Sivga has been a maker that I have seen a lot of hype and buzz about, and I had been meaning to opine on their offerings for quite some time. Just in due time, right before my muscle strain and a few other injuries here and there, Sivga sent out the SM100 in my name, and I was honestly not prepared for this. The SM100 is one of those IEMs that simply refuses to let the sub-$50 market be taken lightly, and stick with me for the why. It is an IEM that surprised me in more ways than one, especially considering the kind of competition that exists at this price point. I thank Sivga for supplying me this unit for review.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

The box is compact, and the branding is well done in my opinion. It advertises the product well with a slight retro aesthetic, while the remaining information is printed around the box. Sliding the lid away reveals a paper-like protective layer, and once that's out of the way: the IEMs are nestled securely inside the hardboard packaging.

Accessories are disappointingly barebones, and especially so for $50. Not supplying a pouch or a carrying case feels a little stingy on Sigva's part, especially considering others are including two-three types of aftermarket eartips along with a pouch or a case, and it gets worse with one three sets of generic eartips. The stock cable terminates in 3.5 mm, feels nice in hand, doesn't feel overly prone to tangling, and also features an inline microphone, which some users will certainly appreciate.

Sivga also markets the SM100 as an IEM that does both music and gaming well. I hold the opinion that marketing IEMs as gaming-specific is a bit disingenuous, because if an IEM does imaging, perceived stage, attack, and decay well: it's naturally going to be a good gaming IEM. At the end of the day, good technical performance is good technical performance, irrespective of how the manufacturer chooses to market it.

Comfort and fit on the SM100 reminded me of the Sennheiser IE lineup: yes, it's that comfortable, thanks to the contoured design of the metal shells. I have had this IEM in my ears for hours on end, and not once did my ears fatigue, which is not something I get to say very often. As always though, your mileage may vary.

So now, here's the sound.

LOWS

Tipper: Mariscos

This is a precise, heavy-hitting track with everything executed with a great deal of neatness, but the Sivga SM100 leaves bass quantity out in the open in favor of a hell of a lot of polish in its overall perceived quality. The way the beats pulsate and ripple through carries a lot of embedded polish and a great degree of separation from the rest of the elements. The decay doesn't linger for longer than it should, and the attack feels surprisingly fast, giving every beat a clean start and finish without overstaying its welcome.

Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack

The Sivga SM100 catches the bass play in the intro with a neat rumble going for itself, and once the rest of the instruments come in, the SM100 impresses with its separation first: beats from the kicks and toms have adequate punch and impact, although some resonance on the toms would have accentuated the overall perception of the drums even more. Tonality, prima facie, is balanced and doesn't alter the overall feel of the vocals, which is a good thing because the SM100, only through the first few minutes, feels overly warm. As the listening continues, however, that perception seems to mellow out toward a more balanced take, making for a much more even-handed presentation.

MIDS

Alf Linder: Cantique de Noel

Marianne's vocals sound hauntingly beautiful and are perfectly balanced in their tonality, and when the choir comes in, it is wonderfully separated from the leading vocals, which is a very good thing about the SM100 despite its price. The organ keys retain their timbre, and the rolling "R"s from Marianne are eloquent. Towards the end, when the choir gets more intense, there is no perceived shoutiness, and the keys conclude the track beautifully, bringing the track to a fitting close.

Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

There's an excellent level of detail in the snare strokes captured and rendered by the SM100, while the timbre comes off as natural and unaltered. Vocals are planted center, and the cymbals are perceived to be quite forward with the same emphasis the SM100 gives the guitars as well, but they could have sounded fuller, which would have made the entire presentation more cohesive.

Tool: Lateralus

The Sivga SM100 makes the cymbals here sound brutally crisp and feel quite alive in their texture. Vocals have adequate weight, and towards the end of the track, through the breakdown, the wah-ing bass is very potent while not overdoing quantity. Drum strokes bounce off sounding energetic, but the guitars come off concerningly thin and now have an element of shoutiness. This could be further attributed to the track itself being faintly shouty, but what was heard, was heard, and the SM100 did come off faintly shouty.

HIGHS

Patricia Barber: Icarus

Patricia's velvety, lush texture is beautifully preserved while the bass rumbles without muddying, and the cymbals have a wonderful shimmer to them. The guitar here now feels adequately balanced, while the percussion maintains a wonderful timbre. The moment Patricia hits the straight sustain, as the cymbals power through, there is neither sibilance nor pierce on the Sivga SM100, which is a commendable feat.

Celine Dion: All By Myself

Cutting this section short: through the climax, the SM100 has a glimpse of shoutiness return to a more noticeable extent, but it quickly subsides once the rest of the instruments come in. As Celine's yodeling and the other vocal dynamics play out, the SM100 starts smoothing out the rough edges again, and especially during her note oscillations, I didn't observe any weird ringing-like effect or pierce.

PinkPantheress ft. Zara Larsson: Stateside

In this track, the Sivga SM100 does a wonderful job again: the bass and synth pulsate without any distortion or fatigue respectively. Vocals still feel adequate in weight and body, while the synths are executed very well: tonally balanced, timbrally accurate, and with no displeasure in perception. The isolation amongst the elements in this track is also done very well by the Sivga SM100.

CONCLUDING NOTES

The Sivga SM100 has a peculiar look and a peculiar obsession with getting things right. Well, it manages to get most of the fundamentals right, and whatever weaknesses I could perceive towards the higher end of the sound are an easy fix with some EQ and different eartips. I just wish the whole package felt at par with most of the sets under $50, where some come with multiple sets of eartips, some include cases or pouches, and others come with both.

The Sivga SM100 reminded me of the IE200 a lot, but everything else was a massive step-up. It reminded me of the Kefine Delci, but the SM100 felt a tad more neutral and gleaming with detail. It reminded me of both the Twistura Delta and the OoopusX OP22, but the Sivga had a better build, a better cable, and most importantly, at least through the lows, it significantly performed better. In my book, it manages to score whatever points were lost in the packaging department.

The curious case with the OP22, especially, is that its tuning switches give you different sounds right out of the box, it comes with a set of Penon Liqueur clones that work in tandem with its bass mode turned on, and it has one of the best performances through the highs that I have heard in an IEM, let's say within $120. Yes, the OP22 is that good, and it's worth mentioning that it is also cheaper than the SM100. Yet, the SM100 isn't a bad performer: it's just that the OP22 is too damn good. Hence, the SM100 walks away with a solid A in my book.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely.

Will I buy it used? Absolutely.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the EPZ TP35 Pro, Venture Electronics Abigail Pro and Odo dongle DAC amps. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore/Standard, Spinfit W1, Final E, KBear Coffee.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

Sivga has been a maker that I have seen a lot of hype and buzz about, and I had been meaning to opine on their offerings for quite some time. Just in due time, right before my muscle strain and a few other injuries here and there, Sivga sent out the SM100 in my name, and I was honestly not prepared for this. The SM100 is one of those IEMs that simply refuses to let the sub-$50 market be taken lightly, and stick with me for the why. It is an IEM that surprised me in more ways than one, especially considering the kind of competition that exists at this price point. I thank Sivga for supplying me this unit for review.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

The box is compact, and the branding is well done in my opinion. It advertises the product well with a slight retro aesthetic, while the remaining information is printed around the box. Sliding the lid away reveals a paper-like protective layer, and once that's out of the way: the IEMs are nestled securely inside the hardboard packaging.

Accessories are disappointingly barebones, and especially so for $50. Not supplying a pouch or a carrying case feels a little stingy on Sigva's part, especially considering others are including two-three types of aftermarket eartips along with a pouch or a case, and it gets worse with one three sets of generic eartips. The stock cable terminates in 3.5 mm, feels nice in hand, doesn't feel overly prone to tangling, and also features an inline microphone, which some users will certainly appreciate.

Sivga also markets the SM100 as an IEM that does both music and gaming well. I hold the opinion that marketing IEMs as gaming-specific is a bit disingenuous, because if an IEM does imaging, perceived stage, attack, and decay well: it's naturally going to be a good gaming IEM. At the end of the day, good technical performance is good technical performance, irrespective of how the manufacturer chooses to market it.

Comfort and fit on the SM100 reminded me of the Sennheiser IE lineup: yes, it's that comfortable, thanks to the contoured design of the metal shells. I have had this IEM in my ears for hours on end, and not once did my ears fatigue, which is not something I get to say very often. As always though, your mileage may vary.

So now, here's the sound.

LOWS

Tipper: Mariscos

This is a precise, heavy-hitting track with everything executed with a great deal of neatness, but the Sivga SM100 leaves bass quantity out in the open in favor of a hell of a lot of polish in its overall perceived quality. The way the beats pulsate and ripple through carries a lot of embedded polish and a great degree of separation from the rest of the elements. The decay doesn't linger for longer than it should, and the attack feels surprisingly fast, giving every beat a clean start and finish without overstaying its welcome.

Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack

The Sivga SM100 catches the bass play in the intro with a neat rumble going for itself, and once the rest of the instruments come in, the SM100 impresses with its separation first: beats from the kicks and toms have adequate punch and impact, although some resonance on the toms would have accentuated the overall perception of the drums even more. Tonality, prima facie, is balanced and doesn't alter the overall feel of the vocals, which is a good thing because the SM100, only through the first few minutes, feels overly warm. As the listening continues, however, that perception seems to mellow out toward a more balanced take, making for a much more even-handed presentation.

MIDS

Alf Linder: Cantique de Noel

Marianne's vocals sound hauntingly beautiful and are perfectly balanced in their tonality, and when the choir comes in, it is wonderfully separated from the leading vocals, which is a very good thing about the SM100 despite its price. The organ keys retain their timbre, and the rolling "R"s from Marianne are eloquent. Towards the end, when the choir gets more intense, there is no perceived shoutiness, and the keys conclude the track beautifully, bringing the track to a fitting close.

Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

There's an excellent level of detail in the snare strokes captured and rendered by the SM100, while the timbre comes off as natural and unaltered. Vocals are planted center, and the cymbals are perceived to be quite forward with the same emphasis the SM100 gives the guitars as well, but they could have sounded fuller, which would have made the entire presentation more cohesive.

Tool: Lateralus

The Sivga SM100 makes the cymbals here sound brutally crisp and feel quite alive in their texture. Vocals have adequate weight, and towards the end of the track, through the breakdown, the wah-ing bass is very potent while not overdoing quantity. Drum strokes bounce off sounding energetic, but the guitars come off concerningly thin and now have an element of shoutiness. This could be further attributed to the track itself being faintly shouty, but what was heard, was heard, and the SM100 did come off faintly shouty.

HIGHS

Patricia Barber: Icarus

Patricia's velvety, lush texture is beautifully preserved while the bass rumbles without muddying, and the cymbals have a wonderful shimmer to them. The guitar here now feels adequately balanced, while the percussion maintains a wonderful timbre. The moment Patricia hits the straight sustain, as the cymbals power through, there is neither sibilance nor pierce on the Sivga SM100, which is a commendable feat.

Celine Dion: All By Myself

Cutting this section short: through the climax, the SM100 has a glimpse of shoutiness return to a more noticeable extent, but it quickly subsides once the rest of the instruments come in. As Celine's yodeling and the other vocal dynamics play out, the SM100 starts smoothing out the rough edges again, and especially during her note oscillations, I didn't observe any weird ringing-like effect or pierce.

PinkPantheress ft. Zara Larsson: Stateside

In this track, the Sivga SM100 does a wonderful job again: the bass and synth pulsate without any distortion or fatigue respectively. Vocals still feel adequate in weight and body, while the synths are executed very well: tonally balanced, timbrally accurate, and with no displeasure in perception. The isolation amongst the elements in this track is also done very well by the Sivga SM100.

CONCLUDING NOTES

The Sivga SM100 has a peculiar look and a peculiar obsession with getting things right. Well, it manages to get most of the fundamentals right, and whatever weaknesses I could perceive towards the higher end of the sound are an easy fix with some EQ and different eartips. I just wish the whole package felt at par with most of the sets under $50, where some come with multiple sets of eartips, some include cases or pouches, and others come with both.

The Sivga SM100 reminded me of the IE200 a lot, but everything else was a massive step-up. It reminded me of the Kefine Delci, but the SM100 felt a tad more neutral and gleaming with detail. It reminded me of both the Twistura Delta and the OoopusX OP22, but the Sivga had a better build, a better cable, and most importantly, at least through the lows, it significantly performed better. In my book, it manages to score whatever points were lost in the packaging department.

The curious case with the OP22, especially, is that its tuning switches give you different sounds right out of the box, it comes with a set of Penon Liqueur clones that work in tandem with its bass mode turned on, and it has one of the best performances through the highs that I have heard in an IEM, let's say within $120. Yes, the OP22 is that good, and it's worth mentioning that it is also cheaper than the SM100. Yet, the SM100 isn't a bad performer: it's just that the OP22 is too damn good. Hence, the SM100 walks away with a solid A in my book.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely.

Will I buy it used? Absolutely.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the EPZ TP35 Pro, Venture Electronics Abigail Pro and Odo dongle DAC amps. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore/Standard, Spinfit W1, Final E, KBear Coffee.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

WHERE TO BUY THE SIVGA SM100 (ALL NON-AFFILIATE)

https://sivgashop.com/products/sm100
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010425585295.html

Sivga has been a maker that I have seen a lot of hype and buzz about, and I had been meaning to opine on their offerings for quite some time. Just in due time, right before my muscle strain and a few other injuries here and there, Sivga sent out the SM100 in my name, and I was honestly not prepared for this. The SM100 is one of those IEMs that simply refuses to let the sub-$50 market be taken lightly, and stick with me for the why. It is an IEM that surprised me in more ways than one, especially considering the kind of competition that exists at this price point. I thank Sivga for supplying me this unit for review.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

The box is compact, and the branding is well done in my opinion. It advertises the product well with a slight retro aesthetic, while the remaining information is printed around the box. Sliding the lid away reveals a paper-like protective layer, and once that's out of the way: the IEMs are nestled securely inside the hardboard packaging.

Accessories are disappointingly barebones, and especially so for $50. Not supplying a pouch or a carrying case feels a little stingy on Sigva's part, especially considering others are including two-three types of aftermarket eartips along with a pouch or a case, and it gets worse with one three sets of generic eartips. The stock cable terminates in 3.5 mm, feels nice in hand, doesn't feel overly prone to tangling, and also features an inline microphone, which some users will certainly appreciate.

Sivga also markets the SM100 as an IEM that does both music and gaming well. I hold the opinion that marketing IEMs as gaming-specific is a bit disingenuous, because if an IEM does imaging, perceived stage, attack, and decay well: it's naturally going to be a good gaming IEM. At the end of the day, good technical performance is good technical performance, irrespective of how the manufacturer chooses to market it.

Comfort and fit on the SM100 reminded me of the Sennheiser IE lineup: yes, it's that comfortable, thanks to the contoured design of the metal shells. I have had this IEM in my ears for hours on end, and not once did my ears fatigue, which is not something I get to say very often. As always though, your mileage may vary.

So now, here's the sound.

LOWS

Tipper: Mariscos

This is a precise, heavy-hitting track with everything executed with a great deal of neatness, but the Sivga SM100 leaves bass quantity out in the open in favor of a hell of a lot of polish in its overall perceived quality. The way the beats pulsate and ripple through carries a lot of embedded polish and a great degree of separation from the rest of the elements. The decay doesn't linger for longer than it should, and the attack feels surprisingly fast, giving every beat a clean start and finish without overstaying its welcome.

Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack

The Sivga SM100 catches the bass play in the intro with a neat rumble going for itself, and once the rest of the instruments come in, the SM100 impresses with its separation first: beats from the kicks and toms have adequate punch and impact, although some resonance on the toms would have accentuated the overall perception of the drums even more. Tonality, prima facie, is balanced and doesn't alter the overall feel of the vocals, which is a good thing because the SM100, only through the first few minutes, feels overly warm. As the listening continues, however, that perception seems to mellow out toward a more balanced take, making for a much more even-handed presentation.

MIDS

Alf Linder: Cantique de Noel

Marianne's vocals sound hauntingly beautiful and are perfectly balanced in their tonality, and when the choir comes in, it is wonderfully separated from the leading vocals, which is a very good thing about the SM100 despite its price. The organ keys retain their timbre, and the rolling "R"s from Marianne are eloquent. Towards the end, when the choir gets more intense, there is no perceived shoutiness, and the keys conclude the track beautifully, bringing the track to a fitting close.

Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

There's an excellent level of detail in the snare strokes captured and rendered by the SM100, while the timbre comes off as natural and unaltered. Vocals are planted center, and the cymbals are perceived to be quite forward with the same emphasis the SM100 gives the guitars as well, but they could have sounded fuller, which would have made the entire presentation more cohesive.

Tool: Lateralus

The Sivga SM100 makes the cymbals here sound brutally crisp and feel quite alive in their texture. Vocals have adequate weight, and towards the end of the track, through the breakdown, the wah-ing bass is very potent while not overdoing quantity. Drum strokes bounce off sounding energetic, but the guitars come off concerningly thin and now have an element of shoutiness. This could be further attributed to the track itself being faintly shouty, but what was heard, was heard, and the SM100 did come off faintly shouty.

HIGHS

Patricia Barber: Icarus

Patricia's velvety, lush texture is beautifully preserved while the bass rumbles without muddying, and the cymbals have a wonderful shimmer to them. The guitar here now feels adequately balanced, while the percussion maintains a wonderful timbre. The moment Patricia hits the straight sustain, as the cymbals power through, there is neither sibilance nor pierce on the Sivga SM100, which is a commendable feat.

Celine Dion: All By Myself

Cutting this section short: through the climax, the SM100 has a glimpse of shoutiness return to a more noticeable extent, but it quickly subsides once the rest of the instruments come in. As Celine's yodeling and the other vocal dynamics play out, the SM100 starts smoothing out the rough edges again, and especially during her note oscillations, I didn't observe any weird ringing-like effect or pierce.

PinkPantheress ft. Zara Larsson: Stateside

In this track, the Sivga SM100 does a wonderful job again: the bass and synth pulsate without any distortion or fatigue respectively. Vocals still feel adequate in weight and body, while the synths are executed very well: tonally balanced, timbrally accurate, and with no displeasure in perception. The isolation amongst the elements in this track is also done very well by the Sivga SM100.

CONCLUDING NOTES

The Sivga SM100 has a peculiar look and a peculiar obsession with getting things right. Well, it manages to get most of the fundamentals right, and whatever weaknesses I could perceive towards the higher end of the sound are an easy fix with some EQ and different eartips. I just wish the whole package felt at par with most of the sets under $50, where some come with multiple sets of eartips, some include cases or pouches, and others come with both.

The Sivga SM100 reminded me of the IE200 a lot, but everything else was a massive step-up. It reminded me of the Kefine Delci, but the SM100 felt a tad more neutral and gleaming with detail. It reminded me of both the Twistura Delta and the OoopusX OP22, but the Sivga had a better build, a better cable, and most importantly, at least through the lows, it significantly performed better. In my book, it manages to score whatever points were lost in the packaging department.

The curious case with the OP22, especially, is that its tuning switches give you different sounds right out of the box, it comes with a set of Penon Liqueur clones that work in tandem with its bass mode turned on, and it has one of the best performances through the highs that I have heard in an IEM, let's say within $120. Yes, the OP22 is that good, and it's worth mentioning that it is also cheaper than the SM100. Yet, the SM100 isn't a bad performer: it's just that the OP22 is too damn good. Hence, the SM100 walks away with a solid A in my book.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely.

Will I buy it used? Absolutely.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the EPZ TP35 Pro, Venture Electronics Abigail Pro and Odo dongle DAC amps. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore/Standard, Spinfit W1, Final E, KBear Coffee.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

WHERE TO BUY THE SIVGA SM100 (ALL NON-AFFILIATE)

https://sivgashop.com/products/sm100
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010425585295.html

Sivga has been a maker that I have seen a lot of hype and buzz about, and I had been meaning to opine on their offerings for quite some time. Just in due time, right before my muscle strain and a few other injuries here and there, Sivga sent out the SM100 in my name, and I was honestly not prepared for this. The SM100 is one of those IEMs that simply refuses to let the sub-$50 market be taken lightly, and stick with me for the why. It is an IEM that surprised me in more ways than one, especially considering the kind of competition that exists at this price point. I thank Sivga for supplying me this unit for review.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

The box is compact, and the branding is well done in my opinion. It advertises the product well with a slight retro aesthetic, while the remaining information is printed around the box. Sliding the lid away reveals a paper-like protective layer, and once that's out of the way: the IEMs are nestled securely inside the hardboard packaging.

