[ustinj]

Here goes nothing -- I was contacted via Head-Fi a few months ago to test a prototype of these, and it's been one of my most used pieces of audio gear since then. Why, you might ask -- affordability, convenience, and sound.

For $150, you don't often see CIEMs, let alone being made in the USA so it was a bit of a surprise at first. But of course, as a lover of affordable gear and one of those who loved to throw my money looking for "hidden gems", I was unhealthily interested in trying them out

https://www.anthemfive.com/

Basically, some key points I've gathered are:

• Hybrid: 1DD + 1BA
• Internal pneumatic pressure regulation / relief
• Various customization options
• Custom fit, lead time 5 days
• Carrying case, stock cable, cleaning tool included
• Nozzle mesh to protect bores

A pretty impressive package for $150. Surely corners had to have been cut somewhere else, but it doesn't seem to be in terms of sound... here's a very brief summation of what I think about the sound.

Even after the new toy syndrome has worn off, I’ve concluded that these budget-friendly CIEMs bring excellent value. Not exactly for technicalities, but rather for the clean and natural midrange tone and engaging listen -- IMO, the midrange of these has excellent shape and warmth with good clarity; I’ve not heard any IEM around this price that I can say the same for, let alone a custom-fit IEM. If anything, the top-end of the midrange could bite a bit too hard on certain tracks, but otherwise perfect on others. Midbass is a bit bloomy and takes precedence in the low-end, but otherwise sub extension is good and midrange bleed isn't a huge deal. Though admittedly there's a bit of unrefined-ness to the sound I can't quite put my finger on; if I had to attribute it to something it would be the aggressive lower treble / upper midrange -- most certainly worth the tradeoff for the soundstage.

As a highlight, the soundstage is just incredible on these; it makes the Tin Audio T4 sound like an old radio in terms of staging and immersion -- just awfully boring. Midrange performance is more realistic than the T4 as well, but comes off as more abrasive in the upper midrange / low treble. I’d even wager that the soundstage depth on these comes close to my U12t’s, but with noticeably less accurate imaging.

Surprisingly, I'd consider these to be the most engaging earphone I have with me at the moment. The soundstage really kills it, most of the other IEMs I have ATM just sound a bit lifeless when directly compared.

I'm hoping they get more pairs of these rolled out to others to give thoughts on, looking forward to reading other opinions.

 

[Pink Freud]

How is noise isolation on these?

 

[ustinj]

How is noise isolation on these?

As a custom fit, I'd put it somewhere around a good-fitting universal or a bit better. The convenient part about it is it only fits one way and it's quite consistent in it; if it's in, it's in

 

[davidcotton]

How is noise isolation on these?

It's a hybrid so generally speaking won't be as good as a sealed ba. Indeed the rating on the website is -23 which is a tad under the usual -26 that you see quoted. At the end of the day it will come down to the set of impressions used. Nice to see some lower price points at the ciem end of things! Word of advice from experience, if you want to take advantage of that 5 day turnaround quote get in quick. Experience shows that rarely tends to stay in place once orders start coming in. Wish them well with it.

 

[corgifall]

I just ordered a set and the team was very responsive to my questions. Though this isn’t my first ciem rodeo so hoping these end up being a “fun” iem I can take out without worrying about something happening to them. I’d hate for my ue6 pro or aaw axh customs getting lost or damaged as they costed way more. I’ll do a review as well once they get in and I’ve had some time with them.

 

[xuan87]

So I finally managed to listen to my pair of the Anthem Five E2 last night, despite ordering it much earlier, none of it was Anthem's fault. I think Anthem Five advertise a five day turnaround previously, they took slightly longer for mine but considering that it happened during the pandemic, I was still mighty impressed.

Ordering was a breeze since they accepted STL for my ear impressions, legit every CIEM company should be taking a leaf out of Anthem Five's book and doing this, it really speeds thing up and cut the cost down.

The fit is perfect, but I'll need to test it more extensively outdoor against real world noises when my country's lockdown has lifted. Build quality is amazing and on par with my other CIEMs, most of which that cost more.

Soundwise, I had pretty low expectations due to some of the less glowing reviews that I've read but ultimately, I still viewed this as a favorable buy.

Are there universals that cost less than the E2 but sound much better? Yes. But after factoring the premium that customs usually have over universal iems, I still feel that E2 is bang for the buck.

General sound signature: I feel that the E2 is tuned to be a crowd pleaser, where many will like it, but few will love it. Slightly warm, but not overtly, which is good for me since I hate iems that are overly warm.

Treble is rolled off, but that is preferable to shrill trebles with sibilance.

The bass is probably my least favorite part of the iem. I hate it when there is weak or no bass, but I hate it equally when there is too much bass, when the bass overpowers or eat into the mids. In this case, it's the latter. I feel that the bass is too booming, and it doesn't extend down deep enough.

So the million dollar question: Is this the best entry level CIEMs that you can get for your money? IMO...... Not quite. Jaben is carrying the lineup of 1Custom in Singapore (I'm not sure how readily available they are outside of Singapore), and they range from the really true to the high-end. I tried a few, and surprisingly preferred the entry level SA02 (2 BA drivers) much much more than the more expensive models, even without considering the price tag. It's a matter of different sound signature, rather than performance.

