Introduction

Those who have read my IEM reviews would be familiar with Poland-based Custom Art which impressed with the FIBAE 7, the FIBAE 5, and the Hybrid 3 Pro in-ear monitors we previously covered. The team behind Custom Art were among the first in the world to come up with multiple different technologies, including the ability to have a flat impedance curve for IEMs, allowing them to retain their tonality irrespective of the output impedance of sources used. It has also been experimenting with different driver types and combinations, and the very name of the brand is a testament to the truly custom designs employed for its IEMs, be it for its resin shells or faceplates you can customize in hundreds of configurations. The founder of Custom Art—Piotr Marek Granicki—decided last year that the time was right to open a premium product division, effectively a boutique brand which pushed boundaries further in form and function alike. PMG Audio was thus born, and we saw its debut product earlier this year with the highly limited Apx flagship IEMs which sold out almost instantly despite its expensive asking price. I mentioned in said review how the Apx—now referred to as Apx Amber owing to its hand-assembled and one of a kind amber faceplates—was not the end of that story, and today we are back with PMG Audio's latest, and arguably greatest, entry yet.


As with the PMG Audio Apx Amber, the new Apx SE is also a flagship set that costs multiple thousands of dollars. Before you ask, there is an established market for such IEMs and there are many which cost significantly more, too. The SE in the product name here refers to Stone Edition, which indicates the use of precious stones rather than the amber in the original Apx. PMG Audio has also completely overhauled its unboxing experience and accessories, acknowledging feedback from customers and others alike who felt the Apx perhaps was a touch too plain in its offerings. No one could deny the Apx was exceptionally good at how it sounded though, yet it was not for everyone, owing to a brighter tonality that worked favorably for some music genres and personal preferences. The new Apx SE has a different sound signature too, with a demo unit at CanJam London being among the most sought after all weekend and getting rave reviews from the vast majority of people who tried it. It would seem fair then to say that the Apx SE has a lot of interest from people regardless of whether they can afford it, and it generally seems to be better in a lot of metrics compared to its predecessor. Imagine my surprise then to find out this was going to come at a lower price! Thanks to PMG Audio for providing a demo sample to TechPowerUp, as we aim to solve this puzzle and put the Apx SE through its paces in our review beginning with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications