Starting with the sub-bass, the MAD24 presents good extension down into the deep sub-bass region, digging as deep as the track requires without any real sense of “roll off” as the frequency drops down. It isn’t an absolute sub-bass monster, but there is enough sense of rumble down low in tracks like “Disc Wars” from the Tron Legacy soundtrack to give the track a decent sense of gravitas and weight. The quad-BA array that Ambient are using for the MAD24 is pretty punchy, but still has all the usual hallmarks of an armature-driven sound, so this IEM won’t be able to push the same level of air and physical vibration that you get from top-tier dynamic driver or planar dynamic sets.

Moving up to mid-bass, things start to pick up a bit in terms of emphasis, with the MAD24 carrying more mid-bass quantity. It is a fairly broad raise, without a specific “thumb” or peak, rising pretty uniformly through the mid and upper bass regions until you hit the midrange. This is where the sound starts to deviate from the more traditional BA style of bass, with the MAD24 putting out a big, fat sound that carries a LOT of punch and weight. Bass is quick and articulate, but it’s fair to say it also slams probably as hard as anything I’ve heard that doesn’t have a dynamic or planar driver producing it. There is a real sense of visceral physical presence to bass guitars and kick drums that gives the MAD24 a very dynamic flavour to the low end.

“Bad Rain” by Slash absolutely blasts into the ears from these IEMs, the kick drum beat that starts the track hitting with real slam and punch, and when the distorted bass guitar kicks in at the 23 second mark, the MAD24 captures the aggression in the track perfectly. The bass guitar sounds textured and raw, with he resonating strings hitting hard and deep, the main body of the note feeling fat and heavy, with plenty of texture. Some IEMs maintain the textural information by leaning back on the weight and body, but the Ambient flagship manages to paint plenty of information on the fringes of the sound without losing the heft and sheer size of the presentation. This is where the “wall of sound” style that the MAD24 has been tuned with starts to become apparent – everything in the lower end of the soundscape sounds BIG, but still has plenty of crispness and control.

Looking for a bit more smoothness and liquidity, “Hello, It’s Me” by Sister Hazel is up next on my review playlist. The MAD24 handles it well, the liquid bass line that kicks off proceedings sounding wet and weighty rather than stiff or chalky like it can on some IEMs with a tight grip on the bass, but still pushing lots of fine detail out as the bass strings reverberate and the slinky riff winds through the track. “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by Elvis and the Royal Philharmonic is another great tester for texture and liquidity in the low end, and the MAD24 unsurprisingly makes short work of this too. The bass guitar sounds like velvet dipped in chocolate, with plenty of presence but not intruding on the orchestral arrangements around it. The MAD24 gives an almost “equal loudness” feeling to this track in terms of the contour of the sound, with the bass sounding big and plentiful, but sitting in line with the equally large and emphasised vocals from The King.

Overall, the bass tuning is unexpected for an allegedly reference-tuned flagship, but once you get used to the sheer quantity and weight, it is very well judged. There is enough sub-bass quantity to ensure extension isn’t a problem, and to round out the underneath of the larger bass lines that sit above. Mid bass is almost at live gig levels of loudness in some tracks, but it all presents with such tightness and control (along with bags of detail) that it doesn’t feel like overwhelming the rest of the sound. It gives the whole sound a large and substantial foundation, and will play well with people who like reference tunings and closet or fully-fledged bass heads as well.

This isn’t a bass presentation that lays out the low end in hugely separated fashion, preferring to push the size of each element up to maximum and stack it all together neatly in the ear like a reigning Tetris champion. Despite that, the technical chops mean that each element is clear and more importantly, clearly defined in the sonic landscape, presenting a bass that is both coherent and pretty damn musical at the same time. In fact, I’d hazard a guess that the only people who won’t like the MAD24 low end are either the hardcore HD800 ear-rapier crowd or those who only listen to acoustic busking or chamber music on their playlists.

The mids transition smoothly from the bass region, with no bleed or blurring from underneath. Like the low end, they are stage-forward in presentation, pushed forward to the listener’s ear in a similarly intimate “stage tuning” favoured by brands like JH Audio. They retain a grand sense of scale despite the intimacy, mainly by sheer size of the notes. Instrumentation and vocals sound absolutely huge for an in-ear, painting a large sonic image around the head of the listener that places you right in the middle of the soundscape.

Tonality-wise, the MAD24 are a moderately warm and rich sounding IEM, with an organic sheen to guitars and other midrange instruments that makes them sound almost euphonic. This isn’t a classic analytic style tuning, the MAD24 doubling down again on weight and body of each note rather than emphasising the edges. That isn’t to say that the sound is in any way blunted or blurry – the MAD24 packs an unexpected amount of flagship-level detail around the heft, giving the IEMs a non fatiguing but extremely resolving sound that takes a little adjusting to. It achieves its resolution via the blackness of the background, and the excellent layering and separation of each strand of music.

Tracks like “In Love With The Pain” by Black Stone Cherry demonstrate that quite well, the fat guitar tones that drive the song sitting underneath an acoustic guitar refrain that blends together beautifully without losing definition. Some of my mid to top tier IEMs have trouble with this track, either losing the distinctive fatness of the main riff, or burying the jangling acoustic strings too deep in the wall of sound. The MAD24 treads a nice line here, keeping that distinctive wall of sound that the band do so well, but pulling the individual strands just far enough out to get the detail as well. It’s the sort of laid-back or effortless resolution that the Empire Ears Zeus was famous for, which gives a good indication of where I place the Ambient model in terms of detail.

