Pros — Hand-painted shells are quite beautiful
– Warm V-shaped tuning that works across a variety of genres
– Good soundstage and imaging
– Good isolation, comfortable fit

Cons — Didn’t come with an usable carry case
– Lower mids are slightly scooped resulting in thinner male vocals
– Bass lacks rumble
– Artificiality in the timbre

INTRODUCTION

Reecho is a relatively newcomer in the IEM scene. They seem to have garnered some recognition thanks to their Seasons Series of IEMs (Spring, Summer) which tried to make a niche in the $100–150 bracket.

Reecho Insects Awaken is their latest release and seems to be their “flagship” of sorts, at least in the international market. It’s a 4BA setup and at $330 aims to take on some of the favorite mid-rangers, which is never an easy task. Quite a bit to explore, thus without further ado.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier.  the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Penon Audio was kind enough to send a review unit of the Reecho Insects Awaken. Disclaimer.

Sources used: Questyle CMA-400i, Cowon Plenue R2

Price (while reviewed): $330

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

IN THE BOX…

The packaging of the Reecho Insects Awaken is a looker indeed. I personally don’t like to describe boxes but this here demands a few words. The IEMs are placed inside a multi-tiered jewelry-box like contraption. The doors swing outwards and you slide out each compartment for the IEMs/cables/tips etc. Very neat and unlike anything I’ve found in the price bracket.

Unfortunately, the stellar unboxing experience doesn’t quite translate to the accessories. There is no compact carry case, for one, as you’re supposed to use on the compartments in the box as carrying case (they are too large for that purpose). Moreover, the cable on mine came with reversed polarity so I had to go for another cable in my possession. This might be a unit-specific issue and you will get a new cable in such cases as a replacement but it’s an inconvenience nonetheless.

Fortunately, the tips are of good quality, and the cable itself looks well-built. Just that I expected more when I started unboxing them. 
3.5/5

APPEARANCE, HAPTIC, AND BUILD QUALITY

Reecho Insects Awaken (man I’m gonna have a hard time getting used to this name) has a 3D printed resin shell, which is quite common nowadays. What’s not so common is the hand-painted shells where the colors are apparently poured inside the cavity and thus has subtle differences between units which makes each of them unique. I personally like the faceplate artwork, it’s quite appealing.

Since this is an all-BA design with no vented BA drivers, there’s no visible vent. The nozzle has two separate bores (one for the bass, another for mid+treble from what I gather). The nozzles have differing size too which is at times overlooked in certain designs. Overall, I like the design and find the build solid. The only thing I’m not a fan of is the flush 2-pin connector which doesn’t feel as secure as recessed ones. 
4.5/5

ERGONOMICS, COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Due to their pseudo-custom design and surprisingly lightweight nature, the Reecho Insects Awaken has superb wearing comfort. They also isolate noise well due to the sealed housing. 
4.5/5

TECH INSIDE

The Reecho Insects Awaken is a 4 balanced armature configuration, with two Knowles RAF-32873 full-range drivers tasked with tackling the bass (15–500Hz), and the composite/dual Knowles 30017 driver handling the midrange/treble. The unique thing about this implementation is that Reecho used two full-range drivers solely as bass drivers. They achieved this is by employing a dual-acoustic ultra-low frequency acoustic filter where one filter handles frequencies between 5–50Hz and the other deals with frequencies between 50–500Hz. I was personally a bit perplexed as to why they didn’t just use a vented BA (for better bass slam) or one of the Knowles bass drivers in tandem but after listening to the Insects Awaken I came to respect Reecho’s decision. 

SOUND

The general tuning is sub-bass focused/V-shaped with extended treble. 

Sound impressions are made using the Spinfit CP-145 tips and stock blue tips. Stock cable was replaced with $35 CEMA Electro Acousti OCC one (2.5mm)

Bass: The bass on the Reecho Insects Awaken has a strong sub-bass focus. It has a pretty sizable boost between 20–80Hz and thus emphasizes the sub-bass notes by ~10dB over the lower-midrange. In case of a regular dynamic driver IEM this amount of sub-bass rise would only make sense in a bass-head tuning. However, due to the BA drivers and their lower excursion, this sub-bass doesn’t become overzealous for the most part. 

