Uncategorized Archives - Mikaik-audio

New toys Sunday (catch up edition) #10 – Vortex Reference

With 2DD+2passive MEMS, they create a large stage, with the sound extending well into all three dimensions. The layering is particularly impressive and the L/R imaging is one of the best I have heard.

Bassy by nature, they benefit from a fast driver, making them my second bassiest IEM that works for metal (Pentara has even more sub bass). They manage to hide the strong bass until is needed, the only give away being some floor toms that have a powerful hit and good resonance. It is one of the most natural reproduction of drums. Mid bass continues on this trend, being muscular and articulated, with decent texture, quite detailed and never feeling too much or smearing the mids.

Lower mids are markedly depressed, bringing a very interesting separation between the lows and highs. It may sound strange when you read about it, but in real life it sounds very interesting. The first effect is an amazing clarity. The second, a bit of thinness in the lower mids, leading to acts like Amon Amarth sounding a bit lighter than I am used to. Upper mids add some extra energy, so the voices are not remote. Also, the guitar tones are very lively, and they have good bite.

The treble is unapologetic, lively, energetic, with good sizzle and sparkling. With its large stage, there is plenty of air surrounding the cymbals, but the stage never feels empty or hollow. The sound is crystal clear, with a good sense of realism.

Overall, a very detailed set, maybe playing more on its excellent separation rather than adding details that were not present with other sets. Everything has more space to unfold, giving you time to register all the nuances.

Midweek madness

As if Unique Melody Mason Asahi was not crazy enough, the enigmatic Cross Lambda Apollo GT is here to take things one step further. In fairness, Asahi’s stock cable is already extraordinary and it remains one of the best, if not THE best pairing for it.

UM Mason Asahi with the stock cable, UM Fantasy

The CL eases off the dominant bass and adds a bit of air up top. A hint of definition is added to all parts of the spectrum, but it comes with a touch of sibilance. The stage remains large and tall, with more depth than stock cable. The voices execute a more delicate ballet, coming forward a bit and are… unveiled, compared to stock cable. In other words, the Apollo GT improves and highlights technicalities. However, does Asahi need more technicalities? One of their best attributes, for me, is exactly that slightly mysterious air, lush, almost lascivious.

In the end, what CL brings to the table is another flavour of Asahi. If you didn’t like Asahi with stock cable, this cable won’t change your mind. If you did, this cable won’t change your mind.

New toys Sunday #8 – Aroma Fei Wan

Aroma Fei Wan is a high-performance hybrid IEM (2DD, 10BA) that prioritizes extreme clarity, cinematic dynamism, and a sophisticated “bouncy” bass response. Sharing its ergonomic shell design with the Aroma Jewel and NGaudio classics Khaos and Erebus, it offers a comfortable fit paired with a sound signature that leans toward a balanced W-shaped profile.

Sound Profile

Bass: The standout feature is a powerful, elastic sub-bass that provides a “cinematic presence” and subtle liveliness. While the sub-bass is massive and well-controlled, it slightly veils the mid-bass, which—though fast and articulated—lacks the ultimate fine detail found in NGaudio Erebus.
Mids: Generally uncolored, with lower mids forward and the upper mids slightly recessed. Fei Wan creates a deep sense of space but can leave me wanting more steam in the lower-midrange instruments. While voices have good body and clarity, they can occasionally struggle to cut through congested passages in complex productions. However, for jazz and instrumentals, the mids feel perfectly placed.
Treble: Energetic and airy with a fast attack. It lacks the lingering shimmer of EST drivers, resulting in a “biting” character. This high initial energy can lead to occasional harshness or sibilance in specific tracks (e.g., acoustic guitar in Metallica’s fade to black or Dream Theater’s cover of Perfect Strangers), which may cause fatigue for some, though it remains highly detailed.
Technicalities: The soundstage is impressively wide and deep, with decent vertical height. Layering and instrument separation are “top-notch,” maintaining composure even during highly congested musical passages.

Synergy and Comparisons

The Feiwan is easy to drive and benefits from warmer, “analog” sources like the Nipo N2 or Audma Brioso to round out its energetic treble. Cable rolling is effective; the Eletech 5th Ode adds lushness and note thickness, while the Nightcraft Spectre tames harshness while maintaining air. The stock cable is good enough, though.

