Up deck tonight the amazing Cadenza 12 sure is a easy to listen IEM
Got some fun stuff incoming
Zeos Colab from Juzear the Defiant
DDHIFI colab with Moondrop the Surface
And the Ear Acoustics Audio STA Silver Angel Ltd
Some real lookers in this bunch.
At least they are admitting their mistake and offer a discount.
Hope youâll review the Juzears sooner rather than later. Really interested to hear some thoughts on those. Provided this is the set, Z mentioned that they sent him the Mega5 bass plus to demonstrate the bass response they are aiming for.
Wasnât my experience.
Too may variables for the experience to be identical for others. My experience with the Mimosa as very different apparently.
At the price, the allowable variance could be upwards of 10% plus or minus. Set variation combined with unique hearingâŠboom.
If youâve heard the Adonis Iâd be interested in your take on the bass, because for me that was also a huge flop vs anything competitive to it.
Add in the audio chain, source, tips, ect.
We normally hear IEMâs the same way when we share , that sets on the way over to my ears letâs see or heard if it wasnât the brownies talking!
ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia Review.
I had to perform an audio reset for the Phoenixia in order to really understand what it brings to the table. It has a mature and balanced sound that doesnât have the usual embellishments that many iems try to catch fool ears with. Please find my review below.
Shoutout to the Camuck Audioholics Review Group and our continued dedication to the âMusic Firstâ mindset.
ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia â Even Handed Musicality
PREAMBLE:
This initially was a difficult review to write. There are those rare times when a product being reviewed doesnât immediately impress or stand out. It then can go either way. Either it doesnât have much to offer or with patience it reveals something very positive. The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia follows the latter result. With this iem I had to take time off from listening to anything else except for my âresetâ set in order to clear my mind. It doesnât help that recently I had listened to quite a few iems, some very good, over a short period of time. Maybe I am different from other people, but patience and a reset are often needed between good sets to get a clearer perspective as to what I am actually listening to presently and consequently give a meaningful and fair evaluation of the sonics. I had to put in some work the Phoenixia, and it was worth it.
ivipQ may not be a brand known to all but they have been steadily producing products for a few years now. The Q-09 lands somewhere in the middle, pricing wise, of their product line at $266 CAD. It boasts a driver compliment of a single dynamic 10mm Bio-Titan driver mated to six balanced armature drivers per side. Further details are unfortunately not available at the time of this review. Those drivers are housed in an attractive and beautifully finished resin shell.
Tuning wise we have a balanced sound signature with a touch of sub-bass upward tilt. The Phoenixiaâs sound doesnât try to impress with embellishments, but offers a natural presentation well suited for marathon listening sessions with well recorded music and maybe a beverage of your choosing.
Relatively easy to drive but benefitting from more capable sources the Phoenixia synergized well with a more neutral and resolving source for best sound. Tips used were of the short barrel, wide bore variety.
SPECS:
BUILD AND FIT:
The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is a beautiful looking and well built iem. The black resin shells are flawless and finished immaculately. The top plate is adorned with what looks like a feather print with additional ivipQ branding. Clear L/R markers are visible as well, if anyone actually needs those for iems.
The Phoenixia is a larger iem with a pronounced extra âwingâ and thicker than average nozzle. For best comfort I went down a tip size to medium which allowed a deeper insertion and a more secure fit. Those listeners with smaller ears may have to experiment a bit for best fitment and comfort.
The included accessories are of similar quality to the iem itself and everything including the earphones come housed in a larger than average attractive zipped hard-shell case embossed with company branding. Interestingly enough I may have received an early production item as the tips came in a separate package outside of the retail box. The quality of the included tips and cable should be highlighted and are very good indeed. The cables is a keeper, if being a little stiff out of the box, but of apparent high quality. Some thought has obviously been paid as to accessories and their inclusion.
SOUND:
Bass:
Bass goes deep and is tight and clean. I immediately threw on âStellaâ By A Guy Called Gerald and came away impressed with how solid yet controlled the bass presence is. Switching to âAngelâ by Massive Attack I came away with the same observation. The Phoenixia can produce prodigious bass but it never lacked control. Detail and texturing were also good, though not necessarily the absolute best I have heard. That being said it was definitely satisfying. The bass had great snap and speed, this heard on âInside Stuffâ by Wayman Tisdale. Everything sounded clean and once again with great control.
There is a pleasing meatiness to the bass that just adds to the overall natural delivery I find compelling. Often other earphones that have this type of bass presentation have other issues with control, overhang and tightness. The Phoenixia has none of these issues at all. The bass of the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is a winner to these opinionated music loversâ ears. It serves as a solid foundation to the rest of the frequency range. Musical indeed.
