So where to start.....


So after purchasing my beloved Noble Encore's i was quickly eager to make a similar caliber purchase in the headphone realm. I mucked that one up by getting yet another pair of iems. I was looking into getting something like an Empyrean or Utopia, or even Campfire's own Cascade. But after quickly browsing the internet and talking to a few friends, i managed to get my hands on these for a banger of a deal.

So lets jump straight into it.

Build and Comfort (3.5/5)

These look and feel stunning in the hands. The way Sony presented them in the little jewelry box really solidifies what Sony wanted these to be; a halo product that is one of a kind. They're built very well and can easily last generations with the machining being super precise.
But unfortunately they don't feel as great in the ears as they do in the hands. These are, without a doubt, one of the most uncomfortable earphones I've ever worn. It really was a fight to get these to stay in your ears. So i really urge anyone to demo these before making the (very expensive) purchase decision. Your ears have to be deemed worthy of housing this beast of an earphone. I tried so many different tips from all sorts of manufacturers, even going as far as trying to make custom tips to make it less painful to use.

The cable included is fine except for the ear hooks. Now, these are very heavy earpieces and they can put a lot of strain on your ears if there's no support. The ear hooks are so loose, they they don't actually loop around the ear on hold the earphone up. For me it just hovers above my ears. I would heavily appreciate a metal wire or something that i can shape to my ear.

Fortunately, this was a fight that i came out victorious. After a solid week of breaking my ears in and using Sony's own hybrid tips, i found a way to let them sit in my ear, without much discomfort, for hours on end. For once i actually used the cable clip included.

So be warned, your mileage will vary significantly. If there is anything to take away from this, please demo these first.

Which sucks because......

Sound (5/5)
.......these sound phenomenal.

Bass
These are the basshead TOTL endgame iem to get. There is a boost in the sub-bass region that I think really contributes to the "larger than life" sound. Each kick drum hit has so much body and rumble in it, you can really feel the impact. All the while being very clean and detailed, without losing any speed. In electronic tracks with elevated bass, these are just a blast to listen to. Bass synths come out so clean and detailed while having such an epic rumble. That's not to say that these are super bassy earphones, its just very well balanced. And they never bleed into the mids at all. And if you really want more bass, adding +6db to the bass for certain songs can turn these from fun, to just dummy thick bass. I do it sometimes just to have some really fun times.

Examples tracks :
Oi-1 by Biosphere
Blue Monday (Atomic Blonde Remix) by HEALTH
Old Town Road by Lil Nas X

Mids

Now this is the region where i find these to fall flat. Most people find the mids recessed, i don't find that at all. I think they're wonderfully balanced to give vocal performances some air and clarity. I think they played it safe when tuning the mids to avoid having and honky-ness or boxiness, which they've achieved. They are great mids, but that's all i can really say about them. There wasn't quite the same wow factor as the Encore's. That being said, the detail retrieval is still fantastic and guitars, especially acoustic, have a very nice texture to them. Rock tunes from Greta Van Fleet sound great, and the guitars sound detailed, but not quite as forward as some earphones out there. Male vocals with a deeper tone like Rick Astley have enough weight to carry authority, but definitely i can see how certain preferences would find it a touch too thin. Female vocals soar on these. Excellent amount of air and clarity meant from a tuning like this. But again, not super forward sounding. I think it sits just right in the pocket.

Example tracks :
Safari Road by Greta Van Fleet
I'd Rather Lose by Mandy Moore
Beautiful Life by Rick Astley

Highs

I think this region is where the Z1R's get a lot right in. There a very good sense of air and clarity, but i think the tuning is where these shine. Some BA drivers can make the treble sound off-ish. My personal experience with BA-driver setups (Encore's, JHA Roxanne) are that they just don't quite sound as natural. I know i said that in my Encore review, that they had very natural sounding highs, but after listening and comparing to the Z1R's, something just sits more right with the trebles. Cymbals and crashes don't sound as holographic is the best way to describe it. Like most of the sound signature, it just sits right. Now the detail in this region is also impeccable. The air in the treble also lends a hand to the massive sound stage that these have.

Example tracks :
Cyberpunk by Omnia

Which leads us to......


Soundstage and Imaging

I kept mentioning that these have a "larger than life" sound. And what i mean by that is the soundstage that these have with combination of the frequency range make these sound massive. Now, we're not talking they compete with open headphones like HD800, but it makes music sound grand. I think the best way to convey what i mean is, these have a very hi-fi sound rather than a "monitor" sound. Very wide and encapsulating. They're very good for earphones and even bests most of the headphones I've heard. The imaging on these as well is pin-point accurate. You can really track each instrument down to where they sit in the mix and reverbs can clearly be heard coming from there respective direction. I remember in some country tracks, i found myself more invested in the delays and hearing them bounce around their artificial environment than the actual guitar.

