EarSonics Onyx

I will be brief. Because as much the sound has been analyzed fairly fairly on the previous tests, there is a point to highlight, especially on intras of this price with a small Parenthesis concerning their high ranges, Platinum Grace.
What is the point of having a good sound if the manufacturing quality does not follow! Catastrophic machining, deplorable finishes with deviations of adjustment unworthy of a pair of intras at 5 dollars. A vent has even been forgotten to be pierced! I have never seen this.Finally, accessories that were not included because it is an oversight. The photos speak for themselves! Even my Grace Platinum have platinum veneer which disintegrates after a few months. Knowing that I don't use them often! In short, it had to be mentioned all the more since, sound level, there is Alternatives. And much better manufactured. These intras were purchased with my money, and were returned for a refund.

Overview:

Up for review today is the Earsonics Onyx – a relatively unknown IEM from a relatively unknown brand. The Onyx has 4 drivers with a mix of DD and BA – I’m not sure how those are spread out since their own website doesn’t really tell you, but I’d have to guess DD for bass and Bas for the rest. I received these from a fellow Head-Fier to test out since he lists them as his best under $1k – an award I give to the FiR VxV or CA Andromeda, but damn if I’m not tempted to recommend these instead for very different reasons. You can buy these from Audio46 for $639 retail if you want a pair. Yes, I forgot to photograph these, so you get stock images, my bad. On with the review!



Accessories/Earpads/Eartips (8/10):

Not bad Nick, not bad (if you get that movie reference, you’re cool). A decently nice black box (duh), a decent, if not amazing cable, a cleaning tool, 6 sets of ear tips of various types (sweet), and a perfectly serviceable black carrying case. Yeah, this is about what I expect at this price level – it’s a better package than far too many kilobuck IEMS. Still, it’s nothing mindblowing, and it’s still not quite as nice as what TRUTHEAR offers in their $80 HEXA packaging (still a gold standard), so overall it earns a solid 8/10 points. The Spinfit W1s are too big for the nozzles on these – the Final E type fits better.



Cable (6/10):

Yeah, it’s OK. It’s 3.5mm, which isn’t ideal at this price range – most people paying this much for an IEM likely have a balanced connection of their DAP, even if it’s only the Shanling M3U, etc. Heck, the TRUTHEAR SHIO has a 4.4mm, so it’s not the best, but it functions perfectly fine. It appears to be a silver-plated copper cable, and it feels a bit cheap, and very thin overall, but again, this is not a kilobuck IEM. The Aroma Thunder comes with a worse cable at 3-4 times the price. So yeah, it’s not great, but not bad either – 6/10 points.



Build Quality/Comfort (9/10):

Holy crap, they built these like a friggin’ tank. This is an all-metal IEM and makes stuff like the $5k Jewel or the $6.6k Traillii look like a cheap toy. So yes, the build quality is great. The design looks really great here as well – someone went to design school. The black Anno on these feels durable and my used copy came with no scratches or blemishes, which is how IEMs should look, but my Mentor somehow managed to pick up a scratch on the “gold” trim despite how careful I was with them, so this is really nice to see.

The comfort is good, and these are designed really well, but they’re not the smallest or lightest IEMs ever. The all-metal design makes them pretty heavy and they are pretty thick and somewhat large – not Ronin large, but still bigger than almost anything from Campfire Audio for example. The weight can get uncomfortable after long listening sessions, so it’s something to consider. 9/10 points here.

Sound:

Check out the wolfhawk.squig.link below to see how these compare to…well…nothing really. I don’t much that is in the $6-700 range. The closest thing I have is the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite and while it’s not too far off, it’s still pretty different – not to mention the price difference. So, the Onyx has some solid bass and sub-bass, but not mind-blowing, and somewhat recessed mids according to the FRG. The highs are nice and tapered off, which might help or hinder the Onyx on the songs below. I included the Andromeda 2019 I just got as well since it's probably the close I have here price-wise, though they graph like polar opposites.



