Symphonium x Elise Audio Europa - Discussion & Impressions Thread

[Sebastien Chiu]

This thread is to discuss your impressions of the Symphonium x Elise Audio Europa, launched on July 20th at CanJam London.

The team looks forward to your feedback and will be happy to answer any questions you might have for us.

 

[silentdisko]

Wow super cool!

What was the thought-process, as well as the result, in your view on the retuning of the bass and lower mids, as well as the increased 8-9k peak?

Only wish this came in black instead of silver color, I wouldn't been able to resist a pre-order, so also a good thing lol.

 

[Venura]

Hi guys,

I finally had the chance to attend a CanJam, got to try the Europa and it was one my favorite IEMs from the whole event.

I've had my head-fi account for a while but this is probably I never posted since english isn't my first language but since I got back from CanJam and meeting so much nice people, I thought I'd give it a try For context : I tend to like balanced with a bass boost type of signatures the most but i have basshead tendancies . I tried the Europa on my M11 + LTD and on my Gryphon with some Sedna Xelastex tips if I remember correctly.

I actually came to the Subtonic/Symphonium/NightJar table to try out the Titan and I had no idea that the Europa even existed. I tried out the Titan, loved the bass but the treble was a bit too much for me, which was a suprise to me after some of the reviews I had read/watched. Tried out the Crimson, again really engaging IEM but I could sense that it could be fatiguing for me on long sessions. I was about to leave but Chang suggested I try the Europa and wow ! Perfect, for me at least. It was closer to the Crimson than the Titan, had similar qualities but without the feeling that it was a bit much treble. I knew I could listen to these for a long time. In fact, I had a hard time giving them back and listen to a lot of songs with them. I listen to a bit everything but I mostly listen to Hip Hop and vocal stuff and it handled all my songs pretty well. The other pleasant surprise was that I had no complaints on the bass, it wasn't basshead bass but good enough for me. They were confortable but that was also the case for the Titan and Crimson.

If you're like me and find that the Crimson was a bit too much, I'd suggest you try the Europa, keeps all the good stuff but with a tad less treble which made a world of a difference for me.

Thanks to Chang and Josh for letting me try all this stuff, letting me take my time and for being two of the most coolest people I met over there

 

[Thracian]

Wow super cool!

What was the thought-process, as well as the result, in your view on the retuning of the bass and lower mids, as well as the increased 8-9k peak?

Only wish this came in black instead of silver color, I wouldn't been able to resist a pre-order, so also a good thing lol.

Sorry for the late reply, kinda crashed after Canjam!

Europa was tuned to fill the gap for people who enjoyed the tone of Crimson but had issues with the treble. With how short Crimson’s nozzle was, we understood that on certain ears, the treble tended to be accentuated due to the increased distance between the nozzle and eardrums.

The increased 8kHz is due to our graphs being uncompensated, and when compensated it allows our 6-9 kHz to be quite linear.

For bass, with an overall reduction in treble and upper treble, to maintain the resolution we desired, the bass had to be tuned down slightly. While the graph does indeed look lower, it’s not necessarily the case when listening

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

ourHi guys,

I finally had the chance to attend a CanJam, got to try the Europa and it was one my favorite IEMs from the whole event.

I've had my head-fi account for a while but this is probably I never posted since english isn't my first language but since I got back from CanJam and meeting so much nice people, I thought I'd give it a try For context : I tend to like balanced with a bass boost type of signatures the most but i have basshead tendancies . I tried the Europa on my M11 + LTD and on my Gryphon with some Sedna Xelastex tips if I remember correctly.

I actually came to the Subtonic/Symphonium/NightJar table to try out the Titan and I had no idea that the Europa even existed. I tried out the Titan, loved the bass but the treble was a bit too much for me, which was a suprise to me after some of the reviews I had read/watched. Tried out the Crimson, again really engaging IEM but I could sense that it could be fatiguing for me on long sessions. I was about to leave but Chang suggested I try the Europa and wow ! Perfect, for me at least. It was closer to the Crimson than the Titan, had similar qualities but without the feeling that it was a bit much treble. I knew I could listen to these for a long time. In fact, I had a hard time giving them back and listen to a lot of songs with them. I listen to a bit everything but I mostly listen to Hip Hop and vocal stuff and it handled all my songs pretty well. The other pleasant surprise was that I had no complaints on the bass, it wasn't basshead bass but good enough for me. They were confortable but that was also the case for the Titan and Crimson.

If you're like me and find that the Crimson was a bit too much, I'd suggest you try the Europa, keeps all the good stuff but with a tad less treble which made a world of a difference for me.

Thanks to Chang and Josh for letting me try all this stuff, letting me take my time and for being two of the most coolest people I met over there

Thanks for sharing your impressions. Glad you had a great time.

 

[AuralJoy]

I ordered a set of these, now the waiting begins…

 

[ch1525i]

I have both the Crimson and Titan. I love them both and use them both regularly - they are a great compliment. I agree sometimes the Crimson's treble can get fatiguing but for a couple of hours at a time it is magnificent! The Titan is great all the time - I never considered myself a bass head but I love good deep base when called for and I think the Titan matches that requirement perfectly. The Europa has me intrigued.

 

[CrispyJ]

Amazing pairing with XD05 Pro. I don't have much IEM experience or comparison points, but details are fantastic. Bass is more than sufficient. Sound stage is very accurate and wide for an IEM. Only small personal gripe is that I'm not a big fan of interchangeable cable plugs. Definitely a keeper for me.

 

[silentdisko]

Looking forward to more impressions, and videos. Bump.

 

[AuralJoy]

My Europa arrived yesterday I got serial #009 and mine came with the 8W Dark Matter cable

I’ve listened to them for about 8 hours so far, using the stock wide bore tips and connected to my Shanling M6U on the medium gain setting. My initial impressions are that these IEMs could very easily be the best tuned IEMs I have ever heard, whoever tuned these has got it absolutely perfect. I’m listening to these and I’m thinking there is absolutely nothing I would want to change about the tuning on these. The treble is there, not too spicy not too distant, voices both male and female sound present and correct, bass and sub bass is very quick and precise. There is detail for days, instrument separation and soundstage is all very good to my ears.

I haven’t been lucky enough to hear things like the Subtonic Storm, the Monarch Mk2 or the Mega5est, however, I’m very impressed with these and I can only imagine that it would take a very special IEM to replace these in my collection.

Even after just a few hours of listening I would say the Europa are in my top 2 IEMs, at this point I’m not sure who would win the shootout between the IE600 and the Europa and I would add in my Symphonium Titan to round out the top 3. These 3 IEMs could be end game territory for me for the foreseeable future.

Thank you Symphonium and Elise crews, I think you’ve smashed it out of the park with these

 

[theflyingtoad]

Here are my thoughts on Europa

Europa is a slightly a more relaxed and natural take on Crimson’s sound, particularly in the treble and bass, while maintaining the core identity of Crimson. The reduced bass and treble bring out micro-details, especially in the upper mids and lower treble, resulting in a milder U-shape compared to Crimson’s more pronounced tuning. While Crimson sounds fuller, more dynamic, and has longer trailing notes, Europa’s milder U-shape allows for much better volume scaling and is less fatiguing which results in a more natural timbre. Overall, Europa is a very well-balanced set. The nozzle has been lengthened from 3.6mm (Crimson) to 5.25mm (Europa) and widened from 6mm (Crimson) to 6.25mm (Europa). This added length should help mitigate treble issues, and the wider nozzle ensures tips stay securely in place. All in all, Europa sounds very natural and effortless and in some ways, reminds me of the Subtonic STORM.

Full impressions
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/symphonium-x-elise-audio-europa.27472/reviews



Thank you @SoundJedi of Elise Audio for loaning me this demo unit for review.

 

[Delta9K]

Super excited over this IEM, I've put a hold on ordering the Titan in lieu of the Europa. On the website it says to check on the timing of pre-order for the Europa with the 8wire but that the 4wire is in stock. I take it that the 8 wire is that much better to wait ? Could I order the 4 wire now and buy an 8 wire later when there is better availability?
Is there an estimate on what the lead time would be if ordering the Europa with the 8 wire dark matter cable? Also, wondering will there or are there any US based partners selling the Europa ? I'm in the US and wondering how much more it will be with taxes etc., might be easier to deal with a US retailer if available?

Sorry for so many questions. If I should just email let me know.

 

[CrispyJ]

I didn't get hit with any tax or custom fees. Shipping was super fast with DHL. I believe 8 wire will be available for sale as separate.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Super excited over this IEM, I've put a hold on ordering the Titan in lieu of the Europa. On the website it says to check on the timing of pre-order for the Europa with the 8wire but that the 4wire is in stock. I take it that the 8 wire is that much better to wait ? Could I order the 4 wire now and buy an 8 wire later when there is better availability?
Is there an estimate on what the lead time would be if ordering the Europa with the 8 wire dark matter cable? Also, wondering will there or are there any US based partners selling the Europa ? I'm in the US and wondering how much more it will be with taxes etc., might be easier to deal with a US retailer if available?

Sorry for so many questions. If I should just email let me know.

There will be no US partners selling the Europe - it is an Elise Audio exclusive.

I didn't get hit with any tax or custom fees. Shipping was super fast with DHL. I believe 8 wire will be available for sale as separate.

As Crispy said, it's just a simple ship by DHL.

@Thracian can confirm on the 8 wire when he sees this.

 

[realbonk]

Thanks to @SoundJedi and @theflyingtoad for getting the US tour together for Europa!

I finally got a chance to compare Europa to Helios. I used Dita Navigator as my source with files from the HiBy R3 II. I kept the OG Sednas as my eartips of choice, as it provided a good seal and the nozzle length did not call for a Sedan Short like Helios does.

I prefer Europa to what I remember/check my notes about Crimson. The bass and treble level of Europa is much closer to Helios, and that seems to help give more "breath" to the vocals and instruments. Overall a more natural sounding tuning when compared to Crimson. The female vocals are not so forward as Helios and the Europa still gives more warmth to male vocals similar to Crimson. While Crimson was not so tactile that it was fatiguing, it was close to the edge of fatiguing, and I think Europa's less pronounced U-shape is a more comfortable listen. While Crimson I perceived as "faster", I prefer how Europa allows for more "bloom" in the music due to it's tuning.

I also enjoyed Europa using the Flash Acoustics Thanos cable. Provided a slightly more warm tilted presentation. That said, the included Altalune Dark Matter cable is a more balanced fit for the Europa, and I see no reason one would cable roll.

I like Europa a lot. I can not justify purchasing it when I already have Helios, but it is right now my favorite offering from Symphonium.