Elysian Acoustic Labs - Pilgrim

pilgrim graphs decently similar to quintet, especially in the bass and mids and the treble is slightly more chill, less hot than the quintet. They are extremely technical for the price as well. so if that sounds appealing to you i'd have the pilgrim high on the list

Just got the Pilgrims and a couple observations. First, these are VERY picky with tips. More so than any IEM I’ve owned. If you do not get a deep enough insertion, you may think they lack bass or are nothing special. Once you get them to the proper depth in your ear they come alive with tons of bass. There’s a little mod a fellow friend on here suggested where you put a tiny keyboard O ring on the bottom of the nozzle to help get your tips a tad deeper. I was able to accomplish almost the same thing with the W-1s as you can get them to grab a little further out. Makes a huge difference! This is a great set if you get the fit right. I actually wonder how many people (even some reviewers) thought they had them fitted right but actually didn’t.

Elysian Pilgrim. Kilobuck technicalities for $400. It's my endgame for now.

You got a great deal. It can easily go toe to toe with kilobuck sets.

**+1** on the Elysian Pilgrim!

I like the Pilgrim's sound stage and clean neutrality. Only thing I find with it is that cable it comes with kinda sucks for the price and wish it had more bass. I changed to a cable with no memory and made the experience a lot better.

nice! I have these in my ears right now, complete with penon oranges. I acquired them new from Amazon for $280 when Hifigo was having a 30% off sale a couple weeks back, and couldn't be happier about that. > I removed the mesh filters so that I can achieve that tuning similar to the Pre-Production Can Jam, for I do agree, the tuning of it is much better than the released version. Do you know where I can find more info on this? Does it irreversably change anything if I just wanted to try it? EDIT: nvm, I see your other comment saying it reduced bass so I'm not interested in trying it. Although you say it increases detail, so that is intriguing considering this is my most detailed set so far, so I can't imagine where it could go from there!

The pilgrims are good but they lack bass even compared to the hexas, so I wouldn't go that way, the thing with the hexas is that their mids and highs are basically tuned to the meta target, with less bass, so if you want a hexa with more bass then a meta tuned iem would be perfect for you, the kiwiears ke4 is the cheapest but in your price range you can also get the dunu da Vinci or the moondrop dusk.

I had to fit them with connector pointing forward to make them extremely comfortable.

Pilgrim Noir is very, very good. Heaps better than Pilgrim OG. Pilgrim OG sounds “dry” in the comparison.

Pilgrim Noir is very, very good. Heaps better than Pilgrim OG. Pilgrim OG sounds “dry” in the comparison.

Elysian pilgrim, easily

I just don't get the "minute details" people rave about on the pilgrims. I demo'd them for a week and the mp145 had as good detail with better separation. But here you're being shocked by the difference between S12 and the pilgrim. I guess it's our ears. 

Same here. I have the s12 24 and mp145, pilgrim isn't better by a long shot. I guess a big part of our brains processing of sound is based on perception. If enough people say the pilgrim or other iems have the best in-class clarity, everyone else will also hear it for themselves because they are committed to believing it. Same goes for ridiculously priced dacs and cables. 

As some already said, if your are happy that’s enough. There is no point in comparing side by side. If you are in the store and you can do it, fine. But if you already bought them and already enjoy them, don’t torture yourself thinking if this is bad or not. It’s good for you, that’s enough. I once bought Elysian Pilgrim and I absolutely hate them. Most people adore them, I don’t. I returned them. I enjoy my Blessing 3 but I am always thinking what would be better? It’s normal think that way. But definitely if I like my Blessing 3 I won’t change them for a ghost. I have read a lot of people who love the DaVinci and they upgraded from Ikko. Trust in yourself

I love pilgrim just had a listening session with them.

Despite having the variations I also bought the Pilgrim. Good addition to my collection.

It surely seems a bit brighter and i like it, they still sound smooth but with a bit more presence i would say.

