1. I kept re-buying the same IEM when one side broke (non replaceable cables) ... I think I went through 4 pairs of Sony 888's. 2 pairs of Ety4P and 3 pairs of Shure 530/535. On a student budget. Lots more options these days. 2. Not buying second hand. Why be an early adopter? You rarely...

Very much source and personal preference dependent. Layering, detail and timbre remain very good. Utopia has always reflected the quality of its source chain. Worth auditioning before deciding.

Hugo 2/2Go - love it. Though I've wondered lately if I should try the 1950's or Orpheus wired PWA Chord2 adapter. Extra 1% ... Can't find anyone who has done the vertical in the adapters to review. I have yet to do the A/B with SP3000 + MK475 one of these days to see which one has the better...

Depends whether you are a cable geek. I very much enjoyed visiting the Eletech office to try their new cables. Unfortunately, Romeo had been sent to another well known Watercooler (you know who you are) and wasn't available to listen to. I also very much enjoyed meeting up with Chang and my...

Just a quick bump. The C9 still holds it own with tunability and power. Great little amp. I’ve rolled to MK475 recently so seeing if there is any interest in me paying it forward and sending C9 on. No box, still have the ICs but $1000 inc shipping ono …

I think Trevor needs some time from all the headphone cable orders flying his way ... my emails have disappeared down the list again and knowing how busy he is ; I've been polite not to chase him. It's not like I "need" another cable. That said, I'm tossing up ordering the 8-wife Silvergarde 5...

Yes. Without a doubt right at the top of the game. Sonically and artistically ; my favourite headphone cable. I do wish I can convince him to do me an IEM cable :)

Will these be available in the 'in between' sizes as well? The Baroque tips are beyond comfortable and synergistically pair well with most everything I listen to.

I know. Hence why I had to mention that was what I had (unintentionally) done. I went to audition the 622B and Annihilator 2023 … and spotted Pilgrim on the bench only after. I hadn’t meant to audition them and they deserve more time. Brief impressions only. I was more impressed with the treble...

Noir is better balanced and definitely has fuller mids. These were my brief notes Pilgrim: Dark Knight. Hans Zimmer. Somewhat congested in the low mids. Sub/low bass prominent and mids a little lost. Tuning inoffensive but weighted towards the low end. Bass a tad slow. Treble okay but not...

+1 Thank you for everyone's initial impressions. That is a gorgeous DAP and leather case. And portable. Keen to hear future impressions and how the DAP/amp/IEM synergy is like. On my "to try" list. Only thing holding me back is the lack of streaming, although if I can connect via USB from...

Alter ego isn't as technical but with the stock cable and Final tips the timbre isn't too dissimilar. Alter Ego has slightly more bass emphasis. If it's one I wonder whether I should have kept, it was the Alter Ego. Storm comes to mind as a BA/EST. With BCD I know some really like the 622B ...

How do you find the low mids and bottom end? I wondered if it was a tad congested in the area with sp3000 but with a lot of potential to open up. Needing more time with this before forming impressions. But decided to follow a recommendation to pair Sov Symphony with Trailii. It’s rich with...

A thank you to @Eric Chong who kindly hosted me for a few hours and generously gave up his time. He also has fabulous taste in whisky and how did he know Balvenie are one of my favourites? Impressions have been posted...

Eletech Visit A thank you to @Eric Chong for generously giving up his time. On my recent visit to Singapore I managed to get away and audition some of Eletech's latest releases. Eletech Raphael This has already been well reviewed and well received. From the product literature: ‘Raphael’...

Surprisingly well balanced. Track dependent. Enough bass and tight, well controlled. But not over the top. It’s still BA bass. I’ll need to play some bass heavy tracks and trance to see how it goes. But I wouldn’t call it “tons of authoritative slam”. And less so than XE6 ; singuality/duality...

Yes. We’re enjoying the A/B to the 4 wire Mira and also my memory of the Sovereign. Have a fellow cooler here … and we’re doing a fun morning. Storm and Singularity not mine. But there’s no denying both are very, very capable. Forgive the messy photo and cross posted on the Noble Audio...

Bit of a messy photo. But I wonder whether Noble Audio should partner with Eletech more often. OTL with Spartacus is just magical. Visually the perfect pairing. But more importantly, sonically. Compared to the stock cable, it's less warm/fuzzy (in a good way) in the low mids. Vocals are smooth...

It doesn’t get that much better than this. New arrivals. Initial impressions out of the hugo2 is that the chain needed an amp to bring out the sound stage. So moved onto Sp3000-orphyIC-Sov symphony- trailii Technically excellent. Rich, weighty timbre. Controlled but a mild emphasis to the...

Yes. Mild bass emphasis. Mids more ethereal. Lost just a touch of the treble magic. I prefer Azla Crystal if the stock tip isn’t to your liking.

I have the SPC Meze cable terminated in 4 pin xlr has sat in a drawer for a while. Be warned I don’t like the Meze / Rean mini xlr connectors as they can be tight to take off. Let me know if you want it Whether to go balanced depends if you have adequate power out of the 3.5 from your source?

Just received my MK475. These are brief impressions only. Very good build quality and tolerances. The battery cover slides with a pretty perfect fit. And kudos to Vishnu for the gorgeous leather case with a flap to access the battery compartment. If you're cable sensitive - interconnects can...

Not with the adapter. I politely declined as I thought the bass on the stock adapter was already enough for me. In retrospect I should have taken the opportunity just to see how much it was dialled up. I didn’t mind it out of the SP3000 but tbh the recommendation is yes, it requires some power...

Thank you! I only discovered the Watercooler thread not long ago despite being on/off on Head-Fi for some years. So keen to say a quick “hello” and be an early adopter having been chasing my ideal headphone set-up for a number of years. ZMF are absolutely gorgeous. Grado also come to mind...

I asked recently whether there was consideration to place a DD in a BA/EST IEM recently (it’s a question many have asked). The answer as more complex than I had initially acknowledged. From tuning, phase alignment, sound tubes, IEM internal structure, space, circuitry, crossover, tuning … it’s...