InAwaken Twilight-DS Hybrid IEMs Review – When Complexity Equals Musicality
InAwaken Twilight-DS is a $349 USD pair of hybrid IEMS with a complex 4 Dynamic Driver + 8 Balanced Armature internal design, Custom Made Balanced Armatures, 4-Way Crossover and a 4×4 Equal Division Matrix Architecture inside. Today we will review the Twiling-DS from Inawaken and also compare them with other similarly priced IEMs including Noble Knight (289 USD), ZiiGaat Horizon (329 USD) and Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch IEMs (449 USD).
Introduction
Today we review our first IEMs from InAwaken, but we start strong as just reading the technical paper for this one feels like we’re advancing into the future. With a complex hybrid driver setup, InAwaken Twilight-DS feels underpriced, and like it will be a ton of fun, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This one is sold and fulfilled by Linsoul on all available platforms, including the Linsoul store, Amazon and Aliexpress, and Twilight-DS has a lead time of one week, as it is made to order and the company needs time to build them. This is softer and faster than most IEMs out there, and if you didn’t know and if I didn’t tell you, you likely wouldn’t notice as it still ships faster than most Aliexpress packages I order.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3N3m525
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4KBxr2T
Build Quality And Design
I usually try to get through the build quality and design part of the review as fast as possible, this is just a basic recap of the marketing materials available for each product together with my personal feelings, but with Twilight-DS I am actually excited to tell you that we have 12 drivers playing for each IEM, and considering the price point this is a ton. Not only this, but we are seeing actual technological advancement with it, instead of the usual re-tuning of IEMs, as Twilight DS sports Co-Axial Quad Dynamic Drivers, so each dynamic driver is actually a set of coaxial dynamic drivers, but they firecounter-oriented or against each other, to increase the dynamic range and boost the overall bass impact.
This neat construction is housed in a single, high-precision CNC machined aluminium allow bass module, ensuring consistent performance and a fixed construction. Combined with the 8 Customer Balanced Armature Drivers, with two super tweeters, two treble BAs and four midrange BAs for precision and fidelity. Leading the sound to the IEMs we have an OCC + Alloy Copper Hybrid Cable, with an 122cm length, 4.4mm balanced jack connector and 0.78mm 2-Pin Connector.
InAwaken also designed what they call the 4×4 Equal Division Matrix Architecture, an RC Precision-controlled four-way crossover and a 4xL + 4XM + 4xT Matris, splitting frequencies within the crossover with pinpoint accuracy. Each earbud weighs only 8.15 grams, and faceplates are made of Damascus Steel with medical-grade high-precision 3D printed resin for the shells that come in contact with your ears.
Full package includes the Twilight-DS IEMs, two types of eartips, three sizes for each, the Premium cable, and Premium transport case. With an impedance of 17 OHMs, Twilight DS should be easy to drive and a bit sensitive to source noise, but 106 dB is not the easiest to drive SPL that I’ve seen. Linsoul offers a 1-Year Warranty for Twilight DS and 3 months for the cable.
Subjective Usage
InAwaken Twilight DS is quite comfortable, feels nice inside of my ears, not small, but not too large either. It feels like the cable is a bit kink prone, as it doesn’t become straight too easily, but it is thick, reliable, and not tangle prone. Cable is very nice for long hours of wear, it is a bit heavy which makes the IEMs stay well inside of my ears.
With a medium fit, Twilight DS is ergonomic, shells are a bit on the heavy side, feel consistent, and knowing the number of drivers packed inside and the damascus steel on the faceplate, it all makes sense. Passive noise isolation is rather strong, at about 20 dB up to 25 dB for certain frequencies, and Twilight DS has what I consider to be a great overall wearing experience. It has low wind noise despite the bigger shells and it all works out to be quite ergonomic.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I liked what I read about the Twilight-DS so I had to pull out some interesting sources for this review, so I paired them with a selection of sources, including FiiO K17, Audioengine HXL, Shanling Onix Beta XI2, Surfans F35 Music Player DAP, iBasso D17 Atheris, Burson Playmate 3, Rose Technics RT-5000, and Luxsin X9.
Twilight DS is rather easy to drive and InAwaken made them responsive to source quality increase, but not fully reliant on it. This means that they can sound a bit better with a high-end source, but will play nicely with an affordable dongle DAC AMP too, reaching almost max performance with a midrange DAP or good Dongle DAC AMP.
Overall Signature – At their core, I expected the Twilight DS to be far more V-Shaped, because of the way the tech inside is advertised, but it is a fairly balanced sounding pair of IEMs, mildly V-Shaped with extra sub-bass and bass, warmth in the midrange, and a sparkly, sharp and airy treble, but not exaggerated by any means. Most listeners will find them to be balanced with a bit of extra bass, treble is not very sharp or aggressive, while bass is enhanced and uplifted, tuned for fun, almost basshead in quantity yet monitoring in quality and refinement.
Bass – At the bottom end we have a bouncy bass, unique in presentation, playful and reactive, but not too fast nor too detailed. Somehow, TwilightDS is ultra sensitive to the distortion of bass found in the mix and master, and this is audible with every single DAC AMP, but it is a nice pair of IEMS for mixing and mastering, because it can show you easily how distorted you’re becoming with your work. It is ideal for house, EDM, but also classical and jazz, renders a natural character for all songs, faster goes faster, and slower can be slower and sloppier. I like how it all turns out for metal and rock, but it works well for acoustic too.