I’m driving these off of my new Cayin N8ii DAP on solid-state with medium gain at around ~35/100 volume. That’s really good for a 3.5mm unbalanced connection – bravo Earsonics. I’m using Tidal Hi-Fi Plus to power it with MQA on.

Lows (14/20):

I’m starting off with the Mid-bass/Sub-bass test I’m using David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue).” There’s some really ghood impact here, but it does feel pretty thin compared to some, admittedly, much more expensive IEMs. The sub-bass has some really good body to it, though it’s pretty fuzzy. These have some really solid bass for the price, but it’s not at the quality level I expect from a more expensive IEM. It’s slightly above average, so it earns a 6/10 here – great quantity, ok quality.

Up next is Demon Hunter’s “I Am A Stone,” which I use to test whether the bass is too strong and overwhelms the mids as that is just as important as how strong/good the bass is. You really need to crank the volume here to hear the mids well – that’s thanks to the massive mids dip on the tuning. Still, the bass doesn’t really overwhelm the mids here and it’s a good overall presentation – again, for the price. It’s a really nice and full-bodied presentation here, though the recessed mids are not to my preference. 8/10 points here.

Mids (16/20):

Weaving The Fate’s “The Fall” is my test song for clean/dirty guitars and vocals with background instruments to see how clearly the vocals can be heard. The intro guitars are nice and clear with some really good dirty guitars. There’s a really warm, full-bodied presentation here. The downside again is that you have to crank the volume to really get the full presentation of the mids. That raises the volume of the lows as well and makes them a bit more present than I’d like on this song. Still, the overall is really quite good and it earns the Onyx 5/6 points here.

Staind’s “Something to Remind You” has clean electric guitars and wonderful vocals – this song tests vocal quality and background noise. The Onyx really has an amazing ability to present music in a warm and inviting manner that a lot of more expensive IEMs can’t do. This song is a great example of how that is presented. The vocals are great, the guitars are great, the soundstage feels intimate, but still large. It’s a fantastic presentation here with all of the details I look for in this song. 7/7 points awarded.

To test classical instruments in the mids, I’m using The Piano Guys' “Code Name Vivaldi.” While this song sounds quite good and has plenty of the motion ‘m looking for here with this song, the mids come in too recessed to really bring this song to life. The low-mids sound fantastic here with the bass-cello and the drums taking the front, but it leaves the piano and the mid-cello lacking without turning up the volume to uncomfortable levels. 4/7 points here.

Highs (15/20):

To test sibilance on headphones I use Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes.” Yeah, there’s some sibilance here, but it’s relatively controlled and certainly above average. 4/6 points here for decent sibilance control.

Dream Theater’s “The Alien,” is the highs test song I use to see if the cymbals/high-hats/snare drum can be clearly heard and distinguished from the rest of the music (also good for instrument separation.) There’s surprisingly good treble on the Onyx. Cymbals can be heard quite clearly against the rest of the song in the intro. Drums are also at the front of the sound presentation as well. I wasn’t expecting to be able to hear any treble based on the previous songs, so this is a welcome discovery. 6/7 points here – it’s surprisingly good, though it’s important to note that the mids do feel very recessed here.

Michelle McLaughlin’s “Across The Burren” is another of my favorite highs/sharpness test songs as it can easily sound painful on some headphones. Oof, there it is. I was really wondering where the weakness was going to be in the highs here since there’s almost always a weakness. It’s here with the sharpness – pretty painful. I was able to get through the whole song but it was definitely rough in some spots.

Soundstage/Instrument Separation/Imaging (6/10):

I use MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” to test soundstage, instrument separation, and imaging. Wow, not bad at all – these are how much again? There’s a very large soundstage, even if it’s pretty forward-leaning like most cheaper IEMs (2/3). It’s not anywhere near TOTL levels, but it is surprisingly good. The instrument separation is good, but not amazing (2/3) points and the imaging is again, good, but not TOTL (2/3). That’s still a really impressive score for this price range. 6/10 points awarded.

