Vocals are lush and smooth. I would say emotional. Mids and high notes are crisp to my ears.
Not sure if this is going to be very useful, but I wrote a comparison between the Mk2 and Mason II a few years back, in case anyone is wondering how it sounds compared to the likes of UM Mentor V3 and Maestro (they share similar tuning)
Comparison:
Oriolus 2 ($800, Hybrid; 1 DD x Low, 1 BA x Low, 1 BA x Mid, 1 BA x High) :
Both IEMs have an overall smooth, and clear tonality. Oriolus 2 has a smaller stage dimension in comparison. Which is mainly due to its warmth, and note size. The MASON 2 on the other hand, has a cleaner, more transparent background. Mainly as a result of its resolution, and clarity.
They both present a rather warm atmosphere, with rich, and dynamic sound. The Oriolus 2 has a weightier note size due to its larger bass. This makes for a more engaging, fun listen with some genres.
The instrument notes are both relatively full-bodied. Oriolus 2 however has less space in their layering, and separation. Creating a more crowded, less coherent stage.
Bass is pretty similar for both IEMs. Depth is almost equal, the Oriolus 2 being deeper. Surprising; given their different driver source (i.e. DD x BA). Oriolus 2 still, has slightly more impact width from its dynamic driver. Albeit with the expense of less control, and slower decay/transient. You can feel the reverberation and its interaction with the stage. The Oriolus 2 has a voluptuous bass that you can feel rumbling. While MASON 2 has a quicker bass, with finer resolution. Both similarly are very satisfying.
Midrange are both pretty natural, smooth, and clear. The MASON 2 with its tonality, and resolution. While the Oriolus 2 with its warmth, and increased upper-mid. Oriolus 2 has a slightly warmer air, and as a result less detail. The MASON 2 is more detailed, and tonally accurate.
They both have a lift in the upper-mid frequency. With Oriolus 2 a sharper one, and MASON 2 a gentler one. Sensitive listeners may find the Oriolus 2 upper-mid a bit overwhelming sometimes (e.g. cymbal, snares).
MASON 2's treble extension is longer in comparison. This creates an airier stage that is more transparent than Oriolus 2. The Oriolus 2 has a peakier, more fatiguing treble that is not as forgiving as MASON 2.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/unique-melody-mason-ii.22391/review/18609/
Apples and Oranges really
First, Mest mkii sound changes a lot between tips and insertion depth, it goes from sparkly, to mid forward, to warmish with excellent bass impact. Oriolus reborn not so much. I’ll go with pros and cons (to my ears and with the tips/sources I’m using)
Mest mkii:
+ Holographic soundstage with sounds floating all around your head
+Musical and technical at the same time
+Emotional vocals
+Bass quality and impact
- A LOT of tips rolling required. They fit more deep than Oriolus so you may feel them more than oriolus. Funny the best tips I found for them were the silicon Oriolus tips
- Vocals in some songs can be intimate. That may be good or bad depending on your personal taste
Oriolus Reborn:
+ They are supercomfortable as the fit is shallow. Especially with spiral dots
+ Musical. VERY musical tuning with warmish bass and lush mids
+ 3d soundstage
+they make you sit and want to listen more and more. They are very euphonic.
- Treble is not as extended as mest mkii
- shallow fit may not be for everybody. They are also bigger than mest mkii but not excessively so
- while soundstage is large and 3d, the mest mkii soundstage is still more holographic
- mest mkii is a more technical iem, reborn is more about musicality
- they have a more present subbass than mest mkii which make them slightly warmer and lush. This can be good or bad depending on your taste
Not sure if this is going to be very useful, but I wrote a comparison between the Mk2 and Mason II a few years back, in case anyone is wondering how it sounds compared to the likes of UM Mentor V3 and Maestro (they share similar tuning)
Comparison:
Oriolus 2 ($800, Hybrid; 1 DD x Low, 1 BA x Low, 1 BA x Mid, 1 BA x High) :
Both IEMs have an overall smooth, and clear tonality. Oriolus 2 has a smaller stage dimension in comparison. Which is mainly due to its warmth, and note size. The MASON 2 on the other hand, has a cleaner, more transparent background. Mainly as a result of its resolution, and clarity.
