Review: Earsonics Purple – Purple Rain

Warm Mode

Even though I consider the Purple’s standard mode a little warm, there’s still a warm mode you can use. This mode unsurprisingly gives the fullest bass response. There’s also a change in treble section so see below:

Bass

The bass in warm mode is quite apparent and punch & rumble are at their highest levels. Surprisingly, there’s not a big bulkiness in the subbass area. It instead is still midbass oriented and the subbass area doesn’t get in the way. Sure, you get more subbass with the warm mode but it’s not something like a Hyla CE-5. Yet, electronic music lovers would love to have this mode.

Mids

Still, the bass doesn’t splash to the other parts of the spectrum so that should be praised. Mids are still clean with good transparency and accentuation. So no big changes here.

Treble

Treble is somewhat a little more laid back with the warm mode and you don’t hear that supremely crisp and articulated treble with the warm mode. So this mode has an effect on treble, unlike the mid section. If bass is your priority though, you can definitely switch to this mode.

Technical Performance

The technicalities of the Purple are certainly impressive. The biggest features that impressed me are the overall crispness, resolution, dynamics and transparency. The Purple gives you a very clear sound with the tight & standard modes and it doesn’t disappoint in terms of tonality in standard mode. Therefore my choice of tuning is standard with every genre, maybe except for with EDM. Is the mid transparency outstanding? No, there are some IEMs which perform better than the Purple in this regard, but those will probably cost you even more, and they might not have this dynamic and crisp presentation.

Earsonics Purple

Sound stage is not big or deep and this is not the area that the Purple amazes me with. It instead gives you a little more “in your face” kind of sound but don’t think that as a very close stage. You can imagine you’re a bit behind of the front row in a concert. Staging is still good but I’ve heard better ones in the TOTL area. What Purple achieves is that, you feel like you’re almost with the band itself. You’re very close and you can hear every nuance because it has a nicely black background and stereo imaging.

The Purple also has a very dynamic sound which is quite lively and engaging. It delivers a life-like tune together with very nice timbre in the mid area. A very transparent, extending, sparkling treble performance is another strong suit. This in my opinion, is one of the key areas of the Purple that will impress many people.

Cannula Parts

I’ve mentioned in the first page that my sample has removable plastic parts in the nozzle. Earsonics made sure to me that the consumer versions will have the fixed parts. However when I removed them and listen to the monitors that way, I heard a quality drop in the sound in certain areas which was really a weird experience for me. It’s really surprising to hear a difference because of those small nozzle parts.

The most obvious difference to me was the treble section. With the parts attached, the treble is more energetic and engaged with better focus and sharper in general. Also when the parts are removed the bass is just a little bit looser but the mids are around the same. So these nozzle parts are essential for the Purple’s sound quality in my opinion. It seems the earphone really tuned to work with these plastic nozzle parts to sound its best. A nice finishing touch from Earsonics in terms of acoustic engineering.

Comparisons

Here you are with some selected comparisons for the Earsonics Purple:

vs. Earsonics EM6: The EM6 is a very dark sounding monitor and although the Purple sounds close to it in warm mode in terms of presentation, I think Purple is the better IEM especially for the resolution side and in well, every other way I can think of. I love my EM6 for its romantic and warm sound but to the Purple’s credit here, it’s simply better.

vs. Earsonics ES-5: The ES-5 sounds warmer and has more body in it, but for overall presentation the Purple gets closer to the ES-5 when you set it to warm mode. However the Purple I think is better in every possible way, particularly in terms of treble extension, transparency, resolution and crispness.

Earsonics Purple

vs. Earsonics S-EM9: This is where things get really interesting. The S-EM9 had been known for being the flagship monitor of Earsonics in their universal IEM line until the Grace came along. This could be a little surprising for some people; but the Purple has some advantages over the S-EM9 too. First of all, it has a better midbass response, providing a better foundation to the instruments and especially vocals compared to the 9 driver companion. The S-EM9 sounds thinner in the midbass section and male vocals in particular sound a little lifeless when compared.

The Purple also sounds more dynamic and it has a better timbre in my opinion. Right after you switch to the former flagship after the Purple, the note size appears lacking and the mid section sounds kind of “empty” and weak. I know the mid area is not the best feature of the S-EM9, but to hear that difference was surprising.

The only thing I found out to be better in the S-EM9 is the sound stage magnitude. It’s both wider and deeper, but for the depth in particular; you can’t contain yourself thinking that’s because of the diffused midbass of the S-EM9. It’s a plus over the Purple, but the Purple sounds either better or at the same quality level in every other way. So overall I think the Purple is better than the S-EM9.

I would love to make a comparison with the Grace but unfortunately I don’t have it in my possession.

Earsonics Purple

Conclusion

What an impressive IEM Earsonics have come up with. This one I think will touch a lot of hearts in the audiophile market very soon. I’m really impressed by the level they’ve climbed up to after releasing the Velvet in 2015. This is simply one of the best products Earsonics have ever released to the market, there’s no doubt about that imho. I think every audiophile around should give it a go if they have the opportunity. For Earsonics fans though, it’s a MUST to listen to this monitor.

Good build quality, a great fit with a small footprint considering the technology and the driver sizes inside, and a great sound in all tuning options. That is what the new Earsonics Purple is all about. If you have a chance to listen to this IEM, don’t miss it. One of my friends already purchased it after a short period of listening. Congratulations to Earsonics, easily recommended.