Despite having my Heir Audio 8.A for a number of days, I've only been able to give them one days proper listening so far. So I want to hold off providing an in depth review until I have had a chance to listen to them for a lot longer.
My initial impressions are compared to my JH16 as a reference point.
The Heir Audio 8.A are beautifully crafted works of art. They feel weighty and silky to the touch and remind me more of a smooth Ceramic than a plasticky acrylic. Fit seems to be almost 100% perfect, with the left ear being possibly a tiny bit loose - time will tell.
The Magnus 1 cable has a nice weightiness to it and the hefty right angle plug doesn't drag down on the ears. It seems to resist tangling and memory twisting. The memory loops over the ears are just right - easily pliable, but firm enough to maintain their shape.
The Y section is big enough so that it doesn't automatically tighten up under my chin, with plenty of scope for me to adjust the Y to a comfortable tightness.Compared to other cables I have used, it has practically no microphonics.
Overall the 8.A package looks and feels like a premium product, more so than the JH16
Sound:
Tested on an iBasso DX100, v1.3.7, Mid Gain, 16bit FLAC, 8.A usage less than 24hrs.
The volume level on the iBasso DX100 has to be set a lot higher than with the JH16.
In a quiet environment the volume level is set to 145 for the JH16 and 162 for the 8.A.
The isolation of the 8.A is superior to the JH16 - probably because of the acrylic being used seems denser.
The difference between the 8.A and the JH16 are instantly noticeable.
The 8.A have an obviously smoother sound, less in your face, whereas the JH16 throw all the micro details at you. The 8.A require you to listen more attentively for them. This makes the 8.A more forgiving of poorer recordings, as blemishes in the recordings are less noticeable.
The mids and bass seem weightier and fuller sounding than the JH16 but with less defined sharp edges to the notes.
Bass guitars like in the track "Radiohead - Lucky" resonate beautifully deep and rich and are sublimely addictive...so much so, I found myself repeating the track again and again
The sub bass in "Massive Attack - Angel" reverberates around your skull without the slightest hint of distortion or boominess....like someone has strapped a sub woofer to your ears.
Bass is definitely one of 8.A's forte, although I am not sure the thump is quite as hard as the JH16 in the DEEP sub bass region...but there probably is not much in it.
Considering the 8.A have 4 high frequency drivers, I was expecting a much brighter sound. Where the higher frequency drivers seem to come into their own is in eliminating any sibilance or over brightness.
Where the ultra revealing JH16 can become almost painful at times, the same highs are smoothed out in the 8.A.
The reach is there but the not the harshness.
The sound stage of the 8.A also seems to be noticeably wider and deeper than the JH16 - instruments seem to be more distinctly placed.
The one initial downside thought I have had is, that the vocals seem recessed or set further back than the JH16.
At times this seems to make vocals sound slightly lost in the surrounding instruments. If the singer isn't fully enunciating the words, they can sometimes be difficult to understand.
Overall, I like the "smoothness" of the 8.A
When listening to the 8.A, the main adjective that comes to my mind is "Analogue"
Which do I prefer JH16 or 8.A - at this stage I honestly don't know...it is too early to tell....do I need to prefer one??
Once I get a lot more hours on the 8.A to allow for any burn in and acclimatization, I will start a full A\B review
If these are your first top tier CIEMs, you will be very, very happy with the results.
....
Also since the treble is extremely smooth and silky I find that to be very noticeable and in a pleasing, non-offensive way.
cant wait for mineeee
