Comparison.

The comparison was done using Enigma with a stock EA Hybrid cable, stock grey/black silicone eartips, and SP3000T and R8ii sources, volume matched in every comparison.

Enigma vs Softears RS10 – Both have very similar natural spherical soundstage expansion and imaging.  In the low end, RS10 bass is a lot more neutral and less textured, sounding flatter in comparison to the more textured sub-bass and punchier and more articulate mid-bass of Enigma.  Enigma also has a bit more body in lower mids, but the rest of the mids going all the way to upper mids are nearly identical between these two IEMs.  Enigma’s upper mids do sound a bit smoother because of the fuller body sound of lower mids, while in comparison the upper mids of RS10 have a more reference sound.  With treble, RS10 does scale up mid-treble, to give the sound more crunch and higher retrieval of details while Enigma’s treble remains detailed and natural, but smoother in comparison.

Enigma vs EE Odin – Both have a similar soundstage expansion, spherically shaped, without any super-wide exaggeration or holographic imaging; both have a more natural soundstage expansion.  Enigma has a little more weight in its bass, scaling up sub-bass rumble and mid-bass punch, while Odin’s bass sounds more neutral in comparison.  Enigma’s mids have fuller body and more musicality in comparison to the more mid-forward performance of Odin with thinner lower mids and more revealing upper mids.  Odin also has more sparkle in treble while Enigma’s treble sounds smoother in comparison.  You can call both have a complementary tuning.

Enigma vs Canpur CP622B – 622B soundstage is wider and more 3D, thanks to its dual Bone Conduction drivers, while Enigma soundstage is above average but not as wide as 622B.  In terms of tuning, as you start analyzing the sound across FR, you realize how much they flip-flop.  622B has more emphasis on the sub-bass rumble which goes pretty deep, even deeper than Enigma, but Enigma’s sub-bass has more texture.  Then, 622B mid-bass has a softer and less articulate punch in comparison to a more well-defined mid-bass punch of Enigma.  Enigma’s mids have fuller body lower mids and more forward natural upper mids, while 622B mids are a bit leaner in lower mids and slightly pulled back and more revealing in upper mids.  With treble, Enigma has a more natural detailed tonality while 622B is brighter, crisper, and airier.

Enigma vs Vision Ears VE10 – Lots of similarities between these two IEMs.  Starting with the soundstage expansion, both have above-average spherical soundstage with natural expansion/imaging; very similar here.  Both have very similar textured sub-bass and well-pronounced rounded mid-bass, though VE10 mid-bass has a bit stronger punch.  Mids are similar as well, with a fuller body lower mids (a bit thicker in VE10), and natural detailed upper mids (a bit more natural and musical in Enigma).  The only noticeable difference here is in treble with VE10 mid-treble being brighter and crisper, giving VE10 upper mids more revealing characteristics in comparison to smoother and more natural mids and treble in Enigma.

Enigma vs Aroma Jewel – Jewel has a wider soundstage expansion while Enigma’s soundstage is slightly narrower, but still above average.  Their bass has a very similar quantity, but the quality is different.  Enigma’s bass has more sub-bass texture and a more rounded mid-bass punch, while Jewel’s bass is tighter, more articulate, and less textured.  Enigma’s lower mids have more body which adds warmth to the sound while Jewel’s lower mids are leaner, giving its sound a more reference revealing tonality.  Both have a similar lower treble, but Jewel’s mid-treble has more crunch and airiness while Enigma’s treble is smoother.

Source Pair up.

In each of these source pair-ups, I was using a stock EA Hybrid cable and stock grey/black eartips.  Enigma IEMs have an average sensitivity (121.5dB) and impedance (10ohm), making them relatively easy to drive.

Lotoo LPGT – in this pair-up Enigma exhibits a darker tonality with more weight in the sub-bass, thicker warmer midrange, and less pronounced treble.  Plus, the soundstage is narrower in comparison to some other pair-ups.  Didn’t like this pair-up at all.

L&P P6 Pro – in this pair-up Enigma bass also goes deeper with mids being a little thicker and a bit withdrawn, pushed more to the back.  Treble has a little more sparkle in comparison to LPGT, but not enough airiness.  Wasn’t too crazy about this pair-up either.

Sony WM1ZM2 – in this pair-up Enigma sound sig is quite balanced and well pronounced across the entire frequency range.  The sub-bass rumble is well textured, the mid-bass is faster and more articulate, the mids are natural and quite detailed with excellent layering and retrieval of details, and the treble is naturally crisp with a well-controlled sparkle and even some additional airiness.  The soundstage was spherically expanded, and imaging felt more holographic.  I enjoyed this pair-up a lot!

A&K SP3000T – in a hybrid mode (at 5) with high tube current setting, this was another stellar pair-up with more powerful bass presentation of slightly more elevated sub-bass and stronger mid-bass punch, fuller body organic mids with lots of clarity and excellent retrieval of details, and well-controlled treble sparkle that enhanced the resolution of upper mids.  Even the soundstage felt a bit wider.  Love this pair-up as well.

Hiby R8ii – this pair-up was on par with WM1ZM2 with a very balanced and well-pronounced tuning across the entire FR.  The bass was faster with a slightly more elevated rumble and punchier well-controlled mid-bass.  Mids are very natural, a bit warmer, and still with plenty of details.  Treble was a bit more revealing in comparison to WM1ZM2, but I felt that M2 had slightly better layering and separation of the sounds.  But still, the Enigma and R8ii pair-up synergy was very good.

iBasso DX320Max – Max transformed Enigma into a different IEM, with a noticeably higher elevated sub-bass, a lot stronger and faster mid-bass punch, more neutral lower mids, and noticeably more revealing micro-detailed upper mids and airy revealing treble.  The soundstage expansion was really big, actually huge, and imaging was on a 3D holographic level.  The bass punch and the soundstage expansion are what stood out the most here, setting it apart from other pair-ups.

Cayin N7 – here the pair up goes back to a more balanced sound signature.  The bass is a bit less aggressive, still with a deep textured rumble and a more rounded mid-bass punch.  Mids are natural, detailed, smoother, and slightly pulled back.  Treble has a natural sparkle and plenty of details, but is a bit more reserved, about the same as with P6 Pro.  It was OK to pair up but didn’t wow me like other sources.

Cayin N8ii – here, we are back in business with a balanced, natural, detailed pair-up synergy.  The bass has a deep sub-bass rumble, quite textured, and the mid-bass is well-rounded, fuller, average speed.  Lower mids are a bit above neutral, adding a more natural body to the sound without too much extra warmth, upper mids also sound natural and detailed, a little more revealing.  The treble is snappier, not too bright, but with a natural resolving sparkle and some additional airiness.  The soundstage was spherically rounded, with natural expansion in all 3 directions, and imaging was quite holographic.  This was an excellent pair-up as well.

Conclusion.

I’m not intimately familiar with every Softears IEM, not unlike Animagus on Tw6 who has reviewed most of them and will review Enigma soon as well.  I have auditioned many in the past and also had a chance to borrow RS10 again which is a flagship from their reference all-BA series.  But I recall even their tribrid Cerberus flagship had a close to neutral natural tuning, and their Turii/Ti was a different DD beast with a balanced tuning and more revealing tonality, especially the Ti version.  Here, Enigma surprised me with a bold mature audiophile tuning, having a balanced sound signature with a natural detailed tonality, combining the best of all of their previous releases.  And it was not just the tuning, but also their eye-candy futuristic faceplate design and premium unboxing experience that elevated this release to the next level!