The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
Jan 20, 2024 at 5:58 AM Post #79,066 of 97,582
Elysium bass, IE900 mids, Odin uppermids, Westone treble, earpods technicalities, EXT fit, Empire Ears Raven launch, Susvara drivability, UM pricing with no cable included, and FF aftersales support. With a new limited edition colour iteration every 1-2 months with no serial number to indicate that it is limited.

Jokes aside I feel like messing with one frequency area will affect the rest so an ideal IEM may be impossible. That being said I'll take Raven bass, Creator mids, Anni treble, STAX technicalities, and HD800s soundstage/imaging.
Now that's an IEM better left off as a dream 😂
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 6:03 AM Post #79,067 of 97,582
Elysium bass, IE900 mids, Odin uppermids, Westone treble, earpods technicalities, EXT fit, Empire Ears Raven launch, Susvara drivability, UM pricing with no cable included, and FF aftersales support. With a new limited edition colour iteration every 1-2 months with no serial number to indicate that it is limited.

Jokes aside I feel like messing with one frequency area will affect the rest so an ideal IEM may be impossible. That being said I'll take Raven bass, Creator mids, Anni treble, STAX technicalities, and HD800s soundstage/imaging.
IE900 mids was the first weird one, but I literally clenched my buttcheeks and wanted to fight you when I read earpods technicalities haha! Took me a while to get the joke, since I have not really heard any of the mentioned sets.
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 6:27 AM Post #79,068 of 97,582
IE900 mids was the first weird one, but I literally clenched my buttcheeks and wanted to fight you when I read earpods technicalities haha! Took me a while to get the joke, since I have not really heard any of the mentioned sets.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with IE900 mids. No, seriously. YMMV 😎
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 6:45 AM Post #79,069 of 97,582
W1s are available on Amazon.

Re: XE6’s Kinetic Bass. You’ll want to find the best insertion depth – normal or deep fit – for your ears get the open and ported in Kinetic Bass driver close to the ear to allow for low frequency sound to be transmitted directly to the ear cartilage and surrounding area. The low frequencies are converted to kinetic energy and reach the inner ear via bone conduction.

Bass is also ported through the nozzle and reach the ear drums via air conduction, where your eartip selection will have the most effect.

Many here will have storage boxes of various tips for rolling. I have a storage box filled with 24+ tips from various brands in different sizes.

Personally, various Azla (Xelastics, Crystals, SednaEarFit short/light/vivids), JVC (Spiral Dots++), SpinFit Omni have provided the best fit for my ears.
Omnis were great. I'm currently on CP360, they're meant for TWS. Excellent results thus far.
 

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Jan 20, 2024 at 7:19 AM Post #79,070 of 97,582
What I can say for example in comparison to the AZLAs or Symbios (old/new W Peel on/off) is that the W1s have fewer peaks in the upper-mids register, but the soundstage/imaging is the highlight for me, so the first impression since a few days. I also have the feeling that the sound is more balanced. With the AZLAs, it sometimes bothers me that the mids are so forward. By moving them a little more into the background with the W1s, the presentation is more cohesive and I can hear overall a little more information and detail. It makes total sense to me that the W1s are stock tips with Anni because of the treble extension. And I would recommend all those who have Mentor to definitely try the W1, precisely because of the soundstage and imaging. The difference to the stock tips is quite notable.
Will try the W1. Just got the doublenflange SpinFit CP240. Soundstage good. Dunu s&s also pretty good if it fits your iem.

Generally, I consult this fascinating page https://www.audioreviews.org/guide-to-iem-silicone-eartips/

See if his views match yours on the ear tips you already have . Then you can go ahead and trust him for future purchases.
 
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Jan 20, 2024 at 7:27 AM Post #79,072 of 97,582
Will try the W1. Just got the doublenflange SpinFit CP240. Soundstage good. Dunu s&s also pretty good if it fits your iem.

Generally, I consult this fascinating page https://www.audioreviews.org/guide-to-iem-silicone-eartips/

See if his views match yours on the ear tips you already have so that you can see if his views matches yours. Then you can go ahead and trust him for future purchases.
Yes, I know this website quite well. However, it says that the W1s could be harsh, but that hasn't been the case for me so far. On the contrary: I had more harshness with the Azlas - more with the Crystals and Xelastec than with the SednaEarfit.

The website is a good guide for me, but it is not 100% reliable in my case.

By the way: the Symbio W Peel (old) are also quite good for me. Just as an aside, as they are no longer mentioned here.
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 7:30 AM Post #79,073 of 97,582
Will try the W1. Just got the doublenflange SpinFit CP240. Soundstage good. Dunu s&s also pretty good if it fits your iem.

