Theogenes
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That... Seems like an odd pairing, at least from a MRSP perspective.
REVIEW: Ostry KC06
- Thread starter Zelda
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Idsynchrono_24
Headphoneus Supremus
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I should have posted a pic of my EarPods connected to the HUGO and posted in the "post your setup thread" back when I still had it
SyedZ2ez4
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lol how I wish they were mine. The sq was insane for me. First time trying a really high end setup, and with ckrs too. Too poisoning and I can only dream. That day will come I'm sure.
SkiesOfAzel
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So here is my comparison between the Tenore and the KC06. Before going any further, please bear in mind that i am not an expert in this field, nor do i profess of being one. This is just a hobby to me and those are my personal opinions. If you disagree with a part of my review or want to correct a mistake, don't hesitate to voice your opinion. We are here to learn from each other and the end result is usually to the benefit of the community.
Build Quality:
The Ostry is a mostly well made iem for its price. The shell is made from some form of titanium if i am not mistaken, the strain reliefs are solid and the cable is durable although a little unruly. The Y splitter could be better though and the cable on my pair wasn't glued properly to the mini jack. It remains in it no matter what, but if you pull it out gently it's obvious that it's not securely glued in there. As for the jack, it's a straight design which i am not too fond of as it tends to wear the cable faster.
The Tenore on the other hands is without a doubt the worst built iem i've ever owned and unfortunately i am not exaggerating. Initial impressions are not that bad, the shell is built from carbon fiber, the cable is supple and the Y splitter seems good. The first obviously negative choice in its design is the lack of a strain relief on the cables where they connect to the drivers. I've owned two pairs for around two months now and both have issues with the cable. One pair has a cable that isn't glued properly to the Y splitter and the other pair's cable isn't glued to the right driver any more.
There are also a lot of cases of temporary or permanent channel imbalance, but the worst part is unit variation (more on that latter).
Fit and isolation:
Fit is always a personal matter to a degree. For me, the Tenores are the most comfortable iem i've owned. They pop right in using the supplied medium tips and they provide excellent isolation, the best i've had with a dynamic driver. They can be worn straight down or over the ear without issues. Microphonics are low when worn straight down and non existent when worn over the ear.
The Ostry on the other hand is a little more temperamental. It has a short stem and the shell of the body is big, preventing any kind of deep insertion. The provided tips are of excellent quality and there are versions with a wide or a small bore to help the user attenuate the treble to his preference. Still, i couldn't get a consistent seal for both ears with any of them due to the shortness of the stem, which resulted in l/r imbalance. I solved this by using the meleec biflanges which are longer and have a slightly narrower bore than the supplied tips. These are mainly designed to be worn over the ear and they come with ear hooks included in the package along with a shirt clip. They can be worn straight down but this tends to be accompanied by microphonics. All in all, fit and comfort are above average but lacking compared to the Tenore. Isolation on the other hand is bellow average with the supplied tips as the they don't seal well and the KC06 implements a double vented design. Meleec tips allow for a better seal that makes things tolerable when commuting.
Transducer:
I won't go into specs here, i just wanted to make some observations about the transducers inside those two iems.
The Tenore uses a microdynamic transducer that seems to be tuned with external mods. James was kind enough to open up one of his pairs for the benefit of the community, and what we learned is this:
The treble is attenuated by a metal plate that has a small hole and sits in front of the driver.
The bass is attenuated by a piece of foam that is glued to a hole in the back of the driver.
The front plate does a good job attenuating the treble, but it may be the cause of the reverberation present in the Tenore's low end. The foam on the back is the reason for all those variations in bass response with the Tenores. Depending on how well the foam is glued to the back, bass quantities can vary wildly, even as much as 7db. The variations don't always stay bellow 100hz either, the pair that James opened up had a lift up to 180hz. The transients on the Tenore are another sore spot, especially attack. This coupled with reverb can mess with the timbre of percussion instruments. This is also a power hungry transducer, but since the Tenore offers excellent isolation it's not so bad when commuting.
The transducer inside the Ostry seems to be of higher quality. It's very fast for a dynamic, with very good transients and excellent impact. the only part that can sound a little slow is sub bass (which isn't unusual), but you will hardly notice this thanks to a very clever tuning.
