INTRODUCTION


My acquaintance with Burson Audio products began not so long ago, but it was quite intensive.

In 2020 I was looking for a replacement for my home headphone amplifier and quite nice and compact Soloist 3XP caught my eye.

I’ve changed several Burson devices through some years and as a result Soloist 3X GT has taken the main place of my desktop headphone amplifiers (the company’s previous flagship).

The amplifier completely fulfills the task to drive all existing headphones.

I think it would be difficult to find an appropriate alternative for the GT at that price.

When the Voyager was announced, it was clear that the company intended to go even further in the TOTL league.

The most significant design difference between the Voyager and the GT is a different type of cooling system. The Voyager lacks active cooling (big and quiet fan by Noctua). Due to this the amplifier gained ~2 kg in weight, and features a large heatsink in the lower part of the device.

The overall dimensions of the new amplifier do not differ much from the GT.

The Voyager is 0.5 cm wider and 1.7 cm taller.


In fact, the manufacturer managed to maintain compact dimensions for an amplifier of this class.


By the way, I have not yet seen any announcement of any vertical stand (Cool Stand) that comes with the GT, but its display allows to switch to a vertical orientation. Maybe such a stand is going to appear later. The existing one from GT will not fit due to the extra almost 2 cm of thickness of the Voyager case.

The active cooling method on the GT in 2021, on the one hand, was a solution to maintain compact dimensions of the amplifier, on the other hand, it raised a certain amount of criticism from “perfectionists" due to extra fan noise.

I personally didn't find the fan noise to be a problem, but I knew it would be better if there was no additional noise at all.

So, the Voyager solved this problem. At least there are no visible fans under the case cover.

Instead of the Active Cooling system we get a new Silent Cooling system.

We'll come back to it later.



SPECIFICATION





WHAT IS INSIDE

It is impossible to talk about the internal structure of the amplifier apart from the previous flagship.

At first glance, there aren't many changes (the Voyager is based on the GT), but they are quite significant.

They are especially noticeable in comparison with GT 2021, which is my home amplifier.

As far as I know GT 2023 being on the market today has replaceable Silent Power Modules too.


So, the first difference: changes in the internal power supply circuit.



The Voyager has five SP modules: four SP02 and one SP01.

According to the manufacturer, the modules can reduce noise levels to 0.8 nVrms.
I think that the numbers of the RMS voltage will not tell us anything, so we will evaluate the changes by the sound quality.

The use of these power modules should have a positive effect on micro-detail retrieval by obtaining a “blacker” background.


The second difference: new 7th generation discrete operational amplifiers - V7V-DUAL.



As many people know, Burson Audio in addition to amplifiers, DACs, has been producing operational amplifiers (opamps) for the last 15 years, and these opamps are in great demand among audio enthusiasts around the world and have a wide range of applications, not only in Burson Audio products.

What do we know about them?

• Top-quality audio-grade components
• 1%-matched metal-film resistors and silver mica capacitors
• Extremely temperature stable
• Each transistor is chemically optimized for its application: NPN or PNP
• Each transistor tested and matched before hand-soldering onto the PCB

There is no detailed information yet about improvements compared to the 6th generation. Later I will try to compare Vivid 6 with Vivid 7 using the Soloist GT.



"The Voyager has greater upgradability. It comes with the top of the line Silent Power Modules. But Burson may introduce SP03, 04 in future...who knows. And combining that with opamps and power supply upgrade options, the Voyage never ends..."


The third difference: finer sound volume control.



1 turn of the Voyager volume knob = 10 digits of the volume scale on the display,
1 turn of the volume knob on the GT 2021 = 15 digits of the volume scale on the display.

So, you can fine tune your volume more precisely with the Voyager.



WHAT'S OUTSIDE

As for inputs and outputs, there are no differences from the GT: the same connectors on the rear panel (two XLR and RCA inputs, XLR and RCA outputs, plus a subwoofer output).



Everything is the same on the front panel: XLR and 6.3 mm headphone outputs, microphone output, volume knob, display and four control buttons.

The only difference due to case design changes is that microphone jack is now closer sitting to the 6.3 mm jack.

The display color changed from white to blue, the dimensions remained the same. Perhaps white color went better with pure silver body of the GT, but the Voyager also added a copper color to silver.

I think there will be supporters of both color schemes.

The sensitivity of menu navigation has been improved. Now you won’t be able to accidentally jump to the next field or select the wrong item in the menu.

As far as I know, this problem has already been fixed in GT 2023.

The remote control has been changed significantly. Now it is not just a silver stick with rounded edges, but a more complex Voyager-shaped device with copper buttons. This remote control looks just great.

Its functionality has not changed: adjusting the volume, muting the sound and switching the sound source.



SILENT COOLING SYSTEM

The new silent system has its pros and cons, in my opinion: it is really silent but makes the amplifier hotter during operation in comparison with Active Colling of the GT.



While burning-up, the Voyager has been working constantly for 6-8 hours with the same temperature level all the time without any problems.

If you put your ear to the back of the device near the heatsink, you can hear a slight background noise, which does not go outside the body of the amplifier. What could be its cause?

There is a small fan under the main board. It's super quiet and slow turning. It is completely hidden. It is impossible to see it.

This Silent Colling does its job:

When the amplifier is turned on, not a single extra decibel is added to the surrounding space.

I measured the sound level with a dB application for Android. It made no difference whether the Voyager was running or not; the ambient noise remained around 33 dB – my “normal silence”.





SOUND. COMPARISON WITH SOLOIST GT 2021.


TEST SYSTEM

Roon ROCK (Intel NUC Akasa fanless case) > Felix Audio Nothing 2.1 > Felix Audio mod.3 optoswitch > Sonnet Digital Audio Hermes > Sonnet Digital Audio Morpheus > Burson Audio Soloist GT > Snorry Trion

Both amplifiers were used with a standard 5A, 24V Supercharger power supply.
Both power supplies were connected to the mains via a Felix Audio Nothing 2.1 power conditioner.

For those who are not familiar with Snorry headphones, Trion is a flagship with a current RRP of 4200 USD with unique technology inside (planar electrodynamic electroacoustic transducer with matrix structure).



Before evaluating the sound, I tried to get the Voyager up to 50-60 hours of burn-in. Although it is difficult to call it a "full burn-in", nevertheless, this is no longer a sound “out of the box” in any case.

In my opinion, the main feature of the Voyager is its Natural sound signature.

It doesn’t matter what’s playing at the moment, when you put on the headphones, you want to keep them on your head longer…
For comparison I mainly used high-resolution files of instrumental jazz performers from the ECM studio, such as Tord Gustavsen Trio, Jakob Bro and other names of the label.

The differences from GT 2021 are immediately heard, even with a short listen.
Maybe GT 2023 will be closer to the sound character of the Voyager taking into account the modification of the power supply circuit inside the device, but I cannot answer this question.

The Voyager builds a soundstage better. It is deeper, more three-dimensional; instruments are better positioned in space. In comparison with the Voyager the GT sounds flatter and more forward. The Voyager has a blacker background; hence you can pick up the quietest micro details easier. The midrange sounds "richer and fuller".

It would be better to describe some of the differences using specific tracks as examples:


FLAC 96/24

Album Gefion by Danish instrumentalist Jakob Bro and the title track of the album. Starting from the first minute of the track, percussion flows into the musical canvas, gradually increasing both in terms of sound pressure and the complexity of the composition.
The GT makes cymbals sound more energetic, but also slightly simpler and more homogeneous at the same time.
The Voyager does it smoother, with a longer “trail” following the cymbal strike, with a more complex picture in general. My ears find it easier to pick up small and quiet details in the track.


FLAC 48/24

Next is the album of the Norwegian trio Ayumi Tanaka Trio.

