Review: Akoustyx R-210 & R-220 – Discovery!

Build Quality & Design

Both the R-210 and the R-220 are proudly assembled & tuned in Nashville, Tennessee and designed in the Bay Area, California. So they’re made in the USA of U.S. & imported parts.

The R2-series IEMS are both built from lightweight Aluminum-alloy and sport a polycarbonate IEM casing. They are milled from solid aircraft grade aluminum and anodized with a protective coating, the aluminum-alloy acoustic casing combined with an exclusive type of polymer for the connector & bring out a minimalist design concept. And of course they feature proprietary tuned Balanced Armature drivers by Knowles®. Akoustyx chose the detachable gold plated MMCX (Micro Miniature Coaxial) connectors to hook up the cables.

The build quality of both units is perfect and I couldn’t spot any flaws whatsoever. Akoustyx also specifically chose the tube design (like Etymotic) which is very simple but nice at the same time. No it’s not the flashiest but personally that’s not really needed in my personal opinion. At this price point I prefer to have a top level build quality and sound over a flashy design. The design simply works, with great comfort and isolation on top of it.

Accessories & Cables

The box both monitors come in is very basic and simple and not the most flashy. But it’s a box of a sub $200USD product as well, so again I find what’s inside far more important.

Accessory-wise you get:

• Non-allergic in-ear tips (Small, Medium, Large & 2-Flap).
• One set of Comply™ T-100 premium earphone memory foam tips.
• Neoprene padded storage/carry case, designed to keep your IEM and accessories organized and secure from drops or scratches.
• A user manual

The cable that comes with the R2-series is very nice for the price. Akoustyx chose a Multi-Braided Monocrystalline grade oxygen-free copper cable. More precise: individually coated and Kevlar reinforced braid monocrystalline grade cable to bring out the maximum acoustics quality & reduce cable induced noise. I have to admit I’m a big fan of the provided 3.5mm terminated cable.

The cable comes with a 3-Button in-line mic (works with IOS & Android) but it sounds and feels great as well. You get the convenience of having a single audiophile grade cable which also works with the standard mobile phone functions for both IOS & Android devices. I haven’t felt the need to switch to fancy aftermarket cables at all. A cable of this level at his price point, just is impressive.

Fit, Comfort and Isolation

The wearing style of both IEMs is over the ear but with the memory wire and MMCX connectors, that is extremely easy. The IEMs are light and small and they simply are very comfortable, especially with the foam tips. Every IEM comes with a fitting kit to securely lock the units in your ear, but I have never felt the use to need the kit as the fit was perfect.

For that fitting kit, Akoustyx looked upon a unique system used by military’s special forces, designed and developed in the USA. The patented EarLock® retention kit utilizes seven contact points to lock earpieces in place and fit the same way every time.

Because of the great fit, Akoustyx were able to get an impressive attenuation of -24dB by getting a proper fit with the in-ear silicone gels & the Comply™ tips.

Sound

Akoustyx describes both monitors as having studio reference tuned acoustics. Both units are tuned by music & recording industry professionals to create a precision acoustic signature with transparent & natural audio.

To test and compare them both, I used the Chord Electronics Mojo as it has two 3.5mm outputs, and I used the stock cables.

The R-210

The R-210, the one driver version, sound neutral with great clarity, precision and excellent articulation. The R-210 extends really well for just one driver and especially the width, spaciousness and separation are really good. The depth and layering is the R-210’s strongest but that’s where you have the one driver limitation.

The part on sound continues on the Third and last page of this review, click HERE