[arijitroy2]

A bit late to the part but let's talk AAW Canary! I recently purchased them from @SLC1966, so I owe him a big shoutout for getting them to me in under two days all the way from the US <3

I wish you gave this impression before I had so many chances of getting one at a very good price but chickened out! Lot of mixed reviews here and there!

 

[Deezel177]

'Also sharing my thoughts on a hybrid UIEM - though, on the other end of the budget spectrum - with my review of Audiofly's wonderful AF140MK2! There's very little I love more in this hobby than discovering budget beasts, and this one's both one of the most affordable and impressive-sounding I've found in recent memory. If you love warmer sigs with great clarity in the high-mids and highs, this one's definitely worth a listen. Without further ado, here's the review. Cheers!

Audiofly AF140MK2 - The Sunburst Cherry Bomb
​

 

[SLC1966]

A bit late to the part but let's talk AAW Canary! I recently purchased them from @SLC1966, so I owe him a big shoutout for getting them to me in under two days all the way from the US <3

I looked through some impressions of the Canary and it seems like the feedback is quite mixed, but my initial impressions were quite radically different - I've been absolutely loving them! Those of you that have had the chance to hear the Thummim, I'd say the Canary is basically a mini Thummim, as they both have a similarly W shaped signature, with excellent texture, but a few key differences I'll outline below

The bass is easily the star of the show. Not in the sense that it has super overloaded lows that steal the spotlight, but the isobaric DD achieves such a perfect balance between speed and decay that you simply can't not spend a few minutes gushing over it. It is also extremely well "dispersed" through space - you can tell exactly where the drum hits are, which Imo is the result of some of the best bass control I've heard to date. The one IEM I'd compare them to is the A18s, though the Canary has a slightly slower decay and a bit more quantity. They're both absolutely top notch though

The midrange gets the Raz stamp of approval as it has excellent weight/texture/timbre - that applies to both vocals and instruments, and I'd say they sound slightly exaggerated (not unlike the Thummim), but without sounding "incorrect" - the contrasting example Imo would be IEMs sporting an upper mid peak, which also give the sense of an exaggeration that (to me) doesn't sound as faithful to a theoretical reference. The Canary's midrange also has a really good level of clarity, where the midrange's texture doesn't really make it sound congested or nasal.

The treble... the best way for me to put it is that it has really good highs that don't quite hit my 100% optimal preference - it has a relatively flat extension in the sense that the upper treble doesn't really have a priority over the lower treble. Thankfully the Canary is 100% sibilance free with an only slightly elevated treble response, but I'd personally quite like an upper treble bump to create that overloaded sense of air. I'd say it's a bit similar to the Erl in that respect as they both have really good highs that doesn't quite hit the 10/10 mark for me

Technicalities - on point. Very good detail retrieval - at no point do I feel like I'm missing anything from the recording, with really good depth/height, and an above average width. That's an aspect I'll be able to evaluate better after some more listening time, but even after a day or so it's clear that they sport a very high level of technical ability.

It's only been a day, but the Canary is already looking like it will have a solid spot in the collection and will most likely be pulling some serious listening time!

Excellent write-up on the Canary!! I have the same thoughts/impressions about the Canary as you do. I just am unable to put them down on paper as well as you.

They were picked up at 4pm this Monday in Utah and they were in your hands in the EU Wednesday at 11:30 am. DHL is impressive.

 

[Frankie D]

I have been auditioning the Thummim and I have to say I am not overly impressed (so far). The bass is a bit slow. Vocals, though sibilance free, also do not possess the air and presence I would expect from an IEM in this price category. The overall sound signature is also dark. In comparison to the ERLK it is noticeably darker sounding. The Timbre or tone of the recording does not sound as good, and the bass is not as tight. It also seems to have too much bass at times, more than is actually present based on comparisons to my home system. The bass is more prominent on the Thummim than on the ERLK at setting 2. On the positive side it will do a better job on bad recordings as it will smooth out the vocals where the ERLK will not. However, the Luna will also do that and somehow provides more air and is not dark sounding.

The reviewers mentioning that the package was not up to what might be expected at this price category were not kidding. I am not sure the case included is useful at all. Not a big deal as I usually switch cases anyway, but I did expect more.


Do all of you like how they look when wearing them? I don’t think I care too much, but I must say when I looked in the mirror they looked terrible on me. They just stick out more so than anything I have ever tried. Maybe they will grow on me.

MVV, I have to ask you: As the bass is so prominent I am shocked that you like them so much as you always told us you were not big on bass. Are you now much more into bass than before? If your taste changed a bit, this would be good to know. Tks.

 

[toaster]

 

[mvvRAZ]

I have been auditioning the Thummim and I have to say I am not overly impressed (so far). The bass is a bit slow. Vocals, though sibilance free, also do not possess the air and presence I would expect from an IEM in this price category. The overall sound signature is also dark. In comparison to the ERLK it is noticeably darker sounding. The Timbre or tone of the recording does not sound as good, and the bass is not as tight. It also seems to have too much bass at times, more than is actually present based on comparisons to my home system. The bass is more prominent on the Thummim than on the ERLK at setting 2. On the positive side it will do a better job on bad recordings as it will smooth out the vocals where the ERLK will not. However, the Luna will also do that and somehow provides more air and is not dark sounding.

