SoundRhyme SR8 (14BA/28BA)

SR8... Let me start with the fact that I disagree with the statements below from the other reviewers. For me this set is one of the #1 iems I have heard so far and yes I had a chance to hear some more expensive sets as well (although nothing above 2k). They might fool you first that they sound just ok when you first listen to them. But it might be only the first impression as after you give them more time and focus on the sound they are producing you will find out these are excellent full BA set and definitely must belong to one of the best ones out there. The first quality I have appreciated is the fact that I do not need to EQ these at all. With the settings 1-1 they sound just excellent to my ears. The tuning and balance between all 3 frequencies are just extraordinary.

I might agree that they are not very detailed and that there are sets that will bring more micro-details into the perspective. On the other side, for me these are extremely good in balancing the relaxing sound with the very detailed / fatiguing free sound you can get. They sit just right into the middle between my two other favorite sets, Penon Serial (very relaxed with amazing timbre) and FH9 (scalpel assassin - read my review).

What further impresses me a lot is their bass performance for the full BA set. Really outstanding bass quality and quantity here. The bass despite being BA is still pretty robust, impactful and deep. Perhaps they might be just a tiny bit behind some dynamic drivers but to be honest I am a great bass lover (own XTC Closed 2.5, Denon D7200, D7000) so you know what I am talking about. And if these satisfied me with their bass then I really think you have nothing to worry about in case you are considering these. I do strongly disagree that their bass is muddy, no way perhaps this person might have some faulty unit, not sure.

Now lest talk about the highlights of this set. Let me tell you my experience here. Just when I was browsing my favorite music, albums, songs and I was really impressed how good they sound and just before I was going to finish my session for that day I somehow clicked on the DOOM 2016 soundtrack (flac quality) and gave it a go. What followed simply blew my ears as the amazing speed of this full BA set and the ability to handle fast and complex passages were just an excellent experience very hard to describe. This is where this 2 x 14BA set did beat everything I heard before. They handled this very fast metal like music with very deep bass rumbles so perfectly that I had to stay up an extra hour just to finish the whole soundtrack right that day. Here is where I have learnt that these are asking for the high quality fast and complex music tracks and they will serve it for you in the most beautiful way possible just pleasing your ears without making you ever tired. This is where their quality sits... Despite the fact that you are listening to something high energy, very fast and crazy hard music these will somehow make it very pleasing to listen to. You will not miss any details, you will hear everything clear and nicely separated even when the music is at its peak. Just fantastic really.

Going forward I need to mention that I am really well impressed with their timbre as well. Yes, its not amazing like the Serial has but still even when listening to some orchestral music I am well pleased and impressed with their timbre, all instruments sound realistic without any odd sounds to it. Soundstage is nicely wide and deeply improved by my current custom cable OCC silver plated. Those 28 speakers make fantastic spacious sound presentation, I really like it a lot. They are also very sensitive so be careful not to give them too much power all they need is just a bit of push from some dongle or small amp thats all you need. Their highs are very nice, precise and nicely presented with some nice feel of air. I have found with a bit of EQ they can be further extended and they can bring this extra space and air into the music just beautifully. Same goes with the bass which is excellent. I still add about 0.5 - 1db in the sub-bass region just to make it stand out more because there is nothing to be ashamed of the bass is very well made and nicely detailed too.

Are there any negatives? Perhaps yes, if you go into some details yes we might find some. Perhaps the micro details as mentioned before could be better and highs slightly extended as default, I agree there but other than this their sound is just fantastic, definitely 10/10 for me. I think their stock cable is very decent but these deserve full treatment here. Although I have paired them with Penon Space I have new cable coming soon OCC silver plated as well but most importantly its blue and it will fit my blue custom design on SR8 just perfectly. I am posting some photos for you to see. Having them for almost a year now they still amaze me a lot. Very little, pretty much nothing to complain about, just insanely great price to sound quality ratio. I am surprised with the lack of very positive reviews here.

