[masahito24@chart]

The Sora goes really nicely with the WM1Z. Swapped out the 3.5mm connector for a Nobunaga Labs 4.4mm.

 

[rodel808]

I forgot to ask if you had the connector changed on your pair. Was it to change to 2.5mm?

Yes. I reterminated it with a 2.5mm plug myself. Not too shabby for a beginner. I felt my sources at that time didn't have enough juice to make the Sora really sing and I was (still am) very fond of my new Sabaj DA3 dac that I would use with my Nexus 6p and it has balanced out. Sora was one the few headphones that gave me a "wow" impression on first listen so I researched into the other offerings Intime (the company brand) had to offer. At that time I had a Campfire Audio Vega. Loved the bass but hated how energetic it was up on top. I listen mostly to R&B, hip-hop, rock and female vocalists and I felt the Vega were too "shouty" for me. I was on a quest to find a replacement. It just so happened that the Intime Go is marketed as their bass-centric iem. I decided to take a chance and found a seller on eBay offering it. Since then, the Go has been one of my daily drivers. My comparison between Go and Vega goes as such. Go has better bass extension but Vega has a more prominent upper bass so it sounds like it has more impact. I use the Beastie Boys Brass Monkey track as one of my bass test. The Vega here will hit harder than the Go but I feel Go has a more fuller sounding bass because of it's better extension. Keyshia Cole's Love track is what I use to evaluate bass extension. At around 0:53 sec into, there's a series of bass tones that basically sweeps down to the low sub-bass. That last and lowest bass note is to my ears, best rendered with the Go. Also the vocals on that track sounded "shouty" on the Vega. Mids are more forward sounding on the Go. The Vega to me has always been V shape sounding while Go is more balanced with a nice bass boost but yet still revealing and clear up top. As for the Kira, to me it's very close sounding to the Go but with the bass boost lowered a bit. Kira has a airy sound that reminds me of my Andromeda and has a smaller soundstage. Compared to Go, the Kira has a smoother transition between the mids and highs. It has no sibilance to my ears. I am not treble sensitive and last I checked I can only hear up to 17 kHz. One if my favorite tracks to test for sibilance is Aaliyah's At Your Best. Listening to that track with my TFZ Kings (known for being sibilant) is unbearable but I can truely enjoy it very much listening through with Kira. Go is my most favorite out of the 3 followed by Sora. I eventually sold my Vega after realizing how frequently I'm choosing Go more often. Also the fit for the Go was miles better for me than Vega and I can wear them wire around the ear or straight down (my preferred way). Sora to me had the biggest soundstage and airy sound of the bunch. It's warmer sounding compared to Kira and has a nice balanced tuning. I'm not sure how to describe it in words but Sora to me has a special sound. The word "texture" comes to mind but not in the sense that it is "grainy" like an old scratchy vinyl playing on a turntable. The sound coming out of Sora is full weighted and whole. It seems in Japan that they favor Kira over Go but I think it's because most Japanese prefer a brighter sound. I'm going to stop here now because I need to sleep now. Hopefully this has been insightful for you.

 

[Rayzilla]

@Rayzilla, whatever you write down will be good enough for me/us DBA-02 comes into mind when you mentioned clear highs. In that case, a double flange might help extract the low end detail?

Excellent suggestion! I am very new to IEMs so I don't know about the different types of buds or whatever you call them and the changes to the sound that each of them make.

I just happened to have a pair of double flanges lying around that I just put into the Sora now and I am instantly liking them so far. (I post pictures in a minute after I switch to my phone to edit/upload them from there.) The original buds (I'll call them that for now until you guys tell me otherwise), has a stiffer silicone cylinder on the inside (the light blue part). In comparison to the other white silicone bud without the stiff blue inner cylinder, it seems to have the effect of reducing the rumbling sub bass that I get with the white bud without the blue cylinder. I only did this comparison test for about 2-3 minutes but it was quite noticeable. Maybe I will continue doing this comparison some more at a later time. But since you mentioned that I should try the double flange, which was at the same time that I pulled out that all white bud, I just had to give that one a quick try first (and I only had one side, which is why I had no choice but to make it a comparison testing. lol)

The double flange so far solves a little issue that I had with the original bud. I found that with the original bud, the sound signature was changing each time I took the Soras off and put them back on. Sometimes it was perfect and I was getting that rumbling bass (or at least more bass) but then other times, there was a lot less bass. When the bass was there, I was in heaven but then other times... not so much. I'll have to test it a little longer but so far with the double flange, it seems to be more consistently there.

