In today’s feature, Marcus reviews the Rossi&Wing First Light, which is a new summit-fi hybrid 10mm R-ESTDD and six DBAA driver universal IEM. It is priced from $5690 for the standard edition and up to $7700 for the Limited Founder’s Edition.
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 Rossi&Wing and Luminox Audio for their support.
Click here to read more on Luminox Audio products that we have previously reviewed on Headfonics
Note that this article follows our latest scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
It’s a brave move to kick off an entirely new brand with an IEM that costs over five grand.
That is exactly what Taiwan and California’s Rossi&Wing have done here with their debut First Light release, a hybrid universal IEM priced from $5690.
Though Rossi&Wing is officially a business entity, it consists of two components. The first is the ‘ROSSI’, a group of experienced but unnamed R&D guys responsible for creating the First Light IEM, and the second is Zephon Wing, the man behind the marketing mission and philosophy of the company.
First Light is positioned as part of Rossi&Wing’s initial series called the Celestisium Series and tuned in cooperation with Lexi Chen and Herbert Guo, two renowned Taiwanese concertmasters for classical (string instruments).
It has several editions with different pricing structures ranging from $5690 for the standard edition to $7700 for the limited-run handcrafted Founder’s Edition.
The TLDR is a hybrid IEM with a powerful rounded sound signature, one that is smooth on the highs and even-harmonic driven through the mids with good vocal presence and outstanding bass weight.
Does it have everything you could want from an IEM? At this price, it should, however, even close to that price we are increasingly seeing a lot of capable competition.
How exactly does the First Light fare against other heavyweights such as the PMG Audio Apx, Vision Ears’ Phonix, and 64 Audio’s long-running Fourte flagship? I find out in my full review below.
Features
The Rossi&Wing First Light as a complete package is not one but two unique company contributions.
Rossi&Wing
The first is the universal IEM from Rossi&Wing. It uses a hybrid 13-driver configuration comprising an innovative 10mm R-ESTDD (Rear Electrostatic-dynamic driver) for the lows (and highs) and 6 dual BA driver arrays for the mids and highs with what Rossi&Wing terms a CMB or Custom Matrix Blend 3+1 proprietary crossover.
The “+1” deals exclusively with the 10mm R-ESTDD, a unique electrostatic and dynamic driver blended into a single component.
The EST component focuses on the treble and mid-low regions, overlapping with the 6 DBAAs, and extending from the sub-bass to the upper treble, which assists the R-ESTDD with treble extension.
ESTDD is not a new technology but with the EST placed behind the dynamic driver rather than in front in a passive mode the EST becomes active.
The dynamic driver is then tuned with a focus on the low-end dynamics to get that beefy impactful presentation dynamic driver fans know and love.
The First Light is rated at 13.5Ω impedance with a sensitivity of 113 dB/mW @ 1 kHz giving it a more than reasonable driving profile and should pair well and sound optimal with a quality dongle or DAP.
Luminox Audio
The second contribution is the Morningstar R2216 cable designed by Luminox Audio whom we have covered numerous times before for their cable creations such as the Luminox and Tri-Light.
This cable retails separately for $690 and is a specially created 4-wire 26AWG + 25AWG coaxial geometry consisting of three different types of copper. It is also finished with a distinctive and artistic set of barrels and connectors.
Technically two cables come with First Light but the “ANA-VISHUDDHA” from Vortex is only available with the 30 Limited Founders Edition sets and is not sold separately.
Design
The First Light shells in this sample are the Special Edition with a dashing blend of black and gold trimming.
The standard version comes in black and silver only, while the Special Edition offers a choice from black and gold, and silver/silver for the faceplate. The Founder’s Edition features an additional silver and teal option that color-matches with its exclusive Vortex Ana-Vishuddha cable.
The design and build use a mix of CNC-machined aluminum alloy, stainless steel, and brass materials and is completed with a contoured 3D-printed resin finish.
The main shells are coated with a dense layer of fine glitter giving it a lustrous shine when examined under the light as opposed to a muted black look when placed away from light.
The standout accent is the faceplate with its intricate 3-dimensional maze-like pattern dome and a gold-colored brass and stainless steel insert visible underneath.
