Sure thing!
The Variations I would describe as a clean and lean, yet musical and fun listen. The Oracle on the other hand is a masterclass in tonal balance; it‘s a jack of all trades, replaying any genre you could throw at it flawlessly. Variations is a neutral IEM with a sub-bass boost while the Oracle is neutral with a bass boost, which is an important distinction.
I‘d like to talk about the Treble first since both IEMs excel here (they both do in every regard really). Their EST implementation is really good and you can hear them do work (there are IEMs where the ESTs are either implemented poorly and/or don’t see to do much). Extension is great and goes up all the way to the highest frequencies. The Oracle has a very clear, yet smooth Treble response that‘s never fatiguing to my ears, avoiding any sibilance while providing a sense of „air“ and space. The Variations follows the same path but sounds more aggressive and „brilliant“ overall, sounding sparkly when the music calls for it, while still avoiding any sibilance. They both do it excellent, but the Variations has a slight edge here.
Midrange is brilliant on both as well and where these sets start to differ more. The Oracle presents both male and female vocals in a very natural and bodied manner, making them sound lifelike and „full“ as a result. The Variations takes a different approach: the upper midrange as well as female vocals simply sound ethereal on this Set. If the Oracle was great on female vocals already, the Variations cranks that up to 11. It provides the best replay of female vocals to my ears that I have heard coming from an IEM. Clear, brilliant, detailed. Now, due to not elevating mid-bass and a slight dip in the lower midrange, instruments and male vocals there can sound a bit distant or „thin“ to some. It does not bother me, and I still very much like the representation there, but some might not.
In the Bass we now see wildly differing tuning decisions. The Variations elevates Bass almost exclusively in the sub-bass while the Oracle has a tasteful bass boost along the entire frequency section. This prevents any bass-bleed into the upper frequencies on the Variations leading to it‘s clean and lean sounding midrange presentation. Bass is well separated but still coherent with the other frequencies. Sub-bass rumbles on this set and it is a pleasure, subwoofers for your ears. Bass texture and quality is very high on both sets, but the Variations again edges out the Oracle a bit here. The „lack“ of mid bass however could be a problem for some, depending on preference and what genres their library consists of. The Oracle is more universal in that regard; it does not rumble as deep as the Variations, and the resolution is slightly behind, but the quantity of mid-bass just makes it a more universal listen in that regard.
A little intermission here:
The thing about the Variations (and the Monarch MK1) is that it does Bass different than most other IEMs.
When other IEMs have a Frequency Response with a Bass Boost (be it V-Shaped, U-Shaped, Neutral with Bass Boost etc.) they usually boost the mid-bass and sub-bass. So the Bass shelf is present over the entirety of the bass band. This leads to a coherent and smooth bass presence no matter what kind of bass a track incorporates.
Therein lies a pitfall however. Mid-bass is usually more present in quantity overall when it comes to music compared to Sub-bass. One genre that usually incorporates a lot of sub-bass is electronic music. So it is much harder to tune a „proper“ or „tasteful“ amount of mid-bass compared to sub-bass. Have too much and you risk it bleeding into the midrange, coloring vocals and instruments present in the lower midrange, being too „boomy“ or „muddening“ the sound. Have too little and you risk missing proper Bass impact and feel, noteweight and proper sound of vocals and instruments in the lower midrange.
The Variations having a bass-boost pretty much exclusive to the sub-bass has two disadvantages; 1) some might miss the impact and quantity of mid-bass usually accompanied by a bass boost and 2) may feel like male vocals and lower midrange instruments lack body and/or presence. Now these two disadvantages are not that notable and/or significant to me, but they are there and my observations seem to align with the general consensus here.
Now to the advantages, and there are quite a few:
- Sub-bass is excellent on the Variations; in impact, quantity, and quality. Bass Texture and detail are great, resolution all around incredible.
- Mid-bass, while maybe lacking in quantity for some, still carries the excellent technicalities of the sub-bass.
- Due to the kind of the bass boost being in the sub-bass, there is no bleed or coloration into the mid-bass. One of the reasons this set is so clean. Bass is very well separated while still sounding coherent in relation to the other frequencies.
In terms of Technicalities, both IEMs are very resolving, with the Variations edging out the Oracle again. The Variations is one of, if not the most resolving IEM you can get below 1k. You need to get considerably higher to get slight improvements (U12t, MEST, Elysian Annihilator) in that regard. Bass Hits deep and hard when called for, with excellent texture and attack/decay. It is well separated from the upper frequencies. Overall, the set sounds very coherent, a big improvement over the Blessing 2 which has coherency issues. Stage is wide and deep with moderate height. Vocals sound as if they are put on a podium that is shifted around based on where is should be in the recording/mix, with instruments well separated from each other. I am able to easily identify them and their corresponding position in the sound field. Timbre is nice. The treble provides sparkle and a certain brilliance that make music shine. Both bass and treble are more aggressive compared to the Oracle while still not being fatiguing to my ears.
The Oracle is incredibly smooth in its overall tonality which leads to it being an incredible Allrounder. Bass is a bit lower in quantity than the FR Graph would indicate, but it is excellent. Fast and well controlled bass hits with great texture. The mid-bass and lower treble have more body to them compared to the Variations. Vocals in general are a bit more intimate but still accurate in their spacial position. Treble is smooth and well extended; less aggressive than the Variations. It has brilliance to it, but not the same Sparkle the Variations provides. Timbre is excellent and one of the biggest strengths of the set. Everything sounds very natural and „organic“, missing any sign of metallic or plastic-y sound.
Build Quality on both IEMs is excellent. The Variations has a filled 3D-printed resin shell with a beautiful semi-transparent smoked look and a Metal face plate with laser-etched patterns. It has some weight to it but is not heavy. The nozzle is part of the printed shell and rather thick compared to other IEMs. Three bores are on the nozzle, each being a sound-tube coming from each driver set (one each for the DD, both BAs and both ESTs). Both have a standard 2-pin connector that feels very sturdy. The Oracle has an unfilled semi-transparent resin shell that is lighter, with a metal nozzle and a metal grill. The Oracle has a beautiful seashell-like faceplate. Both IEMs are on the medium sized side.
With SpinFit CP155 Tips, the Variations fit me perfectly, almost like a custom. Very comfortable for me with good isolation. The Oracle fits me well with CP500 tips, which help me avoid suction issues that I had on this set with other tips. Now I can put them in and slightly break seal for a moment to let pressure out should there be any.
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In the end, I love both of these Sets and cannot recommend them enough. The Variations is the more resolving, clinical and unforgiving set while the Oracle is a true allrounder with beautiful timbre. Both will replay anything you throw at them. If you wanted to get an IEM around 1k$, I would recommend you get both the Oracle and Bravery instead of one more expensive set.
Cheers
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, though my ears rarely having excess wax problem.
