EarAcoustic VSA-PM Crown
EarAcoustic AKA former developers of TFZ has come out in 2025 with a bang to say the least. They have brought out somewhere around 20 plus IEMs all ranging from budget level dynamics to what I am reviewing today in their flagship the Crown. TFZ in the past has always named their higher end offerings with names associated with royalty. King, Queen, Crown. The interesting aspect of what EarAcoustic has done is that they traditionally use dynamic drivers and the Crown is what I assume is a first for them. Using what's called a planar ribbon driver with dual magnets. As far as I know they mostly use dynamic drivers tuned and tweaked in different ways. When I heard about the Crown I was interested in it simply because they are using a much more resolving specialized planar driver.
The new direction for EarAcoustic is just that, new and it was quite the contrast going from one of their cheapest budget offerings in the STA-K to the Crown. I have no experience with the 20 or so other models in between that were introduced within the past year. But I can tell you the Crown for the type of sound and tuning it has, will be a revelation for fans of planar IEMs. I know some of my fellow reviewers have had more experience with the myriad of the other EarAcoustic models but just from my own experience with them, these models are not from inexperienced folks at all, TFZ their former brand has been around since 2015.
Case in point, the new Crown is EarAcoustics idea of a higher end sound. Its all metal alloy aluminum build, finished with a high precision polishing and electroplating is bold, chromatic, shiny and perhaps a bit splashy, luxurious in looks. They kinda look like ice cubes in the ears. Its all silver glimmer aesthetics does exude a bit of opulence. I suppose it will be more of a matter of taste but they do look a bit more spendy vs your standard all metal build IEMs. They are a bit heavier compared to plastic or resin builds but nothing that will cause undue fatigue using them for hours. I would say the size of the housings are sitting right at the edge between medium and a larger build so smaller ears might have some issue with how they fit in the ears. I personally didn’t find them uncomfortable or heavy in the ears. During winter time however they do tend to be a bit cold in the ears.
Disclaimers: The Crown was provided by Penon Audio for the purpose of a review. My review unit was burned in for a period of a weeks' time and is now ready for evaluation using my sources. Fiio K9pro ESS, Fiio M15, M15s, Ibasso DX300Max, Ibasso DX180, Ibasso D16, Ibasso PB5, Ibasso PB6. IFI signature. You can look up the Crown on Penonaudio web site here.
Their included accessories include a nicer faux leather circular zip up puck case, four sets of silicone tips in various sizes and a nicely resolving SPC type IEM cable in balanced 4.4mm. My thoughts on the cable is that it's nice and resolving cable as it should be for the admission price but not necessarily the best matching for the Crown as far as how it handles the sonics for them. I will get into why in my reader. If you're in the camp that believes cables don't really matter in the scheme of things then, no need to look at other cables. However cable matching for the given Sonic properties for IEMs for me matters a lot. Not just EarAcoutic but IEM manufacturers in general are guilty of just including the most resolving cable they source from some random OEM cable maker and throw that in with their IEMs and call it a day. The Crown unfortunately falls into this trend. Just know the Crown is one of the most resolving and technical planar IEMs around but then including a highly resolving cable to go with that does not necessarily make for the best sonic synergy. The advantage of the included cable here is that it highlights the Crown's technical traits, its detail elements and its trebles. Which the Crown with its fantastic technical foundation does not actually need.
Again just my observation but I feel what synergizes better with the Crown is a cable that does not take away much of the technicalities but adds more density, fullness to its sonics with a warmer dynamic enhancing copper type cable instead. My review here is based on what the included accessories come with but I do highly advise some cable rolling for how you like to hear the Crown.
What's it all about?
The Crown was made for audiophiles; their base model the STA -K I also reviewed was made more so for casual types but made so that it would make one curious of their other offerings. If you ask the audiophiles on the threads of headfi how they like their sound. The one element they will all say is. They want details. Musical details in the form of macro and micro detail is something that I feel IEMs do best even over full-sized cans simply because. This highly resolving sound is inside your ears. Precise imaging, euphoric spatial layering, large encompassing stage, timbral accuracy, higher level of sound separation with an ethereal airy sound. To me that is exactly what the Crown is about. It is a technical marvel at the price it is being sold at. Perhaps has some of the best technical chops I have heard at its price range. And the crazy thing is, It didn't take an IEM with 12 BAs drivers per side to get there. The Crown uses one single 11.4mm planar ribbon diaphragm. I will tell the collective that read my reviews. If you're an older chap that loves you some treble pinoche and leans toward the airy kind of extended into space clearly defined trebles. The Crown might be something to look into. It's not just its trebles that are special here. Its highly technical sound brings the grand stage in the process.
