Compared to Campfire Audio Bonneville (Review link)
The first difference I sense between these two is the brightness. Bonneville base brightness is set as dark and garnished with some shine, whereas SDK is the opposite of that, having the base brightness as airy-bright accompanied with dark and deep bass punches.
SDK is more resolving, airy, and open-ended for the vocals. SDK’s overall timbre is mildly brighter and more transparent than Bonneville’s. The deeper, darker nuance of the bass is better portrayed by Bonneville, as well as a slightly stronger sub-bass quantity. The density of the vocals is higher on Bonneville yet the the vocal scale and size of the vocals are superior on the SDK. Texture-wise, Bonneville is darker, more moisturized, and smoother in texture, whereas SDK is relatively drier and grainy (though again, not rough).
The upper vocals are noticeably more resolving and open-ended on SDK. The treble notes are stronger in transparency and presence on SDK. While Bonneville’s trebles achieve the same level of detail, the treble quantity is more reserved and calmer in behavior. SDK’s trebles sound more active (not really aggressive, that’s why I’m instead calling it “active”) and penetrating in resolution.
Other than that, the overall sound of Bonneville is more grounded to the lower side, giving better stability and calmness in the overall sound. On the other hand, SDK has an uplifting sound signature, where the overall sound feels levitated and expansive towards the open-ended ceiling.
Compared to Horizon Doom Basic (Review link)
These two are interestingly similar in tuning. Though the treble notes are slightly clearer and stronger on SDK. The bass nuances are also very similar but their presentation or “tuning direction” is clearly different. SDK highlights the vibration of the ultra-lows, whereas Horizon Doom Basic desires cleaner bass lines or grooves, along with meatier sub-bass. Both IEMs share the same DNA of desiring a resolving sound, yet Horizon Doom Basic has creamier, denser vocals. The timbre is also slightly (and relatively) warmer than SDK, offering a more neutral timbre. The Basic’s vocals spread nearly as vast as SDK but don’t get as vast and open-ended as SDK.
Separation is another significant difference. Horizon Doom Basic uses a single dynamic driver and this advantage is prominently shown through the sound. The sound flow is extremely coherent and natural throughout the spectrum. On the other hand, while the sound flow may not be as liquid, SDK instead achieves better separation between low/mid/highs, hence having better technicality and analyticity. The separation between sub-bass and vocals is distinctive yet not choppy, as well as the trebles stepping in cleaner and more tactical.
The Silver Maverick, That Refuses To Be The Same
As the IEM competition gets hotter while the main portable audio pie gets smaller, the diversity of sound tuning started to be trimmed down to the point where this IEM sounds similar to that, and a continuation of that as I listen to more and more products within its price range. Meanwhile, Panther Audio took an unweary move with Silver Dragon King with its very unique and iconic sound that is a profound yet mysterious mixture of three-dimensional and flat reference.
There’s a chance that the first impression of SDK may hit you differently depending on what source you use or based on the sound that you’re familiar with. However, once your ears start to understand what Silver Dragon King is trying to treat you with, and accompanied by an appropriate source (which is fairly easy as mentioned earlier), Silver Dragon King has a high possibility of offering irreplaceable charms for you to choose between flagship IEMs. If you’re looking for a high-end earphone and are yet to find the right sound among the other more well-known flagships, just remember…
The Silver Dragon, the King himself, may be waiting for your service.
