Intro
The brand Astrotec is no stranger in the audiophile community. Lyra Mini is created after the well received Lyra Nature with a friendlier price tag, not to mention they also received a VGP 2021 Summer award not long after their release. Having heard quite a few earbuds from Venture Electronics, this is my first time trying out a pricier earbuds despite the “friendlier” price tag. Before we begin with the review, you may refer to the specs below if you are interested.
A big thanks to AudioMonsta for the opportunity to be in this review tour. Do head to their website to check them out!
Specifications
Driver: Φ14mm dynamic Impedance: 32 OHM Cable: High purity OFC silver-plated cable Rated Power: 2 mW Max Power: 8 mW Type: Dynamic driver earbud Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 35KHz Sensitivity: 103 dB/1mw (S.P.L at 1KHz) Plug: Ф3.5mm Stereo gold-plated plug
Design/Comfort
The design of Lyra Mini looks premium. Elegant and classy all around. The quality of the cable feels pretty solid and complements well with the design of Lyra Mini. The cable doesn’t get tangled easily which is a plus point for earbuds with non detachable cable. Although, at its price point, I would expect it to at least have this feature included for users who like to cable roll, but some compromises gotta be made in order to bring the price down i believe. One can’t have them all, right? The L and R marking is etched on the side of the cable, a little difficult to identify them if you are just looking at it, it can easily be solved by just using color coded foam such as blue/red. Not a big deal.
As for the comfort, it feels very lightweight on my ears and like every other earbud, I don't have any problem wearing them for long sessions even throughout the day. The size is also suitable to be used as a sleeping bud which is fairly common for earbuds with smaller shells such as Venture Electronic’s Monk Lite.
As with every other earbud out there, don’t expect noise isolation from what you would normally get from an in-ear monitor. You can however mask out the noise by increasing the volume, however that’s not advisable. Protect your hearing if you want to enjoy this audio for as long as you can!
Packaging
The unboxing experience is fairly average. A box with Lyra Mini in it, a carrying case and cleaning brush. The foams disintegrated when I received the unit, so I am using my own foams. Nothing to shout out. However, being priced at 98 USD, i do expect a better unboxing experience nonetheless.
Source
Cayin N3 Pro (Tube Mode - Triode) -> Astrotec Lyra Mini (Full Foam)
Sound
Hit the play button, immediately I am greeted with a spacious sound. The soundstage is big and to my ears, it feels like I'm listening to a full sized headphone in terms of soundstage. Lyra Mini sounded neutral to my ears. A little bright as well and pairs very well with Cayin N3 Pro with the tube mode on. Very enjoyable listening experience. I also tested with CX Pro dongle, immediately I noticed the difference between the dongle and a dedicated player. On Cayin N3 Pro, everything sounded fuller as it benefited from the extra driving power of N3 Pro, CX-Pro on the other hand, the bass sounded quite loose and not as controlled as N3 Pro. Soundstage is not as wide as well. Despite being rated at 32 Ohm, Lyra Mini does benefit from a better source and also favours more power.
To test the bass reproduction of Lyra Mini, I fired up The Weeknd’s Save Your Tears, immediately I was able to notice that it is lacking in terms of bass reproduction. Don’t get me wrong, the bass is clean,tight,controlled and doesn’t feel bloated at all, it is lacking in terms of quantity. Other than that, it is fast and punchy. Definitely nowhere near bass head kind of bass. To me it is adequate as i’m not a bass head myself. The quantity and quality is enough for me to enjoy my playlist.
The mids of Lyra Mini sounded very natural to my ears. The texture is just right and female vocals such as Teresa Teng’s feels full bodied and very pleasant to listen to. Male’s vocal however does sound a little thin, just a little. It is still very enjoyable and does not disrupt the listening experience. I do feel that there’s a little emphasis on the upper mids making the overall presentation a little bright.
Onto the highs of Lyra Mini, in my opinion, this could make or break the performance of an earbud. No matter how well tuned the bass and mids are, if the highs are not done well, it will induce sibilant or make the listening experience feel fatiguing. Well, thankfully, Lyra Mini got it right, the highs are smooth and the detail retrieval is good. 0 fatiguing experience and no sibilance at all. The high feels crisp and detailed.
Soundstage and imaging is pretty good. The instruments being played on the opening of Field Negus by Sons of Kemet, can easily be pinpointed. Layering is also good as they don’t overlap each other. I would consider the soundstage wide and deep the way they are presented to my ears.
Final Thoughts
For someone who has never tried an earbud before, honestly, there are a lot of other models out there that offer better price performance ratio. Lyra Mini, to me is an earbud that is for someone who has owned several earbuds and knows what they like and is looking to step up their earbud game. The audio performance is commendable as well as the design of the earbud. It screams premium for sure. I do think that if the price is slightly lower, it will be an easy recommendation for those who are new into the earbud game. Lyra Mini is a very solid product overall. I would give it a 4 star rating due to its pricing.
If you are interested in getting the Lyra Mini, you may head to their AliExpress store at the following link: Astrotec
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