Introduction

I receive, on average, 15-20 emails each day soliciting product reviews. Given the two primary categories I deal with—audio and keyboards—are in the middle of a long boom period, I suppose it's no surprise that many of these emails tend to come from Asian brands, many of whom I had never heard of before. A lot of these products end up being sold by a paper company which has contracted an OEM partner/factory to manufacture the products so we end up with a lot of similar stuff as well as many less-than-impressive products too. Given also how the in-ear monitor space in particular has been just exploding in popularity lately, there are so many new brands popping out of the woodwork that it becomes extremely hard for a genuinely impressive product to get its fair dues, let alone a debut entry from a new brand. I have saved you readers from going through loads of mediocre e-waste as a result, but every once in a while something comes up that reminds me why I like to review products. Two years ago we saw Truthear have an impressive debut, and today it appears to be the turn of I\OAudio.


I know the people behind I\OAudio, which is why I am typing it as so after having checked with them multiple times and not as I\O Audio as you might expect—blame trademarks for this! I\OAudio is based out of Shenzhen in China where it would seem >80% of everything in the personal audio space is manufactured today. The people behind the brand have been involved with IEMs for a while now and learnt the tricks of the trade enough to decide they want to show what they can do. This begins today with the VOLARE, a tribrid set of IEMs boasting a 1 DD/4 BA/4 EST driver configuration that tends to be in sets costing well over $1000. Add to this a luxurious unboxing experience and accessories collection and I started to think this might well cost over $1500, especially with the shells that remind me of some very expensive sets I have here. I feel positive enough about the I\OAudio VOLARE to say it deserves plenty of attention, especially seeing as how it actually costs closer to $500! Hopefully this helps persuade more of you to go through the entire review and not just dismiss this as yet another random brand trying its luck in the crowded IEM space, so let's thank I\OAudio for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp and begin with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Given this is a debuting product from a new brand, I had no idea what to expect when it comes to the packaging design and unboxing experience. A cube landed on my door that is not the easiest to photograph given the outer sleeve is black with a slightly glossy finish. The various sides have multiple instance of the brand and product names listed on them in addition to the driver configuration too. One side, which I would assume is the back, has the product specs, a list of contents, as well as a factory-provided frequency response curve which I appreciate more brands choosing to add on the product box. The inner box slides off either side, is also black, has multiple instances of "VOLARE" printed, and then we see one of the sides asks you to open a magnetic lid that unfurls to reveal the storage/carry case. The bottom section also opens up and we see three separate compartments which can be pulled out to reveal the various accessories—perhaps some inspiration has been taken from the prestigious Sony IER-Z1R here.


Each of these three trays comes with a thick foam sheet and machined cutouts to snugly fit and protect the items you get included with the VOLARE. I like that these trays are labeled so you can pull out exactly what you want. The bottom tray, for example, contains paperwork including a user manual walking you through the usage and maintenance of these IEMs, a QC card, a warranty guide, a VIP card that also has the serial number of the set, and a microfiber cloth sheet to help clean the IEMs as needed. We also find a 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm (1/4") single-ended adapter in this section. The top tray has the cable presented very neatly—so much so that packing it back after the review showed me how much thought went into this unboxing experience—and the middle tray contains the impressive selection of ear tips that come labeled with what appear to be I\OAudio product names. I would have liked to also see some mention of what these different ear tips are supposed to do lest the choices overwhelm some customers. We get four types of silicone and one type of memory foam tips, each in sizes S/M/L, for a total of 15 pairs of ear tips! The silicone tips seem to differ in bore width and length as well as flange thickness/stiffness too, but there are enough options provided to help ensure a good fit and seal for anyone using the VOLARE.


The storage/carry case for the I\OAudio VOLARE is also black to match the rest of the accessories and this will no doubt please many who prefer a clean, more minimalist approach in a sea of anime in the IEM market. This is larger than average, uses what appears to be high quality leather with excellent stitching throughout, has I\O embossed on the top, and opens/closes firmly to where I am confident this is not going to inadvertently come loose and allow the contents inside to drop out anytime soon. It adopts a circular puck shape but with a flat section that allows you to place the case horizontally or vertically and comes with a soft lining on the inside with plenty of room for the cable and IEMs—after you have removed the foam inserts used for the packaging anyway. Speaking of which, we see the IEMs also placed within individual foam compartments for added protection on their way to you. I think it would be fair to say this is an impressive unboxing experience with a first impression that can create a perception of value even before you listen to the IEMs—great start so far for a new brand!