Soranik Ion 2s
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Disclaimer:
This is a personal unit borrowed from a friend. I am in no way associated with Soranik or any dealer.
Note: Please note that my opinions and ratings are based on price, category, market competition and personal expectations and are subjective in nature.
Introduction
Soranik is a brand which is not very popular yet. They are from Vietnam and has some good number of IEMs in their catalogue. Soranik Ion 2s is a dual driver IEM, having a Magnetostatic driver coupling with a DD driver configuration. It is priced at 199 USD.
Build Quality and comfort
The shells are made of resin (most likely as I couldn’t find anything) and are black in colour with golden details. The faceplates have Soranik etched on one side and their logo on other side in golden colour. The connectors are 2pin and the stock cable is 3.5mm cable, silver in colour, which I am assuming to be a SPC cable.
The IEM fits well, they aren’t too heavy. The cable is good too, looks premium and I didn’t notice any microphonics. I didn’t feel any stress on my ears after long hours of listening.
Overall, the build quality looks quite good and I don’t have anything negative to point out about it. It’s a beautiful looking IEM with good fit and comfort.
Ion 2s has got 3 vents on the earpiece in each side protected by grill.
Score: 9/10
Gears Used
Cayin n6ii A01 3.5mm PO
Cayin n6ii A01 3.5mm LO + Pico Power in mid gain
PhiDeca R2R DAC + Sapphire Amp
Whirlwind M size wide bore tips
Sound
Ion 2s is a very technical IEM, it has got some strong technical performance and it definitely performs much better in those areas than other IEMs in the similar price range. Overall Ion 2s has got great details, its fast and has mild V shaped sound signature. I never noticed any graininess, it has very well refined presentation. The sound signature is slightly lean but that can be cured with a good warm source. The tonality is more towards reference/technical than natural.
Lows
Bass is one of the many highlights of this IEM. It is fast, detailed and has got good extensions. The impact is good and users won’t feel the lack of bass at any point. Sub bass rumble is good too, and on my test tracks it performed quite well. However, I felt it lacked some depth. The overall sound signature tends to be on the leaner side but that is just as per my preference.
Score: 9/10
Mids
Vocals are recessed and that’s typical of a V shaped sound signature. They work up well with the sound signature of the Ion 2s. Vocals are sweet, smooth and effortless, slightly laid back. The midrange isn’t as detailed as the top end, I felt it lacks the depth. However, the performance in the mid frequencies is fairly good for the price.
Score: 8/10
Highs
Highs is one of the primary highlight of this IEM. The overall top end is very detailed. It has certain amount of sparkle to it. The separation is great and it sounds very clean and crisp. Against other IEMs I have heard around this price range and probably higher, Ion 2s has great airiness, they never sounded congested to me, this is flagship level of airiness in the top end I am talking about. The highs are certainly highlighted, and hence Ion 2s may sound bright to some, I used it with a warm source and it was borderline neutral. Even with the detailed and emphasized highs, I never noticed and grain which is quite commendable for its price.
Score: 9.5/10
Soundstage, Imaging, Separation
Ion 2s has got a wide soundstage. The width is surely above average but I am not sure if that’s the result of its performance in the highs. The imaging and separation is quite good, I was able to pinpoint the sound coming out of the instruments. It handle the busy tracks well, I’m sure the detailed presentation and the airiness is the reason behind it. There isn’t much congestion noticed in any of the frequency ranges. In this price range, I believe Ion 2s performs decently in soundstage and imaging, separation is still better than the most.
Score: 8.5/10
Source and drivability
I believe warm sources will pair well with Ion 2s. It certainly requires good amount of power. Moving from the 3.5 mm PO of Cayin N6ii A01 to Cayin n6ii A01 LO to Pico power in mid gain setting, I felt the presentation became more atmospheric, the depth surely improved and was sounding less lean comparatively. The bass becomes more impactful with good depth, mids doesn’t change much, highs have the airiness improve slightly and probably slightly crisper and more detailed.
Comparison
Thinking about the comparison, I feel See Audio Yume and BQEYZ Spring 2 are something I have had/reviewed around this price range. Please refer to my individual reviews of both these IEMs for more clarity. I will keep this objective so that the readers have a clear idea. These comparisons are very relative to each other and is based on which I enjoyed more.
Bass: Spring 2 > Ion 2s > Yume (Spring 2 has more depth, but other than that Ion 2s is very very close, Yume lacks the punch and quantity)
Mids: Yume > Spring 2 > Ion 2s (Yume has got great tonality, and mid range is a highlight in it, great details and very natural, Spring 2 had decent midrange but Ion 2s slightly lags behind)
Highs: Ion 2s > Spring 2 > Yume (Ion 2s, hands down. Spring 2 has got good details but has graininess, Yume is decent probably with lesser air and extension than the two)
Detail retrieval: Ion 2s > Spring 2 > Yume
Soundstage and imaging: Spring 2 > Ion 2s > Yume (Spring 2 felt better than the two, Yume being the intimate one)
Tonality: Yume > Spring 2 > Ion 2s (Yume has got great natural tonality, Spring 2 and Ion 2s are more about preference, Spring 2 is more fun whereas Ion 2s is more technical/reference)
Drivability: Yume > Spring 2 > Ion 2s
Conclusion
Ion 2s is a technically strong IEM and any negatives I talked about is probably me nit-picking. For its price range, I feel its one of the best. I wonder why its not very popular the like the other two I compared it with, or like many others in this price range which doesn’t even come close. If you want something detailed and articulate, Ion 2s is a good option.
