[audio123]

Audio 123,

There are rules placed on sponsors... so i cant discuss such things, and even if i did, id do so in a positive light. For example, people bash Bose.... but do people realize Bose, was founded by Dr. Bose, an imigrant, that probably faced tremendous challenges that a lot of folks will never face, and yet he built a company that has a lasting name beyond his death. How many of us here can, or will do that? That is not to say I like Bose products, I dont think Ive ever owned anything from Bose, Im just saying there are a lot of facets to consider.

yeah thats true but it will be interesting to see the perspective of an industry insider on their rival brands

 

[prismstorm]

So I demoed these K10s last Sunday, it had custom-like aesthetics, with wooden faceplate and some designed shell, but the canal was universal, and the tips fit me perfectly although the canal was a little short. 
 

The sound was sublime. The first thing that hit me was the impeccable coherency all the reviews were talking about, everything sounded seamless. The overall ambient was warm, bass was adequate, soundstage was above average, but the coherence and imaging were still the standout traits. After an hour or so, I concluded that the only 'weakness' was that the K10 made everything too 'smooth', this particularly showed in harder edge tracks like Rock and Metal, where all the 'attack' and 'edgy transitions' were smoothed over and sounded really polished and refined. This made audiophile recordings a dream but it did make me prefer my 846 for a truly brutal, head-bashing rock experience. Perhaps this had to do with the K10 being tuned as a chameleon, so the focus was not on being particularly 'rock and roll'.
 
However, I tried these both yesterday;

The K10U was up first, but it was disappointing and did not recreate the outstanding impressions I had from the previous demo. The warmth was gone, and the coherence was no longer startling good. I temporarily attributed this to the tips, the less than stellar fit, and maybe even the aluminum enclosure. Then I tried another 'custom aesthetics universal demo', which was supposed to give impressions of what a K10 CIEM sound like, and it was the worst of the 3, it was muddy, and every trait that appealed to me was gone. I was very confused and tried the K10U for a second time, and this time it was better.
 
So the question is: what could explain the discrepancy in all 3 demos? Theoretically they should all sound the same, but could the tips and enclosure material (aluminum vs all kinds of wood) have played a part in shaping the sound differently? Most importantly, if I were to get a custom / Prestige K10, will there be a high chance I can get the SQ from my first (and best) demo? Does the materials (carbon glass, wizard wood) factor into this? 

 

[jincuteguy]

  So I demoed these K10s last Sunday, it had custom-like aesthetics, with wooden faceplate and some designed shell, but the canal was universal, and the tips fit me perfectly although the canal was a little short. 
 

The sound was sublime. The first thing that hit me was the impeccable coherency all the reviews were talking about, everything sounded seamless. The overall ambient was warm, bass was adequate, soundstage was above average, but the coherence and imaging were still the standout traits. After an hour or so, I concluded that the only 'weakness' was that the K10 made everything too 'smooth', this particularly showed in harder edge tracks like Rock and Metal, where all the 'attack' and 'edgy transitions' were smoothed over and sounded really polished and refined. This made audiophile recordings a dream but it did make me prefer my 846 for a truly brutal, head-bashing rock experience. Perhaps this had to do with the K10 being tuned as a chameleon, so the focus was not on being particularly 'rock and roll'.
 
However, I tried these both yesterday;

The K10U was up first, but it was disappointing and did not recreate the outstanding impressions I had from the previous demo. The warmth was gone, and the coherence was no longer startling good. I temporarily attributed this to the tips, the less than stellar fit, and maybe even the aluminum enclosure. Then I tried another 'custom aesthetics universal demo', which was supposed to give impressions of what a K10 CIEM sound like, and it was the worst of the 3, it was muddy, and every trait that appealed to me was gone. I was very confused and tried the K10U for a second time, and this time it was better.
 
So the question is: what could explain the discrepancy in all 3 demos? Theoretically they should all sound the same, but could the tips and enclosure material (aluminum vs all kinds of wood) have played a part in shaping the sound differently? Most importantly, if I were to get a custom / Prestige K10, will there be a high chance I can get the SQ from my first (and best) demo? Does the materials (carbon glass, wizard wood) factor into this? 

 
Yes, the material, the fit, the tips, and your ear react with the shell and tips, they all affect the sound.  It's the same thing for headphones when you change the earpads to different type like velour, leather and the earcups from aluminum, woods, plastic, etc.
Even if you have 2 identical K10s, it will not sound 100% exactly the same, there will be a small diff here and there.

 

[prismstorm]

   
Yes, the material, the fit, the tips, and your ear react with the shell and tips, they all affect the sound.  It's the same thing for headphones when you change the earpads to different type like velour, leather and the earcups from aluminum, woods, plastic, etc.
Even if you have 2 identical K10s, it will not sound 100% exactly the same, there will be a small diff here and there.

