Be honest now. How many of us really take care of our hearing when listening to music? Either via headphones or a full hifi set up? I consider myself lucky for 3 things relating to this:
- I work in an industry that emphasize a lot on hearing protection
- My company requires me to do a hearing test test at least once every 2 years
- My wife is a very experienced audiologist/cochlear implant specialist. Hence, cannot play2 with hearing health.
Now, loud music and audiologists are not good friends traditionally. Not with Stealth Sonics though. Based out of Singapore, the company is consists of audiologists, engineers and musicians whom are passionate on music and hearing protection. Equipped with the following technologies in their IEM designs, it offers headfi-ers and fellow musicians a high level audio reproduction while still protecting your hearing. To know more on how the science work on these IEMs, click here.
The demo units I received comes with various size and types of ear tips. Managed to find that fits my ear snugly and with high level of comfort.
THE EQUIPMENT USED FOR THIS REVIEW
- SONY 40th Anniversary Walkman
- CHORD Mojo DAC Amp
- Roland TD17KVX drum module
THE TEST TRACKS
I limited the tracks to 4 different genres but each of them are on Hi Res Audio.
- Take Five by Dave Brubeck - DSD
- Enter Sandman by Metallica - WAV 24/192
- Sand of Time by Slumber Sonic - WAV 24/44
- Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman - WAV 24/96
THE LISTENING SESSION
In general, all tracks were played at a level of 60% of the max volume on the SONY to start off with. This is where I find as the minimum level for the 3 IEMs to start delivering what it can really showcase. It also indicates that these IEMs are relatively easy to drive.
U9
The saxophone on Take Five sounded the most airy on the U9. Very engaging presentation as the U9 created a very spacious sound overall. The percussion on this track was nicely separated with high clarity can be heard on the mild hi hat and snare play. The ride cymbal also sounded bright enough to give that tingling edge in high frequency. The low frequency coming from the bass was extensive and dives deep. All this with minimal to zero compression experience.
On Enter Sandman, it was another killer presentation by the U9. Everything seems to fall in place. The tom tom play in the intro sounded punchy and deep, giving me that urge to pick up my drumsticks and get onto my drums. The snare sounded tight and the hi-hat just sizzles throughout the song. Kirk's shredding guitar was under some serious energy through this U9. James's vocal sounded ferocious and the emotion from him can be experienced throughout with such details the U9 is providing.
Playing Sand of Time was surreal. As we put in a lot of effort in producing and mastering this song back in February 2020, I must say the U9 sounded close enough to my experience listening to the mastered track through my Senns HD800S and Phonitor 2 headphone amp during the mastering finalization stage. There was no distortion during the low frequency of Herman's bass guitar kicked in at the intro. Iswardy's vocal was very clearly presented as I could feel his emotion throughout this song. As for the drums, it gave a me a different perspective on how I played it during the recording stage of this track. There might be a just a few enhancements that can be done here and there.
Playing Time To Say Goodbye was the point where I feel the U9 gave me the utmost satisfaction. Sarah's vocal was delivered so beautifully with no sign of ear pinching experience with her high pitched voice. Once Andrea's vocal came in, it perfected the experience with such mellow and deep vocal. It was definitely presented as a very energised performance by this duo and U9 had no problem delivering this.
U4
The low frequency on Take Five was really heavy sounding that I had to lower down the volume to about 50. The saxophone still sounded airy and musical which is enjoyable as its very engaging. The ride cymbal sounded heavier and the snare and hi-hat play lost its sweet high frequency sound but gained a more focused and compact sound. Something about the four BA drivers that gives out a completely different sound signature compared to U9 and U2.
Even heavier tom tom play can be heard on Enter Sandman when played on U4. Lars's drum play was definitely boosted up on the U4. The guitars however suffered from heavy distortion and struggle to come out and show Kirk's heavy sounding guitar riffs. James's vocal however still sounded quite ferocious and full of angst. Overall, it didn't come out right for Metallica on the U4. Bloated sound.
I started to have some concern with the U4 as on Sand of Time, Herman's bass intro sounded very mechanical. Very restricted and struggling to come out right. The vocal still maintained to sound quite engaging but the drums suffered the same restricted and distorted sound like the bass. Guitars seems to sound sweet and melodic on the U4.
There seem to be less emphasis on the Sarah's high pitch vocal where her vocal seems a little bit 'cut off' on the top while Andrea's vocal also somehow suffered a little bit on expressiveness. I did not experience that engagement I had listening to this track on the U9. The overall track sounded a bit compressed and cluttered somehow.
U2
Now, putting on the U2 gives me back a similar experience as U9 but with less intensity. Take Five sounded more mellow but at the same time more melodic and sweet sounding compared to U9. The saxophone sounded less airy but still very enjoyable. The clarity of percussion play is high and it reveals a wide frequency spectrum from the ride , toms and snare play. Overall, still engaging with sweet sound but just less intense compared to U9
The heavy sounding, metal king sound of Metallica was back in the picture with the U2. The intensity from Enter Sandman was again evident but was not as tight and heart pounding like the U9. Its more mellow and at times, the highs like the hi-hat play sounds harsh and compressed. The shredding solo by Kirk sounded very energised as well. The vocal remains as the main strength here.
