Introduction

So, there I was, still catching my breath from a recent Gotham rollercoaster review ride. But somehow it didn't take that long before a new writing opportunity came along. Its name this time? The Effect Audio Axiom!

Axiom information on the EA website: https://www.effectaudio.com/axiom

From the moment of unboxing to the first listen of the product, Axiom customers can expect to be taken on an exciting adventure through the mystical Orient. Numerous design elements harking back to ancient Far East are interwoven with multisensory experiences, awaiting to be discovered.

Wow, that was quite a mysterious and tempting description, straight from the horse's mouth. But when I received the Axiom (demo unit) myself, I could instantly see, feel and even smell what the above promises were all about. A big 'Thank you!' goes out to Nic and the folks at EA for giving me the opportunity to experience this exciting audio adventure myself this way. EA also offered me to keep the Axiom for a discount, after I mentioned that I had completed the review.

The price of the Axiom is set at US$1.499. Inside the Axiom there is a 12mm magnesium dynamic driver, covering the lows and mids. Plus two balanced armature drivers for the high frequencies. For the dynamic driver I took approx 70-100 hours to burn it in.

When I received the Axiom, there were two coloured (green and red) boxes. Now, let's have a look at what I received exactly:


Green Box contents: the imho beautiful designed (with unique hand cut Hetian Jade faceplates) Axiom IEM itself, with both black, original tuned MMCX (pre-installed) and 2-pin connector modules. Three sizes (S/M/L) of ePro silicone tips, which turned out to work fine for me. A small screwdriver to switch between the different kind of modules, and last but not least a delightful smelling kind of tea packet. Which took my memories immediately back to the time that I visited the tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands, when I was backpacking through Malaysia many, many years ago. To me this was a very welcome and heartwarming memory.

Red Box contents: the 2-pin connector, silver modules, which are differently tuned compared to the original black ones. But later more on that. Oh, and there were also some extra tiny screws included, which might come handy later on in Axioms life.



After I had unpacked the above, I was very curious how this IEM would sound. But of course listening was a bit tricky without an IEM cable. Effect Audio, being well known as a cable manufacturer for years, made the choice to not include a stock cable (which people might not use afterall) with the Axiom. But they do offer the opportunity to order a higher quality, discounted cable of choice (EVO 1, EVO 10 or Cleopatra) at their site instead.

For me this was not an issue at all, as I already have (more than) enough cables over here. And before I tried some of my other EA cables, I grabbed the first (spare) cable that I came across in my closet. Being the (€99) silver stock, 2-pin and very thin / flexible one, that came with my ES Onyx some months ago. This also immediately proved to be a solid synergy match to my ears. Which means that you don't have to invest that much extra on a cable to get a good result with the Axiom to start with imo.

I'm aware that the included ePro silicone tips were some kind of 'hit or miss' for other people out there. But like I mentioned before, the stock silicone (M worked best for me) tips gave me a good fit / seal and therefore sound. And while I've also tried my 'all time favorite' JVC Spiral Dots tips (and some others, just out of curiosity), I eventualy returned to the original stock ones, which I'm still using as I'm typing this.

Now, let's move on to the sources that I used for listening to the Axiom. Most of the listening (approx 70%) was done from a Lotoo Paw Gold Touch. This is probably one of the most neutral and detail revealing, reference DAPs around. After some listening I found that the PMEQ setting called 'Headphone' had excellent synergy with the Axiom. So I basically sticked to that one later on. The other 30% of my listening was done from a 'RedWine modded' AK380cu, which has a much warmer, almost tube like, signature from itself. Both mentioned DAPs were very capable to get the best, regarding sound quality, out of the Axiom imo.

When I start to listen to a new IEM, I usually start with some albums that I do know very well, to check how it performs. These albums are 'The Dark Side of the Moon' by Pink Floyd, 'Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac and last but not least 'Mezzanine' by Massive Attack.


Seriously? How real (also soundwise) can it get!

Although these are three completely different kind of albums / genres, by listening to these albums I always get a solid impression of how good an IEM performs in various signature departments. Normally, after this, I switch to listening to all songs on my DAPs in 'Shuffle All' mode. But this time I created a special playlist, according to something that I dediced that had to be the theme of my Axiom review over here. The songs of that playlist will pass by as YT linked content, during this review. But I have to mention that I listened to all these selected songs as FLAC files on my DAPs, when I describe the things that I heard myself.

So, what is the theme of this Axiom review then? While the scent of tea already took me back to Malaysia and someone at EA wrote: Axiom customers can expect to be taken on an exciting adventure through the mystical Orient. The choice for me was obvious. I decided to take the Axiom on a cultural and musical trip, based on some of my own travels and experiences through life, which would end up in the Orient.

So, what are we waiting for? Let's pack our imaginary bags and go on a visual and listening trip together, shall we?



Now, please take it away Mark Sandman (RIP) with your almost hypnotic voice, accompanied by some magnificent, lazy sounding saxophone tones...



Hey, wait a minute... 'headlong into the irresistible orbit' ? That ain't the kind of trip that I had in mind for this review! I didn't mean the kind of Magical Tour that makes you wear a rabbit suit or makes you believe that you are 'The Walrus'. No, this tour should be a more geographical and cultural one, and our goal should be to reach the mystical Orient!

Though on our way over there, I would like to start with two European stopovers. And the first one of those will be:

The Surrealistic Part of Spain

Aaah Spain, I've been there on so many holidays and city trips. The first time I was only 10 years old when I flew (for the first time in my life) to Ibiza with my parents and younger brother, long before it became known as a party island. Later on I also lived for half a year on the island Tenerife and visited almost all islands surrounding it. Spain, the land of tapas, rioja, the beautiful Gaudi buildings and Parc Güell in Barcelona, the lovely palm tree gardens of the Royal Alcazar in Seville and running for your life (nope, I haven't done that myself yet) through the streets of Pamplona.

But it's also the land of famous painters like Pablo Picasso & Salvador Dali. Now, especially the last one had a surprising way of creating surrealistic, theme paintings.



One thing that I remember of my visit to the Dali Museum in Figueres, is that there were lying some chaotic drawings on a table and you couldn't recognize anything in those drawings. It looked like nothing else than complete chaos on paper. But on the end of these papers there were standing some round metal reflecting tubes. And when you looked inside those tubes, you saw the beautiful and perfect paintings in there. It completely freaked me out! How on earth did he do that? He clearly had a different kind of (upgraded) brain and was blessed to have the gift of thinking and creating completely 'outside the box'.



Now, let's have a look at the modular concept of the Axiom.

This is also the first in-ear monitors in the world to include a Modular Unit (MU) System that promises maximum scalability and user interactivity for years to come.

Holy Moly, what a creative 'also out of the box' way of approaching an IEM. Different signature flavours by simply using different modules on the same IEM? Kudos to the one(s) that invented that at EA, great job imho!

At the moment there are two differently tuned modules, and as I've understood there will be more to follow in the future. So, what are the differences in sound signature between those two already excisiting modules? This was what I noticed so far:

The black (OG) module: this is the original module, which came in both MMCX and 2-pin connector style. I would describe it as a dynamic, energetic and V shaped tuned signature. Now, I especially do like the performance of the (sub)lows here. It's clear that there is a DD driver inside to get a more holographic (3D) feel to its signature. The mids are sounding fine, but slightly recessed and sometimes the treble gets a bit too hot (even slightly harsh on my LPGT) to my ears. Soundstage is pretty wide, but could use a bit of extra depth (it ain't that bad, but there's still some room for improvement) to my taste. Imaging and (left/right) separation is exceptionally good to my ears. Such a pleasure to listen with closed eyes and to be able to point out where various instruments are located in that imaginary space around you.

The silver (YU) module: this module is tuned in a more balanced and natural way to my ears. A bit rolled off (but because of this, also not harsh anymore) treble, and the mids / vocals become more forward, compared to the black modules. Vocals sound more intimate, intense and emotional this way, which I do prefer. Lows, soundstage, imaging and separation keep performing on about the same high level to my ears, but timbre gets a more natural feel (instead of dynamic fun) to it overall.

So, in the end if I would have to pick between the black and silver modules, I would prefer the silver ones myself. And because of this I also decided that I would mainly listen with the silver modules to describe what I hear in the songs, that will pass by later on in this review.

