Oriolus Traillii VS PMG Audio Apx SE

Youtube Video Summary

Oriolus Traillii comes across as a top-tier technical monster with a tuning that favors clarity, stage, and separation over brute-force slam. The bass—being all BA—is clean, fast, and textured, with enough sub-bass presence to anchor the mix without muddying the mids. Vocals sit front-and-center with lifelike timbre and zero shout, while instruments carve out space with pinpoint imaging and an almost holographic stage. Treble rides that sweet line of extended and airy yet non-fatiguing, giving cymbals sparkle and micro-detail without sandpaper.

This set is about refinement and resolution rather than chest-thumping impact: bassheads chasing DD heft may want more physicality, but anyone prioritizing coherency, layering, and effortless detail retrieval will find it special. Pairing stays simple—low-noise, low-output-impedance sources keep the background black and the dynamics snappy. The elephant in the room is the price; value is subjective, but performance sits in the summit-fi conversation. For vocals, acoustic, orchestral, and live recordings, Traillii delivers the kind of “forget the gear” presentation that keeps the play button getting tapped again.

Youtube Video Summary

The PMG Audio Apx SE comes out swinging with a $6,000 price tag and a $1,600 cable that looks the part but fights the ear with stiffness and springy memory. The shells flaunt real lapis lazuli and an over-the-top suitcase-and-pillow presentation, complete with certificates and multiple cases—great for show, awkward for daily carry. Ergonomically, the cable’s tension and odd flush/penetrating plug mismatch feel fussy, making this an at-home listening trophy rather than a commuter’s companion.

Under the bling sits a small army: 11 drivers per side (10 mm DD, two planars—one rectangular, one round—and eight BAs) with a seven-way passive crossover, somehow delivering startling cohesion at just 5 Ω. The sound is hyper-resolving and fault-finding; imaging and spatial precision rank among the best heard, revealing hums, edits, and room cues that lesser sets gloss over. Stock silicones lean monitor-flat, but swapping to grippier tips (e.g., “Render” style) adds weight and a touch of warmth, nudging the tuning from sterile to satisfying.

Versus other favorites—Softears Twilight for natural timbre and Dunu Glacier for bass slam—the Apx SE feels like the “full package” of microdetail, stage mapping, and technical swagger, but only by a diminishing-returns margin. It’s arguably the most technically impressive IEM on the desk, yet not the most lovable; the wallet pain and fussy cable sap the joy. Verdict: hear it if you can and crave top-end microdetail, but recommending a used-car-priced IEM to normal humans? That’s a hard no.

Youtube Video Summary

The PMG Audio Apx SE comes out swinging with a $6,000 price tag and a $1,600 cable that looks the part but fights the ear with stiffness and springy memory. The shells flaunt real lapis lazuli and an over-the-top suitcase-and-pillow presentation, complete with certificates and multiple cases—great for show, awkward for daily carry. Ergonomically, the cable’s tension and odd flush/penetrating plug mismatch feel fussy, making this an at-home listening trophy rather than a commuter’s companion.

Under the bling sits a small army: 11 drivers per side (10 mm DD, two planars—one rectangular, one round—and eight BAs) with a seven-way passive crossover, somehow delivering startling cohesion at just 5 Ω. The sound is hyper-resolving and fault-finding; imaging and spatial precision rank among the best heard, revealing hums, edits, and room cues that lesser sets gloss over. Stock silicones lean monitor-flat, but swapping to grippier tips (e.g., “Render” style) adds weight and a touch of warmth, nudging the tuning from sterile to satisfying.

Versus other favorites—Softears Twilight for natural timbre and Dunu Glacier for bass slam—the Apx SE feels like the “full package” of microdetail, stage mapping, and technical swagger, but only by a diminishing-returns margin. It’s arguably the most technically impressive IEM on the desk, yet not the most lovable; the wallet pain and fussy cable sap the joy. Verdict: hear it if you can and crave top-end microdetail, but recommending a used-car-priced IEM to normal humans? That’s a hard no.