Review: Lear LCM-Skyline – No Brainer

Fit & Comfort

One of the benefits of the 3D print is the improved fit and comfort. I’ve sent a pair of impressions to Lear Audio ages ago for my first collaboration. However, despite they used the scans of my same original impressions, the fit is different. The Skyline sits much more comfortable.

Inserting and removing the Skyline is easier as well, which creates a more pleasing overall experience. To me the fit is drastically improved. I thought the Turbo’s fit to be quite good, but when I put on the Skyline, I realized there’s a big difference especially in terms of comfort.

I immediately associated this with Lear’s new 3D printed shells. This is a game-changing technology in the Custom IEM market and hopefully many companies will switch to this method soon. I’m very pleased with the fit.

But be aware that the Skyline is a large monitor. It’s quite huge despite its single dynamic driver configuration. So it sticks out from your ears quite a bit. I assume this was needed for the acoustic design and the Balanced In Ear Pressure concept. To me this shouldn’t cause any trouble though, unless you like to lie down on your bed sideways.

Sound

The Skyline is an obvious improvement over the Turbo for many reasons and I will explain them shortly. But overall, it is a warm and forgiving monitor with a smooth and relaxed sound signature. The Skyline is very cohesive, quite warm and romantic at times. The bass is not focused on the sub area now, it instead focuses on mid bass and it does that the right way. The sound overall is more refined with better resolution and dynamism. The instruments and vocals are very nice to hear with good tonality.

Lear LCM-Skyline

Bass

The bass has more control and better decay than the Turbo with improved texture. Compared to Turbo, this is a tamed down bass response for the sake of better overall resolution and separation. The Turbo was too sub-bass oriented and too strong at times, which made it somewhat slow and lacking in mid range dynamics.

This is not the case with the Skyline, as we have a much better balance in this area. This increase in overall control over the bass provides a significant benefit to the overall spectrum, allowing other frequencies to come to the forefront. This allows us to see what the Skyline can do against the fact that it has a single dynamic driver. I think Lear has made a very accurate tuning on this CIEM’s bass. They certainly maxed out the 8mm driver’s potential very well to create a very cohesive sound.

So all in all, this is not a dominating bass response anymore. You still have plenty of bass, but more controlled, refined and better textured with better speed. It has good detail and resolution as well, which is quite impressive.

Lear LCM-Skyline

Mids

In the mid-section of the IEM, we see that it continues to give its warm presentation with good dynamics, detail and tonality. It certainly doesn’t contradict its own bass response. Lower mids are slightly behind though, whilst the upper mid area is a bit more forward. This makes the female vocals sound a bit more accentuated compared to male vocals, which can be either good or bad depending on your choices.

The IEM’s overall tonality and timbre are quite successful and to me on point then many monitors, despite its low price. Sure, this is not the best dynamics or timbre you can find, but I can’t ask anything more to be honest. Although this is not the IEM for the lovers of sharp and detailed sound with good brightness, you’ll like it if you like a warm sound with an euphonic signature. Mids also have very good body and definition, more so than the Turbo.

I especially liked female vocals with the Skyline with its romantic approach to music. I think Lear Audio’s new Hearing Care concept also plays a role here. No frequency is excessive, aggressive or bothering to your ears. It’s so smooth, easy-going and mild. Yet, it also manages to give better crispness and transparency than the Turbo.

More about the sound on PAGE 4.