Reviews by CinnamonToastCrunch
The Grand Symphony (aka Ambient Acoustics MAD24c’s)
Have you ever listened to a sound so remarkable that when it’s met with silence it makes you wonder how?
How does this universe - the complex infinite atomic mass blinking in and out of existence at speeds beyond light sliced by vast empty space time spanning distances both macro to the atomic scale and micro to the observable scale being surrounded by quantum potential only in the mind of you who witness its energy on the screen you're observing at this moment - continue to exist?
When the glove fit custom MAD24’s snap into my ears and energy waves begin to pulsate my thoughts go to places where joy, wonder and amazement take hold and as I close my eyes to the world, magnificent imagery is encountered. Large sailing ships adorned in the purest white sails sailing on a sea of wind, seas of pale blue glass with orbs of soft light coming from within hovering silently to the pulsating energy of the sound as they approach only to vanish beyond the periphery. Men standing at large concert bass drums as if on stage with Hanns Zimmer orchestrating a dim light 48 instrument chorus pacing and demanding perfection with every next moment.
That, just for tonight, listening to the Tron Legacy Soundtrack - hearing the faint inhales of the wind instrument blowers, and rustling pages of music notes. The depth of the arena and the grandeur of the unrelenting bass from an epic cinematic masterpiece of audio brilliance.
The last 4 months have been an endeavor of discovery, passion, and determination with the Ambient Acoustic MAD24c’s being the treasure at the end of the rainbow.
Background
- I reached out to Ambient Acoustics via email and that quickly became a telegram chat in which I later found out was with Yulia from Ambient Acoustics answering all my questions on the MAD24’s. The proceeding weeks consisted of discussion with Yulia on custom vs. universals, costs, SQ differences, time frames, design elements, and concern of the on-going war + shipping in and out of Ukraine. I decided to go with customs when I was told they offered about +2db bass compared to universals - the commitment knowing there is no resale market for customs was made with hope and desire they would be transcendent.
Molds/Scans
- I've never had custom ear molds made before. There is a guide on Ambient Acoustic’s website on what needs to be included when the mold is captured. Due to the concern on shipping time on my behalf Yulia suggested the idea of supplying .STL(3d printer files) files of the ear molds. Thinking this was somewhat standard to obtain, I called a dozen audiologists in the area and none of them knew what a .STL file was even though they did offer molds as a service. Eventually I discovered all of the audiologists send the molds to custom IME/hearing aid manufacturers who do all the scanning in house and do not share the files they create and use. This prompted me to look for a local company who did 3D scanning. I found OnPoint Inspection here in AZ-USA - I called them and asked them if they had scanning tech good enough to scan ear molds for custom IEM’s and they said they had done it once a year prior and the accuracy of their equipment was reverse engineering grade (highly accurate). After securing a company to scan them, I had molds done - the audiologist I used served mostly elderly and he only had a mold material that was more viscous than a foam based mold. This created a bit of an issue as the first set of molds he made came out with gaps/divots because it does not fill in as well as a foam base would. Yulia saw the molds after I sent her pictures and sent back a facepalm emoji lol. So I had them remade within the hour and had the audiologist make extra effort to get a better fill - and he did. I shipped them off to OnPoint Inspection who had my scans in .STL delivered within a couple days and they came out fantastic. Having all this done locally and being able to send the .STL files to Ambient saved me about 3 weeks shipping time to Ukraine.
Design
- Yulia provided a multitude of options for face plates, literally wetting and holding up entire blocks of materials in their shop one by one helping me to find something I liked. I think I chose the most unlikely and difficult option which wasn't even an option in reality - but Ambient was up to the task and ultimately absolutely nailed it to perfection. I wanted a black/metallic dark blue pigment that was weaved in with another block and there was a section that looked like I would be able to possibly have just that black/blue portion without any of the red or yellow specs which the majority of rest of the block (I’ll attach a picture to better explain). Needless to say further - Ambient Made it happen and I'm grateful to them for it. At first glance the IEM’s look fully black but when looking at certain angles with light you see a luminescent sheen of metallic blues - I love it.
