Pros:
- Minimalist design
- Great build quality
- Smooth sound signature
Cons:
- Below average technicalities
Introduction:
Ambient Dynamics is a new company that is from Minnesota, United States. Their flagship, debut product is the Lyndale which was named after a place from the aforementioned state in the US. Each pair of the Lyndale is handmade and assembled manually in their headquarters. The Lyndale normally retails for 199 USD, but as of writing this review, Ambient Dynamics is offering an introductory price of 149 USD. The Lyndale was provided to me for free by Ambient Dynamics in exchange for this review.
Specifications:
Driver units: 10 mm dynamic, PU + TI composite diaphragm + E-Audio 29689-000 balanced armature
Impedance: 12 ohms
Sensitivity: 109 dB
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Source:
Poco X3 paired with FiiO KA3, iBasso DC03, Shanling UA1, Tempotec Sonata E35 and Zishan U1
Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.
Unboxing and Accessories:
The Lyndale comes in a large, elegant looking box with a matte plastic sleeve. Upon opening, there is a large envelope that contains the user manual. Underneath is a large, fabric carrying case that contains the earphones with the cable already attached. There is also a small translucent plastic case that contains the silicone and foam eartips in three sizes, and a cleaning tool.
Build:
The shells are made of medical grade 3D-printed resin with a minimalist, seamless design. The faceplates sport the Ambient Dynamics logo in gold. Printed at the top portion are the model name and the serial number. The shells doesn't have a vent which improves noise isolation. The nozzles are longer than average, has a lip to hold eartips in place and a metal filter to keep foreign objects out.
The cable is a braided 8-core oxygen-free copper litz. It is somewhat sticky but otherwise very soft and lightweight. The male 0.78 mm 2 pin connectors are made of metal that has red and blue rings to indicate the right and left side respectively. The chin slider is made of hard rubber, while the splitter and the straight 3.5 mm gold plated plug are made of metal.
Now let's get to the sound.
Lows:
The lows sound full, thick and have an enhanced impact. Subbass is resounding and reaches great depths, accompanied by a well extended decay. Midbass is well-rounded, slightly more forward, and with a substantial weight behind every punch.
Overall, the lows of the Lyndale adds plenty of the excitement factor in each track and may be enough to satisfy bassheads. That being said, the lows does not, in any way, hamper the mids and the highs.
Mids:
The mids are very dynamic. The elevated warmth in the lows carries on through the lower mids and the male vocals, making them slightly thick in a good way but ever so slightly recessed. Meanwhile, there is a small but noticeable boost in the upper mids that makes female vocals more forward to some degree and adds a bit more life to the instruments.
Overall, despite the elevation in the upper and lower section of the mids, it can be noticed that the articulation is slightly below average. The voices and instruments can sometimes feel partially hazy especially in when the tracks get busier.
Highs:
The highs are presented in a relaxed manner. Treble reach is great but it doesn't receive much support from the lower treble causing instruments like cymbals to sound a bit grainy or hollow at times. The decay, on the other hand, is just on the average side.
Overall, the highs of the Lyndale has sufficient amount of sparkle, detail, and can reach great heights but need more definition especially in its lower section.
Soundstage and Imaging:
Apparently, this is the Lyndale's weakness. The stage does not expand that much, with both the width and depth having the same amount of space. There is a fair amount of clarity and definition in the imaging. Instruments have sufficient air and space in between them but can sometimes feel lacking. And although it's not so bad, hints of congestion can also be heard in complex tracks.
Comparisons:
Ambient Dynamics Lyndale (1 BA + 1 DD, 199 USD) vs. Audiosense DT300 (3 BA, 180 USD)
The lows of the DT300 has a cleaner, smoother texture. The subbass of the DT300 sound considerably deeper, but the Lyndale has more presence of rumble. The midbass is thicker in the DT300 while the Lyndale has the quicker decay. The mids have better clarity and sound more open and airy in the DT300. In terms of the highs, the DT300 has the better reach and slightly longer decay, and was also able to present more of the small details in the tracks. The stage is more spacious in the DT300 in both the height and the width. Imaging is also more accurate and instruments have better layering in the DT300.
Conclusion:
The Lyndale is the very first product from Ambient Dynamics, yet they did a pretty good job. From the unboxing experience, to the accessories, design, and the build quality, it is evident that Ambient Dynamics took their time, along with a careful thought, before launching these. However, the Lyndale got introduced in a very, very saturated and highly competitive price range, which makes it quite hard for the Lyndale to withstand the competition.
Tags:
In-Ear Monitors