Tuning:
The Tenore approach is straightforward. The fr is very linear across the board with a bass lift < 100hz and an emphasis on the high mids. Mids are flat up to 2khz where there is a slight dip followed by a lift that tops around ~2.4-2.5khz. Loudness returns to normal around 3khz and the treble remains linear with a very slight downward angle for the rest of the fr. Extension is excellent on both ends, especially on the low end easily reaching 20hz.
The Ostry on the other hand is a tricky person. Sub bass response is slightly rolled off down at 20hz but it picks up at 40hz and remains strong till it reaches the low mids. There is a noticeable dip in the lower mids that ends ~800hz. The Ostrys have a similar peak to the Tenores ~2.4khz that is followed by a dip in the lower treble that ends ~5khz. What follows is another peak ~5.5khz that ends ~6khz and leads to another dip that ends ~8khz. To make a long story short, the Ostry tuning is as S shaped as it gets, but it's done in such a way as to avoid most pitfalls that are present in similarly tuned phones. So what do all those peaks and dips do?
Well, mud is located in the low mids, so reducing loudness in that area makes the KC06 sound clearer. The peak on the high mids enhances vocals and the dip that follows helps it sound smoother. The peak @5.5khz enhances vocal harmonics and cymbals and the dip that follows takes care of the sibilance. There is also another peak after the sibilance area (6.5-8khz) that adds air to the sound. It's like a neutral/ midcentric dynamic AT without the flaws
.
Summarizing, where the Tenore souds clean, the Ostry sounds clear. The Tenore is neutral, the Ostry is a good approximation of neutrality with hints of coldness and brightness, a combination i usually avoid but the Ostry does it so well i really enjoy it.
Tonality and Timbre:
What makes the Tenore sound impressive is the excellent tonality across the board. It really is a joy to listen to. Tonal accuracy factors in timbre but so do transients. Instruments that produce a fast attack aren't the Tenore's strongest suit, but otherwise it performs well.
The Ostry with it's S shaped tuning isn't as tonally accurate but its excellent attack helps it with timbre in a lot of situations, especially with percussion instruments.
Bass:
Well, this is awkward
. Quantity with the Tenores is a lottery. I don't think there are any bass light Tenores out there, but they can go from a little above neutral to bass heavy. You can attenuate the bass with James' patented vent mod. As far as quality goes, there are some issues i should mention:
There is noticeable reverberation with bass guitars, acoustic bass and drums. This combined with slow attack speeds can make drums sound off timbre and papery. Impact in general is lacking, which hurts the impression of dynamics.
The Ostry's bass is very well done. Quantity is certainly NOT lacking if you get a good seal. Speed and impact are excellent, which helps with texturing and dynamics. Most instruments that reside here sound great, especially drums. While the Ostry isn't a bass monster, when the song calls for it, it will rumble in a more convincing manner than the Tenore despite the difference in loudness. Driver size usually affects bass authority and this is one such case.
Mids:
The Tenore has some really nice mids. They are a little on the thick side but clean and accurate otherwise. Vocals and instruments sound great here. Tonality is excellent and timbre is pretty good most of the times. Guitars sound full and textured while vocals sound natural and upfront. Detail retrieval is also quite good.
The KC06 sounds leaner and clearer thanks to its tricks and faster driver. The dip on the low mids can be an issue with tracks that have a lot of information there. Tool's Schism for example sounds a little hollow with the Ostries. Lower mids aside, the Ostry serves the listener more apparent detail and a little better texture than the Tenores. Timbre can be better or worse depending on the instrument, but where Ostries shine is in the vocals. I usually don't give special notice to vocals but the KC06 deserves some attention for its reproduction. It doesn't matter if they are male or female, brutal or clean, vocals are always extremely textured, detailed and lifelike but almost never sibilant. Simply put, if you like your vocals you should give the Ostry a chance.
Highs:
The treble on the Tenore is smooth and airy (extended). Timbre is excellent, with cymbals and flutes that sound very natural. Violins can sound a little unrefined because of the transients. The highlight of the Tenores is that you can listen to them for hours without the slightest hint of fatigue and without sacrificing treble presence either. Detail is good but not artificially enhanced, in other words the Tenore sounds natural but it's not an analytical phone.
