SOLID AIR! The ZMF Atrium Closed Back Headphone



BACKGROUND AND FOREGROUND:

JM (John Martyn): Hey, SLC thank you for bringing me out of my deep dark place in order to ask you some questions out of my curiosity about the new ZMF Atrium Closed Headphone. I know you have listened to my music obsessively and thank you for appreciating my art. Please start out by giving us a little background and foreground before you start this review.

SLC: Can do John. It is a pleasure to be around you! Please say hello to Beverley from me. I know you are still in contact.

The Atrium Closed I am reviewing is a demo unit provided on loan to me by ZMF. It is the stained Cherry version of the stock wood and has gold rods. The change in shimmer as you look from one side of the face to the other is mesmerizing. This one has a lot of hours on it as a demo and was at Canjam. I have owned every ZMF headphone and what I can say is that they are, as with each ZMF HP, unique in how they present the notes to my cerebral space. I have not heard the Eikon for 5 years but some Eikon images are brought out as well as Auteur feelings of joy. I can hear that lineage in the Atrium Closed.

Another winner for Zach and Bev the owners of ZMF Headphones! Beautiful stuff. I have obsessed on certain HPs and certain audio companies. Such as Vision Ears, Sennheiser, and Noble Audio. Each for different reasons. ZMF is among the companies I admire. I admire ZMF for what it is seeking to do and how it represents itself and how it takes care of its clients. It is obvious that Zach is passionate about music and how notes are conveyed. That comes across in each one of his Headphones.

Each ZMF HP brings something different to the table. It is not at all about one being better than the other. It is about personal preferences. That is how good each one is.

For reviews, as of late, I use a fictitious discombobulated interviewer that is the unique interviewer for that audio company. John Martyn is one of my musical heroes. In honor of JM I will bring him back to life and he will be the ZMF fictitious interviewer from now on. A discombobulated genius he was! The title for my review will be “Solid Air” which is the title of one of his songs and for me the sound of the Atrium closed represents solid air. Each question from JM will include a quote from one of his songs at the end of my response to his question.

The goal of my review is to be as informative as possible and make it entertaining for my sanity/pleasure and hopefully for your pleasure. I usually include in the review an interview with the creator of the audio product. JM did ask Zach a few questions out of curiosity for this review. They ran into each other recently at a pub near Zach’s house. John can be found in many pubs around the world!

Along with my impressions of the AC, I will also dive into comparisons with other HPs. This will include a close cousin and a sister of AC: the Verite Closed and the Atrium Open. That will allow the reader that has heard those get a cognitive and maybe visceral feeling of what the AC is like. I will throw in a comparison with the Dan Clark Audio Stealth for those that have heard the Stealth. If the reader has not heard any of the comparison HPs, at least it will give you an idea of differences between them and possible personal preference you might have.

“I’m going home hey, hey hey, over the hill”. JM



SLANT OF FACE:

SLC: John, the evolution of your music is a pleasure to listen to. From your albums with your wife at the time, Beverley, up to Grace & Danger. I thank you.

JM: Well, thank you SLC but I am offended with “up to Grace & Danger.” That was 1979. I lived longer than that. Anyway, please tell me about the slant of the face of the Atrium Closed. That is all you seem to talk about late at night.

SLC: The slant. So sexy. Only pictures can convey the slant and how the AC slant compares to the Verite Closed slant. Oh the slant.

Here are a couple pictures of the face angle/slant of the AC compared to the VC face slant.

First picture is with VC on top as she prefers to be. Sorry about the intimate mini XLR 4 pin female housing shots.

The second picture shows the slant well with the VC Leopard wood spooning on our left.

“If I can’t be a peaceful man, I will be who I can” JM



SOURCES AND CHAIN:

SLC: John, the 80’s were not nice to the late 60s and 70s musicians. Synthesized drums and adding your drinking buddy Phil Collins into the mix for Grace and Danger says it all.

JM: Those were my sources at the time and the direction recorded music was going at the time and I was starting to go to the very dark side. On the topic of sources, what chain did you use for this review?

SLC: All my impressions will be with these setups: Khozmo passive pre + Ferrum OOR/Hypsos + Yggdrasil OG and Holo May KTE + Holo Bliss KTE.

I do have the Jotunheim 2 and Bifrost 2/64 at work but I was not able get a chance to listen to the Atrium Closed on that setup. Darn work always got in the way Something like Bifrost with Jot or any quality tube amp is all that anyone “needs” for ZMF HPs. The rest is audio illness overkill of which I am very guilty of and most of you reading this are guilty of or will be guilty of. Is all part of the hobby/addiction. That said ZMF HPs scale up well with quality amp power and of course react well to quality tube amps. The Caldera was the only ZMF HP I have owned that did not change as much with each setup. That is most likely because it is a planar HP versus with a dynamic driver in all other current ZMF Headphones. The Caldera does not require as much massive power as for example the Susvara or Stealth or Expanse. The Caldera played happy with everything I threw at it. Obviously with a non powerful DAP or dongle it was fine and enjoyable but did not shine as much as with a powerful transportable DAP or a quality 2ch or desktop amp/dac setup. That did make a big difference with the Caldera.

I would like to start my impressions by mentioning the sub bass of the AC. So visceral. I can feel it. Super textured. But does not take anything away from the rest of the signature. I am using just the leather pads for now. I will compare the leather and suede pads at some point. I have always ended up going back to stock pads over time on all my ZMF cans. I think Zach chooses the stock pad extremely well. I also just prefer the feel of leather on my head compared to suede. Just a personal preference though.

The sub bass stays away when not called for but when it is called for it shines. This is key so that the bass does not overwhelm when not needed. I am really into sub bass and the AC does it for me. It is like the HD600 sub bass vs the HD650 mid bass focus. Or the Eikon sub bass slant vs. the Aeolus mid bass focus. The AC tops all of those in texture and for lack of better words it has a next level maturity going on in the sub bass. It is not just a fun bass that gets boring after a bit. It is mature and draws me in to understand it more even after an extended 5 course date together at a French restaurant. That says a lot

“Now please won’t you, please won’t you bear it in mind for me” JM

TREBLE:

JM: Now that is all off our chest can you talk a bit about where I like to start and that is the top end?

SLC: Your favorite area JM! How is the Atrium closed on top?

It is a marvel what Zach has done in that I hear the top end as very present but…… I have written numerous times in the past that I have not heard a treble I did not like. In the case with the AC, I hear the treble as very present but in a good way. I usually do not focus on the treble. It is always part of the evening or morning pleasure but not a focus of the foreplay nor post-play. With AC I spend time focusing on the treble and hear the treble in a different way. I can feel the sticks hit the cymbal with texture. I can picture the actual softness or hardness at which the cymbals are contacted. “Music Delivery / Percussion” by Andrew Cyrille is a great album to discover and feel the texture of the treble with the AC. Rather impressive.

I am not hearing the treble as rolled off which adds to the feeling of staging for a closed back HP. I am hearing the presence of the treble but with no fatigue. The treble plays into a theme of the sound of the AC. The theme of resolution, detail retrieval and clarity but with musicality and non fatiguing smoothness.
I know I have had HPs with great top ends but this is the first one that has me looking up top as much as down low!

“Take a little look from the outside if you can” JM



MIDS:

JM: And your favorite area SLC, the mid section?


SLC: Yes, those mids. What is life without them!

Mids are really important to me and play an important role in the overall signature of an IEM or HP that I look forward to listening to. I cannot handle when too much is focused down low or up top. The Atrium Closed has the sub bass that is a star and the treble that draws you in. But how is the core of the AC?

I am hearing mid-range of the AC as not forward nor recessed. The mids are right where they need to be. That had to be hard to achieve with such good sub bass and treble. I do hear female voices a little bit forward compared to male voices. I hear a tiny bump in the upper mids compared to the lower mids. My guess is that is because of the treble being well balanced from upper and lower treble as compared to the bass that has a sub bass slant. This sub bass slant probably takes a little away from the lower mids. Just a guess from what I hear in my head.

Nothing is scooped out of the core nor raised to a level of easy fatigue. The AC has smooth well textured mids that ask for your attention but do not demand it. I have been listening to trio jazz all morning with Sax being the main instrument (recent Charles Lloyd). I am extremely impressed with the amount of “realness” and “liveness” in the sax notes. The tonality is so good and with feeling/texture. The excellent texture of the notes will be a theme throughout this review.

As I mentioned before the resolution and clarity are still excellent despite the smoothness. It is not an overly warm smoothness but more of a detailed and textured smoothness. Great combo in my opinion. The natural decay of the notes do not add much color at all. They add a lot to the enjoyment.

“This is the beginning of forever” JM

SIGNATURE OVERALL:

JM: According to you, my first 10 albums were the only good ones and those 10 defined my overall signature, can you talk about the overall signature of the AC?

SLC: 10 albums is 7 more than most excellent musicians ever create. 1967 to 1976 is an amazing run and you did that all while the demons were at the door.

The signature of the AC is a pleasure to discover. I do not look at frequency graphs. Due to a lack of those skills or mainly because I care about the frequency graph in my warped mind. The frequency graph in my head has the AC going far to the left and far to the right for a closed back HP. That could cause issues with not being able to touch the notes in the middle (the Oriolus Traillii IEM for example). This is not the case with the AC. I hear an amazing correct presence of sub bass on one end and very correct and present upper and lower treble. The magic sauce in my opinion is that Zach put in enough mid range so that the Left and Right ends of the stage do not dominate. No dominatrix with the AC.

Most of instruments and vocals in songs are in the mid range. The mids have to shine otherwise you have a one trick pony. The mids of all ZMF headphones in my opinion are always enjoyable whether it is a thicker warm HP or a more analytical ZMF HP. For me the vocals and instruments like the trumpet need to be what I hear well and with feeling. The AC does not disappoint with that. Some HPs are more about the bigger picture and the intellectual act of focusing on each part of the signature is not what it is about. With the AC it is super easy to focus on each part of the signature and it is an intellectual joy to do so. But it all comes together to make the overall experience smooth and pleasurable. That to me is what makes the AC special. It is smooth with detail and clarity but somehow all those separate parts come together as one. I attribute that to the world class texture of this headphone. The Atrium closed does not go so far with the detail and clarity to become a clinical HP. The AC still has feeling in its detailed notes. The ZMF house feeling is still there.

Speaking of feelings, an AC revelation hit me last night. The AC is not about just smoothness, not just about clarity and detail, the biggest win that is now hitting me is the actual feeling behind the notes I am hearing. This texture as I have already mentioned a few times. I hear the saxophone, the trumpet, the drums, the guitar, the bass, the vocals etc. with feeling. I can feel the notes of the instrument. That is coming to the forefront after many hours of focus time with AC. She has met my parents and now we are getting our first apartment together.

“Some people got a glass eye, some people got a window to watch”. JM



TIMBRE:

JM: Yes, the demons did get me in the long run but the notes were always in my head. Tell me about the Atrium Closed notes Mr. SLC?

SLC: I know you love chocolate John so let me use chocolate as an analogy. And do you remember that time John at the chocolate bar in Dublin?

I describe notes as somewhere on the chocolate scale. For example the Verite closed to me is more about milk chocolate notes. A little thicker and a little longer decay. A smooth impactful taste. The notes of the AC are more in the dark chocolate range. They are more clear, and more fine with less decay/reverb but with a truckload of feeling in each note. Some HPs have thicker notes and the presentation is more about the big picture and then you have to look hard to figure out the different parts.
The AC has the fineness of dark chocolate. Each part is easier to decipher. Each flavor hits me first with amazing texture. Whether it be a hint of almond or caramel or a coffee flavor. But those distinct flavors can be put together if I want into the overall flavor of the dark chocolate. The trick of understanding dark chocolate is letting each flavor that hits the palate be experienced. It is about the individual parts first which make the whole of it a joy. The AC is like that with an added bonus of still being smooth and textured. Each very distinct flavor goes into my being and combines into one as I want and when I want. The AC notes are like that. The individual to the whole vs. the whole to the individual. The Gestalt of the AC is really good: Gestalt as in “the human brain will attempt to simplify and organize complex images or designs that consist of many elements, by subconsciously arranging the parts into an organized system that creates a whole, rather than just a series of disparate elements.” I referenced Gestalt in a review I did of the Vision Ears EXT. That was about the whole first and then the parts second. The AC is about the individual parts that lead into a wonderful whole.

How the notes are presented and the signature of the AC is what creates this beautiful Gestalt.

“You’ve been painting it blue, and you’ve been looking through solid air”. JM

COMPARISON, VERITE CLOSED:

JM: I know one of your favorite test tracks is Cousin Dupree by Steely Dan. Sick song and sick name for a group by the way. Can you tell me about the Cousin of Atrium Closed, the Verite Closed?

SLC: yes, it is an odd song but very well recorded as were your 4th to 8th albums.

What a compliment to each other! I just mentioned the whole Gestalt thing of the individual parts into a whole and vice versa. Well the VC and AC really are Ying and Yang. I know the VC well. I have owned it in three different woods. The current version being Leopardwood. VC is about the whole first. The music is presented first as something you can sit back and enjoy as one. In an impactful way but as one first. The AC has the individual parts first that combine into the overall music in the brain. With VC you go to the music/notes or not. With the AC the notes/music come to you. You can decide to lean back and relax and enjoy the overall music or not. VC is to AC as HD650 is to HD600. VC is to AC as DCA Expanse is to DCA Stealth. VC is to AC as Atticus is to Eikon. VC is to AC as Aeolus is to Auteur.

Yes, VC has impactful notes but the notes are milk chocolate as I mentioned before. They are thicker and the decay is longer. The AC is the dark chocolate. The notes with the AC have a quicker decay for me but still with a lot of texture/feeling. But the flavor of both last long whether milk or dark. Just a different flavor.

When I compare the same song with AC then VC and back and forth the first thing I notice is how the bass in presented. Strong sub bass with the AC. Very strong when called for. The VC presents the same bass on the same song as more mid bass focused. The second thing I notice is that the timbre of female vocals are different. Not better or worse but different. It takes about a minute to adjust. The tonality of the instruments are similar.

The impact of the thicker notes of the VC also comes out right away when I go back and forth. The AC presents the same notes as more laid back and more lean. Lean as in a smoother way with the main feature being as I mentioned before the feeling of each note of the AC is outstanding.

These two closed back HPs do compliment each other well.

“She walked to the water and came back looking good and feeling fine”. JM



COMPARISON, ATRIUM OPEN:

JM: This allows me to transition to the sister of the Atrium Closed. That would be of course the Atrium Open.

SLC: “You're just like a sweet and simple sister to me” from May You Never. I love your lyrics John!

The timbre/tonality comes across as very similar which of course makes sense. The AO comes across as more relaxed even though I would not consider it a warm HP. To me it is a relaxed HP. The AC notes are more in front of me and intimate in comparison and to the left/right and back and fore notes of the AO. The AO notes are around me but are more chill about it. AO is more of a longer session sound vs. the more present notes of the AC. AC is still for longer sessions just not as long as AC. AO is there all around you and you become one with it. The AC due to the added intimacy always keeps you a little on your toes. Ready for a little lovin’.

The staging of the AO is wider and higher which is to be expected with an open back HP. They both have a staging that is around the head. AC has a more intimate of stage as mentioned before but pulls off a wide Left to Right stage due to the added sub bass (wow is it good) and a very tiny bit of added sparkle on top compared to the AO.

They share timbre but depart from there. Wonderfully but also financially annoying, the AO and AC can both exist in ones staple of HPs just like the AC and VC can. If you really like the timbre of the Atrium then the AC will provide added isolation of course, added intimacy, added fun and added sub bass. AO will add space, an even more balanced signature, and a limitless lack of fatigue for very long sessions.

The AO likes to hang out with you and chill. The AC is a pleasure to be with but does have more of the “hello, I am here for some lovin’” going on.

“Life, go easy on me, love, don’t pass me by”. JM



PADS AND IMPEDANCE:

JM: Pads and Impedance! Our mantra when we would go out in the old days. Talk about them SLC!

SLC: Yes, a little P & I! Got us far late at night.

I will compare the Caldera slim leather pads (stock for Atrium Closed) with the Caldera suede pads. As I mentioned at the start of this review, with each ZMF headphone I have used, I end up pad rolling and then sticking with the stock leather pad. There are three reasons for that. One is that I think Zach uses the stock pad for a reason. It seems to be the one he prefers for the sound he wants/likes. Second, I prefer the feel of leather over suede. Just a personal preference there. And third it does end up being the sound signature I prefer.

Pad rolling with ZMF HPS is like cable rolling with IEMs but pads are lot less expensive than IEM cables. Each pad adds a different flavor to the existing signature.

That said what do the suede pads do to the Atrium closed sound that I am so used to now? Overall what I hear is that the suede adds an added touch of smoothness. If you find the signature of the AC needs to be smoothed out more then try the suede pads. It feels like a smoothness filter was put on them when using the suede pads. Everything is toned down a bit. Nothing is lost just toned down. It is a great option to be able to tweak the sound.

Short aside on Low and High impedance with the Holo Bliss KTE Amplifier. With an IEM the difference is drastic. The Hi-Z setting is not a friend of the EE Odin for example. But with Lo-Z setting things sound like they should. With the AC HP I notice a smoothing out even further with Lo-Z. Too smooth for me. I prefer the Hi-Z setting. This might be because I have spent many hours on Hi-Z with AC already. The detail and bass are better with Hi-Z. The texture is so much better on Hi-Z.





COMPARISON, DCA STEALTH:

JM: My first 10 albums according to you (I did other great albums you know) were staples. A current closed back staple according to a lot of people, is the Dan Clark Audio Stealth. Compare it to the AC please.

SLC: Remember John, 10 albums is 10 more than most and 7 more than other great musicians.

With the Stealth there is a lighter contact of the notes. The notes are a little further away from me. The Stealth takes a few minutes to adjust to before the music sounds “right”. This happens with me with most planar HPs. There is a slight mind adjustment that needs to happen. Then all is good. The Stealth is a lot harder to drive than the AC.

The two share a lot in their signature. My theory is in order to add staging both have an added sub bass slant and an added tiny sparkle on top. They both have excellent clarity and detail. Both have notes that are not milk chocolate in nature but are of the dark chocolate variety i.e excellent texture.

As I stated already the Stealth has the music around me but a little further away. The AC notes are closer to me in my head and more intimate.
The Stealth is considered by some to be the best closed back headphone in the world. The fact that the AC competes extremely well with it says a lot.

When I go back and forth between the two the planar vs. DD difference becomes obvious. Again they share a lot with their dark chocolate signature but a quality DD has that “analogue” halo around the notes compared to a more “clinical” presence around the planar notes. Neither is better than the other. Just a different flavor of a very similar dark chocolate.




Interview with Zach Mehrbach, the creator of ZMF Headphones:

JM: Despite their differences in signature, the tonality of the AO and AC are very similar in a wonderful way. That said, the Atrium Open uses an Acoustic Titan Mesh. How did this come about with the Atrium Open? And how did it come about not being used with the Atrium Closed?

ZM: The titan mesh we custom cut to get what I deem "the right" amount of treble. There was quite a bit of back and forth in the Atrium open to arrive at the spot where the peaks are in the most agree-able place for the greatest amount of people. With the Atrium Closed I did have it on for quite a while, but then when I switched to tuning with the Caldera pads enough of the front energy was dissipated slowly through the outer perforations to enable me to get rid of the titan mesh.

It will be interesting to see as I move forward if I end up needing the titan mesh on any Caldera pad tuned headphones, but overall the titan mesh is used as a non destructive to "other" frequencies mesh to enable a custom tuning to the users preference for treble/above 3 KHZ or so frequencies. I tune all of them to my taste but we offer different meshes on the site for different tastes. A number of users use the Atrium with a solid mesh and some with no mesh on them.


JM: Zach, I cannot get over the slant of the face of the AC. I keep looking at it and touching it. I feel like Narcissus in front of the pool. How did the slant come about and why is it a different slant compared to the Verite Closed? Were you watching French New Wave movies especially by Godard and you became inspired to add a slant with a sexy curve to it?

ZM: Ha I appreciate the auteur/new wave reference! Really I set out to make sure it looked as different as possible from the Verite Closed as I could make it while retaining the internal characteristics that helped make the Verite sound the way it did. I knew that with my closed designs I don't like to angle driver (not yet) due to it causing unpredictable back wave and response characteristics. So angling the cup to a greater extent made sense to get the right kind of decay that worked with the Atrium damping system and dissipation of energy/air flow.

Aside from that - I wanted more weird things to be included, like an inlet or "gulley" of sorts. But it turned out that was really really hard to sand and would've been inconsistent visually.


JM: I had a hard time keeping the passion for creating new art going. Especially as the demons visited me more often. How do you take a passion and turn it into a profession and still keep the passion?

ZM: I think there's such a gamut/divide between what it takes to run a good business, and make a good headphone. If anything running ZMF as a good business to keep our staff employed and be a good employer, has just made my appreciation for making and enjoying headphones even greater. I typically spend my "free" time working on the headphones when it's not business hours as a way to "wind down" from all the frustrating ins and outs of the business part of ZMF. I just love that part of "creating" and fortunately have been able to keep it separate from the rest of it. It's been more of a struggle as ZMF has gotten a little bigger, but I plan on trying to keep it that way!

JM: Thank you Zach for taking the time to allow me to interview you. I am glad I ran into you at your nearby pub!!



CONCLUSION:

JM: OK, SLC our time has come to part, I hope to interview you again in the not so distant future. And yes, 10 classics was a lot of albums. Can you give the reader a final note before we part ways?

SLC: I will see you in the future JM. You will be back. Thank you JM for making the trip to the States for this review. I appreciate your insightful questions and I have enjoyed many hours with your music!

ZMF has done it again. A work of art both visually and aurally! The lineage of the Eikon/Auteur is there but for me it is taken to another level of texture of the notes and overall presence around my head. It seems very hard to keep the stage open and the reverb away in a closed back headphone. ZMF does amazing open back HPs and somehow creates masterpieces with closed back headphones. The sibling of the Atrium closed, the Atrium Open, is a wonderful headphone in its own right. The Atrium closed shares the same timbre but the overall presentation is its own thing and for sure should be experienced by anyone that can experience it.

I tip my hat to ZMF!

"Girl From the North Country"

INTRODUCTION

Who am I? I was deep into Headphones around 2016 to 2019 and then went super deep into IEMs for a few years. For 8 months now I have been back going very deep into HPs. I love listening to music, I love analyzing sound and I love writing. I do reviews for me first due the creative intellectual masturbatory pleasure I get out of the process, and I want to get what is hopefully beneficial information out to others.

I do not have a website and I do reviews that I want to do. Sometimes I review items I purchased and sometimes not. I am a huge ZMF, Noble Audio, DCA, Holo Audio and Sennheiser fan as you can tell by my gear in my signature.

Sennheiser contacted me out of the blue last month and asked if I would like to be part of introducing the HD 660S2 to the community. Well, I am a huge HD600 fanboy so of course I would like to be part of introducing it unless is sucks. Sometimes I say no out of lack of interest or lack of time. Other times I get a product and send it back or sell it if I purchased it rather than doing a review. I am only interested in reviewing what I enjoy and what I think others should know about.

4 of my 5 last reviews involved a different style I have been working on. I use a fictitious interviewer specific to the company of the product I am reviewing. Vison Ears has Bob the sexually repressed and in recovery interviewer. Vision Ears has the grumpy and rough around the edge’s interviewer name Leroy. I am working on an interviewer for ZMFheadphones for the introduction of the Atrium Closed Back in a month or two. For Sennheiser, you will meet Siegfried the overly optimistic interviewer. This interviewer is based off a real person I lived with in Germany when I spent 4 years there. The goal for me is to enjoy the process. My goal for the reader is hopefully they gain a lot of knowledge about how the HD 660S2 sounds and how it sounds in comparison to the other HD 6 series headphones.



PACKAGING

Siegfried: Hey MM How about the cute little package? It is so exciting to get my sharp Hermes box opener out and with precision open a box of love! I see you have not changed since we were roommates am Kreuzburg in Bonn. Sorry about my buddy changing your oil on your Fiat Uno and forgetting to put the oil pan plug back in. You made it about 50 meters from the Capella before there was a divine like noise from the block. Those crack well.

SLC: Glad you have your sharp opener Siggie! Yes, those were the days. I thought it was a gunshot into my engine that seized up my white Uno. Nothing like having it towed to Ankum so Helmut could put a rebuilt engine in it. Enough of that package, now to the HD 660S2 package. I really like the simplicity of the S2 package. A small box is easier to store and easier to ship. Super ergonomic. I usually just take the IEM or Heaphone out of the box and touch nothing else in the box. I then store the box in a safe place, dry dark place. The opposite of where your mind is optimistic Sieggie. The soft pouch is totally fine. Keeps the dust off them. I love that a cable with 6.3 termination is still included with an adapter to 3.5. I love that a balanced 4.4mm cable is included. 4.4mm is taking over and is a must in my opinion. All that is missing is a 4.4mm female to XLR 4 pin male adapter. A lot of HP amps use XLR still. Then all bases are covered. And for me 1.8 meters is perfect I am still able to reach my HP amp and it the cable is not too long to use with a DAP. Simple and ergonomic is better.

I am a fan of keeping all 6XX series HPs with the same frame and cups. Other companies like ZMF and DCA and Audeze for example do a lot of sharing of chassis and cups. The lightness of the 6XX series HPs is wonderful. The clamp can be tight for some, but it does loosen up over time or can be loosened through bending of the strap.

I like how red is not used on the connector to designate Right. More discrete to have all black on the connectors. That brings me to those three dots! No one likes to be wasting time in the dark missing out on a special moment. The three dots on the left gimbal allow me in the dark or light to quickly know which cup to put on which side of my head.

Great simple package. Just like you Siggie! I mean that in a pure way Siggie! There will be no corrupting you! I tried after the wall came down, but the freedom never changed you! You stayed pure through Die Wende Zeit and beyond!

Side note: The HD 660S2 is for sure worth the $600 price and in my opinion the quality of sound coming from the S2 is worth more than the $600 price! I do not say that lightly!





COMPARISON TO HD 600

Siegfried: Remember how much fun we had am Kreuzberg in Bonn, looking out the window and hearing the bird’s making music in the morning. It really helped you get over those 0,5s Markie Mark!! I know you want to talk about the S2 specifically, but can you please start by comparing it to what is close to your heart; the HD 600. We would just sit and look at that marble sheen and those curves while the birds sang!

SLC: I can do that Sig. I remember the 0,5 Kölsch but not the birds. I do remember you rolling up to Kreuzberg in your Trabant! Oh, the smells that came out of that exhaust.

For my comparisons I will use the same 4.4mm stock Sennheiser cable. I have 2 of them which makes is slicker than the pain on your 1990 Trabbi!

600 is a classic. Crisp and clean and detailed with a natural tonality. My standard of what is my personal sound preference. Anyone say ZMF Auteur or DCA Stealth. HD 600 gets super close to those neutral, clarity boys. Huge words IMO.

The S2 has a deeper, richer, more textured bass compared to the 600. The treble is more forward with S2. Smooth forward rather than sparkly. The female vocals of S2 are a little richer and more forward. Everything seems more forward with the S2. But, upon a longer listen it is not that the S2 is more forward. There is a sheen of glass taken away compared to the 600. There is for sure an increase in clarity and dynamics. This adds a richness to the sound.

A richness to the sound that is in the same family of what I hear with 4-5K planars such at DCA Expanse. 600 is closer to the DCA Stealth and the S2 is closer to the DCA Expanse sound signature. These are 4K HPs I am talking about. A $300 and $600 HP should not even be mentioned in the same breath, but I am, and I can because it is valid that the S2 gets close enough to the 4K HPs to put them in the same breath.

There is more bass slam on the S2. Not basshead slam but textured mid and sub presence vs the 600

Male voices are closer on S2. The tonality/naturalness of male voices on 600 and S2 are both excellent. I like the timbre on both. The S2 notes are a tiny bit more rounded than the 600. I would attribute this to the wider stage of the S2.

