Oriolus Traillii JP New Generation Electrostatic Hybrid IEM

Continued:

And this went on an on. Each one terrific and outclassing every other IEM I have heard. In my view, not the Ely, Thummim, VE-8, VX, Fourte, Layla, Khan, etc. compare. In summary, and this is only in comparison to each other, the Erlkonig has a little more note weight, a bit more bass power and slightly warmer upper mids/treble while the Traillii is a bit brighter overall with a touch tighter bass. If absolutely forced to pick a favorite, I might pick the Erlkonig, but in reality, they are right on top of each other and I keep changing my mind. I just kept feeling this throughout every comparison. So much so, that I just sat back and listened, and stopped taking notes. My advice would be to someone looking to own an Erlkonig that cannot get one, just get the Traillii if you have the means. If you already own the Erlk, I personally would not get rid of one for the other, but instead get both if you have the bank. While many of us have a bit different taste overall, I highly doubt anyone could dislike the Traillii, so audition one if possible, but you may be doing so at great cost.

As far as the packaging, it stinks. But you know what, I have yet to use any manufacturer’s included case above my Dignis cases, and I typically have to change the cable where here I would not. So even though the packaging is nowhere near what VE or Dunu provide, it is the sound that counts. The cable is a bit microphonic though. Nothing over the top terrible, but that seems to be a characteristic of PW’s 1950’s and 1960’s cables. Aside from that they are great cables.

And for me, here is the kicker. The darn thing is more comfortable with the sedna tips than the Erlk. My Erlk fits great, but the Traillii’s fit is even better and one of, if not the most comfortable fit including my customs. I have placed my order with MusicTeck! (by the way, Andrew is great to work with and very customer focused).

I might write this up and more as a full review, not sure, but hopefully this is helpful to those wishing to consider the Traillii. As of February, 2021, I consider it one of the top two IEM’s ever made, Enjoy!

A Brief Synopsis

I initially received the Traillii for an audition. I first listened to it with the included ear tips and was not overly impressed. I could tell this was an excellent IEM, but it was no threat to the Erlkonig. However, when I put on the Azla SednaEarFitLight Short tips, they were a perfect fit for my ears and the fun began. I started listening and comparing using some EDM and some of the tracks @Rockwell has been recommending on the VE thread for the Elysium (thanks Rock!). I found the Traillii to have a slightly smoother upper midrange and treble (very close) and much more bass than the Ely. The Traillii provided this bass impact without impacting the mids and treble in any negative way. As I was listening, I found the Traillii to be involving me more into the music than the Elysium. The Erlkonig proved to have a fuller bass and a slightly softer yet extended treble.

On “Can’t Stop Running” by Adam Ben Ezra, a track that is literally in the wheelhouse of the Elysium, the Traillii provided more bass on each note, and all of the detail just as clear. The Erlkonig provided a fuller sounding bass with the hand hits very clear and sounding great! The Traillii’s bass, though a touch less powerful, was just a tiny bit tighter. The Ely with its less bass heavy presentation was great, but each bass note was missing the power portrayed by both the Traillii and Erlkonig. In my notes I wrote: “is the Traillii and Ely with bass?” I think it is and a few others on head-fi have mentioned this. I would agree. The mids are not an advantage for the Ely vs the Traillii.

I am not a big soundstage person, but I am interested in instrument and vocalist placement. Both the Erlk and Traillii are excellent in this regard. The Traillii has a wide soundstage and as Alex (@Twister6) has already stated, it is pretty much like that of the Ely. I would agree. I am positive no one will be upset by its soundstage.

I then moved on to some well recorded rock albums. What I quickly found was that the Erlkonig and Traillii were in a class of their own. On “Brothers in Arms,” with its wider range of sound and dynamics, the Elysium could not keep up. Its presentation was just too light, and it had the incorrect timbre (in comparison). The same was true for all kinds of reasons for the VE-8, VX, Layla, Luna, Fourte, etc. As soon as I switched to one of them, it was easy to see they were no competition for the Erlk and Traillii. I just wanted to put them back in my ears. I even tried listening to the other IEM’s first, getting adjusted to their sound, to give them any advantage possible (including volume at times). However, as soon as I listened again to the Traillii, it was night and day. I tried this with a few more albums, both rock and jazz, and then stopped. It was abundantly clear the Traillii and Erlk both sounded better than everything else I could throw at them.

Listening to “Brothers In Arms,” the Traillii had a bit brighter presentation than the Erlk but still smooth, great timbre and bass. The vocals come across as they should. The Erlk was also excellent. It was a touch darker than the Traillii, but also had excellent timbre and bass. The vocals are excellent. I might like the Traillii’s rendition a bit better here. As the bass on this album (though a great recording) could be a bit better, the little bit of extra tightness on the Traillii along with its slightly brighter presentation gives it a slight advantage. A battle for sure though.

Listening to “Graceland” The Erlkonig had a touch of darkness which smooths out the tracks and overall provides a better sound to my ears. However, the Traillii is right there, though on some tracks I did have to lower the volume as it is just a touch brighter and more open and that did not always work the best on this album. And quite often it was a toss-up. Overall, on this album I give the edge to the Erlkonig, but awfully close.

On “Abraxas,” the Erlkonig sounded best. The heavier note weight provided a more intense listen. Traillii was excellent, but Erlk had the edge. It also seemed a bit smoother on some vocals which played better on this album.

On L.A. Woman, the Traillii sounded best. It sounded a little more open and added a touch of brightness to the vocals which played well. Both sound great though, and the details in this recording all come through letting you easily hear the driving rhythms.

