[Schmev]

Also curious as to which sources you all are pairing the Crimson with.

So far I've tried the Qudelix 5K, WM1AM2, and my JDS Atom Stack.

At home I’m using my Piety + Modi multibit 2.
I also have a Q5K and with the 2.5 plug its listenable but it doesnt do crimson justice for me so I’m thinking of buying a proper dap. Either Hiby R6 pro II or Hiby RS6

 

[tamtrum]

Hello, I got to spend some time with Crimson and below are my thoughts.

Tested with AET07 tips, Coreir Brass Tips, and Divinus Velvet Tips. Source used: iBasso DX320Max Ti

TL;DR: Well done W shape tonality + great technical performance. Would be my recommended suggestion for people looking for an energetic sound in $2K range.

Context:
I am a fan of Symphonium's tuning style, when I first heard Helios at SoCal Canjam in 2021, I bought it shortly after and I held onto Helios until I heard the friends of Symphonium, Subtonic was planning to release a flagship called the Storm and I bought Storm shortly after I demo'ed it in Singapore as well (link to review here) So this review will be from the perspective of someone who owns the Subtonic Storm.

Tonality:
Coming from Storm, I consider Crimson tonality to be W-shaped.

It has an elevated bass shelf, the upper mids are elevated to bring forward the vocals, and the upper treble is also elevated which pushes forward the perception of the decay of instruments like cymbals. Normally transducers with tonality such as this end up sounding and feeling congested but I do not find that to be the case here.

Bass: The bass section has a more than generous amount of subbass and midbass which is great for electronic music/rap/hip hop/k-pop/whatever genre you consider New Jeans. I do not perceive the midbass to bleed into the lower mids, there is clear separation of notes here. Compared to Helios, bass fills more filled out in the midbass which is great. Compared to Storm, which I've had my brain adjusted to for about 4 months now, it's more than I'm accustomed to but I always will welcome more bass, in particular subbass. One thing I've read that I will always remember, "Subbass is like money, you can never have enough"

Mids: Compared to Helios, which I found thin at times due to the recessed lower mids/upper bass (if you want to call it that) Crimson tone is elevated here so this brings out the perception of warmth in guitar and naturalness in vocals. The upper mid elevation at 2k, brings female vocals forward to almost be in your face but not in your brain than something like when you listen to female vocals with Moondrop Variations.

Treble: This area I found tricky, as a disclaimer I had to hone in the upper treble with tip rolling. My perception of treble is for sure my own since I had to find the right tips for my ear canals and it may be different for someone else. I didn't like the Divinus Velvet tips with Crimson, they sucked out a region of treble that I found I needed. I used Pentaconn's Coreir Brass Tips because that's what I like with Storm, they sounded more right but elevated the upper treble too much for my liking, cymbal hi-hats decayed way more than they should be and it gave me the perception of going to an untreated live venue to listen to a band. Under the recommendation of one of Symphonium's employees, I tried out the Acoustune AET07 and the treble tone improved by a good amount, but it's not perfect. There's still some mild peak there that comes off too strong in a small percentage of my tracks but overall, pretty listenable.

For people who like bright sound signatures though, Crimson's treble will be no problem for you. Other than that, besides the elevated treble, it sounds mostly right to me.

Crimson Vs Helios:

Crimson Vs Storm:

Technical Performance:

Staging & Imaging: I wanted to talk about stage width and imaging first in this section because that's where I found to be most impressed with Crimson. It's quite appreciated, Helios stage strength is in its depth, it has good front to back layering but the width isn't as large as Crimson's staging. Crimson sounds wide, almost like conic shaped and amongst the x-direction, the imaging is quite clear when the track asks for it. The front to back staging (or depth) is ok, it doesn't feel flat, but it isn't as deep as Helios or Storm by extension.

Dynamics: I find this to be a highlight here for Crimson, historically speaking, I find leaner sounds to be more dynamic but it's also here for Crimson. For other iems I've heard from other manufacturers that have elevated bass such as Crimson's, they don't sound nearly as dynamic. If dynamics is what you're into, I'd recommend Crimson for that.

Resolving ability: I will also have to give plus points to Crimson and notably again, the perception of bass, it is well textured especially for how elevated it is. I find the resolving ability to be consistent with the rest of the FR as well.

Transients: One maybe minus for some is that the leading edge for Crimson is on the rounded side, I attribute that character to the bass size and shelf width.

