Warbler Audio's Prelude CIEM- a labour of love
Nov 11, 2017 at 10:08 AM Post #121 of 220
I am just afraid that in a trade sector like hifi a honest company with a solid product gets under the wheels too easy

Well, they've already established a very solid following with their debut product. I don't have a doubt in my mind that whatever they release next will get the attention it deserves. I, for one, will make sure THL covers it. :wink:

I'm in for the universal Warbler too. I like their tuning preference/philosophy. It's interesting to hear how it'll sound.

The universal they're developing is a Prelude demo unit. :D
 
Nov 11, 2017 at 11:30 AM Post #122 of 220
The universal they're developing is a Prelude demo unit. :D
If it is a demo of the Prelude and is the same quality as those by Custom Art or Vision Ears, I'd certainly be very interested in them. You know, just to make my life easier. :D
 
Nov 11, 2017 at 11:46 AM Post #123 of 220
If it is a demo of the Prelude and is the same quality as those by Custom Art or Vision Ears, I'd certainly be very interested in them. You know, just to make my life easier. :D

Taking care of 15 puppies simultaneously isn't as easy as it looks. :wink:
 
Feb 2, 2018 at 1:37 PM Post #124 of 220
Hey guys,

It's been a few weeks since Warbler generously provided me with my very own Prelude for review, so I thought I'd share my experiences with the IEM (and the company) thus far. Communication was initially a hurdle - with regards to speed, especially - but vast improvements have been made since the new year. The Warbler guys were extremely generous and collaborative during the design phase, providing me with tons of photos before I settled on my final design. I ended up opting for black shells with silver glitter, reddish Padauk wood faceplates and the metal Warbler logo on top. As you can see from the photo below, they ended up looking absolutely stunning!

WP-3 (1).png
As far as sound quality is concerned, they're just as fantastic as I remember. The Prelude's most striking aspect is certainly organicity in tone. Through its life-like timbre and impressively black background, the Prelude resolves notes beautifully; without the need for a brighter tone. Transparency is relatively high - despite some warmth due to okay treble extension - but stage separation, instrument solidity and resolution are simply unheard of from a single-driver.

The Prelude's bass - in terms of quality and life-liked-ness - is some of the best I've ever heard. A combination of naturalness in speed, tone and resolution amount to a low-end that's strangely un-woofer-like, yet immensely satisfying. It doesn't sound like it's being produced by a sub-woofer anymore; it sounds like the real thing. Its midrange is where the magic lies. Elevated throughout its entire middle range, the Prelude infuses vocals and instruments alike with soul. Bolstered by life-like dynamic performance, timbre and intimacy, the Prelude's midrange sounds exceptionally complete; with neither congestion nor sibilance in sight - a massive feat. Treble is equally as impressive. Although extension leaves much to be desired - leading to the Prelude's slight veil - articulation, speed and timbre all tick the boxes. Treble notes sound solid and rounded; rather than brittle or peaky. Great linearity avoids any form of incoherence, allowing instruments that are particularly sensitive to this range - including snare drums, vocal articulation, acoustic guitars, etc. - to fare with ease; creating a safe environment for any instrument in any genre, without prejudice. The Prelude's soundstage - though intimate - is impressively stable, with decent stereo spread, accurate imaging, and a rock-solid background to boot. All in all, even with the myriad of impressive IEMs I've heard in the new year, the Prelude is one of the best in (and above) its class. Its pitch-perfect balance of tone and resolution is rare, and its a really promising display of what Warbler is capable of with so little. The full review shall come soon. :wink:
 
Feb 2, 2018 at 2:53 PM Post #125 of 220
Thanks for the impressions!

I lost my portable dac/amp so pumped up the cash for a Hugo2. Look forward to getting back into the game. This time I’ll use it with the Blu2 at home.
 
Feb 2, 2018 at 10:28 PM Post #126 of 220
Hey guys,

It's been a few weeks since Warbler generously provided me with my very own Prelude for review, so I thought I'd share my experiences with the IEM (and the company) thus far. Communication was initially a hurdle - with regards to speed, especially - but vast improvements have been made since the new year. The Warbler guys were extremely generous and collaborative during the design phase, providing me with tons of photos before I settled on my final design. I ended up opting for black shells with silver glitter, reddish Padauk wood faceplates and the metal Warbler logo on top. As you can see from the photo below, they ended up looking absolutely stunning!


As far as sound quality is concerned, they're just as fantastic as I remember. The Prelude's most striking aspect is certainly organicity in tone. Through its life-like timbre and impressively black background, the Prelude resolves notes beautifully; without the need for a brighter tone. Transparency is relatively high - despite some warmth due to okay treble extension - but stage separation, instrument solidity and resolution are simply unheard of from a single-driver.

