Short answer: the Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator. It ranks #777 of 1369 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.6/5, at $3,299; the Vortex Reference ranks #898, rated 3.4/5, and costs $3,300, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator does well: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 68 against the Harman target. Watch for: An uneven response, 2.1 dB standard deviation from target.
Why pick the Vortex Reference: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 66 against the Harman target. The tradeoff: Treble about 2 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Buy the Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Vortex Reference and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 68 against the Harman target.
Bloom Audio $3,299.00 eBay
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 66 against the Harman target.
Bloom Audio $3,300.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 17, 2026 at 6:04 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator | Vortex Reference | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3,299.00 | $3,300.00 |
| Ranked | #777 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #898 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 68 (median of 11 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 66 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.13 dB standard deviation | 2.45 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.84 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.75 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+2.2 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.3 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Driver Type | Tribrid | Hybrid (2 DD + 2 Passive MEMS) |
| Drivers | 7 drivers (1 dynamic driver + 4 balanced armatures + 2 electrostatic drivers) | 2 x dynamic drivers (including 8mm Al-Mg dome woofer) + 2 x passive MEMS tweeters |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 45kHz | - |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Impedance | - | 23 ohms |
| Sensitivity | - | 102 dB/mW |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator from animagus, atechreviews, dchpgall, dl, elrics, jaytiss, precog, recode, soundignity, superreview and zerostresslevel; the Vortex Reference from bloomaudio, dchpgall and joycesreview, all via squig.link.
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