Comparisons to Helios: Some people may think Crimson is an upgraded Helios, I disagree here. They excel in different areas (tonality is different) and for people with larger ears, they may prefer Helios more for the deep fit. I wouldn't say you can EQ something like Helios into Crimson because when you start elevating things like bass for example, you start to lose texture.

Comparisons to Storm: I don't find Crimson to dethrone Storm or even be a "baby" Storm. Storm I find still resolves better, has more dynamics, and the stage on Storm feels more natural.

Closing Thoughts:
Crimson is a welcomed addition to the Symphonium Line Up. If Subtonic Storm didn't exist in my life and I still had Helios. I would be happy to own a Crimson in addition to Helios. From memory, I would prefer Crimson over other $2K iems like U12T. I look forward to seeing the public's reception to Crimson.

Suggestions for Crimson Pairings: I think any warm source without elevation of treble would do quite well with Crimson, something along the lines of Hiby DAPS would be worth considering if you were pursuing Crimson ownership.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Hello, I got to spend some time with Crimson and below are my thoughts.

Tested with AET07 tips, Coreir Brass Tips, and Divinus Velvet Tips. Source used: iBasso DX320Max Ti

TL;DR: Well done W shape tonality + great technical performance. Would be my recommended suggestion for people looking for an energetic sound in $2K range.

Context:
I am a fan of Symphonium's tuning style, when I first heard Helios at SoCal Canjam in 2021, I bought it shortly after and I held onto Helios until I heard the friends of Symphonium, Subtonic was planning to release a flagship called the Storm and I bought Storm shortly after I demo'ed it in Singapore as well (link to review here) So this review will be from the perspective of someone who owns the Subtonic Storm.

Tonality:
Coming from Storm, I consider Crimson tonality to be W-shaped.


It has an elevated bass shelf, the upper mids are elevated to bring forward the vocals, and the upper treble is also elevated which pushes forward the perception of the decay of instruments like cymbals. Normally transducers with tonality such as this end up sounding and feeling congested but I do not find that to be the case here.

Bass: The bass section has a more than generous amount of subbass and midbass which is great for electronic music/rap/hip hop/k-pop/whatever genre you consider New Jeans. I do not perceive the midbass to bleed into the lower mids, there is clear separation of notes here. Compared to Helios, bass fills more filled out in the midbass which is great. Compared to Storm, which I've had my brain adjusted to for about 4 months now, it's more than I'm accustomed to but I always will welcome more bass, in particular subbass. One thing I've read that I will always remember, "Subbass is like money, you can never have enough"

Mids: Compared to Helios, which I found thin at times due to the recessed lower mids/upper bass (if you want to call it that) Crimson tone is elevated here so this brings out the perception of warmth in guitar and naturalness in vocals. The upper mid elevation at 2k, brings female vocals forward to almost be in your face but not in your brain than something like when you listen to female vocals with Moondrop Variations.

Treble: This area I found tricky, as a disclaimer I had to hone in the upper treble with tip rolling. My perception of treble is for sure my own since I had to find the right tips for my ear canals and it may be different for someone else. I didn't like the Divinus Velvet tips with Crimson, they sucked out a region of treble that I found I needed. I used Pentaconn's Coreir Brass Tips because that's what I like with Storm, they sounded more right but elevated the upper treble too much for my liking, cymbal hi-hats decayed way more than they should be and it gave me the perception of going to an untreated live venue to listen to a band. Under the recommendation of one of Symphonium's employees, I tried out the Acoustune AET07 and the treble tone improved by a good amount, but it's not perfect. There's still some mild peak there that comes off too strong in a small percentage of my tracks but overall, pretty listenable.

For people who like bright sound signatures though, Crimson's treble will be no problem for you. Other than that, besides the elevated treble, it sounds mostly right to me.

Crimson Vs Helios:


Crimson Vs Storm:


Technical Performance:

Staging & Imaging: I wanted to talk about stage width and imaging first in this section because that's where I found to be most impressed with Crimson. It's quite appreciated, Helios stage strength is in its depth, it has good front to back layering but the width isn't as large as Crimson's staging. Crimson sounds wide, almost like conic shaped and amongst the x-direction, the imaging is quite clear when the track asks for it. The front to back staging (or depth) is ok, it doesn't feel flat, but it isn't as deep as Helios or Storm by extension.