Example tracks :
Runescape Theme (Orchestral) by James Hannigan *great example of "larger than life" feel*
Harmony (Orchestral) by James Hannigan
Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa


Overall (4.5/5)

I don't regret making this purchase. Maybe in the first week it was rough, but now that I've found my rhythm with these earphones, its much more comfortable and manageable. It's still not something i can quickly put into my ears. Its more akin to custom iem's in the sense that i have to equip them on to my ears, and there's a process to it. One that took time to develop for my ears. Some people might not have the same success as i did with these, but i reckon after people hear them they're faced with a very difficult choice because of that sweet sweet sound.

They do sound great, and on sound alone they exceeded my expectations and then some. And i called the Encore's not worth their asking price. These 100% are, if you can wear them. If you have been blessed enough to be worthy of having these placed in your feeble ears, then go for it.

Endgame of endgames.

Bonus: These might be some of the prettiest things ever. Honestly they look like modern art pieces than earphones.

EDIT(06/24/2020): I changed the rating to 4.5 because i personally have gotten used it and it is generally pretty comfortable now. Although this doesn't change my recommendation to demo these first before making the jump.

Where to begin.

Before getting my hands on the Encore, I was already searching for something different for my next purchase. I also knew i wanted it to be a TOTL iem, for some reason. And then i came across someone selling these Encore's for a disgustingly low price.

Disclaimer: I bought these used for around $700USD

How can I not get them?

I'll preface by saying this about them. They are NOT worth their full asking price of $1850USD. I think they're good, but not for that much raw dough. Maybe like just over $1000-$1200. That being said, these are by far the best IEM's i've ever listened to EVER. And for a thousand bucks, these are well worth.


Build
They're great. Lightweight and made of metal all around. Super tight 2-pin connector for a secure cable. Nothing much else to say except top top notch construction. You can almost drop these and not have to worry about them. But also..don't do that. Cable is a good length with a good braid, but why are they so thin. I've seen and felt better from cheaper iems from China. They're also way smaller than I'd expect from a 10 BA driver system in each piece.

Comfort
I'm picky with my comfort, and as should be. If i can't wear them, then why bother listening to them right? But these are very comfortable for universals. My custom Alclair's are better, but that's an unfair comparison. The included tips are nice, especially the foam ones, but i settled on the smoky grey silicone tips. The foam tips have this oil-like texture that doesn't make them grippy and slides smoothly into my ear without having to compress them and wait 30 sec (looking at you comply). The isolation is good, nothing to write home about. The shape of the iem is actually very nice to my ears, very gentle and no sharp pains that some oblong iems have given me in the past. A bit cold when you first wear them though.

Sound

I used a mixture of my lossless files from my AK Jr.....and Spotify from my steinberg interface.

I know what you're thinking, i'm not giving the Encore's the love they deserve with a proper dac/amp/source or whatever. Sure. You're right.

But this is what i listen with everyday for ease of use/work and if the iems NEED it, then i consider that a negative aspect of them. BUT these still sound dangerously good from my sources. I used them with an iphone 6 and was astonished how much of it didn't change. Listening to them on the AK Jr and my PC just blow my mind......

Bass
Its at the right amount and its super duper clean. Lean, mean, what a dream. These are not bassy my any means, but they can kick when you want them too. The texture of each kick is just so real and the extension goes very deep. We're talking even bass all the way down to 25hz at the least (limit of my hearing). Listening to jazz, rock, or country the bass is very tame and controlled. Not loose or sloppy for even a second. Now pump in EDM, hip-hop, and dubstep, these bad boys can get thumping. You can actually get a rumble with these, all without losing any other frequency.

Example: Oi-1 by Biosphere
The bass hits from the start are so visceral and textured very nicely Smooth all the way down to 25hz. Maybe even below that. And when the high synths come in, it's separated very well.

Mids
I think this is where the Encore's shine. And i mean truly shine. Vocals are even and smooth without being too thin or muddy. They also have just a bit of a bump in the upper mid-frequencies just to add a little bit of presence to the vocals. You can really hear them shine with female vocals. Clean, articulate, and detailed. This presence bump adds a lot of energy to guitars and snare hits too. Just enough excitement without sound unnatural or boosted. Guitars, both electric and acoustic, have a really surreal sound to them. I can't quite put my finger on it, but when i'm listening to rock or even metal, it sounds so detailed and crisp. It's almost like you can feel the energy from the performance. Same thing can be said for synths. Its so packed with detail that you can here every module of the synth and how it affects it. Just phenomenal mids.

Example: Highway Tune by Greta Van Fleet
The guitars are so REAL. They're so detailed and just fit so well in the mix. The texture of the guitar all the way to his vocals are perfect.

