Yes price bracket I should have said. Variations is "old harman" style while Mega5EST is the new pinna "meta", I agree.

The Mega5est arrived yesterday and I've been busy listening. First impressions are very good! Almost flawless tuning and good technicalities. I've been using it with the Spinfit CP100+ exclusively so far, but will tip roll at some point. The only negatives so far: Bass can be a bit too much in...

I had this also with a demo unit. I lubed the metal headband part that you can extend/protract. The rattling sound is gone and did not reappear over the last 3 years.

It's funny how different people use different aspects of music to make a first evaluation. My first two things are electric distorted guitars (honk? Enough bite?) and cymbals (natural or peaks and dips).

Listener mentioned that the spinfit cp100 did best at damping some (minor) treble spike. Which tips do you suggest? I often go for azla with wide bores (xelastec was it?) but wide bores would probably boost treble.

Jumped on the hype train and placed my order. Looking forward for a great tuning! Will post my impressions and comparisons with mest MK2,prestige ltd , variations if there is interest.

I do have my ol' reliable Fiio E17K at my office desk. Thanks for the recs! Good to know - as you imply, graphs often don't give you the full story especially for treble.

From the Graphs Fan 2 seems pretty much what I am looking for - until the steep treble drop off above 10k. I think I would need to hear this with my own ears to evaluate it.

I still want to use my work PC for listening (the office Wi-Fi is not reliable and I need to use ethernet). Thanks for the recommendations. I read your review of the AFUL MagiCOne recently (great review!) and its definitely on my list. Need to check out the other ones you mentioned.

What is a good mid-fi IEM (for convenience, lets say below 400 USD) that you consider to have a relaxed presentation? Relaxed presentation = no forward upper-mids or treble. (My ears are sensitive to upper mid-range forwardness like the Variations or EE Odin. Treble should not be peaky as it...

Got these perforated sheepskin replacement earpads: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001014385931.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.6d131802xRmkJB Very nice build quality, fit and comfort. Soundwise, it feels like the midbass is too strong (guesstimating around 2db) with those...

1. bass is good when slam is important, but not the main focus because its a bit dry. So for instance metal, soundtrack, and electronic great because it accentuates the slam of drum hits. Not so good with RnB and soul where you want a "buttery" enveloping bass. Treble is crisp and highly...

I agree that the quality of the bass presentation (fast with slam and impact) is good for this genre, where bass is just one among many instruments in usually quite busy music. For me the bass is still a bit too much for rock and metal usually. The bass quality/presentation only is a pet peeve...

Finally got around to writing up my thoughts about the Prestige LTD. It's been my daily driver for the past 3 months. Great IEM! https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/thieaudio-prestige-ltd.27018/reviews