Let me mention a few points at the end of my review. First, I love how SoundRhyme offers custom made designs to their sets. For me this is definitely a way to go forward with the iem evolution. Other companies should take an example here. For a small cost you can create your own design which I did and I am well impressed with its results. Big respect to SoundRhyme for this. Now, there is quite big hype about their other set DTE900. Yes, these are very good iem as well and again an excellent value same as SR8 are. I might get DTE900 myself as I was quite impressed with their sound although they do remind me of the FH9 sound where FH9 is just a touch more detailed. Compared to the SR8 the DTE900 is a more energetic set, more U shaped sound tuning and more suitable for specific genres such as EDM, pop, rap and similar while the SR8 is the more mature brother here. They are definitely more refined and are more suitable for all kinds of genres compared to the DTE900.

Lets finish this finally. If I had a chance to improve anything on the SR8 I think I would only slightly adjust their tuning and add a few DB in their top highs region around 12khz+ to bring more air to their presentation. But for me this is no deal as I do EQ everything. Other than this I would probably offer some nicer cable to them although I know their stock cable its very solid one. For me this set feels like 2k+ as that's how they sound and I would give them some extra presentation and accessories something like Fiio has with their FH9 flagship.

Just fantastic work form SoundRhyme company. I have them on my watchlist. Same as the Penon they are both great manufacturers. What I love about them is the price / quality ratio which is simply amazing. Its a shame that their flagship Prado is priced so high and because of that I am not interested.

Are you tired of all these hybrids and tribrids around, do you like to listen to all kinds of genres and are you looking for something that is the best for fast and complex music then look no further than SR8. And if you have SR8 at home and dont give them enough head time and play some challenging tracks for them.


Happy Listening

SoundRhyme SR8 & SR5





SoundRhyme is an iem company that was new to me as of just a few months ago and since hearing about them, has skyrocketed the midfi hype chain to new heights with its SR5 and SR8 offerings.


The SR5 being the lower budget hybrid iem, coming in at $149 and the SR8 seeming as the flagship all BA set coming in at $749


I do not know much about the company and not much info is offered up by Penon, Penon graciously sent me these iems at a discount for this review. Thank you Penon and SoundRhyme for the opportunity.





This review is mainly for the SR8 but I will throw in SR5 comparisons.

The overall sound of SR8 is balanced and engaging. As has been said amongst enthusiasts across head-fi, this set is beguiling of its cost. This segment of the hobby is where my curiosity is peaked. Thanks to the uber expensive totl and flagship iems coming out these days, the hobby is now experiencing the trickle down from great tuning and new tech. I for one will be keeping a keen eye on the sub 1k segment of our beloved hobby as it is currently very RIPE!

The SR8 overall signature can be described as Grandios. It is big, bold and up front. While being relaxed, smooth and ideal for long listening sessions.

The bass switches are the real deal and does indeed change the sound to a preference that is preferred by the user.

The bass is very well done for all BA. Extending well and having great authority. I never found the bass to bleed or bloat into the mids.

The Mids are more nuetral and quite resolving with a good note weight. Not the last word in naturalness but nothing to really complain about here at this price.

The Treble is smooth and fairly weighted like the mids. Not the most resolving treble but nonetheless very easy to listen to.

The soundstage is very wide reaching well outside of my head. The height is average while my biggest caveat with SR8 was the lack of depth. Depth of stage keeps me engaged in my music library and often when depth is lacking I will not listen very often. While SR8 is a WOW the moment I put them in my ears, it wasnt long until I noticed the lacking transients and micro dynamics. Macro Dynamics swing BIG with SR8 and I would say my most favorite part of this tuning.

In comparison to SR5, I found SR5 to be a very disjointed sound. I can tell it is a apart of the Sound Rhyme family by its tuning, however it’s coherency is the biggest turnoff for me. The bass driver sounds completely independent of the rest and this was very distracting. SR5 is a dark sounding set and not something I can recommend even at its price point being about 5x less the price of SR8. I also do not listen to bass heavy music and so my impressions here will vary wildly compared to others. I know many others absolutely love this set and I think that is great! These are just my thoughts and not set in stone.

Thank you for reading.

