Twistura Beta IEMS Review – Glass Diaphragm Transparency
Twistura Beta is a $119 USD pair of IEMS with an innovative 11mm micron-scale planar glass composite driver. Today we will review the Twistura Beta and explore how it compares with other IEMS as well as how it fits in today’s market, especially answering whether Glass drivers are finally ready for the market.
Introduction
We have seen and heard glass drivers before, but so far they did not seem ready for the wider market and I’ve been hesitant to recommend many headphones with them inside as the sound they produce can be quite sharp and fatiguing. This being said, today Twistura, a new company, decided to try to make a pair of earphones with one at the core. It will be interesting to see what they manage to pull as their other IEMS so far have been quite good.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4yE9up5
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2R8LspZ
Build Quality – Design
Twistura Beta is built around the 11mm micro-scale planar glass driver, and they come with a replaceable nozzle, for Standard / Vocal / Instrument tones. Cable is replaceable and connected to the Beta via a 2-Pin connector, and they have an engaging, highly emotional sound, although from the graphs and my personal experience the filters have a very mild effect on the sound.
With a shell made of aluminium, the shell is a bit large, but feels polished and high-grade as it is processed through 5-Axis CNC machining. Cable is made of oxygen free copper, and it includes both a 3.5mm and a 4.4mm balanced plug. Inside the package you can also find a transport case that is purple in color.
Technically, Beta has a SPL or Sensitivity of 124 dB, and an impedance of 24 OHMs, as well as a THD of lower than 0.1% at 94dB at 1kHz. This all sounds fairly standard and they will be easy to drive, at least in theory.
Subjective Usage
Beta feels nice inside of my ears, and I love the cable which is thick and feels premium, also being modular. This being said, the IEM shells are on the large side, and are at the limit of what has enough space inside my ears. Passive noise isolation is average towards low, at ~18 dB, but they are mostly easy to drive
Insertion depth is medium towards shallow, and the bore size feels a bit large, as does the shell size, so Beta does not work well for smaller ears and feels a bit large inside my medium ears. They have a very minor flex and void feeling but for the most part you don’t have to worry about it as they don’t flex all the way like unvented dynamic drivers do.
Sound Quality
Pairings – Although Twistura Beta is an entry-level pair of IEMS, I have paired it with the latest sources I’ve reviewed including both entry-level and flagship sources. The full list includes FiiO K17, iBasso DX320 MAX Ti, Hiby W4, HIDIZS AP80 PRO MAX, FiiO M33. Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), Luxsin X9.
Beta is much easier to drive than most IEMS, and it is a bit sensitive to source noise as well as any other type of noise. This is not inherently characteristic for the driver made of glass, but it is something Beta does.
Overall Signature – Beta is a balanced towards v-Shaped sounding pair of IEMS with a bit of an extreme increase in the upper treble, which gives it a sharp, open sound, but also a slightly specific fatiguing tone in the upper registers. It tends to sound good with electronic music, new music and pop music, but there are some peaks and dips in the frequency response that become more obvious with jazz, and classical as well as rock. Basically, as long as you listen mainly to new, modern music, you will like what you hear.
Bass – Bass is deep, reaches 20 Hz, with a pretty specific emphasis range between 30 Hz and 55 Hz, giving it a bit of a subwoofer tone. Beta has a good body and the bass moves fairly fast, at times even adding a bit of grain and texture to the bass. It tends to be slightly capped in the total ceiling, creating a bit of distortion if the volume is too high.
Voicing And Midrange – Vocal range is generally a bit on the thin and sharp end of things, as well as deep in the low-end. It looks a bit like a U-Shaped presentation, like a bucket, where there’s the middle of the midrange that is quite heavily recessed, but it can render sharp and thin voices as well as some deep voices. This kind of tone is great for EDM and Pop as it removes the radio style of mixing and mastering. It can be a bit sucked out and absent for many songs, but it is not the nasal type of sucked out midrange. Overall, it works really well for modern and pop music, but can be a bit unnatural for most death metal, or audiophile music.
Treble – Treble is sharp, fast and well-defined. I expected a slightly sharp sound, and it does have a slightly sharp and fatiguing sound with extra sharpness. This sharpness is somehow isolated in the upper treble and main treble, so there’s a dipping range in the lower treble to make the sound less fatiguing, but it can sound a bit unnatural, like they have an unnaturally high resolution and crispness, thing which I heard with most glass drivers.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is a bit on the compressed side, it tends to render quiet sounds quite loud and loud sounds are toned down, which is a sign of dynamic compression. It is a big reason why it works well with radio mixes and works well for pop and new music, but also why it is not ideal for music with a high dynamic range, as that will sound compressed and a bit less detailed. Textures are crisp and sharp with a good overall resolution and clarity, and Beta has a high overall
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Twistura Beta struggles a bit with volume, as it sounds best at lower and medium volumes, becoming a bit distorted at extreme volumes, especially if the bass is overwhelming in the mix and master. The louder you go, the more exaggerated the V-Shaped / U-Shaped tuning becomes, the more shouty and fatiguing it becomes. If the music has some attenuation, the sound is much better even if loud, and Beta really does not like music that is mastered at -0 dB in the mix / master stage.
Soundstage – Staging is natural towards intimate with a fairly good instrument separation and layering. Most music does not extend much beyond your head unless it is something especially tuned and mastered to sound grand, a situation in which it can extend quite a bit. Most sounds are centered around your head or happen right in your ears, with the glass driver having a focused type of tuning.
Value – Conclusion
Price is very low, and the sound is novel, as is the driver technology, so I am happy to report that I like the Twistura Beta quite a lot in its range. While I review IEMS and Headphones that are far pricier and I find them to be really good, this is an excellent budget option if you want something affordable, fun and revealing for its price point.
At the end of the day, glass driver tech is still in develop[ment, and it still sounds a bit sharp and shouty, but Twistura got the best control and the most bass out of a glass driver so far, so if you want to hear a certain clarity, high speed and top resolution. Twistura Beta is a great way to experience that.
PROs
- Warmest and bassiest presentation from a glass driver so far
- Comfortable and with a very good cable included in the package
- Revealing and detailed, top for this price range
- Sharp treble with good extension
- Good extension in the bass as well
- Strong layering and precision
Cons
- Can sound compressed and it tends to compress music
- Becomes shouty and hard sounding at extremely high volumes
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4yE9up5
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2R8LspZ
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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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