vii_haven 0 Report post Posted October 1, 2008 I recently purchased the Futuresonics Atrio M5 from slowth after having tried it while purchasing the mSeed Spirit from a friend. That lead to me also buying a custom LOD (made with Mundorf cables) and a Ray Samuel Audio Tomahawk amp. Man, this hobby is expensive! Wanted to share some thoughts here about the Atrio seeing that some people are looking for that 'perfect' sound in your ears, and I pretty much have found mine! Basshead will really love this IEM, non-bassheads will love it more because suddenly, you can FEEL your music in your head and everything sounds so natural, so full, and so impactful! Background Some background here, I have listed below, the IEMS that I have auditioned, owned and used the following both for personal audio listening and for stage monitoring for the past 6 years. I have also included brief thoughts about each, so as to facilitate the comparison later. Current Westone UM1 Futuresonics Atrio M5 (my absolute favorite, used for portable music, on stage and everything else) Earpeace Livewires (absolutely flat, i use this for stage monitoring and eq-ing) Previously Owned Westone UM2 (used with custom molds, good for monitoring, a little too lush for portable music) Shure E2, E1 (really liked the sound), E3, E5, E4 (really liked the sound and looks!) Jays d-jays Previously Auditioned Shure SE530 (really liked the sound and looks) Ultimate Ears super.fi 3/4vi/5pro, Triple.fi Jays q-jays Futuresonics Atrio M5 (Revision 2) I was a little skeptical before when I read reviews about the Atrio and how people kept giving praise to it. I attributed that to it being the flavor of the month for a while - UNTIL I auditioned it when i bought the mSeed Spirit amp from someone. MY GOODNESS. I was stunned, at how good these little things sounded! Specifications These specifications are taken from the Futuresonics website. NEW! atrio® revision 2 future sonics atrio® product specifications: drivers future sonics proprietary mg5pro™ dynamic frequencies 18 Hz - 20,000 Hz truetimbre™ response impedance 32 ohm sensitivity 112 dB @ 30 Hz / 1 mW rejection 26 dB +/- ambient noise rejection ™ (A.N.R.) cable 1.3 m quietcables™ II with reduced microphonics connector standard 3.5mm (1/8") stereo mini-plug (gold) Build The Atrio is made of plastic, feels very well made and doesn't seem like it'll break/fall apart on you anytime soon. Don't be deceived by how some photos of the Atrio make them look rather fragile and cheap. These are not fragile or cheap at all. Everything about it screams 'I'm well made and can rough it out!'. The cables are by far the best i've tried so far. Non-braided, but feels very strong and smooth. Microphonics are almost non-existant when worn over the ear. You can also wear them straight down but you will definitely get microphonics this way. There is no memory wire on the 2nd revision of the Atrio (which i own). If you noticed, the shell is made of rubber where the cables meet the earpieces, pretty cool and seamless design for a stress relief. Connectors are gold plated. Accessories The Atrio come with a semi hardcase, with 3 sizes (1 set each) of black silicon double flanges, 2 sizes (2 sets each) of beige foam (similar to the Shure yellow foam). The case supplied is rather huge and the zipper seems like it'll fall apart anytime. I think the only useful thing about the Atrio package is the Atrio itself. Go do yourself a favor and buy other tips to use with them. Warranty The warranty period is 2 years. The product is warrantied against manufacturing defects and yadda yadda, the usual warranty talk. More information at the Futuresonics website. It does seem that I won't need to activate my warranty though considering how well built this thing is. Fit Honestly, besides the Atrio earpieces, the rest of the supplied accessories are pretty much useless. The black silicon sleeves are uncomfortable and the foam sleeves are not fantastic. I personally use the Atrio with my white triple flanges, Shure grey flex sleeves and the Shure Olive foams. Currently i'm using only the Shure grey flex sleeves for convenience. The triple flange gives the best SQ to me, followed by the grey flex sleeves then the olives. The grey flex sleeves are the easiest to insert and take out followed by the triple flange and then the olives. The earpieces are flush with my face when i wear them - very comfortable, very discreet and great sound. Cables are very comfortable worn over the ear (the only way i use my IEMs). Sound My music is played through an iPod 5G and an iPod Shuffle 2G. Stage monitoring is through the Aviom system and the Shure PSM700 personal monitoring system. I like my bass strong and impactful, but I NEED to hear the details. The UM2 had that kind of bass but the details were masked. The UM1, E4, E1 had the details but the bass was too tight for me. The Livewires had a nice mix of details and deep bass, and amped with the mSeed Spirit, it brought out the bass even more while sweetening the details. Livewires were great for stage use because of its frequency response and its 'flatness'. The Atrio is great as the sound is extremely natural. The bass is so smooth and you can hear every nuance in the basslines and drums. The mids and highs are so sweet, vocals never sounded so good before! You know how how sometimes you have to turn up the volume to a certain level to 'feel' the music and by the time you get to that level, you can barely listen to your music for long. This is different for the Atrio. The music sounds good and big at any volume. Sound - Un-amped Un-amped through the iPod 5G and the iPod Shuffle 2G, the sound is quite good. Everything sounds 'live' due to the large sound stage. But the bass impact is not compromised, and the bass is not boomy as well. The iPod Shuffle seems to be the better source when used un-amped due to its higher output as compared to the iPod 5G. The Atrio is hiss-less with both devices. Sound - Amped I held out from using an amp with my iPods till