The Ruins 2 track also does a good job of showing the differences between the amps in terms of overall musical presentation.
The GT plays more forward, with a little more emphasis on highs and lows. The cymbal hit in the center is more emphasized and sometimes draws attention away from the piano.
While the Voyager plays smoother, not that forward, more balanced sounding with fuller midrange. The piano sounds more vivid.


FLAC 96/24

The Tord Guvstens trio with the track Findings from the album "Opening" plunges into "The most beautiful sound next silence" of the ECM label. As far as I know, this album was recorded in the Auditorio Stelio Molo concert hall with an amazing acoustics. This track, like the rest of the album, is led by Tord's piano, which neatly complements the picture, allowing silence to fill the pauses between touches of the keys. The sounds differ in strength, location and duration.

And the Voyager, it seems to me, better conveys this atmosphere: smoother, thinner, more precise.

I won’t say that the GT is not that great but it sounds more “rough” and more simplified.




CONCLUSION

In my opinion, Burson Audio with the Soloist Voyager takes another confident step towards the top of the Olympus of “amplifier engineering”, taking the best from the previous flagship and adding a number of significant improvements that lead to a higher level device.

The Voyager produces a very balanced and rich sound with excellent technicalities.

The Voyager has great upgradability (opamps and SP modules).

Probably not everyone will like the new “space shuttle” design and color. Some may find it too hot. Some people may prefer a different sound signature…But the Voyager is no doubt a significant upgrade of GT 2021.

I can only wish Burson Audio further development and implementation of new ideas and solutions.


P.S. Here is my video review (in Russian language)

INTRO

INTRODUCTION

My journey with Burson Audio started a year ago when I decided to upgrade my home desktop system to drive Snorry NM-1 more efficiently (TOTL planars of a local manufacturer that time). After some deep market investigation my choice fell on Soloist 3XP and Composer 3XP.

Usually, I audition everything before I make any purchase decision. Unfortunately, there was no possibility that time to go to the dealer and listen to any of Burson Audio product since they just started their partnership as Burson dealer and had nothing in stock yet. So, I risked…and fortunately I won.

I was happy with performance of Burson combo especially when I replaced stock PSU with Super Chargers. In my option the key features of the combo are transparency, dynamics, smoothness and naturality.

It was obvious for me to switch to Grand Tourer later as the next step in home system evolution.

I should admit that I was thinking about some other alternatives on the market - Niimbus US4 was in my short list, especially with a good discount at a local dealer. But I decided to stay with Burson family after a year of positive experience with a regular Soloist 3XP.

There were some concerns about the GT right after its announcement. The most disturbing thing was a newly introduced (may be the first on the market) Active Cooling system.
The fan inside a TOTL amplifier – Are you kidding me? How about noise level? Dust accumulation? Are you serious?
I believe that many people thought and continue to think the same way.

I will come to Active Cooling later.


DESIGN AND SPEC

Some key features of the amplifier:

Dual mono design
The GT has two independently powered mono amps in mirrored symmetry.

MSCP
5 sets of Burson Max Current Power Supplies.

Active Cooling
The quietest fan money can buy from Noctua in Austria, wind noise sits below 25dBA.
5 sets of MCPS consume 90W when idle and need active cooling.

Headphone Crossfeed
The Soloist GT has three levels of hardware-based crossfeed emulation.

Head+Sub Mode.
Music listening with a full-body experience.

Output power

INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

You can find all these pictures in the User Manual on the official website




DISPLAY / MENU / FUNCTIONS

The display has 3 levels of brightness.
There are 4 buttons under the screen: Inputs, Outputs, Settings, Display Orientation



Settings: Gain, Speakers balance, OLED Level, Crossfeed, Remote on/off, Reset Set, Auto Off
Inputs: RCA1, RCA2, XLR1, XLR2
Output Modes: Headphones, Pre Out, Head + Sub

The only remark from my side is a high sensitivity of the knob. Sometimes I skip the function I need in the menu since the knob rotates very fast. I think you just need to get used to it, but it would be nice if you can adjust the speed somehow.

Auto Off
The Amplifier goes into sleep after 20 minutes of idle

Crossfeed
This feature has 3 levels: low, medium, high.
From my experience the higher level you choose the more central left and right channels go and mix. This is how I hear it in my headphones but you may have a different experience with this mode.


ACTIVE COOLING

In my opinion the question about Active Cooling is not about the cooling solution and design itself but more about if you can accept it or not.



The key point here is that you should experience it first and see if it is an issue for you or not.

I made a quick experiment for noise measurement using a dB Meter app.

I can make the following conclusion based on the experiment results:

GT Active Cooling system is the most silent among other devices around.
GT Active Cooling system produces 3 dBa less noise than Intel NUC.
GT Active Cooling system produces 7 dBa less noise than two Intel NUCs.
GT Active Cooling system does not add any additional noise to the existing working environment.

Active Colling is not an issue AT ALL in my case. It can be different if you live in completely silent environment.


NEW VOLUME CONTROL

I asked Alex from Burson Audio if there is a reason they took away a very popular Headphone Power Amp mode from a regular Soloist 3XP to bypass its volume control.
I was using this mode most of the time giving the volume control function to Composer 3XP.
The answer was as follows:

“With the Soloist 3X Performance, we anticipated that there could be a better volume control system upstream from it. ie if you buy a cost no object DAC or preamp then it may have a volume control superior to the 3X-P.

With the Soloist 3X GT, we have thrown the kitchen sink into its volume control design. Using one MUSE+Vivid discrete system, independently powered, per channel. It's not just what's in the 3X-P and times that by two. It's a lot of redesigning and optimization around each controller “

My personal experience with the volume control is only positive, I don’t have any complains and do not miss that specific mode on the GT.

I had some minor issues with volume level adjustment in the past and I had to play with Gain on both Soloist and Composer depending on a mode when it was too loud or too silent.

With the GT I don’t have this issue, I run my HEDDphone in High gain all the time and it is silent enough at 1 and loud enough at 30-40 so I don’t have to switch gain back and forth.

There is also a remote control which works just fine.


PERFORMANCE

My experience here will be very subjective since we all have different DACs and headphones, we all have different experience and understanding of how a TOTL amp should sound.

My current setup is:

Cables:



My typical play list for any device test:

From Instrumental jazz and classical music to dissonant technical death metal and funeral doom



HEADPHONES OUT

Regarding tonality I find GT more on a neutral side where every TOTL amp should be, I think.
You can play with various DACs and headphones to find your sound or add some coloration if needed.

GT is very precise in terms of instrument positioning and imaging.
The soundstage goes wide and deep, thanks to its dual mono design I think.
The GT provides tons of details. There is a lot of air between instruments.
Bass is fast, layered and articulated.

I read some complains about mids - mids are slightly recessed and the GT may sound thin…
I don’t hear it. Mids sound rather balanced with the rest of the spectrum and I don’t consider this range thin sounding.

It can be a question of a DAC or headphones or to personal preferences.
This is like Audeze headphones: some people are addicted to the bass they deliver, others consider them bass heavy.

Highs are well extended and bring a lot of information.

I believe the final sound signature will depend on a DAC used with it. I assume that the better DAC is used the better the result is in the end.




HEADPHONES + SUBWOOFER OUT

Well, I was excited about this possibility to run a subwoofer in parallel with headphones, but I did not know how it would work in reality and what it would mean “with a carefully matched and placed subwoofer”.

I was a bass guitar player in the past in a metal band at student time and spent many hours on stage and also visiting many live concerts. I remember that full-body experience from standing in front of the stage when the kick drum hits hard into your chest and you physically feel this air blast…that was unforgettable and great experience.

So I decided to purchase a small sub. First I thought to buy a cheap subwoofer just to try how it works, but eventually I bought a better sub to get better performance.
After my own market investigation and some expert consultation I decided to go with REL.
I bought Tzero MKIII, the smallest sub of REL. This is a down firing sub. I could not find a front firing sub of this size to fit my dimension request . May be the front firing sub for this particular application would be a better option, I don’t know.

