Apos x Community Rock Lobster Review: A Hit & Miss Proposition
Greetings mate and Welcome aboard!
Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so…
Today’s review will cover the Apos x Community Rock Lobster, an IEM supposedly tuned for Metal, Rock, Indie, & Punk.
We’ll cover build quality, comfort, sound, amplification needs, and more.
By the time you’re finished reading this article, you’ll know if it’s worth a purchase.
If it isn’t, I’ll point you in the direction of something that is.
Build & Packaging
I must admit, I’ve become a sucker for the “attractive aesthetic”, and Rock Lobster really delivers like Papa John’s.
And I will refrain from the Family Guy jokes.
Just kidding no I won’t:
While the box reminds me of my dad smoking Marlboro Mediums in the mid ’90’s (SMOKE UP JOHNNY!), it’s incredibly cool looking, with excellent font choices, neat artwork, and a real misfit-ty overall vibe.
Bravo.
Visually speaking, it really nails the target demographic and hearkens back to a simpler time; one of Misled Youth, Geoff Rowley busting his face open all the time, and Ali Boulala jumping off of very tall buildings on his skateboard.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you^
Upon opening the pack of cigarett.. I mean earbuds, you’ll find 3 sets of tips (bass, neutral, and tinny).
I say tinny because there’s literally no reason to ever use the smallest set. They’re always awful no matter which IEM you have, and a complete waste of time. That is, unless you want to feel like you’re listening to music inside a tin can. If that’s the case, go for it.
Neutral (normal-sized) is your best bet, but if you feel like living life on the edge, the bass tips can be good as well.
Rounding out the package is a snarky/semi-funny “How to Use Ya Lobstahs”, and a “Tour setlist” with some (presumably) additional recommended genres including Alt-Rock, Shoegaze, Midwest Emo, Lo-Fi Ska (which has a line through it), Indie Pop (one of my personal faves), Post-Hardcore, and Grunge. Interesting.
So they basically don’t want you to fire up just any old playlist. Got it. For this demo, I used an old favorite, “Classic Rock Bros,” to start, which I haven’t added to since 2021. It also somehow has 11 saves, which is kind of cool. Whatever. Metal Gear.
In firing up the very first track, Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” I can immediately tell what they were going for, and I both enjoy it and don’t at the same time.
Let’s unpack.
Sound
- Playlist for Rock Lobster: Here
- Main Playlist(s): Here, Here, Here, & Here
- My Music: Here
- Source(s): FLAC, Lossless
- DAC/Amps Used: FiiO K7
The best way to think about these is that they’re mid-focused IEMs. And that’s completely fine (sorta). It works incredibly well on some tracks, but not so well on others.
I think much of this has to do with the track itself, but you’ll notice a sense of slam or punch missing sometimes with the neutral set of tips.
You may be saying, “Well, just use the bass tips.” Sure. Fine. But the bass tips can still be hit and miss, as they sometimes sound a little sloppy.
That said, by and large, it’s a good compromise if you want some extra meat.
My personal preference is to evaluate the sonic profile of any product in its raw state. And the Rock Lobster’s raw state sometimes leaves a bit to be desired.
Still, the trade-off is that you’re getting excellent resolution and micro detail, a hallmark of any good headphone or IEM.
And I really appreciate that about the Lock Robster.
It’s never trying too hard, and when you make sure to get a good seal, the sound tends to come alive like Peter Frampton in his prime.
This was first apparent in “Terrapin Station” from the Grateful Dead. The jam session towards the end with all the drums sounds crisp, clean, and very resolving, giving the piece a very live flavor that’s thoroughly missing in other products.
Though it’s a 2015 remaster, with certain headphones, it sounds bloated, cheap, and not at all representative of the Grateful Dead’s technical prowess.
Even so, tracks like “When the Levee Breaks” from Led Zeppelin sound too thin and lacking impact. Bonham’s drums (and Jones’ bass) simply don’t stand out as you expect, and the entire experience suffers because of it.
In other words, it feels like they’re both too drowned out, taking a back seat to guitars and vocals. This is what I was alluding to at the start. It just feels off balance at times with certain songs.
The Pink Floyd’s “Any Colour You Like” is another that suffers, this time from Roger Waters’ bass almost getting lost in the background. Given it’s one of the strongest elements of the piece, I was fairly disappointed.
That said, you may find yourself being able to distinguish lyrics better, follow other instruments more closely, and observe the decay and release of notes as they fade into the background.
Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” crystallizes with a laser-like clarity that places the vocals sharply into focus, making every word feel distinctly outlined against the backdrop of the instrumentation.
“Don’t Do Me Like That” from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers is a song that’s well engineered, sounding good with most anything.
The Rock Lobster is no exception. It’s crisp, snappy, and highlights all of the elements in the song equally. This is why I harp on source quality so much.
Transient Response
Because we’re dealing with these types of faster genres (metal, prog metal, rock, etc.), transients and speed are incredibly important to a good listening experience.
Fortunately, the Rock Lobster excels here, keeping rapid-fire drum hits, tight palm-muted riffs, and complex passages cleanly separated without smearing or congestion. The sound takes on a more clinical approach, and it works well.
Animals As Leaders’ 2022 offering, Parrhesia, is a great example of an album that performs well with the Lobster, as its lightning-fast passages, intricate rhythmic shifts, and densely layered guitar work remain articulate and controlled rather than blurring together. So expect very good separation of even the smallest details.
Likewise, Chon’s 2013 “Newborn Sun” shows off the intricacies of math rock and just how mind-blowing it can be. That said, there’s still a concern that the music is simply too hollow-sounding at times or void of density.
The problem with making a mid-focused IEM for these types of genres (Thrash Rock especially) is that they can sometimes already be too anemic-sounding and lacking weight and body. It’s like adding insult to injury.
I am nitpicking to an extent, but I just can’t shake the feeling that these could have achieved greatness with a few small tweaks.
For instance, “Bubble Dream” is one of my favorite Chon tracks, and in trying to bang my head like an out-of-control metal head bro, it just didn’t hit the way it needed to. I almost felt cheated in a sense.
Even with a great seal.
Even with the right bud in my right ear and the left bud in my left.
(Thanks, snarky instruction card. Don’t know if I could have managed without you *rolls eyes*)
For all of the Lobster’s fantastic resolution, it’s missing that secret sauce that makes you want to get up and rip your pants off.
It’s like the difference between a runner on a diet of rice cakes and Powerade vs. a bodybuilder who eats a well-balanced diet and slings heavy weights around. There’s no contest.
Now let’s get serious!
Treble
The treble, in my estimation, is around bright neutral and doesn’t overstay its welcome or stand out unnecessarily. This is obviously helpful for the genres considered. There’s zest and sparkle thanks to a tasteful boost around 9kHz, no sizzle/bite/sibilance, and most of the time you almost forget it’s there because of how well it’s rendered.
So I think they did a good job tuning the high end as it sits in the mix rather nicely.
Soundstage
For the most part, expect a fairly head-width sound, with some occasional out-of-your-head moments. Again, much of this has to do with the track, but they don’t sound completely boxed in or anything. I’d say Soundstage is about average across most tracks, and slightly above with some standout cuts.
The buds themselves are attractive looking, with a see-through red shell, and some black on the outside with 7 lobster-ish lines. They come with a braided cable terminating in a 3.5mm jack, but do not include a 1/4″ adapter AFAIK.
Final Verdict
Overall, I think the Rock Lobster’s excellent resolution at a mere $60 may be worth the price of admission by itself, but definitely keep a couple of things in mind:
- The short cable can be a bit of an issue.
- Despite graphs showing elevated bass, it lies between 0-80Hz + the mids can sometimes overshadow the low end. So while you may get some rumble, the punch and slam are missing. And with the neutral tips, they simply sound too lean in a lot of instances.
In other words, rather than a smooth sloping curve, I would have liked some focused emphasis around 60-90Hz. The rest of the curve is done very well, outside of my complaints.
So if you are willing to accept this but desire more slam, absolutely plan to either A) use the bass tips all the time, B) EQ the impact regions up a bit, or C) hunt for another set of better tips because, as another Amazon reviewer pointed out, it really can make or break the experience.
If you’re looking for a more well-rounded product out of the box, I think Fosi Audio’s IM4, and the KBEAR KB03 are both excellent.
Rock Lobster: Pricing/Box
Pricing: Check Apos! | Amazon!
Apos x Community Rock Lobster
3 sets of ear tips
3.5mm braided cable
Instruction Card
Specifications
- Wired: 3.5mm
- Driver: 10mm LCP Dynamic
- Impedance: 32Ω
- Sensitivity: 105DB
- Socket: 0.78mm 2-Pin
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Apos x Community Rock Lobster Review and came away with some valuable insight.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please leave them down below or Contact me!!
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Which of these sounds the best for studio use? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ] > Now AudioFiles Anonymous