Accessories are disappointingly barebones, and especially so for $50. Not supplying a pouch or a carrying case feels a little stingy on Sigva's part, especially considering others are including two-three types of aftermarket eartips along with a pouch or a case, and it gets worse with one three sets of generic eartips. The stock cable terminates in 3.5 mm, feels nice in hand, doesn't feel overly prone to tangling, and also features an inline microphone, which some users will certainly appreciate.

Sivga also markets the SM100 as an IEM that does both music and gaming well. I hold the opinion that marketing IEMs as gaming-specific is a bit disingenuous, because if an IEM does imaging, perceived stage, attack, and decay well: it's naturally going to be a good gaming IEM. At the end of the day, good technical performance is good technical performance, irrespective of how the manufacturer chooses to market it.

Comfort and fit on the SM100 reminded me of the Sennheiser IE lineup: yes, it's that comfortable, thanks to the contoured design of the metal shells. I have had this IEM in my ears for hours on end, and not once did my ears fatigue, which is not something I get to say very often. As always though, your mileage may vary.

So now, here's the sound.

LOWS

Tipper: Mariscos

This is a precise, heavy-hitting track with everything executed with a great deal of neatness, but the Sivga SM100 leaves bass quantity out in the open in favor of a hell of a lot of polish in its overall perceived quality. The way the beats pulsate and ripple through carries a lot of embedded polish and a great degree of separation from the rest of the elements. The decay doesn't linger for longer than it should, and the attack feels surprisingly fast, giving every beat a clean start and finish without overstaying its welcome.

Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack

The Sivga SM100 catches the bass play in the intro with a neat rumble going for itself, and once the rest of the instruments come in, the SM100 impresses with its separation first: beats from the kicks and toms have adequate punch and impact, although some resonance on the toms would have accentuated the overall perception of the drums even more. Tonality, prima facie, is balanced and doesn't alter the overall feel of the vocals, which is a good thing because the SM100, only through the first few minutes, feels overly warm. As the listening continues, however, that perception seems to mellow out toward a more balanced take, making for a much more even-handed presentation.

MIDS

Alf Linder: Cantique de Noel

Marianne's vocals sound hauntingly beautiful and are perfectly balanced in their tonality, and when the choir comes in, it is wonderfully separated from the leading vocals, which is a very good thing about the SM100 despite its price. The organ keys retain their timbre, and the rolling "R"s from Marianne are eloquent. Towards the end, when the choir gets more intense, there is no perceived shoutiness, and the keys conclude the track beautifully, bringing the track to a fitting close.

Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

There's an excellent level of detail in the snare strokes captured and rendered by the SM100, while the timbre comes off as natural and unaltered. Vocals are planted center, and the cymbals are perceived to be quite forward with the same emphasis the SM100 gives the guitars as well, but they could have sounded fuller, which would have made the entire presentation more cohesive.

Tool: Lateralus

The Sivga SM100 makes the cymbals here sound brutally crisp and feel quite alive in their texture. Vocals have adequate weight, and towards the end of the track, through the breakdown, the wah-ing bass is very potent while not overdoing quantity. Drum strokes bounce off sounding energetic, but the guitars come off concerningly thin and now have an element of shoutiness. This could be further attributed to the track itself being faintly shouty, but what was heard, was heard, and the SM100 did come off faintly shouty.

HIGHS

Patricia Barber: Icarus

Patricia's velvety, lush texture is beautifully preserved while the bass rumbles without muddying, and the cymbals have a wonderful shimmer to them. The guitar here now feels adequately balanced, while the percussion maintains a wonderful timbre. The moment Patricia hits the straight sustain, as the cymbals power through, there is neither sibilance nor pierce on the Sivga SM100, which is a commendable feat.

Celine Dion: All By Myself

Cutting this section short: through the climax, the SM100 has a glimpse of shoutiness return to a more noticeable extent, but it quickly subsides once the rest of the instruments come in. As Celine's yodeling and the other vocal dynamics play out, the SM100 starts smoothing out the rough edges again, and especially during her note oscillations, I didn't observe any weird ringing-like effect or pierce.

PinkPantheress ft. Zara Larsson: Stateside

In this track, the Sivga SM100 does a wonderful job again: the bass and synth pulsate without any distortion or fatigue respectively. Vocals still feel adequate in weight and body, while the synths are executed very well: tonally balanced, timbrally accurate, and with no displeasure in perception. The isolation amongst the elements in this track is also done very well by the Sivga SM100.

CONCLUDING NOTES

The Sivga SM100 has a peculiar look and a peculiar obsession with getting things right. Well, it manages to get most of the fundamentals right, and whatever weaknesses I could perceive towards the higher end of the sound are an easy fix with some EQ and different eartips. I just wish the whole package felt at par with most of the sets under $50, where some come with multiple sets of eartips, some include cases or pouches, and others come with both.

The Sivga SM100 reminded me of the IE200 a lot, but everything else was a massive step-up. It reminded me of the Kefine Delci, but the SM100 felt a tad more neutral and gleaming with detail. It reminded me of both the Twistura Delta and the OoopusX OP22, but the Sivga had a better build, a better cable, and most importantly, at least through the lows, it significantly performed better. In my book, it manages to score whatever points were lost in the packaging department.

The curious case with the OP22, especially, is that its tuning switches give you different sounds right out of the box, it comes with a set of Penon Liqueur clones that work in tandem with its bass mode turned on, and it has one of the best performances through the highs that I have heard in an IEM, let's say within $120. Yes, the OP22 is that good, and it's worth mentioning that it is also cheaper than the SM100. Yet, the SM100 isn't a bad performer: it's just that the OP22 is too damn good. Hence, the SM100 walks away with a solid A in my book.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely.

Will I buy it used? Absolutely.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the EPZ TP35 Pro, Venture Electronics Abigail Pro and Odo dongle DAC amps. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore/Standard, Spinfit W1, Final E, KBear Coffee.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

WHERE TO BUY THE SIVGA SM100 (ALL NON-AFFILIATE)

https://sivgashop.com/products/sm100
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010425585295.html

Sivga has been a maker that I have seen a lot of hype and buzz about, and I had been meaning to opine on their offerings for quite some time. Just in due time, right before my muscle strain and a few other injuries here and there, Sivga sent out the SM100 in my name, and I was honestly not prepared for this. The SM100 is one of those IEMs that simply refuses to let the sub-$50 market be taken lightly, and stick with me for the why. It is an IEM that surprised me in more ways than one, especially considering the kind of competition that exists at this price point. I thank Sivga for supplying me this unit for review.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

The box is compact, and the branding is well done in my opinion. It advertises the product well with a slight retro aesthetic, while the remaining information is printed around the box. Sliding the lid away reveals a paper-like protective layer, and once that's out of the way: the IEMs are nestled securely inside the hardboard packaging.

Accessories are disappointingly barebones, and especially so for $50. Not supplying a pouch or a carrying case feels a little stingy on Sigva's part, especially considering others are including two-three types of aftermarket eartips along with a pouch or a case, and it gets worse with one three sets of generic eartips. The stock cable terminates in 3.5 mm, feels nice in hand, doesn't feel overly prone to tangling, and also features an inline microphone, which some users will certainly appreciate.

Sivga also markets the SM100 as an IEM that does both music and gaming well. I hold the opinion that marketing IEMs as gaming-specific is a bit disingenuous, because if an IEM does imaging, perceived stage, attack, and decay well: it's naturally going to be a good gaming IEM. At the end of the day, good technical performance is good technical performance, irrespective of how the manufacturer chooses to market it.

Comfort and fit on the SM100 reminded me of the Sennheiser IE lineup: yes, it's that comfortable, thanks to the contoured design of the metal shells. I have had this IEM in my ears for hours on end, and not once did my ears fatigue, which is not something I get to say very often. As always though, your mileage may vary.

So now, here's the sound.

LOWS

Tipper: Mariscos

This is a precise, heavy-hitting track with everything executed with a great deal of neatness, but the Sivga SM100 leaves bass quantity out in the open in favor of a hell of a lot of polish in its overall perceived quality. The way the beats pulsate and ripple through carries a lot of embedded polish and a great degree of separation from the rest of the elements. The decay doesn't linger for longer than it should, and the attack feels surprisingly fast, giving every beat a clean start and finish without overstaying its welcome.

Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack

The Sivga SM100 catches the bass play in the intro with a neat rumble going for itself, and once the rest of the instruments come in, the SM100 impresses with its separation first: beats from the kicks and toms have adequate punch and impact, although some resonance on the toms would have accentuated the overall perception of the drums even more. Tonality, prima facie, is balanced and doesn't alter the overall feel of the vocals, which is a good thing because the SM100, only through the first few minutes, feels overly warm. As the listening continues, however, that perception seems to mellow out toward a more balanced take, making for a much more even-handed presentation.

MIDS

Alf Linder: Cantique de Noel

Marianne's vocals sound hauntingly beautiful and are perfectly balanced in their tonality, and when the choir comes in, it is wonderfully separated from the leading vocals, which is a very good thing about the SM100 despite its price. The organ keys retain their timbre, and the rolling "R"s from Marianne are eloquent. Towards the end, when the choir gets more intense, there is no perceived shoutiness, and the keys conclude the track beautifully, bringing the track to a fitting close.

Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

There's an excellent level of detail in the snare strokes captured and rendered by the SM100, while the timbre comes off as natural and unaltered. Vocals are planted center, and the cymbals are perceived to be quite forward with the same emphasis the SM100 gives the guitars as well, but they could have sounded fuller, which would have made the entire presentation more cohesive.

Tool: Lateralus

The Sivga SM100 makes the cymbals here sound brutally crisp and feel quite alive in their texture. Vocals have adequate weight, and towards the end of the track, through the breakdown, the wah-ing bass is very potent while not overdoing quantity. Drum strokes bounce off sounding energetic, but the guitars come off concerningly thin and now have an element of shoutiness. This could be further attributed to the track itself being faintly shouty, but what was heard, was heard, and the SM100 did come off faintly shouty.

HIGHS

Patricia Barber: Icarus

Patricia's velvety, lush texture is beautifully preserved while the bass rumbles without muddying, and the cymbals have a wonderful shimmer to them. The guitar here now feels adequately balanced, while the percussion maintains a wonderful timbre. The moment Patricia hits the straight sustain, as the cymbals power through, there is neither sibilance nor pierce on the Sivga SM100, which is a commendable feat.

Celine Dion: All By Myself

Cutting this section short: through the climax, the SM100 has a glimpse of shoutiness return to a more noticeable extent, but it quickly subsides once the rest of the instruments come in. As Celine's yodeling and the other vocal dynamics play out, the SM100 starts smoothing out the rough edges again, and especially during her note oscillations, I didn't observe any weird ringing-like effect or pierce.

PinkPantheress ft. Zara Larsson: Stateside

In this track, the Sivga SM100 does a wonderful job again: the bass and synth pulsate without any distortion or fatigue respectively. Vocals still feel adequate in weight and body, while the synths are executed very well: tonally balanced, timbrally accurate, and with no displeasure in perception. The isolation amongst the elements in this track is also done very well by the Sivga SM100.

CONCLUDING NOTES

The Sivga SM100 has a peculiar look and a peculiar obsession with getting things right. Well, it manages to get most of the fundamentals right, and whatever weaknesses I could perceive towards the higher end of the sound are an easy fix with some EQ and different eartips. I just wish the whole package felt at par with most of the sets under $50, where some come with multiple sets of eartips, some include cases or pouches, and others come with both.

The Sivga SM100 reminded me of the IE200 a lot, but everything else was a massive step-up. It reminded me of the Kefine Delci, but the SM100 felt a tad more neutral and gleaming with detail. It reminded me of both the Twistura Delta and the OoopusX OP22, but the Sivga had a better build, a better cable, and most importantly, at least through the lows, it significantly performed better. In my book, it manages to score whatever points were lost in the packaging department.

The curious case with the OP22, especially, is that its tuning switches give you different sounds right out of the box, it comes with a set of Penon Liqueur clones that work in tandem with its bass mode turned on, and it has one of the best performances through the highs that I have heard in an IEM, let's say within $120. Yes, the OP22 is that good, and it's worth mentioning that it is also cheaper than the SM100. Yet, the SM100 isn't a bad performer: it's just that the OP22 is too damn good. Hence, the SM100 walks away with a solid A in my book.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely.

Will I buy it used? Absolutely.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the EPZ TP35 Pro, Venture Electronics Abigail Pro and Odo dongle DAC amps. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore/Standard, Spinfit W1, Final E, KBear Coffee.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

EarAcoustic is one of those brands which I had seen pop up every now and then across my social media feeds, and I kind of looked at it with skepticism. But from people who owned IEMs like the STA, VSA, and the rest in their lineup, I had heard quite a few good things about it. However, they don’t possess my ears, and I had to find it out for myself, so a good friend of mine decided to send over his Genesis G318 for review. He also happens to be the top gun at one of the three main retailers for audiophile equipment in India, The Audio Store. Hence, this is not something I have done for the brand, but rather for what the retailer had in mind. I thank him for making this review possible.

Since I don’t have the full set in hand, except for the IEM shells being metal, and despite being chonky yet fitting me well, I have nothing else to say, so let me just scooch over to the sound. I must say that it does look absolutely horrendous compared to the rest of their IEMs, to the extent that I was just beating my head against the wall as to how bad the font looked on the shells.

LOWS

In tracks like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, two of my picks for judging articulate bass lines with prodigal drum work, the G318 takes a measured approach. The bass lines get proper emphasis, the impact is good, and the notes are distinct as they continue. The toms and kicks comparatively sound flatter, as the focus is on the bass lines. Vocals have their own spotlight, as the drums and bass do not encroach upon them. The decay could have been better, but the attack is satisfyingly crisp.

In tracks known for their punch and slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the G318 now dials the exposure adequately over the beats and the bass, and the persistent sluggish decay now withers away. The beats here have a very delightful, yet measured punch, and the bass lines continue to rumble distinctly while being adequately separate from the drums. Vocals are planted and hold good weight; they do not sound obstructed or thin.

MIDS

In tracks like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, something with an unorthodox snare setup and set in a peculiar key, I found the G318 disrupting the balance in tonality by making it sound warmer than it should, and detail remains something to be desired, as I could hear the snare strikes feel relatively hazy, while cymbals, despite being positioned in the rear, can also lose out on distinction. Guitars feel balanced, although they can get shouty across sections.

In busier tracks where vocals take second fiddle, like Periphery’s Marigold, Tool’s Schism, and Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, the G318 actually makes a good recovery. The observed spice on the guitars is gone, snares show fantastic timbre, cymbals are now distinct from each other, and their positioning feels fairly accurate. Vocals have good harmony, and especially on Marigold, where the breakdown has a chorus section, the G318 presents it with equal emphasis as the drums. A mildly surprising observation on my end with the G318 was that it also has a perceived wide stage, where none of the elements on these tracks feel superimposed over each other or come off as claustrophobic.

HIGHS

In tracks where the vocals go hand in hand with the guitars, like Alice in Chains’ Down in a Hole, Nutshell, and Luna by The Smashing Pumpkins, the G318 once again nails tonality and timbre right, where the bass doesn’t intrude but accentuates the entire track. Cymbals on these tracks have zero sibilance, and I perceived them to be mildly rolled off at first glance. One wouldn’t be wrong if they said that the G318 felt a bit too laid back across sections, but I would say, from a recreational lens, the IEM does what it intends to do well: keep things simple across the board.

However, in tracks with a lot of phonk-like synth and bass, like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the G318 has the bass come off without any distortion, and the pulsating synths engage with the bass well to demonstrate a satisfactory level of coherence. The G318 does go slightly hot with the energy of the synths, but vocals are unaltered: adequate weight and body across the board, though they felt a bit warmer tonally, and the bass doesn't distort. The spice on the synths settles down as the track progresses but doesn't go away.

In emotionally charged baritone ballads like Adele’s Easy on Me and technically competent high-pitch masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, especially through the climaxes, the G318 scales as tall as it can as the notes oscillate through the upper registers and descend, and also manages to close the curtain rather fashionably. Falsettos, straight sustains, and other voice modulations have zero sibilance, nor do they come off as piercing. Pianos on these tracks once again show the G318's expertise in timbre, and the added warmth, especially in All By Myself, helped the climax land smoother than I had expected.

VERY BRIEF COMPARISONS

ZiiGaat Lush

The G318 comparatively has a larger bass quantity, a thicker midrange, and more weight through vocals; but the Lush comes back super hard with a quick change in eartips (KBear Coffee or Moondrop Spring), and immediately shows the faults in the G318 with what can be perceived as inconsistent shout. The G318 also has a metal shell, while the Lush has had reported driver flex across multiple units and comes in a hollow resin shell.

Softears Volume S

Fit could be tricky, but if it clicks, the Volume S is a significantly better performer than this IEM. It has a deep-extending sub-bass, probably the best mid-bass I have heard from an IEM in this segment alongside the Hercules Audio Noah, absolutely planted tonality and timbre, and highs that can still feel spicy but comparatively less so than the G318. I won’t be expounding on the Noah, as the experience is similar and more so because the Noah’s availability is restricted to just a few retailers. Sonically, it still performs better than the G318, as both IEMs also deliver considerably more in terms of detail.

Tanchjim Origin

The G318 has a better delivery on the bass, again a thicker perceived midrange with better weight through vocals, and better-executed highs, while the Origin has the tonality kept in check consistently with the timbre; my vote here goes to the G318.

Tanchjim Force

Oh, this is not a question: I simply don’t know if it was my unit that was questionable, but the Force simply doesn’t hold a candle to the G318. Objectively, across the board, the G318 had a much tighter bass delivery, a near-flawless midrange if I were to compare it with the Force, and superb highs that do not feel sibilant or piercing at all.

Xenns Mangird Tea Pro

The Tea Pro was perceived to have a comparatively faster attack along with a better-cut decay, and was very detailed across the board, but the G318 had a considerably less dark perception through the midrange, with vocals sounding significantly better. Actually, I need to update my Tea Pro review, as current experience has me looking at the IEM like a tetra pack of expired milk.

Dunu DaVinci

I have never liked this IEM, and after hearing the G318, I dislike this IEM even more. The G318 had a much less sloppy delivery of the bass, while the mids felt quite open, weighted, and spacious; and the highs, although lacking a bit of sparkle, still had a lot more quality than the DaVinci, which just felt wonky throughout thanks to its problematic perception of tonality through my view.

Punch Audio Martilo

Apples-to-oranges comparison, I really won’t do it.

CONCLUDING NOTES

EarAcoustic definitely has the G318 looking like an absolute eyesore, but contrary to how it looks, it has its eggs duly counted in its basket; but that one egg of tonality seems to be prematurely cracked. I would have wanted a slight bump in detail, but if I can love the Lush despite not being the best in detail, I surely can love the G318. And while the Volume S and Noah prove to be the better out of the lot, the G318 resoundingly beats a lot of other IEMs in its segment (or maybe slightly under and over), like the ZiiGaat Crescent, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra 2 (which is an IEM that the less I speak about it, the better), and the main master of sounding comically thin throughout, the Moondrop Blessing 3. Here, I appreciate EarAcoustic for playing it safe by keeping the tuning inoffensive, but please, you can definitely design better IEMs than this half-chewed Play-Doh ball of a shell in the G318. All things said and done, an A for the G318.

Will I buy the G318 new? Yes.

Will I buy the G318 used? Absolutely, yeah.

SOURCES USED

Used with the Shanling M9 Plus stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro running the AKM chips, recreationally used with the Cayin N3 Ultra DAP running in tube mode and the FiiO KA17 dongle DAC/amp.