Sub-bass rumble is adequate, though it doesn’t sound as good as some dynamic driver offerings in this range. Mid-bass has good amount of body and slam making snare hits sound satisfactory. There’s no discernible bass bleed into lower-mids, though in bass-heavy tracks the sub-bass masks male vocals. Bass does lack texture as is common with BA drivers. In fast flowing bass sections the drivers seem to smear the notes a bit, sadly. 

In short, the bass-focus will satisfy those who listen to a lot of modern music. It won’t replicate the rumble and texture/thickness of a good ol’ dynamic driver but for an all-BA offering it’s quite good indeed.
4/5

Mids: The lower-mids on the Reecho Insects Awaken, as stated before, is recessed compared to the bass/upper-mids/treble. Aside from the masking effect, the male vocals are also a bit behind female ones in songs where you’ve both of them. Baritone vocals lack their usual heft as a result. Fortunately the upper-mids are devoid of any shoutiness and remains smooth, non-fatiguing throughout. There’s a peak at 3KHz that’s just about on the same level as the sub-bass shelf which reigns in the shrillness.

All is not rosy, however, as we encounter the dreaded BA timbre here. The vocals sound alright but string instruments lack the body and tactility one might expect. Same applies to percussion instruments.

One thing that’s above-average here is the microdynamics. Subtle gradations in volume is well portrayed unlike many other offerings in the range. Resolved detail is also above-average. 
4/5

Treble: The treble on the Reecho Insects Awaken is quite extended. It does have a peak around the presence region (5.5/6KHz) and then starts gradually rolling off. This peak can become a bit problematic on some cymbal heavy tracks as it brings the leading edge of cymbal hits on the forefront, but at the same time this was quite enjoyable in some of the metal tracks that I regularly listen to (e.g. Lamb of God discography). The audible extension goes until ~12KHz or so after which the treble becomes muted. This leads to sensation of airiness to some degree. Rest assured: the Reecho Insects Awaken is not a dark sounding IEM and will cater well to those who want some airiness in the presentation. 
4/5

Soundstage: Staging has good width, average height, and good depth. It won’t give you an out-of-the-head experience but won’t sound congested either. Layering of instruments is also quite well executed. I found the Reecho Insects Awaken to be very good for watching movies and gaming for these reasons.
4/5

Imaging: Vocals are projected slightly at the front while instruments surround them. Spatial cues originate from cardinal and ordinal positions unlike some other IEMs in the range. Instrument separation is great in most cases (for the price) but can suffer in tracks that have heavy bass emphasis (the sub-bass focus congests the air between instruments). For most cases, however, the imaging/instrument positioning is excellent. 
4.5/5

Source and Amping: At 13ohms and 110dB of sensitivity, the Reecho Insects Awaken is very easy to drive. However, it is prone to source hiss, so I’d recommend a source with low noise floor. Also I won’t recommend connecting it to sources with high output impedance and high voltage swings. 

Bang-for-buck: The competition is stiff at around the $300 bracket. You got the perennial favorite Moondrop Blessing 2/Blessing 2 Dusk, the neutral-head’s bible Etymotic ER2XR, and the plethora of other multi-BA/hybrid offerings that pop up in this particular bracket every now and then and get hyped to the moon. Despite all that, I find the Reecho Insects Awaken to be competitive in terms of sound quality and it looks gorgeous to boot. It does lack the visceral bass thump/tactility of a dynamic driver in a hybrid configuration (very popular lately). However, those who’d prefer an all-BA setup due to the faster transients of such drivers and won’t mind/want a V-shaped tuning will find the Insects Awaken a good option. 
4/5

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Cayin YB-04 ($400): The Cayin YB-04 is a relatively obscure model but has quite a bit of similarity with the Reecho Insects Awaken in terms of driver setup/price. The Cayin YB-04 also has a dual-BA for the low-end and two BA drivers for mids and highs. In terms of build quality, I prefer the Cayin model over Reecho Insects Awaken simply because of how dense it feels in hand. As a result, comfort suffers though, and the Reecho Insects Awaken is far more comfortable to wire (and also has a more snug fit). 

