REVIEW – Shanling AE3
Website – Shanling Audio
Specifications
Price U$169.
Design
Out of the
box, the AE3 strikes with its attractive design. The earpieces’ are of acrylic
resin material in a shiny beautiful blue semi-transparent color and are made
through the popular 3D printing tech. It is possible to see the internal
components, drivers and cabling, from the inner side of the housings. The outer
faceplate also features the ‘stabilized wood’ process, already introduced on
other brands' in-ear models and that recently has got more attention due its
elegant and unique pattern for every single piece.
The earpieces have a fixed over-ear
wearing style, and while not small with a triple BA setup inside, they prove to
be fairly comfortable for everyday use
at long listening time. The shape is not too different from previous models
found out there but certainly is well-shaped for a more natural fit. There is a
very small hole next to the 2-pin cable sockets at the upper part of the
earphones, which is probably meant for the large BA vented design. Even so, the
isolation level is pretty good and provides a quick and easy seal with the
included ear tips.
Another good point on the AE3 package is the included cable. Shanling finally switched to 2-pin (0.78) connectors and the AE3 has recessed sockets and the 2-pin plugs connect tight enough to earpieces. The cable may look less fancy than those found on other IEMs, but in reality it is of good quality – very soft and has no noise when moving around and not too thick or heavy. It is a 4 strands silver-plated copper wire all inside a soft plastic shield. If anything, the metal 3.5mm plug and y-split covers look kinda cheap, and the thin tubes installed as fixed ear guides are not really necessary.
Sound Quality
The AE3 is
the first in-ear model from Shanling utilizing an all-BA drivers’
configuration, and might be starting a new earphones series. Unlike the
previous BA units on the ME hybrids with Knowles, the AE3 now introduces a
whole Sonion armature setup. More
specifically, it is a triple BA configuration, where a large dual BA is in
charge of the bass while a single BA works for mid & high freq.
Right from the start, I’d say the
Sonion BA on the AE3 show different characteristics than what I’ve heard from
the original Knowles so far, being less liquid and more textured, and mainly,
more dynamic.
The low-end is the most distinctive
part of the AE3. The BA driver is large, and the ‘vented’ design doesn’t sound
like just a marketing gimmick. The bass is enhanced, hitting with strong
impact, tuned with more kick on the mid-bass and still well balanced with
enough sub-bass presence. It is more the tuning itself and not the limitations
of the BA here, as the extension, depth and rumble are well satisfying as any
good dynamic driver can get when paired with a good sounding source. Along with
this, the bass is also fast in attack and has a very natural decay.
The midrange shares the same warmth
and fullness of the low-end. It is articulated but less liquid than previous BA
based IEMs and thus more textured and dynamic. It is thicker and more weighted
on the lower-mids, giving more body and texture to male vocals and instruments
in that region, but as a result misses some layering and resolution. The whole
midrange is usually more forward than neutral, sounding more intimate, less
spacious. There is a pronounced elevation at the upper-mids/lower-treble area
(around 5K), breaking the linearity and congruency of the sound response and
resulting in a bit more ‘shouty’ with a kind of unnatural up-mid lift – female
vocals can sound too forward and so guitars and cymbals. Fortunately, the AE3
is not prone to sound sibilant, even with the usual pickiest tracks.
The treble is a bit of a mixed bag
and seems to be picky on the paired source to perform to its best. While there
is enough presence up to mid-treble that complements well the rest of the sound
freq., there is a sudden roll-off when reaching the upper-treble area, where it
sounds shy and laid-back in that area. The extension, however, is very good.
Paired with a more neutral source (e.g. PAW6000), the AE3 opens up with more
air and higher level of detail. This is not an analytical, super detail-focused
IEM, but the details are really good and flow naturally. The timbre is a bit
off, though, but overall is forgiving. Soundstage is moderate, equal lateral
and front to back distant; does not stand out in the sub $200 mark, but not too
closed or intimate either. The dynamics, musicality and fun tuning are very
enjoyable characteristics of the AE3.
