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Today we’re looking at, perhaps, the prettiest IEM to ever come through the channel: The Reecho and Peacock, Spring Day. What makes the “Spring” special is that it is a hand-painted IEM, and it also has a rather unique configuration; consisting of two dynamics and a single balanced armature. I particularly like the colorway of it- the swirl of blue and green, with hints of golden yellow is very striking!
With regard to fit and finish, the fit is very comfortable. The shell, which is also said to be hand-made, is of a nice size that is neither too large nor to small. The shape is ergonomic, and the stem is neither too long, wide, or shallow. There is a lip at the end of the stem to hold tips in place. Others have reported difficulties with the tips remaining secured to the stem, but I had no such difficulty with my set.
The difficulties with my set have to do with the cable and its connection to the IEM. While the 2-pin connector of the right IEM aligns at a 90-degree angle, the left connector’s 2-pin rests ajar; leaning to the left aggressively. While this might not seem like a big deal, it does affect how the left IEM rests in my left ear somewhat.
Additionally, while the look, fit, and finish of the cable itself is first class, it’s sound is not a good match for this IEM in particular. The cable that I chose was the silver and blue variant. With this cable, the Spring is overly aggressive in the mids, and can be sharp at times. I found a tripowin, zonie cable to be a better match for the Spring, as it produced much more even sonics. A brown, copper cable exists as an alternative option for the Spring, and while it may not look as pretty as the blue variant, it might sound better?
The Spring also comes a nice, brown-leather, carrying case, a small carabiner, and a variety of assorted tips. While I found all variety of tips to be rather nice, the included clear silicone tips with the black bore sounded the most balanced and liquid for the Spring. In my opinion, they were the warmest, and best tonal match for this set.
Tip selection was particularly important with the Spring, as its signature changed greatly with tip selection, and, in general, its tonality lacked warmth and leaned towards a drier, more airy quality. These sound like Italian Pinot Grigio tastes.
Dat’ bass though... The bass is exceedingly well executed, and exceptional. With sufficient volume, this is one of the most appropriately dynamic IEMs that I have ever heard. Its dual dynamic set up more than likely contributes to this particular character. The mid-bass is punchy and its most present in the range, but there is also a perfect amount of sub-bass that lurks beneath the surface. Overall, although I can be emphasized at times, the bass is extremely natural sounding in my book.
Like the bass, there is also some upper mid-range forwardness and treble intensity that lurks in the grass and presents itself harshly on some recordings as well. These can test my limits with regard to both its highs, and its mids. Most of the time mid-range and treble presences are tolerable, but they do sound peaky to my ear on particular tracks, even if they do not really graph as such. I think that the highest peak at 2K and the additional elevation at 5K are what draw my attention mostly- although neither appears like it would be significantly elevated on a graph.
Forwardness in the mid-range was particularly evident on certain sources, as I found the Spring Day to be extremely source dependent. It simply did not sound good on overly stark devices. As a result, sources such as the THX AAA 789 were not a good fit for this earphone. The FiiO BTR 3K and the Gold Note DS-10 Plus were my favorite sources for the Spring Day. Each has their own mild flavors of warmth which were lent to the Peacocks most favorably.
In my listening, the soundstage on the Spring wasn’t particularly wide, but it did have some good height and a decent depth of field to it- despite other obvious limitations. One such limitation occurred with regard to the Springs limited sense of expansiveness, which seemed perpetually held bac, in its scope, by the restricted width of the sound field. Having said that, transients were notably terrific. Imaging was also accurate, and, notably, above average, while the auditory plane appeared rather flat as one would expect. Layering capabilities were enjoyable within the space it created, but separation, which, although sufficient on most music, did suffer on busier tracks, and sonics did appear to become jumbled with increasing musical complexity.
In contrast, vocal clarity and articulation was quite impressive. Although only mildly forward in nature, the Spring’s vocals were exceptionally precise, well separated, still appeared isolated from the rest of the mix. If you ever wanted to know exactly what an artist is saying on a particular track, this would be set to listen to it on, in order to figure it out.
Which brings me to my last point on the Spring. Others have claimed that the Spring presents a monitor-like sound, and outside of its mild aggression in the mids, I’d have to agree. For the most part, these did deliver sonics that were mostly monitor-like, but they were also true to the recording; for the better, or for the worse, that interpretation would be up to you. Like most other monitors I have auditioned, details were present and well articulated; however, general resolution was only good for the price, but not class-leading; and the Spring's dry, brisk, and airy presentation lent itself to some murkiness at times.
In the end, I do not want to sugarcoat it. There are some significant compromises to be found here; from the Spring’s limited sound-stage, to its tonality challenges and somewhat mid-forward nature, the Spring did leave me yearning for some additional musicality, in the end. Having said that, it is not a bad IEM by any imagination. It is mostly comfortable to wear, and it comes with a nice accessory package; even if I did not like the acoustics of the included cable variant that I selected, and I would ultimately recommend against it. Still, from a sound perspective, part of me almost regrets purchasing these, but they, nevertheless, image well, have terrific transients, and have a magically, dynamic low-end, which just sounds right to my ear. The vocal presentation is also executed exceedingly well to boot, and it is nice to have a monitor IEM in the collection. Those who prioritize vocals, a unique low-end, and a monitor-like sound may want to take note of the Reecho and Peacock Spring Day, even despite some of its aforementioned misgivings or other draw-backs to consider.
*Gold Note DS-10 available at: https://gestalt.audio/
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