Twistura, one of the recent makers of IEMs, backed up by the house of Aoshida has been making some interesting IEMs. They recently launched a $66 straight barrel hybrid IEM Sigma but what I have with me is a slightly older but significantly more expensive IEM, Woodnote. Equipped with tuning nozzles it’s priced at $159, houseing a 10mm DD in each earpiece with dual chamber and dual magnetic circuits. But why Woodnote? That’s because it incorporates a wooden diaphragm. I will be comparing it with Earacoustics SPA Hi End and Letshuoer S12 Ultra, let’s see how this single DD IEMs fairs against these.
P.S. I will like to thank Aoshida for providing this review unit.
Get one for yourself from here:
https://aoshida-audio.com/products/twistura-woodnote
UNBOXING AND ACCESSORIES:
Woodnote ships with a big box but unlike others this has a lot of accessories too. Take the paper cover out, take the hard sided top off and we have the IEMs infront of us, stuffed in foam. Under it are 4 set of tips in their own organizers, under that are the tuning nozzles and the modular cable is placed aside it. Carry case can be found in a paper cover below these and this ends the list of usable accessories.
BUILD AND ERGONOMICS:
Made out of aluminium, Woodnote is a sturdy IEM with dipression and a rubber insert on the side. I don’t know why they did this but this is definitely unique. We a small pressure releasing vent on the inner side while a larger vent can be found aside the 2pin socket. It has a slightly curved inner plate offering decent traction and stability inside the ears. This back plate looks okay, nothing special. It has a reasonably deep nozzle which helps with a more secure fit.
CABLE:
This dual core cable uses one of the most complicated set of wires in them. It has Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC), Alloy Copper, Silver Copper Alloy, and Graphene Copper cores!! Oh.. That’s easily of the best composition for an IEM under $500. It looks a lot more premium than the earpieces, enhancing the aesthetics of the IEM. We get Aluminium jackets on the parts with a low profile. Yes, this is a slightly stiff cable with some memory issues but the jack and parts used are lightweight even though this cable is slightly on the heavier side. Yes, the cable guides too are a bit on the thicker side and can be slightly tiring after a couple of hours. I will definitely like to see a slightly smaller profile cable in future.
PAIRING WITH SOURCES:
Even though the driver configuration looks easy, Woodnote doesn’t sound effortless with weaker sources, infact I tried using the Shanling M3X and Woodnote sounded lean and slightly lean and screechy. When I switched to the analytical yet more powerful DDhifi TC44 grip it settled down, offering a more even and stress free sound. Pairing this with the Shanling UA7 is blissful too. It offers excellent, effortless imaging and a well developed stage too.
SOUND QUALITY:
This 10mm wood diaphragm IEM has rich tonality and timber irrespective of the Nozzles used but these nozzles play a vital role in the balance of this IEM. It can be very bassy, balanced and treble forward with varied emphasis thanks the effect of tips. If we look at the overall signature, this is a W shaped IEM with a bit of warmth across the spectrum. Okay, now this isn’t a big deciding factor but this IEM is excellent for movie watching too.
I am using the Vocal Enhanced nozzles, DDhifi TC44 grip as source and stock narrow bore tips for this review.
IMPACT OF NOZZLES:
Woodnote ships with 3 pair of tuning nozzles and they play a bit part and these are the most effective nozzle system I have experienced. Much better than competition.
The standard nozzle are actually the bassy nozzles. They offer more bass rumble, slower decay, heavier notes, a bit more thicker mid range and tonality while the highs are laidback, sounding slightly dark. It lacks a bit of resolution and definition.
Vocal Enhanced nozzles are the balanced ones. It nicely balances the bass body, has faster decay, trimmed weight and body, offers very good treble definition, energy and overall technical performance while maintaining good vocal body and throat movements.
Instrumental nozzles are the treble forward nozzles and strangely they don’t dial down the bass much while retaining very good vocal performance too . It has a more cleaner and tighter mid and treble instruments making it sound more analytical, less organic or emotional. This nozzle has the highest amount of clarity and definition with a slightly better treble stage too.
IMPACT OF TIPS:
Along with the Nozzles this IEM responds stupidly well to tips too. The clear tips dial the bass down while enhancing overall transparency.
