Softears Volume Review

Technical Performance

The Softears Volume has good spaciousness and air in its presentation. Add its wide and deep sound stage into that mix, and you have a great IEM when it comes to overall imaging and layering. So the Volume has great quality in those aspects, making it a cut above the rest in its price range.

It has good coherency too, but not as much as the RSV. The upper midrange and lower treble are thin and a bit elevated so this is not the perfect balance like the RSV. The timbre is fairly realistic, but the same can’t be said about the lower midrange because of the recessed presentation. I would’ve liked to hear a bit more fullness and warmth in there.

The Volume’s resolution is very impressive as well as its transparency. You can hear everything with great clarity but be aware that the mid-range is coming from behind at times. The sound overall is very open and clear. So as a whole the Volume performs very well in terms of technicalities but it’s a bit hit and miss in terms of presentation, depending on the genre.

Comparisons

Thieaudio Legacy 4 is one of my top picks in the sub $300 range, and rightfully so. For no-sound topics, both the L4 and the Volume have a great unboxing experience with excellent product presentations. Both have more than sufficient accessories. They’re designed well with good fit and build quality. I think the L4’s cable is better though. On the other hand, the Softears offering has a better carrying case.

Sound-wise they’re both energetic, slightly v-shaped with more focus on fun rather than the classic audiophile tuning. The Legacy 4 has more bass quantity overall with heavier impact. It also has more rumble and kick. Otherwise, they both have thin mids with bright treble, so they’re not much apart. They both have good sound-stage and layering for their respective prices too.

I think the Volume has the better timbre, but since everything else is similar, it would make more sense to get the L4 simply because of the cheaper price. It goes for $195 and you can upgrade your cable to the Thieaudio EST cable for a total of $249. The Volume costs $285.

We have another great set of accessories and quality for the price here with the FiiO FH5s. However, the design is subjective since the FH5s have a highly industrial one, whilst the Softears Volume feels much more personal. Another difference is the Volume’s fit and isolation. It has a flusher and more comfortable fit, since the FH5s has air vents for the semi open-back design, and it’s heavier because of the material.

The FH5s’ sound is wide and deep with an atmospheric approach, with heavier bass and fuller mids. Its treble is much smoother but rolled-off compared to the Volume. The Softears IEM has better resolution, dynamism and transparency. It has better separation and sharper imaging too, so for technical performance alone, the Volume is better to me. It wins this comparison in my book.

Conclusion

For the price, the Softears Volume doesn’t have anything to criticise for its technical performance in my mind. It has great resolution, transparency, texture, sound stage and layering. Yet, the tuning choice makes this IEM a bit genre-specific and although it’s particularly great to listen to female vocals with this one, I think it should’ve been more rounded and versatile, especially coming from Softears.

It doesn’t take away anything from its excellent ability to perform great with female vocals and certain genres like JPop. But I wonder if Softears can come up with a new version with more lower-mid focus, a fuller-sounding mid-range, and a smoother treble with less brightness. I think they can also charge more for that since the technical performance of the Volume exceeds its price range already. So no worries regarding technicalities.

Also, it deserves high praise for the accessory set and packaging. One of the best choices in the sub $300 category.

Page 1: Intro

Page 2: Sound Quality