Good day! After 10 days of casual and critical listening, here’s my written review for the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S. The heaven is spacious!
I don’t read FR graphs. I only use my ears, as earphones should be used.
Earacoustic Audio sent this unit to me in an exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Rest assured that this review will do its best to devoid from any bias/es as much as possible.
The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
My personal preferences, in terms of sound, methodology, and music of choice:
I prefer a “neutral/flat/balanced”, uncolored sound as much as possible.
I prioritize technical over tonal performance.
I listen to most genres existing on the internet.
I use the included stock eartips and cable as much as possible to put myself on a consumer’s perspective, unless stated otherwise.
======================================================================== Brain-burn-in time:4-8 hours per day, 10 days.
Source/s used:
- Non-HiFi smartphone (Infinix Note 12 G96), PC.
- Hiby R4 DAP
- IFi Zen Stack (Zen DAC V2, Zen Can)
- IFi Zen DAC V2
- Fosi Audio SK02 USB DAC
- Venture Electronics Odo USB DAC
- Venture Electronics Devastator USB DAC
- Venture Electronics Megatron USB DAC
- Venture Electronics Galvatron USB DAC
- DDHiFi TC44Pro E3 DAC
- Snowsky Melody DAC
- Aiwa XP-V710C CD Player (12 sec. EASS)
- FiiO DM13 CD Player
- Local Files via Foobar, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.
IEM/Earbud/Setup configuration:Stock medium black eartips, stock red eartips, stock cable, Venture Electronics DIC Vita Cable, any form of EQ or MSEB off, 40-60% volume.
Whether it be mild-u-shaped, mild-v-shaped, or “Harman-sounding”, the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S fits the bill. When compared to the SPA and STA series that I have reviewed a while ago, the G318s took a slightly different route and presented things in a thick, warm manner, while keeping the Earacoustic Audio’s energetic, musical-enjoyment priority house sound implemented really well.
Lows:
This is definitely the highlight, and the most elevated region here in the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S. Bassheads that are willing to spend 250USD for this IEM will definitely have a good time using the G318s with their playlist in terms of quality, but might leave them lacking in terms of quantity, if they really want that skull-vibrating, chunky bass response. Don’t get me wrong, the G318s is a bassy IEM, it’s just that you may find it lacking in quantity if you’re coming from a basshead set like a 7Hz Legato or any Fatfreq IEM that you have encountered. As for the quality, the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S impresses me a lot, despite not being a basshead myself. It is slightly subbass-dominant while keeping the midbass presence not that far to it, exhibiting a very good balance of punch and rumble whenever the track calls for it. Attack and decay is on the average side, keeping its composure and decay sufficient to any track you throw at it.
Mids:
Its thick, musical character can also be observed here in the mids, as it is warm and lush, keeping this frequency bodied and smooth. Lower mids exhibit a good amount of thickness, making the voices of The Weeknd and Brendon Urie pleasant and non-shrieky to listen to. Upper mids are mildly elevated, just enough to make the vocals present, decently airy, and clear. Some people, along with its treble, may find the upper frequencies of the G318s a little bit too “smooth” to their liking, since there are no sibilance, and no “extra crisp” either. Personally, I find this region, along with the upper frequencies of the G318s decently tuned for most of the people since it seems that Earacoustic Audio tuned the G318s to be a musical companion for longer listening sessions, and to give a different flavor compared to the STA and SPA series, while keeping their signature energetic yet clean sound character.
Treble
Transitioning to the treble, the same character can also be observed here: It is still extended, with a good amount of air and extension. Of course, it won’t be a treblehead’s bee's knees, but that doesn’t mean that this region sounds dark either. As a neutral-head myself, I actually find the treble of G318s well-tuned and mass appealing, since it doesn't seem to go overboard even when the sibilant prone tracks hit, but still delivers the extension and nuances present in the track pleasantly.
Soundstage, Imaging and Separation:
In all honesty, this is the first region that really caught my attention here in the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S for the first 15 minutes I observed it out of the box. It is vast, holographic, immersive, you name it - everything just sounds spacious and does not seem to overlap each other. You’ll get a spherical, expansive soundstage here, with a very good amount of depth. Soundstage and layering are also impressively clean even when the busy tracks hit, but it does lack that extra crispy cleanliness to it when compared to the quadbrid IEMs that I have here, which is in my humble opinion, an unfair comparison since the G318s does not lag behind at all. Imaging is dead precise and at times got me turning my head left and right because I thought someone’s knocking on my door while I’m watching my podcast and movies.
I honestly cannot stand using the stock cable that it comes with since it is very stiff and induces microphonics whenever I use it, since I use my IEMs while walking and commuting 80% of the time. Luckily it doesn’t seem to exhibit any special sauce or night and day improvement compared to the third party cables that I have though, which is a good thing, so there are no serious compromises here.
======================================================================== Other IEM Comparisons!
Twistura Woodnote
In all honesty, both of these sets are quite “safe” and smooth in terms of its sound, as they avoid sibilance and harshness as much as possible. The Twistura Woodnote however is smoother and safer when compared to the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S due to its lesser presence of upper frequencies. The Woodnote is also thicker and warmer as well, up to the point that the G318s sounded “neutral” when listened or compared side by side. The vocals on the Woodnote are also a bit more forward when compared, but the G318s has better clarity and air to it compared to the Woodnote. As for the technical chops, the G318s is better as it has an expansive soundstage , while the Woodnote keeps things regular. Both of these sets scale well with a better source. Also I must say, both of these IEMs are presented and packaged extravagantly and really shows how much a brand can go according to their retail prices.
Hidizs MK12 Turris
Ah yes, the Hidizs MK12 Turris, the first IEM that got me surprised by its expansive, wide soundstage, probably the widest that I have heard under 400USD. When compared to the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S, the G318s isn’t that far, but the Turris is still the more holographic set. The G318s has a more energetic character, compared to the Mk12 Turris, as it also avoids any rolled off or dark upper frequencies because the Turris can suffer those at times. Both are easy to drive, as they scale the more they are paired with a “proper” source.
Earacoustic Audio SPA Hi-End Ultra
The EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S and the EarAcoustic Audio share the same sound characteristics to one another despite having a different flavour to one another when compared. Yes, both of these sets exhibit an energetic, V-shaped sound character, but the SPA Hi-End Ultra goes harder and brighter, while the G318s aims for a more warmer, thicker approach. The SPA Hi-End Ultra has a tad bit better detail retrieval when compared to the G318s, but it also suffers mild peaks and sibilance on sibilant-prone tracks, which the G318s do not. Both of these IEMs pair well with pretty much any dongle that you can pair it with, but the SPA Hi-End Ultra seems to pair more better dongles or sources since it doesn’t seem to show any negative remarks even when paired with low-powered dongles like the Apple dongle for example, compared to the G318s’ that requires a bit further mix-and-matching.
Like what I am always saying, most of the IEMs today shares the same approach or target to its sound, but some of them really stand out among the rest due to their rich, subjectively perfect presentation for their corresponding retail price. The EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S fits exactly that description. I am not a huge fan of the Harman Target/ Harman Sound, and probably some of you are aware of that, but the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S managed really well to keep me pumped and enjoying throughout my review period. Of course, the G318s isn’t perfect. Its included stock cable is very stiff and nearly unusable based on how I use IEMs, its shell is bulkier than it should be, it’s “safe” sound may make the trebleheads whine, but once it becomes a non-issue to you, the G318s can become as one of the remarkable and probably “most refined” all-rounder IEMs under 300 USD. This is a heaven in a pocket, Earacoustic Audio!
Source:Unlike the SPA Hi-End Ultra, the EarAcoustic Audio Elysian Fields G318S will be needing a mix and match of sources to shine the most. For example, it lacked dynamics and body when I paired it with an Apple dongle, it sounded too safe when I paired it with my iFi Zen Stack, but it “sings” when I pair it with my Venture Electronics Galvatron and DDHiFi TC44 Pro E3. The Venture Electronics Devastator will also pair with the G318s just fine. For good measure, a neutral-sounding 2VRMs dongle will pair with this IEM just fine.
Eartips:The eartips included here in the G318s pairs well with the IEM and does not cripple the overall sound. You can still use your preferred eartips.
Cable:Just like what I said earlier, the cable they included here in the G318s, based on how I use IEMs, is quite unusable to me. It is very stiff, and produces a lot of microphonics on my end. Sure, it gets the job done, it is well-built, but it is a problem for me since I use my IEMs during commutes and brisk walks regularly. I currently use the Venture Electronics DIC Vita cable with this IEM, but in practicality you can use any 2-pin IEM cable with this IEM.