I don’t consider the Head-Sub mode for a usual daily listening. This mode is mainly for fun listening when you have a certain mood. It will probably not work for each and every genre.

I’m not a big fan of electronic music but I have some playlists in my car, and I like Aes Dana with his psy-ambient stuff…these things sound great with the subwoofer.

The important thing is subwoofer placement. I am not fully sure if the place I chose (on the shelf) is the right one. Ideally the sub should be placed on the floor in the corner, I think. But then you need to increase the volume on the sub, so I placed it closer to my ears.

The next important thing is the Sub volume and frequency range control. It depends on your preferences: if you want it to produce the whole range from 30 to 120 Hz or you need to cut it and get the lowest range only.

You should make the sub sound rather loudly to experience the full-body sound. The kick drum starts pushing air into your chest at 30-35 volume on the GT and maximum volume on the REL.

One more thing is how the members of your family react to the sub). I try to turn this mode on only when I’m alone at home which happens not often.

As a short summary of the Head-Sub mode: this is a nice thing to have for fun listening in addition to a usual amp operation.
Great idea, Burson!




SPEAKERS OUT

Unfortunately, I did not have a possibility to evaluate this mode since I don’t have any speaker system at home today but after I tried Head-Sub mode I start thinking about it. If I can use Head+Sub mode sometimes, nothing stops me from adding two more speakers to it)


COMPARISON WITH SOLOIST 3XP

To me GT is an evident step up from the Soloist 3XP as I expected.
To already clean and transparent sound it adds more of everything…
Regarding tonality GT goes more into a neutral and linear side of sound delivery while the younger brother is slightly warmer and pushes mids more forward.

GT has less bass quantity, but it brings better quality in comparison. It is faster.
Dual mono design makes another step up in channel and instrument separation.
When you switch from 3X GT to 3XP you hear more “compact”, more colored and more congested sound.

Soloist 3XP has more of its own character while the GT is stricter and doesn’t bring much of its own I think.

You should keep the price of both amplifiers in mind. Soloist 3XP remains a great performer which is hard to beat in this niche




FINAL WORDS

Does the GT meet my expectations? Yes, absolutely.
I can consider the “amplification” question closed now.

Besides the performance I would like to underline its multiple functions and applications:


Nice job Burson Audio!

I would like to wish all the best to the company and looking forward to new products.

GT needs a new DAC…

Many of us know that ifi audio has built their reputation primarily making high quality DACs, amplifiers for portable and desktop applications, as well as power and digital signal enhancements.

It's time to explore a new device designed to improve and manage the digital signal within your home network now. This is not the first step of the company in this direction but perhaps the first separate device if you do not consider the ZEN Blue.

Thank you for the demo sample provided by ifi audio through Qvinta-audio, their distributor in Russia.

Here is the official webpage https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-stream/

ZEN Stream (hereinafter ZS) is a network player and/or a wi-fi audio transport which main purpose is to transmit a signal to a DAC within a home network, both wired and wirelessly, from both streaming services and local sources.

The second important function in my opinion is to manage all your home music content as All-in-One Solution.

For quite a while I was interested to know if there is any reason in getting rid of the signal coming from the computer directly to you DAC?

The signal quality question may arise when it comes from a Windows PC but when you run a dedicated Roon server the signal should be better, isn’t it?

The second point is wireless streaming to arrange an “audiophile's nest” somewhere apart from your desk without losing sound quality, taking with you some transportable gadget like iDSD Diablo.

Well, let's go into some more details and see if I can get answers to my questions.


The following desktop system was used to evaluate ZS:

Source: Intel NUC on ROCK (Roon Optimized Core Kit)
DAC: Burson Audio Composer 3X Performance
Amplifier: Burson Audio Soloist 3X Performance
Power: 2 x Burson Audio Super Charger 3A
Interconnect: Oyaide Tunami TERZO V2 2 x XLR
USB cables: AQ Cinnamon type C- type-C, AQ Forest USB A - type-C
Ethernet Cable - QED Performance
Headphones: Snorry NM-1 (planar-magnetic type)


Transportable audio kit:

DAC / Amplifier: ifi audio iDSD Diablo
Headphones: MrSpeakers Aeon C Flow (planar-magnetic type)


Appearance. Build Quality. Inputs and Outputs.

The box contains:

1 x ZEN Stream
1 x Ethernet cable
1 x Plastic screwdriver
1 x Power adapter
1 x Antenna
1 x Quick-Start Guide
1 x User Manual

Appearance.

The device is put in the already familiar ZEN series case. If you have something from this series, then they should look identical. There are no questions about the build quality. The design looks solid.

I don't know if other streamers are to be produced in the future but it would be nice to have possibility for a vertical position of the device like NEO iDSD.
The ZS as well as the entire ZEN series can only be horizontally positioned.

The front panel

There are two buttons only:
- the left button - turn on/off the device with its indicator
- the right button - LED/HOTSPOT switch. Its second function is to turn off/on the main two LED backlights
Two Light Indicators:
- the left one shows the network connection status
- the right one shows the bitrate/file format

It is well explained in Tech Lowdown file on the official website:



The back panel

- Wi-Fi antenna
- Mode Selector (5 exclusive modes)
- SPDIF / Coaxial output
- 2 USB type A:
- top is for connecting external hard drives
- bottom is for signal transmission to the DAC
- System upgrade port
- Ethernet port
- Factory reset
- DC power supply connection

By the way, I replaced the supplied PSU with iPower 12V, 1.8 A just to ensure better quality power supply to ZS.


Specification

Input voltage: DC 9V/1.8A-15V/0.8A, AC 100 -240V, 50/60Hz
Input: Wi-Fi / Ethernet / USB HDD, (Firmware updates via OTA and USB-C at rear)
Formats: PCM384, DSD256, (MQA-fully compatible)
Output: USB3.0 (Type-A Socket) x2, SPDIF (Coaxial)
Power consumption:
No Signal ~6W
Max Signal ~10W
Dimensions: 158 x 100 x 35 mm
Net weight 578g

The software on the device is the latest at the time of this writing - 2.29.8



Let’s go to operation.

Wired connection

It takes some time for the device to fully start up after connecting the ethernet cable. Then the left round indicator on the front panel reports the connection status (white color in case of the fast internet).

Access to Zen Stream settings is possible via the web interface http://ifi.local/ as well as via a Stream-iFi app (available for iOS only today).

The settings and UI are accessible in Mode 1 (All-in-One) only. The Mode 1 (All-in-One) is universal for all cases and connections. If you use only one service, for example Roon, then it is better to select the appropriate exclusive mode to disable other unnecessary services.

I’m not planning to describe in detail the content and menu of the web interface. There should be special guides and tutorials for that.

Moreover, if the ZS is used as a Roon Bridge then there is no need to dive deep into settings, until you need to update software in tab Settings - System. You can also change the interface language in the Settings but I leave everything in English.

And yet, as it was discovered by ‘head-fiers’ the Mixer type in Volume Options should be in the None position for the best SQ.





ZEN Stream and Roon

Since Roon is a basis for my home desktop system for a couple of years (with active subscriptions to Tidal and Qobuz), the first thing I wanted to understand is how well ZS would work in this environment.

There were no surprises with identification and connection.

ZS was identified as Roon Bridge and it was immediately updated to the latest version.
I could see my DAC in Audio Settings (under ZX as a bridge) connected via USB and the SPDIF of the ZS itself.



For Roon, as well as for any other services, you can stay in mode 1 (All-in-One).
I preferred to switch to “Roon Exclusive” Mode 2. Everything worked flawlessly as expected. It will stay the main mode for me after I try some other services and functions.

You can see ZS in the signal path as R.A.A.T (Roon Advanced Audio Transport).



Is there any difference between the signal I get directly from Intel NUC on ROCK and the hero of our story, Zen Stream?

