Overview

Introduction

This review is being written using a loaner unit sent to me by a friend, though I have owned these in the past and I do wish to own them again soon. All thoughts and opinions are my own as usual. 

Sound

What a fun little IEM. The bass is thick and powerful, the mids sound natural, and the treble has a nice sparkle to it. Every time I plug these in, the bass impresses me, it hits hard but still stays clean.

The midrange keeps that natural tone, but the warmth from the bass gives strings and especially guitars a really pleasing character. The upper mids are a bit more relaxed, mostly because the bass and upper treble stand out more.

Overall, they’re U-shaped, but with a warmer tilt, not just a boosted sub-bass, but a full low-end lift that shapes how they sound.

What’s in the box

• Symphonium X Nightjar Meteor

• Custom 3.5mm or 4.4mm Altalune copper cable

• Orange clamshell IEM storage/carry case

• Nightjar serial card

• S, M, and L silicone eartips

• IEM cleaning tool

As usual for Symphonium and Nightjar, the Meteor comes with all the accessories you could want, all very high quality and premium feeling. The stock cable is not my favorite and gets very stiff over time, but it does feel high quality and the connectors don't feel like they'd come apart or disconnect from the wires. The case is small, made of hard plastic and padded with foam on the inside and feels very solid. I'm not worried about my Meteors getting damaged when travelling or storing with this case. The eartips are pretty generic for silicone eartips, nothing special about them really, though the red does match the Meteor very well.

Design and Build

Again, as usual for Symphonium and Nightjar, the Meteor's design and build is stellar. It's fully Anodized AL6061 Aluminum and in my exprience, doesn't scratch easily. The design is a perfect combination of Symphonium and Nightjar's styles, with Symphonium's shell shape and crimson red, with Nightjar's moon logo and form factor, I am a huge fan of this design. About the form factor, these are extremely small IEMs and are even marketed as "Small size, Massive sound." I have notoriously small ears and I've never had any comfort issues with these, though because they're so small I do need some long-ish eartips to keep them secure.

Sound

Bass

The bass performance of the Meteor is very pleasing, it extends very deep and rumbles very well, but it keeps the more clinical and tight bass texture I tend to hear with BA bass. A good way I can describe it is "atmospheric," it fills your ears and does a great job having punch when it's called for and rumbles when it needs to. I normally can describe bass on a spectrum of leaning either clinical, fun, or in the middle, but this one is all 3, and I really enjoy it. For anyone who enjoys good quality bass, this would be my #1 pick under the Nightjar Singularity.

Midrange

The midrange on this set is surprisingly strong for a U-shaped tuning. Instruments come through with a natural timbre, and nothing ever veers into shouty territory. The lower mids pick up warmth from the bass shelf, giving strings, electric guitars, and male vocals a satisfying bloom and body. Even though the upper mids sit slightly recessed, they still sound organic and relaxed, which helps the entire midrange take on a smoother, warmer tone overall.

Treble

The treble response is where most, me included, begin to have complaints (though they are usually outweighed by the bass and mids). The lower treble and presence is, like the upper midrange, laid back, beginning to sound veiled. It does help with keeping away any harsh sibilance, but it also means some textures aren't going to be there. The upper treble in contrast is very much pushed forward, leaning towards sharp. Now, this is a double edged sword, it adds some very clear detail and helps texture the midrange, but it can get very sharp on some tracks. It also takes a bit to get used to with the very relaxed lower treble. I think overall this isn't a big issue for me as the Meteor does need some more detail to balance out the extreme warmth of the rest of the tuning, but at times I might need to EQ or give my ears a break.

Technical Performance

I think the main limitation on the Meteor’s technical performance comes from its reduced lower treble and the relaxed clarity in the upper mids. When the 3 kHz region is more forward, vocals and instruments tend to cut through the mix more. The same applies to the lower treble, adding just a touch more presence could enhance instrumental texture and overall clarity, but also risk sibilance. Technical performance often relies on a careful balance between lower and upper treble, and the Meteor leans a bit too heavily toward the upper region. This does give it a wide, airy, and pretty resolving sense of space, but it’s not the most accurate presentation. Still, considering this is a set clearly tuned for enjoyment rather than absolute precision, there isn’t much to genuinely criticize. The sound that Symphonium and Nightjar aimed for definitely limited the Meteor’s ability here.

Conclusion

The Meteor Receives an S rating for it's great balance of a fun tuning and technical performance.

This is a great IEM that is quite easy for me to recommend to someone who wants some serious bass and warmth under $1000, I do have to warn people of the bright upper treble, but a lot are able to combat this with a simple EQ or tip rolling (what I did). It's a great take on a U-shaped tuning and still always impresses me.