Disclaimer: This article is intended to serve as a presentation and my initial thoughts about the Symphonium Crimson, and hopefully answer some of the questions that everyone has been asking me for the past couple of days. Please do keep in mind these thoughts aren’t final and new toy syndrome is real. You’ve been warned.
Driver Setup: To be announced
Price: $1500
Purchase link and info: Elise Audio
Comfort, fit and isolation: Great after tip rolling a lot.
Sources used: Mass Kobo 475, Chord Mojo2, Hiby R6 Pro II, HUM MA1B
Tips used: Divinus Velvet Tips
My usual test playlist with some of the songs used: Tidal
Table of Contents
Prologue and Packaging
Symphonium Audio is by now one of the acknowledged and successful brands coming out of the Singaporean audio scene. From the kilobuck star Helios, the modest Triton, the now crowd’s warm favorite Meteor and recently the superstar Helios SE in collaboration with Elise Audio – whom I labeled as IEM of the year so far, – we can all agree they are a rising star.
But it doesn’t stop there. In fact, Symphonium is part of a 3-way alliance with two other Singaporean brands – Subtonic (Storm) and Nightjar (Singularity, Cables), – while being the only one that actually has a production line. Any of these brands is completely obsessed with improvement, leading edge technology and details.
With that in mind, it’s obvious how boutique these Singaporean releases get more and more sought after but also more sparse, creating a huge demand for so little offer. Just last month, Nightjar’s Singularity sold out in a matter of minutes, after being one of the brightest stars of the last Singapore CanJam.
Time is now August 2023 and the place is London’s CanJam. Out of the blue, a day before the show, Elise Audio and Symphonium announce a new release is coming – the Crimson – which flew under the radar of almost everyone. 2 years of R&D claims, using the same shell as the SE and a mystic fog surrounding its driver configuration.
I think it’s needless to say that being a Symphonium fan, I had to buy a set. Scratch that. I needed to buy a set that clocks in at $1500 USD.
While I cannot help you with the driver configuration (neither do I really care) at this point in time, I can at least guide you through what you get for your money besides that detail, and that fable starts at Crimson’s package, which is what I will now call “Christmas in 1950”:
I don’t know about you, but having an IEM delivered inside a bag is always something I enjoy, not just because it is a useful touch and protects the contents, but it screams premium. For all that matters, the devil is in the details and as you can see, the usual Symphonium black box arrives in a different dressing this time: a black thin paper wrapping it in a meticulous way with a crimson seal on top – totally appropriate, if I can say so myself!
But what’s inside the box?
Accessories
With Christmas out of the way, these are the goodies inside the box:
- Aluminum hockey puck style case
- Symphonium Crimson
- Altalune Novaron – 4W/8W 26AWG Type 2 Litz OCC Copper Cable with OE interchangeable terminations
- OE Audio 4.4mm and 3.5mm cable terminations
- 4 Pairs of Azla SednaEarfit (regular)
- 4 Paris of Divinus Velvet Eartips
- Cleaning tool
- Paperwork and stickers
I don’t usually use hockey puck style cases on my day to day listening as I find them cumbersome to use on a regular basis. I usually only use them for long storage or when traveling with need of extra protection inside my usual carrying cases. The one that comes inside the box will be no different and, despite its exquisite finish and quality, still shrieks a bit due to its threading. For those who are familiar, it’s the same case as the Helios SE, but an improvement over the one found on the Helios OG.
As for the ease of fitting the Crimson with its cable inside, I will say there won’t be much headroom – and I never get it right the first time. I wish there was slightly more space, at least with the launch edition cable, but it should be pretty easy with the regular Novaron (4 Wire).
Speaking of Novaron – whose 4W version is my favorite stock cable ever (HSE), – this time comes in two options: 4 or 8 wires, with the latter costing $200 more. All the 30 units of the launch edition came with the 8W version for free, and that’s the one I have. If you do not care for cables, I will always recommend you go the less expensive route and to me personally, I still prefer the feel and ergonomics of the 4W version, although I have to admit I am very happy I got the 8W for free. The latter as a more premium feel to it, feels more sturdy and not as “tangly” as the original.
Just like any other Symphonium set, the Azla SednaEarfit tips can be found inside, which is a nice touch and one of my all-time favorite tips with all these sets. What is new in this package is the removal of stock red tips and addition of Divinus Velvet Eartips.
For those unaware, Velvet tips have been gaining some traction across audio circles, as many (including me) do enjoy them to flat out any kind of treble peaks while retaining an insane level of comfort and seal.