To my ears “dressed” in Snorry NM-1, it is obvious and clearly distinguishable.
The first and the main thing I noticed is the change in soundstage - substantial depth increase.
As you listen more you notice better instrument definition, positioning and separation.
A more "transparent" overall sound.

ZEN Stream and Tidal

If you do not use Roon but have Tidal subscription, you can stream directly from your phone or tablet by selecting “Ifi’s Streamer” in the sound source menu when playing a track.
It works on both iOS and Android Tidal apps. Just do not forget to select your sound source in the settings of the ZS itself.



At first, I could not manage Tidal working in its Exclusive Mode 3. It worked fine in Mode 1 only in the beginning. The issue was resolved easily by reconnecting my iPhone to my home Wi-Fi network.

(Please note that there is no exclusive mode available for Qobuz today. If this is important for you there are other ways to stream Qobus - in Mode 1 and 2 (if you use Roon).)



ZEN Stream and UPNP

UPNP protocol is another available connection option. In this case I used the mconnect app for iOS. ZS acts here as UPNP Renderer. By the way, this app allows to stream Qobuz to your DAC, just log in the service in the app settings.






Zen Stream and Apple AirPlay

There were no problems here either. Just choose iFi in Airplay and everything works. You can see the track via the web interface of ZS too. Now my subscription to Apple Lossless has not been renewed, so I ran tracks from the offline collection. I think there will be no problems with online streaming either.





ZEN Stream and NAS

If you have a NAS with music you can also add it through tab Settings - Sources. ZS recognized all my drives. By specifying the desired folder on your NAS (Public, for example), ZS scans and adds all your albums to the collection. And you can already start listening at the same time.






ZEN Stream and External Hard Drive

In case you are neither Roon nor streaming services user and you have no NAS or others, you can plug in an external hard drive (Transecend for 500 Gb in my case ) and listen to your favorite collection directly from the hard drive, controlling the process via Stream-iFi app or via the web interface.







Wireless connection

There were no problems with wi-fi connection following the quick-start guide. It is more convenient to set up through Stream-iFi app which also gives step-by-step tips. You can also do it through the web interface, and here you can use Android.

All settings for services and sources are identical to the wired connection.

As a result, I got the answer to my second question - Yes, wireless connection lets you move and have a high-quality digital signal anywhere in your home.






Conclusion

Probably at first glance it is difficult to evaluate this device without fully understanding what it can do and what functionality it brings.

ZS essentially can become the Core of your home system whether you're streaming or not, use Roon or any other services. ZS will either improve the existing setup and the signal in your home system or it will become the center of communication uniting every gadget and service that lives "its separate life".

Maybe not everything is working perfectly today but I think ifi audio will solve all the issues quickly with new software updates.

Ifi audio is a company that listens attentively and reacts quickly and efficiently to the feedback received from us, music lovers and audiophiles.

Of course, you can stay where you are today, change nothing in your current setup. But can you go back to where you were after spending a week with ZEN Stream?

Personally for me – ZEN Stream will find a place in my home audio environment.
I see no return to computers as signal sources.

BACKGROUND

My first acquaintance with Snorry products happened a couple of years ago, that time it was SI-1 mk2.
I was quite skeptical on the performance of those not very expensive planar magnetic headphones.

That time I had HD800S in combination with Violectric amp and DAC. I also had closed planars from MrSpeakers in my home collection.

I could never imagine that these headphones could fully replace the top-end Sennheiser headphones.

I ordered them on my friend’s advice who highly praised Snorry for its natural sound. But I couldn't believe that I can get good sound for such money. I thought that it was not a big risk taking the price into account.

Some time later I came to the conclusion that Si-1 mk2 fully met my requirements. They did not give a huge soundstage and resolution of HD800S, they did not sparkle with highs but they sounded more natural in everything. They were producing excellent quality bass, which I could not get in the hd800s.

A bit later there was an information that Sergey worked on a new flagship. Several pre-production units were made. One of them came to me.

For more than a year I have had these headphones. During that time they went to Snorry for upgrades several times.

As a result pre-production NM-1 became the main and the only headphones for my desktop application. I also keep Si-1 mk2, as they are more for portable use when I leave the NM-1 at home.

By the way, here is the official website https://snorryplanar.com/

Now about NM-1 serial version in detail.


BUILD. FIT. TECHNOLOGY BEHIND

Here is the spec from the official web site:

Type of transducers: non meander, planar (patent RU2717699)
Magnetic system: double-sided, high-power neodymium magnets
Acoustic enclosure: open
Impedance: 40 Ohm
Sensitivity: 95 dB
Frequency range: 5-35000 Hz
Weight: 500 grams

The key point here is a patent for a so called “non meander” technology.

I asked Sergey (aka Snorry) to explain to me the meaning of “non meander” technology in a simple way without going deep into scientific or engineering discussions. What is the difference with a regular planar-magnetic technology?

Here is his explanation - “Briefly - in this design the resolution is higher due to the reduction of mutual interference from closely spaced groups of tracks with the opposite direction”. Not sure if I correctly translated all what he said but my conclusion is that this is all about headphone resolution.

NM-1 come in a nice portable case with a 2 m “Snorry advanced” cable inside. It is 2x mini XLR to 6.3 mm in base, but it can be 2 x mini XLR to 4 pin XLR if you need a balanced connection to your system. You need to inform Snorry in advance.

I don’t have a detailed information about the cable structure but it is the cable that makes NM-1 sound like NM-1. I tried a couple of other cables with them and always went back to the original one – it just sounds right!

The headphones carry a certain “steampunk” design with ear cups made of carbon. I personally like it, but for those who are for a more classical view there is a wooden version available.

The mechanism over the head band looks a little bit odd but works just fine. These little cylinders create a good pressure (not too tight) to hold the headphones on your head steady and tight enough.
I feel comfortable using them for long listening sessions. It’s very individual after all.

SYSTEM REQUIRMENTS

The manufacturer speaks of a minimum 2 watts per channel but from my experience the more the better.

In fact, the selection of a decent and powerful source for these headphones is a never-ending process. The only limitation will be your budget and taste. That time I had Violectric hpa v181 which drove the HD800S perfectly but did not cope with the NM-1.

At the end I chose a combo from Burson Audio (as one of the best price/performance combination), with Composer 3XP as a DAC (in pre amp mode) and Soloist 3XP as an amplifier (in hp power amp mode). I love how this whole combination sounds together.

Burson Audio combo gives a close to neutral, slightly smooth in a good way, transparent, and detailed sound without being too analytical.
The combo gets the signal from my Roon Server (Intel NUC on ROCK) via Audioquest Cinnamon type C- type-C cable.
Oyaide Tunami TERZO V2 is used for interconnect XLR cables.
Additionally Burson Super Charger 3A is used for Soloist as an advanced external power supply unit.

I also had a chance to plug NM-1 into some other sources like Niimbus US 4 , Violectric DHA V590, SPL Phonitors, MS Audio Laboratory (by the way, FHA 1.3 is a decent amp for its money). NM-1 also sounded perfect with Niimbus but the amp is not the most cheapest on the market as you know

I had a chance to listen to one DIY tube amplifier of a local enthusiast, which also positively impressed me. If the budget allows, a good tube amp can be a nice addition to a SS amplifier to experience the NM-1 from all sides. They do play well with a good tube amp too.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS

To my ears the tonality is neutral, or let me call it naturally neutral. It is not “cold” sounding and emotionless. It keeps “life” in the sound and everything you hear sounds natural without any coloration at the same time.

The first thing you hear is resolution the headphones provide.

The sound comes out freely with no hint of any congestion, bringing a lot of air between instruments. Needless to say that instrument and channel separation is also great.

Detail retrieval is at a very high level. No complaints from my side. All nuances are very well defined, delivered and heard.