The smokey green core tips offer a bit more bass body while dialing the overall energy down while offering a slightly taller stage.
The whirlwind tips offer a slightly bigger bass body but faster decay. It has a more diffused field of stage too.
The smoked tips offer a more balanced presentation.
BASS:
Bass here can be anything between bassy to balanced and slow to tight, let’s not divulge in possibilities and stick to the middle ground or you can say the vocal Enhanced nozzle which balances everything nicely. This 10mm wood diaphragm is definitely powerful when needed I am mighty impressed by the way it controls the dynamics and decay of foreground notes in contrast to background instruments.
Woodnote has very good sub-bass extension and equally impressive rumbles too. Mid-bass is full but doesn’t have any hump or over bearing feel. It’s meaty and full bodied with a big area of impact while moving plenty of air. Notes usually fire in an upward staying clear of any interference. Decay is paced with superb accuracy, it let’s the notes precipitate when needed while offering tight and clean upper bass notes.
MID RANGE:
Mid range is where this IEM is setting the benchmark for tonality and timber. That’s to it’s W shaped signature it offers a bit more pop to the vocals but unlike other IEMs Woodnote doesn’t sound just forward, it brings in a more juicy and emotional presentation with it. Both male and female vocals sound superb, male vocals have very good poise and throat emphasis to them while female vocals are a bit more precise and taller. Instruments are slightly less forward but maintain very good resolution and definition. They have very good back and foreground separation too. Yes, this is a single DD IEM but it’s technical capabilities are just in a different level. It easily matches upto the slightly more expensive but generously endowed SuperMix 5 when it comes to micro details. Yes, the finishing region is a bit on the smoother side but that doesn’t make it boring or dull. Yes the vocal forward nozzle offers a warmer, slightly smoother presentation than the treble forward ones but it offers better texture and tonality, improving its cohesion. It has no issues with upper mid sharpness either. Yes, this is one of the best IEMs under $300 if you like full and textured vocals.
HIGHS:
This Vocal Enhanced nozzle has one weakness and that is with the highs. It doesn’t lack resolution or extension but it’s losing energy as we go higher in the spectrum. Lower and mid treble energy is very good and offer nice agility with a slightly relaxed presentation but the upper treble region is slightly disappointing. It’s not like it’s not relevant but it’s just a bit more rolled off than it should be. There is an easy fix though. Swap the Nozzles and viola!! We get superb treble clarity and energy with the Instrumental nozzles but that’s not what we are looking at.
Layering and separation of the Vocal Enhanced nozzle is good too. It’s not like it’s fighting for air but it’s not the most airy (Instrumental nozzle is definitely better). We get good presence of instruments in the Z axis which helps with the imaging.
STAGE AND IMAGING:
Woodnote is versatile and offers very good imaging across the Nozzles. It’s wider than taller and offers good Z-axis depth too. Imaging with the Instrumental nozzles is more precise and cleaner but the other two aren’t bad either. We have some of the instruments and vocals placed within the head while some treble and female vocals make it out of the head. Cue placement is aptly clean and precise, enhancing it’s Imaging capabilities. It has very good transient effects enhancing its sonics.
COMPARISON:
Vs Earacoustics SPA Hi End:
Priced just $10 less than the Woodnote Hi End is one of the best single DD IEMs I have heard under $200. Looks can be slightly off putting but this IEM is an excellent example of V shaped tuning without sounding sharp, thin or bassy. Here is my comparison review video :
Vs Letshuoer S12 Ultra:
S12 Ultra is the latest IEM from the S12 family and has a much bigger planar driver than the Woodnote but this is tuned with a bit too safely. It’s a more balanced and less colored IEM with a good cable too. How does this compare? Here is my comparison review video :
CONCLUSION:
Twistura Woodnote is a warmish, calm yet engaging IEM with highs quality accessories and fantastic build. It’s nozzles are super effective, offering one of the widest range of signature. It can be bassy, slightly mid forward or clean clear and slightly treble forward with a swap of a nozzle, which is remarkable in my opinion.
It’s easily one of the best IEMs under $200. It offers superb versatility and earns my recommendation for sure. Yes, it’s not perfect since it would have been awesome if we had the treble performance of the instrumental nozzle with the vocal Enhanced nozzle (which basically isn’t possible) but is definitely one of the closest to perfection.
