Âme Radioso – Powerful Soul

If you're looking for an IEM with a very high level of detail retrieval and top notch resolution while featuring a powerful, fun and well controlled bass then the Radioso is one of the few IEMs able to deliver! On top, it will also provide high transparency to the recording, articulate and accurate mids with spot on timbre and clear vocals.

Product page : https://amecustom.com/products/radioso

Price : 1200$ (universal), 1350$ (custom)

Fit, Build & Isolation

The Radioso features a very good build and the shell are fairly compact, fit is good but shallow and I had to do some tip rolling to accommodate my big ears (either double flange or something like large EarFoams from Flare worked for me). The shell material looks like a lightweight resin, and isolation is only average.

As usual with IEM featuring a dynamic driver, a vent port can be found right next to the 2 pin recessed sockets. The sockets are a bit on the tight side and I was unable to use my PW n°10 or Hulk cable for example.

Introduction

Âme Custom is a relatively new comer to the IEM market based in South Korea. Their brand is named after the french word for “soul” and their tagline is “le son de l’âme” (the sound of the soul). They started as a small retail shop for local artists and musicians and recently expanded to the audiophiles market with 3 models : the Gravitas (1DD, 3 BA), Argent (4 BA, 2 EST) and Radioso (1DD, 1BA, 4 EST).

They aspire “to create the most dynamic in-ear experience. Our earphones are carefully crafted in-house utilizing only the finest components available and expertly tuned around the principles of the Olive-Welti target profile for the most engaging sound impressions and unparalleled listening experience.“

Among the lineup, the Radioso is Âme co-flagship a “triple-hybrid electrostatic IEM, integrates a low frequency dynamic driver with a mid frequency balanced armature driver and four high frequency electrostatic tweeters. It is tuned to deliver rich low-end response while fully highlighting the unique characteristics of the electrostatic tweeters.”

Does the Radioso deliver on its promise? Let’s see!

Sound

It’s always exciting to discover a new brand, as it doesn’t start with expectations, especially since there aren’t much impressions out yet. I was curious to say the least to hear the Âme house sound.

As you know I value first impressions and the first thing that struck me with the Radioso aside from the satisfying power of the bass was the upper treble presence and the impressive resolution. Despite the attention being called on bass and treble first, the Radioso is not a V or U shaped signature either, the mids are balanced, clear and articulate and vocals are slightly forward.

Upon first listen, the Radioso struck me as an interesting combination of fun and technicalities, fun because of the excitement of its bass and treble, technical because of the accurate timbre of its mids, the separation and impressive resolution it’s able to deliver. The Radioso is transparent to the recording, soundstage can vary quite a bit depending on the recording ranging from very good to excellent.

Bass

The Radioso features a dynamic driver and it shows, bass is powerful and can be felt with very good sub bass extension and a well controlled spot on mid bass. The Radioso has a snappy attack and natural decay and the dynamic is able to keep the pace with faster tracks.

The Radioso provide a good sense of pace and rythm, the bass line is strong but more importantly this is a rich, detailed and layered bass with beautiful textures. The portraying of kick drums, congas and bongo is a pure treat and found myself listening to quite a few albums featuring percussions such as Guem “Le Serpent”, Kodo “Heartbeat drummer of Japan” or Manu Katché “Unstatic”. These were such a fantastic experience with the Radioso.

Note that the Radioso is not very efficient (95dB) and needs a powerful source with good driving power for its bass to really shine, the N6ii with the E01 card required high gain to really come to life.

Mids

The Radioso’s powerful bass and abilities at detail retrieval thanks to great treble extension doesn’t mean that the mids are forgotten. Âme has put the single balanced armature to good use there and the mids are clear, articulate and coherence between the lower and upper mids is very good. There is good body but the mids are not overly full either and this grants the Radioso very good separation between instruments.

It’s a very balanced midrange that is very natural sounding, with no emphasis on either the lower or upper mids. Vocals are slightly forward with a very accurate timbre, something also true of instruments that sound spot on to me and with rich textures. The Radioso also shows good bite in the upper mids but delivered in a smooth manner.

Treble

The Radioso feature no less than 4 eStats driver but my experience is that it does not necessarily means good treble. This is one area where I feel a lot of implementation of eStats falls short, treble note weight and lower treble energy but in the case of the Radioso treble are simply outstanding.

Upper treble extend very well and play a big part in the Radioso’s signature providing clarity, air and resolution while the lower treble has good energy to provide plenty of excitement.

I am not a treble head but I appreciate a good treble and what it can bring to a signature. In the case of the Radioso I couldn’t help but enjoy the treble. In the lower section it can be quite energetic but I never found it harsh or even fatiguing and in the upper section it brings such a refinement and minute nuances. Treble tone is quite accurate and the delivery is smooth but with a fast and clean decay and transients are remarkable.

Verdict

In a crowded and competitive market, it’s pretty hard to launch a new brand especially in the upper tier. Âme definitely came up with a worthy competitor at its price point, with their own house sound and tuning signature as we’ll see in the upcoming Argent and Gravitas reviews.

Since the Radioso is a co-flaghsip to the Argent, it had to have a disctinctive tuning so that customers would have different flavors and they certainly succeeded.

If you’re looking for an IEM with a very high level of detail retrieval and top notch resolution while featuring a powerful, fun and well controlled bass then the Radioso is one of the few IEMs able to deliver! On top, it will also provide high transparency to the recording, articulate and accurate mids with spot on timbre and clear vocals.

Listening notes
I spent approximately 30hours with the Radioso, listening on Cayin N6ii (E01) using the stock cable and ISN AG8 upgrade cable.

Special Thanks
Thanks to Âme Custom giving me the opportunity to review the Radioso as part of the Âme Tour. The unit is a loaner and must be returned. As usual, this review is my honest opinion. No incentive was given for a favorable review.