The SA02 costs me about $110 WITH ear impressions done at the shop, and given my preference for a flat sound signature with a bass boost, I lean more towards the 1Custom than the E2.

But if the SA02 is not an option for you, and you do like bassy earphones, I will highly recommend the Anthem Five E2.

 

[supercheap86]

I just got my E2s from Anthem Five over the weekend. TL;DR - If you are holding back on CIEMs because of the price, here's your best US-based option.

I'm an amateur drummer, I just play on the weekends. I'm primarily in a plexi cage, and ambient noise is extremely high. I was having issues with universal IEMs and maintaining good isolation. I was cranking the click so high in the mix just to fight the other instruments and my own ambient sound that I was hurting myself. Figured I'd throw a little money at the problem and see if CIEMs could be the solution.

I haven't seen anybody review Anthem Five since they increased the price to $199 for the E2- but considering that's half the price of virtually all the nearest competitors, I'd still consider it a bargain. (Note of minor frustration: TWO DAYS after I submitted my order, the company started spamming my inbox about a 20% off promo code for Black Friday. I could've saved $44 on my order - and that will forever bother me about the whole experience. It was still like 3 weeks until Black Friday!) I went with the logo-free look for an extra $20 - so after expedited shipping, I was up to $228.81. (Slightly weird flex there by Anthem Five to charge extra to remove the logo, but whatever!)
Not to beat a dead horse about cost here... but there are just so many hidden costs with CIEMs, regardless of the manufacturer. Definitely something to think about if you're considering going this route. $85 for the impressions... and it costs a fair amount to ship impressions from one side of the US to the other, so one must factor that cost in too.

The website does give several warnings about lead times being longer than normal. It was 4 weeks on the dot for me... from the day my impressions arrived at Anthem Five to the day my IEMs shipped. Tack on a few days for shipping both ways, it's closer to 5 weeks for the whole process.

First impressions when I opened the box - they're beautiful. Exactly what I wanted. White face, grey sparkle body. Perfectly smooth, well-crafted.
The packaging is really nice too.

Fit seems really good, but again, these are my first CIEMs. They're super comfortable - which is a big change from the universal stuff. I have weirdly shaped ears, and they're very asymmetrical - so it's rare that I can get a fit that is comfortable in both ears. This might be worth the price just right there. They're also extremely secure - as they clear the antihelix on the twist in, they actually "clip" into my head. It's great. My audiologist works primarily with silicone customs (like Sensaphonics,) and she wasn't a stickler for the bite block. She just encouraged a relaxed, open jaw. As a drummer, I don't really open my mouth a lot. I'm not experiencing any seal issues... I can really contort my face and wiggle my ears and cause one side to break the seal. Hindsight being what it is, I might've demanded the bite block. But all things considered, my happy with the fit and seal.

I let them burn-in for about 24 hours before I really started sinking my teeth in. Pre burn-in test was bass-heavy - mids were a little boxy - highs seemed very flat.
Upon second listen, things opened up. The soundstage was expansive - kind of huge, actually. The bass seemed mellower after burn-in - or at least the rest had kind of "woken up" to make it seem more balanced. Vocals are very clear and distinct. Sibilant stuff (hi hats, crashes) don't feel as intimate as I'd like - especially as a drummer. But kick and floor tom thump nicely. Instrument separation is really good - very important to me in a live performance setting.

I've noticed huge differences in source power and the sound. (Everything tested with FLAC or high-res streaming audio. Various metal genres, acoustic, instrumental, female driven pop, classic rock, etc)

Equipment tested:
NuForce uDAC-3
FiiO X1
Google Pixel 3a
Cheap, old Lenovo Tablet

Obviously the uDAC takes the cake... the E2s opened up the most here, and I could really drive them hard.
The FiiO X1 was very good, nicely detailed. It lacked oomph compared to the uDAC.
The Pixel 3a and the tablet were shameful. Quiet, subdued, completely insufficient.
Moral of the story, these can't be powered by just anything in your pocket.

On something like Orville Peck's "No Glory In the West" the E2s are stunning. A really rich, bassy male voice is a perfect match for these IEMs. With just a few acoustic instruments and lots of space in the recording, the detail is incredible. You can pick up on breath, fretboard scratches, and very long reverb decay in the mix. Truly a pleasure to behold.
When you throw something really busy like "Outsider" by Veil of Maya at them, things get a little cluttered. Bass kills some of the detail, and highs can feel pushed or clipped.
I wouldn't say these are well-suited for every genre... but nothing was unlistenable.

Compared to a couple of hybrid universal IEMs in my bag, I have to admit that the E2s wouldn't be my daily drivers. My KZ ZS10 Pros are more more detailed and sparkly in the high range. My Dunu DN-1000s are more balanced across the entire range - and generally the most pleasant sounding IEMs I have. But I didn't buy these for daily drivers... they're for live performance. In practice sessions, so far, they've provided the comfort and isolation I wanted. When restrictions are lifted and I can test these in an actual live setting, I may update my review.

Anthem Five was super easy to work with. They answered all of my questions promptly, and they delivered in the quoted time window. The product is exactly as good as I could've hoped given the comparatively low price. Could I have spent twice as much on Alclair (or more on 64 Audio) and liked the product twice as much? I don't know... I really doubt it. I'm very happy with my purchase... and if you have a similar set of needs, I think you will be too.