So, sound (out of the box, from WM1Z with Hansound Zen 4 wires balanced)... unburnt and just the 5mn impressions which are absolutely raw :
- the bass is well extended, nice sub bass and lots lots of texture it's a rich bass very "tactile" it draws you in the music. There is a "presence" that is indeed speaker like. The bass quality is off the charts it's the richest textures I ever had the pleasure to listen to. And one thing struck me : how layered the bass is, oh my! On the flipside it's not very tight and I'd like a touch more control right now but I expect burn in will settle it, I remember the Vega burn in process so I'll be very cautious there. This being said I think this is bass done right, but basshead might better go the Atlas way. Again very first impressions and not even cycled through my usual test tracks.
- the mids are very smooth with good separation, while remaining articulate. Not as thick as I would have expected from what I have read, don't misread it - it has proper body and weight - but nowhere near Phantom thickness (ok, comparing to the king of thickness there). It's more akin to the VE8 mids, only a tad warmer which I like a lot. The mids strike a very nice balance between articulation and smoothness making for a very euphonic presentation, it's highly musical. Again layering is great, there is a richness to the sound not in the sense it's detailed and articulate (which it is) but in the realism provided by hearing more layers to the sound. Hard to describe.
- the highs are just... well sublime! I have never had the pleasure of listening to Andromeda but this sounds like what I read about their treble. There is plenty of detail and just the right amount of sparkle, it bring a lot of air to a signature that could have been on the dark side without them. It's the first IEM since the VE8 that has me wowed by treble... I'd say the VE8 has faster more feathery treble with quicker decay but the Solaris has more weight and body making it also very "tactile" (for lack of a better word). Note linger beautifully when called for and this is something I had only heard on Final Heaven VI. There is a beauty that I think I will enjoy a great deal. It's also absolutely smooth. Amazing...
Now the soundstage, it's not the widest or tallest but the depth is really great and the overall feeling is very holographic and coherent. You don't get a feeling of grand soundstage more like being there with a realism that is really drawing you into the music. I am currently testing a bit of metal listening to Enter Sandman I can vouch that the Solaris is smooth as hell, and the imaging is something to behold I am hearing things in terms of how instruments are panning somewhat diagonally I can understand why
@Jackpot77 mentioned that Solaris was Moebius like in that 3D ability to render the origin of sound.
There is something reminiscent of the qualities that had me love the U12 (the first of the name, the one with ADEL) only with much better transparency and infinitely better treble.
25mn listening I know those are something
very special and unique, I have a smile on my face and shivers down my spine no less!
Now of to proper listening as it's very raw impressions but consider me very impressed congrats
@KB