As someone who has used all three, I'd say Pilgrim by a mile. A5000 sounds very wide and impressive, but uses a weird and unnatural tuning to achieve the effect. I care much more about tonality and technicalities rather than soundstage. Mega5EST is impressive in its natural timbre and sound, but sounds too boring and very untechnical in my opinion. Still, worth picking up if a natural sound is your top priority. Pilgrim is my favourite IEM at the moment and, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic and over-hyped, I'm selling my u12t because I Simply prefer the Pilgrim. Bass sounds deep and natural but not bloated, mids sound crystal clear, highs are slightly forward while not being unbearable, and the tonality is very balanced unlike Variations or A5000. Fit may or may not be an issue though, the nozzle is big and too short. As for the oracle mk3 everyone is suggesting, I found that to be too spicy up top and to be rather unnatural in the timbre. (I love baroque, choral, and organ music especially)

I owned these for a while. Amazing sound, one of the best sub bass quality I've ever heard, very balanced signature, some of the bets tech out there. However, ergonomics are so bad for my ears that I had to sell them. Big annoying metal shell that irritated my ears, and a gigantic nozzle that doesn't fit my ear canal.

I think Pilgrim is the best for detail and clarity here. I loved them but the nozzle is way too big for my ears. Studio 4 is the safest and smoothest, and with the lushest vocals, but they don’t have venting so be aware of that if you’re sensitive. P8 has rather recessed midrange, I like that but it leads to a sense of distance and less clarity that some don’t like. Fit is great and venting is great as well. Don’t have experience with dusk. For my money, if I had large ear canals, I’d go with the Pilgrim, really endgame tech for not much. P8 is the most comfortable for me.

Be aware that the P8 doesn’t really have that much bass. It’s a bit disappointing really. I find the Pilgrim to have good amounts and great quality, but yeah, if you can’t fit big nozzles then I’d avoid it.  By the way, one of my absolute favourites under 1000 is the Night Oblivion Butastur. Very comfortable, small nozzles, great tuning that is still relatively safe, amazing tech. They’re really underrated in my opinion.

Elysian Pilgrims. Preliminary research tells me that they are the most detailed Iems I have ever owned. That includes the ER4SR and the TSMR Sands. I'll be honest though. I wonder if the Studio4 would be different enough from the Pilgrims to warrant purchase also. A bit more neutral than the Pilgrims Is what I heard. But the Pilgrims win in terms of detail and resolution.

I really like Elysian Pilgrim and there are many in this price bracket that are very good. For you, I think Softears Volume S might be a good pick as it has decent soundstage and great vocals for your games and media. It is not perfectly neutral but it is slightly exciting with a V-shape tuning (slight boost to bass and treble and mids are slightly recessed) which is likely preferable for music. However! I think Tea Pro is a pretty good all rounder already. Of course, its peers may excel a little bit more in one thing or another. In my opinion, buying another IEM in the same bracket — same price and similar all-rounder ability — as Tea Pro is not really worth it. You could technically get a little more bass or treble in one, maybe a little more detail or resolution in another, so it’s up to you if that difference is worth paying the same price again. If you want a wow factor again, you could try an IEM with a significantly different tuning or strengths (much more bass or much more treble). You wouldn’t necessarily have to pay as much, too, if you experiment with lower priced sets. Hope this helps!

I daily the Volume S with a KA15 and I can tell you it’s a great pairing. Also considered the odyssey and pilgrim at first, pilgrim seems to have a lot of detail but tamed treble so that’s a no for me, Odyssey looks great as it’s a similar tuning to the Subtonic Storm ($5000) unfortunately there’s not a lot of reviews and the Volume S got a lot of praise instantly and seemed to be my perfect FR, plus you get two different tuning options so i ultimately decided on the Volume S. Sorry for the messy write up, happy to answer any questions!

