Review: Future Sonics Atrio Series

I’ve had the privilege of reviewing a number of earphone and headphone products over the years. My favorites are still my Ultimate Ears custom fit earphones. For anyone who hasn’t used custom-fit earphones they are a relief! Gone is what I call ear-fatigue from having to wear earphones made for everyone in your ears.

Up until now my Shure E5c’s were a second best to my Ultimate Ears. Now they have been replaced with Future Sonics Atrio Series. And this is quite a feat, because the Future Sonics are hundreds less than the Shure E5c’s and deliver almost as good sound quality and more comfort.

Like many of their competitors, the Future Sonics are in-your-ear earphones. This is a crowded marketplace, with Etymotic, Shure, and Ultimate Ears appearing to be leaders. I hadn’t heard of Future Sonic before they contacted me but was happy to try them out.

One of the hardest things of universal (as opposed to custom fit) earphones is fit. I’m happy to report that the Future Sonics are by far the most comfortable universal fit earphones I’ve used. Future Sonics mentioned that they have a background in ergonomic design and it clearly shows with the Atrio Series. The earphones are comfortable in the ear, and, equally important, the wires don’t get tangled or stick out like other products.

Let’s talk about the sound. For $199 you cannot go wrong here. The sound is clear without being flat, and the bass is richer than anything I’ve heard in the price range. My Shure E5c’s, which go for $499, have more bass, but I think that is due to the fact that they pack in larger (and more) drivers. The difference isn’t worth $300, plus the Future Sonics are much more comfortable.

The other sound quality that is great is that the Atrio series sounds “natural.” I’m not sure how to quantify this but I’ve listened to other earphones that sound clean, crisp, and clear, but not natural. The Atrio have all these things without flattening out the sound.

I give them a 9 out of 10.