FlipEars has been slowly gaining notoriety as one of the rising stars of the IEM world with unique and beautifully crafted IEMs like Argentum, Legion, and Aegis. Their latest, Arion, is the next in the Arsenal series, which each features a resin shell, with a faceplate that looks and feels like the sort of ancient coin you’d find buried beneath the ruins of Classical Greece. Unlike the rest of the Arsenal series, Arion is a limited edition, with only 150 units worldwide, and on to of that, while Legion and Aegis are both under $1000, Arion costs about three times as much. Can FlipEars deliver the sort of world-class performance you’d expect from a limited edition IEM that costs $2499 with Arion?
Build and Design
Arion’s package includes a premium case, a custom-designed Eletech cable, and a set of Eletech Baroque ear tips. The package has a premium presentation, with nice details like an envelope, sealed with a wax seal, containing informational cards. The included cable is lightweight and supple, offering a high-end Eletech experience which blends form and function. The design of the IEMs themselves complete the high-end experience, with the ornate design of the faceplate which is handcrafted by specialty jewelers in Bulacan, Philippines.
Internally, Arion is a quadbrid, with a FlipEars designed EarQuake bone conduction driver, a dynamic driver, 3 balanced armatures, and an Electret tweeter. With a relatively low driver count for a Quadbrid, Arion maintains a comfortable fit and largely ergonomic design. Does it’s flashy design, good fit, and quadbrid driver configuration add up to something special?
Sound
Arion falls largely into the “bass-boosted” Harman category for its general tuning characteristics. The bass emphasis falls largely in the subbass, with some warmth moving up through the bass into the mids. Arion boosts the upper mids a bit over the standard Harman sound, while keep the treble peak a little bit lower.
In the subbass, you can expect plenty of rumble, and an excellent sense of texture. There’s also strong impact in the midbass that delivers strong energy, and combines with the subbass for a highly physical low-end.
The midrange has surprisingly good timbre and clarity, two areas that bass boosted quadbrids often miss. There’s strong layering and separation, and a presentation that largely feels natural. Vocals are definitely a highlight, though they can be a touch too forward at times.
Arion’s treble is clean and crisp, there’s a little bit of extra bite at the top, but it rarely feels sharp or fatiguing. Arion offers nice air and spatial qualities, keeping everything in balance and preventing the large bass shelf from making the sound too dark.
Arion makes good use of the bone conduction and electret to provide an expansive, three-dimensional soundstage. The imaging is strong as well. It’s not as immersive and holographic as the very top-end of quadbrids, but it offers clear, lifelike presentation of instruments and voices in the psychoacoustic space around the listener.
On tracks like “Let it Happen” by Tame Impala, which combine strong subbass elements and deep layered synths with spacey vocals, Arion shines brightly. The bass offers deep rumble that doesn’t interfere with the sense of layering and separation in the other elements, while Arion’s slightly forward vocal presentation helps the listener cut through the effects and hear the clear details of the vocals. The combination of technical performance and the musical tuning gives you both insight and fun.
Arion is balanced such that excelling at bass heavy tracks with thick layering doesn’t get in the way of simpler arrangements. On “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman there’s a little extra oomph in the bass, but also just the right amount of added presence to the vocal for a smooth, natural listening experience. The mids come off slightly recessed here, though the iconic acoustic guitar hook remains perfectly clear. Overall it feels like that extra emphasis in the lows puts a little extra groove in the song, without losing the original character.
On hip-hop tracks with a more old-school production, like Young Gunz “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” Arion thickens the impact on the 808s and offers a strong, energetic presentation of the percussion. The vocals are well-balanced with the beat, and there’s a nice sense of dynamics and clear differentiation with the two vocals. Arion gives the sparse instrumentation nice details texture, adding to the dynamic presentation of the song.
Comparisons: Empire Ears Raven, 64 Audio Volur
For $2499, if you’re looking for a balanced, but bassy presentation in an IEM, 64 Audio Volur is one of the best options out there, but, while it’s $1100 more, probably the closest in sound to Arion is another quadbrid, the Empire Ears Raven. Does Arion stand out enough from these two to make a strong case for a less established brand?
Raven’s design shares some similarities with Arion, but Raven’s carved face isn’t quite as ornate as Arion. Arion is smaller though, with an easier fit than Raven. Volur has the simplest design of the three, as well as the most comfortable fit. If you’re not into carved birds or horses in the side of your IEMs, Volur’s more basic look might also be a plus, though it’s hard to argue with the generally strong aesthetic of Raven and Arion.
In terms of sound, Raven and Arion sound very similar in terms of the general tuning, but Raven’s higher driver count helps it deliver a more impressive imaging presentation. On the other hand, I found Arion to have a more natural timbre and sound more cohesive in comparison. Volur is the strongest in terms of the basic technicalities, combining largely natural timbre, with clean separation, strong imaging, and a spacious soundstage, but it does have the same “wow” factor as Raven or Arion.
Between the three, Volur is likely the safest choice, offering a good build and fit, with a strong, well-balanced tuning, but if you want something that’s more intense – both visually and sonically – Arion offers something fresh. Raven takes the technical aspects to the next level with world class imaging, but some people might have a hard time with the fit, and both Arion and Volur offer a more natural, cohesive sound for a lower price.
The Bottom Line
The strong tuning, excellent technical capabilities, and flagship presentation make it an excellent choice for anyone looking for a unique take on high-end IEMs that takes some risks while remaining natural and appropriate across a wide range of genres. While it’s three times the price of the excellent FlipEars Legion, Arion proves that it deserves the higher price tag and your attention.
