Capella is one of the up and coming gadget companies in the Philippines that offers great value for money and performance in their products. As a perfect example, we loved how good sounding their Capella Curve Bluetooth Speaker and their how helpful the Andromedia powerbank to use. Aside from those first two devices, they also sent us an interesting looking in ear monitor called the SP11 for review. So let's begin!
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| Meet the SP11 |
Unboxing
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| Capella curve packaging |
The Capella SP11 comes in a very simple box. Nothing too flashy and its very easy to open. The IEM also comes in 3 different colors: pink, blue and gold.
Specifications
- Frequency: 20~20 khz
- Driver Size: 10 mm
- Impedance: 32 ohms
- Sensitivity: 111 dB
- Cable Length: 1.25m
- Plug: 3.5mm Gold Plated
Accessories
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| Gel silicon tips |
LAside from the Capella SP11 itself, the in ear monitors also included 3 sizes of silicon eartips to choose from. I would have liked it better though if they included even just a soft carrying case.
Build Quality
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| The gold plated 3.5mm plug |
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| The Y-Splitter |
Aesthetics-wise, the SP-11 is on an above average side. The body reminds me of the old A4tech in ear monitors before. It feels solid and won't break that easily unless you abuse the set. It has an aluminum body, durable looking cloth braided cables, metal strain reliefs and y slitter. I have one concern though, the strain relief can stress the cables sometimes when you bend it with force accidentally as it it not flexible, but overall I guess that this unit can last for a long while.
Comfort / Isolation / Microphonics
Comfort / Isolation / Microphonics
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| Capella SP11 body |
Comfort-wise, the Capella SP-11 is a lightweight set that you can wear without noticing it. However, there are times that the edges of the metal hits your skin one may not like. As a solution, I used the largest tip available to wear it on a shallow fit for the best comfort possible. Isolation-wise, this unit has a lot of it, I just don't know how many dB it can isolate, but when you wear this you won't be able to hear the person beside you talking. So as most IEM, this is not advisable to wear while crossing the streets for your safety. This unit is also microphonic so you can wear it over-ear to lessen the cable noise.
Sound Quality
Earlier, I said that this unit is interesting. Why? It is because this unit has good audio quality for the price! It has that U shaped sound signature that's warm and smooth without sacrificing too much of the audio clarity. The bass extends deep, doesn't feel bloated and rumbles when needed. The vocals was also clear enough for most with good details. Then the highs the treble is also quite clear and comparable to the Mi Pistons 2.0/2.1. The soundstage is on the average side, but this has good vocal and instrumental separation. To my ears the sound of the SP11 this is a tad more refined than the bang per buck goodness of the Philips SHE3590.
This set is also pretty easy to drive and responds very well to equalization. Overall, this is an enjoyable set that could be good with most genres like pop, rock and hiphop.
Earlier, I said that this unit is interesting. Why? It is because this unit has good audio quality for the price! It has that U shaped sound signature that's warm and smooth without sacrificing too much of the audio clarity. The bass extends deep, doesn't feel bloated and rumbles when needed. The vocals was also clear enough for most with good details. Then the highs the treble is also quite clear and comparable to the Mi Pistons 2.0/2.1. The soundstage is on the average side, but this has good vocal and instrumental separation. To my ears the sound of the SP11 this is a tad more refined than the bang per buck goodness of the Philips SHE3590.
This set is also pretty easy to drive and responds very well to equalization. Overall, this is an enjoyable set that could be good with most genres like pop, rock and hiphop.
Lossless Tracks Used:
1. Better Days - Franco
2. Constantly - Nina Live!
3. American Idiot - Green Day
4. Shatter Me - Lindsey Stirling
5. Royals - Lorde
DAP Used:
MyPhone Rio 2
FiiO X1
ASUS Transformer T100
Pro's - Good sound for the price and durable build quality
Con's - Microphonic, have slightly sharp edges that could affect comfort (I stated a solution above)
Verdict
This is one of the bargains in the sub 1K department. It has that good Capella house sound that can be good with most genres, decent build quality and good isolation. It is also fairly easy to drive that should work well even if you are just using your phone.
Links: http://capellaph.com/products/capella-sp11-in-ear-earphones-introductory-sale
DAP Used:
MyPhone Rio 2
FiiO X1
ASUS Transformer T100
Pro's - Good sound for the price and durable build quality
Con's - Microphonic, have slightly sharp edges that could affect comfort (I stated a solution above)
Verdict
This is one of the bargains in the sub 1K department. It has that good Capella house sound that can be good with most genres, decent build quality and good isolation. It is also fairly easy to drive that should work well even if you are just using your phone.
Links: http://capellaph.com/products/capella-sp11-in-ear-earphones-introductory-sale
