Pros:

Great for vocal lovers

Metal build quality & workmanship

Great for Jazz & Blues

Cons:

No 4.4mm balanced option

Not for bass heads

Oriveti bleqk- Dynabird review

I am audiophile from sunny South Africa and was very happy when offered the opportunity to try out some products from Oriveti. The word “bleqk” stands for “Basic Line Exquisite Quality Kept” and I will put that to the test. The Dynabird was sent to me in turn for my honest opinion. The delivery went really fast and I got it in under 14 days. The guys over at Oriveti are really friendly and helpful.

Unboxing:

The Dynabird came in a medium-sized black cardboard box with a gun-metal colored cardboard cover that slides over the black box.  Inside the black box there is a flap you lift up to reveal the carrying case and a small box with your accessories in it. Very minimalist design and I have to admit that I line the minimalism. The Earphones and cable you will find inside the carrying case and not displayed on top like most earphones comes packaged.

Look & Build:

The Dynabird sells for $99.99 and for the price I do believe that you are getting you money’s worth. The shells are alu-metal and boy do they give the look of strength and quality. The moment you take them in your hands you can feel they are heavy and sturdy. The design is a unique geometric design and I applaud Oriveti for experimenting with newer designs. The fit in my ears was very good and I could never feel that I even had an IEM in my ear. This provides long unfatiguing listening sessions. Two different ear tips are included in three sizes each. The one is wide bore and the other one I would see is between wide bore and narrow bore. My favorite was the narrower bore. For the first time in about 8 reviews, I actually liked the cable. The all-black cable suits the gun-metal faceplates beautifully and makes for a real clean look with beautiful lines. I wish Oriveti added a 4.4mm option in this cable. The cable is not so thin and flimsy like most of the IEM I review. The case is a very sturdy canvas affair and for me personally cases always beats carrying pouches.

Specs:

Driver: Exclusive Be-Coated 9.2mm Dynamic Driver

Impedance: 16 Ohm

Frequency Response: 10 – 20000Hz

Sensitivity: 105+-3dB/mW, 1000Hz

Distortion: 0.08%

Plug: Gold-plated 3.5mm Stereo Plug

Connectivity:

The Dynabird is only available in 3.5mm so you can connect it to a plethora of sources. I tried the Dynabird on some of my Dac/amps like the EPZ TP35 and TP50. I also connected it to my phone, laptop, pc and Daps like Hiby M300 and Astell & Kern AK240 MKII. My favorite pairing was with a warm source like the AK DAC in my Astell & Kern. I also found that adding a 4.4mm balanced cable that the sound had a lot more control and authority.

Sound:

I evaluated the sound with both pairs of wide bore and narrower bore tips and did most of my listening with the narrower bore tips. I also found the Dynabird to be very source depended and a warm source was my best source. I found the Dynabird a bit harder to drive and had to push the volume up a bit more than usual on my Hiby M300 Dap and my Oppo A78 phone.

Bass: I don’t know if it is the seal or fit in my ears or the way my ears are built but I could not get any bass out of the Dynabird. I was confused because even looking at the graph there is supposed to be a lot of bass. I can however only be honest in my observations and the most I could make out was neutral bass. I even tried some aftermarket bass tips like the Penon Liqueur series and my beloved EPZ M100 tips. The m100 tips tames the highs and mids on Earphones and brings up the bass. With the Dynabird even the M100 Could not work its magic. I also thought the driver might be a bit stiff so I listened to the Dynabird for at least two months before submitting my review to see if burn in would help loosen up the driver. The 9.2mm Berylliums coated driver did produce some in the distance sub-bass on an album I have on Tidal called High End Sub Bass- Only for Audiophile Deep Techno Sound Lovers. I found that with the mids and treble toned down on this album and more emphasis on the bass the 9.2mm smaller than average 10mm driver started to demonstrate it’s fast and punchy side. I then proceeded to select some more bass heavy songs and set my equalizer to a bass setting and with this way bass was way more prominent and enjoyable.

Mids: The Dynabird sounded great with all fast-paced instruments like fast electrical guitar pics or synthesizer sounds like Rammstein- Sehnsucht very the whole song is very fast paced. I do not listen for bass that much when listening to metal music genre, so I found the Dynabird to be perfect with metal for me. The vocals sound boosted and towers over the instruments. Till Lindeman’s voice sounded extra screechy and scary on Sonne. With the wide bore tips female vocals sounded extremely good. So, if you are a vocal lover then this setting is for you. I also found vocals on older music like Eurythmics, Pet shop Boys and Erasure very satisfying as there is such a great emphasis on the vocals almost like a boost in the mids. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to go back to some of my old favorite pop, rock bands from pre-2000’s. Blondie, Hot Chocolate, The Beach Boys etc. all sounded like I used to remember them playing at school dances and parties. Sometimes it is nice to just kick back from critical listening and just enjoy the music. Male vocals sounded just as impressive with a lot of emotion in the voices like Eric Clapton- Tears in Heaven. The Dynabird for me is best utilized for male and female vocals and instruments like acoustic guitars. Strings and vocals compliment each other so well especially on Live albums. Pianos dominated on Journey- Believin’ until the higher male vocals kick in and you have a recipe for a great sounding song and some foot tapping

Treble: The highs sounds boosted and a lot of sparkle is added on top. It is not a fatiguing treble and I could easily use the Dynabird for monitoring or for casual music listening while I am working. The 9.2mm driver offers a lot off pace, rhythm and attack and can keep up with complicated and fast chimes and sounds like on. Cymbals sounded very bright and shimmering on Cumbra Sobre El Mar- Quantic. This song also boasts a lot of high-pitched flutes and other treble like instruments like chimes. Violens sounded so real and every stroke could be felt on Mozart-Symphony N0.41 Molto Allegro- Nikolaus Harnoncourt. No matter what genre with trumpets in it I threw at the Dynabird, it handled those trumpets with poise and that is why the Dynabird is very suited to Jazz and Blues for me.

The soundstage is neither deep nor wide. I found the soundstage to be between my ears and never exceeded beyond. The smaller sized driver made for great transient response and the driver could keep up with very demanding and difficult transients for instance in classical music.   

Conclusion:

For me Oriveti nailed it for design, aesthetics and build quality. The Dynabird offers something different in the sound department and if you are a lover of Jazz, Blues and older rock and pop music then the Dynabird is for you. I am just going to be adding a 4.4mm balanced cable to mine and if you can do the same you will be rewarded with a great neutral-bright sounding earphone.