The Fit
- Couldn't have been any better. I mentioned above the set I have “snap” into my ears. Imagine a magnet approaching metal. Just before contact the force of the atoms aligning in the magnet causes it to attract to the metal. The fit of these is such that you begin placing them into your ear and with a slight nudge and wiggle they “snap” into place and it’s instantly comfortable and at rest. My first reaction to having them in was imagining they would stay firmly in place even if I took a right (or left) hook from Mike Tyson - they are snug, and other than some pressure in the ear area they are extremely comfortable. My very first listen was a six hour session and I was not fatigued or sore. The fit is pleasing.
Gear
- Holo May KTE / Holo Bliss KTE / 4.4mm Balanced SPC cable
The Sound
- If I had to use a single word to capture all of what I am about to say…. Transcendent.
The technical ability the MAD24’s achieve seems impossible to me. I am forced to believe what I hear and I can’t describe it any better than saying it’s a transcendent experience, every time. The sound is in my head, in my ears, in my room, behind my eyeballs, deep, close, far, wide, up, down, here, and seemingly everyone all at once. How? It’s gotten to the point that everything, it doesn't matter what, sounds holographically layered. Is it also odd to say that I’ve now fallen asleep with music playing through my MAD24’s a handful of times. I bring that up because the sound is both vivid, and relaxing at the same time. They have never been fatiguing, they have never been harsh, they have never been so laid back they are boring. They are highly engaging and really present music in a way that feels like discovery every time.
Bass
- Placing dual subwoofers in your home theater creates a full, more even bass - this is what the MAD 24’s bass reminds me of with its four subwoofers per channel. The bass is meaty, thick, full, even, masterfully articulated and BAM!...punchy when you least expect with grip and finesse and it can be driven harder than your ears drums can handle before it breaks up. There have been moments in songs where the bass has gotten low enough to convince me that my head or chest is feeling the vibration as if being produced by a home theater subwoofer.. I then have to snap back to reality and convince myself it's not possible. Tight and controlled are understatements, but necessary in attempting to describe how detailed the bass is on the MAD 24’s. Unreal.
Imaging and Layering
- While the DJ’s and ravers I’m convinced exist within the MAD24’s have fun with their bass party there is a phenomenon happening with the twenty other drivers creating layers of separation and depth that can only be heard to be believed. Every frequency of reverb becomes a layer so one note with reverb sounds like you’re seeing the entirety of the note with supreme detail and depth. This effect which I’ve never encountered prior to the MAD 24’s creates complete images of what you’re listening to and allows transcendence to commence, getting lost into music you’ve never needed a map for. MAD 24’s do this in their spare time it seems. They do not tire of displaying all of the details with careful balance and well defined placement and tone.
Soundstage and Separation
- I'm not sure separation is much different than layering in my mind, but I need to mention that the soundstage is everywhere all at once. The miracle of engineering a twenty four driver array can place sounds with such resolution all over as far as you can imagine and as intimately as you would want all instantly at the same time and maintain the level of detail in each of the sounds without breaking a sweat, or getting tangled up is a breathtaking experience. I often wonder now, if the artist who produced the music knew it could sound this good. There is a certain ability i've come to visualize as a large sound stage in which you can pick and choose which sound you prefer to observe, or you can step back and listen to the whole. Its almost as if you can walk around the sound stage taking your time while you observe all the detail for any of the instruments or sounds with no pressure to move on to the next(This is the “relaxing” feel I mentioned). I attribute some of this to the May/Biss stack which is extraordinarily holographic as well but the 24’s are engineered with such a massive soundstage that it's a synergy I do not want to live without.
Dynamics
- The dynamic range is humongous. From the massive bass slam and grippy texture of the sub frequencies to the harmonious complexity of twenty mid and high drivers the MAD24 can apply interesting techniques to fill the vast emptiness of space time with different levels of output per driver in their own time domain - I have to believe this is the magic and sweetness to the MAD 24. Dynamics here involves output per frequency, output per driver, and location of sound. I want to emphasize “location of sound” since these IEM’s are determined to place sounds in locations, it’s one of if not the most enjoyable feature. The way MAD24 has been implemented takes advantage of all of these attributes and paints an exhilarating picture when you close your eyes and watch the paintbrush strokes.