The timbre and tonality are extremely similar on both. I like that because I like the 600 timbre. With 600 I am thinking “wow how did they make such good sound at this price range.” With S2 I am thinking “this is so good, I am enjoying this a lot, I am not feeling I am missing anything.” With S2 I am not thinking about grabbing a 4K HP to get to the next level. I am enjoying S2 for what it is. An enjoyable engaging HP to listen to. I am not feeling any FOMO when they are on my head. That to me is incredible. Like I have said with S2 a pain of glass has been taken away vs. 600. The landscape is the same as with the 600 (tonality and timbre) but I see the landscape in a clearer and more expansive way.

On the note, with staging, I am hearing the music more to the L and R on the S2 vs. the 600. For the 600 the music is right in front of me a bit at the level of my forehead. For the S2 the music expands out to the sides of my head and a few inches in front of me and higher up. At the top of my head level. The music is surrounding me more than the pinpoint positioning of the 600.

When I go back and forth for longer sessions and short back and forth, I find that the 600 and S2 have the same level of “when am I going to get tired of this” happening. Neither is warm in the “I could just listen forever and even doze off” vein. The S2 and 600 both have me enjoying the music and admiring the notes. The S2 does it with a more around me sound. Wider vs. the narrower sound of the 600. The S2 has more levels of dynamics happening. Both are micro masters. Both are tonality masters. 600 is on a narrower stage with lower ceiling. S2 is on a wider stage with higher ceiling and better 3D sound. The notes are in a bigger space vs. 600. 600 is more intimate and better for fun under the covers. S2 has you using all the bed for your enjoyment. You still with me mein Schatzi Sigi!



COMPARISON TO HD650

Siegfried: I am with you Schatz! You always preferred the HD600 in the past to the HD650. I prefer the HD650 for warmth and longer sessions and that mid bass bump. And by the way my Trabi finally no longer rolls down the cobblestone streets. It met its demise in front of the Sparkasse we lived above! What a joy life is and what a joy my Pia and Trabi have been. I donated it to our local village next to the Rathaus where we had der Richtkranz when it was being built. We sang traditional songs all night and enjoyed our 0.2 drinks!

SLC: I assume you are talking about the Trabi and not your wife Pia being donated! Congratulations on the change either way.

The HD650! I have owned it a few times. I get the “classicness” of it also. I get how some prefer the HD650 over HD600. I get how the HD650 has that chocolate syrupiness of the notes. It has a milk chocolate decay of the notes vs. the dark chocolate decay of the 600. I could write a book on the differences of these two classic HPS and put it in the museum next to Pia. I mean your Trabi. Sorry about the Freudian slip Sig man!

I could listen to the HD 650 for hours and not get any fatigue. With the 650 you must come to the notes . In comparison to the S2, with the S2 the notes come to you. Not in a an annoying “why is this guy always wanting to talk to me” at the party feeling but in a “I am so glad she enjoys coming over and engaging in a conversation with me” feeling. The S2 is closer to me. More intimate than the 650. That is wonderful unless there is bad breath involved. Nothing personal Siegried. We all get that at times.

There is a difference in timbre from 650 and S2. S2 is closer to the 600 tonality/timber. 650 has milk chocolate thicker notes. More pouring of honey in the notes. A little more distance chill I just need to relax going on. S2 notes are tighter and faster. The vocals of the S2 are closer to you than with 650.

The big similarity is in the bass. The S2 does have a milder subbass bump of the 600 but has the mid bass jump of the 650. Someone took their time to get this S2 right. They lifted some of the “boringness” of the 600 but kept the tonality and clarity and detail of the 600. They also added to the S2 the midbass bump. Great touch.

The S2 is quicker with the notes vs. the 650. The S2 has everything coming at you closer than with 650. So much more dynamic and with a pane of glass taken away. It is weird but the S2 is like an improvement to the strengths of the 650 as well as an improvement of the strengths of the 600. If you do want the music to just be there and be playing and be chill about it then the 650 is still a good choice as a complementary HP to have in your stable.

The HD 650 is more laid back with a longer decay. The S2 is so much quicker. Like going from a planar to DD HP. The tonality of both is different but “realistic”. Just slower on the 650. The S2 has a higher fun factor over the 650 and 600. I hear the heritage of the two in the S2. The game has just been upped this time. The 650 and 600 are still classics and still should have a place in an HP stable. The S2 is an updated version of both in a good way. As I said before, the developers put effort into making an upgrade and not a side grade and they really were cognizant of not ruining a classic.

Let me reiterate, that I have no skin in the game. I do this for the cognitive brain orgasm I get out of analyzing what I enjoy. This is a joy to write, and I hope informative for the listener.

Oh yes back to Sig the man. I almost forgot about my overly optimistic bud. I got deep into my audio world. I remember the time I tried to turn you into Sig the Swig and took you to the De Wallen in Amsterdam and then the Reeperbahn in Hamburg. I love how you turned the events into conversations and nothing else. You are about dignity and respect Herr Schlosser, and you will go to a better place if there is one, when this is all said and done. You taught me a lot.

BTW here the playlist I use for understanding HPs for review purposes. These are the songs I listen to most due to the quality of the recording in a lot of cases as well as how much I enjoy the songs:

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/c3bde940-1a74-4096-a3f6-89ea47ac5fa1

A big take away for me in this comparison is the amount of lineage the S2 has from the 650.



COMPARISON TO HD 660S

Siegfried: Getting access to your playlist reminds me so much of the cassette playlists you would make for me. I did not know what the words meant but I enjoyed the music. I remember you asking me to stop singing “Walk on the Wild Side” in public. Seeing you blush was worth whatever I was saying. On that note, MM it is time to compare the 660S2 to the 660S.

SLC: Hey Sig check out the movie “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”. Leave your optimism adjacent to the door. Speaking of Lou Reed, I remember when I was living in France with my partner at the time and her younger sister singing the Vanessa Paradis version of “Walk on the Wild Side” and her having no clue what she was saying. That was not as funny at all compared to your version.

S2 and S time it is: Easy to cut to the chase on this one. I am truly amazed how the S2 is a better version of the S with some serious lineage going on with 600 timbre and 650 rounder notes and bass bump. All 6 series HPs have mids that are sublime. IMO most of the notes I want to hear are in the mid range. That is where the maturity of the music is at. The 6 series keeps the mids as the meat. The S2 bass is very similar to the S bass except the S2 bass has more texture. It is simply a better version of the same bass. I am not the best at talking about treble and I hear a very similar treble between S2 and S. I am not hearing any harshness with S2 nor S. But I have not met a treble I did not like. Especially after a drink or two.

As I compare the two quickly and after longer sessions with both, the big take away, which I alluded to already is timbre. The 660S2 is like watching a good movie. You are absorbed in the movie and enjoy the movie. You become one with the movie. When a movie is missing some things, I start thinking about the acting or the plot or just start thinking about something not related to the movie. I get that “something is missing” feeling. With certain HPs I become one with the HP. With the S2 I am enjoying the music. Not a laid-back music that gets boring for me. Not thrown in my face notes that get annoying. I enjoy the music with the S2. I am not thinking about the “acting” nor the “plot”. I am enjoying the music.

I do not get the same level of engagement with S as I do with S2. S is very good, S2 is so much more engaging though. The timbre and how the notes end are what makes it more engaging for me. The acting of the notes is at a better level. I am enjoying the acting and the story rather than thinking about the acting.

Separation of notes are better with S2. The moving of my head is happening with S2. In a dorky way at 5:00 am in the living room. Again, I am sounding like a broken record, but someone really took the effort to make the S2 better than S in every way and keep the lineage/strengths of 600 and 650. There is a place for 600 and 650 to continue being made. I see no reason to make the S anymore. I get that Bangle BMW feeling when I listen to the 660S. With the S2 I get the “they are back on track and a lot more” feeling. The S2 tops the S in every way and leaves no need at all to grab the S for a session. S2 is simply that good.

“They say, oh my God I see the way you shine
Take your hand, my dear, and place them both in mine
You know you stopped me dead while I was passing by
And now I beg to see you dance just one more time”
Dance Monkey by Tones and I




SENNHEISER HD 660S2: Final thoughts

Siegfried: Time to say adieu MM. I thank you for helping me see the dark light but keep my optimism. I have enjoyed my time with you again. It has been a while. I ask you to wrap up your thoughts about the Sennheiser HD 660S2. I now look you in the eye and say Prost and Zum Wohl mein Freund!

SLC: Sig, you are the man and cheers to you, my friend!

I listen to jazz more than anything else. Trio and modal jazz to be more specific. My playlist for understanding gear does not have a lot of jazz in it since I want to hear numerous instruments happening in the same song and more bass and treble and of course vocals.

The HD 600 is an amazing HP for Trio and modal jazz. Slower lyrical jazz with fewer instruments. The detail and timbre are superb for that purpose. The HD 650 draws me to Rock and Roll and the sick amount of Americana music I listen to (in a simplistic way Americana caught on with Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan with “Nashville Skyline” to Lucinda Williams and of course the demigod Neil Young. The music and producing by Dave Rawlings are a great current version of Americana).

The 660S2 is drawing me to everything. In a similar way the ZMF Caldera does. Nothing is missing in my opinion. Nothing is too much. The timbre is there. The musicality is there. It is detailed. The bass is there. There is not an annoying V shape. 80% of the music is in the mid-range and the mid-range of the 660S2 is exactly what it should be. The bass and treble act as accoutrements. The top and bottom frequencies are super well integrated with the mids. They add color to the mids. Not too much and not too little.

I am not one for hyperbole when it comes to audio gear. There is a lot of it out there and a lot of really good gear. Most gear has strengths and weaknesses. I am hard pressed to find a weakness with the HD 660S2. Maybe because it is harder to drive. But it sounds great on all gear I have tried it on from a normal DAP to high-end Headphone amps. I think they went back to 300 Ohms because at 300 ohms the magic of the driver can happen. I think Sennheiser tried to keep the magic by appeasing some and going to 150 Ohms with the 660S. I think the 660S is a good HP but the Sennheiser 6 series magic was gone. I can say with 100% SLC MM certainty that the magic is back.

The magic is back with a style of its own. The 600 lineage is in the 660S2. With even more 650 lineage in the 660S2. That said it does not replace the 600 and it does not replace the 650. They both have huge merits and should be kept in the lineup. I reach for the 600 when I want to focus on detailed timbre and sub bass. I reach for the 650 when I want added mid bass and warmth and musicality. The biggest thing the 660S2 adds to the mix is added dynamics. Sound is happening in a 3-dimensional way that other HPs in the 6 series do not have. All around you but with wonderful timbre/tonality and musicality. Also, with detail and warmth. Sometimes the engagement factor can be lost when you add all that together and this is not happening with the 660S2. That is what makes the HD 660S2 so special.

Time for me to go listen to Dance Monkey followed by the Dylan/Cash version of Girl from the North Country.

Until we meet again!
MM

Noble Audio Kublai Khan:
A collaborative review by @SeeSax and @SLC1966
with an interview with Dr. John Moulton from Noble Audio.




PREAMBLE
The Kublai Khan. The name alone piqued interest for us to want to write a review for it! What do we mean by “us”? SeeSax on Head-Fi AKA Collin and SLC AKA Mark and AKA SLC1966 on Head-Fi have been audio collaborators for 4 years now. We have discussed and traded and sold to each other many IEMs and many cables. Sometimes selling back and forth to each other the same IEM 4 times before we had the courage to let it go out into the wild. We did it with the Original Khan (the Genghis Khan) and when Kublai came out, it was a given that we collaborate together publicly for the first time.

As a reference to the original Khan, SeeSax reviewed it (HERE) in January of 2020.

SLC introduced the public to Leroy, the fictitious but grumpy and rough around the edges interviewer in his review of the Noble Audio K10 Legacy IEM (HERE) in August of 2021.

For this review we wanted to bring Leroy back. It was very hard to track him down. We told our families we were on a mission to find Leroy and left our homes June 1st and embarrassingly found Leroy in a bathhouse in Reykjavik Iceland. Somehow we all happened to be in the same bathhouse. We dragged him and his tape recorder back to reality and allowed him three weeks to sober up before we allowed him to ask us questions for this review.

Leroy was also able to meet up with Dr. John Moulton, the founder and creative artist behind Noble Audio, at a treetop cafe at an undisclosed location. Leroy did send us the cassette tape of the interview with Dr. Moulton but Leroy has not been heard from since.

We now give you our interview about Kublai Khan with Leroy in most of its entirety. The non Kublai parts of our interview can be found in the back of some adult magazine!



HISTORY
Leroy: Before I ask you questions, can one of you schmucks get me some info on any history you know about Genghis Khan (OG Khan) and this Kublai Khan (Kublai or KK)?

SLC & SeeSax: We will both respond to Leroy and please keep it as clean as you were on the boat ride back from Reykjavik Leroy. We would like you to keep this all ages friendly please. You will have the chance to ask John Moulton, the creator of the Khan and Kublai Khan, questions when you hope back on the boat to locate him for your interview with him. Our short version of the story is that Genghis Khan came out a few years ago. It consists of a single DD, 4 BA and 1 Piezoelectric driver. There was a V1 that had some 2 pin housing issues. All those were replaced by Noble Audio at no charge and some refer to the newer version as V2. Either way it looks like none of the V1s are out there in the wild so all OG Khan’s have the current 2 pin housing with there being no issues with them. We both had the OG Khan. The same one in fact.

Kublai Khan descends directly from the OG Khan lineage. It has 4 different types of drivers though instead of 3. The Kublai has a 10 mm DD for bass and sub bass, a bone conductor subwoofer, 4 Knowles BAs for the mid-lows and mid-highs, and a 10mm piezoelectric super tweeter.


Leroy: SeeSax and SLC, where did you get those names? Did your past relationships give you those names?

SLC: I have no social media other than a Myspace account, where I am still trying to reach Justin Timberlake. When I got a Head-Fi account in 2016, I had no clue it was a name that would follow you around (SLC1966). “SLC” is for Salt Lake City. “1966” is for an undisclosable reason.

SeeSax: It’s the phonetic spelling of my name and given that SLC is a Speech-Language pathologist, I was really just trying to impress him.



SIZE AND SHAPE
Leroy: I love talking about size and shape. How are the sizes and shapes for each of you?

SLC: Kublai is big but is the same size as other IEMs with multiple drivers. Fit is excellent for me. The steel nozzle adds high quality and most likely very durability. There also a filter on the nozzle

SeeSax: Kublai is roughly the same size and shape of other TOTL offerings, and lighter than the CNC aluminum Noble offerings in general. I find fit and comfort to be top notch, despite the size of the shell. The nozzle is on the longer side, allowing for a deeper insertion, and I’d better stop there before Leroy chimes in with something inappropriate. Overall, no complaints with comfort/size and worth mentioning is that the super soft and supple cable only adds to the comfort and listening enjoyment.



TIP ROLLING
Leroy: I hear both of you are into tips! How is the Kublai tip rolling going for you?

SLC: I usually need to do massive tip rolling with IEMs until I get the seal that works well for me. The Kublai’s have sealed well with all tips I have tried. I do recommend using the smallest tip that gets a seal. That allows for the deepest insertion which then allows for the bone conductor to be felt the best. Rumble rumble rumble!

SeeSax: as with most Noble IEMs, my tried and true JVC Spiral Dot++ tips fit perfectly and give me the correct sound and seal. No need to tip roll here, but am happy to report the “standard” size nozzle will allow for almost all aftermarket tips to be used. Whatever suits the listener!



THE SOUND
Leroy: Please give me your basic general take on the overall sound of the Kublai?

SLC: Way to ask a question without digging a hole Leroy. You might move up from a 6 to 3 reinforcement schedule. The first thing that comes to me when inserting the Kublais is the amount of detail of the overall sound. The detail retrieval is excellent. The second thing I hear or actually feel is a rumble down under. I checked my shorts first but then realized it was a feeling in my ear. A deep rumble coming from the bone conductor woofer. The third thing I notice is cohesiveness. Nothing is annoying over present nor missing. Last but not least is the enjoyable non fatiguing treble. Piezo treble done right.

SeeSax: The essence of the original Khan is here, but I’ll call the Kublai Khan more of an appeal for the masses. Treble was considered hot by some on the original and upon first listen I immediately heard a smoother, slightly more relaxed treble presence. So in terms of the overall signature, I absolutely love it. Bass is impactful and clean with a focus on sub-bass. I hear a gradual roll-off into the mid-bass and there is zero bloat. Mids are clean and detailed, airy and have great texture without much added thickness. The tuning on these is superb for my tastes. Musically detailed I would say.



Leroy: How about some more specifics! What are you hearing with this Bone Conductor Woofer?

SLC: As I referenced above, the BCD adds a rumble down under. It is like discovering puberty. I have not felt an IEM with a BCD before. I just thought the BCD in other IEMs I have tried was just for show. I feel the Kublai BCD and exactly when and where it is supposed to be. Deep woofer level of bass. Adds texture and quality to the sound. Does not overwhelm at all.

SeeSax: In my opinion, the BCD adds texture and physicality to the sound. In the case of Kublai Khan, it’s the first IEM with a BCD that I can physically feel the vibration when I touch it (back off, Leroy!). While I do not believe it adds any audible sound, it adds a texture and rumble to the sound as an enhancement. In combination with the physical impact of the dynamic driver, this makes for some exciting and ear-tickling lower end. The BCD is not bound by the constraints of human hearing frequency range, so it’s always there, tickling away!


Leroy: I know one of you focused on the mid section but can you both talk about the mids and vocals of the Kublai?

SLC: I have to have mids that are not recessed. No inverted 6 pack for me. I need them to be present, very minimally recessed or forward. A U shaped IEM will not last long with me. What I hear with the Kublai is a very minimally recessed mid section. Very minimal with a mild upper mids bump. Very mild. This works well for the overall coherence of the Kublai. The timbre is correct which is another must for me.

SeeSax: Mids and vocals are free from bloat or excessive thickness, but contain plenty of emotion and texture. Clarity of the theme here, with very lifelike male and female vocals that are graced with the additional BCD secret sauce. The mids fall in somewhere between neutral and warm for me, but still with a natural and airy presentation. “Just right” is probably an overused term in the IEM world, but really the tuning is spot on for my preferences. If I had to split hairs, I’d say some folks may lean toward a thicker and more natural timbre in the mids, but for me this is perfect.


Leroy: And the Piezo? How does it compare from your memory to other Piezo’s you have heard?

SLC: I am up in age so I have not heard a treble I did not like. The OG Khan had its share of treble which I am fine with. Others not so much. The Kublai in my opinion has toned down Piezo sparkle with a truckload of detail. I think it is perfectly done to suit the overall sound of the Kublai.

SeeSax: While I don’t still have the original Khan, I can say without a doubt the Kublai Khan has relaxed the treble timbre and sparkle a bit. This is probably a good thing for most listeners and the even better news is that it still reaches sky-high without any hint of sibilance. This is probably the best treble I’ve ever heard in an IEM and I find it to be more pleasing on the ears than the original Khan. There’s a touch more weight in treble notes than the original, but not to the degradation of extension. I’ll get a little more into comparisons with BA treble and EST treble in our comparisons with other IEMs, but in general I hear the piezo as being faster and more precise; a more effortless sound if you will.


Leroy: I am all about coherence and tuning! How are you hearing all these drivers coming together?

SLC: The overall sound comes together even better than my all white prom tuxedo with a pink boutonniere. I think Noble Audio is outstanding at tuning their IEMS. It seems there is a vision of the tuning they would like and they nail it. Their IEMs are differently tuned for those that want a different flavor. Cohesiveness with 4 types of drivers is rather impressive.

SeeSax: I agree with SLC on this one, and it’s mighty impressive that a hybrid with four different technologies inside can sound this coherent. You get the best of all worlds with a DD providing the bass, balanced armatures for the mids, the classy and sparkly piezo tweeter giving the highs and a BCD to tie it all together with a textured bow. Nothing is disjointed and it’s actually difficult or impossible to hear the different driver types independently (other than the bass), which is a win with any hybrid.


Leroy: Now to the small elephant in the room. How does the Kublai Khan compare to the OG Khan? I know you both hate talking about IEMs from memory but please humor me. Thank you.

SLC: From memory it will be. The OGK was also about detail as the KK is. The OGK was leaner. The OGK had more recessed mids. The OGK had a sparklier treble. I think Noble did a great job of taking the greatness of the OGK and improving on the thickness of the notes, the increase in texture of the sound, making the mids more prominent and intimate and throwing in a rumble to the sub bass. The texture of the DD mid bass is similar on the OGK and KK which is a great thing. Just the added BC makes a big difference with the sub bass.

SeeSax: I, too, can offer up some general statements from memory. The original Khan and the Kublai Khan share a lot of similar DNA, which some thoughtful tweaks that substantially change the listening experience. Where they both have a very clean sub-bass with minimal mid-bass enhancements, the similarities sort of stop there. The sub-bass on the Kublai Khan seems more impactful and rounded as well. Into the mids, you get a heftier note weight with the Kublai Khan while still enjoying a clarity-focused signature overall. Into the treble, this is probably the biggest contrast where the original had very sharp and precise treble that bothered some listeners (not me). The Kublai Khan has more softness around the treble notes, but still with excellent extension and sparkle. The treble, I think, has seen the biggest refinement in the signature and will please all but the most treble-sensitive listeners in this revision. I think Noble has succeeded in making this a true follow-up to the original Khan.



CABLES
Leroy: Stock cables are getting better these days from what I hear in the back alleys, how is this stock cable?

SLC: I have zero complaints with the stock cable. It is a warm cable that compliments the Kublai well. I have tried the PWA 1960 4 wire cable on Kublai which tightens everything up a bit. I currently use a gold plated silver cable made by Khanyayo Cables (see pictures of Kublai with gold cable). This cable ads dynamics and space without affecting the sound at all.

On a side note Leroy, even though you did not ask, the Kublai scales up extremely well. I am a believer that IEMs with Estat and/or DD drivers respond well to more power from the amp. I would include that Piezo and BC drivers respond well to more power.

SeeSax: I haven’t done as much cable rolling as I normally do, and perhaps that is because I found that most pairings were to my liking already. As SLC mentions, the stock cable is a very nice cable and it has very nice comfort with a hint of warmth in the sound. Changing over to a gold-plated silver cable from Khanyayo, I agree that the sound is enhanced with a greater sense of resolution. Things open up and allow greater separation between notes. I think that it does add a little more treble sparkle compared to the stock cable, but it’s hard to A/B cables to be honest. I also tried Eletech’s Aeneid cable and found the results to be similar.




COMPARISONS
Leroy: When I am out drinking in Reykjavik, what people really want to know from me is how one IEM compares to another. Please indulge me and compare the Kublai to what ya got!



SLC Comparisons

Noble Audio Sultan:
This is a very important comparison to make. The Sultan is the other flagship IEM from Noble. Can they both coexist? In the big picture of things what stands out the most is that the Kublai is detail focused. Notes are quicker and tighter. Kublai sub bass rumbles and their is a textured mid bass that does not overpower. With the Sultan the notes are thicker. The sound of the Sultan is on the fun side. Less detail with more enjoyment. "The Delectable Dancer" The Kublai and Sultan are excellent complements to each other.

The Sultan is easier to drive. The Sultan is about the overall sound and not the details. The Kublai is about each part that cohesively comes together. Female vocals on the Kublai are more intimate, probably due to a very slight upper mid section bump with the Kublai. I do not hear a difference between male vocals of the two IEMs.

As I stated above, the Sultan bass is a big and fun sound. The Sultan has a similar quantity of mid and sub bass. The Kublai sub bass overrides the mid bass. The BC woofer is so palpable that you can taste it.

The sultan treble seems more prominent than Kublai but roles off quicker. The Kublai treble is more detailed and realistic.

Vision Ears Elysium Extended (EXT):
EXT leans more toward the Sultan sound but a chill Sultan sound. More relaxed and laid back. Long sessions can be had with EXT. EXT is harder to drive than Kublai.

EXT is so warm compared to KK. KK is such a detailed sound but still fun to listen to.

EXT bass, vocals, and treble are so laid back. The KK sound comes at you like with Odin (with less upper mids intensity but still prominent). The EXT sound is there and you have to go enjoy it. EXT and KK are a massive contrast in sound. In comparison, the Sultan and KK both have the sound coming at you.

Vision Ears PHöNIX:
The Kublai and Phonix share more than I originally thought. Detail, detail, detail with fun. The KK fun is from the enjoyment of the piezo treble, the textured mid bass and the visceral sub bass, with a very mildly recessed BA detailed mids. Phonix fun comes from how the 13 BAs are working so well together that detail is omnipresent but everything still is very cohesive. That is why I used Gestalt as the title of my Phonix review.

Along with detail they share a very similar excellent timbre with the mids. Both use BAs for the mids and they sound very similar. Emotional detail with both.

Phonix bass is in line with the rest of the IEM sound. Super textured mids and sub. Compared to the Kublai textured mid bass and rumbly sub bass.

Treble is easy in that Phonix has classic BA treble. Zero complaints here. Kublai has a more 3D detailed treble by using a Piezo super tweeter and a BA driver for the rest of the treble.

I think both Phonix and Kublai are modern IEM classics. One achieves coherent fun through all BAs which I think is hard to do. Very hard to do without sounding bland. The other achieved coherent fun through 4 different driver technologies. Very hard to do without sounding disjointed.

Phonix is on the sensitive side vs Kublai which is not sensitive. With the DX300 DAP using amp 12 I got a similar volume with Phonix on low gain and Kublai on high gain.

Vision Ears Elysium:
My "Mona Lisa!" The most natural sounding IEM in my opinion along with the Rhapsodio Eden. It is not as laid back as EXT but is in a similar family of laid back vs. the detail oriented Phonix and Kublai.

Elysium is harder to drive than Kublai. I hear the Elysium treble and the Kublai treble as very similar. The Elysium Estat treble is outstanding IMO. The Elysium bass is linear between sub and mid bass. Just enough bump to go well with the mids and treble. Kublai is about rumble with mid bass texture. Totally different. Elysium bass is BA. The Elysium uses a DD for the mids and the Elysium is a very mid-focused IEM. The Kublai has a super mild U shaped focus. The Elysium is fun and intellectual through timbre and emotions with the mids being the star. Kublai is fun and detailed with everything being a star with a splash of added fun in the sub bass.

Noble Audio Jade:
Jade is about being a W shaped sound and is on the super fun side. I call it Sultan Jr.

Jade does not have the texture or the detail of the Kublai. Jade has a much bigger mid bass jump with some sub bass. The treble is excellent and detailed but lacks the Kublai detail. Like Sultan, Jade is an excellent compliment to Kublai.

The Kublai is a little harder to drive.

Jade is a toe tapping IEM. “W fun”. I love that the vocals and mid range instruments are as present as the treble and bass. It is hard to achieve prominent mids with prominent bass and treble. Kublai wins on being a more mature sound. Not linear boring mature but fun textured mature.

Noble Audio Katana:
Katana is more a brother of Phonix than anything else. It is about detail and more detail with a sub bass bump. Katana is sensitive like Phonix.

Kublai and Katana share in the area of detail and slightly forward sound vs. laid back sound. That is all they share. Kublai is more textured, more dynamic with an obvious massive increase over Katana in the fun area. Kublai has detailed fun going on. Katana has intellectual detail going on.

Noble Audio K10:
The K10 is a classic IEM if there ever was one. It was way ahead of its time in quality of sound and still sounds great. It shares more with Kublai than I would have originally thought until I started thinking of them at the same time and comparing them directly. They are both on the fun side. Both have a W sound with a mild recess in the middle of the W. K10 achieved that with all BA drivers. That is impressive.

Kublai has a bit more detailed mids with more prominent vocals. K10 has more mid bass focus than sub bass. Thickness of the notes are similar between the two.

When comparing directly, Kublai wins with more detail, more fun and more texture in the notes. I do not say that lightly since the K10 is phenomenal and should be heard by everyone that has the chance.



SeeSax Comparisons



Noble Sultan Prestige:
While SLC already compared the Kublai Khan to the Sultan, my version is slightly different in that it is housed in a Prestige shell and has silver internal wiring. I don’t recall major differences in the sound when I had both, but a second comparison here is definitely in order.

In terms of tuning and sound signature, the differences are fairly apparent upon first listen. Sultan has a fuller sound, with a warmer and thicker presentation. Sub bass rumble is likely similar on both, but where the sub bass rolls off up toward mid bass on the Kublai Khan, the Sultan keeps the mid bass more prominent. There’s a more bodied and rounded bass because of this tuning, and quantity is elevated in comparison to Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan is all about the clean and detailed sub bass with awesome texture, and the lower amount of mid bass keeps things more in the “reference” category here.