The Ostry on the other hand can be fatiguing, especially with the wide bore tips. Long tips with narrow bore tame the treble enough to let it sound energetic without the added fatigue. The peaks here affect timbre, giving it a metallic tint. Cymbals don't sound as natural but they are airy and they have a nice impact accompanied by some equally satisfying decay. Flutes and violins sound a little metallic sometimes. On the upside violins do sound more refined as a whole, with sharper notes and a more textured body.
In general, the Ostry is more resolving and detailed than the Tenore, but the latter sounds a little more natural. The Ostry is more energetic and upfront, the Tenore is more relaxed and laid back.
Soundstage:
The Tenore has a really good soundstage. It's not too wide, but it has good depth and it's properly shaped (spherical). Instrument separation isn't the best, mainly thanks to the thickness of the notes, but imaging is accurate. Instruments are always where you would expect them to be and the same goes for the singers.
The KC06 has a really wide stage that doesn't do so great with depth. It's like a wide wall of sound. While instrument separation is very good, imaging is a mixed bag. Sound cues don't always come from the direction you'd expect them to. Cymbals can sound like they are on top or in front of the singer and drums sometimes seem to be positioned in front of the guitars. Now and then positioning can be exaggerated, leading to sounds that seem to originate behind or on top of the listener. It's not unpleasant but it's not the most realistic presentation i've encountered and it's probably a product of the tuning.
Amping:
The Tenore really benefits from it. It's not just loudness either. Amping really helps it with speed, impact and top extension, plus it scales really well with more juice.
The Ostry is one of the easiest phones to drive. That's not to say there are no benefits from amping it, but they are nowhere near as noticeable as in the case of the Tenores.
Conclusion:
Both of those iems sound wonderful and i am not even factoring their price. I've tried to remain objective, highlighting every single flaw i could find, but don't let that fool you. Soundwise those things do almost everything right. As far as preferences go, i like them both the same unamped, but i prefer the Tenore when there is an amp present. If i had to recommend one of the two though i wouldn't even have to think about it. With all the quality control issues the Tenore has, the Ostry is a no brainer.
Build Quality:
The Ostry is a mostly well made iem for its price. The shell is made from some form of titanium if i am not mistaken, the strain reliefs are solid and the cable is durable although a little unruly. The Y splitter could be better though and the cable on my pair wasn't glued properly to the mini jack. It remains in it no matter what, but if you pull it out gently it's obvious that it's not securely glued in there. As for the jack, it's a straight design which i am not too fond of as it tends to wear the cable faster.
The Tenore on the other hands is without a doubt the worst built iem i've ever owned and unfortunately i am not exaggerating. Initial impressions are not that bad, the shell is built from carbon fiber, the cable is supple and the Y splitter seems good. The first obviously negative choice in its design is the lack of a strain relief on the cables where they connect to the drivers. I've owned two pairs for around two months now and both have issues with the cable. One pair has a cable that isn't glued properly to the Y splitter and the other pair's cable isn't glued to the right driver any more.
There are also a lot of cases of temporary or permanent channel imbalance, but the worst part is unit variation (more on that latter).
Fit and isolation:
Fit is always a personal matter to a degree. For me, the Tenores are the most comfortable iem i've owned. They pop right in using the supplied medium tips and they provide excellent isolation, the best i've had with a dynamic driver. They can be worn straight down or over the ear without issues. Microphonics are low when worn straight down and non existent when worn over the ear.
The Ostry on the other hand is a little more temperamental. It has a short stem and the shell of the body is big, preventing any kind of deep insertion. The provided tips are of excellent quality and there are versions with a wide or a small bore to help the user attenuate the treble to his preference. Still, i couldn't get a consistent seal for both ears with any of them due to the shortness of the stem, which resulted in l/r imbalance. I solved this by using the meleec biflanges which are longer and have a slightly narrower bore than the supplied tips. These are mainly designed to be worn over the ear and they come with ear hooks included in the package along with a shirt clip. They can be worn straight down but this tends to be accompanied by microphonics. All in all, fit and comfort are above average but lacking compared to the Tenore. Isolation on the other hand is bellow average with the supplied tips as the they don't seal well and the KC06 implements a double vented design. Meleec tips allow for a better seal that makes things tolerable when commuting.
