Technical Performance and Sources
The sound stage is quite good and it’s both wide and deep, while depth is more impressive. The Stark and Blade models sound a bit wider when compared though. It has good separation but sometimes the mid-bass gets in the way with bass-heavy recordings. Otherwise, it separates the instruments very well. Especially for its warm and organic presentation, the Corsa has a surprising separation indeed. The Blade is also very impressive for overall layering so it’s no slouch in that regard.
The stereo imaging is good and positioning is nice as well. The Corsa has great control over everything from bass to treble and that is also one of its qualities. However, you might hear a bloated bass with bad and bassy recordings. The tonality is the part the Blade does well, especially against the Stark. Overall resolution is very good but it’s not on an amazing level. The best part about the Corsa however is its balance and coherency. It’s very pleasing to listen to IEM over longs periods of time. It’s smooth, organic, and very musical.
Source-wise I recommend a source that can give a clean presentation with a flat response. I’ve been using the Corsa with the Dethonray DTR1, unsurprisingly. With a source like that, you can take full advantage of that musical presentation and combine it with a technical-sounding source. It sounds even better with the AK SP2000, with an impressive layering and staging performance. Its warm tuning fits nicely to the SP2000’s sound character (SS version).
Earsonics Corsa
Comparisons
FiiO FH7
The FH7 is the best FiiO IEM I’ve listened to so far. It costs similar and it has several tip options for altering the sound. Build quality-wise the FH7 is a very good IEM but the Blade simply betters it with its magnesium alloy. The fit is just a notch better with the Blade with the double flange tips. But that’s subjective.
The FH7 and the Corsa sound equally good in mids, and I like Corsa’s timbre better. However, the FH7 offers more rumble and kick in the bass. In mids, the Corsa sounds a bit warmer. Treble is just a bit better in the FH7 with more extension. The Corsa also has a wider and deeper sound stage.
The tonality is romantic and unique with the Corsa, whilst the FH7 has a more classic approach to timbre. So overall they’re not much apart but the Corsa has the advantages in terms of overall sound-stage, timbre, and mids. If you like vocals, you can go with the Corsa.
Final Audio B3
The B3 has a neutral tuning with a brighter approach to the sound. It has a better resolution and transparency compared to Corsa, and it has a more resolving & clear nature. Corsa again sounds wider and deeper with slightly better layering especially in terms of length. Again, the Corsa is warmer and more organic with more romanticism.
Build quality is very impressive on both but the B3 fits a bit better with a smaller footprint. Its cable has a more premium feel with a better build quality to me. If you are a fan of Earsonics’ house sound, the Corsa is a very good choice for the price. But if you want a brighter and cleaner approach, the B3 is the better choice.
Earsonics ES5
The ES5 is another example of a full-bodied and warm Earsonics IEM. This one has many fans out there for its organic and fully warm approach. The ES5 I think has a better treble response with more definition and the same can be said for its bass. Mids are warm and romantic on both, and they both have a nice tonality that can please your ears with a smooth and easy-going nature. The Blade again has a better sound stage, and I think it also has better separation.
Other than sound quality, the Earsonics Blade’s build is much much better and there’s no competition here. The ES5 however is much lighter so it can provide you a more comfortable fit but that comes with the cost of a fragile plastic build. Also, when you get accustomed to the Blade, the fit factor is not that critical. So if you want to try the new chassis of Earsonics flavor, you can switch to the Corsa. But overall I think the ES5 is a bit more impressive in terms of sound quality alone.
Conclusion
The Earsonics Corsa is a good performing IEM from Earsonics, and it has much much more value than the bigger brother Stark. It has a nice technical performance. The sound stage, separation, layering, depth, resolution, and mids are all quite impressive. The tonality is also very nice to listen to. Overall I personally think that the Corsa is more coherent and balanced than the Stark, just like the Blade.
Do I like it better than the Blade? Not really, but it’s very close except for the bass quantity and rumble, and the treble extension. Everything else is quite similar. If you want to chop your budget a bit for a new IEM purchase and you’re in between Blade and Corsa, you can definitely pull the trigger on this one. This is especially the case if you listen to bass-light genres like Jazz and vocal-oriented music.
For its warmth, tonality, balance, and sound-stage qualities, this is a good pick in the Mid-Fi area. Just don’t forget to pair it up with a neutral-sounding source. Yet, I would recommend saving a bit more and getting the Blade.
Page 3 – Technical Performance, Comparisons, and Conclusion