Into the mids, Sultan is fuller, but lacks the air and detail I hear in the Kublai Khan in comparison. The mids on the Kublai Khan exude more air and allow a greater separation between notes, again lending to a more clarity-focused signature. Vocals are very textured and realistic on the Kublai Khan, but also have a natural timber. Sultan takes the natural timber and dials it up even further for an emotional, more intimate sound.

Treble is another area where these IEMs differ, both in technology and in sound. The piezo electric tweeter in the Kublai Khan is some of the best treble I have ever heard. It’s got the perfect amount of sparkle, extends very high into the registers and does so without sounding harsh in any way (though keep in mind I am a bit of a treble head). The estats in the Sultan, in comparison, sound a little softer with less sparkle and extension. They’re a heftier treble, with less precision than the Kublai Khan. I would guess that folks who are very treble sensitive may prefer the Sultan, but the clarity, sparkle and energy of the Kublai Khan is star of the show and I wouldn’t trade it. Notes are snappy, airy, ethereal at times and are just simply outstanding with nearly every genre of music. My overall conclusion here is that both IEMs are outstanding and it’s great to have choices. For clarity, technical ability and a realistic signature that is still loads of fun, I would choose the Kublai Khan. If I wanted thicker, more emotional sound with a more present mid bass, I would go with Sultan.



Lime Ears Anima:
This is an interesting comparison because I loosely think of both Kublai Khan and Anima as prioritizing clarity and realism in the sound. Where Kublai Khan stresses the realism, Anima takes it into the ethereal range with a purely enjoyable sound and massive detail. Kublai Khan has massive detail as well, but is a “truer” tone in my opinion. Anima is less realistic and natural, but dials up the enhancements.

Starting at sub bass, both have a focus on clean, impactful and very deep sub bass free of any bloat. Both also prioritize sub bass over mid bass, with a similar roll off to my ears. I hear Kublai Khan has having a bit more body and roundness in the bass, with Anima being a little more clean and neutral. Extension is similar, but there’s more texture on Kublai Khan and a greater impact. Mid bass is nearly existent on Anima, with a little more being dealt from Kublai Khan.

Mids are a little more dense and weighty on Kublai Khan, where Anima really dishes out texture and detail (albeit it in a bit thinner manner). Separation is incredible on Anima, probably the best I have ever heard, but Kublai Khan is not far behind. The Anima divides up instruments and vocals with highest levels of clarity and while Kublai Khan does largely the same, it’s a more natural tone in comparison. There’s an ethereal quality to vocals on Anima, with a more emotional and accurate representation being heard on Kublai Khan.

Treble is an area where both IEMs are insanely good. I hear a little more sparkle in Anima, while hearing a bit more natural tone in Kublai Khan. Anima is capable of providing some crisp, sizzly sparkle into the upper treble. Kublai Khan is as well, but there’s a little more weight in the notes. To level set here, both have incredible sparkle and extension and I’m not sure I can declare any winner. Both have top class treble, with more natural tone going to Kublai Khan and knife-like precision going to Anima. So at the end of the day, these two IEMs are fairly matched in most respects. Kublai Khan fits me much better and provides all-day comfort, while Anima provides a more “interesting” sound for better or worse. Yet, I would say Kublai Khan has better tuning for most users. Ah, choices. As Leroy once said while dating twins, “why I think I’ll just have both!”





INTERVIEW WITH DR. JOHN MOULTON OF NOBLE AUDIO

Leroy: When engineering and releasing an IEM sequel, what are your considerations?

Dr. Moulton: A sequel consideration = be price sensitive
The Ghengis Khan sales are still steady & we did not want to harm those sales. That said, as a product it is old, so we wanted to offer a sequel with enough tech that would gather the public's interest, but still be able to keep pricing relative to the Ghengis Khan.


Leroy: How do you find a balance between paying tribute to the older model and updating the sound/build?

Dr. Moulton: Essentially keep enough DNA of the original for the market to recognize that the product belongs in the Khan family. We felt that the use of a piezo was a defining characteristic of the Ghengis Khan, so we wanted to maintain the use of the driver in the sequel product. "Art" wise, we leaned a bit more independent with the use of the Dragon - but in reality the dragon is used a lot in the Asian culture, to signify royalty, so we felt it appropriate to use it.


Leroy: Was there any fear of cannibalizing Sultan with the Kublai Khan or are they different enough that both have a place at the top of Noble’s lineup?
Dr. Moulton: I never considered that as a result of the Kublai Khan as physically they use vastly different in build materials etc. The Kublai Khan is made from a 3d printed housing, while the Sultan has a fully CNC aluminum housing.

If the Kublai is favored over the Sultan, I'm just happy that it is a Noble product that is favored. I realize people have different tastes etc, I can't fault the nature of the situation.


Leroy: Where are the Kublai Khans made?

Dr. Moulton: Due to the fact, building an IEM (and practically anything) is a worldwide effort, as parts are sourced all over the world, we state that our wired products go through final assembly in the USA. This mutes the debate about being made in the USA etc, as honestly I can't even comprehend how that could be possible. (Most, if not all drivers are built outside of the USA)


Leroy: SeeSax and SLC think there is magic in the bone conductor woofer. How did the use of a BC come about?

Dr. Moulton: Exposure to bone conduction was from my days in Audiology. The use of bone conduction as a conduit of sound has been going on for over a century.

“Ludwig van Beethoven, the famous 18th century composer who was almost completely deaf, discovered Bone Conduction. Beethoven found a way to hear the sound of the piano through his jawbone by attaching a rod to his piano and clenching it in his teeth.” Goldendance.co.jp

Bone conduction hearing aids have been utilized by Audiologists for many decades to assist the hearing impaired. For those that do not know, I have a doctorate degree in Audiology and worked as an Audiologist for approximately 10 years before I founded Noble Audio. It was a natural progression to implement a bone conduction driver into the Kublai Khan.


Leroy: Anything else you would like to add?

Dr. Moulton: I'm just grateful to be here, grateful to still be on the "ChessBoard" of this industry. Noble has been a long journey, I have been building for 14 years now. Thank you Head-Fi members and everyone outside of Head-Fi that has made this journey possible.



CONCLUSION
We would like to thank everyone for going on this journey with us. Also thank you Dr. Moulton for allowing Leroy to show up and interview you using his cassette recorder. Leroy, we appreciate that you sobered up for this request of duty and attempted to be congenial.. We release you now into the wild and will call upon you as needed. You are now free again Leroy.

Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan has kept the direct lineage qualities of the Genghis Khan. Through evolution Noble Audio has added to these qualities in a way that they have created what we would consider to be an outstanding IEM that will be enjoyed by many.

In a world where IEM prices continue to rise, it is nice to see a TOTL offering that stays near the original’s price point and brings great value to the table. There are other IEMs that cost twice as much and do not perform as well as Kublai Khan, nor do they pack as much technology. In the case of Kublai Khan, cost-cutting measures have not resulted in any concession in the sound whatsoever. Sure, you don’t get a one-of-a-kind Prestige shell, but you do get absolute top class sound in a gorgeous and understated design that should fit nearly everyone’s listening preferences. Well done, Noble!

Noble Audio Jade Review
with an interview with Dr. John Moulton from Noble Audio, the creator of the Jade IEM.





Preamble
I would like to state up front that the Jade IEM was provided to me by Noble Audio in return for an honest review. I would like to also state that since I am not a professional reviewer, I only review IEMs that I want to review. I do not review IEMs that do not bring me pleasure and that I feel would not be of interest to others. I have had to turn down doing reviews because I do not want to waste my time on something I do not enjoy. That is an advantage of doing reviews for myself at a hobby level and not for others.



The Technology
The Jade consists of one 10mm dynamic driver and 4 BA drivers. The dynamic driver is constructed of composite materials with a double magnet structure.


Size and Fit
The bluish-green color of the Jade is beautiful. The shell is small and is super comfortable in my ears. I love how the 2 pin housing of the IEM is recessed so that the 2 pin housing from the cable goes into the IEM. Looks cleaner to me that way. The 2 pin housing is of high quality and has responded well to the basic cable rolling that I have done. I only trust the size of Plussound and PWA 2 pins and they fit perfectly into the Jade. The 2 pin of the stock cable also fits perfectly.


Sources Used
I have used mainly the DX300 with amp 12. Also used L&P W2, Gungnir/Mjolnir 2 stack, Bifrost 2/Jotunheim 2 stack and Oor-Hypsos/Spring KTE stack. The Jade is not sensitive and not hard to drive. It is in between. It does scale up well with more powerful amps but with the W2 I feel nothing is missing. It is not like for example the VE EXT that scales up magnificently. I believe that any IEM with DD and/or Estats scale up well. Not to the level of how HPs scale up but HPs and sources/power is a Rabbit hole to avoid if possible. I have failed at that but oh well.

The Cable
I love the look and feel of cables. I do notice a difference in sound with higher quality cables. I am using the PWA Loki+ cable with Jade just because it did not have a home. The stock cable is slightly warm and works perfectly with Jade and has excellent ergonomics. The cable is made up of 8 cores of OCC copper and the terminations are of high quality. The cable itself retails for $220. When you purchase Jade you can decide between 4.4, 3.5 or 2.5mm termination. That is great to have such a choice when purchasing. The 15% of people that still use 3.5mm and the 7 people that use 2.5mm will be happy about having options. Soon 4.4mm will be 100% the standard for more expensive IEMs since it is balanced and robust versus the thin and breakable 2.5mm termination. I waited to get into the DAP game and dongle amp/DAC game until 4.4mm options were available. Call me biased, which I am!



The Overall Sound
The very first thing I notice about Jade is how alive it is. The notes are coming at you and letting you know that they are alive and that you are alive. The Jade does not emit a passive warm sound. The notes are clear and crisp with enough texture around them to not be fatiguing or bright.

The second thing I notice with Jade is the cohesiveness. Everything is there and present and accounted for. Usually with an IEM that is fun something is over accentuated or something is missing. Neither of those is happening with Jade. Usually with an IEM that is at this price point there is some type of flaw that has to be accepted. That is not the case with Jade. The sound is cohesive. The sound is coherent. There is an excellent balance of sound along all frequencies. No frequency is recessed, no frequency is overwhelming and there is an excellent blend from one main frequency to the next. A huge ‘Bravo'' needs to go out to the Noble Audio and the Jade IEM.

The third thing I notice is the W signature. Not a W with one point being higher up or lower but a perfect W. Treble can be heard well and is clear and well articulated. The vocals and mid instruments are right there to be enjoyed. Last but not least the bass is also at the forefront and is enjoyable. This is very rare in an IEM. Each frequency is mildly forward but the sound is still extremely well blended among all frequencies.

Last but not least I notice an excellent timbre. The instruments sound correct and are a joy to hear without wearing me out. The vocals of females and males sound as they should. Very real, live sounding, intimate, and alive!




I prefer to talk about the big picture of sound but I will touch briefly on some individual parts

Bass
The bass is powerful. The mid bass has an edge in presence over the subbass. The bass is bordering on thunderous which ties in well with the enjoyment factor of Jade and does not take away from the mid section and treble.

Mids
Again the theme of the mids goes along with the cohesiveness of Jade. They are slightly forward. That includes the vocals and mid section instruments. I can only take a mildly recessed mid section and love Jade for having a slightly forward mid section. I am not hearing an upper mid bump that can be tiring. Also the detail retrieval is excellent in the mid section. I can listen to complex music and not feel that anything is being left out.

Treble
The treble can be summed up as sparkly and present but not fatiguing at all. I love when mids and treble are all BA. The cohesiveness is easier to do correctly and the Jade flow from mids to treble is done correctly.

The Stage and Layering
The stage of the Jade is not wide and not too narrow. It is just right. I would say I am about 1/3rd the way away from the stage. The layering is excellent and no deficit is noticed unless I directly compare Jade to a 2.5-6 K IEM. Which is not fair. The amount of detail retrieval is different with direct comparisons. There is less layering of the music but would not be noticed at all without a direct comparison. It is only after a good hour of listening that I could say I notice the difference between a more complex sounding, more expensive IEM and Jade. That in itself is very impressive.



COMPARISONS
These comparisons are all with IEMS in the $1800 to $4000 range so really not fair comparisons. But my goal is that if you have heard any of the below IEMs you will hopefully better understand the Jade sound through the comparisons.

Noble Audio Sultan
The Jade is a sibling of the Sultan. They are both forward fun W shaped IEMs. The Sultan treble is more prevalent. The Jade treble extends more. The Jade mids/vocals are a little more forward. The Sultan bass is more of a “chocolaty” mid and sub bass focus. I can taste the milk chocolate midbass of the Sultan. The Jade bass is more mid focused and more pronounced than the Sultan bass. The Sultan is just a tiny bit harder to drive than Jade.

Noble Audio K10
There are a lot of similarities between K10 and Jade. They share: mid bass focus versus sub bass, fun thicker notes overall and a balanced sound signature. Jade being more W than the very slight U shape of the K10. Vocals/mids come forward more with Jade. Treble is the same with both which is a good thing. K10 and Jade are similar to drive. Not sensitive but not hard to drive

Noble Audio Katana
Complete opposites. Katana is precision with tight notes and a sub bass bump. Jade is W and fun. Katana is not W or U shaped. Katana is more a detailed intellectual experience.

Noble Audio Kublai Khan
Jade is about being a W sound and is on the super fun side. Jade is more of a Sultan sibling.
Jade does not have the texture or the detail of the Khan. Jade has a much bigger mid bass jump with some sub bass. The Jade treble is excellent and detailed but lacks the Kublai detail. Like Sultan, Jade is an excellent complement to Kublai. The Kublai is a little harder to drive.

Vision Ears EXT
Jade and EXT share some things in that the notes on both are thicker. Neither is a detail monster. Both are fun. Both have excellent timbre with the edge going to EXT with the DD mids. EXT is harder to drive and is more laid back. Jade comes to you with the music. You go to the music with the EXT.

Vision Ears Elysium
Elysium is a lot harder to drive. Elysium is the timbre Queen, mid focused IEM. Jade and Elysium have no similarities except they are both very coherent IEMs but achieve coherence in different ways. Elysium is a fine whiskey vs. Oktoberfest with Jade. Jade is about the fun.

Vision Ears PHöNIX
Hard one here. The treble is in the same ballpark with both. Mids are also in the same ballpark. Jade treble is so much more pronounced. Jade is Phonix turned up to 11. Jade is so much more alive at the expense of detail and texture versus the Phonix.



INTERVIEW with Dr. John Moulton from Noble Audio

Why the name Jade for this IEM?
Jade is the nickname of my daughter (Jadena).
Jadena = thai for "on purpose"
While Jade is special to me, as she is my daughter, she is also special to Noble. She is actually the catalyst of my departure from China and starting Noble. My wife became pregnant while we were living in China and she, being a Thai national, wanted to have our baby in Thailand.

Jade was born and shortly afterwards, Noble was as well.

As with all the products we have to assign names for the products. Sometimes the names take months, sometimes they take seconds. (Jade took seconds).

Anyhow the name was sort of an homage to my daughter as she was an important part of how Noble began.


What was your main objective/goal with the Jade IEM?
When the Tux 5 was originally built, I had 2 sound signatures, one more of a bass head focus, and one more of a fun but yet leaning toward an acoustic type monitor. I preferred the latter, but the team consensus was to launch the bass head tuning.

The Jade is actually the sound I wanted in 2018.... so basically that was the goal, launch the sound signature I was more fond of years ago.

Anything you would like to say about the BAs and DD used for Jade?
While the sound signature might be what I was leaning toward back in 2018, the Jade is a total different internal design. The BAs are from Sonion, the dynamic bass module is a totally different physical design and the dynamic driver is as well. I'd say it is actually a better design than the proposed design in 2018.


Anything else you would like to add about Jade?
Give the Jade a chance, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.



CONCLUSION:
I cannot say enough about how excited I am to enjoy listening to an IEM with such a pleasurable sound at a price that is not seen much lately. Usually quality sound like this can only be had starting at the $2200 range. I applaud Noble Audio for creating Jade.

Jade is a toe tapping IEM. It is about W shaped cohesive fun with nothing missing. I love that the vocals and mid range instruments are as present as the treble and bass. It is hard to achieve prominent mids with prominent bass and treble. As stated earlier in the review, a huge “Bravo” needs to go out to Noble Audio for creating Jade. If you want to have fun listening to music then Jade is for you!

Purple haze all in my brain
Lately, things just don't seem the same
Acting funny, but I don't know why
Excuse me while I kiss the sky

Jimi Hendrix

The EXT!





I have the pleasure to drop a Vision Ears Elysium Extended and Vision Ears PHöNIX (HERE) review on the same day.

For these reviews I brought back my untrusted friend Bob. Bob is the Sexy but fictitious interviewer that will only work with Vision Ears. He thinks he is the kumpel of all kumpels with Oliver and Marcel from Vision Ears. In reality, he is buds with the style of beer called Kölsch that originated in Cologne, Germany where the Vision Ears headquarters is located.

Let’s get you started on this purple haze Journey. When I say haze, I mean haze as in an emotional state of self-induced bliss!





Bob: I am not trying to objectify the EXT but SLC I need to start first with what I visually see and then get to know the personality of the EXT. This is a curvy one and exotic. Let me close my eyes as you tell me about her shape!

SLC: You can keep your eyes open for this Bob. The shape of the EXT curves in a pleasurable way. Exotic for sure. The EXT has more curves than Sophia Loren. The curves remind me of a 50’s race car. So marvelous to view in person and I must get to fit which is spectacular for me. It is like VE knew the shape of my ears. The shape of the EXT has nothing to do with the Spree Candy oval shape of the Elysium. On a side note, I do love the vacuum seal of the Elysium. With Elysium the oval shape and having no ports really gives you the feeling of complete isolation. The EXT, due to the venting built into the faceplate, does not have as much of a vacuum seal. The feeling I have with these in my ears are like the 64 Audio IEMs with the Apex system that allows for an open non fatiguing feeling. The comfort for me is spectacular. The isolation with EXT is totally fine. They are like Evo and Odin to me. The EE Evo and Odin have a few ports and the isolation is totally fine. Having a port/vents does reduce the vacuum seal feeling of some non-ported IEMs which is preferred by a lot of people.


Bob: I am all about the package SLC. Show me the packaging.

SLC: Yes you are Bob. Here is the exquisite packaging in pictures:











Bob: I would like to cut to the chase, so I need you to give me your take on Elysium Extended (EXT) versus the Elysium OG. From what I can tell by your copious notes in your Blackberry, there may be more differences than similarities?

SLC: Glad you have access to our cell phone notes. The EXT and OG share the genetics of their mid range. I hear a very similar timbre in the mid range. It is a wonderful natural tone. A difference is that the mid-range on the OG is presented more forward than the EXT. The reason is due to the bass and treble of the EXT. The 4 Estat treble of the EXT has a similar sparkle to the 2 Estat OG but presents itself more forward than with OG with more air. It also extends further than the OG.

The biggest difference is with the bass. The mid and sub bass of the EXT. The movement of air on the EXT is tremendous. The bass is layered and well textured. It has an “analogue” sound to it i.e. excellent classic dynamic driver sound versus the BA sound of the OG bass. The bass really is the first star of the EXT. That is what first jumps out to you. For the OG it is the mids that stand out first. The timbre and intimacy of them. The. Bass and treble of the OG are perfect compliments the mids.

Staging is a little wider on EXT. The vocals are a little more back on the EXT versus the Elysium due to increased staging with the EXT and due to even more the DD textured bass of the EXT and the more present and airy treble of the EXT. It stands out and becomes a star if not the star of the EXT.

With Elysium OG the notes are right there for you to enjoy in a very intimate way. With the Extended the notes are coming from all over the place i.e. a very dynamic/holographic sound. An ethereal haze. The EXT is less intimate compared to the OG. The OG has a more “true timbre but the EXT timbre is still extremely correct. EXT notes are thicker and warmer. With the vented faceplate and the thicker and warmer notes of the EXT, I can listen to it for hours with no fatigue ever settling in.

With jazz the instruments are around me with EXT. There is more of that holographic sound. With OG the instruments are right there in front of me as I stated above and more intimate. Both IEMs to me are super engaging.

Just like I said when comparing Erlkonig and Phonix, the Extended and Elysium OG share genes but they co-exist well. Neither is a replacement for the other. They are different enough that it cannot be said that one is better than the other. It comes down to preferences. What a wonderful thing to have excellent choices out there.







Bob: Choices are nice SLC, and I will move past the beautiful shape of the EXT. SLC, it is time to stop dilly dallying and compare directly Phonix and Extended. Please do this first with its individual parts, then my next question will be about how they compare as a whole.

SLC: Yes, I can do that Bob but for me tearing apart each section of an IEM does not really reflect what the whole of the IEM really is. I shall attempt to break them apart and then post next about the big picture differences.

The mids of the Phonix are more forward than the EXT. I will start with that. The mids of the EXT are further back than the other parts of its signature. To me saying “V shaped” feels negative to me. So I will say the EXT mids are further back compared to the Phonix mids. The Phonix mids are placed in a mild W shape in the same place as the treble and bass i.e. it is a really cohesive monitor. Not to be cliché but the Phonix mids have an amazing timbre for BA. Supernatural. Not as natural to me as a DD mid but wow did they nail the timbre on the Phonix for an all BA IEM. The mids of the EXT come across like the mids of a Planar HP. Warm and true to an “analogue” sound. EXT to me is true to a warm HP like the LCD 3 but with a bigger bass bump and appropriately crisp treble.

The bass of Phonix and EXT share some things in that they share equal billing between the mid and sub bass. They both fit in well with the overall signature of the IEM. The EXT bass is such classic DD bass. That is what VE was going for and they nailed it. The air movement is there. The thump of a DD bass is there. Depending on the cable the bass can stand out more than the rest of the EXT signature. The stock cable of both works well with their signature. The Phonix stock cable adds more warmth and clarity, and the EXT stock cable also adds more warmth with a signature slant toward the bass.

Treble treble treble. My weak point. I have not met a treble I would not spend the evening with. To me the Phonix treble has the crispness that goes along with the rest of the signature. Mildly forward. The EXT treble comes across warmer to me. Not as crisp. This fits perfectly with the rest of the signature. I find the EXT to have a warmer sound to it overall. Hence a crisp forward treble would kill the signature. The notes overall with the EXT are thicker and with less detail than the Phonix (sorry Bob, that was a big picture comment).




Bob: OK big picture boy, can you talk about the Phonix and Extended as a whole rather than the parts. I hear you think you are groovy now thinking that your two newer VE partners do different and special things for you? I am referring to Phonix and EXT, not Marcel and Oliver.

SLC: Bob oh Bob. Yes they do different things for me. Right down to the shape of their body and the width of their nozzle tip. EXT and Phonix that is. Analogy time: The Phonix is like the perfect partner. So refined and always is elegant and extremely appropriate in public and in private. EXT on the other hand is a social being with a mild lack of social filtering. Can be appropriate in public and in private but oofta, it can she be inappropriate at times. EXT leaves you a little on edge. You may get elegant, or you may get someone feeling rather playful. You may get super fun and experimental or you may get poetry night!

Phonix is the Roger Federer of monitors. He is about Gestalt also. He is one fluid machine that always performs and one asks when watching him how he does it. He is so smooth and enjoyable. You have to make a concerted effort to analyze each stroke on its own. When you do that you realize each stroke is so flawless that none brings attention to itself.

EXT on the other hand is the Rafael Nadal of monitors. Whan watching Nadal each stroke jumps out at you. The quirky motion of his serve, the volleys that are not refined, the forehand that takes away too much of his energy, the backhand that lacks extension. But Nadal puts it all together to defeat almost all his opponents. You walk away from his game shaking your head in bewonderment.

Each part of the EXT is right in front of you and is easy to pick out. With some songs the timbre of the mids shine. With other songs the movement, texture and the layering of the bass shine. With other songs I hear the cymbals shining through in a new and enjoyable way.

The EXT is the partner that you will have more fun with in general, but you never know which EXT you will get that day. You are drawn to living on the edge with her.

Each part of the EXT can be seen as greater than each part of the Phonix. The whole of the Phonix can be seen as greater than the EXT. The EXT treble can be more textured. The EXT mids have a timbre that is even more realistic than the very realistic timbre of the Phonix. The EXT treble can sparkle more. As a whole the Phonix bass, mids and treble come across as more realistic than the EXT until you start analyzing each one. I analyze instruments and musical space more with EXT. I enjoy the big picture with Phonix i.e. the Gestalt!






Bob: I see you posting on your My Space accounts about brain burn and the EXT. Can you elaborate a bit on that?

SLC: I am glad you have access to my My Space account also. Some IEMs when you put them in they automatically create an image of “wow” this is good. Phonix and Erlkonig are two of those for me. Sultan is one of those also. Then there are other IEMs that take a few minutes for the mind to adjust before the true pleasure of the IEM starts. This is especially true for some IEMs when going from one to another during a listening session. The Odin is one of those. The EVO was one of those also for me. I also put EXT into that category. When I first put them in, especially after listening to another IEM, I am thinking “ok, come at me, I am waiting” and then after a few minutes I am thinking “this is a joy.” Then I can analyze the joy!

This happens to me usually with IEMs that are tribrids or a unique driver combinations like EXT. Maybe it is my mind synchronizing the different types of drivers.


Bob: You are into power they say, so what is this Voodoo lounge stuff in your head about power source and IEMs?

SLC: I have talked about the overall sound of the EXT. But to give the topic true justice, I have to talk about power. The implementation of the source does play a role with the EXT. I cannot emphasize enough how the EXT gets better and better with more power that is provided by a good source. The EXT is good with any source. But the overall sound scales up so well. The bass is more alive. The treble becomes more distinct and the mids become more holographic. It really is something to experience. I feel the EXT is very good with any source but seems more tired with a basic powered source. But wow oh wow it is alive and happy with added amplification. The exact same can be said about Elysium, Odin, Sultan and EVO to name a recent few.

Any IEM I have or have had that has a DD and/or Estats has scaled up well based on power provided to it by a quality source. I feel and hear it as I scale up from the Hiby R5s, to DX300 to DX300Max and then to Jotunheim 1 and Jotunheim 2. They are all sources I like a lot. They just treat IEMs with DD and Estats differently based on the power they are providing.





Bob: Tell me about tips on Extended. I heard you had fun getting tips on the EXT. Do you keep your tips in a red plastic tackle box?

SLC: I do enjoy a place to have all my tips and have them separated and organizes. Tip rolling is my first ritual after unboxing. With Extended I started with the four versions of the Azla SednaEarFit tips. The “short” versions would not fit onto the tip. The regular versions would eventually go on them, but it was a painful process. There is a lip at the end of the wide nozzle that makes it difficult. Once I got those on the fit was just ok and the seal was just ok.

I then tried numerous Spinfit tips. Those have a softer rubber base so they would slip on fine. But the feeling of the seal was not perfect based on my ear canal shape.

I then had a Eureka moment and remembered my go to tips of the past. The OG and ++ versions of the Spiral Dots tips. Both go on and off easily and both provide the feeling of a seal and comfort is excellent. The Spiral Dots OG have a softer base than ++ and are a little wider at the base. I ended up sticking with the OG version. They work perfectly with Ext for me. Hours of enjoyment both fit and feel wise and sound wise.

I have had to sell numerous IEMs because of not being able to find a tip (hence the collection) that gives me the feeling of a seal and keeps the IEM in the ear securely and comfortably.

Now I just need my red Schwinn bicycle with banana seat and chrome backrest. I will then take my rod and reel to go with my red tackle box and find a place to fish!




Bob: Hey Markie Mark I hear you have a chameleon on your hands with the EXT and how it responds to cables, please elaborate. Remember SLC as I say every time when cable rolling, shallow insertion preserves the 2 pin housing.

SLC: SLC is my name on Head-Fi Bob! Only my fourth cousin and about 12 others call be that.

I got the EXT and put a 1960 4 wire cable on it. I did that because that is one of my favorite pairings with Elysium.

I am in contact with two people that already had EXT. I kept saying that I am really enjoying the EXT and how smooth it is and how Phonix has a stronger hitting bass. They kept saying that that is really odd because for them the EXT bass is very strong and a big part of the EXT sound.

