7th Acoustics may not have the history or resources of the biggest names in the IEM space right now, but they’ve produced some of the most sought after IEMs of the last few years. So when word broke that they were working on a new budget priced model that was going to be under $200, people were understandably excited. While the brand can barely keep up with demand for popular models like the Supernova and Asteria, they’ve collaborated with Queen of Audio to create Ryusei with a price and package that’s both affordable and should have wider availability than their previous models. But does the tuning and performance actually live up to 7th Acoustics standards?
Build and Design
Based solely on the packaging, build, and design, Ryusei could easily get lost in the current sea of budget priced IEMs. The box has a slipcover featuring a waifu on the front, the Ryusei meteor on the sides, and a FR graph and specs on the back. Open it up and you’ll find the IEMs and the included case, which has the cable and eartip selection inside.
The IEMs themselves feature a fairly standard resin shell with the Ryusei name on one side, and the meteor logo on the other. The included 2-pin to 4.4mm cable is nice and weighty, with a cloth wrap around the main body of the cable and a bare rubber above the y-split. And the included eartips add a little class, with small, medium, and large of both clear silicon tips that feel like KBEAR or NiceHCK tips, and black Final E Series tips. While the package and IEM design is nice, it doesn’t look like a massive standout out of the box; is 7th Acoustics tuning expertise enough to set Ryusei apart?
Sound
If you’re not familiar with 7th Acoustics IEMs, their tunings seem to focus on providing excellent vocals, a little extra spice in the treble, and clean, balanced, bass, and mids. Like Supernova before it, Ryusei delivers on all those elements, offering impressive tonal balance and solid imaging.
The bass is a little more focused in the subbass than the midbass, so you get a little more depth and rumble than punch in the bass. Bass guitars and similar range synth bass instruments are a highlight here, with good texture and a low-end extension that provides a little extra lift.
Ryusei’s midrange is mostly focused on the vocals, but instruments generally have good timbre and sound clean. The vocals are loaded with detail and emotion and are probably the biggest highlight of Ryusei. Otherwise the midrange compares well to other standouts in its class.
The treble has the signature 7th Acoustics bite, but is well-controlled, with good air and energy, without coming off as harsh or fatiguing. Cymbals always seem to feel appropriately dynamic, instruments like flutes and violins have some surprising microdetails in the upper end.
Ryusei’s soundstage and imaging are decent, with a good sense of width and depth, and good separation between elements. Most rock and pop mixes sound great and are delivered with solid layering and good instrumental placement, but more complex orchestral and film score work can get a little congested.
Ryusei is pretty middle-of-the-pack in terms of sensitivity. The 32 ohm impedance and high sensitivity (not listed on the box, but based on comparisons it’s 100db+) mean that you’ll have plenty of power to drive Ryusei from your portable source of choice, but shouldn’t experience noticeably background noise from desktop sources.
Probably the most perfect song pairing I heard in my listening was “Memories” by beabadoobee, a nostalgic feeling piece of indie pop. The vocal delivery was absolutely perfect, and even comparing with Ryusei’s big brother, Supernova, I felt like Ryusei was giving me a very high percentage of what Supernova did vocally. The drums has a clear lifelike feeling with the snare and hihats cutting through the mix nicely without becoming overpowering. In the low end, the subbass range of the bass guitar does overpower the kick drum a little bit, but there’s still a nice physicality to the rhythm.
With some classic jazz, like “Summertime” by Charlie Parker, the saxophone takes the place of the vocals, and Ryusei offers crystal clear delivery of Parker’s deft playing, capturing plenty of subtle nuance along the way. The drums in general feel more in the background here, with the upright bass standing out a little bit more, with a touch of that subbass emphasis coming through. The strings are also presented with clear rich details, and there’s a good sense of placement of each element as if on a stage.
“Arriving Somewhere But Not Here” offers a more complex arrangement with a slow build from a simple guitar melody and ethereal vocals to massive layers of guitars and synth. Early on you get a nice delivery of the vocals and a surprising demonstration of Ryusei’s imaging capabilities with the placement of the ethereal backing vocals. As the song builds, Ryusei maintains the layering and placement very well, offering a dynamic climax that doesn’t lose sight of each individual element in the cohesive whole.
Comparisons: 7th Acoustics Supernova, Melody Wings Jupiter, DITA Prelude
For comparisons, I wanted to answer two questions about Ryusei:
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How does it stack up against other IEMs in the $100-$200 range?
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Is this a more affordable, accessible take on the 7th Acoustics Supernova?
Looking specifically at Supernova, Ryusei bears a lot of similarities, but with a couple key differences.In the overall balance, Ryusei goes a little harder on the bass, and loses some of the ultra-clean layering that Supernova delivers. It’s also not quite as detailed and resolving. But, if you’re looking specifically for something that delivers the vocals and energetic treble of Supernova, than Ryusei really nails that part – giving it a unique identity in this price range.
Melody Wings Venus does some things similarly to Ryusei, but it’s generally a safer sounding tuning, which goes a little more relaxed and doesn’t hit as hard. Venus is much more rolled off in the treble, and doesn’t have the energy and bit of spice that Ryusei has, and it also rolls off its subbass a little sooner, adding a little more midbass punch. If you’re looking more for a safe all-arounder, with really nice warmth in the mids, Venus does that very well, but it doesn’t match the vocal delivery or excitement of Ryusei.
The DITA Prelude offers something much closer to Ryusei, and the trade-offs between the two are a little smaller. The two big differences I heard are that Prelude doesn’t match the “pop” in the vocals that Ryusei delivers – though the vocal delivery is generally strong. It also features a similar bit of extra spice in the highs. The difference is more in the mids and bass, with Prelude trading some bass impact and rumble for clearer, more open mids. This gives Prelude the edge for the Zimmer to Beethoven end of spectrum, while leaving Ryusei as the stronger pick for pop, rock, and the like.
The Bottom Line
Queen of Audio has scored a big win here. By combining their production with 7th Acoustics tuning, they’ve delivered IEMs that provide excellent performance, and capture the unique character that made 7th Acoustics Supernova sell-out as fast as they could make them back when they launched. Ryusei is, without a doubt, the new benchmark, and one to beat in the under $200 class for IEMs.
