The Craft Ears Omnium is a very interesting set, primarily because it sounds unlike anything else I have heard. Not only this, it does so by following a tuning which my brain says should not work well, yet somehow manages to do so. It's certainly a specialist set, with gobs of excellent sub-bass and snappy, accurate mids in addition to a vocal-forward presentation. It's so different that I am actually conflicted about pricing. On one hand, €2499 is a lot of money and I would personally like to see better accessories and unboxing experience in this price range. There is no cleaning tool or shirt clip even, and the storage/carry case is extremely utilitarian. On the other hand, I get the feeling that this set from a few other brands would be priced closer to twice as much and arguably get more attention from those audiophiles who would automatically think it will be exceptional simply because it is in the TOTL class price-wise. Of course then it would be accompanied by lavish leather cases and a fancy bespoke cable, and yet that would naturally be worse value too. In this price range, the Omnium is actually a unicorn of sorts in offering something that should meet quite a few needs phenomenally and is not a jack of all trades as we often see. At the same time, a small team of five in a small city in Poland is a far cry from a giant factory in Shenzhen or California, for example. So would something like this from a larger brand be priced lower? They likely won't be able to offer the individual customization or service you get here, which extends to a no questions asked warranty/return service and of course the ability to configure the design of your Omnium IEMs even with a universal fit.

So if we take out comparative value, the Omnium is hard to judge in a vacuum. Yet there are clearly strengths and weaknesses, some of which are not subjective. The biggest issue for Craft Ears is the lack of a widespread retail channel, with most orders having to be placed blindly in the absence of demo units in various countries. I liked the Omnium and Craft Ear's ethics enough to put the brand in touch with some people, including a large North American distributor, so hopefully more people will be able to try the Omnium before deciding whether this is for you. It's all the more critical even beyond the novel tonality, even if the technical/subjective aspects hold up. The Omnium is just not going to fit everyone, and that's a fact even Craft Ears is aware of. The nozzle, while not the largest ever at 6.35 mm wide, has an extremely steep insertion angle to where getting a secure seal is less than trivial, even if it remains uncomfortable. This won't be the case for everyone, and indeed a rudimentary observation over the course of an audio show revealed the majority were still able to use the Omnium well enough to know whether it is for them after all. The CIEM version obviously gets around this issue, and honestly I was pleasantly surprised at how the CIEM version and custom design UIEM versions were priced very reasonably compared to the default UIEM set I have here.

My interest in the Craft Ears Omnium started as a result of HIFIMAN representatives telling me about it, and how the two brands collaborated to a small extent to allow for Craft Ears to better understand how planar magnetic headphones render the mids in a special manner that works so well for me. The Omnium gets hilariously close, including with a wide soundstage as a result of a few tuning tricks. Yet this, combined with that tonality, results in some leaner bass notes which will make initial impressions less positive for many who judge IEMs at audio shows. It's harder to appreciate mids and treble in a louder environment even if you have a good fit, and the more forward vocals can also come out shouty for some. The treble is fine for me, yet I don't have a lot to talk about it compared to the mids and sub-bass again. Those are the clear stars here, and that's why I find myself using the Omnium quite a lot recently. It's certainly not a perfect set and has some issues I would rather not see at this price, so I feel awarding it a recommendation while marking it as expensive for said recommendation is a fair conclusion. Hopefully more people will be aware of the Omnium now, and Craft Ears as a whole, and I also know there are some cool things coming up from them to where this is a brand that will command attention in the future.