Midrange:
The Phoenixia offers a clean and balanced midrange with a good mix of both micro and macro detail retrieval. The midrange, in particular the lower mids, offer a warmth that is enough to add a nice touch of organics without becoming a distraction. Male vocals benefit with good weight when needed and female vocals are comparatively a touch more immediate with clarity and great expressiveness.
Anita Bakerâs vocals on âLove You To The Letterâ were wonderfully reproduced with not only great detail but a sense of dynamics I had missed from some recent iems I had recently listened to.
Pinna gain is thankfully kept under good manners adding to the listenability of the Phoenixia and staying away from sibilance or harshness. Listening to âHeâs a Cariocaâ confirmed my Phoenixia experiences with vocals. The Phoenixia does vocals justice in particular with well recoded tracks. The smaller nuances are clearly audible.
Another metric that is done well on the Phoenixia is the presentation of dynamics. Transients are relayed with a punch and natural falloff that is admirable and just adds to the natural midrange delivery. Timbre is also nicely portrayed. While listening to the excellent release from Robert Glasper âDouble Bookedâ I was drawn into the music specially the live tracks. Everything sounded as it should, natural and unrestrained. With respect to separation and layering the Phoenixia also does well, yet not the best Iâve heard in this price range. Still it managed to keep busier tracks open sounding without that âWall Of Soundâ effect.
The Midrange of the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia is well done. When driven by a neutral and resolving source and fed high quality recordings the mids excel at pulling the listener into the music never distracting the listener with extra energy or embellishments. This isnât a âFunâ midrange in a good way. The Phoenixia offers more âmusicalâ experience and that folks will get the serious listener involved every time.
Treble:
The treble is extended with great clarity and again notable control. Detail retrieval is also good. This is not an over emphasized âsizzle-festâ but a treble that definitely leans towards being more natural and musical.
That being said the one small issue I have with the Phoenixia is that for my listening preferences the treble could use just a touch more energy and sparkle, being musically minded of course. Treble sensitive folks may take offence to my statement and it does not take away from the overall performance of this iem as it does well top to bottom. I just found that on some tracks the treble could have been a little more energetic to offer a better balance to that wonderful bass shelf and open up the sound even further.
The Phoenixia is NOT a dark or reserved sounding iem and I donât want people to think otherwise. Audio is subjective and preferences being what they are, these are my observations. The treble here is icing on an already tasty cake.
IMAGING AND SOUNDSTAGE:
The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia offers up a moderately large soundstage with easy to discern instrument placing. Sound does extend outside the ears laterally with good height and moderate depth as well. When listening to âStimela the Coal Trainâ by Hugh Masekela the venue dimensions were relayed nicely.
Versus:
QOA Mimosa:
The Queen of Audio Mimosa offers a more fun yet still musical sound compared to the more business like sonics of the Phoenixia. With respect to bass the nod goes to the Phoenixia as while the bass on the Mimosa is satisfying the Phoenixaâs low end has better control while being even more meaty. Midrange is well done on both and each lean towards a midrange that is lush yet again musical. Dynamics are handled well on both but the nod goes to the Phoenixia which is just noticeable on the leading edge of transients which are a touch sharper. The Mimosa does have a more vibrant midrange presentation but not at the expense of any misbehavior such as sibilance or harshness. Treble is interesting as the Mimosa has a clearly a more vibrant and airy treble but can be a little crisp at times at the very top end. The Phoenixia offers a treble with a more even-handed approach.
With respect to soundstage the Mimosa presents a larger soundstage in all dimensions with a touch more air around the instruments, possibly due to its airy treble. Both offer solid instrument placement.
In terms of overall musicality this really depends on the listener and their preferences. Musical with a dose of fun or musical with more balance. Both will satisfy but the listener and their preferences will make the final determination. Treble sensitive folks may find the Phoenixia more to their liking while those who prefer more air may find that the mimosa suits them better. I find that both are keepers and sound different enough while still being suited to long and satisfying listening sessions. Both are capable all-rounders.
CONCLUSION:
IvipQ has produced a very good sounding iem with the Q-09 Phoenixia. It is an excellent choice for those long listening sessions. Admittedly It did take me some time to wrap my head around its sonics but this has happened before on a rare occasion and usually leads to a better than usual experience. Thankfully my experience with the ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia has been a good one. I came away very pleased with the sound.
The Phoenixia offers a mature balanced sound with a good dose of organics. Cobine that with the obvious build quality and attractive looks and it becomes a compelling entry in the increasingly crowded ~$200 USD iem market segment. The ivipQ Q-09 Phoenixia gets a recommendation and could be on your shortlist if you are after the balanced and quality sound that it offers.
this was a great read! Am really digging the leather (?) pouch
Hi monk, I have the soundrhyme dte900 and I wanted to know if the phantom se is better or similar to the dte900?
Thi know of the Phantom as a finely honed DTE900 with less forward mids more air and treble extension smoother actually and the added special sauce of the BCD.
Yeah if you love as do I the DTE900 your going to love the Phantom SE more.
IMO a noticable step up in all the right places.
Oh wow ok, thatâs good to hear. I hate to admit the dte900 does have spicy upper mids and treble at times. Also the vocals usually too forward and can be a bit congested but does make it sound fun for the most part.
And since you said the phantom se is a more refined dte900 that sounds really interesting. Iâll try to demo the phantom se when possible. Thanks for the help monk 
2% upgrade, but I doubt it tbh. DTE900 is a technical and capable IEM. Save your money for this âupgradeâ and if you want to upgrade DTE900 you have to dig deep into your pocket, maybe 2000+ dollars. Good luck!
I would disagree the Phanom with Sonion BCD add alot more special sauce than the DTE900 achieved . The Phantom proves you dont need to step up into 2K to get that performance that was exactly my point in my review.
Overall the Phantom is better tuned , better equiped and implementation is superb.
My EarAcoustics Audio
SPA Limited showed up today.
I thought in the pictures the shell was brushed Aluminum with polished stripesâŠ
But NO itâs a full on CNC Machined and layers and groved shell this thing is absolutely baller! Pics canât show how so very cool this is.
What gets me even more excited is the tuning.
I just came off the CVJ Mermaid II and loved it and look at the Angel with MORE BASS oh boy! Exciting
Oriolus Szalayi â Eminent Musicality with Bass Icing
PREAMBLE:
This is my first exposure to the Oriolus brand name. They are a manufacturer of a number of different audio related products the Szalayi being the 2nd least expensive at $890 USD, of their iem line. Based in Japan, Oriolusâs iem product line starts from the Isabellae at $685 USD to the $10,600 USD Trailii.
The Szalayiâs 3-way hybrid driver compliment includes a single Balanced Armature, a 14mm Planar and a single 10mm Dynamic Driver per side. All these housed in a beautiful resin shell. These are three different driver technologies and what Oriolus has managed to accomplish, in magnificent fashion, is to seamlessly blend all of this into a cohesive and superbly satisfying sound experience.
With respect to tuning, the Szalayi offers a bass leaning sound with exceptional midrange and treble clarity. While bassheads may appreciate what this iem brings to the table, I am actually uncomfortable calling the Szalayi âBassheadâ simply because that would be putting the sound signature expectations of this fantastic iem in a mental box. The Szalayi is so much more than that term gives it credit for. It is an iem which blesses the ears with exceptional clarity of sound, while being able to produce all the bass that a track may require. The bass produced is not the âin your faceâ type but one that while being definitely present, serves to fill out the sound in a solid fashion.
SPECS:
Body Material: 3D Resin
Transducer Types(per CH): BA Driver*1
14mm Planar Diaphragm Driver*1
10mm Dynamic Driver*1
Sensitivity: 110dB/mW
Freq. Response: 10Hz~40kHz
Impedance: 10Ω
Cord: High grade pure OFC with silver-plated
Plug Type: 4.4mm Balanced
BUILD AND FIT:
The Oriolus Szalayi is a beautiful iem. The semi-transparent blue coloured resin shell is adorned with a faceplate of the same colour but imbedded with a sparkly material making for an attractive look. There also appears to be a functional vent on the faceplate. The nozzle is fashioned directly as part of the shell material. The finish is flawless as well.
I only received the iem and cable for this review and the cable itself is a fabric sheathed OFC with silver plating. The cable quality is good, as are the haptics being soft and flexible, yet there is nothing else special about it. It does seem out of place when comparing it with the iem it is included with. Not a big deal for me, as I am overflowing with quality cables, yet still something to mention.
SOUND:
Bass:
Bass is powerful and goes deep with a sub-bass emphasis over mid-bass. While the Szalayiâs low end could please the basshead masses, the level of control and musicality sets itself apart from the majority of earphones who would also claim that label. I would even label the bass as analogue like in its presentation.
The fact that while clearly capable of great baas output, the low end does not impede the rest of the frequency range is a major plus. The low end has notable meat and thickness to it but not scarifying clarity or texturing. When listening to âAngelâ by Massive Attack the driving bassline was delivers with great authority but the texture was clearly heard. Listening to âInside Stuffâ by Wayman showcased the musicality of the low end. The bass is quick with the bass guitar having excellent clarity and heft while not melding into the bass drum. Each element being distinct with their own clear nuances. Even with this meaty delivery the speed and articulation of the low end is still on another level.