Disclaimer: Please do not use this IEM with sources with tubes. The IEM gets disgustingly warm and ruins the entire sound.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore, SpinFit W1, Dunu S&S, SpinFit CP100+, KBear Coffee

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, The Spirit of Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + The Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

EarAcoustic is one of those brands which I had seen pop up every now and then across my social media feeds, and I kind of looked at it with skepticism. But from people who owned IEMs like the STA, VSA, and the rest in their lineup, I had heard quite a few good things about it. However, they don’t possess my ears, and I had to find it out for myself, so a good friend of mine decided to send over his Genesis G318 for review. He also happens to be the top gun at one of the three main retailers for audiophile equipment in India, The Audio Store*,* u/PritamHalpawat. Hence, this is not something I have done for the brand, but rather for what the retailer had in mind. I thank him for making this review possible.

Since I don’t have the full set in hand, except for the IEM shells being metal, and despite being chonky yet fitting me well, I have nothing else to say, so let me just scooch over to the sound. I must say that it does look absolutely horrendous compared to the rest of their IEMs, to the extent that I was just beating my head against the wall as to how bad the font looked on the shells.

LOWS

In tracks like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, two of my picks for judging articulate bass lines with prodigal drum work, the G318 takes a measured approach. The bass lines get proper emphasis, the impact is good, and the notes are distinct as they continue. The toms and kicks comparatively sound flatter, as the focus is on the bass lines. Vocals have their own spotlight, as the drums and bass do not encroach upon them. The decay could have been better, but the attack is satisfyingly crisp.

In tracks known for their punch and slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the G318 now dials the exposure adequately over the beats and the bass, and the persistent sluggish decay now withers away. The beats here have a very delightful, yet measured punch, and the bass lines continue to rumble distinctly while being adequately separate from the drums. Vocals are planted and hold good weight; they do not sound obstructed or thin.

MIDS

In tracks like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, something with an unorthodox snare setup and set in a peculiar key, I found the G318 disrupting the balance in tonality by making it sound warmer than it should, and detail remains something to be desired, as I could hear the snare strikes feel relatively hazy, while cymbals, despite being positioned in the rear, can also lose out on distinction. Guitars feel balanced, although they can get shouty across sections.

In busier tracks where vocals take second fiddle, like Periphery’s Marigold, Tool’s Schism, and Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, the G318 actually makes a good recovery. The observed spice on the guitars is gone, snares show fantastic timbre, cymbals are now distinct from each other, and their positioning feels fairly accurate. Vocals have good harmony, and especially on Marigold, where the breakdown has a chorus section, the G318 presents it with equal emphasis as the drums. A mildly surprising observation on my end with the G318 was that it also has a perceived wide stage, where none of the elements on these tracks feel superimposed over each other or come off as claustrophobic.

HIGHS

In tracks where the vocals go hand in hand with the guitars, like Alice in Chains’ Down in a Hole, Nutshell, and Luna by The Smashing Pumpkins, the G318 once again nails tonality and timbre right, where the bass doesn’t intrude but accentuates the entire track. Cymbals on these tracks have zero sibilance, and I perceived them to be mildly rolled off at first glance. One wouldn’t be wrong if they said that the G318 felt a bit too laid back across sections, but I would say, from a recreational lens, the IEM does what it intends to do well: keep things simple across the board.

However, in tracks with a lot of phonk-like synth and bass, like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the G318 has the bass come off without any distortion, and the pulsating synths engage with the bass well to demonstrate a satisfactory level of coherence. The G318 does go slightly hot with the energy of the synths, but vocals are unaltered: adequate weight and body across the board, though they felt a bit warmer tonally, and the bass doesn't distort. The spice on the synths settles down as the track progresses but doesn't go away.

In emotionally charged baritone ballads like Adele’s Easy on Me and technically competent high-pitch masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, especially through the climaxes, the G318 scales as tall as it can as the notes oscillate through the upper registers and descend, and also manages to close the curtain rather fashionably. Falsettos, straight sustains, and other voice modulations have zero sibilance, nor do they come off as piercing. Pianos on these tracks once again show the G318's expertise in timbre, and the added warmth, especially in All By Myself, helped the climax land smoother than I had expected.

VERY BRIEF COMPARISONS

ZiiGaat Lush

The G318 comparatively has a larger bass quantity, a thicker midrange, and more weight through vocals; but the Lush comes back super hard with a quick change in eartips (KBear Coffee or Moondrop Spring), and immediately shows the faults in the G318 with what can be perceived as inconsistent shout. The G318 also has a metal shell, while the Lush has had reported driver flex across multiple units and comes in a hollow resin shell.

Softears Volume S

Fit could be tricky, but if it clicks, the Volume S is a significantly better performer than this IEM. It has a deep-extending sub-bass, probably the best mid-bass I have heard from an IEM in this segment alongside the Hercules Audio Noah, absolutely planted tonality and timbre, and highs that can still feel spicy but comparatively less so than the G318. I won’t be expounding on the Noah, as the experience is similar and more so because the Noah’s availability is restricted to just a few retailers. Sonically, it still performs better than the G318, as both IEMs also deliver considerably more in terms of detail.

Tanchjim Origin

The G318 has a better delivery on the bass, again a thicker perceived midrange with better weight through vocals, and better-executed highs, while the Origin has the tonality kept in check consistently with the timbre; my vote here goes to the G318.

Tanchjim Force

Oh, this is not a question: I simply don’t know if it was my unit that was questionable, but the Force simply doesn’t hold a candle to the G318. Objectively, across the board, the G318 had a much tighter bass delivery, a near-flawless midrange if I were to compare it with the Force, and superb highs that do not feel sibilant or piercing at all.

Xenns Mangird Tea Pro

The Tea Pro was perceived to have a comparatively faster attack along with a better-cut decay, and was very detailed across the board, but the G318 had a considerably less dark perception through the midrange, with vocals sounding significantly better. Actually, I need to update my Tea Pro review, as current experience has me looking at the IEM like a tetra pack of expired milk.

Dunu DaVinci

I have never liked this IEM, and after hearing the G318, I dislike this IEM even more. The G318 had a much less sloppy delivery of the bass, while the mids felt quite open, weighted, and spacious; and the highs, although lacking a bit of sparkle, still had a lot more quality than the DaVinci, which just felt wonky throughout thanks to its problematic perception of tonality through my view.

Punch Audio Martilo

Apples-to-oranges comparison, I really won’t do it.

CONCLUDING NOTES

EarAcoustic definitely has the G318 looking like an absolute eyesore, but contrary to how it looks, it has its eggs duly counted in its basket; but that one egg of tonality seems to be prematurely cracked. I would have wanted a slight bump in detail, but if I can love the Lush despite not being the best in detail, I surely can love the G318. And while the Volume S and Noah prove to be the better out of the lot, the G318 resoundingly beats a lot of other IEMs in its segment (or maybe slightly under and over), like the ZiiGaat Crescent, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra 2 (which is an IEM that the less I speak about it, the better), and the main master of sounding comically thin throughout, the Moondrop Blessing 3. Here, I appreciate EarAcoustic for playing it safe by keeping the tuning inoffensive, but please, you can definitely design better IEMs than this half-chewed Play-Doh ball of a shell in the G318. All things said and done, an A for the G318.

Will I buy the G318 new? Yes.

Will I buy the G318 used? Absolutely, yeah.

SOURCES USED

Used with the Shanling M9 Plus stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro running the AKM chips, recreationally used with the Cayin N3 Ultra DAP running in tube mode and the FiiO KA17 dongle DAC/amp.

Disclaimer: Please do not use this IEM with sources with tubes. The IEM gets disgustingly warm and ruins the entire sound.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore, SpinFit W1, Dunu S&S, SpinFit CP100+, KBear Coffee

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, The Spirit of Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + The Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

WHERE TO BUY THE EARACOUSTIC GENESIS G318 (NON-AFFILIATE)

https://www.theaudiostore.in/products/earacoustic-genesis-g318s-g318-iem

EarAcoustic is one of those brands which I had seen pop up every now and then across my social media feeds, and I kind of looked at it with skepticism. But from people who owned IEMs like the STA, VSA, and the rest in their lineup, I had heard quite a few good things about it. However, they don’t possess my ears, and I had to find it out for myself, so a good friend of mine decided to send over his Genesis G318 for review. He also happens to be the top gun at one of the three main retailers for audiophile equipment in India, The Audio Store*,* u/PritamHalpawat. Hence, this is not something I have done for the brand, but rather for what the retailer had in mind. I thank him for making this review possible.

Since I don’t have the full set in hand, except for the IEM shells being metal, and despite being chonky yet fitting me well, I have nothing else to say, so let me just scooch over to the sound. I must say that it does look absolutely horrendous compared to the rest of their IEMs, to the extent that I was just beating my head against the wall as to how bad the font looked on the shells.

LOWS

In tracks like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, two of my picks for judging articulate bass lines with prodigal drum work, the G318 takes a measured approach. The bass lines get proper emphasis, the impact is good, and the notes are distinct as they continue. The toms and kicks comparatively sound flatter, as the focus is on the bass lines. Vocals have their own spotlight, as the drums and bass do not encroach upon them. The decay could have been better, but the attack is satisfyingly crisp.

In tracks known for their punch and slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the G318 now dials the exposure adequately over the beats and the bass, and the persistent sluggish decay now withers away. The beats here have a very delightful, yet measured punch, and the bass lines continue to rumble distinctly while being adequately separate from the drums. Vocals are planted and hold good weight; they do not sound obstructed or thin.

MIDS

In tracks like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, something with an unorthodox snare setup and set in a peculiar key, I found the G318 disrupting the balance in tonality by making it sound warmer than it should, and detail remains something to be desired, as I could hear the snare strikes feel relatively hazy, while cymbals, despite being positioned in the rear, can also lose out on distinction. Guitars feel balanced, although they can get shouty across sections.

In busier tracks where vocals take second fiddle, like Periphery’s Marigold, Tool’s Schism, and Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, the G318 actually makes a good recovery. The observed spice on the guitars is gone, snares show fantastic timbre, cymbals are now distinct from each other, and their positioning feels fairly accurate. Vocals have good harmony, and especially on Marigold, where the breakdown has a chorus section, the G318 presents it with equal emphasis as the drums. A mildly surprising observation on my end with the G318 was that it also has a perceived wide stage, where none of the elements on these tracks feel superimposed over each other or come off as claustrophobic.

HIGHS

In tracks where the vocals go hand in hand with the guitars, like Alice in Chains’ Down in a Hole, Nutshell, and Luna by The Smashing Pumpkins, the G318 once again nails tonality and timbre right, where the bass doesn’t intrude but accentuates the entire track. Cymbals on these tracks have zero sibilance, and I perceived them to be mildly rolled off at first glance. One wouldn’t be wrong if they said that the G318 felt a bit too laid back across sections, but I would say, from a recreational lens, the IEM does what it intends to do well: keep things simple across the board.

However, in tracks with a lot of phonk-like synth and bass, like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the G318 has the bass come off without any distortion, and the pulsating synths engage with the bass well to demonstrate a satisfactory level of coherence. The G318 does go slightly hot with the energy of the synths, but vocals are unaltered: adequate weight and body across the board, though they felt a bit warmer tonally, and the bass doesn't distort. The spice on the synths settles down as the track progresses but doesn't go away.

In emotionally charged baritone ballads like Adele’s Easy on Me and technically competent high-pitch masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, especially through the climaxes, the G318 scales as tall as it can as the notes oscillate through the upper registers and descend, and also manages to close the curtain rather fashionably. Falsettos, straight sustains, and other voice modulations have zero sibilance, nor do they come off as piercing. Pianos on these tracks once again show the G318's expertise in timbre, and the added warmth, especially in All By Myself, helped the climax land smoother than I had expected.

VERY BRIEF COMPARISONS

ZiiGaat Lush

The G318 comparatively has a larger bass quantity, a thicker midrange, and more weight through vocals; but the Lush comes back super hard with a quick change in eartips (KBear Coffee or Moondrop Spring), and immediately shows the faults in the G318 with what can be perceived as inconsistent shout. The G318 also has a metal shell, while the Lush has had reported driver flex across multiple units and comes in a hollow resin shell.

Softears Volume S

Fit could be tricky, but if it clicks, the Volume S is a significantly better performer than this IEM. It has a deep-extending sub-bass, probably the best mid-bass I have heard from an IEM in this segment alongside the Hercules Audio Noah, absolutely planted tonality and timbre, and highs that can still feel spicy but comparatively less so than the G318. I won’t be expounding on the Noah, as the experience is similar and more so because the Noah’s availability is restricted to just a few retailers. Sonically, it still performs better than the G318, as both IEMs also deliver considerably more in terms of detail.

Tanchjim Origin

The G318 has a better delivery on the bass, again a thicker perceived midrange with better weight through vocals, and better-executed highs, while the Origin has the tonality kept in check consistently with the timbre; my vote here goes to the G318.

Tanchjim Force

Oh, this is not a question: I simply don’t know if it was my unit that was questionable, but the Force simply doesn’t hold a candle to the G318. Objectively, across the board, the G318 had a much tighter bass delivery, a near-flawless midrange if I were to compare it with the Force, and superb highs that do not feel sibilant or piercing at all.

Xenns Mangird Tea Pro

The Tea Pro was perceived to have a comparatively faster attack along with a better-cut decay, and was very detailed across the board, but the G318 had a considerably less dark perception through the midrange, with vocals sounding significantly better. Actually, I need to update my Tea Pro review, as current experience has me looking at the IEM like a tetra pack of expired milk.

Dunu DaVinci

I have never liked this IEM, and after hearing the G318, I dislike this IEM even more. The G318 had a much less sloppy delivery of the bass, while the mids felt quite open, weighted, and spacious; and the highs, although lacking a bit of sparkle, still had a lot more quality than the DaVinci, which just felt wonky throughout thanks to its problematic perception of tonality through my view.

Punch Audio Martilo

Apples-to-oranges comparison, I really won’t do it.

CONCLUDING NOTES

EarAcoustic definitely has the G318 looking like an absolute eyesore, but contrary to how it looks, it has its eggs duly counted in its basket; but that one egg of tonality seems to be prematurely cracked. I would have wanted a slight bump in detail, but if I can love the Lush despite not being the best in detail, I surely can love the G318. And while the Volume S and Noah prove to be the better out of the lot, the G318 resoundingly beats a lot of other IEMs in its segment (or maybe slightly under and over), like the ZiiGaat Crescent, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra 2 (which is an IEM that the less I speak about it, the better), and the main master of sounding comically thin throughout, the Moondrop Blessing 3. Here, I appreciate EarAcoustic for playing it safe by keeping the tuning inoffensive, but please, you can definitely design better IEMs than this half-chewed Play-Doh ball of a shell in the G318. All things said and done, an A for the G318.

Will I buy the G318 new? Yes.

Will I buy the G318 used? Absolutely, yeah.

SOURCES USED

Used with the Shanling M9 Plus stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro running the AKM chips, recreationally used with the Cayin N3 Ultra DAP running in tube mode and the FiiO KA17 dongle DAC/amp.

Disclaimer: Please do not use this IEM with sources with tubes. The IEM gets disgustingly warm and ruins the entire sound.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore, SpinFit W1, Dunu S&S, SpinFit CP100+, KBear Coffee

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, The Spirit of Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + The Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

WHERE TO BUY THE EARACOUSTIC GENESIS G318 (NON-AFFILIATE)

https://www.theaudiostore.in/products/earacoustic-genesis-g318s-g318-iem

EarAcoustic is one of those brands which I had seen pop up every now and then across my social media feeds, and I kind of looked at it with skepticism. But from people who owned IEMs like the STA, VSA, and the rest in their lineup, I had heard quite a few good things about it. However, they don’t possess my ears, and I had to find it out for myself, so a good friend of mine decided to send over his Genesis G318 for review. He also happens to be the top gun at one of the three main retailers for audiophile equipment in India, The Audio Store. Hence, this is not something I have done for the brand, but rather for what the retailer had in mind. I thank him for making this review possible.

Since I don’t have the full set in hand, except for the IEM shells being metal, and despite being chonky yet fitting me well, I have nothing else to say, so let me just scooch over to the sound. I must say that it does look absolutely horrendous compared to the rest of their IEMs, to the extent that I was just beating my head against the wall as to how bad the font looked on the shells.

LOWS

In tracks like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, two of my picks for judging articulate bass lines with prodigal drum work, the G318 takes a measured approach. The bass lines get proper emphasis, the impact is good, and the notes are distinct as they continue. The toms and kicks comparatively sound flatter, as the focus is on the bass lines. Vocals have their own spotlight, as the drums and bass do not encroach upon them. The decay could have been better, but the attack is satisfyingly crisp.

In tracks known for their punch and slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the G318 now dials the exposure adequately over the beats and the bass, and the persistent sluggish decay now withers away. The beats here have a very delightful, yet measured punch, and the bass lines continue to rumble distinctly while being adequately separate from the drums. Vocals are planted and hold good weight; they do not sound obstructed or thin.

MIDS

In tracks like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, something with an unorthodox snare setup and set in a peculiar key, I found the G318 disrupting the balance in tonality by making it sound warmer than it should, and detail remains something to be desired, as I could hear the snare strikes feel relatively hazy, while cymbals, despite being positioned in the rear, can also lose out on distinction. Guitars feel balanced, although they can get shouty across sections.

In busier tracks where vocals take second fiddle, like Periphery’s Marigold, Tool’s Schism, and Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, the G318 actually makes a good recovery. The observed spice on the guitars is gone, snares show fantastic timbre, cymbals are now distinct from each other, and their positioning feels fairly accurate. Vocals have good harmony, and especially on Marigold, where the breakdown has a chorus section, the G318 presents it with equal emphasis as the drums. A mildly surprising observation on my end with the G318 was that it also has a perceived wide stage, where none of the elements on these tracks feel superimposed over each other or come off as claustrophobic.

HIGHS

In tracks where the vocals go hand in hand with the guitars, like Alice in Chains’ Down in a Hole, Nutshell, and Luna by The Smashing Pumpkins, the G318 once again nails tonality and timbre right, where the bass doesn’t intrude but accentuates the entire track. Cymbals on these tracks have zero sibilance, and I perceived them to be mildly rolled off at first glance. One wouldn’t be wrong if they said that the G318 felt a bit too laid back across sections, but I would say, from a recreational lens, the IEM does what it intends to do well: keep things simple across the board.

However, in tracks with a lot of phonk-like synth and bass, like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the G318 has the bass come off without any distortion, and the pulsating synths engage with the bass well to demonstrate a satisfactory level of coherence. The G318 does go slightly hot with the energy of the synths, but vocals are unaltered: adequate weight and body across the board, though they felt a bit warmer tonally, and the bass doesn't distort. The spice on the synths settles down as the track progresses but doesn't go away.

In emotionally charged baritone ballads like Adele’s Easy on Me and technically competent high-pitch masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, especially through the climaxes, the G318 scales as tall as it can as the notes oscillate through the upper registers and descend, and also manages to close the curtain rather fashionably. Falsettos, straight sustains, and other voice modulations have zero sibilance, nor do they come off as piercing. Pianos on these tracks once again show the G318's expertise in timbre, and the added warmth, especially in All By Myself, helped the climax land smoother than I had expected.

VERY BRIEF COMPARISONS

ZiiGaat Lush

The G318 comparatively has a larger bass quantity, a thicker midrange, and more weight through vocals; but the Lush comes back super hard with a quick change in eartips (KBear Coffee or Moondrop Spring), and immediately shows the faults in the G318 with what can be perceived as inconsistent shout. The G318 also has a metal shell, while the Lush has had reported driver flex across multiple units and comes in a hollow resin shell.

Softears Volume S

Fit could be tricky, but if it clicks, the Volume S is a significantly better performer than this IEM. It has a deep-extending sub-bass, probably the best mid-bass I have heard from an IEM in this segment alongside the Hercules Audio Noah, absolutely planted tonality and timbre, and highs that can still feel spicy but comparatively less so than the G318. I won’t be expounding on the Noah, as the experience is similar and more so because the Noah’s availability is restricted to just a few retailers. Sonically, it still performs better than the G318, as both IEMs also deliver considerably more in terms of detail.

Tanchjim Origin

The G318 has a better delivery on the bass, again a thicker perceived midrange with better weight through vocals, and better-executed highs, while the Origin has the tonality kept in check consistently with the timbre; my vote here goes to the G318.

