Finally got to try the fire bird!Looks good, gorgeous rich mids
Beauty!
Same here. I really appreciate your comments. I've heard enough positive impressions so far that I'm pretty confident they'll make a wonderful edition to my collection. I've always jived with CFA's tuning more often than not and I'm pretty sure that Ken Ball (and whoever else is behind their tuning) listens to the same sort of music I do, and for the same reasons.
Honestly I'm starting to wonder if things like fit, tips and source have an even bigger impact with planar than with other driver types.
Vision Ears Phönix Impressions
Per my usual disclaimers.
I’m not an ‘audiophile’ by any means but I love my music and I love how certain headphones, IEMs, and TWS invoke fond memories and emotions of past and present life experiences with my family.
Tested on genres such as Classical, Jazz, Pop, EDM, Hip Hop, Movie scores and soundtracks such as Wonder Woman, Batman Begins, Inception on stock cable with 2.5mm termination on FiiO M11 Plus ESS and Spinfits CP360 XL tips
This is my first time listening to an all BA configuration, let alone 13 BA’s in an IEM and I am pleasantly surprised at the poise and organic timbre the Phonix presents. It’s elegant but can also punch when it needs to punch on elegant tracks, bass tracks and mid-range heavy tracks.
It has a stunning degree of openness and airiness that I just love in IEMs. This is my musical choice when it comes to the sonic qualities of an IEM. I appreciate detail and resolution but when it comes to being ‘immersed’ in my music, I much prefer the opportunity to be enveloped in the velvety embrace of this sonic blanket whether in the high frequencies, mid-range or bass. I like to feel ALL of it but it needs to have poise, cohesion, control, naturalness and enough space for me not to feel fatigue or cramped.
I absolutely love the width, depth, layering and imaging capabilities of the Phonix. It is step up from the CFA Dorado 2020 but not ‘too’ far off but it is a nice step up nonetheless and noticeable. When I listen and describe the qualities of an IEM, I try to provide the emotions that they invoke when I listen to my music and try to focus less on the technicalities and more on the musicality and how it makes me feel overall with my library. Listening to the FFXIV soundtrack gives me a sense of grandeur with its airy and organic presentation with great poise, layering, body and weight to its sonic profile. It really is outstanding. I’m literally transported into the midst of the orchestra with that grand sense of space and 3-dimensional aspect.
Fit and Build Quality 4.5/5
Treble 4/5
- Feels premium, excellent fit
- Smooth where it needs to be smooth to have a good fit and not create any weird itches or scuffing in your ears or any of the cartilage
- No wearing fatigue or soreness even after several hours of usage
Mid-Range 4.5/5
- Just the right amount of air and extension without fatigue and sibilance
- Precise textured and gives plenty of detail and resolution without over extending the FR
Vocals 4/5
- Sweet, elegant, lush, forward and positioned well around the listener without feeling cramped
- Those guitars, flutes, violins and pianos are highly resolving and sounded very accurately placed from a layering, width and depth perspective.
Soundstage/Imaging 4.5/5
- Warm across the board for both Male and Female vocals. Female vocals sound crisp, airy with excellent extension and not a single resemblance of sibilance or harshness, it’s incredible
- Male vocals sound accurate, husky and has great texture
Bass 4/5
- Simply outstanding, the best I’ve heard in an IEM thus far in terms of width, depth and 3-dimensional space that it creates without feeling artificial or forced
- Layering is composed, accurate and right where the instruments should be to my ears
- Could have used a little more mid and sub-bass, I may be a bass head but I love the texture and bass detail of the Dorado 2020 and listening to the Phonix left me wanting a little bit more on that front. The Dorado’s rattle my skull a little bit more and I would have appreciated a little more ‘oomph’ on that front but still provided great texture, detail and impact for a BA setup.
The biggest challenge for me still remains. Which is the price. Is the Phonix worth it’s insane $4.5K+ CAD price point? When I compare the subtleties and differences in its sonic profile vs the CFA Dorado 2020, the answer is unfortunately a no for me. It definitely gave me an extra sense of emotion and musicality that is still similarly presented by the Dorado 2020 but doesn’t warrant the 3x price point in my view.
Nevertheless, I have very much appreciated this community, the thoughts shared across a number of IEMs and I count myself fortunate to be part of the banter and trying out such gems, even if only for a short period. Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and impressions
Ps. I will try to replicate a similar format for thoughts and impressions of the EXT in the coming weeks. Thanks again @Rockwell75 for organizing these tours!
Great impressions thank-you for sharing! Phonix is my favorite all BA IEM by some margin...but lately I'm a DD guy through and through, especially with the mids & bass. I may dabble in the BA world again and Phonix is the first one I've heard in a while that's really tempted me. Of all the IEMs I've heard this year and not purchased Phonix is the one that lingers the most strongly in my mind...if I can ever get a good enough deal on a used one I may jump.
In fact it’s one of the IEMs that was / is not on my radar, I used to have Erlk and was really not interested in setting no. 2. I think if I were to consider an all-BA IEM without BCD etc, I’d prob get the Elysian 
