Mids
And here we are, at the best part about the Cerberus. There is only a handful of high-end IEMs that impressed me tonality-wise, and Cerberus is one of them for sure. Does anyone remember the old Fitear ToGo 334? It’s almost in the history books of audiophiles now. Well, that was a hell of an IEM for vocals and instruments, because it had fantastic tonal quality. The timbre on that IEM was simply fantastic and unparalleled at the time. I’m sure many would still be impressed.
The Cerberus reminded me of the 334, and honestly, I never expected that. That certain mid-range quality is very very important in my book. I find that people sometimes gloss over that factor and only look for the overall frequency responses, charts, etc. It’s not easy to find better mids with better tonality and naturality in my opinion. And that is crucial for my own listening experience and that’s why liked this IEM so much.
Moving on from timbre, the mid-range is not thick but not too thin either. The mid-bass amount is just right and I found it to be more suitable for Jazz in particular, compared to the RS10. Overall a fantastic mid-range performance. If you like mid-centric gear or simply love to focus on the instruments and vocals, Cerberus is your high-end IEM.
Treble
The Cerberus has EST drivers for the treble but actually, it doesn’t have a dominating treble response. In fact, the treble is a bit back of the stage, which I usually find quite realistic but that depends on your taste of course. There’s no doubt less quantity than the RS10 here, but oddly enough, the treble feels a bit more relaxed and airy.
Softears Cerberus
The custom version sounds just a bit brighter, however, and it has better extension and definition overall. There’s a bit more shimmer, but still, the treble is not forceful in the Cerberus. So if you like your treble more definitive, the RS10 or another flagship is better for you. In Cerberus, the treble has a certain “distance” and shyness in it. This is less present with the custom model,
This presentation is good for my listening taste since I’m not a treble-head at all, but you might need a different approach. However, I don’t think Cerberus lacks any treble response. Micro details and resolution here are excellent. What’s different here is the overall approach. Cerberus tends to be more conservative in its treble performance, but it still has good extension and clarity, especially with the custom one.
Technical Performance
Cerberus has a wide and deep soundstage. It feels like a concert atmosphere, from one of the front-middle seats. Aside from the stage, the resolution and transparency are on high levels but that strong as in the RS10. The RS10 is more precise and sharp in terms of overall imaging, while the Cerberus has a warmer tuning so everything is not incredibly separated like what its counterpart offers.
The most striking factor of the Cerberus is its tonal accuracy and quality. All the instruments have great liveliness and breath, and their timbre is fantastic. It just feels so natural and life-like. If you read my reviews from time to time, you may know that I give great importance to instrument timbre, and the Cerberus has a fabulous one.
Softears Cerberus
Once again, balance and cohesiveness are great just like the rest of the lineup from Softears. They surely know how to tune their IEMs to get the best and most ideal balance and refinement as well as coherency. All of these three models I’ve tried from Softers no doubt have shown and proven their qualities in terms of that.
Custom vs. Universal
So what does the custom version put to the table? Does it worth the effort and time to order a custom one versus having a universal one instantly? I think if you’re ready to pay this much money to an IEM, I would say it’s worth it. Of course, there are things like selling value, having your friends try the sound, etc. But if you’re after the ultimate experience, this is one of the best custom IEMs you can have with a smooth and cohesive sound.
The custom Cerberus gives a better bass response in terms of control, rumble and kick. The bass overall is richer and hits deeper when required. So the bass performance is definitely enhanced, probably because the nozzle fits your ear perfectly. The mid-range is also more consistent. With the universal version, I’ve heard a weird transition in the mid-range with different ear tips. Some tips provided better timbre while others literally messed up the mid-range. The custom version gives a very consistent presence in that regard. The tonality is fantastic and the body feels very solid in the mid-range.
Softears Cerberus
As I mentioned, the treble is the most different area with the custom model. The universal model has a conservative treble, despite having EST drivers. It doesn’t lack any definition or resolution, it just comes from a distant area. Some people mistake that with a poor treble response, but that’s not the case. There’s a difference between a poor treble response and a different treble approach. A monitor doesn’t have to be bright sounding to have excellent treble.
That aside, I think the custom model gives the treble a bit brighter with more spaciousness. The treble has more focus and dynamism. I simply think that the Cerberus doesn’t like ear tips too much. When the drivers are met with your ears without any ear tips with a perfect fit, it performs even better than the universal model. The presentation is even more coherent and even more impressive.
To put it into perspective, I think you get %10 more performance and refinement with the custom. In the market of diminishing returns, this is a great gain. %10 is not a small figure in this hobby.
Page 1: Intro, Package and Design,
Page 2: Build Quality, Cable, Fit, Sound Quality
Page 4: Comparisons and Conclusion
