Review: Oriolus Finschi – Sing Like A Bird

Today we take the Oriolus Finschi in our hands and check out this entry-level hybrid IEM’s performance.

Disclaimer: The Oriolus Finschi was sent us by Oriolus Japan. The price is $179USD at the moment. Oriolus Japan is not affiliated with Headfonia in any way. The Lotoo Paw Gold is the DAP used for sound evaluation.

Intro

Hybrid IEMs have generated a huge wave in the audiophile market since they were first seen around. And today we’re at a point where a hybrid IEM release is like “just another day”. There’s just one hybrid IEM after another.

They became so popular because you get the air you need for a low-reaching bass performance from a dynamic driver, together with the crisp and clear sound of the balanced armature drivers that we certainly love.

After all the developments and competition, we now see hybrid IEMs with lower price levels and that is really beneficial for the audiophiles on a budget. It’s nice to see affordable hybrid IEMs and I hope other companies will push to do the same.

About the Brand

Oriolus is a Japanese brand that focuses on portable audio, and they always take audio quality as their first priority. They’re supervised by Hibino Intersound in Japan, Tokyo.

The audiophile community has more knowledge about the Oriolus brand compared to two years ago. They now have a neater website since I reviewed the Oriolus MK2, and they’re not as mysterious anymore, which is a good thing.

Oriolus Finschi

We have reviewed the Oriolus products 3 times before: The scintillating Oriolus MK2 which is still one of the best IEMs you could listen to, the price/performance master Forsteni that keeps its place in our Best Universal IEMs list, and the initial version of the Oriolus IEM.

The New Bird

As you can guess, this new entry-level model takes its name from another actual bird; the Finschi. This bird is also called the “Wetar Oriole” and it lives on an island between Australia and Indonesia.

The configuration of the Oriolus Finschi is quite simple; one dynamic driver and one balance armature driver. The dynamic driver has a 10mm diameter, while the BA driver is from Knowles which would sound familiar to many people.

This new model’s sensitivity is 112dB and the impedance value is 18Ω. The cable is a copper & silver-plated wire. Both the 3.5mm jack and the 2-pin sockets are plated with gold.

Package

I didn’t receive anything other than the IEM itself, so I can’t comment on the package experience. However I have the information regarding the contents, and I should remark; including a dedicated case for this entry level monitor is very very nice from Oriolus. Even the Forsteni model didn’t have a hard case so that is a wonderful accessory to have for the new Finschi users.

The package overall looks like the picture below and I think there’s no lack of content in this image, especially for the price.

Build Quality and Design

The design of the new Finschi is quite familiar to the former siblings. The overall shape of the shell is round and the inside part is shaped ergonomically to fit most ears like, just like the Forsteni. The MK2 on the other hand has a fat inner part because of the driver count.

The Finschi has a semi-transparent color across the shell, making it a little bit different in appearance to the other two models. But it’s only visible when you get very close. The color is light brown to my eyes and this makes a nice color scheme together with the gold plated 2-pin connectors on the cable.

The build quality is also the same to me therefore there’s no big difference. The shell feels quite solid with a unibody design, the closing of the faceplate is seamless and the nozzles are very sturdy. The only problem to our knowledge in the line-up of the Oriolus IEMs was the cracking shell of the MK2 model. That issue was fixed with the new Reborn version though, and I haven’t heard any other issue with the other models.

So you can count on the Oriolus IEMs for sure. This particular model also has a very good build quality, especially for the asking price.

Oriolus Finschi

Fit

The fit of the entry-level Finschi reminds me of the Forsteni a lot. Due to the thinner structure of the shell, the IEM fits very good and sits flush to the ear. The Forsteni and the Finschi both fit very well in this regard. You can use foam and silicone tips comfortably without a problem, though I opted for the silicone ones.

The isolation I think is at the best possible level considering it’s a hybrid universal IEM. Of course there would be a slight disadvantage of the air vent for the dynamic driver. Yet, the Finschi fits so well, that you probably won’t feel that small drawback that much like with other hybrid monitors.

The ear guides of the cable however needed some shaping for me to get the best fit. So be aware that you might need to do some work on those memory wires. It’s not a big deal though, and it takes 5 minutes work at most.

Comfort-wise things again work very well. The Finschi is very light and the footprint of the shell is small. So I didn’t feel any discomfort during the time I tested the monitor.

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