[gLer]

Oriolus Traillii - The Summit-Fi IEM

The Oriolus Traillii is the most expensive, and yet the absolute best IEM I have ever tried. I feel comfortable calling it the Summit-fi in the IEM world. If you do not completely agree with me in its sound, at least you will agree with me for its price - it retails for a shocking $6000. In this impression, I will try to use my own experience with the Traillii to explain what makes it stand out among all the TOTL IEMs. Whether it is worth the price tag? I hope my review can help you draw your own conclusion.

Disclaimer

This unit is sent to me by @MusicTeck in exchange for my honest opinion.

Packaging and Accessories

The packaging of the Traillii is among the simplest I have ever seen. You get a Van Nuys protective case, a bag of ear tips, a twin-tube double sleeve (in red) to keep the earpieces separated in travel, and the Traillii itself. I was not impressed by its packaging at all, as I was clearly expecting more for an ultra-high-end IEM. However, after using it for a couple of days, I find that these accessories are exactly all I need. The case is large enough to comfortably put the Traillii inside it (my Eletech leather case is in fact not big enough). The case looks and feels very durable and low-profile - perfect for traveling with such an expensive item. The red double sleeve is also very useful in keeping the Trailli protected on the way.

The Build of the IEM and Cable

Traillii is a gorgeous IEM. It has a darker red faceplate (just like the little bird Traillii) and a transparent shell on the other side that allows you to clearly see all the units inside and the internal wires. The Traillii is also very comfortable to have on. It is slightly bigger than my 64 Audio U18t, but smaller than UM MEST. I also don't need to push the Traillii all the way in to get a good seal - it just comfortably sits in my ears and delivers a nice fit. I use the AZLA SednaEarfitLight as recommended by some other Traillii users, but the stock tips work just fine.



The cable is a collaborative one with PW Audio - a custom-made one from PW 1960 4-wired terminated in 4.4mm. The cable is soft, durable, and aesthetically paring very well with the earpieces. Tuning-wise, Oriouls says the cable is specially tuned to optimize its synergy with the Traillii. I did not bother to do cable swapping as I feel that they two work really work together.



General Sound Analysis

The source I have been using the Traillii with is Cayin N6ii (A02) + C9 in tube mode (class A). The sound signature of this source is relatively warm and smooth. I also have an LP P6 Pro coming in a couple of days and will be able to add a quick section to discuss the pairing afterward. 80% of my listening is done with vocals, with the others being some rock and classical music (orchestra).



Traillii is the most balanced and natural IEM I have listened to. When listening to it, you feel the smooth flow of music delivering to you. The bass is tight and fast. The mid is smooth with great textures. The treble has a nice extension. I rarely hear sharpness in any part of the music, and the details and clarity of the music are always there. The soundstage is the highlight of Traillii as it is expansive and well-organized. It surely gives me the feeling of listening to my headphones. Because of its excellent balance in sound, the Traillii is a very non-fatiguing IEM and I can easily enjoy my music with it for hours and hours.

If I want to better explain what "balanced" means for the Traillii, it is that none of the bass, mids, or treble is too forward; nor are they too recessed. And, this is accompanied by an expansive sound stage. From reading this, you may say "Sure! Isn't this what all the (good) IEMs do?" However, this is not the case based on my experience with several TOTL IEMs. For each of the IEM I have experienced, there are always parts of the music that the IEM emphasizes. I tend not to cheat this as deficiencies. Instead, I think these emphases are what give the IEM a characteristic that appeals to a certain group of customers. Just to give a quick example, to me the Sony IER Z1R excels in its expansive sound stage, clarity of the music, and outstanding treble. These characteristics are what keep me engaged when listening to this IEM and drive what I choose to listen to with this IEM. Meanwhile, some of these characteristics come with tradeoffs. Again for the IER-Z1R, some people have found its finds to be a bit recessed, and this is what makes me move away from it eventually.