The second key point of NM-1 is a "full-bodied" sound, ie. the sound has weight, the notes have weight. No matter if it is a double bass or a guitar with distortion or cymbals, you get a complete picture of what the instruments deliver.

Bass is linear, clean, tight and fast. Basically, it is very well shown on the FR curve.

The images are large and very well 3-Dimensionally defined.

The sound stage is large enough, maybe not the largest on the market as with HD800S or 1266 but it is definitely above the average.


FINAL THOUGHTS

It was not my intention to compare NM-1 with some other TOTL planar magnetic headphones on the market, as to make a detailed comparison you need to have all these headphones at home at the same time. I had a chance to go through some TOTL Audeze and Abyss planars in parallel with NM-1 but that was not enough to draw any serious conclusion.

For me personally NM-1 can play in the Top Of The List league…

I will try to share my thoughts briefly to cover just the most important points. I personally do not like reviews with a lot of text and I usually jump right to a Sound section. This is what many of us usually do I think)

Nevertheless, I’d like to mention that Etymotic products are not new for me. I owned almost all models of the S, SR, SE series in the past and some of them for two times (ER4SR).

I do keep the ES3SE today - in fact, this is the only IEM left in my collection after I completely switched to full-size headphones 1,5-2 years ago.

Of course, the news about the release of the multi-driver model by Etymotic generated serious interest. Although, I was a little discouraged at first by the configuration of the drivers, where two out of 3 were given to bass. Why not a classic configuration of 1 - Highs, 1 - Mids, 1 - Lows? And for sure I would not buy the IEM with two bass drivers without listening.

Don’t get me wrong. I like bass but I like it tight, fast, and full-bodied with linear response like on my 2700 USD planar-magnetic headphones.

Therefore, I signed up for the tour and I am grateful to the organizers for letting me take part in it.

Perhaps I will omit the Packaging section, since this tour sample does not come in its original packaging. The information on what you will have inside the box is available on the official website.




Build Quality. Fit. Cable.

The design and ergonomics are very well thought. The shells are quite heavy but the fit in the ear does not cause any problems. The weight is perfectly distributed over the auricle but after 1.5-2 hours you definitely start feeling this weight. So if lighter but equally strong materials used in future models it would be a big plus.

On the other hand, you realize that if you drop the Evo on the floor nothing will happen to them most likely. I remember my Earsonics S-EM6 v2 fell about 3 years ago and that led to subsequent repair in France which cost me quite a lot.

The classic Ety’s nozzle has survived. So all the tips are interchangeable with other models.

It also has an excellent noise isolation, just like the classic Etymotic models.

The supplied cable does not look as reliable as Evo shells at the first glance but after 4-5 days of usage you realize that it is reliable enough.

Anyway I would replace it with a custom balanced cable.






Sound Impressions.

Source

ifi audio iDSD Diablo.
It is quite difficult to find a better transportable (cannot call it portable) DAC/Amp than Diablo today. The Diablo itself has a reference neutral tonality and a very powerful amplification section with up to 5 watts @ 32 ohms. I normally use it with my planars when there is a need to move or travel far from my home desktop system.
So I used its 6.3 mm output through a 6.3 mm to 3.5 mm adapter.

Let’s consider the SE output of Diablo as good as a balanced 4.4 mm output but with 2 time less power.

You can listen to Evo at a comfortable volume either in Eco mode (somewhere around 12-13 h) or in Normal mode (somewhere around 10-11 h) depending on the recording. I personally liked Normal mode more thanks to extra power it gives. I think it would be Eco only when connected to the 4.4 mm output at 10-11 h. This is just my assumption since I cannot confirm it without a proper cable.

The combination has a completely black background without any hint of noise regardless the gain mode is used.



The Music Used

From Instrumental (and vocal) Jazz to Technical Death Metal and Funeral Doom:

Avishai Cohen Trio - From Darkness (96 kHz / 24 bit)
Tord Guvstansen Trio - The Other Side (96 kHz / 24 bit)
Tord Guvstansen Trio - Being There (96 kHz / 24 bit)
Alboran Trio - Islands (96 kHz / 24 bit)
BassDrumBone - The Long Road (44.1 kHz / 16 bit)
Jo Kaiat - Come to My World (44.1 kHz / 16 bit)
Sinee Eeg & Thomas Fonnesbak – Staying in Touch (96 kHz / 24 bit)
GoGo Penguin – Man Made Object (44,1 kHz/ 24 bit)
Ulcerate – The Destroyers of All (44.1 kHz / 16 bit)
Ulcerate - Stare into Death and Be Still (44.1 kHz / 24 bit)
Ad Nauseam - Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (44,1 kHz/ 16 bit)
Rome in Monochrome - Away From Light (44.1 kHz / 16 bit)
Carach Angren - Where the Corpses Sink Forever (44,1 kHz/ 16 bit)
Mournful Congregation – The Monad of Creation (44,1 kHz/ 16 bit)
Funeral Moth - Transience (44kHz / 16 bit)
Intaglio – Intaglio (15th Anniversary Remix) (96 kHz / 24 bit)



Tonality. Soundstage. Imaging. Instrument separation.

To be honest I expected something close to a moderate bass-head tonality knowing about the driver configuration. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case.

The tonality is very balanced with some added weight in the lows.

There is a little more bass (sub bass mainly) presence than a completely neutral reference tuning, but this is not a bass-head type of sound either.
The bass is maybe not the fastest I’ve heard in IEM but it is tight and sounds very natural especially with live instruments like double-bass and drums.

The mids are neutral and full-bodied. Etymotic has always been famous for its midrange and Evo is not an exception here.

Highs are crystal clear and detailed, without feeling any lack of extension. They do not have that artificial boost to give more airiness and sparkle. Cymbals sound very naturally.
I can also imagine that some people will find these IEM to be slightly on the dark side, especially if they were dealing with bright IEMs all the time.

One of the strengths of the Evo is imaging, instrument separation and their positioning. There is a lot of air between instruments too. The images are large and very well defined.

The sound stage is wide and deep. May be not the widest I heard but it is above average.

I believe that the balanced connection to Diablo could make the soundstage even wider and make the channel separation even better.

Evo is very dynamic IEM too with very high level of engagement.

Therefore, the instrumental jazz in them is gorgeous. Funeral doom sounds awesome.

It also sounds good on other heavy genres. But for bands like Ulcerate I would prefer minus 2-3 dB in sub bass area to make crazy double kick drum beats of Jamie Saint Merat even cleaner and refined.


Summary

This is the situation when the product exceeds my expectations. For me Evo is not just a new multi-driver model of the company. It is a significant step up in everything in comparison to a previous generation of their famous single driver bullets.

Of course, EVO is not perfect. There is nothing perfect in this world…

I've owned several expensive multi-driver IEM in the past and can judge the level of the Evo based on my experience.

Despite some drawbacks I personally would consider this model for purchase and in my opinion it will be difficult to find equal competitors in the price range up to 1000 USD.

For 500 USD it has an incredible price/performance value.

Of course Evo needs a high-quality source to deliver its ultimate performance.

So, what would be an Ideal Evo for me? This Evo with maybe minus 2-3 dB in lows and with lighter shells. Evo SR version for purists one day maybe?)

The rest I would not even touch – just perfect!

Preamble

There is no end to iFi audio’s surprises on how they read my (and, of course, not only my) mind. I think it is a matter of the right marketing strategy and understanding of customer needs. In my opinion they do not just release some new products on the market to compete with other brands but have a clear understanding of why and for whom they are doing it. They do not just chase after numbers and the best measurements results just for the sake of results, but first they think several steps ahead of how this or that product will be perceived.

The first thing that surprised me, back in the fall, was the announcement of the iDSD Signature which became a modification of micro iDSD BL. The manufacturer took into account all the wishes of users, making the device almost ideal. We all know iDSD Diablo is coming, but that is another story.
In fact, I don't see any continuity between micro IDSD BL and Diablo, unlike the Signature, which is to me a logical upgrade for the BL.