Overview:

Up for review today are the Sound Rhyme SR8 – which oddly have 14 BA drivers per side, not 8. Weird naming convention aside, the SR8 have a mix of 4 different Knowles and Sonion BA drivers providing the sound. These retail for $749 and are very hard to get a hold of in the U.S. since you can really only order them through AliExpress or Penon. I picked these up used from a fellow Head-Fier and I’ve been using them as my daily driver for about a month now. I am just now getting around to writing a review of them because I took a break for a while. That said, I have quite a bit of time listening to these and I’m awarding them my Best Under $1k designator on my ranking list. Read on below to find out why.



Accessories/Earpads/Eartips (9/10):

These arrive in a pretty cool box with clear plastic windows built in that provide a view of the IEMs and the light blue accessories box inside. It’s a better initial impression than much more expensive IEMs often provide. Inside the accessories box is what I have to describe as one of the best-looking IEM cases I’ve ever seen. It is light brown with white stitching and a magnetic closure. Inside of that are two sets of ear tips, one silicone with 3 sizes, and one set of foamies with 2 sizes. You also get interchangeable cable connectors, which despite some concerns of introducing connection quality issues, is really the bare minimum that cables should come with if they’re not going to just come with a hardwired 4.4mm connector. That’s all the SR8 comes with, which is above average and nicer than what $3.8k IEMs like the FiR Xe6 come with. Also, there’s no stupid outer sleeve to rip, just nice magnets to keep everything in place. I’m giving these 9/10 points here since the packaging is slightly nicer than the Performer8s and it includes one of the nicest leather carrying cases I’ve encountered.

As always, I’m using my Spinfit W1 tips since they’re the best tips I’ve found (you can buy them here if you want a set: https://amzn.to/3WDrNIk.) Also, I don’t want to use used tips…gross.



Cable (10/10):

The cable included is an eight-strand silver-plated copper cable with a 2-pin connector on the IEM side and the choice of 2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm unbalanced, and 4.4mm balanced. I consider this cable to be what every IEM should come with at a bare minimum. This is an excellent cable and checks all of my boxes. Good looks? Check. Lightweight? Check. Soft and supple? Check. Low microphonics? Check. Doesn’t tangle or have memory retention? Check. Interchangeable balanced connectors or just 4.4mm? Check and check. I don’t have a single issue with this cable and while cable snobs can argue that the interchangeable connector isn’t as good as a hardwired connector, we’re talking miniscule differences most people couldn’t hear if they tried. Speaking from experience, this cable sounds great and performs excellently earning it 10/10 points.

Normally I’d recommend Kinera’s modular Ace or Leyding cable as a replacement for a stock crappy cable, but the one included with the SR8 is already better than them. If you want a cheap wired 4.4mm cable, the Tripowin Zonie is only $18 and performs very well for the price. (https://amzn.to/43tUCK6) If you want to go more expensive, the sky’s the limit. The EA Cleopatra comes highly recommended, but it will cost more than the SR8 by itself. I’d probably recommend the EA Eros S (https://amzn.to/3WTy9DL) as a great cable to match with this if you’re looking for a really good cable that works with just about everything.



Build Quality/Comfort (10/10):

The build quality is very nice on this IEM. I love the colorway built into the faceplate. The blue “dragon scales” are a MUCH better look/design than the AFUL Performer8 (P8 - https://amzn.to/3qvVI9I) and Monarch Mk2 (MMk2). The smokey transparent acrylic shell is nice and is dark enough to provide a higher-end feel than a lighter-colored transparent shell while still adding a sense of depth to allow you to see the electronics inside. The build quality itself feels like a typical acrylic IEM, and it does feel a little most “plasticky” than a solid black shell – but that’s all mental reasoning. The SR8 has two switches on the side and a vent port to prevent pressure build-up. I have no idea what the switches do since the descriptions online don’t explain what they do – which reminds me of the AROMA Thunder. It also doesn’t come with anything to flip the switches like a paperclip or a SIM card tool. So, I literally have nothing to flip the switches with since you can’t get a fingernail in there easily either – a bit of an oversight. Luckily for Sound Rhyme, I like the sound from the IEM with the switches in the up position, which is how it comes anyway, but keep in mind that you can tune these if you want to – I just have no idea how they will make it sound. (According to tgx78’s graph, the switches decrease bass and increase the treble dip (https://tgx78.squig.link/?share=SR8_11,SR8_00,SR8_01,SR8_10) ).

