Oriveti OH500 In-Ear Monitor Review

Introduction:

Oriveti is a relative young but innovative Chinese company that was founded in 2015 to provide HiFi quality audio products for the daily use. Oriveti announced this year their New OH300 & OH500 hybrid driver IEM’s.

The Oriveti OH500 that I will now review for you is the flagship Hybrid IEM of the company which features a 4+1 Driver configuration with 4 x Knowles Balanced Armatures + 1 x 8MM Diameter Dynamic Driver that has a handmade resin monitor body and comes with a handmade 8 Core SPC (Silver Plated Copper) wire detachable cable.

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank the company Oriveti for providing me the OH500 In-Ear Monitor for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Oriveti beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.

Price and Purchase Link:

The actual retrial price for the Oriveti OH500 is 499,00 USD and can be purchased under the link below;

Purchase Link: Oriveti OH500

Package and Accessories:

The Oriveti OH500 came in a relative big box in black color which has the Oriveti Company branding and their Motto “Listen Inspired” on the top.

This box is wrapped with a cardboard that shows the product illustration and brandings on the top and technical detail at the backside.

Inside the box are the following contents/accessories;

• 1 pair x Oriveti OH500 In-Ear Monitor Earphone body
• 1 pcs x 8 Core Detachable Cable with MMCX connectors
• 1 pcs x Leather Carrying Case
• 2 pairs x Silicone Ear Tips (S, M, L)
• 2 pairs x Foam Ear Tips (M)
• 2 pairs x Double Flange Ear Tips
• 1 pcs x Cleaning tool
• 1 pcs x Airplane adaptor
• 1 pcs x 6.35mm to 3.5mm Connector

The OH500 comes with a very rich and eye-catching accessories package.

The leather case that is included to the package is of very high quality and looks pretty stylish.

The Oriveti OH500 came with lots of silicone, foam and double flange ear tips, while some of them are put in to a transparent case which works as a nice ear tips organizer.

Inside the box are also one Airplane adaptor and a 6.35mm to 3.5mm connector which are nice additions.

Design, Build Quality, Fit and Comfort:

The Oriveti OH500 has a handmade resin monitor shell which is in a dark brown color. The resin shell is slightly transparent, so that you can see some internals of this beautiful looking IEM.

On the front surface of the monitor shell that we describe as faceplate are the company branding (right earpiece) and the circular brand logo (left earpiece) which are in gold color.

The sound nozzle and a small vent are in the inner surface of the monitor body.

The sound nozzle is slightly angled and a bit short. Here is a small lip that acts as a tips holder and there are 3 sound bores on the top of the nozzle.

On the top of the monitor shell is the MMCX (Micro Miniature Coaxial) female connector that holds the male connector pretty tight and nicely.

The overall build quality of the monitor is top notch without to have any imperfections like openings, burrs, etc.

The Oriveti OH500 fits pretty comfortable in my average sized ears without to hurt them even after long listening periods (2-3 hours), while the noise isolation performance is above average, which makes the OH500 ideal for the use in relative high noise intensive environments like bus, subway, train, etc.

The Cable:

The Oriveti OH500 comes with a hand braided 8 core SPC (Silver Plated Copper) came that features MMCX connectors.

The nicely braided detachable cable of OH500 has a brown PVC isolation and features transparent heat-shrink ear guides near de MMCX connectors for a more comfortable over ear wearing experience. The MMCX male connectors have a metal housing in black color which sports also left/right indicators.

The cable of the OH500 has also y splitter and chin sliders which are also in black color.

The 3.5mm TRS headphone plug is gold plated and has a straight profiled metal housing in black color and a strain relief for additional protection.

Technical Specifications:

• Driver Configuration             : 4 Knowles Balanced Armatures + one 8MM Dynamic Driver.
• Impedance                            : 12 Ohm
• Frequency Response             : 20~20KHz
• Sensitivity                              : 110+-3dB/mW, 1000Hz
• Distortion                              : <1%
• Cable                                     : Class 8 wires Silver Plated Copper with MMCX connector
• Plug                                       : Gold-plated 3.5mm Stereo Plug
• Cable Length                         : 1.2 M

Drivability:

The Oriveti OH500 has a fairly low impedance of 12Ω and a sensitivity of 110dB, which makes it quite compatible with relative weak sources like Smartphone’s, Tablet’s and DAP’s with weak amplification.

