REVIEW
Nightjar Acoustics Singularity
If the opening scene would be a spaceship landing on a desert-barren planet where, inside a derelict bazar partially drowned by sandstorms, a wooden box would be dug out of the sand, carefully set on a table and opened to reveal the Nightjar Acoustics’s Singularity — they’d be right at home.
While the IEMs have been paid at retail price out of the author’s pocket, I would nonetheless like to send my heartfelt thanks to Zeppelin & Co. for making this purchase possible — thank you so much guys!
The object — Equally ancient and futuristic in design, the Singularity are understated yet elegantly crafted IEMs one cannot help but feel are special.
The IEM have a nice heft to them and have an artisanal, handcrafted, flair that is a joy to hold — not to mention the choice of materials for this launch edition.
Having learned to appreciate thin and flexible cables, the 2-wire Vanguard cable with multiple terminations is not only a perfect match for the Singularity but also among the very few bundled IEM cables that strike a balance in terms of flexibility, looks and quality.
Fit & Comfort — The shells are small enough with well-rounded corners to fit most. The nozzles are however on the short and thick side. Although they did end-up providing a decently comfortable fit, they lean more towards Oriolus (usually a no-go here) than Campfire Audio (usually perfect).
The vents ensure a genuine pressure-free listen, even on bass-heavy tracks though one might be surprised to read what follows on this particular topic.
Tips used: Subtonic House Tips — note that tips will impact the sound a significant extent in this case and impressions can strongly differ in-between listeners
Sound — The Singularity present an engaging yet relaxing but especially, musical, natural yet articulate, and fatigue-free listen with one of the most natural timbre and soundstage heard to date.
Textures are present but will vary depending on how the track was mastered which is somewhat of an underappreciated quality. While the low-end emphasis is there, it does not hit anywhere near what graphs might imply. If the Singularity’s low-end makes you ponder, the take here is that its quality is likely going to impress you more than its quantity. In that regard, the Singularity can surprisingly be genre-agnostic.
As the cable allows for swapping terminations, the following differences have been noted using sources with similar single-ended and balanced implementations: balanced sounds tighter and more controlled all the while remaining a relax listen whereas single-ended sounds less controlled and more relaxed.
Files / Sources used: CD-quality FLAC bought from Qobuz & Tidal HiFi streaming / Uncapped Sony ZX-507, NW-WM1AM2 (Direct Source: On) & Aune M1p
Conclusion — There’s IEMs you listen to and compare to others and there’s IEMs you just listen to. The Nightjar Acoustic Singularity distinctly fall into the latter category.
The wooden box and metal case of the launch edition are, for the price, just the cherry on top rounding up a boutique audiophile product with a sound I foresee many will hunt down in a certain online bazaar years down the line.
The Singularity are pure bliss and a genuinely singular IEM — hats off Nightjar Acoustics!
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