Hello Good people,
Today, I am sharing my first impressions with the latest creation from the house of Eminent Ears, a boutique IEM brand from Hong Kong. Eminent Ears debuted around the Canjam Singapore this year where they showcased their first creation known as Ruby, a $2300 flagship. I instantly fell in love with the Ruby when I hear the IEM at the Canjam event. The Sapphire is their second creation which they have developed with a new driver configuration, and a new tuning profile as well.
Before I move ahead in this post, I would like to mention that the Eminent Ears here is not my own unit. It is a loaner unit from the brand, I am supposed to send the unit back after a small review tour I conduct with fellow audiophiles. There is no monetary benefit involved here, I received the unit as I am friends with one of the owners of the brand since I met them at the CanJam.
Sapphire, is a precious gem, Eminent Ears has left no stone unturned to depict the beauty of Sapphire as the shells are bright blue in color and have a glittery face cover design. The pair houses a custom DD with four BA drivers and one Bone Conduction Driver unit. It is launched officially for $1400 available through their official retailers(Heady-buy at the moment). Now moving ahead, we will discuss the sound impressions. These are my initial impressions with the set and are based on about 25-30 hours of listening done on the set with my HiBy R8ii primarily.
First of all, Sapphire loves some extra juice, I have tried it with my BTR17 and R8ii, it sounds phenomenal on the R8ii, although on the BTR17 the pair sounds decent only. So a good source must be given. About sound, the pair packs a dynamic, punchy sound with good focus on the midrange. Starting with the bass, the DD and BCD drivers work flawlessly, they produce such a clean and powerful lower end. It has good rumble, good punch, and good slam. Sub-bass reach is solid, I hear the pair going deep in “Limit to your Love” track by James Blunt. The mid-bass is also pronounced well with a quick response. The drum kicks are spectacular. Moreover, the bass decay is solid, it just feels so natural. With such a clean and effortless bass, listening to game soundtracks is an amazing experience(I am listening to Elden Ring OST while typing).
Midrange here on the Sapphire is fuller sounding and a little forwarded specially in the upper mids section. I hear the Vocals to be a little closer, they sound rich and have a natural tone to them. I personally find the Vocals of Sapphire to be on the next level to Ruby even. Ruby Vocals definitely had a more detailed response, but the Sapphire, it sounds richer and more musical to put in simple words. Apart from vocals, the instruments in the mid range section also have a natural response. They sound open with good spacing and separation between the instruments.
Treble region is smoothly done. Well, I feel the Treble of Ruby is fancier. It sounds crispier and has more definition. On the Sapphire, I find the pair to have a smoothly done response with decent extensions. There is no sibilance, harshness, or any kind of fatigue present in the high notes. Extensions are also quite nice. No complaints so far.
Technically Sapphire has a very competent response, good staging and imaging capabilities. Even in congested tracks, the pair performs well, provided that you power the set well.
So far things that I think are cons with the set:-
1. The power requirements, Sapphire loves a powerful source like R8ii. With BTR17 the separation suffers especially in busy tracks.
2. The shells are thick, personally I find no issues in fit but people with small ears might face some issues.
3. BCD driver have that tingling sensation when I click on the shells(which is pretty interesting to do lol).
I hope you guys enjoyed reading today’s post
