Tralucent Audio Ref 1 vs Aurisonics ASG-2.5
Methods
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.
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
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.
