Artpical Blue Planet IEMs Review – Clear Skies And Uplifting Music
Artpical Blue Planet is a $1199 USD pair of high-end IEMs designed for a truly uplifting and revigorating experience. Part of the nature series and with a thematic design, they rely on a unique 12mm aluminium ribbon planar driver and today we will go in-depth reviewing them, also comparing the blue planet with other IEMS including Campfire Andromeda 10 (1799 USD), Westone Mach 80 (1759 USD), and Letshuoer Mystic 8 (989 USD)
Introduction
This is the first time i am reviewing something from Artpical but already i am having fun. Those are some really interesting iems and every single earphone they make is themed, with an interesting aspect for every single one. While this likely indicates that there will be no house sound, artpical follows a some similarities to campfire, in the sense that they have an interesting package, colorful presentation and extremely good resolution, so i will be comparing them to campfire iems as well.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://link.amazon/B00j9pgZ9
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3w693DF
Build Quality – Design
At their core, Artpical Blue Planet has a 12mm aluminium ribbon driver, and they have an Impedance of 16 OHMs along with a SPL of 98 dB. They come with a 4.4mm balanced connector for their hi-end cable, and they use a standard 0.78mm 2-Pin connector at the IEM level.
As part of the Nature series from Artpical, Blue Planet is the first to be released and it also is built using 3D printing technology, incorporating lapis lazuli, a rare material crystal found in the Earth. For the driver, Artpical used a planar driver, basically with a ribbon membrane, basically drawing a piston-like driver.
You can read stories about the whole IEM, how each line represents a high or a low point of our planet, but for me, as I keep them inside of my ears for the most part, I only care to mention that it is a very rounded pair of IEMS. The cable is an interesting part because the shape of the plug is derived from the contours of a voltage, and the angle of the plug corresponds to earth’s obliquity of 66.5 degrees, and has two 1.4mm strands with copper-plated silver cores. With a transport case of surprisingly, cork, the whole IEM is an art piece and feels refined, high-end but in a boutique, endlessly rich way.
Subjective Usage
Blue Planer is a rather large pair of IEMs that is a bit substantial but they feel really nice in comfort as every edge is rounded and the material is bio compatible. I am not sure if it i just the resin used or the lapis lazuli, but the whole IEM has a better feeling in contact with my ears than most earphones out there, with Blue Planet feeling really comfortable for me.
Another interesting aspect is that it can isolate really well from the outside noise, with around 20 and up to 30 dB of passive noise isolation being on the table. Cable is flexible, ergonomic and very nice, with the insertion depth being shallow-medum. The size of the shell and angle of the bore allows the IEM to only make contact with your ear a bit, but the comfort is top notch, while the wearing experience is also brilliant.
Sound Quality
Pairings – For today’s review I have powered Blue Planet with multiple sources including FiiO K17, Argon Audio SA-2 Amplifier Driven by FiiO Warmer R2R, Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), iBasso Kunlun, FiiO Snowsky Echo DAP, Orchard Audio Valencia driven by Musician Pegasus III and Luxsin X9.
Blue Planet does not show hissing and source noise, and it does not need a powerful source to sing. While the tuning pairs well with bassy sources, it works really well with most sources, including affordable dongle DAC AMPs, and my favorite pairings are with the likes of DX340 Max Ti as it scales considerably with each source.
Overall Signature – Blue Planet is an extremely U-Shaped sounding pair of earphones / IEMS with a strong sub-bass, strong treble air airy / sharp extension, but with a good amount of volume and depth to make up for it. Despite this, vocals are not extremely recessed or absent, but it does shine with electronic music, dubstep, EDM, and will work best if your main listening styles include a lot of synths, synthetic drums and bass, and if you know you like U-Shaped tunings.
Bass – At the lowest point, Blue Planet sounds like an aerthquake, they have an incredible depth and punch, but that lasts only from 20 dB to 50 dB, and they miss being bass cannons as with just the sub emphasized, they render well mostly the bass in EDM and synthetic music and might fail to append what a bass guitar sounds like. The ideea is that their render range is actually a bit below what bass guitars tend to sound like, but for EDM, and synthetic music they are just pure joy. You can somewhat compensate for this with bands like Lorna Shore and get a good drum and kick in the mix, by increasing the volume far more than you would listen to with EDM, but you get a very sharp treble and the IEMs become a bit aggro.
Voicing And Midrange – Vocal range is somewhat recessed relative to the bass and the treble, but voices do not feel absent. Somehow, they are rather balanced despite being less in quantity and presence, they are not faded, just quieter. This works well for a lot of music, especially EDM and some metal / rock, but it can feel a bit too recessed for JAzz, vocal centric music, and especially classical. I personally like classical through a U-Shaped tuning, but the vast majority of classical enjoyers want more midrange presence.
