Marcelo reviews the QoA Martini, the company’s flagship hybrid dynamic, BA, and bone conduction driver IEM, currently priced at $699.00.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank QoA for their support.
Click here to learn more about QoA products previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This article follows our latest scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
QoA, or Queen of Audio, is a sister brand of Kinera, known for its beautifully designed and good-sounding IEMs, some of which have been reviewed here before, including the nicely designed QoA Aviation, the fantastic-looking Thorking, and the recently released Kinera NOTT Phantom.
Design and sound tuning concept inspired by the Martini Cocktail drink, with its sparkly looks, and the cocktail’s balance of Campari, vermouth, and gin in a 3:5:2 ratio, the QoA team tuned the Martini earphones with a 3:5:2 bass-mid-treble balance.
According to QoA, this tuning delivers satisfying lows, clear, present mids, and sparkling highs—creating an immersive soundscape as nuanced and harmonious as the original drink.
Can QoA deliver these promises? Or how will Martini compare to other good-sounding IEMs such as Softears Volume S and LETSHUOER Mystic 8? Let’s find out.
Features
The QoA Martini is a tribrid universal in-ear monitor with 3 types of driver technology.
Inside is a 10mm bone conduction driver for bass feedback, a 6mm Liquid Diaphragm Dynamic Driver for the mid-bass, 2 Knowles full-range Balanced Armatures for the mids, and 2 custom Balanced Armatures for the highs and ultra-highs.
Martini employs a 4-way crossover for its six specialized drivers and features a pressure relief system that prevents pressure buildup in the ear canal, which can cause nausea and headaches.
It weighs 5.7 grams, has an impedance of 14Ω, and a sensitivity rating of 105 dB/mW.
Design
The Martini features an attractive-looking 3D-printed shell, which is fully embedded with fine purple colored metal flakes, and a faceplate with coarser purple metal flakes and Martini lettering.
The nozzle looks like plastic and is 6.4mm in diameter, which is slightly on the large side, but still comfortable with the included ear tips. There are three vent holes in the shell near the 2-pin connector.
Stock Cable
The QoA Martini features a 1.2-meter premium 6N OCC copper cable, characterized by a four-strand, hand-braided Litz design with an overall diameter of 1.8 mm, all encased in a durable brown PVC sheath.
It terminates in a gold-plated 4.4 mm fixed balanced plug and uses 0.78 mm 2-pin aluminum-alloy connectors.
Comfort & Isolation
Thanks to its ergonomic shape, moderate size, and light weight, plus the effective pressure relief system, the Martini is very comfortable to wear, even during long listening sessions, anytime, anywhere, without any pressure build-up.
Isolation is the same as any IEMs with a pressure relief system; some sound gets in, but they are easily masked by the music being played at a moderate volume level.
Packaging & Accessories
The QoA Martini has a slightly luxurious packaging that befits its price; my unboxing impression is very positive.
It includes the Martini IEMs, a 6N OCC 0.78 mm 2-pin detachable cable with 4.4 mm balanced plug, six pairs of silicone rubber ear tips, three pairs of AZLA Crystal ear tips, a Genuine Leather Storage Case, a cleaning cloth, and a user manual.
The included genuine leather case has a pleasant smell, typical of any brand-new genuine leather product, and features magnets to keep the door shut.
Sound Impressions
I did my standard 24-hour burn-in, but due to a busy schedule, I left it burning in for 8 hours more. I didn’t notice many changes in sound after 8 hours of burn-in. An overnight burn-in, achieved by playing music at a moderate volume, should be sufficient for the Martini.
For the sources, I used my iBasso DC-Elite, MUSE HiFi M5 Ultra DAC amplifiers, using my Android phone, OnePlus 13, as the music transport, and the FiiO M15S DAP, using either UAPP or PowerAmp music player App.
Of the three ear tip types included, I used the white tips, which resemble the popular Acoustune AET07 ear tips.
