The best all rounder at $79?
‼️DISCLAIMER:
This was provided by hifigo in exchange for my honest take and opinions. My thoughts are my own and they never instructed me on how I should do this review.
I also have a video review here:
⚜️WHAT’S IN THE BOX?, BUILD and COMFORT
For the price, I do think that the Unicrom offers decent accesories. It comes with interchangeble connectors, a unique carrying case and a few sets of eartips.
The shell design is made of stab wood. I like the idea since there is no same pattern and each shell should be unique. I would have wished I picked the brighter colors because the blue is closer to a darker shade and it is difficult to appreciate with less lighting.
Anyhow, I think the build is pretty robust and the erogonomics are great! I actually thought the the fit is closer to aful products.
⚜️SETUP:
-Shanling M3X,Shanling m3 plus, Fiio jm21 using UAPP, Hiby and stock player
⚜️SOUND PROFILE
The sound signature of the Unicrom can be described as a warmish U- shaped type of signature. What this means is, there is some elevation in the bass and treble, but with more emphasis in bass texture. Mids sound natural and organic although a bit recessed for my preference. Treble does not have any major peaks but people who are sensitive to treble might need to do some tip rolling to remove any harshness.
The bass is quite nice because it has good quality and impact. It is a subbass over midbass shelf which means this would less likely muddy the mids section. The bass also has good decay and offers a more satisfying hit compared to sets in its price range.
Mids, again as i mentioned may sound recessed for you preference, but I like the fact that the Unicrom still sounds natural and organic. I do have one problem and it is the timbre in snares. When I was using these with my electric drum kit, I'm I find the timbre in snares to be a little bit dull. This may be because of the lack of proper extension in the treble. It also does not seem to have this problem when listening to music, and I only noticed this when using the Unicrom as a monitor. Other than that, other instruments like strings should sound okay .
Treble for me is fine. I mean, I did mention that the lack of extension made the timbre on snares a bit dull. But I also think that the treble matches the overall signature. It complements well with how the bass is tuned. There is a peak past 10k and this peak might be a problem when paired with the wrong eartips. Because if you use an eartip that lessens bass impact, I am pretty sure the peak becomes more prominent. Other than that, I think the treble offers decent detail retrieval and offers enough sparkle
The technicalities are also decent for the price. I hear very good imaging and a deeper stage compared to other iems. I think this kind of stage projection is common in drivers with berrylium. It makes the stage proportionate, although not as spacious as I wanted them to be. Resolution is also decent for the price
❤️PROS
- good bass impact and quality
- natural and organic vocal timbre
- deep staging and proportionate
- great fit and accessories for the price
💢CONS
- mids are a bit recessed
- snare sounded dull
⚜️SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.
TUNING - 2.5
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 2
TREBLE - 2
TECHS - 2.5
P.P SCORE = 11.5
B RANK
Generally good. You can safely buy them if it matches your preferred tonality, although there might be a bit of compromise in price to performance
Check my scoring here :
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing
⚜️GRAB SCORE:
This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.
0️⃣- I will never touch this again
1️⃣- I grab if I remember
2️⃣- Can be part of my rotation
3️⃣- I break my rotation and grab this one today
4️⃣- F**k rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week
5️⃣- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.
💥Mest MKIII GRAB SCORE: 1
⚜️COMPARISONS
▶️Truthear Red
When I looked at the graph, they look very close especially with the 10ohms adapter in the Red. On listening, it seems like the Unicrom is cleaner overall and has a more treble extension. The Red however offers a safer tuning style that won't hurt people who are sensitive to treble. Both are good all rounders. I would personally suggest the red if you are in a budget and get the Pula if you are willing to spend a bit more.
▶️CrinEar Daybreak
Crinacle tunings have consistency, so I am comparing this to the daybreak because the gain is actuallyu simialr to the red and the unicrom. The gain looks like it is following the recent “meta” gain, and the only difference is in the bass shelf. The Unicrom offers more fun in the bass and the Day break has a more neutral approach to it. The day break is also more expensive. Get the Unicrom if you want a better all rounder for under $100
▶️Letshuoer Galileo
The galileo is one of the sets that i recommend around this price range. People might find the gallileo’s treble to be dark. I personally think the treble of the galileo is enough for its signature. The unicrom is more dynamic in the bass and offers more oomph and imapct. Get the galileo if you want your mids to sound more forward, and get the unicrom if you prefer a more prominent bass
▶️Truth ear Pure
The pure is also a warsmish set around the same price range. Although I find the pure to be overly warm, I didnt notice any timbral inaccuracies with the pure. I still find them to be natural sounding from bass, mids to treble. The unicrom however has better bass texturing and stage proporotion. If you want a warmish chill set, get the pure. If tou want a fun all rounder, get the unicrom
▶️Dunu kima 2
The kima 2 is one of my reference for tonality. The graph is a little bit different because the kima 2 does not have a lot of subbass. I just think the the kima 2 sounds more naturel overall and has better balance. Pick the unicrom if you want a more engaging sound and get the kima 2 if you want a more reference type of sounds
🤔FINAL THOUGHTS
Well, since this is my first time trying a product from Pula audio, I think this is a good release from them. I think it competes just fine in its price range and I think it has a markeet especially for people who are looking for an all rounder.
But being able to compete is different from standing above others, I dont particularly think that the Unicrom stands out on something, however, I also think that there are no major problems with its sound.
For $79? This is as good as it gets.
==========================
WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links
https://hifigo.com/products/pula-audio-unicrom?srsltid=AfmBOop4Py9FG3OqiBTnyywksNniGvx7mjfyqdHPIotWmSBFkGYg2vAz
⚜️MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:
⭐Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,
⭐OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya
⭐POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish
⭐OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa
I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.
Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading. :)
