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The Middle Finger: Elysian Labs Pilgrim:Noir
It's finally here and I have a pair of Elysian Labs' new Pilgrim:Noir IEMs in my hands. And I apologize right here and now for the somewhat provocative headline, but as the blog progresses it will become clear that it was not chosen by chance. 😉
A lot was discussed in the forums in the run-up to the release and the lucky participants at one of the big headphone trade fairs at the beginning of the year, who were already able to hear Elysian's new models Pilgrim and Pilgrim:Noir, everyone agrees: These things offer incredible musical value for money! Elysian Labs themselves even speak of a “crazy low price”.
We will look at how the two pilgrims fare in reality in the next few days and weeks. The first is the Pilgrim:Noir, because the "little" Pilgrim is not yet officially available at the time of this blog and we are also waiting impatiently for delivery.
In the absence of original packaging for our demo copies, we inevitably forego unboxing and content ourselves with a few snapshots...
The Pilrim:Noir comes in black anodized aluminum and is adorned with the gold logos of Elysian Acoustic Labs and Effect Audio. The design is futuristic and independent and radiates elegance.
Our demo sample also comes with a pack of Spinfit Ear-Tips - the retail packaging should contain a few more small accessories.
The Pilgrim:Noir sits comfortably and securely in my medium-sized ears and is very comfortable to wear even over a longer period of time, because from today's perspective the Pilgrim:Noir are pleasantly small.
Pairing
What would be a suitable playing partner for an IEM under CHF 800
I also know that the little Cayin belies its price of CHF 599, as it sounds much better than the price tag would suggest and easily puts many much more expensive DAPs up against the wall.
Sound check
After a few minutes with my trusty testing playlist, I find myself grinning: This rocks! I really don't know how to describe this other than with this trite phrase. 🙌😅
The Noir starts like there's no tomorrow and, supported by the N3Ultra, pumps "fat" melodies into my ears. 😵😍
You can clearly see the Noir's relationship to its "bigger" siblings Diva 23 and Annihilator 23: voices are wonderfully sonorous and are slightly in the foreground, the detail reproduction is for this price range It's almost outrageously good and the bass is deep, controlled and forms a foundation for the other frequencies. Despite the excellent highs, I couldn't detect any sibilance during the test.
A highlight of Pilgrim:Noir is certainly its spatiality and stage presentation. At least I don't know of any other IEM under CHF 1000 that sounds so three-dimensional and airy.
Of course there are differences to the Diva 23 and Annihilator 23. The Diva 23 sounds even more natural and immersive, the Anni 23 is unbeatably coherent and just sounds “right”.
Nevertheless: What the Noir delivers for the money - already or especially in combination with the Cayin N3Ultra - is astonishing!
Conclusion
With the Pilgrim:Noir Elysian Labs have delivered - and clearly shown the competition what is possible with a budget of under CHF 800 when passionate and experienced people are at work - Bravo!
If you consider how much sound you get for under CHF 1300 with the Pilgrim:Noir + Cayin N3Ultra, then you can only speak of an absolute bargain!
While listening to music and writing these lines, I've long since forgotten how cheap this combo is compared to other flagship combos and it doesn't actually matter. I sit here and just enjoy the music without thinking about it - that's how it should be! 🙌😊
More blogs on the topic
IEMs Most Wanted - Elysian Labs Annihilator 2023
Galactic Superstar - Elysian Acoustic Labs Diva 2023