Build Quality, Fit and Driveability
Speaking of Velvets, those are my current tips on the Crimson and I doubt it will change. With them I get an incredible fit, comfort and isolation, which also is only possible thanks to Crimson’s shell – which is the same one used in the Helios SE and very close to the one used in the Meteor.
Just like its predecessors, the shell build is full metal, but that also means that any quibble you had with the previous versions will move into the Crimson – moisture gang beware. What changed for the first time is the faceplate used: the usual metal plate gives room for forged carbon plate, which is an high-end material that can be found on watches and jewelry, surrounded by a red metal ring.
I do have to be honest, it ain’t my style, but I’ll give Symphonium props for trying something different and depending on the plates you get (every plate is different from each other), you can get some nice sun reflexes on it, popping some vibrant red veins inside it.
What also perpetuated is the usual hard to drive characteristic that makes the brand known for. I will say you need any kind of amplification for this, and trust me, the more the merrier.
Sound Impressions
Disclaimer: All the critical listening was done through my Mass-Kobo 475 fed by a Mojo2.
My frequency response graphs are measured using a clone IEC-711 coupler, using stock tips matching the resonance peak at 8k Hz whenever it’s possible. As per usual with this coupler, this resonance peak is usually a coupler artifact (non-existant to the ear) and the measurements after it may not be totally accurate. If you would like to see or compare the graphs for this set and many others, you can do so on my squig.link database.
I find it very hard to describe the Crimson, as it masks like a chameleon for me. During some tracks it comes out as a U-Shaped dynamic machine, just like its baby brother Meteor. On other tracks it sounds just Neutral, with forward female vocals and an airy presentation. But what is even more interesting is that if you are in the mood to party up, the Crimson cranks that party to 11.
Right out of the gate, the Crimson graphs and sounds like a warm balanced IEM, but there’s so much more to it than it appears to be. Despite the relatively modest bass shelf, don’t let it fool you – it slaps.
Objectively speaking, the bass shelf is very tight inside its boundaries, with minimal to none bleed into the lower mid-range thanks to its focus being on the sub-bass almost exclusively. On most tracks that don’t go as low, the bass seems pretty average in quantity, but if the sub-bass is called (Limit To Your Love or Love Lockdown or Slow Walking), your brain rattles – reminding me of a toned down Maestro Mini.
Despite not being a mid-bass cannon (in comparison), the Crimson still has a lot of “oomph” to its replay of GMT and exhibits an outworldly texture during Two One Six.
Since there’s no bleed, the mid-range of the Crimson is best described as clean and neutral, but never thin – warm tilted if you will. Despite that, the female vocals are forward thanks to a well pronounced pinna gain region, but never shouty or aggressive (especially thanks to that 4.5k hz dip). Lana’s voice on A&W is soft but not overly rounded, but for those that enjoy harman upper mid-range, this won’t be for you.
To end the tonality in a high note, Crimson has a terrific treble, but it might not be for everyone. If you are treble sensitive or love dark IEMs, please refrain. The treble is neutral, but present and energetic. The brass section on Hail To The Real Chief completely mesmerized me on my first audition, and it still does some days later. Esther’s violin on Paganini Variation is neatly harmonic extended, thanks to a semi-flat curve, with incredible and controlled extension.
I say “semi-flat” because in reality, the Crimson displays a lot of small peaks in the treble, that I’m sure help contribute to the psychoacoustics of the replay, as the technical signature of the Crimson is a continuation of the bliss, and what makes it stick out its neck on a flagship war: it does have what it takes to compete with the best. From great details and dynamics to some terrific imaging capabilities – that put you right in the middle of the stage and present the sound holographically around you like in Fear Inoculum, – the Crimson does it all. It is clear that nothing is perfect and if I had to nitpick, I would say that coherency isn’t this set’s best trait.
Final Thoughts
I do not think the Symphonium Crimson will be one to rule them all. I even think it will be polarizing in its bass dominance and treble zing, but I’m pretty sure most of those who will try it will enjoy it.
I started the year with the mindset that nowadays, a set must do something different to belong in my collection. It has to have that “something-something” that we all look for when listening to our library, and this is where the Crimson took me by surprise.
A close friend asked me right away what I did like about the Crimson and one of the phrases I told him was “It’s not cookie cutter. It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s the future.”, and I still live by those words. According to Symphonium brochures, it is the new standard, but I much rather prefer to call it the new benchmark.
Provisional Personal Rank: 9.
If you would like to see how this and other sets rank against each other, you can do so on my spreadsheet database.
Thanks for reading!
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