Late last year, I received a message from (Mr.)Whang of NOTBRAND, a MALAYSIA Brand/ Company that specialise in Handmade High-Fidelity Audio products, notably In-Ear Monitors (IEM) that…
utilise Single Dynamic Driver,
called the ‘Pursuer of Emotions‘ (the said IEM, retails at Ringgit Malaysia RM3,200). In that message, Whang asked if I be interested to review the said IEM that…
employed the Beryllium Plated Carbon Nanotube Diaphragm,
which he and his partner (Mr.)Jeff believed to be the best choice of ‘Driver‘ to deliver their ‘Targeted Sound Quality‘. I did a bit of digging into the brand, and coupled with some revelations from Whang, I came to learn that their ‘Targeted Sound Quality‘ was inspired by an event audio setup (at the KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL AUDIO VISUAL SHOW 2024/ KLIAVS 2024) by the TAIWAN Audio Brand, OBIT that specialise in ‘Footers/ Tweaks’. There, the event audio setup used two [2] pairs of speakers with their OBIT Footers; namely the FALCON LS3/5a Gold Badge and the PMC Prodigy 5 (all represented here by Audio Visual Designs Sdn Bhd), that I appreciated and knew quite well. Therefore, I should have some inkling as to their ‘Targeted Sound Quality‘ (that according to Whang and Jeff,…was to deliver the Emotion of the music, the Singer to the listener, and Immersing the listener in the moment). Thus, with ‘EASE & EXPECTATION‘, I agreed to do the review.
A NOTE OF ORIGIN.
“NOTBRAND started after I have lost something important in my audio collection back in 2022, I began tweaking and modding earphones, making them the same from original despite the same appearance, calling them NOT mod, which ended up with the name NOTBRAND.
The brand started with me and my partner Jeff, which we focused more on handcrafted cable for IEM/headphones (In-Ear Monitors) on the more budget friendly while having good quality material to bring more people deeper into the hobby, and of course trying to sell modding service. After meddling around abit, we wanted to make something that we can call our own, instead of modding existing product.
We settled down on this driver (Beryllium Plated Carbon Nanotube Diaphragm) very early on of testing many sorts of driver that is available in the market, and while developing and tuning this IEM, I’ve been actively going to audio show in MALAYSIA, to try to know what a high end sound can deliver. One particular setup had inspired the sound of Pursuer of Emotion, the Obit audio showcasing LS3/5A and PMC prodigy5 with their footer product. It is the ability to deliver the Emotion of the music, the Singer to the listener, Immersing them in the moment, and that became our tuning direction.
Pursuer of Emotion is fully handcrafted, from curing the resin shell from the mold, to tuning the drivers in the IEM shell and to polishing, lacquering finish of the IEM. Everything was done at the table of the living room of a condo I’m staying at now. Over two [2] years of development and fine tuning, we’ve done experiments with cable materials, jacks, to see which one works best for Pursuer of Emotion. We have upgraded a few times before reaching pure silver+OFC cable, with TAIWAN AEC connectors, enameled OCC internal copper wires and 3% silver tin solder. And finally a product we are proud to call it our own” – Whang, the co-founder of NOTBRAND.
EASE & EXPECTATION (SETUP).
I connected the said IEM to the 4.4mm balanced headphone output at the front of my ZIDOO NEO S Streamer/ Server/ 4K Media Player (with WiFi DLNA AirPlay Roon Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD LDAC 32bit 768kHz DSD512 MQA). According to its specification, the said IEM is easy to drive, ‘thanks‘ to its low impedance of 18 ohms and a sensitivity of 109 dB.
Literally, it could be Powered Optimally with a Smartphone!
After some weeks of listening to the said IEM,…surprisingly, I found it to be comfortable (so much so, after awhile,…I even forgot it was there),…later, I realised it was time for the serious listening for the review.
Here, at the soundtrack of the movie Gladiator, particularly at the track,”The Battle“, I found the aural presentation (at my head) to be Detail, Control and Orderly.
