"Deep Impact" - PMG APX ME

Recently, a pair of the most anticipated and exclusive IEMs of this year have arrived – at least if you believe some in-ear connoisseurs. These are the new PMG APM ME.

Handcrafted work

PMG Audio is a small boutique IEM manufacturer from Poland and part of Custom Art. They have made a name for themselves worldwide in the Head-Fi community with the limited APX SE. The APX SE is regarded as one of the best IEMs in the world. 

PMG did not rest on the success of the APX SE but took feedback from customers and fans and developed the new APX ME (Metal). The only criticism of the SE was that some customers found the highs too "sharp" and wished for a somewhat "tamer" tuning. 

According to PMG, however, the ME is explicitly not intended as a successor to the SE, but as a complement, basically as a different flavor. The tuning is overall a bit warmer and "darker," and the highs have been slightly reduced, which should make the APX ME suitable for long-term use – so well suited for long listening sessions.

Lavish overall package

PMG impress right from unpacking with a lavish premium package: 

In the fabric bag, there is a high-quality brown genuine leather case that houses the APX ME and all accessories.

The clever part: The case can be transformed with supplied dividers into a transport case for IEMs, DAP, amp, cables, and other accessories – very practical and a real added value for on the go.

The love for quality doesn’t stop here. The selection of eartips is not in a plain cardboard box or plastic bag, but in a large aluminum case with a viewing window. In the small velour transport case for the IEMs, there is the same aluminum case again for on the go, in which you can store 2 pairs of eartips. 

You really can’t say that PMG skimped anywhere here! Considering the sporty total price of over six thousand francs, you definitely get a corresponding value here. 

Of course, all this beautiful accessory is just smoke and mirrors if the actual product is not also great, because in the end, it’s about the APX ME IEMs, which should provide us with many hours of music enjoyment! 

High-quality understatement

Superficially, the design of the IEMs is clear understatement. Nothing blinks or glitters here, there are no bright colors, but matte titanium with a subtle pattern on the faceplates as an accent. The included pure silver cable also matches this visual restraint. It is coated with black-brown plastic, and only the plugs, 2-pin connectors, and splitter made of matte aluminum pick up the pattern of the faceplates again. All in all, a very simple, unobtrusive design that should appeal to many potential customers. 

In the end, as mentioned, only one thing counts: the sound. Because anyone spending over 6K on in-ears expects nothing less than the best. 

Playing partner

Of course, my infallible Lotoo Mjölnir is used again this time as the ultimate source, because the Mjölnir is tuned in the best sense neutrally and thus lets the characteristics of the APX ME speak for themselves without limiting it – the Mjölnir plays at the highest level. 

Playlist

My testing playlist, which I constantly expand and revise, consists of music from various genres, from singer-songwriter to classical, rock, metal, and hip-hop. Additionally, each track has a specific "task": to evaluate different aspects of the products being tested. So there are tracks to test bass, midrange/vocals, and treble reproduction, but also ones for instrument or channel separation, staging/presentation, or sibilance (sharp hissing sounds in critical pieces). 

Everything is relative

My assessment is, of course, based on my personal listening impressions and is colored by my personal taste and my own perception. Since I have probably listened to or tested several hundred IEMs by now, I can draw on a certain pool of experience and also have corresponding points of comparison with other IEMs. 

By the way, I have stopped trying to approach the whole testing story completely analytically and to try to describe the sound of the products in detail with audiophile terms. At least largely. The impressions are subjective anyway, and instead of confusing our readers with quasi-technical terms, I now prefer to focus on what the product does to me: evoke feelings. 

Because that is what our shared favorite hobby of listening to music is all about: emotions!

Hedonism

The APX ME makes it clear after the first few bars what this is about: It is NOT about dissecting the music, it is about big feelings and leaning back with a broad grin and goosebumps to simply enjoy for hours.

It can and will happen that you catch yourself just wanting to "quickly" listen to the APX ME and hours later realize that you have just gone through your entire playlist - "Just this one track here, I haven't heard it in a long time...." 😅🙌

Force of nature

Bass enthusiasts will immediately love the APX ME, because hardly any other IEM can do what the ME can: produce a bone-shaking, deep, rich, and yet wonderfully textured bass that does not have to shy away from comparison with large floor-standing speakers and subwoofers. My previous reference in this regard was the Empire Ears Raven. The APM ME is in no way inferior to the Raven here - it might even be able to take it up a notch overall!

