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May 23, 2023

Carbon V3 In

In April, I reviewed the Magnesium V3s, the entry-level (but far from basic)

In April, I reviewed the Magnesium V3s, the entry-level (but far from basic) wired in-ear monitors from Periodic Audio. At $99, they offered a great value for those interested in wired sound over wireless earbuds. The Magnesium V3s not only blew away pack-in earbuds for sound, they also came with a very generous assortment of accessories, and even featured removable cables. I love the removable cable feature – it's probably not an exaggeration to say that 99% of the wired earbuds I’ve had to toss over the years (many owned by my kids) met their demise when the cable separated from the earbud.

This time around, I’m going to the other extreme with Carbon Audio's flagship wired earbuds, the Carbon V3 IEMs.

The Carbon V3 wired earbuds share a lot of features with the much less expensive Magnesium V3s, including their Tritan copolyester enclosures, woven fabric cables with 2.5mm TS plugs, and a large assortment of included accessories. Visually, they are difficult to tell apart, with the primary clue being the Carbon V3's discrete black logo (as opposed to silver on the Magnesium V3s).

Periodic Audio includes a generous assortment of accessories.

The big difference is in the Carbon's single dynamic driver. It uses an 8 micron thick, lab-grown diamond layer over a proprietary high-temperature polymer substrate. Periodic Audio says that this results in a driver that resists bending and distortion better than any metal. It is designed to deliver detail with ultra-low distortion.

Braided cloth-covered cables with 2.5mm TS plugs, Tritan copolyester enclosures.

The company notes that all components used to make the Carbon V3 were 100% designed and tooled in-house. That means no off-the-shelf, mass-market components, guaranteeing a unique sound.

The most succinct way I can describe the output of the Carbon V3 IEMs is essentially flat, studio tuning, with just a little bit of bass emphasis (so, slightly warm) and a relatively small soundstage.

If you’re used to Beats headphones or UE wireless speakers that tend to favor a V-shape sound signature, this is a very different approach. I’m not saying those are bad – there are times when I appreciate the ability to crank up a song with booming bass and sparkling treble. There's even a time and place for spatial audio, although for short sessions.

But there are also a lot of times when I like to hear a song or album pretty much the way the artist intended it to sound. I spent considerable time listening to some favorites, sometimes noting details that showed up when listing with the Carbon V3 IEMs that I had forgotten were there. That would be the Carbon V3's diamond-coated diaphragms in action...

Periodic Audio's Carbon V3 IEMs are ideal for lengthy music listening sessions.

A few of the tracks that really stood out during my latest listening session included Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" (vocals and the guitar interplay were outstanding), Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues", Genesis’ "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (I picked out instruments that simply get lost in the mix with many headphones), and Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" (John McVie's bass solo sounds sublime).

As with the Magnesium V3s, I had to use an Apple Lightning adapter to use these earbuds with my iPhone. And while the braided cloth-covered wires offer a premium look and low-tangle experience, they can add noise to the mix if you move around a lot and don't pin them out of the way with the chin strap or ear hooks.

If you want to go retro wired and love music, the Period Audio Carbon V3s deliver.

Are Periodic Audio's Carbon V3 wired in-ear monitors worth their $299 price tag? Here's the thing: expensive is relative. To put the price in some perspective, they may be triple the cost of the company's Magnesium V3 earbuds, but they are only $50 more than Apple's AirPods Pro. I’ve reviewed many earbuds and headphones that cost considerably more, including a pair of earbuds a few years ago that would set the buyer back $1,499.

For what is actually a relatively modest price, the Carbon V3 earbuds deliver an excellent personal listening experience that can be used directly with your smartphone (although you may need a 3.5mm audio adapter). Expect a deep bass response with relatively flat mid-range and treble that's just bright enough – an experience that many music lovers will appreciate over the high energy tuning with exaggerated highs and lows that many earbuds and headphones deliver.

Disclosure: Periodic Audio provided earbuds for evaluation purposes but had no input into this review.