Deep, Punchy Bass without the Bombastic
In case you have been let down that Ruby only uses a rather classic DD+BA+EST combo with a single dynamic driver driving the bass, your thoughts will likely change to the positive side once listening – at least I did when I first auditioned during the Canjam exhibition. Ruby’s dynamic driver woofs quality, providing an extremely lush, deep-diving bass response that fully plenishes the lower atmosphere with an abyss-like weight and bass tone.
The bass scales are large and plentiful in quantity for both ultra-lows and sub-bass. However, what really got me impressed is the control Ruby has across the low range. The sub-bass doesn’t get bloated or intrude on the lower mids but instead keeps the bass tightly controlled. Agile kicks and smooth, natural decay don’t drag on but also allow enough time for the bass to linger for a realistic, pleasant aftertaste. I would say the bass quantity is stronger than lightly v-shaped but not head-ringing, basshead level either.
It’s a quantity that makes the bass’s existence very prominent yet keeps the bass even in positioning and nuance throughout the low-frequency. Ruby does a fine job keeping this even, consistent bass flow, which is one of the benchmarks I consider when evaluating how good a company is in sound tuning. Ruby passes my bass evaluation to quite a satisfactory extent.
Up-Close Vocals with Vivid Clarity – Without Shoutiness.
Ruby’s vocals have a cheerful, clarity-based presentation where gentle airiness is spread across the mid-range. It has a neutral-bright, sweetened tone that makes the vocals sound tasteful and colorful but not actually colored or distorted in timbre. Also, the vocals are crisp and are stepped forward but not detached. The lows and mids are cleanly divided, though the low-mid transition is done with good consistency.
Overall, Ruby’s mid-range reminds me of AME Gaia (Review link) where vocals are penetrative or resolution-digging in nature and still preserves a natural and musical nature, resulting in a very detail-oriented vocal range but not irritating to the ears. Ruby has a neutral thickness for the mid-range, allowing enough fullness and scale for the vocals. The vocals are packed with good density despite their neutral thickness, hence, the vocals don’t sound hollow or watered-down in tone.
Alongside, the timbre and texture of the vocals are rendered well to play along with the lows and highs, creating a cohesive sound nuance across the range. Upper vocals gently introduced a bit more open-field air and shine. However, it doesn’t get anywhere near the point of getting shouty or overly bright. Ruby’s vocals achieve satisfactory depth and spatial details, overall targeting the general user’s ideal way of how a flagship IEM’s midrange should sing.
Highs – All about the crispness and Tiny Details.
Ruby defies the stereotype that BA drivers are inferior to EST by achieving just about the same performance as well as the common benefits/characteristics of ESTs only using BAs. The highs of Ruby are extremely refined, even when compared to those that use EST drivers, providing a silky-smooth texture that displays the micro-fine threads of treble textures.
However, if you pair Ruby with a bright-sounding DAP (LPGT, SP2000SS, etc.) and play treble-heavy tracks/genres, the trebles could occasionally get less organized and start to scatter across the field, but this doesn’t happen rarely. Most tracks pair well with Ruby, while heavy metal or rock may have the separation compromised. However, if you pair it with warmer-sounding DAPs, I wasn’t able to detect this issue.
Alongside, speaking of treble, one of Ruby’s strongest specialties shines thanks to the trebles – the separation. As the name says, Ruby is also a master of delivering instrumental and treble separation. Even for tracks that involve complicated or multiple instruments, Ruby easily and accurately separates each instrument and makes the whole set of instruments get along as well.
Sure, strict separation can be found from other TOTL IEMs. Yet making these extremely well-separated instruments feel organized and interacting with each other to create a wholesome presentation is what truly differentiates or makes Ruby stand out from the others – as for in this field, Ruby is one of the finest I have heard from this price range.
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