Metalure Glacier Review: Ready to Surprise
After leaving a solid impression with their first two models, Wave (Review link) and Myst (Review link), Metalure has quickly established itself as a noteworthy name in the audiophile scene. With their roots in New York and expertise stemming from an ex-NuForce engineer, Metalure continues to expand their lineup with a focus on premium craftsmanship and sonic innovation.
Their latest release, the Glacier, eventually took the bold step forward by releasing the flagship model priced at $1,629. Glacier is a 1DD+6BA+2EST tribrid IEM encased in a sleek, full-metal chassis, reflecting the brand’s signature aesthetics and its name “Metalure”. Let’s dive into what Glacier brings to the table, from its sound performance to its design, and see how it stacks up against its competing TOTL IEMs that sit in a similar price range.
Premium, Stylish Packaging
Since Glacier is the flagship model of their product, Metalure paid a lot more attention to the packaging and accessories. Sliding the white sleeve sideway reveals the actual packaging – a black box with the gold Metalure logo imprinted on it. Once opening the lid shows what you would get.
Other than the earpieces, Glacier comes with a 4.4mm stock cable, a high-quality leather carrying case, a leather strap, a small gold-colored Metalure metal prop plate (written “Crafted by Infinity”), 3 pairs of silicone tips, 3 pairs of foam tips, and paperwork that serves as a user guide.
Pristine Earpieces: Metals & Woods
As briefly mentioned in the prologue, Glacier sports a 1DD+6BA+2EST, 4-way crossover tribrid system. As expected, and again, living up to the Metalure concept, Glacier uses a metal body made of CNC aluminum alloy. The faceplate is finished with prestige-quality wood topped with a resin layer, surrounded by a gold-plated metal rim. The gold-metal “Glacier” and “Metalure” italic letterings are placed on the faceplates to finish off its premium design.
Usability-wise, the earpieces are much lighter than Wave (since they used pure brass for the body), and the inner cavity design has been adjusted to be much more ergonomic, providing a more comfortable and snug fit.
The nozzle and its mesh are made of gold-plated titanium, with a pressure relief vent on the side. Metalure highlighted that they’ve gone through multiple trials and tests to find the right nozzle diameter, material, and mesh thickness to achieve the ideal sonic results. Fine-tuning the sound was also extended to the drivers, using proprietary custom drivers for both the BA and dynamic drivers.
Below are the rest of the specifications for Glacier:
Parameters for Glacier
Impedance:
11 Ohm @ 1K Hz.
11 Ohm @100 Hz.
11 Ohm @ 10K Hz.
Sensitivity:
120 dB SPL/mW @ 1KHz.
Soft, Quality Stock Cable
Glacier comes with an 8-braided single-crystal copper cable with the outer layer shielded in black color. While the cable as a whole may appear a tad thick, they are extremely soft and lighter than it looks as well as compared to other typical 8-braid cables, hence causing no discomfort for outdoor usage, and is flawless when it comes to microphonics. All cable parts (plug, Y-split, chin slider, and 2pin casing) are made of lightweight metal, ensuring better durability.
Next Page: In-depth Sound Impressions / Sound Characteristics