They both present a rather warm atmosphere, with rich, and dynamic sound. The Oriolus 2 has a weightier note size due to its larger bass. This makes for a more engaging, fun listen with some genres.
The instrument notes are both relatively full-bodied. Oriolus 2 however has less space in their layering, and separation. Creating a more crowded, less coherent stage.
Bass is pretty similar for both IEMs. Depth is almost equal, the Oriolus 2 being deeper. Surprising; given their different driver source (i.e. DD x BA). Oriolus 2 still, has slightly more impact width from its dynamic driver. Albeit with the expense of less control, and slower decay/transient. You can feel the reverberation and its interaction with the stage. The Oriolus 2 has a voluptuous bass that you can feel rumbling. While MASON 2 has a quicker bass, with finer resolution. Both similarly are very satisfying.
Midrange are both pretty natural, smooth, and clear. The MASON 2 with its tonality, and resolution. While the Oriolus 2 with its warmth, and increased upper-mid. Oriolus 2 has a slightly warmer air, and as a result less detail. The MASON 2 is more detailed, and tonally accurate.
They both have a lift in the upper-mid frequency. With Oriolus 2 a sharper one, and MASON 2 a gentler one. Sensitive listeners may find the Oriolus 2 upper-mid a bit overwhelming sometimes (e.g. cymbal, snares).
MASON 2's treble extension is longer in comparison. This creates an airier stage that is more transparent than Oriolus 2. The Oriolus 2 has a peakier, more fatiguing treble that is not as forgiving as MASON 2.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/unique-melody-mason-ii.22391/review/18609/
The last thing I would say about the reborn is that they are fatiguing, at least to my ears, with spiral dots and stock no 5 cable
And I’m high-mids/highs sensitive, for example I find harman tuned iems peaky and fatiguing (like moondrop s8 or blessing dusk)
Solaris was my first real love in IEMs-- partly because of Campfire's whole aesthetic and philosophy, which I just vibe with, but also because Solaris set the first standard for me of a mature version of my personal target, which could be described essentially as balanced with a musical mid-bass emphasis, and which pushed me towards the first steps out of what could be termed my audiophile youth where I was mostly concerned with bass and pyrotechnics. I tried for a long time to find an upgrade but I never came across anything that I felt really one upped it across the board. The Elysium was the IEM to finally pull me away from Solaris, but even there concessions were made as I had to go without dynamic bass. It seems to me now that Oriolus and their IEMs are what I was really searching for back then but it's taken me until now to get some real exposure to them.
Excellent writeup thank-you very much for sharing. Perci sounds like an incredible IEM but it was a bit out of my reach at this time-- I am very happy with the Reborn though
Regarding the Elysium did you ever try it with the Dave? The only thing I will say is that, more than probably any other IEM I've tried, Elysium is very sensitive to sources, power, synergies etc. I have heard that Chord gear tends to be bright-- is this your experience? If so it may explain why Ely veered towards sibilance for you but came nowhere close for me.
Tell me about it! I've been at this 3 years now and I'm only just becoming acquainted with Oriolus and their IEMs.
I saw that too. I wonder if they will be re-stocked on Amazon given that there are none more available from the Oriolus website and they have basically a new model that has succeeded it in the Crassi.
Cheers man I actually do have a couple pairs of OG spirals around-- I'll try them out.
(Bollywood..nice! Please share a favorite track or two here
Honestly it could go either way. Dorado, measured purely in terms of my unrestrained desires, may very well be my favorite IEM-- but I know that it is not for everyone. I'm tempted to say that the Reborn is probably a safer rec overall, and Isa safer still, but if you happen to be one of those people for whom the Dorado hits-- then imho there is nothing on the market right now sub $3K that can top it.
The MEST II was one IEM that I simply did not connect with-- to my ears it lacked emotion, vitality and had a decided "tuned by algorithm" feel to it. I could see it trumping Reborn in terms of raw staging & technicalities, but that's about it. YMMV etc.
