[eke2k6]

Tralucent Audio: Ref 1.​

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Foreword​

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The Ref 1 is the second major IEM release from Tralucent Audio. On first glance it appears to be the same hybrid design (dynamic driver + 2 balanced armatures working in unison) as their first offering, the 1plus2, but a quick listing of the features shows that to not be the case. Apart from relatively smaller tweaks, the major change in design comes from the replacement of the standard dynamic with an isobaric setup. A typical isobaric design consists of two drivers placed together in an enclosure. These drivers are positioned either front to front, back to front, or back to back within the larger enclosure.
 
 

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When I heard this, I assumed it would make for interesting possibilities. I just didn't guess how different the sound would be.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Side Notes

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• Yes, there is driver flex on insertion. It's bothersome while it happens, but it's something that is only of concern when you see it...like Tom Cruise's asymmetrical face.
• The cable pin/earpiece situation is still unresolved. I would not personally advise you to leave your Ref 1 hanging around your neck. You may look down to find your neck accessory to be $1600 less valuable. Yes, Gavin has suggested a glue solution, but I don't feel it's adequate for an item as  pricey as this. I know things take time, but a couple of tweaks to the housing and cable design could solve the problem.
• The driver flex belies the fact that this is still an open IEM. It has the isolation of a HD600 or HD800. Thes are not the IEMs you're looking for...if you want isolation.

 
 
 
 
 
The majority of critical listening will be done using the Fiio X5 connected to my computer as a DAC through to the Tralucent T1 as the amp via the X5's Line Out. The Ref 1 is equipped with the new straight connector Silver&Gold cable option, and I've dressed it with the Ortofon tips. This Ref 1 is a loaner set from a friend, so it has been run through its paces before it got to me. I'll assume it no longer needs to be broken in, even though I'm more or less agnostic about the whole burn in thing.
 
 
 
 

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Test Tracks
 
 
Feist - Limit to your Love
Kendrick Lamar - Don't Kill My Vibe
Die Zauberflöte: II. Akt, 29. Auftritt. Duette Papageno, Weib: "Pa - Pa - Pa" (Rene Jacobs)
Silent Knight - Versailles

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I listened to several more songs, but these had specific elements that I feels would test the Ref 1's capabilities.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Sound​

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There are two types of IEMs when it comes to sound. Those that immediately strike you with one or more tuning features, and those that sneak up on you with their technical prowess. The Ref 1 is definitely in the first group. 
 
The proverbial elephant in the room here is the bass. It is indeed elephant-like in size and weight. I was genuinely surprised by the quantity of the bass, and the sheer thickness of the sound.
 
I'm a huge fan of the 1plus2's bass. It's close to my golden ratio of mid-bass versus sub-bass. It's nimble. It's hard-hitting when necessary, but almost never obstructs anything. It's highly textured. It feels like pure unbridled teenage energy. The Ref 1's low end is almost none of these things. It's simply too much bass, IMO. I also feel like it loses a lot of texture in the process. As a result of the size there is also an issue with coloration in the lower mids, where the mid bass bleeds further up. To add some scale to things, the Ref 1 dwarfs the ASG-2.5 when it comes to bass quantity. The ASG-2.5 on the low bass settings is both tighter and lighter than the Ref 1 by quite a margin.
 
Up to the midrange, the Ref 1 manages to retain great presence despite the bass quantity. However, I notice something quite interesting about the upper mids. To my ears, the Ref 1 is highly boosted in the upper midrange, to the point where it introduces this strange tonality and some level of graininess. It is somewhat reminiscent of the very first version of the the    ASG-1. Just like boosted bass can warm the sound of an IEM, boosted upper mids can impart a radio-like tonality to the rest of the mids. This is the case with the Ref 1. It can be appealing in certain instances, but more often than not I find it off-putting, especially when going back and forth with an IEM that is not so boosted. I think it was tuned this way to balance out the quantity of the bass, but it appears to have had some side effects.
 
Treble wise, the Ref 1 is without fault. It is smooth, extended, and very life-like. Treble has never been an issue for the Tralucent family.
 