So, a light went off in my head. Even though I do not like using adapters, I needed to try the stock cable. Stock cable comes as 2.5 and the packaging includes a 2.5 to 4.4 adapter. Only a couple newer models of DAPs if any have 2.5 so the adapter will be used by most.

I put the stock cable and the surprise was with the EXT stock cable. WOW! The EXT came alive. The bass all of the sudden was as present as the Phonix. Just classic TOTL DD bass vs. the Phonix TOTL BA bass.

So, I had a couple hours with no disturbances (a rarity except in the middle of the night when I listen to music) which became a perfect time to cable roll for the first and only time. I like to find a cable that has good synergy and then stick with it. And yes Bob, shallow insertion to preserve the 2-pin housing.

I wanted to compare the EXT with a clear sounding cable (1960 4-wire), a neutral to clear cable (Monile 2 wire), a neutral cable (1950 cable), and a warm cable (1960 2-wire).

On a side note, the VE IEMs 2 pin is a miniscule narrower than PWA and Plussound 2 pin connections. PWA and Plussound are the standard .78 to me. Old EE 2 pins were larger and Rhapsodio 2 pins are very large. The newer EE 2 pin connections are just a tiny bit larger than PWA and Plussound. Not too large like before. So be careful the first few times cable rolling. I would not do a full insert until you are using the cable you want to use.

Also, I love the 2-pin housing on the VE cables. They go flush with the IEM. Just like I love how Traillii allows the standard 2 pin CIEM housing to be inserted fully in the IEM so it is also flush.

My cable rolling with EXT:

Preamble: Brain burn is huge with EXT every time you listen to it right after another IEM. After a minute or two the brain adjusts. Before that there is a “this is different” feeling as I mentioned earlier. Not good or bad but different. Then the timbre is as good as it gets.

Stock Cable: Serious Mid and sub bass. Serious. Excellent smooth exact treble. Nothing is wrong with the stock cable. How often can that be said!! With Trailii, Mason V3+ and Odin I used stock cable and was very happy. With EVO I think the stock cable provided the intended sound but the quality of the cable I did question. Very plasticky with a life of its own.

1960 4 wire: My preferred cable for Elysium. With EXT everything is tamed. Bass is lowered. Less bass than Phonix. Super smooth sound. A ton less bass than with stock cable. Extremely surprising. The music does not come at you with 1960 4 wire and EXT. Smooth as silk, leaning toward clarity. Treble is most alive with 1960 4 wire.

Monile 2 wire: My preferred cable with Sultan before the Sultan met Horus X. Extremely close to stock cable. Just a little more clarity which reduces warmth and bass. Tighter bass with Monile.

1950: My preferred cable with Erlkonig (along with Loki +). Does nothing wrong with EXT. Takes a little bit of warmth away. Bass is still prominent. Vocal timbre is not the best with 1950 and EXT.

1960 2 wire: Preferred cable with Odin. Nice nice nice with EXT. Vocals timbre is spot on. Bass and warmth stay the same as with stock cable. Dynamics are excellent as with stock cable.


Bob: Can you please stop just talking about Vison Ears IEMs and how they compare to each other! Can you please compare the new VE IEMs with other IEMs.

SLC: As Westley says in the Princess Bride: “As you wish”!


VE Extended as compared to EE Odin: DD/DD/4 Estat versus 2 DD/5 BA/ 4 Estat

There is a massive difference in warmth between the two monitors. EXT comes off as very warm with thicker notes versus the detail master that the Odin is. The analogy that comes to mind for me is how the keys on a piano sound. The keys on the Odin make quick precise notes. The keys on the EXT create a slower, warmer note.

The next thing that hits me is the bass. The same thing applies with the bass. The Odin bass is tight and quick with a big slant toward the sub bass. The EXT has a little more overall bass with an equal amount of sub and mid bass.

The next area that I hear is the treble. The treble on the Odin is more impactful. Too much for some most likely. The EXT treble goes along better with the rest of the signature. Warm and not overwhelming at all.

That leads to a big difference and that would be with the upper mids. There is an upper mid bump with the Odin that really stands out. Very easy to discern the difference with female vocals. They are more forward with Odin.

My ears hear a “darker” IEM with the EXT and a brighter IEM with Odin. When A/Bing the two, each of those areas of focus really gets accentuated. When listening to each on their own the differences are not so extreme. The Odin has massive detail with a sub bass bump and an upper mids bump. The EXT has warmer notes without any bumps. The only slant of the EXT could be toward the lower mids.


Extended versus Noble Sultan: DD/DD/4 Estat versus DD/4 BA/2 Estat

The Extended and Sultan share a lot more than Extended and Odin. The Sultan is a warmer Odin, and the Sultan is a brighter Extended. From detailed to warm it goes Odin, Sultan, to EXT. The Extended and Sultan share a mid and sub bass focus. Both monitors have an “analogue” sounding thicker bass. Very classic thick DD bass.

The treble and upper mids are so much more present with the Sultan compared to the Extended. The Sultan could get taxing for some. This upper mids and treble bump of both the Odin and Sultan are what make them for me high on the fun scale. I would not want to be married to them but for a weekend getaway they are great.

Female vocals have a higher pitch with Sultan. The EXT even focus, or slight lower mid focus give female voices a richer tone and give male vocals a darker tone.

The Extended is more of a cuddle bug fun sound compared to the Sultan. The Sultan comes at you relentlessly. The Extended is there for you but not in a boring way. Longer sessions can be had with the Extended with toes tapping. Not foot banging party time like Sultan.

On a side note, the Sultan and Odin IMHO require a warm cable to really show their strengths. Brighter, clarity focused cables can create an overwhelming sound. EXT changes a ton with cables. All cables work for EXT. The warmer cables bring out the thickness and darkness of the IEM. The cables that focus on clarity tame it and reduce the darkness and increase the clarity. They all sound great with Extended. They just create a different sound.







BOB’S INTERVIEW WITH VISION EARS:


Bob: I like all the curves on the EXT. Was that for fit purposes and/or as the best way to fit all the technology inside?

VE: When creating a new shell it is the biggest challenge to combine a good shape that fits most of our customers, to fit all the components inside and to make it easy to assemble. The EXT shell is a completely new design and was created by a very talented product designer in close cooperation with us. We built up a great expertise in doing extraordinary good fitting custom shells in the meantime, so we can profit with this knowledge when doing a universal shell.


Bob: Is the DD for the mids an updated version of the DD for Elysium? Could you tell me more about the technology used in the updated HALC?

VE: The driver is an improved version of the Ely, with a double magnet to increase the SPL and reduce the THD, a Al-Mg Alloy diaphragm and some more features. We needed to tune a new mid driver in order to better match with the DD low and the 4 Estats. Then we also developed the 2nd Gen HALC, that includes a side tuning chamber that allow for a more precise tuning.


Bob: What is the short version of what you went through to get a bass to sound great and integrate well with a DD mid right next to it?

VE: Tuning for a DD is a bit different from tuning a BA. Also, the biggest difficulty when using dynamic drivers is to find manufacturers who are able to tune their drivers preciselyaccordingly to our specifics and keep this tuning in mass production with low tolerances. This is more challenging than with BA drivers.


Bob: My understanding is that the 2 Estats for the Elysium are gen 1 Sonion EST’s and the 4 Extended. EST’s they are gen 2. Why did you decide to go with 4 Estats on EXT versus 2 on Elysium?

VE: When we designed the Elysium only the 1st Gen Estats were available, so we had to deal with that. When we started to design the EXT the 2nd gen Estats were available, so we decided to use 4 of them in order to get a more precise and smooth tuning and more SPL


Bob: The EXT seems to require a lot of power compared to the average IEM. Could you tell me more about the power requirements?

VE: Well, this is not quite correct. EXT is stated at 108 dB SPL so is not very low. The point is, as stated from some HFiers, with a very capable amp section you have more headroom and lot of current available to feed the speakers so all the transients are better handled and better reproduced, the dynamic range is much more extensive and the micro and macro details much more evident, and with the extreme precision of EXT, its great tuning, this is very obvious.

All the DAPs we have for testing can drive the EXT very well without any problem.







Conclusion:

Purple haze all in my eyes
Don't know if it's day or night
You got me blowing, blowing my mind
Is it tomorrow or just the end of time?

Jimi Hendrix

Vision Ears has done it again. They have created an IEM that is unique and special. Usually the word “haze” in audio is not a good thing. But the haze that the EXT induces is ethereal in nature: “extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.”

The EXT is for those that want to feel the music. It is for that that want to experience the music. I hope you get the chance to experience the EXT journey.

I would like to thank the sexy but fictitious Bob for his time. Also thank you Marcel and Oliver from Vision Ears for putting up with Bob during the interview. He enjoys your Kölsch beer very much.


Here again is the link for the PHöNIX review (HERE). Finally, I would like to thank you for going on this journey with me.

The PHöNIX Gestalt: An organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts.



I have the pleasure to drop a Vision Ears PHöNIX and a Vision Ears Elysium Extended (HERE) review on the same day.

For these reviews I brought back my untrusted friend Bob. Bob is the Sexy but fictitious interviewer that will only work with Vision Ears. He thinks he is a Freundchen with Oliver and Marcel from Vision Ears. In reality, he is friends with the style of beer called Kölsch that originated in Cologne, Germany where the Vision Ears headquarters is located.

Let’s get you started on this Gestaltich journey and figure out why the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and why in my opinion modern masterpiece has been created by Vision Ears.







Bob: Hello SLC! It is wonderful to see you again. I have been travelling the world and I am ready to interview you and the Vision Ears team again. I am a physical guy and I want to know more about the shape and fit of the Phonix. Please do not reference your shape or fit. I know that has all changed over time. Tell me about the Phonix shape and fit first and how it compares to Erlkonig please. The Erlkonig because it is the Vision Ears (VE) predecessor to the Phonix.

SLC: The Phonix is easy to describe because the shape is almost the same as the Erlkonig. The base of the nozzle has a little more prominent shoulder on one side from what I can tell. It might be a psychosomatic hump though. We all have those. Otherwise, they are the same. And the build quality of each is bar none. As far as fit goes, the Phonix is extremely comfortable for me. No issues whatsoever. They are extremely light. The carbon fiber is as light as any acrylic IEM. The Erlkonig took a while to get used to due to the weight. Now the Erlkonig is very comfortable. I ended up putting a thick 8 wire cable on Erlkonig with a strong ear guide. Then when lifting the cable with the Erlkonig attached, all felt secure. They are like having a weighted blanket in your ears. Very comforting now. The initial cold feeling silver followed by them warming up is a special experience (Bob, please do not make fun of this joy in life I have).

The Phonix is so light that I cannot even tell they are in. This is also because of the perfect fit for me. The feel of the fit reminds me of the Traillii fit. You cannot even tell it is there. It brings no attention to itself. That is ideal. Really a pleasure to have in the ears. The carbon fiber looks amazing but in a discrete way. The sapphire glass faceplate is rather unique to an IEM. The black ring around the faceplate keeps the IEM discrete or there is an option of a gold ring which adds a lot of flare to the Phonix.


Bob: The Package! Was that not your nickname in 10thgrade? VE is the packaging King! Please show me the Phonix packaging:

SLC: Yes, and yes. I will show you the package in pictures:














Bob: I know you are a fanboy of Erlkonig. Please first tell me about the sound differences between Erlkönig and PHöNIX.

SLC: Yes, I do enjoy the sound of Erlkonig. I have spent a lot of time listening to Erlk and now I am spending a lot of time listening to Phonix and I have compared them directly a lot.

My take is that there are of course a lot of similarities but what it seems to me that VE did is they took Erlk bass from position number 2 and kept that. They then either through the new super tweeter or tuning or both increased the staging on the Phonix. This allows a lot more breathing room for the instruments. It does take away from the Erlk intimacy and warmth. But it has added an amazing amount of detail retrieval and has turned it into a more mildy W shaped sound leading to a more forward sound than Erlk. Warmth is still there. Just less than Erlk.

The sound on the Phonix comes toward you more than Erlk. It is not there for you to go to it like with Erlkonig. Yes, there is still intimacy with the Phonix and the mids are still amazing and engaging and there is still the emotional piece. Emotions coming at you that is. The sound is a coherent more forward sound.

With the stretched-out staging and more forward sound, the bass has become more controlled and has more bite to it. With the opened-up stage the sub bass has room to come out and be part of the action. Both the sub and mid bass are more impactful on the Phonix. A lot more impactful.

The sound on the Phonix is more realistic with the amount of detail it gives versus the very musical Erlkonig. I find both to be excellent. I like the timbre of both but the Phonix timbre is more realistic. The Erlkonig sound has a little halo above each note which adds to the appeal of the musicality and enjoyment of the Erlkonig.

Here is another way to compare the two. Setting number 3 is my preferred setting with Erlk. The reduced bass with 3 allows the instruments to breath better. It also allows room for the sub bass to come out more when there is this perceived increase in staging with number 3. I could listen to Erlk on number 3 for hours and never get fatigued but still have an emotional attachment to the music and there is still enough detail.

What I am hearing with the Phonix sound is that they took Erlkonig on number 3 and added steriods to the sound from the top to the bottom frequency.

Both Erlk and Phonix can coexist because they shine at different things. Both are enjoyable for different reasons.







Bob: SLC it is time to stop dilly dallying and compare directly Phonix and Extended. Please do this first with its individual parts, then my next question will be about how they compare as a whole.

SLC: Yes, I can do that Bob but for me tearing apart each section of an IEM does not really reflect what the whole of the IEM really is. I shall attempt to break them apart and then post next about the big picture differences.

The mids of the Phonix are more forward than the EXT. I will start with that. The mids of the EXT are further back than the other parts of its signature. To me saying “V shaped” feels negative to me. So I will say the EXT mids are further back compared to the Phonix mids. The Phonix mids are placed in a mild W shape in the same place as the treble and bass i.e. it is a really cohesive monitor. Not to be cliché but the Phonix mids have an amazing timbre for BA. Supernatural. Not as natural to me as a DD mid but wow did they nail the timbre on the Phonix for an all BA IEM. The mids of the EXT come across like the mids of a Planar HP. Warm and true to an “analogue” sound. EXT to me is true to a warm HP like the LCD 3 but with a bigger bass bump and appropriately crisp treble.

The bass of Phonix and EXT share some things in that they share equal billing between the mid and sub bass. They both fit in well with the overall signature of the IEM. The EXT bass is such classic DD bass. That is what VE was going for and they nailed it. The air movement is there. The thump of a DD bass is there. Depending on the cable the bass can stand out more than the rest of the EXT signature. The stock cable of both works well with their signature. The Phonix stock cable adds more warmth and clarity, and the EXT stock cable also adds more warmth with a signature slant toward the bass.

The Phonix bass to me is mind boggling for a BA bass. The bass of the Phonix is impactful and true to the timbre of how I like to hear bass. The BA bass of the Phonix is reminiscent to me of the BA bass of the Traillii. With both IEMs I find myself asking how they made the BA bass sound so good and so right. Tight and impactful with an excellent sub and mid bass combination.

Treble treble treble. My weak point. I have not met a treble I would not spend the evening with. To me the Phonix treble has the crispness that goes along with the rest of the signature. Mildly forward. The EXT treble comes across warmer to me. Not as crisp. This fits perfectly with the rest of the signature. I find the EXT to have a warmer sound to it overall. Hence a crisp forward treble would kill the signature. The notes overall with the EXT are thicker and with less detail than the Phonix (sorry Bob, that was a big picture comment).




Bob: OK big picture boy, can you talk about the Phonix and Extended as a whole rather than the parts. I hear you think you are groovy now thinking that your two newer VE partners do different and special things for you? I am referring to Phonix and EXT, not Marcel and Oliver.

SLC: Bob oh Bob. Yes they do different things for me. Right down to the shape of their body and the width of their nozzle tip. EXT and Phonix that is. Analogy time: The Phonix is like the perfect partner. So refined and always is elegant and extremely appropriate in public and in private. EXT on the other hand is a social being with a mild lack of social filtering. Can be appropriate in public and in private but oofta, it can she be inappropriate at times. EXT leaves you a little on edge. You may get elegant, or you may get someone feeling rather playful. You may get super fun and experimental or you may get poetry night!

The Phonix for me is the most refined and detailed IEM I have ever heard that is also musical and engaging. It stays musical and engaging which can be a fault of some “refined” and “detailed” monitors. You must peel away numerous layers to find fault with the Phonix.

Lets get to a few possible faults. Some may find it too linear forward. I still consider Phonix mildly W shaped. Not enough to bring attention to itself and is still linear. It is enough W that it keeps the engagement and fun happening as well as non-fatiguing during long sessions.

It may not have enough bass for some. The bass fits in perfectly with everything else. I do really feel like when called for, air is moving like a DD bass. The sub and mid bass are equal. Neither lacks versus the other nor stands out versus the other.

The Phonix is about the whole versus each part. VE could have named this monitor Gestalt rather than Phonix. Gestalt: an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts. That is what Phonix is about. You are enjoying all of the music with Phonix. You can analyze each instrument or note of the Phonix but you have to make a concerted effort to do that. Phonix does like to be called “G” for Gestalt at time. Good morning G. I hope your day was a pleasant one G. Always proper but engaging!

Phonix is the Roger Federer of monitors. He is about Gestalt also. He is one fluid machine that always performs and one asks when watching him how he does it. He is so smooth and enjoyable. You have to make a concerted effort to analyze each stroke on its own. When you do that you realize each stroke is so flawless that none brings attention to itself.

EXT on the other hand is the Rafael Nadal of monitors. Whan watching Nadal each stroke jumps out at you. The quirky motion of his serve, the volleys that are not refined, the forehand that takes away too much of his energy, the backhand that lacks extension. But Nadal puts it all together to defeat almost all his opponents. You walk away from his game shaking your head in bewonderment.

Each part of the EXT is right in front of you and is easy to pick out. With some songs the timbre of the mids shine. With other songs the movement, texture and the layering of the bass shine. With other songs I hear the cymbals shining through in a new and enjoyable way.

The EXT is the partner that you will have more fun with in general, but you never know which EXT you will get that day. You are drawn to living on the edge with her.

Each part of the EXT can be seen as greater than each part of the Phonix. The whole of the Phonix can be seen as greater than the EXT. The EXT treble can be more textured. The EXT mids have a timbre that is even more realistic than the very realistic timbre of the Phonix. The EXT treble can sparkle more. As a whole the Phonix bass, mids and treble come across as more realistic than the EXT until you start analyzing each one. I analyze instruments and musical space more with EXT. I enjoy the big picture with Phonix i.e. the Gestalt!






Bob: Hey Markie Mark by the way, SeeSax invited me to your text messages. He just did not tell you. I see you are talking a lot about cables with him. Please elaborate. Remember as I say often, when cable rolling, shallow insertion preserves the 2 pin housing.

SLC: First off Bob, please do not call me Markie Mark. I go by SLC on Head-Fi. Only my fourth cousin and about 12 others call be that and I need to talk to SeeSax about privacy.

I got Phonix and put a 1950 cable on it. I did that because that was my favorite pairing with Erlkonig.

I put the stock cable on and Phonix was similar and as enjoyable as with the 1950 cable. I do like to find a cable that has good synergy and then stick with it. And yes Bob, shallow insertion to preserve the 2-pin housing.

I wanted to compare the Phonix with a clear sounding cable (1960 4-wire), a neutral to clear cable (Monile 2 wire), a neutral cable (1950 cable), and a warm cable (1960 2-wire).

On a side note, the VE IEMs 2 pin is a miniscule narrower than PWA and Plussound. PWA and Plussound are the standard .78 to me. Old EE 2 pins were larger and Rhapsodio 2 pins are very large. The new EE two pins are just a tiny bit wider than PWA and Plussound. Be careful the first few times cable rolling. I would not do a full insert until you are using the cable you want to use.

Also, I love the 2-pin housing on the VE cables. They go flush with the IEM. Just like I love how Traillii allows the standard 2 pin CIEM housing to be inserted fully in the IEM so it is also flush.

So here is my take on cable rolling with Phonix:

Stock: warm warm warm. Non fatiguing detailed sound. Does everything right. If you want warmth and engagement, then this IEM is the standard to shoot for. Not boring at all. Still super engaging. A stock cable that one can use and be totally fine with it. That is rare.

1960 4 wire: With Phonix Subdued mid bass. Added sub bass. Clarity added. Added staging.

Monile 2 wire: Preferred cable with Sultan until Sultan met Horus X. With Phonix same bass. Less warmth. Added clarity.

1950: Forward forward forward. The sound calls for your attention. Amazing prominent bass. Mid and sub bass. At the EXT level of bass. Fatigue could set in for some. Fun will always be present. My preferred for sure because I like lively. And a little on the aggressive side.

1960 2 wire: Preferred cable with Odin. With Phonix Super warm sound. A lot of bass. more mid bass than sub.

What did I learn from this project that causes a lot of anxiety since I do not like messing with 2 pin housing? I hate to say it but the stock cable does 100% justice with the sound of the Phonix. The cable is soft and not annoying. I can lay it in my IEM drawer without a clasp and they will stay put.

It also verified for me the importance of cables and the synergy with the IEM. These are all wonderful cables. They just each do different things to the sound.

I will be using the stock cables for the rest of the review process. I will then go with 1960 4 wire due to my fear of adapters mainly and the added clarity, sub bass and staging.





Bob: What about other IEMs and how they compare to Phonix?

SLC:

Phonix as compared to EE Odin: 13 BA versus 2 DD/5 BA/ 4 Estat

Well, oh well when I compare the two, I am struck by their similarities. They are both amazing with how much detail they provide. They both give you that “wow” feeling of holy batboy there is a lot going on here. Someone spent time tuning these two. Impactful bass, impactful mids and impactful treble. All there to be heard in their glorious detail.

Then there are the differences. The Phonix is a tamed Odin. Those that love Odin will think “this is a fun IEM that I could marry rather than just spend a short weekend with like the Odin.” Those that could not handle the intensity of the upper mids of the Odin will think “hello, beautiful, playful, detailed, textured, sound! I could get old with you.”

Both Odin and Phonix are masters at being impactful. The Phonix has a coherent W sound. The Odin has a W sound that is not an even W. Some parts of the W go up higher i.e. the sub bass and upper mids. The Phonix notes are a little bit richer with a little bit more texture all the way around. When I A/B the two that is a huge difference that comes out.

The Phonix sound is not jumping at you right away when first listened to. It is a more mature sound that ages super well and slowly undresses in front of you. The Odin jumps into bed au naturel and then works backwards and tries to warm up the environment after it starts with hot! Phonix goes from cool to warm. Just a different way to approach the same endgame.

The Phonix is not going to put some people off like Odin. The Phonix takes a little time to discover the rich taste. It is a Bordeaux rather than an injection.

Once again, I lack the ability to describe each specific detail of the Phonix. The Phonix is about an impactful Gestalt. The whole is so much greater than each part. With Odin the parts are very distinct. I am not saying one is a better approach than the other. Just different ways of enjoying sound.


Phonix as compared to the Noble Sultan: 13 BA versus DD/4 BA/2 Estat

The two of them share a similar amount of clarity and warmth. They have both. That is what makes each special to me. Warm and clear. Just the right amount of fluid to keep the flow clear.

The amount of bass is similar as how impactful they are to the overall sound and with a mid and sub bass focus. The Sultan bass is obviously DD with a slower attack vs the BA tightness of the Phonix bass.

The notes on the Sultan are a tiny bit thicker. The notes on the Sultan as I have said before have a little fun halo around them. That decreases the exact timbre of a live performance but increases the enjoyment of the notes. Both have a W shape to me. The Phonix W sound is extremely coherent. Fun is had all around. The Sultan W has a bass and treble bump.

Once again, the Phonix wins on overall texture and realistic fun. The Sultan wins on thick analogue sound with surreal Opium den fun. The Phonix is already put together and mature. The Sultan is a little rough around the edges in a good way. Each one gives me goose bumps at times with how well they do what they do.






BOB'S INTERVIEW WITH VISION EARS:


Bob: With Phonix, I know the Super Tweeter changes some things with the sound. Did you also tune the Phonix differently versus Erlkonig? There is a difference in warmth, clarity, heaviness of notes and some width of stage between the two.

VE: Just as we wrote on our website, changes were made cautiously because we know that there is some magic in the sound of the ERLKöNIG and we didn’t want to spoil it. So, we first changed the tweeter and then made some tiny adjustments on the crossover to find a good balance.


Bob: And what else can you tell me about the Phonix super tweeter? It seems like an audio “coup”!

VE: Thank you. Actually, it is just a spoutless tweeter, so there is no small tubes in front of the output of this tweeter, this changes the resonances of this driver a lot. And for sure we did some other little magic tricks to tweak it here and there


Bob: Could you tell me more about the carbon fiber shell? Was it more challenging to work with compared to the Erlkonig Silver shells or acrylic shells in general? Are there any other benefits to using Carbon fiber other than weight reduction and beauty?

VE: We like the carbon material very much, but every material has its own challenges when using it for a product. It was almost the same difficulty compared to the silver shell, we are very strict in tolerances, so we had to adjust the machining process a lot. Using acrylic is quite easy because we are very experienced in using this material. From our perspective, the beautiful look and the low weight are the most important factors for using this material. We simply love it, and we love challenges!


Bob: Can you tell me more about the cable used with Phonix? Is there a benefit to using a gold-silver alloy on Phonix compared to Erlkonig’s pure silver cable?

VE: We thought that this cable would match better to the sound of the Phönix because it is a little bit more natural and less cold in the high frequencies.


Bob: I am still very interested in the Phonix bass. You have stated that the Phonix bass is based off the Erlkonig bass on setting number 2. The bass of the Phonix is more impactful and shares sub and mid bass duties well. The Erlkonig bass on 2 has more of a mid bass slant. Is this difference due to a bigger stage on the Phonix?

VE: The bass drivers are exactly the same as with the EK and only a small change was made on the crossover to improve the performance. Because as soon as you improve the highs due to a new driver, the old balance is lost, so you need to adjust the other parts to get back everything into balance.







Conclusion:


Vision Ears is at the top of my list of professional and innovative companies. They purposefully push the envelope. They take the time needed to turn their vision into reality. They took a classic such as the Erlkonig and replaced just one BA and changed the tuning to what I would consider a must hear for anyone that is into IEMs and into sound in general. I know this an emotional statement, but they really have created a masterpiece with the PHöNIX. The PHöNIX is the Gestalt IEM of IEMs. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

I would like to thank the sexy but fictitious Bob for his time. Also thank you Marcel and Oliver from Vision Ears for putting up with Bob during the interview process. Your Kölsch beer gets him every time.


Here again is the link for the Elysium Extended review (HERE). Finally, I would like to thank you for going on this journey with me.

Noble Audio Kaiser 10 Legacy (K10 L)

Meet the new boss!
Same as the old boss?



“I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again, no, no

Yeah
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss”
The Who




PREAMBLE

Noble Audio has some Cajones! There are some questions that have to be answered with this review. Yes, K10 was considered by most as an amazing TOTL IEM in its day. But does it compete with what is out there today and how does it compete on its own and in comparison, to other current crème of the crop IEMs? What about this Quorum cable? What is it and how does it sound? Also, how does the K10 L sound compare directly to the sound of the K10 OG.

John Moulton the artist behind Noble Audio and I were in contact, and he asked if I was interested in purchasing his next IEM coming out. Well, of course I said yes and then I asked him what it is? He went on to explain about the K10 L. I then had a lot of questions for John. Starting with “What in the world are you thinking?” I said I was interested in writing an honest review if and only if it competes with what is out there today. I only have interest in writing a review about something that is outstanding for what it does. Also, I write reviews first for the selfish cognitive pleasure of it and secondly, for the altruistic pleasure of helping others understand an IEM or Headphone that I am passionate about. I have owned over 70 IEMs in the past 3 ½ years. All in a quest to understand sound and understand my preferences. In my opinion it takes a lot of experience and intense time to understand sound and understand the different sounds of each IEM and then convey that information on paper in as unbiased way as possible. I am still learning a ton and have a lot to learn.

