Softears RSV Review
Sound Profile
like really good… maybe a warm neutral? It definitely has elevated bass and forward vocals but with full mids
Overview
Well… so I really really really like this set! For my preference it beats out the Meteor and Mest MKII easily. While I love my bass, I need good vocals or else the whole sound falls flat. I could honestly see this set knocking out the IE600 from the top spot for me. This will be getting A/B’d with the IE600 later this week for sure. As for the price, I don’t think I could pull the trigger on this for new price. While it’s really good it doesn’t do anything super magical (besides being overall really good) to put it at over $600 for me. I could see grabbing this for under $600 though.
Sound Details
Treble
The RSV is not a particularly airy IEM. There is a good amount of detail but it’s definitely not in the upper treble. Having said that I don’t think it’s missing anything in how it replays vocals and instruments alike. It doesn’t have the most spacious soundstage although it’s not particularly tight either. The RSV strikes a good balance where it doesn’t over offer and under deliver when it comes to the treble.
Midrange
IMO this is the sets bread and butter! Vocals are like being right there in front of the singer. They are clear and accurate and forward and beautifully detailed and a bunch of other positive adjectives that I don’t have time to write. Instruments come through well articulated with good detail and warmth. There is nothing sterile about the replay here. Instruments and vocals are well separated while still giving an intimate feeling like you are at a small venue.
Mid bass
So the bass really tricked me on the RSV. After coming from the Meteor’s very tight and clean bass (mid and sub) I honestly thought I was listening to a DD in the RSV until I looked it up. Mid bass has all the goodies. It’s Thumpy, snappy and tactile which I love. It also has some things that I usually attribute to DD bass which is that it’s a little loose and lingers a little longer than the bass on the Meteor does. The quantity in the RSV is about right given the looseness as I would be worried any more bass would start to muddy up what’s there. Having said that I honestly wouldn’t want much more mid bass than what it presents anyway. While its not the most detailed I really appreciate how it works with the rest of the replay.
Sub bass
I’ll just say it. I want more sub bass. This IEM definitely sounds more mid bass focused than sub which is cool because the mid bass is good however for my library I think it could use a couple of dbs in the sub 40hz region to just get some more rumble.
Genres
Below are my rankings for how this set plays each genre. These are based on my general enjoyment of the replay for some songs that fall in each category and is therefore very subjective and may not represent the category as a whole. If you have any questions as to what songs I listened to for each category feel free to ask!
Pop - 8/10
Rap - 7/10
Hip Hop - 7/10
R&B - 8/10
Latin - 8/10
House/EDM - 6/10
Country - 8/10