The SR8 are bigger than the AFUL P8, but are a more comfortable shape. That means that I can listen to these for hours with no discomfort whereas the P8 gave me minor hotspots on my inner ear after a half hour to an hour. The SR8 is also relatively light compared to something like the Noble Ronin, FiR Xe6, or Unique Melody Mentor. I’d say it’s a little heavier than the Oriolus Traillii, and a little bigger as well. Still, the overall comfort is excellent for me – YMMV. I’m giving these a 10/10 for build quality and comfort since I don’t have any real complaints here.

Sound:

Check out the wolfhawk.squig.link below to see how these measure. This is an excellent example of how a graph doesn’t tell you everything because I find the SR8 to be bassier than the P8 AND the VxV – the graph just doesn’t show that for some reason. It’s similar to how the Mentor is bassier than it graphs as well – no clue why. Both the VxV (a former best under $1k choice of mine) are pretty neutral overall. Maybe the lower bass on the SR8 allows me to turn the volume up more, which then makes the bass and mids more pronounced than on the P8 – that’s my best theory. You’ll notice that the SR8 has a dip in the treble, which is very similar to the Trailli – in fact, the SR8 tracks pretty closely to the Trailli overall, though the Trailli shows more bass, which under actual listening isn’t all that accurate to my ears – I’d say the SR8 has more bass, but they’re pretty close. I’ve included the Traillii on the graph for your viewing pleasure, but keep in mind it costs almost 10x as much as the SR8.



I am powering these from my HiBy R6Pro II using the 4.4mm balanced jack on medium gain with the A/B amplifier (since the battery sucks enough as is) at around ~26/100 volume. These are pretty dang efficient IEMs to run at that power level, even with a balanced connection. I am testing these with both switches on since that’s how they come from the factory and I like the increased bass presence.

Lows (16/20):

I’m starting off with the Mid-bass/Sub-bass test I’m using David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue).” The intro bass drums have a lot of bass response, though they do have a slight touch of unwanted reverb. The sub-bass comes in very strong and gives a pretty pleasing rumble – you can’t quite feel it in your soul like some IEMs, but it’s definitely above average and far better than the graph indicates it should be. While the quantity is surprisingly good, the quality isn’t as high as I would like here – it is a bit muddier than I want my bass to be – it’s missing that DD bass detail. Overall, the SR8 ears a 7/10 here – 4 points for quantity and 3 for quality.

Up next is Demon Hunter’s “I Am A Stone,” which I use to test whether the bass is too strong and overwhelms the mids as that is just as important as how strong/good the bass is. The balance on this song is very good. The bass is far more discernible than on the P8 I reviewed yesterday, but it doesn’t overwhelm the mids like it can on an IEM like the Trifecta/Xe6. This is a near-perfect balance between enough bass presence and not overwhelming bass, though the bass quality is again a bit muddy. I’m giving it 9 points here because while the balance earns it 5 points on both sides, the muddiness is a bit distracting and deserves a point off here. Still, a 16/20 is a very good performance for the SR8 and could likely be improved with a good DD for the lows on the next model (SR9?).

Mids (16/20):

Weaving The Fate’s “The Fall” is my test song for clean/dirty guitars and vocals with background instruments to see how clearly the vocals can be heard. The mids/vocals are really where this IEM shines. The intro clean guitar sound very good, though the distorted guitar is a little muddy and lacking in detail. The cymbals can be heard, but they’re a bit muted while the drums can be clearly heard. The vocals sound excellent with full body and tonality and are forward in the soundstage. The bass guitar is clearly discernible, but the vocals are the star of the show here. I have to say that the P8 is a bit better on this song with better instrument separation and more detail/less muddiness. The SR8 earns 4/6 points here.

