Project M is among my all-time Favorite IEMs. I mean this IEM just hit the sweet spot everytime I listen to it.
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A Beautiful Tale of two Artistic IEMs from LUA
LUA is a new and emerging brand from Taiwan, a sister brand to Rossi&Wing, the mighty name behind the extraordinary R&W First Light. My first interaction with R&W was when I tried their First Light, which was showcased at the Canjam Singapore back in 2024. Not to exaggerate anything, but that IEM sounded special, well, it should be because it costs $7700. I got into talks with the brand CEO, discussing his thoughts behind his products. I learned that the owner himself is a big geek. Our discussions went deeper with talks of Angelology and Demonology. Later on, I realised how his products are getting named, “First Light, Morningstar, etc.” Really a geeky soul, later, I also learned he has written a book on the same topic as well (however, it is in Chinese).
Later on in 2024 itself, R&W developed a new brand called LUA. LUA is more focused on reaching a mass audiophile audience with its more affordable yet still unique presentation. LUA showcased three products to the world through their social media: the Serendipity, the Synchronicity, and the Celestian.
Serendipity is the most affordable of the lot, priced at $590, the Synchronicity is the middle ground priced at $790, and the Celestian is going to be its flagship for now, priced close to $1500~1600. So far, Serendipity and Synchronicity have been launched worldwide, while the Celestian is planned for release later this year. I honestly got a chance to audition the Synchronicity courtesy of a friend, sadly, he never got his unit back from me. I liked the pair so much that I grabbed the unit from him. I planned on releasing its impressions for the community, but I was waiting for the Serendipity to arrive for me as well. The shipment reached me last week, and here I am, after spending the whole weekend with both these beauties. I am going to pen down my impressions today.
First of all, the Unboxing experience. If you talk to Zephon Wing, the CEO of LUA and R&W, you will get to know how deeply he cares about everything associated with his products. The package of both IEMs is identical, yet unique. Serendipity comes in a Purple colour package, while Synchronicity comes in a green-themed package. Both the packages match the colour theme of the pairs developed by a skilled artist. In simple words, art lovers are in for a great experience. Inside, we have the pair along with the stock cable, an artistic design card that shows you the inspiration by the artist for the pair, and a perfume sample from HOKKI. I love the fragrance of Serendipity; it is more fruity, while the fragrance associated with Synchronicity has a refreshing tone. There’s also an artistic design cloth which is going to act as a safekeeping cloth for the IEMs in both packages. It has the same design inspiration, which we can see on the back of the package as well as on the card inside the package.
While the pair doesn’t come with a lot of accessories, they come with a lot of design value and show how much care some boutiques do for even the simple things associated with their products. I would like to raise a complaint here, though. While everything else is pretty good, inspiring, artistic, and appealing, I would have loved a carry case to be included with the IEMs. That would make carrying them much easier.
One thing I would like to add here, the stock cables are developed by Melodia, another associated brand to R&W. I got a Melodia 1984(Blue-Black Sleeved Cable) with Synchronicity. The brand has told me that this one has two kinds of pure copper material cores. And the Serendipity is bundled with Melodia 1986(Black sleeve), which is a silver-plated copper cable. I have been told that both the IEMs are bundled with Melodia 1986 by default.
Design & Build:-
Coming on to the design and build quality, both the IEMs look spectacular. First things first, the Serendipity that I have is Serendipity Monet. It’s a special limited edition variant, which is limited to only 50 units worldwide. The difference from the standard version is mainly in its design. This one has this really beautiful combination of Pink and Blue colored sparkles. It doesn’t change colours in light reflections.
Shape-wise, the Synchronicity is also identical to the Serendipity however, its colored sparkles are different. And since this is the normal retail unit, not a limited edition one, it changes colours based on the light angle falling on it. Most of the time, I get to see Green and Golden sparkles on the set.
While both pairs look identical in shape, the Serendipity is a bit smaller in comparison to the Synchronicity. Both the IEMs have some kind of internal chamber design made by the brand for some sound modifications, a requirement done to achieve their desired sound profiles. I had no issues with fit; however, if I apply too much pressure or wear a helmet on top of my head while listening to any of the two IEMs, I get a vacuum build-up issue. No such issues when I use the pair normally as I should.
Driveability and Scalability:-
Not too demanding, works well with most sources; however, with a better source, they sound cleaner and crispier. Most of my time with both these IEMs has been done on BTR17 and R8ii, both work well. Now on to the sound impressions part.
Sound:-
First, I would like to talk about Synchronicity, an IEM I have enjoyed for more than 20 days now.
Vocals that would bring tears to your eyes, yes, this is how I would explain the sound of Synchronicity. The pair provides an outstandingly beautiful vocal rendition of both male and female singers. In recent times, there have been many beautiful IEMs with supremely beautiful vocals. I am talking about IEMs such as Letshuoer Mystic8, 7Th Acoustics Supernova, etc., despite having both of them, I find the Synchronicity to sound very special, and very beautiful for vocal-centric genres. The clarity, the texture for female vocals are insanely good on the Synchronicity. Vocals also sound a bit forward, nothing that would hurt or sound sharp at all. The bass region has very good clarity as well, with the main focus on the sub-bass section. The sub-bass sounds rumbling, thunderous. The treble region is crisp and very clean in its presentation. I also notice the Synchronicity to have good details in the treble region. Soundstage feels a bit immersive. The pair sounds highly cohesive as well.
IMO, Synchronicity packs outstanding vocals with a strong sub-bass presence and crisp treble region. It maintains good clarity throughout the soundstage and feels immersive. Now it’s time to talk about Serendipity.
Serendipity sounds like the mirror opposite of Synchronicity. It has more mid-bass, less forward vocals, and darker treble. It has a charm of its own, and no, I am not talking about looks only. Soundwise, Serendipity sounds more powerful with a stronger lower end region. It has good rumble in the sub-bass, however main focus here is on the Mid-bass region. It is more weighted, however, slightly slower in comparison to the Synchronicity. Drums have a more natural decay, while the bass guitar has a more heft to it on the Serendipity. Midrange takes a slight step back from the powerful mid-bass. Vocals, despite being slightly recessed, show good clarity and texture. They have a slight warm tone to them on the Serendipity. Instruments in the midrange also have a slight warmth to them. The treble region is safe and sound, it is a bit dark on the pair here. Technically, the soundstage feels more open and slightly bigger than what we have on the Synchronicity. Instrument separation and details are good enough, however, they are better on the Synchronicity imo.
Overall, how would I summarize these two crazy looking IEMs? Well, what can I say? I love both of them. They both sound unique and have a different appeal. In my case, I love the sub-bass, the vocals, the high-resolution clarity of the synchronicity, while at the same time, I love the mid-bass punch, bigger stage, and safer treble of the Serendipity. IMO, both the IEMs are designed for different genres of music. I noticed the Synchronicity to work well with POP, Bollywood, Rock, Mid-centric genres, and the Serendipity complements EDM, Hip-Hop, Bollywood(dance kinda) genres.
Well, that’s about my initial take on both these beauties. I will be spending more time with both these sets over the next few weeks, and soon I will come up with a detailed video review on them. Thanks for reading!!
these in now. Looking forward to 