On some jazz albums by Chick Corea they were both terrific. If I made my home 2-channel system neutral, then the Erlkonig is a little darker than neutral (which makes sense as I have previously described the Erlkonig as neutral leaning Romantic in any deviation from neutral), while the Traillii is a touch brighter than neutral. And it is terrific.

And this went on an on. Each one terrific and outclassing every other IEM I have heard. In my view, not the Ely, T...

I acquired the Vision Ears Erlkonig a while back and have heard many other TOTLs since then, but none have moved me quite as much as the erlky...until I heard the Traillii.

The Traillii does a few things better than any other iem I’ve heard: it has, without question, the largest staging and best layering I’ve heard in an iem. It also has the most extended and detailed treble I’ve heard in an iem. Finally, it has the most textured BA-bass I’ve heard in any iem that uses a BAs to produce the low frequencies. (I am also a fan of the W9 dd driver in the LX and particularly its implementation in the LXSE.)

What is perhaps most amazing to me about the Traillii, even more so than the individual aforementioned attributes, is that it somehow manages to be just as musical, engaging, and coherent as the erlky, however, it does so in a much more laid back and subtle way.

Where the erlky is very much “in your face,” the Traillii is equally adept at pulling you into the music, but it does so with a much more diffused sound that feels further away from your ears, and is presented with as much, if not more detail than the erlky.

I have been looking for a complementary sound to the erlky for quite some time. After buying and selling a few other TOTL pieces, the erlky finally has a friend here to stay.

It’s worth mentioning that packaging between the erlky and the Traillii is no contest: erlky unboxing is an ultra high-end experience, and the Traillii is simply laughable. However, both the cable and case the Traillii comes with (the stuff you actually use daily after tossing the box into the closet) is substantially better than the erlky’s equipment.

Of course, in the most important area of sound, to me at least, musicality and engagement, it’s a draw between the erlky and Traillii.

Andrew is an amazing seller and an extremely nice guy. I can’t recommend him enough, and I look forward to working with him again.

Thanks, Andrew.

j

My reference points are a IEM Astell & Kern T8iE-Mk2 and a On Ear Grado RS1 (excellent) but both are like comparing a BMW 3Series car to a S-Class Mercedes or above. For the price of this IEM i was expecting something exceptional and i was not disappointed.
Already when receiving and putting the IEM in the ear unimaginable surprises happen. I was not aware of my own ears being modelled after Japanese Ears (new Revelation!) but the Traillii fits from the first moment simply perfect - with the stock eartips. It is not too big, not too small - just perfect, it does not fall out (like the A&K did sometimes). I don't know how Oriolus managed to put 12 drivers in such a rather small confined area and especially with such a light weight - it is amazing to be honest. The built quality is outstanding and as expected for such a price tag - the cable is top notch - nothing can be done better - there is simply nothing to criticise even for the most demanding person.
I listen in one go for 2 hours and frankly speaking - i do not for one second even feel that i am wearing IEM's ! They just seem to disappear, they remain unnoticed and the only thing that remains is perfect music reproduction. There is no tweaking, no itchiness nothing - as I said - we (Europeans at least) seem to have the same ear shape like Japanese for some reason.

Now - to the audio reproduction. I am very passionate about highest quality Audio reproduction and do have a rather top notch Audio system with the best Amps on the market and Speakers of superior quality. This IEM can keep up with it but more so - due to the absolutely astounding sound stage this Traillii produces I can hear details that were hidden so far. Now there is a need to go back to listen to my whole music collection and discover new things. With Traillii I can hear every even minute detail - best test is done with Voice, Piano and Violin - they give the best comparison between natural sound in live environment and reproduction. Traillii simply is performing exceptional from deep deep bass to the top heights. It is simply a joy to listen to i.e. Marcus Miller (bassist) the depth of bass is simply unbelievable for such a small device - and it goes all the way up to the highest triangle sound. It has air and space - an orchestra sits virtually in-front of me - and a band is located precisely from left to right position. My sincere respect for the sound engineer in Oriolus - he really managed to make the outmost possible from this type of reproduction device - with his creation he came as close as anybody can wish to a real live environment experience. Is true, the Oriolus engineers went for the best, without any restrictions or compromises.

On the price level.
Yes they are very expensive and justify second thoughts - but let me put it this way. If I listen every 3 days for 2 hours (usual concert length) to music with Traillii in this exceptional sound quality - it makes 100 listening sessions per year and in 5 years it makes 500 sessions - if you take the 6K price then you arrive at 12 USD per listening session - compared to at least 70 USD ticket price for a concert in a hall (not even possible now under Covid-19) and you have your music available when and where you want. I think this is a very good price vs performance ratio. Sure this is not a real comparison but it puts relative to the price tag nevertheless.
Yes, you can buy cheaper IEM's - my A&K is not bad - and was 1000 USD at the time - but the difference is a few USD per listening session and the pleasure and excitement when indulging in your favourite music justifies this.
I was hesitant, i don't deny - i thought 3 times and read all available evaluations about Traillii and not only can I confirm the testers verdicts (which are glorious) but I absolutely subscribe to my decision to swallow the bullet and pay the price - good things costs - that is a reality in life - and in this time - as absurd as it sounds - the price tag is justified.
I just want to clarify - I am neither working for Oriolus nor any other IEM company - i am an IT Professional in Telecom and listen to music ONLY FOR PLEASURE and enjoyment - so my review reflects my honest opinion and is not by any means influenced by any external views or opinions. And I did write this review because i am happy with my decision, and thought to share it with you.
My thanks though go to Andrew from Musicteck who dared to propose me this IEM and who delivers outstanding customer service.

Music 🎶 music to lisen the way you should