Staind’s “Something to Remind You” has clean electric guitars and wonderful vocals – this song tests vocal quality and background noise. The intro guitar is beautiful – there’s so much presence to it and it really fills the space. The vocals also fill the entire soundstage with excellent detail and presence. There’s no unwanted reverb on the low vocals and the bass guitar is just about perfect here – providing some depth to the lows without drowning out the mids. You can hear the fingers moving across the frets here in the left IEM, but only if looking for it – the detail is there, but not distracting or annoying like it can be on some IEMs. This song earns a perfect 7/7 – it sounds fantastic.

To test classical instruments in the mids, I’m using The Piano Guys' “Code Name Vivaldi.” The bass cello is good in the intro, but the muddiness does return here. The piano comes across as a little muted in the intro, but it picks up as it moves up the frequency scale to the higher notes. The mid-higher notes on the second cello sound better than the bass cello, with more detail and clarity. The piano in the mid to higher notes can really sound very good. Both the P8 and SR8 are missing the soul and detail that an IEM like the Trifecta brings to this song with its triple DD sound. It sounds good, but not Amazing. 5/7 points here.

Highs (12/20):

To test sibilance on headphones I use Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes.” I’ve already noticed less treble presence on the SR8 than the P8, but that rarely translates to sibilance. This is a great example of that because there’s quite a bit of sibilance on the SR8 while the P8 has almost none. It’s noticeable, but not unlistenable like on something like the Trifecta. The SR8 earns 3/6 points here for sibilance as it’s about average.

Dream Theater’s “The Alien,” is the highs test song I use to see if the cymbals/high-hats/snare drum can be clearly heard and distinguished from the rest of the music (also good for instrument separation.) There’s a tiny bit of discernible cymbals here, but it’s really quite muted overall – nowhere near as good as the P8. The quality of the cymbals here is also pretty mediocre since it’s challenging to discern between individual cymbal strikes. It’s definitely better than IEMs that have almost no treble at all, but I’d place it just below average. 3/7 points here.

Michelle McLaughlin’s “Across The Burren” is another of my favorite highs/sharpness test songs as it can easily sound painful on some headphones. There appears to be the tiniest bit of sharpness here on some notes. It’s about on par with the P8 though, earning the SR8 6/7 points here. Not the best treble score, but certainly not the worst.

Soundstage/Instrument Separation/Imaging (7/10):

I use MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” to test soundstage, instrument separation, and imaging. The soundstage on the SR8 is really good, especially for the price (3/3). It’s more 3D than a lot of kilobuck IEMs and some instruments even come in behind your head here. I find the imaging to be pretty good, though not the best (2/3) – others disagree and find it to be flat, YMMV. I also find the instrument separation to be a bit blurred, though on this test song, it appears to be quite good (2/3). There is so much depth to these headphones, something the P8 is a little worse at. For the price, this is a very good overall score of 7/10.

Comparisons:

The SR8 easily competes with significantly more expensive IEMs and I find myself enjoying it more than the Fibae 5, Andromeda, VxV, Onyx, and P8. I also like it more than the Jewel, though the Jewel does some things quite a bit better, especially detail and resolution. The SR8 is one of those IEMs that are more than a sum of their parts. You can look at my ranking list to see where I rank these overall, but I’d say these are easily my “budget” endgame IEMs and that’s because I just enjoy listening to them with casual listening. They make the music fun as long as you’re not thinking about all the technical details. Also, I list them higher than my best under $2k AND $3k IEMs, which just shows how much I like these. Yes, the half-as-expensive P8 have more detail and WAY better treble. But the soundstage feels flatter and the bass is lacking in quantity. The Andromeda 2019 is a closer match to the SR8, but I would take the SR8 over the Andro (just barely). I’ll explain that in my Andromeda review coming soon. The SR8 may not have as much soul as the Trifecta, but at ¼ the price, it brings a hard-to-categorize emotional feeling to music that cheaper IEMs and many more-expensive IEMs can’t touch.



Conclusion:

If you’re looking for an IEM that just has a ton of breadth/depth with great vocals and excellent clean instrumentation with an emotional experience that can’t be touched without going MUCH more expensive, the SR8 is a great choice. That said, the lows can have some muddiness, and distorted instruments with a lot of reverb won’t have the detail that other IEMs can present. Still, I think these are the best IEM under $1k (maybe even $3k) – certainly the best I’ve heard in this price range – YMMV and all that.