ADV M5-6D - A State of Audio Nirvana

Pros: 

• U shaped tuning with remarkable details
• Airy and generous sound stage and imaging
• Aggressive yet enjoyable
• Bass heads will be much pleased
• Treble heads will appreciate
• No amp required
• V shaped audiences are welcome here 
• Can be a possible end game entry
• Exceptional tonality and timbre reproduction
• Fast attack and decay performance of drivers.

Cons: 

• Bulky build can feel weird on fitting. Consequently, customize fitting for this model is available. 
• Price tag is not for everyone.
• mediocre cable inclusion

I would like to give my thanks to Marlowe Cruz for giving the Philippine circle of reviewers a tour of ADV products. Special mention to a co-reviewer who made this tour possible also, Adrian Yambao. For more details on this product, please visit this link



https://www.adv-sound.com/products/m5-6d-universal?_pos=1&_psq=m5-6d&_ss=e&_v=1.0



DISCLAIMER:

I did not buy this product. It was provided as a review unit for the Philippines reviewer circle tour. Manage your expectations as what works for me, might not work for you. We all have different perception when it comes to sound.


INTRODUCTION

This is my first TOTL (top-of-the-line) review. And I was quite pressured how can I give an honest, detailed and accurate take on this. This IEM took me on a breathtaking expedition. As my firsthand experience, the mystery of what really is there in a TOTL, was answered. I hope you will find this review informative. I will give my best to share my enlightenment to you.



LOOKS and OUTER APPEARANCE

I was surprise to find a very large IEM in my hands when I got the M5-6D. Straight away I thought how is this going to fit in my ears. More on its fitting later. It is made of medical-grade acrylic. Acrylic sheet is easy to fabricate, bonds well with adhesives and solvents. It has superior weathering properties compared to many other transparent plastics. ADV promotes their 3d printing on this one. M5-6D has a nice slick look, clear and transparent. You can see the drivers namely 4BA + 2 electrostatic tweeters and wirings. You can check out their promotional video here 

. 

It’s something you can brag in front of your friends and show off how good your IEM looks. LOL

TREBLE

Treble is well presented. Without any sibilance. Transparent and detailed. For the treble heads, you will smile on this one. Hi hats and cymbals are accurately produced. Vocals of both genders are detailed. Brass sections are neat. High registers of instruments are well sounding. I am a bit sensitive to treble and M5-6D didn’t feel shouty at least for me. The alto sax, which I personally know how to play, can reach the high frequencies. Kenny G’s Midnight Motion, the live version, was very pleasing indeed. Listening to this again, gave me a nostalgic feeling. It was one of the tracks I grew up on and 6D relived those moments.


BASS

ADV claims this as a bass leaning model. And yes, it is. A clean and punchy one. Excellent bass thump presentation. Full and chunky. Undoubtedly for a bass head. It has bite and grittiness. Details and texture. The bass on Another One Bites the Dust by Queen had me nodding on the first seconds. Bass never felt boomy or muddy even for bassy tracks.


MIDS

Mids are still pretty decent here. Though the tuning shows a dip in the mids (see product link above for the frequency tuning), details are not compromised. On some tracks, instruments can be a tad pushed back because of that dip. Body of instruments falling in this frequency range still sounded full.

VOCALS

M5-6D offers rich and detailed vocals. Again, the dip in the mids as mentioned above, pushes back the vocals sometimes. I’m a mid-centric guy, and I prefer my vocals a bit forward. Yet 6D did not let me down on vocals. I can also say that the 6d has a sweet spot for the female voice. Overall very pleasant and superb vocal production here.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING



I used to think that sound stage is merely just a bonus among IEMs. M5-6D changed that. Without proper sound stage and imaging, what we hear in a musical track can possibly be all over the place. M5-6D offers a very generous sound stage. Instruments never felt congested because of this. I can say that this is one of 6D’s key strength. Be it studio recorded or live recorded performance, sound stage is superb here. Marlowe Cruz provided and proposed some well mastered tracks. One of this is an album from Balmorhea. An instrumental album, full of different lushfull instruments. Banjos, authentic pianos, guitars, cellos, violins, flutes, percussions, timpani, and many many more. Mostly acoustic instruments. All sounded astounding and organic. Instruments were naturally placed, and the instruments has a place of its own. It gave me a new level of listening pleasure.

