The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:04 AM Post #54,331 of 97,582
Agreed on Phönix, albeit with much better note weight. Re Mentor I thought Rn6 has a less dark/clearer presentation, better consistancy from mids to treble, and quite a bit more air, while individual bass notes stand out a bit more (possibly because of Mentor's general warmth?).

drftr

Yeah there's definitely more upper mid clarity in the RN6 and the transition between mids to treble on RN6 is better too, Mentor dips pretty hard in the upper mid harmonics and makes it sound quite warm in that area.
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:08 AM Post #54,332 of 97,582
Great idea, miniaturized adjustable pressure relief valve. Should be doable.
I just don't like it. I mean, I customize 1/12 action figures as a hobby, so yeah, I'm used to working with miniature, precision things, but it's precisely for those reasons that I don't like it. I don't think it's very user-friendly. I have a high school buddy who I've tried to get into higher-end audio (closest I managed was a pair of custom v-modas for use with his iPhone), and I can tell you for a fact that he'd find even the concept of the atom modules intimidating. My father, who's in his 70s, and has worn glasses for the most part all his life, liked the Fir sound but straight up said he'd never mess with the modules because they're so fiddly.
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:11 AM Post #54,333 of 97,582
I'm trying to pin down what IEM I think they sound like the most. They have excellent vocal playback, they remind me a lot of something like a bassier and more extended version of something between Phonix and Mentor... so I went to go take a peek.

4f3c982470cae1e03c1949299d800b99.png

Oh ja ja, I went on a graphing excursion too and was looking for VE EXT and Indigo graph to compare 🤭 Also noted similarities to Phonix’s graph with more bass.
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:12 AM Post #54,334 of 97,582
I just don't like it. I mean, I customize 1/12 action figures as a hobby, so yeah, I'm used to working with miniature, precision things, but it's precisely for those reasons that I don't like it. I don't think it's very user-friendly. I have a high school buddy who I've tried to get into higher-end audio (closest I managed was a pair of custom v-modas for use with his iPhone), and I can tell you for a fact that he'd find even the concept of the atom modules intimidating. My father, who's in his 70s, and has worn glasses for the most part all his life, liked the Fir sound but straight up said he'd never mess with the modules because they're so fiddly.
Just look at it as a potential bonus for others then? I mean, you don't have to fiddle with them? Most IEMs don't have this opportunity at all and we're good with those. It would be strange if we'd dislike FiR / 64Audio IEMs "because" they have the possibility.

drftr
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:18 AM Post #54,335 of 97,582
I mean, you don't have to fiddle with them?
I mean, if you give me something to fiddle with, and then tell me I don't have to, I'm  gonna fiddle with it.

...that came out dirtier-sounding than I intended.
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:20 AM Post #54,336 of 97,582
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:21 AM Post #54,337 of 97,582
So is the Rn6 definitely an all-rounder, in the vein of of Mentor, Traillii, Ronin, Jewel? I was thinking Xe6 with less mid bass, but you guys are saying it's more versatile/neutral than that?
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:23 AM Post #54,338 of 97,582
For me it is XE6 first and when I heard Rn6 I missed the XE6. Too the later sailing reference if only it were that easy.

On a similar note, pizza!
Need I say more?

We went to a pizza shop Thursday night that new friends love, rated 8.5 out of 10 by a website college kids use, a now wealthy pizza influencer that is well known and highly successful, according to these new friends. They are about 10 years younger than me. Well it was very thin crispy crust and used a mix of two cheeses. What did I think 4-5 at best, 10 = NYC Pizza thin crust but not crispy not too thin and just mozzarella and sauce under the cheese.

Hey pizza is so controversial, is it not.

271EF6E0-843B-4D31-9B23-7592E4423C2E.jpeg
What modual are you using in your Xe6, Todd?
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:24 AM Post #54,339 of 97,582
So is the Rn6 definitely an all-rounder, in the vein of of Mentor, Traillii, Ronin, Jewel? I was thinking Xe6 with less mid bass, but you guys are saying it's more versatile/neutral than that?

