Metis, or Metis in English, is the name of an Oceanid in ancient Greek mythology. As Zeus's first wife and Athena's mother, she was renowned for her extraordinary wisdom and strategic planning, often symbolizing intelligence and cunning.
The creation of the Metis IEM, while seemingly inevitable given the four-year gap since NGaudio's last flagship IEM, Chronos, also had an element of serendipity. The initial driver configuration and sound signature of Metis were born from a sudden flash of inspiration by an NG audio engineer one afternoon. Within just six hours, a prototype of Metis was created, earning it the internal codename "Six Hours."
Beyond its mythological reference, "Metis" also refers to the Métis people in French, an indigenous people of Canada with mixed First Nations and French Canadian ancestry.
"Wisdom, inspiration, fusion, and heritage" serve as the foundation for NGaudio's pursuit of "perfected sound" and are the key catalysts behind the "super-sensory new sound" of Metis.
After countless nights of meticulous refinement by NG's engineering team, the configuration of NG Metis has evolved significantly from its initial "Six Hours" prototype to its final form: a ten-unit, four-way crossover design featuring two dynamic drivers, six balanced armature drivers, and two electrostatic drivers per side. Compared to the five-unit configuration of NGaudio's flagship Chronos, released four years ago, this represents a substantial quantitative upgrade and a qualitative leap.
In terms of balanced armature drivers, Metis adopts a configuration of four midrange BAs and two mid-high BAs, inheriting the same design as NGaudio's ultra-flagship Erebus.
Moreover, Metis introduces a newly developed, self-researched coaxial high-magnetic super-sensitive dual dynamic driver with a patented technology. Building upon the original technology, the driver frame is now CNC-machined from aluminum alloy, resulting in a deeper bass response, superior transient response, and clearer layering compared to the widely used resin frames.
The NGaudio Metis employs a four-layer circuit board with a 1-ounce copper thickness and 2μ gold plating, along with a semi-circular high-frequency electrostatic output tube to increase the duct area. These advanced technologies and innovative designs allow Metis to inherit and evolve the NG sound signature, resulting in a "new sound."
As NGaudio's latest product, Metis's primary sonic characteristics include an exceptional sense of spatial layering. This is evident not only in the clearer positioning of instruments when playing orchestral music but also in the more resplendent dynamic atmosphere of the music itself. Moreover, when playing vocal-centric pop music, Metis can present the singer's vocal image with greater clarity and definition.
Secondly, with its unique high-texture bass as a foundation, Metis's well-balanced pyramid-shaped frequency response effectively enhances the authority of classical music and allows the singer's voice to remain round and full even when playing complexly arranged pop music. Taken together, these characteristics create a "super-sensory" listening experience.
Metis is not only NGaudio's highly anticipated flagship IEM after a four-year hiatus but also represents a technological downscaling of the research and development experience accumulated by NG in the ultra-flagship IEM market. Combined with unique industrial innovations, Metis aims to deliver a "Tuning of Transcendence" to a wide range of high-end IEM and music enthusiasts.
Metis features a refreshed artwork panel with a choice of three trendy colors: pink, purple, and teal. Based on extensive research of custom molds, NGaudio has introduced a new generation of ergonomic universal molds that can accommodate a wider range of ear shapes, providing superior fit and sound transmission.
In addition, NGaudio's newly developed ear tips further enhance overall wearing comfort, ensuring that Metis truly delivers both exceptional sound quality and a comfortable fit.
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