i tried the iQube and i was sold. I currently own the mSeed Spirit and the Tomahawk. I use a custom LOD made with Mundorf cables (made of a 99%silver+1%gold alloy). The LOD sounds FANTASTIC, all the details, the bass from silver, and the extra sparkle that the 1%gold gives. Those who have tried the Qables Silvercab (100%silver) and the Qables Silvercab Pro (made of Mundorf cables 99%silver+1%gold) will know what I mean when i say the 1% gold makes ALL the difference. Now I can't listen to my music without the amp. It just doesn't seem the same anymore. The higher output from the amp definitely gives the music more energy and tightens up the details and give the bass more impact. The Atrio is hiss-less with both amps that i own. mSeed Spirit I own the original mSeed Spirit made in the US (not the new version of this made by Crossroads). This amp is an awesome little thing for its price! Music is so sweet and lush with this amp without loosing the details. The details are just transformed into this extremely musical sound that I have not heard with other amps. The Atrio sounds really really sweet with the Spirit on unity (low) gain. On high gain, the Atrio sounds muddy due to the warm signature of this amp. Hotel California by the Eagles never sounded so impactful on IEMs before! Every single nuance, every single expression of the instruments can be heard beautifully! Ray Samuel Audio's Tomahawk The Atrio goes well with a brighter/more neutral amp. And the Tomahawk puts back whatever detail you thought was lost from your music. Sound is very impactful, with extreme clarity. I literally feel my music through the Atrio and Tomahawk combo. Alas, though i liked the mSeed amp, it was sold because it had so much less play time once i got the Tomahawk. If you want an audition or a tryout, do drop slowth a PM or something. (His thread is here.) Service is impeccable, and his aftersales service is excellent too! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. And of course, do your ears and your pocket a favor and buy the Atrio, and forget about anything more expensive, because in my opinion, nothing comes close. Only regret i had is taking such a long way to get here and now, i feel at peace. Haha. Cheers! Hope this helps whoever's making a choice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
effervescence 0 Report post Posted October 1, 2008 x2 fully agree that slowth is one GREAT SELLER! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sghound 0 Report post Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) the atrios are so good, that i've abandoned my UM2, SE530 and Livewires & UE10 customs. multiple armature drivers & xovers can never recreate that natural feel, seemless from top down. the atrios customs are now my new king of the hill. plus it's got the silkiest non-microphonic cable u'll ever own. Edited October 1, 2008 by sghound Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ical 0 Report post Posted October 4, 2008 sghound, where did you get your atrios to custom? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sghound 0 Report post Posted October 4, 2008 sghound, where did you get your atrios to custom? straight from the Future Sonics site. this is the Custom Ear Monitors and they use an even better version of the atrios driver. the ultimate power of 1. no more robbing of musical fun with multiple armatures & xover. the FS is currently the most natural sounding of all IEMs. go for it! u won't regret one bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vii_haven 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2008 How much did you pay for them? And where did you get your impressions done? =) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sghound 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2008 How much did you pay for them? And where did you get your impressions done? =) 900plus shipped. impressions from audiologist in suntec. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowth 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2008 i'm thinking that's USD right? heh thanks for the affiration eff... is that silicone or acrylic sg? see some bubbling in the molds.. though of course that's not too impt.. heh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sghound 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2008 i'm thinking that's USD right? heh thanks for the affiration eff... is that silicone or acrylic sg? see some bubbling in the molds.. though of course that's not too impt.. heh sgd. acrylic finish. bubbles normal. sound out of this world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowth 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2008 woah!! how'd u get it at 900SGD direct from FS? their online site itself states 898USD!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sghound 0 Report post Posted October 6, 2008 woah!! how'd u get it at 900SGD direct from FS? their online site itself states 898USD!!! tats listed price. write to them, it's heavily discounted. dunno bout current price but it's below 1k i think. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowth 0 Report post Posted October 12, 2008 ooh new atrio colours are out!! M3 and M9! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vii_haven 0 Report post Posted October 13, 2008 sghound is it me or are the futuresonics turning a little yellow in your photo? does the clear acrylic turn yellow over time due to body oils and sweat and all? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sghound 0 Report post Posted October 13, 2008 sghound is it me or are the futuresonics turning a little yellow in your photo? does the clear acrylic turn yellow over time due to body oils and sweat and all? it's just the lighting. so far no yellow, not even on my clear Livewires or UE11. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
infinitesadness 0 Report post Posted October 30, 2008 how bassy is it? like blow ur head up kinda bassy? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
