Effect Audio Axiom

The Axiom is Effect Audio’s latest groundbreaking in-ear monitors. The Axiom is more than just a technical audio device. This is an experience product that grows with you; its modular design empowering the most discerning of users with absolute control and scalability.

This is our statement on what an personal audiophile product of the 21st century should be like: embodying all of the virtues of sustainability, versatility and user experience in one product.

This is probably the first personal audio product in the world to be designed with sustainable features from the moment of its conception. In addition to minimised packaging and included accessories, this is also the first in-ear monitors in the world to include a Modular Unit (MU) System that promises maximum scalability and user interactivity for years to come.

IMPORTANT: Please note that every Axiom will not ship with a stock cable. Customers are highly encouraged to reuse whatever they have or may also choose to opt-in to our perpetual Cable Bundle programme.

Every Axiom is optimised for a wide variety of usage applications, genres of sonic content and for extended hours of listening. The shell and nozzle are the collective results of extensive in-house research and ergonomic studies before arriving at these designs.

The sound signature can also be described as non-fatiguing; with a reference-class voicing. This comes from many years of experience and input from audiophiles everywhere as the most versatile and user-friendly design. Customers are more than welcome to craft their own sounds using their favourite accessories.

Every unboxing of the Axiom to be a unique adventure.

From the moment of unboxing to the first listen of the product, Axiom customers can expect to be taken on an exciting adventure through the mystical Orient. Numerous design elements harking back to ancient Far East are interwoven with multisensory experiences, awaiting to be discovered.

SPECIFICATION
Driver system: 2-way BA-DD hybrid

Drivers: 12mm magnesium dynamic driver with LCP suspension (bass, mids),
twinned FK-series Knowles Balanced armatures (high frequencies)

Linear Frequency response (-6dB): 20 to 16,800 Hz

Crossover frequency: 4,800 Hz

Crossover architecture: Proprietary RC architecture

Impedance: 32Ω @ 1 kHz

Sensitivity: 112 dB/mW @ 1 KHz

Weight (without cable): 10.2 g
MU System Modules:MMCX and CIEM (2-Pin)

I like to thank effects audio for sending me the axiom for review and wanting my honest opinion of this iem. I was excited when I heard an iem with titanium housing, big DD with LCP and magnesium dome. And the company describing the iem to be reference with bass , which is something I always looking for iem new gears. This iem include a special eartips called epro which is one of my favorites tips to use because how soft it is and how wide it is it helps with texture of sound without changing it negatively.

Effects audio was king enough to send me a pair of new cable called vogue series maestro which is an $99 litz copper cable and an upgrade to the old aeries cable. It's much softer cable which I was looking for.

Sound:

Bass:
The bass on the axiom can sound very powerful and deep to tight and controlled all depending on the genre of music as well as the quality of sources. But one thing it definitely doesn't bleed to the mid range so we are good in the aspect. Bass is fast as well as very textured.

Midrange:

Midrange is open and three dimensional , it can sound very close to very far away depending on the recording. It's never veiled or recessed . It's natural and smooth

Treble:
Treble is extremely cheap and sparkly. Some times can get sparkly. It's I clean and open and speed it fast and not slow.

Soundstage and imaging:

Soundstage and imaging is excellent on this iem all are above average and close to endgame level .

Conclusion:
I'm happy that I was part on the tour to review this beautiful iem which definitely impressed me . I can't say anything negative accept the price and lack of cable but besides that. The rest are excellent.

Introduction

So, there I was, still catching my breath from a recent Gotham rollercoaster review ride. But somehow it didn't take that long before a new writing opportunity came along. Its name this time? The Effect Audio Axiom!

Axiom information on the EA website: https://www.effectaudio.com/axiom

From the moment of unboxing to the first listen of the product, Axiom customers can expect to be taken on an exciting adventure through the mystical Orient. Numerous design elements harking back to ancient Far East are interwoven with multisensory experiences, awaiting to be discovered.

Wow, that was quite a mysterious and tempting description, straight from the horse's mouth. But when I received the Axiom (demo unit) myself, I could instantly see, feel and even smell what the above promises were all about. A big 'Thank you!' goes out to Nic and the folks at EA for giving me the opportunity to experience this exciting audio adventure myself this way. EA also offered me to keep the Axiom for a discount, after I mentioned that I had completed the review.

The price of the Axiom is set at US$1.499. Inside the Axiom there is a 12mm magnesium dynamic driver, covering the lows and mids. Plus two balanced armature drivers for the high frequencies. For the dynamic driver I took approx 70-100 hours to burn it in.

