Silver Angel VSA MAX “Cafe Espresso”
Continuing in my hunt for quality single DD set I came to know about Silver Angel by Ear acoustics I dug deep and came to know they are related to TFZ (The Fragrant Zither). I already own a set TFZ My Love 3 and really liked its presentation. So, curiosity took over me & I was looking to get my paws on it. My luck was strong, and Audio Geek India was touring it. I reached out to them for to be part of it. They have graciously lent me the set for this review.
Mighty Thanks to AudioGeek India for making this possible. Without their help this wouldn’t have been possible.
PSA, I am under no influence of anyone or Brand to write this review. All opinions shared here are mine. Please keep in mind, I am just one man so always take my opinions expressed here with grain of salt.
Also keep in mind my bias towards Dynamic Driver sets over Hybrids & Planars
Now that pleasantries and caveats are done with. Let’s get going with actual review.
Mighty Thanks to AudioGeek India for making this possible. Without their help this wouldn’t have been possible.
PSA, I am under no influence of anyone or Brand to write this review. All opinions shared here are mine. Please keep in mind, I am just one man so always take my opinions expressed here with grain of salt.
Also keep in mind my bias towards Dynamic Driver sets over Hybrids & Planars
Now that pleasantries and caveats are done with. Let’s get going with actual review.
Build Quality:
What you get in the box?
2 iems
1 2 pin 0.78 mm SPC modular cable with 3.5 mm & 4.4 mm jack
1 cable strap
3 pair of ear tips x 2
Iems are made of actual metal. Something that is my kryptonite, I like iems with metal shell. Here the shells have nice pattern on the faceplate that makes them look like jewelry. There are 2 vent holes on the shell for venting. Bigger one looks like some kind of proprietary pressure relief vent. Shells exclude rich and luxurious feel.
Provided 0.78 2 pin SPC cable is 2 core braided thick cable. It has nice metal cable splitter and chin synch. Both feel premium. Chin synch works, stays in place. 2 pin connectors are made up of metal which inspire confidence in them.
Both 3.5 mm & 4.4 mm jacks are metal and have fine finish. They have weight to them. Overall, both feel premium. They are of friction fit type. Would have loved to see twist lock mechanism on these.
Overall Build Quality: 5/5
What you get in the box?
2 iems
1 2 pin 0.78 mm SPC modular cable with 3.5 mm & 4.4 mm jack
1 cable strap
3 pair of ear tips x 2
Iems are made of actual metal. Something that is my kryptonite, I like iems with metal shell. Here the shells have nice pattern on the faceplate that makes them look like jewelry. There are 2 vent holes on the shell for venting. Bigger one looks like some kind of proprietary pressure relief vent. Shells exclude rich and luxurious feel.
Provided 0.78 2 pin SPC cable is 2 core braided thick cable. It has nice metal cable splitter and chin synch. Both feel premium. Chin synch works, stays in place. 2 pin connectors are made up of metal which inspire confidence in them.
Both 3.5 mm & 4.4 mm jacks are metal and have fine finish. They have weight to them. Overall, both feel premium. They are of friction fit type. Would have loved to see twist lock mechanism on these.
Overall Build Quality: 5/5
Comfort & Fit:
Iems being made of metal naturally one may assume them to be heavy. Yet they are surprisingly light. They fit my large ears perfectly. Size is average so should fit all ear types. Nozzles are decent length they provide deep insertion. Nozzles have lip it provides nice and tight grip for ear tips. Iems provide nice passive isolation. Preformed ear hooks on cable do not tug on the iems so iems stay put.
I felt no weird pressure or pain in my ears in extended listening sessions.
Overall Comfort & Fit: 5/5
Configuration:
A single 11.4 mm Dynamic Driver with Titanium Diaphragm. It is a full range driver. Sensitivity is 110 dB & Impedance is 32 ohms. Frequency Response is from 5Hz to 49 Khz.
Music Genre Used for this Review:
Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.
https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls___.YXBzMTpnb2RyZWppbmR1c3RyaWVzbGltaXRlZDpjOm86ZWRmYzI1OTdkZjlhMmRkYTYzZjdjMTQxNGQ0MzIxODU6NzpmOTliOmFlMzZkNTI5YjQwN2ZiNGJlNzI4ZjEyNTUwNmY5ZWVkYzhlZjExZDc3OThlM2FlOTRjYmMwNmNhNWI0Zjk3MmU6dDpUOkY
Sources:
Sources from basic ones to hi end ones.
Jcally jm6 type 4.4
Moondrop pro
Fiio KA3
Fiio KA13
EPZ TP50
Onix alpha xi 1
Cayin RU6
Cayin RU7
Tempotec V3 Blaze
This iem is very efficient (110 dB) as when I used jcally jm6 type 4.4 as source it was able to drive this iem with ease. As I scaled with sources mentioned above it was able to scale along. So iem is scaling well with powerful sources. Best pairing was achieved with Cayin RU6, onix alpha xi 1 & Tempotec V3 blaze.
