Sonic Compass · Mojo Review · IEM (universal) · Session Review
Softears Edge
A titanium-shelled 11mm single dynamic driver IEM with huge but fast bass, forward and clean mids, non-sibilant treble and a tall, holographic stage.
A sharp-looking titanium single dynamic driver IEM with very big but fast bass, forward clean mids, non-sibilant detailed treble and an excellent stage with height. Not neutral.
- Colossal but controlled bass
- Forward, clean vocals
- Non-sibilant detailed treble
- Holographic stage with height
- Titanium shell, easy to drive
Where it sits
Sonic Compass does not score gear out of ten. Gear and listeners are plotted on the same seven axes, so a review tells you where a product sits — and you can see how far that is from where you sit. A position is a description, not a grade.
- Tone ColourWarm · 65%
- Texture DetailVery detailed · 85%
- Dynamics JumpVery punchy · 90%
- Space & ImagingVery spacious · 90%
- Timing & FlowVery rhythmic · 80%
- Comfort & FatigueVery easy-going · 80%
- Emotional EngagementVery immersive · 85%
Enhanced rather than neutral: huge bass, a warm and lush mid-range and clear treble. He calls it bass, mids and treble shaped, not V or U. High = warm on this scale.
Highly resolving, micro detail, breaths, strums and plucks audible, and the trailing edge of notes decays cleanly.
Bass hits like a tsunami, punchy, meaty, slams and snaps back. Drums keep hitting.
3D, holographic stage with height. Imaging is the star and beats many higher-tier IEMs in his words. Not artificially huge.
Fast bass that kicks and returns quickly. Dense metal stays separated with nothing bleeding together. No direct remark on rhythm or pace as such.
No sibilance or harshness, and long loud sessions without fatigue (he has high treble tolerance). Sharp-edged shells did not touch his ears, but other ear shapes are untested.
Exciting and visceral bass, vocals that sound alive, emotion audible in female voices, and 'spectacular' in the verdict.
Sonic Compass does not grade gear. We plot gear and listeners on the same seven axes, so a review tells you where a product sits and you can see how far that is from where you sit.
The Softears Edge is a single 11mm dynamic driver IEM in a CNC-machined titanium alloy shell, with a proprietary labyrinth acoustic structure in the rear chamber. The pair was sent by Softears for review. I listened mainly from a portable DAP, and also from my desktop set-up, with wide-bore third-party tips.
My last review was another single dynamic driver, the Tangzu Li Shouer, and I use it here as the comparison.
Listening journey
Bass - Deep, meaty and punchy, and fast: it goes low, kicks and snaps back without turning muddy or congested. It is bigger than the bass on the Li Shouer, and some listeners will find it too much. If you want a lot of low end that stays controlled, it delivers. The drums on Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight when they come in at 3:40 are a highlight, and Toto's Africa has presence and body.
Mids - The step from bass into the mids is clean, and the bass does not suffocate vocals. Male voices sound thick, realistic and powerful. Female voices are lush and forward without sibilance. On Africa both lead voices sound natural, full and never shadowed. Michael Jackson's Beat It has a strong bass run and clean, sharp, powerful vocals. Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time puts her out in front with neutrality and weight and the bass riff in support, and I can hear the emotion in her voice. Bonnie Tyler on Holding Out for a Hero is gritty, forward and powerful, and I can hear the trailing edge of her notes disappear cleanly.
Treble - I am older and want plenty of treble to hear micro detail, and I am fairly resilient to sibilance. The treble here is spot on for me. Drum snaps and cymbal crashes on Don't Lose My Number are tight, clean and resolving with no harshness, and guitars screech and wail without sibilance. Money for Nothing has quick, punchy guitar and synth hits that dissipate ready for the next one. The tuning is enhanced all the way through, so it is neither neutral nor boring. It is not V-shaped or U-shaped, it is bass, mids and treble shaped.
Dense music - I wondered how a single dynamic driver would cope with frenetic metal. The end of Metallica's One, with guitars and drums going crazy, stayed separated with nothing bleeding together and no sibilance. I could play it loud without fatigue.
Stage and imaging - The stage is three-dimensional and holographic, and it has height, which I do not often get. It is not artificially huge, but it is very capable. Imaging is the star of the set and, to my ear, beats many higher-tier IEMs. The sense of realism on the tracks I used is quite uncanny.