 
On to the positives 

 
The Ref 1 continues the Tralucent tradition of being extraordinarily spacious. It does not quite have the spatial prowess of the 1plus2 because of the sheer size of the bass, but it still is proficient in width and depth. Forward projection is not its strong suit though. 
 
The Ref 1 is also never short for detail. I can't use the superlatives like "hearing things I've never heard before" but details in the mids and highs certainly shine through.
 
 
 
 

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Conclusion​

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All in all, I'm not sure what to think about the Ref 1. On some tracks, it's an experience. On others, it makes me raise my eyebrows and wonder what Gavin was thinking. Perhaps it was the result of the influence of the FitEar customs he has owned. It almost seems like the polar opposite of the 1plus2, which can be good or bad depending on your perspective. I'm among the people who thinks the 1plus2 only needed a few tweaks to flesh out the mids slightly. But I am only one data point in the scheme of things. As always, YMMV.
 
 
-PS. I'll be adding a comparison to the new Aurisonics ASG-2.5 soon, as well as a few other IEMs.

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[eke2k6]

Tralucent Audio Ref 1 vs Aurisonics ASG-2.5​

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Methods​

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I've chosen a few songs that I feel will be good tests for both IEMs. I'll post the song, with impressions under each track. Note that the youtube versions linked are below the quality of the actual files used.
 
The ASG-2.5 is equipped with its stock cable and medium+ SureSeal tips, while the REF1 is equipped with the Tralucent Silver&Gold cable and large Ortofon tips. The ASG-2.5's bass port is only veeerryyy slightly open to let the driver breathe a bit.
 
The upstream components used are the Fiio X5 as a DAC, connected to the Tralucent T1 amplifier.
 
 
*Notes: My main ASG-2 has been out on loan for months, so I haven't listened to it in a while. This is good, since I've become de-adjusted to the Aurisonics house sound, and I'll come into the review with fresh ears for both IEMs.
 
 
 
 
 

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Tracks​

 
 
 
 
 
Feist - Limit to Your Love
 
 

 
 
- Starting with the Ref, the very first thing that strikes me is the Ref's very wide stage. It's really quite impressive. Feist's voice is dead center, with the instruments panning out far to the left and right. However, further listening points to a slight lack of depth to the soundstage, and a greater dearth of forward projection. Feist's voice is obviously boosted above the mix, especially in the upper mids. I'm not really a fanof the tonality it gives to her voice and piano. That, combined with the less than 3D stage take away from the experience.
 
- Switching to the ASG-2.5, it almost sounds bass light in comparison. The 2.5's impact is tighter though, and more defined. The 2.5's soundstage is not as wide as the Ref, but it provides a more immersive experience by improving on soundstage depth and height. Furthermore, Feist's voice seems more "controlled" for lack of a better word. Her voice blends in more with the mix, while still retaining emphasis. The Ref, in comparison, seems to have coherency issues in that regard.
 
 
 
Drake - The Language (Explicit)
 
This is primarily a test for bass performance, which includes dynamics, texture, and control. Additionally, it's a test for how well an IEM can retain clarity in the mids and highs despite the fact that the song calls for very generous amounts of bass.
 

 
 
 
- Quantity wise, the Ref 1 has more raw impact and rumble than the ASG-2.5, but that's where the advantages end. The main bass theme is a few short impacts, with interspersing sub-bass quakes. Drakes voice is meant to dance above the mix, and the hi-hats dance over it all. The Ref 1 represents the impact and rumble well, but there just isn't that sense of nimbleness in the low end. The ASG-2.5 has seriously concentrated punch, and instantly transitions into the sub-bass portions with awesome texture. The 2.5's overall tonality is somewhat dry, so I imagine that helps a lot with revealing texture.
 
Another thing that's more of a flaw of the Ref 1 than it is a ASG-2.5 advantage is again the Ref 1's upper mid spike. It proves to be quite distracting in this song, as it takes Drake's voice and replaces it with a nasal-sounding surrogate. The ASG-2.5 sounds far more accurate in this regard, as it seems to naturally emphasize vocals without any unnatural spikes.
 
 
 
 
Versailles - Silent Knight
 
My absolute favorite song to test for driver speeeeeedddddd.
 