Highs
Detail and clarity for days, almost to a fault. I find i can't listen to these too loud for too long because highs can get a little fatiguing. It's not harsh at all, its not sibilant either. Its even with enough air and crisp to provide that feeling of being in the music. You can hear the breaths of each vocal line because of how transparent the Encore's are. Hi hats and rides are so natural sounding. Some iems out there are too dull that you lose out on a lot of the high hits of a drum kit, but these accurately reproduce hi-hats and cymbals so well. Even the kick drum's hit sounds very real. When it comes to EDM and trance, there is a lot of upper energy. Especially with some synthesizers, the texture comes out so well. Most of the time, these synths get smoothed out by the limitations of the headphone. But not the Encore's. You're gonna here that saw tooth wave in all its glory.

Soundstage & Imaging

Its wider than my HD600's, which isn't much to say because the 600's are narrow as heck for on open-back headphone. It has a very nice soundstage for an IEM. Reverbs and delays can be heard leaving your head and echoing back at you. That's a testament to the Encore's detail retrieval and the soundstage. Imaging is very accurate. When i go back to some of my mixes, i remember shouting out "That's exactly where i want that to be heard!". Its almost surreal how accurate it can get.

Example: Bubbles by Yosi Hirakawa
Okay, its a binaural recording but WOW. You can pinpoint down to the cm where every sound is coming from.


Conclusion........
It's great, but don't buy it at full price. Detail monster, with nuetral/natural sound. If you're sensitive to treble in any way shape or form, steer clear. But if you're not and are looking for a versatile iem that can play any and every genre (and willing to throw a kidney or 2) then go for it.


APRIL-19-2020 UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So after a long period of time spent tip rolling, i have to complain a bit about how different tips affect the sound and their comfort. I usually wear medium tips for silicone and small/medium for foams. My left ear is larger than my right which can get frustrating sometimes.

Stock silicone (red) - I'll refer to this as the "default" sound. They're what i think Noble intended these to sound like. And this is how i judged them in my review. They are quite comfortable BUT like a lot of silicone tips they have a seem at the edge of the flange. This isn't something to worry about under periodic use, but it does become problematic after hours of use. I noticed that my ears would get sore because of this seem, so beware.

Stock silicone (blue) - These fit very poorly for me. I couldn't get a proper seal with any of the sizes they included. They didn't grip on to my ears and kept falling out. Your ears may differ.

Stock foam tips - I really really wanted to like these tips. They had the formula to be a great foam tip. They had this oily texture to them that makes it super easy and comfortable to use, and they don't rid the highs as much as other foam tips. They sound just like the stock red silicone tips but with a tad less treble energy. Smooths out the mid range as well. However, they do not fit securely unto the nozzle at all. Which is just disappointing. Great isolation.

Stock double flange - Don't use these at all. They cut out a lot of low end and make them sound way too neutral. All bass slam pretty much disappears. They're also very uncomfortable with 2 flanges. Its like a seem, but worse. They isolate pretty well though.

Comply foam tips - So these were not comfortable at all. They start itching after a short period of time and the constant chore of squeezing them and waiting 30 seconds before they seal take away from the listening experience. They also cut off a lot of detail that the Encore's are known for. They can sound a little congested and way too smooth. Their lifespan is also very short if you're using them for long periods of time, everyday. Great isolation though.

Spinfit CP145 - So far, these are by far my favourite. They affect the sound a little bit maybe. I think they add a little bit of mid bass, but i can't switch tips quick enough to compare accurately. You don't lose anything else in terms of sound. However the comfort on these are stellar. I first got them because they don't have a seem on the edge of the flange. This results in extremely comfortable listening sessions for hours on end. Isolation is similar to the stock silicone tips.

About me: i'm a student currently learning audio engineering and production. I also love headphones and music. I bought these for the purpose of both listening to and producing music.

About : The RSM Quads were Alcair's front-line monitors for studio and production use up until the Studio4's released. They cost about $649 USD depending on how much livery you choose to put on it and are made of acrylic. Mine cost around the $700~ mark with custom prints on each side. There is also an option for rushing your order.

Link : https://alclair.com/monitorshop/rsm/

Process : I live in Canada, so i had to go to a local audiologist to get my impressions made. In terms of how smoothly things went, it was just like running a hot knife through butter. The staff and customer support at Alclair were incredibly insightful and helped me pick the RSM over the others. I think the whole process took just over a month from the day i got my impressions made. And shipping to Canada was very easy (will become apparent later).

I ordered mine at the end of January and it arrived mid March.

