[Kunlun]

Thanks, Goodvibes, your thoughts on what makes a good review are valuable for me.

 

[goodvibes]

   
I think you got it wrong here. Double blind simply means neither the conductor nor the subject of the experiment knows which gear he/she is listening to at that moment.
 
It has nothing to do with whether the variable compared is technical or musical. It does not necessitate the 'listen[ing] for the same thing over and over again'. 

???? What's the use if you don't repeat the same material or use the same kit? I hope you don't expect someone to be blindfolded for hours on end and another blindfolded guy helping him the whole time. Lets get real, how many manufacturers send samples and control sans designations? There is lots wrong with blind testing as well. It's a great concept but often the control is very flawed.

 

[goodvibes]

Thanks, Goodvibes, your thoughts on what makes a good review are valuable for me.

Thanks as well. I especially like your description of tuning that is as much musical as accurate. Nothing's perfect and I like the personal take on what makes it musically interesting.

 

[serious7]

  There are always little things to edit when a review goes up:
 
I've updated my review to state that the Kaiser 10 I have is a review sample. To avoid bias, I listened to them for over two weeks and really got a clear sense of what they sound like. As always, I give the most honest take that I can on the earphones I review. The review, of course, only represents my take, but combined with Sorensiim's review, I think people can get a very good feel for how the Kaiser 10 will sound for them.
 
I've also updated my review with some exciting info: All Noble Audio products will be going out with a new edition of the Magnus cable at no extra charge!

I'm kinda  noob here but I'm curious to know what you mean by it being a review sample. I looked at your review of the Kaiser 10 and it looks like a CIEM? CIEM's can't be a review sample as they must have been fitted to your ears? Please clear my understanding as I am a bit confused about this..

 

[Kunlun]

Fantastic review kunlun!

Question though, did they sacrifice shell thickness for the sake of getting those 10 drivers in the ciem adversely affecting the build quality? Or do they seem as solid as ciems with fewer drivers and a thicker shell?

Thank you! And that's an excellent question. The Kaiser 10 has a solid feel to it (I'm treating them like gold, as I would recommend to anyone for ciems generally). As I mentioned and Soresiim said in his reply to you, some of the extra room needed comes in the form of a few extra mm coming out of the ear.

 

[Kunlun]

I'm kinda  noob here but I'm curious to know what you mean by it being a review sample. I looked at your review of the Kaiser 10 and it looks like a CIEM? CIEM's can't be a review sample as they must have been fitted to your ears? Please clear my understanding as I am a bit confused about this..

Hi there! It is custom fit. What a review sample means is that the company gives the ciem to the reviewer for the review, as opposed to someone buying the ciem. There are pros and cons in terms of possible bias. For example, someone spending a lot of money may be likely to view the earphones in a positive light to justify the expense (or see it as totally negative if they are disappointed). On the other hand, a reviewer who receives a review sample may wish to write a positive review so they can receive more samples in the future.

My approach is to take my time understanding my subjective experience of an earphone and to try to write a well-written review that really gives people a sense of what they may hear. This way, a person can decide if the earphone is right for them. I hope you feel I've succeeded in that!

 

[serious7]

Hi there! It is custom fit. What a review sample means is that the company gives the ciem to the reviewer for the review, as opposed to someone buying the ciem. There are pros and cons in terms of possible bias. For example, someone spending a lot of money may be likely to view the earphones in a positive light to justify the expense (or see it as totally negative if they are disappointed). On the other hand, a reviewer who receives a review sample may wish to write a positive review so they can receive more samples in the future.

My approach is to take my time understanding my subjective experience of an earphone and to try to write a well-written review that really gives people a sense of what they will hear. This way, a person can decide if the earphone is right for them. What do you think of that?

I've seen that the wizard has designed a universal version of the 8.A before for demo purposes. Why couldn't he make a universal version of the kaizer as review samples? It makes more sense to me and it removes all possible bias as more people can review the IEM? 

 

[blueangel2323]

10 drivers and $1599... first thing that came to mind was the upcoming 12-driver flagship from JH. Competition is getting stiff in the TOTL range.