Measurements
My measurement reveals an excellent left and right channel matching, indicating a high level of manufacturing quality. There is a moderate bass boost of 10 dB below 50Hz, moderate because 4 to 7 dB is considered neutral sounding.
Bass response slowly glides down towards the midrange at 500 Hz. I appreciate that the response has a gentle glide rather than an abrupt tuck in the upper bass, as this type of bass response helps avoid thin note weight.
Unlike other hybrid or tribrid sets, which often exhibit a tuck-in response in the upper bass, this can cause a thin note weight sound.
There are inaudible glitches near 180 Hz and 200 Hz, which are caused by the bone conduction driver interacting with the shell and the ear tips.
A 10 dB pinna gain hump centered at 2.5 kHz is moderate and gentle enough to sound pleasant yet never causes the instruments and vocals to lose presence.
There is a mild hump centered at 8 kHz, which makes it look worse, because it coincides with the measurement artifact peak of my measuring tool. In actual listening, that peak is much milder; it does not color the sound too much, instead adding a little more sparkle to the sound.
The upper treble above 10 kHz is very extended, giving an illusion that Martini has an unlimited treble extension.
Summary
The Martini boasts an almost neutral, mild V-shape sound signature, characterized by slightly thick, yet sparkly, airy, and energetic sound presentation, resulting in a lively, non-fatiguing, and musically communicative IEM.
Bass is energetic and punchy with fast decay, making for a clean-sounding bass. Yet, it is capable of producing an ominous rumble in the deep bass, which adds tension to the sound appropriately when needed, and never slows down the music.
Midrange has a slight warmth, yet does not lack presence and clarity. Male and female vocals are presented equally with appropriate body to the sound, instruments are clear and detailed, with an accurate instrument note weight.
Treble is sparkly, clean, and extended, with plenty of detail; the overall sound is remarkably transparent, with no veiling present. The Martini has an excellent balance of warmth, presence, and clarity.
Coloration
While Martini sounds very transparent and almost neutral, we all know that all IEMs have coloration to their sound.
There is no coloration in terms of driver distortion, noise, or shoutiness in sound; instead, Martini’s coloration is the mild thickness in the upper bass, which is probably due to the 10mm bone conduction drivers, which adds musical beauty to the sound rather than the destruction of sound.
Sparkly highs also count as coloration, but similar to the above, it doesn’t make the sound worse; instead, it makes the sound more pleasing and musically engaging.
Soundstage
Martini has a big soundstage, thanks to its clean sound, super extended highs, and deep bass. The shape is spherical, and the feel is natural, like you are listening in a physical environment.
Just a few hours ago, I was at a lively party with friends, and I had to stand on the side of the room due to fullness after overeating.
Luckily, I had the Martini IEM with me, as well as the Khadas Tea Pro BT DAC. I was transported from the acoustically dead private room to clubs, outdoors, and concert halls when I listened to this setup.
I was getting lost in the music. Unfortunately, I had to get back to the real world as my friends were calling me. It was an eye-opening experience, even though I’m an experienced listener. Martini surprised me with how well it communicated the music straight to my soul.
Imaging
Imaging is holographic; images emanate from everywhere and are not bunched up in a narrow plane. There is a retro chillwave music that I listen to, where an electronic drum roll appears at my 10 o’clock, and a moment later, the sound returns as an echo with effects at 4 o’clock.
Center imaging, especially the main vocals, is well defined, with a distinct position in front, that is not in your face, but not too far either, just slightly out of reach. And other instruments have good layering further back from the main vocals
Dynamics
Martini is energetic sounding when listening at low, medium, and high volumes. It is easy to drive, even low-powered sources can drive it to a deafening level, and it does not suffer from obvious dynamic compression with high-powered sources at loud volumes.
There is this warm enthusiasm in the lows and liveliness in the highs, making the Martini sound fun and never dull, yet refined for critical listening. There is never a dull moment with the Martini.
Martini can take a lot of power from the source and can get very loud, so my hearing would be the first to give up before it starts to make noticeable distortion.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