As a fellow Hexa shill, I couldn't agree more. I've had the pleasure of owning the pilgrims, the zetian wu heydays, the monarch mk2 and a bunch of others but nothing beats the hexas. I've even eqd some of my other iems to the fr of the hexas just for fun

**Introduction** I attended an audio show and had the chance to listen to over 30 IEMs. Rather than going too deep on every single one, I wanted to highlight the 3 IEMs that truly impressed me and share some rapid-fire thoughts on the rest. Do note that these are my subjective impressions, and the rapid-fire takes might not convey everything. **64 Audio U12t** 64 Audio was the brand I had looked forward to the most at the show. And U12t was easily the best IEM I heard there. The first thing that caught my attention was its imaging and soundstaging, it was one of the few IEMs that gave me a true sense of holographic staging. I really liked the treble tuning, it was extended, crisp, and avoided being sibilant. The midrange was on the warmer, lusher side, with upper mids slightly recessed for my taste. I hadn’t expected the bass to sound this good coming from BAs. It was detailed, hit hard, but decayed a tad faster than typical DDs. **Softears Enigma** At first, I thought it was just another ridiculously overpriced IEM that would sound mediocre. But I was wrong, the bass quality was pretty good, better than U12t. I didn’t feel anything special about the mids, they were neither shouty nor recessed. I sensed a dip around 5-6 kHz, as I am quite sensitive to peaks there. This made vocals much smoother to listen to, but there was a lack of excitement, so vocals weren’t the strong suit of this IEM. But it was the treble that hooked me and made me want to keep listening. The treble had an 'ethereal' quality. It felt lighter, extended, refined, and more importantly, exciting. Because of this, I just kept listening and ended up staying longer than I had planned, it was that good. **64 Audio U4s** This is basically a 'baby U12t', with a dynamic driver for the bass, giving it a proper bass thump. It had all the qualities I mentioned in U12t, but the overall technical prowess was slightly lower. I am still confused whether I preferred U12t’s faster bass response or U4s meatier bass response, nevertheless it was good. The midrange had similar qualities to what I described in U12t impressions. But the treble performance was a slight downgrade compared to U12t, it was on the splashier side with touch less refinement. **Top Performers in:** **Bass** * 64 Audio Volur * Sennheiser IE 900 **Mid-range** * 64 Audio U12t/U4s * Mega5EST **Treble** * Softears Enigma * 64 Audio U12t **Rapid-fire impressions** **64 Audio Fourte** * Emphasized bass * Recessed vocals * Non-offensive treble * No wow factor * Overpriced **64 Audio Trio** * Recessed mids, but not as much as Fourte * Non-offensive treble * Third best 64 Audio IEM for me **64 Audio U18t** * Treble presentation didn’t work for me * Not as good as U12t **64 Audio Volur** * Best bass I’ve ever heard in an IEM * Treble is quite peaky **64 Audio Nio** * Darkest among the 64 Audio lineup I’ve tried * Not my preferred sound signature **64 Audio Solo** * Best planar IEM I heard at the show * Bass quality wasn’t the best compared to others * Technical performance not up to the price **ThieAudio Monarch MK3** * Chonky shell, but still comfortable to wear * Emphasized yet controlled bass * Treble was slightly peaky * No wow factor **Sony IER Z1R** * Uncomfortable to wear, lacks proper seal * Because of that, bass suffered, I had to hold it with my hands to get the best seal * Bass quality is great (not the best I’ve heard, can’t say much due to poor fit) **Sennheiser IE 900** * Vocals sounded stuffy, weird, and recessed * One of the best bass I heard at the show after 64 Audio Volur * Lacking in detail and imaging for the price **Sennheiser IE 600** * Better tonality than IE 900, especially in the upper mids * Again, not the best in technical performance **Mega5EST** * Most normal-sounding IEM I heard at the show * Quite bassy for this type of mid-range * Not the best in subjective qualities **Dunu Da Vinci** * Similar impression to Mega5EST * This type of sound signature doesn’t work well with such a bass boost **Letshuoer Cadenza 12** * Fairly neutral with a bass boost * Lacks the wow factor * Treble was slightly on the harsher side **Elysian Pilgrim** * Non-offensive sound signature * Treble is a bit forward and spicy * Lacks excitement **Softears RSV** * Bass quality was good * Vocals sounded strained * Nothing special about the treble **Softears Volume S** * Non-offensive, but somewhat shouty on some songs * Slightly peaky treble (in some songs) **Softears Studio 4** * Sounded okay (but in a good way) * Nothing particularly special **FATfreq Maestro Mini** * Driver flex * Too much bass (works well with engaging songs) * Treble not refined **FATfreq Scarlet Mini** * Driver flex * Even more bass (too much on top of the already excessive bass of Maestro Mini) **FATfreq Grand Maestro** * Didn’t felt as bassy as compared to others * Faced similar fit issues like the IER Z1R **Campfire Audio Andromeda Emerald Sea** * Warm sounding with non-offensive treble * Didn’t felt anything special about the rest **Campfire Audio Trifecta** * Very weird sounding (that’s what I wrote in the notes:) * Overpriced for what it is * But looks stunning though **Campfire Audio Astrolith** * Too much treble * Again, overpriced **Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon** * Best sounding Campfire Audio IEM in my opinion * Bass quality was good * Mids sounded recessed * Energetic treble response

