Elysian Pilgrim Review: A Journey to the South! – Nealz’s Take

Pro’s:

1. Smooth, silky, well extended and detailed treble.
2. Immersive and deep reaching sub-bass extension.
3. Forward, emotional and textured vocals.
4. Wide, holographic, spacious and airy soundstage.
5. Very good instrument separation and micro detailing.
6. Natural timbre for instruments.
7. Option to choose 4.4 mm balanced cable.

Con’s:

1. Not musical, rather somewhat dry sounding.
2. Lacks bass quantity, lean mid-bass.
3. Too safe tuning, lacks dynamics and doesn’t sound engaging.
4. Bad build quality, faceplates scratches easily.
5. Pentaconn connectors, making Pilgrim incompatible with most after market cables.
6. Not very good price to performance ratio.

Disclaimer:

Although I purchased the Elysian Pilgrim with my own funds, I did receive a reviewer discount worth $100 from HifiGo. If you decide to buy this IEM based on my review and find that you disagree with the sound or assessment, that responsibility lies solely with you. I strongly discourage relying solely on a single review for purchasing decisions in the realm of audio quality, as preferences vary. You should conduct thorough research by exploring platforms such as YouTube, head-fi forums, and various Facebook audiophile groups before making a purchase decision.

Non-affiliated Purchase Link: https://hifigo.com/products/elysian-acoustic-labs-pilgrim

Unboxing:

Elysian has provided a decent amount of accessories with the Pilgrim, you get a white carrying case (Elysian logo comes off easily), a small cleaning brush, a set of Spinfit CP 100 Eartips (S,M,L), a stock sliver platted copper cable with pentaconn connectors, and a small carrying pouch as well.  The unboxing experience itself is premium, you get layers of accessories presented to you with the Pilgrim theme and the box itself matches the white colorway of the IEM. You get to choose between a 3.5mm, 4.4 mm or a 3.5mm & 4.4mm cable while purchasing the Pilgrim and the price will rise by $30 if you choose the last option. Having the option to choose between a single-ended or balanced cable is always a positive in my book. However, I certainly do not appreciate this new Pentaconn connector from Elyisan, which means I have to buy after market cables specifically for the Pilgrim, as all my other IEM’s have a 2-pin connector. At $400 asking point I expected Pilgrim to come with some more ear-tips out of the box as well.  

Build Quality & Design:

The Pilgrim is quite an ergonomic IEM with a lightweight design, personally I had no issues with the seal or comfort. In fact, I could listen to it for hours without feeling any sort of ear-fatigue, I don’t think even people with smaller ears will struggle with this one. Pilgrim has a very atheistic and beautiful faceplate, the design is supposed to mimic the gentle rolling hills. Each step in its design is meant to reflect the relentless pursuit of enlightenment through its journey from the initial development stage. Unfortunately, these beautiful shells of the Pilgrim are not very long lasting and tend to get scratched or have dents in them quite easily, especially the shiny metal parts, My unit already has some noticeable scratches and some tiny dents event after using it very carefully. Although Elysian has crafted an unique design for the Pilgrim its let down by the poor build quality.

The Tech:

Pilgrim sports a multi-driver or hybrid configuration; it has four drivers in total on each side. A 9.2mm LSR(Liquid Silicone Rubber) dynamic driver LSR(Liquid Silicone Rubber) dynamic driver unit takes care of the bass, 1 Sonion 2300 for midrange and 2 Sonion E50’s for the highs. Pilgrim also offers a 3-way crossover design for a harmonious, clear and balanced sound across the whole frequency range. They have also crafted the internal chambers and acoustic duct tubes inside the cavity of the Pilgrim using highly precise 3D printing technology.

Sources Used During Review:

Cayin RU7, Hiby R6 Gen III, Hiby R4. The pilgrim is pretty sensitive at 9 Ohms @ 1khz, what that means is that devices or sources with higher impedance output can skew the overall tuning and sound signature. Fortunately, all of my sources have a reasonable output impedance, the Cayin RU7 added some warmth and an analogue sound as usual to the Pilgrim. However, I preferred the neutral tonality of the Hiby R6 Gen III & Hiby R4 Dap’s. Being sensitive doesn’t mean Pilgrim doesn’t need some power, feeding it good quality power opens up the stage, tightens the bass and brings more texture to the midrange. However, Pilgrim tends to maintain the same level of performance both at higher and lower volumes, you won’t notice a significant difference in sound quality while pushing the volume higher.

Sound Evaluation

Signature:

The Pilgrim has a very neutral and mid-centric tuning. It’s smooth and neutral profile allows it to render genres like rock, metal, indie etc beautifully and effortlessly. Due to its lack of dynamics, bass quantity and overall engagement factor, genres like Pop, Hip-Hip, EDM etc don’t sound as good on the Pilgrim. This IEM doesn’t sound go for thick or musical sound rather it can sound a bit dry and lean, however Elysian Pilgrim maintains a natural timbre and tonality for all the instruments presented in a track. 

Highs (4.5/5):

The highs of the Pilgrim is really well extended detailed and sparkly, it maintains a smooth profile without sounding harsh or fatiguing at any point. Instruments like cymbals, high hats and trumpets maintain a lot of air and sound crisp, this can be especially noticed in tracks like half-alive – Summerland or Superglue by Joan. Saxophones are also beautifully rendered and makes its presence felt in tracks like Syst3m Glitch – Young and Wild and Free. The upper treble region is nicely detailed, vivid and energetic whereas the lower treble region lacks a bit of energy and air. Overall, the treble region of the Pilgrim manages to nail the balance between a uniquely bright yet smooth tonality.

