[theintention]

My mid budget basshead IEM search continues and I have come across the ISN EST50… any opinions on these?

 

[r31ya]

My mid budget basshead IEM search continues and I have come across the ISN EST50… any opinions on these?

there is that one IEMs,

X-ONE L something who supposedly have MIM Dark Magician driver.
they have released a second version who apparently closer to Dark Magician on stock

Not mid-fi, still budget iem tough.

XSL X-One MK.II​

XSL X-One has undergone a small retuning.
Gone is that excessive Midbass energy and the signiture which had bass prominently overpowering the Mids and Treble.
Now we have a more coherent balance, but still this driver has more to offer ...perhaps a further retune to approximate itself more to the MIM Dark Magician stelar signiture.

Review of the XSL X-one OG/MK.I

 

[saldsald]

yes, wind cable

Because I am almost hearing the opposite. I have maybe 600 hrs of listening time with the Winter vs the almost new Wind. I find the Wind to be quite a bit brighter, in fact they maybe equally bright but the Winter has a smoother denser treble vs the looser presentation of the Wind so I precept it as being brighter. Also the Winter is notably more nasal to my ears and so more mid-centric. The Winter is known to have a large stage presentation so it's very strange to me that you mentioned claustrophobic.

When you go from Wind to Winter, you can feel claustrophobic in a tunnel like spatiality

I understand we all hear things differently but this is a bit far from what I am hearing for sure.

 

[Redcarmoose]

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/the-penon-rhodium-plug.26746/reviews#review-31868
Rhodium plug review!

 

[gadgetgod]

The past two days, I had a good time with the Aroma Audio A100TB and Astell&Kern PA10, two powerful portable headphone amplifiers. Both offer Class A amplification and we have a solid performance with both of them. While the PA10 is easily available in India for about 50,000 Indian Rupees(roughly 600$), the Aroma is hard to come by while the retail price is somewhere around 800$. Aroma is a little bigger while the PA10 is more portable with easy access to all functions on the side of the amp(Gain, Crossfeed, Current Level). I was supposed to post this two days back, but i have got an injury on my left shoulder so the post got delayed.

Here is my comparison between them(Tried to be short and precise here):-​

>Both have good driving power, although Aroma has a little edge with an extra bit of power.
>Both amps are mostly neutral throughout their presentation with a hint of warmth present.
>Aroma A100Tb sounds cleaner in the background, it is not only powerful, but the background also feels very clean with no audible noise. Now the surprising part is that the PA10 had the same impression for me but when I heard the A100TB, it felt cleaner.
>With a cleaner background the details on the A100Tb are better, and instruments feel better separated.
>The soundstage on the A100Tb has a more 3D spherical feel to it. Depth feels better to me than PA10.
>A100Tb has lower distortion at higher volumes, the difference is a slight bit but it is noticeable when we compare them head to head. Especially in the lower end, I notice a bit of distortion on the PA10 while the A100TB is clean, crisp, and accurate.
>Vocals on the A100Tb sound a tad bit more emotional, they have a little warmth to them.
>Another benefit in the favor of A100Tb would be the added Linear Power Supply unit. We can add it, it increases power, the background also feels cleaner, and if I go for the A100Tb I would personally go with the LPU as I find it to have a more drastic improvement over the PA10.
>Coming to the PA10, it has more functionality. Gain is easily accessible in A100Tb you need to open the device to change the gain, crossfeed function is there as well(the difference is noticeable in this). Also, we have an adjustable current supply which causes no change for any of my tested IEMs or headphones.
>A100Tb only has balanced input-output, PA10 supports 3.5mm single-ended connections as well. Although point to be noted here, you get what you give, I mean you give 3.5mm input you will only get 3.5mm output, you give 4.4mm input, you will get only 4.4mm output.
>PA10 is smaller and more compact, A100Tb is thicker and like a brick.

Well, these are all my thoughts. I would like to add here, that A100Tb is better than PA10, yes, but the difference isn’t night and day here. The pain of importing A100TB in India is very much, the unit that I have currently has like 51k in customs just to get it cleared. So if you can have someone hand-carry a unit for you, I would suggest buying the A100Tb, otherwise, you won’t be missing a lot on the PA10 either which is easily available. But if you get the A100Tb with the PSU you are in for a treat. I heard the unit with the PSU when my dear friend Nihal got his unit last month. Well, that’s about it from my side, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this comparison. If you have any queries, feel free to ask me in the comments section below.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Penon 10th Anniversary also ISN CS02 Cable:

 

[PROblemdetected]

Ey folks, vacations are over.

Ive been trying the SR8 lately... not a good overall iem have to say.

Not bad, but claustrophobic scene, bulky and got some issues with resolution.

Voices and bass (little bit over-extended) are good, but nothing more.