Dynamics: I find this to be a highlight here for Crimson, historically speaking, I find leaner sounds to be more dynamic but it's also here for Crimson. For other iems I've heard from other manufacturers that have elevated bass such as Crimson's, they don't sound nearly as dynamic. If dynamics is what you're into, I'd recommend Crimson for that.

Resolving ability: I will also have to give plus points to Crimson and notably again, the perception of bass, it is well textured especially for how elevated it is. I find the resolving ability to be consistent with the rest of the FR as well.

Transients: One maybe minus for some is that the leading edge for Crimson is on the rounded side, I attribute that character to the bass size and shelf width.

Comparisons to Helios: Some people may think Crimson is an upgraded Helios, I disagree here. They excel in different areas (tonality is different) and for people with larger ears, they may prefer Helios more for the deep fit. I wouldn't say you can EQ something like Helios into Crimson because when you start elevating things like bass for example, you start to lose texture.

Comparisons to Storm: I don't find Crimson to dethrone Storm or even be a "baby" Storm. Storm I find still resolves better, has more dynamics, and the stage on Storm feels more natural.

Closing Thoughts:
Crimson is a welcomed addition to the Symphonium Line Up. If Subtonic Storm didn't exist in my life and I still had Helios. I would be happy to own a Crimson in addition to Helios. From memory, I would prefer Crimson over other $2K iems like U12T. I look forward to seeing the public's reception to Crimson.

Suggestions for Crimson Pairings: I think any warm source without elevation of treble would do quite well with Crimson, something along the lines of Hiby DAPS would be worth considering if you were pursuing Crimson ownership.

Excellent review, mate! I especially love the technical performance analysis.

It seems crimson a perfect blend of helios and meteor from description

 

[OhmsClaw]

The Tam concurs

 

[JLP415]

Well it was next to the likes of Singularity and Storm. Over all I think the whole Subtonic/Symphonium/Nightjar table blew away all of the competition!
Its is really different to singularity different enough that I could justify owning both if one had the money.
I think its easier to go into details with the Crimson first. The bass is great, it knows to be present and rumbly when it needs to be but can also compliment other instruments and be present in the background when it wants to be.Also it doesnt bleed into the mids at all! The mids are great as well, there is not much to say about them they’re clear and distinct no instrument overshadows the other though it does do female vocals better than male ones(male vocals are still great though).
The treble is where it all shines for me (and where it all might go down for treble sensitive people) its really present but in a airy very pleasant way. It gives the crimson its distinctive sparkle that I couldnt find in other iem’s (especially in the price class). Like I said for some treble sensitive people it could be too much but for me its part of Crimsons extremely immersive experience that just hooks you in and makes you experience the music rather than hear it.
Obviously its also extremely technical, its timbre is stunning and the soundstage it delivers is impressive, depending on the music you listen to it feels like you’re in the same room with the artist and they’re giving you a private concert or you’re sitting in an opera house and listen to a whole orchestra.
For me it completely redefines its price class and its only the beginning of a great future for iem’s especially with all the hard work Symphonium put into it and keeps putting into their projects. A step stone for a new era if you will.
Now coming back to comparing them to other iem’s, Singularity, while amazing is just not the same thing and it doesnt try to be either. Its more laid back, something everybody can enjoy and think "wow this is a great iem" and knowing all the details of it just makes it more impressive.
Regarding storm, I sadly didnt have much time with it by the time I got to it I started suffering from listening fatigue so I cant say much about it other than I couldn’t recognize a single flaw in it (other than the struggle to get a good deep fit) it again, is different to crimson and I personally wouldnt compare these two but its much closer to it than something like singularity. The treble on storm wasnt as present as it was in crimson though it was still really good. Storms bass was just plain superior. I didnt notice any flaws nor anything special about the mids or technicalities I would’ve needed more listening time for that. I cant make a judgement about which one is better but I can see some choosing crimson over storm for a different flavor.
I also tried 3 64audio iem’s (U12t, U16t or s I don’t remember and forgot the third one) and was massively underwhelmed by all of them. The bass was either bleeding into the mids or wasnt there at all depending on the model. after the third one I just went to the next stand and decided that 64audio wasnt for me.
I also tried Elysian Annihilator and Diva but I didnt really spend much time there just enogh to recognize Annihilator as a good iem. Diva was also pretty good (Crimson better than diva though).
The one Iem that really made me consider getting it over crimson was the Helios SE though. I had to A B a tiny bit before coming to the conclusion that Crimson is just a step above Helios SE. while the sound first might seem kinda similar the more I listened the more I just fell in love with crimsons technicalities and that magical treble.
Sadly I didnt get to try Mest mk II or mk III.
However where I want to get at here is with these up and coming companies from Singapore we have an extremely bright future for iem’s infront of us where other producers hopefully catch up soon. The main thing we can learn from them, or more unlearn really is our perception of drivers and how the driver type doesn’t matter at all but only how they are implemented.