Transducer:
I won't go into specs here, i just wanted to make some observations about the transducers inside those two iems.
The Tenore uses a microdynamic transducer that seems to be tuned with external mods. James was kind enough to open up one of his pairs for the benefit of the community, and what we learned is this:
The treble is attenuated by a metal plate that has a small hole and sits in front of the driver.
The bass is attenuated by a piece of foam that is glued to a hole in the back of the driver.
The front plate does a good job attenuating the treble, but it may be the cause of the reverberation present in the Tenore's low end. The foam on the back is the reason for all those variations in bass response with the Tenores. Depending on how well the foam is glued to the back, bass quantities can vary wildly, even as much as 7db. The variations don't always stay bellow 100hz either, the pair that James opened up had a lift up to 180hz. The transients on the Tenore are another sore spot, especially attack. This coupled with reverb can mess with the timbre of percussion instruments. This is also a power hungry transducer, but since the Tenore offers excellent isolation it's not so bad when commuting.
The transducer inside the Ostry seems to be of higher quality. It's very fast for a dynamic, with very good transients and excellent impact. the only part that can sound a little slow is sub bass (which isn't unusual), but you will hardly notice this thanks to a very clever tuning.
Tuning:
The Tenore approach is straightforward. The fr is very linear across the board with a bass lift < 100hz and an emphasis on the high mids. Mids are flat up to 2khz where there is a slight dip followed by a lift that tops around ~2.4-2.5khz. Loudness returns to normal around 3khz and the treble remains linear with a very slight downward angle for the rest of the fr. Extension is excellent on both ends, especially on the low end easily reaching 20hz.
The Ostry on the other hand is a tricky person. Sub bass response is slightly rolled off down at 20hz but it picks up at 40hz and remains strong till it reaches the low mids. There is a noticeable dip in the lower mids that ends ~800hz. The Ostrys have a similar peak to the Tenores ~2.4khz that is followed by a dip in the lower treble that ends ~5khz. What follows is another peak ~5.5khz that ends ~6khz and leads to another dip that ends ~8khz. To make a long story short, the Ostry tuning is as S shaped as it gets, but it's done in such a way as to avoid most pitfalls that are present in similarly tuned phones. So what do all those peaks and dips do?
Well, mud is located in the low mids, so reducing loudness in that area makes the KC06 sound clearer. The peak on the high mids enhances vocals and the dip that follows helps it sound smoother. The peak @5.5khz enhances vocal harmonics and cymbals and the dip that follows takes care of the sibilance. There is also another peak after the sibilance area (6.5-8khz) that adds air to the sound. It's like a neutral/ midcentric dynamic AT without the flaws
Summarizing, where the Tenore souds clean, the Ostry sounds clear. The Tenore is neutral, the Ostry is a good approximation of neutrality with hints of coldness and brightness, a combination i usually avoid but the Ostry does it so well i really enjoy it.
Tonality and Timbre:
What makes the Tenore sound impressive is the excellent tonality across the board. It really is a joy to listen to. Tonal accuracy factors in timbre but so do transients. Instruments that produce a fast attack aren't the Tenore's strongest suit, but otherwise it performs well.
The Ostry with it's S shaped tuning isn't as tonally accurate but its excellent attack helps it with timbre in a lot of situations, especially with percussion instruments.
Bass:
Well, this is awkward
There is noticeable reverberation with bass guitars, acoustic bass and drums. This combined with slow attack speeds can make drums sound off timbre and papery. Impact in general is lacking, which hurts the impression of dynamics.
The Ostry's bass is very well done. Quantity is certainly NOT lacking if you get a good seal. Speed and impact are excellent, which helps with texturing and dynamics. Most instruments that reside here sound great, especially drums. While the Ostry isn't a bass monster, when the song calls for it, it will rumble in a more convincing manner than the Tenore despite the difference in loudness. Driver size usually affects bass authority and this is one such case.
