Solomon Review -NymPHONOmaniac(head-fi reviewer)

Pros: -End game technical performance
-excellent resolution and micro dynamic
-crisp, clean and open musicality
-vivid neutrality (balanced W shape)
-tight, speedy, textured and weighty mid bass
-clear and well layered bass line with lean extension
-excellent imaging
-very generous amount of micro details
-crisp and sparkly treble (shine with acoustic guitar and percussions)
-among biggest soundstage from IEM with bone conduction
-open and transparent mids with well sharpen presence
-holographic 3D stage
-even if technical it don’t go clinical due to proper bass punch engagement
-versatile tonality (apart for basshead music like Drum&Bass)
-incredible packaging and accessories
-Temple cable is the most beautiful cable i’ve ever own (and seen)
-competitive sound performance and package (can easily compete with UM Mest MK3)

Cons: -slight sub bass roll off (shorten cello or double bass attack release)
-not lushest mid range (not for thick and warm tonality lover)
-rare instance of subtle sibilance (not intense and with bad recording only)
-very revealing EST + BC treble can dig unwanted noise artefact
-slightly dry vocal timbre (can go lusher with proper eartips)
-not suggested for people that are Very sensitive to upper mids and ultra highs
-low impedance IEM mean you need low impedance source (lower than 1ohm)

TONALITY: 8.25/10
TECHNICALITIES: 9.5/10
TIMBRE: 78/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 9/10
IMAGING: 9/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 8/10
VERSATILITY: 8.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
ACCESSORIES: 9.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.5/10

BGVP is a well known IEM company from China that has been around for nearly 10 years now. Their goal is to make an IEM that offers great technical performance at a very competitive price, in budget to higher end price range.

I haven’t tested all their IEMs, but it’s no secret I consider their tribrid IEM with bone conduction called DMA as the very best tribrid with BC in the sub-500$ price range. This ain’t light statement from me that is very demanding, though musicality is always a matter of subjective taste. Check my review on No Borders Audiophile to get an idea of how good this bassy technical beast is.

Another thing with me is my obsession for IEM with BC in all price range, from BQEYZ Winter to Penon Fan3 to UM Mext to BGVP Phantom to Pula Anvil to TSMR Shock to ISN EBC80 (so yummy) to Penon Archangel and now this very Solomon, i just can’t test enough since bone conduction is only tech bypassing ‘’rules’’ of air transmission, permitting new sound experience no other drivers can. Still, this ain’t interesting as a single driver and needs to be implemented well for full benefit and cohesion with other drivers.

This is why I’m so excited to review the latest flagship IEM from BGVP. I like their Phantom but have some fit issues and wish the soundstage would improve, still potential was very high for next things to come.

The Solomon is a quadbrid IEM using 9 drivers which consist of dual faced 8mm PU+LCP coaxial dynamic drivers, 3 sonion balanced armature, dual sonion bone conduction driver and 2 sonion electrostatic drivers. Based on their product description, Solomon promises high technical performance with an impressive sound clarity, precise 3D imaging and impressive sound airyness.

Priced 1300$, this is among the most expensive IEM from BGVP after their ArtMagic ES12 which is priced 1500$. Since I expect high sound value for the asking price, it means the Solomon needs to be incredible sounding and deliver a sound experience that isn’t findable in sub-1K$ range to truly be worthy of its price tag.

Let’s see in this review if BGVP can enter the 1-2K$ higher end audiophile market without looking like an overpriced midget.

SPECS (to note that these are LOW IMPEDANCE IEM, please use a proper source with lower than 1ohm impedance output to enjoy true clean clarity of those)

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES

The Solomon design is extremely beautiful to my eyes, it’s both elegant and timeless with a very very smooth finish that takes a lot of time to achieve. These are hands painted with multiple paint spray finishes to achieve a unique sparkly blue that reacts to light in different ways. Around the shell there is a luxurious gold trim that matches the gold logo and model name of the back plate. The IEM is very smooth and slippy without easily falling off your hands, it’s not easy to scratch due to the extra resin plastic layer on the back plate and the weight is light.
The shape is based on ear molding and it’s very organic, it slips in there naturally.
The size is chunky, this is a big IEM so very small eared people might be cautious, personally I have zero issue but need to underline this nonetheless.
In terms of nozzle, while the metal nozzle part is short, the elongated housing permits deep fit enough so the bone conduction driver comes properly in contact with temporal bone.

Due to having just a side venting, the isolation is excellent too.

The 2pin connector is flush on top, it’s not recessed nor protuberant like QDC connector, so you can use nearly all types of 2pin cable with this. Still, be cautious to align the pins connector to avoid venting it. Unlike some IEM with similar design, these aren’t too tight and I have zero issue connecting all types of cables (which I do alot).