Competitor	Comparison to Feiwan
Traillii JP	More “soul” in the bass and superior vocals, but lacks Feiwan’s extreme clarity.
Cadenza 12	More balanced and cohesive treble, but feels dull and lacks the Feiwan’s “sparkle of life.”
NGaudio Erebus	Very similar tuning, but smoother and more lush; the Feiwan is cleaner and airier.

It’s not the first I hear the Fei Wan, but the first time I get to dive deep into its immersive sound.

NGaudio Erebus (L) and Aroma Fei Wan (R)

New toys Sunday #7

Unique Melody Mest Fortune

Configuration: 1DD+4BA+2EST+3BCD, Quad-brid design.

Continuing the line of successful MEST IEMs, Unique Melody is back with the next iteration, the wonderfully coloured Mest Fortune (available also in red). The shells are virtually the same of the Mest 3, the same pattern, except a more appealing colour this time. Also, the rim is now matte and not shiny like it was on the Mest 3.

In terms of sound, the same lively presentation, with the treble as energetic but more detailed than Mest 3, maybe a bit closer to Mest Jet Black (MJB) than Mest 3.

The bass has learned some tricks from the older brother, Pentara, being also mid bass focused, fast and precise, with a rather dry tone, very good for metal. Mids are only slightly recessed, giving it a slight W profile. Lower mids stay slightly elevated compared to Mest 3 and even Maven 2, and have full bodied textures, possessing a very pleasant grit. Very slow rising pinna gain, shifting a lot of emphasis on the treble area, this being one of the most fun trebled UM. Where MJB had a relatively short fast attack of cymbals, followed by a short decay, Mest Fortune has a slightly slower attack, raising higher and decaying a bit slower. This adds some sizzle and splash to the cymbals, as opposed to the highly technical, perfectly controlled MJB. The results are mixed, with the ride having a natural sound, but during the congested passages, the splashes tend to turn into a continuous sound. This is, to me, the mark of Mest 3.

Stage is large, tall and reasonably deep. Layering is more pronounced than Maven’s, with less defined edges than MJB.

I think Mest Fortune stands between the utterly musical Maven 2 and the sober, technical MJB, combining technicalities with musicality, at a reasonable price.

Maven 2 still has the best price/value ratio, followed by Mest Fortune and MJB (which is cheaper than Mest Fortune, but it has a bit less wow factor, due to its more reference tuning). Pressed hard to choose one, I’d go for Fortune, as it’s got a bit of everything.

A weekend at the races!

New toys Sunday #6

MMR Balmung

Thanks to a good friend, I had a chance to borrow MMR Balmung for an extended period of time. This is an all BA IEM, containing a number of 12 drivers.

These little guys have a mighty bass, that comes very close to a DD bass. What is missing is that one last drop of physical sensation. The amount is as impressive as Trifecta’s. But, because this is all BA, the bass is very fast. I believe only BA or a planar could have so much bass while maintaining decent speed. Something’s gotta give, and in this case it is the drums impact, getting a bit drowned out.

The mids are only slightly depressed, but they have good note weight. They are not 100% free from bass incursions, but these are kept to a minimum. Overall, the mids are very smooth, meaning there is not much grit. Said grit is important for metal, so I can safely say that metal is not their main focus.

Treble has good extension and air. The cymbals sound lively and nicely textured. The tall stage gives them enough air, but there isn’t much sparkle. I’d say the highs are tuned for balance and accuracy rather than sparkle.

The stage is quite wide and tall, with some depth, but not quite spherical. More like elipsoidal. The separation is good, most instruments being a

Listening to Death Spiritual healing, Balmnung sounds like a well done V, with ample bass, mostly in the sub bass range for this piece, and energetic treble. The hook is the mid bass. Muscular and articulated, with a smooth transition to the mids, such that nothing feels bloated, despite Balmung having a considerable bass shelf. You only notice when the music stops and the constant rumble is gone. Listening the bass underlying the pre-solo bridge, is a great experience, just like the clunky bass line after the solo. And speaking of solos, they are loud and clear. The upper mids are quite elevated, so the guitar solos are sparkly, but somehow remote. What this means is that you get a bit of a pumping effect. The lower notes are quieter than the higher ones.

For some genres, like the Ethereal Treason’s All is vanity, the bass is simply too much. At low volume it bleeds into the mids more noticeable. For this metalcore subgenre, I prefer less bass and more grit, as the low end and lower mids are quite crowded and they start blending into a perfect cacophony if the bass is too much or too slow, or in general, anything other than perfectly dosaged.

