Astrotec Lyra Collection

Disclaimer
I have purchased and paid the full retail price for the Astrotec Lyra Collection, this is not a sponsored review. This is the 32ohm version of the Lyra Collection (299$), a pricier 150ohm version exist (399$).


Packaging

Astrotec has clearly been very serious about the premium positioning of the Lyra Collection, the packaging is up to par with the best there from the printed cardboard to the box material itself, you don’t feel like you’ve purchased a cheap product (granted, 300$ is quite a price for earbuds ).

The accessories are not plenty but well chosen with ear hooks and two size of Bose style fins. The only less agreeable item is the donut foams that I found to itch a bit. I also wished a full foam was provided, to play with more or less bright presentation. But I am knitpicking here, I was very impressed.



Introduction
I must admit I hadn’t heard about Astrotec and found the Lyra Collection browsing the Penon audio website by pure luck and was curious to test out what the best earbuds could provide in terms of sound. I am not a huge fan of earbuds, but the Lyra looked sexy with good reviews and I kind of liked the idea of zero pressure alternative to in ears and the benefits of open back design. I wasn’t convinced by the iSine / LCD i4 ergonomics and I wondered how this would work out so I went and got a pair.



Fit
I am blessed with pretty large ears, I had no issue fitting the Lyra without using any form of earhooks or fin, just the donut foams. It feels a bit strange at first, being used to custom in ears but you quickly get used to it and even enjoy at the office when you have to put them out and in quite often. I like that Astrotec has chosen to go for over ear wire, this makes for a secure and comfortable fit. The cable quality certainly help as well, I didn’t need the earhooks.

Build
Contrary to the usual earbud approach, Astrotec went for a nicely machined blue aluminium casing. The Lyra feels premium to the hand and I feel quite confortable it will take the beatings of nomad life without flinching.



Sound
Unlike the few earbuds I have auditioned, the Lyra has a balanced signature, it has no bias towards bass quite the contrary the focus is on smooth and linear mids, while resolution and air is provided by well extended treble and a smooth delivery. It’s a very open sounding earphone with very good soundstage, featuring a realistic and precise image.


Bass
With a 15mm dynamic driver despite the open design one might expect a fair amount of bass but Astrotec has visibly chosen a very different path favoring speed (the bass is quite agile, fast and clean) and articulation over weight and slam. They probably went a bit too far in the approach as it doesn’t help the Lyra to convey sufficient sense of rythm especially if like me you tend to listen at very moderate volume levels. This improves nicely by pushing the volume a few notches up so your mileage may vary. It’s also less apparent on bass heavy genres that usually saturate the bass section, which suddenly have a clean bass section where a lot of detail pops up.


Mids
The Lyra’s mids are in my opinion the main course and the bread and butter of this earphone, as well as a very good surprise considering the typical lower mids tilt of earbuds in general. The midrange is fairly linear with just the right amount of lower mids to provide body and weight (a blessing given its bass light nature) and enough upper mids to provide a very articulate presentation. Vocals deserve a special mention, I really appreciated both male and female vocals and the slightly forward placement of vocals and the great separation highlight nuances of the interpretation and what I found to be accurate tone.

Again, the driver has snappy attack and fast decay making up for a very clean presentation while avoiding being dry either so a nice balance has been struck there. To sum up, I found the mids very natural and timbre fairly accurate, although I think a tad more warmth wouldn’t hurt especially with bright to neutral sources.



Treble
I really like what Astrotec has done on the treble front and I think it has both to do with the tuning and how fast the driver is. The snappy attack and fast decay which is true across the range benefits the upper treble refinement. Lower treble is absolutely safe and no hint of peaks whatsoever this is a smooth delivery. Some might find it lacks enough sparkle, Astrotec sure played it safe with lower treble there and focused on the upper treble providing air.



Verdict
The Lyra Collection is probably a niche product at its price point, given its earbud form factor although earbuds appear to make a comeback if I am trusting how many of those I see popping up in audiophile meetups. The benefits of open design, lack of pressure and very open soundstage, as well as the easy to put on and off (useful at the office) is probably the main factor for those going for earbuds.

