A Godzilla of IEMs!
Brise Audio FUGAKU 10AE and OG were borrowed from Musicteck for testing and analysis in this review.
Manufacturer website: Brise Audio. Available for sale through authorized retailers, including Musicteck.
Intro.
You have to be living under a rock if you have never heard of FUGAKU. No matter how you feel about its pricing, at every CanJam show, since its launch, you have people line up to hear them, and the impressions (of the sound performance) usually remain positive. When IBUKI was introduced, it gave audiophiles a more affordable alternative (not replacement) to FUGAKU, an IEM option, let them use their own source, and allowed them to try other aftermarket cables. But even with that, FUGAKU never left the spotlight and, about a month ago, made another splash when their 10th Anniversary Edition (10AE) was announced. Making its debut at the CanJam SoCal’26 show at MusicTeck tables, the focus for many was on how it will compare to the original (OG) version.
But let’s go back a few years, when Brise Audio surprised everyone with the announcement of its original FUGAKU, an all-in-one, portable, compact audio system — a fine-tuned, custom-designed audio chain featuring an amplifier, a cable, and earphones. Its eye-watering price shocked everybody because some assumed it was a pair of earphones, until they realized it’s a whole system that can’t be separated to use with another amp or cable, requiring you to add just a source to drive it. However, if you think about how much money high-end audiophiles spend on flagship IEMs, upgrade cables, portable sources, and amps to complete and optimize the audio chain, FUGAKU’s price tag was not that shocking, although 10AE pushed that envelope even further.
For now, let’s leave this part of the discussion for the Conclusion section, while I continue this mini-review with a closer look at the design and sound changes in the latest Brise Audio FUGAKU 10th Anniversary Edition.
Design.
The fundamental design of FUGAKU’s 10AE version remained the same, featuring 8 drivers, under the control of a 5-way crossover, in a tribrid config with:
- Low: 2x 8mm LCP DD
- Mid-Low: 1x Sonion BA
- Mid: 2x Knowles BA
- High: 2x Knowles BA
- Ultra-High: 1x xMEMs
And just like in the OG unit, the 10AE multichannel active crossover and power amplification were done inside the external compact amp module, where BAs and MEMS are driven single-ended, while DDs are driven balanced. The L/R earpieces were attached separately to the amp module via 7-pin connectors. OG’s pure silver 16-conductor cable, based on SHIROGANE Ultimate, has been replaced in the 10AE version by a dedicated NISHIKI 16-wire Ultimate cable. I find it logical to see the NISHIKI cable featured here, since it was developed last year to commemorate Brise Audio’s 10th anniversary. This cable is built around NISHIKI conductors that feature silver and copper wires in a proprietary ratio, finished with a gold plating and a polyurethane coating. And not only for the cable; these wires were also used internally with a dedicated 10AE amplifier unit to connect the input and output boards. The NISHIKI Ultimate was also used in the 4.4mm Interconnect Cable included with this FUGAKU 10AE release. The cable remains soft and is serviceable, though not easy to disconnect from earpieces.
The earpieces retain their original design, nothing like your traditional IEM shells; they are still very compact because they only house drivers inside, with no crossover, filters, or sockets, and they have adjustable ear hooks to make sure they stay secure in your ears under the weight of the cable. You can still use any regular eartips with it since the nozzle is not proprietary, and I found the sound isolation to be pretty good. The finish of the new 10AE version has been updated: the entire housing is now made of pure titanium with a PVD gold finish, as a nod to NISHIKI gold plating. Even the amplifier, with its pure-titanium chassis in PVD black coating, now features a pure-titanium volume knob in a matching PVD gold finish. FUGAKU 10AE was also enhanced with their new “HCNT” coating material, which is applied to the drivers inside the earphones, components of the dedicated amplifier and cable, and even the included IC cable.
As I was reading further into their FUGAKU 10AE announcement and associated changes, I also noticed a reference to an update of the 10AE Active Crossover Tuning within their dedicated amp module. Brise Audio made it clear that NISHIKI is a big part of this 10AE release and its sound characteristics, but they also admitted that, to achieve their final target tuning, they have to adjust the active crossover rather than rely solely on wires.