Tanchjim Force

Oh, this is not a question: I simply don’t know if it was my unit that was questionable, but the Force simply doesn’t hold a candle to the G318. Objectively, across the board, the G318 had a much tighter bass delivery, a near-flawless midrange if I were to compare it with the Force, and superb highs that do not feel sibilant or piercing at all.

Xenns Mangird Tea Pro

The Tea Pro was perceived to have a comparatively faster attack along with a better-cut decay, and was very detailed across the board, but the G318 had a considerably less dark perception through the midrange, with vocals sounding significantly better. Actually, I need to update my Tea Pro review, as current experience has me looking at the IEM like a tetra pack of expired milk.

Dunu DaVinci

I have never liked this IEM, and after hearing the G318, I dislike this IEM even more. The G318 had a much less sloppy delivery of the bass, while the mids felt quite open, weighted, and spacious; and the highs, although lacking a bit of sparkle, still had a lot more quality than the DaVinci, which just felt wonky throughout thanks to its problematic perception of tonality through my view.

Punch Audio Martilo

Apples-to-oranges comparison, I really won’t do it.

CONCLUDING NOTES

EarAcoustic definitely has the G318 looking like an absolute eyesore, but contrary to how it looks, it has its eggs duly counted in its basket; but that one egg of tonality seems to be prematurely cracked. I would have wanted a slight bump in detail, but if I can love the Lush despite not being the best in detail, I surely can love the G318. And while the Volume S and Noah prove to be the better out of the lot, the G318 resoundingly beats a lot of other IEMs in its segment (or maybe slightly under and over), like the ZiiGaat Crescent, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra 2 (which is an IEM that the less I speak about it, the better), and the main master of sounding comically thin throughout, the Moondrop Blessing 3. Here, I appreciate EarAcoustic for playing it safe by keeping the tuning inoffensive, but please, you can definitely design better IEMs than this half-chewed Play-Doh ball of a shell in the G318. All things said and done, an A for the G318.

Will I buy the G318 new? Yes.

Will I buy the G318 used? Absolutely, yeah.

SOURCES USED

Used with the Shanling M9 Plus stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro running the AKM chips, recreationally used with the Cayin N3 Ultra DAP running in tube mode and the FiiO KA17 dongle DAC/amp.

Disclaimer: Please do not use this IEM with sources with tubes. The IEM gets disgustingly warm and ruins the entire sound.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore, SpinFit W1, Dunu S&S, SpinFit CP100+, KBear Coffee

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, The Spirit of Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + The Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

EarAcoustic is one of those brands which I had seen pop up every now and then across my social media feeds, and I kind of looked at it with skepticism. But from people who owned IEMs like the STA, VSA, and the rest in their lineup, I had heard quite a few good things about it. However, they don’t possess my ears, and I had to find it out for myself, so a good friend of mine decided to send over his Genesis G318 for review. He also happens to be the top gun at one of the three main retailers for audiophile equipment in India, The Audio Store. Hence, this is not something I have done for the brand, but rather for what the retailer had in mind. I thank him for making this review possible.

Since I don’t have the full set in hand, except for the IEM shells being metal, and despite being chonky yet fitting me well, I have nothing else to say, so let me just scooch over to the sound. I must say that it does look absolutely horrendous compared to the rest of their IEMs, to the extent that I was just beating my head against the wall as to how bad the font looked on the shells.

LOWS

In tracks like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, two of my picks for judging articulate bass lines with prodigal drum work, the G318 takes a measured approach. The bass lines get proper emphasis, the impact is good, and the notes are distinct as they continue. The toms and kicks comparatively sound flatter, as the focus is on the bass lines. Vocals have their own spotlight, as the drums and bass do not encroach upon them. The decay could have been better, but the attack is satisfyingly crisp.

In tracks known for their punch and slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the G318 now dials the exposure adequately over the beats and the bass, and the persistent sluggish decay now withers away. The beats here have a very delightful, yet measured punch, and the bass lines continue to rumble distinctly while being adequately separate from the drums. Vocals are planted and hold good weight; they do not sound obstructed or thin.

MIDS

In tracks like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, something with an unorthodox snare setup and set in a peculiar key, I found the G318 disrupting the balance in tonality by making it sound warmer than it should, and detail remains something to be desired, as I could hear the snare strikes feel relatively hazy, while cymbals, despite being positioned in the rear, can also lose out on distinction. Guitars feel balanced, although they can get shouty across sections.

In busier tracks where vocals take second fiddle, like Periphery’s Marigold, Tool’s Schism, and Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, the G318 actually makes a good recovery. The observed spice on the guitars is gone, snares show fantastic timbre, cymbals are now distinct from each other, and their positioning feels fairly accurate. Vocals have good harmony, and especially on Marigold, where the breakdown has a chorus section, the G318 presents it with equal emphasis as the drums. A mildly surprising observation on my end with the G318 was that it also has a perceived wide stage, where none of the elements on these tracks feel superimposed over each other or come off as claustrophobic.

HIGHS

In tracks where the vocals go hand in hand with the guitars, like Alice in Chains’ Down in a Hole, Nutshell, and Luna by The Smashing Pumpkins, the G318 once again nails tonality and timbre right, where the bass doesn’t intrude but accentuates the entire track. Cymbals on these tracks have zero sibilance, and I perceived them to be mildly rolled off at first glance. One wouldn’t be wrong if they said that the G318 felt a bit too laid back across sections, but I would say, from a recreational lens, the IEM does what it intends to do well: keep things simple across the board.

However, in tracks with a lot of phonk-like synth and bass, like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the G318 has the bass come off without any distortion, and the pulsating synths engage with the bass well to demonstrate a satisfactory level of coherence. The G318 does go slightly hot with the energy of the synths, but vocals are unaltered: adequate weight and body across the board, though they felt a bit warmer tonally, and the bass doesn't distort. The spice on the synths settles down as the track progresses but doesn't go away.

In emotionally charged baritone ballads like Adele’s Easy on Me and technically competent high-pitch masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, especially through the climaxes, the G318 scales as tall as it can as the notes oscillate through the upper registers and descend, and also manages to close the curtain rather fashionably. Falsettos, straight sustains, and other voice modulations have zero sibilance, nor do they come off as piercing. Pianos on these tracks once again show the G318's expertise in timbre, and the added warmth, especially in All By Myself, helped the climax land smoother than I had expected.

VERY BRIEF COMPARISONS

ZiiGaat Lush

The G318 comparatively has a larger bass quantity, a thicker midrange, and more weight through vocals; but the Lush comes back super hard with a quick change in eartips (KBear Coffee or Moondrop Spring), and immediately shows the faults in the G318 with what can be perceived as inconsistent shout. The G318 also has a metal shell, while the Lush has had reported driver flex across multiple units and comes in a hollow resin shell.

Softears Volume S

Fit could be tricky, but if it clicks, the Volume S is a significantly better performer than this IEM. It has a deep-extending sub-bass, probably the best mid-bass I have heard from an IEM in this segment alongside the Hercules Audio Noah, absolutely planted tonality and timbre, and highs that can still feel spicy but comparatively less so than the G318. I won’t be expounding on the Noah, as the experience is similar and more so because the Noah’s availability is restricted to just a few retailers. Sonically, it still performs better than the G318, as both IEMs also deliver considerably more in terms of detail.

Tanchjim Origin

The G318 has a better delivery on the bass, again a thicker perceived midrange with better weight through vocals, and better-executed highs, while the Origin has the tonality kept in check consistently with the timbre; my vote here goes to the G318.

Tanchjim Force

Oh, this is not a question: I simply don’t know if it was my unit that was questionable, but the Force simply doesn’t hold a candle to the G318. Objectively, across the board, the G318 had a much tighter bass delivery, a near-flawless midrange if I were to compare it with the Force, and superb highs that do not feel sibilant or piercing at all.

Xenns Mangird Tea Pro

The Tea Pro was perceived to have a comparatively faster attack along with a better-cut decay, and was very detailed across the board, but the G318 had a considerably less dark perception through the midrange, with vocals sounding significantly better. Actually, I need to update my Tea Pro review, as current experience has me looking at the IEM like a tetra pack of expired milk.

Dunu DaVinci

I have never liked this IEM, and after hearing the G318, I dislike this IEM even more. The G318 had a much less sloppy delivery of the bass, while the mids felt quite open, weighted, and spacious; and the highs, although lacking a bit of sparkle, still had a lot more quality than the DaVinci, which just felt wonky throughout thanks to its problematic perception of tonality through my view.

Punch Audio Martilo

Apples-to-oranges comparison, I really won’t do it.

CONCLUDING NOTES

EarAcoustic definitely has the G318 looking like an absolute eyesore, but contrary to how it looks, it has its eggs duly counted in its basket; but that one egg of tonality seems to be prematurely cracked. I would have wanted a slight bump in detail, but if I can love the Lush despite not being the best in detail, I surely can love the G318. And while the Volume S and Noah prove to be the better out of the lot, the G318 resoundingly beats a lot of other IEMs in its segment (or maybe slightly under and over), like the ZiiGaat Crescent, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra 2 (which is an IEM that the less I speak about it, the better), and the main master of sounding comically thin throughout, the Moondrop Blessing 3. Here, I appreciate EarAcoustic for playing it safe by keeping the tuning inoffensive, but please, you can definitely design better IEMs than this half-chewed Play-Doh ball of a shell in the G318. All things said and done, an A for the G318.

Will I buy the G318 new? Yes.

Will I buy the G318 used? Absolutely, yeah.

SOURCES USED

Used with the Shanling M9 Plus stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro running the AKM chips, recreationally used with the Cayin N3 Ultra DAP running in tube mode and the FiiO KA17 dongle DAC/amp.

Disclaimer: Please do not use this IEM with sources with tubes. The IEM gets disgustingly warm and ruins the entire sound.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore, SpinFit W1, Dunu S&S, SpinFit CP100+, KBear Coffee

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, The Spirit of Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + The Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

EarAcoustic is one of those brands which I had seen pop up every now and then across my social media feeds, and I kind of looked at it with skepticism. But from people who owned IEMs like the STA, VSA, and the rest in their lineup, I had heard quite a few good things about it. However, they don’t possess my ears, and I had to find it out for myself, so a good friend of mine decided to send over his Genesis G318 for review. He also happens to be the top gun at one of the three main retailers for audiophile equipment in India, The Audio Store. Hence, this is not something I have done for the brand, but rather for what the retailer had in mind. I thank him for making this review possible.

Since I don’t have the full set in hand, except for the IEM shells being metal, and despite being chonky yet fitting me well, I have nothing else to say, so let me just scooch over to the sound. I must say that it does look absolutely horrendous compared to the rest of their IEMs, to the extent that I was just beating my head against the wall as to how bad the font looked on the shells.

LOWS

In tracks like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, two of my picks for judging articulate bass lines with prodigal drum work, the G318 takes a measured approach. The bass lines get proper emphasis, the impact is good, and the notes are distinct as they continue. The toms and kicks comparatively sound flatter, as the focus is on the bass lines. Vocals have their own spotlight, as the drums and bass do not encroach upon them. The decay could have been better, but the attack is satisfyingly crisp.

In tracks known for their punch and slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the G318 now dials the exposure adequately over the beats and the bass, and the persistent sluggish decay now withers away. The beats here have a very delightful, yet measured punch, and the bass lines continue to rumble distinctly while being adequately separate from the drums. Vocals are planted and hold good weight; they do not sound obstructed or thin.

MIDS

In tracks like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, something with an unorthodox snare setup and set in a peculiar key, I found the G318 disrupting the balance in tonality by making it sound warmer than it should, and detail remains something to be desired, as I could hear the snare strikes feel relatively hazy, while cymbals, despite being positioned in the rear, can also lose out on distinction. Guitars feel balanced, although they can get shouty across sections.

In busier tracks where vocals take second fiddle, like Periphery’s Marigold, Tool’s Schism, and Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, the G318 actually makes a good recovery. The observed spice on the guitars is gone, snares show fantastic timbre, cymbals are now distinct from each other, and their positioning feels fairly accurate. Vocals have good harmony, and especially on Marigold, where the breakdown has a chorus section, the G318 presents it with equal emphasis as the drums. A mildly surprising observation on my end with the G318 was that it also has a perceived wide stage, where none of the elements on these tracks feel superimposed over each other or come off as claustrophobic.

HIGHS

In tracks where the vocals go hand in hand with the guitars, like Alice in Chains’ Down in a Hole, Nutshell, and Luna by The Smashing Pumpkins, the G318 once again nails tonality and timbre right, where the bass doesn’t intrude but accentuates the entire track. Cymbals on these tracks have zero sibilance, and I perceived them to be mildly rolled off at first glance. One wouldn’t be wrong if they said that the G318 felt a bit too laid back across sections, but I would say, from a recreational lens, the IEM does what it intends to do well: keep things simple across the board.

However, in tracks with a lot of phonk-like synth and bass, like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the G318 has the bass come off without any distortion, and the pulsating synths engage with the bass well to demonstrate a satisfactory level of coherence. The G318 does go slightly hot with the energy of the synths, but vocals are unaltered: adequate weight and body across the board, though they felt a bit warmer tonally, and the bass doesn't distort. The spice on the synths settles down as the track progresses but doesn't go away.

In emotionally charged baritone ballads like Adele’s Easy on Me and technically competent high-pitch masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, especially through the climaxes, the G318 scales as tall as it can as the notes oscillate through the upper registers and descend, and also manages to close the curtain rather fashionably. Falsettos, straight sustains, and other voice modulations have zero sibilance, nor do they come off as piercing. Pianos on these tracks once again show the G318's expertise in timbre, and the added warmth, especially in All By Myself, helped the climax land smoother than I had expected.

VERY BRIEF COMPARISONS

ZiiGaat Lush

The G318 comparatively has a larger bass quantity, a thicker midrange, and more weight through vocals; but the Lush comes back super hard with a quick change in eartips (KBear Coffee or Moondrop Spring), and immediately shows the faults in the G318 with what can be perceived as inconsistent shout. The G318 also has a metal shell, while the Lush has had reported driver flex across multiple units and comes in a hollow resin shell.

Softears Volume S

Fit could be tricky, but if it clicks, the Volume S is a significantly better performer than this IEM. It has a deep-extending sub-bass, probably the best mid-bass I have heard from an IEM in this segment alongside the Hercules Audio Noah, absolutely planted tonality and timbre, and highs that can still feel spicy but comparatively less so than the G318. I won’t be expounding on the Noah, as the experience is similar and more so because the Noah’s availability is restricted to just a few retailers. Sonically, it still performs better than the G318, as both IEMs also deliver considerably more in terms of detail.

Tanchjim Origin

The G318 has a better delivery on the bass, again a thicker perceived midrange with better weight through vocals, and better-executed highs, while the Origin has the tonality kept in check consistently with the timbre; my vote here goes to the G318.

Tanchjim Force

Oh, this is not a question: I simply don’t know if it was my unit that was questionable, but the Force simply doesn’t hold a candle to the G318. Objectively, across the board, the G318 had a much tighter bass delivery, a near-flawless midrange if I were to compare it with the Force, and superb highs that do not feel sibilant or piercing at all.

Xenns Mangird Tea Pro

The Tea Pro was perceived to have a comparatively faster attack along with a better-cut decay, and was very detailed across the board, but the G318 had a considerably less dark perception through the midrange, with vocals sounding significantly better. Actually, I need to update my Tea Pro review, as current experience has me looking at the IEM like a tetra pack of expired milk.

Dunu DaVinci

I have never liked this IEM, and after hearing the G318, I dislike this IEM even more. The G318 had a much less sloppy delivery of the bass, while the mids felt quite open, weighted, and spacious; and the highs, although lacking a bit of sparkle, still had a lot more quality than the DaVinci, which just felt wonky throughout thanks to its problematic perception of tonality through my view.

Punch Audio Martilo

Apples-to-oranges comparison, I really won’t do it.

CONCLUDING NOTES

EarAcoustic definitely has the G318 looking like an absolute eyesore, but contrary to how it looks, it has its eggs duly counted in its basket; but that one egg of tonality seems to be prematurely cracked. I would have wanted a slight bump in detail, but if I can love the Lush despite not being the best in detail, I surely can love the G318. And while the Volume S and Noah prove to be the better out of the lot, the G318 resoundingly beats a lot of other IEMs in its segment (or maybe slightly under and over), like the ZiiGaat Crescent, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra 2 (which is an IEM that the less I speak about it, the better), and the main master of sounding comically thin throughout, the Moondrop Blessing 3. Here, I appreciate EarAcoustic for playing it safe by keeping the tuning inoffensive, but please, you can definitely design better IEMs than this half-chewed Play-Doh ball of a shell in the G318. All things said and done, an A for the G318.

Will I buy the G318 new? Yes.

Will I buy the G318 used? Absolutely, yeah.

SOURCES USED

Used with the Shanling M9 Plus stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro running the AKM chips, recreationally used with the Cayin N3 Ultra DAP running in tube mode and the FiiO KA17 dongle DAC/amp.

Disclaimer: Please do not use this IEM with sources with tubes. The IEM gets disgustingly warm and ruins the entire sound.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore, SpinFit W1, Dunu S&S, SpinFit CP100+, KBear Coffee

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, The Spirit of Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + The Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

After I had tango-ed with the D Major, Delta, and D Minor from Twistura and seeing that they can fare competently in the feeble price segment of roughly $30/INR 4000-ish equivalent, it was time for me to see how their most expensive offerings in the Woodnote and Beta fare. I have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with them, as I couldn’t compose my reviews due to an injury, but I am back, and let me talk about how the Woodnote has impressed me and how much the Beta has disappointed me. But, I still thank Twistura for sending me these units along with a pack of their liquid silicone eartips.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

Both the Beta and Woodnote had very similar unboxings, and very posh ones at that; the provided cables on both IEMs are excellent for the price and are modular, the Woodnote comes with four sets of eartips, while the Beta came with three; I didn’t get the 3.5 mm plug with my Beta, but the Woodnote had it. The included carry case reminded me of Openheart’s cable cases. They also had the same provided nozzles on a metal screwable plate, with appropriate labels in Chinese and English indicating what each nozzle did.

The Woodnote had a rubber fin under the shell that provided cushioning, and the Beta, comparatively, had a bigger shell. Both IEMs were very comfortable for me through extended periods.

LOWS

Woodnote (tested on the instrumental nozzles)

In tracks known for their punch & slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the Woodnote slams very well - the delivery of the bass on the Woodnote is like the rookie of the year shattering the backboard with a dunk. Notes from the bass lines have great separation; the beats punch through with a deep extension which shows that although prima facie, the attack seems adequate with a slow decay; the level of sustain that the Woodnote has makes things fun and engaging. Vocals feel well isolated & the bass doesn't intrude upon it, and the rest of the instrumentals have their moments of glory.

In tracks where the bass lines feel emulsified with the drums, like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, the Woodnote doesn't seem to confuse one with the other - toms and kicks have their identification points and are isolated delightfully from the rumbling, well-polished bass lines - this shows that the Woodnote does imaging right. Vocals do not feel thin at all, nor does the warm tonality interfere with its perception, hence leading to a very cohesive presentation overall.

Beta (tested on the Vocal Enhanced nozzles)

Through my Daft Punk rotation, the Beta appears to be consistently splotchy - the decay is not worth commenting on; there is a mild overwork on the sub-bass, and the way it is executed makes the lower mids and vocals feel claustrophobic, and the claps feel more like stings. I never expected the Beta to have this drastic a response, but it was truly a very difficult time for me to enjoy these tracks on the Beta - I just couldn’t get this IEM to work (And no, talking about EQ on this IEM does not make sense at least for this section.)

Through my Rage Against the Machine and Rush rotation, the toms and kicks felt abruptly cut, making them feel flat and very shallow; notes from the bass feel like blobs, and the vocals are overly distant - which means that imaging will be a tricky problem for the Beta.

MIDS

Woodnote

In tracks with unorthodox snare setups set in peculiar keys like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, the Woodnote once again flexes its muscles - despite the nozzle changes, it completely doesn't shed its warm tonality; and even on this least warm configuration; the Woodnote wasn't coming off as overly bright. It admittedly never impresses with detail, but gets everything else right - vocals do not feel overly warm, although they felt a bit pushed back, they weren’t layered alongside the cymbals which meant that it was still decent in its imaging capabilities, guitars sound full; I could clearly distinguish the snare and tom strokes and especially the snare was coming off surprisingly weighted and crisp; and the positioning of the cymbals was not overly laid back.

