First of all, I would like to thank Dimitri Trush, CEO of the MusicaAcoustics for providing me review sample of Oriolus in exchange of my honest opinion.
Oriolus’ official website: http://www.mini-audio.com/ or http://www.oriolus.jp/
MusicaAcoustics website: http://www.musicaacoustics.com/
Testing Equipment
*Cowon Plenue P1
*Oriolus Stock Cable
So, what is Oriolus?
Well.. A bird. Yup, a bird. Known as "genus Oriolus" or "orioles"
I strongly believe that this particular bird is brand's muse. Just like this bird, Oriolus mk II is vivid, polite and smooth.
Some of you may think that Oriolus belongs to iBasso, some of you think that it belongs to Mini-Audio.. or Cyras Inc.. Well, I honestly don’t know who created Oriolus.
Let's put aside that and get to things that really matter!
First of all, I hope this little review of mine aid you with your grand quest of finding the "perfect" iem. I have listened over 200 earphones to this date, and I am still searching for it.. Yup. It is not an easy task to be an audiophile..
I can almost see you scrolling down for sound impressions. Let's cover few things first!
BUILD QUALITY | FIT | ISOLATION
Oriolus is a well-built acrylic earphone. It has a great finish. It also stays very secure in my ears. I am using ortofon and spinfit tips. Both sound and fit great to my ears.
It has a short and wide nozzle. 3 sound bore configuration each side.
Isolation is also good. Not InEar SD-2/3/4 vacuum kind of good, but good. On par with K10UA.
ACCESSORIES
It comes with:
4 pair silicone tips.
1 pair comply tips.
1 cable management tool
1 cleaning tool
1 cable attacher (to prevent microphonics)
The cable it comes with is fantastic. It's three strands look strong and well-built. Plus it looks way better than common stock cables. Kudos to creators of Oriolus in this regard.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
Let me divide this whole thing into few sections.
Sound Signature
Honestly, it’s quite hard to give it a specific label. It is very balanced across the spectrum. Don't get me wrong it is absolutely not ER4 kind of balanced. It has a great bass response, it has great mid energy and it has delightfully polite highs. It is a great allrounder. Coherency is the key apparently.
Resolution is on par with JH Angie, U12, TG334.. (K10UA, SEM9, are 1 step ahead of oriolus in this matter)
Tonality In general, Oriolus feels pretty natural. Stringed instruments and brass instruments have a realistic tone. Percussion instruments are a bit warmer than usual.
Low Freqs
Rumblin' Tumblin' all day long. You feel the dynamic driver's whack effect very well. Oriolus has a lush, fulfilling bass response. I am not talking about a extreme basshead pleaser here, the kind of bass that would make you tap your toes, move your legs..
Long story short, lows of Oriolus hit hard, they can keep up with relatively fast paced genres, they have just the right amount of air in them and they also have great depth.
All because of the good ol' DD.
Mid Freqs
I've been disappointed one too many times in this section to be honest. I had iems that I absolutely adored highs and lows but not the mids.. Mid region has always been the most tricky one. As for Oriolus, I must say I am very impressed. Region is completely under control with good amount of detail. Mids are vivid, beefy, articulate. Vocals are a bit forward but not intimate like the K10. Upper mid region is again, very controlled and refined. Cymbals and hihats never go sibilant and never gets sharp. I really must congratulate creators of Oriolus about this. Female vocals “shine bright like a diamond” (pun intended)
High Freqs
Again, like the rest of the spectrum, they are very controlled. No out of place shining, no sharp ear hurting forever extending treble. Just good amount of energy, just good amount of resolution, just good amount of extension. Simply put, highs are effortless. They're there. Just when you need them. Crash/Ride Cymbals, Picollos, Saxs, Snares all very present and very well defined. Highs are gentle and delicate.
Soundstage | Layering | Separation
Soundstage is not extra wide, tall or deep. Just enough to have a great instrument separation and good amount of space between the instruments. Great instrument separation gives you the impression of 3D staging very well. Of course, cohesiveness across frequencies greatly help Oriolus in this regard. However, stage depth is not great. Don't get me wrong, it is good but there are better options.
Dynamism | PRaT (Pace, Rhythm and Timing)
Oriolus is not a particularly fast earphone like S-EM9. But It is fast enough. It doesn’t feel congested while listening to fast paced genres like speed metal, thrash metal, fast paced EDM songs.. It can surely keep up and satisfy the demanding audiophile.
Short Comparisons
vs. Noble K10UA
K10 is more intimate, it's mids have higher resolution and they're even more effortless. K10 is emotional whereas Oriolus is distant(Not laid back). K10's upper mid frequencies and high frequencies are definitely wilder and can be a problem at high volumes. Oriolus’ Bass region is similar, both have enough to keep you happy.
vs. Earsonics S-EM9
S-EM9's treble is refined, detailed, energetic and fast. S-EM9 is dynamically superior, even more energetic and fast. Hell, it is the fastest monitor I've ever listened to this date and Oriolus competes with it just fine. As for mids and lows, S-EM9’s bass extends deeper and it is a bit more impactful. Both monitors’ mids are meaty and detailed.
vs. Lear LCM BD4.2
Lear is brighter than Oriolus. It's notes are lighter, more transparent.
Lear’s bass is on par with Oriolus but it feels a lot slower.
Listening to Metal and other fast paced genres with Lear is quite tiring.
Oriolus is much more easy going in this regard because of the tamed upper mids.
Handles congestion a lot better than Lear.
vs. FitEar TG334
TG334’s presentation is similar. However Oriolus feels airier.
Oriolus is even more coherent than TG334.
Oriolus’ treble is more refined and detailed compared to TG334.
Low frequencies of Oriolus feels tighter.
Oriolus freq regions are living in a complete harmony whereas TG334’s mids can sometimes isolate themselves from rest of the spectrum.
HOWEVER, FitEar's vocal presentation is more emotional. I can understand why it has so many fans all over the world.
vs. Earsonics Velvet
Tonality-wise, Velvet feels a bit artificial compared to Oriolus.
Velvet's bass extends deeper and have greater impact.
Oriolus' mids are meaty whereas Velvet feels flimsy.
Treble is similar, resolution is almost the same.
Velvet feels airier but it also lacks body.
End Words
Oriolus is coherent and versatile. These traits are what makes Oriolus a great all-rounder.
Oriolus sounds a lot better than those just under it in cost, yet compares closely to those that are much more expensive.
Thank you very much for reading!