A good audio friend (Damz87) and I recently wrote a review for the VE Elysium. In that review we introduced “Bob”, a fictitious but sexy interviewer. In this review I would like to introduce the reader to “Leroy”. Leroy is a fictitious but grumpy and rough around the edges interviewer. He has never won a PR contest. He has won several drinking contests at numerous Laundromats and on the Right Bank of Paris. He currently is on sabbatical from The Sorbonne in Paris.




SLC: Leroy is there anything you would like to say before we get started?

Leroy: Well SLC before you get your tighty-whities in a knot, I just want to say that my time is limited so can we please get on with this.

SLC: Ok, but one more question for you Sponge Leroy Grumpie pants. I find it humorous that your name stands for “The King” and you are asking me questions about “The Kaiser 10 Legacy”. Do you also find that humorous?

Leroy: Shirley I do, and I will with pleasure call you Shirley. I grew up in the Great Plains of North Dakota where we are all Le Roy in our mothers' eyes. So, spare me Mr. Crumpled Pants. And for your information Kaiser means Emperor and not King. Can we please start. I need to go fold some clothes and make some mille-feuille.


Leroy: I see up above that you quoted parts of the song “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who. So, SLC, I know that the K10 OG was considered one of the very best TOTL IEMS in 2014 but are we getting fooled here into spending money?

SLC: Thank you Leroy for such an appropriate question. Dr. John Moulton, as mentioned above is the creative person behind Noble Audio. He feels that the K10 still competes with what is out there today. He feels that there is a nostalgia part involved with others still wanting that K10 sound. Also, there is a market for his Prestige versions of IEMs. Each shell is made by hand and is unique. I also have the Zephyr Prestige IEM and each one is a work of art and extremely beautiful.

The K10 L offers a great sound, a boutique level build (Prestige shell), a proven pedigree, higher quality silver internal wiring, excellent cable, outstanding packaging and in 2014 Noble Audio did not have access to a lot of markets they currently have access to.


Leroy: So, is he putting lipstick on a 66 Corvette or is he trying to create something that sounds different or better than the K10 OG?

SLC: Nice lipstick reference Leroy. I see you do have lipstick stains on some of your laundry. John is not making any claim to better or enhanced sound qualities over the K10 OG. The wiring is different in that it is silver, the housing is different and each one is very time consuming to make and is one of a kind, and the cable is a new cable that retails for a little over $2000 on its own. You are getting the classic sound with one of a kind housing, TOTL cable and the Nanuk case. The K10 L is available as UIEM or CIEM. The price is $3000 which is a chunk of change but is in line with the current prices of TOTL IEMs.

As I mentioned above, Noble has a stronger distribution network throughout the world that was not in place 8 years ago. There is a demand for the K10 sound and there is a demand for the Prestige one-of-a-kind shells. The K10 L is the definition of a boutique product.

John tests every prestige K10 L against an aluminum K10 OG to make sure the curves are essentially the same. This ensures that those that are wanting the K10 sound are getting the K10 sound.


Leroy: This seems like a risk but on the other hand not really. I am not sure what I mean by that, but can you extrapolate on my inability to be clear with my question?

SLC: I sure can Leroy. One thing I do know is that Noble Audio takes risks. Those risks bring about products that can be polarizing. Khan and Sultan for example. They are loved or not loved. No in-between. K10 L on the other hand is an IEM that is not polarizing at all. The K10 started the company. Since then, Noble Audio has put out other TOTL IEMs such as to name a few: Katana, Encore, Khan, Sultan and Zephyr. I have owned or currently own all of these IEMS. Each one provides a unique flavor IMHO. Noble has not played it safe and I respect that. They are willing to take risks and be innovative and creative. With the K10 L they are playing it safe in one respect. They are using the same drivers used in a classic, legendary IEM from 8 years ago. Now that is also a huge risk and ballsy (cajonesly)! I refer to the K10 as a Golden Nugget. It was a classic for a reason. But will dressing it up in a boutique shell, with TOTL current day inner wiring and an amazing current day cable keep the K10 L a Golden Nugget?

Past reviews talk about the pure enjoyment of the sound of the K10. A legend was created. But now it has been reborn and dressed up differently and IMHO the change is not revolutionary but legendary. The K10 has turned into a Legacy IEM worthy of my time and effort and worthy of being part of my collection of IEMs.


Leroy: Well, that was winded SLC but thank you. What is this Prestige shell thing?

SLC: The Prestige shell can be purchased as pre-made when available or can be custom ordered based on desire and what Mr. Moulton can source. My K10 L is made out of Amboyna wood. I also have a Prestige version of the Noble Zephyr. The shell for my the Zephyr Prestige is made out of pinecones and resin. Sounds odd but the beauty and craftmanship is stunning.




PROCESS

Leroy: What is the process involved in making this Prestige shell and the final product?

SLC: Here is the process in a nutshell or in this case an IEM shell: First there is the CAD work to shape a housing (my Zephyr and K10 L Prestige have a different shape due to the drivers etc. that need to be installed). Then cut the wood billet to size and stabilize it. Then sand or cut off the excess stabilizing material. The billet then goes in the CNC machine and approximately 8 hours later the CNC has completed the job. The housing is essentially in a rough format. The housing is then sanded to a more organic shape, sockets are applied, and vent holes are cut if the design requires them.

The wood is then sealed, and the internal parts are put into the shell and tested. The faceplate is applied and carved to shape. The IEM is tested again, finish is applied, and the IEM is tested again.

It takes three days of work to complete the IEM, and this does not include the CNC time.




HISTORY

Leroy: Wow, color me pink. That is actually interesting. SLC, you now have me interested in the history of the K10. I know about its 30 consecutive 5-star Head-Fi review ratings. I have also looked into the reviews from years ago in preparation for this chat with you and I am aware of how loved the sound of this IEM was. Can you give me more historical information?

SLC: Yes, Leroy I can. I am impressed with your background research. Despite what your bowling and Sorbonne buddies say about you, you do come prepared.

The CIEM version of the K10 was launched in 2014 followed by a few months later with the universal injection molded IEM which was then followed by the well-known aluminum version.

The injection molded version had 2 versions: blue glitter which was built for Japan and Grey Glitter which was built for the world market. There are some injection molded versions in use in Japan that are considered collector IEMs.

The aluminum had several variations:

• Red/silver
• Black/silver. (Only 4 built)
• Gold/silver. (Only 3 built)
• Gold/black
• Black/black
• Red/silver with “Wizard” signature (most rare, only 1 produced, last owned in Singapore)
• Red/black

Prices ranged from $1899 for the CIEM to $1699 for the Universal version. At the end of the lifespan of the K10, it was offered by Massdrop (now called DROP) for $1000 and many were sold. At the end of the Drop life the price went down to $700 for the last few IEMs. I think a few were even sold for $500. This was the time when EE put their Flagship Zeuss on Massdrop and Noble Audio did the same with K10. I for one avoid Drop purchases due to possible post purchase customer support issues.

The K10 has never been offered as a Prestige universal version until now.

According to Mr. Moulton “The K10 L design goal is to offer a piece of history built with premium and boutique materials. The K10 L is basically an homage to the original K10 except this time being built with premium materials that we simply did not have in 2014”

For what it is worth an interesting side note is that many K10 IEMs were sold, and they very rarely show up for sale on Head-Fi.




SOURCES

Leroy: I am into sources; I need sources to help me with my interviewing and laundry and navigating through the 4tharrondissement AKA Le Marais. My trucker hat does not fit in well in that artsy section of Paris. Anyway SLC, what sources did you use for this review?

SLC: I used John Moulton for some of the historical information for this review and for the process for making Prestige shells. I used the World Wide Web also for historical information. I used the iBasso DX300 DAP for most of my listening. On Medium gain with D3 and D5 (NOS) filters. I also used the Hiby R5 DAP and the Luxury & Precision W2 DAC/AMP. I did of course use my favorite source, my Schiit Jotunheim Amp with their Multibit DAC. I am not allowed to bring up the Jotunheim around my audio friends. I have exhausted that option.

I have a hunch that the sources nowadays are much better than what was out there in 2014. Also balanced sources are rather ubiquitous now and thank goodness 4.4mm seems to be becoming the standard for balanced sources.


CABLE




Leroy: Please enlighten me and tell me more about this cable. Is this the Utah Quorum of 12 cable or is it something else?

SLC: The picture below was taken from the Sound Square Company website which is a Noble distributor based out of Korea. I will get into cable sound impressions later in the review. For a 16-wire cable the ergonomics are excellent. The hardware is of extremely high quality. The braiding of the cable is very beautiful, and the shimmer is stunning.




PACKAGE

Leroy: What else comes with this bad boy? What accoutrements?

SLC: You must have studied President Macron to pull a word like “accoutrement” out of your trucker hat. Here are pictures that show what the IEM comes with and by the way the Nanuk case and leather smaller case are extremely impressive:




SOUND

Leroy: Hey SLC I hear you are into the mid-section of things. Please tell me about the mids of the K10 L?

SLC: Good observation Leroy, you must have checked out the list of my current IEMs. On the first day there were mids. The only scooped out I like is ice cream.

Simply stated the mids are the star of the show. Nothing is recessed at all and there is probably a very slight upper mid bump. Very slight. The Zephyr and Odin for example have more of an upper mid bump. The mids are lush which tells me the upper mid bump is minimal if at all. The timbre is extremely correct. The texture is top notch. If the mids are overdone I do get fatigued after a while. This IEM would take hours of listening to sound fatiguing (with a warm cable that is).

The mids have the right amount of detail and warmth. Nothing is fatiguing about the K10 L. The sound is warm but not dark at all.

Vocals are right there in front of you. I need the mids and the instruments in the mid-range to be the star. This is my preference. This type of presence of mids does create the intimacy I like. This also does reduce the overall staging of the IEM. That is why in my opinion the Trailii vocals/mids are not the star. That would be hard to do with the massive staging of the Traillii.




Leroy: I know you are weak kneed when it comes to treble but is there anything you can say about the K10 L treble.

SLC: I have no treble complaints. As I like to say (along with saying “Jot” while looking in a mirror), I have not met a treble I did not like. The K10 L treble has excellent texture and timbre. Each person reacts differently to treble. Treble is very individual due to their sensitivities to treble. The K10 L does represent cymbals correctly for example. Unlike the Noir or Khan for example, I doubt the treble will be too much for some.


Leroy: Those that are neophytes to the audio world are really into what the bass sounds like. I as an observer of the audio world and the skills of the early morning Paris street cleaners with their cool machines, do find that as an audio listener matures the focus of enjoyment moves away from big bass and more into the mid-section texture and richness. But anyway, SLC please humor me and talk about the bass.

SLC: Another nice observation about the bass and mids focus over time Leroy. You must have stayed away from smoking the wheat during your time in the ND Plains. Remember Leroy there are highly technical competent IEMs that still have a lot of bass. The LX comes to mind immediately.

The K10 L bass is mature. It is a mid-bass focus with a smaller sub bass. I think in 2014 the bass of the K10 was considered fun. With all the developments in IEMs the bass of the K10 is not the star of the K10 L show. The bass and the treble for that matter play supporting roles for the K10 L. The bass does what it should. It is not absent and is not overwhelming. It is proper.


Leroy: A little bird (no I am not referencing another IEM) told me about your love of timbre. You even named another review “Timbrelicious.” How is the K10 L timbre?

SLC: The timbre is spot on. I can still tell it is a BA timbre. That is a good thing to me. I love DD timbre, but I do not like BA timbre that is trying to act like DD timbre. The timbre of the K10 L is complimented by the quick detailed notes of the BA drivers. They are lush for BA drivers but not as lush as a DD driver. The overall sound package of the K10 L is better than any individual part.


Leroy: I made my money through my understanding of micro and macroeconomics and trying to understand President Macron the current leader of France. How would you define the micro and macro sounds emitted from the K10 L?

SLC: For simplification purposes I will refer to micro as detail and macro as space and staging. I know that really simplifies it but let’s go with that. Probably even more important of a star than the mids for the K10 L is that micro and macro are both present and enjoyable with the K10 L. That is hard to come by and is why I refer to the K10 L as a Golden Nugget. All the details of the music come alive. Close to the detail specialists, the Odin and Katana. There is just enough of a halo around each note (not to the extent of the Sultan) to give off warmth and intimacy. On the macro side of things spacing is excellent with the K10 L. I have no issue with the notes being separated and individually heard when I want to hear them. Staging is smaller and intimate most likely due to the mids being one of the stars of the K10 L.


Leroy: Zoom out a little further SLCpants and give me a broader picture of the K10 L sound?

SLC: The K10 L is the only IEM I have that does not have something that it does as a specialty. What makes it special is it does most everything right and very little wrong. The K10 L gives me the feeling of being in a secure relationship. As I stated earlier the whole is greater than any individual parts. The K10 L is not fatiguing but also not boring. How often does that happen in a relationship. The sound is intimate and detailed without being clinical.

It is not for those that want massive sub bass. It is not for those that want massive staging.

The 10 Knowles BA drivers are something special together and worth bringing back to life in this better overall package.




Leroy: Time to enter the Voodoo Lounge Mr. SLC. Let me twist up your pants a little more. How does the K10 L respond to cables and what is the sound signature of the Quorum cable?

SLC: I will address that in the comparisons section below, specifically in the K10 OG and the K10 L comparison which is the very first comparison.


COMPARISONS:

Leroy: K10 L has to compete with what is out there today. I have had about enough of you and would like to conclude this interview. I need you to pour some sugar on this review and compare the K10 L with what is out there in today’s market.

SLC: Thank you Leroy for allowing me to make such comparisons. These are the IEMs I currently own and have been able to compare directly to the K10 L. As stated earlier I am obsessed with purchasing IEMs, listening to them intensely for a few months and then letting them go. I recently released the Mason V3+ and very recently the Traillii. The ones below are my favorite IEMs currently and it is getting harder and harder to release IEMs as I know my preferences and biases extremely well.





Noble Audio K 10 OG:

The goal of comparing the two is to confirm or deny that the sound is the same. I started the comparison with the stock Sultan/Zephyr cable on the K10 and the Quorum on the K10 L. Wow what a difference. The K10 was a lot brighter. The notes were quicker and thinner. The stock Sultan and Zephyr cable must be a detail-oriented cable (which works well with Sultan and Zephyr). I then wanted to compare each using the Quorum cable. Turns out I had to go to plan B. I could not get the Quorum cable off the K10 L and forcing anything out or in anything is never good. So, plan B it was. I started comparing K10 L with the Quorum cable to the K10 with different brighter and warmer cables that I have.

I was able to get the K10 to sound extremely similar to the K10 L. I was able to do that by using my warm cables. The first was with my PWA Loki+ cable which is a warm spacious cable. Very similar sound but Quorum was more spacious. The PWA 1950 cable was also close, but the Quorum is a warmer cable. Both add excellent space to the sound. PWA 1960 2-wire cable is also a warm cable and the sound was extremely close. So close that it was hard to tell the difference from K10 and K10 L except that there was more detail with Quorum cable vs. 1960 2 wire. Then finally I tried my favorite cable the PWA 1960 4-wire which is not a warm cable. And wow did the K10 sound not good at all with the 60 4-wire. It was too bright with less warmth and thickness.

I feel I can somewhat conclude from this that the Quorum cable is a warm spacious cable. I also conclude that the sound of the K10 and K10 L are the same when using a quality warm cable. And finally, I conclude that there is no need to attempt to force the Quorum cable off the K10 L. It is IMHO the right cable for the K10 L.





EE LXSE:

Very first thing I notice is that the LXSE is about 4 rows further back. K10 L and LXSE are both balanced though. The thickness of the notes of the two are very similar. Timbre is also similar. It is just that the K10 L is sitting closer to the stage. Both have intimate staging. LXSE mid and sub bass rumble is a unique textured slow rumble vs. the BA quicker mid bass of the K10 L.

Obviously the LXSE thump is more prominent. They have a similar amount of treble.




EE Odin:

Wow do they share some things. Balanced sound for both with an upper mids bump more pronounced with Odin. They have a similar sound stage. Odin is a few rows forward versus K10 L. Odin has a lot more “hello look at me” going on. Treble of both are oddly very similar. Sub bass of Odin is more pronounced. Odin sub bass is the best I have ever heard. Mid bass of K10 L is more prominent. Timbre and slightly forward vocals of both are similar. Timbre and emotions of K10 L are a little better though. Micro detail goes to Odin. The dynamics/3D sound goes to Odin. Again, they are more similar than different oddly enough.




VE Elysium

If you like Elysium you will like the K10 L. Similar soundstage. Same middle row seating. K10 L has more of a mid-bass thump vs Elysium. Treble impact is the same. Treble dynamics go to Elysium. Mids are shockingly similar. The mids on both are the star of the show. Elysium more so since I prefer DD mids but the K10 L mids remind me of the Erlkonig BA mids and that is a compliment




VE Erlkonig LE

On setting 2 which is the slight bass bump and slight treble bump setting.

Amazingly similar musicality and timbre. Similar warmth around the notes. Similar mid bass and amount of treble. With more A/Bing the Erlkonig notes are a little thicker. K10 L notes are a little bit more forward. Slightly though. To me it is amazing that the K10 L is in the same ballpark as the Erlkonig LE.




64 Audio Fourte Noir

The Noir is like going on an acid trip while watching the movie "Fight Club." Everything comes at you hard. You end the session with bruised ribs and a black eye. K10 L is so much smoother. No desire to get in a fight while listening to K10 L. The DD mid-bass stands out more on the Noir. Noir is not bright oddly enough. Vocals are more pronounced with K10 L. Noir has that sound coming from all around you like the Sultan does. That may be why the Noir and Sultan can be polarizing. Throw the Fourte OG in there and the three could head out to the South Pole and feel polarizing together.




Noble Audio Sultan

Sultan comes across as the little brother of the K10 L. They are both adults, but the Sultan is 6 years younger and more alive and less mature than the K 10 L. K 10 L really is more mature sounding. The sub bass of the Sultan stands out. Along with Odin, the Sultan sub bass cannot be touched. K10 L mid bass is stronger. Sultan takes the fun up a few notches. Also, the notes of the Sultan are a little thicker and hang around longer. The K10 L notes are tighter and more analytical sounding than Sultan. The mids of the K10 L stand out as more mature. More engaging. Maybe because the bass of the Sultan is a force to reckon with.




Noble Audio Zephyr Prestige

Zephyr should be getting more love. I just think not a lot of people have heard it. The Zephyr is an excellent, well balanced, mildly forward and super smooth IEM. K10 L is more forward right off the bat. Timbre of the two are similar. K10 L is more lively and treble hits harder. Vocals hit harder on K10 L also. Mid bass on K10 L is also a little stronger. K10 L turns into more of a W sound when comparing to Zephyr. Zephyr comes across so smooth in comparison. The DD of the Zephyr is more laid back but more textured, layered, and slower compared to the BA bass of the Zephyr. Both are into mid bass more than sub bass.




Noble Audio Katana Wizard

Very easy to compare. Bright and analytical Katana with more of a treble punch, more sub bass and very mildly more forward vocals. K10 L turns dark in comparison. The mids of the K10 L are more engaging due to being thicker than the Katana. You could have just these two IEMs as foils to each other and be perfectly content. I of course would throw in the Sultan or Noir for when feeling psychedelic.


CONCLUSION:




Is The New Boss as Good as the Old Boss?

Leroy: So SLC please conclude this thing, I need to get back on my combine and the Left Bank. Is the K10 L relevant and does it still compete in today's market? Or as you would say, is the new boss as good as the old boss?

SLC: Well Leroy, I hope you are able to infer that yes, the K10 L is relevant and yes, it competes with the big boys of today. The K10 L is for someone that wants a balanced IEM, that is engaging and fun. The whole is greater than each one of the 10 Knowles BAs used in this IEM. This IEM has no faults and has no one strength. It really does everything well. The strength of the K10 L is that while listening to it you are enjoying the music rather than focusing on any specific strengths or specific weakness.

You can add the K10 L to your collection as a reality check IEM. The music sounds like it should. Nothing is overdone. Or you can have it as your only IEM. Since the music is presented well and non-fatiguing it can be your one and done IEM. That would be nice if any of us could settle for just one.

The new boss is as good as the old boss with added benefits. The K10 L has the added benefit of an amazing, customized boutique shell that is extremely gorgeous and each one is bespoke. Another benefit is the inclusion of an outstanding extremely high-quality cable that compliments the K10 L extremely well and looks wonderful.

Mona Elysa: The Vision Ears Elysium Review
Through the lens of Damz87 & SLC1966

Featuring an interview with Oliver Marino and Marcel
Schoenen from Vision Ears.

Mona Lisa:
“The delicately painted veil, the finely wrought tresses, and the careful rendering of folded fabric demonstrate Leonardo’s studied observations and inexhaustible patience. Moreover, the sensuous curves of the sitter’s hair and clothing are echoed in the shapes of the valleys and rivers behind her. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting—especially apparent in the sitter’s faint smile—reflects Leonardo’s idea of the cosmic link connecting humanity and nature, making this painting an enduring record of Leonardo’s vision. In its exquisite synthesis of sitter and landscape”. Britannica



Welcome into the mind of Damz & SLC. I as the fictitious but audio sexy interviewer (AKA Bob) would like to give the reader a deeper look at the Vision Ears Elysium through the lens of not just one, but two Elysium lovers. They may not have ever spent time together in the same room but they both have spent many hours with Mona Elys!!

I will first interview Damz and SLC. I also had the opportunity to interview the Leonardo’s of Vision Ears: Marcel Schoenen and Oliver Marino, the brains and artists of Vision Ears, were gracious enough to respond to my questions.


Bob’s Interview with Damz and SLC:

Bob: Rumor has it Damz that you bring the audio thunder from down under! Why do you want to share your thoughts on the Elysium with others? Don’t you own every IEM currently out there? And if so, how do they all fit in your pants with a DAP taking up most of the space?

Damz: Well, to be completely honest Bob, I didn’t expect to enjoy your Elysium as much as I do when I first saw your extra-large package arrive at my doorstep. My intention was to simply try them out and move on with my 69 other IEM’s. But there truly is something unique and immensely pleasurable about Ely that I have discovered, and I feel that they’re a worthy addition to my permanent IEM collection. And don’t worry, there’s plenty of room in my pants for a few more.


Bob: SLC, you may have your truckload of IEMs and have experienced a Damz level of IEMs, but fine sir, why are you interested in sharing your thoughts of Elysium with others?

SLC: I went through many single driver DD IEMs looking for the emotive sound that DD driver HPs can provide. In the morning I was never satisfied. Something was missing. A single DD IEM would have maybe the mids correct or the bass, but it was never coherent throughout all frequencies. I was never fully satisfied. Then I demoed Elysium as part of a VE tour and low and behold I had an Elysium of my own in my hands a few days later. All single DD driver boxes were checked. Yes, I know the treble is made up of two Estats and the bass is one single BA. But most of the musical action happens in the mid-section and that is where VE ingeniously put the DD. Hence the emotive box was finally checked. Estats are perfect for the treble and the BA is a perfect bass compliment to the overall signature. A single BA for bass and a DD for mids goes against the grain of thought at the moment but wow they nailed it. Emotions are there and engagement and musicality are there with IHMO nothing missing. That is why you probably chose the cheesy Mona Elysa title Bob.


Bob: I as the fictitious but sexy interviewer wanted to interject some facts about Damz’s Elysium. SLC had Elysium #17. Then sold it out into the wild. Bought it back. Then sold it to a good audio friend who then sold it to Damz. SLC tried to buy it back from Damz but Damz would not budge due to the Elysium joy he was getting. SLC ended up buying #237 Elysium and it has stayed. You may think I am cheesy SLC but who is the one selling IEMs and thinking they will magically come back to him when they are missed?

And on another side note: I do not dare ask Damz and SLC why one prefers to call Elysium “Ely” and the other “Elys”. I am afraid of the answer.


Bob: This IEM has the DD as the mids. SLC did already reference Elys as the single DD IEM he spent his life looking for even though Elysium is not a single DD IEM. What is your take on the Elysium DD?

Damz: Like the great musical trios of the past such as The Bee Gees and Destiny’s Child, there is magic when 3 talented performers come together as one. However, often there is one star that naturally shines brighter than the others. The midrange DD is the Barry and Beyonce of the Elysium. That said, one could argue that these stars needed their supporting cast to become the legends they are today.
As a self-confessed basshead, Ely’s driver configuration was met with plenty of skepticism from me. I simply couldn’t fathom a single BA driver being capable to drive a level of bass I need to enjoy my music. And at the time of Ely’s release, previously reviewed tribrid’s with e-stats had failed to impress the IEM community as superior (or even equal to) BA high frequency drivers. However, now that I have heard it for myself, I believe VE delivered a driver configuration masterstroke and a pioneer for tribrid design in the Elysium.
Driver coherency has been the Achilles heel of many hybrid/tribrid IEMs, but Ely bucks that trend and to my ears is one of the most coherent hybrid driver IEM’s I’ve ever heard. I agree with SLC that one could be fooled into believing that it’s a single driver inside those shells.

SLC: Yes, I did prematurely reference the DD which is a problem of mine but that is personal. I will take this opportunity to inform you Bob that the mid-section is where most vocals and most instruments are located. It is where the action takes place. That is why I think VE chose a DD for the mids. Nothing touches a high-quality DD for its ability to present instruments in a natural and emotional way. I love vocals that are real and emotional. I obsess on the sound a trumpet emits by a talented jazz musician. The Elys to me presents the trumpet for example with the best timbre I have heard.


Bob: Of course, the most important question is about that Elysium packaging. How is the packaging when you open her up for the first time? I hear others on side streets and dark alleys mentioning the word “levitating”!

Damz: Ely isn’t my first Vision Ears IEM, so going into this unboxing I was acutely aware that VE know how to do packaging. My expectations were high to say the least. And boy did it not disappoint. I can comfortably say that Ely’s unboxing experience is right up there with the best in the IEM market. I won’t say anything more than “if an unboxing experience is important to you when considering an IEM, then look no further than Elysium.”

SLC: The first time is magical. As the flaps are pulled to the side the Elys ascends to the sky. The only other two IEMs that provided a wow experience were the Dunu Luna and VE Erlkönig. But neither levitated.


Bob: What are 5 music artists/groups that come to mind when you insert Elysium?

Damz: I’m an electronic music junkie so a few sub-genres that I think Ely reproduces particularly well are Deep house, indy house, progressive techno, and minimal. Outside of Electronic music, some artists I listen to with Ely would be Chet Faker, Angus & Julia Stone, Matt Corby, London Grammar, and Lana Del Ray.

SLC: I am into Jazz and Alt Rock among other genres. At the moment, 5 of the artists/groups I gravitate to with Elys are Christian Scott, Radiohead, Miles Davis, Jason Molina, and Charles Lloyd.


Bob: What is your take on the fit of the Universal Elysium?

Damz: I have zero issues with the fit of Elysium in universal form. I get a deep fit with a tight seal and no vacuum effect.

SLC: The fit is very tight. The isolation is to the extreme. It did take a little tip rolling to find the best fit in which the Elys would stay fixed in place. There is an addicting Hoover effect. Strong seal feeling. Right now, it fits like my baseball glove did as a kid after it was properly oiled, formed, and broken in after a season of use. An excellent feeling.


Bob: What do you put on the tip of your Elysium? Do you tip roll as audio people call it?

Damz: I usually do tip roll however I got lucky with Ely and got a perfect fit with my first roll. I use SpinFit CP155’s.

SLC: With most IEMs I do need to tip roll. Some never find a tip that works, and they must move on. With Elys I was worried because I was not having luck my first tip rolling go-around. I ended up with eureka when I tried the Spinfit CP145s that I had in the bowels of my tip drawer. I do not use stock tips, but it turns out the Elys comes with the CP145 tips and the color of the bore of the tips match the color of the outside of the DD inside the Elys.


Bob: Speaking of rolling are the two of you late night cable rollers with Elysium?