Sound Analysis and Comparison.
A few years ago, when I spent some time with the OG, I found the sound dependency across various source pair-ups to be a critical factor in analyzing FUGAKU’s sound. Pairing with the LO of L&P P6Pro was among my favorite back then, so I decided to use it with 10AE version too, along with the stock NISHIKI IC, and SpinFit W1 eartips (as my favorite with these IEMs), analyzing and comparing the sound performance, while playing a variety of test tracks, such as Agnes Obel’s “The Curse”, Sandro Cavazza’s “So much Better” (Avicii remix), C-Bool’s “Never Go away”, Ed Sheeran “Shape of you”, Alan Walker “Darkside”, Galantis “Hunter”, Iggy Azalea “Black widow”, Indila “Boite en argent”, Dua Lipa “Love Again”, Counting Crows “Big yellow taxi”, Bob Marley “Jamming”, David Elias “Vision of her”, Michael Jackson “Dirty Diana”, and SaberZ “Without your love”. Both FUGAKUs I received had already undergone proper burn-in for many hours.
In brief, just like the OG version, 10AE has a balanced sound signature that emphasizes deep, visceral bass, natural, detailed upper mids, and a resolving, clear treble. The tuning stands out for its very natural detail retrieval and a very realistic, accurate timbre of instruments, whether acoustic or synthesized. It just sounds so realistic, making you feel like you are not listening through earphones that interpret the sound based on the transducers’ response, but instead sitting in the room with an artist playing live in front of you. What is even crazier is that some of the EDM tracks with synthesized instruments, where in theory it is hard to judge the accuracy of the timbre, also sound more “realistic” to my ears. Also, the background is super black, making the details pop out of the darkness with a clean transition of notes from the on/off state. And the soundstage is round, expanding evenly in all 3 directions without exaggeration, while still maintaining a holographic level of imaging, with very distinct placement of instruments and vocals spread across the space. The soundstage is big and open, but naturally, it puts you closer to the performer rather than making you feel like you are in a stadium with a performer many rows in front of you.
Now, the real fun begins when you start comparing OG vs 10AE, where I found the new Anniversary version to have a rather distinct fine-tuning, which is not hard to spot in an A/B comparison. During CanJam SoCal ’26, I heard some people going back and forth between OG and 10AE multiple times while listening and trying to capture the changes in the show’s loud environment. Luckily, here I can take a closer listen in the quiet comfort of my home, with the following changes I’m hearing.
Both units continue to exhibit a highly holographic soundstage imaging, with all the sound literally positioned in 3D space, as if you could reach out and touch it around you. But the way the sound is spreading does vary. OG has a wide L/R spread across the soundstage, while 10AE pushes the sound beyond it, wrapping around you, with some percussion and effects coming from behind you, surrounding you. I have heard this level of effect before, but in other IEMs with a different sound chain, it felt a bit unnatural. Here, it felt very natural, without being exaggerated.
Bass was the next thing to catch my attention. For example, when you go from FUGAKU OG to IBUKI, everybody notices the elevated sub-bass with a deeper, more masculine rumble. 10AE sub-bass moved right into the IBUKI direction, with a similar sub-bass authority, elevating OG’s rumble with greater depth, texture, and a fuller, more physical presence and bloom without being overwhelming. What I find interesting is that IEMs with a more elevated bass/sub-bass response feel like they push more air into your ears, and you can feel more pressure. With the 10AE changes, I hear elevated sub-bass. Still, the ear pressure I felt remained very similar between OG and 10AE, with the same natural, realistic articulation and “comfort” even during extended listening sessions.
In mids, OG and 10AE share many similarities. Lower mids are rather neutral, maybe just a touch north of it to give the vocals their natural texture, but still staying very neutral in quantity to provide a clean separation between the bass and the upper mids without adding too much extra body to the sound. Despite the higher sub-bass level in 10AE, the bass itself is well controlled and doesn’t spill into the lower mids. The upper mids are very clean, natural, and detailed. Vocals are forward, with plenty of pinna gain to give them clarity and a balanced presence, without being shouty or analytical. Mids sound very natural, clear, and detailed without being too warm, smooth, or organic.
