Heir Audio - new high end custom IEM company - Page 21

Quote:

Originally Posted by SloperHold 

Guys, I have a question.

 

Does a neutral sound sound boring? I ask because I'm interested between the 4.a or 8.a and while I listen to a lot of indie/progressive rock and enjoy a good bass, I also am trying to get into recording music. Would the 8.A be unsuitable for this? I think the 4.A would be more suitable but I'm scared of having a boring sound.

 

I've only had the SM3 and otto eq-7's before this. I prefer the SM3's bigger bass and soundstage but I also prefer the natural sound of the eq-7's.

 

I don't know what I want! And the price jump is pretty significant between the 4.A and the 8.A...

 

 

A neutral sound sounds neutral. whether it's boring depends on your ears and taste. I myself was never a big fan of an overly neutral sound, as I like warmth and "fun". Others however, prefer the neutral and somewhat analytical sound - it's all a matter of preference and taste, just like one girl would be extremely attractive to my eyes and you wouldn't consider her attractive at all - it's all subjective, and the same goes for headphones. 

I haven't heard the 8.A yet, so I can't rate is as a monitor for recording, but generally I would advice against "musical/fun" headphones for mastering and recording, as you wan't to get a sound as neutral as possible when doing this. 

Another way for you to go could be getting the 3.A which is supposedly the 8.A's "little brother" as far as I've understood it and use the extra cash for a set of ety's or something like that. But to be honest, I'm sure you will enjoy the 4.A. I haven't read many thoughts on it, as very few people own it at this point (Heir is a young company), but if I remember correctly Sinocelt has it, and is very pleased with his.

To revert to the recording issue, I know musicians using extremely colored speakers and headphones for both mixing and mastering, and they're quite successful, so really, it can be done. 

If you're going to be recording. I'll suggest you look into the 6.A or the 8.A.

Neutral means different things to different people. So I won't delve into that.

You need imaging accuracy. And that's what the higher end models can bring.

Originally Posted by project86 

Have you considered the 6.A? It should have the accuracy and neutrality of the 4.A but with some added bass excitement and general improvement overall. And it is still cheaper than the 8.A, making it possibly a good fit for your needs. 

Makes sense. Of course, SloperHold, before you make the jump, you should also get in touch with the Wizard directly and ask for his opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Staal 

I haven't read many thoughts on it, as very few people own it at this point (Heir is a young company), but if I remember correctly Sinocelt has it, and is very pleased with his.

Indeed. The A.3 was good, but I like the A.4 markedly more, mostly for the better coherence of its sound. For what it's worth, I asked the Wizard for a monitor I could use for speech recording. Accuracy and neutrality (and timbre, which I hadn't mentioned) were thus of prime importance, and he picked the A.4.

Imaging wasn't too important, for my purpose. It is better on the A.4 than on the A.3, but I can't comment about the A.6 and A.8.

My rule of thumb regarding bass on headphones is that it benefits from a slight lift, to compensate for the sound being piped straight into your ears rather than surrounding your body, the way good bass on good speakers (or in real life) feels.

That said, I opted for the 4.A in part because if I thought the bass was anemic, I could EQ it upwards a little, but if the frequency response isn't reasonably flat the monitors will be much harder to dial in across the whole spectrum. YMMV, as always: If you're inclined towards a noticeably emphasized bass, the 4.A is probably not going to work, EQ or no.

Improved imaging would be nice but that's usually the aspect I'm most willing to compromise on when I have to make compromises.

My impressions were delivered through USPS yesterday in China, hopefully they arrived without any issues.

They're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Heir.

Ugh, I really didn't want to spend $1.100 on headphones.  This site has been awful for my wallet :(.  Have to sell my other ones to justify...

Thanks for all the replies!

I did ask the Wizard for his comments and if there were any known reviews for 4.a and 6.a (there aren't, but thanks sinocelt for your comments!). 

He said he prefers 8.A's bigger sound himself (every part of the spectrum is great but not muddy) but thinks the 4.A may work well for me. As he doesn't have much experience with studio recording, he couldn't really comment on that aspect. 

Yeah, I'm in a tough spot. I'm going to need to a read a few more reviews ultimately. From everything I read it sounds like 8.A is the one I want. I do care more about listening than recording. My hunch is that even the 4.A will blow away all my IEM experience (SM3 and Orto eq-7). Maybe I should just tread lightly into this world.Blah! I hate head-fi hahah. 