Comparisons:

I just got a 2019 CA Andromeda in and despite their MSRP differences, these two both sell for around the same price on the used market (maybe a little less for the Onyx, they’re so rare it’s hard to tell). They actually feel like very similar IEMs though the Onyx has a bassier presentation and an excellent soundstage and an all-metal construction. The Andro has more forward mids though and it’s my overall preference, but I also really like Campfire’s house sound as well. The Andro is also lighter and smaller, thus more comfortable. Both come with equally crappy cables, though I’d put the Onyx’s cable as the better of the two since it tangles less. Still, if you can get the Onyx for around $400, it’s a steal since an Andro will still run you $500+ in good condition – assuming you can find one. The Onyx has highs that are pretty close to the VxV for quite a bit less. It also has more bass, the recessed mids are the place where the Onyx easily loses out to the VxV – they’re really good mids, but they’re too quiet compared to the rest of the soundstage – something you may be able to fix with EQ.



Conclusion:

Wow, the Onyx surprised me. For a company that I’ve never heard of before, these are really cool IEMS. If you’re looking for some good bass quality, but not too much bass quantity, some high-quality mids, even if they’re too recessed, and some really good highs with a bit of sharpness – all for far less than a TOTL IEM, these are a great choice. Yes, I had to play with the volume a lot to get the best sound, but these will definitely go down as one of my best IEMs under $1k – quite a bit under. If you want to give this relatively unknown IEM for a relatively unknown company a shot, don’t hesitate – grab a pair.

TLDR -

Ergonomics and build perform at the highest level and its sound is engaging yet tasteful, retaining overall balance. It is my pleasure to recommend the ONYX for those wanting an engaging midrange IEM.

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Introduction –

Earsonics is a French audio brand that has achieved a solid international presence with their high-end IEMs. The company initially made waves with their all-BA reference monitors and have since tried their hand at hybrid designs that came alongside new metal shells. The ONYX is their latest project which finally sees the light after having been teased for quite some weeks. This model seeks to fill out their product lineup with a more affordable option. In fact, the company was so dedicated to value that they are only offering this IEM directly to consumers rather than by distributors to cut out middle-man costs. The result is an IEM that implements technologies and specifications seen on their pricier models at a far more accessible price point.

The ONYX just launched for 590 EUR at the time of writing. You can read more about it and treat yourself to a unit directly from Earsonics here!


Disclaimer –

I would like to thank Thibault from Earsonics very much for his quick communication and for reaching out to organise a review of the ONYX. All words are my own and there is no monetary incentive for a positive review. Despite receiving the earphones free of cost, I will attempt to be as objective as possible in my evaluation.

Specifications –

• Driver: 1x DD, 2x BA mid, 1x BA high
• Impedance: 16.5 ohms
• Sensitivity: 122 dB
• Frequency Response: 10 Hz – 20 kHz

Behind the Design –

Hybrid Drivers
Like many modern high-end IEMs, the ONYX uses a hybrid driver setup with a single DD woofer, 2x BA mids and 1x BA treble. The company is using HQ low-variance discrete components alongside proprietary, impedance-matched drivers designed to their spec. The company also reasons that this makes the earphone easy to drive from a variety of sources.

Acrylic Heart
At the core of the ONYX is the acrylic heart which is a 3D acrylic acoustic chamber. It provides support for the drivers in addition to reducing resonances. Specific positioning of each transducer to provides phase coherence alongside the company’s desired frequency response via a 3-way passive crossover.

TrueWave
The output nozzle of the earphone implements a specifically designed bell and tuning resonator that corrects the frequency response following the acrylic heart chamber. It serves to further optimise phase coherence and reduce resonances that may harm high-frequency extension.

Unboxing –


The earphones come in a handsome black box with a soft-touch finish and “ONYX” branding in gloss film. Opening the magnetic latch reveals the IEMs within protective foam inlets with a standard zipper carrying case below. To the side is a separate compartment containing the accessories. Out of the box, Earsonics provides 2 pairs of silicone ear tips, 2 pairs of Comply foam ear tips and 2 pairs of dual-flange tips. In addition, the ONYX comes with a cleaning tool and paperwork for authenticity.