In terms of included cable, we are in next level quality meet luxury territory. Simply put: I,ve never been that spoiled with high end cable with any IEM including 4000$ Firaudio Xenon 6 or 3000$ 64audio U18T which has cheap basic cables that they should be ashamed of.

BGVP goes overkill by including 2 TOTL cables that could be sold at kilobucks price if branded Rhapsodio or other megalo brands i’ll not share about.

The first ‘ ‘specialty’’ cable is a thick 4 strands Furukawa crystal copper cable with 23AWG single strands for a total of 200 cores. The termination is 4.4mm balanced. The color is a mix of blue and black strands. Sound transmission is crisp and focused, it improves soundstage depth more than wide and attack notes are clean and light.

Then we have the ‘’Temple’’ cable, which is made for true king….the design is a piece of art in its own right, attention to details of craftsmanship is mesmerizing.
In terms of core material, it’s 8 strands using 182 Furukawa single crystal copper wires + silver crystal copper plated wires. It uses extra insulation for each strand. The plug and splitter has a rotable EDC metal structure that you can play with while listening to music for stress relief. I’m not sure, but it might be the only cable on the market with such complex construction. Even if quite thick, the flexibility of the strands is super smooth. The color finish is shiny dark blue. Sound transmission improved the width and tallness of the soundstage, had note weight, and had density and tactility to instruments too. This means you can inflict slightly on tone and macro-micro dynamic with those 2 cables, making the Solomon even more versatile in use.

Even if we are spoil, the fact those 2 cables aren’t modular and use both 4.4mm balanced termination can be a drawback for those using single ended source or multiple source with different output size. I’m one of those, so I would suggest the ‘’specialty’’ cable to be modular. For Temple, it would be more complicated due to the unique design of the plug.

Ok, I don’t like to be wordy when it comes to accessories but I have no choice with Solomon…it’s just too majestic.
As underline, I’ve tested a good amount of 1K to 4K$ IEMs and often feel near insulted by poor packaging presentation and rubbish accessories quantity or quality, this can be said for Hifiman, 64audio, Firaudio,Campfire, Aroma Audio but sure not for BGVP.
This IEM isn’t based on king name for no reason, the consumer is treated like one too and whole package is a big wooden fancy box that can be used to carefully store your IEMs and cables, the storage box is beautiful and when you open it their this appealing golden Solomon logo and generous amount of accessories which including big magnetic carrying case in bright orange color made of real leather, it’s where the 2 high end cables are stored too.
Then you have a generous amount of varied eartips, from Azla Xelastec like sticky transparent one to short and longer silicon widerbore to one pair of memory foam eartips for a total of 10 different ear tips. What could we ask more? Well…perhaps cleaning clothes to make those IEM shine even more!

SOUND IMPRESSIONS

The SOLOMON aren’t based on King name for nothing, these are intensely capable in technical department from ultimate resolution to prime imaging to speedy well controlled attack (transient) from bass to mids to highs and most of all, the vast open soundstage which is something to achieve with such 9 drivers IEM using bone conduction that often make musicality sound too much in your head (UM Mest MK3 is a prime example of this con that cancel airy treble benefit of 4ESTs).

So yes these are more technical than intimately and smoothly musical, I would say 60% technical and 40% musical in immersivity balance, yet it’s not a clinical or boring sounding IEM due to the proper mid bass punch we have.
The tonality lean toward crispy crisp neutrality with slight mid bass boost that doesn’t warm the mids and a near analytical W shape with dynamic peak in mid bass, upper mids and upper treble region. If you enjoy micro details and high resolution but need engagement in the bass department for proper kick weight and tactility, these sure are worth a check. The fact you have a wide open and deep and clean soundstage is another highlight that shouldn’t be under regarded.