For the Traillii, I don't find it to put a particular emphasis on any part of the music. However, it is able to deliver different aspects of the music really well and keep me engaged throughout. The soundstage and layering of the music are excellent as I get to enjoy the depth of the music. It is overall a very 3D listening experience with a balanced, natural tuning that I have not experienced in any other IEMs.

Selected Comparisons

I am able to compare the Traillii side-by-side with my two most-used IEMs: 64 Audio U18t and UM Mest. I also had a short demo of the VE Elysium and had some interesting comparison results.

Traillii and U18t (with Eletech Socrates)

Both are quite neutral with respect to the sound. The details and imaging are on the same level. There are two major differences: (1) U18t is a more imtimate, or some may say more "engaging" IEM, than the Traillii. The vocals from U18t are noticiably closer to you. This could be very enjoyable when you want to dance with the music, so I like it very much with fast songs. The vocals in Traillii, on the other hand, is further away but without being recessed, so it is more enjoyable for long listening sessions. (2) The soundstage is also better for the Traillii. I can more clearly recognize what is happening in the background, and those information does not distract me away from the vocals I listen to.

Traillii and UM MEST (with Eletech Iliad)

I find both of them to have a similar size in sound stage. The position of vocals are also similar. The biggest difference between them is the smootheness in sound. N6ii + C9 already helps the MEST to smooth out most of its edges, but the the smoothes and rich textures in the sound from Traillii are at the next level, making the vocals truly enjoyable. The details and imaging are also better with the Traiill.

Traillii and VE Elysium

I find the mids and vocals between them to share lots of similarities. The textures and richness in sound are all there and are the best I have ever listened to. However, as has been mentioned by many users, the Ely is a very mid-focused IEM. Threfore, when compared to Traillii, I do not get as much from other parts of the music. The Ely somewhat strike me as being a not-so-balanced IEM while the Traillii is able to maintain and deliver all the aspects of the music in addition to its intoxicated mids. Overall, if you are a big fan of mid-focused IEMs, you are going to enjoy both of them immersely.

Source Comparison

To be added after I receive the P6 Pro.


Verdict

Listening to and writing the review of Traillii reminds me of how a reviewer (Josh) describes the TOTL headphone HiFiMan Susvara. The Susvara is able to achieve at least 90% of the very best in the market for every dimension it is evaluated at. However, if you narrow down to a specific angle, you could find a "winner" that slightly outperforms the Susvara in that specific region, such as HD800s's advantage in soundstage. What makes Susvara a truly summit-fi headphone is that it is able to pack all of these excellency into one headphone and delivers it to the user. I find this description applies to the Traillii in the IEM world as well.

Would the Traillii be a good fit for your need? I think it really depneds on your "habit" in collecting and using IEMs. For some of the users, we would like to have a collection of IEMs and we can enjoy the diversity form these IEMs with different characteristics. For some others, they primarily use 1 IEM to listen to all kinds of music, and it is for this group of listeners that I think the Traillii could be a good fit, especially if you are into vocals like I am. In my own experience, if I can only own one IEM, then Traillii is the one.

Great review man, keep writing them!

 

[bluestorm1992]

Great review man, keep writing them!

Thanks!!! Your review of 64 Audio products is mind-blowing to read.

 

[gazzington]

So whats everyones audio set ups these days?
Mine:
cayin n8, wm1z and sp25 as daps
Focal Elex and rad 0 as headphones
sony ier z1r, mest, solaris og and andomeda 2019 as iems

What I want:
l&p p6 pro
vision ears elysium
thummim

And I need to sell a lot of stuff!

 

[gLer]

So whats everyones audio set ups these days?
Mine:
cayin n8, wm1z and sp25 as daps
Focal Elex and rad 0 as headphones
sony ier z1r, mest, solaris og and andomeda 2019 as iems

What I want:
l&p p6 pro
vision ears elysium
thummim

And I need to sell a lot of stuff!

That's it, literally. I'll listen casually to anything that comes my way to review, and carry a pair of BLON 03 when out and about with my phone, but for serious listening, nothing else currently gets a look-in.