I also want to make it a point to mention that I have the urge to drive the 24’s to my ear drums limits as the harder you drive them the sweeter they become - really allowing you to take everything I said above to its full potential and limit. I listened to them for two weeks, absolutely pushing them to the loudest levels I could stand and everything just got better, except my hearing - that feels like potential permanent damage.
Fortunately the 85db recommended limit to keep you in the audiophile game for longer so you don't destroy your hearing happens to be a sweet spot where dynamics really shine. It’s highly recording and source dependent but the Grand Symphony of full sound stage and dynamics strikes again and offers several distinct volume levels, and locations for each of the instruments or sounds.
When I close my eyes and try to better capture the dynamics in visual form you can think of it like this. In a rock song (Listening to Seether ATM) - every drum beat and cymbal clash is its own straight line consisting of 100 dashes. When that drum is silent the line is flat. When the drum or cymbal hit, imagine the center of the line spikes up like a frequency spectrum analyzer - the center dash spike is the peak dynamics of that drum hit, the dashes to the left and right of the center also raise in conjunction but they don't quite match the volume output of the center dash’s peak height. The subsequent dashes that define the note have their own levels also and when you get to the edges of the note’s dashes you get a tight and controlled ever so slightly rounded edge that keeps that particular note nice and contained .The rounded edge may be coming from my May/Bliss stack - but its displayed well on the 24’s. You get this all for every bass kick, every cymbal, guitar pluck, all while the vocals are separated in their own spectrum, and bass is digging deeper and deeper continually, surprising how well defined it is across the range not to interfere with the dynamics of all the other notes.
Wrap-Up
- Here we are at the end of trying to define one's interpretation of transcendence with a 100% subjective, exceedingly gushing review of what I can’t help but deem “The Grand Symphony” - The Ambient Acoustic MAD24’s.
Have you ever listened to a sound so remarkable that when it’s met with silence it makes you wonder how?
How does this universe - the complex infinite atomic mass blinking in and out of existence at speeds beyond light sliced by vast empty space time spanning distances both macro to the atomic scale and micro to the observable scale being surrounded by quantum potential only in the mind of you who witness its energy on the screen you're observing at this moment - continue to exist?
When the glove fit custom MAD24’s snap into my ears and energy waves begin to pulsate my thoughts go to places where joy, wonder and amazement take hold and as I close my eyes to the world, magnificent imagery is encountered. Large sailing ships adorned in the purest white sails sailing on a sea of wind, seas of pale blue glass with orbs of soft light coming from within hovering silently to the pulsating energy of the sound as they approach only to vanish beyond the periphery. Men standing at large concert bass drums as if on stage with Hanns Zimmer orchestrating a dim light 48 instrument chorus pacing and demanding perfection with every next moment.
That, just for tonight, listening to the Tron Legacy Soundtrack - hearing the faint inhales of the wind instrument blowers, and rustling pages of music notes. The depth of the arena and the grandeur of the unrelenting bass from an epic cinematic masterpiece of audio brilliance.
The last 4 months have been an endeavor of discovery, passion, and determination with the Ambient Acoustic MAD24c’s being the treasure at the end of the rainbow.
Background
- I reached out to Ambient Acoustics via email and that quickly became a telegram chat in which I later found out was with Yulia from Ambient Acoustics answering all my questions on the MAD24’s. The proceeding weeks consisted of discussion with Yulia on custom vs. universals, costs, SQ differences, time frames, design elements, and concern of the on-going war + shipping in and out of Ukraine. I decided to go with customs when I was told they offered about +2db bass compared to universals - the commitment knowing there is no resale market for customs was made with hope and desire they would be transcendent.
