[o0genesis0o]

Morning commute with Pilgrim, W4 straight from iPhone and this album

I remember Precog describing the sound of Gaea as “this IEM sounds expensive.” Same comment can be said about the pilgrim. This IEM sounds “expensive” as heck

Yes yes, Harman research shows no correlation between price and Harman matching sound quality. But I got what Precog means when he said “this IEM sounds expensive”. Maybe I can dissect that idea in my pilgrim review

Anyhow, state of market from my POV:

• Harman DD with a twist: EA1000
• DD with different tuning and good tech: Project ACE
• Hybrid with BASS: Aful Explorer
• Elegant U-shaped hybrid: Elysian Pilgrim
• “Soulful”: Yanyin Canon 2 / most ISN and Penon
• “Hey, it’s pretty good!”: Trio

I still want to hear the Hype4. The $250-500 market is very mature and competitive nowadays. One can comfortably stop here for foreseeable future.

The XMEMS technology is rolling out faster than I imagined though. It might change the game, since those drivers are supposed to be cheap. I don’t know why IEMs with those are so expensive currently.

Edit: forgot to mention the IO Volare

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

KZ ZS10 pro 2 arriving tomorrow. Let's see if @PhonoPhi 's strong review of them holds up? Merga and Hydro right behind, and should be here by end of week.

TRN Conch is TRN's best selling IEM. Even more so that the ST7, which surprises me, but in a way, with all the accessories that come with the Conch, and tuning nozzles, it's the better deal pricewise. Still, me love my ST7!

 

[Ineras]

I definitely enjoy the V12 so am naturally curious to hear if the high quality sound continues in the V11 and how it would stack up to my all-BA sets. (Penon Turbo and EPZ 530)

The quality is there for sure, but I listen at a pretty high volume. At lower volume the lows overpower the rest of the frequency range. Akros did compare it with the Turbo, which has more flexibility with the switches. I think you should be good with the Turbo lol.
When I'm feeling silly I use a 10 ohm impedance adapter with the V12.

 

[jsmiller58]

Is it just me of this box looks like a surprised face

Can’t unsee that now!

 

[jsmiller58]

Once seen, cannot be unseen

They’re everywhere, hiding in plain sight…. Now I’m going to freak out worrying about what else walks amongst us!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Sony NW-ZX300a (running MrWalkman WM1A/Z firmware) still sounds great even though I prefer the signature/stage of the Hiby R6 Pro. The latter has more power & is way more tweakable. Sets like Rhapsody definitely extend the 300's stage somewhat - the Sony continues to have an air of class & dependability. If they took a leaf out of Hiby's book by offering a fw upgrade, featuring proprietary PEQ/MSEB equivalents - who knows what results could be achieved in terms of tonality, treble extension, air & stage etc ??

I think the sounds of the Hiby and Sony are actually very similar, if not complementary, but I, personally, cannot endorse Hiby DAPS in good conscience, despite my love of MSEB, and the sound quality of my Hiby's, but I had two die on me within just months of owning them both and Hiby wasn't very warranty friendly. But yeah, I did enjoy my Hiby's quite a bit before they decided to poop out.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

This is one of the best and most slept on "budget" cables on the market. Absolutely beautifully built, compliant, and excellent sound qualities. Monochrystalline Copper. Just bought two more, so now I have 5. Did some musical chair cable rolling, so now most of my favorite IEM's have these on them, and it freed up the Oriveti modular cable for the incoming Hydro. Tripowin Altea MCC.

Cheers!

 

[OceanOfLight]

KZ ZS10 pro 2 arriving tomorrow. Let's see if @PhonoPhi 's strong review of them holds up? Merga and Hydro right behind, and should be here by end of week.

TRN Conch is TRN's best selling IEM. Even more so that the ST7, which surprises me, but in a way, with all the accessories that come with the Conch, and tuning nozzles, it's the better deal pricewise. Still, me love my ST7!

Recent TRN IEMs are unbelievably good. And no, I’m not a TRN employee; I’m just very enthusiastic about their products because, at least for now, I haven’t found a single TRN IEM that I didn’t fall in love with. Currently, I own the Orca, the Conch, and the ST7, and I’m quite fond of all of them. It also helps that, aside from their really solid sound quality, their design is quite enjoyable and unique too. Yes, I’m looking at you, KZ/CCA, with your standardized “black coffin”. I don't know, it feels like I'm actually buying different products with TRN!