I can only praise Astrotec for the Lyra Collection build quality which is just top notch, this includes a surprisingly well built 4 wire cable with no microphonics, smart over ears fit, and a really audiophile tuning with strong technical foundations while remaining smooth. Astrotec clearly stayed off the usual warm, bassy with boosted lower mids on top tuning of most earbuds. I think the major let down of the Lyra Collection is that it went too far avoiding the bassy tuning. While the bass is fast, detailed and textured it lacks the minimal slam to provide a sense of rhythm and engagement. It’s really too bad as this would have made the Lyra Collection a perfect earbud in my book, its non fatiguing nature and open soundstage makes it a very enjoyable listen nonetheless.

Astrotec Lyra Collection
Beautiful sound in a Beautiful Shell…


About Astrotec:

Astrotec is a Hi-Fi brand which is specialized in production of audio products, since 2004 and is located in BaoAn area, Shenzhen – China. Astrotec has been involved in the development and manufacture of miniature loudspeakers, hearing aid components, car audio components, professional headsets, earbuds and In Ear Monitors (IEM).







Disclaimer:

This sample was provided to me by Astrotec for the purpose of an honest review. I’m not affiliated with the Astrotec and all observations and opinions here are my own that are based on my experience with the product.

The Price and Warranty:

The Astrotec Lyra Collection (32 Ohm) is available for a price of 299.99 USD and is covered by a two year limited warranty.

Purchase Links:

• AliExpress : Purchase link For AliExpress Store
• Amazon US : Purchase link for Amazon US Store

Astrotec Web links:

• Astrotec Global : https://www.astrotecglobal.com/lyra-collection
  
• FaceBook : www.facebook.com/astrotecaudio

Package and Accessories:

The Astrotec Lyra Collection comes in nice looking box, which is wrapped with a grey colored cardboard that sports the “Lyra Collection earbud” advertising and the Hi-Res Audio logo.





This box is including the following items;

• Astrotec Lyra Collection Earbud (32 Ohm)
• Leather Hard Box
• 3 pairs of foams (1 full & 2 donut)
• 1 pair of silicone ear guides
• 3 pairs of silicone ear fins (s/m/l)
• Leather cable strap
• Airplane adapter

The Lyra Collection is a premium product of this company and you can easily see and feel why this earbud is classified in such a category. The first appearance is fantastic with the fashionable look of the packaging.




The box is including different types of foams, two pairs of ear guides (ear hooks) and pairs of ear fins which is a very useful addition for a better comfort and fit/seal that directly affects the sound performance of an earbud.




Inside the box is very nice looking leather warped Hard Box, which has a magnetic lid and the Astrotec branding. The inner side of this box is coated with fabric material, which reminds an expensive jewelry box.




There is also a leather strap and one airplane adapter.




Design, Fit and Build Quality:

The Astrotec Lyra Collection is a very well-crafted earbud, which is made of aluminum material and has a satin blue finish, instead of a regular plastic shell which is more common for earbuds these days.




On the earpiece is a beautifully crafted voice grill, which has a very nice appearance. This grill sports also the Astrotec branding and is framed with a black plastic ring.




The rear end of the Astrotec Lyra Collection earbud is embedded with a labyrinth filter made of high-density copper ball die-casting, which is also called copper beads maze-filter. There are countless irregular labyrinth fibers inside the cavity, which can effectively filter the noise and suppress the refraction caused by the sound wave in the cavity.




On the sides are the left and right markings and some grills which are crafted carefully.




The Astrotec Lyra Collection sports a non-detachable cable which is protected with a black plastic strain relief. This cable is made of two types of wire material. Those are the 6N purity mono crystal cooper, mix braided with silver plated copper (SPC). The cable is protected with a transparent soft TPU material which looks pretty solid.




On the cable are the chin slider and Y- splitter, which has the Lyra Collection branding.

This Astrotec Lyra Collection has a gold plated 3.5mm headphone jack, which is right angled. The housing of this housing is in black and sports an Astrotec branding.




The Astrotec Lyra Collection is very lightweight and comfortable earbud, which fits pretty well in to my ears with the help of the ear fins, which are included in the box.