When I received the Axiom, there were two coloured (green and red) boxes. Now, let's have a look at what I received exactly:


Green Box contents: the imho beautiful designed (with unique hand cut Hetian Jade faceplates) Axiom IEM itself, with both black, original tuned MMCX (pre-installed) and 2-pin connector modules. Three sizes (S/M/L) of ePro silicone tips, which turned out to work fine for me. A small screwdriver to switch between the different kind of modules, and last but not least a delightful smelling kind of tea packet. Which took my memories immediately back to the time that I visited the tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands, when I was backpacking through Malaysia many, many years ago. To me this was a very welcome and heartwarming memory.

Red Box contents: the 2-pin connector, silver modules, which are differently tuned compared to the original black ones. But later more on that. Oh, and there were also some extra tiny screws included, which might come handy later on in Axioms life.



After I had unpacked the above, I was very curious how this IEM would sound. But of course listening was a bit tricky without an IEM cable. Effect Audio, being well known as a cable manufacturer for years, made the choice to not include a stock cable (which people might not use afterall) with the Axiom. But they do offer the opportunity to order a higher quality, discounted cable of choice (EVO 1, EVO 10 or Cleopatra) at their site instead.

For me this was not an issue at all, as I already have (more than) enough cables over here. And before I tried some of my other EA cables, I grabbed the first (spare) cable that I came across in my closet. Being the (€99) silver stock, 2-pin and very thin / flexible one, that came with my ES Onyx some months ago. This also immediately proved to be a solid synergy match to my ears. Which means that you don't have to invest that much extra on a cable to get a good result with the Axiom to start with imo.

I'm aware that the included ePro silicone tips were some kind of 'hit or miss' for other people out there. But like I mentioned before, the stock silicone (M worked best for me) tips gave me a good fit / seal and therefore sound. And while I've also tried my 'all time favorite' JVC Spiral Dots tips (and some others, just out of curiosity), I eventualy returned to the original stock ones, which I'm still using as I'm typing this.

Now, let's move on to the sources that I used for listening to the Axiom. Most of the listening (approx 70%) was done from a Lotoo Paw Gold Touch. This is probably one of the most neutral and detail revealing, reference DAPs around. After some listening I found that the PMEQ setting called 'Headphone' had excellent synergy with the Axiom. So I basically sticked to that one later on. The other 30% of my listening was done from a 'RedWine modded' AK380cu, which has a much warmer, almost tube like, signature from itself. Both mentioned DAPs were very capable to get the best, regarding sound quality, out of the Axiom imo.

When I start to listen to a new IEM, I usually start with some albums that I do know very well, to check how it performs. These albums are 'The Dark Side of the Moon' by Pink Floyd, 'Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac and last but not least 'Mezzanine' by Massive Attack.


Seriously? How real (also soundwise) can it get!

Although these are three completely different kind of albums / genres, by listening to these albums I always get a solid impression of how good an IEM performs in various signature departments. Normally, after this, I switch to listening to all songs on my DAPs in 'Shuffle All' mode. But this time I created a special playlist, according to something that I dediced that had to be the theme of my Axiom review over here. The songs of that playlist will pass by as YT linked content, during this review. But I have to mention that I listened to all these selected songs as FLAC files on my DAPs, when I describe the things that I heard myself.

So, what is the theme of this Axiom review then? While the scent of tea already took me back to Malaysia and someone at EA wrote: Axiom customers can expect to be taken on an exciting adventure through the mystical Orient. The choice for me was obvious. I decided to take the Axiom on a cultural and musical trip, based on some of my own travels and experiences through life, which would end up in the Orient.

So, what are we waiting for? Let's pack our imaginary bags and go on a visual and listening trip together, shall we?



Now, please take it away Mark Sandman (RIP) with your almost hypnotic voice, accompanied by some magnificent, lazy sounding saxophone tones...



Hey, wait a minute... 'headlong into the irresistible orbit' ? That ain't the kind of trip that I had in mind for this review! I didn't mean the kind of Magical Tour that makes you wear a rabbit suit or makes you believe that you are 'The Walrus'. No, this tour should be a more geographical and cultural one, and our goal should be to reach the mystical Orient!

Though on our way over there, I would like to start with two European stopovers. And the first one of those will be:

The Surrealistic Part of Spain

Aaah Spain, I've been there on so many holidays and city trips. The first time I was only 10 years old when I flew (for the first time in my life) to Ibiza with my parents and younger brother, long before it became known as a party island. Later on I also lived for half a year on the island Tenerife and visited almost all islands surrounding it. Spain, the land of tapas, rioja, the beautiful Gaudi buildings and Parc Güell in Barcelona, the lovely palm tree gardens of the Royal Alcazar in Seville and running for your life (nope, I haven't done that myself yet) through the streets of Pamplona.

But it's also the land of famous painters like Pablo Picasso & Salvador Dali. Now, especially the last one had a surprising way of creating surrealistic, theme paintings.



One thing that I remember of my visit to the Dali Museum in Figueres, is that there were lying some chaotic drawings on a table and you couldn't recognize anything in those drawings. It looked like nothing else than complete chaos on paper. But on the end of these papers there were standing some round metal reflecting tubes. And when you looked inside those tubes, you saw the beautiful and perfect paintings in there. It completely freaked me out! How on earth did he do that? He clearly had a different kind of (upgraded) brain and was blessed to have the gift of thinking and creating completely 'outside the box'.



Now, let's have a look at the modular concept of the Axiom.

This is also the first in-ear monitors in the world to include a Modular Unit (MU) System that promises maximum scalability and user interactivity for years to come.

Holy Moly, what a creative 'also out of the box' way of approaching an IEM. Different signature flavours by simply using different modules on the same IEM? Kudos to the one(s) that invented that at EA, great job imho!

At the moment there are two differently tuned modules, and as I've understood there will be more to follow in the future. So, what are the differences in sound signature between those two already excisiting modules? This was what I noticed so far:

The black (OG) module: this is the original module, which came in both MMCX and 2-pin connector style. I would describe it as a dynamic, energetic and V shaped tuned signature. Now, I especially do like the performance of the (sub)lows here. It's clear that there is a DD driver inside to get a more holographic (3D) feel to its signature. The mids are sounding fine, but slightly recessed and sometimes the treble gets a bit too hot (even slightly harsh on my LPGT) to my ears. Soundstage is pretty wide, but could use a bit of extra depth (it ain't that bad, but there's still some room for improvement) to my taste. Imaging and (left/right) separation is exceptionally good to my ears. Such a pleasure to listen with closed eyes and to be able to point out where various instruments are located in that imaginary space around you.

The silver (YU) module: this module is tuned in a more balanced and natural way to my ears. A bit rolled off (but because of this, also not harsh anymore) treble, and the mids / vocals become more forward, compared to the black modules. Vocals sound more intimate, intense and emotional this way, which I do prefer. Lows, soundstage, imaging and separation keep performing on about the same high level to my ears, but timbre gets a more natural feel (instead of dynamic fun) to it overall.

So, in the end if I would have to pick between the black and silver modules, I would prefer the silver ones myself. And because of this I also decided that I would mainly listen with the silver modules to describe what I hear in the songs, that will pass by later on in this review.

Now, let's get back to Spain. When I lived in Tenerife I once met a guy from the UK who introduced me to the album 'Sketches of Spain' by Miles Davis. At that period in my life I mainly listened to rock and alternative / indie music. So, this to me was a welcome genre chance and somehow that album seemed to capture a part of the Spanish atmosphere that appealed to me. I remember that I especially liked this (Solea means Sunny) song:



At the start of this song there are a lot of high frequency (trumpet and harp) notes. As I mentioned before, this is not the strongest point of the Axiom. But in the 2nd minute of the song these notes get company from (marching) drums, horns and bass and the song really comes alive to my ears from that moment on. Instrument separation and imaging is especially very good now and I can almost feel the Spanish heat, while Miles trumpet guides us through the rest of this musical Spanish scenery.

Now, for the ones who want the 'Extended Tour' (at no extra costs), here's a musical connection. Morphine also wrote a song, on the same album that we started with, called Miles Davis' Funeral.

Although this is a very short song (especially compared to the full 12 minutes of Solea), there's a lot going on to pay attention over here. The rain in the background at the start, the crying guitar, the almost 'rattle snake like' sound effects and the lively, hand played drums are very well portrayed here by the Axiom. The soundstage also sounds very wide here, with average depth. I can feel the grief in this song. And now I think of it, maybe they called their album 'Cure for Pain' because of this? Who knows...

OK then, from here we're going to leave Spain behind and we move on to or second stop:

Ancient Greece



When I was a young kid, I can remember that reading the adventures of Odysseus made a huge impression on me. While he traveled around for ± 10 year between many Greek isles, he and his men faced various dangers (Cyclopes and Sirens, to name a few) that triggered my fantasy.
Later on in life I visited various Greek isles myself, Chios ended up as my favorite one of those so far, as that island wasn't influenced too much by tourists (like me, I sadly have to admit) and mainly Greek people themselves went there for their holidays. Because of this it still seemed to breath some kind of ancient, unspoiled purity when I was there.

Now, Greece is famous for its mythology stories. And one of those (maybe less known) is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell dedicated a whole album (and later on also a theatre production) on that story. Here's a song that appears on her (2010) album 'Hadestown' called 'Hey Little Songbird'



The reason that I picked this particular song from that album, is that it shows that both low male vocals and high female vocals are very well delivered by the Axiom. The dark vibration in the male (almost Tom Waits like) low voice and the clarity in the (almost Agnes Obel like) female voice, while the instruments are dancing around them. It all just sounds superb to me!

And here is another 'Extended Tour connection' between songs. This time it's David Sylvian with his Orpheus song.

