Queen of Audio is expanding their line of affordable IEMs with the new Affinity. Running for $99, the Affinity sits at the lower end of the company’s price range, and puts it up against a vast market of competitively priced models. I had no idea what to expect from the Affinity as I put them in for the first time.
What’s in the Box
- 3.5mm Cable
- Carrying case
- Silicone Ear Tips (9 Pairs)
Design
The Affinity uses a 10mm titanium coated PEN diaphragm dynamic driver, and is paired with a silver plated 5N copper cable. This IEM has something called a Dual Layer Resonance Control system (DLRC), which is meant to suppress sound attenuation and enhance the sense of space.
These have a frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz and an impedance of 22 Ohms
Look and Feel
The Affinity don’t make a grand statement with their looks, and that’s ok. They have a glossy black outer-shell and a cloudy white backing with gold lettering. Their fit is more dependent on the ear tip than it is on the body of the IEM itself locking into your ears. I found them plenty comfortable, but at times I wanted them to be a tad more secure.
Sound Quality
The Affinity has a flatter, darker response. The low end provides a great punch, and incorporates a fair amount of rumble. It’s not the most sub heavy, but for the sake of balance it doesn’t need to be. The lows blend smoothly into the low mids, which have a fair amount of coloring and detail to them, picking up percussive timbres and attack-heavy instruments with precision.
The high mids on the Affinity feel somewhat sharp at times—not drastically so, but they certainly stand out with female voices, certain guitar tones, and other more metallic sounds. These brighter high mids are offset by a much darker treble, which is rolled off around 10kHz. If you prefer more of a glossy high end, these are only a couple EQ tweaks away from it, but on their own, they are definitely damp sounding.
For their price range, the Affinity definitely do a good job with the soundstage. It felt like a standard level of width that was able to separate instruments enough to keep them from sounding crowded or stuffy. If you like busier compositions, they may not pick out every last detail, but for a $99 IEM, they certainly convey a lot of space and depth.
Overall
The Affinity is a worthy contender in the affordable IEM world. For live applications, this would definitely be great for someone who wants their highs more controlled and a low end that allows them to really feel the music’s energy. For casual listening, these do well with brighter mixes that need some taming or more organic compositions that benefit form a less aggressive high end and more filled out low end. I think the Affinity will at large please its customers and continue Queen of Audio’s favorability.
You can purchase the Queen of Audio Affinity here.