Sources scaling Tempotec v3 blaze > Cayin RU6 > Onix Alpha xi 1 > Cayin Ru7 > EPZ TP50 > Fiio KA13 > Moondrop Dawn pro > Fiio KA3> Jcally jm6
It was exceptional musical experience with Cayin Ru6 yet I have not based my entire review on its impressions & have used impressions from other sources as Cayin Ru6 colours presentation ¬ everyone likes it.
I preferred mostly neutral and dark sources with them. I didn’t like presentation with bright sources.
Ear tips:
I used variety of ear tips to test the iems from small bore to wide bore and exotic ear tips best pairing that I found was with Spinfit W1 ear tips for me.
Sound Impressions:
Bass/Lows:
Amazing Bass full stop, both subbass and mid bass in copious amount. Drums, Kick drums, bongos, tablas be any kind of drums. They are well emphasised. They sound amazing. Here there is fabulous combo of thunderous subbass rumble and air pushing physical thump of visceral mid bass. You just can’t miss the bass here, its omnipotent. The attack and decay of the bass is natural.
Guitars especially bass guitars sound godly. Twang of the cords and the reverberations that follow are just perfect.no metallic sound or any oddity.
Overall Bass/Lows are perfect like chef's kiss: 5/5
Mids:
Vocals they are star alongside bass. Both Male and female vocals are impressive. Male vocals benefit from the bass tuning. They feel natural in tone and timbre. Yet here female vocals don't suffer. They also sound natural. No abnormal tone.
Sibilance can be found if there is in the song. Also, certain pairing song mastering can make song sibilant due to iem’ s inherent tuning.
The pinna gain here can be make or break for few people. It might get bit overwhelming for some. Even for me sometimes female poison gets strong.
Instruments that reside in mid-range sound emphasized and sometimes might sound very much forward.
Overall Mids are near perfect: 4/5
Treble/Highs:
Treble presentation is bit boosted. All micro & macro details are there. You can hear all twinkles & sparkles in the mix. Instruments such as crash & cymbals sound natural. Their decay is natural. Somehow the highs to my ears sound rolled off. You can feel the lack of extension. It feels bit muted in highs.
Soundstage is above average. Its wide enough just lacks height. Instruments don't struggle for space in the mix. All instruments are separated no smearing. Stage is holographic in nature. Instruments can be felt in space around your head. You can easily spot them in the space around you.
Overall Treble/Highs: 4/5
Song Impressions:
I have selected few songs to corelate my above findings with respect to them.
Kashmir by Marcin
From first minute of the song, you can feel the strength of this set i.e. great low end and Mids. The blend of bass guitars and drums is amazing & this set nails it. You will feel those strings and impact of the drums. One of the best reproductions of this song that I have heard in recent times. I was enjoying along with head banging.
GNX by Kendrik Lamar
Subbass reverberation and thump of mid bass are on point. Kendrik's nasal voice sounds natural and true to life. Being Kendrick fan, it was rewarding to listen to him. Overall, I enjoyed it to the max.
Apsara Ali by Ajay & Atul
These two musically talented brothers have created this musical masterpiece. The opening piece of this song is with drums & string instruments, this iem nails it. Tabla and drumbeats in the song feel authentic. Vocals are not lost and sit properly where they should be. Overall had blast listening to it.
Complicated by Avril Lavigne
Female poison check & it passes the test with flying colours. Me being Avril simp in my younger days have very special connection to this song. Avril sounds life like. It was pleasure to listen to her voice and revisiting my younger days.
Final Thoughts:
Amazing Single DD set with Musical Tuning. This is a set you pick up for enjoying the music not for dissecting music. While listening to music I was enjoying music. I had to remind myself to focus and nitpick it. So, I think if you are looking for a set to enjoy then this is it. Stay away if you’re looking for analyzing set to analyze music. This is musical set.
Now I have called this set as cafe expresso why? Because when you are in down and want to pump yourself, you need something to energize. This is where you get an espresso. Espresso wakes you up makes you energetic same way this set lifts my mood. I feel energetic my hands move on their own, my legs start moving with their own mind.
For me this set is Cafe Espresso.
Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go get yourself a hot espresso coffee you need it.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Iems being made of metal naturally one may assume them to be heavy. Yet they are surprisingly light. They fit my large ears perfectly. Size is average so should fit all ear types. Nozzles are decent length they provide deep insertion. Nozzles have lip it provides nice and tight grip for ear tips. Iems provide nice passive isolation. Preformed ear hooks on cable do not tug on the iems so iems stay put.
I felt no weird pressure or pain in my ears in extended listening sessions.
Overall Comfort & Fit: 5/5
Configuration:
A single 11.4 mm Dynamic Driver with Titanium Diaphragm. It is a full range driver. Sensitivity is 110 dB & Impedance is 32 ohms. Frequency Response is from 5Hz to 49 Khz.