Mids (4/5):

Kansas – Miracles Out Of Nowhere, is a track where the mids of the Pilgrim truly shines, drums, violins and electric guitars sound truly breathtaking. There is no Harman like forced upper-mids boost, the female vocals are presented slightly forward in the mix and sound quite emotional. Male vocals sound a bit hollow in comparison mainly due to the somewhat lean lower mids. Vocals overall sound very clean and textured on the Pilgrim, it has very good definition and resolution. Elysian has proved with their years of tuning experience that vocals don’t need to be too forward to sound beautiful.

Low’s (3.5/5):

Due to the use of LSR(Liquid Silicone Rubber) dynamic driver the sub-bass of the Pilgrim is well extended, it has deep reaching reverberating effect and rumble which is quite distinct. The bass has excellent resolution and a fast decay, being able to keep up with busy tracks effortlessly. Kick drums in Big Dawgs Ft. Kalmi by Hanumankind sounds rich and impactful. And that deep reaching, full bodied sub-bass rumble can also be felt rocking your ears in tracks like Green Juice by A$AP Ferg ft. Pharrell Williams, The Neptunes. Mid-bass of the Pilgrim doesn’t have very good extension, it lacks punch and sounds rather lean and dry compared to the sub-bass.

That’s enough about the quality of the bass, but what about the quantity? That’s where the Pilgrim falls behind significantly, I am afraid! I am by no means a bass-head (I enjoy well-known less bassy IEM’s like Simgot EA1000 or Hiby Project Ace), yet the bass quantity of the Pilgrim did not impress me. Now I have tried tip-rolling with Final E-tips, Penon Liqueur Black Tips and Tri i3 Pro stock tips, all of which are known to enhance the bass quantity of IEM’s, yet the Pilgrim still failed to satisfy me. I would suggest bass-heads or even bass lovers to avoid this IEM, you will feel like there’s something big missing in this department.

Technicalities (4/5):

Pilgrim is a master of micro details, it presents the listener with a lot of information, you can pick up small details like background humming, little gasps for air while the singer is performing the songs or even vocal echoes. The overall clarity and resolution is very good but it does not immediately grab the listeners attention like some other sets do, for example, Simgot EA1000. Instrument separation is much better on the other hand due to the clarity and resolution you can easily tell apart each instrument and where it’s positioned in the mix. The soundstage is wide, holographic and spacious with a good amount of air but lacks the spatial depth. The dynamics of the Pilgrim are a little bit blunt It’s dynamic prowess aren’t as engaging or exciting compared to other sets in the same price range, making the Pilgrim sound inoffensive but also boring to listen to.

Comparisons:

vs Dunu DaVinci

Although both are hybrid sets, these two sets are world apart. One sounds balanced, slightly bright and less dynamic whereas the other sounds thick, meaty and engaging. Pilgrim has the better treble extension, air and sparkle compared to DaVinci, especially it extracts better micro details in the brilliance region (upper registers). DaVinci on the other hand decimates the Pilgrim when it comes to bass quantity, it has much better mid-bass and sub-bass presence. While the Pilgrim does offer better bass texture and quick decay, I honestly don’t care about these when the quantity is so scarce. DaVinci presents better lower-mids (thick male vocals) and thick note weight whereas Pilgrim plays it safe with a more balanced presentation and slightly forward but smooth upper-mids (emotional female vocals).  Technicalities goes to the Pilgrim with a wider and taller soundstage, better instrument separation and natural instruments timbre. Overall, my personal preference leans towards the more musical, thicker and dynamic sounding tuning of the DaVinci, Pilgrim loses my vote while trying to play it too safe.

vs Simgot EA1000

The Fermat is a Single DD flagship from Simgot whereas the Pilgrim is an entry level hybrid set from Elysian. EA1000 offer better treble extension compared to Pilgrim but it’s quite harsh as well, you will need a warm source and a pure copper cable to tame that harshness. Pilgrim on the other has nicely extended treble but without any harshness or peaks, I prefer its much smoother presentation. Micro-details extraction is excellent on both however EA1000 edges out the Pilgrim by a slight margin. EA1000 highlights the midrange instruments better and vocals sound forward and cleaner as well. Vocals on Pilgrim although, not as forward as EA1000, but they do sound more emotional and fuller. Bass is interesting with these two, both have a faster decay and very good texture, however EA1000 has the better quantity and bass slam. Technicalities are comparable on both sets, soundstage is slightly wider on the Pilgrim but is has more spatial depth with the EA1000, imaging and instrument separation is pretty great on both. Overall, it’s a matter of taste, personally I prefer the clarity, higher resolution, better dynamics, engagement factor and especially the more satisfying bass impact of the EA1000 compared to the Pilgrim.

Conclusion:

The Pilgrim is a great set but for a specific demographic of people, if you listen to a lot of Rock, Metal, Indie etc then the Pilgrim can serve your purpose quite masterfully. Those looking for a smooth, inoffensive and mid-focused tuning will also be happy with what the Pilgrim has to offer. Those who like a bassy, engaging or thick sound should take their business someplace else. Pilgrim has a unique tonality that’s for sure, it’s extremely balanced but plays it too safe. Its clear Elysian is sticking to what it does best and not interested in taking risks. I can respect that, but unfortunately my personal taste doesn’t align with it. If I have to consider the price to performance ratio then I would say $400 is a bit too much asking price for it has to offer, $300 would be more reasonable. And that’s all folks.