Equipment’s used for this review:

IEM’s              : Oriveti OH500, FiiO FH7, Custom Art FIBAE Black
DAP&DAC’s  : QLS QA361, iBasso DX220, FiiO Q5s, Xduoo XD-10 Poke

Albums & tracks used for this review: 

• Gogo Penguin – Raven (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Otto Liebert& Luna Negra – The River (DSF)
• Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Wav 24bit/88kHz)
• Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Elton John – Your Song (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• David Bowie – Black Star (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Dave Gahan – Saw (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Eric Clapton – Unplugged Album (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Katatonia – Decima (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• First Aid Kit – My Silver Lining (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• London Grammar – Interlude (Live) (Flac 24bit/88kHz)
• Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer (Wav 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
• Laura Pergolizzi – Lost On You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Wav 16bit/44.1kHz)
• No Doubt – Hella Gut (Spotify)
• Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Twerl – Lishu (Spotify)
• U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Opeth – Windowpane (Wav 16bit/44kHz)
• Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Slayer – Angel of Death (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Armin Van Buuren – Vini Vici (Spotify)
• Lorde – Royal (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Photek – The Hidden Camera (Spotify)
• Tom Player – Resonace Theory (16bit/44.1kHz)
• Massive Attack – Angel (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Portishead – The Hidden Camera (MP3 320kbps)

The Sound:

The Oriveti OH500 has a lightly V shaped sound signature with a nicely done warm tonality and entertaining presentation. The bass is deep, warm and full bodied; the midrange is soft and musical, while the upper midrange and treble region is mildly bright and with good extension.

The Bass:

The subbass region of the Oriveti OH500 shows a good level of depth, quantity and extension. The depth and quantity is maybe not on a bass-head level but should be quite enough for the most listeners. The tonality of the subbass is warm, soft and full bodied. The rumble is quite exciting while it is petty controlled at the same time.

The subbass of the OH500 is able to satisfy with bass intensive genres like Pop, EDM, Trance, etc.  and has shows an exciting performance with some of my reference songs like Gogo Penguin’s “Raven, Massive Attack’s “Angel”, Lorde’s “Royals” and Photek’s “The Hidden Camera”.

The midbass of the OH500 have an average intensity, fairly strong impact and musical tonality. It is slightly ahead the subbass region in terms of quantity and intensity and adds the OH500 a musical tonality. Instruments like cross drums and trumpets are accented, warmish and soft in tonality. The midbass of the OH500 are very successful with genres like pop, edm, trance, hip-hop, etc.

The bass response of the Oriveti OH500 is not slow or very fast and shows a moderate performance.  It is in general tight, a bit loose and fatigue-free. I found the softness and naturalness of the bass that is produced by the dynamic driver very successful. The fact that the bass is not to dry and overwhelming is one of the pluses of OH500.

The Midrange:

The Oriveti OH500 has a soft, full bodied and musical midrange presentation with good amount of clarity and airiness. The midrange is fatigue and sibilance free which makes it ideal for long listening periods.

Vocals:

The vocals are more upfront compared to the instruments that are slightly behind them. The Oriveti OH500 is a successful IEM in terms of definition and separation of instruments and the vocals. It shows also a good performance in the lower midrange region that is deep and has a warm tonality. This is particularly advantageous for male vocals. Male vocals have a good depth and thickness and it is possible to hear every detail in the vocals.

Male vocals in songs of Elton John’s “Your Song”, Eric Clapton’s “Layla”, David Bowie’s “Black Star”, Dave Gahan’s “Saw Something” or Katatonia’s “Decima” are very musical and pleasant to listen to.

The upper midrange of the OH500 has an average intensity and airy presentation. This is also the reason why female vocals sound more detailed than male vocals. The female vocal presentation is slightly warm, pretty transparent and lively.

Instruments:

The instrument tonality of the Oriveti OH500 is slightly warmer than neutral, vivid and smooth. Instruments like pianos are mildly bright, pronounced and vivid. Pianos are soft in the lower midrange, while the emphasis and brightness towards the upper midrange sounds slightly increased.

Other instruments like acoustic guitars are slightly warm, bassy and musical, the violins are fatigue-free and have moderate brightness and violas are pretty emotional.

Instruments with thick tonality like the saxophone and the tuba are very successful in thickness and depth due to the good subbass depth.

Upper Midrange & Treble:

The upper midrange of the Oriveti OH500 sounds soft and shows a warm tonality and slightly bright tonality with moderate intensity. The upper midrange transitions are in general fairly soft without to show remarkable situations like sibilance or harshness.

The Oriveti OH500 is even in upper midrange transitions of metal music OH500 pretty controlled and soft in its presentation, which makes it to an ideal IEM for those with upper midrange sensitivity.

The Oriveti OH500 has a smooth, slightly warm/bright and pretty soft treble that is less emphasized than the upper midrange. There is enough airiness and sparkle in the treble area to prevent congestions and muddiness.

The lower treble range is more pronounced than the upper treble region and the treble emphasis decreases form the lower treble to towards the upper treble region in a controlled manner, which makes the OH500 to a fatigue-free and successful IEM with almost any kind of genre.

Instruments like hi-hats are presented slightly more recessed than in normal, while they show moderate intensity and extension. Other instruments like crash and ride cymbals are also a bit recessed but have better extension.

The general treble extension, intensity and quantity of the Oriveti OH500 is on an average level, while the detail retrieval is fairly enough for most music genres.

