EarAcoustics SPA High End Max's Review - Tasteful V Shape

 

General/Packaging/Build/Comfort

For those who are not aware, EarAcoustics is a rebrand/sub brand of TFZ that was quite popular back then.The SPA and STA series is their comeback and there are a lot of variants in the two series. The model that i have with me today is the SPA High End Max, from what i gathered, this model is aluminium hence the build quality is very solid. The cheaper variant is resin shell if I am not mistaken,in terms of tuning, I am not sure because I only have one unit with me for this review.  The packaging of SPA High End Max is no slouch when it comes to the presentation and packaging, within the box, it consists of a very high quality cable, sadly it is non modular and only available in 3.5mm termination, standard eartips as well as the tuning nozzles. The shell is all metal and the unit feels very solid, as with most mirror finish IEM, the SPA High End Max is prone to fingerprints and micro scratches as well. The configuration is a 1DD. In terms of comfort, I have no issues wearing the unit for long sessions (2-3 hours). 

Gears used for this review

• Earmen L-Amp

• Questyle M18i

• Dunu DTC800

• iFi Hip Dac 3

• EarAcoustics SPA High End Max with stock tips and cable

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

The overall tuning is leaning towards V shaped with quite a bit of energy on the top end but not to the point where it is harsh. It doesn’t sound dry nor lean. There’s also a slight mid bass emphasis to add the slight warmth or thickness to the overall frequency. Nothing to fault in terms of timbre, very natural sounding overall. It does reminds me a little bit of analogue speaker kind of sound signature with a mid bass boost and some rumble on the sub bass

Bass

• The bass is definitely the strength of this IEM, not the highest quality bass in terms of control and quantity, but it does offers a bunch of fun

• Sub bass does rumble when the track calls for it, but I wouldn't say it is anywhere near bass head territory

• The transition from sub bass to mid bass is quite linear

• It has very good texture in my opinion, mid bass on the other hand is very punchy, very very nice when you are listening to Eminem’s track or any other hip hop tracks

• The amount of bass is good enough for my library and tip rolling can help to slightly boost the bass as well, or alternatively iFi HipDac 3’s Xbass does work as well if you want more

Mids

• Timbre sounds correct to me and the midrange does have sufficient details, there is a slight hint of bass bleed into this region

• Vocal doesn’t sound that recessed for a v shaped sound profile, which is quite a surprise to me, both male and female vocal has good texture to it,doesn’t sound thin at all

• In general,i find that the mids are relatively smooth from the lower mids, upper mids do have a bit of energy but not overly boosted, but then again, this ultimately boils down to personal tolerance and preference

Treble

• The treble is energetic but not to the point where it is harsh, out of the box, i would say the treble is really harsh (for me) but it does get smoother after burning them in, it is much more tolerable compared to the unit when it is freshly unboxed

• The SPA High End Max also have a good amount of air that contributes the expansive soundstage

• Detail retrieval is very good for its class, very detailed yet it doesn’t sound clinical and overly analytical 

Soundstage/Imaging

• SPA High End Max has very good and expansive soundstage, good width and height perception as well as the depth, slightly out of the head kind of perception

• Imaging is good,the instruments can be pinpointed easily but it does lack a little finesse when the track gets overly busy, generally it does well

Driveability

• SPA High End Max is relatively easy to drive, but it does scale with amplification, in terms of bass control and dynamics, personally, i prefer pairing it with a neutral or slightly warm source to tame the highs for a more balanced and musical presentation

Comparison (Dunu Falcon Ultra)

• Falcon Ultra is a single DD with swappable nozzle

• The overall tonality of Falcon Ultra is slightly warmer due to a more relaxed treble presentation

• Depending on the nozzle, blue nozzle offers the most analytical presentation but on certain track and after a long listening session, it might be a little fatiguing as the uppers mids and treble can be too much for some

• Gold nozzle on the other hand smoothen things out, a safer upper mids as well as a more relaxed treble

• Bass presentation on the Falcon Ultra is speedy, it doesn’t have that kind of decay from SPA High End Max which offers a little bit more fun

• Both SPA High End Max and Falcon Ultra are fingerprint magnet

Final Thoughts

The past two weeks that i have been using the SPA High End Max on a daily basis for the purpose of this review, i personally find that they are not an all rounder, it does well on certain genre and also perform badly on a certain genre, given the nature of the tuning, that is to be expected. The SPA High End Max does convey alot of fun during my listening session and it does remind me of some sound signature from vintage speakers. It is not class leading in terms of technicalities but the trade off is that the overall signature is fun and engaging. Overall, a 4 star from me. Recommended!

*The SPA High End Max is sent over by EarAcoustics for the purpose of this review. I thank them for the support and opportunity as always

EarAcoustics SPA High End Max Product Page - Non Affiliated

SPA High End Max Store Link - Non Affiliated