Vox Clamantis – Arvo Part: The Deers Cry - Part: Most Holy Mother of God
(Not available on Youtube but search streaming services)
I always like to end on some choral with my listening impressions and it seems fitting to do that here given the special traits of the APWS. Harmony and soul is easiest to hear in these simple but beautiful recordings of the human voice. The APWS offers the most sublime replay of this recording I have heard. Male and female vocals are equally heavenly with just the right body to breath. The APWS gives wings to vocals, they rise up above everything else, isolated but not to the detriment of overall balance. There are some very intense vocal harmonies in this recording that mix to great dramatic effect. It’s almost overwhelming at times but the tonal and technical prowess of this set keeps it natural, without congestion, remaining dimensional and vivid but kind on the ear. The open sound of the APWS and the open recording environment of choral work goes hand-in-hand.
My listening impressions could go on many times over for tracks similar in style and content to the above…Hopefully these samples reflect the strengths and if your library is similar, there’s good reason to pursue the APWS.
Closing Remarks
My listening impressions could go on many times over for tracks similar in style and content to the above…Hopefully these samples reflect the strengths and if your library is similar, there’s good reason to pursue the APWS.
Closing Remarks
The Asura Pure White Shining is not for everyone. Tonally, it will feel incomplete with some genres but if your library leans heavily towards string instruments or vocal and you prioritise a realism to your music, my best advice would be to demo this earbud at the first opportunity. There is a clear trade off here and I very much doubt the APWS would offer this level of transparency and vocal character if bass were any different in quantity or character. I would happily make this trade off many times over. It offers a mid-centric sound with ultimate resolution and a very natural timbre. When you have listened to your tracks hundreds of times and a you find something that reveals a new level of beauty…this is what happened here for me and is the real joy of the hobby and quite distinct from 'new toy syndrome'. I still struggle to describe the ‘special’ sound on show here, despite 6 months of familiarity. Trying to dissect it feels somewhat futile, as though the APWS is pointing in the direction of a wordless mystery that one can ‘feel’ but not put to paper. As I said at the start, if only one person feels what I feel for the APWS then this review has been worthwhile.
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S
Singaravelan
Came for the review, stayed for the music! Thanks!
L
LikeHolborn
since you mentioned it, what are more characterful and soulful engaging iems?
after reading your review, which is very well researched, I didn't hesitate too long to follow you because I was looking for earbuds that could give me this high quality in the high midrange, without insisting on the bass.
I've just placed an order with Lee (very good contact).
you're responsible for my little folly