With the introduction of their recent collection of IEMs, Heir Audio have been hard at work at re-modelling standards of monitors and have recently launched the latest in their line of universals: The Heir Audio IEM 8.0. The Heir has an incredible 8 tuned balanced-armature drivers within each earpiece and is the result of a lot of attention to detail and audio expertise.
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| Meet Heir Audio IEM 8.0 |
The Look
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| The look of Heir Audio IEM 8.0 |
Heir combines a breath-taking design with unparalleled sound quality. The faceplate is made of an exotic Siamese rosewood which is individually made by each of Heir’s technicians. The Magnus 1 cable uses a higher percentage of silver, is quadruple-braided and is excellent to the touch.
The Tech
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| 8 balanced-armature driver design |
Heir have imported AVX capacitors, Vishay Inter resistors and OxiCap capacitors. They have packed this all in a relatively small housing material. The IEM itself, as mentioned, uses a 8 balanced-armature driver design.
The Fit
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Fit is outstanding. This is partly down to the smooth housing and also due to the flexible memory cable.
The Accessories
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| The box |
Heir have included a tough OtterBox, 3 silicone tips, 3 black double-flange tips and 3 red-core grey tips. A cleaning tool, elastic cable and micro-fibre cloth has also been used.
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| Eartips included |
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| The Otter Box 3 included |
The Sound
The tonality of the Heir Audio IEM 8.0 offers an incredibly lush and smooth experience. The synergy and coherence between drivers aids the smooth delivery and has become one of the reasons why this has been a classic go-to IEM. It is world-class in this aspect and everything runs like a slick oiled machine so that the user can truly appreciate the beauty of the work of Heir’s sound engineers.
The rumbling lows of the Heir’s bass captivates my attention as a listener. It is truly remarkable and neatly flows into the mid-bass section with ease. Note that there is no distortion but smooth purring which make the Heir very addictive. Though the decay of the bass is not fast and has an exaggerated slowness to them, they offer very good warmth and fullness.
Mids are also smooth and lush as compared to the bass whilst still retaining clarity. They are also more forward in the overall mix of things compared to more V-sounding IEMs like the Earsonics Velvet and DUNU DN-2000. Not all of the micro-details within tracks are revealed but that’s not the purpose of these IEMs. These IEMs are more musical and fun sounding and are a heavenly choice for those sensitive to rough and harsh sounding IEM sets. The notes of the mid-section are thick, engaging and very organic in delivery. It’s for this reason that they are able to work extremely well with a lot of genres. The edgy transient response makes vocals stand out even more as the upper section of the vocals do tend to sound thinner in presence.
Treble has very good air and extension which help the Heir sound fun and enjoyable. Compared to harsher sounding sets such as the UE TF10, the treble of the Heir’s are more laidback but consequently easier on the ears. They tie in quite nicely to the rest of the sound signature which is smooth and engaging.
Soundstage & Imaging
Soundstage is excellent and offers a truly immersive experience. It is not as wide as the DUNU DN-2000 but definitely more 3D sounding. Instrument separation is also great where I am easily able to separate out instruments from within tracks.
Amping
With the Topping NX1, the Heir experiences a more forward mid-section and slightly larger sounding sound-stage. There is little to no background noise and is a good choice for those wanting more volume and depth to the already great sound that the Heir presents with.
Specifications
- 8 Precision Tuned Balanced Armature Drivers
- Four Way Passive Cross Over Design
- 2 Drivers For Low Frequency Production
- 2 Drivers For Middle Frequency Production
- 2 Drivers For High Frequency Production
- 2 Drivers For Ultra High Frequency Production
Conclusion
All in all, the Heir Audio IEM 8.0 is outstanding, a truly classy act and is the best warm-sounding earphone I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Though no analytical in nature, it is relaxing and geared towards those long sessions where you don’t want to analyse the music but just to be taken aback with it. The synergy between the colossal numbers of drivers has also been a hard feat to accomplish with Heir happily taking to the task like a duck to water. With a well-defined and charming signature, I would say that the Heir Audio 8.0 IEM justifies its $999 price and holds up to Heir’s motto of these being “Fit for a King”.
You can buy the Heirs over at: http://www.heiraudio.com/IEM.html
You can buy the Heirs over at: http://www.heiraudio.com/IEM.html