Specifications:

The Astrotec Lyra Collection sports an 15mm diameter single dynamic driver, which is very efficient with a relative lower impedance of 32 ohms (there is also a 150-ohm version of this earbud), which makes it ideal for portable sources without any powerful amplification like smartphones and tablets, etc.



Technical Details:

• Driver : 15mm Single Dynamic Driver
• Impedance : 32ohm
• Frequency response : 15Hz – 40000Hz
• Sensitivity : 108dB/1 mW (S.P.Lat 1KHz)
• Cable : 8 shares 19-core copper & silver-plated mixed cable
• Plug : 3.5mm gold-plated plug
• Cable length : 1.2m

Albums & tracks used for this review:

• Opeth – Damnation (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
• Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96Hz)
• LP (Laura Pergolizzi) – Lost On You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Saskia Bruin – The Look of Love (DSF)
• London Grammar – Hey Now (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
• George Michael – Older Album (Apple Music)
• Bryan Adams – MTV Unplugged (Spotify)
• Dire Straits – Money for Nothing (DSF)
• Mile Davis – Kind of Blue Album (Tidal Hi-fi)
• Emmanuel Pahud (Claude Debussy) – Syrinx (Spotify)
• Otto Liebert – Bare Wood Album “Acoustic Version” (Spotify)
• Alboran Trio’s – Cinque Lunghissimi Minuti (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Daft Punk – Get Lucky (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Lorde – Royals (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (DSF)
• Future Heroes – Archangel (Spotify)
• Deeperise feat Jabbar – Move On (Spotify)
• Gothart – Jovano, Jovanke (Spotify)

Sources used for this review:

• Erabud : Astrotec Lyra Collection, NiceHCK EBX, K’S 300 Samsara
• DAP/DAC : Cayin N5II, Hidizs DH1000, Chord Mojo, Hifiman HM603s

The Sound:

I believe in burn-in and have written this review after a burn-in process of 120 hours.

Please note that this is an earbud, which needs a good seal and fit to show its best and the sound quality (even character) can vary from person to person due the differences of our ear anatomies.

I have used the stock donut foams and have use the ear fins which was included to the box for a better seal due this review.






Sound Signature:

The Astrotec Lyra Collection earbud has a slightly warmer then neutral tonality with balanced presentation, which sounds transparent and clean.



Frequencies:

Bass:

The sub-bass of the Astrotec Lyra Collection has moderate rumble, followed from a nice control and bass depth, which reachs surprisingly low for an earbud. The sub-bass extends good and is providing a nice sense of power to the overall presentation. But don’t get me wrong; don’t compare it with the power of a full sized headphone or an In-Ear Monitor.

The bass is adding a nice sense of warmth to the sound without to make the sound veiled or too hot. The level of resolution and realism is in a high level for an earbud and you can hear this especially in some acoustic albums like Otto Liebert’s – Bare Wood, where the Lyra Collection really shines during the presentation of a guitar, which sounds in a very realistic and emotional way.

Another example for the bass performance of the Astrotec Lyra Collection is the song “Move On” of “Deeperise feat Jabbar” where you can hear some nice bass kicks.






Midrange:

The first noticeable ability about the sound presentation of the Lyra Collection is the transparency and detail level of its midrange. The midrange sounds clean and airy with a level of definition which makes the presentation of vocals and instruments realistic and effortless.

There is enough space for instruments and even very complex songs like Alboran Trio’s – Cinque Lunghissimi Minuti are presented without any remarkable loss of control.

The midbass tuning of the Lyra Collection makes it possible to add a nice touch of warmth and fullness to midrange, without to overshadow the overall clearness.

The vocal presentation of the Lyra collection is upfront and intimate and this tuning makes it possible to represent, both male and female vocals in a quite realistic and emotional way. For example; Male voices in Gothart’s – Jovano, Jovanke sounding intimate and emotional.

The upper midrange of the Astrotec Lyra Collection is slightly boosted, but without any considerable result of harshness and loss of control. This tuning affects female voices in a positive way, which is noticeable with some vocals like Laura Pergolizzi or Diana Krall which are represented in a quite realistic.