I will clearly put it out there however. If you're a bass connoisseur, The Crown is not it. I will get into why in my reader.
Drivability.
So these are not a sensitive IEM but they do require some power from your sources to really open up its sonics. Sounds better with higher gain from DAPs. A dedicated amp is where the Crown struts its stuff preferably with some tubes in the mix. Its high levels of transparency can pick off noise floor from your DAPs, if you are using a more modern day DAP then you will have no issue with noise as most DAPs nowadays have clean noise floors and are catered more for sensitive IEMs. While the Crown is easily usable out and about out of any DAP, somehow I feel its an IEM more catered for desktop and home systems to be enjoyed at home. Plus I think you would be bummed if you accidentally dropped your expensive shinny IEM to get a nasty scuff on the shells.
Sound
The Crown fits into the neutral bright category. Unlike unlistenable overly brightly tuned IEMs, its treble detail elements can bring clear and even cleaner tonal character to the sonics of the Crown. I will say if you're overly sensitive to brighter trebles from your headphones the Crown might not be a good IEM for you. Again, who these IEMs are catered for is the seasoned audiophile that loves all the detail elements from their music they are listening to. Highly detailed and technical IEMs like the Crown have a double edge sword, on one hand there is not a sonic part of the recording aspect the Crown will gloss over. Poorly recorded tracks sound just like how it was recorded. But then if you listen to well recorded albums. That is where the Crown will reward you with some of the most accurate, perfectly imaged, highly spacious, crystalized and ambient renditions of your favorites. The sound output of the Crown is so transparent in its sound ability, everything you connect to the Crown will have an effect on how you hear the Crown. This is one IEM you want to put your best source with your best cable to match or counter just how you want to hear the Crown to get the end results. A nicer source, your amps, cables and tip rolling clearly applies here without saying but much more so for the Crown vs other IEMs. I can see how different reviews will have different outcomes with how the Crown sounds to that reviewer simply based on what sources they are using. Just know if you have quality sources and cables. You should be golden. If you own one or two sources and both are dead neutral in sonic character. I will be honest in saying, you're taking a gamble on the Crown.
Treble.
You consider yourself a treble head? Well then the Crown will be up your alley. With some of the most excellent airy and extended trebles around. Treble detail is the specialty of the Crown. Tested with some of my most demanding treble tracks. I have yet to hear the Crown not nail a treble note with confidence. Out of all the parts of an IEM sound presentation it is the treble ability and presentation that can dictate how the rest of the sound is going to be and is always the most difficult to tune right.Too much and you get a lot of ear fatigue pie. Too little and tonal character can swing to the warm side of things which can lead to a muddy sound.
Most IEMs nowadays bring a bit of sparkle and at least are proficient on a macro level for treble presentations. But it's the higher end offerings that bring true articulation and a micro detail ability to the trebles that separates a higher end sound from lower level IEMs. It's interesting that cheaper IEMs try to mimic treble articulation by using cheaper upper treble drivers like piezos to duplicate what EST drivers do for example but end up sounding thin, metallic and brittle. Airy and extended yes but actual good trebles? That's debatable.
There is no mystery that the industry sees the abilities of the planar IEM driver to have some advantages for IEM sound. I have noticed more and more manufacturers within the past few years, utilize micro planars and planar drivers to help with the treble note for IEM presentations. The Crown has some of the best planar infused treble ability I have ever heard in an IEM. No multiple drivers involved, a higher level of sparkle and treble definition that is seldom talked about for IEMs even at the price range. I have done reviews for IEMs that cost a bunch more but those don't have the trebles of the Crown. But then there is a down side to just how good the treble definition is for the Crown really is.
