I’d like to thank Tom Scharfenberg from Audio Essence, along with the good people at Oriveti, for lending me a Grand Oriveti Supremacy for this review. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Oriveti is a company I know almost nothing about, and has only been somewhat memorable for me because of how similar it’s named to the once-popular computer brand. Even a cursory Google search reveals very little about the company itself, other than it was founded in 2015, and while I’d heard rumblings about it from some of my peers, I never thought our paths would ever cross.
Which is why, when audio connoisseur Tom Scharfenberg mentioned he works with Oriveti and could arrange a demo of its new flagship, the boldly-named, ‘reasonably’ priced ($1,999) Grand Oriveti Supremacy, I jumped at the chance. I mean, if for no other reason, it’s made of stabilised wood, and if you know anything about me, you’d know that’s an instant trigger.
Looks aside, what I discovered was far more than first met the eye. Which is to say that, if Oriveti as a brand was barely a blip on my radar before, it will be almost certainly be front and centre going forward.
A grand first impression
I’ve been quite impressed by the high level of product presentations of late, especially for high-end IEMs priced well below today’s summit tier. Supremacy has raised this bar even further, with what has to be among the most luxurious packaging and accessory presentations I’ve ever seen for an IEM.
Regal. Vintage. Premium. Retro. Those are some of the words I’d use to describe Supremacy’s aesthetic. The oversized box, with its yellow-and-black colourway harks back to a simpler time, when analogue audio was all the rage.
Inside, you’ll find a large, genuine leather case, shipped inside a soft velvet pouch for added protection. The case is oversized by design; this is a carry case not only for one or two IEMs, but also a DAP, cables and other accessories, not something you’re likely to find accompanying even the most expensive IEMs.
The zippered case – nice touch by the way – is subdivided into four compartments, each of which holds a different piece of the Grand package. This includes a smaller, round case made of the same brown-tanned leather, designed to hold the IEMs and cable in secure comfort. It also includes a rather impressive-looking paracord-wrapped SPC and OCC-copper stock cable called Grand Affinity, and four different sets of ear tips, two of which are premium Azla.
Last but not least, the Supremacy itself, two earpieces forged of yellow and purple-tinted stabilised wood, coated with ultra-clear glossy lacquer, looking every bit as beautiful in person as I’d imagined they would. If these things sound as good as they look, I found myself thinking, they’ll probably become my instant favourites.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s just appreciate the thought that must have gone into the presentation and design, and give Oriveti top marks for making one heck of a first impression right out the gate.
Design, fit and specs
To say these are some of the most beautiful IEMs ever made is not difficult for me, though I’m well aware that this is just my opinion and also quite subjective. Still, I can’t help but admire the sheer quality of this build and design.
Sure, the gleaming wood is what catches the eye, with each pair of Supremacy promising to be as unique as the material they’re made from. But look closer and you can see how tight the tolerances must have been, and how well put together these earpieces unquestionably are. From the gold embossed logos, to the polished metal nozzles, and even the slightly recessed two-pin connectors, every element looks to have been expertly crafted and assembled.
Fit-wise, this is an almost ideal design for my ear shape: not too chubby, with girthy but rather short nozzles for a shallow fit, complete with an ear tip that holds on to every tip I’ve tried so far, including the notoriously slippery Sony EP-EX11. As comfortable as these are in my ears, I do find the stock cable’s ear guides tend to pull on the shells a bit too firmly, so you may want to loosen them up with a hairdryer if you’re not planning on a cable swap.
Internally, Supremacy is somewhat more conventional than its classily exterior. Here you’ll find nine drivers in each earpiece, in what’s becoming a familiar tri-brid configuration: a 10mm ‘complex’ dynamic driver for lows, four balanced armartures for mids to highs, and four Sonion electrostats for upper treble.
With a rated impedance of 13 ohms and sensitivity of 109dB/mW, Supremacy is fairly easy to drive, and gets plenty loud even without external amplification. It definitely benefits from the extra power and headroom of a powerful DAP, however, and I would recommend at least that if you’re going to invest in an IEM of this calibre.
With all the pieces laid out bare, I wondered if Supremacy would sound as different as its design, or as staid as its by-the-numbers configuration? Let’s find out…
Continue to sound impressions…