The second point is just connected with the announcement of the Neo iDSD. At first, I could not understand what positioning the device would have.

As a matter of fact, I tried to find on the market a DAC with full MQA support up to 1000 USD with a good sound. Recently I began to listen to more jazz and classics, which more and more appear in the mqa format. My current Violectric DAC V800 becomes obsolete and does not support the mqa format, and it is limited to 24/96 kHz, which by modern standards is a serious lag. I do not listen to DSD very often, I practically do not have many, but I would like to listen to more mqa albums as stated above.

After seeing the announcement of a head-fi tour, I subscribed. Probably a month or so later, I received an email from ifi audio saying they are ready to provide me with the device through their distributor. To be honest, I did not expect it. It seems to be more real when a tour is in Europe and/or in the US, where there are no borders, where the number of participants is larger, where it is easier to coordinate such an event and the return on such tours is also higher. Therefore, I want to thank iFi audio and their Russian distributor Qvinta for the opportunity to test the device. I was allowed to test the device for about a week.

The main question that I wanted to clarify for me was:
Will NEO be able to cover my needs as an mqa DAC at the price up to 1000 USD?

Let’s dive deeper, NEO and see “how deep the rabbit-hole goes” (“The Matrix” movie) …


What is in the box?

As it has been mentioned in some previous reviews:

USB 3.0 cable, RCA interconnect cable, 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter, iPower power supply, Bluetooth antenna, silicone feet, vertical stand, remote control.



Although, thinking of the positioning of the device as a fully balanced DAC, I would prefer to see XLR interconnect cables instead of RCA in the kit.

How it looks like?

I would skip all technical specs since this is available on the official website.

In terms of looks and styling, the device is unlike any other in the ifi range. Perhaps they plan to move on in this direction, we will see. I have not yet personally fully developed my attitude towards the new styling. But I like the way the DAC looks upright on a vertical stand. The device is quite compact both horizontally and vertically. But at the same time, it is quite weighty.

Dimensions: 214 x146 x 41mm
Weight: 970g



MQA and Roon setup

As far as I know, this is the second device of the company after Pro iDSD, which makes full decoding and playback of MQA files. It seems that the new iDSD Daiblo will be capable of this too.

Setting up mqa capabilities in Roon is simple, you need to select the Decoder and Renderer in the MQA section to get a complete unfold.

Information of file’s format is displayed on the screen.

By the way, Roon does not identify the device as Neo iDSD. Perhaps this will be fixed in the future, it can be on the Roon and not on ifi side, I do not know.

There is one nuance connected with this - when you turn the iDSD Signature on, while NEO is turned off, Roon defines it as an unidentified ifi audio device and assigns the NEO’s zone to it. And since Signature requires the first software unfold of mqa, unlike NEO, you must go into the settings and change it to Renderer. And visa verse, when you turn the NEO on, you must do the opposite procedure to get mqa on NEO. Which is not very convenient.



Controls

To be honest, I do not see a big value in describing the sections from the user guide here. There are not so many buttons here and the functions are tied to the central volume wheel. During testing I have never had to switch anything except for USB/Bluetooth input. When listening the device was on the factory settings.

The firmware was updated from 1.25 to 1.35 version.


Sound
(“You hear that, Mr. Anderson?...”)

Here I would again return to the question of positioning the device. Most reviews focus on NEO mainly as a DAC + Amp, using headphone outputs to evaluate sound. In my opinion the device is primarily a DAC for paring with an external balanced amplifier and then a headphone amplifier as a secondary application.


Ultra HD DAC

The following set-up was used for listening:

• Intel NUC on ROCK (Roon Optimized Core Kit)
• Fully balanced headphone amplifier (dual mono) MS Audio Laboratory FHA 1.3, with a power of about 8 watts at 32 ohms per channel.
• Self-made XLR interconnect cables on Neutrik connectors, based on Viablue NF-S1 Silver Quatro and Oyaide PA-02 V2.
• Snorry NM-1 TOTL planar-magnetic headphones (pre-production version with wooden cups, drivers upgraded to the production version), a rather difficult load (about 40 ohms at 90 dBa) for many amplifiers.

I think with NEO ifi audio want to introduce a new vision of sound and possibly the direction in which new products of the company will go. I can’t say that the sound has changed conceptually. The DNA remains the same and there is certainly a similarity in sound with the previous generation, but the tuning has become more towards neutral and reference sound with an emphasis on “technique” if I may say so.

I have to admit that it requires some burn-in time to perform its best.

Soundstage
I think due to a more linear and neutral approach the DAC is more about width than depth. Regarding the width, especially on several MQA recordings, the channels go far from the central axis to left and right and I believe with phones like HD800S you can clearly hear how wide it can go.

In general, there are no questions about the soundstage.

Separation
The separation of channels and instruments, considering the balanced circuity of the device, is at a really high level. You can clearly hear each instrument and its location.

Bass
I think there is more about mid than sub. The bass is very well controlled and fast. It does not draw attention to itself and does not climb into the mid range. It aligns harmoniously with the rest of the frequency ranges. Perhaps for some it will seem a little dry. It plays out right fast and technical genres, as is to be expected from such a device.

Mid frequencies
Here, too, there are no questions about the quality of this range. Technically it is clean and detailed. There are no peaks or dips. Everything is perceived quite naturally.

High frequencies
They are detailed and have an exceptionally good extension. I would not call NEO bright at all, unless, of course, you use bright headphones with it.

With the NM-1, which itself have a linear FR without any emphasize anywhere in the treble area, the NEO does everything accurate and clean without a hint of harshness and sibilance.
Well, it will also depend on the quality of recordings too.

PRaT
NEO is extremely fast and dynamic. You do not fall asleep with it. It keeps the rhythm! Good job here, ifi!

Comparison

Now I will shortly compare the device with my Violectric DAC V800, built on single TI BB PCM1792. At the start of sales back in 2011 (or may be earlier) the MSRP of the DAC was 1299 USD. I have it for about 1.5 years. I bought it new directly from Lake People in Germany in fall of 2019 for about 600 Euro (last stock unit under Black Friday deal). It seems to me that it was discontinued that year or so.

On the one hand, we are talking about DACs, roughly costing one - 700 and the other - 1300 USD. On the other hand, the subject of price and price positioning is not always related to the sound, as I think.

As you may know, V800 does not support DSD and MQA format. My version has a 24/96 kHz limitation, everything above is got down sampled. Nevertheless if you don't pay attention to the lack of support for modern formats like mqa, the V800 remains a solid performer up to this day.

The devices are similar in tonality, both are neutral and transparent, but the V800 is more in the warmer side of neutral and delivers everything a little smoother.

Neo sounds closer to the listener and more in your face. V800 moves the stage a couple of rows further. To me the sound of the German DAC is weightier, that is the notes are "weightier". I do not mean that Neo sounds "thin". But there are more "meat on the bones" with Violectric. There is a slight difference in bass section too. NEO is more about mid bass, the V800 adds more weight in the sub bass area. I think the level of details pulled out from music is at the same level. Violectric also sounds a bit deeper.



+ Headphone Amplifier

Here I’d like to draw parallels with the iDSD Signature, which I have had since the end of December. I immediately bought it as soon as it became available in my country. I was looking forward to this device, owning iDSD micro BL for quite a long. And I can say that I never regret about my purchase.

With IEM

For evaluation I used my reference IEM from Earsonics, S-EM6 V2.

I remember the wonderful synergy of these IEM with BL, and of course, the synergy they have with the Signature today; this paring has become even better.

On the one hand, these IEMs like amplification and do not perform well with weak sources; on the other hand, they are quite sensitive - 112 dB / mW. I remember with the ZEN DAC and Hip DAC (out of the 4.4 mm outputs) it was not possible to listen to them due to the background noise. Note that iDSD Signature (micro IDSD BL in the past) has no background noise at all at any gain or mode. There is just “dead silence”. Unfortunately, with NEO I also hear a distinct background noise from the amplifier with the S-EM6 V2. The sound signature of the amp section is like what I hear with an external amplifier – more on neutral side, detailed, fast.

