Review: CustomArt Ei.3 – Big & Bold

Sound

I read somewhere that Peter once said the Ei.3 was intended to sound big and bold and I guess it kind of does, in a good way. If you don’t feel like reading the whole sound part just remember this: The Ei.3 sounds great for its price, you get a quality sound that’s always fun to listen to.

The Ei.3 is easy to listen to and sounds very natural and relaxed, listening to for hours on end is no issue whatsoever. I wouldn’t say it the widest sound, it’s more of a centered and concentrated sound. You don’t get the wide sound stage you get from the more driver models and it doesn’t sound as spacious. Instruments are sounding closer together. Compared to especially 5-6 and 8 driver models you will also miss depth and layering but there’s no shame in that. The Ei.3 has good speed and always sounds tight, combined with the black background from the balanced armatures that makes a good combination.

Tuning is slightly warmer though, I wouldn’t call this a neutral tuned ciem but it wasn’t intended to be one in any way. It’s the kind of monitor that does good with all types of music but it’s especially good for all those bass oriented types. The Ei.3 will never win on technicalities from the more driver units but that’s not the point of this monitor, it’s all about enjoying your music and getting a qualitative sound without breaking your second piggy bank.

TheEi.3’s balance is pretty good, especially for “only” a 3 driver. You get good left & right imaging and separation. Bass, mids and treble flow naturally over into each other making the Ei.3 easy to listen to, with a very enjoyable sound. Piotr tuned the Ei.3 to have good bass and it has exactly that. Bass is always present and it has good body, yes it’s more than neutral but it isn’t overly present either. I wouldn’t say this is a bass heads IEM, I would rather call it a monitor for those who can appreciate bass. Bass has a nice punch and rumble and reasonably good depth. If you’re used to listening to higher end models you will most likely miss some sub bass/depth, detail and layering. I quite like my bass and I love the Ei.3. I’m pretty sure though the “reference/neutral” fans might find the bass to be too present though. What I really like about the Ei.3’s bass is that it hits depending on the music/song you’re listening to. It doesn’t always have the same amplitude and that’s superb as it will surprise you in a good way.

The mids section also has the same body and it fits in perfectly with the bass. On top of that the mids really show off the vocals and they’re very musical overall. The strongest point of the mids clearly aren’t the detail level and their depth as you get from the higher end models, but the focus is on musicality and the fun factor. In that regard the Ei.3’s mids are great. If you’re used to listening to more driver monitors the first thing you’ll notice will probably be the missing spaciousness, the Ei.3’s mids are more compact or concentrated.

I do feel treble in the Ei.3 isn’t the most extended or most detailed but at the same time there’s enough crispiness in it to contrast the bass. Treble is very easy to listen to and will never offend. Compared to upper level ciems (custom inear monitors) you will again miss some extension, detail and depth but that’s only normal. Treble focused listeners will probably find the treble to be tuned in a too soft way, but that’s exactly what makes the Ei.3 “big & bold” sounding as Piotr intended.

I do find the Ei.3 to really do well with basically all types of music even if it was developed with House and EDM in mind. Let me rephrase that: If you like good bass presence it won’t matter what type of music you’re listening to, you’ll always have a smile on your face and a foot that won’t stop tapping. I’ve suffered quite a lot from that and I have to apologize to my fellow train passengers for getting on their nerves all these weeks. Tap tap tap tap.

Comparisons

This is where it gets difficult. The closest I have to this 3-driver is the EartechMusic Quad and the Cosmic Ears CE4P, which I still both need to review. I’m sure a lot of people would have wanted a comparison with the CustomArt’s Music series but I don’t own any of those either.

If I compare them to the before mentioned 4-drivers, the Ei.3 has a stronger bass focus, a smaller sound stage and a more concentrated sound. Yes there’s also in difference in detail level and depth, but that difference is more limited. The 4-drivers do have a more extended treble section in general though.

I’ll try completing this section as soon as I have real comparison material with me.

End Words

I think the Ei.3 worked out exactly as Piotr intended it to and I myself enjoy it a lot. If you are used to listening to higher end monitors, you will miss a lot of details, depth etc using the Ei.3 but it will always make you enjoy your music. When I wasn’t reviewing I have mostly been using the excellent Aether from Lime and the Cosmic Ears CE6B. both score better on all levels and yet I was always happy to put the Ei.3 in my ears. Cheap – good – fun, do you need more to just enjoy your music.

If I in this review said something wasn’t good, detailed or wide is was always compared to the more expensive units with more drivers. The Ei.3 with only 3 drivers sounds good and for the price it’s going for it even sounds really good. I find it to be a great starter ciem that can do it all, it will show you what well-made BA ciems are capable of. It could also be a great second or third pair when you just want something simple and good for on the go that won’t make you work extra hours to pay for it.

The Ei.3 has a nice and enjoyable sound with a lifted bass presence. This isn’t the unit to go to when you want high level technicalities and huge sound stage width/depth. This however is one hell of a budget monitor to enjoy your music with and to annoy your fellow passengers on the train.