Listening to this, it's almost like Sylvians voice is floating along on the waves of that nostalgic and captivating song. I also love the way how the Axiom portraits his warm voice here, which sounds less nasal then in his Japan (which will be comming up next) period.

Besides the fact that the word Axiom comes from Greek mythology, Effect Audio also have named a lot of their cable line up in an ancient Greek way. I tested the next three EA cables on synergy with the Axiom, using the silver modules. For this testing I mainly used songs from the same three albums (DSOTM, Rumours & Mezzanine) that I mentioned earlier in this review.



Ares II (on the left)
Compared to the silver Onyx stock cable that I started with, the (copper) Ares II has a warmer, slightly darker and full bodied signature. I think that the (sub)lows are even improved a bit by using this cable. Treble sounds a bit less bright, so this certainly would be an advantage in combination with the black modules. There are not so much noticeable differences in soundstage or imaging to my ears. So, the Ares II would also be a very safe cable choice here imo.

EVO 10 (in the middle)
Now it's time for one of EA's more recently launched cables: the (mix of gold and silver plated copper wires) EVO 10. At first I had this cable on a loan (thanks again Nic!) to try and I liked it so much that I picked one up myself, within some weeks after that.
The EVO 10 matches very good with the Axiom to my ears. Bass seems to tighten up a bit and there's more (micro) details to be noticed. There's also slightly more sparkle in its treble, which is very welcome with the silver modules. Soundstage width seems to expand a bit, imaging gets even better and overall this is certainly an improvement imo compared to the Ares II or the silver cable that I got used to before.

Horus (on the right)
Although the last match already sounded pretty amazing, this one just struck me as the winning synergy combination of them all! While using the (gold plated silver) Horus especially treble and details improved even further to my ears. Soundstage also seems to expand (width for sure and a bit of depth as well) even compared to the EVO 10. Imaging sounds incredible good now and Axioms tonality becomes slightly more natural sounding at the same time with Horus. So, overall there's a lot to like here!

Now, my Horus has always been 'married' to my EE Phantom, and I sincerely hope that this won't result in a 'cable difforce' later on. But hey, maybe both IEMs should just get used to share this cable partner from now on, in some kind of new polygamous audio relationship. And maybe the three of them can even learn to live happily ever after that way? Well, I guess that time will tell eventually.

So, let's move on in the meantime to our third and final destination:

The Mystical Orient

Axiom customers can expect to be taken on an exciting adventure through the mystical Orient.



Question: what's the Orient to be considered for somebody (like me) who lives in Europe? My good ol' friend Google told me that the Orient is a term for the East, traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Eastern world, in relation to Europe. So, I guess that means that it basically includes all Asian countries for me.

As I was lucky to be able to visit and explore many countries and cultures in my life, I've always kept a soft spot for Asian countries. Indonesia (2x Bali), Thailand (some wonderful tropical isles over there) and especially Malaysia. That last country offered me some completely different experiences, within the 6 weeks of backpacking when I was there. I started in Kuala Lumpur (stayed in China Town), moved on to Taman Negara (which seems to be the oldest rainforrest in the world) and after that to the Cameron Highlands (tea plantations on the hills and some nice hiking trails over there) before I ended up on the tropical isles Perhentian Kecil (which became my 'all time' favorite tropical island at that time) and Tioman.

Anyway, I've always loved the Asian people (so friendly, helpfull and polite) and their spicy food as well. I also consider its beautiful nature stunning compared to where I live. I've also been some times to South America (Brasil & Suriname) and I've even lived for quite some time in the Caribbean (Martinique & Saint Martin), but my fondest memories still go back to my visits to Asia. But my friend Mr. G. also informed me that for people who live in the Asian countries that I visited, the Orient is considered to be countries like Korea, China and Japan. So, let's move on to a combination of those two last countries in the next song shall we? This is another musical connection because of David Sylvian, here accompanied by his old bandmates of Japan.



From the start of this song the Asian sounding drum rhytmes and mystical synthesizer sounds draw my attention. This is also quite a complicated song to my ears, but the Axiom keeps the different instruments nicely separated, while holding the song together as a whole at the same time. Everything sounds right (and very Oriental) to my ears, so this is definitely another compliment for the Axiom.

Now, after this song I'm going to split up the Oriental part in a green and a red corner, just like the EA boxes that I had received. Let's start in the green one.



For the next song we move on to a band named Camel. They caught my attention many years ago with their concept album 'The Snow Goose', which was an almost perfect mix of pop, prog rock and even classical music. While telling a great story (it's based on a beautiful old novel by Paul Gallico, just check it out when interested) at the same time.