The reviewers mentioning that the package was not up to what might be expected at this price category were not kidding. I am not sure the case included is useful at all. Not a big deal as I usually switch cases anyway, but I did expect more.


Do all of you like how they look when wearing them? I don’t think I care too much, but I must say when I looked in the mirror they looked terrible on me. They just stick out more so than anything I have ever tried. Maybe they will grow on me.

MVV, I have to ask you: As the bass is so prominent I am shocked that you like them so much as you always told us you were not big on bass. Are you now much more into bass than before? If your taste changed a bit, this would be good to know. Tks.

Interesting, you and I seem to have very different impressions - the thummim does have less clarity in the midrange compared to the Erl but I do feel like its texture and weight are a fair bit ahead - now whether that fits your preferences is an entirely different story, heavy mids are my #1 priority when trying out gear

I’m really surprised you found them to be dark though, as we’ve had some people complain about them being too bright but nobody really mentioned insufficient treble

bass in general is the frequency region that I’m least fussy about, but I loved the Z1R’s bass which has an ultra slow decay. I used to really hate warm lows but I’ve come to appreciate the weight they add to the signature as a whole

and lastly, I do love the look yes. Very unconventional and quite flashy but I’m all for it

Just out of curiosity, what DAP/source did you use?

 

[toaster]

...the thummim does have less clarity in the midrange compared to the Erl but I do feel like its texture and weight are a fair bit ahead.

Does "fair bit ahead" here mean you perceive thum mids to be better, or do you mean more in a colored-sound sorta way?

In discussions about the erlky, mids usually come up as being exceptionally well-weighted and textured in an extremely natural and realistic way.

Do you mean that the mids on the thum are exaggerated in a non-natural, but fun and colored-sound kinda way?

 

[Frankie D]

Interesting, you and I seem to have very different impressions - the thummim does have less clarity in the midrange compared to the Erl but I do feel like its texture and weight are a fair bit ahead - now whether that fits your preferences is an entirely different story, heavy mids are my #1 priority when trying out gear

I’m really surprised you found them to be dark though, as we’ve had some people complain about them being too bright but nobody really mentioned insufficient treble

bass in general is the frequency region that I’m least fussy about, but I loved the Z1R’s bass which has an ultra slow decay. I used to really hate warm lows but I’ve come to appreciate the weight they add to the signature as a whole

and lastly, I do love the look yes. Very unconventional and quite flashy but I’m all for it

Just out of curiosity, what DAP/source did you use?

I am using the N8 in 4.4mm SS mode. So no tube, no extra warmth. And obviously I am using same on the ERLK and Luna. I also volume matched ( by ear ) before doing any comparative listening.

I would say what I am hearing matches Wyville’s description. I am just doing direct comparisons vs my IEM’s. Tks.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Does "fair bit ahead" here mean you perceive thum mids to be better, or do you mean more emphasized.

In discussions about the erlky, mids usually come up as being extremely well-weighted and textured in an extremely natural and realistic way.

Do you mean that the mids on the thum sound exaggerated in a non-natural, but fun and colored-sound kinda way?

Better from the perspective of someone who wants as much midrange texture as they can get

the three IEMs with a really noteworthy midrange to me are the:

Erl = Elysium = Thummim

and their respective focus:

Clarity - Clarity/texture - texture

@Frankie D to each his own you know how it goes. I was explicit in my comparison post that I enjoyed the thummim more than the Erl but also that is specifically my experience with the two

 

[toaster]

interesting perspective...still very interested in hearing the thum.

tks.

 

[Frankie D]

Better from the perspective of someone who wants as much midrange texture as they can get

the three IEMs with a really noteworthy midrange to me are the:

Erl = Elysium = Thummim

and their respective focus:

Clarity - Clarity/texture - texture

@Frankie D to each his own you know how it goes. I was explicit in my comparison post that I enjoyed the thummim more than the Erl but also that is specifically my experience with the two

MVV, I am not knocking you. Just providing my perspective. As you know, you are one of the folks on this forum whose posts always interest me. But we will not always agree, and that is cool. Anyway, I will keep you all posted as I listen a bit more. Tks.

 

[mvvRAZ]

MVV, I am not knocking you. Just providing my perspective. As you know, you are one of the folks on this forum whose posts always interest me. But we will not always agree, and that is cool. Anyway, I will keep you all posted as I listen a bit more. Tks.

Sure is, all is cool. This is pretty much the only thread I’m active in and it’s for the specific reason that it isn’t a circlejerk

 

[toaster]

non-company specific threads are

 

[arijitroy2]

MVV, I am not knocking you. Just providing my perspective. As you know, you are one of the folks on this forum whose posts always interest me. But we will not always agree, and that is cool. Anyway, I will keep you all posted as I listen a bit more. Tks.

Really interested in your comparison between the 3 iems since you're the only one who has Luna and the 2 I am really interested in!!

 

[Frankie D]

Really interested in your comparison between the 3 iems since you're the only one who has Luna and the 2 I am really interested in!!

Sure. The Thummim is only an audition. I do not own it. The Luna and ERLK I own. And I will try to compare to my home system as well as that is my reference system as I have said in the past. We will see if time allows for that. Tks.