[PixelSquish]

From my limited experience, the Anni’s bass tactility, quantity, and quality are quite good. That’s with the consideration that I’ve not heard the Subtonic Storm, CFA Trifecta, Trailii, Jewel, or any of the FatFreq lineup. Though, I can understand that there are IEMs, like the ones mentioned above, that are bassier or even more sub-bass focused, so I suppose people might expect more (?) from a flagship. Then again, I am nowhere near a self-proclaimed bass head.

Just strange that so many show up all at once. I was seeing one pop up maybe every couple weeks, but then a bunch in less than a week. Oh well, I’ll just continue to enjoy mine.

I'm just stating an observation based upon a very large number of posts about these. It's one of the most talked about IEM's. Statistically speaking it has good odds of being the main reason. It might not be, but the odds are good enough. It is quite simply the single biggest constructive criticism by far. Nobody is saying not to enjoy the Anni or the bass that makes you happy. Everyone has different tastes, that's all. And the bass is the largest source of disappointment of those who don't feel the Anni is their cup of tea - at least from the myriad of posts I've read here, and it's a lot as I've been very active these last few months. So it is up there for a potential big reason why someone would sell. Of course maybe they just need the money. I'm just going off of odds here.

 

[iDesign]

I don’t perceive any issues with the Annihilator 2023 bass response. I think the uptick in flips are by owners who merely bought it because of S+ tier ranking lists on Reddit thinking it was going to deliver FATfreq bass.

 

[Aetherhole]

This is exactly my experience as well. Anni 23 has plenty of bass as far as I'm concerned. There is better bass out there but it is definitely not lacking at all.

How’s the bass quality and quantity versus your Trailii?

 

[Aetherhole]

I don’t perceive any issues with the Annihilator 2023 bass response. I think the uptick in flips are by owners who merely bought it because of S+ tier ranking lists on Reddit thinking it was going to deliver FATfreq-like bass.

If that’s the comparison that they are going for it’s going to fail miserably, I suppose!

 

[Aetherhole]

Anni 23 is definitely one of the best all-rounder. I also noticed the recent popping up sales, but the second-hand price is still very strong, compared to other recent hyped IEMs.

Regarding bass, it is of course subjected to personal preference, but to my ears, I feel the same level of enjoyment of bass as my Z1R though they are not the same. One example of bass preference is those who like CFA Bonneville, which I happened to be one of them: Bonneville is very mid-bass focused, unlike Anni or even Z1R in that regards. Somebody mentioned lack of detail and texture of Anni 23's bass, but I don't feel that way.

Anni 23 is absolutely one of the best in terms of detail retrieval, I can hear a clear difference between Anni 23 and my Z1R. The detail retrieval of Anni 23, however, does not give you any cold analytical feel, on the contrary, Anni 23 is very engaging and entertaining.

As a potential buyer, I do hope selfishly that the second-hand price will collapse and I will get a bargain, but I don't think this will happen in the near future.

I agree, it’s so far a really great all-rounder, the more and more I listen to it.

It certainly fits the bill for me. It’s more aggressive, faster, punchier, and more textured than either of my currently owned IEMs, the A12t or the Monarch Mk3.

I was fearful that the treble presentation was going to be too much for me or simply just not right. As much as I love the U12t and my own A12t, or any of the 64A iems that I’ve tried, the Tia driver just doesn’t quite have the timbre I’m looking for. Even the Monarch Mk3’s spicier treble over the Mk2’s treble is close, but timbrally not quite there either. The Annihilator’s treble is quite something else. Its timbre is juuuuuust right. It’s precise, it’s absolutely articulate, and some of the absolute best treble I’ve heard on the market. Yes, there’s a crap ton of treble, but it’s not shining the back of my head at how bright or sharp it is. Like I said, it’s just right for me! One of the absolute best EST implementations I’ve heard to date.

 

[zlayde]

I agree, it’s so far a really great all-rounder, the more and more I listen to it.

It certainly fits the bill for me. It’s more aggressive, faster, punchier, and more textured than either of my currently owned IEMs, the A12t or the Monarch Mk3.

I was fearful that the treble presentation was going to be too much for me or simply just not right. As much as I love the U12t and my own A12t, or any of the 64A iems that I’ve tried, the Tia driver just doesn’t quite have the timbre I’m looking for. Even the Monarch Mk3’s spicier treble over the Mk2’s treble is close, but timbrally not quite there either. The Annihilator’s treble is quite something else. Its timbre is juuuuuust right. It’s precise, it’s absolutely articulate, and some of the absolute best treble I’ve heard on the market. Yes, there’s a crap ton of treble, but it’s not shining the back of my head at how bright or sharp it is. Like I said, it’s just right for me! One of the absolute best EST implementations I’ve heard to date.

This right here sums it up. Nothing touches its treble. Nothing I’ve heard at least.

 

[zlayde]

How’s the bass quality and quantity versus your Trailii?

It’s not even close. The bird just doesn’t even bother trying. It’s really tuned for certain genres imo. Ambient. Classical. Jazz. Certain pop. It’s a glass of fine wine.

The Anni is an underground party.