Design –

Earsonics’ recent shell designs have been a beautiful display of metalwork and the ONYX is no different. These earphones employ shapely all-metal 2 piece shells with an almost Daft Punk-esque aesthetic. The texture tells me these are injection moulded rather than CNC shells giving them an awesome satin finish. Despite this, the tolerances are excellent with nigh-perfect faceplate matching and smooth, well-finished edges all around. The ONYX is an earphone to be enjoyed both in and out of the ear with craftsmanship that is best appreciated close-up.


Above, users will find the widely adopted 0.78mm 2-pin removable cable interface. The stock cable offers sound quality, a 4-core unit with a braided design and soft, transparent insulation. It sports 4C-HR silver conductors. It is rather thin and a little rubbery, but still offers sound ergonomics and minimal microphonic noise transmission. The metal connectors provide contrast to the dark housings and the pre-moulded ear guides offer a comfortable and stable fit for my ears. Earsonics also offer an upgrade cable at an additional cost of 199 EUR.

Fit & Isolation –

From visual inspection, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the fit as Earsonics’ IEMs are one of the more unorthodox silhouettes on the market. Colour me impressed for the ONYX provides excellent comfort and stability on behalf of their shapely and well-contoured design. I was able to wear them for hours at a time without discomfort or hotspot formation. Though the shells are slightly larger than average, those with average-sized ears should have no difficulties. Their ergonomic shaping helps to achieve excellent articular fit with the concha, aiding stability and minimising hotspot formation.


The well-angled nozzles also contribute as they position the housings flusher with the outer ear contributing to an impressively low-profile fit despite the width of the shells. The well-angled and slimmer nozzles produce a slightly shallower than average fit depth. In addition to their vented design, wearing pressure is kept to a minimum. In addition, isolation is above average and easily suitable for daily commute whilst permitting some spatial awareness. It should be noted that some driver flex is apparent despite their vented design, however, I did not find this to affect reliable function or performance during my testing. Those wanting the best isolation for especially noisy environments may still want to investigate a fully-sealed option that said.

Sound –


Testing Methodology: Measured using Arta via IEC 711 coupler to Startech external sound card. 7-9KHz peaks may be artefacts/emphasised due to my measurement setup, less so with a deep fit. Measurements besides channel balance are volume matched at 1KHz. Fit depth normalised to my best abilities to reduce coupler resonance. Still, due to these factors, my measurements may not accurately reflect the earphone or measurements taken by others. I gave the ONYX 100hrs burn-in to ensure maximum performance prior to subjective breakdown.

Tonality –

The ONYX has an intriguing sound tuning that is quite different in measurement to many competitors but provides a perfectly natural voicing during listening all the same. In direct comparison to something more linear in its tuning, the ONYX has an intriguing W-shaped character with exaggerated separation between each frequency band. This character begins with a modest bass emphasis equally focused around the sub and mid-bass regions instigating a bold, meaty low-end with an abundance of power and drive. A sizable upper-bass/lower-mid dip aids a well-separated midrange and prevents spill. The midrange employs dual 1.5kHz and 4kHz humps meaning both male and female vocals are brought forward with instruments sitting behind. They occupy an intimate position in-line with the bass. Finally, a 6kHz peak provides a crisp, energetic top-end that serves as a foil to the thick bass and big midrange. Altogether, a unique and well-executed earphone that upholds respectable balance whilst oozing loads of personality.

Bass –

As the mids and treble have been brought up to a similar degree, Earsonics was able to achieve a powerful voicing without bass dominance. To my ears, they have a slight sub-bass bias though mid-bass does sit roughly on par so as to avoid upsetting balance and timbre. This provides enlarged bass notes with a thick, weighted character. The dynamic driver also extends terrifically, it has a good amount of pressure and a visceral rumble. As the mid-bass has also been elevated, the low-end sounds consistent between tracks with no shortage of punch and impact on albums mastered with less sub-bass. The earphones also have a much narrower bass shelf than many bass-boosted IEMs, with a steep drop above the mid-bass through to the lower midrange.