In instrumental dominant tracks like Periphery’s Marigold, Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, and Tool’s Lateralus, the Woodnote still does not make improvements in detail but does not let it drop - I could still hear the ghost notes off the snares in Marigold, the guitars continued to sound full, especially in Lateralus; although the cymbals this time were being perceived as comparatively thinner, but still well positioned and isolated. However, if I were to pick up Lateralus again, towards the breakdown, the bass felt like losing its momentum for a bit as it started wah-ing out, although the drum rudiments and the vocals felt quite polished.

Beta

Through my QoTSA and Crimson King rotation, the Beta once again falters compared to the Woodnote - details are simply not up to the mark, separation is up for a toss, imaging is hazy where I had a hard time discerning the snare strokes from the cymbals across sections. Tonality was fine for the most part, timbre did come off as metallic through certain sections.

The Beta simply cannot get separation & detail right and this shows up when the tracks get busier. Ghost notes outright are inaudible, cymbals come off brash and unhinged, guitars lack the juice and vocals simply are not present at the front, and this I realized through my Tool and Periphery rotation. Detail retrieval was less than decent, and this kind of reminded me of the Explorer, except where the Beta felt mildly right through its tonality.

HIGHS

Woodnote

In tracks with a lot of phonk-esque bass and synths like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the Woodnote is another smooth operator - the synths were not in the way of the vocals; and the bass was restrained very well; next to zero distortion, even the thin vocals were untouched, and every single other element was very well isolated, yet coming off as one. I liked the fact that the Woodnote, despite its seemingly warm tonality, didn’t alter the vocals on this track. The synths had a faint hint of pierce but everything else was in order.

In vocal dominant technical masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself, Adele’s Easy On Me, and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, the Woodnote starts with a hint of shoutiness but as the climax progresses, the Woodnote does not hold back - from the yodelling to the pitch shifts to straight sustains; the Woodnote just sets the record straight with firstly, superb natural life-like timbre, and especially with the pianos - notes are extending so well, timbre is perfect; and everything has adequate weight & body to themselves.

Beta

Through my Adele, Celine Dion and Florence + The Machine rotation, the Beta still lagged behind the Woodnote - it lacked the energy needed for the climaxes to have the impact they needed, and when the notes scaled higher, the Beta cranked up the shoutiness by a good amount; and specifically through passages with a lot of vibratos & yodelling, the Beta had a rather disappointing decay & sustain where the notes feel less like notes and more like ringing. When the pitch shifts to baritone; the Beta does an even worse job with keeping the shoutiness at bay.

Through the Stateside track and similar tracks with phonk style elements, the Beta manages to get the vocals pushed a bit too behind and just snatching the weight off them like collapsing into a quicksand pit from an Indiana Jones sequence. The synths seem to be tonally fine, but they do appear to be faintly sibilant.

NOZZLES (Only for the Woodnote, The Beta’s nozzles contributed towards nothing meaningful)

Standard: this is a nozzle which I liked to a good extent as well as a sizable demographic - there is a mild increase in the quantity of the bass; with a perceived drop in stage, a little less bright. But, more or less, it was very similar to the instrumental. Oh yes, as the name suggests, the instruments on the instrumental nozzle comparatively truly shine.

Vocal Enhanced: again, not really significantly different, but these nozzles trade a small chunk of the bass performance for a more forward, more powerful vocal delivery. It does improve detail, but Twistura could have skipped this and just focused on getting this right in the stock tuning.

TL;DR: Nozzles don't do much, eartips do.

COMPARISONS

Kotori Audio Zephyr - this is one IEM that is very similar to the Woodnote, but where the Zephyr wins is beating the Woodnote when it comes to not being shouty - it is just truly smooth throughout the energetic, dramatic vocal performance while not compromising on anything else. The Zephyr also has the Beta beat by a much wider margin than the Woodnote, and especially in terms of tonality, separation, and handling sibilance.

Truthear Pure - again, this is an IEM that especially sounds similar through the mids but edges out with considerably better detail, a more pronounced sub-bass presence and some of the best highs I have heard in an IEM of this segment. This, however, does not mean that the Woodnote is bad, the Pure was just the better IEM here. The Pure also makes the Beta appear laughable, where its retail price is the comedic punchline, the Pure makes the Beta look like an extremely overpriced proposition where even its provided accessories feel like a weird compensation.

Aful Explorer - Well, given how dark the Explorer comes off the boat and with a seemingly disappointing performance through perceived stage, vocal quality and texture, the mid-bass quality interfering with everything else on tracks where separation of elements is paramount, the Woodnote did a far better job than it. I’d still take the Explorer over the Beta.

Tanchjim Nora: Here, it’s a tossup - if you want a little less intrusion from the bass, polished vocals, quite the smoothened out treble with a significant dip in perceived energy, the Nora is the pick. If a mildly aggressive bass response, perceived wider stage, comparable imaging and separation with some brightness in the treble is needed, the Woodnote would fare better. And let’s not bring the Beta here - Nora has it beat and outclassed by a significant margin.

CONCLUDING NOTES

After spending so much time with the Twistura Beta and Woodnote, Twistura really missed its mark by making the Beta a flagship, because I am going to be very candid here- the Beta simply doesn’t deserve to be in the catalog, let alone be the brand’s flagship and they should have put in some significant energy in marketing the Woodnote. It’s got so many good things going right against the Beta and even if I see the competition, it’s not funny. And Twistura’s entire philosophy here, reminded me of Tanchjim and their fumbles- at least, Twistura has been a recent entrant, and they can build something really good out of it. However, just like the D Minor, in my opinion the Beta is their biggest miss, and Woodnote deserves a sequel.

B+ for the Woodnote, and C for the Beta.

Will I buy the Woodnote new? Yes.
Will I buy the Beta new? Absolutely not.

Will I buy the Woodnote used? Blind Buy.
Will I buy the Beta used? Only if it’s available at 1/3rd of the retail price.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Fiio KA17, EPZ TP35 Pro and the TRN BlackPearl dongles with the Vivo X200T phone. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP, and the SMSL Raw MDA-1 Desktop DAC amp.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Woodnote: Divinus Velvet narrow bore, stock green, Twistura’s liquid silicone, Final E.

Beta: KBear Coffee, stock blue, Divinus Velvet narrow bore, Tangzu Sancai Balanced.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

After I had tango-ed with the D Major, Delta, and D Minor from Twistura and seeing that they can fare competently in the feeble price segment of roughly $30/INR 4000-ish equivalent, it was time for me to see how their most expensive offerings in the Woodnote and Beta fare. I have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with them, as I couldn’t compose my reviews due to an injury, but I am back, and let me talk about how the Woodnote has impressed me and how much the Beta has disappointed me. But, I still thank Twistura for sending me these units along with a pack of their liquid silicone eartips.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

Both the Beta and Woodnote had very similar unboxings, and very posh ones at that; the provided cables on both IEMs are excellent for the price and are modular, the Woodnote comes with four sets of eartips, while the Beta came with three; I didn’t get the 3.5 mm plug with my Beta, but the Woodnote had it. The included carry case reminded me of Openheart’s cable cases. They also had the same provided nozzles on a metal screwable plate, with appropriate labels in Chinese and English indicating what each nozzle did.

The Woodnote had a rubber fin under the shell that provided cushioning, and the Beta, comparatively, had a bigger shell. Both IEMs were very comfortable for me through extended periods.

LOWS

Woodnote (tested on the instrumental nozzles)

In tracks known for their punch & slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the Woodnote slams very well - the delivery of the bass on the Woodnote is like the rookie of the year shattering the backboard with a dunk. Notes from the bass lines have great separation; the beats punch through with a deep extension which shows that although prima facie, the attack seems adequate with a slow decay; the level of sustain that the Woodnote has makes things fun and engaging. Vocals feel well isolated & the bass doesn't intrude upon it, and the rest of the instrumentals have their moments of glory.

In tracks where the bass lines feel emulsified with the drums, like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, the Woodnote doesn't seem to confuse one with the other - toms and kicks have their identification points and are isolated delightfully from the rumbling, well-polished bass lines - this shows that the Woodnote does imaging right. Vocals do not feel thin at all, nor does the warm tonality interfere with its perception, hence leading to a very cohesive presentation overall.

Beta (tested on the Vocal Enhanced nozzles)

Through my Daft Punk rotation, the Beta appears to be consistently splotchy - the decay is not worth commenting on; there is a mild overwork on the sub-bass, and the way it is executed makes the lower mids and vocals feel claustrophobic, and the claps feel more like stings. I never expected the Beta to have this drastic a response, but it was truly a very difficult time for me to enjoy these tracks on the Beta - I just couldn’t get this IEM to work (And no, talking about EQ on this IEM does not make sense at least for this section.)

Through my Rage Against the Machine and Rush rotation, the toms and kicks felt abruptly cut, making them feel flat and very shallow; notes from the bass feel like blobs, and the vocals are overly distant - which means that imaging will be a tricky problem for the Beta.

MIDS

Woodnote

In tracks with unorthodox snare setups set in peculiar keys like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, the Woodnote once again flexes its muscles - despite the nozzle changes, it completely doesn't shed its warm tonality; and even on this least warm configuration; the Woodnote wasn't coming off as overly bright. It admittedly never impresses with detail, but gets everything else right - vocals do not feel overly warm, although they felt a bit pushed back, they weren’t layered alongside the cymbals which meant that it was still decent in its imaging capabilities, guitars sound full; I could clearly distinguish the snare and tom strokes and especially the snare was coming off surprisingly weighted and crisp; and the positioning of the cymbals was not overly laid back.

In instrumental dominant tracks like Periphery’s Marigold, Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, and Tool’s Lateralus, the Woodnote still does not make improvements in detail but does not let it drop - I could still hear the ghost notes off the snares in Marigold, the guitars continued to sound full, especially in Lateralus; although the cymbals this time were being perceived as comparatively thinner, but still well positioned and isolated. However, if I were to pick up Lateralus again, towards the breakdown, the bass felt like losing its momentum for a bit as it started wah-ing out, although the drum rudiments and the vocals felt quite polished.

Beta

Through my QoTSA and Crimson King rotation, the Beta once again falters compared to the Woodnote - details are simply not up to the mark, separation is up for a toss, imaging is hazy where I had a hard time discerning the snare strokes from the cymbals across sections. Tonality was fine for the most part, timbre did come off as metallic through certain sections.

The Beta simply cannot get separation & detail right and this shows up when the tracks get busier. Ghost notes outright are inaudible, cymbals come off brash and unhinged, guitars lack the juice and vocals simply are not present at the front, and this I realized through my Tool and Periphery rotation. Detail retrieval was less than decent, and this kind of reminded me of the Explorer, except where the Beta felt mildly right through its tonality.

HIGHS

Woodnote

In tracks with a lot of phonk-esque bass and synths like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the Woodnote is another smooth operator - the synths were not in the way of the vocals; and the bass was restrained very well; next to zero distortion, even the thin vocals were untouched, and every single other element was very well isolated, yet coming off as one. I liked the fact that the Woodnote, despite its seemingly warm tonality, didn’t alter the vocals on this track. The synths had a faint hint of pierce but everything else was in order.

In vocal dominant technical masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself, Adele’s Easy On Me, and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, the Woodnote starts with a hint of shoutiness but as the climax progresses, the Woodnote does not hold back - from the yodelling to the pitch shifts to straight sustains; the Woodnote just sets the record straight with firstly, superb natural life-like timbre, and especially with the pianos - notes are extending so well, timbre is perfect; and everything has adequate weight & body to themselves.

Beta

Through my Adele, Celine Dion and Florence + The Machine rotation, the Beta still lagged behind the Woodnote - it lacked the energy needed for the climaxes to have the impact they needed, and when the notes scaled higher, the Beta cranked up the shoutiness by a good amount; and specifically through passages with a lot of vibratos & yodelling, the Beta had a rather disappointing decay & sustain where the notes feel less like notes and more like ringing. When the pitch shifts to baritone; the Beta does an even worse job with keeping the shoutiness at bay.

Through the Stateside track and similar tracks with phonk style elements, the Beta manages to get the vocals pushed a bit too behind and just snatching the weight off them like collapsing into a quicksand pit from an Indiana Jones sequence. The synths seem to be tonally fine, but they do appear to be faintly sibilant.

NOZZLES (Only for the Woodnote, The Beta’s nozzles contributed towards nothing meaningful)

Standard: this is a nozzle which I liked to a good extent as well as a sizable demographic - there is a mild increase in the quantity of the bass; with a perceived drop in stage, a little less bright. But, more or less, it was very similar to the instrumental. Oh yes, as the name suggests, the instruments on the instrumental nozzle comparatively truly shine.

Vocal Enhanced: again, not really significantly different, but these nozzles trade a small chunk of the bass performance for a more forward, more powerful vocal delivery. It does improve detail, but Twistura could have skipped this and just focused on getting this right in the stock tuning.

TL;DR: Nozzles don't do much, eartips do.

COMPARISONS

Kotori Audio Zephyr - this is one IEM that is very similar to the Woodnote, but where the Zephyr wins is beating the Woodnote when it comes to not being shouty - it is just truly smooth throughout the energetic, dramatic vocal performance while not compromising on anything else. The Zephyr also has the Beta beat by a much wider margin than the Woodnote, and especially in terms of tonality, separation, and handling sibilance.

Truthear Pure - again, this is an IEM that especially sounds similar through the mids but edges out with considerably better detail, a more pronounced sub-bass presence and some of the best highs I have heard in an IEM of this segment. This, however, does not mean that the Woodnote is bad, the Pure was just the better IEM here. The Pure also makes the Beta appear laughable, where its retail price is the comedic punchline, the Pure makes the Beta look like an extremely overpriced proposition where even its provided accessories feel like a weird compensation.

Aful Explorer - Well, given how dark the Explorer comes off the boat and with a seemingly disappointing performance through perceived stage, vocal quality and texture, the mid-bass quality interfering with everything else on tracks where separation of elements is paramount, the Woodnote did a far better job than it. I’d still take the Explorer over the Beta.

Tanchjim Nora: Here, it’s a tossup - if you want a little less intrusion from the bass, polished vocals, quite the smoothened out treble with a significant dip in perceived energy, the Nora is the pick. If a mildly aggressive bass response, perceived wider stage, comparable imaging and separation with some brightness in the treble is needed, the Woodnote would fare better. And let’s not bring the Beta here - Nora has it beat and outclassed by a significant margin.

CONCLUDING NOTES

After spending so much time with the Twistura Beta and Woodnote, Twistura really missed its mark by making the Beta a flagship, because I am going to be very candid here- the Beta simply doesn’t deserve to be in the catalog, let alone be the brand’s flagship and they should have put in some significant energy in marketing the Woodnote. It’s got so many good things going right against the Beta and even if I see the competition, it’s not funny. And Twistura’s entire philosophy here, reminded me of Tanchjim and their fumbles- at least, Twistura has been a recent entrant, and they can build something really good out of it. However, just like the D Minor, in my opinion the Beta is their biggest miss, and Woodnote deserves a sequel.

B+ for the Woodnote, and C for the Beta.

Will I buy the Woodnote new? Yes.
Will I buy the Beta new? Absolutely not.

Will I buy the Woodnote used? Blind Buy.
Will I buy the Beta used? Only if it’s available at 1/3rd of the retail price.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Fiio KA17, EPZ TP35 Pro and the TRN BlackPearl dongles with the Vivo X200T phone. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP, and the SMSL Raw MDA-1 Desktop DAC amp.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Woodnote: Divinus Velvet narrow bore, stock green, Twistura’s liquid silicone, Final E.

Beta: KBear Coffee, stock blue, Divinus Velvet narrow bore, Tangzu Sancai Balanced.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

STORE LINKS (NOT AFFILIATE)

Website: https://twistura.com/ 

AliExpress: https://twistura.aliexpress.com/store/1105195395

After I had tango-ed with the D Major, Delta, and D Minor from Twistura and seeing that they can fare competently in the feeble price segment of roughly $30/INR 4000-ish equivalent, it was time for me to see how their most expensive offerings in the Woodnote and Beta fare. I have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with them, as I couldn’t compose my reviews due to an injury, but I am back, and let me talk about how the Woodnote has impressed me and how much the Beta has disappointed me. But, I still thank Twistura for sending me these units along with a pack of their liquid silicone eartips.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

Both the Beta and Woodnote had very similar unboxings, and very posh ones at that; the provided cables on both IEMs are excellent for the price and are modular, the Woodnote comes with four sets of eartips, while the Beta came with three; I didn’t get the 3.5 mm plug with my Beta, but the Woodnote had it. The included carry case reminded me of Openheart’s cable cases. They also had the same provided nozzles on a metal screwable plate, with appropriate labels in Chinese and English indicating what each nozzle did.

The Woodnote had a rubber fin under the shell that provided cushioning, and the Beta, comparatively, had a bigger shell. Both IEMs were very comfortable for me through extended periods.

LOWS

Woodnote (tested on the instrumental nozzles)

In tracks known for their punch & slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the Woodnote slams very well - the delivery of the bass on the Woodnote is like the rookie of the year shattering the backboard with a dunk. Notes from the bass lines have great separation; the beats punch through with a deep extension which shows that although prima facie, the attack seems adequate with a slow decay; the level of sustain that the Woodnote has makes things fun and engaging. Vocals feel well isolated & the bass doesn't intrude upon it, and the rest of the instrumentals have their moments of glory.

In tracks where the bass lines feel emulsified with the drums, like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, the Woodnote doesn't seem to confuse one with the other - toms and kicks have their identification points and are isolated delightfully from the rumbling, well-polished bass lines - this shows that the Woodnote does imaging right. Vocals do not feel thin at all, nor does the warm tonality interfere with its perception, hence leading to a very cohesive presentation overall.

Beta (tested on the Vocal Enhanced nozzles)

Through my Daft Punk rotation, the Beta appears to be consistently splotchy - the decay is not worth commenting on; there is a mild overwork on the sub-bass, and the way it is executed makes the lower mids and vocals feel claustrophobic, and the claps feel more like stings. I never expected the Beta to have this drastic a response, but it was truly a very difficult time for me to enjoy these tracks on the Beta - I just couldn’t get this IEM to work (And no, talking about EQ on this IEM does not make sense at least for this section.)

Through my Rage Against the Machine and Rush rotation, the toms and kicks felt abruptly cut, making them feel flat and very shallow; notes from the bass feel like blobs, and the vocals are overly distant - which means that imaging will be a tricky problem for the Beta.

MIDS

Woodnote

In tracks with unorthodox snare setups set in peculiar keys like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, the Woodnote once again flexes its muscles - despite the nozzle changes, it completely doesn't shed its warm tonality; and even on this least warm configuration; the Woodnote wasn't coming off as overly bright. It admittedly never impresses with detail, but gets everything else right - vocals do not feel overly warm, although they felt a bit pushed back, they weren’t layered alongside the cymbals which meant that it was still decent in its imaging capabilities, guitars sound full; I could clearly distinguish the snare and tom strokes and especially the snare was coming off surprisingly weighted and crisp; and the positioning of the cymbals was not overly laid back.

In instrumental dominant tracks like Periphery’s Marigold, Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, and Tool’s Lateralus, the Woodnote still does not make improvements in detail but does not let it drop - I could still hear the ghost notes off the snares in Marigold, the guitars continued to sound full, especially in Lateralus; although the cymbals this time were being perceived as comparatively thinner, but still well positioned and isolated. However, if I were to pick up Lateralus again, towards the breakdown, the bass felt like losing its momentum for a bit as it started wah-ing out, although the drum rudiments and the vocals felt quite polished.

Beta

Through my QoTSA and Crimson King rotation, the Beta once again falters compared to the Woodnote - details are simply not up to the mark, separation is up for a toss, imaging is hazy where I had a hard time discerning the snare strokes from the cymbals across sections. Tonality was fine for the most part, timbre did come off as metallic through certain sections.