The Prelude's bass - in terms of quality and life-liked-ness - is some of the best I've ever heard. A combination of naturalness in speed, tone and resolution amount to a low-end that's strangely un-woofer-like, yet immensely satisfying. It doesn't sound like it's being produced by a sub-woofer anymore; it sounds like the real thing. Its midrange is where the magic lies. Elevated throughout its entire middle range, the Prelude infuses vocals and instruments alike with soul. Bolstered by life-like dynamic performance, timbre and intimacy, the Prelude's midrange sounds exceptionally complete; with neither congestion nor sibilance in sight - a massive feat. Treble is equally as impressive. Although extension leaves much to be desired - leading to the Prelude's slight veil - articulation, speed and timbre all tick the boxes. Treble notes sound solid and rounded; rather than brittle or peaky. Great linearity avoids any form of incoherence, allowing instruments that are particularly sensitive to this range - including snare drums, vocal articulation, acoustic guitars, etc. - to fare with ease; creating a safe environment for any instrument in any genre, without prejudice. The Prelude's soundstage - though intimate - is impressively stable, with decent stereo spread, accurate imaging, and a rock-solid background to boot. All in all, even with the myriad of impressive IEMs I've heard in the new year, the Prelude is one of the best in (and above) its class. Its pitch-perfect balance of tone and resolution is rare, and its a really promising display of what Warbler is capable of with so little. The full review shall come soon. :wink:

Just got my Preludes a couple of days ago, and I have to agree with your impressions. It is such an addicting sound.

I would have to refit the left earpiece though :cry:
 
Feb 3, 2018 at 5:43 AM Post #127 of 220
Hey guys,

It's been a few weeks since Warbler generously provided me with my very own Prelude for review, so I thought I'd share my experiences with the IEM (and the company) thus far. Communication was initially a hurdle - with regards to speed, especially - but vast improvements have been made since the new year. The Warbler guys were extremely generous and collaborative during the design phase, providing me with tons of photos before I settled on my final design. I ended up opting for black shells with silver glitter, reddish Padauk wood faceplates and the metal Warbler logo on top. As you can see from the photo below, they ended up looking absolutely stunning!


As far as sound quality is concerned, they're just as fantastic as I remember. The Prelude's most striking aspect is certainly organicity in tone. Through its life-like timbre and impressively black background, the Prelude resolves notes beautifully; without the need for a brighter tone. Transparency is relatively high - despite some warmth due to okay treble extension - but stage separation, instrument solidity and resolution are simply unheard of from a single-driver.

The Prelude's bass - in terms of quality and life-liked-ness - is some of the best I've ever heard. A combination of naturalness in speed, tone and resolution amount to a low-end that's strangely un-woofer-like, yet immensely satisfying. It doesn't sound like it's being produced by a sub-woofer anymore; it sounds like the real thing. Its midrange is where the magic lies. Elevated throughout its entire middle range, the Prelude infuses vocals and instruments alike with soul. Bolstered by life-like dynamic performance, timbre and intimacy, the Prelude's midrange sounds exceptionally complete; with neither congestion nor sibilance in sight - a massive feat. Treble is equally as impressive. Although extension leaves much to be desired - leading to the Prelude's slight veil - articulation, speed and timbre all tick the boxes. Treble notes sound solid and rounded; rather than brittle or peaky. Great linearity avoids any form of incoherence, allowing instruments that are particularly sensitive to this range - including snare drums, vocal articulation, acoustic guitars, etc. - to fare with ease; creating a safe environment for any instrument in any genre, without prejudice. The Prelude's soundstage - though intimate - is impressively stable, with decent stereo spread, accurate imaging, and a rock-solid background to boot. All in all, even with the myriad of impressive IEMs I've heard in the new year, the Prelude is one of the best in (and above) its class. Its pitch-perfect balance of tone and resolution is rare, and its a really promising display of what Warbler is capable of with so little. The full review shall come soon. :wink:
I’ve seen shorter and/or less informative reviews on HF than your impressions :grin:
Well done!

I can also imagine people thinking ‘What? $1100 for a single BA driver iem? Now, that’s ridiculous expensive.’
But once you’ve heard the Prelude yourself, you will realize that it also sounds better than most of the multipe / many more BA driver iems that are out there, at even higher prices.
So, just like with art / paintings, I guess sometimes ‘less can be more!’

Oh, and let’s also not forget that the (imo wonderful) design choices that they offer at Warbler are included in the price, where other companies might charge you extra for that.
20180203_111015.jpg

Btw, have you also checked the Prelude with your Ares II cable? I must say that I really enjoy the synergy of that combination :ksc75smile:

Looking forward to your full review man!

Just got my Preludes a couple of days ago, and I have to agree with your impressions. It is such an addicting sound.