This bass really take me by surprise with high quality performance of it’s 2 dual faced dynamic driver, i heard alot of IEM with similar driver but this is the cleaner and speedier with Hisenior Cano Cristales, it ain’t shy in proper punch which is super thumpy, fleshy, round and textured.
Attack lead is well sharpened, cleaned from overly euphonic and creamy sustain-release, here the impact release is short both mid and sub bass wise.
The acoustic kick drum sounds super realist, it’s not thin or recessed like with way too much IEMs nowadays aiming to U shape balance. Both digital and acoustic drums sound properly dynamic, well resolved and layered, well carved in presence so it doesn’t slide into mids flabbily, it’s confident and agile bass with royal transient treatment that permit very versatile performance.
From jazz to rock to folk to R&B to even electronic music (!) it had the proper macro dynamic heft while preserving clean clarity. Sure, Drum&Bass will sound more fun with denser, wider and more vibrant and thick rumble but articulate of infra bass will be darker, here the bass line are sharply layered, clean and transparent but a bit thin and lean, fun part is all about thumping not big chunky boomy slamming.
So, if I nitpick something it will be for cello and double bass (to a lesser extent because of how clean and agile note rendering is). The cello can lack this natural density with air attack release of the lowest note. I tend to prefer warmer lusher rendering for this instrument since it makes it easier to differentiate from viola.
While the bass is excellent in quality and quite engaging in dynamism, it’s not a basshead level boost, it can induce headbanging with proper bassy tracks but you don’t get distracted by it, nor will it ever dominate the balance.

As said, the mid range don’t get warmed by this mid bass which stop being boosted in lower mids region I guess, so you get open, transparent and crisp mids more inherent of U shape balance, it’s less warm and cleaner sounding than BGVP DMA too, as well as notably less bassy.
Very resolved, spacious and impressive in sense of depth and airy macro layering, the instrument has boosted presence brightness with an edgy attack accent that makes readability of music very easy, in an analytical way. The texture of the instrument is boosted too, you can pick up fine micro details of bow sliding on violin strings, you hear the lips movement, you even hear texture of breath in vocal or saxophone blow. The good news is that it stay hyper realistic in rendering, but tone color isn’t favored in lushness so for warm dense vocal lover like me i’m grateful of great intelligibility and clarity of vocal and how forwards and focused and centered they are, but find the tone a bit dry as well as presence a bit thin and not widely open.
This mean note weight isn’t heaviest too, though attack impact of instrument like piano is felt, the sustain is too shorten and empty to boost tactility and physicality of impact, again their pro about this, piano might feel a bit lean but it’s sharp in resolution and speedy in attack, so it’s easy to follow complex piano playing as well as noting if sustain pedal is press or note due to natural decay of note impact.
With Solomon, I can listen to classical symphony and be able to perceive all instruments clearly including the highest harmonic one like the harpsichord that often gets lost in the background, but this is about the treble part.
Here the dynamic driver don,t participate to mid range fullness which is dealt with 2 balanced armature and dual bone conduction sonion, this BC driver is specialized in mid range, it tend to peak in upper mids too, i own 5 IEM with this very sonion BC warmest one being ISN EBC80 which is very different (warmer-lusher-bassier-darker) than Solomon.
As said instruments clarity is top notch with sharp definition in attack lead, and prime transparency that permit excellent imaging and add sens of air around instruments too, Solomon favor higher harmonic instruments and vocal, it boost agility of instrument too so violinist virtuoso playing crazy speedy staccato or allegro composition sound incredibly articulated and accurate in rhythmic synchronicity and how sharply each note are separated.

The treble is another highlight of Solomon, the first time i listen to those I can’t believe their ‘’just’’ 2 electrostatic driver since i own alot of 4EST tribrid as well as 2EST tribrid (like Soundrhyme DTE500, Penon 10th, ISN EBC80, Kinera Urd) and the Solomon isn’t ultra highs shy at all, it’s vividly snappy and sparkly as well as very generous in micro details.
With Solomon, I discovered percussion parts I wasn’t even aware of, far in background, the micro dynamic is top notch, the treble top is clean and airy, both EST and BC driver improve attack definition of instrument and percussions.
Those percussions aren’t euphonic in transient sustain, it’s crisp and ultra resolved in texture, this mean cymbals crash has long lean textured release, the shimmer has a lot of micro details info yet it preserve it’s transparency too, it’s not noisy grainy highs and while vivid in it’s well sharpen W shaped tonality, it don’t feel over forced on listener due to BC mid range that put you closer to center stage instrument, those highs had sense of holographic stereophony.
If i consider those ‘’near analytical’’ it’s because of very generous sound info it digs, sure the source you use will inflict on how extreme can go resolution but if you wish your ears become a microscope that can ‘’see’’ micro details of strings material, this is it.
The acoustic guitar is mesmerizing because of this EST meet BC lower to ultra highs, if there is a vocalist playing guitar you will be able to finely perceive guitar layer with prime detailing, the attack snap of each string pulling or scratching is sharp, clean and brilliant. It’s easy to differentiate nylon strings from metallic strings too, as well the vibration of those strings deliver infinitesimal sound info.
Another instrument that needs proper ultra highs extension is the harpsichord which is very important in baroque classical music which I’m very around off, with a lot of IEM that get treble roll off past 10khz, this instrument can be over shadowed by violin but Solomon solve this like a King. Each note a well perceived and layered in clean background, with natural metallic brilliance and clean airy resonance, with the harp too it shine so much, their this delicate vividity to each note, string pulling has proper accent with contemplative expressive release that blossom clearly in a lean way, it’s not excited splashy ultra highs at all, and if i’m that bluffed about treble of Solomon it’s because the Unique Melody Mest MK3 i own for 2 year wasn’t as sparkly and airy, yet they use 4EST and are priced near 2 time more expensive.