Mids:
The Tenore has some really nice mids. They are a little on the thick side but clean and accurate otherwise. Vocals and instruments sound great here. Tonality is excellent and timbre is pretty good most of the times. Guitars sound full and textured while vocals sound natural and upfront. Detail retrieval is also quite good.
The KC06 sounds leaner and clearer thanks to its tricks and faster driver. The dip on the low mids can be an issue with tracks that have a lot of information there. Tool's Schism for example sounds a little hollow with the Ostries. Lower mids aside, the Ostry serves the listener more apparent detail and a little better texture than the Tenores. Timbre can be better or worse depending on the instrument, but where Ostries shine is in the vocals. I usually don't give special notice to vocals but the KC06 deserves some attention for its reproduction. It doesn't matter if they are male or female, brutal or clean, vocals are always extremely textured, detailed and lifelike but almost never sibilant. Simply put, if you like your vocals you should give the Ostry a chance.
Highs:
The treble on the Tenore is smooth and airy (extended). Timbre is excellent, with cymbals and flutes that sound very natural. Violins can sound a little unrefined because of the transients. The highlight of the Tenores is that you can listen to them for hours without the slightest hint of fatigue and without sacrificing treble presence either. Detail is good but not artificially enhanced, in other words the Tenore sounds natural but it's not an analytical phone.
The Ostry on the other hand can be fatiguing, especially with the wide bore tips. Long tips with narrow bore tame the treble enough to let it sound energetic without the added fatigue. The peaks here affect timbre, giving it a metallic tint. Cymbals don't sound as natural but they are airy and they have a nice impact accompanied by some equally satisfying decay. Flutes and violins sound a little metallic sometimes. On the upside violins do sound more refined as a whole, with sharper notes and a more textured body.
In general, the Ostry is more resolving and detailed than the Tenore, but the latter sounds a little more natural. The Ostry is more energetic and upfront, the Tenore is more relaxed and laid back.
Soundstage:
The Tenore has a really good soundstage. It's not too wide, but it has good depth and it's properly shaped (spherical). Instrument separation isn't the best, mainly thanks to the thickness of the notes, but imaging is accurate. Instruments are always where you would expect them to be and the same goes for the singers.
The KC06 has a really wide stage that doesn't do so great with depth. It's like a wide wall of sound. While instrument separation is very good, imaging is a mixed bag. Sound cues don't always come from the direction you'd expect them to. Cymbals can sound like they are on top or in front of the singer and drums sometimes seem to be positioned in front of the guitars. Now and then positioning can be exaggerated, leading to sounds that seem to originate behind or on top of the listener. It's not unpleasant but it's not the most realistic presentation i've encountered and it's probably a product of the tuning.
Amping:
The Tenore really benefits from it. It's not just loudness either. Amping really helps it with speed, impact and top extension, plus it scales really well with more juice.
The Ostry is one of the easiest phones to drive. That's not to say there are no benefits from amping it, but they are nowhere near as noticeable as in the case of the Tenores.
Conclusion:
Both of those iems sound wonderful and i am not even factoring their price. I've tried to remain objective, highlighting every single flaw i could find, but don't let that fool you. Soundwise those things do almost everything right. As far as preferences go, i like them both the same unamped, but i prefer the Tenore when there is an amp present. If i had to recommend one of the two though i wouldn't even have to think about it. With all the quality control issues the Tenore has, the Ostry is a no brainer.
@SkiesofAzel Nice review. I would already have a Tenore by now if it weren't for the QC issues. Do you know if the Basso suffers from the same issues?
SkiesOfAzel
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I haven't seen anything reported on the main thread so i assume it's a safer bet QC wise. It's not the safest conclusion though, as there are a lot more Tenore than Basso owners that post there.
SyedZ2ez4
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Nice detailed review mate.
ebrian
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Amazing comparison.. and you posted it just after I got yelled at for complaining about a Tenore vs KC06 thread! Perfect timing!
