More IEM Comparisons
I took advantage of a recent Head-Fi members meetup in Melbourne to pit the Turbos against some of the best BA-bass IEMs on the market.
Please bear in mind the following impressions were garnered in fairly noisy showroom environments, which made discerning tiny differences difficult.
Elysian Diva 2023 – 6xBA (USD $1599)
The Divas owned by my friend GiullianSN are physically massive and stick out a long way, but I don’t seem to have any comfort issues during my short demo. Requiring 65 on the SR35 compared to 50 for the Turbos it’s clear they appreciate a lot of power – shame I didn’t try them with a portable amp. Please bear in mind these Divas are using GiullianSN‘s ConX Cardas Clear/PWA 1950s clone cable, which enhances their performance compared to Diva 2023’s stock EA Ares S cable.
Diva & Turbo bass feels similarly dominant but the Turbos may have a little more bass quantity, though Divas bass texture is more satisfying with the Turbos’ bass a tad mushier by comparison, while Diva boasts slightly more sub bass rumble too. Diva seems to display more lower midrange emphasis whereas the Turbos sound a little more wispy with increased upper midrange emphasis.
The Divas also possess more treble sparkle, which helps give their tuning a more V-shaped sound. The Turbos’ stage is shallower but also wider, and they feel less claustrophobic than Diva as a result. Turbos tuning is flatter & less coloured, but consequently less exciting. Diva feels similarly cohesive but with improved dynamics and slightly higher resolution. The Turbos come commendably close at a third of the price, sonically what jumps out isn’t so much the gap in technical performance but rather the tuning differences between them.
Noble Audio Spartacus – 4xBA, 2xBCD (USD $1799)
Spartacus just arrived at Addicted to Audio, and their driver configuration with two bone conduction drivers but no dynamic drivers is unusual in the hobby – I firmly believe manufacturers deserve praise for innovating & daring to be different. Physically they’re very large with correspondingly superb isolation, but comfort is quite good and better than I feared for such large shells. Needing 44 on the SR35 they’re a bit easier to drive than the Turbos.
Spartacus bass quantity is lower than Turbos, which have more sub bass presence in particular but I feel like Turbos bass isn’t integrated into the rest of the presentation quite as seamlessly – perhaps that’s a natural consequence of dialling bass quantity way up beyond neutral. Spartacus also feature a more prominent lower midrange with vocals projected further forward.
It was tricky in noisy conditions to get a read on the treble differences between the two, but Spartacus definitely plays at a much higher technical level – almost reminiscent of MEST MKIII, with superior dynamics, a deeper & wider stage, a blacker background, better imaging & higher resolution.
Subtonic Storm – 7xBA, 2xEST (USD $5200)
I tested my friend Damz87’s Storm IEMs using his Brise Yatono 8 Wire Ultimate cable which helps address Storm’s soundstage being narrower than expected from IEMs at this price, but Yatono’s stiff earhooks & enormous weight make Storm’s already problematic ergonomics even worse, contributing to their very large & heavy metal shells to make obtaining & maintaining a seal challenging. Storm also requires a gargantuan 80 volume on the SR35, double what I use for most IEMs and far beyond the Turbos at 50, demonstrating how difficult they are to drive properly.
Storm is the industry benchmark for BA bass. The two “SLAM subwoofer” drivers it uses must be doing something special, because I’ve never heard better textured BA bass than this, and the amount of bass quantity is almost perfect as well – ample, but never enough to overpower the rest of the presentation. By contrast the Turbos do have more sub bass quantity, but their bass feels slower & mushier. The difference isn’t night & day however.
Even on the Yatono 8 wire Storm’s stage feels narrower than Turbos’, but is far deeper. Storm also offers much more treble detail leaving Turbo feeling quite dark, and it does feel like ‘a veil is lifted’ going from Turbo to Storm, who’s background is blacker & imaging much sharper. However it feels like Storm’s flat reference tuning is revealing an almost overwhelming amount of detail, which could be fatiguing.
The $64,000 question is would I take Storm’s BA bass over that of even mid-priced DD hybrids? No, not if obtaining a visceral bass experience was the only consideration. However achieving Storm’s level of resolution & transparency with a DD present is probably impossible (no manufacturer has accomplished it yet) since a DD responsive enough to keep up with the fastest BA drivers simply does not exist.
Unique Melody Amber Pearl – 8xBA, 2xEST, 1xBCD (USD $8000)
Damz87 recently obtained the Amber Pearls as part of the Cayin N30LE Combo, and suffice to say they lie beyond the means of most hobbyists. Their shells are very large and stick out quite a bit, but I find their comfort reasonable and certainly far better than Storm. Needing only 41 on the SR35 they’re very easy to drive, in fact after adding a Mass Kobo 475 to the chain I was very surprised to find I prefer them straight out of the SR35 instead.
I’m just going to come out and say this – Amber Pearl are possibly the most impressive IEMs I’ve heard, up there with the very best of the best. They eclipse the Turbos in almost every department, which is no surprise because they do most things better than most IEMs. Bass is perhaps their weakest area because though their bass quantity is perfectly adequate, I do rate Storm’s BA bass as having slightly better texture. The Turbos possess far greater bass quantity, but it tends to sounds pillowy by comparison.
Amber Pearls’ midrange reminds me of the Penon Impacts, remarkably rich & smooth with perhaps even greater resolution – it almost almost feels like Amber Pearls are resolving more detail than Storm, but doing it in a more tastefully-smooth fashion. All of the emotional overtones come through, whereas Storm can feel more clinical & less natural. Amber Pearl’s treble is also terrific, with sparkle reminiscent of MEST MKIII.
I do have to say Amber Pearls’ stage isn’t quite as deep as I expected, but is suitably wide, and combined with their superb dynamics, very black background and truly holographic imaging makes for wondrous technical performance rivalled by few IEMs – Storm would absolutely be one of them, though I unquestionably prefer Amber Pearl’s gorgeously smooth & uncannily resolving midrange, which is where most of the music resides.
Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging & Ergonomics
Page 2 – Sound Impressions, Technical Performance & Tuning Switches
Page 3 – IEM Comparisons
Page 4 – More IEM Comparisons
Page 5 – Amplfication Performance & Cable Comparisons
Page 6 – Conclusion
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