Elysian Acoustic Labs Diva Impressions
Price: $1600 (CIEM)
Configuration: 6BA
Unit was purchased for review from Lee of Elysian directly.
If you don't know the story on the Diva, it's one of the IEMs I heard at CanJam Singapore way back in April. After hearing the demo unit for a couple hours, I plonked money down on my own because - yes - it just sounded that good. I also had fresh ear impressions done at Zeppelin and Co, so I thought why not go for a CIEM? What transpired next was something no one wants to hear: numerous production delays, supply chain issues, and not-so-accurate timelines. But again, it sounded that good. So I patiently waited it out (and might've spammed Lee every few weeks asking where my Diva was) before it finally showed up this week.
There is no point in asking me how I think the Diva CIEM compares to the UIEM; it's just been far too long since I've demoed the UIEM. But what I
can tell you is that the Diva CIEM sounds damn good.
The calling card of the Diva lies in its bass. It has an integrated bass dial at the back of the shell that is adjusted via a small flathead screwdriver. But there are other IEMs that use similar gimmicks to control bass, so what's the catch? Basically, the distinction is that the Diva's bass boost is kept incredibly clean due to an aggressive lowpass. According to Lee, this also reduces output from the drivers which necessitates more power to drive the Diva. The level of SPL between each setting is also significantly greater than seen with most IEMs that use switches. In terms of actual bass performance, the Diva is respectable. With a good seal, the lowest frequencies pound, rumble, and bounce despite ultimately falling short in texture and slam. I find that the perception of slam is often aided by incisive attack transients. Here, closer listening reveals a slight softness to the Diva's bass transients, a subtle attack blurriness that is characteristic of the vented Sonion BA woofers. This is in spite of just how clean a bass shelf the Diva has. But overall, while I'd consider the Diva's bass not quite up to par with the best DDs, it puts on a pretty convincing show for a BA configuration.
The midrange of the Diva has the hallmarks of Elysian's house-sound with an aggressive rise to the upper-midrange that teeters on excessive. The bump at 4kHz was quite noticeable on first listen; the Diva actually has more upper-midrange on paper than the Elysian Annihilator. However, the Diva's stronger, but fairly smooth slope into the lower-treble balances out some of this 4kHz emphasis. Seori on "Lovers in the Night", where her voice has a dark yet fragile timbre, sounds just a little crisper than I'm used to on my other IEMs. Other tracks with more emphasized upper-midranges generally sound a tad hyper-boosted, but in a desirable, engaging manner. String plucks sound incredibly crisp and delineated. Bear in mind, this is all with the middle bass setting which has a dead-flat lower-midrange. Some tracks like Brett Young's "Catch" benefit from shifting to the minimum bass setting for more lower-midrange body. I find using the minimum bass setting also alleviates some of the forwardness to the upper-midrange if it's too much. In essence, the middle bass setting is a safe choice (to no surprise, as it makes the Diva sound similar to a Moondrop B2 with superior treble) even if kills some of the Diva's special sauce.
Measurements can often be deceptive; the Diva's treble response is a good example: I observed significant variation in the treble measurements with the slightest of placement adjustments on the coupler. As for what I actually hear in practice, I would say the Diva's treble response is distantly reminiscent of the 64A U12t's with a lower and upper-treble focus. However, the mid-treble valley that I hear on the U12t is more narrow on the Diva, and the Diva comes up for air at a slightly lower frequency than ~16kHz and with less magnitude. I'm not sure which response I think is more desirable. On one hand, the Diva's treble is less peaky; on the other, it doesn't have the slight shimmer and micro-detail the U12t exhibits up top and it can sound equally artificial. But this is nitpicking. The Diva's treble is fast, precise, and extends excellently; overall, it's a good treble response that pays compliment to the aggressive upper-midrange.
The Diva is as much a technical performer as it is fun. Macro-detail is stunning with a strong sense of the "big picture" to the music. Dynamic swings are vivid, and I find myself wanting to listen loud on the Diva despite the forward upper-midrange. Where the Diva possibly stumbles is micro-detail; the portrayal of the texture and nuance of individual instruments. I would suggest that this is mostly psychoacoustic. Relative to the U12t for example, the U12t seems more detail-oriented because of its unique recessions in frequency response and strong upper-treble. This draws your attention, almost effortlessly, to minutia you wouldn't normally hear; therefore, it comes across as sounding more detailed. The Diva's more conventional tuning - specifically in the upper-midrange - pushes detail on you to the point of which it can sometimes sound forced. Likewise, transients on the Diva have a more conventional, snappy attack/decay pattern especially in the midrange and treble.
At the end of the day, the Diva is one of the few flagship IEMs that I think is worth its salt at $1500-1600. It's a chameleon in terms of tuning that mostly screams fun but that can also play a more reserved role when needed. That in mind, I can actually see myself using the bass pot compared to other IEMs with similar gimmicks where I usually just choose one setting and leave it. The Diva has the whole package from tuning variety, to strong technicalities, and to excellent build quality and accessories. I think the
real question here is whether you're willing to play the waiting game for this stellar IEM.
Bias Score: 8/10
All critical listening was done off of my iBasso DX300.
I'm glad your Diva finally shipped. 