Damz: Cable rolling is an important medicine for treating my audio obsessive compulsive disorder. I have given Ely the full cable roll treatment. TLR - I settled on the Effect Audio Code 51.
Here are the notes from my late-night cable escapades:
Effect Audio Code 51: Compared to stock, Code 51 adds some warmth to the midrange tone, and also creates a slight emphasis down low. Treble clarity doesn’t sound hindered by the added warmth. To me, I hear a slightly heavier note weight, especially in the bass.
Effect Audio Horus Octa: A leaner, more revealing tonality compared to stock. Highs get a bit more prominence and energy. I hear a clean and clarity-focused sound.
Effect Audio Leonidas II Octa: This cable sits somewhere between Horus Octa and Code 51 for tonality, and slightly warmer than stock. I hear a little more midrange focus and clean highs.
PW Audio 1950s: I hear a better sense of clarity and speed compared to stock. Lows are a little bit reigned in and neutered which doesn’t play well with Ely’s tonal balance.
Eletech Iliad: Similar to Horus Octa but not quite as lean and clear. Somewhat similar to stock with bass.

SLC: I do try different cables with IEMs and then usually stick with the same cable once I feel the synergy is good. The stock cable on the Elys is a 4 wire SPC cable that has an excellent synergy with Elys. I also like how the Elys and Erlkönig stock cables are flat 2 pin cables. They fit flush with the IEM. That all being said I tend not to use stock cables. No logic in that but I have enjoyed the PW Audio Loki 4 wire cable with the Elys. Once I got the Monile 2-wire cable I enjoyed it even better and then once I tried the PW Audio 1960 4-wire, I started using that and have had no desire to insert anything else. With Elys I like a cable that is not warm but not sterile. For Elys I like a cable that provides clarity and instrumental space to the IEM and a little bit of bite. All cables I mentioned above including the stock cable work well for me with the Elys. The PW Audio 1960-2 wire is too warm for Elys. The PW Audio 1950 was too neutral for Elys even though it provided excellent instrumental space and clarity. Also, Bob let me interject that the Elys responds extremely well to a more powerful source. The Elys loves getting filled with power!


Bob: VE used a BA driver for the bass. What do you say to those that speak of a light bottom on Elysium?

Damz: As I mentioned earlier, what held me back from taking the plunge into the world of Ely were my concerns around bass quantity coming from a single BA driver. However, those concerns were completely quashed once I got Ely in my ears. My theory is that one needs a deep and pseudo-custom fit to get the bass to sound how it was intended. I am lucky that I get a deep fit, so perhaps I am hearing Ely’s full bass potential. I personally would not want Ely to have any more low-end emphasis than what I’m already hearing. Would it sound better with DD bass? Maybe. But I trust that VE knew what they were doing when selecting a BA driver for bass. The bass tuning has a mid-bass bias to my ears, but I do hear extension all the way down to 20hz and I get a satisfying feeling of sub-bass rumble.

Is it going to satisfy those who want to be completely blown away with bass? Probably not. If you want that from an IEM, look for something like the Empire Ears Legend X or Sony IER-Z1R. But keep in mind that you will be making sacrifices to either upper treble or lower mids with those IEMs respectively. Ely’s bass plays a beautiful complement to the midrange without drawing too much attention to itself, but without going completely missing either.

SLC: Well, I would not go out for a post-Covid adult beverage with those that think the Elys bass is light. All kidding aside, I love the Elys bass. It is exactly what it should be. The instrument the Upright Bass for example sounds exactly like what an Upright Bass sounds like when heard live. Extremely natural. Both mid and sub bass natural. It is about tuning and coherence. To me that is why the EE LX is L shaped and most other massive bass IEMs are V shaped. Too much bass must have a counter effect in another frequency range. That is also why the EE LXSE seems to have less bass when they just did an upper-mids bump which gave the feeling of less bass and the feeling of more treble. That is also why IMHO the amazing sub-bass of the Odin needed to be offset with an upper mid bump.


Bob: Any thoughts on those two beautiful ESTATS up top?

Damz: I am a big fan of Ely’s treble. To me, it simply sounds correct. No weird FR peaks and valleys, no sibilance, plenty of air without being exaggerated, and generally enjoyable to listen to. Much like the bass, the treble tuning lends itself to being the supporting act to the mid-range.

SLC: I have not met a treble I did not like, from the hotness of Noble Khan to the very mildness of the EE LX and AAW Canary IEMs. That said the Elys treble is the most enjoyable treble I have heard. Probably because it is extremely natural sounding. The cymbals sound like I think they should sound. They do not distract from the music by being too much or too little. As Goldilocks said, “they are just right".


Bob: Is it true that Elysium has the same feel and width of a Spree Candy?

Damz: Sorry Bob, I’m Australian. I don’t have this spree candy you speak of where I live. I’ll send you some Eucalyptus drops!

SLC: That is an odd question Bob but since you brought it up: yes, so true. I remember saving up 25 cents and walking for a half-hour to the convenience store in my desolate North Dakota environment just to get a roll of Spree candy and a pack of candy cigarettes. The thickness and smooth texture are the same as a Spree candy. Great observation Bob.


Comparisons:

Bob: Readers love comparisons. Not the type you two are thinking but between other IEMs. Please compare Elysium to other IEMs you currently own. No need for psychotic detail but please give the reader an understanding of the basic differences. It is ok if you both compare it to the same IEM since the reader will be interested in each of your lenses. Two myopics equal one hyperopic!



Damz:

VE Erlkönig LE: On setting 1 and 2, Erlkönig is much warmer, bassier and musical compared to Ely. Setting 3 and 4 are tonally closer to Ely. Erlkönig has a more in your face presentation with a ton of detail and musicality. Whereas Ely goes for a slightly more laidback and diffuse presentation (especially in the midrange) with a clarity focused tonality. Treble extension is better on Ely, but bass on Erlkönig has a lot more authority and detail. Mids is where I’m the most torn on which I prefer. At times I prefer Erlk for its incredible detail and wetness. But Ely in a lot of ways seems more reference and true to life. They are both excellent and sport the best midranges I have heard in an IEM. On technicalities, Erlk is the more resolving and detailed of the two. Staging on Ely is slightly wider however Erlkönig creates a better sense of height.

Oriolus Traillii: From a technical standpoint, Trailli exceeds Ely on all fronts. Significantly larger staging on all axes, better detail retrieval, better instrument separation and layering, and sharper transient speed. Tonally, Traillii is tuned with more sub bass, and a more pronounces treble starting from the mid-treble region. Traillii mids are more laidback and sit further back in the presentation, whereas Ely’s are more forward and in your face. Some may prefer Ely mids to Traillii’s depending on preference. In isolation, I also prefer Ely’s mids, however I feel that Traillii exceeds Elysium in all other aspects.
64 Audio U12t: U12t goes for a bassier presentation (especially in the sub-bass region) with mids and lower treble sitting further back compared to Ely. This gives U12t a more spacious and open sound compared to Ely which is more in your head. U12t is the more technically proficient IEM once again. However, the U12t has a more clinical and reference tonality, especially in the midrange, which can come off as boring compared to Ely’s musical and engaging midrange.
Unique Melody MEST Mk II: MEST is tuned with a more V-shaped signature with a much larger sub-bass emphasis, relatively recessed mid/upper bass to lower-midrange, more forward upper mids and treble. MEST also has a much larger soundstage. However, MEST can sound quite incoherent when compared to Ely. One would not be fooled into thinking MEST is a single driver IEM.

Empire Ears Odin: You know how Ely is the master of mids? Well, Odin is the master of bass in my humble opinion. Odin has a sub-bass bias tuning compared to Ely’s mid-bass bias. But the twin W9+ woofers cannot be touched by Ely’s single BA driven bass when it comes to bass authority, detail and realism. Odin’s upper-mids are significantly more forward compared to Ely, and when it comes to midrange timbre and note weight, Ely is the clear winner to my ears. Odin has a colder, drier, and relatively emotionless midrange when I compare the two. Treble is pretty similar but I would say that Ely has slightly more upper-treble extension and airiness. Both are extremely coherent tribrids that offer TOTL performance, however Odin is the more technically proficient of the two (bigger stage, better layering, detail retrieval etc.)



SLC:

Noble Sultan:
If you want to have fun for a few hours, then the Sultan is where it is at. To me it is very W-shaped with a very analogue thick bass that stands out, but with mild forward mids and mild forward treble that keep the W going. The Sultan is not natural sounding when compared directly to Elys. There is a halo around each note of the Sultan that adds to the “fun” of the sound. Sultan is an antithesis of the Elys.

VE Erlkönig LE:
The Erk is about musicality. It is a pleasure to listen to. It does not have the same intense W nor “halo effect” of the Sultan but the “fun” level is high. The Erlk presents the vocals and mid-section instruments such as trumpet a little more forward. The Erlk bass does have more mid bass thump. Erlk is a very mild W vs the massive coherence the Elys presents with. Erlk is emotive but nothing presents the notes as emotional and natural as the Elys. I can tell that Erlk and Erl come from the same VE family. The presentation of the notes is different but still the siblingness is there.

EE Odin:
The Odin and Elys are similar in that they are both coherent but in very different ways. The Odin has an extremely well textured sub-bass. The actual quality of the Odin bass is so unique. The amount of detail and resolution of the Odin is so special. But again, the Elys is so much more natural sounding. Nothing touches the naturalness of the Elys across all frequencies. The Elysium presents the music in a non-threatening way. The Odin does not present the music it forces the music upon you. Both are very special IEMs. With the Elys I can suck on a Spree candy while listening to it. With the Odin I need a candy cigarette after some Odin time.

Unique Melody Mason V3+:
Elys and Mason V3+ massively share the ability to sound natural across all frequencies. They are both extremely coherent. They both are not W nor U nor L shaped. They have the body morphology that fits all frequencies together extremely well. The V3+ does have a little more mid-bass thump. The notes on the Elys are not thin at all. They are to me just right. The V3+ has thicker notes and more of a darker sound than the Elys. The Elys is not bright at all though. The V3+ reminds me of the AAW Canary in that the thick notes remind me of melting high quality delectable milk chocolate.
Noble Zephyr:
I included the Noble Zephyr because I like it so much and the price of the Universal shell is a very good bang for the buck just like the Elys is an extremely good bang for the buck in today's IEM price market. The Zephyr is also not W nor U nor L shaped. It does have a very special DD bass that is mid-bass focused like the Elys. The timbre of the Zephyr is not at the level of the Elys but for sure up there with the best of them. The notes on the Zephyr are a little brighter than the Elys. The Elys notes are a little thicker. They both are as coherent as any IEM gets.

Oriolus Traillii:
Thought I would throw this bird in there since it is the talk of the town lately. Nothing I have experienced touches the left to right soundstage of the Traillii. The bass of the Traillii is a little more textured than the Elys. The treble of the two are very similar. The timbre of the two are as good as it gets. The best timbre I have experienced have been the Elys, the Traillii and the Rhapsodio Eden. The biggest difference between the Elys and Traillii (along with soundstage) is the mid-section. Due to the wide soundstage of the Traillii the mids are not as focused upon as the mids of the Elys. They are a little bit back on the Traillii. The Elys has more intimacy in the mid-section due to the overall smaller stager of the Elys. The Traillii is not about intimacy. It is about experiencing the music on a grand stage. Another way I put it is that the Traillii envelopes you from the outside inward and the Elys envelopes you from the inside outward.




Bob’s interview with Marcel and Oliver from Vision Ears:

Bob: My understanding is it took 2 1/2 years to create the final version of Elysium. How was the initial thought/concept different to the final product?

Oliver: It took almost 2 years from the initial idea to the final product. I was playing with some Dynamic drivers and then after some measurements and initial test I decided to use a DD as midrange. The midrange is the most important part in the audio range, it is where the ear has the higher sensitivity and where most of the audio content is. It is where you have the presence, the clarity and attack of instruments. So, a DD as midrange works very well because of its very natural way of reproducing the sound, especially the harmonics.

Marcel: The very first Prototype was quite similar to the final version, but then we ordered the dynamic drivers for stock, and we found out, that the tolerance was horrible. Each driver was sounding different! We had a lot of discussion with the manufacturer and in the end, we had to find a new one… And this new manufacturer was able to tune the driver exactly to our demands and with a very low tolerance. Sound wise the first version was smoother in the highs and less in resolution - especially in the mids.


Bob: In laypersons terms what is “High Precision Acoustic Levelling Chamber” (HALC) for the DD mean and what does it do?

Oliver: Tuning a DD as midrange is quite different from tuning a BA, so HALC is a special acoustic tuned path that was developed to better shape the frequency response of the DD. Creating this special jig was a huge challenge, we had to choose a 3D printing method which requires doing micro precision. And then we needed to refine the tuning with doing small changes and ordering a lot of different prototypes of this part. A very time consuming and costly process.


Bob: Was it originally going to only be a custom design and not universal?

Marcel: With the Elysium we were one of the first manufacturers who used the electrostatic drivers for a custom IEM. Actually, we were not sure if we would release the Elysium as universal, but we got so much positive feedback to the fitting of the universal shell we created - so we decided to offer it as universal as well.


Bob: Rumor has it that there are differences between the sound of the Universal and Custom versions. Is that rumor true and if so in what way is the sound different?

Oliver: Usually a custom version will sound slightly different from the universal version because of the ear tip added. An ear tip will always add some small/large modifications to the sound because they add an acoustic path to the "motor" (drivers, sound tubes etc) . So, it will depend on the ear tip what acoustic path will add. Regarding our assembly, the custom and the universal have the same motors inside, so if you measure at the end of the shell nozzle you will have the same frequency response. You could argue that we could tweak the universal with the ear tip on, but then things will change when customers change ear tips, so again we will be at the same point.


Bob: A divisive area of Elysium is the bass. Some find it perfect for the signature and others think it is too mild. Why did you use a BA driver instead of DD? And how did you decide to use the BA driver that you did?

Oliver: We decided to use a BA because we discovered this BA that was really warm and a perfect match for the DD. The BA itself is capable of way more level, but we decided to tune it that way because we wanted a very smooth and quite "etheric" sound, a very smooth transition between the three different types of drivers.


Bob: The Elysium has a DD that covers the mid-range. Usually there is some type of port on the shell of any IEM when there is a dynamic driver involved. What was the reasoning for not having a port and what is the advantage of not having a port?

Marcel: You are absolutely right, usually you have a vent hole in the shell when using a dynamic driver. But since the dynamic driver of the Elysium is just 5.8mm in diameter and is tuned to only make a good performance in the mids, we don’t need a hole. The hole is just needed when the driver needs more volume of air to move properly - so if it’s rather big in diameter and is supposed to do a good rumble in the lows, you definitely need a hole in the shell. But for mid performance, the air which is inside the shell is enough for our small driver.




Bob’s Closing Remarks:

I would like to thank Damz & SLC for your time and efforts. Also, I appreciate very much Marcel and Oliver from Vision Ears taking the time to help everyone gain further insights into the creation of the Elysium.
I do file my nails, but I am not an audiophile. That said I do like cheese and from hearing everything you have said about the Elysium it really does seem like the Mona Elysa of IEMs! The Elysium has the natural beauty of Mona Lisa and will be an enduring record of the vision of Vision Ears.

MMR Thummim and 3 other 2020 Men!





With an Ode to Thumm, Erl, Sultan and Odin!






MMR stands for Metal Magic Research. Thummim loosely has to do with an object made out of metal or precious stones with symbols on it and is worn on the breastplate.

MMR to me stands for “We do not care what anyone else thinks. We are going to build unique IEMs made out of cool metal with cool technology and cool wiring. We will make them pricey because it is a lot of work to be this creative and these IEMs will be extremely good and possibly divisive!”

I received this Thummim for a week as part of the MMR Thummim and Homunculus tour put together through AudioTiers.com. I would like to thank the man known as Barra for putting all this together.

The real reason I am writing this review is so that my coffee table becomes more famous than Twister6’s countertop. My mother gave me the coffee table used for photo shoots for my reviews. I doubt Twister6’s mother gave him his granite countertop. I do not have a fridge of his quality so I will refrain from in-ear shots with a fridge as the blue screen.

This review will not be full of massive minute details. My goal for this review is for you to walk away with an understanding of the overall sound of Thummim. Also, I hope you walk away with an idea of how it compares to other top tier IEMs released this year.

You hear a lot about the Thummim being unique and way out there. It is unique and way out there but is correctly way out there. More to come on that later.







FIT:

I think a lot of IEMs have a nugget shape. The Thummim literally has a rock shape. Beautiful Titanium rock shape which seems to be shaped by a Gemcutter that loves angles. The looks of it make it seem they could fit no one. But for me I have zero fit issues with these. Numerous people I know that have these do not have fit issues. That said some people have had fit issues where the shape caused pain. If there is any way you can try it before purchasing that would be best. Or just ignorantly blind buy IEMs like I do and numerous others since trying them is not an option. Playing Vegas IEM fit and sound is always fun. Costly fun but fun. Nothing like living on a blunt edge.


INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:

When I get an IEM I go through my test tracks to get a feel for it: Cousin Dupree (Steely Dan), The Best Hotel (Allan Taylor), Glory Box (John Martyn), Dreams (Fleetwood Mac), Simple Twist of Fate (Sarah Jarosz), Teardrops (Avasai Cohen), Lions (Dire Straits) etc. I then move onto a list of Miles Davis material from his beginnings to his final material. The Miles Davis catalogue will test any IEM.

The initial Thumm reaction is WOW! Holy Batman! Geez Louis! And then I had images of the famous scene from “When Harry Met Sally.”

The sound is as wide and high as Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now. It really is a unique sound. I thought that the 3D sound of the Sultan was as far as one could take it. Thumm introduced me to 5 D sound whatever that is. The sound is everywhere in the head. Left, Right, top, bottom and in-between.


BASS

The bass in mildly thunderous. Less than I was expecting. It is more about the mid bass than the sub bass. The overall bass is nothing close to the Legend X. The bass on the Thumm is present and accounted for but just as well as everything else. Bass does not dominate. The Dynamic Driver of the thumm reminds me of the bass from the Audeze LCD 3. Deep and dark. Not bright. Pretty much visceral deep which coincides with the deepness of the mids.


MIDS:

They are mildly forward which keeps the bass and treble from overwhelming. The mids are thick and to me are reminiscent from memory of the Legend X mids. This thickness aligns extremely well with male vocals.


TREBLE:

Excellent well-defined treble. If the mids were not a little forward and thick the treble might be overwhelming, but it is not. The treble extends way out there into left field. This aligns well with the overall sound of the Thummim. You cannot have a tiny treble when everything else is larger than life.


BACK TO THE OVERALL SOUND:

The whole is greater than the individual parts. This is extremely applicable to the Thumm. The creators of this IEM must have been thinking “how far can we take each individual sound of this IEM and still make it an enjoyable coherent IEM?” Well they succeeded. The Thumm to me is not a bright IEM. It is somewhat dark in comparison to my other IEMs and the overall notes are thicker than what I am used to. It works well for this IEM as a sound package. It works because they made sure the vocals were not recessed. Recessed mids to me means “I love it at first but over time I am so bored with this IEM.” The mids to me make this IEM engaging over time.



SOURCES:

I used the Cayin N6ii DAP with T01 Module. I also used the Schiit Jotunheim Amp with the Multibit DAC module. The Thumm is extremely responsive to more power. I attribute that to the DD and 2nd Gen Estats in the Thumm. The Sultan, and Odin also respond extremely well to more power. They all have DD and 2nd Gen Estats also. The BA IEMs I currently own like Erlkonig and Katana do not respond differently to more power. They respond best to DAPS that provide a black background.

The Thummim though responds to power more than any other IEM I have experienced. More power to the Thumm meant everything becoming even more dynamic and separate and out there in space. The notes become further apart, and the bass slam and treble impact are more pronounced. I cannot stress enough how much Thumm responds to more power. When one goes to look for the definition of Metamorphosis the Thummim is pictured with a very powerful amp as an image definition. Not in a Kafkaesque way but in a pleasant dreamy way.

The Thumm worked well for most music I listen to. It just did not work well for Modal Jazz such as music from Bill Evans or any Trio Jazz. People that love classical music may also not like how the Thumm colors the sound a bit. For everything else it is a “Wow Batman” type of experience.






COMPARISONS:

2020: the year that needs to be over and the year that some outstanding IEMs were introduced. I will compare the Thumm with three other IMHO top notch IEMs. I will compare from most dissimilar to most similar.


VISION EARS ERLKONIG:

The Thumm and Erl are like James Hunt and Nikki Lauda on and off the racetrack. Not much to compare other than they are two of the best race car drivers/IEMs that will ever exist. They have a totally different approach to how they succeed at making music pleasurable. Erl/Lauda is about precision and being correct and finding the best “real” sound possible. Thumm/Hunt parties a lot and does everything to the extreme but when the race/music starts he gets the job done! Both are world-class performers. I would love to write a coffee table book about the Erlkonig and then write a special edition publication from some adult Magazine all about the Thummim.


EMPIRE EARS ODIN:

I tried not to like Odin but I keep coming back to it. It is an extremely complex IEM that takes time to understand. It is masterfully tuned IMHO. The stage of the Odin is very left to right to me. Thumm is a laser show with a rotating 360 degree stage that also floats throughout the stadium. The notes of the Thumm are thick and linger longer. The notes on the Odin are quick and tight. When I shower after an Odin session, I still am not able to process the joy I just experienced. With Thumm the joy is right in front of you and you are very aware of what you are experiencing. The detail and separation of notes with the double DD movement of air is bar none with the Odin. Both IEMs are very coherent in different ways. Left to Right for Odin and Pink Floyd laser show coherent for Thumm.


NOBLE AUDIO SULTAN:

This is by far the hardest one to compare with the Thumm. They are extremely similar in numerous ways. Sultan is my 3D holographic IEM. It is an out of the head experience. Rose glasses are on when listening to the Sultan. But at the same time, it is also very coherent. Notes of the Sultan have a little halo attached to them that bring a smile on your face. Flower child Psychedelic sound. The sound of the Sultan reminds me of the character Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump. A great love interest!

That paragraph above could also be about the the Thumm instead of the Sultan. That is how similar they are.

So how are they different? Add a little bit of a mind-altering substance to the mix and that is what the Thumm is versus the Sultan.

The Thumm does have thicker notes as compared to the Sultan. The Sultan is more W shaped than the Thumm. The notes come to you more hence the W with the Sultan. The vocals with the Sultan (all mids for that matter) are a tiny bit more recessed than the Thumm. For this reason, the Sultan has a more impactful bass thump (sub bass) and a more impactful articulate treble. The Sultan demands your attention. With the Sultan there is no texting while eating dinner together. Thumm is more holographic chill. The Thumm will let you light up at the dinner table as long as you are ready for fun at any time.


FINAL THOUGHTS

The Thummim is really great if you are searching for an intense, coherent, visceral auditory experience. The Thummim is a wild child but a correct child. The Thummim is way out there but correctly way out there. If it was just way out there, then it would get very tiring over time. That is not the case with the Thumm. It came to play with the big Men and that it does differently but very well. Bravo MMR!!!

Noble Audio Sultan: The Delectable Dancer



1 10 MM dynamic driver
4 Knowles BA drivers
2 Electrostatic Super Tweeters (ESTAT)

The shell is a bespoke CNC aluminum body with a hand finished faceplate.
Impedance is less than 35 Ohms
Stock cable is the Noble Audio 8 Core OCC Copper Cable
$2900



Welcome to my mind! I have had a delectable dancer in my noggin. We have spent many, many hours together. She dances always alone and can dance any type of dance the song requires. I have fallen in love with her moves. So graceful but also can slam hard when the song requires. IMHO the perfect imaginary friend!

I was introduced to the Sultan when it was only a thought and prototype of Dr. John Moulton, the artistic scientist behind Noble Audio. It still did not have a name. His brother Jim runs the business side of Noble Audio. 10 months ago, I contacted John to let him know I had a mild issue pop up with one of my Noble IEMs. Rather than take apart the beautiful artwork of his wife he suggested I try an IEM that was mainly an idea with a prototype that he was still working on perfecting to how he wanted it to sound.

I agreed to his offer and ended up purchasing the Sultan at a reduced price instead of having the other IEM looked at. I think he did it so that his wife was not mad at him about taking apart her beautiful artwork. He did not want “ruined art” and I think he did not want to be in the doghouse. He never asked for a review of the Sultan and I never said I would review it as part of the deal. I am reviewing this IEM for two reasons: 1. Every X number of months I get the desire for this pleasurable cognitive masturbatory task. 2. This IEM is very worthy of a review. I only review IEMs and Headphones I love. It is too arduous of a process not to love the product.

Through concrete words, through metaphors, through analogies and through comparisons my goal of this review is to give you a very good idea of what the Sultan sounds like. At the end of the review if you have a woman or man delectably dancing in your head then I have achieved more than my main goal. We may both see each other at the State Hospital!



I did ask John some questions about this IEM once I had all my comparisons done and all my notes done. He said that getting the Sultan from idea to final product was a 2-year adventure. He wanted something with excellent solid build quality, outstanding sound and incorporate ESTAT drivers which is a huge challenge in and of itself. He waited on incorporating ESTATS in Noble IEMs until they sounded right to him. The Dynamic Driver is the same as the Khan but housed in a different bass module. Why mess too much with a good thing. This is the most thought out product inside and out that Noble Audio has ever produced.


PACKAGING

They come in a padded Sultan box that is inside of the regular external mailing packaging. Inside the padded Sultan box is a Nanuk 903 Noble case. I have never seen this type of case with an IEM. Larger versions are used for Audeze and ZMF Headphones. I included a picture below of how the Nanuk case compares in size with the Pelican 1010. The 1010 is standard for a lot of people for transporting an IEM and cable. Inside the Nanuk case is a small leather case for transporting the Sultan. I would get the foam precut insert for the Nanuk case and customize it to carry the Sultan with cable in the Noble leather case and my DAP. Everything would be extremely well protected. An appropriate number of tips are included. I am one that has had to sell numerous IEMs just because I could not get a good fit and/or a good seal. These are easily one of the most comfortable IEMs I have experienced. They are also light and feel so well built and seem extremely durable. They are solid!!














PRICE

Is it worth $2900? In comparison to current IEM prices, yes, it is. I have owned 39 IEMs in the past 2 ½ years. The Sultan runs circles around the $1000-1400 IEMs I currently own and have owned (The IEMs I have in the $1000- $1400 price range sound excellent and that is already a higher price than anyone needs to pay. But when you compare $1000-$1400 IEMs directly with the Sultan the difference is easy to discern). The Sultan beats out the $1700-$2200 IEMs I own and have owned. There are classics in all price ranges but this is simply another level and sadly enough is worthy of the price. None of it is justifiable. The price of the sound quality of an IEM like this is high.


DRIVABILITY

The Sultans are very easy to drive and sound good directly out of my computer and out of my phone. But due to the DD and probably also the ESTAT they do respond well to increased power. They are like a flower that opens up more with added power. The dancing inside my head becomes even more distinct.


FREQUENCY RANGES

I am going to spend less time talking about each frequency and more time talking about the overall sound signature and comparisons. This IEM can best be figured out through understanding of its overall signature and through comparisons.

The whole of this IEM is greater than each individual part.

Bass

The first thing to note on the bass is the rumble of the sub bass. Not overwhelming but more elevated than flat. The mid bass comes next. I like that this IEM works well with all types of music. The bass on the Sultan does not bleed into the mids. It is what I would consider an ideal sub bass and mid bass. Enough to have fun with but never get overwhelmed by.

Mid range

I need my mid-range! I need it bad. A dancer is only as good as their core. The core of the Sultan is as good as any other. A sultry tight mid-section with this one. The instruments and vocals are divine. The Sultan mid-range is slightly forward and has a slight thick tint to them. Not V shaped, not U shaped. The mid-range is also where the timbre shines and it sure does with these.

Treble

I am so glad that Noble Audio waited on implementing ESTATs for the treble. The treble is also slightly forward but not sibilant unless you are using a cold silver cable. Excellent texture and integrated well with the mid-range. Well done Noble Audio! It has the best treble I have experienced. If the treble is off then you might as well send the IEM to the North Pole with other unwanted toys!




SOUND SIGNATURE

Let’s look at the whole body of the dancer. When a dancer knows what they are doing you see the body as one. All movements smoothly align. It looks effortless and you can focus on the overall beauty rather than individual parts or focus on the individual parts. A delectable dancer!

I have had IEMs that had a great mid-section or great lower section or were well structured up top. But when each part was not great or even if each part was great and it is not all well integrated, you eventually stop inserting them. They end up not getting the attention they need because they either lack certain parts or each part is a separate entity and is not integrated well together.