But not only the bass is world-class. The tuning is overall very balanced and coherent, and despite or precisely because of the powerful bass, the other aspects of the ME can also convince: 

Voices stand clearly defined in the foreground, have weight and authority, and sound extremely natural. I feel like I am at the concert live in the audience.

The channel or instrument separation is excellent. If you want, you can hear every element of the music piece, every instrument, every voice separately. Or simply enjoy the whole thing as a whole. Accordingly, the stage presentation is not exaggerated - I would describe it as consistently realistic. 

Despite the "warmer," tamer tuning of the overtone range, I cannot complain about a lack of detail. Absolutely nothing is missing here. Unlike the APX SE, the high frequencies do not jump directly into your face but are presented more subtly – definitely perfect for long listening sessions!

Who doesn't love a certain sparkle, that is, a "glitter" in the highs on certain tracks? Sure, we all do or at least most of us. Does this sparkle miss in the APX ME due to the "tamer" tuning? NO, the sparkle is by no means missing; it is just less prominent than in other, "brighter" tuned IEMs. 

Absolutely nothing is missing here, nothing at all! All details are present and at the highest level. It just takes some time to realize this because the complex tuning of the APX ME may not reveal itself in the first few minutes. 

I also took quite a while to understand what really defines the APX ME and what it takes to enjoy and appreciate it.

1) The stunning bass can initially distract somewhat from the other qualities of the APX ME.

2) This is not a classic reference tuning, but also not a typical W-shaped "modern" tuning where bass and treble are strongly boosted.

The APX ME has a very unique tuning that wants to be explored and appreciated – and that may take some time. For that, your patience will be rewarded with a very special sound signature that is unmatched.

3) The AX ME needs power. Not just power, but also control, and for that, you ideally need a very good source (DAP, amp) to make use of its qualities. No problem with the Mjölnir and certainly not with other high-end DAPs and headphone amplifiers.

Conclusion

So, who or what is the APX ME intended for? In my opinion, the APX is aimed at music lovers looking for an all-rounder that deviates from the well-known, classic, and more modern tunings and offers something very unique that no other IEM has: sovereignty and subtlety in one. 

It shows its superiority very directly in the bass but also masters the finer tones virtuously and is suitable both for really turning up the volume and for relaxed, long listening sessions. 

This is a balancing act that no in-ear I have tested so far has managed in this form, making it something very special. 

The ME is by no means cheap, but those willing to pay the price get a very special "musical instrument" and collector's item with the PMG APX ME that will bring them joy for many years!

A small experiment at the end

Referring to my last sentence that the APX ME will bring its owners joy for many years, I conducted a small experiment. 

I wanted to know if the APX ME might still "scale," meaning if there is still room to improve the sound with a better source or a better cable.

I currently can't think of a better source, the Lotoo Mjölnir is hardly to be topped in quality - at least not in the mobile/portable sector. 

But: As luck would have it, the new Satin Audio Zeus II cable in its "Eternal" top variant just arrived. We're talking about an absolute flagship cable in the price range of around 3000 francs!

The Zeus II Eternal is the result of years of development by Satin Audio and their most elaborate cable to date. It consists of silver, gold, and palladium in various compositions.
Here is a diagram:

Can this cable improve the APX ME even further? 

Yes, it really can. You might think a pure silver cable is the ultimate when it comes to detail, but that is apparently not the case here:

The Zeus II Eternal improves/extends almost all frequencies of the APX ME and takes it to a new, higher level. But it also changes its basic tuning.

1) The bass is at least equally intense but gains speed, clarity, and texture.

2) Voices stand out much more, are more intense and sonorous.

3) Sparkle. Lots of sparkle!!! The details are emphasized, as are the highs.

4) The overall sound is less "dark and warm" but gains airiness and volume. The space opens up noticeably.

5) Instruments are more clearly outlined or emphasized. 

Room to grow?

The experiment with the Zeus II Eternal proves at least one thing: The APX ME has room to grow. And quite a lot, even. Whether with a better cable or a better source (DAP, amp), potential is there. 

Whether the investment is worth it is up to each individual to decide, but there is potential for improvement. That was all I wanted to find out with my experiment.

With the Satin Audio Zeus II Eternal, you "transform" the APX ME into something that rivals a large speaker or flagship over-ear headphones and maybe make the PMG APX ME the best IEM I've ever heard!

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