 

[gazzington]

That's it, literally. I'll listen casually to anything that comes my way to review, and carry a pair of BLON 03 when out and about with my phone, but for serious listening, nothing else currently gets a look-in.

What dap is that?

 

[gLer]

What dap is that?

HiBy R8 (it's in the fine print )

 

[mvvRAZ]

So whats everyones audio set ups these days?
Mine:
cayin n8, wm1z and sp25 as daps
Focal Elex and rad 0 as headphones
sony ier z1r, mest, solaris og and andomeda 2019 as iems

What I want:
l&p p6 pro
vision ears elysium
thummim

And I need to sell a lot of stuff!

Pretty much the setup you want swap the elysium for the A18S and you got my star duo!

 

[gazzington]

Pretty much the setup you want swap the elysium for the A18S and you got my star duo!

I kind of think your right. Thummim for excitement and audio 64 for more reference. Does that dap sound better than the lotoo?

 

[mvvRAZ]

I kind of think your right. Thummim for excitement and audio 64 for more reference. Does that dap sound better than the lotoo?

Yup!

On P6 vs lotoo... not better definitely, different. The LPGT is more forward and detailed while the P6 has better staging dynamics and a darker, more pleasant signature

 

[gazzington]

Yup!

On P6 vs lotoo... not better definitely, different. The LPGT is more forward and detailed while the P6 has better staging dynamics and a darker, more pleasant signature

Cool thanks. I’ll see which I can get the best deal on. I was considering the elysium as it’s supposed to be good with jazz which I listen a fair bit too. However, I’m sure a 64 audio iem would also cover that niche. Thummim would be for all my bass heavy music and metal!

 

[bluestorm1992]

I am deciding between LPGT Ti and LP P6 Pro.

I have had LPGT before and quite like its overall sound signature but still have some complaints for its ability to drive certain IEMs well. I wonder how much LPGT Ti would be better. Meanwhile, I also really want to try a R2R DAP with some many good feedback for it.

For IEMs, I am eagerly waiting new products from MMR and 64 Audio (if any).

 

[gazzington]

Matter of interest whats ve v8 like?

 

[doctorjuggles]

I am eagerly waiting new products from MMR and 64 Audio (if any).

We know for sure 64a will be releasing new products this year - there was a livestream a few weeks ago which confirmed it (but not exactly what they would be)

 

[Tristy]

Matter of interest whats ve v8 like?

Really quite good actually... given it's an all BA setup which I'm not usually a fan of. I bought them about a week ago and they haven't really left my ears. Much better to my ears than the U12t, the mids are complex and has some magic going on. I can't put my finger on it but they've really made them come to life on the VE8, they're very intricate and well layered. The U12t is more analytical, has slightly better detail retrieval and has more sub bass and treble quantity but the mid bass on the VE8 and in tandem with the mids are really really nice. Drum's impact sounds so satisfying and despite being an all BA endeavour, they're very engaging (I can't say the same for the U12t). Highly recommend if you're after an all BA allrounder.

 

[Rockwell75]

Really quite good actually... given it's an all BA setup which I'm not usually a fan of. I bought them about a week ago and they haven't really left my ears. Much better to my ears than the U12t, the mids are complex and has some magic going on. I can't put my finger on it but they've really made them come to life on the VE8, they're very intricate and well layered. The U12t is more analytical, has slightly better detail retrieval and has more sub bass and treble quantity but the mid bass on the VE8 and in tandem with the mids are really really nice. Drum's impact sounds so satisfying and despite being an all BA endeavour, they're very engaging (I can't say the same for the U12t). Highly recommend if you're after an all BA allrounder.

I would second all of this and add, as someone who seems to share similar taste in IEMs as you, that you shouldn't walk away from the Elysium so easily. If most of your music is instrumental/vocal in nature then the Elysium, which may be outshined by other IEMs in terms of immensity of stage and raw technical chops, can give it a natural, lifelike and above all human timbre & tone that I have not seen in any other IEM I've demoed or read about, with the possible exception being the Oriolus Trailli. I would highly recommend you seek out a demo it if you can.