Acoustune HS1501AL and HS1551CU earphone reviews – Industrial Immersion
Acoustune HS1501AL- HS1551CU
$450
Pros
- Striking design with precise solid build quality
- Rich velvety bass, full bodied signature, very musical/accessible, no sibilance
- Excellent stock cable, great tip selection and carry case
Cons
- Specific fit positioning required to ensure comfort
- Memory wire on cables would be handy
- Transparency and micro detail may be lacking for some
Sound Signature:
As always the most important part of any earphone review is the sound signature. As there is an excellent quality on the tip selection, it was relatively easy to get a decent fit and good seal.
Usually we burn in earphones before reviewing but in this instance no burn in was required due to the driver’s diaphragm using medical grade Myrinx.
So how do these two impressive looking dynamic driver earphones perform.
The overall character that these fantastically machined earphones portray, is one of a weighty rich warm signature. The focus on the low end pushes the sub bass and core bass ranges forward to give a full-bodied character. Both the HS1501AL and the HS1551CU have well textured and lush smooth bass. Due to the expert tuning another strength is the laid back relaxed decay adding to the richness and signature size. The HS501AL has a heavier presence and masks a little with its dominance for my musical preferences but the HS1551CU bass tuning hits the spot perfectly for me. I have tried other earphones in the past that seem to vibrate and resonate but these 2 IEMs do not suffer at all from these issues. The texture of the layering does not feel artificial or give the impression of colouring but keeps true to the musicality of the tracks while not feeling bloated. There is a comforting liquid smooth transitioning character to these that I’m sure will appeal to a very wide audience.
Mid range presence is in-line with the raised bass tuning, resulting in a well balanced coherent signature. The weight of the HS1501AL signatures body does make some vocals appear a little recessed at times but nothing hugely adverse. The HS1551CU mid presence is more to my liking keeping everything musical with instruments well placed and smooth. Due to the warm overall tuning, at times the laid back flow of the signature feels a little less energetic and casual sounding for some faster musical styles. There isn’t muddying but there is slight veiling on certain instruments.
Sound stage presence on earphones are an area that many listeners really have an affinity with. It is not always easy to achieve, too much and everything sounds distant and a bit artificial, too little and breath of signature is lost. Thankfully these Acoustune earphones shine in this area, with large stage presence. Both impressive and full with a rich sizeable range feeling extended and wide. All adding to the overall signatures full bodied character. Even though it is full in character, it doesn’t feel artificial or unrealistic with instrument positions having accurate placement.
Treble detail is not the most transparent or clinically due to the smooth layering and tuning of these solidly built earphones. However, the positioning and decay is fairly accurate but not heavily forward or fully present in the upper frequency regions. It does work well though from a musicality perspective and results in hardly any sharpness or sibilance at all.
Clarity of detail and resolution accuracy is not the strongest tuning focus, so you wont get the refined micro-detail that some people look for in reference signatures, however there is enough detail for these earphones to be well balanced with the laid back warm signature these are aiming for. It appears a conscience tuning sacrifice (as with the upper treble regions) has been made in the name of giving these a more musical and weighty bodied signature. If you have a strong attraction to analytical clinical energetic bright pin point detail, I suggest you try these first as their warmth and fun tuning may not be aligned with your preferences.
For me the balance of the resolution articulation in conjunction with the raised bass regions tuning work very well overall and I’m confident many will be quite content with the fluid smooth musical signature. Acoutune have done an excellent job creating a desirable impressive package with a design style to die for, along with the excellent carry case, quality stock cable, great tip selection and fair pricing.
We at earphonia.com are looking forward to their two new models that are scheduled for release later this year – the HS1503AL and the HS1500 models.