Generally, I consult this fascinating page https://www.audioreviews.org/guide-to-iem-silicone-eartips/

See if his views match yours on the ear tips you already have so that you can see if his views matches yours. Then you can go ahead and trust him for future purchases.
Thanks for sharing that link. Very interesting. I think his ratings on sound (bass, mids, treble, vocals, etc.) for each eartip are useless though, as it will vary per person, depending on ear shape. A good example is his comments on the AEX50, which he finds nearly impossible to work with, while they are great for me, as they help me get a proper fit with the Traillii, which for some reason has been very difficult for my ears.
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 7:33 AM Post #79,074 of 97,582
Thanks for sharing that link. Very interesting. I think his ratings on sound (bass, mids, treble, vocals, etc.) for each eartip are useless though, as it will vary per person, depending on ear shape. A good example is his comments on the AEX50, which he finds nearly impossible to work with, while they are great for me, as they help me get a proper fit with the Traillii, which for some reason has been very difficult for my ears.
Exactly! That's why I said that it's only good as a guide, but otherwise it's not 100% correct in my case.
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 7:39 AM Post #79,075 of 97,582
Thanks for sharing that link. Very interesting. I think his ratings on sound (bass, mids, treble, vocals, etc.) for each eartip are useless though, as it will vary per person, depending on ear shape. A good example is his comments on the AEX50, which he finds nearly impossible to work with, while they are great for me, as they help me get a proper fit with the Traillii, which for some reason has been very difficult for my ears.
Absolutely. Is a guide to see what sort of eartips out there and then try looking for other reviews, esp those aligned with the iems you intend to use em on.
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 7:45 AM Post #79,076 of 97,582
WhatsApp Görsel 2024-01-20 saat 15.03.58_f874f5a6.jpg


So, I've been listening to the PMG Apx for a week now, and I've got to say, this is a whole new level in terms of portable sound. It is on the brighter side but what it does best is the insane PRaT performance. The quickness that it delivers feels like electrostatic systems. Noble Viking Ragnar provides that feeling too, and I've included this analogy in its review, but the Apx is a level above in terms of dynamism, texture and bass performance.

The sound-stage magnitude and imaging are probably the best I've heard, and the treble extension is unbelievably good. When it comes to mids, it's not the most musical TOTL IEM, but it gives fantastic transparency and spaciousness in that area too, so the instruments and vocals are incredibly clear and precise.

The system you see in the photo might be the best portable system I've ever listened to. I will probably receive backlash for praising a 6K$ IEM (that happens whenever a very expensive statement product gets praised), but that's the way it performs.

On the downside, the cable doesn't make sense for the price, and the above impression has something to do with the Brise Audio cable for sure. With a high-level cable, the IEM performs excellently. And the packaging overall is underwhelming for a statement piece in my opinion.

But one thing is for certain, @piotrus-g created a marvel from a pure sound performance perspective.
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 7:52 AM Post #79,077 of 97,582
I recall the horrible experience early last year waiting for my Denon D9200 (🥰) which shipped with PostNL - took weeks to arrive, I was convinced they were lost but they eventually showed up. I’ve had other bad experiences with them too but that one stands out!
Similar frustrations with international shipping here as of late unfortunately. Ordered a Uni-Audio cable off a Hong Kong seller, supposedly as part of a limited run exclusive to their store and local friends circles. After getting them paid (which was an uphill battle since they only took Alipay--thank you in-laws for helping with that one), I've gotten a tracking number that looks entirely separate from the one on the box in the photos--and discovered that despite charging the same amount that Right Shop does for SF Express shipping, this guy cheaped out using standard post. I'll post photos if it actually comes, but so far not a great start for a guy that suggested I recommend his cable shop to others :/
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 7:53 AM Post #79,078 of 97,582
So, I've been listening to the PMG Apx for a week now, and I've got to say, this is a whole new level in terms of portable sound. It is on the brighter side but what it does best is the insane PRaT performance.
Just like me when I eat lots of beans.
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 9:14 AM Post #79,079 of 97,582
WhatsApp Görsel 2024-01-20 saat 15.03.58_f874f5a6.jpg

So, I've been listening to the PMG Apx for a week now, and I've got to say, this is a whole new level in terms of portable sound. It is on the brighter side but what it does best is the insane PRaT performance. The quickness that it delivers feels like electrostatic systems. Noble Viking Ragnar provides that feeling too, and I've included this analogy in its review, but the Apx is a level above in terms of dynamism, texture and bass performance.

The sound-stage magnitude and imaging are probably the best I've heard, and the treble extension is unbelievably good. When it comes to mids, it's not the most musical TOTL IEM, but it gives fantastic transparency and spaciousness in that area too, so the instruments and vocals are incredibly clear and precise.

The system you see in the photo might be the best portable system I've ever listened to. I will probably receive backlash for praising a 6K$ IEM (that happens whenever a very expensive statement product gets praised), but that's the way it performs.

On the downside, the cable doesn't make sense for the price, and the above impression has something to do with the Brise Audio cable for sure. With a high-level cable, the IEM performs excellently. And the packaging overall is underwhelming for a statement piece in my opinion.

But one thing is for certain, @piotrus-g created a marvel from a pure sound performance perspective.
I agree with everything you said minus the stock cable and about the packaging. The stock cable are certainly not that bad IMO. Today I use the stock cable when I plugged it to my Envy performance and TAZ, and I can say it performs well at least for me 😉
Of course it will sound better with nice aftermarket cable but that's to be expected. I used to love slapping aftermarket cable on my newly acquired toys. My current collection are Orpheus Shielding and Meet Agains Shielding, Shirogane 8w Ultimate is coming soon 😁
About the packaging, I think it's way better than just a brown cardboard box like the Bird 🤭
 
Jan 20, 2024 at 9:28 AM Post #79,080 of 97,582
Any bright ideas on creating a shirt clip (*), and preferably one that keeps the chin slider from... err... sliding? This to avoid the ritual burning of my PWA cable.

Together with tinnitus it's like listening to a minimalist Concerto For Whistles And Saw.

(*) Or are there actually brands selling those??

drftr
 

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