Voicing And Midrange – TwilightDS renders beautiful voices for male and female singers, low pitched and high pitched too. Overall, it is a nice pair of IEMs that has a juicy organic midrange, but this is where things start to become a bit odd, each driver set is faster than the lower pitched one, so midrange drivers are faster than the bass drivers, treble drivers are even faster, and ultra high drivers go even faster. Most of the midrange is rendered by the 4 BA dedicated to them, so voices, instruments generally sound cohesive.
Treble – I expected far more brightness and sharpness in the treble, but TwilightDS is controlled, fun, and crisp with a high resolution. Treble is just a bit relaxed, natural and clean, with very little fatigue, no metallic resonance and a fairly silky presentation, although you can hear that the drivers speed is much faster, it resolves textures and details faster, more pinpoint than midrange and especially than the bass.
Dynamics And Textures – As the speed of the drivers increases with frequency, the sound can have cohesiveness issues with certain electronic synths and instruments, but the effect is generally not noticeable at all with rock, metal, EDM and pop music. In fact, with most music it is ok, and the dynamic range is wide, with a low compression rate for the TwilightDS. Textures are detailed for all frequencies, and despite the differences in speed, they are all fairly revealing and compatible.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – You can go as loud as you desire with the TwilightDS, as they have exceptional control and low distortion, but they have a revealing sound that shows distortion easily, especially in the bass. This means that while THD does not increase significantly with the volume level, it does show song specific THD from really early on, from low volumes. A good mix and master is necessary to really enjoy the TwilightDS.
Soundstage – Twilight is a large, wide and holographic sounding pair of IEMS with excellent instrument separation and layering. It extends nicely in every dimension with top imaging and a really neat stereo separation. Since the cable is balanced, if the source can deliver a strong separation, TwilightDS will also deliver it well.
Comparisons
InAwaken Twilight-DS vs Kiwi Ears Punch – (349 USD vs 449 USD) – Punch is a bit heavier in my ears, and a bit more compact too. Cable quality is comparable and so is package quality. Passive noise isolation is a bit higher for the Punch and they are a bit harder to drive, but less sensitive to the source quality as a result. Sonically, they are comparable in resolution and quality, except that Punch is far more colored and less precise, has more spread which causes them to be less natural, while Twilight DS has fewer dips and peaks, a more natural midrange, more bouncy bass and smoother, more natural treble. Overall, Twilight-DS is a better choice sonically if you want a natural sound with a bit of extra basshead flavor, while Punch is a better choice if you’re looking for even more bloom, bass, and don’t mind the peaks and dips especially above 5kHz in the treble.
InAwaken Twilight-DS vs ZiiGaat Horizon – (349 USD vs 329 USD) – Horizon is a lighter IEM with a similarly large shell, but a shallower fit, and less passive noise isolation. They are similarly easy to drive, Horizon is maybe a bit harder to drive, but also less sensitive to source quality and source noise. Sonically, Horizon is wider, more holographic, but also more atmospheric and has more spread and more scatter. I like both for similar music, both are good universal choices, Horizon is great for wide and atmospheric sounds, while TwilightDS is better for rock, metal, Pop, EDM and classical.
InAwaken Twilight-DS vs Noble Knight – (349 USD vs 289 USD) – Knight is an interesting choice with a brave art on the IEMs, but they are also smaller, more comfortable for more listeners and offer a deeper, more secure seal. Cable quality is a bit better for TwilightDS, and they are easier to drive and turn up loud, but also more sensitive to source quality. Sonically, Knight sounds V-Shaped and follows the Noble basshead house signature with a sharp and crisp treble, perfect for aggressive music and for revealing micro bits of information in your music nicely. If you want a more drastic and dramatic V-Shaped sound, Knight should be your choice, while for a more detailed, but natural sound with extra bass, Twilight-DS should be your choice.
Value and Conclusion
InAwaken Twilight-DS has one of the most complex driver combinations and matchings in the price range, with a complex set of 4 DD drivers and 8 BA drivers, complex crossover, nice package, a high-quality cable, all for a midrange pricing, so currently I consider them to be exceptional value, one of the best price / performance ratio’d Chifi IEMs you can grab from Linsoul.
You can have it all if you look hard enough, and that’s the prophecy of the Twilight-DS, which renders a playful, juicy midrange, but a pumped up, punchy bass, warm midrange and a natural treble, creating a sound that is not just easy to swallow but which makes all music fun, and reveals all details in your music easily. A top choice right now, especially at the price and with the Support Linsoul is offering for it.
PROs
- Actually super pretty
- Cable is of an excellent quality, free of tangling
- InAwaken Twilight DS has a natural, pleasing sound that is easy to enjoy with virtually all music styles
- Warm and bouncy bass with a nice body for all instruments
- Natural treble that is never fatiguing
- Juicy and organic midrange that is very enjoyable
- Revealing and crisp, clear and wide sounding in the soundstage
- Great value, one of the highest price performance ratios in the audio world
Cons
- High differences between the characters and voicing of each driver
- Can reveal distortion, especially in the bass, rather easily
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3N3m525
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4KBxr2T
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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