Now to my experiences earlier in the day (remember that I am in Hong Kong so when I am awake, most of you guys are sleeping,). And this was all with the original buds, which had the inconsistent seal issue mentioned above. I started off with the Sora to the Hugo (for dac and amp) to MacBook Air with the same track that I mentioned in my second post in this thread. The result with this set up is as described in that post too.

Next set up was Sora to Hugo to ifi Pro iCan with full tube option selected and all other options off. With the full tube option selected, the overall sound was a little too similar to the Hugo only set up. But it definitely sounded more full and more oommph. But like I said, I don't think my preference is toward that warm and fuzzy kind of sound that some on here like.

So after listening with the full tube option for an hour or two, I went to the other extreme and turned off that option so that it was just transistors. This is more to my liking and what most that would buy the Sora would probably want. The sharp 'clapping' sounds came back. The bass was still there when called for but still inconsistently because of the buds. I get to hear a lot of details that were a little less present with the full tube option.

I did give the Go a brief listen and boy, they sounded nice but I kept it short because I didn't want to get distracted and confused by changing too much in a short time. I think it had an immediate impact on me because of the inconsistency in the bass as a result of the original buds. Let's see if that happens in the future when I find the "right" bud to go with my Sora.

Thanks again for the advice on the double flange. (Funny thing just now. I was about to write "Thanks again for the tip..." I have a feeling that I should be calling those silicone things 'tips' instead of 'buds'. lol)

 

[Rayzilla]

Yes. I reterminated it with a 2.5mm plug myself. Not too shabby for a beginner. I felt my sources at that time didn't have enough juice to make the Sora really sing and I was (still am) very fond of my new Sabaj DA3 dac that I would use with my Nexus 6p and it has balanced out. Sora was one the few headphones that gave me a "wow" impression on first listen so I researched into the other offerings Intime (the company brand) had to offer. At that time I had a Campfire Audio Vega. Loved the bass but hated how energetic it was up on top. I listen mostly to R&B, hip-hop, rock and female vocalists and I felt the Vega were too "shouty" for me. I was on a quest to find a replacement. It just so happened that the Intime Go is marketed as their bass-centric iem. I decided to take a chance and found a seller on eBay offering it. Since then, the Go has been one of my daily drivers. My comparison between Go and Vega goes as such. Go has better bass extension but Vega has a more prominent upper bass so it sounds like it has more impact. I use the Beastie Boys Brass Monkey track as one of my bass test. The Vega here will hit harder than the Go but I feel Go has a more fuller sounding bass because of it's better extension. Keyshia Cole's Love track is what I use to evaluate bass extension. At around 0:53 sec into, there's a series of bass tones that basically sweeps down to the low sub-bass. That last and lowest bass note is to my ears, best rendered with the Go. Also the vocals on that track sounded "shouty" on the Vega. Mids are more forward sounding on the Go. The Vega to me has always been V shape sounding while Go is more balanced with a nice bass boost but yet still revealing and clear up top. As for the Kira, to me it's very close sounding to the Go but with the bass boost lowered a bit. Kira has a airy sound that reminds me of my Andromeda and has a smaller soundstage. Compared to Go, the Kira has a smoother transition between the mids and highs. It has no sibilance to my ears. I am not treble sensitive and last I checked I can only hear up to 17 kHz. One if my favorite tracks to test for sibilance is Aaliyah's At Your Best. Listening to that track with my TFZ Kings (known for being sibilant) is unbearable but I can truely enjoy it very much listening through with Kira. Go is my most favorite out of the 3 followed by Sora. I eventually sold my Vega after realizing how frequently I'm choosing Go more often. Also the fit for the Go was miles better for me than Vega and I can wear them wire around the ear or straight down (my preferred way). Sora to me had the biggest soundstage and airy sound of the bunch. It's warmer sounding compared to Kira and has a nice balanced tuning. I'm not sure how to describe it in words but Sora to me has a special sound. The word "texture" comes to mind but not in the sense that it is "grainy" like an old scratchy vinyl playing on a turntable. The sound coming out of Sora is full weighted and whole. It seems in Japan that they favor Kira over Go but I think it's because most Japanese prefer a brighter sound. I'm going to stop here now because I need to sleep now. Hopefully this has been insightful for you.

