Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium IEM Review

Spirit Torino makes a bold sonic and aesthetic statement with the brand’s first-ever in-ear monitor, the Twin Pulse Beryllium IEM. Imagine adapting and scaling down the same twin dynamic driver design solution (known as Twin Pulse) used in several of their higher-end headphone models. Combine that with a CNC-machined aluminum bullet enclosure, a choice of three physical interchangeable acoustic filters, Beryllium driver diaphragms, and design cues taken from their flagship Valkyria headphones, and these Twin Pulse Beryllium IEMs look to be something very special indeed!

In the space of a handful of years, Italian headphone brand Spirit Torino has assembled an impressive portfolio of headphone models and has amassed a loyal following of listeners here in the United States and abroad. I first met Andrea Ricci (Spirit Torino’s CEO and Chief Designer) and Giordano Zacchini (President and COO) at the Florida Audio Expo in 2022. It was one of their first trips to the US to introduce Spirit Torino to the North American market. In our discussions, Andrea Ricci’s goal with Spirit Torino has always been to design headphones that do nothing to alter or impede the natural sound of the music as intended. He also regards the designing of headphones not as simply making a mechanical reproduction device but more like designing a musical instrument. This philosophy can be seen not only in the technical solutions Spirit Torino employs but in their design aesthetic as well.

Since that first introduction and reconnecting over several subsequent audio shows, Spirit Torino’s brand has grown in popularity as evidenced by its constantly packed booth at each show they are at. They have also expanded their headphone line, now to a total of 20 models. These range from the, just shy of $1,100, Mistral Bluetooth headphones that I reviewed last year, to the $12,000 Valkyria Titanium high-end headphones. One of their newest products is the Twin Pulse Beryllium IEM which is Spirit Torino’s first in-ear monitor. Does Andrea Ricci’s design philosophy successfully translate to a much smaller product with different physical demands?

Read on and find out!

Internally, each side of the Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium IEMs utilizes two 10 mm full-range dynamic Beryllium-coated drivers with Neodymium magnets. The drivers are deployed in an isobaric configuration, so they work together in tandem resulting in a halving of distortion for a given level of output without needing any kind of crossover network.

The three-piece CNC aluminum enclosure is built with a special venting arrangement and custom dampening using non-resonant Texatlium inserts to maintain a linear response character. Each bullet enclosure comes with a choice of 3 tuned acoustic filter collars that screw into the front of the IEM and insert into the ear tip.

The three acoustic filter collars are colored red, grey, and black. The red ones provide a +3 dB boost in the bass response, the grey maintain a linear bass response, while the black collars cut the bass response by -3 dB. The ultimate effect of each of these filters will, of course, depend on their combination with the chosen foam or silicone ear tip that is included and the quality of the seal that is achieved in the ear.

The Twin pulse IEM comes packaged with 4 pairs of silicone ear tips, and 3 pairs of memory foam ear tips.

They also come with two very high-quality removable braided cable sets. One is terminated with a 3.5 mm single-ended mobile plug while the other ends with a 4.4 mm Pentacon balanced connector. A 3.5 mm to 1⁄4-inch phono plug adapter is included along with a compact, leather-covered, and very sturdy travel case. The cable sets connect to the IEMs via solid dual-prong connectors.

The three inches of braided wire directly after the dual-prong connectors are jacketed, with a molding wire inserted within the braid. This allows for those three inches to be looped over your earlobes while holding their shape and maintaining the IEM’s seating in your ears.

The visual design of the Twin Pulse IEM is very much in keeping with the somewhat Steampunk aesthetic of Spirit Torino’s flagship headphones, the Valkyria Titanium, particularly with the signature radial tailpiece on the IEMs.

Most of my time with the Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium IEMs was spent with them hooked up to my THX Onyx AAA dongle DAC/Amp paired with my Apple iPhone 15 Pro MAX or alone with my Shanling MO DAP. The IEMs proved to be extremely easy to drive in both scenarios, the THX Onyx wasn’t expressly needed for power more than it was just a step up in sound quality over my iPhone alone.