So not everyone will be jiving with the Crown treble performance. The Crown is tuned with more of an upper mid to treble lift in its balancing. It will be the treble sensitive and the folks that easily fatigue due to edgier treble presence that will have some issue with the trebles of the Crown. Here is where I strongly recommend a solid burn in for the Crown. Its trebles can lean toward a harsher presentation on open listen and sounds brighter. Burning in the Crown is essential to get a more refined/ rounded treble note in comparison. Trebles to my ears can be a bit forward especially if you listen to a lot of rock and metal tracks however, trebles can and does become more controlled over time. Your sources and cables here matters. This is the reason why I mentioned it might be better to look into a warmer copper type cable for better synergy with the Crown. Out of my Ibasso D16 + PB5 combo the sound that is coming out of the Crown is stunning. I am not going to assume you also own a nice amp with Nutubes but if you do own a warmer sounding source. That is where the Crown really struts its stuff.
Mids.
Clean, technical, neutral and incisive the mids of the Crown is also a stand out. It is the least colored part of the Crown experience which brings a level of accuracy and much like its trebles, it's as detailed as you are going to feed it. Mids have the right amount of body, weight, sounds superbly spacious. Not a thin sounding mids experience like I hear a lot from more neutrally brighter IEMs. Superbly spacious, its instrument separation is some of the best I have heard from a single driver of anything. Being an owner of the old Dunu Luna. If you asked me which one is more detailed with better technicalities. I would say the Crown. The Crowns ability to dissect a track in how it performs, makes it sound like it is using much more drivers for its mids presentation.
It has a neutral tonal character that will be more reflective of the tonality of your music more than what the IEMs have to offer. That superior level of transparency is a theme here for the Crown. You got a warm source playing older music it will remind you of why something like Neal Diamonds older analogue recordings sounds so damn good. Sound separation and layering for the mids are fantastic to say the least. Even over the treble elements I can tell just how resolving a sound is due to its mids performance more than anything. Mids have just the right amount of body and texture to its notes. Sure it's not at a flagship dynamic level in body here but if you accept that the Crown leans more toward neutrality in all things then it is more than ample to give you all the sonic glory the Crown has to offer.
It's not a warm sound and it's not a cold sounding tonal character here. Neutral, more revealing of your source's tonal character than you would imagine. However if you have a lot of splashy drum work in the track you're listening to that can skew the Crowns tonal character to be a touch brighter over neutral but overall the clean mids of the Crown is just that. Clean, but at the same time there is no semblance of sterility or rigidness you might associate with Planar IEMs. Especially when connected to a musical source. I do find that female vocals shine here a bit more so vs male vocals but to be honest, male vocals sound just fine. It's not as forward sounding as female vocals but unless you're looking for an IEM just to do male vocals you will be happy with just how precise and detailed the Crown mids can be. Adding an amp like my PB5 which gives a thick full tubby warm but dimensional rendition of sound and the Crown truly becomes a flagship level sound experience.
Bass
The longer I have been in this hobby, it has made me realize, there is no such thing as a perfect IEM and the Crown is no different. It has ample snappy mid bass presence. In fact its bass performance in the scheme of things is not really lagging here in comparison to the mids and trebles. Its bass definition, tightness and ability balances out the Crown's performance nicely. However there is one issue with the Crowns bass presence. It's got that classic planar IEM bass presence. Meaning its transients are a touch on the speedy but a bit cut off in its decay. It's a bit more mid bass focused vs sub bass. As punchy as its mid bass is, the sub bass has somewhat of a different character.
It's got the tight speedy accurately punchy bass experience to keep up with a flagship level IEM coming off mostly very natural in its ability but where it lacks a bit is in its sub bass performance. A touch smoother in texture and not as present as its mid bass. Its decay is a bit on the faster side as well which makes the sub bass performance not sound quite like woofer bass. It's more akin to what BAs do vs what Dynamics do here for sub bass notes. Not exactly BAs and not exactly Dynamics here in character.
Planner driver bass for IEMs is an acquired taste. I would love to see this exact driver utilize a dual coaxial dynamic to just handle the bass end and this same ribbon planar driver handling the mids and trebles. Or just a stout larger dynamic handling the sub bass. One can just wish here. To be fair the bass end does keep up with how well the mids and trebles are tuned but somehow I feel Ear Acoustic missed out on a golden opportunity to bring something truly TOTL to its flagship level planar IEM sound in all fronts not just the mids and trebles but for its bass end too. As it is. It plays more of a supportive role on the overall scheme of things and I am ok with that. You can’t have a reference level of sound and have it be a bass-first IEM if you know what I mean. I suppose you could but then folks will be complaining about too much bass. But since the sound is done so well, why not have something with a bit better bass ability incorporated is my point. I suppose you have to leave something out for next year's flagship. But I vote for an integration of a dynamic for their next iteration.