Thanks so much for this useful post. I don't have a set of test tracks that I consistently use, so in my recent search for IEMs, I have been relying on the link that I posted earlier. I chose it because I figured I should go with what I like listening to. I will give your test tracks a try and see how it works out for me, so thanks!

I had an interest in the Vega just prior to my trip to Japan and I was very close to picking up one of those Campfire IEMs. They are good but I don't feel like I am missing anything going with the Intime IEMs. In fact, I feel that I am getting more... and for so much less. Just quickly though, I agree with just about everything that you said above. I gave it a quick read and I'll read it again tomorrow and comment then.

But it's time for me to shut down here before my wife makes that call for me. lol

 

[productred]

Thanks so much for this useful post. I don't have a set of test tracks that I consistently use, so in my recent search for IEMs, I have been relying on the link that I posted earlier. I chose it because I figured I should go with what I like listening to. I will give your test tracks a try and see how it works out for me, so thanks!

I had an interest in the Vega just prior to my trip to Japan and I was very close to picking up one of those Campfire IEMs. They are good but I don't feel like I am missing anything going with the Intime IEMs. In fact, I feel that I am getting more... and for so much less. Just quickly though, I agree with just about everything that you said above. I gave it a quick read and I'll read it again tomorrow and comment then.

But it's time for me to shut down here before my wife makes that call for me. lol

I think my intime Kira is a killer that slays my Vega to pieces.

 

[dogears]

Thanks again for the advice on the double flange. (Funny thing just now. I was about to write "Thanks again for the tip..." I have a feeling that I should be calling those silicone things 'tips' instead of 'buds'. lol)

LOL
Well that indicates you're not very familiar with the world of IEMS [yet] Just like pads in the headphone arena - the tips do make a lot of difference/effect. That 2f you used might not be the better ones - you may want to check Spin Fit (Taiwan brand) - they have a very good 2F which I'm using right now. The JVC Spiral Dots are also very good tips.
Vega?! Damn, now you are making me regret that I was not able to get these IEMs from my last trip to JP
I'm in the Philippines btw
BTW, just wondering - to which HP is the Sora's sound signature nearest to?

 

[Rayzilla]

LOL
Well that indicates you're not very familiar with the world of IEMS [yet] Just like pads in the headphone arena - the tips do make a lot of difference/effect. That 2f you used might not be the better ones - you may want to check Spin Fit (Taiwan brand) - they have a very good 2F which I'm using right now. The JVC Spiral Dots are also very good tips.
Vega?! Damn, now you are making me regret that I was not able to get these IEMs from my last trip to JP
I'm in the Philippines btw
BTW, just wondering - to which HP is the Sora's sound signature nearest to?

Cool, you're in the Philippines. I moved to Hong Kong about 10 years ago and you know in Hong Kong it is fairly common to have helpers. So my helper is from the Philippines and she just returned home for a vacation until mid July. I miss her and her cooking already as she makes amazing dishes, especially anything to do with chicken and pork. She's been with us for about 9 years now and we consider her to be a part of our family. And once a year, I try to go to Manila for their international ice hockey tournament at the Mall of Asia. I love going to the Philippines.

Ok. I'll have to check up on your 'tip' about those 'tips' that you mentioned. I've been doing a little more listening with the 2f (another IEM jargon that I just learned ) and WOW! I am getting that rumbling on the sub bass that I want to hear on some of these rap songs. I don't want to be constantly hearing that rumbling as it can be tiring but it seems to have just about the right amount of it. I'm not sure how much better the Go is Go'ing to be but I can't imagine it will be too much now that these Sora sound so much more full and complete with the simple tip change.