Treble:

The treble range of the Lyra Collection is vivid and with a nice amount of sparkle, without to sound harsh or sibilant. There is also a nice rendering of air which makes space for instruments. Instruments like cymbals, violins or flutes sounding quite realistic and fatigue free. For example; the cymbal performance of the Lyra Collection in Megadeth’s Sweating Bullets is pretty controlled and sounds very realistic.

The upper treble extension of the Asrotec Lyra Collections is on a high level and the overall resolution improves the realism of some acoustic songs like Laura Pergolizzi’s live performance in Lost on You.






The Soundstage and Imaging:

The Astrotec Lyra Collection benefits form its semi open back design with its maze filter system, which gives the Lyra an expansive soundstage with a quite natural presentation of depth. This soundstage characteristic gives also vocals and instruments enough space for an accurate imaging.





Comparison with other Earbuds:






Vs. K’S 300 Samsara Version:

Please note that the K’S Samsara is a High impedance earbud which need lots of juice to show its potential. The Astrotec Lyra Collection on the other hand is a very effective erabud which doesn’t need such power to shine.

The K’S 300 Samsara sounds warmer than Astrotec Lyra Collection, which has a more balanced tonality.

The Samsara earbud has extra sub-bass quantity and depth, but missing some extension compared to the Lyra Collection, which sounds also more balanced. The Astrotec Lyra Collection has better bass speed and texture than K’S Samsara, which has the upper hand for bass impact.

Both the K’S Samsara and the Astrotec Lyra Collection sounding very detailed in the midrange department, but there is a difference in tonality and presentation. The K’S Samsara sounds warmer and more emotional, while the Astrotec Lyra Collections sounds natural and transparent.

Some male vocals like George Michael or Bryan Adams sounding quite good with the K’S Samsara earbud, but the Astrotec Lyra Collection has the upper hand for female voices, where it sounds more lifelike with its presentation.

The Astrotec Lyra Collection sounds also more realistic with string instruments like guitars and violins and excels also better for instrument placement and separation.

The K’S Samsra has slightly better upper midrange control, while the Astrotec Lyra Collection has the upper hand for transparency and sparkle in this area.

The treble range of the Astrotec Lyra Collection is brighter and is rendering more air for instruments. Both earbuds sounding quite detailed and have nearly the same level of resolution. But the K’S Samsara is missing of some additional micro detail where the Astrotec Lyra Collection really shines. Both earbuds are sharing a great control in the treble range and doesn’t sounding too harsh in most situation.

The K’S Samsara and the Astrotec Lyra have a decent soundstage performance. Both have earbuds have a quite expansive stage, while the Astotec Lyra Collection excel slightly better for depth. Both of this earbuds sharing a quite accurate, instrument positioning.







Vs. NiceHCK EBX :

The NiceHCK EBX and the Astrotec Lyra Collection are very easy to drive earbuds, which are sharing the same impedance of 32 Ohm.

The Lyra Collection has a slightly warmer tonality then those of the NiceHCK EBX.

The sub-bass of the Lyra Collection has slightly more weight and reaches deeper compared to the NiceHCK EBX which has less body.

The bass of the Lyra Collection extends better and has also more control in fast passages with instruments like bass guitars. The lower frequency region of the Astrotec Lyra Collection sounds fuller and is adding more body and warmth to the song without to make the sound veiled.

The NiceHCK EBX is missing some mid-bass weight, which make the overall presentation a bit too dry. Astrotec Lyra Collection is also superior in representing bass texture and resolution.

Both NiceHCK EBX and Astrotec Lyra Collection are very transparent and clean sounding earbuds, which is most noticeable in the midrange department.

Astrotec Lyra sounds fuller and warmer in midrange, which is a result of better weight in the bass area. Female vocals’ sounding very clean and transparent with both earbuds, but the NiceHCK sounds a bit more dry with some voices like Saskia Bruin and Aretha Franklin. The male vocal presentation of the Astrotec Lyra’s sounds more emotional and realistic compared to the EBX earbud, which is missing some fullness in this area.