I’m not a squiggles guy but I will say this about the traillii tuning, esp the mids: there’s something really engaging about it. It is for certain moods vs Anni.

 

[Tybot]

How’s the bass quality and quantity versus your Trailii?

I know you weren’t asking me, but the the bass vs Traillii isn’t close. I parted with my Traillii in favor of the Anni 23.

We all hear things different but the bass on the Anni is outstanding. I own EVO and Maestro Mini (sold Scarlet) and Anni bass to me is not very far behind both of those. As others have said, tips are tricky. I thought I had the right tips until I tried the Pentaconn Corier. Those did it for me and I finally heard what I didn’t know I was missing.

 

[Aetherhole]

It’s not even close. The bird just doesn’t even bother trying. It’s really tuned for certain genres imo. Ambient. Classical. Jazz. Certain pop. It’s a glass of fine wine.

The Anni is an underground party.

I’m not a squiggles guy but I will say this about the traillii tuning, esp the mids: there’s something really engaging about it. It is for certain moods vs Anni.

I like squiggles! Though, it’s just one small component and not the be-all-end-all.

Good to know about the Trailii. Sometimes though, that’s exactly what you need. I’ve heard the comparison made before, but it makes me think of the ZMF Atriums, just a really engaging tuning.

 

[vaporsynthwave]

Some Annihilator listings could be due to the fit, I personally had trouble wearing them for more than an hour. I was both frustrated and relieved that it was pretty much a deal breaker

 

[Aetherhole]

I know you weren’t asking me, but the the bass vs Traillii isn’t close. I parted with my Traillii in favor of the Anni 23.

We all hear things different but the bass on the Anni is outstanding. I own EVO and Maestro Mini (sold Scarlet) and Anni bass to me is not very far behind both of those. As others have said, tips are tricky. I thought I had the right tips until I tried the Pentaconn Corier. Those did it for me and I finally heard what I didn’t know I was missing.

Appreciate the response, nonetheless!

100% agree about the tricky thing about tips, for sure. It can make or break any iem. The tips that consistently work for me across universal IEMs are Spinfit CP145. I have a difficulty getting good fit. Foam works, but I don’t particularly like what it does for the sound. Wide bore tend to emphasize treble too much for me. Other tips don’t provide consistent seals, so I lose bass. Foam/Silicon tips like Renders seal pretty well, but put pressure on my ear canals after a while, so they don’t work for me either. Thankfully, tips are a relatively small investment to try.

 

[Aetherhole]

Some Annihilator listings could be due to the fit, I personally had trouble wearing them for more than an hour. I was both frustrated and relieved that it was pretty much a deal breaker

Now that I can see. Size-wise, they are bigger than I was expecting. They’re slightly larger than the Monarch Mk3, while being about as thick.

 

[zlayde]

I know you weren’t asking me, but the the bass vs Traillii isn’t close. I parted with my Traillii in favor of the Anni 23.

We all hear things different but the bass on the Anni is outstanding. I own EVO and Maestro Mini (sold Scarlet) and Anni bass to me is not very far behind both of those. As others have said, tips are tricky. I thought I had the right tips until I tried the Pentaconn Corier. Those did it for me and I finally heard what I didn’t know I was missing.

I agree with this.

I think one thing to keep in mind with all these impressions is it's worth noting that so few people actually try a particular product. The "weak bass' rap Anni gets might actually be - I dunno - a half dozen people? This is a very small community.

If you're lucky enough to get a touring set or go to canjam or listen to a friend's set - that's absolutely the thing to do. Always.

 

[Neweymatt]

Does anyone happen to know why there are so many Annis in Classified? What's going on here?

As one of those who listed and sold recently, I'll offer my thoughts on this.

Now that it's 12 months into the lifecycle of Annihilator2023, I suspect there's enough of them out there now to create a more vibrant used market. Coupled with all of the well-deserved acclaim this IEM has received, there is still a very high demand, therefore you see them moving on the Classifieds.

I had simply got to a point where I'd bought so much stuff without selling anything other than a Sony IER-Z1R a little over a year ago, I had to draw the line and start a re-balancing of my collection. It was a difficult decision to let go of Anni, as I was extremely fond of it's exceptional mid-bass and lower midrange warmth that hit a real sweet spot for me, and grabbed my attention every time I listened to it. That said, it was just a little too similar to my Xe6 in that regard, which imho does that even better but with a slightly less aggressive upper midrange that never gets fatiguing, and is another order of magnitude more captivating to me.

So, on account of those factors, plus being the Universal in my collection with the best resale value, the decision was made. In a perfect world of unicorns and rainbows, and pots of gold at the end of said rainbows I'd love to have kept it, but reality being what it is I'm looking forward to what comes next..

 

[Tanalasta]

My postulation is that people are catch/release or striking whilst the secondary prices are high. And with CJ24 having just come and gone perhaps liquid funds to evolve a collection is on peoples' mind. Anni23 seems to be moving ; and at high secondary prices relative to the usual used price. I bet at least one seller is trying to make a quick profit from a recent purchase.

Possible that folks are trying to sell while secondhand value and overall popularity are still high.

Eventually, Dio will come out and steal some of Annihilator’s thunder (even at the rumored $6k price point).

What's this Dio?