At home, I did use the balanced cable set with a variety of desktop headphone amps that I had on hand, more just to confirm that they worked well. Realistically the cable was too short to use comfortably with my desktop gear and I don’t currently have a DAP with a balanced connector. Rest assured, however, that any competent desktop headphone amp will run these IEMs without issue should you choose to use one.

After using the medium-sized foam ear tips and molding the over-the-ear section of the wire to a suitable shape I was able to achieve a solid seal and consistent seating in my ear canal with the Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium IEMs. Not always the easiest thing to do with “bullet style” IEMs, but these little guys remained fairly comfortable and stayed put during morning dog walks or when at the gym.

From a design standpoint, I love the look of these things. Equal parts high-tech and retro-industrial the Twin Pulse look is unique, and with the radial end caps that mirror the look of the Valkyria headphones, the branding of these IEMs becomes unmistakable.

After settling on the correct fitting ear tips, the next thing to do was match the acoustic filter collar to get the tonal balance and tuning that I was after. It took about an hour of switching collars and even trying out some of the other ear tips again in various combinations before settling on the grey (linear response) acoustic filters with the medium foam ear tips as my ultimate combination.

When it finally came down to listening to the Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium IEMs, I immediately found the overall tonal balance to be very appealing and easy to listen to. The first thing I typically look for when listening to IEMs is if there is thinness in the midrange with different vocals or instruments like a piano. Conversely, I will sometimes run into what seems like an overemphasis in the upper bass which can lead to a muddy or overly warm midrange. The Spirit Torino IEMs thankfully didn’t exhibit any of those qualities with the ear tips and filters that I was using. They were pretty scrupulously balanced in overall tone with just a hint of warmth coming through the midrange. They also exhibited a clean- sounding upper bass, and bass section, that transitioned into some pretty powerful sub-bass when called upon. The treble area was just about right for my tastes. There was no wincing when loud brass and horns were playing, and things like strings, cymbals, and upper register flutes did not sound fatiguing in any sort of way. And yet the upper end wasn’t so polite as to obscure the details of the distinct brassy sheen of a cymbal or the delicate details of a triangle in the back of an orchestra. They were quite a pleasure to listen to for extended sessions, and that’s not something I can say about a lot of IEMs.

The Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium IEMs are a superior-sounding and sharp-looking pair of IEMs. They are the pair of “Silver Bullets” that could likely solve plenty of listener’s problems!

As someone who is not a huge fan of having things wedged in my ear canals, I’m pretty reluctant to wear IEMs in general. If I do decide to wear them (yes, there are a few situations where I still find them preferable to headphones) I’m particularly picky about the IEMs I wear. The Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Beryllium IEMs are a very appealing choice for several reasons. First, they are decidedly comfortable to wear, and it wasn’t difficult for me to get a good seal with the choices of included ear tips. Second, their sound signature is quite balanced with just enough sub-bass impact to make them fun and appealing while still maintaining a great sense of clarity and detail throughout the rest of the listening range. No muddiness at all through the upper bass or midrange, just a slight sense of warmth to the vocals while the treble maintains plenty of detail and sparkle without ever getting fatiguing. The sound can also be tuned to personal taste with the three choices of acoustic filters that come included. Also, the two included high-quality braided cable sets (balanced and single-ended) with hard-shell case are a nice touch. Third, they look incredibly cool and unique, like just about everything that Spirit Torino seems to produce. They have a style that is unquestionably their own and, personally, I think it lends itself well to these little ear bullets.

At just over $1,100.00 for a set, they are not inexpensive for a set of bullet-style IEMs. This is the price level where most IEMs are shaped like the Universal fit variety. Yet for the price, I think the Beryllium Twin Pulse IEMs more than hold their own with sound quality, comfort, and style. They are wonderfully different, and in the world of headphones and earphones, that is an asset. Highly recommended!