Rhapsodio Eden is the latest flagship model from this company, mounting a single aluminium dynamic driver and silver shell( same shape of their Galaxy V1). The Eden has a premium build quality and feels much more sturdy than most common acrylic BA iems.
This 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 thank Sammy and Rhapsodio team for sending me this unit giving me the opportunity to test such a great product.
For more info about Eden and other products, you can easily contact them on their facebook channel. Sammy is always online!
PRICE: 2000 USD
DRIVER CONFIG: single dynamic driver
SIGNATURE: NEUTRAL
SUGGESTED EARTIPS: EPRO HORN SHAPED TIPS/ SPINFIT CP145
OFFICIAL SITE: https://www.rhapsodiostore.com/products?page=1
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/rhapsodiohk/
PACKAGING: the overall packaging experience is great: the Eden comes in a premium wood package( not the typical black box from Rhapsodio), with EPro horn shaped tips and standard rhapsodio sylicon eartips. The Eden comes with the standard copper Pandora Dwarf cable.
All my sound consideration has been made after 150 hours of burn in as suggested from the Rhapsodio company.
FIRST IMPRESSION: listening to Eden for the first time required me some time to get used to its sound signature, special if you are used to balanced armature sound, you will need a bit of time to really understand the philosophy at the base of this product.
Out of the box, the Eden sounded to me a bit boring, with thin size notes, but with great treble accent, so i decided to follow Sammy suggestion and make a 150 hours of burn-in.
The great improvement i heard, i think, was not due to the driver burn-in, but to my brain, getting used to that sound( special if you usually use balanced armature iems, company tend to raise a bit the mid-bass to have a fuller bass response).
SOUND: the Eden was tuned to be a reference sounding iem: from bass to treble, everything tend to sound linear, like water, so at first listening, you can think to a boring sound, but with the time, you will start to focus on the micro-details, the quality bass response and the great treble extension.
BASS: the Eden is just at the opposite of the Galaxy V2: showing a neutral bass response, not huge in quantity, but with great quality and extension. Here, the dynamic driver makes a great job, providing good impact,decay and moving enough air to be defined a good dynamic iem, focusing always on the sub-bass area and remaining always linear. There is not lift in the mid-bass region, so the overall sound signature doesn’t gain any warmth. Even if, the Eden doesn’t sound full bodied, warm or rich, the mid-bass has enough presence to create a good balance between male vocals and female ones.
MIDS: male vocals sound good, but sometimes, can lack a bit of emotion( here a bit more mid-bass presence could help to give a fuller experience). The star of the show are female vocals, that sound very clear, defined with great timbre and control. Compared to the Galaxy v2( that is more v-shaped), vocals on Eden have more space and details.
TREBLE: treble response is just amazing, and is the strongest point of this IEM. Eden shows great extension, that helps to have an airy reproduction and exellent resolution, never sounding harsh or annoying. All this, helps to have a better instrument separation and a better sense of space.
SOUNDSTAGE: soundstage is above average, but cannot compete with most of multi balanced armature iems, is very precise and all instruments are placed in a coherent way in the scene. If you are looking for holographic stage or out-of-the-head experience, this is not the iem for you. Eden main focus is in tonality, balance and to keep your attention on micro-details and instrument accuracy.
COMPARISONS:
GALAXY V2 VS EDEN: they have totally different approach and philosophy: Galaxy V2 was aimed to sound fun, with great bass quantity and treble presence, on the other side, the Eden offers a much more refined and mature sound, providing more balance, resolution and treble extension. The Eden is more a monitoring product, but still enough good for audiophile needs, thanks to its timbre accuracy and extension on both bass and treble area. Soundstage on both is above average, but Galaxy v2 has a bit better depth thanks to its more v-shaped sound signature.
EDEN VS PEARS SH-3: both were tuned to have a reference approach, but the SH3 is a balanced driver iem, so is not easy to compare dynamic drivers iems and balanced armature ones. Bass is similar in quantity, but Eden bass response is much better in quality, thanks to the dynamic driver. Eden bass has better impact and decay. Male vocals on the SH3 have more body and presence, female vocals on both have great realism and timbre, but Eden has a bit thinner note size. They both show great treble reproduction, but the SH3 can sound a bit harsh and splashy with old tracks or bad recorded ones.
Soundstage on SH3 is a bit more holographic, but instruments are placed in a more artificial way in the space, on the other side, Eden has a more intimate reproduction, with a more precise instruments placement.
EDEN VS AROMA AUDIO YAO: Eden has better bass quality and treble extension, with better technicality abilities. Aroma Yao has better vocals, with a fuller reproduction, but with more treble roll-off, providing less listening fatigue , but lacking the treble resolution and airness of Eden. Soundstage is more holographic on Aroma Yao.
PAIRINGS:
OPUS 2: great sinergy: in my opinion, this is one of the best pairing with the Eden. Natural sound with wide soundstage, female vocals and treble extension. The Opus 2 can easily drive the Eden on mid-gain pushing the volume knob on 80-90.
Opus 1s: Opus 1s will add more body to the music , with a great sub-bass impact. Bass is fuller with Opus 1s compared to Opus2, but lacks the wide soundstage and treble extensionsion of his big brother. Vocals gain more body and emotional feeling.
Opus3: similar to Opus2, but i need to set the gain to high and push the volume knob around 100-110. This pairing sound less natural compared to Opus 2, with treble a bit less refined and sounding more harsh. Soudstage size is between Opus 2 and 1s.
Astell and kern Kann: less detail retraival and less treble extension compared to Opus2, but the overall reproduction is less fatiguing and a bit more full-bodied, gaining more vocal presence.
SIMPLY AUDIOPHILE 