Big thing for me was the build quality. We live in exciting times where you can get a pretty quality sound for under $100, but when you have a hit-or-miss iem like Tenores, you could easily be spending over $100 to get a good pair and that's a no-go for me. To this day I still don't know if Tenore's are flawed, but it's not like I'm about to buy another pair to compare. What I do know is that I keep reaching for my Ostry KC06 every morning (and at night, for bedtime listening!).
Big thing for me was the build quality. We live in exciting times where you can get a pretty quality sound for under $100, but when you have a hit-or-miss iem like Tenores, you could easily be spending over $100 to get a good pair and that's a no-go for me. To this day I still don't know if Tenore's are flawed, but it's not like I'm about to buy another pair to compare. What I do know is that I keep reaching for my Ostry KC06 every morning (and at night, for bedtime listening!).
SkiesOfAzel
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Nice detailed review mate.
Thanks
Quote:
Unless you get an extremely bass heavy Tenore you can vent mod the bass to a reasonable quantity. But it's not just variations in bass response, cables get unglued all the time, channel imbalance is reported frequently etc. Even if you get lucky and score a perfect pair, i would still not want to support a company that cares so little about the consumer. The Ostry is just a better built product, one i would not hesitate to recommend to anyone.
As for the comparison thread, i don't mind it at all to tell you the truth. Both these threads are full of useful information, reviews and comparisons, but they lack organization. Things would be better for the readers if every piece of useful info was linked in the OP.
waynes world
Headphoneus Supremus
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Build Quality:
The Ostry is a mostly well made iem for the price. The shell is made from some form of titanium if i am not mistaken, the strain reliefs are solid and the cable is durable although a little unruly. The Y splitter could be better though and the cable on my pair wasn't glued properly to the mini jack. It remains in it no matter what, but if you pull it out gently it's obvious that it's not securely glued in there. As for the jack, it's a straight design which i am not too fond of as it tends to wear the cable faster.
The Tenore on the other hands is without a doubt the worst built iem i've ever owned and unfortunately i am not exaggerating. Initial impressions are not that bad, the shell is built from carbon fiber, the cable is supple and the Y splitter seems good. The first obviously negative choice is the lack of a strain relief on the cables where they connect to the drivers. I've owned two pairs for around two months and both have issues with the cable. One pair has a cable that isn't glued properly to the Y splitter and the other pair's cable isn't glued to the right driver any more.
There are also a lot of cases of temporary or permanent channel imbalance, but the worst part is unit variation (more on that latter).
Fit and isolation:
Fit is always a personal matter to a degree. For me, the Tenores are the most comfortable iem i've owned. They pop right in using the supplied medium tips and they provide excellent isolation, the best i've had with a dynamic driver. They can be worn straight down or over the ear without issues. Microphonics are low when worn straight down and non existent when worn over the ear.
The Ostry on the other hand is a little more temperamental. It has a short stem and the shell of the body is big, preventing any kind of deep insertion. The provided tips are of excellent quality and there are versions with a wide or a small bore to help the user attenuate the treble to his preference. Still, i couldn't get a consistent seal for both ears with any of them due to the shortness of the stem, which resulted in l/r imbalance. I solved this by using the meleec biflanges which are longer and have a slightly narrower bore than the supplied tips. These are mainly designed to be worn over the ear and they come with ear hooks included in the package along with a shirt clip. They can be worn straight down but this tends to be accompanied by microphonics. All in all, fit and comfort are above average but lacking compared to the Tenore. Isolation on the other hand is bellow average with the supplied tips as the they don't seal well and the KC06 implements a double vented design. Meleec tips allow for a better seal that makes things tolerable when commuting.
Transducer:
I won't go into specs here, i just wanted to make some observations about the transducers inside those two iems.
The Tenore uses a microdynamic transducer that seems to be tuned with external mods. James was kind enough to open up one of his pairs for the benefit of the community, and what we learned is this:
The treble is attenuated by a metal plate that has a small hole and sits in front of the driver.
The bass is attenuated by a piece of foam that is glued to a hole in the back of the driver.
