I managed to listen to the Hum Pristine Reference last Saturday at Music Sanctuary, thanks to them for being such great hosts as always. I couldn't listen to the Stage as the demo unit was out somewhere, but I wasn't too bothered as I've heard it previously and knew it wasn't my thing. Don't ask me to describe the Stage though, it has been too long, I just knew it wasn't for me. The Reference was paired with the JDS C5D most of the time, followed by a very short session with the AK Jr.
I first tried the Reference with the "upgrade" cable, which is an 8 conductor monster of a cable. I couldn't find any info of this on the Hum website so if you're interested in it, you should ask them about it. With this cable, it sounded good but didn't wow me, main reason being that it doesn't sound that "reference". My main gripe with the sound is that tonality is off. As I used to play the piano and the guitar, tonality accuracy (followed by clarity and bass) is very very important to me.
I then switched to the default cable and..... BOOM! Instant goosebumps (those in the shop that day can testify as they watched the goosebumps formed on my arm lol). This is exactly the sound I'm looking for! A truly reference tuning, but not without lack of body, a complaint that is levied on the UERM and the NT6 (my current reference CIEM that I'm looking to sell haha). I can't give too much of a description of the sound mainly because when i'm listening to a gear, I don't specifically listen out for how wide the soundstage is, the depth, etc. Instead, I will just listen to see how much I enjoy it and whether there is any weakness that immediately jump out at me. The Reference definitely has a reference tuning, body, decent bass quantity and quality (for BA drivers), amazing clarity and amount of details (which some will find fatiguing). No sibilance too, which is something that I can't stand.
Compared to the Dita Answer, my current mainstay IEM and the only one I have with my that day, the most apparent difference is the mids and highs. The Dita Answer has a more recessed mids and highs, more alike a pair of speakers while the Reference's mids and highs are right in your face. The tonality is also a little different, with the Dita more natural and the Reference more neutral.
If I have to sum up the Reference in a line, it will be "Reference tuning but with good amount of body". If you're used to warm sounding earphones, this is not for you. But if you want something like the UERM, but not quite that neutral, and with more bass, you should look closely at the Reference.
IMO, the Reference sounds like a flagship CIEM, able to hold its own weight with the K10s, Roxannes, and A12s but at a fraction of the cost. The deal is made more sweet with the fact that it comes standard with a S$400-500 (about US$250-300?) cable, bringing down the actual cost of the CIEMs even more! The only thing stopping me from getting it is an audition with the Mojo (which sounds horrible with my NT6).
nice.
