Stunning in gold. Never have I owned an audiophile product that brought such a sense of occasion each time I press play as the Annihilator 2023. It is truly special and I couldn’t be more impressed with Lee Quan Min’s work— I will never part with it.

From the title of your thread, I assumed you were having a medical emergency. The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro are highly regarded and the obvious choice— especially if you have a Galaxy S24 Ultra. I own the Buds2 Pro and they very well may be the single best purchase I’ve made as a 20 year veteran...

Some of the best photos I’ve seen and shows why the gold finish is best.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-watercooler-impressions-philosophical-discussion-and-general-banter-index-on-first-page-all-welcome.957426/page-5662#post-18045777

Same experience.

https://www.mtmtaudio.com/collections/pw-audio/products/pw-audio-3-5mm-male-to-4-4mm-female-adapter

I don’t perceive any issues with the Annihilator 2023 bass response. I think the uptick in flips are by owners who merely bought it because of S+ tier ranking lists on Reddit thinking it was going to deliver FATfreq bass.

I think the question is if it’s worth purchasing the 2022 version at all. Reliability concerns aside, I feel the original tuning and design is far superior. I presently own the 2022 and regret selling the 2016-2021 Utopia.

A18s

Agreed. The adapters are unsightly and cause the cable to extend far beyond the ear. That said, I much prefer Pentaconn to 2-Pin connectors and the Effect Audio’s ConX is the best solution.

Correct. The differences between the Gold, Stainless, and Titanium Annihilator 2023 is cosmetic and there are no differences in the sound and or other components. It’s a baseless idea that there is a difference and it’s not worth entertaining the discussion.

It’s best to hook a small corner of the SpinFit tip on the nozzle and then slowly rotate the tip into position. I tried stretching the Omni barrel and it tore, forcing me to order another set. You can only stretch the tip to approximately 6.7-7mm before it tears.

In perspective the Annihilator still exists in very limited quantities when you compare the production volume to the U18t or IE800— they’re examples of monitors always available in the classifieds and eBay and trading at 50% of their MSRP. The Storm is certainly rare but even they’re reportedly...

Elysian has been working on a new flagship. That said, the Annihilator 2023 is without question one of the best in ear monitors ever, with timeless tuning and technical performance. Even with the advent of a new flagship, the Annihilator will hold its resale values because it exists in extremely...

The recommendation for the Etymōtic ER4SR or ER4XR with foam tips is very good and it has class-leading noise isolation. If you simply need ear plugs, the 3M E-A-Rsoft SuperFit Earplugs 312-1256 are the on extreme end of noise isolation and they’re the best 3M has to offer. The 3M earplugs have...

What DAPs did Elysian bring? I haven’t seen a photo of their booth.

For those of you at CanJam, can you shed light/pics on which DAPs Elysian is showing their IEMs with?

Correct. When the titanium finish was introduced there was an uptick in orders because buyers either psychologically needed to have the most expensive version or they preferred the appearance. After the novelty of titanium wore off, demand for the gold finish increased and the lead times are...

I tend to keep audio equipment for many years and have a one-in, one-out discipline of upgrading. That said, I haven’t owned or tested every generation of CD transports. I previously used (and still own) the Dan Wright ModWright Sony 9100ES Signature Truth which I felt handily beat other...

On that note, I listened to my DAVE+Blu Mk II via CD for the first time in many months and fell in love with my DAVE all over again. As some of you may or may not know, I have one of the largest known private collections of rare and out of print classical CD recordings and that’s why I purchased...

The gold Annihilator is the GOAT in my opinion.

Correct.

Sell the Utopia.

I love the Annihilator 2023 so much that I designed a custom case for it. I produced more Pelican G10 inserts than needed so I would consider selling the rest. The second design I created will fit any custom or universal monitors and also have one for the Chord Mojo 2. Send me a PM if you’re...

Correct. The A18s was a Shakespearean tragedy.