EARNiNE EN120 Review: Wait, How Much Detail?
EARNiNE (or just Earnine, which is how I’m going to write it from now on) has a very complicated company history. Originally they were a brand started by TSST ( Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology). However TSST went bankrupt, and the end seemed nigh for the fledgling brand. Thankfully, some of the employees of Earnine managed to revive the brand and continue developing their fully-original balanced-armature designs. Now they’ve brought us the EN120, a single BA earphone. But in a market full of triple-driver IEMs and hybrids, can the EN120 compete, let alone stand out?
You can find the official EN120 page here, and the Amazon JP listing here. I don’t currently have a link for US buyers, but I’m looking for one. MSRP was originally going to be $80–$100 but has since been reduced to roughly $60.
Disclaimer: This unit was provided to me free of charge for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Earnine beyond this review. These words reflect my true, unaltered, opinion about the product. I would like to thank Tony for sending me out this sample.
Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.
My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, mid-bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more bright upper range.
Source: The EN120 was powered like so:
HTC U11 -> USB-C adapter -> earphones
or
Hidizs AP100 3.5mm out -> FiiO A5 3.5mm out -> earphones
or
HiFiMAN SuperMini -> earphones
or
PC optical out -> HiFiMe SPDIF 9018 Sabre DAC 3.5mm out -> earphones
All music was served as MP3 @320Kbps or as FLAC.
Sound Signature
Initial Impressions:
I do not have virgin ears. I’ve heard some very impressive setups and own some near-TOTL IEMs. But it’s been a very long time since I put some earphones in and immediately went: “wow”. Instead of the typical consumerist V-shaped sound signature I was expecting I got an incredibly refined, wonderfully tuned one. The treble is clear and airy without being overpowering or sharp, and the mids are well fleshed-out with precision. Bass is matched well to the mids and is subtle, yet distinctly punchy.
Listen to enough Sonion and Knowles configurations and the similarities begin to stand out. The EN120 sounds truly original to my ears, and it’s refreshing to hear.
Treble: Songs used: In One Ear, Midnight City, Outlands, Satisfy
The treble-bound instrumentation was really well fleshed out in all the songs I tested, but In One Ear really stood out to me. I generally find that “wide” sound stages spread the drums and percussion instruments way too far apart. That isn’t the case with the EN120. Each hit of cymbals and high hats had a distinct location, but said locations were located appropriately close together.
Attack and decay are both quick, but not artificial-feeling. This lends the EN120 both a quick, airy, and precise feeling.
The synths of M83’s Midnight City were clean and textured, but never sharp. Furthermore I could make them out quite well throughout the entire song, something I find single-BA IEMs tend to struggle on.
I never heard any sibilance through the EN120, even on poorly mastered tracks like Nero’s Satisfy.
Mids: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway, Dreams
Flagpole Sitta sounded outstanding. Each guitar sounded distinct and textured, with a wonderful timbre. The drums, however, were the best part. They sounded clean and solid, a phenomenon I rarely get to enjoy on this song.
The instrumentation of Jacked Up was similarly impressive. The pianos were weighted impressively well and they had a hard edge to them. This indicates, as I mentioned earlier with the treble, that the EN120 has a very healthy attack and decay.
Vocals are also pretty great, though the EN120 does prefer male vocals over female ones. Intelligibility is good for both male and female though, so I can’t really complain here.
However I’m most impressed with how well Earnine managed to counteract the typical dryness that “clarity” tuned IEMs, especially of the single-BA variety, typically embody. I never found myself thinking that the mids were too thin or shrill.
Bass: Songs used: Moth, Gold Dust, In For The Kill (Skream Remix), War Pigs (Celldweller Remix)
Before I say any more I’d like to mention that I could only get an acceptable lower-register out of this IEM after I switched to really high-quality foam eartips. Using the included ones simply didn’t give me a good-enough seal.
Bass is where I feel that many people will loose the EN120. Even after getting an acceptable seal, bass is quite subtle. That being said, it is definitely present and audible, just not in the quantities that many consumers have come to expect. This is a truly “audiophile” take on bass, as there’s only enough there for you to hear the instrumentation in the lower register. That means you can entirely forget about any filthy bass drops or rumble — that’s not what the EN120 was designed for. This rendered, unfortunately, about half my test songs to be rather unimpressive. However Moth still sounded great, and the bass guitar had a notable presence. It was quite expressive and solid.
Packaging / Unboxing
I can only really levy criticism against Earnine for their packaging. The box has this oily sheen to it that makes the package feel more like it contains a cheap action-figure, not something that holds a sleek high-fidelity IEM.
Build
Construction Quality
Earnine really nailed construction on this one. The driver-housings and nozzles are machined from a well-polished reflective metal. You can find the Earnine logo emblazoned on the rear face of the housings. The braided cable is securely affixed to the housing through appropriately springy plastic stress-relief.
Speaking of cables, the EN120 has one of the most well-designed cables I’ve tested to date. No, it isn’t removable and no, it isn’t flashy. But it is sturdy, flexible, and nearly 100% free of microphonics. In terms of practicality Earnine hit this one out of the park. Furthermore the Y-splitter is nice and tough, and the chin-slider is effective.
The cable is terminated in a simple TRS 3.5mm jack. It’s also housed in polished metal and has the same effective stress relief featured on the housings. On the rear face of the jack you can find the Earnine logo as well, though it looks pressed into the metal rather than screen-printed.
Comfort
The EN120 is light and quite slim, making it very comfortable, even with the fairly standard silicone eartips that Earnine bundles. Isolation is decent, but (obviously) improves significantly when used with foam ones. Your millage may vary, but I’d say its a safe bet you’ll find the EN120 comfortable to wear even for extended periods of time.
Accessories
The EN120 doesn’t come with a lot of accessories, and frankly, doesn’t even have a simple carrying case. Inside the box you’ll find:
- 2x sets of extra silicone eartips
Summary
The EN120, if you can buy it, is one of the best value IEMs I’ve ever encountered. If you’re willing to take an “audiophile” (read: subtle) take on bass then this is the IEM for you! Just slap some foam eartips on this bad boy and you’ll be all set. Otherwise, you’d best look elsewhere. Good job EARNiNE, and happy listening everyone!