DISCLAIMER : I ordered these at the worst possible time. When i first ordered them, i had made the resolution to lose weight over the coming year. Within the past 6 months I've sent these back for a refitting 3 times constantly having them built up on each side. That said, this is not Alclair's poor ability of getting a good fit, it was just me making the fit issues. That being said, Alclair were always helpful and quick to adjust the fit. Really awesome customer support.

Fit and Comfort: I will judge the fit based on the times when i did manage to get a good seal. For those new to CIEMs, much like myself, it takes a little bit of time to getting used to the new feeling. I can only describe how mine fits, but they don't go as deep as most IEM's out there. But when they sit right, they block out close to all sound coming from the outside. They also don't get as uncomfortable as foam tips. I have worn these for hours on end without any discomfort.

Sound----

In one word : Natural

Bass : The bass is the highlight of these monitors. They don't get boomy UNLESS the recording is boomy. The bass extends really deep giving life to a lot of the sub bass in songs. You can really feel the bass, in a non-Beats-bass sort of way. It also separates itself very well from the mids and low mids. They can feel accentuated at times, but at the same time they can tone down for softer songs. The best way to describe it is the bass is very naturally presented the way the recording wants to. So if a track has literal bass cannons in it, the RSM's will shake you head.

On some tracks (ex. Sombrero by Solar Fields) there are entire bass lines that I've never heard before until putting these on. They also never distort even on dangerously high volumes.

Kick drums are always presented beautifully on these. The bass extension allows the full spectrum of the kick to be heard. It sounds natural. You'll be seeing natural come up a lot in this review.

Mids : Lush, thick, and smooth. If there's one word that describes the mids best, it's smooth. Yes, it has to be italicized because that's how smooth it is.
Vocals are never aggressive, they're always lush and have the sweetness of honey. That being said, they can also have a touch of airiness to it when the recording allows it. The high-mids are never sibilant and they never peak. Those female s' aren't going to kill you here. Again, it goes back to how the recording presents itself. They sound very natural.

You'll be hearing that a lot in this review. Natural.
Listening to Rick Astley's 50 album, his vocals sounded very natural, very smooth.

Instruments like an electric guitar have that nice hefty presence to it, without sounding aggressive. Also with acoustic guitars. They sound real. You can sort of feel the acoustic presence. Horns and violins, all instruments are given a touch of life and overall have a very natural sound.

Highs : The high's on the RSM's are what adds the final sparkle on the sound. Unlike certain headphones, such as the Senn HD25, the high's here are laid back and chill. Alclair didn't tune the highs super high to give the illusion of clarity. Instead, they let clarity speak for itself (?). The highs again much like the rest of the sound signature, are natural. Where some phone's can be very harsh, other's sparkly, the RSM's highs are very flat across the spectrum. It's very evened and balanced giving it a very pleasant tone.

Cymbals don't sound like they're leaning towards a certain frequency, they sound exactly like a cymbal would. They accurately reproduce the highs the way the recording does.

There's also a certain airiness to it as well.

Imaging : Yosi Hirakawa is the one artist that i use as the benchmark for judging imaging and sound-stage. One of his songs (Letter) has a recording of him taking a pen and paper and writing stuff. It pans from left to right, and you can pin point the exact position of where the pen is.

The RSM's are very accurate when it comes to instrument location. They separate each instrument very well and you can tell where it came from.

Even the echos and reverb from voices can be heard as they expand outwards from the voice.

Sound-stage : They're good for what they are. They're closed IEM's and there's only a certain amount of space they can recreate. That being said, though not as wide as open back cans, they do a pretty good job. The sound doesn't entirely sound like they're coming from you ears. They sound like they're coming a little further than that. Which is not bad.

Small room recordings sound absolutely phenomenal.
Who Will Comfort Me - Melody Gardot

Because the recording isn't meant to sound super wide, tracks such as this absolutely shine. It really feels like you're listening to the real deal. Alclair didn't try to add artificial width to it, and instead it can represent width nicely. Just don't go expecting open can level of spaciousness.

Efficiency : These are very easy to drive. I've plugged them straight into my phone, MP3, computer, and these sound good from all of them. I used them on my S8+ and am currently using them with my V20. No discernible difference. I also use Spotify as my primary music player, downloading all my songs on max quality. So you won't even need to break bank on sources.

Value : The reason why i chose Alclair over UE or Noble is because of how much value you're getting. For my personal use, ie studio production, Alclair was the only one that offered a good pair that doesn't completely break the bank. It's relatively affordable, especially for a student, and the sheer performance that these things pump out is impressive. For an entry level CIEM, look no further. And that's not to mention the excellent variety of customizing options you can have for free.

Overall : A serious option that you should consider. Sure it's a giant leap from universal IEM's, but if you so choose to take it, you can't go wrong with these. Awesome company, awesome customer care, and most importantly, awesome monitors.