World-famous hairstylist Vidal Sassoon famously stood behind his products, declaring “if you don’t look good, we don’t look good.” I can imagine Hidition doing the same. The Violets look beautiful as ever, but how do they sound?

Overall Sound Signature

I’ve likened the Violet to ballerina before, and not by accident. Violet’s forte is her strong foundation in technical ability. Her movement is disciplined and focused, every move en point and measured, yet finished with a graceful bloom.

Bass
Kanye West once rapped, “No one man should have all that power”. Well Violet is female, and she possesses one of the most thunderous and rip-roaring sub-bass responses I’ve ever put into my ears. Unapologetically physical and head-rattling, the mighty sub-bass thumps away at your subconscious, willing you to do its bidding, ie. shake what your mama gave.

The sub-bass authority beguiles and beleaguers listeners into believing they are driven by dynamic drivers (DD), but I assure you they are BA all the way. From the boisterously elevated, we move to the regularly elevated mid-bass. It exudes warmth and fullness, you will not be left wanting for more punch and slam. Yet the midbass extracts so much detail, you marvel at each sculpted note and carefully-placed layer as Violet invites you to both listen and feel.

Bass of Thunder

Approaching upwards, the upper bass leans out. In exchange for the note body we receive air, dynamics and even more resolving detail. Like a check-and-balance system, the upper bass is the vestige of normalcy after the pummelling of the sub-bass. It is swift, incisive, and decays tidily, rounding off a well-balanced bass that thrills and excites, while remaining technically astute.

While one of the most impressive BA basses I’ve heard, Violet is without its weaknesses. The sub-bass is aggressive to the point of bleeding into the midbass at times. It gets distracting even for a part-time basshead like me, especially in more refined genres like classical and jazz. Also, Violet lacks the intricate texture and natural, bloomy decay of the best dynamic drivers, proving we can’t really have it all.

Mids
Imagine cuddling up to the smoothest, velvetiest drink possible, composed with generous gobs of honey, cream and aged cognac. Every transducer’s mids aspire to be just that. Creamy, buttery, relaxing, and engrossing, drenched in emotion sickness. But the final ingredient in Violet’s nightcap springs a surprise, adding a dash of sparkling water for playfulness and bubbly excitement.

Violet’s mids cocktail faces a daunting task, anchoring the throbby bass and primadonna treble on either side, while carving an identity of its own. But I daresay it’s mission accomplished. Positionally, they are neutrally located, providing breathing space to the signature. Notes possess a smooth liquidity, a sweet hue, and a luscious, natural tone, finished with a subtle lustre of brightness and effervescence.

Veracity Tenacity

It is this subtle brightness, however, that prevents the Violet from being 100% timbrally-accurate and easygoing. The airy, vivacious undercurrent is there, lending urgency and dynamism that gratifies speedier tracks. I will say though, that Violet captures the balance between clarity and smoothness exceptionally well. You can sink into velvety vocal delights or bop your head to hip-hop. There’s no shame in either.

Besides being an engaging, musical listen, Violet’s mids showcase brilliant technical prowess and layering ability, defining and delineating every note with graceful ease. The only weakness I can hear is the dip in the lower mids, producing thinner male vocals and less grunt in bass guitars and cellos. But from there, going to the neutral centre mids and finally the prominent upper mids, it’s nothing short of an ascent to greatness.

Treble
Hidition, thy reputation precedes thee. Roll out the red carpet for treble royalty, for they have rarely misstepped in this region. Their famed IEMs are known to have gloriously transparent and resolving treble, but here, the Violet manages to flaunt another aspect of its vaunted, multifaceted treble tuning. What am I going on about? The Violet is of course, adept at rendering ridiculous amounts of detail, upturning notes and shining a sparkling light to tones and textures not often treaded on. But here it does so with remarkable finesse and delicacy, providing a softness where other uncouth detail-mongers would overlook and say “more treble” like a dunk of cold water. 

Soundstage and Imaging
A kiddie song about boats once proclaimed, life is but a dream. Violet philosophizes that life is, in fact, a stage. A space to perform and bask in the limelight, before ultimately fading away. Violet presents forth a grand musical playground worthy of a virtuoso performance. Stage width leads the way most apparently, while height and depth are definitely no slouches either. The dimensions are vast, and certainly flagship-worthy.

With such an effortlessly wide sound field, left to right imaging is placed among the elite. Nothing escapes the ear as each minute detail is tidily separated and given its own space. If I chose to, I could easily focus onto a voice or instrument via the precision of this audio scalpel. Similarly, depth, height and layering are superbly executed. Positional cues are vividly, realistically captured from all angles, via Violet’s assured, micro sonic lens.

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