Oriolus Szalayi UIEM

What a heavyweight Oriolus have on their hands, the clever utilisation of drivers perfect for rendering their assigned frequencies with excellent realism and resolution. Szalayi's star is undoubtedly its 14mm planar-magnetic mid-range driver.

With a diaphragm less than two microns thick, mid-range frequencies are rendered with vanishingly low distortion. Despite its large surface area, the low mass of Oriolus's planar unit means it's always under the control of its magnetic array. Transients are produced instantly and effortlessly, without having to worry about modal break-up. 

Indeed, Szalayi's thin vibrating surface needs minimal excursion to move plenty of air, reproducing tons of information, as a straight plane. This grants the simultaneous sense of presence and articulation balanced armature counterparts comparatively struggle to balance.

With planar-magnetic drivers on the ascendency in multi-ways, Oriolus weighed in quickly and convincingly to define a new era in IEMs. That's because the sum of Szalayi's strengths lies in the contributions of its supporting cast.

A stiff 10mm dynamic driver plumbs the lows, with the excellent excursion of audio's oldest transducer technology – perfect for producing a long, slow bass wave that descends in frequency and rumbles away in Szalayi's sub regions.

Up high, a balanced armature takes over as the planar mid driver becomes directional and rolls off. Freed from having to move air beyond its means, this specialised tweeter's low distortion is the reason Oriolus's trademark clean, airy and refined treble can be implemented in the brand's latest star.

Certainly, the story of Szalayi is one that produces music as it was recorded, adding few artifacts of its own and being true in its playback. There's always a demand for accuracy, and the sheer competence of Oriolus's latest child is bound to show up played through Questyle Audio's M15i, HiBy Music's R6III and iBasso Audio's Amp8 MKII for DX240.

For those wanting to move beyond mere proficiency and instead be held spellbound by their music, the flagships from Oriolus await here. Otherwise, browse the rest of our IEMs here.