IKKO Gems OH1S Review (2) – SlimFit Finesse

Pros — Organic sound; good three-dimensionality; great vocals reproduction; very good note definition good treble extension; crisp attack; very SMALL and comfortable earpieces; outstanding haptic; well accessorized.

Cons — Not bassy enough for some; some upper midrange glare; not cheap.

Executive Summary

The Ikko Gems OH1S are slightly warm, organic sounding 1+1 earphones with good midrange resolution and note definition that, in the opinion of some, deserve a bit more slam and sub-bass extension.

Introduction

First was the $139 IKKO OH1, which I analyzed. It had premium build, a healthy bass, but also an upper midrange glare that made me give it away to a Head-Fier over a coffee.

Next came the $199 OH10 with a V-shaped signature so well done that it pushed the model onto some best-of lists, including our own Wall of Excellence.

And now there is the $199 IKKO Gems OH1S, which according to some forums, early adopters are selling off in panic over a lack of bass.

Hey, wait before you make yourself unhappy – and read the whole article. The IKKO OH1S is a keeper. And that despite the different tunings of these three models which feature a 1+1 configuration, that is 1 dynamic driver and 1 balanced armature driver. The first two had large shells and the IKKO Gems OH1S has very small ones. Here you have your first huge bonus points (unless you fancy big plugs in your ears).

Specifications

Physical Things and Usability

In the box are the earpieces, the cable, a set of IKKO I-Planet foam tips, a set of oval silicone tips, a storage wallet, an IKKO pin, and the paperwork.

The IKKO Gems OH1S shells are premium built with mostly aluminum alloy and some resin, and they feature one of the companyʼs trademarks: oval nozzles, which help forming any eartip into the cross-sectional shape of your ear canals.

The shells are rather small and light compared to the original OH1, look and feel great, sit firmly in my ears and are very comfortable. The small size of the earpieces is certainly a huge asset. Isolation is not the greatest for me.

I typically do not write much about cables, but the included one is great for me: spindly, wiry, light. Coated with hard pvc, it has the right stiffness for me and is not rubbery at all. Great in the days where cables are more and more becoming ropes pulling our ears down. Less is more, also in this case.

Tonality and Technicalities

Equipment used: iPhone SE (first gen.), MacBook Air; ifi Audio nano iDSD Black Label with IEMatch, Hidizs S9 Pro, AudioQuest Dragonfly Red/Earstudio HUD100 w. JitterBug FMJ, AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt, Astell & Kern PEE51; grey stock tips, IKKO I-Planet foam tips. 75 hours of break-in.

Co-blogger Alberto already gave you his thorough account of the IKKO Gems OH1S, and I principally agree with him. In contrast, the internet was full of criticism such as “no bass”, “narrow stage”, “thin vocals”, “peaky”…people who had purchased the OH1S based on their experience with the V-shaped OH10 put their set up for sale.

My rec: buy one off them for cheap.

First, the IKKO Gems OH1S is NOT the OH10, both are tuned completely differently, and one is not meant to replace the other. In fact, it is worth having both. The OH1S is the evolution of the larger and really peaky OH1. There is obviously confusion in the naming convention and IKKO could have avoided this by attributing easily distinguishable names to their different series.

To my ears, the IKKO Gems OH1S is a slightly off neutral, marginally warm sounding iem with a slightly bright tilt. As you can see in the graph, that pinna gain is <10 dB (“screamers” typically have 13-15 dB), and the bass looks very linear with a bottom roll-off…but most of that rolloff is an artifact of my coupler and it appears at every one of my measurements. It is just that the low end is not exaggerated, unlike in most other iems.

And yes, there is sub-bass extension, it is not the world’s biggest but it is there and enough (and maximized with the foams). We are used to strong kicks that are pleasing but not natural. The IKKO offer a good punch, too. Bass is not the fastest or tightest, but it is clean. Classic dynamic driver.

As to midrange, it is not thin but lean, and in a positive way. Think of floorstanders and their lack of “fatness”. Vocals are lean and somewhat dry – but they are not pushed back as in a V-shape. They are forward and intimate, which gives you a listening sensation that is rather rare.

Treble is a mixed bag. Lower treble is held back a bit so that cymbals, although being crisp, sit behind in the 7 kHz region. That narrow peak at the transition lower/upper treble compensates for that but can be a bit strident for some; it comes out, for example, in very high violin notes. But that also adds good air.

You shuffle all of the above around when using the included I-Planet foam tips. These little cannonballs (look like such) fill my ears completely. In my perception, they increase bass and move the vocals back, which results in increased depth and deeper staging.

Apropos staging, I cannot confirm the reported lack of width. It is perfectly average to my ears. Spatial cues is great, particularly with the foams. Resolution and separation are also average for this class. Stage can become crowded with many musicians or when much is going on. Another big strength of the OH1S are the crisp attack.

Timbre wise, the IKKO Gems OH1S is sonically closer to a single DD than to a BA multi. It offers a rather organic sound, which is one of its biggest traits.

So, why would you not like the IKKO Gems OH1S? If you need a (really) strong bass and if you cannot handle the bit of midrange glare resulting from the relatively flat low end.

IKKO Gems OH1s and OH1 Compared

You can guess the differences between the original OH1 and the OH1S when looking at the graphs. The original had a more boosted low and but also a higher midrange including that grainy upper part. The OH1 did not sound bassier as the human ear hears the whole frequency spectrum in context. But it was strident in the upper midrange to my ear. The OH1S has a more civilized upper midrange may still have some occasional glare triggered by the neutral low end.

For those who want to see a comparison between the OH1S and OH10…nope that’s pointless as both are different iems. The OH10 are V-shaped in sound, and the earpieces are huge and heavy. Complementary designs in all aspects.

Concluding Remarks

Admittedly, I was lukewarm about the original OH1over its hot upper midrange. And I was initially sceptical about the IKKO Gems OH1S because of that flat bass tuning. But, bass is plenty imo, balance is there, only that sub-bass rumble may not be enough for some. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a bass bomb, this iem is not for you.

My ears really got used to that signature very fast and started enjoying it. And what adds to the pleasure is the small size of the shells which provide comfort, as well as that minimalistic, attractive cable. So yeah, no reason to sell yours.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Disclaimer

The Ikko Gems OH1S were provided by Ikko for my review and I thank them for that.

Get the Ikko Gems OH1s from ikkoaudio.com

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