Soundz Avant Flagship CIEM – Sound Impressions
The Avant features a neutral, warm signature with a slightly boosted sub-bass. Turning on the immersion mode enhances bass further, and while it is not a basshead IEM, it is capable of producing some of the most natural bass I’ve heard from BA-based monitors. With the industry moving toward dynamic drivers for the bass shelf, units using BA woofers excite me as I find the tonality and the “feeling” of the BA bass more natural compared to more artificial DD bass. The Avant is an overall engaging IEM. Its presentation is clean, tonally balanced, and natural, backed by a solid technical capability. Let’s dive deeper.
Low
Let’s look at the lows while the switch is off position. Even with the switch turned off, the Avant showcases agile, tight bass with a good amount of presence within the stage. The immersion switch boosts the sub and midbass, resulting in more low-end presence and quantity. It causes a slight boost on the frequency curve that is most pronounced in the sub-basses and decreases towards the mid-basses. The bass with the switches on position is visceral, has great impact and depth, and feels natural, thanks to BA woofer tonality. This is one of the best BA bass I’ve heard in terms of tightness, agility, and texture. The bass reacts fast, hits, recuperates, and stays controlled regardless of genre. The mid-bass showcases excellent control as well; it has the perfect quantity, and it supports the instrument body and weight while staying below the limit where the mid-bass usually starts to compress the stage. This helps to keep the presentation airy and spacious while providing the necessary warmth and thickness to bass and mid-bass-based instruments.
Mid
The transition from the bass region to the midrange is seamless. The midrange of the Avant is articulate, clean and resolving, with right amount of detail retrieval. The Avant is tuned in a smooth yet detailed way, it has a great level of resolution but it does not highlight or emphasize it like some other monitors. It stays natural and smooth across the entire frequency spectrum. The instruments are reproduced with precision, the tonality is natural, and the rendition is precise. It has a subtle way of showcasing the details to you and pairing it with a highly resolving DAC/AMP results in a highly resolving yet smooth presentation, which is, in my opinion, the highlight of Avant’s tuning. The female vocals are kept in check with a controlled yet resolving upper midrange; the male vocals are kept in check with a conservatively tuned lower midrange that showcases an outstanding balance. This level of control contributes to the perceived clarity and improves the sensation of air.
High
The word I chose for the highs of the Avant is refined. The lower treble of the Avant closely follows the mids; it is controlled and showcases excellent resolution while staying smooth. The hi-hats and crashes disperse nicely within its wide stage without any shrill or unwanted sibilance. The highs are smoothly tuned; they have no trouble reaching the top octave without sounding overly bright. There is no quarrel between the regions to be the star of the show, as the Avant stays consistent and coherent across the ranges. I really like the realistic and organic treble that these can dish out.
Technical Capability
Let’s start by clearing up a few questions. First of all, the Avant has a natural-sounding presentation with good tonal balance. The Avant’s stage is wide and relatively deep. The stage height is also impressive for an IEM. The instrument separation and imaging are also excellent. There is enough space and air between instruments, and you can easily follow individual elements within the stage. The instrument positioning feels accurate, as well as the vocal placement.
Moreover, the PRaT is very good due to its armature-based configuration and excellent tuning. No matter what kind of music I tried it with, I didn’t experience any congestion issues. It handles complex passages with ease. In addition to that, thanks to its effortless presentation, you can listen to music for hours without fatigue. Overall, I can say that the Avant offers a solid technical performance that is worthy of its hefty price tag.
Comparisons
vs. Vision Ears VE7 (€1.850 EUR)
The Vision Ears’ VE7 is one of my favorite monitors. It is an immensely clean, reference-sounding tool that I mainly use to evaluate and review source devices. Compared to the Avant, it sounds flatter and slightly more neutral.
However, the Avant has a more organic and natural timbre that I spoke highly of. They both have accurate imaging, but the Avant’s staging feels wider and slightly deeper than VE7’s. The Avant’s presentation is more engaging due to more bass quantity and better agility. While they both offer a solid PRaT, the VE7 lacks the smooth and refined presentation of the Avant. The VE7 lacks the Avant’s bass rumble that gives bass-dependent genres their soul. Overall, both are pretty good, yet different in signature. Ultimately, the choice between the two will come down to personal preference and listening priorities.
vs. FAudio Mezzo Limited Edition ($1,900 USD)
FAudio Mezzo LE is a tribrid monitor with an engaging sound that is characterized by its dynamic and fun signature. The two monitors have very different sound signatures and target audiences. First of all, from an entertainment factor point of view, the Mezzo LE is a much more enjoyable IEM due to its bigger, more impactful, and more rounded bass response.
The Avant, on the contrary, sounds relaxed and effortless with a great tonal balance. The Avant is a more refined, more resolving monitor in comparison. The Mezzo’s upper midrange and treble are more energetic and can get sharp thus requiring source matching, whereas the Avant is more gentle towards analytical sources. The Mezzo’s headroom is smaller and PRaT slower than the Avant’s. If you’re not a basshead, I would recommend sticking with the Avant in this comparison.
Last Words
Wrapping up our review of the Soundz Avant Custom In-Ear Monitors, these CIEMs, starting at €1.590 EUR, stand as the epitome of Soundz’ innovative expertise. The Avant delivers impressive sound quality with 10 Sonion BA drivers per side and intricate technologies. It is particularly appealing for audiophiles seeking a fine blend of technical excellence and smooth, lifelike reproduction, thanks to well tuned signature. Amidst escalating prices in the high-end monitor market, the Avant offers a balanced, natural tonality and I recommend giving it a listen, it’ll be worth your while.
Pros
+ Natural and organic signature
+ Excellent all-rounder
+ Excellent technical capability
Cons
– Expensive
– Limited shell customization
Page 1: Soundz Brand, The Avant, Ordering Process & Customization, Packaging & Accessories, Design, Build Quality & Fit
Page 2: Sound Impressions, Low, Mid, High, Technical Capability, Comparisons, Last Words
