Elysian Acoustic Labs Pilgrim Review – Distinguished Everyman

Sound –

Testing Methodology: Measured using Arta via IEC 711 coupler to Startech external sound card. 7-9KHz peaks may be artifacts/emphasized due to my measurement setup which I found to be the case here. Measurements besides channel balance are volume-matched at 1KHz. Fit depth normalized to my best abilities to reduce coupler resonance. Still, due to these factors, my measurements may not accurately reflect the earphones or measurements taken by others.

Tonality –

The Pilgrim sports a tuning that suits the tastes of the modern listener. It’s a modest V-shaped tuning overall but this shouldn’t suggest an overall laid-back or warm sound due to increased contrast between the three core frequency bands. The result is a vibrant, engaging character that doesn’t upset the overall tonal balance. Stealing most attention is the powerful sub-bass-focused low end that delivers a hearty slam and pressure albeit a lighter-footed mid-bass that appears to be a popular trend of late but may not be to everyone’s taste.  The midrange sits a step behind the bass and treble whilst boasting a clean, clear expression. Elysian IEMs have always been known for their energetic treble response and the Pilgrim is no different, delivering a crisp and nicely extended top-end without miring with excessive brightness. It’s a subtle and refined tuning that offers a pleasant bite in the foreground paired with a cleaner background and smooth upper treble. The Pilgrim overall offers well-considered emphases and enough linearity to maintain versatility.

Bass –

If a powerful, deeply extending bass prioritizing rumble is your cup of tea, the Pilgrim is one to watch. It delivers just that, with a moderate sub-bass boost that falls off quickly through the mid-bass before a plateau through the upper-bass and lower midrange. This makes it a specialist in sub-bass slam, weight, and overall rumble whilst upholding a clean tone and slightly leaner character through the mid-bass and midrange. At the same time, bass is big, bold, and grand. As others have mentioned, sub-bass commands attention meaning the finer textures and richness within the mid to upper-bass region are less prioritised. Though not absent, the Pilgrim best suits those wanting bass energy over the greatest micro detail, texture, and balance.

Elysian has also picked a suitable driver with a note presentation that complements its tonality. It isn’t the fastest bass but delivers excellent power and exacting control enabling an especially satisfying note attack and pressurization. The strong driver control prevents boom and equates to a well-defined sub-bass despite its quantity. Decay speed is medium contributing to the structure and thickness of sub-bass notes albeit at the expense of some spillage into the mid-bass. In turn, mid-bass detail retrieval is just average for the asking price, and I do find some competitors such as the DITA Project M provide a more nuanced and responsive bass overall. However, though sacrificing some balance and speed, the Pilgrim is a great choice for sub-bass overs wanting sensational depth and power with impressive control.

Mids –

A neutral bass-to-midrange transition sets the foundation for a clean, transparent, and slightly lean midrange voicing. This is followed by a progressive rise to 3kHz prominence providing a pleasant vocal presence. A small 4kHz plateau combats excessive forwardness that might fatigue when combined with the enhanced bass and lower treble. This tuning lends the Pilgrim’s midrange excellent definition and a neutral tone but also a slightly laid-back position. The sub-bass-focused low-end contributes to non-existent bass colouration despite packing a decent emphasis with the chief colouration being a slight uptick in articulation. This serves to enhance vocal definition and fine detail retrieval at the expense of giving the earphones a bit of strain on certain tracks.

As a result, those prioritising warmth, fullness and coherence may find the Pilgrim too lean for their liking. It appeals most to lovers of energy and clarity and does so with enough restraint to avoid alienating listeners wanting balance. The laid-back positioning works wonderfully in tandem with the slightly revealing voicing to mitigate fatigue. Sibilance wasn’t an issue in my testing and overall midrange resolving power and layering are strong performers in class. The upper-midrange bias does mean male vocals take a backseat and similarly, vocal size is slightly diminished meaning the earphones can lack gusto. While the tinges of strain mean the voicing isn’t perfect, instruments and vocals are presented in good balance and impress with a consistent character track to track. The Pilgrim isn’t the most natural and coherent set, but offers a pleasing timbre and voicing with mild colouration to increase engagement.

