Symphonium Titan - Euphoria
Sound Profile
Bass heavy V shape
My Preference
As the first post in this thread states I prefer bass boosted signatures that doesn’t impact vocal clarity. A lot of IEMs are a compromise for me because if the bass is boosted too much it messes with the timbre of vocals too much however too little bass and things aren’t exciting to me. I used to primarily prefer V shaped IEMs however recently I have been enjoying IEMs with smoother upper mids and treble. I find with good tuning you can have smooth, warm vocals that are still timbrally accurate and clear (enough for me anyway).
Overview
I’ll start by saying the Symhonium Titan may be the first kilobuck IEM that I would be okay paying full price for. They hit my preferences almost to a tee. The only thing I would tweak would be to bring down the upper mids just a tad. On certain tracks they can be bit pointed and a little thinned out however I do believe the amazing vocal clarity that the Titans have is due in part to how the upper mids are tuned so its a compromise, as with most things.
With that said, let’s get to the star of the show. I’ve never heard a more palpable, textured and impactful bass than on the Titans. While IEMs will never really be able to replicate a true sub woofer, the best way to describe the texture of the bass on the Titans is it reminds me of a car woofer bass hitting so hard that it starts to reverberate in the cabin and off the windows and gives you that “wub wub wub” experience. The bass is there and you can’t completely get away from it but on more acoustical tracks it’s subdued enough where things still sound accurate and not comically boomy like on other basshead IEMs.
One general thing I have noticed when testing IEMs. I find that the bass on an IEM usually resonates from the L/R and as quantity grows it fills the center, however I have also noticed that it usually occurs either from above (top of the head/forehead), at eye line, or from the jaw line. I find IEMs that keep the bass at or below the eye line ground the song and sound more “correct” to me whereas IEMs with bass above the eye line sound floaty and off. I have noticed the latter with the Yanyin Canon for instance. The Titan, on the other hand comes from the closer to the jawline and it really does a great job at rooting everything.
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 - 9/10
Love You Like A Love Song - Selena Gomez
This track just works with the Titans. Selena’s vocals cut through with perfect clarity and detail. The backing bass line hits with the punchiness you would expect from a mid bass boosted set without interfering in any other part of the replay. I really don’t have much else to say about this song and most songs in my pop playlist.
Standing Next to You (Remix) - Jung Kook & Usher
On this track the bass is looser and elongated so it resonates throughout the entire track. Surprisingly, that doesn’t detract from the rest of the song. Vocals still cut right through the mix even though there are deeper in the stage and nothing sounds deadened or blocked out. Vocals can sound a bit thinned out in this song but the bass presence makes it harder to notice. I would say if you don’t like excessive bass you will likely not like this replay as it does seem to put itself front and center when it should be supplementary.
Hip Hop - 10/10
Brush (Remix) - JID w/ Denzel Curry
Sooooo this one is just dirty. I can’t help but turn it up cause even though the vocals are so clear they are dampened a bit from all the rumbly, delicious bass that just layers over everything. JID’s adlibs at the beginning of Curry’s verse showcase the imaging and broadness of the stage in an otherwise very center line song. If I had to knock anything I would say the vocals are missing a little bit of heft however I would take that over the losing clarity by boosted the lower mids and upper mid bass to add that back in.
Euphoria - Kendrick Lamar
The intro has this beautiful reverberated guitar tone that kind of just flows in the back and wraps you in a soulful embrace while the snare(?) hits are just sharp enough to cut through and keep the pace and then the song completely shifts and we are off to the races! That bass drop hits and while I would probably like a bit more bass on this song I know it’s not due to anything lacking from the Titan’s. This beat is super interesting as it changes subtly throughout the song with the only constant being the snare and bass line. Even through these changes everything stays crisp and open without pulling your attention from Kendrick’s lyrics.