With headphones

Naturally, there is no background noise with the Snorry NM-1. But the amp section of NEO is not able to drive these tight isodynamics to an acceptable level of their normal performance - need more current.

Make sure you choose headphones for NEO which are not overly sensitive and not very demanding on output power.




Bluetooth

I used Sony NW-A100 player as a source. Connecting devices does not cause any problems. They quickly find each other. In the past, owning xDSD and xCAN, I could see how great ifi audio managed to bring wireless sound to a new level. Sometimes to distinguish the sound from the wired one, I had to listen deeply to the recording. As expected NEO already with LDAC support is pushing this bar even higher. This will be highly estimated by those who are really looking for the latest wireless signal transfer technology.




Conclusion

Have I got the answer to my question after about a week of using the device? Yes, and the answer is yes.

NEO iDSD can confidently cover DAC needs in the range of devices up to 1000 USD, in case your tastes match with the general philosophy of sound that ifi audio is presenting to its audience today.

I also hope that the gap in portfolio between Neo iDSD and Pro iDSD will be filled with something interesting (desktop standalone DAC?) too.

I am really grateful to ifi audio for the great opportunity and wish them success in the further development of their products! I would also wish all of us to have a chance to listen and possibility to purchase these products in future.

It is time to return the unit.)

Intro

Disclaimer: ES5 were purchased used and went through the shell repair in France – special thanks to SAV (ES service) for great customer service and fast repair.


This is not the first and the only Earsonics product I own. I own S-EM6 V2 for more than 2 years.

“The first contact” happened in 2013. That was SM64, then ES3 later in 2017. I had some experience with the original S-EM6 in between.

“Real love” happened with the 2nd version of the 6BA IEM 2 years ago which were perfectly tuned towards neutrality and reference sound signature. You can’t go wrong with it if you like uncolored and very detailed sound.

The only problem you may face with them if you listen to the music on the go in a very noisy environment like public transport, metro, etc. where some additional information in the low register would be nice to have.

For such “extreme” conditions you would probably want to have a slightly different tuning to ensure you do not miss anything…and the ES5 can be the right choice here.


Build and Fit

It looks like ES5 shares its family shell and style with ES2, ES3, Velvet earphones.

So I cannot really comment on durability. I bought them used, 2 years old, they did have some intensive wear and tear including a crack on the right shell. Besides that they did not have any other issues.

The fit is fine. The shells are slightly bigger than S-EM6 v2’s but it does not make them heavier.
They fit into your ear very naturally.





Sound analysis

Let’s have a look at the signature picture which somehow represents a FR curve.
Slightly boosted sub bass, slight dip in low mid, linear from mid to treble.



Sonically I would describe them as full bodied and very well-balanced sounding IEM with high resolution and excellent detail retrieval.

Midbass is well defined, quite fast and punchy.
Sub bass pushed a little bit forward to make this spacious and engaging sound signature.
Mids are my favorite area here. Guitar riffs are phenomenal. Rich and full of energy.
Highs are very well done, airy and detailed. Maybe not that extended like on the 6BA sibling, but they fit its own signature.

Tonality can be considered as Pros and Cons at the same time depending on your personal preferences, source and application - that's why I put it in both boxes...

I found a very nice synergy with Cayin n6 mk2, with both A01 and T01 modules.






Quick comparison

ES5 vs S-EM6 V2

Both IEMs were A/B tested with one source (ifi audio iDSD Black Label - Eco Mode, iEMatch Off) and with one cable (HAC Coaxial Hybrid x 4)

S-EM6 V2: more linear, more neutral/reference tuning with wider soundstage, more extended highs, slightly more transparent, slightly superior separation ability, bass is slightly faster, mids sound slightly thin in comparison.

ES5: More spacious and deep sound with some sub bass emphasis, mids are richer and fuller, narrower soundstage in comparison. Comparable level of details and resolution.

My personal preferences are to use the ES5 with Cayin n6 mk2 on the go and keep the S-EM6 V2 in the office paired with Black Label so far.




Final words

For sure this is not the latest product in the Earsonics line. I have not personally heard Purple or Grace yet.
I have no idea on how their new hybrids sound either.

ES5 really deserve more attention from both critical audiophiles and music lovers. Especially if you like heavy genres, these are very capable In-Ear Monitors which can produce many positive emotions and fun.

Preamble
" A white crow" in Russian language idiomatically refers to someone who stands out of a group, looks different, behaves differently.

This is exactly the case for the S-EM6 V2 and the rest of Earsonics family.

Let me explain where I'm coming from.
First of all, I’m not a professional reviewer. I don’t have a huge "fleet" of various IEMs, sources, and cables.
And this will be my second review in English on head-fi. The first one was dedicated to a Japanese portable DAC/Amp and its Limited version became my "end of the game source".
The 6 driver IEMs from Earsonics have all chances to be my "end of the game" multi-driver IEM.

I was thoroughly moving from one pair to another in search of "my sound" for years. I started with dynamic type of IEMs then moved to BA (single/multi), then to Hybrids, and finally ended up with a single driver IEMs. I found "my sound" among Etymotic ER4 line 1,5 years ago.

So that means I prefer a neutral analytical signature with detailed and transparent sound, and fast bass attack.
Currently I own ER4S, ER4SR, ER3SE. All three are used with different sources / on different occasions and I love all three.

The main challenge for me was to find “proper” multi-driver IEMs which sound close to Etymotic. Real challenge I would say…
You may ask: why do I need anything else if I like Ety?
The answer is very simple - Etymotic can cover 65-70% of my music genres but I still have a huge number of albums of certain sub genres where I want to have more width, depth, space, air, and atmosphere.

This is not my first Earsonics product. I owned SM64, ES3 in the past. 3 years ago I had a chance to listen to S-EM6 and was not very impressed with the sound signature - seemed dark and bassy.

So all my hopes were tied up with this new revision V2 appeared in 2017, basing on two existing reviews on head-fi.
By the way, guys, thank you for that.


Positioning
Here I just talk about my personal understanding of the idea behind. It could be different from the official ES vision.
Imagine: clear focus on details, the most detailed Earsonics IEM so far (shown more details than in S-EM9, EM10)
Signature: the graph says clearly about the tonality approach, almost linear with a little less sub bas presence (which is not typical for ES) and slightly less in High Mid area which I believe was made to eliminate this zone from any possible harshness or sibilants.




When I tried them for the first time I was surprised in a very good way - finally I hear the multidriver IEM which do not change the overall tonality moving right from the ER4SR. Bingo!

Specification:
Sensitivity: 112 dB/mW
Frequency response : 10 Hz -22 kHz
Impedance: 30 ohms
Driver: 6 balanced armature drivers (2 lows, 2mediums, 2 highs), 3-way passive crossover.

Packaging
4 Comply tips
4 silicon tips
1 cleaning tool
Carrying box
User manual

Nice premium minimalistic, I would say. With warm greetings from CEO, I believe (do not speak French, unfortunately)




Fit
Very compact design. Fits my ears very well.
Regarding supplied ear tips, I would prefer to have more size options/ variations with a softer silicon similar to ortofon or spinfit tips.




Sound analysis.
First of all, as it has been mentioned, the S-EM6 V2 are very very close to a neutral signature. I would fully agree with the statement "Neutrality & Fineness" on the official website.

Secondly, they are very source dependent. I could not make them perform with a portable player like Plenue P1, 2 vrms was not enough to drive them well. Yes, they sounded acceptable, but not as 6-driver.
So in case they do not perform with your source do not make any conclusion about their performance, the weak link would be your source in 99% of the time I think. Also tried them directly from the 80 mW Vantam - the same result.