Out of my PB5 amp which has bass boost to begin with. That is where the Crown truly sounds spectacular. It was an IEM made for that Amp as the synergy is one for the ages on that combo. However even out of my moderately powered DX180 I can easily take this combo with me anywhere I am at. I have found myself adding my PB6 amp when I am using my DX180 however.
In the end
The Crown, is clearly a passion project from EarAcoustic and I can tell they poured everything they knew how to do with a sound signature that embodies what Audiophiles crave. It is because it's so good that I wish it had just a bit more ability for its sub bass note. Otherwise if you're not much of a bass connoisseur and love you a detailed IEM in the truest form. The Crown is all about transparency in all aspects of your music. I appreciate the Crown for many reasons but I have recently reviewed a few sets that have similar tunings vs the Crown and none of them met the level of achievement the Crown has as far as SQ goes and how it performs. The type of tuning the Crown has plays a dangerous fine line of being a bit too detailed in some ways but if you have the right sources and cables to match up with them. They will clearly reward the user with some of the most airy, spacious, dimensionally imaged, fantastically detailed, hyper realistic renditions of your favorite music like you have never heard.
Thankfully EarAcoustic got it right on this one. It is so transparent and resolving. Whatever you connect to it from a sound chain perspective will reward you with very predictable results. Adding a source with some warmth to its make-up propels the Crown to a level that punches above its price per performance but therein lies a bit of an issue. Crown undoubtedly has some of the highest detailed transducers to bring a clear window to your music but it will show you all the flaws of what was once considered a good recording. If you find your music harsh, well that's because your recording was harsh to begin with. Lesser IEMs will mask its harshness. Not so much the Crown. That saying good things in equals better things out. This is the very definition of the Crown's performance. It's not a one and done type of IEM. You have to have an equally quality source to feed it something preferably warm with a high degree of dimensional character. What you end up getting is an end sound that is more than memorable, it becomes a reference. It's not going to be for everyone, especially for folks that want an IEM to simply use on your phone and dac dongle, or if you're sensitive to hyper detail from your IEMs. I do know a lot of my fellow enthusiasts are OCD types that are more than up to the challenge to get a highly resolving IEM to peak form and in that regard. The Crown will reward. Thanks for taking the time to read.
EarAcoustic AKA former developers of TFZ has come out in 2025 with a bang to say the least. They have brought out somewhere around 20 plus IEMs all ranging from budget level dynamics to what I am reviewing today in their flagship the Crown. TFZ in the past has always named their higher end offerings with names associated with royalty. King, Queen, Crown. The interesting aspect of what EarAcoustic has done is that they traditionally use dynamic drivers and the Crown is what I assume is a first for them. Using what's called a planar ribbon driver with dual magnets. As far as I know they mostly use dynamic drivers tuned and tweaked in different ways. When I heard about the Crown I was interested in it simply because they are using a much more resolving specialized planar driver.
Case in point, the new Crown is EarAcoustics idea of a higher end sound. Its all metal alloy aluminum build, finished with a high precision polishing and electroplating is bold, chromatic, shiny and perhaps a bit splashy, luxurious in looks. They kinda look like ice cubes in the ears. Its all silver glimmer aesthetics does exude a bit of opulence. I suppose it will be more of a matter of taste but they do look a bit more spendy vs your standard all metal build IEMs. They are a bit heavier compared to plastic or resin builds but nothing that will cause undue fatigue using them for hours. I would say the size of the housings are sitting right at the edge between medium and a larger build so smaller ears might have some issue with how they fit in the ears. I personally didn’t find them uncomfortable or heavy in the ears. During winter time however they do tend to be a bit cold in the ears.
Disclaimers: The Crown was provided by Penon Audio for the purpose of a review. My review unit was burned in for a period of a weeks' time and is now ready for evaluation using my sources. Fiio K9pro ESS, Fiio M15, M15s, Ibasso DX300Max, Ibasso DX180, Ibasso D16, Ibasso PB5, Ibasso PB6. IFI signature. You can look up the Crown on Penonaudio web site here.
