I was excited when Linsoul reached out to see if I would be interested in trying out the Martilo. While I don’t always want a basshead set, I do have the Scarlet Mini, which gets brought out quite often when I want that sound—but it can be a bit much sometimes. What did Punch Audio go for here? A bass-above-everything-else set, or could they manage to deliver exceptional bass without compromising on everything else?
Unboxing and Accessories
The Martilo comes in a really nice box with a decent array of accessories. You get the IEMs (surprise), a nice cable with both 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations, a selection of tips (silicone and foam), some replacement filters, and a carrying case. The case is the perfect size for me.
The interchangeable options on the cable don’t screw on. However, the join is towards the cable, so I never once accidentally pulled the termination off when taking it out of my DAPs—great design for a non-screw one. I still prefer screw connectors, but I’ll take this as a second preference.
Fit and Comfort
Fit-wise, I had no issues. I used the grey silicone tips with orange stems, and once in my ears, they were comfortable for extended sessions.
Configuration
The Martilo uses an interesting setup for a basshead set: two dynamic drivers, two balanced armatures, and one planar driver. This is handled by a three-way crossover with three sound tubes.
I listened to the Martilo for around 50 hours (and let it burn in for around 100 hours). My primary source was the Sony WM1ZM2. It does work fine from a dongle, but I found I preferred it out of the 1ZM2 early in my testing and stuck with it.
Music-wise, I bounced around a lot—starting with bass-heavy tracks, then moving to my usual library.
Sound Impressions
Bass
Let’s get this out of the way: the Martilo is tuned for bass. You’d know this from the box—which has “basshead” written many times on both sides—but the moment you pop these in your ears, you start nodding your head.
There’s a healthy sub-bass shelf—about 14dB of boost—and you feel it. It’s physical, tactile, and addictive. But here’s the kicker: it doesn’t bleed. The mid-bass is punchy but controlled, and the decay is surprisingly quick for this amount of low-end. With basshead sets, you often get wobbly, plentiful bass that lacks control. Not the case here. Simply superb, and at this price point, completely untouchable on this front.
Listening to Sorry by Röyksopp and Jamie Irrepressible, the bass that comes in at around 1:45 gives me goosebumps, then you get the punch layered in a little later. Probably the best experience I’ve had listening to this track on an IEM.
What didn’t happen—which always has with basshead IEMs in the past—was getting tired or fatigued. The tuning here doesn’t wear my ears out.
Mids
This is where I expected a trade-off, but the Martilo held its own—and it’s immediately noticeable. Sometimes, with bass-heavy IEMs, you need to let your ears adjust before you can really tell what the mids are like. Not the case here.
Vocals are clear and come through naturally to my ears. Male vocals retain body, and female vocals don’t get lost behind the bass. Guitars and pianos have realistic timbre. It’s not reference neutral—it wouldn’t be possible with this tuning—but it’s musical and well-balanced. I wasn’t left wanting anything, which, to be honest, I thought I would be. Extremely well done.
I stumbled across a very old favourite of mine during this review period that I probably hadn’t heard for about twenty years—Hands by Jewel—and her voice is front and centre, with every bit of emotion conveyed in the song. You do get more bass than would be normal, but it’s in the background and doesn’t take over. This led me down the path of trying some mid-centric tracks and I had very similar results across the board.
Treble
The Martilo delivers a smooth, airy top end. It’s not hyper-detailed, but there’s a good sense of openness and zero harshness. Cymbals and hi-hats come through cleanly without splashiness, although they aren’t as prominent as they are on some other IEMs. For this tuning, I think it works really well.
The treble that is presented here doesn’t make itself overly known—it remains balanced and perhaps a little safe for trebleheads (noting this is a basshead IEM). There is enough here to leave you not really missing anything when you want a bass-focussed sound.
Listening to Contact by Daft Punk, I get nearly all the detail that exists on the track, but also a bass experience that just simply isn’t there with other tunings. It also doesn’t kill your ears (which this track can do with other IEMs). It works really well on Lady Gaga, where there is a lot happening in the treble space on some tracks—you end up with some fantastic bass, her vocals coming through beautifully in the mids, then some cool electronic/percussion in the treble. It all comes together wonderfully well.
Technicalities
Impressive. The stage extends just outside of my ears with good depth. Vocals and instruments can move around a decent amount depending on the mix the producer has gone for. Layering is good. Imaging is decent—not pinpoint—but I didn’t expect that from this set.
Subjective Thoughts
I love this set.
This has dethroned the Scarlet Mini for me as my basshead set—it gives me enough bass, but I also enjoy everything else on it. The Scarlet Mini still rocks my eardrums more than this does (it’s +30dB, so no surprise), but for a balanced basshead set, this absolutely kills it—particularly when it comes to treble and overall feel.
Overall
A fun (very) basshead set that doesn’t compromise on everything else.
If you like bass, or have a library that leans that way, this is the easiest recommendation I’ll give out all year. You won’t be disappointed. This IEM is an absolute steal at $329.
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bass | 5/5 | The standout – deep, powerful, and well-controlled |
| Mids | 4.5/5 | Clear, present, and natural despite the bass emphasis |
| Treble | 4/5 | Smooth and fatigue-free, though slightly relaxed |
| Technicalities | 4/5 | Wide stage and good layering, imaging not pinpoint but for this tuning no complaints |
| Build/Design | 4.5/5 | Beautiful IEMs, well built, cable works well despite no screw |
| Value | 5/5 | A true basshead set that doesn’t compromise on everything else |
| Overall | 4.5/5 | An easy buy for anyone who likes bass. I rounded up for the overall due my subjective love of the set! |
Aussie Audiophile 
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