Changing the subject, in about a week (I suspect they’ll release it during the first week of June), I’ll definitely buy the Medusa too (which, I have to admit, looks stunning). And speaking of the devil, TRN has released some more “natural” photos of the Medusa, so while I’m at it, here you go:

As for the Conch, based on what I was able to gather from X, in Japan many people seem to prefer it over the ST7, even in terms of tuning (yes, it’s that good). I personally love them both for different reasons, I believe they’re very distinct sounding but equally excellent IEMs... Anyway, I’m looking forward to hearing what you think about the Conch!

 

[saldsald]

I like OG graph better tho

The OG is too bright for me at higher volume so I personally prefer the NOIR which allows more bass to kick in without the treble sounding too forward.

 

[jbfps116]

Recent TRN IEMs are unbelievably good. And no, I’m not a TRN employee; I’m just very enthusiastic about their products because, at least for now, I haven’t found a single TRN IEM that I didn’t fall in love with. Currently, I own the Orca, the Conch, and the ST7, and I’m quite fond of all of them. It also helps that, aside from their really solid sound, their design is quite enjoyable and unique. Yes, I’m looking at you, KZ/CCA, with your standardized “black coffin”. I don't know, it actually feels like I'm actually buying different products with TRN!

Changing the subject, in about a week (I suspect they’ll release it during the first week of June), I’ll definitely buy the Medusa too (which, I have to admit, looks stunning). And speaking of the devil, TRN has released some more “natural” photos of the Medusa, so while I’m at it, here you go:

As for the Conch, in Japan, many people seem to prefer it over the ST7 even in terms of sound profile (yes, it’s that good), at least based on what I was able to gather from X. Personally, I love both of them for different reasons, and I believe they’re very distinct but equally excellent IEMs. I’m already looking forward to hearing what you think about it!

Just got the Conch in today and was floored by the sound quality, not even burnt in. It has those exciting highs that will likely spell the end of the D-fi in my collection, as good as it is.

 

[JrOcinthepark]

WOOOW what the heck, where is the hype?

Also saw Supermix 4 for sale. No hype is correct.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Recent TRN IEMs are unbelievably good. And no, I’m not a TRN employee; I’m just very enthusiastic about their products because, at least for now, I haven’t found a single TRN IEM that I didn’t fall in love with. Currently, I own the Orca, the Conch, and the ST7, and I’m quite fond of all of them. It also helps that, aside from their really solid sound quality, their design is quite enjoyable and unique too. Yes, I’m looking at you, KZ/CCA, with your standardized “black coffin”. I don't know, it actually feels like I'm actually buying different products with TRN!

Changing the subject, in about a week (I suspect they’ll release it during the first week of June), I’ll definitely buy the Medusa too (which, I have to admit, looks stunning). And speaking of the devil, TRN has released some more “natural” photos of the Medusa, so while I’m at it, here you go:

As for the Conch, based on what I was able to gather from X, in Japan many people seem to prefer it over the ST7, even in terms of tuning (yes, it’s that good). I personally love them both for different reasons, I believe they’re very distinct sounding but equally excellent IEMs. Anyway, I’m looking forward to hearing what you think about the Conch!

Those Medusa would surely get people's attention in public. Conversation starters. Yeah, Conch is my third TRN, and wasn't disappointed by the first two.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

The OG is too bright for me at higher volume so I personally prefer the NOIR which allows more bass to kick in without the treble sounding too forward.

I listen at low volumes, so sounds to me the OG would be right up my alley. Hmmm....

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Just got the Conch in today and was floored by the sound quality, not even burnt in. It has those exciting highs that will likely spell the end of the D-fi in my collection, as good as it is.

I keep hearing about the highs being amazing on this set! Y'all are killin' me! Though TRN ships fast, it's still not going to be fast enough for my curiosity. LOL

 

[cobrabucket]

The quality is there for sure, but I listen at a pretty high volume. At lower volume the lows overpower the rest of the frequency range. Akros did compare it with the Turbo, which has more flexibility with the switches. I think you should be good with the Turbo lol.
When I'm feeling silly I use a 10 ohm impedance adapter with the V12.

Whilst I genuinely enjoy the Turbo, the EPZ 530 gets a fair amount more listening time.
That set is SPECIAL!
For Jazz, Soul and Blues it is nearly unrivaled, IMO.