Country of Origin
Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, 40GB RAM, Sonoma 14), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Studio, Qobuz Sublime, Singxer SU-6 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 & SW-6 switch, Laiv Audio Harmony; Active filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Power amplifiers: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos & Gold Note monos on subwoofer; Headamp: Enleum AMP-23R; Phones: Raal 1995 Immanis; Loudspeakers: Qualio IQ [on loan] Cables: Kinki Studio Earth, Furutech; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra on all source components, Vibex One 11R on amps, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, LessLoss Firewall for loudspeakers, Furutech NCF Signal Boosters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat
2nd system: Source: FiiO R7 into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to COS Engineering D1; Preamp/filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Amplifier: Kinki Studio EX-M7; Loudspeakers: MonAcoustic SuperMon Mini + Dynaudio S18 sub; Power delivery: Furutech GTO 2D NCF, Akiko Audio Corelli; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Audioquest Fog Lifters; Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
2nd headfi system: DAC: Cen.Grand DSDAX 1.0 Deluxe; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Headphones: Raal 1995 Magna, HifiMan Susvara
Desktop system: Source: HP Z230 work station Win10/64; USB bridge: Singxer SU-2; DAC: Sonnet Audio Pasithea; Head amp: Kinki Studio THR-1; Speaker amp: Crayon CFA-1.2; Speakers: Acelec Model One Headphones: Final D-8000
Upstairs headfi system: FiiO R7; Headphones: Meze 109 Pro, Fiio FT3
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: Zu Soul VI; Subwoofer: Zu Submission; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: €5'800
The planarmagnetic Binom-ER from Berlin's bijou boutique Camerton Audio by Ukrainian transplant Oleh Lizohub underwent significant restructuring. It now houses a quite different driver and even stronger magnetics than the original I reviewed exactly two years ago. With longer sliders to accommodates tall eggheads like mine, it still eschews swivels or pivots and sports non-wedge pads. With dual USB-C cable entries wired bi-directionally to allow for single-entry use with the 3.5mm mobile cable, neat engraving at the ends of the inside bridge flies channel identifiers.
At 375g with cable, ER is no heavy. At 40 in low-gain mode for compressed fare—80 on audiophile productions whose median value sits 15-20dB below max—this Shanling M3 Ultra DAP had ER airborne without a sweat. Though particularly in its new light-grey faux suede ER seems far too posh to go walkabout, anyone not concerned with flaunting such skull candy in public will get joy even off a smartphone. That's very much by design. It's further helped with a special cable whose source USB-C plug Oleh builds to contain a DAC/headfi driver on a chip. The other three cables are a standard 3.5mm mobile single entry and longer dual-entry 6.3mm and XLR4 stationary leashes. All drape relaxed without any bitchy tendency to coil or twist and are blessedly non-microphonic.
No silly oiled-wood box with brass hardware but a sturdy cardboard box more apt to get binned than stored. What more would we need?
The ear pads are three deep with the fully perforated Classic, the solid-on-the-outside Basic and the solid thinner all-black Mobile. 'Unscrewing' a pad off its retainer edge shows how the vast majority of Oleh's custom driver is blocked by a multi-lam carbon plate, leaving only two small carefully shaped windows. Whilst the ear cup's backside looks classically vented, it conceals an inner damping layer which renders ER far more of a sealed than open-backed affair. That's not just in the service of greater mobile friendliness for minimal two-way sound leakage. It exerts optimal damping on the edge-clamped thin-film membrane. Like all other planarmagnetics, it'd otherwise exhibit drum-skin resonances.