Now, let's get back to Spain. When I lived in Tenerife I once met a guy from the UK who introduced me to the album 'Sketches of Spain' by Miles Davis. At that period in my life I mainly listened to rock and alternative / indie music. So, this to me was a welcome genre chance and somehow that album seemed to capture a part of the Spanish atmosphere that appealed to me. I remember that I especially liked this (Solea means Sunny) song:



At the start of this song there are a lot of high frequency (trumpet and harp) notes. As I mentioned before, this is not the strongest point of the Axiom. But in the 2nd minute of the song these notes get company from (marching) drums, horns and bass and the song really comes alive to my ears from that moment on. Instrument separation and imaging is especially very good now and I can almost feel the Spanish heat, while Miles trumpet guides us through the rest of this musical Spanish scenery.

Now, for the ones who want the 'Extended Tour' (at no extra costs), here's a musical connection. Morphine also wrote a song, on the same album that we started with, called Miles Davis' Funeral.

Although this is a very short song (especially compared to the full 12 minutes of Solea), there's a lot going on to pay attention over here. The rain in the background at the start, the crying guitar, the almost 'rattle snake like' sound effects and the lively, hand played drums are very well portrayed here by the Axiom. The soundstage also sounds very wide here, with average depth. I can feel the grief in this song. And now I think of it, maybe they called their album 'Cure for Pain' because of this? Who knows...

OK then, from here we're going to leave Spain behind and we move on to or second stop:

Ancient Greece



When I was a young kid, I can remember that reading the adventures of Odysseus made a huge impression on me. While he traveled around for ± 10 year between many Greek isles, he and his men faced various dangers (Cyclopes and Sirens, to name a few) that triggered my fantasy.
Later on in life I visited various Greek isles myself, Chios ended up as my favorite one of those so far, as that island wasn't influenced too much by tourists (like me, I sadly have to admit) and mainly Greek people themselves went there for their holidays. Because of this it still seemed to breath some kind of ancient, unspoiled purity when I was there.

Now, Greece is famous for its mythology stories. And one of those (maybe less known) is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell dedicated a whole album (and later on also a theatre production) on that story. Here's a song that appears on her (2010) album 'Hadestown' called 'Hey Little Songbird'



The reason that I picked this particular song from that album, is that it shows that both low male vocals and high female vocals are very well delivered by the Axiom. The dark vibration in the male (almost Tom Waits like) low voice and the clarity in the (almost Agnes Obel like) female voice, while the instruments are dancing around them. It all just sounds superb to me!

And here is another 'Extended Tour connection' between songs. This time it's David Sylvian with his Orpheus song.

Listening to this, it's almost like Sylvians voice is floating along on the waves of that nostalgic and captivating song. I also love the way how the Axiom portraits his warm voice here, which sounds less nasal then in his Japan (which will be comming up next) period.

Besides the fact that the word Axiom comes from Greek mythology, Effect Audio also have named a lot of their cable line up in an ancient Greek way. I tested the next three EA cables on synergy with the Axiom, using the silver modules. For this testing I mainly used songs from the same three albums (DSOTM, Rumours & Mezzanine) that I mentioned earlier in this review.



Ares II (on the left)
Compared to the silver Onyx stock cable that I started with, the (copper) Ares II has a warmer, slightly darker and full bodied signature. I think that the (sub)lows are even improved a bit by using this cable. Treble sounds a bit less bright, so this certainly would be an advantage in combination with the black modules. There are not so much noticeable differences in soundstage or imaging to my ears. So, the Ares II would also be a very safe cable choice here imo.

EVO 10 (in the middle)
Now it's time for one of EA's more recently launched cables: the (mix of gold and silver plated copper wires) EVO 10. At first I had this cable on a loan (thanks again Nic!) to try and I liked it so much that I picked one up myself, within some weeks after that.
The EVO 10 matches very good with the Axiom to my ears. Bass seems to tighten up a bit and there's more (micro) details to be noticed. There's also slightly more sparkle in its treble, which is very welcome with the silver modules. Soundstage width seems to expand a bit, imaging gets even better and overall this is certainly an improvement imo compared to the Ares II or the silver cable that I got used to before.

Horus (on the right)
Although the last match already sounded pretty amazing, this one just struck me as the winning synergy combination of them all! While using the (gold plated silver) Horus especially treble and details improved even further to my ears. Soundstage also seems to expand (width for sure and a bit of depth as well) even compared to the EVO 10. Imaging sounds incredible good now and Axioms tonality becomes slightly more natural sounding at the same time with Horus. So, overall there's a lot to like here!

Now, my Horus has always been 'married' to my EE Phantom, and I sincerely hope that this won't result in a 'cable difforce' later on. But hey, maybe both IEMs should just get used to share this cable partner from now on, in some kind of new polygamous audio relationship. And maybe the three of them can even learn to live happily ever after that way? Well, I guess that time will tell eventually.

So, let's move on in the meantime to our third and final destination:

The Mystical Orient

Axiom customers can expect to be taken on an exciting adventure through the mystical Orient.



Question: what's the Orient to be considered for somebody (like me) who lives in Europe? My good ol' friend Google told me that the Orient is a term for the East, traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Eastern world, in relation to Europe. So, I guess that means that it basically includes all Asian countries for me.

As I was lucky to be able to visit and explore many countries and cultures in my life, I've always kept a soft spot for Asian countries. Indonesia (2x Bali), Thailand (some wonderful tropical isles over there) and especially Malaysia. That last country offered me some completely different experiences, within the 6 weeks of backpacking when I was there. I started in Kuala Lumpur (stayed in China Town), moved on to Taman Negara (which seems to be the oldest rainforrest in the world) and after that to the Cameron Highlands (tea plantations on the hills and some nice hiking trails over there) before I ended up on the tropical isles Perhentian Kecil (which became my 'all time' favorite tropical island at that time) and Tioman.

Anyway, I've always loved the Asian people (so friendly, helpfull and polite) and their spicy food as well. I also consider its beautiful nature stunning compared to where I live. I've also been some times to South America (Brasil & Suriname) and I've even lived for quite some time in the Caribbean (Martinique & Saint Martin), but my fondest memories still go back to my visits to Asia. But my friend Mr. G. also informed me that for people who live in the Asian countries that I visited, the Orient is considered to be countries like Korea, China and Japan. So, let's move on to a combination of those two last countries in the next song shall we? This is another musical connection because of David Sylvian, here accompanied by his old bandmates of Japan.



From the start of this song the Asian sounding drum rhytmes and mystical synthesizer sounds draw my attention. This is also quite a complicated song to my ears, but the Axiom keeps the different instruments nicely separated, while holding the song together as a whole at the same time. Everything sounds right (and very Oriental) to my ears, so this is definitely another compliment for the Axiom.

Now, after this song I'm going to split up the Oriental part in a green and a red corner, just like the EA boxes that I had received. Let's start in the green one.



For the next song we move on to a band named Camel. They caught my attention many years ago with their concept album 'The Snow Goose', which was an almost perfect mix of pop, prog rock and even classical music. While telling a great story (it's based on a beautiful old novel by Paul Gallico, just check it out when interested) at the same time.

Another story that inspired this band was the true (sometimes real life is even stranger than fiction) story of a Japanese soldier (Hiroo Onoda) marooned on a tropical island in Word War II, who didn't know that the war already was over for many years to follow. The (also concept) album title 'Nude' is based on his family name 'Onoda'. I can only imagine that he lived there, mainly surrounded by trees and bushes, while hiding for all this years. So, that's why I selected it for the green corner. Please have a listen to these two instrumental songs that appear on that (combination of pop and prog rock) album:



'Docks' starts off with an incredible deep bass line, which is very well reproduced by the Axioms dynamic (no BA can pull this off imo) driver. Soon after that a (like imaginary seagulls sounding) guitar cries away in the distance, both left and right during the song. Again proving that the Axiom delivers a very good soundstage width. But at around 01:45 in the song, there are also some trumpets that show the Axioms Achilles (and no, we're not returning to Greece here) heel, which is its slightly rolled off treble. In the second part 'Beached' (which starts at around 03:50) the song becomes more chaotic and complicated with multiple instruments fighting for attention. But as to be expected, the Axiom has no trouble with that (imaging and separation) at all. I've listened to these songs quite often in my life (as 'Nude' is one of my favorite albums) and I can honestly say that I also enjoyed it to the max this time.

