By the time you read this review, there will no doubt be many other reviews of the SOGNO out. In fact, I did read/watch some after I had finished testing the set just to make sure I did not have a lemon set. Most people seem to be just okay with the SOGNO, which is a fair way to put it. I think the biggest issue is a general fatigue in the IEM market with sets that are tuned to match the Harman 2019 v2 in-ear target. What was a safe default a few years ago is now coming off as a crutch instead. We've seen a lot of brands move away from this for good reason, with people generally finding the Harman target to result in too much bass, lean mids, and overly present vocals. Not all of this will be valid for everyone though, especially since this hobby is so subjective. There are of course people who judge IEMs simply by how close the tonality adheres to this target, which is their prerogative. By that metric, the I\OAudio SOGNO will no doubt appeal to them. You still get impressive sub-bass, almost like there's a subwoofer in the ears, and that alone will result in sales. Then there's the part where I\OAudio is aiming to appeal to many by not going the female mascot route, and instead offering a clean aesthetic which still looks premium. In fact, as with the VOLARE before, the unboxing experience and accessories on offer are generally beyond what you get at this price. First impressions are likely to be quite positive, as you will feel you get more for your money here.

The real issue is that there are many other IEMs available which sound very similar to the SOGNO and cost significantly less. If you are a fan of the tuning, the likes of the Truthear NOVA and upcoming ZERO:BLUE 2 are going to be better options, especially with the NOVA at $150 and the ZERO:BLUE 2 costing $55 when it releases. I would not be surprised if the BA drivers used by the two brands are similar either, there's a distinct timbre common across their IEMs. Step away from this small brand umbrella and you will be amongst so many other brands with Harman-tuned IEMs for under $100—Simgot, INTUAURA, even KZ. I am not convinced the SOGNO is an appreciable step-up in sound compared to most of these sets, and unfortunately that means the $399 asking price puts it in tough territory. This is where a lot of exciting IEMs are coming out now which are taking new learnings from audio engineering and applying them in novel ways. Some use DSP to try and hit different preferences, others go for a balanced tuning which sounds "correct" for more people than these Harman-tuned sets. Not helping matters is the part where the I\OAudio VOLARE is itself an improved take on the SOGNO's tuning style, and sounds significantly better to me. It costs more at $599, yet I find it offering better value than the SOGNO. Hopefully I\OAudio goes a different route next time and also tries to make its new IEMs look different from the ones it's already put out—smaller shells and nozzles would also be highly appreciated.