[Doug2507]

2 quickies:

1. Why do we associate a warm, lush sound with musical?

2. Is there a group of listeners here for which the opposite is true? If so, can you please chime in?

drftr

My Niimbus I'd call musical yet I wouldn't call it warm or lush. It's maybe a touch north of neutral but its very much typical class A, analogue in delivery without grain but still with superb control. Paired with Jewel is 10/10 for musicality but neither are particularly thought of as warm or lush.

 

[drftr]

My Niimbus I'd call musical yet I wouldn't call it warm or lush. It's maybe a touch north of neutral but its very much typical class A, analogue in delivery without grain but still with superb control. Paired with Jewel is 10/10 for musicality but neither are particularly thought of as warm or lush.

Good that you mention class A amps. I have indeed heard very musical Musical Fidelity amps that were quite bright. They did have a very analog / R2R like character, but warm sounding they weren't. Great point.

Makes me think whether I should be looking for a class A DAP with class A? I think Hiby has one. If it's not bright then it might still be a good replacement for my RU6. Will dive into some reviews when the sun comes up.

drftr

 

[Doug2507]

Good that you mention class A amps. I have indeed heard very musical Musical Fidelity amps that were quite bright. They did have a very analog / R2R like character, but warm sounding they weren't. Great point.

Makes me think whether I should be looking for a class A DAP with class A? I think Hiby has one. If it's not bright then it might still be a good replacement for my RU6. Will dive into some reviews when the sun comes up.

drftr

Indeed, like A1/A1000. Both with potential for better sound through upgrade. Nuvista M3 also retained class A but with tubes whilst KW went class D but still had tube pre.

DX300 MAX is Class A but probably not your best friend for travelling. N8ii class A switchable but really doesn't have the typical class A flavour (IMO).

Not too sure what's Class A amongst the lighter units...

Edit: N6ii had a Class A board (E01) , I didn't particularly rate it which was most likely due to the ESS DAC it used. I far prefer AKM from that period.

 

[Sabre2]

Look forward to impressions, my friend!

Initial impression so far. Pardon me, as I am not good at writing review. Coming from custom, it took me a while to get a good seal.
Using stock cable single-end, and stock white ear tip (will play with stock black next) - it has intimate stage, mids is very clean and pristine. treble is smooth. it not a bassy iem to me, but bass is there when called for. So far, jazz pieces sounded very nice to me. And i will be running through my other playlist, as it burns-in

 

[drftr]

Indeed, like A1/A1000. Both with potential for better sound through upgrade. Nuvista M3 also retained class A but with tubes whilst KW went class D but still had tube pre.

DX300 MAX is Class A but probably not your best friend for travelling. N8ii class A switchable but really doesn't have the typical class A flavour (IMO).

Not too sure what's Class A amongst the lighter units...

Edit: N6ii had a Class A board, I didn't particularly rate it which was most likely due to the ESS DAC it used, E01. I far prefer AKM from that period.

Yeah good call, I was referring to A1 / A100. Could fry an egg on top of those.

drftr

 

[Rockwell75]

There are no IEMs that I think I will want to add at this time, though maybe something will rock my world unexpectedly. Mid March will see the long awaited installation of my 2 channel system, I am short on bandwidth with the excitement for that system, been waiting over a year now, technically my whole life.
My birthday is the 24th so I could trick myself into justifying another set or a crazy cable if something is not just iterative.

I'm in the same boat RE IEMs...though I await a possible hopeful surprise. If CFA drops a new Andro at CanJam I might not be able to resist, despite having more-or-less sworn off BA IEMs for the time being.

Really happy for you with respect to your 2-channel system. It's been exciting following along the journey of its construction and I really hope for the chance to be able to visit someday.

1. Why do we associate a warm, lush sound with musical?

I consider "musical" to be the opposite of "analytic". An analytic sound to me is more about identifying all the details and individual trees in the forest whereas a musical sound is more about the flow of the music and everything manifesting as a unity...or something.

 

[GiullianSN]

Your headfi name should be ScubaAngels or something...

My old avatar and actually my a12t faceplate is inspired on a hard hat.

BTW @RTodd I saved the picture. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Doug2507]

I consider "musical" to be the opposite of "analytic". An analytic sound to me is more about identifying all the details and individual trees in the forest whereas a musical sound is more about the flow of the music and everything manifesting as a unity...or something.

And that's where the divide starts. You can have all those details but still stay clear of the analytical / microscope feel. High resolution doesn't always equate to a sterile 1s and 0s presentation.

The lower end of things can pull off the resolution, or the diffused 'musical' presentation but when you're in the upper end of things they can do both. (IMO)

 

[ttt123]

Yeah good call, I was referring to A1 / A100. Could fry an egg on top of those.

drftr

Hiby R5 Gen 2 has a switchable Class A output.

 

[drftr]

Hiby R5 Gen 2 has a switchable Class A output.

Then that must be the one I thought I remembered. Will do my home work - tnx. So nice to have the community as extended memory!

drftr

 

[yaps66]

You might like the HBB Kai then

Nice picture! The least favourite of my Tri iems. Was not engaging for me,

From memory then: How do you like Ragnar for violin? Not too excessive in brightness? And for double bass, cello, and viola: Full bodied in the lower mids like Sultan/Mentor/Ody or is there a rapid drop off from mid bass to mids?

My memory not that good! Perhaps I could put it this way. I did not have any negative impressions for violin. Cello and double bass was what stood out for me on the Ragnar.

 

[Sabre2]

Initial impression so far. Pardon me, as I am not good at writing review. Coming from custom, it took me a while to get a good seal.
Using stock cable single-end, and stock white ear tip (will play with stock black next) - it has intimate stage, mids is very clean and pristine. treble is smooth. it not a bassy iem to me, but bass is there when called for. So far, jazz pieces sounded very nice to me. And i will be running through my other playlist, as it burns-in

After swapping to stock black ear tip from the white, my ears manage to hear some changes to the sound. black ear tip has more bass as compared to the white. It also added more warmth. For live concert music, I enjoy more using the black tip. Still early days at this juncture, will continue to run thru the playlist as the night is still young

 

[drftr]

Perhaps I could put it this way. I did not have any negative impressions for violin. Cello and double bass was what stood out for me on the Ragnar.

Always half full. Amazing...

drftr

 

[Amadeo Nospherathu]

Cannot agree more mate

Two legends united:

I love the Calyx M for its looks and absolutely magical volume control. It kills me with its usability and battery life. If not for that, I would have bought it. Because my use of the player is not very active, but even for that, the usability has aged very badly.
I hope AR is much better than that. In fact, I'm looking at it more for the design, but I don't want my eye to twitch when I start a streaming service or playback once a month.

 

[F700]

I love the Calyx M for its looks and absolutely magical volume control. It kills me with its usability and battery life. If not for that, I would have bought it. Because my use of the player is not very active, but even for that, the usability has aged very badly.
I hope AR is much better than that. In fact, I'm looking at it more for the design, but I don't want my eye to twitch when I start a streaming service or playback once a month.

From a battery life and UI perspective,
You can’t compare both. AR-M2 is wayyyyy better.