Accordingly, they aren’t especially warm nor are they bloated or tubby. The ONYX delivers a focus on excellent dynamics, slam and power. The note presentation plays into this as well as Earsonic’s dynamic driver provides a keen, tight attack and well-controlled decay. The ONYX has a very well-defined bass, especially when taking its level of emphasis and style of tuning into consideration. Sub-bass slam is tight, well-paced and satisfying. Notes decay slightly quicker than neutral, redeeming separation. Though the thick note structure means this isn’t a defining feature of the ONYX’s low-end, it also never presents as muddy or smeared on complex tracks. This is a responsive, technically impressive bass response with a well-executed fun and engaging character.

Mids –

It’s impressive that despite the robust, powerful bass, the midrange manages to draw equal focus and it does represent ingenious colouration on Earsonic’s behalf. Those wanting utmost linearity and balance may find the vocal/instrument balance leaves them wanting. However, for sheer musical enjoyment, the ONYX is an appealing package that genuinely surprised me. For instance, the earlier 1.5kHz rise brings male vocals forward and the smaller 4kHz lift equally services female vocals. This is a refreshing change from many IEMs that have more of an upper-mid bias so, if you like male vocals, the ONYX presents them with awesome clarity, size and definition. The 4kHz bump combined with reduced note body from the lower-mid dip means the ONYX has a more revealing character within the midrange itself though never in an intense manner.

Hints of warmth seep in from the bass preventing the monitor from presenting as sterile, metallic or cool. I also find the earlier 1.5kHz emphasis gives vocals a bit more size and gusto than your usual 2-3kHz emphasis. The result is large, intimate vocals that aren’t perfectly natural coming from more linear reference monitors, but impressively close despite the colouration. The ONYX is quite an articulate monitor on top which helps to bring small details to the fore. Since treble emphasis is on equal footing with the ONYX’s forward vocal range, it also isn’t head-voice dominant or sharp. Altogether, the ONYX doesn’t sound explicitly linear, but it does have a lack of unnatural qualities. Moreover, it does so with awesome vocal definition and separation from the bass and excellent clarity without intensity or rasp.

Highs –

We tend to innately focus on the top-end performance when first evaluating a high-end IEM as treble extension and sparkle have since become unanimous with these designs. However, in actuality, this does not necessarily have to be the case. The ONYX proves this as its standout features are surely its bass and midrange. Treble, meanwhile, performs at a good level but doesn’t strike as being so outstanding. It has a moderate 5.5-6kHz peak that instigates a slightly more energetic foreground treble presentation. It doesn’t quite have the precision and fine resolving power here of class leaders, but an average amount augmented by a crisp and engaging tuning. I find the leading edge isn’t over-sharpened despite the tuning and the ONYX has a surprising amount of body and texture if here at the expense of raw note definition. It still separates well and provides a mostly natural timbre that is easy to enjoy.


Above, the tuning quickly falls off, providing a clean, black background. This gives the earphone a hyper-contrasted foreground/background that contributes towards an enjoyable layering experience. While background and micro detail in the highest registers won’t win any awards, there is enough information here to provide a well-defined background to enable a good sense of distance projection. I do believe the treble will be one of the more polarising aspects of this earphone as it doesn’t present as especially well-extended or open. Perhaps, more overt brightness and sparkle here would have made the overall presentation more fatiguing given the already engaging bass and midrange tuning. To my ears, this has always been a defining characteristic of Earsonic’s designs and it does make sense when taken as an overall package.

Soundstage –

Despite the darker treble tuning, I found myself impressed by the soundstage performance of the ONYX. It showcases well above average dimensions with width especially stretching nicely beyond the head. Depth is no slouch either, but the stage proportions are ovoid overall. The imaging performance is also one of the best performers in class. The ONYX has a very strong centre-image and a fairly keen sense of direction too.

It doesn’t have many layers or dissect vocal harmonisations like a TOTL monitor but has a hyper-defined foreground and dark background with good contrast. Separation is also quite good, especially impressive given its thick, weighted bass. The ONYX has a well-controlled bass response with excellent separation to the midrange and treble. The upper-frequency ranges themselves lie on the revealing side with a slightly thinner note body meaning there is a sense of ether surrounding each element. This makes small details easier to perceive by the listener.

