Forte Ears Violetta

A Smooth DD Operator!

PROs: single DD design with unique sound tuning unlike many other dynamic driver IEMs; a balanced, resolving sound signature and a clean, neutral, natural tonality; beautiful, lightweight wooden shells; a brand-name Eletech Copper cable and Baroque Stage eartips; and a luxurious themed unboxing experience.

CONs: a very short nozzle, making the tuning and fit of these IEMs highly eartip-dependent.

The product was provided to me free of charge for review purposes in exchange for my honest opinion.

Manufacturer website: Forte Ears. Available for purchase from authorized retailers such as Musicteck.

Intro.

Riccardo Yeh, the founder of Forte Ears, has been on a successful run ever since his company’s introduction in 2024. But despite being a relatively new company, you wouldn’t call him a newcomer, since Riccardo brought years of experience as an International Sales Director at HiFiMAN and later in Marketing at Eletech. As he revealed, he channeled his love for Western opera and his passion for music’s emotional impact into his own IEM brand, releasing Macbeth and Mefisto, with each receiving the Watercooler CanJam awards, Macbeth last year and Mefisto early this year.

When I visited them at the CanJam NYC ’26 show, the highlight at the Forte Ears table was a new, mysterious pre-release prototype teaser, code-named “V,” along with a colorful banner featuring a quote from La Traviata, Act III, “Addio Del Passato.” Not many design details were revealed at the show, as the team was primarily focused on collecting feedback on the tuning. Although I was told this would not be a flagship relative to Macbeth and Mefisto, the time I spent with the prototype made it clear that Riccardo was aiming for something different and unique.

Now, after spending a month with the final production version of the new Forte Ears V, which turned out to be Violetta, I’m ready to share what I found and confirm that the final version wasn’t too far from what I heard at the CanJam NYC show earlier this year. Can this third Forte Ears release under Act III go for the Watercooler CanJam awards threepeat? Let’s read more about it next.

Unboxing and Accessories.

Similar to their previous releases, V’s unboxing experience features a theatrical presentation, this time themed around Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, Act III. Why this particular opera and this particular act? Because it takes place in Violetta’s bedroom, and this is the 3rd release from Forte Ears. Just take a moment to think about it: nothing is random here, down to the tuning, which we’ll learn about later, with a natural, smooth tonality that captures the emotions of the dying character, Violetta. Not trying to get too melodramatic here, but I find all of this quite brilliant, how everything is tied together.

As always, the engaging artwork on the Violetta exterior sleeve, front and back, is something you wouldn’t mind showcasing on a bookshelf at home for everyone to see. It includes lots of interesting info about the opera and IEM specs on the back. Even when the sleeve is removed, the box is designed like a classic bookshelf book, with the cover opening to reveal what’s inside. Inside, you will find two sections: the top is covered by a thank-you card signed by Riccardo, with IEMs underneath in a form-fitted, secure foam cutout. The large bottom section under the plexiglass Violetta-themed cover houses a round leather case with the FE logo on top, which contains the cable and Eletech Baroque Stage eartips.

While the packaging itself is as engaging as their previous Macbeth and Mefisto releases, you can sense that Riccardo tried to scale it down a bit, since it costs less than those releases. But honestly, aside from a more basic, rounded, puck-shaped leather case instead of the larger custom rectangular zippered case featured in previous releases, there haven’t been too many cut corners here. The case is still made of premium leather, and they even included premium Eletech Baroque Stage eartips, 3 pairs in S/M/L sizes.

Cable

As expected, continuing the tradition of preceding releases, and considering Riccardo’s previous affiliation with Eletech, you will also find one of their cables bundled with V’s release. But the cable itself is not randomly selected either; it is chosen to complement the IEMs’ tuning. Here, you will find a 4-wire, pure stranded, 25 AWG, Dual Type OCC Copper Litz wire with Eletech’s newly updated Artistry Series cable hardware (plug connector and a Y-split housing), down to a “traditional” no chin-slider :). It also features their bespoke solder and FlexiMax insulation.

It’s a very lightweight, soft, pliable cable with zero microphonics, with copper wires visible through the insulation, complementing the natural coloring of the Silver Birch wood shells and the aged-copper-colored faceplate. This is not a fancy material cable, but the selection of these wires does make sense once you start testing and comparing it to other more expensive cables. You can read more about it in my cable pair-up section of the review.

Design.

Stepping away from the multi-driver design of their previous releases, V’s design centers on a custom 10mm full-range Cadenza dynamic driver at the heart of these monitors’ triple-chamber architecture. This driver features a multi-layered titanium diaphragm, a copper-plated aluminum voice coil, and a triple-neodymium magnet system. Clearly, this is not some cheap off-the-shelf DD.

The outer layer of this acoustic system, the shell housing, is made of stabilized Silver Birch (Betula) wood, known for its organic damping and natural resonance. This material wasn’t randomly selected; it was chosen after testing various resin and metal shell alternatives. In a single DD design, the shell is an acoustic chamber that plays a very important role in controlling sound resonance. The same applies to a high-density compressed alloy used for the faceplate, which features a copper-toned finish that complements the wooden shell.

The shell itself is relatively compact and very lightweight, with a custom-like, bulbous inner profile that contacts the concha area of your ear. The 2-pin connector is flush-mounted with the surface, and a metal-plated DD vent is next to it. The nozzle is very short, similar in length (but with a smaller diameter) to the Bird (Traillii), with an adequate lip to hold the eartips secure and a metal cover with asymmetric cutouts. The lip of the nozzle has been improved compared to what I found at CanJam, where I tested prototypes with eartips stuck in my ears after removing the shells. The updated lip keeps eartips very secure. But it is still rather short (nozzle), which is important in the acoustic chamber design. Thus, proper eartips selection is critical here.

The fit

As I already mentioned, and will continue to repeat throughout the review, eartips selection is critical here. In my case, I needed the eartips to extend the shells out of my ear to control the insertion depth. Going with Azla Origin eartips ensured the best and most comfortable fit and sonic performance. Once I settled on these, the fit was custom-like, very comfortable during extended listening sessions.