Highs –

The Pilgrim offers a crisp and well-present lower treble that provides a pleasant foil to its robust bass response. It is defined by a lower-treble hump that gradually tapers off through the mid and upper treble. Accordingly, though nicely extended, it lacks the presence to awe with sparkle and air, being rather smooth and clean through these regions. Meanwhile, the 5kHz hump grants a good sense of crispness and foreground bite. It highlights detail presence and results in a very well-defined image with excellent focus. Notes are slightly thin but overall, please with their level of texture. The Pilgrim does miss out on some shimmer and air, but this enables it to be quite an innocuous-sounding earphone despite its lower-treble tuning due to its overall low level of intensity.

Conversely, those wanting heaps of fine detail, sparkle and air may be left wanting due to the relative smoothness through these regions. The Pilgrim sounds nicely detailed but doesn’t highlight the fine intricacies. There’s enough extension to craft an involving sense of atmosphere and dimensions but audible micro detail and resolution of background details are just mediocre. I do enjoy the focused foreground detail delivery as percussion, strings and cymbals all sound vivid and clearly expressed. Contrasted to the dark background, the Pilgrim offers nice, organised layers and further highlights foreground details. Ultimately, the Pilgrim appeals to those wanting a crisp, energetic treble but still a well-damped one devoid of glare and brittleness.

Soundstage –

The Pilgrim has quite a spacious stage for a midrange IEM and this sentiment extends both to width and depth. While it won’t challenge pricier IEMs, the Pilgrim extends just beyond the head with ease. Imaging impresses too with a tack-sharp centre image and pinpoint precise directional cues on account of the defined and present lower treble. Layering is also impressive due to the contrast between the focused foreground and darker background. It lacks the precise distance portrayal of more linear earphones and doesn’t delineate between each individual layer quite like a high-end IEM. However, the overall image is organised and immersive all the same. Separation performs at a high standard, missing some mid-bass detail due to the sub-bass bias down low but otherwise, presenting fine details in a clear manner.

Driveability –

Sporting a 9-ohm impedance and a 101dB sensitivity, the Pilgrim is an efficient earphone but not to the extent that it will overly tax the source or pick up excessive amounts of noise. It feels well specced to be more forgiving on lower powered or lower cost and portable sources.

Output Impedance Sensitivity

Despite having a relatively low output impedance, the Pilgrim isn’t overly affected by this quality. Measurements suggest a subtle bump in the low-end and smoothing of the high-end from a high output impedance and I would be inclined to agree from subjective impressions. Using a 20 Ohm in-line adaptor revealed a slightly smoother overall sound with a greater emphasis on bass. The midrange becomes slightly fuller, and treble is less prominent. It’s actually quite a pleasant change and some may even prefer it making this a viable way to tune the earphones. Sources with a slightly higher impedance of several ohms should only provide minimal changes to the overall tonal balance.

Driving Power

As aforementioned, the Pilgrim is an efficient earphone and despite its focus on delivering powerful, extended bass, doesn’t thirst for a powerful source to achieve it. Comparing the DITA Navigator to my desktop stack revealed a more defined, controlled bass and a larger soundstage but a similar tonal balance and sub-bass slam. Any decent dongle and portable source will drive the Pilgrim well. It also isn’t especially hiss sensitive making it suitable for low-volume listeners.

Suggested Pair Ups

The Pilgrim overall pairs well with slightly warmer, smoother sources or dead neutral ones. Its leaner midrange doesn’t tend to jive with brighter sources. It is tolerant of output impedance, with only sources over 10 ohms producing a notably bassier, smoother sound that some may enjoy. The Pilgrim isn’t sensitive to hiss and is powered sufficiently by portable sources such as dongles.

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