Driveability –

With a regular 16.5-Ohm impedance and a 122dB sensitivity, the ONYX is an efficient design suitable for portable sources. I found this to be the case during testing as well, hitting ear-splitting volumes from low powered dongle-style sources yet alone DAPs and desktop gear. The upside to this as well is that the ONYX sounds dynamic and well-voiced from lower power sources too making it easy to live with.

Output Impedance Sensitivity


Fortunately, the ONYX has a relatively flat impedance curve and this is something I confirmed in subjective testing as well. The rule of eighths dictates that the sound will only be as the designer intended from a 2-ohm source, however, even from a source with a 20-ohm output impedance, the sound signature remains essentially unchanged. This bodes well for performance from integrated audio solutions in laptops and phones for instance, that often sit around a few Ohms and can skew the sound of most multi-driver in-ears. The ONYX has a very consistent character between sources which widens suitable pairings.

Driving Power

Similarly, the ONYX is an efficient earphone that I didn't find to require much driving power. Switching from the Shanling M2X to my desktop stack with THX789 revealed a small jump in dynamics and sub-bass definition but a similar voicing otherwise. The Astell & Kern Dual DAC cable drove the earphones just as well as the larger DAP making this earphone a great choice for those without high-end sources. Though the sensitivity is high, they aren't overly hiss sensitive. On the M2X with the amp circuit active and volume on 0, hiss was vaguely audible but completely inaudible when music was playing.

Suggested Pair Ups

The ONYX is a very easy to drive earphone which adds to the value proposition as ideal source pairings aren't a requirement to derive an enjoyable sound. It plays well with higher output impedances and lower-powered sources but does scale nicely with regards to dynamics and soundstage size from better sources. Hiss also isn't a huge concern on this design. Given its sound signature, I found neutral-leaning sources were to my preference as their keep the low-end as clean as possible. However, it also isn't an especially warm or stuffy sound so there is leeway for warmer sources too. There is also ample body to enjoy them with bright sources but I did find the midrange was a little thin.

Comparisons –



Etymotic EVO ($499): The EVO is a far more linear earphone with a much flatter bass. Given its all-BA setup, the ONYX has a large advantage when it comes to bass power and extension. The EVO is quicker, leaner and faster while the ONYX has a much bigger bass in general with a lot more sub-bass and a fuller mid-bass. The ONYX is far more dynamic. Despite this, the ONYX has equally forward vocals to the EVO. The EVO sounds more even here and its voicing is more accurate. The ONYX has more colouration with higher clarity and intimacy alongside a bit more warmth from its bigger bass.

The EVO resolves slightly better but the ONYX is more engaging with its more articulate and clarity-enhanced nature. Up top, the EVO is once again more linear nigh slightly smooth through the lower-treble. The ONYX has more energy and crispness here but not by a large degree. The EVO sounds more precise with a more defined leading edge and greater resolving power of fine details. The ONYX has the darker background but the EVO extends slightly better with superior background detail retrieval. Despite this, the ONYX has a much larger stage. The EVO has sharper direction and better layering.

Oriveti O500 ($499): The O500 is a good comparison as it shares many similarities with the ONYX with a dark background and intimate vocal presentation. The ONYX is the bassier earphone with the O500 having less sub-bass pressure and a few dB less emphasis above. Otherwise, the tuning is similar between the both. The ONYX is noticeably more dynamic with a harder-hitting slam. I do find it more controlled and defined too. The O500 only comes out ahead if you are averse to sub-bass pressure that some find fatiguing. The O500 has a similar midrange tuning but sustains more through the 2-3kHz range. This gives it a more vocal-focused character.

The O500 is more transparent, it has slightly higher clarity and definition and a cleaner tone. The ONYX is slightly more balanced with slightly more body that makes it more forgiving but slightly less resolving. Both earphones have a small dip before a medium lower-treble peak. The ONYX does have the more defined leading edge while the O500 is smoother and more delicate. The ONYX has more body and texture while the O500 has better extension and greater air. Both are dark and clean above, the ONYX is darker while the O500 retains a bit more headroom. The ONYX has the larger stage, especially width. The O500 separates slightly better while the ONYX has sharper imaging.