Molds/Scans
- I've never had custom ear molds made before. There is a guide on Ambient Acoustic’s website on what needs to be included when the mold is captured. Due to the concern on shipping time on my behalf Yulia suggested the idea of supplying .STL(3d printer files) files of the ear molds. Thinking this was somewhat standard to obtain, I called a dozen audiologists in the area and none of them knew what a .STL file was even though they did offer molds as a service. Eventually I discovered all of the audiologists send the molds to custom IME/hearing aid manufacturers who do all the scanning in house and do not share the files they create and use. This prompted me to look for a local company who did 3D scanning. I found OnPoint Inspection here in AZ-USA - I called them and asked them if they had scanning tech good enough to scan ear molds for custom IEM’s and they said they had done it once a year prior and the accuracy of their equipment was reverse engineering grade (highly accurate). After securing a company to scan them, I had molds done - the audiologist I used served mostly elderly and he only had a mold material that was more viscous than a foam based mold. This created a bit of an issue as the first set of molds he made came out with gaps/divots because it does not fill in as well as a foam base would. Yulia saw the molds after I sent her pictures and sent back a facepalm emoji lol. So I had them remade within the hour and had the audiologist make extra effort to get a better fill - and he did. I shipped them off to OnPoint Inspection who had my scans in .STL delivered within a couple days and they came out fantastic. Having all this done locally and being able to send the .STL files to Ambient saved me about 3 weeks shipping time to Ukraine.
Design
- Yulia provided a multitude of options for face plates, literally wetting and holding up entire blocks of materials in their shop one by one helping me to find something I liked. I think I chose the most unlikely and difficult option which wasn't even an option in reality - but Ambient was up to the task and ultimately absolutely nailed it to perfection. I wanted a black/metallic dark blue pigment that was weaved in with another block and there was a section that looked like I would be able to possibly have just that black/blue portion without any of the red or yellow specs which the majority of rest of the block (I’ll attach a picture to better explain). Needless to say further - Ambient Made it happen and I'm grateful to them for it. At first glance the IEM’s look fully black but when looking at certain angles with light you see a luminescent sheen of metallic blues - I love it.
The Fit
- Couldn't have been any better. I mentioned above the set I have “snap” into my ears. Imagine a magnet approaching metal. Just before contact the force of the atoms aligning in the magnet causes it to attract to the metal. The fit of these is such that you begin placing them into your ear and with a slight nudge and wiggle they “snap” into place and it’s instantly comfortable and at rest. My first reaction to having them in was imagining they would stay firmly in place even if I took a right (or left) hook from Mike Tyson - they are snug, and other than some pressure in the ear area they are extremely comfortable. My very first listen was a six hour session and I was not fatigued or sore. The fit is pleasing.
Gear
- Holo May KTE / Holo Bliss KTE / 4.4mm Balanced SPC cable
The Sound
- If I had to use a single word to capture all of what I am about to say…. Transcendent.
The technical ability the MAD24’s achieve seems impossible to me. I am forced to believe what I hear and I can’t describe it any better than saying it’s a transcendent experience, every time. The sound is in my head, in my ears, in my room, behind my eyeballs, deep, close, far, wide, up, down, here, and seemingly everyone all at once. How? It’s gotten to the point that everything, it doesn't matter what, sounds holographically layered. Is it also odd to say that I’ve now fallen asleep with music playing through my MAD24’s a handful of times. I bring that up because the sound is both vivid, and relaxing at the same time. They have never been fatiguing, they have never been harsh, they have never been so laid back they are boring. They are highly engaging and really present music in a way that feels like discovery every time.
Bass
- Placing dual subwoofers in your home theater creates a full, more even bass - this is what the MAD 24’s bass reminds me of with its four subwoofers per channel. The bass is meaty, thick, full, even, masterfully articulated and BAM!...punchy when you least expect with grip and finesse and it can be driven harder than your ears drums can handle before it breaks up. There have been moments in songs where the bass has gotten low enough to convince me that my head or chest is feeling the vibration as if being produced by a home theater subwoofer.. I then have to snap back to reality and convince myself it's not possible. Tight and controlled are understatements, but necessary in attempting to describe how detailed the bass is on the MAD 24’s. Unreal.
