[georgelai57]

Thanks! Gavin had kindly given me a heads up and I'm just waiting to get my grubby hands on it.

Time to edit your signature. Again.

 

[Kiats]

Time to edit your signature. Again.

 
Na... I don't count my chickens before they hatch. Besides, there is no reason to rush this one. I am well entertained as it is. 

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

Na... I don't count my chickens before they hatch. Besides, there is no reason to rush this one. I am well entertained as it is. 

If you dont like carrying an additional amp, there is no substantial SQ improvement you can gain from the new DAPs
Probably just different synergy..

 

[Kiats]

If you dont like carrying an additional amp, there is no substantial SQ improvement you can gain from the new DAPs
Probably just different synergy..

 
Thanks for the advice, CHG! I agree. Hence, I am in no particular rush. In fact, I am not afraid to confess that it will be in part due to sentimental reasons if I pick up the ZX-1 as the latter day iteration of the Walkman. Sorry - I'm betraying my age. 

 

[georgelai57]

Thanks for the advice, CHG! I agree. Hence, I am in no particular rush. In fact, I am not afraid to confess that it will be in part due to sentimental reasons if I pick up the ZX-1 as the latter day iteration of the Walkman. Sorry - I'm betraying my age. :tongue_smile:

A lot of us oldies started our hi-fi journeys with Sony - cassette decks, Walkmans, Discmans, etc. It was possibly the pre-eminent brand of its day.

 

[kurochin]

I was an AIWA boy.

 

[Kiats]

A lot of us oldies started our hi-fi journeys with Sony - cassette decks, Walkmans, Discmans, etc. It was possibly the pre-eminent brand of its day.

 
I am glad I am not alone. 

 

[Kiats]

I was an AIWA boy.

 
Kurochin, I actually a couple of AIWA "walkman" myself. Sadly, we don't see much of them these days.

 

[georgelai57]

Kurochin, I actually a couple of AIWA "walkman" myself. Sadly, we don't see much of them these days.

Yup Aiwa too. I loved their home decks. But back to portables, we were so so happy to be able to carry 3-4 tapes with us outside the house, plus batteries. Now we talk of GB and TB, plain vanilla MP3 vs DSD/FLAC. OK, time for this old guy to stop reminiscing.

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

   
Thanks for the advice, CHG! I agree. Hence, I am in no particular rush. In fact, I am not afraid to confess that it will be in part due to sentimental reasons if I pick up the ZX-1 as the latter day iteration of the Walkman. Sorry - I'm betraying my age. 

haha
I used to bring a carrying case with around 30cds and a discman in college.  some of my best friends are met in the school's coffee shop while I was listening to music between lectures. discman and  music are good icebreakers.

 

[Kiats]

  haha
I used to bring a carrying case with around 30cds and a discman in college.  some of my best friends are met in the school's coffee shop while I was listening to music between lectures. discman and  music are good icebreakers.

 
yes, i remember those carry cases with double sided pockets. ah... simpler times when there wasn't much of a choice of transport and burning your own selections on CDs was like cutting edge technology... 

 

[Kiats]

Yup Aiwa too. I loved their home decks. But back to portables, we were so so happy to be able to carry 3-4 tapes with us outside the house, plus batteries. Now we talk of GB and TB, plain vanilla MP3 vs DSD/FLAC. OK, time for this old guy to stop reminiscing.

 

[nanaholic]

Are you located near a Jaben? Since actually purchasing the FitEar CIEMs might pose some difficulties. You have to physically be there to do the impressions.
 
You also probably want to listen to the demos before buying...
 
Buying blind into CIEMs is just too risky unless you've heard the company's sound signature before in their universal products (like the TG334).

 


With CIEM there's always a big risk - since even with demo units you will not get the same seal as the real deal so the sound will be different.

As for the whole buying experience - I actually suggest a mix approach. There are a lot of good equipment in the 200-300 dollar range, get familiar with those first, then go straight to the top. Try one (or two) of the more reputable and heavily used/reviewed universials like a Westone W3/Um3x, Shure 535, Triple fi 10 or Senns ie8/ie80 (maybe even look for some used ones, lots of people bought these and are trading them off as they upgrade), then go read plenty of reviews of them to understand all the sound jargon, and go custom from there. Forget about the expensive cables and stuff for these universials as you'll end up burning more money for very little improvement than jumping to a pair of customs from this stage. You'll save a lot more money while still get a learning experience about the different sound signatures.

 

[Kiats]

   
With CIEM there's always a big risk - since even with demo units you will not get the same seal as the real deal so the sound will be different.

 

 
Agree on the difference between the demo units and the real CIEM. Sadly, there is no other way of auditioning the sound of the CIEM. I think we just need to be prepared for some variance from the demo unit. And whether that is acceptable.

 

[Lukalop]

Which is understandable. So is it possible for the sound to become worse, in comparison to the demo unit?