Interesting write-up vs the Diva. My Diva and Supernova have lacked that special treble that I am looking for. I might sell it for the Crimson, but I need more impressions. I only got the Diva because I prefer the fuller midrange and bass compared to the original Helios (also the fit was atrocious, even for a Z1R user...) but man was the Helios' treble special.

 

[Xavilaw]

HELIOS SE BEST

They are both good!

 

[Feischmaker]

What will be the difference between the launch edition crimson and the regular edition crimson?

 

[Smirk 24]

What will be the difference between the launch edition crimson and the regular edition crimson?

As far as I know, just the cable.

The launch edition came with a free upgrade to the 8W variant of the stock cable. The non-launch edition will come with the 4W variant as stock.

I think an upgrade to the 8W cable will still be available, at a cost. I think around $200.

 

[jp11801]

There may also be a price difference if I am reading their web site correctly.

 

[corgifall]

I have a unit on loan to review for a bit but without spoiling everything, I really like it and I think the Crimson takes the fun from the Triton and super detailed sound from the Helios and mashes it all into a really nice dynamic sounding IEM. A little spicy sounding in the upper mid/lower treble but tip rolling can play a huge roll in this. Overall, a wonderful IEM so far.

 

[TurboSlaab]

I ordered the launch edition from headphones.com. Very excited and holding my breath for updates. I'm currently using a btr5 with my ie600's. Do you current owners think this will be enough? I also have a hip dac 2 as well as a xduoo link 2 bal on the way. I see a lot of recommendations here for high end dacs and daps but has anyone tried some more "budget" friendly options?

 

[o0genesis0o]

I ordered the launch edition from headphones.com. Very excited and holding my breath for updates. I'm currently using a btr5 with my ie600's. Do you current owners think this will be enough? I also have a hip dac 2 as well as a xduoo link 2 bal on the way. I see a lot of recommendations here for high end dacs and daps but has anyone tried some more "budget" friendly options?

Btr5 is noticeably meh with iphone via AAC, but not bad at all with LDAC or wired. Tiny devices are getting better for some reasons. The tiny bluetooth hooks UTWS5 do a formidable job driving the Meteor, not falling uncomfortably far behind the wired M6 Ultra setup I used to A/B. Your Crimson should be fine, especially with the incoming hip dac2

 

[TurboSlaab]

Btr5 is noticeably meh with iphone via AAC, but not bad at all with LDAC or wired. Tiny devices are getting better for some reasons. The tiny bluetooth hooks UTWS5 do a formidable job driving the Meteor, not falling uncomfortably far behind the wired M6 Ultra setup I used to A/B. Your Crimson should be fine, especially with the incoming hip dac2

Thank you. I have noticed that the quality is really good with LDAC and the ie600's. I think I read that the Crimson is on the harder side to drive so I was hoping that my current gear would be enough to do them justice. I'm not opposed to upgrading, that comes with the hobby, just trying to figure out if I need to right now.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Thank you. I have noticed that the quality is really good with LDAC and the ie600's. I think I read that the Crimson is on the harder side to drive so I was hoping that my current gear would be enough to do them justice. I'm not opposed to upgrading, that comes with the hobby, just trying to figure out if I need to right now.

You need a 2.5 to 4.4 adapter to use your crimson with the balanced out of btr5. That should be enough for now. But the Hip DAC 2 should solve all the problem with it arrives.

 

[Xavilaw]

I ordered the launch edition from headphones.com. Very excited and holding my breath for updates. I'm currently using a btr5 with my ie600's. Do you current owners think this will be enough? I also have a hip dac 2 as well as a xduoo link 2 bal on the way. I see a lot of recommendations here for high end dacs and daps but has anyone tried some more "budget" friendly options?

Link bal 2 should work just fine. Apart from my desktop gear, I have been enjoying mine on the Quloos mub1.