Apevoix Grit's Review - Budget Tribrid that doesn't sound budget at all!

 

General/Packaging/Comfort/Build

Apevoix is a new brand that’s unheard (at least to me) of, the brand’s only IEM which is the Grit with a 1DD+4BA+1BC drivers configuration, given the asking price, with a BC in the spec sheet, the Grit is sure to grab a lot of attention.

The packaging is very minimal but comes in a very nice hard case, although a little bit too big in my opinion, but very nice and you can basically just chuck a few items in the box if you opt to remove the sponge that are in the box. Within the box is a nicely braided and high quality cable that seems to have very good synergy with the Grit, and some generic eartips.

In terms of comfort, the shell is slightly big but i don’t feel any discomfort throughout my listening session, i am using a S sized eartips in order to get a deeper insertion, but this is entirely up to you, M or S, i am getting a good seal.

Equipment and Software used

• Aune S9C

• Fiio M23

• Dunu DTC 480

• Apple Music/Tidal/foobar2k

• Dita Navigator

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression

Upon first listening impression, the Grit sounds very fun and smooth to my ears. I would say it's quite natural overall with a boost on the mid bass region, treble has sufficient details but not offensive. Slight warmish tonality with fairly natural timbre, still a slight hint of BA timbre is there if you pay real hard attention to it. Imaging is very impressive, possibly from the BC driver. 

Bass

• The bass has fairly good speed and it doesn’t sound bloated or muddy when listening to busy tracks such as Slipknot’s People’s = Shit!, Metallica’s Lux Aeterna, it handled the speed drumming and kick flawlessly without bleeding into the mids

• Sub bass rumble is very evident but doesn’t go that deep, i wouldn’t say this is something a basshead would look for, but for others, it has enough fun factor

• The transition from sub to mid bass is very good, the mid bass doesn’t lack punch and the sub and mid bass complement each other very well, mid bass doesn’t sound thin

• The bass has good texture and doesn’t sound “loose”

• Despite having only 1 DD, the bass is very impactful and it is very fun when you are watching movies or gaming with it

Mids

• The mids are neither too forward nor recessed, just right to my ears

• Vocal positioning is just nice, just imagine the artist is probably 5-6 steps away from you

• Male and female vocal has good texture to it and doesn’t sound thin, i would prefer the female vocal to have a little bit more bite, but given the overall smooth nature of Grit’s tuning, this is understandable

• The bass doesn’t bleed into this range which is good

• Pinna gain is rather safe and never shouty even when the volume is being cranked up, those who are sensitive in this range can consider the Grit

Treble

• Treble is smooth and non offensive, but retains enough energy to not sound dark

• Despite having a smooth treble response, treble extension is quite good for this set depending on your personal preference, if you are someone who wants to hear every single detail in the track, the Grit might not be the one for you

• Amount of air and presence is average but this is understandable as it is the tuning that they strive for

• Detail retrieval is good enough, but not for critical listeners

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is out of your head with good width, depth and height perception is good

• Separation is good for the asking price, i would say it is above average for the price point

• Imaging is very good as the instruments can be pinpointed easily even during busy track, certain complex orchestral track might not perform that well

Driveability

• Grit is not hard to drive but it does scale well with more power, in terms of dynamics and bass control

• Most of the entry level/mid range dongles will do just fine but desktop setup will squeeze every bit out of the Grit

Comparison (Letshuoer’s Cadenza 4) 

• Slightly cleaner sounding compared to Grit, in terms of tonality

• Treble is smooth but resolution and detail retrieval capability is slightly better than Grit

• Soundstage is rather 2D-ish and narrower compared to Grit, imaging is not as good

• Mids has good body and vocals are not too recessed nor forward in the mix, it is the star of the show for Cadenza 4

• Upper mids are not perceived as shouty as well

• Very natural timbre overall and note weight is neither thin nor overly thick

• Lesser bass quantity but good quality bass, and the focus of bass is more on the mid bass rather than sub bass, whereas Arete has a smooth transition between the sub and mid bass, hence both the sub and mid bass is very good, also, slightly more in terms of bass quantity

• Overall, Cadenza 4 is tuned differently and targeted at different audience, both the Grit and Cadenza 4 are good sets, so at the end of the day, it depends on your preference

Final Thoughts

As the brand’s first IEM, Grit is definitely no slouch. Personally, I think the pricing and the configuration has caught a lot of attention. 

It does well with quite a lot of genres that i’m listening to, but Grit is not for someone who craves resolution and energetic treble, i’m not saying that the treble is bad, but it is just smooth and slightly lacking the energy that treble heads are looking for.

I would even go as far as saying the Grit its punching above its price point, at 229$, with the sonic performance as well as the build quality that it offers, i will not hesitate in recommending the Grit to anyone who likes this sort of sound signature that i have described in this review.

*A big thanks to Linsoul for sending this over for the purpose of this review. Thanks for the support and opportunity as always

Head over to their store if you are interested in getting a pair:

Apevoix Grit - Non Affiliated - Non affiliated