I think we’d be hard pressed to find an IEM where an extra 400 would be absolutely a no brainer choice
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I was going to ask LOL 
What makes the Eletech Baroque tips special? or is it specifically well-suited for the Pilgrim? I know @Jaytiss uses them and often mentions them in his reviews.
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Not that big of a deal but it can help the fit of some iems. Pilgrims fit a little funny for me.
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If you wanna experience the Baroques at a budget, get Divinus Velvet. They are very identical. Like 90% of the same feel at very less cost. But yeah that extra 10% softness is there on the Baroque and divinus my only concern is it gets a little squeeshy inside my ears so i use one size big for them.
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Elysian Acoustic Labs Pilgrim
Pros
- Superb technicalities
- Ample details
- Sub bass presence, bass texture is class leading for the price
- Metal shell with industrial design and comfortable fit
- Price
Cons
- Would have loved better cable
- Supplied CP100 tips doesn’t do justice to this iem, tip rolling required
- High notes on female vocals can be a delight or issue based on your source pairing, especially ch sounds
Elysian Acoustic Labs is a Malaysian high-end custom in-ear monitor (IEM) company that has garnered attention for its impressive offerings. We often associate Elysian Acoustic Labs with high end iems such as annihilator, X, Diva etc. The path to excellence started off in 2015 with anger at the inadequacies of the IEM options of the era. Out on a quest to reinvent what sound means to him, Mechanical Engineer Lee Quan Min took it upon himself to refurbish an old Ultimate Ears TripleFi10. Upon gaining public interest from local hobbyists, Lee started providing reshell services and thus accumulation experience along the way. It is nice to see EA Labs launching a relatively mid-fi iem which can give the taste of tonality from their esteemed firm’s high end offerings.
This review reflects my personal and subjective listening experience with the mentioned audio gear product.
Before I start, I would like to mention that most of my impressions of the gear is based on the source and test tracks mentioned, so YMMV.
Sources: Mojo 2 + Poly via AirPlay, Apple Lightning dongle
Technical Specs
4 Drivers Hybrid Configuration.
Drivers: The Pilgrim features a hybrid setup with one 9.2mm LSR dynamic driver (Liquid Silicone Rubber technology) for sub-bass and three Sonion balanced armature drivers (including a custom-tuned Sonion 2300 BA for mids and a dual-tweeter E50) with a custom 3-way crossover.
1 X 9.2mm LSR DD (Instead of using vibrating bone conductors or traditional PET drivers, EA Labs developed a custom-made 9.2mm dynamic driver featuring Liquid Silicon Rubber (LSR) technology. The LSR is capable of reproducing low frequencies that reach an impressive 10 Hz, compared to the standard 20 Hz of traditional PET drivers. This contributes to a strong sub-bass rumble.
1 X Sonion 2300 BA (Sonion 2300 for mids ensures a versatile, smooth midrange response, creating a well-balanced, natural sound across various music genres).
2 X Sonion E50 BA (the Sonion E50 series, a dual ultra-tweeter balanced armature driver. It extends high frequencies with unprecedented technical capabilities, offering clarity and brilliance).
The Magnesium-Aluminum alloy for the diaphragm delivers optimal performance for a prolonged period of time. This design as per EA Labs, results in remarkably fast, deep, and precise performance with minimal distortion in the output signal, creating a natural and detail-rich full-frequency connection.
Box content
- A faux leather case with soft finish and EA logo on top
- 3 pair of Spinfit
- 3.5mm to 6.35 adapter
- Iems
- Cleaning brush tool
- A very good 2 core SPC cable, its soft and supple, however to note, EA labs suggest to pair Pilgrim with Effect Aaudio Cadmus 4W which supposedly enhance the clarity & resolution of sound without the harshness, whilst keeping the bass bold but controlled. I have used this iem with its stock cable to ensure the reader gets an impression as to what to expect when they pay $400 as what it retails for.