I can't recommend them for the price they ask for.

 

[nikbr]

Thanks! You rock. Although now I feel very exposed putting the songs I like out there

Taylor Swift - Mastermind
Lorde - Supercut
Halsey - Graveyard (Acoustic)
Muse - Ghosts (feat. Elisa)
Coldplay - The Scientist

So here comes:

Taylor Swift: SIE brings a lush and enveloping bass that Q5 cannot manage. That in turn means that both mids and treble are more forward and more pronounced on Q5, which aids soundstage vs SIE and provides a better template for Taylor's voice.

Lorde: Bass is very prominent and the difference is day and night in SIE's favour, mids openness goes to Q5, but here I prefer the treble on SIE that takes off the edginess. In technicalities the Q5 wins, but her vocal suits the SIE better.

Halsey: Due to better treble and technical aspect Q5's guitar is more natural, but vocal is more natural and lush on SIE.

Muse: it's getting repetitive, SIE takes the bass, mids in this case are SIE's strength with piano note weight, whereas treble, technicalities and vocal presentation go to Q5 cause of its more forward and energetic nature.

Coldplay: I prefer SIE's style for this laidback track, but Q5's details and technicalities are a step further.

I would add Dire Straits for male vocals.

I tried 'You and Your Friend' where I'd say Q5 edges the SIE in mids and treble clarity and placement which provides a better technical overview, whereas SIE's bass and low male vocal make it a more emotive and musical experience.

Overall findings would suggest that both are worth having and are well worth their respective price tags. Also, stock SIE cable is probably my favourite cable ever.

 

[Pylaczynski]

So here comes:



Taylor Swift: SIE brings a lush and enveloping bass that Q5 cannot manage. That in turn means that both mids and treble are more forward and more pronounced on Q5, which aids soundstage vs SIE and provides a better template for Taylor's voice.

Lorde: Bass is very prominent and the difference is day and night in SIE's favour, mids openness goes to Q5, but here I prefer the treble on SIE that takes off the edginess. In technicalities the Q5 wins, but her vocal suits the SIE better.

Halsey: Due to better treble and technical aspect Q5's guitar is more natural, but vocal is more natural and lush on SIE.

Muse: it's getting repetitive, SIE takes the bass, mids in this case are SIE's strength with piano note weight, whereas treble, technicalities and vocal presentation go to Q5 cause of its more forward and energetic nature.

Coldplay: I prefer SIE's style for this laidback track, but Q5's details and technicalities are a step further.



I tried 'You and Your Friend' where I'd say Q5 edges the SIE in mids and treble clarity and placement which provides a better technical overview, whereas SIE's bass and low male vocal make it a more emotive and musical experience.

Overall findings would suggest that both are worth having and are well worth their respective price tags. Also, stock SIE cable is probably my favourite cable ever.

Just my 2 cents SIE Vita cable - it is very beautiful and extremely well made piece of audio gear, but strangely terrible from the usability perspective - very stiff and hardware is too heavy to be practical.

 

[nikbr]

Just my 2 cents SIE Vita cable - it is very beautiful and extremely well made piece of audio gear, but strangely terrible from the usability perspective - very stiff and hardware is too heavy to be practical.

Wow, very stiff and too heavy is an exaggeration if I've ever seen one. It is far from very stiff, while the heavier hardware makes it feel upmarket and changes nothing about the practicality. Of course, that's only my view.

 

[Pylaczynski]

Wow, very stiff and too heavy is an exaggeration if I've ever seen one. It is far from very stiff, while the heavier hardware makes it feel upmarket and changes nothing about the practicality. Of course, that's only my view.

I get it that there are people who do not care about that or who like this kind of cables as they do not tangle at least, so it is good it works for you
But I am quite comfort-wh*** on cables and this one on Vita was one of the worst I have used to be fair because it was completely not pliable. Second one with similar issue was the one from Letshouer S12 - it is called Chimera I believe. It is sad, since both were reaally high quality in terms of the material used and aesthetics and in that regards both are potentially one of the best stock cables given along with IEMs I have seen.
As an alternative what cable is good quality, nice looking and very pliable for me - DUW-03 or DUW-02 (not fair comparison to be fair), Xinhs Graphene 4 core, Xinhs 2-core SPC, or even 10-15$ NiceHCK C24-2 or Faael Hibiscus.
VE SIE I liked very much in terms of sound quality itself, but I needed to sell it due to fit/comfort issues - my pinnas just hurt after 1h with them in canal even with different aftermarket cable

 

[NookIsACrook]

So here comes:



Taylor Swift: SIE brings a lush and enveloping bass that Q5 cannot manage. That in turn means that both mids and treble are more forward and more pronounced on Q5, which aids soundstage vs SIE and provides a better template for Taylor's voice.