And as we're still in the visual 'green corner', I also would like to make some short comparisons between the Axiom and my universal IEMs over here.



Campfire Andromeda (in the back)
The Andromeda (I've got the original version) has 5x balanced armature drivers inside. Its (especially mid) lows are pretty good, but still no match to the Axioms more holographic sounding (sub)lows. Andro has a very wide soundstage and better treble. It has a kind of fun tuned, but slightly artificial flavour to its signature. Axiom sounds more natural and delivers more beautiful sounding vocals to my ears.

EarSonics Onyx (in the middle)
This to me was the most interesting comparison out of all, because both are hybrid IEMs with one dynamic and multiple (Axiom 2x, Onyx 3x) BA drivers inside. The Onyx has a bit warmer and darker tonality compared to the Axiom. It also delivers more rumble in the (sub)lows, where the Axiom seems to deliver a bit more clarity and airy feeling in its imaging instead. Soundstage width is about the same to my ears, but Onyx seems to have a more holographic (3D) sound to its signature. But on the other side, Axiom delivers slightly better imaging and separation to my ears. Although these 2 IEMs have quite some things in common in their sound signature, I'm sure that they both will get enough playtime in my future rotation listening sessions.

Campfire Vega (in the front)
The Vega (also the original version) only has one dynamic driver inside. Maybe because of this it sounds less impressive and less balanced than the Axiom to me. Both can reproduce very good (sub)lows, where the Axiom has more clarity to its signature overall. Also here the Axiom delivers better vocals, imaging and separation imo.

After the above comparisons we move on to the red corner, which I mainly associated with Oriental passion and spiritual inner peace.



Another memory from my youth, is that I was highly intrigued by the legendary TV serie 'Kung Fu', starring David Carradine as a mysterious Oriental hero who travelled though the Western part of the United States. Apparently Quentin Tarantino was also infuenced by this TV show and because of this the next song has become completely inseparable for me with the legendary fight scene from 'Kill Bill' (Bill is played here by a well aged David Carradine), where 'The Bride' battles O-Ren Ishii at 'The House of Blue Leaves'.



Now, this song just oozes passion to my heart and ears. Right from the start it competely carries me away and makes my heart beat faster. The exciting pumping rhythm of drums and handclaps, soon accompanied by Spanish guitar and trumpets. The Axiom just seems to easily pull it off to deliver all this excitement and passion to my ears. Also left/right separation during this song is very impressive. So, very well done overall! Those last 10 passionate musical minutes just flew by and seemed much shorter to me. What a fantastic song and performance!

And as we're still in the visual 'red corner', I also would like to make some short comparisons between the Axiom and my custom (all balanced armature drivers only) IEMs.



EE Zeus XR (on the sides, in the back)
One thing that these IEMs share, is that they have the abbility to change their tuning. The Zeus XR is limited to 2 options (with a build-in switch) though, where the Axiom has the perspective to deliver more signature flavours in the near future. For the rest these two are completely different sounding IEMs. The Zeus is highly analytical with very good treble and (micro)detail reproduction. Where the Axiom has a more natural and smooth, musical signature to it. Zeus soundstage is extremely good (both width and depth). But Axioms lows are much better, because of the dynamic driver inside.

EE Phantom (on the sides, in the front)
The signature of the Phantom comes closer to that of the Axiom then Zeus. The Phantom also has a more natural and less analytical way of delivering sound. Both have a bit recessed treble and both can do vocals very well. The lows of the Axiom are better again because of the DD. Soundstage is about the same here. I would say that both are more all-rounders than specialists.

Rhapsodio Solar (central, in the back)
From all the BA customs that I have the Solar has without a doubt the best lows. But also this time the Axiom sounds better and more holographic (same story all over again) because of its DD. The signature of the Solar is also a bit V shaped and very dynamic, so it has more similarities with the Axioms black (OG) modules signature, then with the silver modules one.

Warbler Prelude (central, in the front)
What the Prelude and Axiom share imo, is that they are both very capable of delivering vocals in a beautiful and intense, emotional way. Besides that they both perform extremely well in the imaging and (left/right) separation departments. Prelude has better treble though, where Axiom has (yes, you guessed it right) much better lows.


Conclusion and the end of a journey

So, while we're reaching the end of this review, it's time to share my thoughts on the Axiom in some summarized (TL;DR) kind of way and also to decide on the number of stars that it should end up with imo.

First of all: I do think that the Axiom as I received it (incl. the silver modules) already is a very good sounding IEM. I think that it delivers great (sub)lows, soundstage width and its imaging and (left\right) separation works very well for me. Besides that, I really do like how (natural and intense) vocals sound, using the silver modules. However for me there's also still some room for improvement in the treble and soundstage depth departments.

Now, for me the silicone ePro tips turned out just fine and the absence of an included stock cable wasn't an issue for me at all, as I already had quite a collection over here. But for an IEM newbie, who doesn't have alternative eartips or (spare) cables lying around, I can totally imagine that this might lead to some frustration. And regarding cables: now that I have finished this review, I decided to use the EVO 10 for the upcomming time on the Axiom, as I also seriously like that synergy combination a lot.

Personally, I appreciated the creative (although basic) packaging and I loved the design of the Axiom itself. However its strongest point imo is its modular concept. It also makes me very curious about the modules that might follow in the (hopefully near) future. It has so much potential, regarding different tuning possibilities. And I've read that there even might be a Bluetooth module later on as well. On top of that, there's also an upgraded version (The Axiom XP, already shown on EA's site) on the horizon. So, I do think that the Axioms future looks very bright at this moment!

Oh, one important thing that I haven't even mentioned in this review before, is that I noticed that the Axiom really scaled up when using higher quality files. When you feed it crappy (low bitrate or badly produced) files, the Axiom will surely make you hear the flaws in those. But when you feed it high quality files (I've got quite some DSD and 24bit FLAC albums on my daps over here), then it seriously scales up and will leave you amazed how good these files can sound.

So, how many stars does the Axiom deserve at this moment imho? Although I was in doubt for a long time between 4½ or 5 stars, because it already does so many things very well to my ears. I decided to go for 4½ stars in the end, as there's still the sum of the lack of a stock cable, and the room for tuning improvements in its current two signatures. But like I said, it was a very close call and I think that those 5 stars are already pretty close within the Axioms reach at this moment.

And for those out there, who are interested in even more information about the EA Axiom. There's also this dedicated thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/official-effect-audio-axiom-discussion-impressions-thread.961899/

Now let's move on to the final song that I selected for the purpose of this review. Two years after these guys already had 'Walked on the Moon', they also went on some spiritual 'Secret Journey'.



At the end of all these travels I'm still wondering if I've already might have become some kind of holy man myself (unfortunately not yet I guess) that was mentioned in the above song. But many experiences in life (incl. parenthood) should at least have resulted in some kind of spiritual growth, right? So, I still consider this to be an interesting 'work in progress' for myself. And how about you? Well, everyone can be his own judge regarding that in life I guess.

Now we've finally (What? Did I really hear some sighs over there in the back ground?) come to the end of this journey and it has become time to split up and all go our separate ways from here.



Soon after 'The Police' had escorted me back to my car I started to drive...

on a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light
my head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night...

Hmmm, that was some great song on the radio. And hey, look at that... that seems to be a very nice hotel over there! Hotel Cali...something? Hopefully they'll still have a free room available for me. If so, then I will definitely check in and catch up with you folks later on some day.

Untill then, happy listening to all of ya' out there and please stay safe!!!

Introduction: Out of the blue and into the black!

At the end of last year I was surprised to receive a pm 'out of the blue' from EarSonics' Thibault. 'Did I ever hear of the company and was I familiar with their products?' Well, that was a two times 'Yes'. Some years ago I had the chance to get the EarSonics Grace and (later on) EM10 on a loan from a friend. Although it's too long ago to remember how those two sounded exactly, I knew that this French company delivered some first class products.

Thibault mentioned that EarSonics was going to launch a new project in 2022, called ONYX. Everything else about it was a secret at that moment, so I got no further information (besides the name) about it beforehand. But if I was interested they would be willing to send me a review sample to shine my light on. And so it all started...

