Eminent Ears Sapphire Review: Is That You, Amber Pearl?
Today, another sparkling face has arrived at our review table – the Eminent Ears Sapphire. We’ve previously reviewed Ruby, Eminent Ears’ debut flagship IEM, which has made quite a noise as it made its first appearance on CanJam SG 2024. Following up on the user demands in both pricing and sound signature, Eminent Ears has put up Sapphire as their second step into the IEM market. Eminent Ears is a premium Hong Kong brand that officially surfaced in 2024, though their roots trace back to 2019 when a small group of friends began tinkering with drivers and shells out of pure passion, which eventually led to the creation of Ruby.
The background story of Sapphire by Eminent Ears
Eminent Ears describes Sapphire as a natural blend of technical precision with musicality. If Ruby was about showing the world what Eminent Ears could do, Sapphire is about solidifying their place in the high‑end IEM scene and showing a different ray of sound signature they could make. Let’s now cut to the chase and dive into the review, check out Sapphire’s features, in-depth sound impressions, and compare Sapphire against other IEMs, including Ruby, its predecessor. Sapphire is a 1DD+4BA+1BCD tribrid IEM and is priced at $1400. Below is the overview summary IEM and cable specifications.
Sapphire Specifications
- Plug: 4.4 mm
Drivers: 1 DD + 4 BA + 1 BCD
Interface: 2 Pin ( 0.78 mm )
Sensitivity: 108 dB
Frequency Response Range: 20 Hz-20 kHz
Impedance: 14 Ω
4-Way Crossover Design
Cable Designed by Vortex Cables
Vortex Cable Specifications
- Material: Silver Plated Copper Alloy
Braiding: Cross Braiding
Diameter: 1.6 mm / Core
Interface: 2 Pin (0.78 mm)
Plug: 4.4 mm Balanced
Plug material: Gold-Plated Copper
Metal parts: Oxidized Aluminum Alloy
Cable length: 123 cm (±2 cm)
Cable structure: Independent Winding LITZ Structure
Protective cover: PVC
The Jewelry-like Packaging
Sapphire comes in a packaging box that reminds me of one that comes with a jewelry product (perhaps due to the Eminenet Ears logo). With a black/gold color tone, removing the outer sleeve reveals a protective paper slip and the IEMs. The earpieces are stored nicely on top, and a carrying case is placed on the bottom.
Other than the earpieces, Sapphire comes with a leather case, a custom Vortex stock cable, 3 pairs of Vocal eartips, 3 pairs of Balanced eartips, and a user manual. The carrying case has a nice leather finish with a soft texture on the inside, but the size is on the smaller side – the earphones could fit in, but need to roll up well to do so, and using a thicker cable than the original stock cable would probably not fit into the provided case. However, the positive side is that they’ve paid good attention to the eartips and cable, overall making a decent offering for the accessories. For the cable, we’ll talk further below.
Earpieces – Subtle yet Gemstone Visuals
Sapphire comes dressed in a deep blue faceplate, layered with glossy crystalline shards that shimmer under light, creating a jewel‑like depth and sparkle. The design language remains faithful to Eminent Ears’ gemstone concept, though Sapphire feels calmer and more elegant compared to Ruby’s bold red hue. The body is finished in a semi-transparent blue resin with faint specks of midnight blue glitter beneath the surface. Sapphire uses flush standard 2pin connectors with tight connections. The shell ergonomics are well done – shells got a bit smaller with nozzles that are adjusted in angle and shorter than Ruby, making it easier to comfortably wear for extended listening sessions.
Technical Details & Highlights of Sapphire
Sapphire uses a 1DD+4BA+1BCD setup, housing a 9-driver config. At its core lies a 10mm SPM complex diaphragm dynamic driver, responsible for delivering bass with both weight and texture. The midrange is handled by 4BA drivers, which are two Knowles and two custom-made by Eminent Ears. The Knowles drivers are tasked with low‑mids and mid frequencies, ensuring a smooth connection with the low-ends. The custom BAs focus on upper mids and trebles, which Eminent Ears emphasizes these BAs as a “bridge” between bass and treble, preventing sound cancellations and ensuring a seamless tonal flow.
Sapphire and Ruby both feature identical driver counts for the dynamic and balanced armature units. The distinction lies in their final driver choice that Ruby incorporates two electrostatic (EST) super‑tweeters to extend the ultra‑highs, whereas Sapphire opts for a Sonion bone conduction driver (BCD) to enhance resonance and add weight to the lower frequencies. Sapphire continues Eminent Ears’ gemstone‑inspired tribrid architecture, but with a fresh twist. Building upon the foundation laid by Ruby’s clarity and refinement, Sapphire now aims more towards musicality and smoothness.
Introducing the ICRS (Individual Chamber Resonance System)
Sapphire features Eminent Ears’ specialty tech that was first used on Ruby – called the ICRS (Individual Chamber Resonance System). This technology, ICRS, was invented based on the arrangement of an orchestra and the acoustic design of concert halls, and by individually dividing and placing each driver in their ideal position, Eminent Ears describes that this allows Ruby to achieve a soundstage in both horizontal and vertical dimensions.
Special Cable: Collaboration with Vortex Cables
Born in Hong Kong, Vortex Cables has quickly become one of the most talked‑about names in the custom cable scene—and all for good reasons. Their cables are widely used across the community, and the brand has gained even more recognition through collaborations with various IEM makers. Eminent Ears is among those who have partnered with Vortex Cables.
Sapphire is bundled with a custom‑grade Vortex cable made exclusively for Eminent Ears. It’s a Litz 4‑braid SPC alloy wire cable, with the plug and Y‑split crafted from lightweight yet durable stainless steel. The Y‑split carries Vortex’s signature triangular logo, while the opposite side is engraved with Eminent Ears’ emblem. The cable is terminated in 4.4mm balanced. The stock cable is very soft, light, and flexible, making it a great fit for listeners who dislike bulky or microphonic upgrade cables. It offers the ease and comfort of a typical stock cable, yet without compromising on build or sound quality.
Next Page: In-depth Sound Impressions / How does Sapphire Sound?