Posted by Pros: Nice Cohesive Sound
Great use of the bone conduction driver
Punchy Bass, Clear mids and non-fatiguing treble
Pretty Shells
Cons: only a 3.5 option
shells are a chonk for some
Out of production
Drivers:
Bass: 10mm bio-cellulose composite diaphragm
Midrange: 2x BA.
Treble; 2x BA.
11mm Bone conduction driver
Sensitivity: 104 dB
Impedance: 16 Ω
Frequency range: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz
Earphone connector: 0.78
Termination: 3.5mm
Every once in a while friends will lay their hands on some incredible gear and be kind enough to drop it off for me to try and pen down my thoughts. This time it is Saurabh and Abhishek who have conspired to get the Apevoix Grit. Now, I am fairly limited in my knowledge of brands and manufacturers, but this was a new one entirely. And research was largely pointless. Yes this is Chifi without doubt and they have only 2 products. The Grit, which is a single DD, 4 BA, and one Bone Conduction, and the Nebula which is a Single DD, 8 BA hybrid.
This piece of work is the Grit, a chonky boy with a lovely faceplate and the dreaded lip behind the nozzles but some calisthenics are needed to get it to sit comfortably in a way the bone conductors can do their thing.
But first things first, the Grit turned up in a Pelican type bright red box, with the IEMs nestled in foam and the cable underneath. The cable is a decent cable but ends in a 3.5mm jack. Now this isn’t a deal breaker since the set is fairly easy to drive but I just like the robustness of a 4.4. At $199 when it was still available, I think in the current milieu of IEMs, it is fair to expect a modular connection or at least an option of a 4.4. But given that the $249 Nebula also has only a 3.5, I think Apevoix believes people will cable roll anyway. The shells themselves are smooth and seem to have a slight audible twang when tapped. This could be the driver implementation. The faceplates are a gorgeous polished acrylic over a design that’s mostly grey with specks of gold. Overall just very pretty.
Fit and ease of use. This is a big IEM given all the tech inside it, the 6 drivers and a 4 way crossover and all that, and as with all bone conduction drivers, getting a smaller eartip to get the shells to have a reasonable contact with the pinna is imperative.
Let’s also put it out there that my experience with bone conducting IEMs is limited to the BQEYZ Wind so it’s always an interesting experience.
The usual sources abound. VE Devastator Pro Max, Prime Stack, AP80, M33. The other learning from the Wind is to look at smaller eartips to almost force a contact of the shell with the pinna to take full advantage of the bone conduction.
Bass
Just off the bat, the Grit proves that Apevoix got some stuff right with some incredible wizardry with the Bone Conduction driver. Working in tandem with the 10mm dynamic driver, the bass is textured, weighty, and makes its presence very well felt without overpowering anything but the bass frequency.
Sub-bass is deep, rumbling and the bone conduction at least feels like it’s taking those low end frequencies all over the skull . On Angel by Massive Attack, Islands by The XX and Doing It Right by Daft Punk, the sub-bass forms a persian carpet level of texture on the floor on which the rest of the tracks are built. The low furniture in this make believe Grit room are the kicks and bass of XXZ by Rush and Lingus and What about Me by Snarky Puppy. The dynamic driver in this case I think is responsible for punchy tight kicks and bass guitar. The Grit manages to delineate every note in complex tracks with incredible bassists like Geddy Lee and Michael League and have the music come across as utterly enjoyable. There is also significant control that Apevoix has managed to exert onto the delivery of the bass. One of the biggest pet peeves I have about bassy sets is the thin red line between an authoritative bass and one that spills all over.
Mids
The BAs that deliver the mids also are superbly tuned. The vocals both male and female, are warm and intimate sounding without being in your face. Playing God by Polyphia which a fantastic track to test BA timbre and clarity in the midrange delivery, sounds engaging and the insane guitar work that is Tim Henson going mental over that hybrid guitar from hell sounds bang on and not out of place or harsh to the ears despite the very aggressive mastering that have beaten other BA sets. Male vocals have a decent body and benefit from what I think is the bone conduction driver working across the entire frequency range. This may not be scientifically proven but if I use the Dunu S&S tips to move the shells further OUT of my ear I don’t hear the same weight in the vocals or in fact in the entire midrange or treble. They all feel a little lacking. This leads me to think that the bone conduction implementation is some Gandalf level sorcery.
Female vocals are engaging without being harsh or sibilant unless the track demands it. Massive Attack has its female vocals stress on the ‘s’s but this set reproduces them with minimal auditory discomfort.
Treble
The treble is represented well but with control. There is some roll off at the top which makes this set non-fatiguing for long sessions. There is air and shimmer but the implementation here is one of control and order without complete chaos in the high frequencies. This makes for great detail retrieval with little or no harshness or sibilance or my wince when the treble touches a raw nerve in my ear.
Stage and Imaging
The staging is wide and deep and all around the head. I do believe this too is due to just the way the bone conduction driver deals with the bass with a gentle lingering that gives a sense of space and reverb. It does not sound hollow and cavernous however, and within the concert hall like stage, imaging and instrument separation are spot on with busy tracks as well. My usual suspects of Milan by Karsh Kale, Got a Match by Chick Corea Electrik Band and Dance of Eternity by Dream Theater came across beautifully with clearly layered sounds – these 3 tracks are all instrumentals with some crazy virtuoso playing and complex passages that challenge most setups to reproduce.
Final words
It’s a shame this set is no longer in production at least on the company’s website and it’s nice that they have a new one up and given how good this is the Apevoix Nebula promises to be a lot of pleasurable listening. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys an easy listening natural sounding set with good technicalities, organic timbre and a fun bass that does not overpower. Again a perfect bone conduction implementation where it is not a gimmick. Plus I would buy it for the red box, if nothing else.