The Soundstage:

The Oriveti OH500 has a sufficient soundstage expansion for a fairly precise instrument/vocal placement and separation. The soundstage of the OH500 is not super wide and can be classified as average. The soundstage depth on the other hand is quite good especially compared to the wideness.

Oriveti OH500 with the Oriveti Affinity Upgrade Cable:

The Affinity upgrade cable which is sold separately is a true 6N OCC & Silver-Plated Copper cable with MMCX connectors that is available with 3.5mm / 2.5mm / 4.4mm plugs.

The Affinity is an esthetical and pretty lightweight cable. The difference between the stock cable and the Affinity upgrade cable in terms of sound performance are described below;

The Oriveti OH500 with the Affinity cable shows more bass depth and better extension compared to the stock cable, while here are no changes in terms of speed and control. The vocals are noticeably more upfront, intimate and there is also an increase of detail retrieval compared to the stock cable of the Oriveti OH500. The Affinity upgrade cable has slightly increased the performance in terms of separation and overall resolution. The soundstage depth didn’t change significantly, while the increase of wideness is remarkable. The Affinity cable didn’t make any difference in the upper midrange and treble region.

The Oriveti Affinity upgrade cable is available under the link below;

Oriveti Affinity: https://www.oriveti.com/affinity

Some Short Comparisons:

Oriveti OH500 versus Oriveti OH300:

Now I want to compare the OH500 with the little brother OH300 which is the 2+1 Hybrid IEM of the company.

The most remarkable difference is the tonality between the two models. The OH500 sounds warmer, fuller and more musical compared to the OH300 that shows a more neutral, balanced and brighter sound character. The subbass depth of both In-Ear Monitors is pretty identical, while the OH500 has the upper hand in terms of quantity and depth. The midbass of the Oriveti OH300 have a more linear/balanced tuning compared to the OH500 that shows more impact and a higher level of intensity. The bass of then OH300 is slightly faster and tighter than the OH500.

The midrange of the OH500 has a warmer, smoother and fuller tonality, compared to the OH300 which shows a brighter, closer to neutral and balanced character. The midrange of the OH300 is nearly on par with those of the OH500 in terms of resolution. The upper midrange of both IEM’s is fairly accented and controlled, while the OH300 sounds more neutral and upfront in this area. The upper treble range of the OH300 is more pronounced and shows better extension compared to the OH500 that is mainly focused to the lower treble region.

The soundstage of both In-Ear Monitors has a nearly identical wideness. The Oriveti OH500 is slightly better in terms of soundstage depth.

Oriveti OH500 versus FiiO FH7 (with balanced filter):

The FiiO FH7 has a more neutral and bright sound signature compared to those of the Oriveti OH500, which sounds fuller warmer and more musical. The subbass of the FH7 is not as deep as those of the OH500. The OH500 has the upper hand in terms of subbass depth and extension. The midbass region of the FiiO FH7 has a fairly linear tuning compared to the Oriveti OH500 that shows more quantity and intensity. The FH7 has the upper hand in terms of bass speed and tightness.

The midrange of both IEM’s is quite detailed and transparent. The OH500 has the upper hand for male vocals due to the better lower midrange depth and emphasis, while the FH7 is slightly more detailed with female vocals.The treble range of the FH7 shows more quantity and slightly better extension.

The FiiO FH7 has the upper hand in terms of soundstage width, while the OH500 is superior in terms of depth.

Oriveti OH500 versus Custom Art FIABE Black:

The Custom Art FIBAE Black is a warm, musical and full-bodied sounding IEM and has a warmer/darker tonality than those of the OH500. The FIBAE Black has slightly the upper hand in terms of subbass depth/quantity and midbass intensity. The Oriveti OH500 is superior in terms of overall bass speed, tightness and resolution.

The midrange of the FIBAE Black is slightly warmer and softer in tonality compared to the OH500 that is more transparent and airy. The Custom Art FIBAE Black sounds more successful with male vocals due to its lower midrange depth, while the Oriveti OH500 has the upper hand for female vocals with its more pronounced upper midrange and higher midrange clarity.

The upper midrange and treble region of the OH500 shows better detail retrieval, brightness levels and extension compared to the FIBAE Black which sounds a bit recessed and slightly veiled in this regions.

The soundstage of the Oriveti OH500 has better width, while the performance in terms of depth is nearly identical.

Conclusion:

The Oriveti OH500 is a gorgeous looking In-Ear Monitor with a robust build quality, which offers a Hi-Fi type of sound tuning with a detailed, musical and fatigue-free presentation that will enjoy you with almost any type of music genre. The luxurious leather case and the rich accessories package are also some nice additions that do make the OH500 to great option at this price range.

Pros & Cons:

• + Powerful, Warm & Full Bodied Presentation (Hi-Fi Sound)
• + Musicality & Detailed Tuning
• + Fatigue-Free Presentation
• + Great Build Quality and Accessory Package

• – Upper Treble Roll-Off
• – Tonality that you have to get used to