Oriolus Szalayi - Review by the Vagrant Audiophile

Oriolus szalayi - "the brown oriole".

Hmmmm, actually this one is blue. 😅 Boar doesn’t care, he can sing – just like his big brothers and Sisters of Oriolus! And it's something very special: a hybrid of planar, dynamic driver, and balanced armature.

Our guest author The Vagrant Audiophile has the Szalayi, pronounced "Sally", a little more closely examined, or rather his trained ears.

Oriolus Szalayi

Szalayi impressions

by The Vagrant Audiophile (retired)

Costs - 5/5

For that money, you get one of arguably the best IEMs available today for around $1000-2000 - along with a truly fantastic cable - from a well-respected boutique brand that sits on the fringes of the mainstream but is (again) known for its masterful tunings.

Oriolus Szalayi

Comfort - 3/5

I have to accept that I get along better with small IEM nozzles. 🤷🏼♂️

Compared to the Isabellae, which I had problems with due to both the nozzle width and length, the Szalayi were unfortunately a problem for me due to their thick nozzle size. So... if thick nozzles have never been a problem for you, the rating jumps to 4/5 or 5/5.

Oriolus Szalayi

Voting - 4/5

The Szalayi offer impressive technical balance while simultaneously delivering a lush, musical sound—a tuning that clearly suits my preferences. For a three-driver IEM, the Szalayi is extremely coherent, more so than some with "only" two drivers I've heard in the past. However, they do require good sealing.

Oriolus Szalayi

Conclusion & recommendation

Have you had issues with comfort in the past due to nozzle size and/or trouble finding the right tips? 4/5 - Recommended as long as you can test it

Have you ever had issues with comfort due to nozzle size and/or trouble finding the right attachments in the past? 5/5 - Highly recommended