Pilgrim is a pretty dang good IEM. That's a great set that can carry you over for ages.

I use Elise Audio FR graphs. TLDR. Kiwi Ear Punch has way more bass and more treble than Elysian Pilgrim. Elysian Pilgrim is more safe tuning wise and mpre resolving than The punch. But too resolving and safe. Is more of draw if anything

Yeah, it can be clinical or dry-sounding at times, but it is a technically capable set. It has amazing speed/transients and excellent resolution.

This IEM didn’t fit me well at all but oh my lord was it a fantastic experience when I could get a perfect seal… wish I could get it reshelled with some contours to fit my ears better

The Studio 4 is the most "shouty" of the bunch and it's BA bass is rather lean in the mid bass (albeit still good for BA bass). My vote would be on the Pilgrim since it is (to me) the most detailed but it's hard to go wrong with your other choices too. If comfort is a factor though the P8 and Dusk are better.

The Performer8 is the best performer (pun intended) for orchestral music, but considering anime OSTs can often incorporate numerous other genres, you may want to consider something that's more of an all 'rounder. The P8 is the king of clarity and detail under $500. It's still one of the best IEMs in its price range for that use case. The Studio4, which is also a stellar set, is a little more mid-forward and will be more suitable for tracks with vocals and midrange instruments (strings, guitars, etc.). The Origin is one of the few sets I passed on so I can't comment on its performance as I don't like to recommend IEMs I haven't tested myself, but if you were considering the Dusk, I'd also look at the Elysian Pilgrim. It may be the best of both worlds; it has slightly more emphasized bass than the Studio4, but it is well-controlled and will add some additional energy and dynamics to OST tracks with electronic and percussive instruments. The Dusk is still a good option. This is one of the few cases where I would argue for using it in its analog tuning. The default DSP tuning wouldn't be suitable for your preferences anyways; and you could still use the DSP cable for those times when you wanted additional tunings available, or to experiment with other genres. People forget the analog tuning of the Dusk was still a very solid effort. It often gets criticized in relative comparisons to its DSP tuning, as the DSP tuning catered to a wide range of listeners, but if you remove those relative comparisons it can still stand on its own against other IEMs on the market.

If we’re talking the analog tuning of the Dusk, the Pilgrim would win out for me. Dusk with both its analog and default DSP tuning, it would be the Dusk. But my preferences are different, in that I do prefer warmer tunings to neutrality and I don’t mind a bit of a veil in the upper mids and treble.

Most of these are far too V or U-shaped for critical listening work. The P8 is probably closest, but is still far from neutral. The Studio 4, which was mentioned in passing, is a set I’ve personally used for light mixing work. The Pilgrim would also work in a pinch, but would benefit from a low shelf filter to bring the sub bass extension down a bit so you’re not compensating in your mixes. I ran in-ears as my stage monitors for many years, and some of the older models from Shure, Westone, Sennheiser, and other brands are much more neutral. Most IEMs in the hobby now are fairly bass boosted, and so I still run headphones for most of my critical listening work (LCD-2/LCD-X, HD 490s, HD 600, etc.). One caveat is that FatFreq does make a reference series that might be worth checking out. And they’re fairly cheap compared to the rest of their lineup. I might start there instead.