Therefore, it has proved its prowess to carry the listener through “The Battle” of Orchestra with Aplomb!
Next, I listened to one of my favorite tune to check if I got the ‘Vibe‘, from the soundtrack of Iron Man 3 at the track “Can You Dig It“. Here, I found each Element in the music/ Details including their Nuances, and Dynamics to be clearly presented and felt…
Not Missing a Beat or a Power Punch (the Vibe)!
Not to mention that there was the audible Atmosphere, and the sensation of Envelopment that evoked within me the Emotional Response to the intended “Glamour, Glory and Extravagant of being Iron Man(!)“.
In term of ‘Vocal‘ (the Human Voice),
I chose to listen to an old favorite of mine from the soundtrack of The Mask of Zorro, “I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You“. Here, I found the vocalisation by both artists, the American singer Mr.Marc Anthony and Australian singer Ms.Tina Arena,…
to be Intimate (almost Tangible), Natural (Tonally balance), Emotional (Engaging) and Touching (almost Palpable).
On top of the above, I found the effects of the ‘Thunderous Bass’ and the ‘Whipping’ at the beginning of the song, to be Impactful and Mesmerizing.
Next, at the track, “The Plaza of Execution“, I was totally taken in by the sheer ‘Delivery’ of the musical presentation;…(among others) each step/ note of the Zapateado (Flamenco Foot-Stomping), Hand-Clapping, Castanets and Tambourines were all Immaculately Presented with Energy,…
within the Space, Air and Atmosphere of the Soundscape.
Here, at the ever demanding track of “The Five Generals” from the Chinese movie of the ‘Three Kingdoms‘,
I got to Enjoy, really Up Close (in my Skull),
the Drumming and the resulted Thunderous Resonances of the ‘Chinese War Drums‘ (Taiko-style percussion),…
without missing a Beat/ Attack,…its Dynamic, Power and Delivery.
In addition, I got to appreciate…
the Spatial and Distinct Positioning…
of different percussion instruments within the Soundstage, and an Airy Soundscape.
At Mr.Vincent Belanger‘s latest album, ‘Songe‘, I found that through the said IEM that I could
Easily Appreciate…
the artistry and participation of each musician and admist all,
even the Subtle, Light and Sensational Vocalisation…
of Ms.Amélie Moïse (Soprano), evidently at the track “Pour ma soeur en alle“.
From the song “I live in a Treehouse“, I found the said IEM was able to present the vocalisation of Ms.Anne Bisson at an Intimate level,…every Nuance and Breathing being all too audible…and,
more importantly, at a Balance Tonality.
And at the song “Coeur de verre“, even the heavy bass druming was Segregated and Spaced away from the main vocalist,…
therefore contributed to the Intended Weight and Presence of the Vocal!
Given a good recording, the said IEM was able to present the illusion of being transported to the Time and Space of the Recording Event. Here, at Ms.Lyn Stanley‘s Live at Studio A album, I found…
her Presence and Rendition to be Vivid, Clear and Palpable…
throughout the session,…with Natural Vocalisation of the main lady,…the Dynamism (Energy/ Power) and Weight of each instrumentation,…coupled with the Airiness and Atmosphere of the Recording Venue.
Thus, I could easily be Mesmerised…being there at Studio A!
AS EXPECTED!
At times, while listening to the NOTBRAND ‘Pursuer of Emotions‘ flagship IEM in front of the main loudspeakers (the AUDIOVECTOR R10 Arreté) in my Audio Den, I was so taken in with its aural presentation, sound quality and comfort at my ear,…
that I thought (for a second) I was Listening to the Main Audio System!
As far as I am concerned, I am convinced that both Whang and Jeff have delivered their ‘Targeted Sound Quality‘ (which was “Never an Easy or a Short Order” – Rufus [played by Mr.Rowan Atkinson], the jewelry salesman in ‘Love Actually‘, a romantic comedy film 2003) through their NOTBRAND ‘Pursuer of Emotions‘ flagship IEM, and that…