Sound Impressions: Bass
Igris’ bass embodies pretty much all you’d expect from a dynamic driver – elastic bass grooves, deep ultra-lows, punchy sub-bass, and powerful dynamics. Lows sound thick and bold. With a masculine manner, the bass drops deep and expands wide. The texture is elastic and smooth while unveiling micro surface textures with clarity. Powerful low-ends often trade off clarity, though that doesn’t seem to be much of a case for Igris, as the bass doesn’t get dull or muddy. Keeping things organic yet high resolution. The sub-bass depth and weight are excellent with juicy richness. I’d like to compare the bass thumps to biting into a juicy, thick steak.
The sub-bass quantity is stronger than those that are slightly v-shaped, but also a bit less than the aggressive bassheads. This makes Igris suitable to be called an all-rounder. Pay close attention to drum rolls: Igris renders the tone, texture, and dynamics of the bass in a way that feels realistic and vivid, like a live performance. Earphones that are often marketed for bass or rock/metal often conjure the image of a “bass machine” – booming bass, bland tonality, rolled-off mids and highs, or, in simpler terms, dull timbre with blunted detail. Igris is distinctly different from your usual basshead/metalhead IEMs.
Sound Impressions: Mids
Take this with a pinch of salt, though I’ve found Igris’ vocals/trebles to punch way above its price, being competable with even higher-priced flagships or summit-fis. I’ve found the sheer base performance of Igris to be very good. This doesn’t mean it simply pumps high-res sound in a raw or brute-force way – instead, Igris’ vocals are a combination of damp, lively timbre with fine, butter-smooth texture. The overall combination of these creates highly elegant and meticulous vocals. For example, I wouldn’t have issues comparing it with Forte Ears Macbeth or Canpur CP622B. Igris holds its ground firmly in both scale and tuning quality.
Vocals have a neutral, warm timbre and are placed slightly forward. Igris is passionate about actively revealing micro details and unveiling the vocals, but also smooth and non-fatiguing. Sibilance is also not a factor for Igris, as the mid-range shows incredible stability and consistency throughout the spectrum (one of my biggest reasons for comparing Igris with Macbeth and CP622B). Quite surprising how soothing Igris sounds despite its analytic abilities.
Sound Impressions: Highs / etc.
During my encounter at CanJam and portable audio exhibitions, Mr. Song, the founder and engineer of AME, shared a few stories about how Igris was a long project that took a long time to perfect, especially for finding the perfect adjustments that could link up the drivers in harmony, and for a stunning sound. Welp, this may come across as too big a praise, though I’ve gotta say, the treble timbre of Igris is so well and seamlessly harmonized with the lower frequencies, as if being powered by a single driver that has the ability to cover all frequencies. I can see (and hear) the confidence that Mr.Song showed for Igris.
I’m convinced that Igris offers the most comfortable trebles to listen to among the IEMs that uphold the same upper frequency presence and details, at least the ones I’ve heard anytime recently. Highs are slightly forward with a crystal-clear treble presence, yet AME cleverly tuned the thighs so that they won’t get fatiguing. Extremely refined in texture, profounded micro details, yet silky smooth to the ears. The treble timbre and performance are similar to Forte Ears Macbeth, but Igris is a lot smoother and warmer. Realistic, breathing-like liveliness of the instruments and ambiance is a key enjoyment of Igris. There’s still room for treble-shy users finding the upper frequencies bright, though I doubt there are many that would be fatigued by this level of treble. Highs are very subdued in fatigue and brightness for its level of detail, and most users would find it pleasing. Headroom is holographic and wide, creating a large, spherical staging.
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