Yes and No. Tread carefully with the buying IEMS. Like with any other audio equipment, you'll always naturally want to seek that "next upgrade". After that $250-$300 mark for IEMs, it's all deminishing returns. The bump in price after that range would only be for clarity but it would never justify 1.5x or even 2x the price IMO. For IEMs, I've got the Sony WF-1000XM5s, Linsoul Kiwi Ears Cadenza, Moondrop x Crinacle DUSK, and the Pilgrim Elysian, all at different price points. I tend to enjoy more of a slight V-shape sound signature and the DUSK, Cadenzas, and the XM5s are exactly that. You can get each for under $300 if you look in the right places. The Pilgrims are $400-$500 but tbh it's just not worth the offering for me even if the clarity is better the rest is underwhelming. TDLR: Find what sound signature you like best, do your research, and pick carefully. If you like a V-Shape signature like I do out of the box, the Cadenzas are great for $35. Oh and like someone else mentioned here. you only need that Apple Dongle as a DAC......nothing else.

This is currently my favorite set of IEMs right now and I am so glad that my best friend has helped me procuring this one at a price of $245, for this was really a used set but the condition is excellent overall. Also yeah as you can see from the nozzles, I removed the mesh filters so that I can achieve that tuning similar to the Pre-Production Can Jam, for I do agree, the tuning of it is much better than the released version. Penon Liqueurs are my go to tips on this set, for it just fits me right and seals my ears very well, also the stock tips that came with the Pilgrim, is not right for it.

Therefore I have and this is actually my first set of IEMs from Elysian, because back then I never have that thought owning an IEM from them, but here I am today. Overall, this IEM has been a revelation to me.

In my opinion, I love the Pilgrims even more and I already liked it when it was stock back then. The details became even more impressive to me, the low ends yeah, they decreased a bit but no big deal since I am not really a basshead and yes the tactile bass is still there. I think the Penon Liqueurs that I use is probably the reason why there is still some bass on it.

I like the Pilgrim, but the bass is lacking. After a few months, it is unfortunately my least-used set in my collection.

Trust me, I've tried 😆 Different sources, pEQ on equalizer apo, gEQ on Sony DAP, Pentaconn coreir brass eartips, cable swap (yeah, I know it's snake-oil 😜) etc. I appreciate what the Pilgrim can do (beautiful mids and treble), but it just doesn't get as much use after the honeymoon period for me. It's still good value for the money imo, especially for someone who wants this sound signature. tbf my other sets are absolute bass monsters, so I am probably just conditioned for way too much bass (Empire Ears Legend X, FatFreq Scarlet Mini, Noble XM-1, Mest Mk2 - my least bassy set after the Pilgrim).

I'd say Tanchjim Origin and Elysian Pilgrim are the best on that list for soundstage size (pilgrim has slightly better separation but origin is no slouch). Braindance (and, by extension, the Dita Project M) I personally love but wouldn't recommend because it seems to be quite anatomy dependent (some people find its treble god awful while others love it. If you can get it from Amazon or a store that let's u return it then maybe go for it). Tangzu bajie is on Shenzhenaudio and linsoul for around 510usd rn and that can be a consideration (I typically like neutral to neutral-bright but that iem blew me away). I actually like dusk in analog the most and its midrange is beautiful imo (especially vocals)

It's me, I'm the musician. I've been gigging with KZ IEMs, I had sennheisers before that but they were crap (CX1 was a dud) and the KZ was cheap, sounded good for the money, and most importantly was unkillable. Tuning wise it's harsh but it does the job. The sennheiser were much worse. For actual music listening nowadays I use a Pilgrim Noir, and the KZ sleeps in my bass carry bag.

