The Four and Six universal demo have been graciously lent by Jędrzej Nowicki / Craft Ears in order to realize a Tour on Tellement Nomade and to allow the French community to discover this new proposition on the in-ear market. I would like to thank him for his confidence in TN. They will be returned at the end of the Tour.
I am in no way commercially linked to Craft Ears and have received no compensation whatsoever for this return.
Introduction
Craft Ears is a company based in Kobylanka, in the northwest of Poland, close to the German border.
The company was founded about two and a half years ago by Jędrzej Nowicki, a music engineer, musician (drums) and producer/composer in his own right.
It currently offers 3 models based exclusively on balanced armature drivers, and available in both custom and universal versions. The models used for the tour are universal versions, and I've had confirmation that they are tuned slightly differently to sound like customs.
Official website :
https://www.craftears.com/
Hardware
I was able to test the Crafts Ears headphones with the following hardware.
DAP : Plenue L, iBasso DX160 and smartphone
Cables : stock cables, Eletech Plato and PW1950 cables
I was able to compare them to the following pairs of in-ears :
64 Audio U12t, Ambient Acoustics MAD24, Empire Ears Zeus XIV Custom Retuned, IMR Rah and Jomo Audio Trinity SS
Build, Fit & Tips
Both Four and Six are of exemplary manufacturing quality, the lacquering is magnificent and shell inspires confidence.
Six shell shape is quite special, with an extremely long nozzle due to the tubing required to achieve the desired sound.In my little ears with the short and narrow canal, it was no easy task to get a correct fit, and the shell stood out a lot.
Stock tips are Azla SednaEarfit Short. However, I preferred to use Jomo double flanges which allowed me to get a deeper fit and a fuller, more intense signature without impacting the sound stage at all. The following feedback is based on the use of these tips.
Six / Four
Four shell is tiny, just like the nozzle, and they fit perfectly in my ear. With them, I got a perfect fit with narrow nozzle tri-flanges, just like the supplied Final Audio type E tips.
Tech Specs
Craft Ears Four
Specifications :
- 4 Balanced Armatures : 1 super-tweeter, 1 midrange and 2 bass
- 4-way passive filter
- 3 bores nozzle
- Frequency response: 15Hz - 22kHz
- Impedance: 10 Ohms
- Insulation: -26db
- Stock cable: 4 strands in silver plated copper
- Selling price: from 550€
- Builder's site:
https://www.craftears.com/products/model-ce-4/
Craft Ears Six
Specifications :
- 6 Balanced Armatures : 1 super-tweeter, 1 tweeter / high-midrange, 2 low-midrange and 2 basses
- 5-way passive filter
- 3 bores nozzle
- Frequency response: 2Hz - 23kHz
- Impedance: 7 Ohms
- Insulation: -26db
- Stock cable: 8 strands in silver plated copper
- Selling price : from 945€
- Manufacturer's website:
https://www.craftears.com/products/model-ce6/
In addition, some proprietary technologies are used on the Six :
- RASEN Bass ™ (Reference Acoustic Spiral Enhanced Bass) : 3D printed structure that creates low notes as realistic as a real subwoofer.
- True Load ™ : Extremely flat impedance and phase.
- SES™ (Space Expanse System) : Horn tweeter, printed in 3D, and tuned to a very particular bandwidth.
There is currently a pre-order on the Six, a discount of over 20%, which brings the price down from €745, and allows you to switch to a Rhapsodio OCC mk2 cable for €145. This is the cable that was in the package I received for my listening.
Sound
Craft Ears Six
The signature of the Craft Ears Six is very balanced with a definite emphasis on the high midrange and high treble.
Here are the Crinacle measurements (uncompensated) to compare with the 64Audio U12t I had in my possession at the time of the tests.
Bass are very well mastered, even on loaded tracks. They are very fast as often with the BA, and they offer a very nice impact. We're certainly not on the same level of roaring then U12t, but they seem to be a bit more legible, and not only here for the show. The extension of the subs (<60Hz) is excellent, really top-notch. The basses (60 to 250Hz) are present but not swollen, quite even, which brings this extra definition in the register. The whole gives a powerful foundation that is extremely easy to decipher and enjoy.
The
mids are almost perfect for my tastes, both technical and musical. They manage to convey without any effort the slightest inflection of the music, the slightest breath of the singer and all the emotions of each piece.
Low-Mids (250 to 500Hz) is in the lineage of the basses. Relatively set back, it allows to highlight the technical qualities of the Medium and High-Medium.