During 2021 I had stopped posting actively on Head-Fi, as I had the feeling that I had not that much to contribute anymore, without repeating myself. I was also done with spending money on new (often highly priced) audio stuff, and I considered my current collection as my personal audio 'End-Game'. Which in my opinion is nothing more/less than just a matter of state of mind, being satisfied with the things that you have at that moment, without longing for more or better.

This however was a chance to try something new, without suffering financially. So, after (very) short consideration, I decided to take on this 'review challenge'. A big 'Thank you!' goes out to EarSonics and Thibault for this 'free review sample' opportunity and this was a great way at the same time to find out for myself what the mysterious ONYX fuss was all about...


About a month after I was contacted for the first time, I received a package from France. Of course I was very curious and wanted (just like Brad Pitt in Se7en) to know:



Luckily there was a way more pleasant surprise, compared to those two 'movie boxes', inside this one!


Besides the ONYX and its silver stock cable (later more on that) leading to an EarSonics carrying case, there was also a selection of various silicone & foam tips plus a cleaning tool, inside the smaller accessories box, shown on the right side of the picture above. So basically there was more than enough to get me started on this audio adventure.

Now, the robust heavy build and design of the ONYX, which felt like almost indestructible in my hands, reminded me of this other 'magnificent Dark Metal Beast'



OK, before I continue, let's get some things clear: I don't consider myself to be a great technical reviewer (like some of you out there really are), my native language ain't English (sometimes struggling with that) and I only wrote three reviews before this one, so they're almost as rare as a Yeti in the wild. But I like to think that I'm good at creating an atmosphere around an IEM, which can also give you a decent impression of how it should sound.

The association with the 'Tumbler' immediately brought a review theme to mind, and after some days of intensive listening with the ONYX, I decided that it was time to prepare...


...and get to work!


Hey, what? Now it's already time for a short intermission?!?!


After I had decided on the Dark Knight theme + review title, and after I already had done a serious ('Why so serious?' some of you might ask) part of my writing, last week this (imo excellent and if you haven't read it yet, you really should!) review suddenly showed up:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/earsonics-onyx.25694/reviews#review-27908
This is Batman’s IEM! And......with this soundtrack it’s absolutely perfect. Perfect in every way, shape and form. First off, look at the IEM. Does it look like Batman’s only IEM? Of course it does. This IS the Batman IEM!



What just happened?

Needless to say that imo this reviewer hit the nail perfectly on the head. For at least two weeks I had the ridiculous thought that I had a unique and creative review angle and now even the word 'Experience' , that I chose so carefully in my title, came forward.

Did this guy see Inception (another Nolan movie) and had he found a way to make that concept actually work? I felt excited (loved the review) and frustrated (would I, because of this, have to start all over again from scratch?) at the same time.

Anyhow, all credits go to @Redcarmoose and after a night of restless sleep I decided to just carry on with what I already had. But in this scenario I also felt that the least I could do was to add this 'intermission part', as some kind of explanation.

So, now back to the original program...



First of all, the ONYX being a universal IEM, I had to check which included tips worked best for me. As I've never been a huge fan of foam tips myself (some people love them) I settled on the included, bigger silicone single- and double-flange tips at first. Later on I also experimented with some other tips, which altered the sound slightly.

Now, as promised earlier, the Cable:
ONYX comes with EarSonics own UnHR C4 (3.5mm, 2-pin) silver cable that also, retails for €99 as an accessoire on their site. It is a very thin and flexible cable without (Hooray for that!) metal ear guidance... It seems to disappear completely once used, so comfort wise it doesn't get any better than this. The choice for silver is also a good one imo, as it has the nature of bringing some more clarity (compared to most copper ones) to the signature.

At some point I decided to swap it for a copper (back-up one, that I still had laying in my closet) Effect Audio Ares II, but after an hour I switched it back, as it was no improvement to my ears. So yeah, I think that the stock C4 silver cable is a good match for the ONYX and I don't feel the need to search for (or try) another upgrade cable myself. To my ears (and I'm a huge cable believer, as some of you know) there's already enough great synergy going on here.

Sources: most of the listening was done from a Lotoo Paw Gold Touch. This is probably one of the most neutral and detail revealing, reference DAPs around. Normally I use some, self created, PMEQ settings for my IEMs. But after some listening I found that the pre-set one called 'Rock' had terrific synergy to my ears with the ONYX. The sound got some more clarity and air around the instruments and treble improved in the overall signature, while the (sub)lows and mids still sounded wonderful this way.


But listening was also done from a 'RedWine modded' AK380cu, which has a warmer, almost tube like, signature from itself. At first I thought that that might be a miss match (getting too warm overall) with the ONYX, but boy, was I wrong. This also sounded delightful...like a warm summer breeze, but with still plenty of details flying around in the air.


Btw, on both daps I noticed that ONYX needs a bit more juice (volume) than my other IEMs. For example, using LPGT on high gain: volume for Zeus, Phantom & Andro is usually at (±) 25-26, Solar at 28-30, Prelude & Vega at 30-32 and ONYX at 32-35.

So, what kind of music / files do I listen to?

Normally when I check out new gear, I start with some albums that I know very well, as I've heard them a billion times and then some more (well, in my imagination that is) already. Albums like 'The Dark Side of the Moon', 'Rumours' or 'Mezzanine' in hi-res (DSD 64 / 24 bit FLAC) quality.

There are always some specific sound departments that I pay attention to in certain songs. For instance: the soundstage and details (female voice announcement, left-right footsteps, breathing and helicopter sound effects, etc) in 'On the Run', or how dynamic does 'Dreams' sound at the start, or how emotional and clear does Stevie Nicks sweet, but also nostalgic voice sound, or how does the subbass hold up during 'Angel' by Massive Attack. Enough to get me at least an impression of how this new piece of gear performs.

After that I usually listen to a shipload of different kind of songs (around 1150 artists / 35K songs loaded on a 1TB card, as I'm not that much into streaming, being a dinosaur way kind of listener) in variable (crystal clear souding DSD 64, analogue sounding WAV 32-96, 16 & 24 bit FLAC, but also plenty of 'ordinary', imo also often good sounding MP3 @ 320 kbps files) quality, while using 'all songs, shuffle mode'. So basically almost all kind of genres come along and the playlist stays unpredictable (I like to be surprised) this way.

Now, how does it sound?

Overall I would describe the sound signature of the ONYX as a dynamic, full bodied sound. Slightly dark, but that doesn't mean that it sounds muffled in any way. Nope, it still sounds surprisingly clear to my ears. ONYX especially does extremely well with genres like Rock, EDM or Hip & Trip-Hop. But as a matter of fact I almost liked everything with it so far, and it hasn't disappointed me yet.

Lows: the ONYX produces some of the best (maybe even the best) lows that I've ever heard. There's a clear layering within the lows, without bleeding into each other. Santana's 'Black Magic Woman' just passed by and gave a perfect example of that layering.

At the same time ONYX can rumble and grunt like a thunderstorm, while the intensity of that slowly crawls under your skin.

And while we're on the 'Thunderstorm' subject. There's also one passing by in this song, which came across recently in shuffle mode. It just sounded stellar!




Mids: like I've mentioned before I chose the preset 'Rock' on the LPGT, with the result that guitars started to sound more defined / forward and there was an added clarity overall. Vocals also sounded better / clearer this way. And I can honestly say that I do like the way how ONYX presents vocals, both male and female.

All kind of male voices passed by, in between the range of Jeff Buckley (high vocals) to Leonard Cohen and some other 'musical sort of Dark Knight', Nick Cave (low vocals). When I Iistened to this Copenhagen live performance on my LPGT recently:



...it gave me shiffers to the bone towards the end. The ONYX delivered this in an imo almost perfect way to my ears.

Female voices also passed by in different flavours. From rock legends like Patti Smith and PJ Harvey to more delicate flowers like Laura Marling and Hannah Reid (London Grammar), or 'jazzy ones' like Melody Gardot and Eva Cassidy. It all sounded from at least good, up to superb.

Treble: now this was an interesting part as the ONYX has a signature that leans to the darker side. Because of this the emphasis in the high frequencies lies more on the lower treble. So it doesn't get too splashy or sharp / piercing to the ears, which I consider to be a huge pré (no ear fatigue) during longer listening sessions.

