Softears VolumeS

Truly exceptional IEM for the price. Highly palatable tuning, fantastic timbre (blindfolded I would’ve guessed a single DD), and surprisingly good imaging capabilities and dynamic contrast.

My expectations were high for the Volume S. I haven’t heard a bad set from Softears (RSV, Twilight, Studio4), and almost all of the initial reviews for Volume S were positive. To my ears, it’s a very well tuned set that easily competes with or betters the competition in the price range. I much preferred the low impedance setting, and that’s tuning used for this review

What I like: Vocals really sound great. There’s enough warmth to give some weight and body to male and female vocals. Detail retrieval is excellent. Stage size is also a cut above sets at this price. It’s a very fun tuning.

My favorite set that I own in the $300 to $400 range is the Hype 4. These sets compliment each other very well. The hype 4 has better treble extension and imaging, but vocals and stage are better on the Volume S. The hype 4 and Volume S differ in low end tuning. The hype 4 has more and tighter bass due to the bass tuck. The Volume S has more midbass, but the low end is still tight with minimal bleed into the mids. Both bass guitar and kick drums sound full with good weight. I have a pretty wide range of music in my library and with the addition of the Volume S my library is fully covered. The Volume S is an easy recommendation.

The unboxing experience for these was excellent. You get a lot of accessories and a premium case. The build and fit are excellent. The sound...these are very balanced sounding in low impedance mode (which is my preferred mode). The high impedance mode can cause the upper mids and treble to become a little too forward for my preferences. In low impedance mode, these sound amazing. The tuning is very agreeable and I think most folks will love these IEMs.