Craft Ears Omnium Review – New Kid In Town

Pros –

Tough carrying case with practical zipper pocket, Attractive and premium design, Excellent tonal transparency throughout, Exceptional resolving power throughout, Highly spacious soundstage

Cons –

Bass can sound thin on certain tracks, Treble may be too hot for treble-sensitive listeners

Verdict –

The Omnium earns my highest recommendation for those valuing all-around balance and transparency alongside standout technical ability.

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About Craft Ears –

Craft Ears is a Polish audio company founded in 2019 by Jedrzej Nowicki, a drummer, music producer and audiophile. The company focuses on creating IEMs reasoning that they offer superior resolution and sharper imaging than speakers and headphones. In addition, their IEMs are designed to suit both enthusiasts and professionals, targeting accuracy and balance. Craft Ears considers all aspects of the design from driver choice and type, crossover circuit design, and acoustic chambers and resonators. They use the latest 3D printing technology and CAD to achieve their desired sound and are constantly experimenting with these variables. With this, they seek to elevate each design and continue to innovate to set themselves aside from the market.

Introduction –

I still remember when Jed first reached out to enquire about a review for his Craft Four. It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since then. The general landscape in audio has changed vastly since and Craft Ears has adapted stunningly, undoubtedly becoming one of the most rapidly evolving companies out there. I could tell Craft Ears was one to watch when Jed announced the Craft Six. Implementing 3D printed filters to extend the bass and a custom-designed chamber to enhance the soundstage, it offered a lot from an all-BA platform. More recently, the Aurum further strengthened my faith in the brand, refining the innovations pioneered by the Six upon a more capable tribrid driver platform. The newly announced Ominium is the brand’s first TOTL product that combines every innovation from their previous flagships alongside planar tech from the One and takes them all to the next level. The Omnium sports a unique driver platform alongside the most refined tuning from Craft Ears yet.

The Omniun is available for 2499 EUR at the time of writing. You can read more about the design, customize a custom unit or secure a universal for yourself at Craft Ears. For a limited time, receive a 15% discount or free Argentum in celebration of Craft Ear’s 5th Anniversary!

Disclaimer –

I would like to thank Jed very much for reaching out to organise a review of the new Omnium. All words are my own and there is no monetary incentive for a positive review. Despite receiving the earphones free of cost, I will attempt to be as objective as possible in my evaluation.

Contents –

• Page 1: Intro, Unboxing, Design
• Page 2: Sound and Source Pairings
• Page 3: Comparisons & Verdict

Specifications –

• Drivers: 1 LSR DD + 1 Planar + 5 tubeless BA
• Crossover: 6-Way
• Frequency Response: 8 Hz – 40 kHz
• Impedance: 12 ohms

Behind the Design –

Dynamic Driver Woofer

Low frequencies are delivered by a 9.2mm liquid silicone rubber dynamic driver (LSR). LSR refers to the silicone material used in the surround of the driver that acts as its suspension. As opposed to regular dynamic drivers used in IEMs, LSR drivers offer improved linearity and can achieve a more desirable frequency response. It has superior power handling as the surround can handle greater excursion than other dynamic drivers. The diaphragm material can also be customised, but this is not specified here.

SES 3.0

Space Expansion System 3.0 is the third generation of Jed’s customized tweeter system designed to deliver excellent extension and soundstage space. As opposed to the Aurum, the Omnium returns to using balanced armature drivers with the difference here being that they are now tubeless, instead married to a custom-designed acoustic chamber and resonator system. There are 5 in total, one covering the upper-mids, two for the highs, and an additional pair for the super-highs. Tubeless designs are becoming increasingly popular in the upper echelons. By removing the tube and damper system, Craft Ears bypasses the limitations of the tube material and widens the aperture allowing for a faster transient response and improved sensitivity. All of this means you get improved extension and less distortion than a regular BA driver setup.

3D-Printed Shell

The shell design melds a resin housing incorporating specifically designed resonators and chambers alongside a special waveguide to improve phase coherence. In addition, the faceplates offer a premium 18K gold-plated finish with a carbon fiber insert. A unique over-edge design gives the monitors a high-end look and feel whilst keeping weight minimal for improved wearing comfort.

True Load

Craft Ears specializes in flat impedance design, and this has been an ongoing trend in their previous designs. The Omnium also assumes this technology which helps to stabilize the impedance curve and therefore, deliver a more consistent frequency response from sources of differing output impedance. This is especially pertinent for multi-driver earphones as each driver can have its own impedance characteristics meaning the frequency response can vastly differ from source to source. While personal testing suggests that the Omnium does not have a perfectly linear impedance curve, it is certainly much more consistent than many competitors.