The track starts off relatively slowly, but s**t starts getting real at 3:01. Here, we begin to test for smearing of note attack. A slower driver will make the shredding of a guitar come off more like flutes, and will smear the raw impact of the rapid drum strikes.
 
*note that the youtube video isn't of particularly high quality, so I advise you to find a copy of the song if you can. It's a useful test track to have, and it sounds awesome.
 
 

 
 
 
- The ASG-2.5 cuts through this song like a knife through butter, which is better than the previous revision was able to do. No problems here. Interestingly enough, the Ref 1 seems to more or less keep up as well, doing especially well with the speed of the double kickdrums. This seems at odds with how the bass performed with previous test tracks. I'm not sure how to explain this, other than guessing that the speed problems have more to do with the amount of bass it's been tuned to, rather than a general lack of speed an texture in the isobaric driver used. This song doesn't call for a LOT of bass, which would aid in assisting my theory.
 
 
 
Siebzehnter Auftritt (Papageno, Pamina, Monostatos) Monostatos: Ha, hab ich euch noch erwischt - Die Zauberflote (Rene Jacobs, Mozart).
 
 
Rene Jacobs' operas tend to be the most well produced and conducted that these ears have heard. Everything from the vocalists to the recording is impeccable. They provide great tests for dynamics, space, imaging, timbre and vocal accuracy.
 

 
 
- Again, the Ref 1 is impressively wide here, but the soundstage suffers a bit from GR07 syndrome, where it is takes on a more oblong shape instead of being completely in nature.
 
Exhibit A:
 

 
 
In this piece, it is as if all the cues are packed into the extremes of the left and right blobs, messing with imaging overall. I really don't understand, since (I believe) the the housing and BA drivers are carried over from the very 3D 1plus2.
 
Additionally, when listening to this piece, I feel like vocal pitch and timbre are off somewhat. It almost seems like a side effect of the boosted upper mids, where the spike creates a relative dip that compromises lower midrange harmonics. 
 
In comparison, the ASG-2.5 has none of these miscues. Vocal clarity and transparency is better on the the ASG-2.5. Still, it is not without its flaws...I hear the ASG-2.5 as being slightly boosted in the lower mids, creating a sort of resonance there if you don't have a perfect seal. Overall though, I prefer the ASG-2.5 with this track for the improved imaging, timbre, and other audiophile words.
 
 
 
 
 
Hozier - Work Song
 
 
One of my ultimate tracks for ambiance. Vocals, atmosphere, soundstage, etc. It's all here. I love this song...enjoy
 

 
 
 
- When it comes to vocals and atmosphere, I've yet to hear better than the ASG-2, and the 2.5 surely continues in this tradition. In this track, the backing vocals reach through Cthulu-like depths of blackness to surround you. Hozier's voice then cuts through the depths to reach and grab you. The electric guitar and tambourine materialize out of the shadows, complimenting yet standing out from the mix. Essentially, this song is an experience with the ASG-2.5
 
 
Switching to the Ref 1 instantly removes the sense of immersion that the ASG-2.5 provides. The most notable difference is the relative  lack of black space, and the contrast between cues it provides. Where the ASG-2.5 presents the song like a well-mastered "audiophile" track, the Ref 1 sounds almost brick-walled in comparison. A lot of this comes from that damned upper mid spike, but the rest comes from the oblong shaped soundstage that just doesn't do justice to the track. Hozier's vocals also aren't quite done justice here. 
 
 
 
 

Conclusion​

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I've really tried my best to transmit my thoughts from my ears to the keyboard without alteration. There are times when the Ref sounds simply great, but the overall tuning and soundstage are a but of a let down. The ASG-2.5 sounds more refined, more spacious due to its more developed soundstage, and overall more immersive to me. Clarity and transparency also seem to be better on the 2.5 due to the lack of dips and spikes that the Ref 1 has.
 
Thanks for reading.

 

[warrior1975]

Very nice review, looking forward to the head to head battles!! Very nice pics too bro!!!

 

[ChrisSC]

@ Eke: Thanks for the review!  How many hours have you logged on your ref 1s?
 
What you're describing mirrors my impressions, but I've got less than 25 hours on mine and I'm hoping that the bass settles with time, as others have said will happened once they get burnt in.

