Now, EarMen is not an unfamiliar name for many burners, as many media outlets have widely reported on EarMen, and many have experienced and even owned EarMen's products. Recently, EarMen, a serbia-based sub-brand of Auris Audio, introduced a new portable decoded ear amplifier aimed at users who want a built-in battery and a 4.4 interface.
This new little-tailed bird is called the Colibri (hummingbird), another product of the EarMen that uses birds to name it, and the previous ones included Sparrow (sparrow) and Eagle (eagle). Although the Colibri is the slightly larger of the three, it is still small, and the Colibri is only 77 x 35 x 14 mm in size, even smaller than some matchboxes, and accessories include holsters, USB-C cables and instruction manuals.
Colibri has two USB C inputs, one dedicated to charging and the other dedicated to data. At the other end, there are two connectors of 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm, and in terms of control, there are volume adjustment, power/play/pause, and bass boost buttons. For the status display, the logo will use various colors to distinguish whether it is DSD, PCM or MQA that is listening.
For digital-to-analog conversion, Colibri used the Sabre ESS ES9281 PRO. In terms of driving force, the 4.4 balance port can reach up to 560mW@16 Ω, while the 3.5 interface also reaches up to 150mW@ 16Ω. Although there is a slight gap between spec bump and TR-Amp, the latest Colibri is much stronger than Eagle and Sparrow.
Action usage
On my Mac Mini, earMen Colibri plugs and plays, with only a few seconds between startup and playing music. Its ease of use makes me happy, but getting familiar with the operation takes some time.
The label for the action button is located on the back of the device, so you have to choose between looking at the LED or the label on the back. Another point is that when Colibri puts it in the holster, it will cover all the labels. You'll be familiar with the operation after a while, but you'll make some mistakes before doing so.
With each charge, Colibri's battery life can reach 4 or 5 hours. Sometimes, I connect the charging cable and the data cable at the same time, and it still works fine.
Sound sound
Connect the EarMen Colibri to the phone and the sound is instantaneous, without any delay. My two headphones, the JVC HA-S500 and the Final Audio Pandora Hope VI, are connected to a 3.5mm socket without any noise, while the more difficult Sennheiser HD525, which requires 70% volume, can reach my listening level.
I tested the 4.4mm balanced output with the VE Clan Zen, and before that, it did take some extra power to reach the full potential of the VE Clan Zen, but Colibri did it so easily.
Through Tidal, I hear the full, rounded and layered sound from Colibri, which, unlike the TR-Amp, gives a more refined feel.
While there's still room for some improvement in parsing and detail, Colibri's tuning is enjoyable and fun. When it comes to tracks that are not easy to control, it shows fairly good control.
Colibri's bass switch is such an interesting feature (because sometimes we do need extra low-frequency roar). When turned on, the detail and texture of the bass are still intact, and the low-frequency roar of the song can be significantly felt, so singers like Doja Cat, Billie Eilish and Bella Poarch have a lot more fun listening when they turn on the bass boost.
During Colibri's testing, I experienced some minor usage annoyances, sometimes there was no sound, and a few times the volume control was abnormal, but reconnected, you can return to normal. I didn't test on all the devices that could be connected, so I'm not sure if it's a front-end issue, but I think it's worth mentioning.
Write at the end
When the Colibri works, its sound is natural and smooth, and the timbre is very pleasant. The excellent manufacturing process and workmanship quality are also a huge plus, such as the glass panel on the front back, which makes Colibri look advanced and tasteful.
If someone asks me, is Colibri recommended? Although its connection occasionally encounters accidents, and although its battery will have to live forever in the future, this EarMen Colibri is still an amazing product that I highly recommend.
Equipment involved in the test:
Sources: Mac Mini M1, Tidal Master, Spotify / Headphones: Final Audio Pandora Hope VI, JVC HA-S500, Sennheiser HD525 / Earbuds: VE Clan Zen / DAC/amp: Chord Hugo V1, EarMen TR-Amp