I will do some listening later with the Sora just straight out of the Black Label and finally, straight out of my phone, the Huawei Mate 10, which I am very happy with. It's too bad that Trump is giving them such a hard time because I think their phones are amazing, and only for a fraction of what the iPhone and Samsungs cost. If you are in the market for a new phone, I highly recommend that you check out their flagship P20 phone or even the Mate 10 phone that I have.

 

[dogears]

Cool. Mall of Asia is just around the corner... w/o the crazy traffic i.e. LOL
I'm quite happy with the Lenovo X3 [spec:32-bit ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC (same as that on the LG V10) with 3x TI OPA1612].
Anyway, I hope Sora doesn't share sound sig w the DBA02 or HD800... I gave my DBA02 away since its too clinical for me I'm guessing at this point that its the polar opposite of SE535?

 

[Rayzilla]

Cool. Mall of Asia is just around the corner... w/o the crazy traffic i.e. LOL
I'm quite happy with the Lenovo X3 [spec:32-bit ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC (same as that on the LG V10) with 3x TI OPA1612].
Anyway, I hope Sora doesn't share sound sig w the DBA02 or HD800... I gave my DBA02 away since its too clinical for me I'm guessing at this point that its the polar opposite of SE535?

Hey cool. Maybe next time I am there for a tournament or vacation, I'll let you know. And you're not kidding about the traffic.

I started the day with the Sora connected to the Hugo as dac and then to the Pro iCan. It was very good and this is also with the change in the tips from the original to the 2F. The seal is very consistent now. Just the odd time it will seal up too well if that makes sense. Then I have to pull it out a little bit to let some space get back in there. Not sure how to describe that.

Then next it was the Sora connected to the Hugo as the dac and amp again and it confirmed the comments that I had before. It took away the main strength of the Sora. I am not too crazy about that pairing. Then I

Finally it was the Sora connected to the Black Label as the dac and amp. This to me seemed to be as good as I remember it being at the start of the day. I will have to do an AB but I will be using my Black Label every time I go out. Forget the Hugo with the Sora as the portable. It seemed to be every bit as good but maybe I'll try AB using the BL as dac and Pro iCan as the amp and compare that to BL as dac and amp. See if the Pro iCan opens it up more or adds anything that the BL doesn't give.

 

[dogears]

Please do ping me when you're in the country.
And what about the sound signature? Towards HD800 and away from SE535 I guess?

 

[rodel808]

Tips makes a big difference for iems. Best to find one that gives the best seal and comfort for you. For my Intime Go and Kira I like to use Symbio W tips by MandarinEs (you can find it in ebay). They have very good isolation and comfort. This is the widebore version and I do have the normal sized bore but the widebore I feel had more sparkle and details on top. JVC Spiraldots have the same sound as the Symbio W but with less isolation and better comfort. If the bass on the Go is too much. I found Comply foam tips to tames the bass a bit.

 

[Rayzilla]

I tried my Go for a short trial yesterday. To be honest, the first half hour or so on them was not easy. I was missing the high end from wearing the Sora for the last while. It got better after a while but then I was quite happy to jump back to the Sora for now. Before doing so, I thought about putting my 2F tips on the Go but when I tried to remove the original tips from the Go, they did not want to come off and I was afraid to try too hard. They came with the medium silicone tips installed so I don't know how hard they should be to come off and put on.

For any Go owners out there, did you have a hard time removing the original tips the first time?