Driving it - 16 ohms and 128 dB sensitivity make it very easy to drive, probably the easiest I have seen. It was brilliantly capable from both my portable player and my desktop set-up.
| Track | Position | Note |
|---|---|---|
| In the Air Tonight | 92% | Drums at 3:40 hit hard, clean and visceral |
| Africa | 88% | Presence and body, both lead voices natural and full |
| Beat It | 88% | Killer bass run, clean sharp powerful vocals |
| Time After Time | 88% | Voice out front with weight, bass riff in support |
| Holding Out for a Hero | 86% | Gritty, forward, powerful, clean note decay |
| Don't Lose My Number | 86% | Tight clean snaps and cymbals, no harshness |
| Money for Nothing | 86% | Quick punchy guitar and synth hits that dissipate fast |
| One | 90% | Chaotic ending stays separated, no sibilance, no fatigue loud |
Critical observations
Build and fit - Minimalist, brutalist, industrial vertical brushed titanium with sharp, modern edges. I like the look. I worried the sharp edges would dig into my ear, and at one stage thought I felt it, but on closer inspection they were not touching my ears at all. Other ear shapes and sizes may differ. I did not try them for sleeping. They were very easy to tip-roll. I tried both sets of supplied tips and preferred the grey ones, then preferred my own wide-bore tips more, so the review was done with those.
What is in the box - A minimalist grey cube holding a soft leather case, two sets of tips and a 4.4mm balanced cable with a 7N high-purity rotary-forged OCC core and a dual-layer silver-plated outer structure. A 3.5mm adapter is all a single-ended user needs.
Against the Tangzu Li Shouer - Across tracks that are not bass heavy the tuning is very similar and I like both equally. Mids are natural and lifelike with plenty of body, treble is almost identical and highly resolving with no sibilance, and staging on both is excellent, particularly in the round. The Edge may just have the edge on width, but it is close. On the Li Shouer the treble lingers for about an extra second in my right ear. Its bass is superb and nothing seems lacking, but the Edge's bass is colossal, and a bass-head will want the Edge. I preferred the Li Shouer's look, fit and unboxing. They are neck and neck and sound very similar. Pick the Li Shouer for the fancier presentation and accessories, and the Edge for the simpler, modern look and the bigger bass.
Read this against your own profile - I like an enhanced, engaging tuning with resolving, non-sibilant treble and strong imaging. If that is you and you want a lot of controlled bass, this fits. It is not a clinical, dead-neutral tool for analysing masters.
Honest limits - The pair was supplied by the maker. By ear only, with no measurements. The Li Shouer comparison is from memory of a review done just before, not a level-matched session. My treble tolerance is probably higher than most, so read the sibilance and fatigue remarks in that light. I did not test sleeping, or other ear shapes and sizes.
- In the Air TonightPhil Collins
- AfricaToto
- Beat ItMichael Jackson
- Time After TimeCyndi Lauper
- Holding Out for a HeroBonnie Tyler
- Don't Lose My NumberPhil Collins
- Money for NothingDire Straits
- OneMetallica
- Driver Configuration
- Single 11mm dynamic driver with proprietary labyrinth acoustic structure in the rear chamber
- Driver Details
- Impedance 16 ohms at 1kHz (+/-15%); sensitivity 128dB/Vrms at 1kHz; frequency range 15Hz-40kHz; effective range 20Hz-20kHz (Softears, via Linsoul)
- Weight
- Not stated on the listing
- Build Materials
- CNC-machined titanium alloy housing
- Cable Connectors
- 0.78mm 2-pin connector; 4.4mm balanced plug; 7N high-purity rotary-forged OCC core with dual-layer silver-plated outer structure
- Isolation Leakage
- Not stated
- Power Requirements
- Not applicable (passive IEM). Very easy to drive.
- Accessories
- Type B eartips (black) x3 pairs, Type B eartips (transparent) x3 pairs, storage case, soft carrying pouch, cleaning cloth, user manual (Linsoul listing)
- Build Quality Notes
- Series: Lifestyle Listen (LS). List price US$499 (Linsoul, official distributor listing). Photos: Linsoul / Softears.
A sharp-looking titanium single dynamic driver IEM with very big but fast bass, forward clean mids, non-sibilant detailed treble and an excellent stage with height. Not neutral.
<p><strong>Buy it if</strong>... you want colossal but controlled bass; you like forward, lush vocals and detailed treble without sibilance; or you value a tall, holographic stage and strong imaging.</p><p><strong>Skip it if</strong>... you want a clinical, dead-neutral tool for analysing masters; you find a very large low end too much; or you are worried about fit with sharp-edged shells and cannot try them first.</p>