Ambient Acoustics is a quite famous company among European audiophiles, in particular for their custom IEMs. Today I am going to review their AM7LAM universal model. They approached to the universal world just recently, so just read what they have to say about this thing: For many, it is not a secret that our laboratory work a long time for producing the fifth and seventh LAM monitors. For us, producing of universal monitors has never been a priority. We work with customs products. But the demand and popularity of AM5LAM and AM7LAM have forced us to make adjustments in production as soon as possible.
We are often asked, are universals harder to make than customs and why is so long?
YES! Originally the task was to make not only the original sound for the real audiophiles, which can be configured under any sound taste, but also to put all this in a miniature body. It was all miniature: from a shell that would fit even in little women’s ears, and ending with mini switches and acoustic elements with cross placed in the black body! Monitors are harmoniously supplemented by a replacement wire with hybrid connectors – our screw and 2-pin.
We are very glad that we have not lowered our hands and led to the logical conclusion these products. Naturally, over time LAM monitors will be improve and show up new functionality, but at the moment it’s the most cool our monitors for audiophiles.
AM7LAM unit was sent me for the purpose of this review, I am not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions will be only my own. Would like to thanks Ambient Acoustics team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test it( hope to test one of their custom models in the future).
DRIVER CONFIGURATION: Seven BA drivers per ear
PRICE: 868 EURO
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL SHOP: https://ambient-acoustics.ua/5/eng/index.ht
LINK TO THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/AmbientAcoustics/
LAM TECHNOLOGY:
I was really interested in LAM7, since integrates many interesting technologies. So what is this LAM innovation?
LAM (live acoustic mod) consists in that when switching modes total earphone resistance substantially unchanged and therefore the amplifiers in players do not change the mode from a low impedance amplification to high-impedance load. A unique development of Ambient Acoustics is the use of Impedance and Phase correction , it reduces the impact of the internal circuitry of the amplifiers on the final sound signature of the earphones by raising the linearity of the electrical impedance and electrical phase curves of earphones, which, in turn, significantly increases the “naturalness” and “fusion” of sound(a similar thing like FLAT IMPEDANCE BALANCED ARMATURE used by Custom Art).
Another interesting innovation adopted by this company is that a manual adjustment for user is available in a stepwise control of low frequencies in four positions: 0, +6, +10 and + 14dB and adjustment of the level of the vocal zone: 0 and + 5dB.
PACKAGING: LAM7 comes in a hard black case ( a typical case for custom IEMs). In the black case you can find the IEM, a manual, triple flange eartips, an IEM wax tool(that can be used both for clean your earphone, both to insert the filters) and 4 filters that can be used to modify the high frequencies response of the headphone.
The construction is very solid and lightweight.
Comfort wise LAM 7 is very comfortable with a small nozzle that fits very well with my small ear canal( here you can see all the experience of Ambient Acoustics in creating custom IEMs).
Speaking of isolation, it is very good in this department and if you can find the right eartips you will enjoy your playlist without any annoying external noise.
The cable is very solid and just to be honest really nice. The Silver detachable Ambient Cord uses not a two normal pin plugs, but screw ones, so will not be compatible with aftermarket cables( talking with Ambient Acoustics Lab, they told me customers can ask them for hybrid connectors in order to use both their silver cable both two-pin aftermarket cables. These hybrid connectors are always used for their custom monitors).
SOUND: All my sound consideration has been made after 50 hours of burn in as suggested by Ambient Acoustics team, with different DAPs such as Opus1s, fiio x3, x5, iFi Nano Idsd black label and my iphone 6 too.
if you are interested in LAM7, you should be aware of one thing: this is not a common IEM.
Out of the box, the sound was tuned to be the more possible natural without any emphasis on the frequency range( they will be natural like water). For this reason, Ambient Acoustics will give you the possibility to tune the sound signature of the IEM, according to your tastes and musical genres you usually listen to, with manual switchers and acoustic filters. You will call me crazy, but I loved the perfect balanced and natural sound just out of the box( a sound that can be boring for a lot of people).
On the shell of LAM7 you can find three bores, marked with three different colors: red, blue and yellow.
You can change mid and bass freq. by using manual switchers and change high freq. with the acoustic filters.
I have to be honest, usually I don’t like to equalize the sound with my DAP, but for this IEM I played a lot with the switchers and the acoustic filters, so here is my impressions:
Manual switchers really change the sound, not drastically, but surely better than the EQ of my DAP with less distorsion( it’s due to a passive crossover that gives less distorsion than the ones in many other DAPs) and they give a wider soundstage and better layering.
I used and enjoyed a lot three configurations: analytical( switching +5 decibels for highs), rock and balanced configurations.
Usually I like to write comparisons with other IEMs, but this time I don’t think will be useful, since LAM7 doesn’t have a tuning out of the box, so will be just you and your musical tastes to modify its sound.
Overall LAM7 offered me always a great dynamic and transient response, with a coherent soundstage and great vocals thanks to the seven BA configuration.
Thanks to its low impedance, this IEM is quite easy to drive and I found a perfect synergy with my Opus 1s that gives a lot of power and a great dynamic to the sound.
CONCLUSION: LAM7 is a particular IEM: it is a special monitor for audiophile, that offers a lot of innovative technologies. Out of the box, you have to play a bit with manual switchers and acoustic filters in order to have a signature nearer to your tastes. This thing can be both a good or bad thing: I really loved this IEM for its sound, comfort and the possibility to change the frequency response, but if you want a “finished” product” or don’t have the patience to try different configurations, most probably this IEM will not be for you. On the other side, if you listened to a lot of IEMs and there was always something wrong ( too much bass or highs, or a sound sig. that didn’t match with your tastes) LAM7 definitely needs a try.
TECHNICAL SPECS:
7 BA drivers per ear
3 sound bores
5-way passive crossover
Frequency Response: 10Hz – 22kHz
Sensivity (50Hz): 110dB/mVt,116dB/mVt,120dB/mVt и 124dB/mVt
Impedance (50Hz): 12 Ohm
Fixing the drivers and crossover inside shells without air cavities
SIMPLY AUDIOPHILE 