With a vibrant commerce scene and international trading links, Singapore is a country where personal audio and high-fidelity sound are significantly valued. Planning to capitalise on these national traits, Dita Audio are a Singaporean brand striving to seek perfection without conforming to market trends. The latest in their rather impressive line-up is the new Twins Concept – a project inspired by the dichotomy of life.
Built from the same leaf, the Fealty and Fidelity IEMs are said to share similar characteristics while also exhibiting their own sound profiles. The new pair follow on from the company’s major successes of their original trifecta comprised of The Answer, Truth and Dream IEMs. At $1299 MRSP each, however, the Twins represent a considerable investment for those seeking a top quality sound in a top quality design.
Alongside their new products, Dita Audio have also unveiled their new Oil-Soaked Long-Crystal Oxygen-Free (OSLO) cable which borrows manufacturing concepts of the high quality cable makers of yesteryear. Each cable has a rigorous building process and utilises high purity copper which is consequently soaked in a suspension of gold and silver nanoparticles to improve sound transmission. The cables come in a variety of connections including MMCX and two-pin and retail for a hefty $599 each.
The Packaging
In line with the rest of Dita Audio’s theme, their packaging is elegant and yet simple. The Twins each come in a slide out box in their respective colours; pure white with silver accent for the Fealty and black for the Fidelity.
Accessories comprise of five pairs of Final E eartips, a welcome card, owner’s manual, 2.5 mm connector for the awesome plug, a flight adapter and soft carrying pouch. While not possessing a huge abundance of tips, Dita Audio have provided the buyer with the ability for endless source connections. The screw-in interchangeable plug system is a very nice touch where terminations can be adapted for different settings – a feature which all high-end earphone companies should offer.
Build & Design
CNC milled from aerospace grade aluminum, the Twins look classy and well-built. While not as flashy as Campfire Audio’s Solaris or Final Audio’s Heaven VIII, the Fealty and Fidelity are understated and yet exude a premium feel.
Both IEMs display an engraved logo of the Dita Audio brand on the faceplate and come in their respective colours – silver for the Fealty and a dark metal grey for the Fidelity. The connectors feature haptic feedback allowing for a more secure fit. The downside, however, is that the stock cables are proprietary and only fit the Twin models.
Following a single dynamic driver design, Dita Audio have managed to alter the sounds of the two IEMs by using a different combination of material. This allows the Twins to shadow their intended frequency curve without utilising extra components such as filters and electronics.
Fit & Isolation
The Dita Audio Twins offer a supreme comforting listen with a decently sized housing which sits flush in the ear. This is helped by the over-ear design along with the flexible cable. The fit insertion is not the deepest and along with the springiness of the cable can dislodge the earphones during runs of brisk walks. For that reason, perhaps memory cable or a deeper nozzle would aid a more a secure fit.
Isolation levels are beyond average and while there is a small vent to relieve dynamic driver pressure within the ear, sound leakage is kept minimal.
Sound impressions
Owing to the same driver configuration, both the Fealty and Fidelity share the same base house sound but with some key differences.
Lows
The lower frequency ranges are nicely reproduced with the Fidelity possessing a touch more detail and tautness. In addition, some warmth is compromised in the mid to upper bass territories for a more reference lower end. The Fealty on the other hand, possesses more heft to its bass with thicker bass note and texturing rendering it the more musical of the two. However, both IEMs still magnificently capture the Dita house sound with a bass which sounds not only articulate and taut. Compared to Campfire Audio Solaris, the Twins sound do stray to the more analytical side of things while the former IEM boasts a more voluminous and authoritative bassline. Having said that, the Dita Twins are by no means cold but rather everything is done tastefully to strike balance between a clean musicality. I am also impressed that the Fealty is able to push through great amounts of detail despite its ability to dig deep and extend low.
Mids
Akin to the low-end, the Fealty renders greater note thickness compared to the Fidelity. The IEM also has a slightly more laidback feel next to the more precise and analytical feel of the Fidelity. While the Fidelity do sound more emotive owing to the lower-end warmth and body of the midrange, the Fidelity sound equally engaging due to its micro-detail and excellent dynamics. Both IEMs have strengths in different genres of music with the Fealty sounding great in more vocal-orientated tracks whereas the Fidelity do shine in electronic dance music, classical and orchestral tracks. Both midranges of the Twins are overall more forward in the mix compared to the likes of the Solaris which make the latter IEM sound airier with bigger soundstage.
Treble
In line with the rest of the frequency spectrum, the Twins do well in portraying a clean, detailed and engaging top-end performance. There are no stridencies or unpleasant tonalities which may otherwise detract from their already great sound. The Fealty offers a more laid-back lower treble presence but is also subtly boosted in the same regards as the Fidelity. Through this, both IEMs are allowed to convey a good element of height to tracks which further aids imaging. Overall, the Fidelity leans more towards a neutral-bright affiliation while the Fealty strays along neutrality. Both offer good body and a smooth treble which can be listened to for extended periods of time without fatigue.
Soundstage & Imaging
Despite possessing a single driver configuration, the Twins do well in rendering a good soundstage proportion in both width, height and depth. The Fidelity do sound slightly wider of the two but again both offer similar dimensions. Perhaps a mild u-shaped imposition would aid dimensions where width is concerned but there is always the trade off of an involved and present midrange. Imaging wise, there is excellent layering and sense of separation as expected from both capable IEMs. The Fidelity does offer slightly better pinpointing of instruments and vocals but the Fealty fills greater headspace with its more voluminous note size.
Dita Audio OSLO Cable
The OSLO cable (which stands for oil soaked long-crystal oxygen-free cable) is a whole other beast in and of itself. The cable makes use of copper strands coated with nano gold and silver particles to improve signal transfer and impedance. Design wise, it is a premium looking cable with helical braids that are firm and possess weight. One thing to note is that there is no use of memory cable which may be a downside for those who prefer memory fits for over-ear IEMs.
Accessories include a user’s manual, an awesome plug system, blue faux leather case, various connectors (2.5 and 4.4mm as well as a stock 3.5mm already on the cable) and a contact enhancer.
The contact enhancer comes in a small bottle and consists of a suspension of squalene oil (processed from the livers of deep-sea sharks) as well as nanoparticles of gold and silver.
The overall sound impression is unique – a rich, smooth and laidback profile which capitalises on the strengths of both the Fealty and Fidelity IEMs. Soundstage dimensions are pushed out and there is some added degree of warmth in both the lower midrange and mid-bass regions. This results in an overall very cohesive presentation.
With the contact enhancer applied, some of the laidback sound is traded for more defined transients in the form of upper midrange brightening and top-end sparkle. While the changes were not night and day, micro-detail levels also subtly improved.
Conclusion
Overall then, Dita have really outdone themselves with this world-class set of IEMs which not only pull their weight where details and resolution are concerned but also manage to convey an engaging sound. It is also surprising to see such a finely balanced and technically proficient sound rendered from a single dynamic driver. Build quality and comfort are second to none and are a true testament to Dita Audio’s classy brand. With the variety of tastes within the audiophile scene, the Singaporean company have done well to cater different sound preferences. However, the use of a switch may be handy for those wishing for the best of both worlds. Though the suspected increase in price from the already considerable $1299 may be a no-go for most consumers alike. The OSLO cable which Dita sells separately adds to the already great sound signature and are an option for those who wish for the best of sound performance. It will be exciting to see what this company will offer next …
Dita Audio Fidelity & Fealty IEMs
$1299 each
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