The Beta simply cannot get separation & detail right and this shows up when the tracks get busier. Ghost notes outright are inaudible, cymbals come off brash and unhinged, guitars lack the juice and vocals simply are not present at the front, and this I realized through my Tool and Periphery rotation. Detail retrieval was less than decent, and this kind of reminded me of the Explorer, except where the Beta felt mildly right through its tonality.

HIGHS

Woodnote

In tracks with a lot of phonk-esque bass and synths like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the Woodnote is another smooth operator - the synths were not in the way of the vocals; and the bass was restrained very well; next to zero distortion, even the thin vocals were untouched, and every single other element was very well isolated, yet coming off as one. I liked the fact that the Woodnote, despite its seemingly warm tonality, didn’t alter the vocals on this track. The synths had a faint hint of pierce but everything else was in order.

In vocal dominant technical masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself, Adele’s Easy On Me, and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, the Woodnote starts with a hint of shoutiness but as the climax progresses, the Woodnote does not hold back - from the yodelling to the pitch shifts to straight sustains; the Woodnote just sets the record straight with firstly, superb natural life-like timbre, and especially with the pianos - notes are extending so well, timbre is perfect; and everything has adequate weight & body to themselves.

Beta

Through my Adele, Celine Dion and Florence + The Machine rotation, the Beta still lagged behind the Woodnote - it lacked the energy needed for the climaxes to have the impact they needed, and when the notes scaled higher, the Beta cranked up the shoutiness by a good amount; and specifically through passages with a lot of vibratos & yodelling, the Beta had a rather disappointing decay & sustain where the notes feel less like notes and more like ringing. When the pitch shifts to baritone; the Beta does an even worse job with keeping the shoutiness at bay.

Through the Stateside track and similar tracks with phonk style elements, the Beta manages to get the vocals pushed a bit too behind and just snatching the weight off them like collapsing into a quicksand pit from an Indiana Jones sequence. The synths seem to be tonally fine, but they do appear to be faintly sibilant.

NOZZLES (Only for the Woodnote, The Beta’s nozzles contributed towards nothing meaningful)

Standard: this is a nozzle which I liked to a good extent as well as a sizable demographic - there is a mild increase in the quantity of the bass; with a perceived drop in stage, a little less bright. But, more or less, it was very similar to the instrumental. Oh yes, as the name suggests, the instruments on the instrumental nozzle comparatively truly shine.

Vocal Enhanced: again, not really significantly different, but these nozzles trade a small chunk of the bass performance for a more forward, more powerful vocal delivery. It does improve detail, but Twistura could have skipped this and just focused on getting this right in the stock tuning.

TL;DR: Nozzles don't do much, eartips do.

COMPARISONS

Kotori Audio Zephyr - this is one IEM that is very similar to the Woodnote, but where the Zephyr wins is beating the Woodnote when it comes to not being shouty - it is just truly smooth throughout the energetic, dramatic vocal performance while not compromising on anything else. The Zephyr also has the Beta beat by a much wider margin than the Woodnote, and especially in terms of tonality, separation, and handling sibilance.

Truthear Pure - again, this is an IEM that especially sounds similar through the mids but edges out with considerably better detail, a more pronounced sub-bass presence and some of the best highs I have heard in an IEM of this segment. This, however, does not mean that the Woodnote is bad, the Pure was just the better IEM here. The Pure also makes the Beta appear laughable, where its retail price is the comedic punchline, the Pure makes the Beta look like an extremely overpriced proposition where even its provided accessories feel like a weird compensation.

Aful Explorer - Well, given how dark the Explorer comes off the boat and with a seemingly disappointing performance through perceived stage, vocal quality and texture, the mid-bass quality interfering with everything else on tracks where separation of elements is paramount, the Woodnote did a far better job than it. I’d still take the Explorer over the Beta.

Tanchjim Nora: Here, it’s a tossup - if you want a little less intrusion from the bass, polished vocals, quite the smoothened out treble with a significant dip in perceived energy, the Nora is the pick. If a mildly aggressive bass response, perceived wider stage, comparable imaging and separation with some brightness in the treble is needed, the Woodnote would fare better. And let’s not bring the Beta here - Nora has it beat and outclassed by a significant margin.

CONCLUDING NOTES

After spending so much time with the Twistura Beta and Woodnote, Twistura really missed its mark by making the Beta a flagship, because I am going to be very candid here- the Beta simply doesn’t deserve to be in the catalog, let alone be the brand’s flagship and they should have put in some significant energy in marketing the Woodnote. It’s got so many good things going right against the Beta and even if I see the competition, it’s not funny. And Twistura’s entire philosophy here, reminded me of Tanchjim and their fumbles- at least, Twistura has been a recent entrant, and they can build something really good out of it. However, just like the D Minor, in my opinion the Beta is their biggest miss, and Woodnote deserves a sequel.

B+ for the Woodnote, and C for the Beta.

Will I buy the Woodnote new? Yes.
Will I buy the Beta new? Absolutely not.

Will I buy the Woodnote used? Blind Buy.
Will I buy the Beta used? Only if it’s available at 1/3rd of the retail price.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Fiio KA17, EPZ TP35 Pro and the TRN BlackPearl dongles with the Vivo X200T phone. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP, and the SMSL Raw MDA-1 Desktop DAC amp.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Woodnote: Divinus Velvet narrow bore, stock green, Twistura’s liquid silicone, Final E.

Beta: KBear Coffee, stock blue, Divinus Velvet narrow bore, Tangzu Sancai Balanced.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

STORE LINKS (NOT AFFILIATE)

Website: https://twistura.com/ 

AliExpress: https://twistura.aliexpress.com/store/1105195395

After I had tango-ed with the D Major, Delta, and D Minor from Twistura and seeing that they can fare competently in the feeble price segment of roughly $30/INR 4000-ish equivalent, it was time for me to see how their most expensive offerings in the Woodnote and Beta fare. I have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with them, as I couldn’t compose my reviews due to an injury, but I am back, and let me talk about how the Woodnote has impressed me and how much the Beta has disappointed me. But, I still thank Twistura for sending me these units along with a pack of their liquid silicone eartips.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

Both the Beta and Woodnote had very similar unboxings, and very posh ones at that; the provided cables on both IEMs are excellent for the price and are modular, the Woodnote comes with four sets of eartips, while the Beta came with three; I didn’t get the 3.5 mm plug with my Beta, but the Woodnote had it. The included carry case reminded me of Openheart’s cable cases. They also had the same provided nozzles on a metal screwable plate, with appropriate labels in Chinese and English indicating what each nozzle did.

The Woodnote had a rubber fin under the shell that provided cushioning, and the Beta, comparatively, had a bigger shell. Both IEMs were very comfortable for me through extended periods.

LOWS

Woodnote (tested on the instrumental nozzles)

In tracks known for their punch & slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the Woodnote slams very well - the delivery of the bass on the Woodnote is like the rookie of the year shattering the backboard with a dunk. Notes from the bass lines have great separation; the beats punch through with a deep extension which shows that although prima facie, the attack seems adequate with a slow decay; the level of sustain that the Woodnote has makes things fun and engaging. Vocals feel well isolated & the bass doesn't intrude upon it, and the rest of the instrumentals have their moments of glory.

In tracks where the bass lines feel emulsified with the drums, like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, the Woodnote doesn't seem to confuse one with the other - toms and kicks have their identification points and are isolated delightfully from the rumbling, well-polished bass lines - this shows that the Woodnote does imaging right. Vocals do not feel thin at all, nor does the warm tonality interfere with its perception, hence leading to a very cohesive presentation overall.

Beta (tested on the Vocal Enhanced nozzles)

Through my Daft Punk rotation, the Beta appears to be consistently splotchy - the decay is not worth commenting on; there is a mild overwork on the sub-bass, and the way it is executed makes the lower mids and vocals feel claustrophobic, and the claps feel more like stings. I never expected the Beta to have this drastic a response, but it was truly a very difficult time for me to enjoy these tracks on the Beta - I just couldn’t get this IEM to work (And no, talking about EQ on this IEM does not make sense at least for this section.)

Through my Rage Against the Machine and Rush rotation, the toms and kicks felt abruptly cut, making them feel flat and very shallow; notes from the bass feel like blobs, and the vocals are overly distant - which means that imaging will be a tricky problem for the Beta.

MIDS

Woodnote

In tracks with unorthodox snare setups set in peculiar keys like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, the Woodnote once again flexes its muscles - despite the nozzle changes, it completely doesn't shed its warm tonality; and even on this least warm configuration; the Woodnote wasn't coming off as overly bright. It admittedly never impresses with detail, but gets everything else right - vocals do not feel overly warm, although they felt a bit pushed back, they weren’t layered alongside the cymbals which meant that it was still decent in its imaging capabilities, guitars sound full; I could clearly distinguish the snare and tom strokes and especially the snare was coming off surprisingly weighted and crisp; and the positioning of the cymbals was not overly laid back.

In instrumental dominant tracks like Periphery’s Marigold, Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, and Tool’s Lateralus, the Woodnote still does not make improvements in detail but does not let it drop - I could still hear the ghost notes off the snares in Marigold, the guitars continued to sound full, especially in Lateralus; although the cymbals this time were being perceived as comparatively thinner, but still well positioned and isolated. However, if I were to pick up Lateralus again, towards the breakdown, the bass felt like losing its momentum for a bit as it started wah-ing out, although the drum rudiments and the vocals felt quite polished.

Beta

Through my QoTSA and Crimson King rotation, the Beta once again falters compared to the Woodnote - details are simply not up to the mark, separation is up for a toss, imaging is hazy where I had a hard time discerning the snare strokes from the cymbals across sections. Tonality was fine for the most part, timbre did come off as metallic through certain sections.

The Beta simply cannot get separation & detail right and this shows up when the tracks get busier. Ghost notes outright are inaudible, cymbals come off brash and unhinged, guitars lack the juice and vocals simply are not present at the front, and this I realized through my Tool and Periphery rotation. Detail retrieval was less than decent, and this kind of reminded me of the Explorer, except where the Beta felt mildly right through its tonality.

HIGHS

Woodnote

In tracks with a lot of phonk-esque bass and synths like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the Woodnote is another smooth operator - the synths were not in the way of the vocals; and the bass was restrained very well; next to zero distortion, even the thin vocals were untouched, and every single other element was very well isolated, yet coming off as one. I liked the fact that the Woodnote, despite its seemingly warm tonality, didn’t alter the vocals on this track. The synths had a faint hint of pierce but everything else was in order.

In vocal dominant technical masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself, Adele’s Easy On Me, and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, the Woodnote starts with a hint of shoutiness but as the climax progresses, the Woodnote does not hold back - from the yodelling to the pitch shifts to straight sustains; the Woodnote just sets the record straight with firstly, superb natural life-like timbre, and especially with the pianos - notes are extending so well, timbre is perfect; and everything has adequate weight & body to themselves.

Beta

Through my Adele, Celine Dion and Florence + The Machine rotation, the Beta still lagged behind the Woodnote - it lacked the energy needed for the climaxes to have the impact they needed, and when the notes scaled higher, the Beta cranked up the shoutiness by a good amount; and specifically through passages with a lot of vibratos & yodelling, the Beta had a rather disappointing decay & sustain where the notes feel less like notes and more like ringing. When the pitch shifts to baritone; the Beta does an even worse job with keeping the shoutiness at bay.

Through the Stateside track and similar tracks with phonk style elements, the Beta manages to get the vocals pushed a bit too behind and just snatching the weight off them like collapsing into a quicksand pit from an Indiana Jones sequence. The synths seem to be tonally fine, but they do appear to be faintly sibilant.

NOZZLES (Only for the Woodnote, The Beta’s nozzles contributed towards nothing meaningful)

Standard: this is a nozzle which I liked to a good extent as well as a sizable demographic - there is a mild increase in the quantity of the bass; with a perceived drop in stage, a little less bright. But, more or less, it was very similar to the instrumental. Oh yes, as the name suggests, the instruments on the instrumental nozzle comparatively truly shine.

Vocal Enhanced: again, not really significantly different, but these nozzles trade a small chunk of the bass performance for a more forward, more powerful vocal delivery. It does improve detail, but Twistura could have skipped this and just focused on getting this right in the stock tuning.

TL;DR: Nozzles don't do much, eartips do.

COMPARISONS

Kotori Audio Zephyr - this is one IEM that is very similar to the Woodnote, but where the Zephyr wins is beating the Woodnote when it comes to not being shouty - it is just truly smooth throughout the energetic, dramatic vocal performance while not compromising on anything else. The Zephyr also has the Beta beat by a much wider margin than the Woodnote, and especially in terms of tonality, separation, and handling sibilance.

Truthear Pure - again, this is an IEM that especially sounds similar through the mids but edges out with considerably better detail, a more pronounced sub-bass presence and some of the best highs I have heard in an IEM of this segment. This, however, does not mean that the Woodnote is bad, the Pure was just the better IEM here. The Pure also makes the Beta appear laughable, where its retail price is the comedic punchline, the Pure makes the Beta look like an extremely overpriced proposition where even its provided accessories feel like a weird compensation.

Aful Explorer - Well, given how dark the Explorer comes off the boat and with a seemingly disappointing performance through perceived stage, vocal quality and texture, the mid-bass quality interfering with everything else on tracks where separation of elements is paramount, the Woodnote did a far better job than it. I’d still take the Explorer over the Beta.

Tanchjim Nora: Here, it’s a tossup - if you want a little less intrusion from the bass, polished vocals, quite the smoothened out treble with a significant dip in perceived energy, the Nora is the pick. If a mildly aggressive bass response, perceived wider stage, comparable imaging and separation with some brightness in the treble is needed, the Woodnote would fare better. And let’s not bring the Beta here - Nora has it beat and outclassed by a significant margin.

CONCLUDING NOTES

After spending so much time with the Twistura Beta and Woodnote, Twistura really missed its mark by making the Beta a flagship, because I am going to be very candid here- the Beta simply doesn’t deserve to be in the catalog, let alone be the brand’s flagship and they should have put in some significant energy in marketing the Woodnote. It’s got so many good things going right against the Beta and even if I see the competition, it’s not funny. And Twistura’s entire philosophy here, reminded me of Tanchjim and their fumbles- at least, Twistura has been a recent entrant, and they can build something really good out of it. However, just like the D Minor, in my opinion the Beta is their biggest miss, and Woodnote deserves a sequel.

B+ for the Woodnote, and C for the Beta.

Will I buy the Woodnote new? Yes.
Will I buy the Beta new? Absolutely not.

Will I buy the Woodnote used? Blind Buy.
Will I buy the Beta used? Only if it’s available at 1/3rd of the retail price.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Fiio KA17, EPZ TP35 Pro and the TRN BlackPearl dongles with the Vivo X200T phone. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP, and the SMSL Raw MDA-1 Desktop DAC amp.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Woodnote: Divinus Velvet narrow bore, stock green, Twistura’s liquid silicone, Final E.

Beta: KBear Coffee, stock blue, Divinus Velvet narrow bore, Tangzu Sancai Balanced.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

STORE LINKS (NOT AFFILIATE)

Website: https://twistura.com/ 

AliExpress: https://twistura.aliexpress.com/store/1105195395

After I had tango-ed with the D Major, Delta, and D Minor from Twistura and seeing that they can fare competently in the feeble price segment of roughly $30/INR 4000-ish equivalent, it was time for me to see how their most expensive offerings in the Woodnote and Beta fare. I have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with them, as I couldn’t compose my reviews due to an injury, but I am back, and let me talk about how the Woodnote has impressed me and how much the Beta has disappointed me. But, I still thank Twistura for sending me these units along with a pack of their liquid silicone eartips.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

Both the Beta and Woodnote had very similar unboxings, and very posh ones at that; the provided cables on both IEMs are excellent for the price and are modular, the Woodnote comes with four sets of eartips, while the Beta came with three; I didn’t get the 3.5 mm plug with my Beta, but the Woodnote had it. The included carry case reminded me of Openheart’s cable cases. They also had the same provided nozzles on a metal screwable plate, with appropriate labels in Chinese and English indicating what each nozzle did.

The Woodnote had a rubber fin under the shell that provided cushioning, and the Beta, comparatively, had a bigger shell. Both IEMs were very comfortable for me through extended periods.

LOWS

Woodnote (tested on the instrumental nozzles)

In tracks known for their punch & slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the Woodnote slams very well - the delivery of the bass on the Woodnote is like the rookie of the year shattering the backboard with a dunk. Notes from the bass lines have great separation; the beats punch through with a deep extension which shows that although prima facie, the attack seems adequate with a slow decay; the level of sustain that the Woodnote has makes things fun and engaging. Vocals feel well isolated & the bass doesn't intrude upon it, and the rest of the instrumentals have their moments of glory.

In tracks where the bass lines feel emulsified with the drums, like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, the Woodnote doesn't seem to confuse one with the other - toms and kicks have their identification points and are isolated delightfully from the rumbling, well-polished bass lines - this shows that the Woodnote does imaging right. Vocals do not feel thin at all, nor does the warm tonality interfere with its perception, hence leading to a very cohesive presentation overall.

Beta (tested on the Vocal Enhanced nozzles)

Through my Daft Punk rotation, the Beta appears to be consistently splotchy - the decay is not worth commenting on; there is a mild overwork on the sub-bass, and the way it is executed makes the lower mids and vocals feel claustrophobic, and the claps feel more like stings. I never expected the Beta to have this drastic a response, but it was truly a very difficult time for me to enjoy these tracks on the Beta - I just couldn’t get this IEM to work (And no, talking about EQ on this IEM does not make sense at least for this section.)

Through my Rage Against the Machine and Rush rotation, the toms and kicks felt abruptly cut, making them feel flat and very shallow; notes from the bass feel like blobs, and the vocals are overly distant - which means that imaging will be a tricky problem for the Beta.

MIDS

Woodnote

In tracks with unorthodox snare setups set in peculiar keys like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, the Woodnote once again flexes its muscles - despite the nozzle changes, it completely doesn't shed its warm tonality; and even on this least warm configuration; the Woodnote wasn't coming off as overly bright. It admittedly never impresses with detail, but gets everything else right - vocals do not feel overly warm, although they felt a bit pushed back, they weren’t layered alongside the cymbals which meant that it was still decent in its imaging capabilities, guitars sound full; I could clearly distinguish the snare and tom strokes and especially the snare was coming off surprisingly weighted and crisp; and the positioning of the cymbals was not overly laid back.

In instrumental dominant tracks like Periphery’s Marigold, Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, and Tool’s Lateralus, the Woodnote still does not make improvements in detail but does not let it drop - I could still hear the ghost notes off the snares in Marigold, the guitars continued to sound full, especially in Lateralus; although the cymbals this time were being perceived as comparatively thinner, but still well positioned and isolated. However, if I were to pick up Lateralus again, towards the breakdown, the bass felt like losing its momentum for a bit as it started wah-ing out, although the drum rudiments and the vocals felt quite polished.

Beta

Through my QoTSA and Crimson King rotation, the Beta once again falters compared to the Woodnote - details are simply not up to the mark, separation is up for a toss, imaging is hazy where I had a hard time discerning the snare strokes from the cymbals across sections. Tonality was fine for the most part, timbre did come off as metallic through certain sections.

The Beta simply cannot get separation & detail right and this shows up when the tracks get busier. Ghost notes outright are inaudible, cymbals come off brash and unhinged, guitars lack the juice and vocals simply are not present at the front, and this I realized through my Tool and Periphery rotation. Detail retrieval was less than decent, and this kind of reminded me of the Explorer, except where the Beta felt mildly right through its tonality.

HIGHS

Woodnote

In tracks with a lot of phonk-esque bass and synths like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the Woodnote is another smooth operator - the synths were not in the way of the vocals; and the bass was restrained very well; next to zero distortion, even the thin vocals were untouched, and every single other element was very well isolated, yet coming off as one. I liked the fact that the Woodnote, despite its seemingly warm tonality, didn’t alter the vocals on this track. The synths had a faint hint of pierce but everything else was in order.

In vocal dominant technical masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself, Adele’s Easy On Me, and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, the Woodnote starts with a hint of shoutiness but as the climax progresses, the Woodnote does not hold back - from the yodelling to the pitch shifts to straight sustains; the Woodnote just sets the record straight with firstly, superb natural life-like timbre, and especially with the pianos - notes are extending so well, timbre is perfect; and everything has adequate weight & body to themselves.