Finally I ended up with a half portable/half stationary set-up to make them perform at the appropriate level:

Venturecraft Soundroid Vantam Classic Master Limited as DAC/Preamp (BB PCM1795 / 2 x BB OPA627SM) + JDS Labs Objective2
(By the way, this is my setup to drive a 100 ohm ER4S)



With two drivers for lows you certainly hear the bass.
On the one hand this is not typical big bass for "Earsonics family" with a strong sub bass presence, not at all. On the other hand this is not the ER4S type of bass, it is bigger but still very linear an accurate with a very good layering and speed thanks to its tuning. It is tight.
Re sub bass, I don't personally care much about this part, to me the less the better. I don't listen to electronic music or the music where instruments go below 35-40 Hz, and it is really strange to hear with some other IEMs a strong sub bass presence in the tracks where it should not exist))
Mids are full and detailed sounding area, never sibilant in high mid region. All details are there. Nothing to add more.
Highs are crystal clear and they breathe freely with plenty of details. Do not seem to be either forced or anyhow impacted. Very natural sounding. I like this area the most.
Soundstage is wide and deep enough.
The fact is 99% of the time I listen to various heavy genres, from ultra-fast technical death metal to a very slow funeral doom. So typically, these are 2-3 guitars + bass guitar + drums. It is not that easy to judge on how deep the IEM are sounding with this type of genres. I'm personally fully satisfied with what they give.


Cables:
Did not play with cables yet.
Since there is nothing to adjust in sound I think a good quality copper (or copper litz) would be perfect. Would not bother with either silver or hybrids. Let's see.
Waiting for the TWcu V3 to try.

Update: Forza Hybrid adds more analytics to the sound and clarity, slightly emphasised treble.




Vesper Audio EVO Insane CLP (High purity litzendraht copper cryotreated ) - no impact on tonality, neutral. Clarity imporved vs supplied cable.





Comparison:
I do not own currently any other multidriver IEM to compare with but I think it does not make a lot of sense. S-EM6 V2 is quite a unique pair of IEM.
The majority of existing multi-driver IEMs on the market are either having U, W, V-shaped tuning or can be even balanced but still far from neutral to please people who prefer a "fun signature".


Summary:
No doubts that these earphones are not for everyone.
They can sound boring and flat for someone (actually they don't with a proper source and amplification).
They can be also considered as an analytical type of IEMs rather than "musical" as well.

I would personally recommend them to Etymotic fans like me who can not sacrifice the neutral tonality.
The S-EM6 V2 to me is exactly the way to go if there is a place for a multidriver IEM in your collection.

Bravo, EarSonics!

Why Vantam?
I was looking for a portable DAC/Amp preferably on PCM chip which is capable to drive both low impedance IEMs and sensitive portable headphones.
I guess I found what I need. Here are my thoughts…shortly.
 
Let's start from its specification (in Japanese but I think it should be clear what they are talking about).
My particular unit is on LME49860. There are some other versions of the Vantam with different op-amps.
 

 

Package  

Very poor. Just Vantam and one usb to micro usb cable. That is basically it.
This is nothing for the unit of around $600. 
Usually cheaper products go with richer packages including different cables for i-devices and Android phones, rubber rings would be also nice to have since this is a portable device first of all.
No English manual. I had to translate some parts of Japanese User Guide to understand some functions and to be aware of some cautions they provide.
 

 

Functionality and Design  

 
     
 
 
On the front panel we have: Phone output combined with Optical out (that's why you can see here red light coming out); Line in /out combined with Optical in; Balanced output, LED DSD indicator; Mode Switch with LED battery indication feature.
On the rear side it has a micro usb port to connect it to any digital source and to charge the battery, plus there is a standard usb type A port for i-devices. 
 
To me Functional panel of the Vantam is questionable.
On the one hand all switches are located deeper than the surface and it prevents you from any occasional activation of any function/mode but on the other hand if you need to switch the gain on the go having different head phones with you, it makes really hard to do it just with your fingers unless you have long nails))
I could understand almost all functions but I had to discover more regarding SMTP function.
What I could understand from Japanese User Guide you switch it on if you don’t want your Android smart phone to be charging Vantam.
Please note that charging function will be deactivated in this mode so charging from the usb port or from any other independent wall charger will not be possible until you switch it off.
 
The device also features Auto Power Off function. I guess it turns it off after 10 minutes of idling.
 

[size=20.0069999694824px]Indication[/size]

    
 
Blue Light of DSD LED is too bright to me, especially in the night. It’s like a small lamp in your room.
Strange thing is that when it’s connected to NWZ A15 in USB DAC mode the indicator is red (since I don’t listen to DSD) but when you connect AK100 through an optical cable it will be always blue on the same non-DSD simple FLAC tracks. So with AK100 the DSD LED is always blue but with Sony A15 it is always red. 
 
Vantam gets hot after a 20-30 minutes of listening. 
 
 
Size and dimensions in comparison with Oppo Ha-2
 
    

 

[size=20.0069999694824px]Battery Life  [/size]

Estimate it around 4 - 5 hours. Not much but expected.
It reminds me Sony PHA-3 in balanced mode which also lasts for the same amount of time plus-minus.
I'm personally fine with it since I listen to the music for max 1,5-2 hours a day on-the-go.  
Charging time in case I use Orico usb charging station (should be more than 2A) is around 3-4 hours which is not bad at all.
This is not a special rapid 1,5 h charging of the Oppo HA-2 but it's not 5-6 hours which requires for the pha-3 (in my case) to be fully charged.
 

Sound 

I was mainly using it with Ultrasone Signature Pro and Ortofon e-Q8.
My previous devices are: Oppo HA-2 and Sony PHA-3.
 
Besides I tried some other IEMs like DN-2000, Earsonics Velvet, and some AT IEMs.
All of them were performing very well with Vantam without any background noise. It's just a dead silence when you plug them in.
 
So how does it sound?  It just sounds great!
Very detailed sound through all the range of frequencies.
Deep and very wide soundstage.
Fast and punchy bass, crystal clear highs with a lot of air, great instrument separation.
Mids are also very good,  I like how guitars with distortion sound - typical PCM signature.
 
How does it drive low impedance IEMs?  Perfectly, I would say (e-q8@6 Ohm, dn-2000@16 ohm)
 
Is it powerful enough to drive Signature Pro in high gain?
I would say yes, but in some very noisy places like Moscow metro (some old lines with old wagons) you have to increase the volume up to 100% on some very silent records..
Quality wise the sound remains amazing even on a maximum volume without any distortion.
 

Balanced vs unbalanced

Actually you compare here a single TPA6120 vs dual MUSES8920. I could only test it on my modified e-q8.
To me balanced output adds more analytics to the sound with even better instrument separation but with less quantity of bass (mid bass).
Honestly speaking I prefer unbalanced output with the e-Q8 since it gives more body to the lows.  It could be different for other IEMs or headphones. 
 

Digital transport

I actually tried two sources. Sony NWZ-A15 and AK100.
They both fit very well.  In case of the A15 you have cables from both sides of the combo since you utilize a micoUSB port of the Vantam. With AK100 you connect through an optical cable and everything is on one side of the combo.  The issue with the A15 is that you can not listen to the music and charge the device at the same time since the port is occupied.
I have not noticed any difference in sound between these two sources.
The AK100 also features 2 slots for micro SD cards vs 1 in A15.
 
 
        
 
 

Additional third party accessories 

Very nice bags from VanNyus.  
 
 
    
 
       
 
  
 

Conclusion 

To me the Vantam is one of the best performing devices I've ever heard in the range of $300 - $1000 . 
Yes, it is not perfect but I can live with some weaknesses it has since the sound is great.
 
Thanks to MusicaAcoustics where I bought the Vantam for their great customer support.
 
Update. 28.12.15.  LME49860 is replaced with OPA627BM