Instruments like guitar, piano or violin sounding slightly more realistic and intimate with Astrotec Lyra Collection, compared to the colder and slightly dryer sounding presentation of the NiceHCK EBX earbud.

The upper midrange of both the Astrotec Lyra Collection sounds cleaner and more controlled, while the NiceHCK EBX earbud has some sibilance and harshness problems with instruments like piano, violin or flutes, etc.

The treble range of the NiceHCK EBX is more pronounced, then those of the Astrotec Lyra Collection. The detail level of both earbuds is in a high level, but the Lyra Collection is rendering more micro detail than NiceHCK EBX which is otherwise a good performer.

The Astrotec Lyra Collection has more upper treble presence, which gives additional sparkle and air to the sound.

Both earbuds sharing a quite expansive soundstage and they are one of the best TOTL earbuds in this regarding. But they are some differences; The Astrotec Lyra Collection has the upper hand for depth, while both are nearly identical for soundstage wideness. The NiceHCK EBX and Astrotec Lyra Collection are pretty good for imagine and definition, where the Lyra Collection is slightly more accurate.





Conclusion:

The Lyra Collection (32 Ohm) is maybe not a very affordable earbud and has many competitors at the market; but Astrotec offers an product with solid build quality, in a luxurious package, with impressive sound quality, that outperforms many IEM’s with almost twice the price.



Summary (Pros and Cons):

• + Wonderful appearance and build quality,
• + Lots of accessories,
• + Great sound quality with high detail level,
• + Easy to drive

• – A bit Pricey
• – Non Removable Cable

This review was originally posted on "Moonstar Reviews" :
https://moonstarreviews.net


...

Astrotec Lyra Collection - 32 Ohm

Disclaimer
I would like to thank Astrotec for providing me with the Lyra Collection in exchange for my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favourable review.

Lyra Collection

• Drivers: 15mm dynamic driver
• Frequency response: 15Hz - 40kHz
• Sensitivity: 108dB/1mW (SPL at 1kHz)
• Impedance: 32 Ohm
• Cable: 8-wire 6N copper/silver-plated copper hybrid
• Price: US$299

Links:
https://www.astrotecglobal.com
https://www.facebook.com/astrotecaudio

Preamble
...And there it was. One of those moments where you have an epiphany and the penny drops to hit with the thunderous presence of "a realisation". Let me go back a little and explain. I first came into this hobby because I was looking for a more engaging music experience and optimal isolation to help me find some form of escape from the hectic environment that is London. I wanted some sense of privacy while being packed like a sardine in the Tube at rush hour, and the only place where I would find that was in my music. IEMs were the solution, CIEMs even better, and from that time onwards I saw myself as strictly an IEM-guy. Unfortunately, biology was not so kind to me and gave me weird ears and a tendency to unconsciously tense my jaw muscles all the time, giving me pressure related issues with my first set of CIEMs. So in order to allow my ears to recover I bought a cheap set of VE Monk+ earbuds. They were obviously a novelty item for short-term use only because I was an IEM-guy. So I gave it little further thought and I went on my merry way to drool over all the new and shiny IEMs, because "I am an IEM-guy". ...And then Realisation tapped on my shoulder. All this time, while suffering from IEM-induced mouth dribble, I had actually been using those "novelty items" every single day and I was really liking the form factor and the openness and my ears recovered and... and... And as the penny dropped I realised that I was in fact "open"-minded as well. There started my journey to find high-end, open-back, small form-factor things I could shove in my ears. I found bell-shaped things (Final Piano Forte), web-shaped things (Audeze iSine), more expensive grate-shaped things (Audeze LCD-i4) and finally "Hey, look! Astrotec actually makes high-end earbuds that are not made of the ubiquitous cheap plastic shells." Enter the Astrotec Lyra Collection.

Hailing from the fast-growing city of Shenzhen, Astrotec is a Chinese company with global aspirations that aims to produce innovative and high-quality products. They hold various patents, including for a hybrid BA/DD design, make aviation headsets for the military, and offer IEMs, headphones, earbuds and adapters. A wide range of products, but it was the earbuds I was most interested in. One of the main things I was curious about was whether or not high-end earbuds would be able to provide a quality sound where the open nature of them would work especially well for classical music such as large-scale symphonies. There are few options in this price range, especially in Europe, so the Lyra Collection presented me with quite a rare opportunity to explore this.

