ryanjsoo
Reviewer for The Headphone List
ryanjsoo's Reviews
Hello folks, introducing the latest brand to tackle the high-end IEM world, Nostalgia Audio! The company is the passion project of 3 audio enthusiasts from HK with a background in the industry. While they started with custom cables, they are entering the IEM arena with the Benbulbin, a hybrid IEM priced at a cool $899 USD. This puts it on some highly competitive turf.
The Benbulbin appears positioned to deliver, sporting a 5-driver setup with a 3-way crossover consisting of a titanium-plated dynamic driver woofer, 2x BA mid, 2x BA high configuration. They implement Polish 3D printed shells with deliberately tuned acoustics in order to achieve their ideal frequency response. It comes packaged with their Prelude SPC custom cable with a Litz type 4 geometry. Wood stained faceplates offer a unique touch to each unit.
Sound Impressions -
Nostalgia Audio’s marketing is scarce and brief, but in conversation with Adrian, he did mention that the Benbulbin targets a reference sound. It appears in measurement to be a bass-boosted DF neutral curve with a few key changes in the midrange itself. This was refreshing and a relief for me as many newcomers can "over-work" their IEMs for lack of better terminology in order to further set them aside from the crowd. Here, the Benbulbin takes cautious steps in tasteful moderation, confronting market leaders head-on.
Sub-bass has obviously been brought forward with a wideband cut applied through the upper-bass/lower-midrange retaining a clean tone. In addition, pinna gain has been cut by a few dB and the 4kHz region has been brought forward. The lower treble is then tapered off more aggressively, imbuing a smoother articulation while leaving a small 6kHz bump to retain detail presence.
In turn, it doesn’t come across quite as linear as earphones following the DF neutral and Harman curves more closely but has a very similar overall balance and character. Technically, the Benbulbin glimpses true stars in the high-end domain such as the Campfire Audio Andromeda or Fir Audio VxV, but falls just short of them in return for a more balanced and linear tonality. Few would doubt this is a high-end design in either regard and its resolution is suitable for the price overall.
TLDR
Overall an impressive first IEM from the company and a clearly calculated effort. While it sits in a highly competitive price tier, it comes across as a sort of all-rounder; almost matching class leaders in the tonality department on a capable hybrid platform that sacrifices no bass extension or power in so doing. It's not an outlier, falling just short of those one price class up in terms of treble extension and micro-detail retrieval. This means for only slightly more outlay, you can get a noticeably more detailed and immersive in-ear monitor. However, this does come at the cost of timbral accuracy and, accordingly, the ability to provide a strong tonal and technical performance is what forms the Benbulbin’s raison d’etre. I would posit that Nostalgia Audio has created one of the most versatile IEMs in its price class from those I've personally tested. Full review below.
Reviews -
- Everyday Listening
- More coming soon...
The Benbulbin appears positioned to deliver, sporting a 5-driver setup with a 3-way crossover consisting of a titanium-plated dynamic driver woofer, 2x BA mid, 2x BA high configuration. They implement Polish 3D printed shells with deliberately tuned acoustics in order to achieve their ideal frequency response. It comes packaged with their Prelude SPC custom cable with a Litz type 4 geometry. Wood stained faceplates offer a unique touch to each unit.
Sound Impressions -
Nostalgia Audio’s marketing is scarce and brief, but in conversation with Adrian, he did mention that the Benbulbin targets a reference sound. It appears in measurement to be a bass-boosted DF neutral curve with a few key changes in the midrange itself. This was refreshing and a relief for me as many newcomers can "over-work" their IEMs for lack of better terminology in order to further set them aside from the crowd. Here, the Benbulbin takes cautious steps in tasteful moderation, confronting market leaders head-on.
Sub-bass has obviously been brought forward with a wideband cut applied through the upper-bass/lower-midrange retaining a clean tone. In addition, pinna gain has been cut by a few dB and the 4kHz region has been brought forward. The lower treble is then tapered off more aggressively, imbuing a smoother articulation while leaving a small 6kHz bump to retain detail presence.
In turn, it doesn’t come across quite as linear as earphones following the DF neutral and Harman curves more closely but has a very similar overall balance and character. Technically, the Benbulbin glimpses true stars in the high-end domain such as the Campfire Audio Andromeda or Fir Audio VxV, but falls just short of them in return for a more balanced and linear tonality. Few would doubt this is a high-end design in either regard and its resolution is suitable for the price overall.
TLDR
Overall an impressive first IEM from the company and a clearly calculated effort. While it sits in a highly competitive price tier, it comes across as a sort of all-rounder; almost matching class leaders in the tonality department on a capable hybrid platform that sacrifices no bass extension or power in so doing. It's not an outlier, falling just short of those one price class up in terms of treble extension and micro-detail retrieval. This means for only slightly more outlay, you can get a noticeably more detailed and immersive in-ear monitor. However, this does come at the cost of timbral accuracy and, accordingly, the ability to provide a strong tonal and technical performance is what forms the Benbulbin’s raison d’etre. I would posit that Nostalgia Audio has created one of the most versatile IEMs in its price class from those I've personally tested. Full review below.
Reviews -
- Everyday Listening
- More coming soon...
