Sony makes plenty of great products for the mainstream consumer and also has their audiophile based Japan only products. The Sony EX-1000 is one such product that is a strange beast. It uses a 16 mm dynamic driver in a large housing that sticks out of the ear quite far. In doing so, the resultant sound is closer to that of headphones than a typical IEM, as the presentation size is large and spacious, but the center imaging is more reminiscent of headphone, which is not as coherent as most IEMs.
The frequency response balance is not what I would have expected for a 16 mm dynamic driver earphone, as the balance is on treble and the bass, while tight and present, is not very strong. Notes are more analytical that is typical for a dynamic driver, making the presentation closer to a balanced armature than dynamic. Combine this with the soundstage presentation and you have something unique…a balanced armature imposter that is reminiscent of a headphone.
The EX-1000 is now discontinued, but if you want something different, you may be able to find one used.
Read Joker’s full review here.