 

[Rayzilla]

Yes. I reterminated it with a 2.5mm plug myself. Not too shabby for a beginner. I felt my sources at that time didn't have enough juice to make the Sora really sing and I was (still am) very fond of my new Sabaj DA3 dac that I would use with my Nexus 6p and it has balanced out. Sora was one the few headphones that gave me a "wow" impression on first listen so I researched into the other offerings Intime (the company brand) had to offer. At that time I had a Campfire Audio Vega. Loved the bass but hated how energetic it was up on top. I listen mostly to R&B, hip-hop, rock and female vocalists and I felt the Vega were too "shouty" for me. I was on a quest to find a replacement. It just so happened that the Intime Go is marketed as their bass-centric iem. I decided to take a chance and found a seller on eBay offering it. Since then, the Go has been one of my daily drivers. My comparison between Go and Vega goes as such. Go has better bass extension but Vega has a more prominent upper bass so it sounds like it has more impact. I use the Beastie Boys Brass Monkey track as one of my bass test. The Vega here will hit harder than the Go but I feel Go has a more fuller sounding bass because of it's better extension. Keyshia Cole's Love track is what I use to evaluate bass extension. At around 0:53 sec into, there's a series of bass tones that basically sweeps down to the low sub-bass. That last and lowest bass note is to my ears, best rendered with the Go. Also the vocals on that track sounded "shouty" on the Vega. Mids are more forward sounding on the Go. The Vega to me has always been V shape sounding while Go is more balanced with a nice bass boost but yet still revealing and clear up top. As for the Kira, to me it's very close sounding to the Go but with the bass boost lowered a bit. Kira has a airy sound that reminds me of my Andromeda and has a smaller soundstage. Compared to Go, the Kira has a smoother transition between the mids and highs. It has no sibilance to my ears. I am not treble sensitive and last I checked I can only hear up to 17 kHz. One if my favorite tracks to test for sibilance is Aaliyah's At Your Best. Listening to that track with my TFZ Kings (known for being sibilant) is unbearable but I can truely enjoy it very much listening through with Kira. Go is my most favorite out of the 3 followed by Sora. I eventually sold my Vega after realizing how frequently I'm choosing Go more often. Also the fit for the Go was miles better for me than Vega and I can wear them wire around the ear or straight down (my preferred way). Sora to me had the biggest soundstage and airy sound of the bunch. It's warmer sounding compared to Kira and has a nice balanced tuning. I'm not sure how to describe it in words but Sora to me has a special sound. The word "texture" comes to mind but not in the sense that it is "grainy" like an old scratchy vinyl playing on a turntable. The sound coming out of Sora is full weighted and whole. It seems in Japan that they favor Kira over Go but I think it's because most Japanese prefer a brighter sound. I'm going to stop here now because I need to sleep now. Hopefully this has been insightful for you.

I finally added the three songs you mentioned into my Spotify playlist. I don't have a premium account with them. If you or anyone else has more songs and the specific parts (time range) of the song that they go to for testing, feel free to PM me or share them. I don't want to derail this thread so I would appreciate it if you can just post it in a thread that I recently started for my trip to Tokyo. It's here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-t...-of-pictures-and-impressions-of-tokyo.881525/

Thanks

 

[rodel808]

I finally added the three songs you mentioned into my Spotify playlist. I don't have a premium account with them. If you or anyone else has more songs and the specific parts (time range) of the song that they go to for testing, feel free to PM me or share them. I don't want to derail this thread so I would appreciate it if you can just post it in a thread that I recently started for my trip to Tokyo. It's here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-t...-of-pictures-and-impressions-of-tokyo.881525/

Thanks

I'd recommend you compile a playlist of songs you're familiar with. For me it's easier to pick up the difference when comparing headphones\iems. Also be sure to stop by an e-earphone shop in Japan.

 

[Rayzilla]

I'd recommend you compile a playlist of songs you're familiar with. For me it's easier to pick up the difference when comparing headphones\iems. Also be sure to stop by an e-earphone shop in Japan.

I really enjoyed listening to this segment from Diplo: http://www.global-sets.com/diplo-give-go-mixtape-16-feb-2018/
Since I was familiar with it, I have been using that quite often when comparing one IEM, HP, dac or amp to another. It's not the same level of recording as many on here are used to but I like listening to long sessions of mixes. This is the best quality that I've come across for this kind of listening for now.

You are not kidding about ee. I was there just a couple of weeks ago. Check out the thread that I started (mentioned in my prior post but will post here again for your convenience, lol). And please feel free to post your experiences in Japan. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-t...-of-pictures-and-impressions-of-tokyo.881525/

Cheers