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IEMs Most Wanted - Elysian Labs Annihilator 2023
After more than half a year of waiting, the time has come: Audio Essence is allowed to sell the Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator 2023.
Why this is special? Because the "Anni23" is handmade in extremely small numbers by the boss of Elysian Acoustic Labs and therefore not every dealer is allowed to offer it. And because the "Anni" is one of the most wanted IEMs among audiophile head-fi lovers.
We are all the happier that we are now one of the "chosen ones" and a few weeks after this announcement I finally have our Anni23 "Titanium" demo in my hands.
But before we dedicate ourselves to the inner values of the "Anni", as always a little unboxing...
The Anni23 comes in a simple, cuboid gold-colored box.
A message from Lee, the head of Elysian Labs, awaits us under the lid, under which the object of desire is already hidden...
Aside from the IEMs and a high-quality cable, the box also contains a small carrying case and a selection of eartips.
Elysian Labs avoids elaborate and complicated packaging and unnecessary accessories, which only cost additional money - which is very nice for me!
In the end, I - and I suspect most other music lovers - want my money to be invested in music reproduction and not in packaging or accessories.
The Anni23 is available in three versions or three different faceplates: gold-plated copper, polished stainless steel or brushed titanium. For our demo we chose the Titanium, which is a little more expensive than the other two variants.
Simple & elegant
As expected, the workmanship is excellent and I think the IEMs look very elegant.
This also applies to the included "Liquid Links MARTINI" cable, which is made from a mixture of silver, palladium, copper and gold. So there's absolutely nothing to complain about here - in contrast to many other manufacturers who bundle their flagship IEMs with extremely cheap cables.
The "Liquid Links MARTINI" is not an absolute high-end cable, like the one that comes with the higher quality IEMs from Unique Melody - but it is definitely a good cable with which you can get the sound of the " Anni23" can enjoy.
But yes, there is more, as a short test with a Satin Audio Apollo 8x impressively showed... but I'll get to that later!😉
Sound check
In order to adequately evaluate an IEM of the caliber of the "Anni23", you need a suitable source and that's why my beloved Lotoo Mjölnir is used this time, which has had a permanent place in our testing setup since its release has.
As a new addition to the DAPs, we are also coupling the Hiby R8ii with the Anni23 - let's see how well the two get along.
Last but not least, I'll try it out to get the most out of the "Anni23" with the Satin Audio Apollo 8x cable - let's see what that brings...
Test Setup
Testing Playlist
My testing playlist is a collection of tracks that I know very well and covers a wide range of music genres. In addition, not all recordings are perfect, so there are also critical titles that ruthlessly expose weaknesses in playback equipment. 😅
Whether reproduction of bass, mids, treble, reproduction of male and female voices, stage, spatiality, instrument and channel separation, coherence etc. - everything can be analyzed and assessed with this playlist.
So, with that out of the way, let's start with the fun part: listening to music!
😊🙌
Let's go
Since I forgot to charge the Mjölnir, all I can do is make do with the brand new Hiby R8ii - but that doesn't matter, because the R8ii quickly turns out to be an excellent playing partner for the "Anni23" - and an excellent one DAP at all, because it is in absolutely no way inferior to significantly more expensive models!
As always, I start with Chris Jones, who belts out his song at me with fervor. The performance is emotional and intimate - voices are full of intensity and stand out clearly from the instrumental accompaniment without the big picture suffering - key word coherence.
The Anni23 differs quite clearly from its predecessor, which is audibly more analytical went to work. The highs of the "old" Anni have been tamed in favor of a "warmer", more relaxed performance, the bass is now more full-bodied with an emphasis on the lower mids and excellent sub-bass. All in all, a more mid-centered tuning that is designed for long-term suitability.
What remains is the incredibly authentic and sonorous vocal reproduction as well as the excellent instrument and channel separation. Despite the more relaxed highs, you don't have to forego details - quite the opposite. You can hear the performers breathing, with guitars you can literally "taste" the strings - great cinema! 🤩
With the R8ii in Turbo Mode + Darwin Ultra Filter, the Anni23 conjures up a spatiality that I am otherwise only used to from the Empire Ears Raven or UM Multiverse Mentor.
It's time...
...to bring out the big "guns" - i.e. the Mjölnir - because it is now charged enough to take over "control" of the Anni23.
Control is a good keyword here, by the way, because that's what makes the Mjölnir particularly special. The Lotoo works a little more delicately than the R8ii - voices are brought out even more clearly and even micro details are audible. The bass is more contoured, crisper and faster - the treble reproduction is more pronounced.
One thing is already clear: whether on the R8ii or the Mjölnir, the Anni23 is a real flagship and does not have to hide from any of its competitors - not even from the sometimes significantly more expensive models from other manufacturers .
There is room for improvement
I had already indicated during the unboxing that the already great sound quality of the Anni23 could only be further improved through cable upgrades. I tested this briefly with the Satin Audio Apollo 8x - an absolute high-end cable and my personal favorite cable!
What has changed? The Apollo 8x “boosts” pretty much all frequencies orFeatures of the Anni23. The bass becomes tighter and faster, the voices a bit more intense and the highs even more detailed - and this means that the Anni23 has actually moved closer to the tuning of its predecessor - albeit at a higher level overall. Subject to further cable tests, I would like to conclude my first impressions at this point. As we all know, you should stop when it's best... 😅🙌
Conclusion
I'm slowly beginning to understand why this IEM is so popular: The Annihilator 2023 is not a run-of-the-mill in-ear but a commitment to music without compromise. The warmer, full-bodied tuning may not be for everyone - it is neither reference nor neutral. But it's damn coherent and gives you goosebumps when listening to music - and that's what matters to me personally!