The Soundstage is another highlight of the Solomon, which isn’t something easy to achieve with IEM using BC that tend to stole air around instrument, which isn’t the case here with this super airy and open sounding marvel. The spatiality is very wide, tall and depth, their lot of air on top and clean background that help dig deep in center scene. The atmosphere is very 3D, airy and concert hall like without having main instrument too recessed or flat in center stage.

The imaging too is excellent and I can see people using these for monitoring purpose. Instrument placement is sharp in definition and multi layering is great due to good transparency for depth of stage perception. Positioning is among most accurate for IEM using BC because it don’t sound too in your head nor bloom with overly textured presence other instruments. Bass don’t bleed and blur definition delimitation of other instruments too. These are imaging maestro, one other talent to add to this IEM.

(small extra note: eartips used can inflict on how warm or bright this will sound, as well as how open and clean goes soundstage. Simply put, smaller is the ear tips nozzle, more bass resonance warmth you’ll get and more compressed can become soundstage widht which will make it a bit more mid centric and intimate in musicality.
cable can inflict, but to a lessen degree. while audio source can greatly inflict on it especially if higher than 1ohm of output impedance we can have euphony-harmonic distortion boost. those are very sensitive and very easy to drive at 7.3ohm!!)

COMPARISONS

VS BGVP PHANTOM (2DD2BA2BC2EST-900$)

The Phantom is more V shape, less clean and crisp and technical sounding, warmer and more bodied in lower mids while sharper and more shouty in upper mids. Solomon is more neutral to U shape in balance, airier, clearer and notably more spacious soundstage wise.

The bass of Solomon is faster and more textured, kick drum is better defined and bass line better layered and controlled, which make Phantom bass sound a bit muddy, lacking attack bite for cello, electric and acoustic bass but more rumbly and thicker in slam, so less thin and transparent bass wise.

Mids too are less thin and transparent, their some warmth that thicken more male vocal while female vocal are more forwards and aggressive, presence isn’t as wide too, it feel compressed, their way more air around instrument with Solomon, clarity is superior, sound layers better carved, timbre is a bit dryer too.

Treble is more articulated and vivid in micro-dynamics with Solomon, percussions are sharper and snappier, less prompt to splashyness with excited cymbals, sustain-release is looser with Phantom and it’s less clean, more congested on top, less airy and sparkly.

The soundstage is massively bigger, wider, taller and deeper with Solomon-no competition here.

Imaging too, their cleaner wider space between instruments, sound layers being more transparent it’s easier to pin point background instruments, your nearer center stage with Phantom which makes sound layers more mixed together, harder to pull off.

All in all, the upgrade is very big here, not only in term of IEM size since Solomon is 1.5x bigger, but in term of technical performance from higher crisper resolution, to more controlled bass-mids-highs attack, to superior imaging and well way bigger soundstage too, offering a more immersive and holographic musicality, slightly colder but we can say more neutral and mature too. It sure is worth the extra 400$, since you get TOTL cable in bonus as well as proper sound benefit return in terms of performance upgrade.

VS UNIQUE MELODY MEXT (1DD4BA1BC-1100$)

The Mext bone conduction driver is way more present and covers a wider frequencies range than Solomon, this makes it leaner, more L shape in balance, less weighty and articulated in macro dynamics, it sounds more in your head especially for mids instruments. Solomon suddenly has more W shape, notably crisper and more open and airy sounding.

The bass is better rounded and layered with Solomon, the kick is more felt while bass lines are more vibrant and less dry, less thin and more tactile. Presence is more boosted with the Mext, their texture grain less air within presence, it sounds more artificial too and kick is less dynamic, less physical in impact.

Mids are more upfront but in your head way with Mext, presence is wider, closer and more textured and dense with sound info, transparency and layering is inferior, their barely no air around instrument due to BC stealing it more too. Both timbres of these IEMs aren’t most natural or lush too, the definition of instrument is sharper with Solomon and attack is less loose. Vocals can be more shouty with Mext too.

Treble is notably more airy and sparkly and clear with Solomon, percussions of Mext lack proper crisp bite, which Solomon offers plenty, then micro dynamic is very flat with Mext, while vividly articulated with Solomon. We have more micro details with Solomon too.

