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

Packaging and Accessories

There seem to be two general trains of thought when it comes to flagship IEMs—go premium/elegant yet understated, or go luxury and bold. PMG Audio, as with Custom Art, went the former route with the Apx Amber's product packaging and accessories previously, but has blown away all expectations with the Apx SE. In fact, and knowing that very few people will get to experience this, I decided to show the unboxing experience in detail here. IEMs tend to come in a box of some sort, be it cardboard for the vast majority or something fancier as with the wooden box used for the Apx Amber before. This time though, there is no product box as you just get a nondescript cardboard shipping box with bubble wrap protecting a large PMG-branded fabric drawstring bag, inside which is a premium brown leather case embossed with the brand logo on the front bottom.


This is a highly functional case, complete with a handle and zippers all procured by artisans using high-quality materials. Everything down from the smell to the touch to the sight oozes luxury, but with a sense of practical design behind everything—you don't need to baby this case around as it's quite durable, and yet it feels more premium than the hard cases we see with flagship headphones. Unzip and open the case to reveal a deliberately packed set of accessories in addition to the IEMs placed front and center in a custom-cut foam sheet made specifically for the Apx SE and its cable. The underside has a zipper compartment with a PMG Audio certificate poking out of it—you can fully place it inside and close the compartment as desired. This tells you the serial number of your specific unit, and is also how we know the Apx SE is limited to only 100 retail units worldwide. The handwritten number, date of production/assembly, and signature of PMG Audio's founder are personalized touches here. There are also three semi-open compartments in this same section of the case, one of which houses a box containing some ear tips we will go over soon. The primary section of the case has the other storage options in addition to another ear tip box placed underneath an acrylic sheet, which comes adorned with PMG branding.


As if the larger leather was not enough, we get two additional cases to store/carry the IEMs in. We saw a similar metal case employed with the Apx Amber, however this time it is black with a matte finish and a glossy logo on the top which is hard to photograph in direct light. The form factor is a circular puck-style and is threaded perfectly for a smooth opening and closing of the case. The lid opens up to reveal soft lining and plenty of room for the IEMs with the cable and ear tips attached, although I suspect this might be the least used of the available case options.


The third storage/carry option is also an upgrade from the semi-hard EVA blue case we saw before with PMG/Custom Art IEMs. This time, it's a custom-made fully leather case in blue, and comes with the IEMs + cable already out and in the custom foam insert. There is a truncated PMG Audio logo on the top, more high-quality zippers and stitching throughout, and soft suede lining inside in blue to match the theme going on with the Apx SE. We see dividers in the main section allowing you to place the IEMs and cable individually, and more compartments above for other accessories including extra ear tips, cable terminations, or even a portable DAC/amp. This is where you will find a plastic zip-lock bag containing yet more accessories.


Before we get to those accessories, PMG Audio has one more trick up its sleeve. Take out the foam sheet and you will see another smaller fabric drawstring bag as well as several dividers with hook-and-loop fasteners. There are three longer ones which stretch the width of the larger case and more of the shorter length sections which can be put together in this second bottom to make for a custom carry case not just for the Apx SE, but also other IEMs, sources, and much more. I have an example shown above with both PMG Audio IEMs by themselves and the other cases which could house more IEMs, spare ear tips, a DAP, and a portable DAC/amp too. The only thing I could think of here would be perhaps a shoulder strap for this briefcase, or even maybe a third length option for the dividers since I felt the shorter ones were occasionally too short, but really I am just left impressed with the plethora of options provided. In fact, PMG Audio says it will soon sell a bundle including the larger leather case, the two smaller cases, and the ear tip sets for £500 for anyone wanting to purchase them separately to use with other IEMs.


Now we can finally get to the ear tips and the other accessories, with PMG Audio providing the same silicone and foam tips in a plastic case as we saw before with the Apx Amber. These each come in sizes S/M/L, and are this time accompanied by a second set of silicone ear tips which sure remind me of unbranded Softears Ultra Clear tips—my personal favorite—in the same three sizes. These see-through tips employ a tacky flange that molds better to your ear canals and provides a great seal for anyone who can get them to stick correctly and not buckle inward, it's not a guaranteed fit but works really well for me. More ear tips would always be welcome, but I do feel these three types in three sizes each are going to be satisfactory for most people, especially considering those who purchase flagship IEMs tend to already have their own preferred aftermarket ear tips in the first place. Rounding off the unboxing section, the plastic pouch from earlier contains two of the three cable termination options—the 4.4 mm TRRRS balanced connector comes pre-installed. I took it off for a family photo of the three, including 2.5 mm TRRRS balanced and 3.5 mm TRS single-ended, which are on the larger side for such modular connector plugs and have custom hardware in blue and black to continue the color scheme chosen for the Apx SE.


For a closer examination of the IEMs and the cables separately, I had to first remove the cable from the IEMs. A quick look here reveals the use of standard 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors, so things are simple enough given this involves just a friction fit. Carefully dislodge the connectors by holding one of the IEM shells in one hand and applying outward pressure on the cable connector with the other, without wiggling things sideways or up/down. Repeat this with the other side and you are done!