Disclaimer
Those are first impressions, and NOT A REVIEW, or even close to a proper feedback. They are based on about 12 hours of listening with:
- 3 hours on Gungnit MB + Lyr2, (turned out I received my Gungnir MB at the same time as the Ei.XX, and couldn’t resist giving it a test drive, but decided to stop because changing two elements at the same time is not a very good idea imho)
- 3 hours on Uberfrost + Lyr2,
- 4 hours on iPhone 6,
- 2 hours on iPhone 6 + Oppo HA-2.
My pair of Ei.XX were provided free of charge, and I’m not involved financially. I try to be a no-BS no-hype dude, so I was a little ill-at-ease with the whole concept. I discussed this out with Custom Art, and the non-negotiable condition for this experience was absolute freedom of speech. And since you’re reading this, my request was gracefully accepted.
For reference, I have made a review of Ei.3 (
http://www.head-fi.org/products/customart-ei-3-acrylic-custom-iem/reviews/13821 and
http://www.tellementnomade.org/test-custom-art-ei-3), and Harmony 8 Pro (
http://www.tellementnomade.org/test-des-harmony-8-pro-custom-art).
To sum up : you may think that I like Piotr, or that I’m excited because I got it first and free. And you'll be right. Nonetheless, this has NO bearing on what you will read below.
Packaging and Fit
Packaging is standard Custom Art, that is, the Pelican 1010 box with a cleaning tool, Ei.XX with cable and a neat warranty / introduction card.
When I received my Ei.3, the fit was good and comfy, yet not as tight as with my Harmony 8 Pro or SE5. The situation is different with Ei.XX : the fit is perfect, and if it wasn’t for the nature of acrylic (which imho isolates less than silicone), the isolation would be identical to that of Harmony 8 Pro and SE5. Please note that those were made after impressions that I sent Piotr from over a year ago, which means that well-made prints can yield long lasting results with the rights artisan
SE846
I’m introducing this here because when I joined in, Piotr asked me if I could try and make some Ei.3 and SE846 comparisons. I thus borrowed SE846 from a friend (blue filters, Shure olives), and listened exclusively to them for two and a half weeks preceding the reception of Ei.XX. I used exclusively the tracks mentioned in the Ei.3 review.
In view of this, a lot of the following will be made in reference to SE846 and Ei.3
Scene and separation
The scene has little in common with Ei.3 in that it is nowhere as shallow. I would tend to think that Ei.XX is a little less frontal/close to you than Ei.3 but it could also be that the depth of Ei.XX gives me that impression.
With respect to SE846, my perception is that the scene is maybe a little less stretched horizontally, but more evenly spread: sometimes the SE846 gave me the impression that it was so stretched that there was a small void in front of me in the middle. For example, the trombone/trumpet (dunno what it is exactly) in Myopie from PandaDub really comes from deep and far. Same with the resounding effect in Feral from Radiohead. It is not only deep : it is well defined in terms of location (to the right and in the back).
The separation appears to be just a notch below that of SE846, but this has to be confirmed for sure, and could stem from many things which I will have to determine in the actual review (i.e. musicality, less stretched scene, or simply less precision). Comparing to Ei.3 is hard because the scene is quite different. But Ei.3 was already pretty good in that regards (in view of the high limitations).
Detail retrieval follows the same path (On every street and Telegraph Road by Dire Straits are impeccably reproduced).
Bass and subs
The Ei.3 were a big step up in terms of subs quantity in the Custom Art family. Ei.XX goes further and reaches SE846 levels. In first approximation, I would say the bass of both iems are comparable, and would probably not be all that easy to distinguish.
So we’re talking well textured, impacting subs and basses. I’ve always considered SE846 to be bassy iems, so I will say the same about Ei.XX: they are not for the bass faint, and will clearly show the bass content of your music.
During my first day with them, it felt too much despite my listening to the SE846 for close to twenty days (but I think I can explain that below). Now, two days later, my brain has adapted, and it doesn’t feel that way anymore. And I must confess that, as with Ei.3, I really love to feel the drums kick on my Foo Fighters.
Mids
Probably the hardest part of the review to come. My main beef with Ei.3 was overall sound purity / lack of crystal-likeness. With SE846, it quickly was obvious that my main beef is boredom. They’re a great performing bunch, and I have almost no technical reproach (except for the stretched scene above), but they leave me limp. Like a really hot girl (bloke for the ladies/gays out there), but one that I just don’t lust for.
Well Ei.XX are different. They make me lust. But they frustrate me a little bit at the same time. They are clearly colored in the mids (I confirmed with Piotr that they are tuned for a “fun signature”), which is nice but leaves me wanting for more neutrality on some of my tracks (read Dire Straits, vocal-only songs). But then I’m a neutrality junkie.
Note that this coloration and the added amount of bass is a clear departure from the traditional Custom Art house sound. The Ei.XX are not strangers, but they’re more like cousins than siblings (sorry for the lousy metaphor).
Most of all, the mids are not lacking in presence, which almost surprised me when you see the added bass and subs, as well as treble. I was worried that mids would be somewhat lacking, but it is definitely not the case from my first experiences.
Treble
My personal treat. The only beef I had with Ei.3 is clearly fixed. Highs are here. They’re pretty, my cymbals finally sound right. They are not fatiguing to me, but then I am apparently impervious to treble fatigue and sibilance.
I think they are likely colored in the same manner as the mids are colored. In fact, the overall coloration appears to be V-shaped or W-shaped. To be confirmed and analyzed in more detail.
Source Matching
The first experience I had with the Gungnir MB / Lyr2 was a little troubling. I felt a lack of control on some tracks (Contact by Daft Punk). So I switched to Uberfrost / Lyr2 with somewhat better results (or it could be my brain). I then decided to spend some serious time with my iPhone 6 and Oppo HA-2 and things got better. But it could be that my brain adjusted to the coloration of the sound, because I am back to Gungnir MB / Lyr2 as I am writing this, and I don’t feel uneasy anymore. Note that I have only used the stock cable, and haven’t tried my Linum BaX and Music cables. That will remain to be done for the review.
Conclusion
Ei.XX appear to be a fun bit of iems. They have strong bass engagement with a great scene, very good details and separation.
Build quality and fit are top notch, but hey, let’s be serious, anything less would now be a disappointment coming from Piotr.
Just keep in mind that Ei.XX are NOT neutral, they’re definitely tuned to be engaging fun all-rounders.