Replaying Sand of Time on the U2 further convinced me that the U2 does have a similar sound characteristics as the U9 but mellower and less intense sounding. It does not sound as fluid as the U9 but definitely the focus was still on producing outstanding vocal in which the clarity level allows a very expressive presentation of the vocal. Still maintaining the hybrid design (1 BA and 1 Dynamic driver), the U2 presents a very neutral sound across the spectrum.
Sweet. Sweet and luscious. That is how I can describe the U2 when it comes to Time To Say Goodbye. Again, Sarah's vocal delivery through the U2 was mesmerizing. High pitched? Yes. Ear pinching? No way. Comes in Andrea and the U2 just made more interesting. Andrea's deep vocal sounded very authoritative and demands listener's respect towards his music. U2 is part of this equation and it supports the claim that this is an IEM for every day use.
As a Recording IEM
I tested the U9 on my ROLAND TD17 KVX drum module. I received the IEM very timely as I am working on a few new tracks with my band Slumber Sonic. Jamming through the guitar guide track with the U9 definitely sounded better than my existing practice headphones. No sign of stress handling the pounding on my drums. It is something that I do recommend musicians to look into when buying an IEM.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER IEMs?
Well, first of all, the technologies listed above such as the KLUSTER Valve is part of the IEM. It will allow pressure build up in your ears to escape through this IEM, reducing the ear fatigue. I used these IEM almost daily during my WORK FROM HOME during MCO and I can say easily I spent 3 to 4 hours with them with no listening fatigue.
Now, what you are reading here are is based on the Universal models (hence the model name U2, U4 and U9). In order to get even better level of hearing protection, Eartistic Hearing and Balance Centre will provide various services especially in taking ear impressions.This is where the Custom Made IEMs will take place (C2, C4 and C9). Eartistics is currently finalizing the arrangement to be the sole distributor of Stealth Sonics IEMs in Malaysia.
Below are some of the offerings from Eartistic:
- The services are done by a certified and trained clinical audiologist. Eartistic will be made accountable for any ear procedures that should be done by only trained audiologists; such as outer ear inspection, middle ear inspection, customer current hearing level, and as well as impression taking.
- Clinically; there are so many cases of impression taking goes south; simply because there are no clinical precautions that are taken into consideration. For example, rupture of eardrum because of improper protection or length during impression taking, presence of any other abnormalities or pre-existing conditions that hinder the client to take the ear impression and it could be the simplest thing such as prevention of cross-infection that can easily transmit by bodily fluid during impression taking. As hearing is the most valuable asset of any individual; especially the entertainment industry player, the fate of one's ear and hearing should not be simply put on any individual that lacks proper and valid credentials.
- Other than that, Eartistic offers complimentary ear and hearing screening to end-user and family members as part of the campaign #mendengaritunikmat, which is awareness of hearing conservation by Eartistic that includes industries that exposed to leisure and recreational noise.
- The price range for services starts as low as RM60 and most of the basic hearing screening and impression taking are complimentary with the purchase of the custom range IEMs.
SO, HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO PROTECT MY EARS?
Prices are not firm yet for the Malaysia market but based on the price stated on Stealth Sonics website, I believe it will be in the region of RM 1K to RM 5K for the Universal models and additional RM 1.2K to RM 1.7K for the Custom models. With this, you will get the following:
Universal range packages include:
Hard case, suede soft pouch, 1/4" phono adapter, airline adapter, cleaning kit, silicone eartips, foam eartips and flange eartips.
Custom range packages include:
Hard case, suede soft puch, 1/4" phono adapter, airline adapter and cleaning kit.
THE CONCLUSIONS
The U9 is no doubt the best sounding among these 3 models although it is the most expensive. With 8 BA and 1 Dynamic drivers, it is the most accurate sounding IEM. Clarity is of the highest level and it keeping it near the truth of their flat response design.
The U2 is also on my list of bang for buck IEM. For everyday use, I do recommend headfi-ers to audition this IEM as it is a fun sounding IEM, great with different genres of music and let you listen to songs for hours while still protecting your ears as well.
The U4 is the model I am not so much in favour because its one of those neither here nor there. It is claimed to be the most popular model among the three but I just cant see myself listening to them for longer time.It might just be me but I do find that the U4 sounds bloated and not so much engaging like the U9 and U2.
These IEMs are not just for musicians but I can easily say that headfi-ers will enjoy them as well on their main or portable headfi gears.
Nevertheless, I still recommend for you to demo all 3 of them and choose the one that suits your taste and also your budget. If you are interested to listen to them, do contact Eartistic through En. Firdaus Daud, the audiologist and manager for this product and services. He can be contacted through email and phone (firdaus@eartistic.com.my - 0132954590)