Oh, I did have a question. What is imaging? Is this soundstage? 

Imaging is related to, but not quite the same thing as, soundstage.

Imaging refers to how accurately instruments and voices etc. are placed within the soundstage.

Imagine that the soundstage is a concert hall.

Imagine that imaging is the accuracy with which you can pinpoint where the various performers are within an orchestra playing a concert within that concert hall.

Obviously, the more capable an IEM and source components (DAP, DAC, amp etc.) are of accurately 'imaging', the more realistic, convincing, and enjoyable an experience listening to them is likely to be.

In terms of the IEM part of the equation, imaging is, to a considerable extent, dependent on how well-designed the crossovers are, and how well designed the driver placements are within the shell of the IEM. This is because convincing psychoacoustics rely upon good phase-coherence (i.e. all the frequencies sounding like they're emanating from the same 'point source', rather than from several different drive units). This takes great skill to engineer convincingly, electrically, electronically, and physically, and is as much a 'black art' as it is a science.

Thanks for the great post!

I chuckled at the black art part. What a fascinating world this is. I should consider a career change. My job as an engineer is way too left-brain and boring. 

I think I'm leaning towards the 8.A more. This is my first CIEM. Do you recommend against taking a dive on the deep end of the pool since I have no idea what to expect in terms of fits? Also, I know the sound is only going to be as good as the source. While I have relatively above average gear for my computer, when I'm out and about I'm probably solely going to rely on my iPhone. Would this negate any performance gain between the 8.A and 3/4.A? Or would it still be better (just not as good as it can potentially be). 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SloperHold 

I think I'm leaning towards the 8.A more. This is my first CIEM. Do you recommend against taking a dive on the deep end of the pool since I have no idea what to expect in terms of fits?

My opinion is: If you lean toward the 8.A, get the 8.A. Because if you buy another model, not because it fits your needs better, but because you want to be careful, you'll spend your time wondering what you're missing, instead of enjoying what you have. An acrylic shell that fits you properly is, in my experience, if you don't move your jaw, even more comfortable than universal foam earplugs, but in case it's really not for you, the Heir Audio customs are the easiest customs to resell, thanks to Heir Audio's “Ownership Transfer Service” policy:

CIEMs are custom made to each individual owner. Some people may be leery of purchasing a CIEM due to their limited resell value. We have decided to offer a limited “Owner Transfer Service” policy. If a person purchases an Heir Audio CIEM second hand, the second owner may have the product remolded to fit them for 70$. The product will be remolded into a “Standard” CIEM. (Standard = Acrylic shell, with matching acrylic face plate colors) All additional options are available to the second owner with additional fees. (remold) The Ownership Transfer Service can be extended two times for the life of a product. Each new owner is required to sign the back of the Original Ownership card.

Originally Posted by SloperHold 

Also, I know the sound is only going to be as good as the source. While I have relatively above average gear for my computer, when I'm out and about I'm probably solely going to rely on my iPhone. Would this negate any performance gain between the 8.A and 3/4.A? Or would it still be better (just not as good as it can potentially be). 

I can't answer your precise question. I do very much prefer the A.4 with a Clip Zip over the Etymōtic HF5 (my previous favorite IEM) with the DACPort, even though the DACPort is a much better source than the Clip Zip; so a better IEM makes more of a difference, in my experience, than a better source, but that's all I can tell you.

Good god, those first page pics were gorgeous. I wish I had the cash to blow on a pair of these!

Quote:

Originally Posted by StereoTypo 

Good god, those first page pics were gorgeous. I wish I had the cash to blow on a pair of these!

I'd suggest that you sold a kidney, but since there are people dumb enough to take this suggestion seriously, I'll refrain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinocelt 

I'd suggest that you sold a kidney, but since there are people dumb enough to take this suggestion seriously, I'll refrain.

. Crazy kids these days.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kckc 

 

. Crazy kids these days.

Only one kidney left. And no brain.

Yeah, as a member of the medical community, I really should keep silent about this issue. Let's get back to some audio talk!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinocelt 

I'd suggest that you sold a kidney, but since there are people dumb enough to take this suggestion seriously, I'll refrain.