I've reviewed both the Pilgrim and the Noir, the Pilgrim kills everything in it's price range but can't compete with the Noir. The 4 way crossover makes such a huge difference, and overall imaging + separation makes a huge leap. Both are 5/5 in my book, tuning can be enjoyed right out of the box and without any worries about build quality or longevity issues

I've reviewed both the Pilgrim and the Noir, the Pilgrim kills everything in it's price range but can't compete with the Noir. The 4 way crossover makes such a huge difference, and overall imaging + separation makes a huge leap. Both are 5/5 in my book, tuning can be enjoyed right out of the box and without any worries about build quality or longevity issues

After 2 weeks of waiting, my Elysian Pilgrims from HiFiGo finally arrived. And BOY were they worth the wait. I am still relatively new to the IEM hobby, but I play a few instruments and had dabbled with many audiophile level speakers and file formats. Two years ago, I purchased my first serious IEM, the Letshouer S12 for about 150 USD. These Planar magnetic IEMs were frankly amazing, and they served me incredibly well for 2 years until i felt i was ready for the further step. I seeked more technical detail, more detailed and better bass and treble response. I don't know if its from constant use but my S12's would feel a bit "muddy" and lacking something. The black friday sale on hifigo had these at 343$. https://preview.redd.it/rhcavnocdq4e1.png?width=1893&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5dc1c6f4df8d7cb3bb0bb856ee74176586b9cb0 # Shipping Frankly, slightly disappointing but they handled it really well after contacting support. They get a solid 3.5/5 for this. It seems hifigo actually didnt happen to have the IEM in stock at first. I asked support to try their best and they managed to ship it a week after I ordered them. After that, shipping took no more than 6 days and was smooth with no issues. Maybe its just how the chi-fi industry works but I was shocked initially when they told me it could take up to 2 weeks to get the product in stock despite them having it on display in the website saying it was available for sale Moving on. # Build The Pilgrim comes with a very well made case, 3 pairs of spinfit tips of varying size and a very nice 1 year warranty card. The IEMs and cable themselves are very well built. The pilgrim has a well built Metal body (1DD+2BA drivers) with a fairly large nozzle. The body of the IEM has slightly sharp edges but nothing too much to worry about. The cable has these pentaconn ear connectors - I'm a fan of these. One irritating problem you will face if you get these is that the stock eartips provided with these IEM's are a little small for the big nozzle of the pilgrim. They took me SIGNIFICANT effort to actually install the spinfits on the pilgrim (a good 15 mins actually). 5/5 # Sound These frankly blew me me away with how good they are (using lossless audio). The tuning is a very balanced somewhat (?) of a V shape and is a little safe and warm. I thought I was hearing minute details on songs with my S12's - I WAS WRONG. I put these on and I can hear even more details on songs Ive listened to 100s of times. The small buzz from the recording mics, little nuances used in beats that now show up. Instrument seperation is fantastic. The technicality on this thing is A+. The bass is probably my favorite part about this IEM - and im NOT a basshead. Its done almost perfectly. Its not overimposing, tiring or too low. Its just at the level where you can enjoy it and not get tired at all. The bass compliments and doesnt impose itself where it isn't barging its way through other sound features. The mids and treble can both be described as somewhat "bright" and "well rounded" they both work well together and allow the bass to have a presence as well. The soundstage while above average, can be a little better imo. Overall, an incredible product at the 350$ range. This isn't my endgame, but i'm not moving to another one for atleast a year. Thanks for reading this review. Final score: 4.5 ⭐️ out of 5.

Elysian pilgrim should be ur next! It's straight heat!!!

I'm passin for sure. Rather get the waner 2 fo sho, besides already bought dunu DaVincis an elysian pilgrims in 3 weeks... an am blown away by both 😳

Elysian pilgrim all day. Beautiful highs an mids an strong deep bass. If I pass the elysian pilgrim it will have to be for atleast $1000 iem. No lie. An don't see what people say about the fit with the short nozzle fits just like every other iem I have an I own 20 iems all different brands from kz to dunu to simgot to elysian to thieaudio and moondrop... good luck 👍

My pilgrim can with dead sub bass in one channel. Returned immediately and went with tea pro.

Yeah it’s a pity bc I wanted to audition them appropriately.