[rottoman]

Think about all high end headphones - those are basically either single Planar driver or Single dynamic driver and they can sound absolutely lifelike.

In IEMs there is plenty of technical limitations to the way that single DD can be tuned though (as compared to full-size transducers), which you can workaround easier with use of multiple drivers and crossovers (so in short making the particular driver cover particular frequency range). The drawback is that when you add different drivers you are loosing thing called coherency - a way that the sound coming from the earphone sounds even across the range. With multi driver sets each driver would have it's own acoustic-mechanical characteristics - some would decay faster, some would decay slower making the sound kind of eerie and uneven. Then there is also the phase timing differences between sound reproduction of all drivers (which are in milliseconds, but still may be perceivable).
There are examples of multidriver IEMs that sound very coherent, which is especially surprising for example in last year favorite Kiwi Ears Quintet which has 4 different types of drivers though.

I would say something that may be quite controversial - it is the easiest to make a decent sounding single DD IEM in the cheapest price bracket (<50$)
In all the rest of categories it is easier/cheaper to make good sounding multiple driver IEM as you have much more flexibility in fine-tuning of the way the sound is represented - you can easily shift focus on particular frequency etc. You cannot easily make "mid-bass tuck" in single DD for example, which you can do with crossover PCB and already with 2 drivers.
Saying that - out of all IEMs I have heard in the world my absolute favorite is single DD Softears Twilight - and that by far - even over Unique Melody Mest, Craft Ears Aurum and several more expensive sets I have heard. Just because the way it playbacks music seem the most natural, even and engaging.

Very detailed Thanks for explaining all of this.
Im beginning to understand now.
How do the expensive single dds sound so good if it's so hard to tune ?

 

[Pylaczynski]

Very detailed Thanks for explaining all of this.
Im beginning to understand now.
How do the expensive single dds sound so good if it's so hard to tune ?

Just because something is hard does not mean it is not impossible The dynamic drivers themselves are very simple builds though and are rarely expensive to buy (especially as compared to micromachines that EST/BA drivers are). But the time and trials it takes to fine tune/iterate through the design if you really have a particular end tuning in mind may be much more costly than in multidriver sets. Take a look on the marketing material (I know it is just marketing) of Twilight on said number of hours spent on iterating through the way the acoustic cavity is machined to achieve desired performance + developing custom drivers. It is probably overstated, but the final result is stunning + looking at the way the set is built I can believe it took some time to get there.
https://hifigo.com/products/softears-twilight

Saying that I love a particular single DD set is a one thing, but on the other hand I believe that in the most reviewers' ranking lists the top spots are always occupied by some multidriver flagships, typically tribrids (DD + BAs + ESTs combos) or multi BAs. The only outstanding 1xDD set that pops up very often in for example watercooler thread is Nightjar Singularity.

 

[rottoman]

Just because something is hard does not mean it is not impossible The dynamic drivers themselves are very simple builds though and are rarely expensive to buy (especially as compared to micromachines that EST/BA drivers are). But the time and trials it takes to fine tune/iterate through the design if you really have a particular end tuning in mind may be much more costly than in multidriver sets. Take a look on the marketing material (I know it is just marketing) of Twilight on said number of hours spent on iterating through the way the acoustic cavity is machined to achieve desired performance + developing custom drivers. It is probably overstated, but the final result is stunning + looking at the way the set is built I can believe it took some time to get there.
https://hifigo.com/products/softears-twilight

Saying that I love a particular single DD set is a one thing, but on the other hand I believe that in the most reviewers' ranking lists the top spots are always occupied by some multidriver flagships, typically tribrids (DD + BAs + ESTs combos) or multi BAs. The only outstanding 1xDD set that pops up very often in for example watercooler thread is Nightjar Singularity.

Got it. This is the most detailed explanation I have received so far.
Thank you. Many things making sense now .
I have heard of singularity but never seen one come up in our country's second hand market.

 

[fablestruck]

You are Bang on my friend.

There is no doubt that Avalon and Seraph are worthy competitors to the mest mark2.

The mest has more detail and feels like I can hear more instruments in separate locations. Cymbals ,acoustic strumming sound better. Vocals not so strong though but good enough. There's a lot going on in the mest sound. Oh and the fit is crazy good. I can never get the imr iems to fit in my ears.

The Avalon has less detail but an amazing bass punch that far exceeds the mest. and all the instruments sound like one orchestra. Quite enjoyable i would say. And vocals are great on Avalon.
Both sound different and are almost in the same league. I enjoyed both yesterday.

