If you don't already know, we have two locally grown CIEM companies Jomo Audio and Advanced AcousticWerkes, both providing insanely competitive prices to us locals. I've spent a lot of time auditioning CIEMs (before buying the AAW W500 AHMorph myself), so here's a short writeup of my general impressions of (most of) their lineup.
***
Budget Boys
AAW A1D: adequately detailed and warm sounding, almost like a refined SE215. Slight V with greater emphasis on the low end. Not amazing but not bad either, though you'll be paying more for the shell mould than the actual sound itself.
AAW A2H-Pro: dynamic driver + Knowles ED driver. Tonally similar to the A1D with slightly cleaner midrange, though treble rolls off extremely early. Very dark with little to no sparkle. Can't say that I'll recommend this, even at $300.
AAW A3H-Pro: dynamic driver + Knowles TWFK. Same great bass in the A1D and A2H, but matched with a far smoother and rich midrange. Extremely suited for male vocals and heavy strings. Treble can be considered rather laid back as well but still manages to sparkle a little before rolling off. Relaxed and non-fatiguing sound.
Jomo JM3: 2x Knowles CI + ED(?). Somewhat balanced, warm signature with a slight boost in the low end. Non-fatiguing, laid back treble and a sound that is smooth from bottom to top. Bass is surprisingly quick and paces well with fast genres like rock and metal despite its warmth.
Midrange Misters
AAW W300AR: dynamic driver + 2x Knowles ED. Surprisingly neutral and balanced despite its hybrid setup, with perhaps a very, very slight V-shaped tilt. Somewhat dry and analytical in tonality, with excellent (and I really do mean excellent) sub-bass resolution. Very detailed though definitely detracts from the warm house sound of the A-series.
Jomo JM4v2: Knowles CI + DTEC + ED. Slight V-shaped tilt. Rather neutral in tonality being neither warm nor cold. Extremely resolving and detailed, perhaps one of the most detailed I've heard in its price range.
Jomo JM5v2: Knowles CI + 2x TWFK(?). Performance-wise is more-or-less the same as the JM4, though is slightly bassier. Adds a little more warmth which makes it a more fun-sounding monitor compared to the JM4.
Summit-fi Senseis
AAW W500 AHMorph: dynamic driver + Knowles DTEC(?) + 2x ED(?). Slight L-shaped response (neutral with a bass boost). Top-class bass response that outperforms almost every other CIEM out there. FitEar 334, 335, Lime Ears Aether, CA Harmony 8.2, JH13, JH16... all of which do not come up to the standards of the W500's bass. Neutral tonality in the mids with slightly laid-back treble.
Jomo 6R: Knowles HODVTEC + 2x ED + SWFK(?). Neutral and flat sound that can easily rival industry standards like the UERM, though slightly lacking in the treble extension department. Neutral tonality throughout with a highly resolving sound.
Jomo Samba: 2x Knowles CI + 2x ED + 2x SWFK. More-or-less neutral with a slight treble boost. Insane treble extension, the best that I've heard by a longshot. Also very very detailed, easily up there with the Hidition NT6. Slightly sweet midrange tonality with rather impressive sub-bass response for a supposedly neutral monitor.
Select comparisons
AAW A3H-Pro vs AAW W300AR: They are both from AAW, are triple hybrids, yet have quite a gap in cost. Why? For one, they use completely different BA drivers and have a different crossover system, with the W300 being a little more complex. The A3H excels in being lush and smooth, while the W300 has a more "reference" sound to it. The W300 has tighter mid-bass (the A3H can be a little smoothed over in this), is cleaner overall and slightly more detailed by a small margin. If you're one who prefers a laid-back, non-fatiguing sound, the A3H is definitely a good buy. If you're willing to spend more for a colder but more resolving and clean sound, the W300 is a solid choice.
AAW W300AR vs Jomo JM4 vs Jomo JM5: Between the JM4 and JM5, there are pretty much on par with one another in technical performances, with the differences going to tonality and emphasis. Going into technicalities, there all have roughly the same amount of detail, with the slight edge going to the JM4/JM5. In the bass there is no contest; the W300's dynamic driver translate rumble and texture far, far better than the CI drivers in the JM4/JM5. On the flipside, the W300 tends to sound a little lifeless and analytical in the mids, a polar opposite to the warmer and smoother JM5.
AAW W500 vs Jomo Samba: It's pretty Ying-Yang on this one. The W500 has world class bass that soundly demolishes the Samba's farty and one-dimensial low end in almost all metrics, like rumble, authority and articulation just to name a few. But (and this is a very big but) the Samba has treble that reaches so far up the spectrum with such confidence and detail that it makes the W500 sound dull and lacklustre in comparison. In the mids it's pretty much a toss-up on whether you'd prefer a smoother, more neutral tonality (W500) or a more intense but intimate one (Samba). Also there's the issue on price; even with the AHMorph edition the W500 only costs S$1500, a steal for a summit-fi standard CIEM, but the Samba starts at S$2100. Pick your poison.
***
Not mentioned (due to low popularity and/or irrelevance): AAW M-series, AAW W100, Jomo JM1, JM2, JM6v2
I put my money where my mouth is and, after months and months of auditioning virtually every CIEM in existence, have finally settled on the AAW W500 AHMorph. Would've gotten the Samba too if it wasn't so expensive...
