Craft Ears Omnium
After showing a teaser, the time has come to share my experiences regarding the new TOTL model coming from Craft Ears, a polish IEM brand.
Priced at a whooping 2499 €
Some say that a picture is worth more than a thousand words, so let’s start with that.
The sweet looks might be deceptive.
Sadly, their process of coming to being was actually quite tiresome and painful.
The story begins in December, specifically on St. Nicholas Day. That's when I visited CE headquarters to check out what all the fuss is about.
And guess what.. I ended up placing an order for Omnium only an hour later.
The IEMs were supposed to arrive in early January.
The holiday season passed by, as usual, swiftly and unnoticed. Mid-January was already here, yet I didn't get any updates. After reminding CE of my existence, they informed me about some unexpected difficulties with creating the faceplate that we’d discussed; nevertheless, it should be resolved within a week. Well, I wrote again after three weeks (sic!) - and was assured that Omniums will be ready the following week. The package arrived a fortnite later.
So, instead of early January, it was almost the end of February.
crap happens, we know that. But the lack of initiative and no updates definitely do hurt. Especially when you order a product from the top shelf.
Thinking I had endured enough, I began to open the package.
At first I was a little concerned - while the aesthetics indeed matched, the size of the shells themselves raised some doubt - my different CIEMs are noticeably smaller. Nothing to do, but to try them on. Thankfully, they fitted just right.
However, at the same time, with the tip of my finger I felt that the edges of the faceplates were somewhat rough. A quick glance confirmed my concerns - something wasn't right. Looking at the right angle, it was clear that the faceplates had been unevenly placed, not completely fitting into the gold frame, protruding beyond its outline in some places.
Striking the iron while it’s still hot, I messaged Craft Ears and they confirmed that it’s not how they'd shipped them. Either something must’ve happened during the transport or the glue didn’t hold like it should’ve. They wanted me to ship Omniums back, promising that it shouldn’t take longer than a week to fix it.
Remember when you were a kid, and someone took you a toy that you’d just received?
Yeah..
I picked them up personally after 10 long days - just to avoid exposing them to negative temperatures during transport.
This time everything looked splendid. The faceplates laid perfectly flat and they were also covered with an extra layer of lacquer coating. Surfaces no longer raised any concerns in touch.
Hoping that the teething problems were now over, I started making acquaintance with those beauties.
But before I start elaborating on the sound, let me mention a few words about comfort.
Long story short: it’s phenomenal, as it’s the case with custom fitted shells - provided that your ear impressions were taken properly.
Omniums are even more comfortable than my older CIEMs due to their slightly different shaping. They feel a tiny bit looser, albeit with no negative impact on seal quality.
It's like wearing skinny jeans vs regular ones - both might fit you size-wise, but they're sewn in a different way.
Jędrzej himself mentioned that they slightly altered the impression molding process, focusing primarily on comfort and I can confirm that.
Everything has its pros and cons, though.
Slightly looser fit of Omnium, combined with quite substantial venting, make them less effective at blocking out external noise.
Having said that, I only use them at home and the isolation they provide is more than enough.
Some of you may wonder if the CIEM matches UIEM sonically?
Well, over 3 months passed between my listening sessions, but the customs sound just as I expected them to.
Comparing my impressions with reviewers that based their opinion on universal model, I see that we perceive them similarly.
Time to describe the sound, phew.
I jokingly dubbed Omniums as "all-hearings", loosely referring to their Latin name.
There is no note, no sound, or frequency range that could hide from them. The days, when songs played in my imagination, when I thought a slightly deeper bass would be in place, an instrument should be placed somewhere else, vocal could be made more prominent, are long gone. Omniums tend to reveal everything.
But does this mean they're analytical, dry? Not at all, none of these things.
Overall, I'd describe them as helluva musical and rather warm - but this comes from the way they present midrange and vocals - as genuinely full, juicy, with proper weight, yet still incredibly diverse. This warmth isn't the result of dominant bass or overly gentle treble, it's not that kind of tuning.
Speaking of bass: I have the impression that it sounds exactly as the song's producer intended - no more, no less.
A delicate pluck, just to give rhytm? Sure thing. Solid, dry thump? No problem. Lively bassline? Play it on. Electronic sub-bass that makes your guts move? Oh yeah.
I think Omnium wouldn't necessarily satisfy bassheads, as it doesn't intend to break any records in this department.
Now, the trebles - just as I like them. They're airy, well-extended, yet rather smooth and delicate. Reminding of a pillow under your head that is both soft giving that comfy feeling, yet pliable enough to give you a good support and no neck pain.
It's precisely in this aspect that Craft Ears' previous flagships, the Aurums, sometimes caused me discomfort, occasionally stinging my ears with some less refined notes. Here, in Omnium, those sounds are well-behaved. Cymbals still sound like the real deal, but they don't squeal in your face.
The stage spreads out in a vast, yet natural way. So much that when my ears get used to having these acrylic beans in them, I can't tell whether I'm listening to flatbuds or in-ears anymore. It's that good.
Okay. Reading as much, you'd probably expect some comparisons to other sets.
The problem is: apart from listening to AüR Audio Ascension and a brief acquaintance with MEST OG, I haven't had a chance to listen to any well known TOTL IEMs, so I can't really comment on how Omnium compares to them.
Am I satisfied? Yes.
Up to the point where I no longer feel the need to visit forums, because I feel like I've caught my rabbit.
Now, how about I suggest a few tracks in which Omniums really shine?
To start, something from the Polish scene:
A plethora of female vocals in a pop-electronic song.
For contrast, some experimental rock, with poetic lyrics:
Highly preferred over Yosi Horikawa's tracks (Bubbles, Swashers, etc.) in headphone tests. And that baritone saxophone, oh...
To assess how well the vocals are positioned and whether the lower midrange is not too congested - whether the ears aren't just flooded with thick jelly:
To immerse myself in bass depths:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1dY48SI9T89hkHvo1GSGp7?si=6ece3e0396bc412c
https://open.spotify.com/track/1fTtPH0xGwFOXM5VlkxOX1?si=888659115b60475b
To check whether trebles appear shouty:
Tricky? Yes, indeed. I feel like quite a few albums from the late 90s and early 00s tend to feature slightly too aggressive, stingy highs.
As for something demanding across whole frequency spectrum:
That's it..
Congratulations to all who managed to focus long enough to get through the above text.
I salute you!
Till the next time.
I am sure you will love our Omniums! Just let me know when we can start rollin'. Cheers Buddy!
