Metalure Sola Review: Musically Reference
Lately we’ve been covering a lot of IEMs from old and new brands that involve a lot of complicated multi-driver IEMs. Today, it’s going to be a lot more simplistic – as we’re covering a single DD IEM. I’m talking about Metalure Sola. Originated from New York, Metalure was founded in 2020 by former audio design & engineering members from NuForce. The meaning behind the brand name Metalure signifies their focus on crafting premium in-ear acoustics involving intricate metal craftsmanship.
Starting with their debut product, Wave, followed by the budget-friendly Myst and the flagship Glacier, Metalure presents the latest premium IEM – the Sola. Priced at $729, Sola is a flagship-tier IEM featuring a metal cavity with a single titanium dynamic driver. Let’s see how Sola performs and compares with different IEMs, including the flagship Glacier.
Packaging / Type 4 Litz Coaxial Stock Cable
Sola comes in an orange packaging box with quality accessories. Other than the earpieces, Sola comes with a leather carrying case, a custom-grade stock cable, 3 pairs of silicone tips, 3 pairs of foam tips, a leather tie, and some paperwork. The stock cable has a fixed 4.4mm plug and flush 2pin connectors. It’s a Type 4 Litz coaxial cable comprised of SPC, OCC, and copper alloy. The stock cable has a 2-braid design with an adequate thickness to it. It’s not the smoothest cable I’ve handled, as there’s a subtle springiness to it, though it doesn’t escalate to the point of bothering the usage. Cable parts are made of metal with champagne gold matte finishes.
Earpieces: Single Titanium Dynamic Driver Earpieces
Sola uses a single 10mm titanium diaphragm dynamic driver in a dual-chamber architecture with a high-magnetic-flux coil. Metalure says the chamber design came from calculating resonance frequencies to keep them from interfering with each other, which is the kind of groundwork you’d hope for when a brand asks a single driver to carry the whole range. Nozzles are made with titanium with a gold-plated finish.
Likely the Most Comfortable IEMs I’ve Tried
The cavity follows a semi-custom shape, modeled after the contours of a custom-fit IEM rather than a generic universal shell. It pays off in the fit; the earpieces settle into the ears naturally and stay put without needing much adjustment, and the seal holds well over longer sessions. Metal housings can get heavy quickly, though Sola doesn’t give me any of the sliding or fatigue that heavier metal shells often do.
The PVRT (Pressure Variation Relief Technology)
Sola uses a semi-open faceplate with what Metalure calls PVRT (Pressure Variation Relief Technology), where the brand logo itself works as the functional vent rather than just sitting there as branding. The semi-open design vents internal pressure and helps align the frequency phases. It’s a nice touch of design doing double duty, though the key role is how that affects the airiness of the sound – which we’ll be covering on the next page.
Sola Specifications:
- Driver: 10mm Titanium Diaphragm Dynamic Driver
- Dual-chamber, high-magnetic flux coil structure
- Aluminum Chassis + Gold-plated Titanium Nozzles
- Impedance: 32 Ohm @ 1kHz
- Sensitivity: 103 dB SPL/mW @ 1kHz
- Price: $729
Next Page: In-depth Sound Impressions / How does the Sola Sound and Perform?