Soundstage: ONYX might not deliver the widest soundstage that I've heard so far, but I would call it above average nonetheless. While a bit more intimate than some (thinking of my Zeus & Andro), this could be even better, as it might come down to a more 'real life experience' this way. Personally I can really enjoy a huge soundstage, but is it also better and more accurate, just because of this preference? I don't know.

Instrument separation and imaging: for this part I like to listen to the start of 'When Poets Dream of Angels' by David Sylvian or to 'Stuck Together Pieces' by Atoms for Peace (in 24-96 FLAC on my DAPs), where the instruments just seem to flow around you in waves during the song.



Imo ONYX does very well in this department. I could clearly hear the variety in distances between the instruments, while delivering a strong image of where they were located at the same time.

And now it's time for some (C)IEM comparisons:

ONYX vs some Custom IEMs

In the background from left to right: Empire Ears Zeus XR, Warbler Prelude (review 2018), EE Phantom & Rhapsodio Solar (review 2015)

I asked myself: would it be fair to compare the ONYX to my small selection of CIEMs, that I selected and had settled on over the past years, based on the fact that imo most of these were some sort of specialists in their own specific departments?

EE Zeus: high resolution, clarity and wide soundstage
Warbler Prelude: vocals and instrument separation
EE Phantom: natural timbre and superb all-rounder
Rhapsodio Solar: dynamic sound with great lows

All of the above CIEMs costed at least 2-4 times more at time of launch than ONYX, which at that time (some years ago) I guess was considered TOTL. But as I've noticed that IEM prices have been going wild recently (up to around $6K, or even more) I guess these might be probably (not totally sure, as I've been away for a while) considered as mid-fi these days.

I also use some of them with upgrade cables, that already cost more (PW 1960 & EA Horus on Zeus & Phantom) than the ONYX itself. So, I figured that a shoot-out probably would not be fair at all. However, now that I've mentioned this, I thought this shouldn't stop me from trying to compare. So, here we go...

Zeus definitely sounds a lot brighter, with a higher level of resolution. Maybe that level of resolution also has something to do with its brighter sound signature? It has more clarity and I think because of that (micro)details are noticed more easily. Zeus has an impressive wide soundstage and delivers great imaging. But it doesn't come close in the lower frequencies, where the ONYX shines.

Aaaah, the Prelude's lovely forward and highly intense/emotional vocal delivery is hard to beat and it also shines with instrument separation imo. Vocals with Zeus in XR mode come close, but sound less natural and emotional, where the vocals on ONYX are pushed further to the background, but they still sound wonderful that way. This also comes down to personal preferences I guess. Some people like it when there's some more distance between them and the artist singing, where others prefer the illusion of the artist singing right in front of them. ONYX has much better lows and sounds more holographic.

Phantom's best feature is its wonderful, natural timbre imo, but ONYX also sounds quite natural to my ears, although (again) more on the darker side. Soundstage wise I would say that the ONYX is about on par with Phantom and Prelude, not extremely wide like Zeus, but still very good nonetheless. Treble sounds about the same here, with mostly (as mentioned before) emphasis on the lower part.

Now, the one that came closest to the ONYX in sound signature was without a doubt the Rhapsodio Solar. These two obviously shared some signature DNA. Fabulous lows and a full bodied, dynamic sound. But the Solar is build with (10x) balanced armature drivers only, where the ONYX also has a dynamic one inside. Because of that, the Solar can make you hear lows, where the ONYX can make you almost feel them, in a more holographic (3D) way. So this is where ONYX really steals the show from Solar imo.

ONYX vs Andromeda & Vega


Now, although the two universal IEMs that I already had, Campfire Audio Andromeda & Vega, were launched at around $1K retail, years ago. Somehow it felt more correct to compare the ONYX to these two. Maybe because it's also a universal.

As can be seen in the picture above, the ONYX has the biggest shell of these three. It sticks out more, but comfort wise it is about on par for me with the other two. The ONYX also weights more, but this doesn't bother me at all, once it's in my ears. For me it was very easy (using multiple tips) to get a good fit and therefore seal / isolation, which is especially essential for the lows. Once in my ear I can listen to it for hours, without the need to adjust the fit, so that's a major thumbs up.

Andromeda (I've got the original, early edition) has 5x balanced armature drivers inside and I've always liked its well balanced sound and good imaging over the past years. As I usually don't go outside with my customs, this was often my 'take away' IEM, when I went 'On the Road' (yes, pun intended).

Andro has an impressive wide soundstage, but it doesn't sound as natural (timbre wise) as the ONYX. Imo Andro has a bit of a fun, but slightly artificial flavour to its signature, which doesn't bother me that much personally, but it is there. ONYX also sounds very well balanced although it misses a bit of sparkle in the treble on top imo, the emphasis lies (here we go again) more on the lower treble here. But overall it was an easy pick for me, I prefered the ONYX as it just moved me more on an emotional level, while I was listening

Another Campfire classic is the Vega, which only has 1x dynamic driver inside. I've got the original edition myself and I think that there were some complaints years ago that mentioned 'too spikey highs'. Although I don't think that I have 'bat ears' (or do I?), it never bothered me personally. And if it would have, then I would probably have sold the Vega a long time ago. I also kept it as it has great synergy with my AK380cu.

So, how do the dynamic drivers of these two compare to each other? In both cases it's clear at very first listening that there is such a driver inside. It litteraly moves air and makes the (sub)lows sound clearly better, deeper and more intense than any armature driver ever can.

Dynamic drivers do need a burn-in period to sound at their best though, and I know that this ain't a placebo fairytale, as I've owned (Tralucent 1plus2, Rhapsodio RDB Mk4, Sony XBA-Z5) and heard (RSD Zombie + Galaxy V2 and EE Legend X on a loan for weeks) multipe hybrids in the past.

As I do my burn-in only during listening sessions, I think that I'm somewhere in between the 70 and 100 hours now. However, already, ONYX sounds more holographic (3D) and impressive than the Vega. Better balanced across the frequencies (ONYX has the advantage of extra balanced armature drivers for the mids and highs) and it also produces better layering within the lows.

So, basically if I had to choose between these three universal IEMs at this moment, ONYX would win hands down and I don't think that 'new toy syndrome' plays a major part in this. Also keep in mind that it only costs about half as much as the other two, so that's an impressive quality vs price performance in my book!

Over the past weeks I've also checked (just out of curiosity) the ONYX shortly with other sources, like my smartphone, Bit Opus #1.
And even with my 'entry level' desktop set-up, which I normally only use with headphones.


To me it all sounded pretty good, but of course: the better the source, the better the final sound quality. This should not be a big surprise to most of you though...

Conclusion and some final words:

When I listened to ONYX at first, I was immediately pleasantly surprised, but when I think about it now, it sounded a bit flat (2D) at first, compared to later on. The dynamic driver needs some burn-in time, so I kept listening and after some time it began to sound more and more holographic, with more and better depth to its sound. The longer I listened, the more alive the sound became. And now I can honestly say that it sounds truly amazing, while it might not even has reached its full potential, as I'm still under 100 hours of listening time.

Now, from what I've understood: ONYX is priced at €590 (VAT included) within the EU. However, for outside EU (and that's most of you out there I guess) it costs €490 (without VAT). It can be ordered directly over here: https://www.earsonics.com/onyx/index-eng.html

In the past EarSonics already had launched two other hybrid IEMs: the Blade (1DD + 2BA) and the Stark (1DD + 4BA). Blade costs €549 and Stark €999 within EU. I haven't heard either of them myself, but the driver count of ONYX is exactly in the middle (1DD + 3BA) of these two. Price wise not though, and as I've understood that's because it can only be ordered straight from EarSonics. So because of this, there are no extra intermediary costs, which results in a lower price than it normally would have ended up with.

Personally I think that at €490/590 the ONYX is a fantastic deal for future buyers, based on its performance and especially in this time where multiple manufacturers seem to go totally wild (imho) with their extreme high IEM prices. Bottom line: to my ears ONYX can easily hold up to most TOTL IEMs that I've heard so far, at a much lower price point.

For me it's also a welcome addition to my own collection, as I didn't have a hybrid anymore for some time. I like to collect different signature flavours (no IEM is tuned perfectly and does everything right imho) and ONYX absolutely brought something new to my rotation table.