Imaging and Layering
- While the DJ’s and ravers I’m convinced exist within the MAD24’s have fun with their bass party there is a phenomenon happening with the twenty other drivers creating layers of separation and depth that can only be heard to be believed. Every frequency of reverb becomes a layer so one note with reverb sounds like you’re seeing the entirety of the note with supreme detail and depth. This effect which I’ve never encountered prior to the MAD 24’s creates complete images of what you’re listening to and allows transcendence to commence, getting lost into music you’ve never needed a map for. MAD 24’s do this in their spare time it seems. They do not tire of displaying all of the details with careful balance and well defined placement and tone.
Soundstage and Separation
- I'm not sure separation is much different than layering in my mind, but I need to mention that the soundstage is everywhere all at once. The miracle of engineering a twenty four driver array can place sounds with such resolution all over as far as you can imagine and as intimately as you would want all instantly at the same time and maintain the level of detail in each of the sounds without breaking a sweat, or getting tangled up is a breathtaking experience. I often wonder now, if the artist who produced the music knew it could sound this good. There is a certain ability i've come to visualize as a large sound stage in which you can pick and choose which sound you prefer to observe, or you can step back and listen to the whole. Its almost as if you can walk around the sound stage taking your time while you observe all the detail for any of the instruments or sounds with no pressure to move on to the next(This is the “relaxing” feel I mentioned). I attribute some of this to the May/Biss stack which is extraordinarily holographic as well but the 24’s are engineered with such a massive soundstage that it's a synergy I do not want to live without.
Dynamics
- The dynamic range is humongous. From the massive bass slam and grippy texture of the sub frequencies to the harmonious complexity of twenty mid and high drivers the MAD24 can apply interesting techniques to fill the vast emptiness of space time with different levels of output per driver in their own time domain - I have to believe this is the magic and sweetness to the MAD 24. Dynamics here involves output per frequency, output per driver, and location of sound. I want to emphasize “location of sound” since these IEM’s are determined to place sounds in locations, it’s one of if not the most enjoyable feature. The way MAD24 has been implemented takes advantage of all of these attributes and paints an exhilarating picture when you close your eyes and watch the paintbrush strokes.
I also want to make it a point to mention that I have the urge to drive the 24’s to my ear drums limits as the harder you drive them the sweeter they become - really allowing you to take everything I said above to its full potential and limit. I listened to them for two weeks, absolutely pushing them to the loudest levels I could stand and everything just got better, except my hearing - that feels like potential permanent damage.
Fortunately the 85db recommended limit to keep you in the audiophile game for longer so you don't destroy your hearing happens to be a sweet spot where dynamics really shine. It’s highly recording and source dependent but the Grand Symphony of full sound stage and dynamics strikes again and offers several distinct volume levels, and locations for each of the instruments or sounds.
When I close my eyes and try to better capture the dynamics in visual form you can think of it like this. In a rock song (Listening to Seether ATM) - every drum beat and cymbal clash is its own straight line consisting of 100 dashes. When that drum is silent the line is flat. When the drum or cymbal hit, imagine the center of the line spikes up like a frequency spectrum analyzer - the center dash spike is the peak dynamics of that drum hit, the dashes to the left and right of the center also raise in conjunction but they don't quite match the volume output of the center dash’s peak height. The subsequent dashes that define the note have their own levels also and when you get to the edges of the note’s dashes you get a tight and controlled ever so slightly rounded edge that keeps that particular note nice and contained .The rounded edge may be coming from my May/Bliss stack - but its displayed well on the 24’s. You get this all for every bass kick, every cymbal, guitar pluck, all while the vocals are separated in their own spectrum, and bass is digging deeper and deeper continually, surprising how well defined it is across the range not to interfere with the dynamics of all the other notes.
Wrap-Up
- Here we are at the end of trying to define one's interpretation of transcendence with a 100% subjective, exceedingly gushing review of what I can’t help but deem “The Grand Symphony” - The Ambient Acoustic MAD24’s.
