The sonic presentation of MAD16 can be described as natural, clean and detailed. They have superb impact, and a dynamic sound but the focus is on how natural, precise and clean their sound can be. The detail level is actually in line with what MAD24 can offer, but MAD16 has a more natural tuning that's less warm, cleaner, and which allows detail to shine through better. Both IEMs have outstanding resolution, but MAD16 has something unique going on for it, having a cleaner, more sparkly treble, and a more neutral tuning. They are easy to enjoy and digest regardless of the volume you're listening at, and MAD16 can be said to be the perfect IEM for all music styles, all volume levels, and all tastes. They have the bass that would satisfy a basshead, the detail and resolution that would satisfy a treble head and the transparency that would satisfy someone who's coming from speakers. Basically the quintessentially perfect IEM. But let's not get too much ahead of ourselves. Ambient Acoustics basically followed the Harman Curve rather well with MAD16, and this is why they sound perfect for basically anyone who doesn't want a specific coloration in their sound.
Starting with bass, MAD 16 has a really fast, yet full and clean bass. The bass stays clean and clear regardless of the volume, and has superb impact, providing a flood of lows in songs that call for it, but staying right in its place when the song is acoustic or has lower quantities of lows in the recording. EDM and Dubstep sounds incredibly powerful, deep and can rattle your brains and eardrums inside of your head, but when you go for a classic rock song, the bass is exactly as much as it was intended and recorded. MAD 16 has a magical ability of making me enjoy my pop, EDM and commercial music more, but it is also an IEM I enjoy with Rock, Pop, Grindcore, and Punk. You always notice the bass, even in punk songs, but it is never overwhelming, and it doesn't darken the sound, the way it usually happens in strong basshead tuned IEMs.
Of course, for it to be so enjoyable, most of the magic has to happen in the midrange, and indeed, this is how I would describe MAD16, they bear the perfect tuning and tonality for the midrange. It is hard to explain a tuning when it has no coloration and it is transparent, but MAD 16 goes for a sound that's as precise, clean and clear as possible. The detail level is superb, and it has excellent clarity too. There's a special level of emotion and clarity that MAD 16 is able to deliver, which wasn't necessarily as present in MAD24 even, and which makes me love both male and female voices, simple and complex instruments. It is simply put, music. Guitar solos are juicy, emotional and dynamic. Usually, I noticed that this happens when an IEM / Headphone has strong dynamics and a good tonality, this happening with MAD16 as well, as it have outstanding dynamics. The stereo imaging and instrument separation are some of the best I've heard in an IEM, and so is the overall instrument placement in the soundstage. The soundstage size is actually natural, with no extra width and depth than what you'd expect from a certain recording, making MAD16 perfect for mixing and mastering, and a precise IEM. For example, Haggard songs, which are recorded to sound wide, are incredibly wide and expensive, while songs that are recorded to be narrow and intimate will sound as such, a good example being Cute Bounce from Echidna x Leotrix. Even Punk like Mindless Self Indulgence - Mastermind shows how an IEM like MAD16 has that precise sound. Mindless Self Indulgence uses certain samples and effects recorded at different width levels, and MAD16 shows this quite well. The bass is also super deep and impactful, while the voicing has a perfect tuning that makes it enjoyable to listen to.
The treble of MAD16 continues the precision and accuracy we've seen in the midrange and the bass, and it is also super precise, but with the twist of being slightly relaxed and fatigue-free. No music lover and audiophile wants to avoid detail, and everyone wants to have as much resolution as possible but everyone takes a step back when the sound is fatiguing and dirty instead of detailed and smooth. MAD16 has a clean and sparkly treble that extends as high as about 18kHz, but the whole treble is presented quieter than the midrange and the bass, just enough for it to stay fatigue-free at all times, but still having enough high end deliver for sound to be balanced and clean, detailed and crisp. You don't need to go too far to find this, as even songs like The Offspring - Get it Right, which was recorded in a brighter fashion shows this, but the song is still super enjoyable and clean, and. you're more likely to notice how sweet and detailed the guitars are in the song, and how fun it is to listen to it, than it is to enjoy the cymbals as being intrusive. Ambient Acousicts MAD16 can show anymore, regardless of their initial music tastes, that they'll like what they hear from MAD16, kinda like Pizza, when done well, can satisfy the hunger of virtually anyone.
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