TONALITY/TIMBRE/TEXTURE

The 6D renders exceptional tonality. Instruments never felt boring. A piano can be warm on a track, and then sparkly on the next. Same goes to guitars, drums, bass, synths and vocals. The intended production of instruments and vocals are well put together. Timbre is quite accurate offering instrument definition at its finest. Texture on elements is satisfying and pleasing even for busy tracks.


FITTING

So now we come to one of 6D’s unconventional part. The fitting is not bad at all. But it felt weird for me on the first day. This is subjective. Though the shell build, given its size, is not heavy at all, the fitting is not perfect. The nozzle fits just right though. It holds pretty well for a big a** IEM. It never fell off my ears nor did my ears pushed it out. Safe to say the 6D is suited well for stationary listening rather than on-the-go or live performances. ADV offers ear impression on this model for a customize fit.

PACKAGE

As a review unit, I did not get the original packaging. Not that I’m complaining. Check out the official product link provided above. It comes with the essentials and much more like a cleaning cloth and brush to maintain your gorgeous IEM.


Here are some TRACKS that I used for reference. Allow me to share you some notes I’ve taken.

Another One Bites the Dust by Queen – Apple lossless 24 bit ALAC

• Bass guitar has grit and bite. Very detailed,
• Drums sounds natural and clean. Drum kicks are punchy.
• Muted guitar is well placed in the mix. Details still prominent.
• The swooping synth sound that makes this track unique offers a very immersive sound stage. Almost holographic.
• Mercury’s voice is exceptionally good and captivating.
• No congestion or bleeds on this track.
• The synth around 1:20 time stamp, is a bit shouty here. Well a good sign the electrostatic tweeters are functioning well.
• The clean tone guitars are nowhere short of details.

• Can’t Hide Love by EWF – offline FLAC 24 bit
• Brass section is detailed. Not shouty. Just the right amount of treble to shine.
• Vocals and harmony are clear and have adapt separation.
• Rhodes are meant to have a panning effect. 6D delivers.
• Bass guitar is well presented. It sits in the mid as 80’s bass guitar are.
• Drum kit placement is spot on. Hi hats not shouty, snares are snappy, toms are very natural and organic.
• Bass drum sits behind the bass guitar. Could be more boosted but who am I to question the producer’s intent. LOL

• Harm and Boon by Balmorhea – offline FLAC 16 bit
• Piano is warm and airy.
• Cellos details are unprecedented. You can hear the vibrations of the strings.
• When the full instruments came in at 1:46, the guitar is on my left, cellos on lower middle, violins are on the far upper right, acoustic bass on the center with a little left panning.
• Snares and cymbals are panned a bit right.
• Pizzicato strings are rendered far right where the violins at.
• This is how good the sound stage and imaging is. You can accurately pin point the placement of the instruments just like in an orchestra.

• Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd – Apple lossless 24 bit ALAC
• Notable tonality and timbre of different guitars here. I am no guitarist, but I can hear the different kinds of guitar used here.
• Drums are very organic.
• Organ and string section still noticeable even behind the guitars. This is a guitar-oriented track after all.
• Solo starts at 4:56, solo guitar is on stereo track. One panned upper right, the other upper left.
• The strumming rhythm guitar is still prominent at the far left.
• Bass guitar is just right for a rock old classic mix.
• The over drive solo never felt congested. Even with all the elements sounding all together.
• Vocals a bit pushed back on this one.

There are so much more tracks I’ve tested but this 4 will do. I think you will have an idea how details I can hear on 6D. Particularly the sound stage.


SOURCES AND GEARS

• iphone 7 plus and Ipad Air gen2 with apple dongle
• offline flacs played via VOX app
• Apple lossless

VERDICT

This is a debut review for me. It is my first TOTL experience. And if I am to describe my experience in one word, it would be ENLIGHTENMENT. Now I know what a high-end IEM is capable of. And it took me on a journey back to my home hi-fi moments with my dad and brought back some nostalgic moments. 

I would have given 6D an easy 5 star if it weren't for the bulky weird fit. Other than that, everything is just right here. 

I hope that my review gave you a decent idea of what to expect from 6D. Though the price tag is not for everyone. It is aimed for those who want to take their listening experience in a whole new level. It can also be used as a reference for a mixing engineer especially when it comes to sound stage. The quality here is just pristine. Prestige. From the build, tech and SQ. For the casual listener, the u-shaped tuning will be desirable. Treble and bass heads alike. For the analytical, well I have the 12D review coming up, a neutral-balanced tuning compared to 6D. I had a blast with this one and I can say, it is an “end-game”entry. This one is a keeper for an audiophile.