Vision – EA Labs wanted to get the specials from Annihilator and Diva combined and launch at a lower price point. Let’s see further if or not they were successful based on my subjective opinions
Fit and comfort:
I would mention by bias first, I like metallic shell iems, resin shells doesn’t give me the confidence as I have had a couple of iems developing cracks either on shell or near the 2 pin section so I prefer metal shell iems though these have to sacrifice on the looks. Its striking silver aluminum housings feature knoll-inspired ridges and a mix of reflective and matte finishes. The look and feel of Pilgirm is very good, these look more than what they cost for sure, with that EE logo printed on the shell, it somewhat gives that premium look to it as we associate Elysian Acoustic Labs with high end. The shiny silver and matte finish is likeable, these have medium sized shell which sits comfortably in ears, so comfort is great on this. Comfortable earpieces ensure a good fit, and the design helps with noise isolation. Pilgrim is shipped with spinfit but even with the largest size of tip provided in the carry case, I was unable to find a good fit with these iems, so I switched to Penon Lacquer and Divinus velvet, fortunately the Divinus Velvet fit worked and helped me get a good seal. I remember when I tried with Spinfit, I was feeling that this iem has compromised mids, but Velvet fixes it for good.
Bass – Low end has enough presence, sub bass rumble can be felt, even in tracks where occasionally you will miss a bass guitar being played, Pilgrim is able to produce it flawlessly, the mid bass presence is alright, not overpowering which is my preference, I had this complaint with the twilight honestly,
Drums, dhol has accurate timbre. The transient response is fast, with decay shorter than expected from this kind of driver configuration. Reference track – Starlight (Muse), Bezubaan (ABCD), Starboy (Weeknd) and Droptop (AP Dhillon)
Timbre and Tonality – one of the aspects I keenly look for in iems is how it produces timbre and how is the tonal balance. I was listening to some Indian classicals on Pilgrim, the tonal character of the instruments is retained, it doesn’t color the timbre which is a good thing. Pianos sound so real, you have to experience it.
Vocals - Beautiful and natural especially female vocals sound majestic. I found female vocals to be more forward than male vocals as they sound a bit laid back or recessed this is due to Bright, Lively Vocal response, male vocals have naturalness but the presence is not that prominent in comparison meaning some male vocals can sound a bit lean, again some bias to be mentioned because I adore mid centric iems so YMMV. The mid presence in terms of instruments is praise worthy because they do not overwhelm you neither miss out.
Treble – feels airy and spacious.
There is space between instruments and the vocals being played, I do not hear much of a congestion in busy tracks as well, the transient response is good. Instruments sound like they are surrounded by space full of air. It creates nice ambience for the instruments to play well. Reference track Yaar Mila de from Saathiya – this is so engaging on the Pilgrim, I almost got lost while listening to this track, multiple instruments used in this track has enough space in between.
Details - Every minute detail is presented to the listener, for example I was listening to this track Maahi Ve from album Maahir, there is so many instruments used in this song simultaneously, especially the humming in the start followed by bass and cello, the entire continues with vocal echos, doodling, saxophone and cymbals, the lead singer vocal could have had more heft but sounds natural. The resolution on this can be considered as a benchmark considering its price.
The soundstage of Pilgrim is good. Impressive height but the depth is mediocre, it creates spacious sonic environment due to air and enhances the listening experience.
Instruments are well-placed and images precisely, the level of detail and imaging accuracy adds realism and immersion to the music with great clarity and separation.
Overall – This is a really nice addition to the $400 realm of iems, it is special if you like bright neutral iems with enough heft in sub bass, it can be one of those versatile and easy to listen iems that offer excellent technicalities without burning the pockets. Someone with the budget of $400 and above should definitely consider Pilgrim, more so if you like this kind of tuning. It’s a testament that you don’t need to spend huge to afford excellent sounding iems.
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Very good review thanks for sharing!
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Today I am going to do cable rolling on my Pilgrim hehe. I have Vortex Eddie Square cable with me.
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Let us know if any improvement
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I tried the Pilgrim with vortex eddie squared cable and it’s a slight bump in mid bass and also tamed upper mid range - lower treble.
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Looks like it’s worth a try.
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Lee recommends EA 4W cable for the pilgrim, wish to own and try it
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What genres do you mostly listen to? Do you think it’s a good IEM for listening to Hans Zimmer, max Richter and stuff?
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Try votex alida as well. The color way will go well with pilgrim. If you try it, do report you sound impressions as well.
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I have tried with various genres, classicals sounded very good.
This cable looks awesome. Thanks for sharing, man!
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I really like this cable. 
Elevated midbass?
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The bass overall is more full and impactful
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