That's disheartening .... as I can't buy the first demo I had such a good time with ... but it's a sound I really really love. I'm guessing a Prestige would get close to that sound and maybe even better, since no tips would be involved and fit would be perfect. BUT ... does an exotic wood prestige sound better than a wizard's wood prestige sound better than a carbon glass prestige ... it goes on forever @@ 

 

[echineko]

yeah thats true but it will be interesting to see the perspective of an industry insider on their rival brands

Have you heard of any "industry insider" publicly do that before? Not even billion dollar company execs publicly do so, and I can guarantee you they can afford way better lawyers

 

[FullCircle]

Have you heard of any "industry insider" publicly do that before? Not even billion dollar company execs publicly do so, and I can guarantee you they can afford way better lawyers

 
 
Funny and true at the same time
 
 
 

 

[krismusic]

The sound was sublime. The first thing that hit me was the impeccable coherency all the reviews were talking about, everything sounded seamless. The overall ambient was warm, bass was adequate, soundstage was above average, but the coherence and imaging were still the standout traits. After an hour or so, I concluded that the only 'weakness' was that the K10 made everything too 'smooth', this particularly showed in harder edge tracks like Rock and Metal, where all the 'attack' and 'edgy transitions' were smoothed over and sounded really polished and refined. This made audiophile recordings a dream but it did make me prefer my 846 for a truly brutal, head-bashing rock experience. Perhaps this had to do with the K10 being tuned as a chameleon, so the focus was not on being particularly 'rock and roll'.




So the question is: what could explain the discrepancy in all 3 demos? Theoretically they should all sound the same, but could the tips and enclosure material (aluminum vs all kinds of wood) have played a part in shaping the sound differently? Most importantly, if I were to get a custom / Prestige K10, will there be a high chance I can get the SQ from my first (and best) demo? Does the materials (carbon glass, wizard wood) factor into this? 

I would want to be a lot more certain that the K10 was the CIEM for me before ordering. Certainly if I was considering the outlay for a Prestige. Maybe you need to listen to other models in the line up. You have identified a very specific requirement. Which is a good thing when choosing!

Yes, the material, the fit, the tips, and your ear react with the shell and tips, they all affect the sound.  It's the same thing for headphones when you change the earpads to different type like velour, leather and the earcups from aluminum, woods, plastic, etc.
Even if you have 2 identical K10s, it will not sound 100% exactly the same, there will be a small diff here and there.

I don't think that the material that the shell is made from affects the sound. AFAIK BA's are self contained units firing directly into a sound tube.
I would think that there are actually less variables with IEM's than full size. As the sound is going directly into the ear canal, bypassing the outer ear altogether.
Seal is key though.

 

[prismstorm]

I would want to be a lot more certain that the K10 was the CIEM for me before ordering. Certainly if I was considering the outlay for a Prestige. Maybe you need to listen to other models in the line up. You have identified a very specific requirement. Which is a good thing when choosing!
I don't think that the material that the shell is made from affects the sound. AFAIK BA's are self contained units firing directly into a sound tube.
I would think that there are actually less variables with IEM's than full size. As the sound is going directly into the ear canal, bypassing the outer ear altogether.
Seal is key though.

That's just it though, if the Prestige offers the SQ of the first K10 demo I tried in my previous post, then yes it is definitely the CIEM for me.
I did not like the Savant so K10 is the only Prestige model I can consider, plus it makes more sense to invest so heavily in unique aesthetics when the internals are the best the brand is offering.  

 

[LouisArmstrong]

Yes, I would choose the K10 in a blink as well, it's a no brainer.

 

[audio123]

Quick question you guys prefer Noble K10 or Empire Ears Zeus? Or which is better in your opinion and why?

 

[klove4252]

Quick question you guys prefer Noble K10 or Empire Ears Zeus? Or which is better in your opinion and why?

I own the K10U and the Universal Zeus, and it is tough decision. I personally feel the Zeus fit better for me, so I give them the slight edge. I love the K10's though, and I'm listening to them right now. I prefer both to the KSE1500. 
 
The Zeus can be sensitive to the source or cable you are using, but Jack is fixing that. The K10U pretty much sounds great with everything. I haven't heard the upgraded Zeus yet, but I'm sure it will enhance the sound even more.

 

[ScottFree]

Quick question you guys prefer Noble K10 or Empire Ears Zeus? Or which is better in your opinion and why?

Tread lightly dude, tread lightly.

 

[audio123]

I own the K10U and the Universal Zeus, and it is tough decision. I personally feel the Zeus fit better for me, so I give them the slight edge. I love the K10's though, and I'm listening to them right now. I prefer both to the KSE1500. 

The Zeus can be sensitive to the source or cable you are using, but Jack is fixing that. The K10U pretty much sounds great with everything. I haven't heard the upgraded Zeus yet, but I'm sure it will enhance the sound even more.

ah i see thats interesting.thanks mate!

Tread lightly dude, tread lightly.

what? Looking for opinions

 

[Watagump]

Quick question you guys prefer Noble K10 or Empire Ears Zeus? Or which is better in your opinion and why?

 
 
K10's start at $1450, Zeus start at $2099, so if price plays a role, advantage K10. On the other side, at shows I still get people who test the K10 and dont like them. That is why its is so important to test for yourself, if you can of course. I didn't spend enough time at CanJam to give a good impression of the Zeus, I need some alone time, not sure that will ever happen though.

 

[audio123]

K10's start at $1450, Zeus start at $2099, so if price plays a role, advantage K10. On the other side, at shows I still get people who test the K10 and dont like them. That is why its is so important to test for yourself, if you can of course. I didn't spend enough time at CanJam to give a good impression of the Zeus, I need some alone time, not sure that will ever happen though.

definitely both iems have their strengths and weaknesses. Despite ABing them, I simply cannot come to a conclusion.