Design-wise, I let Joseph have full control - something I
rarely ever do - because Jomo's cosmetic work never fails to impress... and that continues today. Above
is admittedly a phone photo, but - even here - the Haka's big blue shells radiate
beautifully. It looks like a metallic blue/metallic silver swirl, and I couldn't be happier with the results. The nebula-like vortex on the faceplates are an especially wonderful touch, pulling every bit of focus straight onto the golden metallic
Haka logo glistening just above.
In terms of sound quality, I'm happy to report that the custom Haka is
far-and-away superior to the universal demo I tried at MS a couple weeks ago. Although the low-end is still weighty and accentuated, the overall signature is nowhere
near as dark, full or veiled because of the improved treble region. The custom Haka has greater top-end presence, extension and linearity; adding a significant amount of air, transparency and cleanliness to the stage. I don't know whether the problematic bloat only exists in MS's specific demo unit, or if it's a common issue amongst all the universal IEMs. I tried almost every tip in the store (including Final Audio tips, MandarinES's Symbio tips and SpinFits) and none of them honestly helped. I'd need to hear another production-quality universal Haka to confirm, but for now, I
strongly recommend going for the custom variant for the best possible experience.
Below are quick impressions I noted down whilst listening to the Haka. Enjoy!
The Haka’s bass is full-bodied and accentuated. Layering and separation are decent (great for a single driver), but clarity and resolution definitely impress - esp. in terms of physicality and texture. There’s a slight focus on sub-bass frequencies, but the entire low-end as a whole is well above neutral. However, due to excellent extension both ways, the Haka’s bass does not excessively warm up the stage. It does give instruments an extra touch of body, and it can bleed into the midrange with certain recordings, but it’s a fun, mostly-clean and technically-impressive bass nonetheless.
The Haka has a midrange that balances body and clarity. An upper-mid tilt gives the Haka its clarity and dynamic energy, and heft comes from upper-bass warmth. The upper-mid peak means it isn’t the most natural in tone, but the Haka displays great cleanliness, especially for its driver configuration and its price. Vocal forwardness is slightly above neutral, making it agreeable with both audiophile-inclined tracks and modern pop tracks. Like Jomo’s other offerings, note size and overall soundstage are on the neutral/average side, but stage organisation and PRaT excel because (or rather, in spite) of it.
The Haka owes a lot of its technical performance to excellent treble extension and admirable linearity. Although the general treble region is slightly attenuated - preventing it from sounding overtly V-shaped or sparkly - the Haka draws its resolution, clarity and spatial stability from raw extension. This tuning choice also makes the Haka incredibly versatile. The top-end is also more present here than on MS's universal demo, which I found rather veiled because the accentuated bass introduced too much warmth into the soundstage. Left-right separation and general imaging impress, handily competing with IEMs above its price range and driver count.
