I could vividly remember the time when I had the iPhone 3Gs and 4s as my main phone and how it did all the cool stuff only an Apple product could like listening to music, okay maybe not that one as my brother’s Sony Ericsson Walkman phone was just as cool and that was when I started forsaking the iPhone and its troublesome iTunes platform.
Fast forward to 2020 and here I am, holding a lightning-only IEM for the purist of purist of the Apple ecosystem users. What we have for realview now sis the Strauss and Wagner SI201, sound-isolating earphone with lightning connector and mic + remote controls. Strauss and Wagner sent in the SI201 in exchange for an honest review and no monetary factors are involved. Priced at $49.95, you can check out Audio 46’s official website for purchase and the official Strauss and Wagner website for further product details of the SI201 and their other audio products.
The Strauss and Wagner SI201 features a 10mm single dynamic driver, a built-in DAC and a 3-button (volume up/down, pause/play/drop/answer call) mic + remote control system. Spec’d out with a 20Hz to 20kHz Frequency Response, 32 Ohm Impedance and a 92dB Sensitivity. The Strauss and Wagner SI201 is just one of the many fish in the lightning-only IEM Sea, let’s get a taste of it and find if it’s worth a catch.
Packaging and Build Quality
The Strauss and Wagner SI201 comes in a white cardboard box, that’s just as Apple as it can get, with the usual product snapshot and specifications. The accessory set packaged with the SI201 starts off with a set of translucent white medium-bore silicone ear tips along with a vertically-oriented gray velvet draw-string carrying pouch with the string in black and the Strauss and Wagner branding in white. The carrying pouch gives out a premium feel and stays secure and close when the strings are drawn unlike some draw-string pouches where actual tying of the string is needed to guarantee tight seal. The white silicone ear tips (S, M and L) aren’t completely unusable as compared to other stock ear tips found in some IEMs that I have tried.
The SI201 only comes in white, obviously, Apple. The 1st thing that springs to my head when I laid my hands on the SI201 is how the cable winds uncontrollably to mimic the position it was in when stored in its carrying pouch. The cable feels great to the hand and doesn’t reek of a rubbery smell and feel. Its straight angle lighting connector is housed in an aluminum housing in silver with enough strain relief while the Y-split comes in white hard rubber and an absent strain relief. The IEM housing itself is made of aluminum once again and is slight contoured to match the slanted entry point of an ear. The silver faceplate is branded with the Strauss and Wagner logo and a single vent on the ventral side of the housing. L-R indicators are present on the hard plastic shells along with an oval shaped nozzle which has a metal mesh and a nozzle lip which worked great in terms of adapting to different types of 3rd party ear tips.
There is minimal microphonic noise when worn and with its light weight, the Si201’s cables will easily sway here and there when used on the go. The overall build quality is good and if I could improve on anything, it would be the tension used on the cables and let it be able to have its own body and not retain folds and curves.
Tonality and Isolation
Given that I’m not really into the Apple ecosystem as some of you might be, I only got to test the SI201 on the lone Apple product within my reach, an iPad 6 9.7 2018 or whatever the official name might be for that. I used the Apple Music app paired with a purchased copy of Taylor Swift’s Lover Album along with the included stock medium sized silicone ear tips. The usual 100 hour burn-in period was also observed to satisfy those that buy into it.
The SI201’s tonality resides in the warmer side of things that’s highlighted by a pronounced lower midrange. Isolation is also great and doesn’t fall short of its SI/Sound Isolating name.
Sound Quality
The SI201 sound quality is centered on creating an enjoyable experience for both the average and music lover user alike. While there’s no actual mention of which DAC chip was used on the Si201’s built-in DAC, the result is admirable, a clear step-up from the stock apple earphones that came with older iPhone models. Its lows are rendered thick and full with the noticeable lack of power and punch. Its midrange sound gives out a smooth feel with an open and lively upper midrange that doesn’t reach an abrasive and harsh level. The coherence of both the lows and its midrange are noteworthy given the fact that the lows doesn’t impede the clarity needed by the midrange to deliver a rich sound. The SI201’s highs comes back to its low-end roots with a once again noticeable lack of bite and kick to it which ended up sounding mellow and clean. Microphone clarity is far from the actual music playback performance but is enough to get you through the day of calling.
Soundstage and Imaging
There was little room for an affirmative expectation for the SI201’s soundstage given the fact that its main sound bragging rights is creating isolation as much as possible. The soundstage of the SI201 indeed leans on the intimate side of things despite having a dedicated vent. Left to right and right to left panning is still observable at a minimal degree giving an overall studio-like ambience rather than recreating a hall-like atmosphere. Imaging isn’t left off the party and is still able to give an accurate and definite instrument placement aspect. Layering is kept at a mediocre level with an overlapping impression towards some instrumental tones. The SI201 overall is indeed capable of giving its user a lonesome and private listening experience.
Conclusion
The Strauss and Wagner SI201 might get an automatic over your head treatment with its dedicated lightning only design but this very orientation also gives it a reason to be given consideration. It performs way better than stock Apple earphones and its lively upper midrange sets it at a zone that midrange lovers might find amusing. A better stock cable might help Si201’s case better but as it stands to being compared with other Apple earphones, the Si201 is well worth catching.