The Sultan does not have that problem. The strength of the Sultan is how well everything is integrated. This integration happens in a fun musical way. The sound of the Sultan is enveloping. They are extremely euphonic. These provide the most enjoyable “all around the head” experience that I have ever had. The soundstage is wide in all directions. They are extremely detailed and musical. They are though not warm IEMs that you can put in your ears and ignore.

Here is an example of how vivid the Sultin is: last night I was listening to the song “Lull” by Radiohead which I have listened to many times before. At about 11 seconds into the song there are three chime sounds from what sounds to be a Triangle and then three times again at different times in the song. The Sultan is so vivid that it scared me the first time at 11 seconds. I have not heard those three chimes in such a vivid way before. It was special. It woke up the dancer in my head!

It may sound weird but each note has a little halo around it. The notes are not dry. Every note and every instrument are there in detail. Everything is elevated a little bit but nothing is elevated more than anything else.

The Sultan is a very confident dancer. The Sultan is so alive that before you insert another IEM you have to eat a bland cracker as a palate cleanser and taking a shower helps.

It is not a specialist like a lot of IEMs. It literally can perform any dance number you would like.

As I have already stated the sound envelopes your head. It is 3-dimensional holographic sound. You can pick any instrument you want or just the vocals and focus on it and it comes alive. It is like a portrait mode in your head if you want and any instrument can be the focus. Or just go into landscape mode and let it all come to you.

The Sultan can play the slow modal Jazz that requires proper timbre like The Bill Evans Trio. It can also play the super-fast stuff like Husker Dü that requires super quick responses. Nothing gets slushy. The Sultan dances every dance.


CABLES

The Sultan is a cable chameleon.

The stock is totally fine and is all you need. It is a very good stock cable. I am very glad that manufacturers are including usable cables with the purchase. It is a very good copper cable and compliments the Sultan well. With a silver cable the notes were tighter and there was more separation. The more silver the more forward it became. With copper the sound became warmer. The Sultan does respond well to cables. If you have not gone down the cable rabbit hole then stick with the stock cable. It is too late for me. My audio friends call me Alice.


COMPARISONS

I have posted some of these comparisons on the Noble audio thread. I cleaned them up a bit and added to them where appropriate based on my current understanding of the Sultan. I am comparing them with IEMs I own. These are all IEMs I love and enjoy very much. They each do different things well.


Sultan and the Noble Khan ($2399)

The Khan and Sultan Dynamic Driver may be the same but they have a different bass module. The Khan also has 4 BAs for the mids (implemented very differently than with the Sultan). The treble in the Khan is 1 10mm Piezo Electric driver.

Pick-up basketball: There is always that guy that is fun to have around. He is a little out of control. He is a little unpredictable. He wants to win. Annoying as hell to play against. Usually ends up on the winning side. That is Khan.

Then there is the Roger Federer type of pick-up basketball player that is super cool, super present, and always scores when needed. He always gets his points, gets his assists and even gets a fair number of rebounds. He is present and a little forward but always smooth. That is Sultan.

The Khan can be polarizing. Some love it and others do not love it. I do love it. Would I spend all night with it? No, I do not have the Khan stamina for that. But joy is to be had with Khan just not all-nighters.

I did not think I would be saying this but when I compare the Sultan and Khan directly they have a similar quantity of treble. I find the quality of the Sultan treble to be easier to listen to over time. The difference is that in overall presentation the Sultan has treble that is present and accounted for and it also has vocals and mid-range instruments present and accounted for. On top of that Sultan also has a little more rumble down under than Khan does. It therefore all fits together well with the Sultan. The Khan has treble that can be too much for some. The reason in my opinion is that the mids of the Khan are slightly recessed and are not thick. That then accentuates the treble and accentuates as well the excellent tight mid and sub bass of the Khan. That is why we all have preferences in what appeals to us in the dance moves in our head.

Here is a deeper look at the bass of the Sultan and the Khan.

Let’s start with Glory Box by John Martyn: A very simple analogy is that for this song the Sultan does to the Khan what Legend X does to the Sultan. The Sultan has such a deeper bass on that song compared to the Khan. They both do the song well but very different. The Sultan does the treble, vocals, and bass equally and impactful. The Sultan does it in an enveloping holographic way. The Khan has a more exact BA type of bass. The vocals are a little behind the bass and treble with the Khan.

Take the song Teardrops by Avishai Cohen (not the Israeli born piano player but the Israeli born trumpet player with the same name) and Big Vicious. The song starts with just kick drum and cymbals. The Sultan and Khan are almost indistinguishable. The Khan bass is quicker though. Super quick decay. The Sultan has a slower decay and slightly more pronounced sub bass. Then when the guitar and then trumpet start the difference is more prevalent due to the more forward thicker mids of the Sultan.

And finally Get Lucky by Daft Punk. Bass is minimally more impactful with Sultan. Khan is as I stated above slightly quicker. They both do that song so well. Once again, the difference is more forward and thicker mids that come out with the Sultan. The Khan is more intimate overall. Sultan has a bigger stage. The timbre is different. Thin and intimate for the Khan and thicker and larger for the Sultan.

And finally the first 16 seconds of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac is all cymbals and bass. Again, both IEMs sound great. The difference is so obvious with quicker tighter very present bass and treble on the Khan and slower, deeper and more layered bass and treble on the Sultan. Intimate vs. grandiose in a nutshell.


Sultan and Noble Katana ($1850)





Katana: a long, single-edged sword used by Japanese Samurai.

The Katana consists of 9 BA drivers.

I have spent many hours with my venerable Katanas and they do cut through the music with precision. They are super exact and detailed. The Katana shell I have is the Wizard/Joy Collaboration. The sound is the same as the regular Katana.

The Sultan signature is more enveloping with a wider soundstage. The Sultan is maybe only one row more forward than the Katana but the Katana comes across as a little brighter.

The treble of the Sultan is a little more pronounced and thicker than the Katana. The same applies to the mids. The Sultan is a little more thick. Not rounder and warmer but more thick and textured which therefore IMHO gives off a feeling of more warmth than the Katana.. The bass on the Sultan involves mid and sub bass and therefore more pronounced overall than the Katana. The sub bass of the Katana is more pronounced. I do not hear much mid bass with the Katana. The imaging of both is phenomenal! The Sultan imaging is wider and taller, less intimate than the Katana. The Sultan is more musical. The Katana is more analytical.


Noble Sultan and Empire Ears Legend X ($2300)

Legend X (LX) has 2 DDs and 5 BAs and 412 crossovers (ok only 10).

A little over two years ago a bit after the start of my IEM obsession, I purchased the Legend X. I ended up selling it about a month later. Looking back, I now know I let it go due to my lack of IEM maturity. I was younger and more innocent and lacked experience.

I was like a 15 year old trying to data a mature 20 year old. Just not ready! About two month ago, I was looking for a mature IEM that was an anomaly and nothing like anything else. My mind went back to that mature 20-year-old. I was two years older and 39 IEMs more experienced. The Legend X fills the fun, dark, heavy, complex, mature IEM slot that was missing in my life.

And then the Noble Sultan showed up at my door. Well hello Sultry Sultan! Both are complex and mature in a different way. The Sultan wants your attention and keeps it. Both are chameleons and can display their strengths in different ways depending on the song. The Sultan is a wonderful slightly forward W shaped, well layered IEM. To me the LX is an L shaped IEM. Bass gets the most attention (depending on the song), then the mids and then treble. The mids of the LX are the reason I will keep them. I need mids. I do not like scooped out. I also need vocals that are not hanging way back there. Both IEMs shine with vocals just in different ways.

What is wonderful IMHO is that I could have just these two IEMs and be content. Well maybe not. I would need to throw in a smooth mellow warm IEM for those retirement moments!

The LX has a softer treble and is further back in the presentation. LX has thicker male vocals. Sultan has more intimate vocals. Sultan female vocals have a better timbre than LX. With the LX, the female voices are not being allowed to be at their best due to the darker emphasis with the LX.

LX has rounder notes. LX is warmer. LX has mildly thicker bass on songs that are not bass heavy (that says a lot about the quality of the bass of the Sultan). The Sultan bass is no slouch. It is a combination of visceral sub bass and mid bass on top of that. LX has more sub bass classic subwoofer sound.

The LX turns the Fleetwood Mac song Dreams into a mellow and darker song with some nice sub bass thrown in. With the Sultan it is a super layered song with all parts mildly forward and asking for your attention.

The song Agbada Bougou from Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela consists off strictly bass, drums, and Flugelhorn. The Sultan emphasizes the cymbals with an amazing sub and mid bass. LX presents the song as darker with a sub bass emphasis and a fuller Flugelhorn and then cymbals are emphasized last. They take a wonderful song and make it sound great in two different ways.

Now take a bass heavy song like Lose Yourself To Dance from Daft Punk. LX presents scary scary goose bump inducing sub bass. It reminded me of being in my brothers Chevrolet Chevette many years ago with sub woofers that took up the whole back seat and part of the trunk. I was literally 15 at the time and very scared of driving in that sub woofer laden vehicle. It was white with light blue racing stripes along each side. It does not get better than that.

The Sultan presents the Daft Punk song in a more balanced fashion and more forward. The bass is still visceral and can be literally felt just not Chevrolet Chevette subwoofer felt. The vocals shine more on this song with the Sultan as well as everything else.

The LX is a classic and IMHO the Sultan will be a classic. That statement alone says a lot about the quality of sound coming from the Sultan. What is nice is that they both are amazing IEMs. They can both be in someone’s collection and coexist because they do not overlap much other than both bring joy but in different ways. I try not to keep them in the same drawer for storage. Personality conflicts and egos get in the way!


Sultan and AAW Canary ($2200)

Both have a similar driver make-up. Sultan has a 10 mm DD, 4 BA and 2 ESTAT. Canary has an Isobaric dual diaphragm 6 mm DD, 4 BA and 2 ESTAT

They have a similar driver make-up but wow are they different. The Canary is defined by warmth across the spectrum and takes a Mack Truck to drive it. The Sultan is defined by vividness across the spectrum. They both have an excellent soundstage. Width and depth are exceptional. The bass on both is very enjoyable. Canary is more of a thump vs thump and rumble with the Sultan. The vocals of the Canary are warmer and darker. The Sultan vocals are alive and more forward. The timbre on both is excellent IMHO. Along with warmth vs. vividness another huge difference is in the treble. With the Canary the treble takes the back seat to the mids and bass. The Canary need to ride in a newer truck with a backseat so the treble can sit back there. With the Sultan the treble is right up in the front seat with the mids and bass. You need a late model pickup truck if you are going to take the Sultan out on a date. The mids, treble, and bass need to sit up front with the Sultan and that manual shifter better not get in the way!


Sultan and Dunu Luna ($1,700)

Dunu Luna is the IEM that I cannot ever put the “u’ or “a” in the right spot when spelling it. In the picture above the Sultan looks like Andre the Giant but the Luna really is the one that is disproportionately small. The Sultan is a standard “gold nugget” IEM shape and size.

Two different set ups with these. Luna is 1 DD (Beryllium rolled foil diaphragm) and Sultan is tri-level hybrid. What I like about a very good DD IEM is the obvious coherency it can provide. For me most DD implementations tend to be specialists in bass or they tend to be too boring and/or not detailed enough. The Luna is detailed. It is smooth and it is musical. Kudos to Dunu for that. The Luna is sitting in the middle of the concert hall. Arms are above him with his hands resting on the back of his head. In a very relaxed confident way. I am here enjoying myself. Whether you enjoy me or not is up to you. I pull the Luna out of the IEM drawer when I want to listen to jazz and get that coherent timbrelicous vibe going on.

I wanted to compare Sultan to Luna because the Sultan has the rare ability for a hybrid to also be coherent. A lot of hybrids do not have that ability. Each technology in the IEM is separate and ruins the fun. I listen to certain hybrids and get bothered for example with how the DD bass missed the boat bleeding into the BA mids or how the new treble technology is a separate entity that brings too much or too little attention to itself. The Sultan is coherent. It is forward W shaped coherent. I hear the DD and I like you. I hear the BA mids and I like you. I hear the ESTAT treble and I like you.


Sultan and UM Mason V3 (PRICE $2,700)





The UM Mason V3 consists of 16 BA drivers.

If the Sultan is going to justify its price then it has to compete with the Unique Melody Mason V3. The UM Mason V3 is one of the best IEMs I have ever spent an extended time with. It is a master in detail with warmth and clarity and an overall layering that keeps peeling away the longer you listen to it.

I was able to compare them using the same type of cable since I have a 2 pin and UM connector cable of the PW Audio Loki +. This cable is an 8 wire 70% silver, 30% copper alloy.

The first thing I notice is that the notes are thicker on Sultan all the way around. The Mason V3 is in the center of the auditorium. The sultan is ½ way up from center.

The treble on the Sultan is more forward. The Sultan has more sub bass presence. Mid range is thicker and up front on the Sultan. The Mason V3 mids are more prevalent than its bass and treble. Both have amazing detail and both have a great combo of warmth and clarity.

Mason V3 is smoother across the frequencies with a slight focus on the mids. Sultan is W across the frequencies and also more 3D in soundstage. Sultan is more musical fun and loves caffeine. Mason V3 is a smooth cigar smoker but likes to also be on the periphery of the fun.


THE ABOVE IEMS AT A PARTY

The Sultan loves being the life of the party and usually gets in an argument with the Legend X. The Mason V3 throws in great one liners with perfect timing. The Luna and Canary are more in back and like to talk crap about the others. The Katana is the high-strung one walking around telling everyone how special he is. The Khan is outside the auditorium ready to jump them as they walk outside. Khan does not play nice but he does know how to get the dirty upper hand.



FINAL THOUGHTS

A Delectable dance. Each song is like a beautiful dance in my head. I can picture the dancer’s movements to the music depending on the genre of the music. It is a joy! The image of the dancer is vivid. Sometimes it is ballet, sometimes the Tango, sometimes Bachata, sometime Hip Hop. The Sultan goes in my ears, I get to pick the music, the music picks the dancer, and I follow her in my imagination. That is what the Sultan does for me! Now back to the State Hospital in my brother’s white Chevrolet Chevette with blue racing stripes!

I posted this same review in March in the Eikon review section on Head-Fi. I am posting it now in the Atticus review section so that someone specifically looking at the Atticus can access this review and can hopefully benefit from it.

ZMF Eikon and Atticus Review

Choosing between two things you love! Loving two things that are the same but different and having to choose which one to keep can be a heart wrenching problem. In the audio world such a problem poses comes to light a little too often. This cognitive dissonance is not paramount to life’s existence but if you are reading this review you know the privileged audio dissonance I am talking about.

This will be a review of the ZMF Eikon and Atticus. I will in my humble subjective opinion tell you what I see as the similarities and differences. I will also discuss which headphone works best for me with which genre of music and also with which musicians. I have a bias toward the Eikon just because I listen to more music that suits the Eikon better.



Who the …. am I?

I am someone who gets intense areas of focus. Those that know me wonder if I am on some alternate scale of high functioning Autism. I get hyper focused on certain unique things. At age 9 one of my areas of focus was coin collecting. I remember attending coin collection conferences at age 9. Now that is odd. Other areas of hyper focus over the years have been Fountain Pens, watches, roasting and perfecting trying to pull the best shot possible, tennis racquets (I also obsessed on playing tennis and basketball), duck hunting jackets (I do not hunt), languages, and in general how things work and function.

Audio has always been part of my life. The hyper focus started about four years ago. Starting with updating my two-channel system, then getting into closed back headphones, then open back headphones, then IEMs (still hyper psychotically focused), then back to open and closed headphones.

I gave up on closed and open back headphones two years ago once I discovered IEMs. I preferred the intimacy and visceral feeling of IEMs. The goose bumps they provide at times when it all comes together is very addicting.

Well, it turns out I found a few instances when I missed headphones. One was during super long sessions on my main rig. The comfort of headphones during extended sessions was missed. Also, during the night reaching in a drawer to pull out an IEM and setting it all up became cumbersome. Reaching over for a headphone was missed.

Finding ZMF

I stumbled upon ZMF through my incessant reading of threads on Head-fi. I purchased the Eikon used (Cherry Wood) in order to get my feet wet. If I didn’t like it then I would turn around and sell it at a loss of shipping cost and PayPal fees. Well I liked it a lot. I sold my other headphones that I was rarely using due to lack of intimacy. I then read everything I could about ZMF and purchased an Atticus headphone, number 30 of 30 special edition Cocobolo wood. I also ended up getting a one off Pheasantwood Auteur for long sessions on my main rig.

I thought I would compare the Eikon and Atticus and decide which one I prefer and keep that one. Here I am today writing about it in depth in order to help others have a better understanding of the differences.

I purchased both Headphones. I have no affiliation to ZMF and no incentive to write a positive review. I did have a dream that I showed up at Zach Mehrbach’s home (owner of ZMF) and knocked on the door. We chatted in his back yard around a fire he had built. We sipped brandy and discussed a two-year internship I would start under his tutelage. Yes, there are more exciting dreams to have. But if you are still reading this you understand.

I have been in contact with Zach and his wife Bevin via email. Usually about some odd thing I was requesting like a longer screw or something odd thought would work better for the swivel movement of the headphone. Or for a different size gasket since they did not match perfectly. They were always responsive and appropriate with my odd requests. They even sent me a shirt. In hopes most likely of me going away.

The Cherry Eikon came with the original chassis. The one with the sliding silver gimbals (the ones that remind me of Shrek’s ears). I liked the new chassis the Cocobolo Atticus came with so I ordered the newer chassis for the Eikon and installed it myself. The new one is lighter, has better ergonomics, looks better (I think), and has a better weight balance. The new chassis can be purchased for $150.



The Peripherals for this review

For long sessions:
Schiit Bifrost DAC with 5th generation USB
Schiit Lyr 2 Amp with Tungsol 2C51 tubes
I use either a Norne Audio Draug 3 cable or a C3 Audio Cardas cable with 1/4thtermination.

For quick A/B testing:
Schiit Gungnir DAC with 5thgeneration USB
Schiit Mjolnir 2 Amp with Tungsol 2C51 Tubes
I use the Norne Audio Volsund cable with 4 pin balanced termination

Stock pads were used on both Headphones.

I almost exclusively used Tidal HiFi music as my source. I switched to Qobuz for a bit but they do not have a family plan yet and my family was drawing up papers to disown me if I did not switch back to Tidal family plan.

I spent three months intensely listening to the two of them and taking notes as I listened. I prefer long sessions of each headphone for reviews but I also do a some direct A/B comparisons to confirm what I find during long sessions. I do not look at graphs nor do I EQ. Mainly because that would be one more thing I would obsess on. Also, I want to understand the sound of the headphone and IEM without knowing what a frequency graph tells me how it should sound. I want to know the HP and IEM as it was intended to be heard and not how I want to EQ it. I did have a Schiit Loki for a few weeks. I could not stop fiddling with it due to my OCD tendencies. It had to go for personal sanity reasons.



More ZMF information

Prices and a plethora of information can be found at ZMFheadphones.com

Workmanship

I cannot say enough about the workmanship of these Headphones. Zach makes each one by hand. The woodwork is of the highest quality. I like that you can tell it was done by hand and not a machine punching it out. There are slight variances which make each product unique. Each one feels like a heirloom that you pass down from generation to generation. Each one is a unique piece of art. They are stunning and beautiful!



My take on the Eikon

The Eikon is the long-term relationship that everyone needs in life once they are ready to settle down. It is even keeled across the board with one caveat which I will get to in a bit. The Eikon is about detail and clarity. All the instruments are there as they were intended to be heard. There is almost no added color. The music enters your ears as they were intended. The instruments are the focus more than the music. It is more of an intellectual experience. You can at any moment decide which instrument to focus on and make that what you are listening to. No instrument takes center stage. You can decide what takes center stage. Fatigue with these headphones is nonexistent. It is not the HP for those that want color. It is not for those that want instruments to jump out at them.

There is one little beautiful blip of color added to the Eikon. That would be the sub bass. I am enamored by sub bass. Eikon has it in a very special way. It is subtly prominent. Not in an annoying way. That long term relationship with a special added perk.



My take on the Atticus

The Atticus could be a long-term relationship but you need to be willing to put up with the emotional ups. The Atticus does have proper treble, mids, and bass. BUT, each one has added color and added life. This is a very rare quality to have added color in the highs, mids, and lows. Usually the mids and up being recessed. This is what makes the Atticus so special. I cannot reiterate enough the mind-boggling specialness of the Atticus. There is a mid-bass thump that can be dominant but in a proper way. Then the mids, especially the vocals, are crisp and intimate. The acoustic guitar plucking is right there in front of you with a timbre I have not experienced before. Throw in the treble that is also a bit forward but is not fatiguing. The timbre of cymbals for example is unique and special. With the Atticus the individual instruments do not need to be searched out. They come looking for you.

Similarities and Differences between Eikon and Atticus

I will now try and give you an analogy that in my mind gives the best comparison between the two headphones. Imagine a yardstick which is 36 inches. Imagine the length of the measuring stick to be the Eikon frequency graph. Now imagine a stick that is 36 cm in length. Now that is the frequency graph of the Atticus. Each one has 36 measuring points from the highs to the lows. But the Eikon is 36 inches in length and the Atticus is 36 cm which translates into 14.2 inches i.e. a long frequency graph vs. a short frequency graph with all frequencies entailed within both.

Neither the Eikon nor Atticus have recessed highs, mids, or lows. The Atticus does have spikes along the way such as mid bass but nothing is recessed. Back to my measuring stick analogy. With the Eikon the instruments/frequencies are spread out more (stretched). The background is blacker. This allows you to pick out each instrument easier due to space and a lack of any spikes (except sub bass).

With the Atticus the 36 inch frequency graph was pushed in to make 36 cm (14.2 inches). Everything is there but by pushing it in hills (treble), plateaus (mids), and mountains (mid bass) were created. But when pushing it in no valleys were created. Nothing was pushed below the measuring stick.

Is one headphone overall better than the other? Not really but there are the differences. The Eikon is more analytical. The Atticus is warmer but seems to have better detail than Eikon. I find the mids the be the most similar of anything. The Eikon has faster transients hence less warmth. The Eikon has better imaging and as mentioned before more space between the instruments (1 inch vs 1 cm). Atticus has more defined contrast between the instruments. The instruments come to you rather than with the Eikon you need to go to the instruments. The Eikon is more “real” vs. the Atticus being more “exciting.”

For IEM people the Eikon reminds me of the Noble Katana. Linear, clear, spatial, real, with an added special sub bass. The Atticus reminds me of the Rhapsodio Solar. Mid bass, cm vs. inches, spikes of bass and treble, and special timbre of certain instruments. The Solar and Atticus find your hippocampus before you find them.

Genres of music I prefer with Eikon

Classical
Jazz


Genres of music I prefer with Atticus

All Alternative e.g. punk, grunge, hard rock, progressive rock
EDM
Electronic
Hip-Hop/Rap
Reggae

Genres of music I prefer with both Headphones

Blues
Latin
Pop
Rock
Folk
Bluegrass
World

I wanted to include different artists I prefer with each headphone so that the reader can have even a better feel based on their preferences.

My favorite artists I prefer listening to with Eikon

Alexi Murdoch
Bill Evans
Brian Eno
Charles Lloyd
Damien Jurado
David Gilmour
Eivind Aarset
Elephant Revival
Enrico Rava
Paolo Fresu
Gram Parsons
Jack DeJohnette
Jacob Young
Jakob Bro
Luca Aquino
Manu Katche
Mathias Eick
Miles Davis (mid career)
Nick Drake
Paco de Lucia
Paul Motian
Sarah Jarosz
Tore Brunborg

My favorite artists I prefer listening to with Atticus

Big Head Todd and The Monsters
Bob Moses
Car Seat Headrest
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Daft Punk
Eels
InterStatic
Jeff Beck
Joe Satriani
Manu Chao
Morrissey
No-Man
Porcupine Tree
Radiohead
Steven Wilson
The Pineapple Thief
The War On Drugs
The xx
Tom Misch

My preferred artists I vacillate listening to with Eikon and Atticus

Beck
Ben Howard
Bob Dylan
Buckethead
City and Colour
Courtney Barnett
Dire Straits
Esbjorn Svensson Trio
Jay Farrar
Jeff Tweedy
John Martyn
John McLaughlin
John Scofield
Jose Gonzalez
Junip
Mandolin Orange
Michael Wollny
Miles Davis (early and late career)
Neil Young
Pink Floyd
Roy Hargrove
Ryan Adams
Son Volt
Steely Dan
Stu Larsen
Uncle Tupelo
Whiskeytown
Wilco



Conclusion

If you want a long-term relationship without ups and downs then the Eikon is your choice. If you want a relationship that is high on the fun scale with a lot of highs then Atticus is your choice. If you cannot have both then chose based on the genre of music you listen to most. If your wallet permits have both. A long-term relationship with Eikon and a little fun on the side with Atticus when you need a pick me up. This could be a rare moment in life when it is allowed to have two relationships at the same time. Everyone is in agreement with it and both headphones can be perched by your bedside ready for listening sessions depending on your mood!

SENNHEISER HD 600

“The Venerable Palate Cleanser”



Why this elder statesman?

Because the HD 600 is as relevant to personal audio today as it ever has been! The HD 600 is IMHO the best value in high end audio today. Over time the quality of this item remains the same but the price keeps going down. How often can that be said.

Why would I review an elder statesman?

Three years ago, I happened to be content with my closed back tank, the Sony MDR-7506 until………. I happened to be at a friend’s house and he said “try these out.” I put on his HD 600’s and WOW the light came on. That was the first time I heard in a headphone crisp, clean, sound with space for all the instruments. I said to myself I need to have one of these. The mistake I made at that time was thinking that the quality came from the HD 600 being an open back headphone, not from being what they are: true, neutral, engaging headphones.

I went straight into the Oppo open back headphone world, then into the Audeze LCD world and then into the ZMF headphone world. The Oppo PM 1 was not engaging enough. Yes, Audeze and ZMF Headphones are engaging but at a price. About a year ago I convinced myself I needed an open back headphone at work. One I could take on and off a lot. One that I could hear if someone needed something from me. One that was relatively affordable and solidly built. That brought me back to the HD 600’s and also back to the day the light came on! My first kiss, the HD 600 is my go to palate cleanser when I want to truly taste the music as intended to be tasted.

Specifications:

Driver:Dynamic
Frequency Response: 12Hz-40,500Hz
Headphone Type: Open back over the ear
Sensitivity: 102 dB SPL/V
Impedance: 300 Ohm
Weight: 260g
Cable Length: 3 meters
Jack Plug: 1/4thplug with 3.5mm adapter

Currently can be purchases from Amazon Prime for $267

Brief History:

1997! Yes 22 years ago is when these Headphones first arrived. They evolved from the Sennheiser HD 580. Then in 2003 Sennheiser introduced the HD 650, the HD 600 partner in crime. I have been reading incessantly about headphones for three years now. It is amazing how often HD 600s and HD 650s are referenced when talking about the sound signature of other HPs. Drop (formerly known as Prince, I mean formerly known as Massdrop) introduced not too long ago the HD 6XX. It is an HD 650 with a different color and a shorter cable. The HD 6XX can be had for $220. I will compare the HD 6XX sound to the HD 600 toward the end of this review.



Accoutrements:

Sennheiser sells these direct for $400 so the obvious choice would be purchasing from Amazon for $267. That is exactly what I did a little over a year ago. The Amazon box they come in fits perfectly with the Sennheiser box. So, note to self: keep the original box they come in just in case there is ever an issue needing repair under warranty or um Gottes willen you ever decide to sell these (they go quick used for about $180-200 these days).

The box it comes with is very nice and protective. I would feel safe shipping these in the original box with all the foam cushioning. The velvety cloth earpads do supposedly go flat after a few years. We all do but with these everything can be replaced. EVERYTHING. That is such an added bonus. Replacement parts are easy to come by and are affordable.

The cable it comes with is my only minor gripe. It comes with a 3 meter cable (9.84 ft.). That works well when the main rig is a bit away but is too long for when the rig is next to the bed or next to a comfy chair. A 6 ft to 8 ft cable would make more sense to me. Once you start talking about main rigs then people start getting into balanced connections anyway. I ended up getting an aftermarket 8 ft balanced cable to use with my main rig and a 4ft cable to use at work where I do not want much slack to get in the way.