Another story that inspired this band was the true (sometimes real life is even stranger than fiction) story of a Japanese soldier (Hiroo Onoda) marooned on a tropical island in Word War II, who didn't know that the war already was over for many years to follow. The (also concept) album title 'Nude' is based on his family name 'Onoda'. I can only imagine that he lived there, mainly surrounded by trees and bushes, while hiding for all this years. So, that's why I selected it for the green corner. Please have a listen to these two instrumental songs that appear on that (combination of pop and prog rock) album:



'Docks' starts off with an incredible deep bass line, which is very well reproduced by the Axioms dynamic (no BA can pull this off imo) driver. Soon after that a (like imaginary seagulls sounding) guitar cries away in the distance, both left and right during the song. Again proving that the Axiom delivers a very good soundstage width. But at around 01:45 in the song, there are also some trumpets that show the Axioms Achilles (and no, we're not returning to Greece here) heel, which is its slightly rolled off treble. In the second part 'Beached' (which starts at around 03:50) the song becomes more chaotic and complicated with multiple instruments fighting for attention. But as to be expected, the Axiom has no trouble with that (imaging and separation) at all. I've listened to these songs quite often in my life (as 'Nude' is one of my favorite albums) and I can honestly say that I also enjoyed it to the max this time.

And as we're still in the visual 'green corner', I also would like to make some short comparisons between the Axiom and my universal IEMs over here.



Campfire Andromeda (in the back)
The Andromeda (I've got the original version) has 5x balanced armature drivers inside. Its (especially mid) lows are pretty good, but still no match to the Axioms more holographic sounding (sub)lows. Andro has a very wide soundstage and better treble. It has a kind of fun tuned, but slightly artificial flavour to its signature. Axiom sounds more natural and delivers more beautiful sounding vocals to my ears.

EarSonics Onyx (in the middle)
This to me was the most interesting comparison out of all, because both are hybrid IEMs with one dynamic and multiple (Axiom 2x, Onyx 3x) BA drivers inside. The Onyx has a bit warmer and darker tonality compared to the Axiom. It also delivers more rumble in the (sub)lows, where the Axiom seems to deliver a bit more clarity and airy feeling in its imaging instead. Soundstage width is about the same to my ears, but Onyx seems to have a more holographic (3D) sound to its signature. But on the other side, Axiom delivers slightly better imaging and separation to my ears. Although these 2 IEMs have quite some things in common in their sound signature, I'm sure that they both will get enough playtime in my future rotation listening sessions.

Campfire Vega (in the front)
The Vega (also the original version) only has one dynamic driver inside. Maybe because of this it sounds less impressive and less balanced than the Axiom to me. Both can reproduce very good (sub)lows, where the Axiom has more clarity to its signature overall. Also here the Axiom delivers better vocals, imaging and separation imo.

After the above comparisons we move on to the red corner, which I mainly associated with Oriental passion and spiritual inner peace.



Another memory from my youth, is that I was highly intrigued by the legendary TV serie 'Kung Fu', starring David Carradine as a mysterious Oriental hero who travelled though the Western part of the United States. Apparently Quentin Tarantino was also infuenced by this TV show and because of this the next song has become completely inseparable for me with the legendary fight scene from 'Kill Bill' (Bill is played here by a well aged David Carradine), where 'The Bride' battles O-Ren Ishii at 'The House of Blue Leaves'.



Now, this song just oozes passion to my heart and ears. Right from the start it competely carries me away and makes my heart beat faster. The exciting pumping rhythm of drums and handclaps, soon accompanied by Spanish guitar and trumpets. The Axiom just seems to easily pull it off to deliver all this excitement and passion to my ears. Also left/right separation during this song is very impressive. So, very well done overall! Those last 10 passionate musical minutes just flew by and seemed much shorter to me. What a fantastic song and performance!

And as we're still in the visual 'red corner', I also would like to make some short comparisons between the Axiom and my custom (all balanced armature drivers only) IEMs.



EE Zeus XR (on the sides, in the back)
One thing that these IEMs share, is that they have the abbility to change their tuning. The Zeus XR is limited to 2 options (with a build-in switch) though, where the Axiom has the perspective to deliver more signature flavours in the near future. For the rest these two are completely different sounding IEMs. The Zeus is highly analytical with very good treble and (micro)detail reproduction. Where the Axiom has a more natural and smooth, musical signature to it. Zeus soundstage is extremely good (both width and depth). But Axioms lows are much better, because of the dynamic driver inside.

EE Phantom (on the sides, in the front)
The signature of the Phantom comes closer to that of the Axiom then Zeus. The Phantom also has a more natural and less analytical way of delivering sound. Both have a bit recessed treble and both can do vocals very well. The lows of the Axiom are better again because of the DD. Soundstage is about the same here. I would say that both are more all-rounders than specialists.

Rhapsodio Solar (central, in the back)
From all the BA customs that I have the Solar has without a doubt the best lows. But also this time the Axiom sounds better and more holographic (same story all over again) because of its DD. The signature of the Solar is also a bit V shaped and very dynamic, so it has more similarities with the Axioms black (OG) modules signature, then with the silver modules one.

