Introduction
First of all I would like to thank ah jeff and wei hangz from NotBrand .for sending me this unit of their new creation and their entry into the IEM making world, the Pursuer. It is an all handmade IEM and they are powered by a single dynamic driver with loads of tuning and they have spent countless hours making this IEM sound just the way they wanted it to be. I will not dive into the packaging and build as they have sent me a demo sample but they have included a high quality leather case and their own high end braided cable that users can customise.
Tone
They have a rather mild bright tone with a mild warmth to their sound with amazing detail retrieving capabilities across the whole spectrum. The Pursuer is a neutral balanced set that doesn’t emphasise on any frequency. Timbre here is breathy and has a good air especially in their midrange and highs with an all natural, organic sound that is transparent.
Drivability
They haven’t come out with their official specifications yet but the Pursuer is relatively easy to drive and scalability is average but a good source is recommended for them to sound the best. They are a transparent pair of IEM and they do show the flaws in a badly mastered tracks or a low quality one, so feeding them with high quality tracks will make them perform better.
Soundstage
The soundstage here is huge to say the least. It has amazing width and a tall sound with accurate placement of sound making a superb 3D representation of sound that is holographically accurate. They have a good sense of air and they are able to give a sense of spatial awareness that makes them project sound outside your head which is amazing.
Lows
The bass present here is a flat response bass that is airy with superb clarity and great details. It has a sharp and tight bass that has a rather low amount of bass here and they do tend to roll off early making the bass not suited for bass heavy tracks such as EDN, Hip-hop and others. It is well textured but lacks body to them and may sound thin on certain tracks. Resolution here is superb as they are vivid, clean and clear with great transparency. Sub-bass extends deep but they lack an authoritative rumble and lack immersiveness.
Midrange
Midrange present here is a neutral balanced bass with a tinge of warmth that is spacious and airy. They have excellent spatial awareness that is accurate to produce perfect placement of sound and I can pinpoint where the sound is coming from easily which is great. They have an out of head effect that tricks you to sense the sound coming from outside similar to open head earbuds. Resolution here is good with a vivid sound that has no extra coloration present making them a good monitoring IEM. Transparency here is sublime and everything sounded clean and clear with music being represented in the way it should be. Vocals here are superb as they have a spacious sound along with a mild warmth to them and a good brilliance sheen, making them a vocal driven IEM.
High range
The highs here are again a neutral bright style that is slightly boosted after the 8 kHz region for my ears which gives them a good brilliance sound. Though being slightly strong, the highs here is smooth and inoffensive which doesn’t incur any fatigue even with a loud volume. It has a crisp sound without any metallic timbre and they have a sparkly sound that sounds lively and sweet. Extension here is great with a slow roll off at the end and they have amazing air to them. Treble here has a mild intensity that gives them a boost of energy and they do have a decent bite here.
Comparison
Vs Tigerism Dark Magician
Both are priced similarly but have a vastly different sound signature with the Dark Magician having a bass and treble boost sound that is thicker and not as open sounding as the Pursuer.
High range on the Pursuer have a stronger presence with slightly better details but both sounded crystal clear to me. Extension is similar but the Pursuer has more air to them. Dark Magician does sound smoother here but less revealing.
Midrange on the Dark Magician is thicker, warmer and more intimate while the Pursuer is more transparent and has a more spacious sound. Details and clarity here are on par with each other but the Pursuer does sound cleaner due to the thicker sound of the Dark Magician.
Bass on the Dark Magician has the edge of having better quantity and a more immersive sound. They have a better body and deeper extension but the Pursuer has a cleaner bass with better clarity. Sub-bass on the Dark Magician is also better as they extend deeper with a stronger rumble.
Conclusion
The Pursuer here is actually a very unique IEM that has an enormous soundstage with pinpoint placement accuracy that sounded airy across the whole frequency. It is a very transparent pair of IEM that sounds clean and clear presenting music as it should sound without any altercation. The mids and highs here are excellent as they sound lively and have a natural sound that is organic. The only takeaway here for me is their rolled off bass that makes the Pursuer lacking in the bass amount. Sub-bass presence is quite low partly due to their open style of tuning similar to earbuds but in return we do get an airy, open sound that is what the Pursuer excels at. Overall, a great attempt by NotBrand in producing this unique IEM and I truly hope the future brings more enthusiastic stuffs like this for us to enjoy.