Unboxing –

Craft Ears has paid greater attention to the unboxing experience than on past models, implementing an extended accessory set on their flagship model. This begins with a new customized Craft Ears protective hard case which provides slightly larger dimensions than a Pelican case whilst offering similar toughness and weather-resistant features. A benefit of the Craft Ears case is that it includes an internal zippered mesh pocket that keeps the accessories organized. Craft Ears also include a dehumidifier pod which should help to minimize metal corrosion over time and keep the earphones performing at a high standard.

A cleaning tool and shirt clip are sensible additions in addition to a plastic ear tip organizer containing 6 pairs of tips. There are 3 sizes of silicone tips and 3 pairs of memory foam. The silicone tips resemble Acoustune AET07 tips but have a softer jacket and slightly larger aperture, so the experience is quite different. The included cable showcases a custom-like design and sports a modular connector system. 2 source-end terminations are included in the box, 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced. While the 2.5mm standard has become less popular in recent years, it still would have been nice to see this included for ultimate convenience.  

Design –

The Omnium is constructed using a CIEM-like production process that begins with a 3D-printed chassis but is refined with hand crafted faceplates, gloss coating and final assembly. Overall, the close attention to detail rewards with tight tolerances, a bubble-free clearcoat, and a smoothly formed resin-printed chassis. I will note that my unit did have one small defect. This is not uncommon on review samples as it minimizes wastage of parts with manufacturing defects and is understandable as we are not paying customers – retail units should have no such issues. From an ergonomic standpoint, the company is evidently drawing upon their impressions library from their CIEMs as the Omnium is smoother formed and more comfortable than preceding universal models.

There are many stunning designs on the market, but I feel Craft Ears has successfully balanced both a distinct look and a premium feel. The over-edge faceplates play a large part in this impression, giving the IEM a streamlined profile and beautifully framing the carbon-fiber faceplates. The 18K gold-plating is opulent but serves a dual purpose by imbuing a more weighted, solid feel. As it doesn’t contact the outer ear, you get the heft of metal without the uncomfortable coolness during wear. I also appreciate the coordination between the carbon faceplates and piano black resin, and similarly, the gold Craft Ears branding to the plated perimeter. It adds up to a product that is catching but not ostentatious.

The Omnium uses regular 0.78mm 2-pin connectors making it widely compatible with aftermarket cable options. However, like many IEM brands, Craft Ears has upped the quality of their included cables so swapping it out is more a matter of personal preference. This is a 4-wire cable with OCC silver-plated conductors and a clear PVC jacket. It has a compact aluminum y-split and chin slider and clear acrylic IEM connectors attached to comfortable pre-molded ear guides. The cable itself is highly compliant and has minimal memory making it very ergonomic and easy to live with. I didn’t find it microphonic or tangle-prone at all. The plug is relatively bulky due to its modular design. Like others, it has a keyed 4-pin connector but implements a screw-down lock that secures the connector. Though large, I appreciate the matching gold and black which complements the housings.

Fit & Comfort –

I was surprised by the size of the Omnium on first impression as they are definitely one of the larger earphones I’ve tested. That’s not to say they are uncomfortable, however, buyers with smaller-than-average ears will want to investigate the custom variant instead. Otherwise, the shells are smoothly and ergonomically formed so the size isn’t felt too much during wear. Rather than closely hugging the anatomical folds of the ear, they hover loosely in the outer ear. The large curve at the rear of the shell helps to distribute the weight over a larger surface area, mitigating hotspots. They are relatively tall but slim down near the nozzle to avoid interference with the tragus and antitragus. The nozzles are also well-angled and tapered for a solid fit and seal. As they are elongated, the listener can achieve both a looser medium-depth fit or a deeper fit when combined with smaller ear tips.

The overall seal is good but the simplified geometry of the shells means they sacrifice that perfect locked-in sensation in favour of greater compatibility with a wide range of ears. Though vents are not visible, I have been told that there is a hidden vent where the faceplate meets the chassis. In turn, there is no wearing pressure nor driver flex which contributes to greater wearing comfort. It also helps to minimize any occlusion effect and I found that footstep and self-generated noise was reduced relative to most IEMs, granting greater focus on the music. Passive noise isolation is very good for a vented design and though it isn’t quite as isolating as a sealed monitor, it gets close. This means they still sound nicely balanced when listening in louder environments making the Omnium perfectly suitable for commute and public transport.

Next Page: Sound Breakdown