Haven't compared the Seraph yet .

What i have realised though , is that there is more out there than IMR.
And mest mk2 is ancient , the newer iems must be killer .
The expensive stuff must be amazing.

IMR has given us great iems though.
But I need my Enigma or my money back now. Enough is enough.

Hopefully the ents go to war on the 3rd.

I should be having a MEXT in a few days. Let's see how it stands against Avalon.

 

[Indrikis]

Happy New Year.

 

[bk123]

Happy New Year.

Thanks,
Happy new Year with loads of new gear leaving IMR in rear

 

[PeacockObscura]

 

[Zeppmeister]

Starting the new year with a leg up!

 

[bunchi99]

Happy New Year! Wish everyone a great year and plenty of new audio gear!
In the shady closing of IMR 2023, disappointment was at its apex, never was I so upset with any company ever; as expected the so-called tracking was just another smoke screen... from the guaranteed Oct delivery, to the constant chasing in Nov, to the hopeful yet more disappointed Xmas, now it's 2024 still with only a sigh not understanding how all this could have happened in this modern world... and, with all hope extinguished, it is indeed time to move on.
While in search of a CM, still pondering, got myself the SimgotEA1000 as many mentioned its high value-to-price nature; got them yesterday, listening to them now, I confirmed even out of the box they sound superb, i had to roll a few cables to find my preferred sound, and settled with a palladium plated silver, for now. May be due to the need to burn in, it is a bit too bright for my taste at the moment, always surprised to hear such brightness in ChiFi DD iem; but they are still really good out of the box, may need to take some time to burn in and pair them with the right cable, and tips, the spiral dot++ is quite nice.
Perhaps due to the huge disappointment brought by IMR, I ordered another couple of toys waiting for their arrivals, one being a ChiFi "aluminium-belt" drive headphone, less than US$200, which need to be driven by its own amp, heard quite some good reviews about it, should get them today and have a listen. In addition, also pre-order the iBasso 3T-154, a 15.4mm single DD iem, due to arrive in around a week's time, hopefully it's good too.
Since I am not getting any more IMR product, I might not be in this thread much... kinda a last word for me - in contrast to the continued upset month after month treatment from IMR, I finally got back to the normal world which products get delivered on time, with clear communication, and honest exchange, a good start to 2024.

 

[Poganin]

In the shady closing of IMR 2023, disappointment was at its apex, never was I so upset with any company ever; as expected the so-called tracking was just another smoke screen... from the guaranteed Oct delivery, to the constant chasing in Nov, to the hopeful yet more disappointed Xmas, now it's 2024 still with only a sigh not understanding how all this could have happened in this modern world... and, with all hope extinguished, it is indeed time to move on.

To be honest, after the Avalon and Dark Matter debacle, anybody who placed an order with IMR and then got frustrated with the delays and lies only has themselves to blame. The writing on the wall was clear back then. Caveat emptor very much applies when dealing with IMR.

However good the earphones may sound, they are not worth the stress and the aggravation of dealing with IMR's model of communication.

 

[bunchi99]

To be honest, after the Avalon and Dark Matter debacle, anybody who placed an order with IMR and then got frustrated with the delays and lies only has themselves to blame. The writing on the wall was clear back then. Caveat emptor very much applies when dealing with IMR.

However good the earphones may sound, they are not worth the stress and the aggravation of dealing with IMR's model of communication.

I agree that it is my own fault in placing the trust under the previous circumstances... well, lesson learnt.

 

[Nick24JJ]

I agree that it is my own fault in placing the trust under the previous circumstances... well, lesson learnt.

Have you got refunded?

What about the rest of the people, have you got your money back?

 

[rottoman]

To be honest, after the Avalon and Dark Matter debacle, anybody who placed an order with IMR and then got frustrated with the delays and lies only has themselves to blame. The writing on the wall was clear back then. Caveat emptor very much applies when dealing with IMR.

However good the earphones may sound, they are not worth the stress and the aggravation of dealing with IMR's model of communication.

I had no idea there were such provlems before buying the Enigma.
My other IMR purchases were from the ebay site and on point.
I will ask for an update today by email.

More over after buying the mest mk2, I've realised that other companies make equally good if not better iems.

I am good with a refund.

 

[rottoman]

Have you got refunded?

What about the rest of the people, have you got your money back?

Will send an email today and update what they say.
Today I ask for an update.
Next week I ask for money back.

 

[fablestruck]

From early first impressions, the MEXT lacks bass relative to the Avalon. Possibly this will change with burn-in.