Thought I'd share some pics and impressions of the ASG-1.
At this point, I do believe these are the best sounding phones I have ever heard, which blows my mind, because the SM3 are a triple driver armature monitor and are currently going for $360. These ASG-1's are a single dynamic driver professional monitor, and can be had for the introductory price of $190 shipped. That's sound quality that outstrips the SM3 at half the price. Mind boggling. Now this isn't to say that they demolish the SM3, they don't. They edge them out, because when you get that high up in the performance bracket, improvements are really incremental. It's not a 50 percent better performance gain, it's not even 20 percent, but what it is, is that very last bit of realism, balance, and tone that's missing in the SM3. At the moment, I can confidently say that the ASG-1 outperforms the SM3 across the board; they extend lower, they are more controlled in the lows, and they have as good impact, if not better in the sub bass region, I understand these take EQ extremely well without distorting, so if you want to feel like you've got subwoofers lodged in your ears, EQ away. In terms of mids, these are more detailed than the SM3, but the details are more etched as opposed to the liquid smooth SM3, highs are not even a competition, the ASG-1's highs aren't as smooth as the SM3, but they extend further, and have this resonant quality that causes female vocals, and guitars to just soar. I can confidently state that vocal and instrumental timbre outstrips the SM3.
This blows me away because vocals are what the SM3 do best, they are stunning in terms of vocal reproduction, and yet the ASG-1 best them in terms of realism. Same goes with instrumental timbre, drums, guitar, strings, brass, woodwind... just about any instrument you can think of sound incredibly realistic and satisfying on the ASG-1. With the SM3s, their incredibly smooth sound could be a detriment where certain instruments were concerned, guitars for instance, can sound a tad bit glassy (too smooth) as the highs are rolled off to give this smooth sound that limits fatigue. The ASG-1 has highs that extend as much as possible without getting sibilant and fatiguing, this yields that very last bit of performance that renders guitar distortion in a most awesome way. I was listening to Sleater Kinney's "What's Mine is Yours" and when Carrie Brownstein digs into that guitar solo, the recreation of distortion was incredible. I've got a tube amp and an electric with TV Jones Pickups in my basement, and that's what a guitar is supposed to sound like. All of the grit, complex harmonic overtones, all of that lovely dirtiness was recreated perfectly.
The ASG-1s are likely the most coherent phones I've ever heard as well, they certainly edge out the SM3, which I considered to be top notch in terms of layering and instrumental separation. The ASG-1 instead feel closer to the detail freak Sony SA5000 to me. I am able to hear extremely subtle things that I never really noticed on the SM3, certain details such as the resonance of a room in which vocals are recorded are carried across in the ASG-1 more clearly than the SM3. Speed on the ASG-1 are about on a par with the SM3, but due to these phones' clarity, the demarcation of guitar riffs and singular notes in tremelo picking too are easier to perceive. Decay on the ASG-1 too, exceeds the SM3, beyond the initial attack, you can hear cymbals, guitar/piano notes, drum hits etc. slowly trail off into the void with ease on the ASG-1.
Surprisingly, both the ASG-1 and SM3 present music in a similar fashion, music sounds 3 dimensional in terms of soundstage depth due to the unique imaging qualities of both phones. The SM3 makes you feel like you are in the studio with the band or performer due to its extreme intimacy; so they are quite mid forward rather than recessed. Vocals and instrumentalists sound like they are in the same room as you, and in some cases, vocalists sound like they are right next to you. The ASG-1 doesn't present these positional cues in the same exact fashion as the SM3 (I actually prefer the SM3 presentation), but music through the ASG-1 shares that same "live" feeling, where you feel like the music is happening around you. A track like Kanye West's Lost in the Woods for instance, sounds absolutely nuts on these. The width of the soundstage sounds perhaps a bit wider than the SM3, which I always felt to be about the perfect size, large enough to feel like you are listening to headphones rather than IEMs. The two share similar soundstage height, which sounds strange to contemplate if you've never heard the SM3, which, outside of the ASG-1, is the only phone I've heard where sound seems to extend upward, likely due to its surround sound like presentation.
Live recordings and ambient recordings, the types that are recorded in concert halls and churches such as Beach House's Teen Dream or the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds Tour sound incredibly immersive and immense on the ASG-1. Dynamic range too is top notch; sudden shifts in volume can really take you by surprise on the ASG-1, whereas the dynamic range is definitely compressed on the SM3. Truthfully, it's definitely good on those, but not as good as the ASG-1.
In terms of construction, fit, and finish, it's not even close. The ASG-1 wins by miles. I love the rather technocratic design of the SM3, I really do, but its build quality does not really inspire confidence. The ASG-1 on the other hand, is built like a tank. The polycarbonate shell is thick and hard as rock, and does not suffer from flex in anyway whatsoever. The braided cable too is top notch, and shares the same design as the SM3's. It is detachable, and the plug is recessed so the pins won't be prone to snapping. The cable is supple and does not suffer from memory problems and does not kink up (a problem that the SM3 cable suffered from), and it's terminated in the same beefy right angle jack as the SM3. Strain relief at the y-split is also thick and can take a hefty amount of flex. To put it simply, it's the best cable I've ever seen. The otterbox case it comes in is truly ridiculous. The polycarbonate case is so ridiculously rugged and its panels are so thick that I wouldn't be surprised if it would survive getting run over by a car. It is advertise as being waterproof up to a depth of 100 ft as well as there is a rubber gasket on the lip of the lid.
All in all, the ASG-1 is a tremendous product geared towards the touring professional at a ridiculously affordable price. CEO and product engineer Dale Lott explains that the ASG-1 was originally a demo unit for the $600 AS-1 custom IEM developed for professional musicians, but due to popular demand from performers he has decided to make the AS-1 available in a generic fit format, thus, the ASG-1 was born. I can't tell you guys enough just how impressed I am with this piece of kit. The absolute best thing about these phones is that Aurisonics designed these phones in a modular fashion, so they are easily repaired and you are able to be upgrade to the company's forthcoming DUAL DRIVER unit should you desire. I mean... that is crazy. There is not A SINGLE non custom IEM on the market that allows for you to upgrade them, but since the design is held together by screws, they are easily upgradeable and for a price that will be less than outright buying the next Aurisonics phone that will succeed the ASG-1. Aurisonics definitely has a winner as far as I'm concerned, and anyone in the market for a genuine top tier, game changing IEM needs to look no further than the ASG-1
The ASG-1 is certainly more ergonomic than the SM3, given that Aurisonics designed them by using laser scanned images of hundreds of ears to determine a generic fit that would accommodate most.
Here you can see the huge 15 mm driver. Aurisonics is planning a ASG-2 that will pack in an additional 10mm driver to handle mid and high frequencies separately!
The ASG-1's cable uses a straight pin design rather than a rotary locking one
The right angle plug can stand up to a lot of flex. The cable is perfectly braided
The accompanying case is fucking huge and built like a tank
You can find a few more images as well as the full size ones here:
http://imgur.com/a/GeNBl#0
They got here quickly! Listening to them for the first time right now. I think I like them