Moondrop Variations ($520): The Variations is a similar kind of earphone too. It has a big sub-bass boost but, otherwise, represents and impressively linear response. Both have similar levels of bass, the ONYX has a bit more balance between sub and mid-bass while the Variations prefers a cleaner tone with more sub-bass bias. Both have awesome extension, rumble and slam. The ONYX is slightly more controlled, boasting higher note definition and responsiveness, the Variations comes across as a bit softer despite the initial attack being just as assertive. The midrange is more forward on the ONYX. The Variations has a slightly clearer, more linear expression with a more neutral tone. The ONYX has slightly more warmth to its male vocals especially and they are a touch more forward.

Both have similar clarity and upper-mid positioning, the ONYX sounding a bit more coloured but not by a large extent. The Variations has slightly higher resolving power. Up top, the Variations is slightly smoother with a more linear lower-treble. The Variations pulls ahead on fine detail retrieval and extension by a noticeable degree. Its leading edge is more defined and its timbre is more accurate. Its background detail retrieval and extension are superior. The ONYX has a bit more body and focus in the lower-treble as is a weakness of the EST system employed by the Moondrop. But technically, it does fall behind. I do, however, find the ONYX to have a larger soundstage, the Variations has slightly sharper imaging in return.

Craft Ears Craft FOUR (625 EUR): The Craft FOUR also has some degree of vocal focus and a warmer-tonality, a fun W-shaped IEM that can be had in custom for a similar price. While both have a similar amount of mid-bass, the ONYX has more sub-bass while the FOUR begins to roll off. The FOUR has very impressive extension for a BA but can’t match the dynamics and power of the ONYX. The FOUR has a quicker decay and, in turn, its mid-bass appears punchier and more defined. The ONYX isn’t too far behind whilst boasting far greater dynamics. The midrange on the FOUR appears more forward by comparison to its less present bass while the ONYX is more balanced between the 3 frequency bands.

The FOUR has a more evident warmth and a bit more body. Meanwhile, the ONYX is one step more revealing with slightly higher clarity and extension on behalf of its more present upper-midrange. The FOUR is a bit more coherent but both are naturally voiced in summary. The FOUR has a more isolated treble while the ONYX sounds more even-handed in its delivery. The FOUR is a bit crisper but also thinner. The ONYX has more body and texture alongside a slightly sharper leading edge that gives it a small advantage on fine detail retrieval. Above, the FOUR does extend a hair better and delivers greater air due to its higher treble peak. The ONYX has the larger soundstage and both have a similar level of imaging performance.

Verdict –



It has been quite a while since I’ve listened to an Earsonics monitor; as I recall not since their acrylic reference monitors of old. And colour me impressed! The ONYX is an impressive experience from start to finish. Perhaps the simple unboxing, thin cable and treble extension are telling of its true asking price. However, the metal shells and W-shaped signature with awesome bass power and extension give the impression of a far more expensive monitor. Overall, I do believe this makes the ONYX a strong value proposition when taken as an overall package, just as the company set out to achieve. Ergonomics and build quality perform at the highest level and its tuning is highly engaging yet executed with immense mastery so as not to upset overall balance. It is my pleasure to recommend the ONYX for those wanting an engaging midrange IEM.

The ONYX is available from Earsonics (International) for 590 EUR at the time of writing. I am not affiliated with Earsonics and receive no earnings from purchases made through these links.

Track List –

Billie Eilish – dont smile at me
Bob Seger – Night Moves
Courtney Barnett – Rae Street
Cream – Wheels of Fire
Dire Straits – Communique
Dirty Loops – Next To You
Eagles – Hotel California
Elton John – Honky Chateau
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
H.E.R – I Used To Know Her
Jasen – BYE
John Mayer – Continuum
Kanye West – Ye
Missy Higgins – The Sound of White
Radiohead – OK Computer
TALA – ain’t leavin` without you
The Beatles – Abbey Road
The weeknd – After Hours
Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride