You may or may not know the brand Astrotec but they are one of the major audio brands in China that produces high quality audiophile earphones and earbuds that is packed with innovations. They have been awarded plenty of awards for their innovation in their audio products worldwide and they have been highly praised for their products especially for their earbuds. After the massive success of their Lyra Nature series, they have been collecting feedback from users that wanted a smaller sized earbuds with the same legendary Lyra sound but with a friendlier price, thus, Astrotec has released their latest earbuds, the Lyra Mini. Astrotec claimed that the Lyra mini inherited the sound and design of the Lyra series providing a transparent and natural sound signature that they are famous for, all in a smaller package and more affordable price. The Lyra Mini has been honoured with a VGP2021 SUMMER Award soon after their release. Earbuds fans, me included, are stoked with this release and I am honoured to be reviewing the Lyra Mini. Before we start, here are the specifications of the Lyra Mini;
Functions & Specifications
- Driver: Φ14mm dynamic
- Cross-Style Acoustic Filter Design
- Copper Die-Casting Labyrinth Filter
- Special Filter Module Technology
- Impedance: 32 Ohms
- High purity OFC silver-plated cable
- Rated Power: 2 mW
- Max Power: 8 mW
- Type: Dynamic driver earbud
- Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 35KHz
- Sensitivity: 103 dB/1mw (S.P.L at 1KHz)
- Plug: Ф5mm Stereo gold-plated plug
Retail Price & Where To Get
The Astrotec Lyra Mini can be bought at Astrotec Official Store and on Aliexpress platform.
Purchase Link :
Aliexpress : Astrotec Official Store
Official Site : https://astrotecglobal.com/products/lyra-mini
Packaging & Accessories
The packaging of the Lyra Mini is rather simple as expected for a basic line-up earbud of the company. It came with a small paper box and the earbuds is neatly packaged inside. Inside there are 3 pairs of donut foam, a nylon fabric pouch, a cleaning brush, over-ear guides and a Velcro band to tie up the cable for a neat storage. Sad to say the donut foams has been disintegrated and it can’t be used. This might be caused by high humidity and long a long-term storage of the foams. No big deal for me as I do have loads of foams in storage.
Design
One word, Beautiful! The design screams high quality all around. It has a champagne gold finish with a semi-transparent body that is made with high quality matte finished plastic that is so elegant and classy looking. It feels so solid on hand and every aspect of this earbuds design is done with well thought innovations such as the front crossed style face and the back copper die-cast labyrinth filter. It inherits this design from the Lyra series and claim to have improved sound tuning properties imbedded in this design.
The cable is a silver-plated oxygen-free copper cable and have a transparent rubber sleeve on it. The cable is fixed and non-removable which is a let down as it may lower down the longevity of the earbuds, thus, users can’t upgrade or use their favourite cable on the Lyra Mini unlike the other Lyra series earbuds such as Lyra Nature which have a MMCX jacks on it. Marking of left and right is strangely at the down side of the driver side which will be covered if you are using foams on this earbud. I would rather have the markings outside the foams area but it is fixed with coloured foams for easy identification.
Fitting is excellent for an earbud with this Lyra Mini. Having a 14mm sized driver, it is smaller than most 14.8mm earbuds and it fits a little more snuggly. It is suitable for a sleeping earbud as it is very comfy even used when lying down.
Gears Used for Comparisons
- Fiio Q5 with AM3D module
- RHA Dacamp L1
- Ibasso DC03
- Questyle M12
- Hidizs AP90 PRO
- Jcally Ep09
- Toneking TO600
- EA earbuds
- Venture Electronics Zen Lite
- Blur daBass
- Intime Kira
Song list
Tone and Presentation
Lyra Mini has a bright tone to it and it possesses a full, detailed, high resolution sound signature that really awes me as it is so detailed that every micro detail is easily picked up by my ears. The sound transparency of the Lyra Mini is excellent at the same time it also sounded very natural and uncoloured making the music played sounds as it should be. It is also non forgiving to badly mastered tracks and flaws in tracks is detectable. A good source is needed for these earbuds and it will reward you with a full detailed resolution representation of your music. The presentation of the Lyra Mini is a flat, clinical sounding earbud where not much emphasis is done on the 3 frequencies and can sometimes sound thin in certain tracks especially in the bass and mids region. It is bright sounding but they are smooth and gives out no harshness nor fatigue in my listening.