 

[coolmingli]

"Treble wise, the Ref 1 is without fault. It is smooth, extended, and very life-like. Treble has never been an issue for the Tralucent family."
 
I don't agree on the treble part, I think the treble is the biggest problem for the Tralucent family.
 
The treble on the Ref1 is not extended compare to some other IEMs, and it is missing some tones in the high, mid high area, the 1+2 is even worst in this regard.

 

[warrior1975]

That's definitely one of the big plusses for me, treble is perfect for my ears. much better than my Heir 8.0, and a but better than my G2.

 

[eke2k6]

Very nice review, looking forward to the head to head battles!! Very nice pics too bro!!!

@ Eke: Thanks for the review!  How many hours have you logged on your ref 1s?

What you're describing mirrors my impressions, but I've got less than 25 hours on mine and I'm hoping that the bass settles with time, as others have said will happened once they get burnt in.

Thanks guys!

I'm not sure how many exactly, but the owner put quite a few on before sending it my way. Plus I let it run in for a couple of days after I listened to it to make sure what I was hearing wasn't a fluke. Still, ymmv.

 

[eke2k6]

"Treble wise, the Ref 1 is without fault. It is smooth, extended, and very life-like. Treble has never been an issue for the Tralucent family."

I don't agree on the treble part, I think the treble is the biggest problem for the Tralucent family.

The treble on the Ref1 is not extended compare to some other IEMs, and it is missing some tones in the high, mid high area, the 1+2 is even worst in this regard.

If I'm not mistaken, I think you were the one having seal issues in the 1plus2 thread. Have you been able to resolve this yet? If not, it may be better if you did, so you could have an accurate impression of the iems in question.

 

[coolmingli]

If I'm not mistaken, I think you were the one having seal issues in the 1plus2 thread. Have you been able to resolve this yet? If not, it may be better if you did, so you could have an accurate impression of the iems in question.

 


Hi, seal issue is gone, a local forum member @Crashem, gave me 2 pairs of JVC tips, he also let me listen to his Ref1, you guys were dead on abut the JVC tips, perfect fit and don't come loose.
I am sorry, I just don't hear much upper tones from the Ref 1 and 1+2.

However, treble is not the only thing about music, I am buying a pair Ref1, I like the fullness on the vocal, sound stage, and love the bass.

 

[Ivabign]

Thanks for the review - succinct and informative. Doesn't hurt that I had already made the decision to hold on to one of my pairs of 1P2 (silver cable & silver/gold) as opposed to selling both to get the Ref.1.... I will wait for more detailed reports from the front before I head into battle.

 

[warrior1975]

@ Eke: Thanks for the review!  How many hours have you logged on your ref 1s?

I added up the hours and it was actually closer to 250, I thought I had between 150 and 200, but I was off.

 

[eke2k6]

If I'm not mistaken, I think you were the one having seal issues in the 1plus2 thread. Have you been able to resolve this yet? If not, it may be better if you did, so you could have an accurate impression of the iems in question.

 


Hi, seal issue is gone, a local forum member @Crashem, gave me 2 pairs of JVC tips, he also let me listen to his Ref1, you guys were dead on abut the JVC tips, perfect fit and don't come loose.
I am sorry, I just don't hear much upper tones from the Ref 1 and 1+2.

However, treble is not the only thing about music, I am buying a pair Ref1, I like the fullness on the vocal, sound stage, and love the bass.

Hmm

This is very interesting, a page back I was complaining about the 1+2 been sound flat, after change the comply tips to silicon tips, the sound stage opened up, and the missing tones are appeared now. the result is very obvious

_______________________

Thanks for the review - succinct and informative. Doesn't hurt that I had already made the decision to hold on to one of my pairs of 1P2 (silver cable & silver/gold) as opposed to selling both to get the Ref.1.... I will wait for more detailed reports from the front before I head into battle.

Cheers.

 

[warrior1975]

It's funny, I love bass, 100% bass head for sure but I actually love the treble on the Ref 1. To me, it sounds perfect. There is always a fine line with treble, goes from being to little to too much rather easily. Ref 1 nails it for me.

 

[Kunlun]

interesting review!

 

[Carlsan]

Nice review Eke, looking forward to your further comparisons. The photos are outstanding as well.