I would have to refit the left earpiece though :cry:
Sorry to read that, but yeah...a perfect seal is essential(!) to get all that sq magic (that the Prelude can deliver) into your ears / brain :thinking:
 
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Feb 3, 2018 at 7:05 AM Post #129 of 220
Just got my Preludes a couple of days ago, and I have to agree with your impressions. It is such an addicting sound.

I would have to refit the left earpiece though :cry:

Aww shucks... hope the refit works out ASAP, bud! :D

I’ve seen shorter and/or less informative reviews on HF than your impressions :grin:
Well done!

I can also imagine people thinking ‘What? $1100 for a single BA driver iem? Now, that’s ridiculous expensive.’
But once you’ve heard the Prelude yourself, you will realize that it also sounds better than most of the multipe / many more BA driver iems that are out there, at even higher prices.
So, just like with art / paintings, I guess sometimes ‘less can be more!’

Oh, and let’s also not forget that the (imo wonderful) design choices that they offer at Warbler are included in the price, where other companies might charge you extra for that.


Btw, have you also checked the Prelude with your Ares II cable? I must say that I really enjoy the synergy of that combination :ksc75smile:

Looking forward to your full review man!


Sorry to read that, but yeah...a perfect seal is essential(!) to get all that sq magic (that the Prelude can deliver) into your ears / brain :thinking:

Unfortunately, the Ares II I had was just a loaner for the Eos review. I have the Eos attached to it right now, but it was just recently reterminated to 4.4mm for my upcoming MS-modded WM1A. I’ll be picking it up from MS next Thursday, so impressions with both pairings will come very soon. :wink:
 
Feb 23, 2018 at 6:07 AM Post #130 of 220
So it s quite dead here.
The prelude deserve more attention.
They are fantactic iems.
The resolution is really amazing and the tonality too.
I had the chance to test it with a lot of daps and cables.

WIth the Hugo 2 and the leonidas i was really impressed. I didn't think the prelude could go that far.

Really these are fantactic iems (and I owned some top iems including the Zeus XIV)

And they are beautiful too
20180220_103433.jpg
 
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Feb 23, 2018 at 6:20 AM Post #131 of 220
So it s quite dead here.
The prelude deserve more attention.
They are fantactic iems.
The resolution is really amazing and the tonality too.
I had the chance to test it with a lot of daps and cables.

WIth the Hugo 2 and the leonidas i was really impressed. I didn't think the prelude could go that far.

Really these are fantactic iems (and I owned some top iems including the Zeus XIV)

And they are beautiful too

I definitely agree, the Prelude is a beautiful pair of IEMs. Yours look gorgeous by the way, glad you’re enjoying them! Worry not, I’ve heard rumblings of a review from @Kerouac in the works, and my full review should arrive within the next month or so. Stay tuned... :wink:
 
Feb 23, 2018 at 6:32 AM Post #132 of 220
I definitely agree, the Prelude is a beautiful pair of IEMs. Yours look gorgeous by the way, glad you’re enjoying them! Worry not, I’ve heard rumblings of a review from @Kerouac in the works, and my full review should arrive within the next month or so. Stay tuned... :wink:

I will publish mine pretty soon but on a french audio website.
I will translate too but it will take more times.
 
Feb 23, 2018 at 7:30 AM Post #134 of 220
So it s quite dead here.
The prelude deserve more attention.
They are fantactic iems.
The resolution is really amazing and the tonality too.
I had the chance to test it with a lot of daps and cables.

WIth the Hugo 2 and the leonidas i was really impressed. I didn't think the prelude could go that far.

Really these are fantactic iems (and I owned some top iems including the Zeus XIV)

And they are beautiful too
I totally agree on everything you wrote (although I haven't heard the Prelude with a Hugo 2 and/or Leonidas) above.
And that's a wonderful looking design (colour combination) you have over there indeed :thumbsup:

Btw, The Villagers made some great albums imo. 'Where have you been all my life?' (that shows on your dap) is their only album that I haven't heard yet. But I've got the other 3 on my daps. Some lovely / melodic music!

I definitely agree, the Prelude is a beautiful pair of IEMs. Yours look gorgeous by the way, glad you’re enjoying them! Worry not, I’ve heard rumblings of a review from @Kerouac in the works, and my full review should arrive within the next month or so. Stay tuned... :wink:
You've heard rumblings? Well, they might have been true :thinking:

I will post mine next week (when I'm back home). Probably in some long lost, medieval Dutch dialect, that Google Translate hasn't integrated yet :grin:
I'm also looking forward to yours later on!
 
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Feb 23, 2018 at 8:21 AM Post #135 of 220
Try this album.
I love the arrangement .

And of course I have all the villagers album too.
 

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