Signature Acoustics C-12 Elements Review

As kids we tend to be indoctrinated into believing that success follows excellence. However, it is only when you grow up into a cynical reviewer that you realise the two virtues are, in fact, mutually exclusive. The truth is, when a manufacturer has to choose between spending the budget on marketing and R&D, the best-selling product will invariably be the one that has laid more emphasis on advertising over good engineering practices. Such is the reality of consumer electronics, where large corporate entities wilfully choose to sacrifice quality at the altar of maximising profits.However, every industry has its share of guys operating out of a shack—esoteric brands unsullied by corporate greed and driven by a passion for their craft. A passion that's fuelled by a singular quest for excellence and not just the compulsion to appease investors with rosy bottom lines. Consumer products involving hard engineering generally have many such obscure yet brilliant brands, with the Ascari, Ariel, Caterham and Gumpert being shining examples of how a dude in a shack can embarrass large automotive entities with multi-billion dollar development budgets.The only problem is because your geek in a shack is least interested in marketing, or rather anything but engineering itself, your average consumer isn't likely to hear about his product. Not unless the consumer happens to be an enthusiast; in which case he isn't average by any stretch of imagination, but instead a part of elite, forum-visiting lower percentile of the populace. Signature Acoustics is one such Indian brand specialising in modestly-priced IEMs offering what's touted to be titan-killing levels of performance. That's why I spent a good two months with their maiden offering—the C-12 Elements Wooden IEMs—to find out if that's really the case.

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