Sound
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Earsonics house-sound is quite obvious and apparent with the Stark on first listen. Stark has a very big bass for starters. It hits hard from a wide area and the dispersion is very perceptible. The bass kick and rumble are huge and this is a very satisfying hybrid if you like to have big and rumbling bass response. It reminded me of the Hyla TE5B in some ways, especially in terms of sub-bass rumble.
The sound overall is V-Shaped with a recessed mid-range. Whether you will like the Stark or not would depend heavily on your personal preferences. It has good technicalities, but the presentation has a splitting nature with a big emphasis on bass and a thinner/recessed midsection. The Stark’s sound reminds me of the S-EM9, the former flagship. If you liked the S-EM9 model, you will certainly like Stark.
Bass
The bass in the Stark is simply huge. It has a heavy-hitting bass with a great impact. The sub-bass rumble is quite dominating at times, and the mid-bass area is not very apparent because of the big sub-bass. Despite those traits, the bass control is surprisingly good so it doesn’t sound bloated. The bass also isn’t congested and it has good room and space to hit and recover. However, I wouldn’t pair the Stark with very warm or bass-heavy sources or equipment. That would most probably result in a bass that is over the top.
Earsonics Stark
Lows have good texture and resolution and what I liked the most is the tonality of mid-bass. Although that part is not very apparent because of the very impressive sub-bass performance, it still presents a great foundation for instruments’ lower notes. That was another surprising point of the Stark. But as I said, source matching is important here.
Mids
The mid-range is not very apparent and it is somewhat recessed, so it’s not the highlight of the Earsonics Stark. The tonality is thinner than I would’ve liked. I don’t think this is the ideal IEM for you if great tonality and timbre are what you’re after. So presentation-wise this area is a dividing area when it comes to this IEM.
Tonality is not bad by any means, and in fact, it does sound very good when it comes to guitar and sax tones. The mids however should’ve been a bit thicker with more body in my opinion. However, I’m aware that a thicker and more full-bodied mid-presentation would make this IEM too warm and too congested because of its heavy bass response. So in its V-Shaped presentation -and also considering the Earsonics house sound- this is not a solely bad performance in the mids. Like I remarked, it will depend on your personal preferences.
The positive things about the mid-range are the overall resolution and transparency here. It might not sound very transparent to your ears at first because of the recessed mids. However, the presentation and transparency are different things. So from the resolution standpoint alone, the Stark is very good. Its unique tonality also can impress you in terms of guitar and sax notes, because for some odd reason, it presents the saxophone in a very unique way in Jazz songs.
Earsonics Stark
Treble
Treble is good, articulated, and under control at all times with a good definition and extension. To me, the Stark provides a very nice and realistic treble response with good transparency. The treble is easy to like and easy to work with many sources. It doesn’t have any aggressive nature.
However, you may want a more open and spacious treble presentation with more brightness. You won’t find that in Stark so be aware. Other than that highs have good positioning and resolution. They’re not very transparent though, and they’re slightly darker and thicker than most IEMs out there. It reminded me of the Meze Rai Penta in that regard.
The review concludes on PAGE 3 with technical performance & comparisons.