Treble – Top end is sharp, defined, airy and brilliant. There’s a bit more treble than there is bass, but it is a really tasteful, rich, homogeneous treble that draws the beautiful characteristics of both fast planar drivers and ultra fast ribbon drivers. The most surprising part is not the treble but how detailed yet balanced it sounds along with how much bass the driver inside can produce. Most IEMS that use planar or ribbon can get sharp and bright but none gets this kind of 20 kHz extension and clarity like Blue Planet has.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is excellent as there is no audible compression and Blue Planet is capable of reproducing a really wide DR. In fact, this is what makes it a bit uneven for classical, the dynamic range is a bit too wide and classical can sound too distant and quiet, while this extended DR works really well for metal and rock, although for EDM and very compressed music is where it shines. Textures are incredibly fast, detailed, as you would expect from a planar driver, but rich and musical, somewhat fluid as you’d expect from a ribbon driver. I really like it for all instruments, including for symphonic metal, but especially for synths and synthetic square waves it is brilliant, sharp, defined and crisp.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – For most listeners, a medium volume will bring the most satisfaction and best balance between resolution, sharpness and aggro factors. At high volumes, it becomes really really aggressive, sharp and shouty, while at low levels, it is clean and sharp. I love it up loud with EDM, Dubstep and electronic music in general, while at lower volumes it is enjoyable with all music styles. If you don’t listen loud, you can disregard my opinions about music styles as it works really well with all music styles, but if you blast music, then EDM and electronic in general it is, like eggs in a pan.
Soundstage – Staging is rather fun, and Blue Planet can render a huge soundstage with excellent instrument separation and layering, but it generally sounds natural in width and depth. There is slightly more depth than there is width and Blue Planet is designed to sound as layered and separated as possible with less focus on sounding scattered. This being said, they are super holographic and the complex treble, high resolution and slightly splashy textures help it create vivid images and an artistic, large scene for artists to play.
Comparisons
Artpical Blue Planet vs Lethsuoer Mystic 8 (1199 USD vs 989 USD) – Mystic 8 is a close relative to the Blue Planet in sound tuning, but it is really different when it comes to its design and fitting. Despite both being earphones with somewhat heavy shells, mystic8 is heavier, larger and made of a metallic shell, while Blue Planet is more bio compatible and feels better while I am wearing them. The overall tuning makes Mystic 8 sound sharp, splashy and bright, while Blue Plant has much more sub-bass, more substance, more volume that gives it power and punch. This helps the Blue Planet sound more balanced, more natural and more revealing, especially of instruments and body in music while Mystic 8 sounds really analytical but also really bright. Out of the two, I generally find Blue Planet to be more universal while Mystic 8 is an extremely revealing and analytical IEM that will satisfy you if you know you want and love a lot of treble and details.
Artpical Blue Planet vs Westone Mach 80 (1199 USD vs 1759 USD) – Westone makes a much smaller, lighter IEM that feels more hollow inside despite having more drivers. The trick to this is that drivers are nowhere near as heavy as the shell of IEMS, and the overall comfort is also a bit better on M80, which is lighter, goes deeper inside of my ears, but uses a really thin bore, so with the right tips, it can offer a higher passive noise isolation. This all being said, the cable quality is better on Blue Planet, they feel more premium while in my hands, and while their package is artsy / artistic, Westone uses a very industrial and utility package. Sonically, Mach 80 is a simpler, sweeter and more traditional warm / thick sounding pair of IEMS with a fast sound, good resolution and reliable presentation that is fun for universally all music styles. Blue Planet is far more analytical, reveals much more details, has a smaller soundstage but much better precision, layering and instrument separation, combined with improved overall punch in the sub-bass, much crisper treble, more emotion to each track, and it is generally an easier to recommend pair of IEMS if you want an artsy, interesting tuning while Mach 80 is a trusty studio monitor that sounds great, remains stealthy and is reliable for all music styles. Out of the two, both are great, both have bass and both have resolution, but Mach 80 is warm, a bit thick and natural in the mids while Blue Planet is crisp, sharp and revealing.
Artpical Blue Planet vs Campfire Andromeda 10 (1199 USD vs 1799 USD) – This is the most similar pair I ever reviewed, and the whole sound is actually scary similar. Both are strongly analytical, both have outstanding resolution, both are sharp and they are similar in level of details and clarity. If anything, I feel like Blue Planet is less expensive, but somehow renders more bass and more impact, so it will be a more universally likable experience because it has more punch and kick compared to A10 which is more neutral. Unless you know you want a more neutral approach, even in my review of A-10 I recommend considering a different Campifre IEM like Boneville, while Blue Planet offers a more compelling package, costs less and to my taste is a better overall purchase for most users. Comfort is slightly better on Andromeda because it is not quite as heavy, but both have an ergonomic shape, strong passive noise isolation, both isolate well from the outside noise and both come with a balanced cable. I personally use Blue Planet more, it is less sesntivie to noise from the source but also scales more with the source, so basically for both IEMS you need a really good source to enjoy them.
Value – Conclusion
While flagship IEMS always have a bit of a question mark along with their price tag, Blue Planet is an artistic project, artsy pair of IEMs that deliver a fresh experience for the music lover. We are finally seeing new drivers, new materials used in the shells, new cable concepts, new transport cases. Basically, it is a research art project and while sonically it is fully worth the price, it is worth the price from a constructional perspective too.
It has been so long since something impressed me so much on all planes, since something was so interesting in every way possible, from the package to the shells, to the drivers to the IEMS. If you like to take risks, to experiment and experience and if a full U-Shaped tuning sounds like it would be your cup of tea, you’d love to hear the Blue Planet and what our wonderful world has to offer.
PROs
- Criminally good U-Shaped tuning with a strong sub-bass and bright, airy treble
- Very good comfort with a shallow insertion depth but excellent seal
- Strong passive noise isolation
- Excellent technical revealing ability
- Scales a lot with the source but it can be a con if you don’t own a good source
- Nice transport case and premium materials used for the entire earphones
- Overall excellent choice for an artistic, somewhat artsy earphone
Cons
- Needs a really good source to really shine
Product Link
Amazon – https://link.amazon/B00j9pgZ9
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3w693DF
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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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