 

[serious7]

For some reason I feel this (and SorenSlim's) review of the kaiser to be heavily biased. I'd like to purchase the kaiser but I'd like to see someone who is not previously involved with Heir/Noble to review the product line. The only reviews of this available today are those who have dealt with the Wizard back when he was with Heir Audio. I feel there is a significantly high chance that there is a bias associated with the brand here(the Wizard brand). I'd be pleased to see if someone else (who has not touched the Heir audio/Noble line of products) can get a review sample because that would remove all traces of  brand loyalty in the review.  Otherwise, I recommend everyone be cautious and take this (and SorenSlim's) review with a grain of salt as there is a lot of money involved with purchasing a product at this price tag. 

 

[Sorensiim]

I've seen that the wizard has designed a universal version of the 8.A before for demo purposes. Why couldn't he make a universal version of the kaizer as review samples? It makes more sense to me and it removes all possible bias as more people can review the IEM? 

Because a universal can't be made to sound exactly like the custom version - just look at the 4.A vs 4.Ai reviews. The internals were the same, the sound was not.

 

[serious7]

Because a universal can't be made to sound exactly like the custom version - just look at the 4.A vs 4.Ai reviews. The internals were the same, the sound was not.

I've heard both the 4A and 4.ai and both sound relatively the same +/- 5%. I feel that is within bounds to have a universal version of the IEM to be sampled. 

 

[Sorensiim]

For some reason I feel this (and SorenSlim's) review of the kaiser to be heavily biased. I'd like to purchase the kaiser but I'd like to see someone who is not previously involved with Heir/Noble to review the product line. The only reviews of this available today are those who have dealt with the Wizard back when he was with Heir Audio. I feel there is a significantly high chance that there is a bias associated with the brand here(the Wizard brand). I'd be pleased to see if someone else (who has not touched the Heir audio/Noble line of products) can get a review sample because that would remove all traces of  brand loyalty in the review.  Otherwise, I recommend everyone be cautious and take this (and SorenSlim's) review with a grain of salt as there is a lot of money involved with purchasing a product at this price tag. 

I always recommend to read as many reviews as possible before making a purchase. Let's hope Ultimate Mango will do a review when he's ready - he paid the full shebang himself.

Out of curiosity: How do you feel about Project86's review of the 8C?

 

[rubick]

  I've heard both the 4A and 4.ai and both sound relatively the same +/- 5%. I feel that is within bounds to have a universal version of the IEM to be sampled. 

i have also owned and heard both the 4A and 4.ai. the difference was definitely more than your stated +/-5%. I guess different ear will have different type of fitting also.
To have a custom fit, it will ignore all fitting and isolation problem so as to have a more accurate review of the product

 

[serious7]

  i have also owned and heard both the 4A and 4.ai. the difference was definitely more than your stated +/-5%. I guess different ear will have different type of fitting also.
To have a custom fit, it will ignore all fitting and isolation problem so as to have a more accurate review of the product

It wasn't a night or day difference in my books. 

 

[serious7]

I always recommend to read as many reviews as possible before making a purchase. Let's hope Ultimate Mango will do a review when he's ready - he paid the full shebang himself.

Out of curiosity: How do you feel about Project86's review of the 8C?

Project86 was the 4th person who posted on the official Wizard appreciation thread.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/584763/the-wizard-appreciation-thread-long-live-the-wizard-the-former-ha-appreciation-thread
 
He's been involved with the original Heir Audio line as well? Most of the reviews here are from the same people who reviewed the now defunct Heir Audio line of products back when the Wizard was working there. There is a high chance for brand loyalty in these reviews and that's why I wish to see someone who's not involved with the Wizard brand to receive a "sample" to  review the product.
 
Even if someone buys the kaizer out of his/her pocket, he/she may lie to him/herself that it sounds better than it really is because $1500+ is a lot of money and the person may not want to feel bad that it was a bad investment.  
 
The whole purpose of sending review samples is to avoid that type of bias. Let's have review samples sent to people who aren't involved with the Wizard brand. It will be much more beneficial for those who want to spend $1500+ on a CIEM as they will at least be assured that no brand loyalty is involved in the review.