Soundstage
Earbuds are known for their huge soundstage versus the likes of in-ear earphones but the Lyra mini soundstage is huge and it is bigger than most average earbuds. The depth and width that the Mini produces is respectable even in earbuds standard. It sounded so natural and big that live performances are recreated with realism that I only heard from flagship earbuds. I really do feel that the crossed style and the die cast labyrinth filter really does a great job in providing a huge and open soundstage found in the Lyra series, Mini included. Even with movies, these earbuds really do perform almost at the level of a small headphones and I really do enjoy this aspect of Lyra Mini. A job very well done.
Separation and Timbre
Being a high-resolution earbuds, separation and timbre of the Lyra Mini is excellent. Every note played is very clear and easily picked up without any muddiness or veiling. With classical music, the Lyra Mini excels in recreating a natural performance. Every single detail of the music played is portraited beautifully and all instruments sound as it should without any distortion. Vocals is sounds sublime especially on female vocals. They sounded crystal clear and ever so sweet with this earbud. Being a little flat on the bass region, bass-strings can sound a little thin at times but still acceptable.
Drivability
Lyra Mini is rated at a standard 32ohms and it is easily driven even with smartphones, laptop or PC with enough loudness and power supplying it. In my opinion, earbuds do scales up considerably with amping as they have a rather large driver and Lyra Mini does sounds much better with a good DAC and amplifier feeding it.
The Bass (Low)
Bass of the Lyra Mini is the weakness of this earbud in my opinion. It is rather thin sounding bass with a low rumble for the sub-bass. The bass has a fast and sharp tone to it but the slam in just adequate for listening. Performance in EDM tracks is enjoyable but I always wanted a bigger and more present bass performance in the Lyra Mini. Bass strings on the Lyra Mini is clear and detailed, but I do think it lacks the body and thickness needed for a more enjoyable experience. The bass is what I would call a neutral flat bass and some purist might like this type of bass as it is non-intrusive to the music played but personally, I would like a better slam and body to the bass performance in this earbud.
The Mids
Lyra Mini mids has a neutral and transparent take onto it. It sounded very natural to my ears and it performs really well especially with vocals as it is crystal clear and have a high-resolution quality in the mids region. In my listening, female vocals sounded sweet and has a more emotional feel in it, while male vocals sounded very clear with great range. It has an emphasis in the mid-highs’ region and making the music slightly bright in their presentation. Though being slightly thin sounding, it does have some body in the mids region giving out a pure uncoloured performance for a clean listening. It is a clinical performer.
The Highs
The highs are the star of the show in my opinion. My favourite region is in the treble and it important to have a good treble as it effects my listening enjoyment very much. A bad highs performance may incur listening fatigue and may damage your hearing pretty quick. Lyra Mini is a stellar performer in this region as they are smooth, airy, detailed and crisp in their presentation. The treble possesses no harshness but provides a dynamics performance even with high pitched tracks and is sounded very enjoyable with all the tracks I played. It has a crisp decay that is found only on a few top-of-the-line earbuds in the market and as a treble-head myself, I am loving the details and smoothness that the Lyra Mini portrayed. Sibilance is only audible in very high-volume settings and in normal volume the Lyra Mini’s treble performance is simply awe inspiring. Hissing is almost non audible in my experience and it sounded very smooth with no sharp edge for me making an exciting listening. 5 stars at least for me.
Comparisons
VS Zen Lite
VE Zen Lite is a high-performance earbud from Venture Electronics and its very comfortable and easier to drive versus their Zen 2.0 earbud. Zen Lite has a warm, smooth and thick laid-back approach and has a totally different presentation. Bass on the Zen Lite is bigger, thicker, has a bigger slam and sub-bass rumble than the Lyra Mini. Mids on the Zen Lite is thicker and slightly more forward but lacks the details and clarity found in the Lyra Mini. Resolution on the Lyra Mini is way better than the Zen lite. Highs and treble performance on the Lyra Mini are better in all aspects as it is clearer and crispier versus the laidback Zen Lite. Soundstage on the Lyra Mini is wider and bigger while depth is rather similar.