In my experience, at least around here, most of the super-hyping of the last few years has been around IEMs for their technical prowess, perhaps because its easier to objectively measure and quantify...with pure musicality seeming to be less of a priority.
I don't think it's unfortunate really-- it gives the whole thing a unique and cool feel to it. Every hobby has its brands that are super hyped and everybody knows and others that are more low key that you only really discover after immersing yourself in the community for a time. Oriolus is just such a brand-- they seem less concerned with fanfare and almost entirely focused on the integrity of their art. It helps that the Old Man is arguably the Masamune of tuning IEMs...without an equal perhaps anywhere in the world. Say what you will about the Traillii but there is no denying it is a masterwork of tuning, with arguably no equal right now. There's a certain satisfaction in discovering Oriolus and their unparalleled tuning despite the lack of hype and publicity as it feels like I've earned and accomplished something after a lengthy effort-laden search.
How does Reborn compare to MKii?
Vocals are positively divine.
Thanks for sharing!
I don't find Reborn fatiguing. It skirts the outer limits at times but it never quite gets fatiguing for me-- in fact the more I listen to it the more alluring it becomes. Such is Oriolus magic. Dusk I did find fatiguing...wince inducing actually and it only got worse with time. YMMV etc.
Also, the output impedance of the source seems to affect the bass response. They are pretty musical and emotional with ton of air when I run them from dx300 with oriolus stock tips, darker from alpha.
There are so many....but sharing the most favourites of mine:(Bollywood..nice! Please share a favorite track or two here
Honestly it could go either way. Dorado, measured purely in terms of my unrestrained desires, may very well be my favorite IEM-- but I know that it is not for everyone. I'm tempted to say that the Reborn is probably a safer rec overall, and Isa safer still, but if you happen to be one of those people for whom the Dorado hits-- then imho there is nothing on the market right now sub $3K that can top it.
The Reborn other than improved the build/shell quality of the Mk2, I think also tweaked the driver response. I couldn't compare the Reborn with Mk2 side by side, but I suspect they addressed the treble issue with the Mk2 reducing it slightly to alleviate any sharpness. I didn't feel the Reborn to be splashy or too bright as well during my demo with them. The driver flex also didn't crackle as much as the Mk2 I recalled. Source may play a role too into ensuring a smoother upper-end. That said the bass on these are pretty fun to listen toI agree with most of it, beside to my ears upper-mids/treble in Oriolus reborn is not forward, peaky or extended.
The last thing I would say about the reborn is that they are fatiguing, at least to my ears, with spiral dots and stock no 5 cable
And I’m high-mids/highs sensitive, for example I find harman tuned iems peaky and fatiguing (like moondrop s8 or blessing dusk)
With plenty of rumble, and little bleed
That said the bass on them are pretty fun to listen to
Love the performance of the cable, but it's so heavy I cannot use it comfortably...@HarlanDraka here is Reborn with OG spiral dots…you may be onto something. They were my first ever after market tips and it’s funny to come back to them.
Also this cable on loan from @tgx78 is a beast. Pretty sure I could jump my car with it lol.
Excellent writeup thank-you very much for sharing. Perci sounds like an incredible IEM but it was a bit out of my reach at this time-- I am very happy with the Reborn though
Regarding the Elysium did you ever try it with the Dave? The only thing I will say is that, more than probably any other IEM I've tried, Elysium is very sensitive to sources, power, synergies etc. I have heard that Chord gear tends to be bright-- is this your experience? If so it may explain why Ely veered towards sibilance for you but came nowhere close for me.
@HarlanDraka here is Reborn with OG spiral dots…you may be onto something. They were my first ever after market tips and it’s funny to come back to them.
Also this cable on loan from @tgx78 is a beast. Pretty sure I could jump my car with it lol.
I also like the no5 cable pairing the most, even though it makes them warmer and smoother.
what cable is that?@HarlanDraka here is Reborn with OG spiral dots…you may be onto something. They were my first ever after market tips and it’s funny to come back to them.
Also this cable on loan from @tgx78 is a beast. Pretty sure I could jump my car with it lol.
