7Hz Legato (mini review): Starting with the most boring part, the mids, the upper-mid gain itself is pretty neutral for me BUT due to the BIG bass quantity, it is recessed and clarity is lacking. Lower-mids (male vocals) are worse though, as it is more recessed and lacking even more clarity. Not for vocal lovers.
Treble, my opinion on this is mixed. While normally, this would be a pretty well-tuned treble and I would praise it quite a bit for being done by DDs, that has a pretty good clarity while being pretty smooth (except for the 6.5k treble peak which is a pretty big peak for my ears and is a big issue on some tracks) along with some upper-treble air, making the tonal balance pretty good. The issue with this here though, is that this is aimed for bassheads (more on the bass later) and with this type of tuning, you would really expect/want a warmer, less fatiguing and definitely not a peak at 6.5k so that you can enjoy the bass to the fullest and/or raise the volume without being concerned about the treble. This issue I have with the treble stems almost solely from the 6.5k peak which CAN be FIXED with a simple PEQ filter there. (hz: 6500, Q: 3, gain: -4db)
Lastly the bread and butter of this set, the BASS. This is unmistakably a bass tuned to be enjoyed ALMOST SOLELY by bassheads, I say ALMOST because the bass is NOT a very dirty bass, as in, it is NOT a very slow nor loose bass that bleeds everywhere, due to the decently tight and fast bass (if you consider the quantity it has). The bass texture and extension on the other hand, is a bit lacking (for a basshead set) and the massive quantity is most likely there to compensate for that issue. The downside with this type of bass though, is that I feel that this combined with the treble issue from above, means that this set is NOT aimed at bassheads 100%, but is also tuned so it can be used by non-bassheads. Problem with this is that I feel that they are kind of missing the point of both targets, as in, a basshead would want a warmer and perhaps even more bass quantity while a non-basshead would still find this to be too bassy and too warm for them.
Coherency overall is good, but you can spot some differences between the bass/lower-mids and upper-mids/treble, as the lower part´s note weight is thicker than the upper part, the contrast between them being the factor for it being a little bit incoherent. Akin to speakers, with different drivers doing different areas of the FR. Timbre is DD-tier, nothing really wrong but nothing exceptional.
Comparisons.
Ikko OH10 (high density tuning foams, Tanchjim filter):
Treble is a lot airier on the OH10 as well as cleaner while being less peaky and more dynamic range. Upper mid gain is similar but thanks to the cleaner bass shelf, the OH10 has more forward vocals as well as being much cleaner than the Legato. Male vocals also fare similarly with the OH10 being the one with better quality and more forward. Mid-bass on the Legato has more quantity, is a lot looser and slower and lacks a lot of the texture that the OH10 has, note-weight is a lot thicker on the Legato overall. Sub-bass quantity is a lot more elevated on the Legato which makes it rumble a lot more, but the OH10 is tighter, faster, more textured and also extends lower (helped by the much higher density of the OH10 shell making the resonant frequencies lower). Technicality wise, the OH10 is a big step above the Legato in everything from separation, soundstage to resolution. Timbre is a bit better on the Legato though, similar coherency though. Overall, the Legato is an iem that is much more of a basshead iem than the OH10, as the OH10 is still tuned pretty balanced in comparison, and the bass quantity in comparison is quite tame (although much higher quality). So, if you want a basshead iem, the Legato is the one I would go for but otherwise the OH10 wins in pretty much all other factors.
Sony XBA-N3:
Treble on the N3 is a lot airier, brighter and cleaner than the Legato and also a bit better dynamic range. Upper mids are more forward on the N3, cleaner and brighter. Male vocals are more forward and much cleaner and more detailed on the N3. Mid-bass quantity is higher on the Legato but also looser, slower and less textured. Sub-bass quantity is a lot higher on the Legato but also slower, looser and less textured, extension is similar. Technicalities are better on the N3. Timbre is a bit better on the Legato but coherency is better on the N3. Overall, the Legato is the more basshead so if that is what you prefer the Legato will do that better, otherwise the N3 is a lot better.
Sony MDR-EX800st (taped):
Treble on the Legato is a lot better tuned, as it is a lot smoother and warmer although the EX800st is actually airier sounding despite that upper-treble void on graph. Upper-mids are a bit more forward on the 800st, cleaner and brighter overall. Male vocals are also a bit more forward on the 800st but sounds more natural on the Legato (due to the better treble tuning). Mid-bass quantity is similar but Legato is much looser and slower while the texture on the 800st is leagues ahead. Sub-bass quantity is a lot higher on the Legato but also much slower and looser, 800st extends lower and also has a ton more texture. Technicalities, aside from the stage (where the 800st is MUCH bigger) the 800st is just a bit better overall, but worse timbre due to the poor treble tuning. Overall, as basshead iems, the 800st is the better one in terms of bass but worse treble (which can be fixed with PEQ). If you want to use PEQ to fix the issues with their respective treble, the 800st ends up being the better one overall even as a basshead iem, and if you do not want a basshead iem, then the 800s with PEQ (to my target) is a MUCH better iem (my endgame).
Conclusion: The Legato is an iem that is aiming to be for bassheads mostly, but it is also trying to not align too much towards that side with its bass not being too loose nor slow along with the 6.5k treble peak. This is however a downside to it, as I find that the 6.5k peak is too much and causes the treble overall to sound peakier than a basshead iem should, since you cannot ramp up the volume due to it. And while it is true that the tonal balance is not too warm (due to the aforementioned peak) it is still not an iem I would recommend for non-bassheads as the bass quantity is definitely in the basshead zone. Overall, at this price area, there really are not that many sets with this much bass quantity, so if you are a basshead this is kind of the only set you can pick (afaik) but as long as you are fine with the 6.5k peak (or can simply PEQ to remove it) and a quantity over quality bass, then this is the basshead set I would recommend. However, if you can go above this price, then get yourself the Sony MDR-EX800st and block (with tape or blutack) that vent (or PEQ) and that is the much superior basshead set. Rank: B, Review score: 4/5 (not lower score because of a lack of alternatives)