As for the sound, the YB-04 has a very anemic low-end and has more upper-mid/lower-treble emphasis compared to the Insects Awaken. This results in a sense of better perceived clarity at the expense of potential listening fatigue. Soundstage is similar on both but imaging is better on the Insects Awaken. Given the superior bass response and a warmer presentation in the mids, I’d pick the Insects Awaken over the YB-04 myself all things considered. However, if you want more clarity and even more extended treble, the Cayin YB-04 will be the better pick.

vs Moondrop Blessing2 ($300): The Moondrop Blessing 2 (and the Crinacle tune version dubbed Blessing2 Dusk) has pretty much become the standard in the sub-$500 category. Compared to the Insects Awaken, the Blessing 2 has a similar build but inferior comfort. The Blessing2 has a thick nozzle and that can be problematic for many. 

However, if you can get past the fit issues the Blessing2 has an overall superior sound to the Insects Awaken IMO in terms of overall technicalities. Due to being a 1DD+4BA model, the bass on the Blessing2 has better texture and dynamics (even though it’s nowhere near the best bass in this price bracket). The vocals on the Blessing2 has better articulation and the lower mids are fuller, though it can get slightly hot on certain tracks which the Insects Awaken avoids. Treble has similar extension though the sense of air is better felt on the Insects Awaken. Soundstage is wider on the Insects Awaken but depth/height is similar. Where the Blessing2 trumps the Insects Awaken is even better imaging (the Blessing2 has pretty much the best imaging in its price-class, along with a couple IMR IEMs). One thing that’s a big issue on the Blessing2 is its incohorency. The dynamic driver sounds radically different from the BAs which showcase even stronger BA timbre than on the Insects Awaken.

To summarize: if fit is not an issue and you don’t mind the incohorency — the Moondrop Blessing2 will be the better buy (though I hate the stock cable). However, if you want a more coherent presentation, wider stage, airier treble, and more agile sub-bass response the Reecho Insects Awaken might suit you better. I personally don’t like the Blessing2 that much due to the incohorency so there’s that.

vs Dunu Studio SA6 ($550): The Dunu Studio SA6 retails for $220 more than the Reecho Insects Awaken and thus does not really share the same price bracket. However, since I already have one in possession and both are all-BA offerings I decided to do a little comparison. 

The Dunu Studio SA6 has a six BA driver setup with two vented Sonion woofers that offer near-DD like thump/rumble. You can also control the amount of low-end with a switch on the housing. It has a more snug fit and far better accessories than the Insects Awaken. In terms of sound, it is indeed a wholesale upgrade on all front. Probably the stage width is where Reecho gains some upper-hand but overall resolution, staging, separation is perceptibly superior on the Dunu Studio SA6.

That being said, whether it’s worth spending the extra $200 on the Studio SA6 for the superior bass response and fuller lower-mids is something a buyer should decide themselves.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Reecho Insects Awaken doesn’t do much wrong, frankly. It’s tuned well, has no glaring tonal flaws, and the issues it suffers from are more inherent to BA tech itself (timbre/lack of bass texture). I can recommend the Reecho Insects Awaken to those who want an all-BA IEM with a slight V-shaped tuning and good imaging. The Reecho Insects Awaken works across a variety of genre and will suit movies/gaming purposes as well. It’s flown under the radar so far due to the hype surrounding Blessing2, but those who wasn’t impressed with Moondrop Blessing2’s incoherency or had fitting issues should give this one a try IMO.

On the next release I hope they don’t scoop the lower-mids as much as it’s done on this one, and also employs vented Sonion woofers instead of the current Knowles one. Reecho seems to have found a good tuning formula and managed to pique my interest with that, so I am eager to see what they come up with in the future. 

MY VERDICT

Overall Rating: 4/5

Recommended. An overall solid offering suffering from some BA timbral issues.

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DISCLAIMER

The Reecho Insects Awaken was sent as a loaner for the purpose of this review.

Available for purchase from Penon Official Store

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