Overall rating: 9/10
This is a personal unit borrowed from a friend. I am in no way associated with Soranik or any dealer.
Note: Please note that my opinions and ratings are based on price, category, market competition and personal expectations and are subjective in nature.
Introduction
Soranik is a brand which is not very popular yet. They are from Vietnam and has some good number of IEMs in their catalogue. Soranik Ion 2s is a dual driver IEM, having a Magnetostatic driver coupling with a DD driver configuration. It is priced at 199 USD.
Build Quality and comfort
The shells are made of resin (most likely as I couldn’t find anything) and are black in colour with golden details. The faceplates have Soranik etched on one side and their logo on other side in golden colour. The connectors are 2pin and the stock cable is 3.5mm cable, silver in colour, which I am assuming to be a SPC cable.
The IEM fits well, they aren’t too heavy. The cable is good too, looks premium and I didn’t notice any microphonics. I didn’t feel any stress on my ears after long hours of listening.
Overall, the build quality looks quite good and I don’t have anything negative to point out about it. It’s a beautiful looking IEM with good fit and comfort.
Ion 2s has got 3 vents on the earpiece in each side protected by grill.
Score: 9/10
Gears Used
Cayin n6ii A01 3.5mm PO
Cayin n6ii A01 3.5mm LO + Pico Power in mid gain
PhiDeca R2R DAC + Sapphire Amp
Whirlwind M size wide bore tips
Sound
Ion 2s is a very technical IEM, it has got some strong technical performance and it definitely performs much better in those areas than other IEMs in the similar price range. Overall Ion 2s has got great details, its fast and has mild V shaped sound signature. I never noticed any graininess, it has very well refined presentation. The sound signature is slightly lean but that can be cured with a good warm source. The tonality is more towards reference/technical than natural.
Lows
Bass is one of the many highlights of this IEM. It is fast, detailed and has got good extensions. The impact is good and users won’t feel the lack of bass at any point. Sub bass rumble is good too, and on my test tracks it performed quite well. However, I felt it lacked some depth. The overall sound signature tends to be on the leaner side but that is just as per my preference.
Score: 9/10
Mids
Vocals are recessed and that’s typical of a V shaped sound signature. They work up well with the sound signature of the Ion 2s. Vocals are sweet, smooth and effortless, slightly laid back. The midrange isn’t as detailed as the top end, I felt it lacks the depth. However, the performance in the mid frequencies is fairly good for the price.
Score: 8/10
Highs
Highs is one of the primary highlight of this IEM. The overall top end is very detailed. It has certain amount of sparkle to it. The separation is great and it sounds very clean and crisp. Against other IEMs I have heard around this price range and probably higher, Ion 2s has great airiness, they never sounded congested to me, this is flagship level of airiness in the top end I am talking about. The highs are certainly highlighted, and hence Ion 2s may sound bright to some, I used it with a warm source and it was borderline neutral. Even with the detailed and emphasized highs, I never noticed and grain which is quite commendable for its price.
Score: 9.5/10
Soundstage, Imaging, Separation
Ion 2s has got a wide soundstage. The width is surely above average but I am not sure if that’s the result of its performance in the highs. The imaging and separation is quite good, I was able to pinpoint the sound coming out of the instruments. It handle the busy tracks well, I’m sure the detailed presentation and the airiness is the reason behind it. There isn’t much congestion noticed in any of the frequency ranges. In this price range, I believe Ion 2s performs decently in soundstage and imaging, separation is still better than the most.
Score: 8.5/10
Source and drivability
I believe warm sources will pair well with Ion 2s. It certainly requires good amount of power. Moving from the 3.5 mm PO of Cayin N6ii A01 to Cayin n6ii A01 LO to Pico power in mid gain setting, I felt the presentation became more atmospheric, the depth surely improved and was sounding less lean comparatively. The bass becomes more impactful with good depth, mids doesn’t change much, highs have the airiness improve slightly and probably slightly crisper and more detailed.
Comparison
Thinking about the comparison, I feel See Audio Yume and BQEYZ Spring 2 are something I have had/reviewed around this price range. Please refer to my individual reviews of both these IEMs for more clarity. I will keep this objective so that the readers have a clear idea. These comparisons are very relative to each other and is based on which I enjoyed more.
Bass: Spring 2 > Ion 2s > Yume (Spring 2 has more depth, but other than that Ion 2s is very very close, Yume lacks the punch and quantity)
Mids: Yume > Spring 2 > Ion 2s (Yume has got great tonality, and mid range is a highlight in it, great details and very natural, Spring 2 had decent midrange but Ion 2s slightly lags behind)
Highs: Ion 2s > Spring 2 > Yume (Ion 2s, hands down. Spring 2 has got good details but has graininess, Yume is decent probably with lesser air and extension than the two)
Detail retrieval: Ion 2s > Spring 2 > Yume
Soundstage and imaging: Spring 2 > Ion 2s > Yume (Spring 2 felt better than the two, Yume being the intimate one)
Tonality: Yume > Spring 2 > Ion 2s (Yume has got great natural tonality, Spring 2 and Ion 2s are more about preference, Spring 2 is more fun whereas Ion 2s is more technical/reference)
Drivability: Yume > Spring 2 > Ion 2s
Conclusion
Ion 2s is a technically strong IEM and any negatives I talked about is probably me nit-picking. For its price range, I feel its one of the best. I wonder why its not very popular the like the other two I compared it with, or like many others in this price range which doesn’t even come close. If you want something detailed and articulate, Ion 2s is a good option.
Overall rating: 9/10
