Sunrise Audio Xcited Quick Review

Sunrise Audio Xcited Quick Review

Thanks to Frogbeats for the sample

Brief: A new name for a new product.

Price: £44.50 pre discounts (Head-fi’ers 10% students 20%)

Specification: Impedance 32 Ohm Cable Length 1.2 meters Sensitivity 116dB +/- 3dB Frequency Range 16Hz - 24,000Hz Driver 9mm Neodynium Magnet

Accessories: 3 Silicone Ear Tips (S/M/L), Storage Case, Warranty Card, Shirt Clip

Build Quality: Very nice, both looks and feels very solid. Everything feels very well put together and to be of a pretty high quality too.

Isolation: Reasonable. It is a dynamic driver based IEM so it’s not the sort of thing I would recommend for flights to New Zealand but it’s still pretty good. If you’re not used to it then I’m sure it would still be enough to get you run over by a bus you never heard coming. Isolation isn’t its selling point tough.

Comfort/Fit: Good on both fronts. I don’t know why (I suspect sound signature) but these sat more happily in my ears all day than their siblings. Their apparently physically identical siblings. Potentially it was hay fever influenced but these gave me no trouble.

Aesthetics: You know given the only thing differentiating these from the Impressive Edition physically is their colour but I think the silver here looks far nicer. Not of course that I think it matters at all but for me, these are the pretty ones.

Sound: A bit of this, a dash of that and a pinch of something else. The Xcape’s sound like a bit of a mix of things. They have a grand sense of scale but nothing too grand like the IE. They have the same air and distance to them but again not to the same extent. They aren’t so warm and thick either but neither would I deign to think of them as light and airy. I never really felt like they could really be pinned down to an accurate description they just did a bit of everything plus scale. While I never found them once pulling at my heart strings I did actually prefer these over their more costly siblings. They didn’t irritate me or push my limits in anyway and as such were a much more inoffensive listen. Realistically my head is telling me they are accomplished and impressive but imp just not feeling the love. Very capable all rounder’s but not the most exciting things in the world. However I think they would make a good first step into the world of higher end audio.

Value: Excellent, there is little that comes close to this level of ability and for this price. It’s not to say its unbeatable but it is up there with the best.

Pro’s: Scale, distance and a fairly even handed ability to do a bit of everything.

Con’s: Its scale sacrifices clarity and intimacy.