I believe Rossi&Wing are pitching First Light as a “HiFi Speaker” within an IEM and to be honest, the front plate and gold-colored inset do remind me a little of a ribbon speaker front panel.
This is a 2-pin connector model with the sockets flush to the top of the shell and nearly invisible to the eye which is a nice touch considering you get a lot of competing models with ‘chonky’ inserts and naked plastic connector blocks in full view.
The shell form factor is deep and slightly above average for monitor sizing due to a large internal resonance chamber. Because of the copious use of metals, the First Light shells feel robust though relatively heavy giving me a bit of confidence they can take a knock or two or a small drop without cracking.
Comfort & Isolation
Because of the size and relatively gentle contouring of the First Light shells, these monitors are tip-centric for passive isolation performance and general comfort levels.
There is a trick, however, to getting both of those aspects working at optimal levels by not pushing the drivers too deep into your ear canal. Push them too deep and gaps will form resulting in a loss of bass quality and depth, which is a key aspect in the First Light’s tuning.
If that happens, all you need to do is pull them back very slightly until the tips create a better seal. You will know exactly where once the passive isolation markedly jumps a level or two.
There should be no effect on the general stability of the monitor in your ear but bear in mind that its above-average depth might have the shells stick out of your ear a bit more.
Since they are hybrid there is a level of venting required for the 10mm R-ESTDD to perform at optimal levels but even so, I found the passive isolation levels from the First Light shells to be in the excellent category once I got the right depth in my ear canal.
Ear Tips
You get two sets of tips with the First Light and both are single-flange silicone with the key difference in the stem and materials with one using a denser yellow stem and the other a more pliable black stem.
The bore sizes look similar but with the malleable stem the softer set opening widens a bit more when placed on the First Light nozzle.
These are the sets you need to use with the First Light. The yellow stem tips sound a bit less dynamic to my ear compared to the softer tips. I suspect you are getting a bit more bore exposure and more canal depth from the softer tips hence their fuller and more exciting presentation.
Stock Cable
The Morningstar R2216 from Luminox is a gorgeous-looking cable that despite the grandiose machining on the barrels still delivers a malleable and lightweight handling experience when in use.
The R2216 is a 26AWG+25AWG 4-wire coaxial geometry with a duo-linear spiral strand mix of 6N Silver-Plated OCC Copper, 4N Silver-Plated Copper, and Graphene-Plated Copper for the 25AWG side.‧
It is terminated by default with a Pentaconn 4.4mm jack and finished on the top end with 2-pin 0.78 connectors. There are no other options for 3.5mm, 2.5mm, or 6.35mm plugs.
The barrel finishing is an elegantly anodized gold over machined aluminum alloy with clear branding on a shallow trapezoid-shaped splitter and twisted-finished plug barrel.
There is a chin cinch and although it is silicone rather than metal it slots neatly into the top of the barrel to create an attractive continuous form factor. It also glides up and down the cable effortlessly.
The external is tightly braided with excellent deadening, low microphonic levels, and zero memory retention. Its handles ‘like a boss’ as they say.
If there is one critique it is the size of the strain relief at the base of the 4.4mm plug barrel. It’s a bit of an eyesore and I would have preferred that was internalized inside the barrel than stuck outside.
Packaging & Accessories
Unfortunately, the First Light sample sent to me is a preview version and not the full packaging.
From what I know, the Standard and Special Edition packaging will come with a wooden box, an autographed art book, a metal warranty card, and a leather pouch similar to the one I have here. That should give it a bit of a premium look compared to the spartan layout on my desk now.
The Luminox Morningstar R2216 cable arrived in the company’s branded packaging and is a bit distinct from the Rossi&Wing branding. Again, this might not be the finalized retail packaging coming out later this year.
You do get a nice reinforced brown leather puck-style case. It’s not hugely different in terms of dimensions and form factor from regular leather puck cases I have started to see more and more with high-end IEMs. However, the finishing and strapping are excellent with real leather used rather than synthetic.
Inside you get a lattice-type plastic insert to hold your ear tips, something quite similar to how 64 Audio organizes their tips.
The cable packaging also includes a small leather pouch and a small matching leather IEM organizer strap with some additional marketing material relating to the First Light experience.
Click on page 2 below for my sound impressions and recommended pairings.
