Any other ESM owners out there? I don't see much about this monstrous earphone on here.
This guy is extraordinary to my ears.
This guy is extraordinary to my ears.
Alclair ESM
- Thread starter WOPR
- Start date
I hope shows come back online soon because you all need to get a listen to these earphones! 
Black Friday happened over one month ago so wondering if now there are other ESM owners out there.
< Insert Morse code here >
< Insert Morse code here >
annasoh323
100+ Head-Fier
I did a random search for "Alclair" and here I am. Alclair might be my favorite audio brand I don't own. I only discovered them after my business trip to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. I told myself I'd get the Electro if I could but then the ESM appeared. Even with their deepest discounts, it's probably still out of reach (truthfully, the Electro is too. I'd have to stretch pretty far). But what have you liked about the ESM? What do you use it for? (I know you made this thread to find fellow Alclair users, so I apologize that I'm not what you're looking for).
Boy...am I late replying here. I apologize. I did not see an alert on my dashboard.
What I like about the ESM is that it plays every genre of music that is thrown at it.
It's been my experience that earphones can have strong suits like being more fun with pop music versus being crystal clear with instrumental pieces versus excelling with vocal music. I think the ESM handles all of that!
The Electro, to my understanding, is still the most accurate, true to the recording, earphone in Alclair's lineup. It differs from the ESM in how heavy one likes their lowend. It's a choose your flavor type of thing for us music listeners.
Guessing that for those who perform on-stage, which the ESM was designed for says the people I spoke with, the discussion changes.
What I like about the ESM is that it plays every genre of music that is thrown at it.
It's been my experience that earphones can have strong suits like being more fun with pop music versus being crystal clear with instrumental pieces versus excelling with vocal music. I think the ESM handles all of that!
The Electro, to my understanding, is still the most accurate, true to the recording, earphone in Alclair's lineup. It differs from the ESM in how heavy one likes their lowend. It's a choose your flavor type of thing for us music listeners.
Guessing that for those who perform on-stage, which the ESM was designed for says the people I spoke with, the discussion changes.
annasoh323
100+ Head-Fier
Thanks for the reply, no matter when you got to it. It doesn't seem audiophiles go Alclair's way much which is understandable considering their target market. I've corresponded before with them and those conversations have been insightful. He was even willing to converse with me about the less-than-flattering impression they made on In-Ear Fidelity.
I asked about if they might do a tour but it's unlikely they'd be able to come to my neck of the woods (they can't drive the company van to Hawaii, after all). I also don't have enough connections and charisma to drum up enough interest to make it worth their while. So, I continue waiting.
Where does the ESM fit into your earphone lineup?
The In-Ear Fidelity site is fun to peruse! It's interesting to read the comments then compare them to the graphs.
I put the ESM as the best all-rounder earphone I have ever heard. However, my experience with other IEMs comes from trade shows where the environment isn't ideal.
Any more business trips to MN in the future?
I put the ESM as the best all-rounder earphone I have ever heard. However, my experience with other IEMs comes from trade shows where the environment isn't ideal.
Any more business trips to MN in the future?
annasoh323
100+ Head-Fier
I wish. I may end up just blind-buying if I save up enough audio budget. I don't know if I'll make it all the way to the Electro (let alone the ESM) but maybe something else in the Studio line.
I've heard them all.
The Studio3 is the best all-rounder for everyday use.
The Studio4 is the smoothest which is not for everyone. I thought it sounded a lot like the Campfire Andromeda without the super sparkle (brightness) I heard in the Andromeda.
The Electro is the is even more accurate than the Studio4 with higher highs and a heavier-handed lowend.
The ESM is the Electro and Studio3 having a baby. It should do it all for you.
The Studio3 is the best all-rounder for everyday use.
The Studio4 is the smoothest which is not for everyone. I thought it sounded a lot like the Campfire Andromeda without the super sparkle (brightness) I heard in the Andromeda.
The Electro is the is even more accurate than the Studio4 with higher highs and a heavier-handed lowend.
The ESM is the Electro and Studio3 having a baby. It should do it all for you.
annasoh323
100+ Head-Fier
Thanks for these descriptions! I know I've strayed off of your original intent for the thread to find other Alclair ESM enthusiasts so I appreciate your humoring me. I hope we can find more Alclair owners out here (I need impressions and you need some fellow Alclair folks).
Rejuvenating an old post...Alclair's Black Friday sale started already!
Jump on it everyone!!
Jump on it everyone!!
annasoh323
100+ Head-Fier
I‘ve got my design finalized for an Electro. That was already giving me the “big $$$” sweats and the ESM even moreso. However, I am cautiously optimistic my first time spending this much on anything this side of a house and car will be worth it (and enough to be responsible with my life for a change).
Please keep us posted once you receive delivery of your Electro.
A friend sent me a homemade (DIY) silver cable. This has transformed the ESM into even more of a superior sounding earphone.
No one else has tried it?!
No one else has tried it?!
annasoh323
100+ Head-Fier
Sorry WOPR, it's been a while since I logged into Head-Fi (wallet needed time to recover). A few notes about my experience so far:
- Design side of Alclair was very helpful in helping me realize my design concepts nicely.
- It took me a while to adapt to the shells. It may be the audiologist I used sending in weird impressions and I did get fresh impressions but I did notice a difference between it and my other CIEMs. Knowing how many more drivers are in the ESM, I can imagine having a harder time getting everything to fit into my ears.
- I haven't listened to them in a bit on account of needing to send them in. One of them developed a rattle and it may be because I got snagged which caused them to drop. Hopefully I didn't cause too much damage but audio didn't seem affected.
- These are my first high-end earphones so people who read my impressions should also take that into account. Tuning-wise, I know from speaking with Alclair this is their best take on studio tuning (with the possible exception of the Studio 4 being more "dry"). The bass sounds pretty deep and strong (without using dynamic drivers). I never felt they were dry in the mids but they also weren't too thick there either. I have tried listening for that lauded e-stat sparkle and haven't felt I've identified it. One plausible reason is I'm not trained to hear it and the other is it's Alclair's intent not to let the e-stats dominate the signature. The time I felt I could best hear them is when I was listening to an acoustic guitar solo and listening to the way the string shimmer and placement worked. However, a lot of what I've used them for has not been music but has been more podcasts and such. I also used them to watch shows on a plane which isn't the best listening environment.
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