Sunrise Xcape Impressive Edition Quick Review

Sunrise Xcape Impressive Edition Quick Review

Thanks to Frogbeats for the sample

Brief: What, no “Confusing Edition?”

Price: £55 pre discounts (Head-fi’ers 10% students 20%)

Specification: Impedance 32 ohm Cable Length 1.2 meters Sensitivity 118dB +/- 3dB Frequency Range 16Hz - 24,000Hz Driver 9mm neodymium 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, nether aspect really gave me any trouble. I did find them somewhat tiring with prolonged use but since its siblings didn’t I may put that down to my ears just being particularly sensitive that day. Its hay fever season you know.

Aesthetics: Pleasing to the eye but these are fairly non descript. While I found the buds, jack and Y splitter to be both reasonably pretty it’s not like any of them actually caught my eye and made me pay attention. Still as they are earphones and not ear rings I don’t see the problem.

Sound: Big. If had to encapsulate their overall sound and style that would be the word, or maybe expansive, same difference anyway. The Impressive Edition more than anything aim to project a vast sense of scale in the musical portrayal and I know some are going to love that. I found it a little strange to have so focused on something that doesn’t always work with everything. For example if you’re a big fan of close up, intimate sounding music then the sense of depth and distance added sounds weird. I’m not saying it sounds bad because it doesn’t, it’s just odd. That aside its vastness and large expansive low end works pretty well in shifting a lot of air and a lot of people will just love that. It’s got a big and powerful low end that can really rumble while just refraining from taking over. Mids are reasonable so long as you like a lot of distance to them, lots of air. Highs are good too with an added edge to make them cut through the warm airiness. I found it a little too edgy but again I know a ton of people will love the hardness of it where a I prefer things delicate up top.

Value: I wonder if could get away with saying impressively so? These aren’t the hands down best the money will get you in terms of refinement but when it comes to scale and an arguably very populist sound signature they sit near the top of a short list. I’m sure if Sunrise Audio could get these into the ears of ordinary folk then they will have a big seller on their hands.

Pro’s: Soundstage, scale and rich epic vastness.

Con’s: Lacks any real ability to do intimate, not the best clarity and detail for the money.