Expert’s Rating
Our Verdict
Future Sonicshas been around for 20 years , and the company ’s founder was making customs duty in - ear - canal headphones for ten years before that , gain Future Sonics one of the elder statesman of the canalphone market . The troupe introduced the original universal - fit Atrio (; $ 199 ) in 2007 , but recently free the upgradedAtrio m5 Professional Earphones($200 ) , which use the company ’s newly - develop MG7 gadget driver ( miniature loudspeaker ) .
Some prompt background information : canalphones typically fit snugly — and fairly deep — in your ear canals , blocking most external noise and creating a solid acoustic seal to improve bass carrying into action . ( Canalbuddesigns are alike but do n’t sit as cryptic or block as much audio . See our in - ear - canal earphone primer for more info . ) The downside of canalphones are that some people discover it tricky to get a proper fit , and you may hear somemicrophoniccable interference — bumps and scrapes of the cable that are amplified by the canalphones ’ soused conjugation with your auricle canals .
The Atrio is set apart from most other canalphones by Future Sonics ’ driver - design philosophy . Most canalbuds havemoving - coil(also do it asdynamic ) driver that develop strong bass voice but are n’t always of high calibre , while most canalphones havebalanced - armaturedrivers that generally give you good overall audio quality but do n’t produce like bass mass unless multiple drivers are used in each headphone . Future Sonics , on the other hand , conceive in using a single , gamy - quality dynamic driver that the troupe designs and manufactures . The theory is that this attack offers the high - timber sound recording of balanced - armature design but retains the simple mindedness and powerful basso of propel - coil designs .
The Atrio ’s credit card earpieces are each mold like an apostrophe , with the eartips at the turgid , rounded end and the headphone cable exiting from the thinner final stage . Future Sonics provided Macworld with the Atrio Special Edition , which comes in a “ umber ” ( dark brown and pitch-dark ) color scheme , but the Atrio is also uncommitted in black , dispirited , and cerise , as well as a blue “ Roberto Alomar Hall of Fame version . ” The companionship ’s new eco - friendly package include a cleanup tool , two - rim silicone polymer eartips ( one pair each of humble , medium , and orotund size of it ) , and froth eartips ( two pairs each — one lightlessness , one flesh - toned — of small and large sizes ) . Also new with this upgraded variation of the Atrio is a nifty capitulum - influence , zippered case ( design by fashion - appurtenance makerPasschal ) made from recycled tyre and other recycled and renewable stuff .
Due to their shape , I had a unmanageable time fitting the Atrio ’s phone into my ears with the cable system point down , but I had no trouble with the cable pointed up and draped over and behind the ear . The latter musical arrangement also mitigates cable television microphonics . I test both the silicone polymer and froth eartips , and while the two - rim silicone tips more readily formed a seal in my auricle , I found them to be less comfortable than the froth tip . However , establishing a sealing wax with the foam tip took a little tweaking . For the best possible comfort , I suspect aftermarket Comply Tips ( ) would be a worthwhile leverage .
Future Sonics accent the bass functioning of the Atrio , and rightly so — it ’s the best I ’ve heard from a canalphone or canalbud . The Atrio pumps out lot of bass , but , thankfully , that bass is of sufficient quality that it does n’t overwhelm the other frequencies . Having bass performance this powerful also does a lot for the Atrio ’s presentation of macrodynamics : Through the Atrio , sudden bang - brake drum or freshwater bass - guitar hit grab my attention and sum up drama to euphony . The Atrio also offer telling midrange and treble item , but that is n’t as unusual in a good band of canalphones , so that does n’t seize you in quite the same way as those lower frequencies .
Of course , the Atrio is not the final Christian Bible in good quality . Some comparably priced canalphones from other vender offer midrange and treble relative frequency with unspoilt item and a more - relaxed , natural speech sound ; however , most will have more - encumber bass , honest or bad . How does the Atrio compare with less - expensive choice , such as Etymotic ’s outstanding $ 99mc3 ( ) ? The mc3 offers right high - absolute frequency item , and it has a lowly sharpness in midrange detail and treble body . However , I notice these vantage only after adjust to the vast difference in sea bass measure between the two earphone — the mc3 ’s sea bass yield is so much less than that of the Atrio , the mc3 vocalize thin by equivalence . It ’s deserving noting , however , that $ 200 perplex you the mc3 with impost fit eartips , whereas the comparableSofterWearoption for the Atrio costs an extra $ 150 ( plus audiologist fee ) over the Atrio ’s $ 200 toll tag .
Macworld’s buying advice
I was very impressed with the Atrio ’s audio quality , and peculiarly its bass performance . If you ’re a loo bass - head — or if you just appreciate visceral reproduction of lower frequence — but you ’ve been deprive yourself because you do n’t want to sacrifice the freshwater bass detail and midrange and and high - frequency performance of good canalphones , the Atrio could be your young favorite . However , competition is fierce at this price , so if sea bass response is n’t your precedence , I recommend looking carefully at models from Etymotic , Shure , Ultimate Ears , and others . And if you ’re front for good comfort , and you do n’t require the Atrio ’s sea bass execution , think that $ 200 gets you the excellent Etymotic mc3 with Custom - Fit eartips and headset functionality .
R. Matthew Ward populate in St. Louis and love the finer things in aliveness : food , pledge , Apple products , and well - regurgitate music . you may find his thoughts on these and other subjects onhis personal web log .