Lorde: Bass is very prominent and the difference is day and night in SIE's favour, mids openness goes to Q5, but here I prefer the treble on SIE that takes off the edginess. In technicalities the Q5 wins, but her vocal suits the SIE better.

Halsey: Due to better treble and technical aspect Q5's guitar is more natural, but vocal is more natural and lush on SIE.

Muse: it's getting repetitive, SIE takes the bass, mids in this case are SIE's strength with piano note weight, whereas treble, technicalities and vocal presentation go to Q5 cause of its more forward and energetic nature.

Coldplay: I prefer SIE's style for this laidback track, but Q5's details and technicalities are a step further.



I tried 'You and Your Friend' where I'd say Q5 edges the SIE in mids and treble clarity and placement which provides a better technical overview, whereas SIE's bass and low male vocal make it a more emotive and musical experience.

Overall findings would suggest that both are worth having and are well worth their respective price tags. Also, stock SIE cable is probably my favourite cable ever.

I really appreciate the comparison! Yes, I think it's pretty clear about the tuning differences between the Q5 and SIE. It might be nice to hear one day, I've been gravitating a bit more towards warmer, lusher tuning lately.

I get it that there are people who do not care about that or who like this kind of cables as they do not tangle at least, so it is good it works for you
But I am quite comfort-wh*** on cables and this one on Vita was one of the worst I have used to be fair because it was completely not pliable. Second one with similar issue was the one from Letshouer S12 - it is called Chimera I believe. It is sad, since both were reaally high quality in terms of the material used and aesthetics and in that regards both are potentially one of the best stock cables given along with IEMs I have seen.
As an alternative what cable is good quality, nice looking and very pliable for me - DUW-03 or DUW-02 (not fair comparison to be fair), Xinhs Graphene 4 core, Xinhs 2-core SPC, or even 10-15$ NiceHCK C24-2 or Faael Hibiscus.
VE SIE I liked very much in terms of sound quality itself, but I needed to sell it due to fit/comfort issues - my pinnas just hurt after 1h with them in canal even with different aftermarket cable

I definitely understand. I have the S12 and the cable on the SIE looks surprisingly like the one on my VE Sun Copper (which is obviously much more expensive). They're thick, weighty cables that feel nice in hand but I wouldn't really want to use other than at my desk. I generally like it, but I understand there's a lot of personal preference to cables

 

[cobrabucket]

I've really been loving the Shozy B2 lately.
It is rather dark, so pairing it with a brighter leaning cable makes sense.
The bass is lush and textured.
Sounds amazing with EDM, pop and hip-hop.
Highly rec'd!!!

 

[AdamPA1006]

Hello dear friends,

What's a good recommendation for relaxing/warm/musical type in the say $80-120 range? I only have two IEMs in this price range currently TruthEar HEXA and Simgot EA500, which I like but both are super technical, analytical etc. I really really love KZ LingLong tuning, if perhaps there is something more high end in this price range with a similar tune.

Thank you very much.

 

[nikbr]

Hello dear friends,

What's a good recommendation for relaxing/warm/musical type in the say $80-120 range? I only have two IEMs in this price range currently TruthEar HEXA and Simgot EA500, which I like but both are super technical, analytical etc. I really really love KZ LingLong tuning, if perhaps there is something more high end in this price range with a similar tune.

Thank you very much.

Hi, check out below my previous post earlier today on EPZ Q5 vs. Venture Electronics SIE (the gorgeous gold metallic IEM). The latter is just the thing you are searching for:

So here comes:



Taylor Swift: SIE brings a lush and enveloping bass that Q5 cannot manage. That in turn means that both mids and treble are more forward and more pronounced on Q5, which aids soundstage vs SIE and provides a better template for Taylor's voice.

Lorde: Bass is very prominent and the difference is day and night in SIE's favour, mids openness goes to Q5, but here I prefer the treble on SIE that takes off the edginess. In technicalities the Q5 wins, but her vocal suits the SIE better.

Halsey: Due to better treble and technical aspect Q5's guitar is more natural, but vocal is more natural and lush on SIE.

Muse: it's getting repetitive, SIE takes the bass, mids in this case are SIE's strength with piano note weight, whereas treble, technicalities and vocal presentation go to Q5 cause of its more forward and energetic nature.

Coldplay: I prefer SIE's style for this laidback track, but Q5's details and technicalities are a step further.



I tried 'You and Your Friend' where I'd say Q5 edges the SIE in mids and treble clarity and placement which provides a better technical overview, whereas SIE's bass and low male vocal make it a more emotive and musical experience.

Overall findings would suggest that both are worth having and are well worth their respective price tags. Also, stock SIE cable is probably my favourite cable ever.