Mids (500 to 2000Hz) opens delicately from 1000Hz to bring energy to the vocals and instruments and stabilize at 2000Hz.
High-Mids (2000 to 4000Hz) with its peak at 3500Hz is never tiring despite the crunch it gives to instruments such as guitars or violins.
The result is a very technical and chiselled medium but which never falls into the analytical and knows how to keep its grain and its emotion.
Treble (>4000Hz) are quite destabilizing for me because they are the first in-ear I listen to that have such a peak around 16KHz. The result is a very high presence of cymbal or violin harmonics, and an excellent aeration. And consequently a highlighting of a quantity of sounds that I don't usually hear. But this is done again with great mastery and fingering, without any sibilance or aggressiveness. Flip side of the coin, you can end up with a slightly exacerbated background noise if it is present on the recording.
The 4 to 6KHz dip reinforces the presence, then the 7 to 8KHz peak increases the definition of the rendering while sacrificing nothing to the tones.
Tones actually seem to me very slightly on the light side but without sounding dry. And in spite of an obvious technicality, there is a certain warmth in the voices that is really very appreciable.
Soundstage develops a nice pitch and the depth is pleasant even if not exceptional. The stage is very wide, and rather frontal especially because of the very lively and dynamic side of the Six and their sharp attacks throughout the whole spectrum.
The
Magic Square seems exceptional for an item at this price.
Resolution -> very good (no more because may seem artificial)
Separation -> excellent
Definition -> excellent
Transparency -> excellent
The
Cables:
- The PW1950, compared to the Rhapsodio cable, adds substance and intensity to the midrange, the timbres are magnified. The bass is slightly overexposed, the treble a little more organic. The stage is wider too and a little deeper. Resolution and separation are pushed a little further. Really an excellent association.
- The Eletech Plato has a nice contribution to the spatialization, both in height and depth, and increases the separation. The treble is quite close to the PW and the bass is unchanged compared to the Rhapsodio. It brings a bit of grain to the midrange.
Craft Ears Four
The signature of the Craft Ears Four is very slightly V-shaped, fleshy, but finally quite balanced with a well open high midrange.
Here are the Crinacle measures (uncompensated) of a custom version, allowing to compare with the Craft Six.
I won't go into detail in the analysis but simply make a short comparison with the Six.
The
bass seem a bit slower, rounder and less well defined. This is surely due to the fact that there are less Subs and more Basses than on the Six.
The Low-Midrange is denser but the
mids are very readable from the 800Hz dip, and a nice emphasis on the High-Midrange. Male voices in particular are fuller but less delicate.
The
soundstage seems a bit smaller in the 3 dimensions, and we are positioned a bit closer to the music. But it's still a strong point like on the Six.
The
highs seem a bit clearer but without being aggressive. However, I can find here a little metallic side that can appear sometimes and a slightly higher hiss than on the Sixes.
In spite of a different signature,
tones are quite close to what the Six offer, i.e. more on the light side but with a little more muscles.
The sound is finally quite surprising because it is both more robust, with thicker notes in the lower midrange/bass, and at the same time thinner and brighter in the upper midrange and treble. The dynamics remain important and the impacts excellent.
For the
Magic Square of the Four, we are on a very good level, even if logically below the Six :
Resolution -> very good
Separation -> good
Definition -> very good
Transparency -> very good
I've had very good results with the Eletech Plato, which is a better match than the PW1950. It brings an extra soul to the stage while facilitating the readability of the lower midrange.
Conclusion:
I have to say that
I'm really hypnotised with the Six and I think they correspond to a signature that I particularly like (apart from the 16KHz peak). The combination of their
musical and technical qualities is a cocktail that I particularly enjoyed. And offered at the price at which they are currently sold, it's a golden opportunity to make the big leap to the TOTL heaven without any risk. However, it is necessary to take into account theese " peculiar " high notes which can be corrected easily with EQ if needed, this slightly thin tunning and this big shell and long nozzle.
The Four are a slightly more V-shapped, clearer and less technical variation but have good qualities in the price segment where they are offered.
Congratulations again to Craft Ears for these solid proposals and exemplary finishes that give an extra choice to any headfier looking for a solution for his listening sessions.
Magic Square :
"Resolution is the ability to individualize a voice or instrument"
"Separation is the ability to feel space between the various sound sources"
"Definition is the ability to perceive as much information as possible"
"Transparency is the ability to transcribe the nuances and subtleties of music"
My topic on Tellement Nomade here : http://www.tellementnomade.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=671123#p671123