My short review on the W500
My review (with multiple comparisons) of the A3H
***
Budget Boys
AAW A1D: adequately detailed and warm sounding, almost like a refined SE215. Slight V with greater emphasis on the low end. Not amazing but not bad either, though you'll be paying more for the shell mould than the actual sound itself.
AAW A2H-Pro: dynamic driver + Knowles ED driver. Tonally similar to the A1D with slightly cleaner midrange, though treble rolls off extremely early. Very dark with little to no sparkle. Can't say that I'll recommend this, even at $300.
AAW A3H-Pro: dynamic driver + Knowles TWFK. Same great bass in the A1D and A2H, but matched with a far smoother and rich midrange. Extremely suited for male vocals and heavy strings. Treble can be considered rather laid back as well but still manages to sparkle a little before rolling off. Relaxed and non-fatiguing sound.
Jomo JM3: 2x Knowles CI + ED(?). Somewhat balanced, warm signature with a slight boost in the low end. Non-fatiguing, laid back treble and a sound that is smooth from bottom to top. Bass is surprisingly quick and paces well with fast genres like rock and metal despite its warmth.
Midrange Misters
AAW W300AR: dynamic driver + 2x Knowles ED. Surprisingly neutral and balanced despite its hybrid setup, with perhaps a very, very slight V-shaped tilt. Somewhat dry and analytical in tonality, with excellent (and I really do mean excellent) sub-bass resolution. Very detailed though definitely detracts from the warm house sound of the A-series.
Jomo JM4v2: Knowles CI + DTEC + ED. Slight V-shaped tilt. Rather neutral in tonality being neither warm nor cold. Extremely resolving and detailed, perhaps one of the most detailed I've heard in its price range.
Jomo JM5v2: Knowles CI + 2x TWFK(?). Performance-wise is more-or-less the same as the JM4, though is slightly bassier. Adds a little more warmth which makes it a more fun-sounding monitor compared to the JM4.
Summit-fi Senseis
AAW W500 AHMorph: dynamic driver + Knowles DTEC(?) + 2x ED(?). Slight L-shaped response (neutral with a bass boost). Top-class bass response that outperforms almost every other CIEM out there. FitEar 334, 335, Lime Ears Aether, CA Harmony 8.2, JH13, JH16... all of which do not come up to the standards of the W500's bass. Neutral tonality in the mids with slightly laid-back treble.
Jomo 6R: Knowles HODVTEC + 2x ED + SWFK(?). Neutral and flat sound that can easily rival industry standards like the UERM, though slightly lacking in the treble extension department. Neutral tonality throughout with a highly resolving sound.
Jomo Samba: 2x Knowles CI + 2x ED + 2x SWFK. More-or-less neutral with a slight treble boost. Insane treble extension, the best that I've heard by a longshot. Also very very detailed, easily up there with the Hidition NT6. Slightly sweet midrange tonality with rather impressive sub-bass response for a supposedly neutral monitor.
Select comparisons
AAW A3H-Pro vs AAW W300AR: They are both from AAW, are triple hybrids, yet have quite a gap in cost. Why? For one, they use completely different BA drivers and have a different crossover system, with the W300 being a little more complex. The A3H excels in being lush and smooth, while the W300 has a more "reference" sound to it. The W300 has tighter mid-bass (the A3H can be a little smoothed over in this), is cleaner overall and slightly more detailed by a small margin. If you're one who prefers a laid-back, non-fatiguing sound, the A3H is definitely a good buy. If you're willing to spend more for a colder but more resolving and clean sound, the W300 is a solid choice.
AAW W300AR vs Jomo JM4 vs Jomo JM5: Between the JM4 and JM5, there are pretty much on par with one another in technical performances, with the differences going to tonality and emphasis. Going into technicalities, there all have roughly the same amount of detail, with the slight edge going to the JM4/JM5. In the bass there is no contest; the W300's dynamic driver translate rumble and texture far, far better than the CI drivers in the JM4/JM5. On the flipside, the W300 tends to sound a little lifeless and analytical in the mids, a polar opposite to the warmer and smoother JM5.
AAW W500 vs Jomo Samba: It's pretty Ying-Yang on this one. The W500 has world class bass that soundly demolishes the Samba's farty and one-dimensial low end in almost all metrics, like rumble, authority and articulation just to name a few. But (and this is a very big but) the Samba has treble that reaches so far up the spectrum with such confidence and detail that it makes the W500 sound dull and lacklustre in comparison. In the mids it's pretty much a toss-up on whether you'd prefer a smoother, more neutral tonality (W500) or a more intense but intimate one (Samba). Also there's the issue on price; even with the AHMorph edition the W500 only costs S$1500, a steal for a summit-fi standard CIEM, but the Samba starts at S$2100. Pick your poison.
***
Not mentioned (due to low popularity and/or irrelevance): AAW M-series, AAW W100, Jomo JM1, JM2, JM6v2
I put my money where my mouth is and, after months and months of auditioning virtually every CIEM in existence, have finally settled on the AAW W500 AHMorph. Would've gotten the Samba too if it wasn't so expensive...
My short review on the W500
My review (with multiple comparisons) of the A3H