Build quality and fit
The Lyra Collection comes in a very nice presentation box stocked with lots of extras, including hooks for wearing the cables over your ear, hooks for keeping the earpieces secure in your ears and foams for added comfort when you wear them all day long (and you might well end up doing that). Also included is an airplane adapter, a leather strap for around the cable and a small and genuinely useful leather storage case. That last one I really like and is just so practical in use. I love it when companies put thought into the practical use of their products and Astrotec clearly did that here.





The Lyra Collection themselves are something I have been waiting for. No more of those plastic fantastic shells that seem so ubiquitous among even very high-end earbuds, but a light-weight aluminium shell that looks and feels beautifully crafted. Attached is an 8-wire hybrid cable that combines 4 copper with 4 silver-plated copper wires. The braiding on this cable is very well done and although the individual wires are quite thin, the overall cable feels strong and incredibly supple. The y-split is made of a simple and durable plastic that means that the cable as a whole is nice and light so that it does not pull on the earpieces.

The fit is quite good and should work comfortably for most people, as they stay in my weird ears quite well by themselves. Just for added security and to get a consistent fit, I used the smallest of the earhooks and found those very comfortable even after wearing them for nearly a whole day non-stop. The Lyra Collection are a joy to use and I found myself using them for everything from listening to music, to watching YouTube (Head-fi TV, obviously) and playing games on my PS4.



Source
All critical listening was done with the Astell & Kern AK70.

Presentation
Because earbuds are clearly affected by how they sit in the ear, I used the included donut foams and smallest ear hooks to try and get a consistent fit. Using the foams gave a slightly warmer sound that I personally felt offered the most pleasant and balanced sound.

To put it succinctly, the Lyra Collection are detailed and balanced. In fact, I was quite surprised by just how much detail they were able to convey considering the form factor. Emphasis seems to be on creating an articulate sound that has quite a short note decay in order to allow those details to come through clearly even when there is environmental noise. While the Lyra Collection offer a slightly warmer sound, they still maintain great clarity throughout and I found it easy to shift my focus to different sections in classical music. So for instance the bass section was never overbearing, but still easy to pick out.

The clear presentation of the different sections was further aided by the large and airy stage, one of the reasons why I wanted to explore the "open" form factor. In terms of depth I did not quite get what I was hoping for, perhaps I was a little too optimistic there, but in terms of width the Lyra Collection offer a wonderfully natural sense of space. Instruments separate very clearly, yet the notes have enough body that the overall image remains coherent. This works very well for classical music and I really enjoyed it. Where the Lyra Collection fall a little short, for my taste at least, is in their tonality. I don't feel it is the most natural sound and instruments lack body when compared to some of the IEMs I use. That said, I will admit that I am quite an obsessive compulsive tonality nerd these days and the Lyra Collection sound really pleasant, so it is very much relative to my particular disposition.

Bass
The bass was quite surprising when I first heard it. I had expected a bass that was loose with more mid- and upper-bass emphasis, but found it to be much more linear, even quite conservative in the mid- and upper-bass. There is not a lot in the way of sub-bass, but the sub- and mid-bass do give an impact that I had not expected from earbuds. Not growling or particularly hard-hitting, but with enough presence to define the bass section. It is not a naturally resonant bass, instead the Lyra Collection present a very detailed and textured one that is quite dark. A cello for instance lacks some of its natural resonance and body, yet you will still hear the playing techniques come through very clearly. It effectively pushes the bass section back while providing it with enough presence that it does not get lost in the background.

For my tastes I would prefer a more resonant bass, but that would likely slow down the perceived speeds and this is where the Lyra Collection do a good job. Because of the tightness of the bass, instruments such as drums and bass guitars feel agile and it works well for metal or pop music with the beat being well defined and engaging.