Warbler Prelude (central, in the front)
What the Prelude and Axiom share imo, is that they are both very capable of delivering vocals in a beautiful and intense, emotional way. Besides that they both perform extremely well in the imaging and (left/right) separation departments. Prelude has better treble though, where Axiom has (yes, you guessed it right) much better lows.


Conclusion and the end of a journey

So, while we're reaching the end of this review, it's time to share my thoughts on the Axiom in some summarized (TL;DR) kind of way and also to decide on the number of stars that it should end up with imo.

First of all: I do think that the Axiom as I received it (incl. the silver modules) already is a very good sounding IEM. I think that it delivers great (sub)lows, soundstage width and its imaging and (left\right) separation works very well for me. Besides that, I really do like how (natural and intense) vocals sound, using the silver modules. However for me there's also still some room for improvement in the treble and soundstage depth departments.

Now, for me the silicone ePro tips turned out just fine and the absence of an included stock cable wasn't an issue for me at all, as I already had quite a collection over here. But for an IEM newbie, who doesn't have alternative eartips or (spare) cables lying around, I can totally imagine that this might lead to some frustration. And regarding cables: now that I have finished this review, I decided to use the EVO 10 for the upcomming time on the Axiom, as I also seriously like that synergy combination a lot.

Personally, I appreciated the creative (although basic) packaging and I loved the design of the Axiom itself. However its strongest point imo is its modular concept. It also makes me very curious about the modules that might follow in the (hopefully near) future. It has so much potential, regarding different tuning possibilities. And I've read that there even might be a Bluetooth module later on as well. On top of that, there's also an upgraded version (The Axiom XP, already shown on EA's site) on the horizon. So, I do think that the Axioms future looks very bright at this moment!

Oh, one important thing that I haven't even mentioned in this review before, is that I noticed that the Axiom really scaled up when using higher quality files. When you feed it crappy (low bitrate or badly produced) files, the Axiom will surely make you hear the flaws in those. But when you feed it high quality files (I've got quite some DSD and 24bit FLAC albums on my daps over here), then it seriously scales up and will leave you amazed how good these files can sound.

So, how many stars does the Axiom deserve at this moment imho? Although I was in doubt for a long time between 4½ or 5 stars, because it already does so many things very well to my ears. I decided to go for 4½ stars in the end, as there's still the sum of the lack of a stock cable, and the room for tuning improvements in its current two signatures. But like I said, it was a very close call and I think that those 5 stars are already pretty close within the Axioms reach at this moment.

And for those out there, who are interested in even more information about the EA Axiom. There's also this dedicated thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/official-effect-audio-axiom-discussion-impressions-thread.961899/

Now let's move on to the final song that I selected for the purpose of this review. Two years after these guys already had 'Walked on the Moon', they also went on some spiritual 'Secret Journey'.



At the end of all these travels I'm still wondering if I've already might have become some kind of holy man myself (unfortunately not yet I guess) that was mentioned in the above song. But many experiences in life (incl. parenthood) should at least have resulted in some kind of spiritual growth, right? So, I still consider this to be an interesting 'work in progress' for myself. And how about you? Well, everyone can be his own judge regarding that in life I guess.

Now we've finally (What? Did I really hear some sighs over there in the back ground?) come to the end of this journey and it has become time to split up and all go our separate ways from here.



Soon after 'The Police' had escorted me back to my car I started to drive...

on a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light
my head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night...

Hmmm, that was some great song on the radio. And hey, look at that... that seems to be a very nice hotel over there! Hotel Cali...something? Hopefully they'll still have a free room available for me. If so, then I will definitely check in and catch up with you folks later on some day.

Untill then, happy listening to all of ya' out there and please stay safe!!!

Disclaimer
I received the Axiom as part of the review tour. I'm not sponsored by Effect Audio or received any compensation for my review, or under any influence. I'm required to return the unit after I finish the review.
Thank you Nic and Effect Audio for sending it.
The review is purely based on my own biased music taste.


About me
I'm an Asian guy living in Europe. I'm not a specialist in audio or anything related.
Music is my hobby. 95% of my library contains Japanese music. The rest are some western pop/rock.


About the IEM
Effect Audio is a well-established IEM cables maker. As far as I know, the Axiom is their first attempt at creating in-ear headphones fully from the ground up. They also present here an interesting concept with swappable modules (on the IEM itself) to change the sound tuning and connector type for different cable connectors.


Unboxing
Square is the theme here. The package I received includes a paper box for the IEM, a smaller paper box for a different set of modules, and a cable in a plastic bag.

The first 2 square paper boxes were wrapped in colorful packages, opened by a pull tab running around the box. Once opened, the actual box is presented with simple classy black paper.