They pass the 2Pac test with flying colours, being almost as bassy as Trifecta. This is as closest as BA bass ever got to DD for me. As the volume goes up, a slight trace of sibilance is present, but well within tolerablelimits. The voice is central, forward, loud and clear and the words are easy to understand.

Melissa Aldana’s La Sentencia reveals a lot of details, but the star is the way that tenor sax sounds. The richness of textures, the split sound, sometimes at the breaking point is all very life-like. While the saxophone is doing its thing, there are enough details from the drum brushes and bass. In yet another layer, you have the cymbals, delicate, a bit dark, but with good note thickness. I would have loved a bit more energy in the treble, but for an evening session, these are perfect.

New toys Sunday #5

And I’m back, with a legendary IEM, the Aroma Jewel. A 13 drivers tribrid (1DD, 6BAs, 6ESTs), Aroma is tuned rather neutral, with a balanced presentation and. very good layering.

Aroma Jewel paired with Eletech’s 5th Ode cable

While it may seem as an evolution of the famous Oriolus Traillii, with a FR graph the sound is, in fact, quite different. If Traillii has a large stage, with emphasis on integration and not separation, Jewel goes in the opposite direction. Its stage is narrower, but it expands vertically and in-depth. The layering is very good, as revealed when listening to busy pieces, like Akrona’s La Cenè album, including both a metal band and an orchestra. Jewel is very good at layering these two elements.

By comparison with Traillii, the sound is more forceful, with a more aggressive pinna gain, bringing the voices forward. Because of the elevated upper mids, Jewel sounds more V shaped than Traillii.

The sibilance is very well controlled, making listening to 2Pac’s “All eyez on me” a real pleasure (on many IEMs, the entire album has quite piercing treble and significant sibilance).

While Traillii remains the master of vocals, Jewel has a more visceral bass and improved layering.

The full review is posted here.

New toys Sunday #4

Another legendary IEM….the Elysian Acoustics Labs Annihilator, 2023 Edition.

Often named the “King of treble”, can it leave up to its reputation?!

Currently undergoing a comparative test alongside its brother, X, and the NGaudio Erebus, Anni 23 has a muscular mid bass and incredibly airy treble, that impresses with energy and control. I can already say its status is well deserved, even before concluding the test.

Update: Full review here.

New toys Sunday #3

Today we have something special, the Campfire Trifecta. An IEM like no other, 3 DDs placed into the corners of a triangle, all firing into a common central chamber.

This is the IEM that single handedly brought me back to IEMs in 2022, after a long hiatus during which over ears were my main source of musical enjoyment.

Campfire Audio Trifecta has a bold bassy sound, with a large, tall and deep stage, deep, powerful sub bass; well articulated mid bass mids that can be either mellow or gritty, depending on the music; and an unassuming treble, that ticks all the right boxes.

A review is coming soon, stay tuned.

New toys Sunday #2

Another crazy week has passed. I am gearing up for the incoming Soen album and I am preparing something that is bound to work wonders with whatever the boys from Sweden will release.

This is the Unique Melody and MusicTeck colaboration, the Pentara.

Driver Configuration: 1x10mm Dynamic Driver, 1x7mm Dynamic Driver, 4 Balanced Armatures, and 4 Electrostatic Drivers, 2 Sonion BABCD, 1 UM FreqShift Driver (source).

You see it here paired with the wonderful Flash Acoustics Venom cable. More on that later.

New toys Sunday

Yesterday I met a dear friend for the usual gear-swap sessions. This week’s new entrants are QDC King, a Musciteck colab with QDC and the Vietnamese TXN Diamond.

QDC King is a 15 drivers tribrid with a single DD (10mm) for ultra-lows, 4BA lows, 2BA mids, 4BA highs, and 4EST for ultra-highs (source).

The sound is characterised by an elevated, yet nimble bass, with good elasticity, very clear mids and energetic treble. Sort of a V shaped profile. A nice touch is the vent that also serves as a L/R identifier.

TXN Diamond is a single DD, with a diamond-coated dome driver (source).

The sound reminds me of Maven 2, with a quick bass, that can sound ample but is non-intrusive, gritty mids, but with significantly more energy in the upper mids than Maven 2. For the time being is paired with the Ulan 8w cable.

Thanks to the generosity of my friend, I had enough time to prepare a full opinion on the TXN Diamond. You can read it here.