Their included accessories include a nicer faux leather circular zip up puck case, four sets of silicone tips in various sizes and a nicely resolving SPC type IEM cable in balanced 4.4mm. My thoughts on the cable is that it's nice and resolving cable as it should be for the admission price but not necessarily the best matching for the Crown as far as how it handles the sonics for them. I will get into why in my reader. If you're in the camp that believes cables don't really matter in the scheme of things then, no need to look at other cables. However cable matching for the given Sonic properties for IEMs for me matters a lot. Not just EarAcoutic but IEM manufacturers in general are guilty of just including the most resolving cable they source from some random OEM cable maker and throw that in with their IEMs and call it a day. The Crown unfortunately falls into this trend. Just know the Crown is one of the most resolving and technical planar IEMs around but then including a highly resolving cable to go with that does not necessarily make for the best sonic synergy. The advantage of the included cable here is that it highlights the Crown's technical traits, its detail elements and its trebles. Which the Crown with its fantastic technical foundation does not actually need.
Again just my observation but I feel what synergizes better with the Crown is a cable that does not take away much of the technicalities but adds more density, fullness to its sonics with a warmer dynamic enhancing copper type cable instead. My review here is based on what the included accessories come with but I do highly advise some cable rolling for how you like to hear the Crown.
What's it all about?
The Crown was made for audiophiles; their base model the STA -K I also reviewed was made more so for casual types but made so that it would make one curious of their other offerings. If you ask the audiophiles on the threads of headfi how they like their sound. The one element they will all say is. They want details. Musical details in the form of macro and micro detail is something that I feel IEMs do best even over full-sized cans simply because. This highly resolving sound is inside your ears. Precise imaging, euphoric spatial layering, large encompassing stage, timbral accuracy, higher level of sound separation with an ethereal airy sound. To me that is exactly what the Crown is about. It is a technical marvel at the price it is being sold at. Perhaps has some of the best technical chops I have heard at its price range. And the crazy thing is, It didn't take an IEM with 12 BAs drivers per side to get there. The Crown uses one single 11.4mm planar ribbon diaphragm. I will tell the collective that read my reviews. If you're an older chap that loves you some treble pinoche and leans toward the airy kind of extended into space clearly defined trebles. The Crown might be something to look into. It's not just its trebles that are special here. Its highly technical sound brings the grand stage in the process.
I will clearly put it out there however. If you're a bass connoisseur, The Crown is not it. I will get into why in my reader.
Drivability.
So these are not a sensitive IEM but they do require some power from your sources to really open up its sonics. Sounds better with higher gain from DAPs. A dedicated amp is where the Crown struts its stuff preferably with some tubes in the mix. Its high levels of transparency can pick off noise floor from your DAPs, if you are using a more modern day DAP then you will have no issue with noise as most DAPs nowadays have clean noise floors and are catered more for sensitive IEMs. While the Crown is easily usable out and about out of any DAP, somehow I feel its an IEM more catered for desktop and home systems to be enjoyed at home. Plus I think you would be bummed if you accidentally dropped your expensive shinny IEM to get a nasty scuff on the shells.
Sound
The Crown fits into the neutral bright category. Unlike unlistenable overly brightly tuned IEMs, its treble detail elements can bring clear and even cleaner tonal character to the sonics of the Crown. I will say if you're overly sensitive to brighter trebles from your headphones the Crown might not be a good IEM for you. Again, who these IEMs are catered for is the seasoned audiophile that loves all the detail elements from their music they are listening to. Highly detailed and technical IEMs like the Crown have a double edge sword, on one hand there is not a sonic part of the recording aspect the Crown will gloss over. Poorly recorded tracks sound just like how it was recorded. But then if you listen to well recorded albums. That is where the Crown will reward you with some of the most accurate, perfectly imaged, highly spacious, crystalized and ambient renditions of your favorites. The sound output of the Crown is so transparent in its sound ability, everything you connect to the Crown will have an effect on how you hear the Crown. This is one IEM you want to put your best source with your best cable to match or counter just how you want to hear the Crown to get the end results. A nicer source, your amps, cables and tip rolling clearly applies here without saying but much more so for the Crown vs other IEMs. I can see how different reviews will have different outcomes with how the Crown sounds to that reviewer simply based on what sources they are using. Just know if you have quality sources and cables. You should be golden. If you own one or two sources and both are dead neutral in sonic character. I will be honest in saying, you're taking a gamble on the Crown.