Sticking with rock music, a few testers for speed and bite are up next on the review playlist: “World On Fire” and “Shadow Life” by Slash. Both tracks fairly rip along on the MAD24, with the 16 mid-range armatures keeping things crisp and crunchy as the staccato riffing fills the soundstage. Again, it doesn’t forsake body, so there is an almost tube-like sense of warmth to the guitar reproduction that makes it sound fat and spiky at the same time. If you like your rock guitar jagged and razor-sharp then the MAD24 will probably feel a little too “full” for your tastes, but if you want the speed and crispness of a leaner IEM with the heft of a warmer, fuller model, the MAD24 provides a pretty good balance.

Moving onto slower fare, “Since You Were Mine” by the Shinedown duo of Smith & Myers showcases Brent Smith’s distinctive pipes well, placing the vocals in an echoing stage right at the front of your forehead and playing the reverberating piano melody with a beautifully accurate tone. The piano notes sound grand but still real – timbre is another area where the MAD24 does particularly well, giving instruments and voices a true-to-life sheen despite the slightly stylised warmth and forward staging.

Searching for sibilance and harshness, one of my usual go-to tracks is “Whiskey And You” by country troubadour Chris Stapleton. To be generous, this sparse acoustic track sounds like it was mixed in a sack full of broken glass and razor blades in some sections, but the MAD24 handles it well. The harshness in Stapleton’s voice is apparent around the 1:45 mark, but it doesn’t tip over into an unpleasant listening experience. The Ambient IEM manages to pack enough roundness behind the raw edges to soften the vocal to a dull roar. In contrast, it does a phenomenal job of picking up the subtle room noises and creak of the guitar and stool at various points through the track. Again, resolution without rawness, which seems to be a common theme.

Another good stress tester of a track is “Starlight” by Slash and Myles Kennedy – the super-high vocal and harmonic-heavy guitar intro are both prone to harshness, but again the MAD24 comes through with no problems. The guitar tone is superb on this track, with a real sense of emotion as well as a nice cutting edge. Kennedy’s vocals are front and centre (actually a little left of centre in my head), soaring up as the song winds up into the chorus but again skirting around sibilance. I’ve heard this track on pretty much every piece of music reproduction gear I own, and it’s probably a little hyperbolic to state that I don’t think I’ve heard it sound any better, but it’s also true. The MAD24 has something genuinely special going on with the midrange, and this track really captures it.

Overall, the mids are the star of this particular show, packing an ultra-dense and physical portrayal of your favourite tracks and genuine top-tier resolution capability. To my ears, there aren’t any of the usual telltale dips or sculpted gaps in the frequency response to emphasise certain aspects of the music, with Ambient having the confidence to let the drivers and configuration offer up everything in the sound without compromise. Tonality is slightly warm but oh-so organic and inviting, and more importantly true to life – this is an IEM that sounds like a good pair of speaker cranked up to unwise volumes then put down about 10 feet in front of you rather than two tiny music playback devices jammed in your ear canals. The only criticism I can probably levy is that this isn’t a complete all-rounder; if your tastes run to a lean and crisp presentation, or you prefer your mids served up a lot farther back on the stage, the MAD24 won’t be for you. If you like your midrange meaty and emotive and front and centre of the sound, it’s a bit of a no brainier here.

As mentioned previously, the treble presentation is smooth yet extremely detailed, and to me feels like it just pulls a shade behind the other two frequency ranges in terms of stage position and emphasis. There is absolutely zero fatigue to the treble playback, with the MAD24 being able to be worn or hours without discomfort (as long as you can fit the large shells in your ear for that long, of course).

Violins sound exquisite, “Chi Mai” by the classical duo Duel fills the stage with haunting vibrato as the notes sweep around the stage, supported by some classic 80s style twinkling synth in the background. There is plenty of air to the sound, with a nice open space to the imagined stage rather than a “ceiling”. Electronics and other synth-heavy genres have the requisite sense of sparkle to the upper end to engage the ears, but this isn’t on the Campfire Audio Andromeda end of the treble scale, the MAD24 remaining more smooth and grounded.

Cymbals are crisp and decay naturally, with just the right amount of ring and bite. Not over-emphasised or too metallic, the driving percussion in tracks like “When Angels Learn To Fly” by Black Stone Cherry sits nicely on top of the track, carrying just enough weight to cut through the thickness of the sound underneath. Again, these won’t be the most emphasised treble monsters you will ever hear, so if you prefer hearing your cymbal crashes right at the forefront of the sound then the MAD24 will probably lack a little bite, but the more laid back and delicate tone works very well for my personal preferences. Speed in the top end is excellent, the MAD24 keeping pace with pretty much anything I threw at it without losing crispness or cohesion.

Extension is excellent, with the Ambient flagship pushing up further than my slightly aged ears can hear without loss of power or roll-off. It isn’t the most forward treble you’ll hear, but it doesn’t pull any punches or roll off early either, laying out all the information in the upper end clearly and concisely. I have to admit that my treble preference leans more towards clear and smooth rather than sparkling and glittery, and the MAD24 pretty much nails it right in the middle of my personal Goldilocks zone.

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