Now, with how many stars should I rate the ONYX based on all the above? At first I had plans to settle on 4½ stars, which is already pretty good I guess. And it might have ended up that way, hadn't it start to sound beter and better over time. Besides that, I also just couldn't ignore that fantastic price / performance ratio in this whole story. So in the end, I decided to go for a (drumroll please...) full, 5 star rating.

And what about the Dark Dude himself? I can only imagine that he would approve, as this piece of stylish jewelry and its sound signature should be right up his (Gotham) alley.


For the ones that are interested in even more information / opinions, besides the (already quite a few) reviews that have showed up so far. There's also this dedicated ONYX thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earsonics-onyx.961943/

Finally: it's such a relief, being able to believe that someone is watching over us, as we are wandering through the imaginary streets of Gotham. While listening to our favorite music, during these sometimes confusingly dark (politics / climate / pandemic) times for mankind.

So, what better way to leave, than with those impressive words, so beautifully spoken by the deep voice of Michael Caine (aka Alfred in the DK trilogy) himself, out of another Nolan modern classic:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.



Happy listening to all of ya' out there and stay safe!!!

Definition of prelude in English:
1) An action or event serving as an introduction to something more important.
2) An introductory piece of music, most commonly an orchestral opening to an act of an opera.

So, the Prelude is Warblers introduction in the wonderful world of audio. And what an introduction it is!



The Prelude got my full attention when it ended in @flinkenicks totl IEM shootout at the #4 position.
That was quite a remarkable accomplishment imo, regarding its relative low (well, at least compared to most of the other contenders) pricetag of $1099. And the fact that it only had ONE balanced armature driver a side!

Now, if there ever was an IEM that put the drivers war in a completely other perspective for me, it absolutely was this ONE!
Only ONE single BA driver a side? You’ve got to be kidding, right? Could it possibly sound that good? I just had to found out for myself and was lucky that I could get the Prelude on a loan for a couple of weeks soon after that.



The answer was: YES! It sounded that good! As a matter of fact it sounded indeed better to my ears than most IEMs, carrying many more drivers inside, that I had heard untill then. It didn’t took me much listening time to realize that this truly was a very special ONE and that I wanted it in my collection. And so I contacted the (very friendly) guys at Warbler, which resulted in an imo beautiful (thanks @hamhamhamsta for the inspiration) design later on…

Btw, for more background information regarding the Preludes technical design or the guys who developed it, please check this excellent review by @jelt2359, which was also the start of a dedicated Prelude thread itself.

The Prelude came in a nice Pelican 1010 case, incl. a (very thin) Linum BaX cable, a 3,5mm to 6,3mm adapter, cleaning tool and a small drying pellet.



When I got it, I almost immediately picked the Ares II cable for the Prelude, as I already knew (thanks to the loan period, when it came with that cable) that they had excellent synergy.
And even from a $350 dap like the Opus #1, the Prelude already sounded fantastic to my ears!



Just recently I thought ‘OK, let’s try that Linum BaX stock cable for a change’ and I was surprised how good that ONE sounded as well. Maybe not as extremely clear as the Ares II, but still pretty close, with a wonderful smooth and full bodied signature. Let’s also not forget that this is a $79 (= approx $100) ‘stock’ cable. So, the guys at Warbler certainly didn’t go for the ‘cheap / let’s save us some dollars on a cable’ route.

Taking the sq up to 'top notch' level, from a RedWine modded AK380 Cu



Now the main question: How does this little birdie sing?


This was what I read on some website and imo it would essentially do as a basic, but pretty accurate signature description:

''Equipped with only a single balanced armature on each side, the Prelude is tuned specially for tone, with a timbre that is considered as natural. The Prelude offers a velvety smooth sound that has powerful, deep, emotional vocals that is completed with a mid-range presentation that sounds as if the Prelude can present infinity number of layers in this spectrum of sound.

With it's beautiful timbre and smooth, natural presentation, the Prelude doesn't aim to please the crowd, but to entice specific audiophile users that want a pair of in-ear monitors that allows them to forget about seeking the utmost details and transparency, but to simply let the music flow into their heart.''

Or to elaborate on that a bit further in my own words:

Do you know the feeling that you’re listening to music and you get so involved, that the rest of the world seems to disappear and you simply become ONE with the notes surrounding you?

Have you ever seen the movie ‘Magnolia’ by Paul Thomas Andersonn? Now that ONE did put emotions in the spotlight, didn’t it?
Eeeh what? You saw it and it didn’t move you at all in some kinda way? Well, in that case I’ve got a newsflash for you: 'Congrats my friend, you’re an android!'

Now, do you also know/remember the song ONE by Aimee Mann from that same movie?
There’s a lot of emotion in that song and Aimees wonderful sweet voice. And I doubt that any other iem brought me closer to the core of that emotion in that voice than the Prelude did.



So, if ‘ONE is the loneliest number that you'll ever know’, how to explain that an only ONE driver IEM can make me enjoy music in such an impressive way? Could it be because there’s nothing more cohesive than the number ONE?
What is it exactly that makes the Prelude such an excellent sounding ciem?

Imo it’s the clarity and superb (also left-right) separation that makes you aware of all the (micro)details that are in the music. ONE of the most used clichés is probably ‘It made me hear things that I never noticed before’. Well, excuse me, but that is exactly(!) what this IEM does for me...the Prelude is just detailed on an almost scary (micro)level to my ears. No matter how hard the microdetails try to hide within the music, the Prelude will hunt them down for you.

Soundstage is decent imo, surely not the widest or most holographic that I’ve ever heard, but still realistic and slightly ‘out of your head’.

However: this is NOT an IEM for addicted hardcore bassheads! For my taste there’s enough (especially mid-bass oriëntated) lows and it’s a high quality (very detailed and tight) bass as well. But don’t expect too much sub-bass on a bone rumbling level.

On the other side of the spectrum, the treble is ONE of the best I’ve ever heard. Never harsh, smooth but still always revealing. Instruments like cymbals or bells sounded crystal clear to my ears.

But ONE of the most important ingredients that makes the Prelude sound so good/special is its (natural) tonality. Instruments and vocals sound very realistic to my ears. And that beautiful timbre is probably the reason that gives the Prelude its slightly warm signature and makes vocals sound so wonderful emotionally loaded at the same time.


A short comparison with some other, also priced at $1100, BA driver IEMs that I own(ed):

Warbler Prelude vs the 5BA Campfire Audio Andromeda


The Andromeda is usually my ‘on the go’ IEM. Because it’s such a small universal, it’s easy to put in / take out whenever you travel, or go to public places. The Andro beats the Prelude in soundstage and has a more bass heavy signature, but I like the Preludes treble, mids (especially vocals) and overall signature better. Where the Andro has a fun and dynamic tuned signature, it simply lacks the beautiful and natural timbre / tonality that the Prelude delivers.

Warbler Prelude vs the 8BA Custom Art Harmony 8.2


The Prelude delivers more and imo better treble than the H8.2, where the H8.2 has noticeable more (sub)bass in its signature. The H8.2 sounded pleasantly smooth and relaxed, but less detailed to me than the Prelude.
Soundstage wise (based on memory) I don’t think they’re that far apart.

The Prelude sounds more revealing to my ears, with better left-right and instrument separation. Although the H8.2 sounded very natural and coherent, and I really liked its lows, it sometimes just lacked some ‘bite’ to my taste. Where the Prelude always makes me feel like I’m on some kind of musical adventure. Discovering new nuances and emotions in the music itself down that road.


OK then, ONE final song called ONE (sorry to all Metallica fans, as I chose another ONE) was written by some, maybe not so well known, obscure little Irish underground band. Later on another version appeared, ft. Mary J. Blidge.
But the song never touched my heart and soul, like the way it did when I first heard this (bare naked, but so sincerely sang on an emotional level) version from the legendary ‘Man in Black’ himself:



Just listen to it, and if you ever get the chance to check this version again, with the Prelude in your ears, then you’ll probably agree: the Warbler Prelude is a beautiful tuned IEM, that is able to capture the emotion in/behind the song! But beware: once you’ve heard it yourself, it might also capture your heart. And chances are big that you won’t be able to resist ordering ONE yourself after that experience.