R&B - 9/10
Is It a Crime - Sade
This is a great song to tests the Titans ability to replay a song that doesn’t have much bass and the Titans still deliver. Sade’s sultry voice echoes in the background with the constant swirl of brass and strings. The sharp percussions cut through the mix and yet still manage enough heft to properly group everything. If I had to nitpick I would say for this song, and a few others in my R&B library, the sharpness of the upper mids can get to be too much over time.
Needs - Tinashe
When I first put this song I had to check if X-Bass was on. The Titans hit like a truck on this song. I realize now I’m going to be repeating this statement a lot however even with the gobs of bass coming out of these, vocals also seem to cut through with a surprising amount of clarity without being sharp or otherwise harsh. Like with the other songs as well, vocals are smack dab center and deeper in the stage, which adds to the overall sense of space. The quality on the bass is a clear step up from other sets I have heard, regardless of the price range. There is a modulation to the rumble that really resonates with me. Other sets kind of sound like one big “wuuuuuuuuuub” . I don’t think there is a single thing I would ask to change for this song.
Latin - 9/10
Dame Beso // Muévete - Kali Uchis
The trumpets at the beginning have almost a delay effect that pops up in a different position in the track which I never noticed before. Idk if it’s just because of the trumpets cut through more or that the overall clarity of the set allows me to pinpoint that delay but its always cool to pick up new things on a set! I use this track to test the upper mids and treble since its a bit chaotic and every instrument is emphasizing those upper frequencies however the Titan comes through it with zero issue. Everything sounds tonally correct and honestly I can’t say it’s missing anything…. I know I sound like a broken record. Maybe a knock would be for those who like a really expansive wide stage, I have heard wider on this song.
TCQ - KAROL G, Shakira
Classic reggaeton beat which has a very percussive punch. I love testing against reggaeton songs because of the beat. It’s gotta have a good balance between mid and sub bass. Too much mid and punch is too percussive to the point where your ears are hurting, too much sub bass and you lose the punch all together. For this track the punch hits a perfect balance with a clear space between it and rest of the songs. Some may consider it detached but I appreciate the separation as it usually results in great clarity and space for the rest of the song and that is what we see here. Vocals are dead center along the eye line, bass hits L/R coming from the jaw resulting in a harmonious song. I will I could use a little dip in the upper mids because KG and Shakira’s vocals come off a bit too sharp for my ears.
House/EDM - 9/10
Heaven Takes You Home - SHM
So I was surprised by this one. Everything sounds great but not as great as some other IEMs and I honestly thought the Titans tuning would blow this track away. The biggest issue is that the sense of space seems both big and small. I think it’s because Connie Constances voice has a lot of presence in the upper registers and that cuts through to the point where I lose the normal expansiveness of this song. Obviously the bass drops are near perfect and I have zero complaints there. Width does become somewhat of an issue as everything is on the center line, even the piano which I usually hear coming in from L/R.
Lost Souls - Lee Jokes Feat Aquarius Heaven Remix
The Titans were made for songs like this. The bass is suffocating from the sheer quantity and it just builds and builds yet somehow things feel so open because of the how deep everything else is. The bass hits are extremely clean and tight on this set. The Titan is very impressive by the fact that it can do both tight punchy bass and loose rumbly bass extremely well.
Country - 8/10
Hey Driver - Zach Bryan, The War and Treaty
Another genre where the bass does a good job just giving support to the songs but otherwise gets out the way. The duet part at about 1 minute is a point which can get a little blended but on this set it separates the vocals really well and each can be heard on its own without losing the cohesiveness. I do sense a small lack of body on the guitars which be because I can’t turn up the volume more since the vocals will become a bit too unbearable. The piano can also get a bit boomy at times so maybe the bass doesn’t totally leave the room. #### If It Hadn’t Been For Love - The Steeldrivers
Guitars have more body in this one which is great. The banjos (and steel guitar?) are playing extremely wide, to the point where it’s behind my ears. Vocals and violin are dead center and cut through the mix beautifully. Sometimes the vocals in this song can be overly dull but it for this set it has the right balance of sharpness and heft.