The Soundstage is about as wide but taller and deeper with Solomon.

Imaging is cleaner, sharper, better defined in positioning which feel more 3D and spacious and layering which is more readable in multiple planes so you can dig deeper sound info, with blacker background.

All in all, signs of time begin to show with those Mext that can’t handle nowadays competition. Solomon is way superior in technical performance and more realistic in musicality too, not only soundstage is more holographic and taller-deeper, imaging is clearer, micro dynamic more articulated, treble is more extended and sparkly, balanced armature attack is less loose and euphonic, air has less grain from BC, bass is faster, tighter, mids are more open and clean….did i need to go on? Skip Mext, they don’t worth it nowadays at 100$ less, and i don,t even talk about bad cable and accessories included with it which is a legit selling point for higher price value of Solomon.

VS PENON ARCHANGEL (2DD4BA1BC with 2 tuning switch-800$)

The Solomon is brighter, crisper, snappier, more technical and more W shaped and sharp in balance, it’s notably less bassy than Archangel too. So overall more neutral.

Everything sound faster and snappier with Solomon including bass wich is cleaner tighter and more textured in punch and lean in sub bass release, it’s not as rumbly nor as thick, mid bass weight is lighter and have better separation from mid range, their less sustain boost and less lower mids feeding from bass. Archangel punch is more mellow even if weightier, it’s less thumpy while slam is wider and more vibrant, this is perhaps due to attack lead being sharper with Solomon.

Mids are brighter, sharper, cleaner and more open in spatiality but less lush, dense and wide in presence this time with Solomon. Instruments feel more in your head and compressed in wideness, male vocals aren’t as natural and female vocals are less smooth, more risky for sibilance with bad recording. It’s more detailed and superior in clarity, tone is more pleasant and less fatiguing with Archangel.

The treble is more vivid, snappy and sparkly with Solomon. The EST is the game changer here since these are very awakened which make it more airy and open sounding, sharper in attack bite, cleaner in attack release even if we have more natural resonance to instruments like acoustic guitar which sound marvelous with Solomon. Yet, the highs are thinner too, less rounded in presence, but even speedier….again: Solomon is a marathon athlete when it comes to transient response.

The soundstage is less tall but slightly wider and notably deeper with Solomon, it’s cleaner and crisper too.

Imaging is superior with Solomon due to its more analytical nature and shaper W shape balance, as well as EST sharpening even more definition and positioning of each instrument, less bass warmth to permit wider-cleaner space between instruments for more accurate separation.

All in all, those 2 are very different, treble head and clarity lover will prefer the more technical sounding Solomon which has better imaging, bigger soundstage and sparklier more extended treble but bass and mid lover will surely prefer Archangel since it’s heavier and rumblier in slam and mids are smoother, lusher and more natural sounding. In other words: these complement each other well, Solomon being more technical while Archangel more fun and musical.

CONCLUSION

BGVP surpasses itself with the Solomon and there is no doubt that’s their best IEM release yet, as a flagship offering should be.

The Solomon pushes all their drivers to paroxysm of their performance to offer spectacular technical performance that is captivating in all frequencies range from tight speedy textured bass to open clean and transparent mids to airy and sparkly treble.

Lot of IEM using bone conduction driver struggle to offer vast open soundstage and these are the most impressive in that regard with the ISN EBC80, yet, the Solomon sounding crisper offer even deeper and airier spatiality, sure depending of your source or eartips used you can slightly tweak the sound experience to more intimate (transparent eartips) to more open (wide bore eartips), but both way, you will never find the spatiality congested or lacking in any openness axis.

For 1300$ you not only get an IEM than can compete with most sub-2000$ IEM in term of technical performance and musical immersivity and captivation, but you’re treated like a proper King consumer with 2 very high end cable that could worth a lot of $ in their own right and can inflict slightly on final sound experience too.

The Solomon could be the end game IEM a lot of audiophile are waiting for unless they are plain basshead or seeking for very warm and mid centric musicality, these shine with a wide range of music style from jazz to classical to rock to folk to IDM to pop to blues and country, and if their instrument that benefit from ultra highs sparkle the eargasm can reach to the sky, so those listening to a lot of acoustic guitar, harp, clavichord or percussions centric music should put those on top of their list too.

I don’t hide my enthusiasm when an IEM is exceptional in both technical and musical department and Solomon nails this for me that favors spacious soundstage, excellent imaging, speedy mid bass punch and generous sparkly crispness.

Those are very big upgrades from their already capable Phantom.

Well done BGVP!

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