Oriolus Szalayi - Review by The Vagrant Audiophile

Oriolus Szalayi - "the brown oriole".

Hmmmm, actually this one is blue. 😅 No matter what, he can sing - just like his big brothers and sisters from Oriolus! And it is something very special: a trybrid made of planar, dynamic driver and balanced armature.

Our guest author The Vagrant Audiophile took a closer look at Szalayi, pronounced "Sally", and took a closer look at his trained ears.

Oriolus Szalayi

Szalayi impressions

by The Vagrant Audiophile (retired)

Cost - 5/5

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

Oriolus Szalayi

Comfort - 3/5

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

Unfortunately, compared to the Isabellae, which I had problems with both because of the nozzle width and length, the Szalayi were a problem for me because of 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

Tuning - 4/5

The Szalayi offer an impressive technical balance while at the same time presenting a lush, musical sound - a tuning that which clearly suits my preferences. For a 3 driver IEM the Szalayi is extremely coherent, more coherent than some with "only" two drivers I've heard in the past. However, they need a good seal.

Oriolus Szalayi

Conclusion & Recommendation

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

Never had problems with comfort due to the nozzle size in the past and/or never had problems with the to find the right attachments? - 5/5 - Highly recommended