Music Genre Used for this Review:
Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.
https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls___.YXBzMTpnb2RyZWppbmR1c3RyaWVzbGltaXRlZDpjOm86ZWRmYzI1OTdkZjlhMmRkYTYzZjdjMTQxNGQ0MzIxODU6NzpmOTliOmFlMzZkNTI5YjQwN2ZiNGJlNzI4ZjEyNTUwNmY5ZWVkYzhlZjExZDc3OThlM2FlOTRjYmMwNmNhNWI0Zjk3MmU6dDpUOkY
Sources:
Sources from basic ones to hi end ones.
Jcally jm6 type 4.4
Moondrop pro
Fiio KA3
Fiio KA13
EPZ TP50
Onix alpha xi 1
Cayin RU6
Cayin RU7
Tempotec V3 Blaze
This iem is very efficient (110 dB) as when I used jcally jm6 type 4.4 as source it was able to drive this iem with ease. As I scaled with sources mentioned above it was able to scale along. So iem is scaling well with powerful sources. Best pairing was achieved with Cayin RU6, onix alpha xi 1 & Tempotec V3 blaze.
Sources scaling Tempotec v3 blaze > Cayin RU6 > Onix Alpha xi 1 > Cayin Ru7 > EPZ TP50 > Fiio KA13 > Moondrop Dawn pro > Fiio KA3> Jcally jm6
It was exceptional musical experience with Cayin Ru6 yet I have not based my entire review on its impressions & have used impressions from other sources as Cayin Ru6 colours presentation ¬ everyone likes it.
I preferred mostly neutral and dark sources with them. I didn’t like presentation with bright sources.
Ear tips:
I used variety of ear tips to test the iems from small bore to wide bore and exotic ear tips best pairing that I found was with Spinfit W1 ear tips for me.
Sound Impressions:
Bass/Lows:
Amazing Bass full stop, both subbass and mid bass in copious amount. Drums, Kick drums, bongos, tablas be any kind of drums. They are well emphasised. They sound amazing. Here there is fabulous combo of thunderous subbass rumble and air pushing physical thump of visceral mid bass. You just can’t miss the bass here, its omnipotent. The attack and decay of the bass is natural.
Guitars especially bass guitars sound godly. Twang of the cords and the reverberations that follow are just perfect.no metallic sound or any oddity.
Overall Bass/Lows are perfect like chef's kiss: 5/5
Mids:
Vocals they are star alongside bass. Both Male and female vocals are impressive. Male vocals benefit from the bass tuning. They feel natural in tone and timbre. Yet here female vocals don't suffer. They also sound natural. No abnormal tone.
Sibilance can be found if there is in the song. Also, certain pairing song mastering can make song sibilant due to iem’ s inherent tuning.
The pinna gain here can be make or break for few people. It might get bit overwhelming for some. Even for me sometimes female poison gets strong.
Instruments that reside in mid-range sound emphasized and sometimes might sound very much forward.
Overall Mids are near perfect: 4/5
Treble/Highs:
Treble presentation is bit boosted. All micro & macro details are there. You can hear all twinkles & sparkles in the mix. Instruments such as crash & cymbals sound natural. Their decay is natural. Somehow the highs to my ears sound rolled off. You can feel the lack of extension. It feels bit muted in highs.
Soundstage is above average. Its wide enough just lacks height. Instruments don't struggle for space in the mix. All instruments are separated no smearing. Stage is holographic in nature. Instruments can be felt in space around your head. You can easily spot them in the space around you.
Overall Treble/Highs: 4/5
Song Impressions:
I have selected few songs to corelate my above findings with respect to them.
Kashmir by Marcin
From first minute of the song, you can feel the strength of this set i.e. great low end and Mids. The blend of bass guitars and drums is amazing & this set nails it. You will feel those strings and impact of the drums. One of the best reproductions of this song that I have heard in recent times. I was enjoying along with head banging.
GNX by Kendrik Lamar
Subbass reverberation and thump of mid bass are on point. Kendrik's nasal voice sounds natural and true to life. Being Kendrick fan, it was rewarding to listen to him. Overall, I enjoyed it to the max.
Apsara Ali by Ajay & Atul
These two musically talented brothers have created this musical masterpiece. The opening piece of this song is with drums & string instruments, this iem nails it. Tabla and drumbeats in the song feel authentic. Vocals are not lost and sit properly where they should be. Overall had blast listening to it.
Complicated by Avril Lavigne
Female poison check & it passes the test with flying colours. Me being Avril simp in my younger days have very special connection to this song. Avril sounds life like. It was pleasure to listen to her voice and revisiting my younger days.
Final Thoughts:
Amazing Single DD set with Musical Tuning. This is a set you pick up for enjoying the music not for dissecting music. While listening to music I was enjoying music. I had to remind myself to focus and nitpick it. So, I think if you are looking for a set to enjoy then this is it. Stay away if you’re looking for analyzing set to analyze music. This is musical set.
Now I have called this set as cafe expresso why? Because when you are in down and want to pump yourself, you need something to energize. This is where you get an espresso. Espresso wakes you up makes you energetic same way this set lifts my mood. I feel energetic my hands move on their own, my legs start moving with their own mind.
For me this set is Cafe Espresso.
Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go get yourself a hot espresso coffee you need it.
Overall Rating: 4/5