The mid-treble definition remained the same across these IEMs, but the lower-treble presence showed slight attenuation in 10AE, reducing its intensity without actually affecting the resolution or clarity. The OG has a bit of an edgy lower treble, great for treble-heads chasing higher-resolution sound, which could be controlled depending on the source pairing. At the same time, 10AE takes the edge off it, making it work even with some of the sources I found early to be a bit borderline for my tolerance of the brighter sound. If we add IBUKI to the comparison here, its (IBUKI) sound is even smoother in the lower treble region, giving it a more organic tonality. The 10AE lower treble is livelier than IBUKI, though they do come closer in sub-bass tuning.
What I found interesting is that in both OG and 10AE, the treble has a rather good extension, which you hear in the tails of the crashes and in the corresponding sound decay, without being chopped off. But to my ears, the treble itself doesn’t have much airiness, which is typically “detected” between the layers of sound. Usually, treble extension implies airiness and improved layering. Yet, with either OG or 10AE, I don’t hear this extra air between the layers, even though the sound separation is still very good, with every sound easy to distinguish and with absolutely zero congestion or veil.
Conclusion.
Unfortunately, you can’t start talking about the FUGAKU or end the discussion without bringing up its “money is no object” status. As I already mentioned, FUGAKU OG’s eye-watering price shocked everybody because some assumed it was just a pair of earphones until they realized it’s a whole system, including IEMs, a 16-wire high-end cable, and a separate amplifier. With FUGAKU, Brise Audio fine-tuned the system by mixing and matching their curated design components. And if you factor in how much money some audiophiles spend on flagship IEMs, upgrade cables, portable sources, and amps to complete and optimize the audio chain, the original FUGAKU’s price tag wouldn’t be that shocking. 10AE pushed that envelope much further, where I’m sure the new 16-wire NISHIKI Ultimate cable played a significant role. Some people ask me if I can justify the price or the upgrade, while I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I’m being realistic: if you require the price to be justified for a purchase at this high-end level, I wouldn’t recommend taking out a second mortgage to pay for your audiophile addiction when you can buy something like IBUKI instead. As I always say, there is no such thing as the ‘best’; rather, it’s about finding what is best for you, which depends on your sound preferences and budget. And if you can afford it, getting FUGAKU, either OG or 10AE, is not just a bragging-rights purchase but a one-of-a-kind, all-in-one, portable, compact audio system that has created a new trend, one that several other manufacturers with similar designs have lately followed.
So, if you have the funds and were waiting to pull the trigger on FUGAKU, you now have two choices to consider, and I hope my comparison will help you make your final decision. Since I really enjoy the IBUKI, if it’s up to me, I would choose 10AE because it takes the FUGAKU OG tuning in that direction. 10AE still has a balanced sound signature that emphasizes deep, visceral bass, natural, detailed upper mids, and a resolving, clear treble. Its tuning still stands out for its very natural detail retrieval and very realistic instrument timbre. But 10AE takes it to a different level with a sub-bass authority similar to IBUKI, elevating OG’s rumble with greater depth, texture, and a fuller, more physical presence and bloom without being overwhelming. Also, 10AE’s lower-treble presence shows slight attenuation, reducing its intensity without affecting resolution or clarity, taking the edge off OG’s upper frequency energy, if that’s what you prefer. Again, it is all about sound preference, which ties into another question I heard: whether it makes sense for current FUGAKU OG owners to upgrade to FUGAKU 10AE. The upgrade is not cheap, and for some OG owners, it might make sense to add IBUKI to their collection; for others, it might make more sense to upgrade. You definitely have options, depending on what you can afford, including a more affordable IBUKI that still delivers the same Brise Audio DNA with the flexibility to build your own sound chain. Either way, Brise Audio is on the right track, with a solid record of well-recognized cables, amps, and now IEMs, and I can’t wait to see and hear what they come up with next!