The front plate does a good job attenuating the treble, but it may be the cause of the reverberation present in the Tenore's low end. The foam on the back is the reason for all those variations in bass response with the Tenores. Depending on how well the foam is glued to the back, bass quantities can vary wildly, even as much as 7db. The variations don't always stay bellow 100hz either, the pair that James opened up had a lift up to 180hz. The transients on the Tenore are another sore spot, especially attack. This coupled with reverb can mess with the timbre of percussion instruments. This is also a power hungry transducer, but since the Tenore offers excellent isolation it's not so bad when commuting.
The transducer inside the Ostry seems to be of higher quality. It's very fast for a dynamic, with very good transients and excellent impact. the only part that can sound a little slow is sub bass (which isn't unusual), but you will hardly notice this thanks to a very clever tuning.
Tuning:
The Tenore approach is straightforward. The fr is very linear across the board with a bass lift < 100hz and an emphasis on the high mids. Mids are flat up to 2khz where there is a slight dip followed by a lift that tops around ~2.4-2.5khz. Loudness returns to normal around 3khz and the treble remains linear with a very slight downward angle for the rest of the fr. Extension is excellent on both ends, especially on the low end easily reaching 20hz.
The Ostry on the other hand is a tricky person. Sub bass response is slightly rolled off down at 20hz but it picks up at 40hz and remains strong till it reaches the low mids. There is a noticeable dip in the lower mids that ends ~800hz. The Ostrys have a similar peak to the Tenores ~2.4khz that is followed by a dip in the lower treble that ends ~5khz. What follows is another peak ~5.5khz that ends ~6khz and leads to another dip that ends ~8khz. To make a long story short, the Ostry tuning is as S shaped as it gets, but it's done in such a way as to avoid most pitfalls that are present in similarly tuned phones. So what do all those peaks and dips do?
Well, mud is located in the low mids, so reducing loudness in that area makes the KC06 sound clearer. The peak on the high mids enhances vocals and the dip that follows helps it sound smoother. The peak @5.5khz enhances vocal harmonics and cymbals and the dip that follows takes care of the sibilance. There is also another peak after the sibilance area (6.5-8khz) that adds air to the sound. It's like a neutral/ midcentric dynamic AT without the flaws.
Summarizing, where the Tenore souds clean, the Ostry sounds clear. The Tenore is neutral, the Ostry is a good approximation of neutrality with hints of coldness and brightness, a combination i usually avoid but the Ostry does it so well i really enjoy it.
Tonality and Timbre:
What makes the Tenore sound impressive is the excellent tonality across the board. It really is a joy to listen to. Tonal accuracy factors in timbre but so do transients. Instruments that produce a fast attack aren't the Tenore's strongest suit, but otherwise it performs well.
The Ostry with it's S shaped tuning isn't as tonally accurate but its excellent attack helps it with timbre in a lot of situations, especially with percussion instruments.
Bass:
Well, this is awkward. Quantity with the Tenores is a lottery. I don't think there are any bass light Tenores out there, but they can go from a little above neutral to bass heavy. You can attenuate the bass with James' patented vent mod. As far as quality goes, there are some issues i should mention:
There is noticeable reverberation with bass guitars, acoustic bass and drums. This combined with slow attack speeds can make drums sound off timbre and papery. Impact in general is lacking, which hurts the impression of dynamics.
The Ostry's bass is very well done. Quantity is certainly NOT lacking if you get a good seal. Speed and impact are excellent, which helps with texturing and dynamics. Most instruments that reside here sound great, especially drums. While the Ostry isn't a bass monster, when the song calls for it, it will rumble in a more convincing manner than the Tenore despite the difference in loudness. Driver size usually affects bass authority and this is one such case.
Mids:
The Tenore has some really nice mids. They are a little on the thick side but clean and accurate otherwise. Vocals and instruments sound great here. Tonality is excellent and timbre is pretty good most of the times. Guitars sound full and textured while vocals sound natural and upfront. Detail retrieval is also quite good.
The KC06 sounds leaner and clearer thanks to its tricks and faster driver. The dip on the low mids can be an issue with tracks that have a lot of information there. Tool's Schism for example sounds a little hollow with the Ostries. Lower mids aside, the Ostry serves the listener more apparent detail and a little better texture than the Tenores. Timbre can be better or worse depending on the instrument, but where Ostries shine is in the vocals. I usually don't geek out with vocals but the KC06 deserves some attention here. It doesn't matter if they are male or female, brutal or clean, vocals are always extremely textured, detailed and lifelike but almost never sibilant. Simply put, if you like your vocals you should give the Ostry a chance.
