My review of the Earsonics Velvet was delayed, first because both earphones cracked, and second, because their substitutes arrived in the midst of an intractably involved review queue. Despite being a bit cheaper (at least in Japan) than the S-EM6, I preferred Velvet. It fits better and is tunable. It has more edge. It is a fun earphone.
Read moreYours truly at Musica Acoustics's YT talking Earsonics Velvet
Dimitri Trush invited me and my newly discovered extra chin to talk Earsonics Velvet, which I recently reviewed at Headfonia. If you're a DJ, you might be able to keep up with Dimitri's cuts.
Thank you Musica Acoustics.
Musica Acoustics introduces Earsonics's Velvet earphones
UPDATE: this video is from 24 October, so it's not news. But Dimitri is a chum, and I love his Ygoring.
Favourite quote from the video: "It's actually very pleasant, how it feels in my ears."
Dimitri (Musica Acoustics's CEO) seems to be talking up Earsonics's strange new poison mushroom-shaped ear tip that comes with Velvet. Personally, I can't get a seal with it, nor do I like the connotation. Count me out.
I've got Velvet in my ears now. I'm enjoying Arovane; Joy Division put salt streaks down my face before that.
Overall, Velvet is a very, very interesting earphone; and it is the first Earsonics earphone that doesn't come in a cheap plastic case, nor in a cheesy, and finger-tearing plastic package. The sound tube is a bit too flexible (though that may help it withstand daily strain), but there's little else to really complain about. The goods seem to outweigh the bads. They are:
1. same easy-to-drive Earsonics circuitry
2. same unsensitivity to background noise
3. sound is: fusion between the laid back S-EM6 (reviewed here), the more exciting SM64 (reviewed here), and the weighty EM32 (reviewed here).
And of course, the standout feature Earsonics are pushing is the variable bass tuning port, which I've yet to use. Use it I will. And remain impressed, I'm sure I will.
My full review will hit Headfonia shores sometime in December. Till then, I'll rock some EDM, John Denver, and anything beaty from the 1990's to 2000's; oh, and of course, Duran Duran.
Velvet makes no enemies.
acrylic earphones - shouty upper treble
Yesterday, I was asked the following question by a member of Head-Fi with whom I had been having an ongoing discussion about the Vorzüge PURE II headphone amplifier.
“I noticed that you have done reviews on both the TG334 and the s-em6, and i was wondering how they compared? Im thinking of getting the s-em6 as someone is selling it cheaply. Also, another concern i have is that being a BA in acryllic shell, i was worried if it might have the pronounced shouty upper midrange that i find in many CIEM demos, something which the guys at **** told me was caused by the acryllic resonant properties.”
Here is what I have to say:
1. The combination of balanced armature earphones and acrylic shells do not cause shouty upper treble.
2. Never trust what representatives of certain companies/technologies say about competing companies/technologies.
NOTE: My review of the FitEar ToGo!334 is at TouchMyApps. My review of the Earsonics S-EM6 is at Headfonia.
Both earphones are good. Only one is great. That is the ToGo!334. What I love most about it isn't its sound, though it is very good; it is FitEar's incessant drive for perfection. Clean shells, clean wiring, strong cables, excellent use of both acrylic and titanium in the output tubes- these are tenets of the FitEar philosophy.
The S-EM6 is more moody, has lusher vocals, and, I feel, is more suited to jazz, vocalists, folk, and certain live music. It fits less well than the ToGo!334, has fiddlier ear pieces, and isn't made to the same exacting standards. Atomistically, I vastly prefer its moodiness for certain music. The S-EM6 may not be as clean sounding in certain frequencies, but it is more fun than the ToGo!334 for certain types of music.
But holistically, if I were to slap down +1.000- USD on an earphone, it would be one that inspired me from both a sound and a build perspective. Currently, ToGo!334 is hard to find. I hear from some people that it has a waiting list. The good news is that if you ever decide to sell it, you likely can recoup all of the costs. Those are the marks of a good investment.
Certain FitEar earphones hold their value very well. But if it came down to sound preference only, I'd probably side with S-EM6. That is personal. But my favourite Earsonics is the SM64. My favourite universal of all time is probably the Grado GR10, whose beautiful shiny body and clean, yet foot-tapping sound mates well with almost every of my favourite albums. It's also a LOT less expensive than the other two options.
As for CIEMs sounding shouty, they can. But that has nothing to do with balanced armatures. Ditto acrylic. It's part and parcel of the acoustic philosophy to which the manufacturer adheres. First: CIEM demos use universal tips for which they were not designed. Second: universal type earphones engage neither the outer nor the inner ear in the same way as customs. Demos will never sound exactly like the final products. They may, in fact, sound quite different. This is an unsolvable problem with CIEM earphones.
Finally, never take a representative of a certain company at her word. Her job is to convince you to buy the things her company make. And she will do her best to convince you that the technologies her company produce are best.
It is possible that they may be. It is just as possible that she is blowing wind up your ass.
The Earsonics EM32
Pretty in purple
Since the days of the original SM2, I've been a fan of the moody Earsonics house sound. A year later, its successor, the SM3 blew me away. Why? The intervening year brought a maturity to Earsonics that changed the way I looked at multi-armature earphones.
Read moreEarsonics Special S-EM6 Red Devil Edition available for the month of March
The March-edition of the Earsonics S-EM6 is red, but despite its eponym, its sound is anything but evil. THL rate the regular version quite highly; it might better be dubbed angelic.
Thanks for the tip, THL.
The Headphone List: Earsonics S-EM6 review
The Headphone List continued to prove their dominance in the independent headphone review web re: the coverage of earphones and headphones with their detailed coverage of the Earsonics S-EM6.
Their conclusion is a little weak, but when you're in the business of reviewing, you can't play favourites.
“If you like a focus on the midrange and want to get lost in your music, the S-EM6 can help you accomplish that.”
ohmage to the Earsonics SM64
Earsonics have come a long way. Outwardly, their designs don’t show it. But under the bonnet- whoowee! This reviewer has reviewed almost every universal SM series earphone. After carefully fawning over each one, he’s realised two things: first that he is somewhat of an aficionado; and second, that the SM64 is the SM earphone to have.
Read more