Admire Acoustic Nova Review: Holographic Magician
New high-end IEM brands debut every few months, though this one particularly caught my attention – the Nova. Admire Acoustic is a Chinese brand founded by an experienced sound engineer, Bradley, and the Nova is the result of two years of R&D before he felt confident enough to put it in front of the public. Priced at HKD 14,999 (~$1,930 USD), the Nova is a 1DD+8BA+4 Planar Magnetic tribrid with the brand’s proprietary P.F.I. (Precision Crossover Interaction) system. Let’s see what Bradley’s debut has to offer.
The Story Behind Admire Acoustic
As I’m writing this review, I’m sure Admire Acoustic would be a complete new name for anyone, even I didn’t know them until recently. My first encounter with them happened just by chance, during Q3 2025, while the Hong Kong Audio-Visual (HKAV) took place. Nova attracted some notable attention for its first product, particularly among listeners who had time to sit with it, including me. While there isn’t much behind story or information available on the web, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more as they pursue their journey.
Admire Acoustic is built around one person’s engineering ambition. Founder Bradley comes from a sound engineering background, and two years of R&D went into the Nova before it was shown publicly. The core of Admire Acoustic’s technical approach is the P.F.I. system, which Bradley developed to optimize frequency transitions between different driver types and eliminate the phase discontinuities that commonly arise in complex multi-driver configurations.
Packaging / Accessories
Nova arrives in clean, well-built packaging that doesn’t go for the jewelry-level treatment some brands lean into at this price range. The packaging presentation may seem ordinary, but Nova does come with all the necessities. Opening it up reveals the earpieces as well as the accessories. Other than the IEMs, Nova comes with 3 pairs of silicone tips, 3 pairs of foam tips, a cable tie, a leather carrying case, and documentation. The carrying case is made of durable material with smooth finishing inside and out, and is also large enough to store thicker upgrade cables.
6N SPC Stock Cable
Nova ships with a 4-core OCC silver-plated copper cable in a 2-pin to 4.4mm balanced configuration. It looks slim and light from the outside, and the wires are thin with minimal hardware bulk. In handling though, the cable is stiffer than its appearance suggests and is prone to microphonics when moving around, which feels at odds with how lightweight it appears. For stationary desktop listening or seated use, this isn’t a real concern. For commuting or active outdoor use, the stock cable will likely get in the way quickly. Those who plan to use Nova on the go should consider swapping to a softer, lower-microphonic aftermarket cable fairly early.
Earpieces
Nova’s shells are made of resin, featuring deep red-wine shells and stainless steel nozzles. The shell body is semi-transparent (close to opaque) with deep-purple faceplates topped with black stripes and a subtle amount of purple glitter. Quite a nice design factor that keeps off a magical look while keeping it low-profile. The nozzle and shell ergonomics are shaped to fit comfortably in the ears, being very comfortable to be used with most ears. Standard 0.78mm 2pin connectors are used with a flush design.
For the spec, Nova is a 13-driver IEM that utilizes a 1DD+8BA+4MPD tribrid setup. The bass adopts a large 10mm wool cone dynamic driver in an isobaric dual-cavity structure, which uses two chambers in series to extend bass output and reduce distortion. The midrange is handled by 8 custom BA drivers, and 4 custom micro planar drivers for the highs. Planar drivers have been known for their excellent treble performances, though their large size has been the biggest restraint preventing them from being widely used in in-ear monitors. However, MPD (or Micro Planar Driver) solves it by designing a miniaturized planar driver into a balanced armature form factor.
The biggest pitch behind Admire Acoustic’s tech has to do with its P.F.I System. All 13 drivers run through a 4-way P.F.I (Precision Crossover Interaction) System, a precision crossover interaction system that identifies optimal frequency bandwidths to achieve seamless interaction/connection between different frequencies. Admire Acoustic explains that the P.F.I System allows to micro-adjust the crossover component materials and audio characteristics to create a clear, natural sound. When it comes to the sound and how the P.F.I. System interacts in application, we’ll be covering on the next page.
Admire Acoustic NOVA Specifications:
- Drivers: 1x 10mm Wool Cone DD (isobaric) + 8x Custom BA + 4x Custom Planar Magnetic (13 per side)
- Crossover: 4-way P.F.I. System
- Sensitivity: 105dB/mW
- Impedance: 12Ω
- Frequency Response: 10Hz – 40kHz
- Price: HKD 14,999 (~$1,930 USD)
Next Page: In-Depth Impressions / How does the Nova Sound?