Closer Examination

INTUAURA's unique selling point is with the DSP cables, with even the least expensive Reference 2019 coming with a single DSP cable that results in the final tonality, you guessed it, matching the Harman 2019 v2 in-ear target. For the flagship Lakeview, we get a rarely-seen 16-strand stock cable, but one that's weaved tight enough to where it still only takes up as much room as a thick 4-strand or a regular 8-strand cable. This, combined with the thin sheathing material, helps prevent the stock cable from being an unwieldy and stiff snake. The Lakeview originally shipped with a 4-strand cable with silver- and gold-plated copper, so just ignore that shinier cable if you see some retailers still use those older photos. The current one comes after changes made based on user feedback, and uses high-purity single-crystal copper conductor. I dig the all-black aesthetic too, and this continues with the short black DSP cable that is named "Phantasm Pro for Lakeview." The other one has a translucent sheath over the multicolored wiring inside, and also uses gray hardware for further distinction. This one is the "Phantasm for Lakeview." I've seen some of the other DSP cables for INTUAURA's other IEMs, and they seem to look similar to the Phantasm Pro here, except with a label to help identify them. I believe the Lakeview is the only set to come with two DSP cables, and both have a built-in DAC with its own tiny amplifier to not only help with the stored EQ profile for the Lakeview, but also be the source to help drive the IEMs directly from your phone or other digital output. The stock cable uses a 4.4 mm TRRRS balanced source termination for analog connection, and has aluminium hardware in a beaded silver finish. There's plenty of branding throughout, except on the actual splitter where we usually see it, and the cable instead has a low profile splitter paired with a highly functional cable cinch. This leads to two 8-strand sections, and closer to the IEM side we see pre-formed ear hooks that help make the cable go over and around the back of your ears. The cable terminates in two standard 0.78 mm 2-pin plugs in housings that have L/R markings to help identify the left and right channels, respectively. All the analog plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


The Lakeview IEM shells are made for INTUAURA by Heygears, a 3D printing design and manufacturing company that has worked with more established brands, including MOONDROP and FiiO, 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. We've seen their work before, usually with black or clear shells, and here we see translucent blue shells that have the nozzle as part of this one-piece assembly. The shells are finished and polished to a high degree, allowing a sneak peek at the driver inside. The faceplates are glued and resin-capped such that you really can't tell where they end and the shells begin purely by touch. The shells adopt a semi-ergonomic design to better fit in the ears, and are slimmer than usual to further facilitate this.


Now we get to the faceplates, which are what these IEMs are named after. These are hand-drawn and aim to resemble the reflection of the sky on a lake's surface—a lake view, if you will. I remember the show demo unit looking similar on a general level, but it's when you get closer that things will be different with the blue streaks depicting water pathways and shiny elements aiming to remind you of how the sun's reflection can make water shine bright. The truncated brand logo is applied in a reflective silver finish on the top, with the brand name similarly seen at the bottom. There is clever venting on the side that is done via the shells having cutouts to spell out the logo and "Vision," which is an INTUAURA IEM series that the Lakeview belongs to. Here we can also see the sound absorption system and the acoustic tuning system used in the Lakeview, with the aim being to absorb unwanted harmonics in the cavity and optimizing the final tuning/sound performance. There are L/R markings on the longer side facing outwards, and these are alongside flush 2-pin cable connectors. This is the one place where the finish could be better, as some of the excess glue is still visible on the outside. It takes a macro lens to see it clearly, but this is still a venue for improvement on a premium set of IEMs. The side contacting the ear is flat at the top before having an indent leading up to the nozzle that is 6.4 mm at the edge and goes down to 5.8 mm thereafter, and this lip at the end helps keep the ear tips in place once installed. The nozzle isn't very aggressively angled inward, but its length should help with the fit even if the wider diameter can be a deterrent for those with smaller ear canals. A metal mesh filter placed on the nozzle opening prevents contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber, and INTUAURA provides replacement filters in the box as we saw before.


Fitting the different stock ear tips is easy enough given the bores are sized appropriately to stretch over and on the nozzle without much struggle, and seen above are the silicone ear tips in size M installed on one of the IEMs to show the length and form factor of each. The lip on the nozzle also helps retain the ear tips and prevents them from coming loose/remaining behind in the ear canals when you remove the IEMs after a listening session. Do try both options provided to get the best possible fit and seal, noting also that they can influence the sound signature slightly too. I recommend tip rolling in case you have any fit/seal issues with the stock tips, especially as you don't get a lot of ear tips in the box to begin with. The next step is to connect the analog cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the ear hooks around your ear when connecting the IEMs. Doing so is extremely simple since you just push the two pins of the cable connectors into the receptacles in the IEMs themselves. The black cable and gray hardware is not necessarily a great aesthetic match with the blue shells, and the DSP cable can make things look even less fitting—especially with the Phantasm for Lakeview cable.