Main box
- A pair of Axiom (with black module pre-installed, this one in MMCX)
- 3 pairs of silicone tips
- An extra pair of swappable modules (with 2-pin connector)
- A small screwdriver for changing the module
- And some plastic cards for warranty and instructions

Second box (will be included with the Axiom purchase)
- A pair of silver modules (with 2-pin connector)
- Another plastic card with QR code for instructions



An additional Thor Silver cable is included for the review purpose

Nic mentioned that a special cable will be included in the future. Because of this, I cannot comment on the performance or the usability of the future cable. But I hope that being a cable manufacturer, they will not disappoint.

In comparison with other offerings from China brands, the presentation here is rather poor, but it does the job well. It doesn’t radiate the high price tag of the Axiom though (1499$ for the IEM - and hopefully that covers a cable in the future as well). Bare minimum is the theme here. But I’m fine with that. A nicer box cannot cover any faults in the actual sound of the IEM anyway, but it also gives buyers a better experience in owning the IEM.


Built, fit, comfort and isolation
When I first put on the Axiom with the included tips, I must say, the included tips suck! They are pretty hard, provide not enough sealing for the IEM sound properly, and cause some discomfort to my left ear. I switched to Final’s tips and it is much better ever since.

The shell is big, but I have no problem fitting them. The nozzles are large and short though, so I advise those with small ears to try them on first if possible. Here we have aluminum as the main shell’s structure, titanium for nozzles, and natural stone for faceplate. The modules are also covered in aluminum. They are pretty well built and elegant. The shell is a bit heavy though, but it does not fall out on its own when I’m walking around. YMMV.



Since I don’t know which cable will be included in the future, I can’t comment on that. The one included for the review, Thor, is pretty well made, soft and microphonic-free. I expect no less for the cable that is included in the future - but this is just my own expectation (more on that later)

Isolation is average, due to the vent for dynamic driver inside the IEM. I can hear the noise, even with music on. The included tips also contribute to some of that as well.


Technology
The sound of the Axiom was generated by a 12-mm magnesium dynamic driver for bass-mids, and 2 Knowles BA drivers for high frequencies. The sensitivity is at 112 dB/mW, so it’s fairly easy to drive. One thing I would like to mention is that the Axiom picks up hisses from sources pretty easily. I couldn’t pair it with the Hifiman Supermini or the Fiio Q1mkII. There was only faint hiss from the 3.5mm output of the Sony ZX300, and totally clean from the QLS QA361, so please keep that in mind when pairing the IEM.

The highlight of the Axiom is the ability to change modules for different cable connectors and also change the tuning. This is not the first IEM with swappable modules, but definitely the first one with different connectors! The module's built quality is very solid and locks in place via some guided tabs and a screw.



The idea is you will reuse any cable lying around, regardless of the connector type, but in practice, it was quite difficult to swap the modules. There is a trick to take out the module, whereas to put the module in place, you may need to press down until you hear a click.

I was given the silver module with 2-pin connector for the review purpose, and was told that it will come bundled with the package. The changes in sound result from the modules serving as an extended crossover, so different configurations of that affect the tuning.


Sound
The sound of the Axiom is heavily influenced by the module installed. At the moment, Effect Audio offers 2 different modules: MU (the black one comes preinstalled with the Axiom), and YU (the extra silver module).

To summarise: both modules create a very colored sound, definitely not a neutral/reference tuning. The black module has a strong V-shaped sound, with an emphasis on mid-bass and upper mid/high. Personally, I don’t like this sound tuning at all. There was too much mid-bass that is bloated into the lower mid, but it lacks the punch from the sub-bass. The vocal (both male and female) is super thin and sibilance, also with plasticky high that makes the cymbal sound mushy and unrealistic.

I‘m glad that I managed to swap the silver module in. Without it, I don’t think I could continue with the review. The silver module definitely helps by adding more body to the mid, the vocal sounds fuller and more relaxing. The bass is still quite overwhelming for my taste, however, the whole signature goes toward a more balanced, relaxed, and lush listening experience. My review will mainly focus on the sound coming from this module (with some comparison with the black module occasionally).

In short, I would say the sound signature would work well with EDM or slow acoustic songs. It struggles in fast pace rock tracks or classical music, due to the big midbass hump.



Bass
Thick, heavy, and strong were my first impression when I first put the Axiom one. For some reason, I felt like the silver module has a bit more texture and more control, while the black one is more midbass emphasized.

ANTI-HERO by SEKAI NO OWARI, the intro starts with satisfying string pluck. The pronounced midbass did a very good job here highlighting the vibration and texture of the Double bass. The same experience can be found in the third opening of My Hero Academia, Speed to Masatsu by amazarashi. Through these 2 songs, the heavy and lush bass really sets the dark and violent mood. But Axiom's presentation of the intro in The Greatest Show on Earth by Nightwish was what impressed me the most. Its explosive, skull rattling type of bass absolutely blows me away. It's how the Big Bang feels through sound!