VS Toneking TO600
Being priced quite similarly, the Toneking TO600 is a 600ohms beast and it need a heck lot of power to drive it but it sounded sublime when driven properly. Details and clarity sounded so much better on the Lyra mini. Soundstage on the Lyra Mini is also wider and has a deeper depth onto it. Bass on the TO600 is bigger and has a better slam onto it. Mids on the TO600 is thicker and have more body onto it but it lacking the details and resolution found in the Lyra Mini. Treble on the Lyra Mini is more pronounced and has a crispier sound versus the smooth neutral treble in the TO600
VS Jcally EP09
A beryllium plated flagship earbud from the budget brand Jcally that cost ¼ of the Lyra Mini. Details on both is on par with each other and presentation of their tones is rather similar being a bright sounding earbud. Clarity and resolution on the Lyra Mini are better and more resolving in the music. Bass on the Ep09 is slightly thicker and has a better slam in it while bass on the Lyra Mini is clearer. Mids on the Ep09 is slightly more forward but resolution on the Lyra Mini is better. Treble performance is similar but the Lyra Mini sounded crispier. Soundstage on both of this earbud is similar in depth and width,
VS Blur daBass
Blur is a custom-made earbud from Singapore and it cost ¼ more than the Lyra Mini. Blur daBass is a limited-edition version and only 5 were ever made. Bass on the Blur is way better with a better slam, goes deeper and has a very good body onto it. Mids is more forward on the Blur daBass and has a lot more body onto it with great resolution but clarity on mids with the Lyra Mini is better. Treble on the Lyra Mini is better but Blur daBass has a sweeter and smoother treble giving a more laid-back experience. Soundstage on the Blur daBass is slightly bigger and goes deeper versus the Lyra Mini.
VS Intime Kira
Comparing IEM with earbud is like comparing apples and oranges. Different concepts, but I would like to compare this as Intime Kira in my opinion has the best treble and highs performance in portable audio. Lyra Mini treble is on par with Intime Kira as it is just as resolving and crisp in their presentation. Both are very detailed and have a very high-resolution sound quality. Being an earbud, the soundstage totally trumps the Intime Kira, but the bass on Intime Kira is better with a good slam and better sub-bass response. Both for me is similar but both has a different concept, one being an earbud, one being an in-ear monitors and both very enjoyable.
Source synergy
FiiO Q5 with AM3D THX amp module
FiiO’s DAC/amp with a THX amp module AM3D. Clarity and details of the Lyra Mini is slightly better on this combo. Mids has thicken and has a slightly more forward in their presentation. Bass has a better and more apparent slam onto it. Sub-bass presence is more audible with this amping and has more body onto the Lyra Mini. Treble sound a little smoother and less sharp. Dynamics is better on this pairing making the Lyra Mini sounded less thin and cold.
RHA Dacamp L1
RHA portable DAC amplifier with adjustable treble and bass switch. With this pairing I can adjust the treble and bass via knobs present in the RHA L1. With the bass knob adjusted to +2, I do get a better slam in the bass and music sounded more musical for me. With this pairing I really do enjoy the Lyra Mini more as the synergy is great. Soundstage sounded larger and with the extra power, Lyra Mini has a more forward approach in their presentation. Highs is also smoother without any adjustment made in the treble knob. It is a great pairing that I enjoyed the most with the Lyra Mini
Questyle M12
The Questyle M12 is a sabre based MQA dongle that is quite bright sounding and has a great deal of driving power for its size. Treble seems to be airier in this pairing and it sounded airier without sounding harsh at all. Mids sounded a little more forward and have a slight thickness onto the sound. Bass is sharper and tighten a little more but slam remains the same. Soundstage became more intimate but still have the depth and width or an earbud.
Who Is It For?
The Lyra Mini is an entry level earbud by Astrotec and also a starter into the series of Lyra. Thought being priced rather high for an entry, they are capable of producing a pure, uncoloured, transparent high-end sound in a simple package that can satisfy a lot of purist audiophiles out there. Those who seek for a high-resolution earbud with a huge soundstage will find this a true gem as they are highly resolving and doesn’t have that intimate soundstage found in in-ear monitors. It is one of the clearest sounding earbuds that I have ever tried and the treble it produces is truly world class.
Final words
Lyra Mini is a beast in performance in my opinion and they truly deserve respect in the Lyra series of Astrotec. Though I would like the bass to be thicker and have a better slam with a decent rumble in the sub-bass, it does gives out a purer uncoloured sound with a high degree of resolution that is most suitable for acoustic music. The cable is fixed and I would love to have a replaceable cable given the rather steep pricing for an entry earbud. There a lot of competitors out there that have a better value in their products but what Lyra Mini stands out is their beautiful looks combines with their no compromise pure sound that is rarely seen at this price point.
I would rate The Lyra Mini a solid 
(4 / 5)
