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Review – UM Mirage

HOW DOES IT FEELS INSIDE THE EAR :-

 Some of the brands in this price range don’t have the semi custom type of shells. Let it be Andromeda or the HYLA or even the Shozy doesn’t have ergonomically made wings to hold on the inner ear.

 Same goes for the Mirage. It is not the most ergonomic earphone in the market of universal earphones. Inear Stagediver SD5 and the Hoerluchs HL4410 are more ergonomical.

 More than ergonomics what matters is the amount of comfort it provides and the Mirage is very comfortable, more comfortable than the Pola and even the HYLA. The biggest reason for this is its size, which is small enough to sit comfortably in the ear and the longer than average nozzle which get deep into the ear and holds on to the ear canal comfortably.

 Noise isolation of the Mirage is very good with both the silicone and foam tips.

HOW DOES THIS SOUNDS:-

 Marvelous is the word for this. As I said the Mirage houses three drivers, one for bass one or mid range and one of the treble. The Mirage has a well balanced frequency response, let it be the bass, mid range or highs, all of them are balanced with each other.

 Now even though the Mirage is based on BA drivers, the bass in not flat by a long shot. It has good amount of thump to it and comes very close to the NCM Bella V2’s dynamic driver bass. The mid range just can’t stay a put, its the most engaging part of the spectrum. The treble region is what I feel is better polished than E-stat based earphones.

 As far as the signature is concerned, it is very neutral, natural and slightly bright with the treble.

 In their words:-

 “Don’t be fooled by the “mere” 3 drivers that are core to the Mirage’s design. Utilizing a unique customized open driver for its mid range, the Mirage offers formidable performance despite its smaller stature.”

 I have burned the Mirage for more than 100hrs and am using Shanling M5s and Plenue R for the review.

Matchability:-

 I am not a huge fan of this matching thing. Our ears adjust to the source we use most of the time. There are variables which make us feel odd when it differs from our perception, then again, it’s a problem for many.

 Look into the general signature of the DAP or your source, if that source sounds is dry and thin, the IEM will sound dry and thin, just like my Plenue R. If I use my ER-4P, things get even drier and thinner. If you are used to that type of signature, you will not think it’s bad. But when you jump to something like the Sony ZX300, the slightly uneven upper mid range will add to the lushness of the lower mid and make the IEM sound a bit odd and different.

 Switching to the Shanling M5s will bring fuller notes, better treble stage.

 The Mirage with its fairly neutral and natural tonality does take up the DAPs characteristics and adds its wholesome bass, fantastic stage size and thinner upper mid to it, if the source is thin like the Plenue R, it will sound thin, if the source is slightly shaky at top like the ZX300 the IEM will sound shaky too, and with something like the M5s, every IEM will sound lush, so does the Mirage.

 The good thing is, UM Mirage is not much picky with the source and sounds very good with all the DAPs.

BASS:-

 There is one BA driver doing all the hard work here and this is not of the typical BA type bass one can experience with earphone like the Nocturnal Eden. In other words UM mirage delivers a wholesome amount of bass instead of being flat or reserved.

 The Eden too has one BA for bass but it doesn’t have this much air or rumble. In the other hand the Inear SD5 has very similar bass rumble and air, but the UM Mirage has bigger impact size and is the most capable in this lot of earphones. (I am not pitting the Mirage against the Hoerluchs HL4410 (4BA drivers) only because I find it very similar to the Inear SD5 especially with the Sound signature.)

 The sub-bass rumble is very good and is hard to find this type of bass with BA drivers, it feels nicely deep and makes its presence felt effortlessly. The Eden is slightly reluctant in this regard and doesn’t have similar reach. The mid bass is fuller and nicely rounded when compared to even the SD5, Eden is considerably smaller in this regard. The mid bass gives it a very good body, it is meaty and full, similar to a dynamic driver (given that there is kick in the track). It’s not exaggerated at all. There is no hump to make things unpleasant. The upper bass is nicely controlled and effortlessly merge into the lower mid range.

 Even though the bass size is bigger and the rumble wins the UM Mirage brownie points, it doesn’t lose any points for being slow or less accurate like the Fibae 3. The decay speed is very accurate. It’s up to the class. The Eden is unnaturally fast and the fastest of the lot, SD5 has similar decay speed but the lack of mid bass body makes it marginally faster. The Mirage is adequately fast to make it sound very accurate. The notes are nicely paced and have fantastic texture and details to them.

