Today, we are reviewing the Cosmic Ears C8A, the latest – and highest – custom in-ear from the brand. A CIEM, assembled by hand in the UK, priced at €1.399 EUR (before customization).
Disclaimer: the Cosmic Ears C8A was sent to me free of charge by the brand, in exchange for our honest opinion.
Cosmic Ears
Founded in 2015, Cosmic Ears is a boutique IEM manufacturer based in Manchester, UK, specializing in custom-fit monitors. A small company which, rather than chasing hype or trends, quietly built its reputation on word of mouth, offering solid engineering, modular driver configurations, and handcrafted shells—all made in-house.
A small business led by Philip Gartell, an avid triathlon runner who doubles as an audiophile with an avionics engineering background and (very) strong entrepreneurial drive. A man I had the chance to meet more than ten years ago, at the very first CanJam Essen, and he also turned out to be one of the nicest guys I’ve encountered in this industry.
And, if not as popular or renowned as other American makers such as 64audio, Cosmic Ears, over the years, has established itself as a favorite among both musicians and audiophiles, thanks to their refreshingly direct approach: bespoke solutions with transparent service, at a conservative pricing.
A dedication to detail and relentless R&D that earned the team many awards, and a global recognition, spreading their “British Sound” in both audiophiles, and musicians ears.
So when they reached out to me, offering a chance to review their latest flagship, the Cosmic Ears C8A, I immediately jumped upon the occasion.
Order process
Usually, I begin my reviews with a little paragraph about the design and look of the product. But, as fully customizable gear, this time, I’ll put the spotlight on the ordering process – something that will keep all, or many, first time buyers awake, prior to their purchase.
Why? Because, like a bespoke car, options are almost limitless, allowing you to create you very own, unique, CIEM. One that won’t look like any other, or so you may hope.
Back in the days, you had to print product sheets, and tick numerous boxes, or send your own visuals to the manufacturer’s graphic designer, in hope that he/she would be able to transcribe faithfully the design you envisioned.
A long, tedious, process, that included many, many, back and forth between you and the brand… but that’s not the case anymore, all thanks to technological enhancement offered by modern web navigators.
An improvement that blew me away, as soon as I entered the Cosmic Ears’s configurator. Not only did everything appear through a 3D viewer, displaying a pin-point representation of my future-to-be CIEM, I could even check in real time every modification I did.
Sure, compared to AI or driver-less cars, that may seem a bit… basic, even normal nowadays but, for me that had to cross my fingers each time that I ordered a CIEM back in the day, in hope that everything that I asked for would be correctly implemented – those were night and day improvements.
From the faceplate color/finish, to the box laser engraving, everything was swift and easy to do. So much, that I expedited my order in just a few minutes, whereas it took me days, even weeks of reflection on my “old” Unique Melody Maestro … Bonus points for the case opening animation, displaying the top swiveling: totally unnecessary, but absolutely lovely. Kudos to the team!
Last but not least, you’ll have to take ear impression at your local audiologist, and send them to the team – that’s the “custom” in the name. You could also scan those same ear prints and send the STL files to the brand, but not every audiologist offer this option – mine didn’t.
Shell
Surprise surprise, the C8A turned out… flawless. Who’d knew?
More seriously, Cosmic Ears has been renowned for their craft-quality for years now, and the CIEM I received perfectly followed that trend. An exquisite, tailor-made, realization that looked exactly like the one I designed on their website, a few weeks ago.
A CIEM that may not match the ingeniosity or passion I saw on their website, but leaving me quite happy with the result :
- solid black body
- gold fonts on the left one, silver one of the right
- glimmering green/grey faceplate for the left side, zebra black/ivory for the right
- and a ProX cable to match
Of course, possibility are endless, so you better check their lookbook to get some fresh ideas. That’s up to you.
Build quality
Even though not exactly cheap, the Cosmic Ears C8A’s build quality has to be praised, matching what you’d expect from a bespoke creation.
The shell feels sturdy, with no cracks or unnecessary bumps and, upon closer inspection, I was not able to spot any visible flaws or gaps. The 2-pin socket is recessed, my glimmering faceplate tightly integrated and, most importantly, the shells perfectly fitted my ears – which is the goal with custom in-ears.
The acrylic itself exuded confidence too, with good thickness and no hollow sensation wherever I touched. Nothing new under the sun but, for the price, you’d expect no less. So far so good, so let’s see how they fit.
Comfort
CIEMs are hit or miss, clear and simple. If you did your ear impressions correctly, and if they arrived in good condition to the factory, you should get a perfect fit for your ear – like a tailored shirt, or custom shoes. Of course, accident happen – I encountered that once, and had to order a refit – but in this case, my C8A were perfect and effortlessly fitted my ears.
It’s a strange sensation at first, one very different from your usual in-ears with silicon/foam tips, and you might need a few minutes to get accustomed to it, at first. But, once the acrylic gets warm, they should completely disappear in your ears, like these did with me.
Isolation
Another nice feature with CIEMs, is their ability to block external noise, sometimes even better than ANC ones. Nothing surprising though, thick acrylic combined with ear-filling plugs offers – almost – the same level of sound isolation offered by custom hearing protection.
On paper, the Cosmic Ears C8A should be able to provide a noise attenuation up to -30dB, but realistically, you should get -26dB – which is already amazing.
So, time to check the specs!
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