It’s definitely the most all rounder from the frontier series but it’s still got a good amount of color going on. I’m not sure I’d say it’s quite on the status of Traillii as all rounder. I’m sure some people will still find it too bassy, or think the low mid lift is too much as I know some people want their low mids flat and neutral.

While it graphs like an XE6 with less mid bass and low mids, it sounds much different in person imo, more than a graph can suggest.
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:28 AM Post #54,341 of 97,582
It's been exactly 1 week of using the Rn6 and boy wow it's one hell of a ride!! 🤩

20230326_235836.jpg

- Jordon
I can already see the cable swap there - I knew it! There’s some monkey business between EA and FiR!

Jokes aside, I do find the Rn6 sounding significantly different with tip rolling. The Symbio tips didn’t work for me (made it sound muddy) but once I swap them for silicone that I’m familiar with they sound a lot better. More open, more clear.
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:32 AM Post #54,342 of 97,582
So is the Rn6 definitely an all-rounder, in the vein of of Mentor, Traillii, Ronin, Jewel? I was thinking Xe6 with less mid bass, but you guys are saying it's more versatile/neutral than that?
Ronin is my other favourite but that one is quite different as it's warmer and absolutely nothing stands out, which exactly is its most outstanding feature - for me.

But Radon 6 being the ideal compromise between Mentor, Jewel, and Traillii but at a lower price (good grief...) I could totally see that.

drftr
 
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Apr 1, 2023 at 9:40 AM Post #54,343 of 97,582
For me it is XE6 first and when I heard Rn6 I missed the XE6. Too the later sailing reference if only it were that easy.

On a similar note, pizza!
Need I say more?

We went to a pizza shop Thursday night that new friends love, rated 8.5 out of 10 by a website college kids use, a now wealthy pizza influencer that is well known and highly successful, according to these new friends. They are about 10 years younger than me. Well it was very thin crispy crust and used a mix of two cheeses. What did I think 4-5 at best, 10 = NYC Pizza thin crust but not crispy not too thin and just mozzarella and sauce under the cheese.

Hey pizza is so controversial, is it not.

Pizza makes for a good analogy. I think Rn6 and Xe6 are simply different flavors from the same pizzeria. Both can happily coexist in FiRs lineup at the top.
I agree here. RN6 feels like an addition to the frontier series that they had to make - something a bit less bombastic and easier to grasp. It’s going to be a popular set for sure even with its LE nature.

Gold for me too, I didn’t like red at all which seems to be everyone’s favorite. It sounded really incoherent and disjointed to me. I took them out of the IEMs after 30 seconds. It’s was like.. weak sub bass, bodied mid bass, thicker and lifted low mids, forward and thin female vocals, and then bright highs. Felt like several IEMs thrown into one tuning. I did love the staging but I’ll revisit it later, for now gold seems easily my favorite choice and the one I’m enjoying tremendously. I have them in as we speak.
Same here. I gave the reds a fair shake but haven’t swapped from the golds since putting them in about a week ago.
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:41 AM Post #54,344 of 97,582
Ronin is my other favourite but that one is quite different as it's warmer and absolutely nothing stands out, which exactly is its most outstanding feature - for me.

But Radon 6 being the ideal compromise between Mentor, Jewel, and Traillii bit at a lower price (good grief...) I could totally see that.

drftr
Oh, interesting. Wouldn’t have expected Ronin to be the warmer of the two.

I agree re the Ronin. I personally like it better than Mentor and Traillii, as far as all-rounders go. Nothing stands out, but everything sounds correct (especially with FTS).
 
Apr 1, 2023 at 9:42 AM Post #54,345 of 97,582
I never fiddled. So stock.
Guess I am not a fiddler.
Do like to play percussion and piano though.
Gg
I have not fiddled and have no plans to do so since I like what I hear.
Just checking with you since I trust your ears and Don’t want to miss something SQ wise.
 

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