Beta

Through my Adele, Celine Dion and Florence + The Machine rotation, the Beta still lagged behind the Woodnote - it lacked the energy needed for the climaxes to have the impact they needed, and when the notes scaled higher, the Beta cranked up the shoutiness by a good amount; and specifically through passages with a lot of vibratos & yodelling, the Beta had a rather disappointing decay & sustain where the notes feel less like notes and more like ringing. When the pitch shifts to baritone; the Beta does an even worse job with keeping the shoutiness at bay.

Through the Stateside track and similar tracks with phonk style elements, the Beta manages to get the vocals pushed a bit too behind and just snatching the weight off them like collapsing into a quicksand pit from an Indiana Jones sequence. The synths seem to be tonally fine, but they do appear to be faintly sibilant.

NOZZLES (Only for the Woodnote, The Beta’s nozzles contributed towards nothing meaningful)

Standard: this is a nozzle which I liked to a good extent as well as a sizable demographic - there is a mild increase in the quantity of the bass; with a perceived drop in stage, a little less bright. But, more or less, it was very similar to the instrumental. Oh yes, as the name suggests, the instruments on the instrumental nozzle comparatively truly shine.

Vocal Enhanced: again, not really significantly different, but these nozzles trade a small chunk of the bass performance for a more forward, more powerful vocal delivery. It does improve detail, but Twistura could have skipped this and just focused on getting this right in the stock tuning.

TL;DR: Nozzles don't do much, eartips do.

COMPARISONS

Kotori Audio Zephyr - this is one IEM that is very similar to the Woodnote, but where the Zephyr wins is beating the Woodnote when it comes to not being shouty - it is just truly smooth throughout the energetic, dramatic vocal performance while not compromising on anything else. The Zephyr also has the Beta beat by a much wider margin than the Woodnote, and especially in terms of tonality, separation, and handling sibilance.

Truthear Pure - again, this is an IEM that especially sounds similar through the mids but edges out with considerably better detail, a more pronounced sub-bass presence and some of the best highs I have heard in an IEM of this segment. This, however, does not mean that the Woodnote is bad, the Pure was just the better IEM here. The Pure also makes the Beta appear laughable, where its retail price is the comedic punchline, the Pure makes the Beta look like an extremely overpriced proposition where even its provided accessories feel like a weird compensation.

Aful Explorer - Well, given how dark the Explorer comes off the boat and with a seemingly disappointing performance through perceived stage, vocal quality and texture, the mid-bass quality interfering with everything else on tracks where separation of elements is paramount, the Woodnote did a far better job than it. I’d still take the Explorer over the Beta.

Tanchjim Nora: Here, it’s a tossup - if you want a little less intrusion from the bass, polished vocals, quite the smoothened out treble with a significant dip in perceived energy, the Nora is the pick. If a mildly aggressive bass response, perceived wider stage, comparable imaging and separation with some brightness in the treble is needed, the Woodnote would fare better. And let’s not bring the Beta here - Nora has it beat and outclassed by a significant margin.

CONCLUDING NOTES

After spending so much time with the Twistura Beta and Woodnote, Twistura really missed its mark by making the Beta a flagship, because I am going to be very candid here- the Beta simply doesn’t deserve to be in the catalog, let alone be the brand’s flagship and they should have put in some significant energy in marketing the Woodnote. It’s got so many good things going right against the Beta and even if I see the competition, it’s not funny. And Twistura’s entire philosophy here, reminded me of Tanchjim and their fumbles- at least, Twistura has been a recent entrant, and they can build something really good out of it. However, just like the D Minor, in my opinion the Beta is their biggest miss, and Woodnote deserves a sequel.

B+ for the Woodnote, and C for the Beta.

Will I buy the Woodnote new? Yes.
Will I buy the Beta new? Absolutely not.

Will I buy the Woodnote used? Blind Buy.
Will I buy the Beta used? Only if it’s available at 1/3rd of the retail price.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Fiio KA17, EPZ TP35 Pro and the TRN BlackPearl dongles with the Vivo X200T phone. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP, and the SMSL Raw MDA-1 Desktop DAC amp.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Woodnote: Divinus Velvet narrow bore, stock green, Twistura’s liquid silicone, Final E.

Beta: KBear Coffee, stock blue, Divinus Velvet narrow bore, Tangzu Sancai Balanced.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

STORE LINKS (NOT AFFILIATE)

Website: https://twistura.com/ 

AliExpress: https://twistura.aliexpress.com/store/1105195395

After I had tango-ed with the D Major, Delta, and D Minor from Twistura and seeing that they can fare competently in the feeble price segment of roughly $30/INR 4000-ish equivalent, it was time for me to see how their most expensive offerings in the Woodnote and Beta fare. I have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with them, as I couldn’t compose my reviews due to an injury, but I am back, and let me talk about how the Woodnote has impressed me and how much the Beta has disappointed me. But, I still thank Twistura for sending me these units along with a pack of their liquid silicone eartips.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

Both the Beta and Woodnote had very similar unboxings, and very posh ones at that; the provided cables on both IEMs are excellent for the price and are modular, the Woodnote comes with four sets of eartips, while the Beta came with three; I didn’t get the 3.5 mm plug with my Beta, but the Woodnote had it. The included carry case reminded me of Openheart’s cable cases. They also had the same provided nozzles on a metal screwable plate, with appropriate labels in Chinese and English indicating what each nozzle did.

The Woodnote had a rubber fin under the shell that provided cushioning, and the Beta, comparatively, had a bigger shell. Both IEMs were very comfortable for me through extended periods.

LOWS

Woodnote (tested on the instrumental nozzles)

In tracks known for their punch & slam, like Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and Instant Crush, the Woodnote slams very well - the delivery of the bass on the Woodnote is like the rookie of the year shattering the backboard with a dunk. Notes from the bass lines have great separation; the beats punch through with a deep extension which shows that although prima facie, the attack seems adequate with a slow decay; the level of sustain that the Woodnote has makes things fun and engaging. Vocals feel well isolated & the bass doesn't intrude upon it, and the rest of the instrumentals have their moments of glory.

In tracks where the bass lines feel emulsified with the drums, like Rush’s Limelight and The Spirit of Radio, the Woodnote doesn't seem to confuse one with the other - toms and kicks have their identification points and are isolated delightfully from the rumbling, well-polished bass lines - this shows that the Woodnote does imaging right. Vocals do not feel thin at all, nor does the warm tonality interfere with its perception, hence leading to a very cohesive presentation overall.

Beta (tested on the Vocal Enhanced nozzles)

Through my Daft Punk rotation, the Beta appears to be consistently splotchy - the decay is not worth commenting on; there is a mild overwork on the sub-bass, and the way it is executed makes the lower mids and vocals feel claustrophobic, and the claps feel more like stings. I never expected the Beta to have this drastic a response, but it was truly a very difficult time for me to enjoy these tracks on the Beta - I just couldn’t get this IEM to work (And no, talking about EQ on this IEM does not make sense at least for this section.)

Through my Rage Against the Machine and Rush rotation, the toms and kicks felt abruptly cut, making them feel flat and very shallow; notes from the bass feel like blobs, and the vocals are overly distant - which means that imaging will be a tricky problem for the Beta.

MIDS

Woodnote

In tracks with unorthodox snare setups set in peculiar keys like First It Giveth by Queens of the Stone Age, the Woodnote once again flexes its muscles - despite the nozzle changes, it completely doesn't shed its warm tonality; and even on this least warm configuration; the Woodnote wasn't coming off as overly bright. It admittedly never impresses with detail, but gets everything else right - vocals do not feel overly warm, although they felt a bit pushed back, they weren’t layered alongside the cymbals which meant that it was still decent in its imaging capabilities, guitars sound full; I could clearly distinguish the snare and tom strokes and especially the snare was coming off surprisingly weighted and crisp; and the positioning of the cymbals was not overly laid back.

In instrumental dominant tracks like Periphery’s Marigold, Animals as Leaders’ The Woven Web, and Tool’s Lateralus, the Woodnote still does not make improvements in detail but does not let it drop - I could still hear the ghost notes off the snares in Marigold, the guitars continued to sound full, especially in Lateralus; although the cymbals this time were being perceived as comparatively thinner, but still well positioned and isolated. However, if I were to pick up Lateralus again, towards the breakdown, the bass felt like losing its momentum for a bit as it started wah-ing out, although the drum rudiments and the vocals felt quite polished.

Beta

Through my QoTSA and Crimson King rotation, the Beta once again falters compared to the Woodnote - details are simply not up to the mark, separation is up for a toss, imaging is hazy where I had a hard time discerning the snare strokes from the cymbals across sections. Tonality was fine for the most part, timbre did come off as metallic through certain sections.

The Beta simply cannot get separation & detail right and this shows up when the tracks get busier. Ghost notes outright are inaudible, cymbals come off brash and unhinged, guitars lack the juice and vocals simply are not present at the front, and this I realized through my Tool and Periphery rotation. Detail retrieval was less than decent, and this kind of reminded me of the Explorer, except where the Beta felt mildly right through its tonality.

HIGHS

Woodnote

In tracks with a lot of phonk-esque bass and synths like PinkPantheress’ Stateside ft. Zara Larsson, the Woodnote is another smooth operator - the synths were not in the way of the vocals; and the bass was restrained very well; next to zero distortion, even the thin vocals were untouched, and every single other element was very well isolated, yet coming off as one. I liked the fact that the Woodnote, despite its seemingly warm tonality, didn’t alter the vocals on this track. The synths had a faint hint of pierce but everything else was in order.

In vocal dominant technical masterclasses like Celine Dion’s All By Myself, Adele’s Easy On Me, and Florence + The Machine’s Never Let Me Go, the Woodnote starts with a hint of shoutiness but as the climax progresses, the Woodnote does not hold back - from the yodelling to the pitch shifts to straight sustains; the Woodnote just sets the record straight with firstly, superb natural life-like timbre, and especially with the pianos - notes are extending so well, timbre is perfect; and everything has adequate weight & body to themselves.

Beta

Through my Adele, Celine Dion and Florence + The Machine rotation, the Beta still lagged behind the Woodnote - it lacked the energy needed for the climaxes to have the impact they needed, and when the notes scaled higher, the Beta cranked up the shoutiness by a good amount; and specifically through passages with a lot of vibratos & yodelling, the Beta had a rather disappointing decay & sustain where the notes feel less like notes and more like ringing. When the pitch shifts to baritone; the Beta does an even worse job with keeping the shoutiness at bay.

Through the Stateside track and similar tracks with phonk style elements, the Beta manages to get the vocals pushed a bit too behind and just snatching the weight off them like collapsing into a quicksand pit from an Indiana Jones sequence. The synths seem to be tonally fine, but they do appear to be faintly sibilant.

NOZZLES (Only for the Woodnote, The Beta’s nozzles contributed towards nothing meaningful)

Standard: this is a nozzle which I liked to a good extent as well as a sizable demographic - there is a mild increase in the quantity of the bass; with a perceived drop in stage, a little less bright. But, more or less, it was very similar to the instrumental. Oh yes, as the name suggests, the instruments on the instrumental nozzle comparatively truly shine.

Vocal Enhanced: again, not really significantly different, but these nozzles trade a small chunk of the bass performance for a more forward, more powerful vocal delivery. It does improve detail, but Twistura could have skipped this and just focused on getting this right in the stock tuning.

TL;DR: Nozzles don't do much, eartips do.

COMPARISONS

Kotori Audio Zephyr - this is one IEM that is very similar to the Woodnote, but where the Zephyr wins is beating the Woodnote when it comes to not being shouty - it is just truly smooth throughout the energetic, dramatic vocal performance while not compromising on anything else. The Zephyr also has the Beta beat by a much wider margin than the Woodnote, and especially in terms of tonality, separation, and handling sibilance.

Truthear Pure - again, this is an IEM that especially sounds similar through the mids but edges out with considerably better detail, a more pronounced sub-bass presence and some of the best highs I have heard in an IEM of this segment. This, however, does not mean that the Woodnote is bad, the Pure was just the better IEM here. The Pure also makes the Beta appear laughable, where its retail price is the comedic punchline, the Pure makes the Beta look like an extremely overpriced proposition where even its provided accessories feel like a weird compensation.

Aful Explorer - Well, given how dark the Explorer comes off the boat and with a seemingly disappointing performance through perceived stage, vocal quality and texture, the mid-bass quality interfering with everything else on tracks where separation of elements is paramount, the Woodnote did a far better job than it. I’d still take the Explorer over the Beta.

Tanchjim Nora: Here, it’s a tossup - if you want a little less intrusion from the bass, polished vocals, quite the smoothened out treble with a significant dip in perceived energy, the Nora is the pick. If a mildly aggressive bass response, perceived wider stage, comparable imaging and separation with some brightness in the treble is needed, the Woodnote would fare better. And let’s not bring the Beta here - Nora has it beat and outclassed by a significant margin.

CONCLUDING NOTES

After spending so much time with the Twistura Beta and Woodnote, Twistura really missed its mark by making the Beta a flagship, because I am going to be very candid here- the Beta simply doesn’t deserve to be in the catalog, let alone be the brand’s flagship and they should have put in some significant energy in marketing the Woodnote. It’s got so many good things going right against the Beta and even if I see the competition, it’s not funny. And Twistura’s entire philosophy here, reminded me of Tanchjim and their fumbles- at least, Twistura has been a recent entrant, and they can build something really good out of it. However, just like the D Minor, in my opinion the Beta is their biggest miss, and Woodnote deserves a sequel.

B+ for the Woodnote, and C for the Beta.

Will I buy the Woodnote new? Yes.
Will I buy the Beta new? Absolutely not.

Will I buy the Woodnote used? Blind Buy.
Will I buy the Beta used? Only if it’s available at 1/3rd of the retail price.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Fiio KA17, EPZ TP35 Pro and the TRN BlackPearl dongles with the Vivo X200T phone. Recreationally used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP, and the SMSL Raw MDA-1 Desktop DAC amp.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

Woodnote: Divinus Velvet narrow bore, stock green, Twistura’s liquid silicone, Final E.

Beta: KBear Coffee, stock blue, Divinus Velvet narrow bore, Tangzu Sancai Balanced.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

STORE LINKS (NOT AFFILIATE)

Website: https://twistura.com/ 

AliExpress: https://twistura.aliexpress.com/store/1105195395

This time, I stumble across an offering from a brand that has been making strong strides in the world of IEMs, and this also happens to be the very first time that I am evaluating something from them. I have read about this IEM across forums, seen reviews, and when EPZ themselves reached out to me for my opinion on this set, I simply had to say yes. Once again, I am glad I did.

This is my take on the glorious EPZ P40, which, in my opinion, is one of the best Harman-targeted sets that I have heard and something that can give its rivals in the segment a serious run for their money. Thank you to EPZ for sending me this unit.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

EPZ was kind enough to send me their M100 liquid silicone eartips alongside the rather unique box that the P40 comes in, featuring subtle astronomical branding. The rest of the presentation is fairly straightforward: the IEM shells and carrying case are nestled within foam padding, while the cable and its modular terminations are housed separately inside the package.

Beneath the shell padding sits the accessories box, which contains two sets of eartips. One features a light blue stem paired with translucent silicone and is identified as the AT07 variant. The other, which I later learned was the EPZ M30, performs remarkably similarly to one of my favorite eartips, the KBear Coffee.

The shells themselves do feel somewhat plasticky, especially when compared to the EPZ P50, but the faceplate is strikingly gorgeous, with colors shifting under different lighting conditions. The translucent blue housing also puts the driver configuration on display, which is always a welcome touch. That said, I would recommend handling these IEMs with a bit more care than most.

I can also see some users finding the cable a little too heavy and stiff. Personally, however, it retained memory well and never felt overly cumbersome during use.

As for fit, the M100 liquid silicones did the better job of securing the IEMs in my ears, but this is not an IEM that I can see causing pressure buildup issues for most listeners, nor is it particularly finicky during movement.

Alright, enough sidetracking. Here's the sound.

LOWS

Tipper: Mariscos

The P40 carries a healthy amount of energy as the track begins, and I could immediately sense that separation was excellent as more elements were introduced into the mix. The moment the drop arrived, good lord did the sub-bass hit like a damn truck. It extends incredibly deep, carries a humongous amount of quantity, and manages to do so while maintaining precise attack and decay characteristics.

What impressed me most was that despite all of that low-end presence, it never muddied up the remaining elements of the track. The P40 maintains a neat handkerchief of separation throughout, refusing to lose composure even when asked to deliver an absolutely massive helping of sub-bass. Distortion is also nowhere to be found, which only adds to how impressive the performance is.

Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack

Both the riff and the bass line avoid competing for attention during the intro. Instead, they work cohesively together, laying the foundation for the drums and the rest of the instrumentation to enter naturally.

The kicks here possess a ferocious nature, while the toms exhibit a beautiful resonance. The P40 presents the track with such engagement that it genuinely felt like I was hearing the entire band duke it out amongst themselves before ultimately coming together to deliver a wall of sonic goodness.

Despite the sheer energy and weight carried by both the kicks and the bass, the vocals remain planted dead center and never come across as thin or overwhelmed.

Daft Punk: Get Lucky

Once again, the sub-bass comes across incredibly strong and polished, though I still feel that slightly reducing the quantity would not have hurt. Doing so would have allowed that immensely groovy bass line to shine even brighter than it already does.

Tonality leans warm, but it never alters the vocals in any meaningful way. Instead, it helps maintain their weight and positioning while allowing the cymbals and claps to come through with distinct clarity.

One thing that continually surprises me about the P40 is just how much activity exists in the low end while still allowing the rest of the presentation to remain cohesive and detailed. The tuning is an anomaly, and fortunately, it is a very good one.

MIDS

Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

This track is one of my favorites when it comes to analyzing sound, as the crux of the song comes across deliberately floaty while still carrying tremendous weight through the bass and drums. The scale is peculiar, and the snares are the focus. Their strikes are crisp, and I could instantly notice the whispers throughout the verses as the track builds toward the chorus.

The P40 also manages to reduce some of the imaging blur as the raging bass interferes with the cymbals in the chorus, while the guitars come in swinging aggressively with a warm-ish tonality. Timbre remains natural and very full-bodied.

Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël

Marianne’s vocals retain their haunting mood and lush texture at the intro of the track, where the keys are held in abeyance. Her modulations as the track progresses are handled accurately by the P40, which surprised me because a glance at the 5128 FR measured by Earphones Archive had me anticipating a much thinner presentation.

As soon as the choir came in and Marianne ran parallel to give a grand opening to the track, the P40 demonstrated that just because there might be a dip or recession through the midrange does not automatically mean vocals will sound thin. I found myself smiling every time the choir entered, as the entire presentation sounded so full. The rolling Rs from Marianne came through with distinct articulation, and the moment the vocals entered falsetto, the keys had their moment to shine. Timbre here is simply perfect.

Tool: Lateralus

I have had the most fun listening to this track on the P40 amongst all IEMs in its segment because it sounded the most complete to me. Details were immaculately preserved, and the bass felt like it was stepping back to allow the drums and cymbals to move to the forefront, while the vocals fully reassured me that this IEM does not get imaging wrong.

The moment the bass starts wah-ing out and the drums become busier with rudiments and cymbal hits leading into the breakdown, everything comes together to hoist the vocals up in what was one of the best experiences I have had with Lateralus. Nowhere did the cymbals feel shouty or fatiguing by any means, and the separation was simply excellent.

HIGHS

PinkPantheress: Stateside ft. Zara Larsson

The bass and synths pulsate adequately without trying to compete with one another. There is no distortion on the bass and no piercing or shoutiness from the synths. As they emulsify and bring everything else together, the vocals remain balanced within the warm tonality of the track, and the P40 adds nothing unnecessary to the mix.

Their weight remains appropriately light, exactly as intended in the recording. I still felt the synths could have used a touch more weight and slightly less brightness for greater enjoyment.

Patricia Barber: Icarus

Patricia’s vocal textures are preserved to a good extent, but especially on the EPZ M100 liquid silicone eartips, her delivery exhibited a noticeable amount of sibilance, which spoiled the otherwise brilliant shimmer of the cymbals. Timbre on the percussion was perfect, while the bass rumble remained restrained.

