I was able to spend a short amount of time with this new IEM called the Lokahi from a brand without a name, or something like that. For now, they're called "Audio." This unit was sent up to me from Precogvision, however it is a personal unit owned by "tgx78", a member in the audio community, and will be returning to him shortly after the publishing of this article.
The Lokahi is priced at $239, and is a 7-BA IEM that comes with mmcx connectors, a nice silver-colored braided cable with 3.5mm stereo jack, and a case. The shells are comfortable and have a multi-gray-tone swirl patterned design. It's not quite a marble look, but it's close. The nozzle has a bit of a DIY-look and feel to it. It's a narrower nozzle than most IEMs, so some of my typical tip choices slipped out easily. I ended up pairing these with SpinFit CP100 tips, which didn't have issues with falling out.
My first impressions on the sound of the Lokahi are that it's a no-holds-bar, in-your-face IEM. It has a big bass boost, forward mid-range, and also a very clear and forward upper treble, that kind of clearly defines itself even through the bass pounding fog (note, its not muddy).
The Lokahi felt like it didn't hold back on bringing everything at you. It shoots from the hip and everything is presented. For those who like to hear those details forward and close to you, this is one that'll do that. It's resolution is good at this price, and its present. Always.
I do find it lacks a lot of soundstage space. It's very forward, and lacks depth. There's little room for good imaging and separation, when I compare it to my typical monitors. It's intimate, and provides you with an up close and personal look at the band on stage. You'll be right there with them, maybe able to shake their hands too.
I am impressed with the ability to resolve and present the upper treble at this price point. The Lokahi does this, and while it's rather forward, I never found it sibilant, or harsh. I wouldn't call the treble range sweet, but it's free of pain, while being incredibly present.
I listened to all sorts of music with this IEM and I feel it plays everything equally well, or not well, depending on your tastes. For dynamically compressed music, which unfortunately includes a lot of pop, rock, and other goodies from my teenage years (the 90s), there's overly forward presentation is a bit crazy to handle with this IEM. Some may like that, but I prefer more depth and width to handle the lack of dynamic swing.
For my favorite jazz and bluegrass music, the Lokahi has an interesting front row approach to the sound that I can actually get behind. It's a solid buy for this price range, though I will again caveat that I do feel like it's missing some technical depth and layering capabilities, but it has some other tangible factors that make this IEM impressive and has a certain WOW factor to it while not having an overly colored sound, which is impressive in its own right.
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i'll be waiting for a year more before my lokahi comes
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