Review: Oriolus 4-driver hybrids – ToGo! perfect!

Sound

And that thing is sound. Honestly, Oriolus wows — and I do mean wows — if you’re prepared to accept high bass-to-mid contrast and good high-midrange energy. If you like forward vocals, juicy midrange, and bass, you will love Oriolus. Fortunately there is more than enough sparkle and space to satisfy trance heads.

Heaping blanket praise on a midrange-meaty earphone is against a trance-head’s morals. I’m about to sin big time. Oriolus spits contrasty, speedy, wide mids. They shoot straight out of Oriolus’s strong, thwacky bass, never to get mired by either bass or high mids. They rise fastest and highest just below the shininess where mids go meet the highs. There’s a bit of wet reverb that keeps female vocals fractionally hanging on. And male vocals are bite authoritatively. The entire band is wide, relatively deep, and round out an impressive 3D image.

Transitions into highs are as smooth as it gets for a hybrid. There’s no strange, sudden fall off or spike, and highs and high-mids are super speedy. I’d probably prefer a bit more high-end bite, but only just. Overall top-to-bottom balance is really really well thought-out. Cymbal clashes shimmer, and hang on fractionally, for a bit of atmosphere. But only a bit. There’s no sibilance, just good energy and good to very good upward extension.

Bass isn’t as spacey as are the mids, but it is fast, full, and well balanced. Trance heads may at first may be shocked by how much bass there appears to be. But a minute or two later, they should start nodding. Bass speed precludes mush and smearing. And 70Hz – 100Hz bass hits a bit off-centre, going wide enough at times to cast a decent 3D image of its own.

The contrasty balance keeps your toes tapping. It’s a sound that really works for every genre I listen to, though, in my opinion, is perhaps a bit too contrasty for small ensemble jazz. Overall, Oriolus is a dream.

The stage Oriolus throws is like a stretched out circle laid out somewhat in front of you, somewhat enveloping you. You’re about half a step in it so that elements of treble and bass hit near the back of your neck, but most of the action goes on in front of you and to the side. The stage isn’t super tall, but it does walk forward a bit. So you’ve got depth. You’ve got good separation and contrast. It’s 3D without being scalpel-like precise. In fact, it reminds me of the casually wide 3D space the FitEar ToGo!334 kicks out. Just better.

And next to my inexplicably favorite hybrid, the Ultrasone IQ, in every way imaginable, Oriolus is in another league.

End words

I didn’t expect to be so happy with Oriolus. Actually, there’s a bunch of people I met at Fujiya that were stoked by it. Even a famous kid from Bangkok heaped praises on them. I met others that had their money out and ready. Oriolus sounds that good. It’s big, and not finished with the same quality a FitEar is, and its cable coaxial pins are too small gauge to stay snug. I expect that to be fixed. When it does, I expect Oriolus to fly off the shelves.

Thank you Musica Acoustics for organizing this review. I’m truly, and utterly floored by what I hear. Oriolus: let’s see about fixing the coaxial niches.

To everyone that may be interested, hit up Dimitri. Here’s Musica Acoustics’s contact page.

4.3/5 - (22 votes)
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Back before he became the main photographer for bunches of audio magazines and stuff, Nathan was fiddling with pretty cool audio gear all day long at TouchMyApps. He loves Depeche Mode, trance, colonial hip-hop, and raisins. Sometimes, he gets to listening. Sometimes, he gets to shooting. Usually he's got a smile on his face. Always, he's got a whisky in his prehensile grip.

16 Comments

  • Reply November 11, 2015

    aras87

    Thanks for the review Nathan! How do these compare to Velvets in warm mode? Especially the bass and the highs

    • Reply November 11, 2015

      ohm image

      Oriolus: More contrasty, not as warm. Think big midrange rather than ‘warm’. Velvet is warmer for sure. This earphone sounds and feels faster. It is perfect.

      • Reply November 16, 2015

        soundblast

        Hows it next to Dita, pick a winner:)?
        Depeche??

        • Reply November 26, 2015

          ohm image

          Oriolus.

          • Reply February 9, 2016

            Coll. IEm

            will you take Aether or Oriolus ?

  • Reply November 12, 2015

    Barun C

    Please elaborate the following:-
    1. Juicy Midrange and bass
    2. Wide Mids
    3. Bass isn’t as spacey
    4. Good to very good upward extension
    5. Too contrasty for small ensemble jazz

    Thanks

    • Reply November 26, 2015

      ohm image

      1. The midrange and upper bass are not perfectly neutral. They are a bit warmer or wetter than neutral. But it’s a close call. They sound great, but are minorly accented.

      2. The mids are thrust forward and have a lot of sound pressure behind them. Loads of detail.

      3. You don’t get a load of 3D detail in the bass.

      4. The extend far up in the highs.

      5. Not the smoothest for small ensemble rooms that rely generally on flatter acoustics.

  • Reply November 12, 2015

    Akascha

    Thank you for the Review. I can’t await getting my ordered Oriolus even more. As for pairing, is my Fiio X5 first gen sufficient to get the best out of it? Any advice for perfect match, maybe L&Ppro or X7 or a decent Amp with X5, e.g. Vorzüge Pure II+?

    • Reply November 26, 2015

      ohm image

      I’m sorry this is late.

      The X5 should be just fine.

  • Reply December 13, 2015

    Hieu Trung Tran

    It’s big, and not finished with the same quality a FitEar is

    What is it that it falls behind? Can’t tell much from the picture.

    Also next to the TG334 which one do you prefer?

    Thanks for the review.

    • Reply December 30, 2015

      ohm image

      Basically every part that can be smoothly finished isn’t as smoothly finished. It sounds lovely. Sound-wise, I’m squarely behind Oriolus.

  • Reply January 7, 2016

    Tay Victor

    Hi,

    Can you do a comparison of this with the 64audio A/U12? Currently using the U12 and want to know how the Oriolus fair against the U12.

    Thanks

    • Reply March 24, 2016

      ohm image

      I’m sorry, I don’t have those earphones.

  • Reply August 31, 2016

    Jason Chan

    this review is oriolus mk1 or mk2? Actually any difference between mk1 and mk2?

  • Reply September 5, 2016

    MAJIDMUTE

    hi
    Can you do a comparison of this with the earsonic S-EM9?

  • Reply September 22, 2016

    Bernie

    This review is on MK1. MK2 is even better. Better seperation, tighter bass, less recessed but still never strident highs, more neutral but still a similar sound signature. I have and will keep MK1, but MK2 is a bit better.

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