EarSonics is a benchmark example of how a manufacturer can have its own branded sound and any models will be guided by it. These French have long ago found their niche with multi-turnaround headphones offering an interesting combination of detail and musicality, and today we'll talk about the most affordable model in their series of SM2 iFI.
This model uses a very standard configuration, essentially close to the reference one - two radiators with a balanced armature and the same two-way crossover. One driver is responsible for low frequencies, the share of the second got the lion's share of the MF and all HF. Despite the simplicity and long-term "obkatannost" of such solutions, many developers manage to stumble and tear up firewood. Fortunately, EarSonics with their vast experience clearly managed to achieve a confident result.
Since this model is the initial one in the company's series, then they evaluated it accordingly. Usually , but secretly I can say that on the next Black Friday this price will decrease.
Specifications
- Emitters: 2 × with balanced armature
- Crossover: two-way
- Impedance: 44Ω
- Sensitivity: 116 dB / mW
- Cable: interchangeable, 1.2 m
- Plug: 3.5 mm TRS
Packing and delivery kit
Despite the budget (well, by the standards of the company), the packaging is fairly neat. A white glossy dust jacket with photos of the model and features hides the main black box with a soft-touch effect. Inside the traditional pseudobarhat is the headphones and a cover with the delivery kit.
In addition to the headphones, you will receive a brush for cleaning them and a set of nozzles, including a pair of foams, two pairs of two-flange attachments (of course, different sizes) and a pair of single-flange very interesting shapes. Another pair of two-flange attachments made of a softer silicone are immediately put on the headphones. A single glance at the complete nozzles is understandable, what the company wanted to do was to maximize the suffering of the audiophile. Just kidding. Of course, the goal was to reduce the amount of free space inside the ear, which reduces re-reflections and other side effects.
Design and comfortable wearing
The headphones are made of transparent plastic of beautiful cherry color. I love the transparent shells, they allow you to admire the stuffing, and in the case of SM2 there is something to look at - everything is assembled carefully and carefully. Of the small design flaws, I would note the seam that connects the halves of the body, it draws attention to itself in the design, but this is really nit-picking. The plastic of the case is quite strong, assembled and adjusted all the way.
EarSonic, in addition to sound, thought about the shape, as well as about the owners of not the largest ears. The case of this model is very compact and streamlined, only the owners of very small ears can complain of landing here. The soundtrack is thin and long, it comes out of the case at an optimum angle, providing a good sound insulation, which saves in all cases except, perhaps, the subway. With the correct selection of attachments SM2 rides are so convenient that they even stop noticing.
The wire is made replaceable, the usual two-pin connector is used. The complete cable is very simple, twisted, in soft silicone insulation. It hardens slightly in the cold, but not critical. Due to the softness, he is not particularly inclined to entangle and is practically devoid of the microphone effect. There are areas with a memory effect for the formation of convenient zaushin.
In general, the design is simple enough, but functional, it provides a comfortable landing, and good performance (although here you can only judge after a year or even more).
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening.
- NuPrime DAC-10H and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Lotoo PAW Gold, Fiio X7 and Luxury & Precission L5Pro as portable players
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones were warmed for 48 hours, for armaturok it almost does not make sense, but what would we do without formalities and rituals?
The sound of these headphones quite unexpectedly combines two largely incompatible things - soft, slightly darkened sound and reinforcement detail. Most often headphones with a balanced armature have a light feed, sometimes reaching the sharpness, but not in this case.
The bass here has a noticeable emphasis on the middle part of the low frequency range, there is not much deep bass, but midbass is raised to give the sound heat. Submission of bass typically reinforcing - fast and detailed, but somewhat lightweight. For some styles, this is well suited, for others (such as simple electronic music) is not particularly. The low-frequency instruments are very well separated, although due to the underlined midbass, working out textures is not always ideal.
SC here is quite noticeably allocated to the background. At the same time they are well worked out (what is expected for the armature) in terms of detail and emotionality. This step of the developers played with the presentation of headphones an interesting thing, which is difficult to describe in words. MF is perceived as if through the prism of the upper bass, which gives them warmth. If you listen to music without dominating the low-frequency range, it gives a wonderful effect: one-piece, very musical pitch without the characteristic sharpness of the rebar. If there is a lot of bass in the recording, then the MF seems to be very tightened and placed in the background. Therefore, headphones are not universal, they manage something with something, with something, on the contrary, it's bad. The imaginary scene is quite large, much larger than the average in width, and somewhere in the middle in depth. Instruments sound a bit softer than real analogs, but the size and positioning are correctly transmitted.
The upper frequency range has a small peak, serving here as a spice, adding a little bit of sharpness, or rather - lightness and after-sound. In general, EarSonics did well to give the RF typical clarity and detail for the reinforcement HF, without making a sharp cut (although traditionally the RF-fobs of reinforcement headphones should be avoided).
Compatibility
Sensitivity SM2 allows them to work without problems with simple, low-power sources, and a sufficiently high impedance makes them more resistant to noise. So if you want, this model can be used with smartphones with a good sound path, although from the players of the initial-average level they still will gain in quality.
Genre headphones tend to live music: vocals, natural instruments, not heavy rock, jazz, chamber classics - these are their strengths, on which they will reveal the emotionality of the composition. For complex metal styles, primitive electronics and orchestral classics, they are much less suitable because of the MFs assigned to the background. To the quality of the record, they are fairly tolerant, scores of 6 on a 10-point scale.
Traditionally, several tracks for example
Aretha Franklin - Let it Be . A very amusing project in which the most famous jazz musicians quail (and outplayed) the songs of The Beatles. Almost every track there is masterpiece, but it's sensual vocals that are best suited to serving SM2 iFI.
Niechęć - Echotony . The project, which is not amenable to a special musical classification, from Poland pleases with music, organically mixing everything from jazz to ambient. The track Echotony just vividly demonstrates the volume and detail of the presentation of the headphones that have become the heroes of this review.
Miles Davis - Spanish Key . Well, if the selection has left okolzhazovoy, then so be it. "Bitches Brew" somehow undeservedly lost in the shadow of the glory of the epoch-making "Kind of Blue", although personally this founder of jazz fusion personally likes me even more. The track I chose is more than 17 minutes of virtuosic improvisations, and the EarSonics model does a very good job of transmitting them.
conclusions
The headphones were not universal. Some styles they play out simply brilliantly, I heard them in Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and Coltrane. In fact, it is a model for music lovers who listen to music complicated enough to benefit from the detailing of the armature, but it is not something brutal or oppressive. If you like these styles, I recommend these headphones for reference.
The article is based on materials .
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