The bass of the Szalayi is quite accomplished with a level of musicality thrown in that makes listening to my audio library almost a new experience again. All too often bass tuned earphones suffer sonically from a number of issues including the bass throwing a veil over the rest of the sound or bass quantity at the expense of quality. The Szalayi does NOT have any of these issues and at least with respect to the âBassheadâ iems that I have heard is the best example of such. Bass is not delivered in âBass Cannonâ style but with all that power yet great poise as well. Well Done!
Midrange:
The Oriolus Szalayi has on offer a balanced midrange that sounds beautifully open with great clarity. There is a good quantity of both macro and micro details here. Midrange delivery is natural and organic with both male and female vocals benefiting.
The midrange does have some warmth to it which adds to its organic nature. Tracey Thornâs vocal on âProtectionâ by Massive Attack were more immediate than recessed with all the nuances on clear display. âTenderhearted Loverâ by John Stoddart was relayed with the same treatment. Great clarity and natural weight that was more than pleasing. âHere I comeâ by Denis Brown followed suit with the same clarity and a lushness that was heard in the other tracks.
The amount of note weight brought a smile to my face being never at the expense of clarity or snap. The space around vocals and instruments in the midrange is palpable. All this combined with great timbre make for an organic presentation that really drags the listener into the music willingly with ease and is quite engaging. Transients were relayed with and unrestrained and natural quality to them that is very pleasing.
Layering and separation were also on point with the ability of the Szalayi to portray the air and space around the instruments on full display. There was never a hint of congestion even on crowded tracks. The ability to convey the silence between notes is something that is unfortunately frequently overlooked by many. All too often even more expensive earphones do not relay this well. This silent space between notes adds immensely to the sense of naturalness of sound and really draws me in. The Szalayi is quite accomplished in this regard.
The midrange offered by the Oriolus Szlayi is effortless, engaging and eminently satisfying. This is an iem that will spoil its owners and make it hard for other earphones to be pulled out of that iem drawer and into the ear in its stead. It is that good.
Treble:
The treble is fairly extended with natural quantities of sparkle and air. I just recently had been listening to another iem which had what I though was great treble. The Szlayi did not change my mind about that previously heard iem but it shifted my expectations upward as to what quality treble means.
The treble has pleasing energy, not being overdone by any means. Detail retrieval is very good as well. What really hit me though is how natural the treble region sounds. Itâs hard to put into words really but the treble here has an organic nature about it that I have not heard in what seems like forever. Cymbals are rendered with great fidelity as is the resonance from acoustic guitar for example. More so than I have heard in a long while.
The space around the treble is palpable which in no small part enhances even more the open sounding nature of the sonics. I am impressed by the treble that the Szalayi produces. It is so natural and soothing I really have nothing but praise to offer.
IMAGING AND SOUNDSTAGE:
Szalayi offer and well sized soundstage with pinpoint imaging. When listening to well recorded albums such as âWavesâ by Eden Atwood, I found myself listening to the whole release instead of just the few tracks I usually use for iem evaluations. The soundstage is all about musicality and it will get the listeners attention by itâs unrestrained presentation.
The Szalayiâs ability to render space and placement is something that many more expensive iems I have heard have maybe done well, but most not this well. Width, depth and height are all present in again, natural proportions.
CONCLUSION:
The Oriolus Szalayi is simply stated, a fantastic iem. It has completely realigned what a âbassheadâ capable iem can sound like. The Szalayi sounds like music and is all about being musical in doing so.
This is not a reference tuned iem, whatever that means, but one that the Oriolusâs obviously capable tuners have designed for the pure enjoyment of music. It has quickly vaulted itself into my top tier if iems that I have been privileged to hear. This is no small feat as Iâve now listened to a good number of them.
Let me put it this way. At $890 USD, I consider the Szalayi a true audio bargain. Emotional involvement in music is priceless and the Oriolus Szalayi does this effortlessly. While Oriolus may not be a well-known brand, they deserve to be. I give the Szalayi my highest recommendation, reserved only for the truly musical earphones and rare indeed. 5 stars without question.
If you are in the market for an iem in this price range, do yourself a favour and consider the Oriolus Szalayi. It is a true gem for music lovers.
**In North America the Oriolus Szalayi is available at Music Tec.
Wow! Still one of or probably the most intricately and beautifully designed shell all the way down to the minute details
