Closer Examination

So far I\OAudio has managed to convince me everything has been custom-made for the VOLARE and this continues with the included cable too. It's a modular cable and this means we get a choice of 2.5/4.4 mm TRRS balanced connector plugs or a 3.5 mm TRS single-ended connection you can change to 6.35 mm (1/4") using the included adapter. These three plugs are housed in aluminium hardware given a glossy black finish and are relatively low in profile compared to typical such modular connectors. Looking at the cable and these plugs up close, we see it relies on a friction fit with a guide pin, but there are also threads on the outside that another metal piece on the cable screws into for a secure connection. This results in a neat black and gold aesthetic that I am a big fan of personally. There is internal strain relief leading to eight strands, once again in black, that contain silver-plated oxygen-free copper wiring inside. The cable looks bulky and yet remains highly flexible, does not display any memory retention or kinking, and has no microphonics in use. The splitter is low profile too with I\O branding and the chin slider is functional in that it remains in place where you leave it. This leads to pre-formed ear hooks on the IEM side where the opaque black sheathing does feel uglier than the rest of the cable. The cable uses standard 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors on housings that are very similar to the splitter on purpose, have I and O printed on them for branding, and a red ring helps identify the right channel. The metal plugs on either end are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


The shells make a strong statement the first time you see them, and then you realize there's more to note each time you observe them carefully. These are made for I\OAudio by Heygears, a 3D printing design and manufacturing company that has worked with more established brands including MOONDROP, FiiO, and Truthear when it comes to resin shell IEMs. Heygears uses DLP (digital light processing) 3D printing of various different resins to get the same detailed prints that SLA printing offers but at a much faster rate enabling true mass volume production. These shells are opaque black but get the glitter treatment making them look premium but not overly flashy. In fact, having spoken to Custom Art before, I know that such a treatment step can add more to the cost of the shells than you might think, too.


The faceplates are striking by themselves and yet look just right for these shells to where it does feel to be a cohesive choice of components made by I\OAudio. The monochrome color scheme will again appeal to those who prefer a cleaner aesthetic, especially since the shells are not really visible once in the ears, and the patterns help break up the monotony. Branding comes in the form of I and O on the two faceplates applied in a fairly subtle manner—you will notice it mostly when light catches the faceplates at an angle. The same can be said about the glittery shells too as well as the VOLARE writing on the top. There is a large vent on the side next to recessed 2-pin connectors and it was at this point that I realized I should have probably wiped the shells before using the macro lens given how well they were polished and thus had some of the foam threads stuck to the shells when I removed them from the box. These are relatively large shells albeit fairly ergonomically designed with the nozzle being printed with the same resin the shells are made of. Those with smaller ear canals may not like the 6.6 mm nozzle width though, albeit this is at the very end only with the main body being 5.6 mm wide. The provided ear tips fit well over the nozzle and remain in place with the built-in notch and defined end point. There is no metal filter on the end of the nozzle where we see three openings with two containing dampers as part of the tuning system.


I encourage customers of the I\OAudio VOLARE to try out the various ear tips and see what works best for them. The next step is to attach the provided cable which fits in easily into the recessed 2-pin connectors in the IEMs as seen above and remain there with a friction fit. The end result is a predominantly black set, including the ear tips, which has some bling to it if you get up close.