Future Sonics Atrio™ Series model m5 (Black)

Reviewed by Michele Patterson

Introduction

The Atrio Series earphones are brought to us by the same people who brought the professionals the innovative Ear Monitors®. Ear Monitors brand custom miniature loudspeakers; use an industry leading technology that allows the user to hear themselves’ sing.  According the article I read[1], Marty Garcia, who is the inventor of the Ear Monitor®, stated, "Ear Monitors® have continued to lead the industry because they incorporate a single, full-range, custom-made dynamic driver," said Garcia. "Other companies have tried to improve on the concept by using armature drivers--the same technology used in hearing aids. The problem is that these kinds of drivers can't effectively or accurately reproduce frequencies below 150Hz. You'll never hear the full audio signature or 'timbre' unless you use an earphone that can generate the lower frequencies without resorting to audio tricks like 'extended bass' or 'bass boost'."

The product as a whole

But what does all this have to do with the Atrio Series Earphones? They know music, and they know how it should sound. There’s a phrase I keep seeing, “TrueTimbre”. But to me that meant nothing, until I spoke with David East Director of Marketing and Artists Relations at Future Sonics. Basically “TrueTimbre” will allow you to hear all the instruments like they were intended for you to hear. You’ll hear all the characteristics of sound, tone, frequency response, audio signature.  Everything has an audio signature but because most headsets use 2 or 3 drivers and they cannot produce below the 150Hz as effectively, so anything very low, like bass has to be boosted to make it have a “feel”. With the Future Sonics Atrio Series Earphones you don’t need a boost or equalizer because they use one single dynamic mini speaker and drivers developed by them for their products. 

If you spend a little time reading some of the reviews of this product you’ll see phrases like this, “…..no electronic or comb filtering artifacts, no phase issues, and no crossover dropouts in Atrio Series earphones[2]. All the listener hears is perfectly balanced, natural and realistic sound with a sense of "feel."   Again, basically this means that when you listen to music with these earphones on you’ll hear nothing but music, no static (unless it’s from a bad download to your iPod) & no extra noise. The music is tangible and realistic, making you want to really dig down deep and enjoy, maybe for the first time, tunes you thought you have always been listening to. You’ll hear the fingers on the string of an acoustic guitar, you can hear the drumstick tap the side of the drum, you can hear the footsteps of your favorite live performer.  All these things make the Atrio stand out above the rest. It was not developed for iPod users; it was designed for professionals who understand that they need to hear everything as clear as possible, because they know what they are looking for. It’s like giving an artist a drawing by a child and telling them that Degas did it. He’ll look it over and tell you in probably 2 seconds there is no way. Give a professional a typical headset and ask them to record and they will laugh at you, they know music, and they buy from Future Sonics.    

My Impression

One of the first things I noticed about the earphones was the odd shape and all the different attachments. I didn’t know what they were for and nothing came with my package to tell me. Normally they do come with an instruction sheet, but these were sent without because they were still new. It only took a minute to figure out that these were different pieces to make the fit right. I tried them all out, and really for me only one pair of silicone sleeves worked well for me, the others were too big or hurt my ears. 

My daughter had to use a different sleeve and again my son used another. And as it turns out they are meant for just that, my daughter is 9 and my son is 17, there is no way they would need the same size. Surprisingly, it also took me a minute to figure out how to wear them, once I wrapped them around the back of my ear they worked even better.

The outside noise just disappeared, the technical term is, “ambient noise rejection”. But for that to really happen the set has to fit just right, you absolutely have to get them on your ear right with the right piece. Once I got to where I was comfortable with them I tried these out with some music editing software at a friend's recording studio. Then I put on a pair of typical over the counter earphones and it was like night and day. I was able to actually hear the difference.

With the Atrio I could hear all the different tones, I could hear the treble as well as the bass, the mid levels were just as easy, it was wonderful! I felt as if it were occurring right in front of me in a sound booth! 

Overall

All in all this set is worth the price if you enjoy your tunes and want to feel like you’re at the show all alone. It takes some getting used to the feel of them on, but once you do it’s hard to go back. One thing I would recommend to them is to offer them in a traditional earphone style, full cover similar to Bose. Some people prefer the comfort of the full set on their ears. Other then that, if you use them with your iPod turn off the EQ, turn off the Sound Check. You do not need them and they will do more harm then good. Just listen to the music and you’ll never go back to traditional headsets. I guarantee you will be hooked.

Product Specifications

drivers future sonics proprietary mg5pro™ dynamic
frequencies 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz truetimbre™ response
impedance 32 ohm
sensitivity 112 dB @ 30 Hz / 1 mW
rejection up to 26 dB ambient noise rejection ™ (A.N.R.)
cable 1.3 m quietcables™ with reduced micro phonics
connector standard 3.5mm stereo mini-plug (gold)

Warranty Information 

http://www.futuresonics.com/warranty/index.html#atrioseries