Treble.
You consider yourself a treble head? Well then the Crown will be up your alley. With some of the most excellent airy and extended trebles around. Treble detail is the specialty of the Crown. Tested with some of my most demanding treble tracks. I have yet to hear the Crown not nail a treble note with confidence. Out of all the parts of an IEM sound presentation it is the treble ability and presentation that can dictate how the rest of the sound is going to be and is always the most difficult to tune right.Too much and you get a lot of ear fatigue pie. Too little and tonal character can swing to the warm side of things which can lead to a muddy sound.
Most IEMs nowadays bring a bit of sparkle and at least are proficient on a macro level for treble presentations. But it's the higher end offerings that bring true articulation and a micro detail ability to the trebles that separates a higher end sound from lower level IEMs. It's interesting that cheaper IEMs try to mimic treble articulation by using cheaper upper treble drivers like piezos to duplicate what EST drivers do for example but end up sounding thin, metallic and brittle. Airy and extended yes but actual good trebles? That's debatable.
There is no mystery that the industry sees the abilities of the planar IEM driver to have some advantages for IEM sound. I have noticed more and more manufacturers within the past few years, utilize micro planars and planar drivers to help with the treble note for IEM presentations. The Crown has some of the best planar infused treble ability I have ever heard in an IEM. No multiple drivers involved, a higher level of sparkle and treble definition that is seldom talked about for IEMs even at the price range. I have done reviews for IEMs that cost a bunch more but those don't have the trebles of the Crown. But then there is a down side to just how good the treble definition is for the Crown really is.
So not everyone will be jiving with the Crown treble performance. The Crown is tuned with more of an upper mid to treble lift in its balancing. It will be the treble sensitive and the folks that easily fatigue due to edgier treble presence that will have some issue with the trebles of the Crown. Here is where I strongly recommend a solid burn in for the Crown. Its trebles can lean toward a harsher presentation on open listen and sounds brighter. Burning in the Crown is essential to get a more refined/ rounded treble note in comparison. Trebles to my ears can be a bit forward especially if you listen to a lot of rock and metal tracks however, trebles can and does become more controlled over time. Your sources and cables here matters. This is the reason why I mentioned it might be better to look into a warmer copper type cable for better synergy with the Crown. Out of my Ibasso D16 + PB5 combo the sound that is coming out of the Crown is stunning. I am not going to assume you also own a nice amp with Nutubes but if you do own a warmer sounding source. That is where the Crown really struts its stuff.
Mids.
Clean, technical, neutral and incisive the mids of the Crown is also a stand out. It is the least colored part of the Crown experience which brings a level of accuracy and much like its trebles, it's as detailed as you are going to feed it. Mids have the right amount of body, weight, sounds superbly spacious. Not a thin sounding mids experience like I hear a lot from more neutrally brighter IEMs. Superbly spacious, its instrument separation is some of the best I have heard from a single driver of anything. Being an owner of the old Dunu Luna. If you asked me which one is more detailed with better technicalities. I would say the Crown. The Crowns ability to dissect a track in how it performs, makes it sound like it is using much more drivers for its mids presentation.
It has a neutral tonal character that will be more reflective of the tonality of your music more than what the IEMs have to offer. That superior level of transparency is a theme here for the Crown. You got a warm source playing older music it will remind you of why something like Neal Diamonds older analogue recordings sounds so damn good. Sound separation and layering for the mids are fantastic to say the least. Even over the treble elements I can tell just how resolving a sound is due to its mids performance more than anything. Mids have just the right amount of body and texture to its notes. Sure it's not at a flagship dynamic level in body here but if you accept that the Crown leans more toward neutrality in all things then it is more than ample to give you all the sonic glory the Crown has to offer.
It's not a warm sound and it's not a cold sounding tonal character here. Neutral, more revealing of your source's tonal character than you would imagine. However if you have a lot of splashy drum work in the track you're listening to that can skew the Crowns tonal character to be a touch brighter over neutral but overall the clean mids of the Crown is just that. Clean, but at the same time there is no semblance of sterility or rigidness you might associate with Planar IEMs. Especially when connected to a musical source. I do find that female vocals shine here a bit more so vs male vocals but to be honest, male vocals sound just fine. It's not as forward sounding as female vocals but unless you're looking for an IEM just to do male vocals you will be happy with just how precise and detailed the Crown mids can be. Adding an amp like my PB5 which gives a thick full tubby warm but dimensional rendition of sound and the Crown truly becomes a flagship level sound experience.
Bass
The longer I have been in this hobby, it has made me realize, there is no such thing as a perfect IEM and the Crown is no different. It has ample snappy mid bass presence. In fact its bass performance in the scheme of things is not really lagging here in comparison to the mids and trebles. Its bass definition, tightness and ability balances out the Crown's performance nicely. However there is one issue with the Crowns bass presence. It's got that classic planar IEM bass presence. Meaning its transients are a touch on the speedy but a bit cut off in its decay. It's a bit more mid bass focused vs sub bass. As punchy as its mid bass is, the sub bass has somewhat of a different character.
It's got the tight speedy accurately punchy bass experience to keep up with a flagship level IEM coming off mostly very natural in its ability but where it lacks a bit is in its sub bass performance. A touch smoother in texture and not as present as its mid bass. Its decay is a bit on the faster side as well which makes the sub bass performance not sound quite like woofer bass. It's more akin to what BAs do vs what Dynamics do here for sub bass notes. Not exactly BAs and not exactly Dynamics here in character.
Planner driver bass for IEMs is an acquired taste. I would love to see this exact driver utilize a dual coaxial dynamic to just handle the bass end and this same ribbon planar driver handling the mids and trebles. Or just a stout larger dynamic handling the sub bass. One can just wish here. To be fair the bass end does keep up with how well the mids and trebles are tuned but somehow I feel Ear Acoustic missed out on a golden opportunity to bring something truly TOTL to its flagship level planar IEM sound in all fronts not just the mids and trebles but for its bass end too. As it is. It plays more of a supportive role on the overall scheme of things and I am ok with that. You can’t have a reference level of sound and have it be a bass-first IEM if you know what I mean. I suppose you could but then folks will be complaining about too much bass. But since the sound is done so well, why not have something with a bit better bass ability incorporated is my point. I suppose you have to leave something out for next year's flagship. But I vote for an integration of a dynamic for their next iteration.
In the end
The Crown, is clearly a passion project from EarAcoustic and I can tell they poured everything they knew how to do with a sound signature that embodies what Audiophiles crave. It is because it's so good that I wish it had just a bit more ability for its sub bass note. Otherwise if you're not much of a bass connoisseur and love you a detailed IEM in the truest form. The Crown is all about transparency in all aspects of your music. I appreciate the Crown for many reasons but I have recently reviewed a few sets that have similar tunings vs the Crown and none of them met the level of achievement the Crown has as far as SQ goes and how it performs. The type of tuning the Crown has plays a dangerous fine line of being a bit too detailed in some ways but if you have the right sources and cables to match up with them. They will clearly reward the user with some of the most airy, spacious, dimensionally imaged, fantastically detailed, hyper realistic renditions of your favorite music like you have never heard.
Thankfully EarAcoustic got it right on this one. It is so transparent and resolving. Whatever you connect to it from a sound chain perspective will reward you with very predictable results. Adding a source with some warmth to its make-up propels the Crown to a level that punches above its price per performance but therein lies a bit of an issue. Crown undoubtedly has some of the highest detailed transducers to bring a clear window to your music but it will show you all the flaws of what was once considered a good recording. If you find your music harsh, well that's because your recording was harsh to begin with. Lesser IEMs will mask its harshness. Not so much the Crown. That saying good things in equals better things out. This is the very definition of the Crown's performance. It's not a one and done type of IEM. You have to have an equally quality source to feed it something preferably warm with a high degree of dimensional character. What you end up getting is an end sound that is more than memorable, it becomes a reference. It's not going to be for everyone, especially for folks that want an IEM to simply use on your phone and dac dongle, or if you're sensitive to hyper detail from your IEMs. I do know a lot of my fellow enthusiasts are OCD types that are more than up to the challenge to get a highly resolving IEM to peak form and in that regard. The Crown will reward. Thanks for taking the time to read.