Highs:
The treble on the Tenore is smooth and airy (extended). Timbre is excellent, with cymbals and flutes that sound very natural. Violins can sound a little unrefined because of the transients. The highlight of the Tenores is that you can listen to them for hours without the slightest hint of fatigue and without sacrificing treble presence either. Detail is good but not artificially enhanced, in other words the Tenore sounds natural but it's not an analytical phone.
The Ostry on the other hand can be fatiguing, especially with the wide bore tips. Long tips with narrow bore tame the treble enough to let it sound energetic without the added fatigue. The peaks here can also make timbre a little metallic sometimes. Cymbals don't sound as natural but they are airy and they have a nice impact accompanied by some equally satisfying decay. Flutes can sound a little metallic sometimes and so can violins. On the upside violins sound more refined as a whole, with sharper notes and a more textured body.
In general, the Ostry is more resolving and detailed than the Tenore, but the latter sounds a little more natural. The Ostry is more energetic and upfront, the Tenore is more relaxed and laid back.
Soundstage:
The Tenore has a really good soundstage. It's not too wide, but it has good depth and it's properly shaped (spherical). Instrument separation isn't the best, mainly thanks to the thickness of the notes, but imaging is accurate. Instruments are always where you would expect them to be and the same goes for the singers.
The KC06 has a really wide stage that doesn't do so great with depth. It's like a wide wall of sound. While instrument separation is very good, imaging is a mixed bag. Sound cues don't always come from the direction you'd expect them to. Sometimes cymbals sound like they are literally on top of the singer's head or even in front of him. Other times the origin of a sound seems like it's behind you or on top of you. It's not unpleasant but it's not the most realistic presentation i've encountered and it's probably a product of the tuning.
Amping:
The Tenore really benefits from it. It's not just loudness either. Amping really helps it with speed, impact and top extension, plus it scales really well with more juice.
The Ostry is one of the easiest phones to drive. That's not to say there are no benefits from amping it, but they are nowhere near as noticeable as in the case of the Tenores.
Conclusion:
Both of those iems sound wonderful and i am not even factoring their price. I've tried to remain objective, highlighting every single flaw i could find, but don't let that fool you. Soundwise those things do almost everything right. As far as preferences go, i like them both the same unamped, but i prefer the Tenore when there is an amp present. If i had to recommend one of the two though i wouldn't even have to think about it. With all the quality control issues the Tenore has, the Ostry is a no brainer.
Really awesome writeup! Not only is it well written, but I agree with pretty much everything you wrote (although I never could have articulated it as well!).
SkiesOfAzel
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Really awesome writeup! Not only is it well written, but I agree with pretty much everything you wrote (although I never could have articulated it as well!).
Thanks
ebrian
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I've linked your review along with a few others there as a sign of good faith. I found that usually the OP keeps updating and collecting all the links to various reviews and impressions. That's usually what happens, but I guess this isn't happening. @Zelda if you'd like I can quickly go through all the pages looking for reviews and links to them so you can update your original post. Let me know
But truthfully, I find it hard to believe people on these forums aren't computer savvy enough to use some intelligent keyword searches and very quickly find some comparisons in both these threads. Perhaps I've put too much faith in the general public.
Zelda
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I've linked your review along with a few others there as a sign of good faith. I found that usually the OP keeps updating and collecting all the links to various reviews and impressions. That's usually what happens, but I guess this isn't happening. @Zelda if you'd like I can quickly go through all the pages looking for reviews and links to them so you can update your original post. Let me know
But truthfully, I find it hard to believe people on these forums aren't computer savvy enough to use some intelligent keyword searches and very quickly find some comparisons in both these threads. Perhaps I've put too much faith in the general public.
definitely! that'd be great.
pls, PM me.
ebrian
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Alright, I've sent it to you. Feel free to move things around as you see fit. 19 impressions, half of which were high detailed, point-by-point comments. Then another 11 comparisons of KC06 with various iem's that have received similar buzz.
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