 Quality of bass delivered by the Mirage is very good and thoroughly enjoyable. Where other earphones tend to dial the bass down to make them sound more neutral, the Mirage lets the single BA driver express itself. It is more than enough for someone who likes some bass in their music.

MID RANGE :-

 This is where the UM Mirage delivers something very different than other earphones in this price range. Most of the earphones use typical BA drivers but the UM Mirage houses a customized Open BA driver for the mid range, similar to the ones used by 64audio TIA earphones. The open design adds plenty of character and sonicality to the mid range making this mid range one of the most immersive in this price range. It is the most forward part of the spectrum (still well balanced) and takes the driving seat with plenty of details, exceptional expansion and density.

 The crossover of upper bass to lower mid is without any flaws. It is not as flat as the Audiofly AF1120 but it is still one of the best in this price. There is no loss in energy or details in this region. Notes thickness is nicely kept intact while transecting from upper bass to lower mid range, thanks to this notes don’t feel thin or dull.

 Vocals sound crisp and clear with natural tonality, the decay is nicely paced giving the notes very good body while maintaining fantastic transparency. Both male and female vocals sound very accurate. Male vocals have slightly slower decay, giving them the required throatiness to them. Female vocals are sharper with accurate notes depth and are a delight with plenty of bite. Vocal notes have very good texture, resolution and transparency to them. It delivers accurate still enjoyable vocals.

 Thanks to the appropriate sharpness and stage size all the instruments sound very natural, clear and crisp with plenty of air between them. It doesn’t feel dry and thin like the Shozy Pola. It indulges with the Hoerluch HL4410 and SD5 with its more musical tuning. The upper mid range maintains very good amount of energy but notes do get slightly thinner. Some might find it a bit on the aggressive side but for me, something without spikes and peaks is fairly comfortable.

 Let it be layering, separation or spacing between the instruments, the Mirage easily beats the likes of Shozy Pola and is in the league of the SD5 and HL4410. With its clearer and vivid presentation it has one of the most impressive Stage size even in this price range. Even when the stage is huge, it doesn’t feel hollow and the shear amount of resolution and expansion of the stage makes the Mirage outstanding.

HIGHS:-

 The Um Mirage is equally good with the treble region even when it has only one driver to do the heavy lifting here. Transaction from upper mid to lower treble is flawless. There is no loss of energy or details, the level of sharpness in nicely maintained. The lower treble delivers class leading clarity, resolution and details. Sharpness more than that will get uncomfortable and lower than that will go into the smoother category.

 Most of the earphones try to go with a smoother presentation resulting in less energetic and calmer top end, making things sound slightly veiled in the process. The Mirage doesn’t try any of those tricks. The higher end frequencies are full with energy and have lively and sparky notes with plenty of bite to them. Some might find it slightly thinner just like it was with the upper mid range, but as I said earlier, if it doesnt have unnecessary spikes in it, it is perfectly fine. High frequency instruments like cymbal do sound slightly deeper and more energetic than they do with the SD5 but it doesn’t get anywhere close to being uncomfortable.

 The Mirage maintains very good amount of energy deep into the treble region with very good amount of details. Extension of the Mirage too is up to the class and is 2nd to none in this regard.

 If you are the kind of person who enjoys top end energy and spark, The Mirage will bring you plenty of satisfaction. It’s just fantastic. The amount of details, resolution and energy lets the Mirage stand tall in its class.

 Needless to say that separation and layering is up to the mark with fantastic amount of air and space between instruments, thanks to the huge stage size, the presentation is a delight.

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Suman Sourav Meher

Suman Sourav Meher

My humble audiophile journey started in 2010, when I was in college, where I fell in love with the elements, nuances, and variations of this mesmerizing world. The ability of tiny earphones to recreate amazing sounds made my bad days tolerable and good days better! Now I am a full-time audiophile with a preference for musical tracks, especially vocals and engaging ones. I must admit I am addicted, but not to drugs or alcohol, but to earphones. Come join me as I share my experiences, bad or good, and let’s have some fun!

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