It is not that her vocals are inherently very sibilant. Rather, every time she climbed higher in pitch, the sibilance became glaringly apparent. Yet during the climax, when she moved into the sustained notes, the sibilance vanished and the cymbals retained their smooth yet detailed rendition.

The EPZ P50 manages all of this without sounding sibilant, so I can conclude that the P40 is not an IEM I would use to listen to tracks or albums like these.

Celine Dion: All By Myself

This track was chosen to further test whether the P40 continued its tendency toward sibilance, but surprisingly, it turned out to be an absolute curveball. To begin with, there was not a shred of sibilance to be found, and when the climax arrived and she hit those sustained notes, the bass provided the power that the rest of the instruments needed.

Through her oscillations, there was no fatigue whatsoever. I can therefore conclude that the P40 is not a forgiving IEM by any means, and it can absolutely flex its muscles with proper recordings. However, the IEM certainly benefits from its fair share of eartip rolling.

COMPARISON WITH THE EPZ P50 ON DIVINUS VELVET

Through the lows, the EPZ P50 has the grunt but not the polish that the P40 possesses, especially in funky tracks with bass lines that rumble and slam. The separation and handling of the other elements within the track, however, are largely comparable.

The quantity is definitely lower than on the P40, which becomes apparent in tracks like Mariscos, where the rippling beats demonstrate adequate attack speeds and a clean decay cutoff. The sub-bass comes across comparatively leaner.

Through the mids, the P50 once again lacks the crispness of an element that appears frequently throughout both my test tracks and recreational listening: vocals. Standalone, I would not say that it performs poorly at all, but the P40 places greater emphasis on vocals while simultaneously presenting them with a fuller body alongside guitars and cymbals.

Especially in Lateralus, when the breakdown arrives, the P50 loses some of the finer details. Rudiments felt hazier, cymbals were less vibrant, and the wah-ing bass needed more power. Timbre and tonality, in my observation, remained planted. Like the P40, the P50 does not really add anything that is not needed and generally keeps itself in check.

Through the highs, the P50 exhibits a lighter sprinkling of sibilance across tracks that can demonstrate it. However, it once again lacks the power and vibrance that the P40 delivers through cymbals, and percussion tonality occasionally felt mildly withered toward sounding falsely flat.

In vocal-dominant tracks with dramatic climaxes, the P50 takes a more laid-back approach. Detail levels are not overwhelming, notes taper off satisfactorily once the highest point in the scale is reached, and elements such as falsettos and oscillations are handled seamlessly.

OTHER COMPARISONS

Versus the S12 Ultra

The P40 makes the S12 Ultra feel somewhat cornered into a box by delivering a tremendous amount of energy and punch through the lows alongside a more rounded midrange. Where the S12 Ultra edges ahead is in sounding non-sibilant to my ears.

If energy and vibrance are priorities and one is tolerant of a little spice, then the P40 is the better IEM. However, if a touch more detail retrieval, a leaner bass presentation, and sibilance-free highs are priorities, then the S12 Ultra is the better pick.

The Ultra also includes a dongle DAC, should that factor into the purchase decision, whereas the P40 counters with the EPZ M30 eartips, another set of blue-stem clear silicone tips, and a generally more generous accessory package. The S12 Ultra does, however, come with a better-built stock cable.

Versus the ZiiGaat Lush

This is somewhat similar to my impressions of the S12 Ultra, except that the Lush presents vocals more convincingly. No sibilance, no fatigue, no shout, no pierce; simply textures for days.

The P40 does lows better in terms of sheer quantity, whereas the Lush, despite lacking that quantity, comes across cleaner. Eartip rolling can shift the balance somewhat, with my recommendations being the Moondrop Spring or KBear Coffee.

Once again, this comes down to priorities. For powerful bursts of well-timed, crisp punches, the P40 gets the nod. For a more laid-back presentation that still feels neat and tidy across the board without spice, the Lush remains the stronger option.

Versus the Tanchjim Fola and Origin

Both the Fola and Origin comparatively suffer from a thinner perception through the midrange than the P40. The Origin is particularly spicy on top of that while also lacking detail.

The Fola does a much better job by sounding smoother through the highs while preserving the fundamentals during the shifting sands of vocal presentation. It also performs very well in the bass region, and its thinner midrange can be altered to an extent through nozzles, eartips, and EQ.

The Fola also makes the P40 look quite spicy.

CONCLUDING NOTES

If I could ignore the rather concerning sibilance that the P40 exhibits and tone down some of its overenthusiasm with the bass, it would not be wrong for me to say that the EPZ P40 is a stunning set. It is exceptionally capable when subjected to demanding workloads such as tracks with busy instrumentals where groove is integral to the presentation, while vocal quality overall remains remarkable; eh, in a way it does it all. The P40 also takes EQ exceptionally well, remains comfortable during longer listening sessions, and is ultimately better than the P50 unless you are specifically in the market for a more laid-back sound, which is also where the P50's argument begins to weaken, as there are several sets that can give it a serious run for its money. The P40 is different. It's bold, it's unashamedly itself, and it does not attempt to hide behind safe tuning decisions or play things conservatively. Whether it is delivering chest-rattling sub-bass, handling dense arrangements with surprising composure, or presenting vocals with a fullness that repeatedly caught me off guard, the P40 consistently finds ways to stand out in a segment that is becoming increasingly crowded with competent but forgettable options.

Even when compared against sets like the Truthear Nova, I found myself repeatedly drawn back to the P40 simply because of how engaging it was. Aside from the Nova presenting vocals with greater radiance and refinement, the P40 has it beat across nearly every other metric that matters to me, particularly when it comes to impact, energy, and sheer enjoyment. It is the kind of IEM that constantly encourages one more track, then another, and before long, an entire listening session disappears without notice. That quality is difficult to quantify through measurements alone, but it is something I value immensely, and the P40 possesses it in abundance.

But despite all of that pizzazz, its out-of-the-box heat simply cannot be ignored, and while I appreciate the fact that EPZ includes a solution in the box, I, under good conscience, cannot rank it above the Lush that I own. The Lush remains the more complete and mature package to my ears, whereas the P40 occasionally trips over itself in pursuit of excitement. Yet that same excitement is also what makes the P40 so memorable in the first place, and if one is willing to spend a little time experimenting with eartips and finding the right pairing, there is an absolutely phenomenal IEM waiting underneath. Hence, the P40 earns a hard-fought A- from me.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely, but after a trial.

Will I buy it used? Absolutely, but after a trial.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro portable DAC/Amp running AKM chips, the FiiO KA17, and the Venture Electronics Abigail Pro dongle DAC/amps.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

EPZ M100, EPZ M30/KBear Coffee, Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore, JVC Spiral Dots, SpinFit CP100+

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus

WHERE TO BUY THE EPZ P40 (ALL NON AFFILIATE LINKS):

EPZ Audio: https://epzaudio.com/products/epz-p40-tribrid-iems 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GJ3X7ZD8 

AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010730142827.html 

This time, I stumble across an offering from a brand that has been making strong strides in the world of IEMs, and this also happens to be the very first time that I am evaluating something from them. I have read about this IEM across forums, seen reviews, and when EPZ themselves reached out to me for my opinion on this set, I simply had to say yes. Once again, I am glad I did.

This is my take on the glorious EPZ P40, which, in my opinion, is one of the best Harman-targeted sets that I have heard and something that can give its rivals in the segment a serious run for their money. Thank you to EPZ for sending me this unit.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, FIT AND COMFORT

EPZ was kind enough to send me their M100 liquid silicone eartips alongside the rather unique box that the P40 comes in, featuring subtle astronomical branding. The rest of the presentation is fairly straightforward: the IEM shells and carrying case are nestled within foam padding, while the cable and its modular terminations are housed separately inside the package.

Beneath the shell padding sits the accessories box, which contains two sets of eartips. One features a light blue stem paired with translucent silicone and is identified as the AT07 variant. The other, which I later learned was the EPZ M30, performs remarkably similarly to one of my favorite eartips, the KBear Coffee.

The shells themselves do feel somewhat plasticky, especially when compared to the EPZ P50, but the faceplate is strikingly gorgeous, with colors shifting under different lighting conditions. The translucent blue housing also puts the driver configuration on display, which is always a welcome touch. That said, I would recommend handling these IEMs with a bit more care than most.

I can also see some users finding the cable a little too heavy and stiff. Personally, however, it retained memory well and never felt overly cumbersome during use.

As for fit, the M100 liquid silicones did the better job of securing the IEMs in my ears, but this is not an IEM that I can see causing pressure buildup issues for most listeners, nor is it particularly finicky during movement.

Alright, enough sidetracking. Here's the sound.

LOWS

Tipper: Mariscos

The P40 carries a healthy amount of energy as the track begins, and I could immediately sense that separation was excellent as more elements were introduced into the mix. The moment the drop arrived, good lord did the sub-bass hit like a damn truck. It extends incredibly deep, carries a humongous amount of quantity, and manages to do so while maintaining precise attack and decay characteristics.

What impressed me most was that despite all of that low-end presence, it never muddied up the remaining elements of the track. The P40 maintains a neat handkerchief of separation throughout, refusing to lose composure even when asked to deliver an absolutely massive helping of sub-bass. Distortion is also nowhere to be found, which only adds to how impressive the performance is.

Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack

Both the riff and the bass line avoid competing for attention during the intro. Instead, they work cohesively together, laying the foundation for the drums and the rest of the instrumentation to enter naturally.

The kicks here possess a ferocious nature, while the toms exhibit a beautiful resonance. The P40 presents the track with such engagement that it genuinely felt like I was hearing the entire band duke it out amongst themselves before ultimately coming together to deliver a wall of sonic goodness.

Despite the sheer energy and weight carried by both the kicks and the bass, the vocals remain planted dead center and never come across as thin or overwhelmed.

Daft Punk: Get Lucky

Once again, the sub-bass comes across incredibly strong and polished, though I still feel that slightly reducing the quantity would not have hurt. Doing so would have allowed that immensely groovy bass line to shine even brighter than it already does.

Tonality leans warm, but it never alters the vocals in any meaningful way. Instead, it helps maintain their weight and positioning while allowing the cymbals and claps to come through with distinct clarity.

One thing that continually surprises me about the P40 is just how much activity exists in the low end while still allowing the rest of the presentation to remain cohesive and detailed. The tuning is an anomaly, and fortunately, it is a very good one.

MIDS

Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

This track is one of my favorites when it comes to analyzing sound, as the crux of the song comes across deliberately floaty while still carrying tremendous weight through the bass and drums. The scale is peculiar, and the snares are the focus. Their strikes are crisp, and I could instantly notice the whispers throughout the verses as the track builds toward the chorus.

The P40 also manages to reduce some of the imaging blur as the raging bass interferes with the cymbals in the chorus, while the guitars come in swinging aggressively with a warm-ish tonality. Timbre remains natural and very full-bodied.

Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël

Marianne’s vocals retain their haunting mood and lush texture at the intro of the track, where the keys are held in abeyance. Her modulations as the track progresses are handled accurately by the P40, which surprised me because a glance at the 5128 FR measured by Earphones Archive had me anticipating a much thinner presentation.

As soon as the choir came in and Marianne ran parallel to give a grand opening to the track, the P40 demonstrated that just because there might be a dip or recession through the midrange does not automatically mean vocals will sound thin. I found myself smiling every time the choir entered, as the entire presentation sounded so full. The rolling Rs from Marianne came through with distinct articulation, and the moment the vocals entered falsetto, the keys had their moment to shine. Timbre here is simply perfect.

Tool: Lateralus

I have had the most fun listening to this track on the P40 amongst all IEMs in its segment because it sounded the most complete to me. Details were immaculately preserved, and the bass felt like it was stepping back to allow the drums and cymbals to move to the forefront, while the vocals fully reassured me that this IEM does not get imaging wrong.

The moment the bass starts wah-ing out and the drums become busier with rudiments and cymbal hits leading into the breakdown, everything comes together to hoist the vocals up in what was one of the best experiences I have had with Lateralus. Nowhere did the cymbals feel shouty or fatiguing by any means, and the separation was simply excellent.

HIGHS

PinkPantheress: Stateside ft. Zara Larsson

The bass and synths pulsate adequately without trying to compete with one another. There is no distortion on the bass and no piercing or shoutiness from the synths. As they emulsify and bring everything else together, the vocals remain balanced within the warm tonality of the track, and the P40 adds nothing unnecessary to the mix.

Their weight remains appropriately light, exactly as intended in the recording. I still felt the synths could have used a touch more weight and slightly less brightness for greater enjoyment.

Patricia Barber: Icarus

Patricia’s vocal textures are preserved to a good extent, but especially on the EPZ M100 liquid silicone eartips, her delivery exhibited a noticeable amount of sibilance, which spoiled the otherwise brilliant shimmer of the cymbals. Timbre on the percussion was perfect, while the bass rumble remained restrained.

It is not that her vocals are inherently very sibilant. Rather, every time she climbed higher in pitch, the sibilance became glaringly apparent. Yet during the climax, when she moved into the sustained notes, the sibilance vanished and the cymbals retained their smooth yet detailed rendition.

The EPZ P50 manages all of this without sounding sibilant, so I can conclude that the P40 is not an IEM I would use to listen to tracks or albums like these.

Celine Dion: All By Myself

This track was chosen to further test whether the P40 continued its tendency toward sibilance, but surprisingly, it turned out to be an absolute curveball. To begin with, there was not a shred of sibilance to be found, and when the climax arrived and she hit those sustained notes, the bass provided the power that the rest of the instruments needed.

Through her oscillations, there was no fatigue whatsoever. I can therefore conclude that the P40 is not a forgiving IEM by any means, and it can absolutely flex its muscles with proper recordings. However, the IEM certainly benefits from its fair share of eartip rolling.

COMPARISON WITH THE EPZ P50 ON DIVINUS VELVET

Through the lows, the EPZ P50 has the grunt but not the polish that the P40 possesses, especially in funky tracks with bass lines that rumble and slam. The separation and handling of the other elements within the track, however, are largely comparable.

The quantity is definitely lower than on the P40, which becomes apparent in tracks like Mariscos, where the rippling beats demonstrate adequate attack speeds and a clean decay cutoff. The sub-bass comes across comparatively leaner.

Through the mids, the P50 once again lacks the crispness of an element that appears frequently throughout both my test tracks and recreational listening: vocals. Standalone, I would not say that it performs poorly at all, but the P40 places greater emphasis on vocals while simultaneously presenting them with a fuller body alongside guitars and cymbals.

Especially in Lateralus, when the breakdown arrives, the P50 loses some of the finer details. Rudiments felt hazier, cymbals were less vibrant, and the wah-ing bass needed more power. Timbre and tonality, in my observation, remained planted. Like the P40, the P50 does not really add anything that is not needed and generally keeps itself in check.

Through the highs, the P50 exhibits a lighter sprinkling of sibilance across tracks that can demonstrate it. However, it once again lacks the power and vibrance that the P40 delivers through cymbals, and percussion tonality occasionally felt mildly withered toward sounding falsely flat.

In vocal-dominant tracks with dramatic climaxes, the P50 takes a more laid-back approach. Detail levels are not overwhelming, notes taper off satisfactorily once the highest point in the scale is reached, and elements such as falsettos and oscillations are handled seamlessly.

OTHER COMPARISONS

Versus the S12 Ultra

The P40 makes the S12 Ultra feel somewhat cornered into a box by delivering a tremendous amount of energy and punch through the lows alongside a more rounded midrange. Where the S12 Ultra edges ahead is in sounding non-sibilant to my ears.

If energy and vibrance are priorities and one is tolerant of a little spice, then the P40 is the better IEM. However, if a touch more detail retrieval, a leaner bass presentation, and sibilance-free highs are priorities, then the S12 Ultra is the better pick.

The Ultra also includes a dongle DAC, should that factor into the purchase decision, whereas the P40 counters with the EPZ M30 eartips, another set of blue-stem clear silicone tips, and a generally more generous accessory package. The S12 Ultra does, however, come with a better-built stock cable.

Versus the ZiiGaat Lush

This is somewhat similar to my impressions of the S12 Ultra, except that the Lush presents vocals more convincingly. No sibilance, no fatigue, no shout, no pierce; simply textures for days.

The P40 does lows better in terms of sheer quantity, whereas the Lush, despite lacking that quantity, comes across cleaner. Eartip rolling can shift the balance somewhat, with my recommendations being the Moondrop Spring or KBear Coffee.

Once again, this comes down to priorities. For powerful bursts of well-timed, crisp punches, the P40 gets the nod. For a more laid-back presentation that still feels neat and tidy across the board without spice, the Lush remains the stronger option.

Versus the Tanchjim Fola and Origin

Both the Fola and Origin comparatively suffer from a thinner perception through the midrange than the P40. The Origin is particularly spicy on top of that while also lacking detail.

The Fola does a much better job by sounding smoother through the highs while preserving the fundamentals during the shifting sands of vocal presentation. It also performs very well in the bass region, and its thinner midrange can be altered to an extent through nozzles, eartips, and EQ.

The Fola also makes the P40 look quite spicy.

CONCLUDING NOTES

If I could ignore the rather concerning sibilance that the P40 exhibits and tone down some of its overenthusiasm with the bass, it would not be wrong for me to say that the EPZ P40 is a stunning set. It is exceptionally capable when subjected to demanding workloads such as tracks with busy instrumentals where groove is integral to the presentation, while vocal quality overall remains remarkable; eh, in a way it does it all. The P40 also takes EQ exceptionally well, remains comfortable during longer listening sessions, and is ultimately better than the P50 unless you are specifically in the market for a more laid-back sound, which is also where the P50's argument begins to weaken, as there are several sets that can give it a serious run for its money. The P40 is different. It's bold, it's unashamedly itself, and it does not attempt to hide behind safe tuning decisions or play things conservatively. Whether it is delivering chest-rattling sub-bass, handling dense arrangements with surprising composure, or presenting vocals with a fullness that repeatedly caught me off guard, the P40 consistently finds ways to stand out in a segment that is becoming increasingly crowded with competent but forgettable options.

Even when compared against sets like the Truthear Nova, I found myself repeatedly drawn back to the P40 simply because of how engaging it was. Aside from the Nova presenting vocals with greater radiance and refinement, the P40 has it beat across nearly every other metric that matters to me, particularly when it comes to impact, energy, and sheer enjoyment. It is the kind of IEM that constantly encourages one more track, then another, and before long, an entire listening session disappears without notice. That quality is difficult to quantify through measurements alone, but it is something I value immensely, and the P40 possesses it in abundance.

But despite all of that pizzazz, its out-of-the-box heat simply cannot be ignored, and while I appreciate the fact that EPZ includes a solution in the box, I, under good conscience, cannot rank it above the Lush that I own. The Lush remains the more complete and mature package to my ears, whereas the P40 occasionally trips over itself in pursuit of excitement. Yet that same excitement is also what makes the P40 so memorable in the first place, and if one is willing to spend a little time experimenting with eartips and finding the right pairing, there is an absolutely phenomenal IEM waiting underneath. Hence, the P40 earns a hard-fought A- from me.

Will I buy it new? Absolutely, but after a trial.

Will I buy it used? Absolutely, but after a trial.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP stacked with the xDuoo XD05 Pro portable DAC/Amp running AKM chips, the FiiO KA17, and the Venture Electronics Abigail Pro dongle DAC/amps.

EARTIPS USED (RANKED IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE)

EPZ M100, EPZ M30/KBear Coffee, Divinus Velvet Narrow Bore, JVC Spiral Dots, SpinFit CP100+

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio
• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush
• The Police: Message in a Bottle
• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino
• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked
• Dave Brubeck: Time Out
• Tool: Pneuma, Schism
• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth
• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time
• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better
• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web
• Avicii: Levels
• Periphery: Marigold
• TesseracT: Juno
• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress
• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya
• Timbaland: Give It to Me
• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young
• Celine Dion: All By Myself
• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma
• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed
• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry
• Meshuggah: Bleed
• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina
• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole (Live)
• Allen Stone: Give You Blue
• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go
• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna
• Patricia Barber: Icarus