EarWerkz Legend R

I have been in custom-IEM world for a while and experienced many great IEMs during this journey. A few months ago, when I decided to get a new CIEM, I sent an email to Jack and discussed about Legend; and finally Earwerkz has retuned Legend to ‘’R’’ version to make everything better about it. I haven’t heard the original Legend; mine is R version and I call it LR in this review.
 
 
Customer Relationship:
 
The one of the most important factors in marketing is customer relationship. A good customer service is really helpful for both possible future customers and existing ones. Earwerkz has a really good customer service and they are very fast about replying to emails. As we all know, Jack is the CEO of Earwerkz and he personally replies to emails and gets contacted with customer directly. This is a very positive factor to get an IEM from Earwerkz. You feel yourself in a trusting area.  The turn around time is one of the quickest built times in the entire industry. As far as I know, maybe the quickest one with M-Fidelity. They both have approx. 10 days turn around time.
 

Picture From EarWerkz
 
Built Quality, Cable, Accessories and Internals:
 
The built quality and craftsmanship of LR is very good; one of the bests that I have ever seen. Except two lacquer traces, they have been carefully built. No significant bubble and there is a very well placed faceplate. Some users have left negative feedbacks about the placement of socket of LR and said that this made it uncomfortable. I have no complaints about the comfort of LR at all and I didn’t have to send it back to Jack for a refit. The placement of the socket doesn’t bother me and I can listen to it for hours. Thus, Earwerkz seems to already solve the socket placement issue regarding the fit.
 
The socket on the faceplate reminds me Japanese FitEar type, but differently it is old type Westone 2-pin compatible. This is a good opportunity to try many already existing aftermarket cables on it. It is neither very difficult to remove the cable from the phone nor too easy. I like its tightness; this would extend the life of the earphone.
 
The presentation of the accessories that sent with the phone is not impressive, at least for me. There are a pelican hard case, a semi-hard carrying case, a cleaning tool, a microfiber cloth and Quad EW cable. The accessories’ quality and richness is good, but the problem is their presentation to customer. They come in a yellow-bubbled envelope; there is no outer box. Although they have a very good quality, they should be presented at least in an outer box. The presentation is simple and lacks a premium feeling for a TOTL categorized CIEM.
 
The Quad EW stock cable is the best stock cable that I’ve ever seen. The built quality and looking is very impressive. It is better than Custom Art, UM and Westone 2 pin stock cables. We can only criticize it about its 3.5 plug; it can be built by a smaller one in order to listen to LR on some smartphones with cases. Sometimes, we may need to remove protecting case to plug LR cable to smartphone’s output.
 
LR has three acoustics bores with large diameters. It also has 8 drivers and 7 crossovers with 6-way configuration. When we take a look to drivers in it, we can see that there are two very big drivers with 6 smaller ones.   
 
Sound:
 
In general, Legend R sounds a bit warm, mid-oriented with thick and realistic notes. It has a non-fatiguing presentation, even if it is forward/close to face. However, the overall spectrum is not very smooth or the smoother one. I wouldn’t call it aggressive too. It is closer to smoother side. LR is also pretty sensitive and easy to drive even with smartphones.
 
It has more than 100 hours burn-in time and uses with its own stock cable for the review.
 
Low Frequency:
 
LR’s sub-bass has a good rumble with a mid-sized area of impact on the soundstage. Its hitting to depth capability is good, even if it is not the best among my other CIEMs that I have tried.  The speed is also good with fast tracks, doesn’t miss the notes and it has a presentation somewhere between being tight and splayed. Additionally, it is not a bass-head CIEM, but the quantity and punch is fairly enough for an all rounder product.
 
Mid-bass section is a bit more prominent compared to sub-bass area. It doesn’t overcome the entire presentation and doesn’t tighten the soundstage. It gives a good body to the whole spectrum with a good balance. However, we need to select the source carefully. If our source has a very prominent mid-bass presentation, LR would lose the impressive mid-bass balance with the entire spectrum. For example, Hifiman HM901 is a more effective source with a laid back placed mid-bass presentation compared to Lotoo Paw Gold or HM801.
 
The resolution of both sub and mid bass is also quite good. As we know, Earwerkz has launched the Omega version of Legend. The Omega seems to have a different bass presentation, at least with a harder hitting bass response.
 

 
 
Mid Frequency:
 
This frequency is one of the most powerful parts of the LR. It has a forward, very detailed and dynamic mid range presentation with weighty notes.  This weighty note recreation makes LR as much as natural, more full-bodied and powerful with good timbre presenting ability. Thanks to weighty mid-bass presentation, both lower and center mids have realistic touches.
 
Upper mids have a very good control and non-sibilant vocals. Surely, if we have sibilance in our records, LR cannot eliminate it. If we have good recordings, vocals become very enjoyable to listen and quite emotional. Also, it has a very forward vocal presentation with a good resolution. If we like very forward vocals, this CIEM may be ideal.
 
The note recreation is really impressive; it can recreate both thick and thin notes very well. The LR has one of the weightiest presentations that I have ever heard. I wouldn’t call it exactly organic; it mostly sounds from a ‘’realistic perspective’’. However, apart from vocals, the overall mid resolution and transparency is not the best among my other CIEMs. After all, the instruments’ resolution is fair enough to be in TOTL category.
 
High Frequency:
 
This is most laid back frequency of the entire spectrum with a non-fatiguing presentation. The detail level and extension is quite good for a balanced spectrum; the treble notes are neither recessed nor bright. However, the lower treble is not very detailed like uppers. Though there is a little coloration on highs, the transparency and resolution is quite good. LR’s highs also have a good speed and they aren’t sticky on fast tracks.
 
I would like to say that it is not a treble head earphone. The detail level, the speed and notes’ weight is very good, but if we want a more sparkling CIEM, this wouldn’t be an ideal one. LR has a forgiving and a bit laid-back high frequency presentation.     
 
Soundstage and Instrument Separation:
 
LR does have neither an ultra wide nor ultra deep stage. Between two abilities, the stage depth is the most successful and impressive one. However, the stage dimensions are fair enough for all kind of music except the classical. The layering is also good and increases the level of the instrument separation. LR locates the soundstage and the back ground close the musicians. That creates a forward presentation and listener feels to be intimate with musicians and very close to the stage. The distance between instruments isn’t very long, but the placement is not congested. There is also a bit warm air between them.
 
Additionally, LR has a very stable and black background. Even if the stage isn’t the biggest one, coherence, 3D creating ability, instrument positioning and the instrument separation is very strong.  Especially the instrument separation and background’s blackness is one of the most impressive among my CIEMs.
 

 
 
Final Words:
 
The Legend R’s general presentation is neither dark nor bright. There is a good tonal balance with weighty and thick notes on the entire spectrum. That can be preferable for whose like a bit mid oriented-forward sound with thick and heavy notes. The most strong parts of LR are mid frequency presentation, realism of notes and the instrument separation.
 
Due to its high sensitivity, listening to a low quality source may cause a bit ‘’hiss’’ noise. When pairing with high-end sources, I haven’t noticed a significant hiss.