CrinEar Project Monolith

Here are some of my initial thoughts on and impressions of this IEM.

First off, though on the graph, it shows to have gobs of bass, it doesn’t feel like it’s overdone and it’s very tasteful. It’s there when the song calls for it but the mids and treble are still there. With the provided short wide bore ear tips, there is a mid bass emphasis. It almost sounds like a subwoofer from a speaker system. It is very visceral and depending on the track, it could sound tight and punchy or a bit poofy.

There is a special sauce to this bass.
There definitely still is a sub bass rumble, even though it is a metal shell.
Trying them with tangzu short wide bore eartips, the mid bass emphasis changes to more of a sub bass emphasis and slightly more treble presentation. With these ear tips, it sounds like a much more satisfying and deeper rumbling Daybreak.
It does lose some of that subwoofer sound and feel though, as well as some of that special sauce, but sound-wise, it’s so nice that I am a bit torn on which one I prefer at the moment. I still need to play around with different ear tips.

I was surprised when HBB said that it wasn’t a bass head set and after listening to it myself, it really isn’t. Or maybe, I just like bass. This feels like the kind of bass that I wish that the Sennheiser 600 had. Because of how the bass is implemented, I would say that it could even have more bass! I am not sure how fatiguing it may be but listening to it, it doesn’t feel like it will be.

(Using the shortwide bore tips) With all the bass, the tonality does not ever sound muddy. The treble and the mids are very well articulated. I wish that the vocals were just slightly more elevated, but that is just my preference. (Different ear tips make the vocals pop more)
I really appreciate that instead of being a V shape or a U shape, the timbre sounds normal for the most part. For husky male vocals, the bass does add to it a lot but if listening to female voices, they are crystal clear. female voices or higher pitched voices never muddy the sound regardless of what eartips you use.
there is a clear separation between the bass, mids, and treble.

These scale super well and so having the volume cranked up a lot more than I usually do, I was able to be immersed in the music. The music felt emotional and had me tear up a bit, though I listen to these same test songs over and over again. it's been a while since i got lost in the music. even on songs that get busy and have a lot going on, it handles it well and never sounds busy or like its peaking.

If you do want more of that V shape with that slightly brain-tingly treble, with a balance of the mid bass and sub bass, then the shorter bore eartips do the trick! I feel like with these shorter bore eartips, the vocals do pop out a bit more too which is nice.

These look even better in person! I thought the gold color would look gaudy but the champagne gold color that Crin used looks much better and subdued in person which is great. I would have preferred the brass color but having it gold plated was nice because I know people who have adverse reactions to different metals and for those who have sensitive skin, gold is always the most safe option. The case, the cable, everything, the attention to detail is seen, felt, and appreciated.

I really like this case! I like the magnetic snap it has and the sturdiness of it. It actually fits better in my pocket or bag and prefer it over the silicon or leatherette ones.
The comfort is amazing and even more comfortable than the Daybreaks! Even with a great seal, it’s almost like I’m not wearing anything which is interesting because these feel hefty and substantial in the hands. I don’t have to shove these in my ears to get a good seal or bass as well!

The only gripe or con I have are the provided eartips. I LOVE how Crin gives us multiple different kinds of eartips but the short wide ones fall out of my ears quite noticeably. It’s not as bad as the Daybreaks (they fall out almost every other time I take them off) but it’s there. There are lips on the nozzle and any other eartips stay on quite well, it’s just these that are in the box. I think this is because the part that goes on the nozzle is softer than the other tips. Even with the provided short bore eartips, the part that connects to the nozzle is stiff.

I was on the search for great endgame IEM’s (have the tanzu red lions, daybreak, defiant, and volume s) and I can say that I am quite satisfied for now. I’m really glad that I got these and I don’t regret getting them one bit. I was a bit anxious while waiting for them, but after listening to them in person, I am very relieved and enjoying them a lot. It’s also great that you can change the sound/feel by changing the eartips so if you like bass that slams and hits pretty hard, it’s a great base to customize without getting into EQ. 5/5!!

These are so much fun! Shells are very ear dependent but the semi-custom shell shape they went with this time ends up falling right into my ears. The bass, of course, is vibrant and brings both quantity and amazing texture to my ears, not to mention the rest is tuned so well that I havent been losing any detail that i had on other iems.

This, Reference, and Blessing 3 Aqua are now my main rotation.