[Review] Future Sonics Atrio M5 Headphones

[MiG-]

Quick Piccy

So, my trusty Sony EX-85's bit the bullet, so I decided to upgrade to some 'audiophile' headphones, and decided for price and quality, I'd get these.

The only supplier I could find in the UK that stocked them was www.handheldaudio.co.uk so I purchased these for the sum of 99 quid.

Onto the Product.

Packaging

The box is a normal job, gets the job done box, nothing fancy although presented with the manual upon first entering the box. A nice touch, and tells you how loud not to have the earphones, ect. This is important with these as they go quite deep into the ear, and create a very good seal.

You get a nifty carrying case with the headphones, nothing stylish or anything I would consider using, but I guess it would come in use for people who like that sort of thing.

Design

A lot of reviews have slated these for not looking stylish and / or cool. I don't think this is the case, As they come in black plastic, that has a slight shine, but nothing that looks tacky or cheap. The headphones look a bit weird at first when inserted into the ear, but all these headphones do and i've had my fair share of looks as if to say, what headphones are they?

This is my first pair of Headphones that are IEM's, but the tips are doubled, so it goes a little further into the ear and creates a seal. This is weird at first, but when used to it, Its a good effect, and eliminates a lot more noise than the traditional IEM.

M

Sound

Obviously this is the main feature of this IEM, and on the box it is stated that there is no other IEM for the price with bettering sound quality. Well I can see where they come from. I'm a Bass Head, and after reading numerous reviews about how the Bass was loud, clear and thumpy I knew these headphones were for me. These haven't had much play time yet, but they are fantastic when connected up to a Decent source.

Right now, I've got them plugged into my X-Fi, and they sound fantastic. The Bass is set to 70%, and the level and Quality of the Bass is unreal. Yet it does all of this without the mids or highs missing out on detail. I'm happily focusing on the Bass while realising the sound of the highs isn't dropping off, Something the Sony's used to do with more complex music.

Right now, I'm listening to the Maccabees, Just like the Rain, and the sound reproduction is unbelievable. The quality of the high hats, guitars are tremendous, with only very complex music scenes throwing the IEM's off course, but only ever so slightly.

Obviously Bass isn't everything, so I'll detail how other music sounds. OK so I lied, I just started up Pendulum - Slam. The first thing your presented with is the Hard Hitting bass line, that would satisfy the utmost of Bass Heads. The chorus as I type, is making my head thump. These headphones are worth every single penny.

Next Track....

(Flicks through music collection)

Arctic Monkeys - Mardy Bum.

The Guitar Intro Kicks in, And you are presented with a fantastic guitar riff that sounds fantastic, reproduced without any lack of detail and no distortion. The instruments and sound staging is perfect, allowing you to immerse yourself in the current song. The vocals feel up front, whilst the instruments feel behind, adding to that 'live performance' feel.

Overall

Looks - 6/10

Sound - 10/10

Value for Money - 8/10 (still too expensive for most)

Overall - 8/10

[MiG-]

1 Star? That Bad? :rofl:

[Solecs]

Just thought I'd mention that I have these headphones and I have to agree that they're awesome. I sadly started to realize that I'm just a bit of a basshead thanks to these guys :pinch:. I'd also mention that these are very smooth sounding headphones without any kind of harshness in the treble range. As such, they're really easy to listen to for a long time but also lack some absolute detail and clarity. That is of course my opinion and (also in my opinion) acceptable for the price. I got mine from roaddogonline's ebay store for around US$140 shipped if I recall correctly.

Edited February 15, 2008 by Solecs

[MiG-]

Just thought I'd mention that I have these headphones and I have to agree that they're awesome. I sadly started to realize that I'm just a bit of a basshead thanks to these guys :pinch:. I'd also mention that these are very smooth sounding headphones without any kind of harshness in the treble range. As such, they're really easy to listen to for a long time but also lack some absolute detail and clarity. That is of course my opinion and (also in my opinion) acceptable for the price. I got mine from roaddogonline's ebay store for around US$140 shipped if I recall correctly.

I agree completely. But, had to send mine back as the bass unit in the right headphone has gone. Just get rattle all the time. :(

[Martyn]

I hate people who rate reviews as one star for no reason, you see it all the time on Neowin.

I personally liked your review, five stars from me (Y)

Nice headphones, they seem to be the opposite of the Shure ones I reviewed. Yours provide a lot of bass, mine does the warm sound :p

[MiG-]

I hate people who rate reviews as one star for no reason, you see it all the time on Neowin.

I personally liked your review, five stars from me (Y)

Nice headphones, they seem to be the opposite of the Shure ones I reviewed. Yours provide a lot of bass, mine does the warm sound :p

I consider Bass and warm to be in the same category, so i'm unsure as to how you define each term. I've found most bass heavy IEM's also tend to focus on the mid's, creating that 'warm' sound. Can't be doing with the neutral sound myself.

Tried a pair of Shure's a while back, and didn't rate them too much, but you know. Sound is a very peculiar thing, and I personally take reviews of headphones with a huge pinch of salt. Even the audiophile reviews seem a way off sometimes.