Mids
The mids of the Lyra Collection are really quite beautiful and vocals come through especially crisp and clear. To my ears there seems to be a lift around the upper mid-range/lower treble favouring female vocals slightly over male vocals and adding a hint of sharpness to some instruments. I did feel this sharpness was more pronounced straight out of the box and seemed to settle down after around 100-150 hours of use. At no time was it offensive, just noticeable. Male vocals lack a little in their lower density, which was especially noticeable with Disturbed front man David Draiman's characteristic guttural voice that just lacked a little in its usual impact. Similarly I found that Eric Clapton sounded a little less warm and smooth compared to what I am used to. Female vocals however sounded very clear and natural, working especially well for intimate vocals such as Agnes Obel. Vocals are not especially forward, but their clarity means they separate especially well, something that has advantages beyond vocals in music, as I will explain later on.

I also found that the tonality in the mid-range was better than in the bass section, with typical mid-range instruments sounding quite good and it was easy to separate them when in classical music similar instruments such as clarinet and oboe would play similar notes. Not only was their position clearly different, the tone itself helped to create the typical transition from one instrument to another when a piece jumps a little from one side to the other, or climbs in tone from one instrument to another. This can easily get lost in congestion, but the Lyra Collection do it with ease.

Treble
The treble of the Lyra Collection is really quite good, be it slightly attenuated overall to give them a warmer sound and just a lift in the lower treble to aid clarity. Like the bass, the treble is articulate and perhaps not the most natural sounding due to the relatively short note decay. Still, as I put on one of my favourite classical pieces, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, I am impressed by the amount of detail in the upper registers. It does not quite reach the delicate sparkle and twinkle I hear with my IEMs, the Lyra Collection's transparency is not quite that good, but the celeste in 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' still sounds smooth and delicate without any harshness to the tone.

Instruments such as cymbals in rock and metal sit a little further back, yet are still easy enough to hear and they sound pretty good, although their decay is short. It doesn't add heaps of sparkle, but is certainly not dull as dishwater either. It is "pleasant". With some reviews I get a single word that keeps popping up to describe what I hear and with the Lyra Collection that word is either "detailed" or "pleasant". The treble is smooth with a little sparkle, but nothing exuberant or too splashy, just well balanced and a joy to listen to for as long as you like because it never gets fatiguing.



Other uses
Usually when I write a review I will concentrate on music even though I often use IEMs for other things, which can sometimes be loads of fun, like gaming with bass-heavy IEMs. Still, music is usually my sole priority. With the Lyra Collection I found that I ended up using them all the time for everything from music to movies to games. I think that is partly because of the form factor, but also certainly because of their detailed sound and clear vocals.

One of the things I dislike about modern TVs is that the flatter they are, the worse the sound becomes and the audio quality of British TV networks is not helping there either. Half the time voices are being overpowered by the background music. I tried EQ-ing the darn thing, but that reached a point where my wife became concerned I was developing a disorder called OC(EQ)D. While the Lyra Collection do not offer a solution for movie night with the missus, they do help when gaming and there I find that the detail, clarity and large stage really provide benefits. It sounds more like the game is happening around you and that can be quite a big benefit if you are masochist like me and play a game like Fallout 4 on its notoriously brutal 'survival' difficulty level with added self-imposed restrictions because... Why did I think that was a good idea again?! Anyway. The clarity and positioning works really well, and I enjoy hearing storyline dialogue come through crisp and clear. I have not tried it with online First Person Shooters, but I can imagine that the Lyra Collection work really well to let you hear footsteps of an enemy close by (just before someone snipes you off from half way across the map). So I think not a bad option for those who do not use a mic.



Conclusions
I always rate products in terms of how much I have enjoyed them, it is my honest opinion after all, and the value I think they offer. I feel the Lyra Collection are a bit more difficult to rate than usual because I am not too familiar with earbuds in general and have not yet had the opportunity to compare them to others in this price range. I think the price is quite high, but because they offer something that at this point in time is quite rare, I think they might still be interesting for those of us who really like their earbuds. Overall, I feel the Astrotec Lyra Collection are great high-end earbuds with a very pleasant, clear and detailed sound and a build quality to match. I have enjoyed using them tremendously and they have made me hopeful that more companies will start to develop earbuds of this quality.