On the other hand, this level of bass frequently gets into the rest of the frequency. For instrumental/classical pieces or fast pace live concerts, the low section was emphasized too much that it makes the song feels congested. I wish there was a bit more sub-bass in exchange for midbass, that would help to balance the whole frequency range much better.

Mid
Continue the theme of relaxed tuning, the mid range shows a very smooth vocal, but at the same time can be sibilance. This is way more pronounced on the black module, where the vocal lacks body and gets too sharp, while being lost in the bass.

Switching to the silver module, the vocal is now fuller and more balanced, but I wish there is a bit more detail in the mid-range. For example, in The Greatest Show on Earth, some of the grunt at the highest notes of Floor Jansen is lost. Another example is Night Light by 守夜人, where the midrange is smooth over the little whisper sound. Though I assume this is the direction of the tuning, being relaxed over resolution.

Treble
There's not a lot to talk about the treble of the Axiom, and I think this is the weakest part of it. The black module shows a better treble extension, however, it sounds unrealistic with incorrect timbre. The silver module gives a better timbre, but the definition and the energy of treble are also reduced, thus I frequently crank up the volume to get some more info in this part. I wish there was more sparkle and bite from the upper frequency for high-pitch electric guitar, with the silver module, it feels small and lack proper energy.

Technicalities
Some of the details here have been mentioned above, but I will still mention them again. The tuning goes for relaxing over detailing, thus, the resolution is not its highest strength. Surprisingly, it still manages a very good imaging and soundstage. The soundstage, while not being very large, it has good left-right separation. It's not very deep or high however, making more of an elliptical shape.

Imaging is quite sharp, with good definition between each instrument. Dynamic-wise, it's just at acceptable level, however, considering the tuning, I think it would be alright.

Coherency with the black module is not very good, with BA timbre being present in the high frequency. The silver module presents a much better blend of dynamic and BA driver, however, it can't compete with the single DD.

Pairing
The Axiom is quite sensitive, thus phones can drive it with adequate volume. However, the technicalities improve with better sources.
Due to the nature of the tuning, I prefer pairing the Axiom with a more neutral or bright source to tame the bass. The QLS QA361 with its neutral but smooth sound goes well with the Axiom. The Sony ZX300 gives the bass some extra push, so I don't really like it.



Comparison

FAudio Dark Sky (reviewed here)
Right off the bat, the box presentation indicates a premium product from FAudio. It comes with a lot more accessories but cost 400$ less (MSRP). It's also easier to drive, but not by a lot.

Sounds wise, I much prefer the tuning of the Dark Sky: the bass is more controlled but still quite tastefully emphasized. Midrange has more detail especially at the vocal department, while also having better extension and resolution in the treble. The tuning of Dark Sky plays well with more genres, especially Pop, Jazz, and Rock.

In terms of technicalities, the Dark Sky is a tad smaller in left-right direction, but it is deeper, making a more complete sphere. The imaging and separation is similar between the two. But with coherency, Dark Sky wins hands down, with its single dynamic driver.

Nitpicking
The Axiom would get a solid 4-star from me, even though its tuning does not play well with my music library. At its current state, 1499$ is quite a high price, considering that there's no cable if you buy it directly from Effect Audio. The information is quite lacking and outdated on their website, although I don't think anyone would buy a 1499$ IEM without some research. At the moment, the silver module is bundled with the package, however, I couldn't find any information about it anywhere, only after asking Nic.

Effect Audio could also do better in terms of user manual/instruction. At the moment, I found some problems:
1. There were no instructions inside the box. With the QR code, I was presented with some upcoming news about collaboration, but no proper instructions on how to actually change the module (the same link on each QR code I could find). There was a very short video on their website for commercial purposes.
2. The black module that offers by default with the IEM has 2 pairs for MMCX and 2-pin connectors. The silver one was not so generous - giving only the choice of 2-pin only or MMCX only. I couldn’t find any information about the extra module from the Axiom introduction page on Effect Audio website, or whether they can buy or get the silver module in MMCX.

The biggest problem for me, however, is the lack of cable.
Bringing up the environmental excuse is lame, I would say. If the IEM comes with decent quality cable, then we won't have to throw them away. At the same time, Nic said that they don't have intention to redesign the package at the moment. I understand that there's a certain MOQ for each component order, boxes being one of them, but if you would really go for the environment, then the package should be as small and compact as possible, not spreading into an extra box just for the extra module.

Please note that a special cable will be included in the future.

Conclusion
I am very grateful to Effect Audio for sending me the Axiom for review. It's great to see new ideas coming up, and modular is certainly an interesting direction. However, at the price of 1499$, it will surely encounter some fierce competition from 1000$ IEMs. If you are basshead, and like the idea of swappable modules to incorporate different connectors and especially vastly different tuning, this is definitely a unique combination for you. I feel like the drivers are of high quality and quite capable, so I'm interested in what future modules will bring to the table.