So, should I rate the Prelude, out of ‘theme consistency’, with just ONE star? Yeah, right!
Maybe that would make sense in an ‘upside-down’ universe...but here in this Head-Fi universe it will get the full, five star, ranking from me. Without ONE single doubt.

Or, to put all the above in just TWO words: BRAVO PRELUDE!!!

Thanks for reading and happy listening to all of ya’ out there!

 
Introduction, or how I met my...
 
Well kids...

 
I'm not the everyday ''Hey, let's write a review'' kinda guy and because English isn't my main language, please forgive me my grammatical flaws and somewhat limited vocabulary on this one.
I decided to make an exception for the...HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!!!
 
Complete déjà vu feeling at this moment? PERFECT!
That means that you've at least read the introduction of my Rhapsodio Solar review earlier
 
But now it's time to write about another Rhapsodio iem, a hybrid (1xDD + 4xBA drivers) one, called the RDB Mk.IV
 
Information from the RSD site: http://www.rhapsodio.com/products/iem/hybridrdb-series/
 
- 4BA + 1DD Design
- 3-way passive crossover design, (2 high, 2 mid, 1 bass)
- Frequency response: 20 ~ 20,000 Hz
- Bundles with OFC copper CM cable
- CM socket cables compatible
- 1-year international warranty
 
Retail price $800
 
So, how did I got introduced to it?
It started with this imo beautiful pic/design (+$100 for silver carbon fp) posted on Rhapsodios facebook page some months ago:

 
Not much later, I saw a HF member (productred) describing it in the RSD thread as:
''RDB4: Wild and sexy. V-shape profile that doesn't sacrifice vocals at all (does that even make sense? but that's exactly what's happening here......maybe it's down to adding a pair of mid-range BAs) The dynamic woofer/sub-woofer is THE best out there. No competition. I mean it. Bass coming from that is deep, very impactful, yet magic and voodoos keep it extremely clean and controlled.''
 
And at that moment the seed was planted in my brain and the damage (for my wallet) was done...it started to haunt me in my daydreams. Would that bass maybe sound something like...

It was obvious that I just had to give it a try somewhere down the line
 
In the meantime Head-Fi'er @flinkenick picked up the blue one. But some weeks later, he needed funds for other projects (2 expensive ciems). He said I could have a free auditioning (by sending it over to me => a nice oppurtunity and great gesture!) with them and that if I liked it, I could buy it from him. Well, it only took less than an hour for me to conclude that this would end up in a deal.
 
 
Build and design:
I still think these look drop dead gorgeous. The beautiful transparent blue shells that show you the drivers inside and the carbon silver faceplate, that gives it a classy look. Build quality is superb (just like with the Solar), couldn't find any flaws on it so far.


 
The port (for the dynamic driver) is right above the connector, see the small hole over there?

 
 
Fit and size:
They're smaller and lighter than the Solar (5 instead of 10 drivers a side) and in footprint comparable in size with (but also slightly thinner than) the Tralucent 1Plus2 that I have.


 
I put some JVC Spiral Dot (M) tips on them et voilà, perfect fit and seal for my ears.

 
 
Cable and source:
As they were bought initially and came to me as shells only, I tried variable cables with it over time. The 2.98 SG cable was my favorite (again), but because that one's already married to my Solar, the RDB Mk4 ended up with the (also excellent) Rhapsodio 8-strand pure silver Luna cable, which I bought recently from another HF member (jmills8)

 
Listening was mainly done from a Cowon Plenue 1

 
 
Sound:
I'm aware that this is not (sorry for that) a very detailled sound description, like some of you out there can do very well. I guess it's more something like an ''overall abstract painting'' of it.
 
To put it short: since I listened with the RDB Mk4, its signature always reminded me on my (good ol') Audeze LCD-2, that I had for over a year and loved for its sound quality and signature. I only sold it, because I considered it to be too heavy/uncomfortable in the end. I would describe it as an addictive, ''bit on the dark side'' signature with extremely good (controlled) and deep (sub)bass.
 
But like productred also mentioned, because of the 2x mid + 2x high BA drivers it doesn't get too dark or muffled and voices still sound pretty awesome with it. There's also still quite a high level of details, instrument separation, soundstage and imaging going on. No, probably not on a Solar level, but also not that far behind. Besides the bass I don't think it excells in anything else, but the overall sound signature of it just keeps on pulling me into the music, which is a good thing.
 
As mentioned before, the bass is where it really excells. On a bone rumbling deep level => Thors hammer hits with all its earth shaking power when called upon! Mids are a bit recessed, which results in a V shaped signature. Treble is pretty good (never harsh), but lacks a bit of the sparkle (which counts for all my other iems too btw) that the Solar can provide.
 
But that bass....sigh....that bass. It's just nothing less than legen...wait for it...

 
If I would have to rank and rate my current (and one former) iems with an overall sound quality score, purely based on my own feelings/thoughts, nowhere getting scientifical at all. It would be like this:
 
Rhapsodio Solar
9,7 (best allrounder, period!!! No competition in my collection 'till today)
Tralucent 1Plus2
9,5 (amazing soundstage & lows, needed help of a Headstage Arrow 5P to scale up to this level)
Rhapsodio Mk4
9,4 (superb bass and a very addictive dark sound signature)
Sony XBA-Z5
9,2 (very good bass & soundstage, especially for its price)
1964 Ears V6 Stage
9,2 (sold it some weeks ago, beautiful detailled & intimate presentation)
 
 
Conclusion:
The more expensive Solar is, without a doubt, performing on a higher level. But I found the RDB Mk4 to be a great addition to my small iem collection and I'm still grabbing for it almost every day and have no plans on selling it => I guess that says something.
 
And because it's that time of the year again...just one more picture to get some inspiration for under (or in) that Christmas tree

Thanks for reading and happy listening to all of you out there!
 

Introduction:
For starters, I'm not the everyday ''Hey, let's write a review'' kinda guy and because English isn't my main language, please forgive me my grammatical flaws and somewhat limited vocabulary on this one. I decided to make an exception for the Solar, because I think Rhapsodio is a brand that just deserves (based on their high quality products) more attention...
http://www.rhapsodio.com/

My Rhapsodio adventure started over a year ago when I picked up a RTi1 in the classifieds on Head-Fi. I especially liked the treble and details of that iem but imo it also lacked a bit in the low frequencies. Although with some added amps bass boost, the lows where there...it just needed some extra help to get it outside...

For quite some months I was thinking about (because of multiple positive reviews that I read) a universal Noble K10 or Unique Melody Mentor, but then the Solar came on my radar and because Rhapsodio had a discount because of it's 3^rd anniversary I chose that one instead and I'm glad I did

When I ordered it, Sammy turned out to be a very friendly and helpful person to deal with and he answered my questions/mails pretty quick, so communication went smooth all the way...

Build & design:
When the Solar arrived, it came in a (nice looking) Rhapsodio box with the cables that I ordered and 3 different size of (I think Spinfit) tips. What more do you need?

Rhapsodio cables from left to right: Litz copper (4 braid), Silver/Gold 2.98 (8 braid, 2% gold) and Panther MKII (8 braid copper)

I chose the universal fit with ebony faceplates and dark transparent shells without the logo and I really like how that turned out designwise...


The build quality is very good imo, it feels and looks like a professional job to me...


Fit:
The Solars shells are slightly heavier and bigger than my Tralucent 1Plus2 and 1964 Ears V6 Stage (also universal fit)




but when I put them in my ears the universal fit (I've never tried a custom in my life, so can't compare to that) appeared to be almost perfect for me. The only reason I didn't rate the Solar on max for comfort and isolation is that that's probably only possible with a custom fit...


The only downside was that (for clumsy me) it was a bit of a hassle to get the tips on the nozzle (as it seems wider than that of my other iems)...but when I put the large tips (that came with it) on it, it filled up my ears in a positive way (perfect seal) and stayed in its place, even while moving around. I can listen with it for a long time this way, without the need to adjust them in my ears.
(* Edit 02 dec 2015: on recent pictures of the universal Solar I see it has a wax guard nozzle nowadays => should be much easier to get the tips on the nozzle that way)


* Edit 03 july 2016
OK, after about a year I decided the Solar was here to stay anyway, so I decided to have it reshelled into a custom
Please click to enlarge and see the beautiful details inside...

Now I've felt and heard the difference, I would advise a custom fit above a universal one any day!

Source:
At first I used all my 3 sources/stacks to listen with the Solar: iBasso DX90/Chord Hugo, Pono player (single ended) and FiiO X5/Cayin C5. But because DX90/Hugo was the most revealing and gave the best sound quality, I mainly used that stack for this reviews listening time and believe me, that were quite some (not unpleasant at all) hours...


Sound:
For me it's extremely difficult to describe exactly what I hear...some members (for example Jason with his ''Fit for a Bat'' reviews) pull that of in a way that I can only dream of (I only wish I had that skills), but here we go:

Because of it's driver set-up (2 bass, 4 mid, 2 high & 2 tweeters) I was a bit afraid the Solar would have an overly bright signature, but this is not the case imo. Clarity is absolutely a strong point, but everything seems in balance and it all sounds very natural to me...I'm very impressed with the sound overall from the start and I consider the Solar to be a great all-rounder as it sounded excellent with all songs and genres (I normally listen to) that I threw at it...I'm not sure how much the 5-way passive crossover design plays a part in that, but I guess it has its contribution in the final sound result...
Without the intention to get into a sound science debate, I tried it with both new ''upgrade'' Rhapsodio cables and imo they added a bit of their own signature to it. With the copper Panther MKII the sound became a bit smoother and relaxed, while with the 2.98 silver/gold cable it sounded more forward and transparent, with stunning details that sometimes seemed to be too good to be true...oh boy, oh boy...I almost couldn't believe my ears/brain sometimes...for this review I kept the 2.98 s/g cable on the Solar as it had the best synergy to my ears.

Anyway, my attempt for a sound description:
Lows: yes, totally there...bass slams with authority and goes all the way down... Listening to a song like Massive Attacks ''Angel'' it has great sub-bass too. With Hans Zimmers ''Why so serious?'' (from The Dark Knight soundtrack) at around 3.25 the bass seems to disappear under water, but the Solar pulls it of to follow it there and give you the rumble in your ears.
Mids: I don't think I've ever heard it better than this in any other iem so far...the Solars sound isn't V-shaped because of it's marvelous mids and therefor sounds very full. Listening to almost every song mentioned in this review, it gave a very rich and complete sound without getting muddy...
Highs: sparkly but (luckily) never fatiguing on the ears. Female voices, for example Tori Amos high voice in ''Winter'' or Heather Nova on her ''Island'' were a real treat (never harsh) to my ears. Cymbals or other high tones sounded amazingly crisp and clear without sibilance detected...
Soundstage: very wide (but realistic) with excellent depth. I also listen lots of live music => a good soundstage is a very important quality in an iem to my taste... Listening to Madrugadas ''Majesty'' live at Tralfamadore sounded so real that it gave me goosebumps...''Midnight Rambler'' from the Stones classic album ''Get Yer Ya Ya's Out'' put me between the crowd and made me almost smell the grass (I mean the sort that cows eat) and mudd of the festival field and Jon Hopkins ''Collider'' took me on a short trip into space...
Imaging: with your eyes closed, you can almost point out the instruments yourself at their place in the musical spectrum. For example, at the beginning of David Sylvians ''When Poets Dream of Angels'' different instruments are coming from all kind of directions and the Solar points them out for you precisely. Same story with Jimi Hendix ''Born Under a Bad Sign '' on his ''Blues'' album, it's almost if you're in the studio with the musicians playing around you...
Details: on an almost scary level, nothing less than crystal clear and highly realistic I would say. The thunder and rain in Tools ''10.00 Days (Wings Pt. 2)'', the birds, bug and bells in Pink Floyds ''High Hopes'', the typewriter and all kind of strange sounds in Thomas Dolby's ''Dissidents''....it all sounds so real to my ears...all songs seemed to come alive though the Solar, proving it's obviously an utterly revealing iem, that can serve you the quality that the file and the source that you play it on are able to deliver...

Comparisons:

Solar vs Tralucent 1Plus2
The 1Plus2 has a more laid back signature, where the Solar has a more energetic signature. 1P2 is known for it's very good soundstage, but the Solar is probably on par (* Edit 27 nov 2015: have been listening extra with 1P2 lately, focussing on it's soundstage and I guess 1P2 is still ''king of the hill'' concerning its soundstage width, where Solar has an incredible depth) in that department. Solar just sounds more realistic and dynamic, and after switching from Solar to 1P2 the latter sounded every time a bit dull and muffled for the first minutes...although I'm still very fond of the 1P2's sound signature, it just lacked that lively feeling of the Solar.



Solar vs 1964 Ears V6 Stage
The V6 Stage (2 low, 2 mid, 2 high BA) has a sound signature that reminds me of the Solar, but (although being an extremely good iem for ''only'' $700 imo) it simply lacks the high level of sound quality that the Solar can bring to the table...because the V6S universal has very long tubes they insert deeper into the ears and give me a more intimate sound (also narrower soundstage). Level of details with V6S are also pretty amazing, but the Solar is simply the better performer in every single department.



Solar vs Sony XBA-Z5
The Z5 (hybrid) still has the best lows (using a 16mm dynamic driver) I've heard so far in an iem, but the Solar comes pretty close. The Z5 also has a very wide soundstage, I think almost on par with the Solar, although Solar has better depth. But in every other aspect the Solar is the clear winner imo, as it has better mids, highs, imaging and details.

Conclusion:
Although I'm still curious about other company's flagships, I'm also totally satisfied (or should I say extremely happy) with the Solar at the moment. Besides that, I seriously doubt if there are many (c)iems out there that would top this one anyway...but when I ever win the lottery (as robbing banks is just getting too dangerous nowadays), then I will surely try that for myself...

So, would I recommend the Solar? Well, what do you think?
From the moment I started to listen to AC/DC's ''If You Want Blood'', my foot started tapping and if it doesn't stop within the next few hours, then I'm off to see a doctor...

And for those of you who are still not tired (really?) of reading, for this review listening purposes and comparisons between the different iems above, I made a special playlist and these were the used...

Test tracks:
AC/DC – If You Want Blood / Angus & Julia Stone – My Word for It / Atoms for Peace – Stuck Together Pieces / The Beatles – Come Together / Beck – Morning / Björk – Hunter / Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Stop / Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer / Blondie – Rapture / Bob Marley – Exodus / Booka Shade – Mandarine Girl / Brendan Perry – The Bogus Man / The Cure – Primary / Daft Punk – Fresh / David Bowie – Fame (live) / David Sylvian – When Poets Dream of Angels / Declan O'Rourke – Sara (Last Night in a Dream) / Deftones – Pink Maggit / DJ Shadow – Stem, Long Stem / Dire Straits – Water of Love / Eagles – The Last Resort / Fleetwood Mac – Dreams / Foo Fighters – White Limo / Gregory Alan Isakov – Master and a Hound / Gregory Porter – Liquid Spirit / Hans Zimmer – Why So Serious? / Heather Nova – Island / Jeff Buckley – Dream Brother / Jimi Hendriks – Born Under a Bad Sign / Jon Hopkins – Collider / The Knife – Silent Shout / Led Zeppelin – Babe I'm Gonna Leave You / Madrugada – Majesty (live) / Massive Attack – Angel / Matthew Dear – Up and Out / Moloko – The Time is Now / Morphine – Let's Take a Trip Together / Motorpsycho – Vortex Surfer / New Order – Sunrise / Pink Floyd – On the Run + High Hopes / Porcupine Tree – Trains / Radiohead – Subterranean Homesick Alien / Red Hot Chili Peppers – Venice Queen / Rolling Stones – Midnight Rambler (live) / Rush – 2112 + YYZ / Simple Minds – This Fear of Gods (live) / Steely Dan – Do It Again / Soundgarden – The Day I Tried to Live / Suzanne Vega – Tom's Diner / Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains / Thomas Dolby – Dissidents / Trentemøller – Take Me into Your Skin / Tool – 10.00 Days (Wings Pt. 2) / Tori Amos – Winter / Vangelis – Spiral / Van Halen – Ain't Talking About Love / Wovenhand – Corsicana Clip / XTC – Making Plans for Nigel / Yes – Does It Really Happen?

Btw, the answer is ''Yes, I would totally recommend it, also for it's full retail price''
Thanks for reading and happy listening to all of you out there