Equipment used for this review:

Schiit Mjolnir 2
Schiit Lyr 2
Schiit Gungnir (USB 5)
Schiit Bifrost (USB 5)
Schiit Modi

Yes, I know I need to branch out into OTL tube amps with such high impedance headphones. That day will come.

I listen to mainly “HiFi” quality of music through Tidal.

Fit and Comfort:

These headphones feel super light. They clamped a little tight when I first got them. Now they fit perfectly and I honestly forget I have them on sometimes. Now that is rare with a Headphone. The cloth pads are comfortable and welcomed when it is a little warm.

There is 100% leakage and no blockage of outside noise. More than any other open back headphones I have tried. This is not a negative but is part of the open back world



And how does it sound?

I will start where some people feel the HD 600 is lacking and that is in the bass. I disagree with the lacking part. The mid bass is not colored. It is present and to my ears what makes the bass of the HD 600 so special is the very small hint of colored sub bass. If you close your eyes and focus on each instrument the sub bass is what comes out more than any other individual sound. This in my mind is what makes the HD 600 engaging.

I have owned other headphones (Oppo PM 1 for example) that are not lacking anything specific. Overall coherency may be excellent but the joy of listening is not sustained. That in my mind is the fault of a lot of neutral headphones. The sub bass of the HD 600 is what sustains the joy of listening. This small hint of elevated sub bass is what keeps me engaged and coming back for more.

The treble could be a weak point of these. I would disagree. The treble is present and accounted for. The treble does not jump out at you. This lack of sibilance is another factor that allows longer listening sessions.

The midrange is the key to these. The midrange quality can go head to head with any other headphone. The mids are what allow longer listening sessions to still be a joy. Vocals are neutral. They are not forward and not too far in the background like a lot of headphones that have colored bass or too sibilant of treble. Acoustic guitars sound so natural. The best word I come up to describe the mids of the HD 600 is lush!

The HD 600 provides a super clean sound. These are not so clean that they are bright. I would consider them to have a warm clean sound. There is a lack of distortion with very good instrument separation. Clean, lack of distortion, and good instrument separation are not things said at this price range.

A weakness of these headphones is the lack of a wide soundstage. Both horizontal and vertical soundstage does not extend very far. A positive side to this weakness is that these headphones do sound intimate.

The HD 600 can be your open back headphone end game. What a cost saver that would be and what a spousal relationship sustainer that would be. Of course, audiophiles lack this reasoning. Therefore the HD 600 is an excellent addition to any audio collection. It is my go to palate cleanser along with my ZMF Auteurs. I do have other headphones and IEMS for when I want to get into daytime or nighttime fun and games. The ZMF Atticus or NCM Bella V2 fit perfectly into this role.

A huge benefit of the neutral sound of the HD 600 is that you can listen to them for endless hours. There is literally no fatigue and no boredom. They are engaging enough to keep interest but the interest is to be had when you want to be interested. Now that is a relationship we long for. There is no fatigue from the HD 600 demanding your attention all the time like forward sounding headphones tend to do over time.

300 Ohms is a rather high impedance. A caveat to this discussion is that that the HD 600 needs ampage. You can run it through your phone and most anything but at a loss. The dynamics of this headphone do not come to light properly until you are using an amp that does it justice. Then it opens up and shines. This is not a headphone for on the go nor was it intended to be. It is for someone that cannot have their 2 channel speakers playing. It is for someone that is in a quiet environment and sound leakage will not annoy anyone else.



Comparisons:

Sennheiser HD 6XX/HD 650:

No HD 600 conversation can happen without a reference to the HD 650. I think the HD 650 is Sennheiser’s attempt to add color to the HD 600. People tend to prefer one or the other. The difference is the warmth added to the 650. The notes are rounded rather than coming to a point as they do with the 600. They both have quality treble and stellar mids. The biggest difference to me along with the rounded notes is in the bass. The 650 has a slightly elevated mid bass while the 600 has a mild sub bass lift. I thought I would enjoy both the 650 and 600. I was wrong. I did not find the 650 engaging enough to keep.

ZMF Auteur:

The Auteur is the grand HD 600. The Auteur is 6 times the cost of the HD 600. Should they even be compared? Yes, they should and that says a lot for the HD 600. They are both revealing. They are both neutral, they both have a slight bump in sub bass (hence the engagement factor). With both of them I feel like I am sitting perfectly in the center of a concert hall. The Auteur is a few rows forward as compared to the HD 600. The stage is wider and the instrument separation is better with the Auteur. But for $267 vs. $1600 there should in reality be no comparison to be had. The greatest gift of the HD 600 is that is can be compared to an indisputable amazing sounding $1600 Headphone. The HD 600 is 80% of the Auteur at 1/6ththe cost. Drop the mic right there and walk away!



Concluding thoughts:

I have discussed the qualities of the HD 600. It is neutral sounding. It is engaging. It is detailed. I use it as a palate cleanser when I want to get back to the heart of the sound. I use it when I want to get back to how the sound was intended to be heard.

In my opinion the best qualities of the HD 600 is what it is not. It is not tiring. It is not boring. It is not sibilant. It is not annoyingly colored. It is not expensive. It is not flimsy. In my opinion it is a must have!

NCM Bella V2
Mature Fun!



Specifications
8 BA and 1 DD (10mm)
1 DD for Bass, 4 BAs for mids, 2 BAs for highs, 2 BAs for upper highs
4-way crossover
There will be the option in the future to upgrade to a dual frequency switch.
USD 1,068 (same price as the Bella V1 which will still be offered)

Contact information
http://nguyencustoms.com
info@nguyencustoms.com



Why am I reviewing the NCM Bella V2
I am content with the BA and single DD IEMs I have in my arsenal BUT, I was having a hard time finding a hybrid monitor that I could tolerate over time (one of my IEM barometers). The biggest issue I had with the different hybrid IEMs I purchased was coherency. The difference between the DD and the BAs was not tolerable over time for me. Another issue was the dominant bass drowned out the upper mids.

So, a fellow Head-Fier became annoyed with me enough to recommend that I get in contact with Thomas the owner of Nguyen Customs Monitors (NCM) based in Vietnam. My Head-Fi friend thought that the NCM Bella hybrid would be what I may be looking for.

I contacted Thomas at NCM and started the ordering process. Everything went very smooth. What is unique with NCM is that you can customize your Universal IEM. I asked for a mild smoky translucent shell with a faceplate of his choice and a connection of his choice since he will make your IEM with standard 2 pin or standard MMCX. I sent Thomas links to my 4 other reviews and offered to give an honest review of the Bella. I enjoy writing reviews because it keeps my mind elastic and out of trouble. He read my past reviews to make sure I was legit and because we had a mutual audio friend he gave me a small percentage off the regular purchase price.

With NCM the turnaround is usually 14 days from purchasing to shipping to the customer. After about three weeks I contacted Thomas. I also got wind that there was a Bella V2 coming out. It turns out the Bella he was making for me is the first Bella V2 being sent out to a customer. Since the Bella V1 was going to be sight unheard for me anyway I thought getting the Bella V2 sight unheard was great.

I have been enjoying Bella V2 for 5 weeks now and feel confident enough to give my objectively subjective honest opinion of the Bella V2.






Packaging
I like simple and the packaging is simple and functional. The carrying case is a hard case and does protect the Bella V2 perfectly. There is an added pouch attached with Velcro to the inner lid that is a perfect storage place for extra tips, cleaning cloth, 1/4thadapter and cleaning tool. An appropriate variety of tips are included. The included cable is a 4-foot OFC copper cable. With the option of MMCX or 2 pinconnector. The cable has great ergonomics and in the area of sound brings no negative attention to itself. A smart human being would just use the cable it comes with. I fail in that respect all the time.


Tips
When I get an IEM I start with Spiral Dot ear tips and call it a day if they seal. With the Bella V2 the Spiral Dots do seal well but there is not a ridge for them to catch on. Due to the wide opening of the Spiral Dots, they therefore over time slide down the nozzle too far. The tip ends up being flush with the end of the nozzle. I then moved on to trying the 812 different SpinFit tips I have. I could not get a seal. I then moved on to my next favorite tips the Final Audio E Type tips. Game over. Tight fit on the nozzle and excellent seal.


Basic Differences between Bella V1 and V2
The differences in the next couple sentences are directly from Thomas since I have not tried the Bella V1. The V2 has a longer and narrower nozzle. The drivers are the same as the Bella V1 but the 4-way crossovers and acoustic filters are different. Bella V1 is darker than the V2. The V2 has slightly smaller soundstage due to its more upfront signature, and more body inthe sparkles in the treble region.

The V1 will still be offered because the V1 and V2 have such different sound signatures.




My impressions of the NCM Bella V2 sound
Below are the highlights of the notes I took during my Bella V2 listening sessions the last 5 weeks.

I titled this review Mature Fun because that is the first thing that comes to my mind when listening to the Bella V2s. Mature in that there is a lot of detail. Each instrument is well articulated. Articulated in an organic way. Fun in that I am right there in the front row. Heck, at times I felt like I was right there with each person playing the instrument. Each pluck of the guitar, each contact the drum stick made was very appropriately represented and appropriately up front.

Over time what really kept my attention was how the bass, mids, and treble did not get in the way of each other. Usually with a fun signature something gets drowned out. Usually the upper mids or the mids altogether. My guess is that the Bella V2 frequency graph shows a mild U shape. But, what I here is a W. I am a timbre guy and I like more of an uncolored sound. With the Bella V2 the timbre is right and the W signature is so well done that I can enjoy long listening sessions. Now that is rare for me to enjoy colored sound over time.

The Bella V2 is not for someone who wants to listen to music and forget about the music. It is for someone that wants the music to be front and center. Bella V2 is selfish. It will not let you forget about it. Anytime your mind wonders it taps you on the middle of your forhead and demands your attention. I usually do not prefer attention seeking IEMs. I prefer the independent ones. But, with the Bella V2 the annoying factor does not come into play. It is the demanding partner that you actually enjoy being with. Very rare indeed.

Coherency: The BA/DD combo is usually hard to do correctly. Maybe because the signature is so W shaped, it works. I can focus on any part of the music that I want to. Drums, cymbals yes. Acoustic guitar yes. Female and male vocals yes. Kick drum, bass guitar, stand-up bass yes.

The bass is elevated but tight. Visceral tight is how I would describe the bass. The treble is elevated but not strident. Bright and crisp like a fresh piece of lettuce. This IEM is not wilted. I have never enjoyed nor payed attention to treble as much as with the Bella V2.

What genre of music? It is a given that the Bella V2 signature works well for EDM and rock. What surprised me is that it works well for all types of jazz. Each instrument is well defined. That includes vocals. The soundstage may not be the widest but each instrument is right there in space separated from the other instruments.



Cables
I have rolled a lot of cables with the Bella V2. I never inhaled though. I do not recommend messing with cables because it is the worst audio rabbit hole of them all. I am guilty as charged.

A pure silver cable is probably the least desired by me for Bella V2. It tightens up a tight bass too much and it sparkles up an already sparkly treble. There is no need to bring the Bella V2 more forward. It is really really forward already.

Copper cables are just right for the Bella V2. Leaves the bass lively and keeps enough warmth for the mids and treble.

The papa bear for me was copper/silver or silver/gold alloy cables that tended to be neutral in nature. They added needed soundstage and euphonics and kept all the detail.


COMPARISONS
These are IEMs I own and I enjoy each for different reasons:


Unique Melody Maestro V2
Maestro V2 is darker. I needed a palate cleanser before I could go from Bella V2 to Maestro V2. The Maestro V2 is laid back. Maestro has a little more resolution while the Bella V2 has more detail. Everything is so much closer with the Bella V2 and the instrument attack so much stronger. Bella V2 has brighter treble and brighter vocals.
Headphone analogy: The Maestro V2 is to Audeze LCD 3 as Bella V2 is to Audeze LCD XC.



Rhapsodio Eden
Eden is flat out the timbre king even though I do like the timbre of the Bella V2. The Eden is what you want to be married to. Bella V2 is for an amazing weekend.



Noble Audio Katana
When listening to the Bella V2 I am in the first row. With the Katana I am in the 10throw with amazing soundstage and detail. The Bella V2 actually has similar mids and treble which is a very good thing. Bella V2 has an elevated mid bass while the Katana has the most adorable sub bass I have ever heard.
Headphone analogy: The Katana is to the ZMF Eikon as Bella V2 is to the ZMF Atticus.



Earsonics S-EM6 V2
Ha, Ha, Ha! Those that know the S-EM6 V2 know why I am laughing.
There is nothing in common with the Bella V2. My S-EM6 V2 is my retirement IEM. When my caretaker in my retirement home leaves them in my ears for a week, no harm will be done. They are the best background music IEMs I have heard.


Comparisons with other hybrids I have owned:

CA Solaris from Memory
Solaris bass to me was underwhelming and something intangible was different with the mids. The Solaris did not draw me in like the Bella V2 does. Bella V2 is more engaging. The Solaris does have amazing treble which I think is taken straight from the Andromeda.

CA Polaris V1 from Memory
The Polaris has bass and treble that is to be admired. The mids of the Bella V2 keep me engaged. At the end of the day for me the mids need to be there. I did not feel that with the Polaris.

EE Legend X from Memory
Legend X bass was overwhelming to me. I could never get over that so had to sell them. The Bella V2 in my opinion does have the more engaging mids. And that says a lot because the Legend X is a classic IMHO.

Rhapsodio Zombie from Memory
Sorry, I have no memory of the time I spent with Zombie. It was that intense.


Conclusion


If you want a lot of options then NCM is a way to go. If you want to communicate directly with the owner NCM is a way to go (and Thomas is knowledgeable, patient, and nice). You can go universal or custom, MMCX or 2 pin. A rare option is being able to customize the shell and faceplate of a universal IEM.

If you want something on the brighter side with a chunk of tight bass then Bella V2 is for you. On top of that the resolution and detail is still TOTL with mids that can compete with any other IEM. With TOTL tending to be in the $1800 and up range the Bella V2 at $1000 is a great deal.

ZMF Eikon and Atticus Review

Choosing between two things you love! Loving two things that are the same but different and having to choose which one to keep can be a heart wrenching problem. In the audio world such a problem poses comes to light a little too often. This cognitive dissonance is not paramount to life’s existence but if you are reading this review you know the privileged audio dissonance I am talking about.

This will be a review of the ZMF Eikon and Atticus. I will in my humble subjective opinion tell you what I see as the similarities and differences. I will also discuss which headphone works best for me with which genre of music and also with which musicians. I have a bias toward the Eikon just because I listen to more music that suits the Eikon better.




Who the …. am I?

I am someone who gets intense areas of focus. Those that know me wonder if I am on some alternate scale of high functioning Autism. I get hyper focused on certain unique things. At age 9 one of my areas of focus was coin collecting. I remember attending coin collection conferences at age 9. Now that is odd. Other areas of hyper focus over the years have been Fountain Pens, watches, roasting and perfecting trying to pull the best shot possible, tennis racquets (I also obsessed on playing tennis and basketball), duck hunting jackets (I do not hunt), languages, and in general how things work and function.

Audio has always been part of my life. The hyper focus started about four years ago. Starting with updating my two-channel system, then getting into closed back headphones, then open back headphones, then IEMs (still hyper psychotically focused), then back to open and closed headphones.

I gave up on closed and open back headphones two years ago once I discovered IEMs. I preferred the intimacy and visceral feeling of IEMs. The goose bumps they provide at times when it all comes together is very addicting.

Well, it turns out I found a few instances when I missed headphones. One was during super long sessions on my main rig. The comfort of headphones during extended sessions was missed. Also, during the night reaching in a drawer to pull out an IEM and setting it all up became cumbersome. Reaching over for a headphone was missed.


Finding ZMF

I stumbled upon ZMF through my incessant reading of threads on Head-fi. I purchased the Eikon used (Cherry Wood) in order to get my feet wet. If I didn’t like it then I would turn around and sell it at a loss of shipping cost and PayPal fees. Well I liked it a lot. I sold my other headphones that I was rarely using due to lack of intimacy. I then read everything I could about ZMF and purchased an Atticus headphone, number 30 of 30 special edition Cocobolo wood. I also ended up getting a one off Pheasantwood Auteur for long sessions on my main rig.

I thought I would compare the Eikon and Atticus and decide which one I prefer and keep that one. Here I am today writing about it in depth in order to help others have a better understanding of the differences.

I purchased both Headphones. I have no affiliation to ZMF and no incentive to write a positive review. I did have a dream that I showed up at Zach Mehrbach’s home (owner of ZMF) and knocked on the door. We chatted in his back yard around a fire he had built. We sipped brandy and discussed a two-year internship I would start under his tutelage. Yes, there are more exciting dreams to have. But if you are still reading this you understand.

I have been in contact with Zach and his wife Bevin via email. Usually about some odd thing I was requesting like a longer screw or something odd thought would work better for the swivel movement of the headphone. Or for a different size gasket since they did not match perfectly. They were always responsive and appropriate with my odd requests. They even sent me a shirt. In hopes most likely of me going away.

The Cherry Eikon came with the original chassis. The one with the sliding silver gimbals (the ones that remind me of Shrek’s ears). I liked the new chassis the Cocobolo Atticus came with so I ordered the newer chassis for the Eikon and installed it myself. The new one is lighter, has better ergonomics, looks better (I think), and has a better weight balance. The new chassis can be purchased for $150.




The Peripherals for this review

For long sessions:
Schiit Bifrost DAC with 5th generation USB
Schiit Lyr 2 Amp with Tungsol 2C51 tubes
I use either a Norne Audio Draug3 cable or a C3 Audio Cardas cable with 1/4th termination.

For quick A/B testing:
Schiit Gungnir DAC with 5th generation USB
Schiit Mjolnir 2 Amp with Tungsol 2C51 Tubes
I use the Norne Audio Volsund cable with 4 pin balanced termination

Stock pads were used on both Headphones.

I almost exclusively used Tidal Red Book music as my source. I switched to Qobuz for a bit but they do not have a family plan yet and my family was drawing up papers to disown me if I did not switch back to Tidal family plan.

I spent three months intensely listening to the two of them and taking notes as I listened. I prefer long sessions of each headphone for reviews but I also do a some direct A/B comparisons to confirm what I find during long sessions. I do not look at graphs nor do I EQ. Mainly because that would be one more thing I would obsess on. Also, I want to understand the sound of the headphone and IEM without knowing what a frequency graph tells me how it should sound. I want to know the HP and IEM as it was intended to be heard and not how I want to EQ it. I did have a Schiit Loki for a few weeks. I could not stop fiddling with it due to my OCD tendencies. It had to go for personal sanity reasons.




More ZMF information

Prices and a plethora of information can be found at zmfheadphones.com


Workmanship

I cannot say enough about the workmanship of these Headphones. Zach makes each one by hand. The woodwork is of the highest quality. I like that you can tell it was done by hand and not a machine punching it out. There are slight variances which make each product unique. Each one feels like a heirloom that you pass down from generation to generation. Each one is a unique piece of art. They are stunning and beautiful!




My take on the Eikon

The Eikon is the long-term relationship that everyone needs in life once they are ready to settle down. It is even keeled across the board with one caveat which I will get to in a bit. The Eikon is about detail and clarity. All the instruments are there as they were intended to be heard. There is almost no added color. The music enters your ears as they were intended. The instruments are the focus more than the music. It is more of an intellectual experience. You can at any moment decide which instrument to focus on and make that what you are listening to. No instrument takes center stage. You can decide what takes center stage. Fatigue with these headphones is nonexistent. It is not the HP for those that want color. It is not for those that want instruments to jump out at them.

There is one little beautiful blip of color added to the Eikon. That would be the sub bass. I am enamored by sub bass. Eikon has it in a very special way. It is subtly prominent. Not in an annoying way. That long term relationship with a special added perk.




My take on the Atticus

The Atticus could be a long-term relationship but you need to be willing to put up with the emotional ups. The Atticus does have proper treble, mids, and bass. BUT, each one has added color and added life. This is a very rare quality to have added color in the highs, mids, and lows. Usually the mids and up being recessed. This is what makes the Atticus so special. I cannot reiterate enough the mind-boggling specialness of the Atticus. There is a mid-bass thump that can be dominant but in a proper way. Then the mids, especially the vocals, are crisp and intimate. The acoustic guitar plucking is right there in front of you with a timbre I have not experienced before. Throw in the treble that is also a bit forward but is not fatiguing. The timbre of cymbals for example is unique and special. With the Atticus the individual instruments do not need to be searched out. They come looking for you.


Similarities and Differences between Eikon and Atticus

I will now try and give you an analogy that in my mind gives the best comparison between the two headphones. Imagine a yardstick which is 36 inches. Imagine the length of the measuring stick to be the Eikon frequency graph. Now imagine a stick that is 36 cm in length. Now that is the frequency graph of the Atticus. Each one has 36 measuring points from the highs to the lows. But the Eikon is 36 inches in length and the Atticus is 36 cm which translates into 14.2 inches i.e. a long frequency graph vs. a short frequency graph with all frequencies entailed within both.

Neither the Eikon nor Atticus have recessed highs, mids, or lows. The Atticus does have spikes along the way such as mid bass but nothing is recessed. Back to my measuring stick analogy. With the Eikon the instruments/frequencies are spread out more (stretched). The background is blacker. This allows you to pick out each instrument easier due to space and a lack of any spikes (except sub bass).

With the Atticus the 36 inch frequency graph was pushed in to make 36 cm (14.2 inches). Everything is there but by pushing it in hills (treble), plateaus (mids), and mountains (mid bass) were created. But when pushing it in no valleys were created. Nothing was pushed below the measuring stick.

Is one headphone overall better than the other? Not really but there are the differences. The Eikon is more analytical. The Atticus is warmer but seems to have better detail than Eikon. I find the mids the be the most similar of anything. The Eikon has faster transients hence less warmth. The Eikon has better imaging and as mentioned before more space between the instruments (1 inch vs 1 cm). Atticus has more defined contrast between the instruments. The instruments come to you rather than with the Eikon you need to go to the instruments. The Eikon is more “real” vs. the Atticus being more “exciting.”

For IEM people the Eikon reminds me of the Noble Katana. Linear, clear, spatial, real, with an added special sub bass. The Atticus reminds me of the Rhapsodio Solar. Mid bass, cm vs. inches, spikes of bass and treble, and special timbre of certain instruments. The Solar and Atticus find your hippocampus before you find them.


Genres of music I prefer with Eikon

Classical
Jazz

Genres of music I prefer with Atticus

All Alternative e.g. punk, grunge, hard rock, progressive rock
EDM
Electronic
Hip-Hop/Rap
Reggae

Genres of music I prefer with both Headphones

Blues
Latin
Pop
Rock
Folk
Bluegrass
World


I wanted to include different artists I prefer with each headphone so that the reader can have even a
better feel based on their preferences:

My favorite artists I prefer listening to with Eikon

Alexi Murdoch
Bill Evans
Brian Eno
Charles Lloyd
Damien Jurado
David Gilmour
Eivind Aarset
Elephant Revival
Enrico Rava
Paolo Fresu
Gram Parsons
Jack DeJohnette
Jacob Young
Jakob Bro
Luca Aquino
Manu Katche
Mathias Eick
Miles Davis (mid career)
Nick Drake
Paco de Lucia
Paul Motian
Sarah Jarosz
Tore Brunborg

My favorite artists I prefer listening to with Atticus

Big Head Todd and The Monsters
Bob Moses
Car Seat Headrest
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Daft Punk
Eels
InterStatic
Jeff Beck
Joe Satriani
Manu Chao
Morrissey
No-Man
Porcupine Tree
Radiohead
Steven Wilson
The Pineapple Thief
The War On Drugs
The xx
Tom Misch

My favorite artists I vacillate listening to with Eikon and Atticus

Beck
Ben Howard
Bob Dylan
Buckethead
City and Colour
Courtney Barnett
Dire Straits
Esbjorn Svensson Trio
Jay Farrar
Jeff Tweedy
John Martyn
John McLaughlin
John Scofield
Jose Gonzalez
Junip
Mandolin Orange
Michael Wollny
Miles Davis (early and late career)
Neil Young
Pink Floyd
Roy Hargrove
Ryan Adams
Son Volt
Steely Dan
Stu Larsen
Uncle Tupelo
Whiskeytown
Wilco




Conclusion

If you want a long-term relationship without ups and downs then the Eikon is your choice. If you want a relationship that is high on the fun scale then Atticus is your choice. If you cannot have both then chose based on the genre of music you listen to most. If your wallet permits have both. A long-term relationship with Eikon and a fun on the side with Atticus when you need a pick me up. This could be a rare moment in life when it is allowed to have two relationships at the same time. Everyone is in agreement with it and both headphones can be perched by your bedside ready for listening sessions depending on your mood!

La Joie de Vivre "The Divine Series"



One Hundred and Twelve Seconds of Joy

My mind is the stage

February 12, 1964: The Philharmonic Hall. The Miles Davis Quintet

“All Blues” from the live Miles Davis album “My Funny Valentine.”

Recording starts with Miles Davis snapping the beat on his fingers. He is center stage three steps back from front of stage and two steps left of center. At the same time a page of sheet music is turned Center stage left. Ron Carter on bass takes the beat stage left three steps further back than Miles Davis. Tony Williams (age 19) on drums stage right 8 steps back from front of stage enters using a brush. Herbie Hancock (age 23) enters in on piano stage left. Hancock is further left than Carter and a step or two further from the stage than Carter. George Coleman on Tenor Sax (soon to be replaced by Wayne Shorter) begins to play further stage right same distance from the front of stage as Miles. Miles begins to play still center stage a few steps to the left. He is playing Trumpet using a Harmon Mute. Tony Williams taps on his cymbals. The quintet plays slow and smooth together until 1 minute 12 seconds into the song at which time Miles takes off his Harmon Mute and lays it down on a stool. Miles goes into a fast solo with Coleman going quiet and the other three holding on for dear life.

I do not know if a video exists of the performance. The above paragraph describes what I hear and feel in the stage of my mind while listening to the Katana. I have owned 22 In Ear Monitors in the last two years. Only with the Katana do I hear that song with so much detail and with so much stage presence.




The Art of Joy

There are the regular universal Noble Audio IEMs. There are also the Wizard Universal Noble Audio IEMs. The Wizard versions are created by John Moulton (a.k.a The Wizard). John is the founder of Noble Audio. He hand carves the faceplate using exotic and very distinctive materials in order to make the Wizard versions.

John’s wife’s name is Joy (now you know where this is going and where the title of each section comes from). Years ago, John was moving some boxes around and one of the boxes contained nail salon equipment. It turns out that in Joy’s younger years she would offer nail salon services across the street from a local college in Thailand. Joy’s sisters would sell Thai tea and other beverages next to her table. Years later Joy opened up a nail salon and eventually she asked John if she could help apply art to Noble Universal products. There you have it, the origin of the Wizard/Joy Collaboration.

The Wizard/Joy collaborative universal involves John fastening and hand carving the face plate of the IEM. Joy then applies her art. John then finishes the build e.g. sanding and lacquer. It takes 12 hours from start to finish to make a Wizard/Joy collaborative IEM. 4 hours of which is Joy applying the art work. The one I have and every picture I have seen of one is unique and stunning in their beauty!

The cost of the Wizard is regular retail plus $100. The Wizard/Joy is regular retail plus $200. My specific faceplate consists of Mother of Pearl and Gold Leaf. Have I said stunning yet!












Ode to Joy, I mean Ode to Self

John is an Audiologist by trade. I am a Speech-Language Pathologist by trade. Our training gives us something in common, and that would be the importance of sound. I have always been obsessed with sound. In 1980 at age 14 I started my first paying job. I cleaned part of an office building. I spent all of my very first check on a Sony CFS-10. I still have it and it is still in mint condition. Below is a picture of my CFS-10.




The Wizard/Joy Collaboration Katana "Divine Series"

The Katana retails for $1850.
The Wizard/Joy Collaboration is an additional $200
The Katana consists of 9 Balanced Armature Receivers (BA)
The stock cable is a quality SPC Tinsel cable with pull length of 150 lbs.
The monitor comes with the expected appropriate variety of tips, a Pelican 110 case and cleaning tool. The packaging is high end in nature.
I would like to thank John for providing this IEM for review purposes. I have no affiliation to Noble Audio nor is there any financial incentive to write this review.




The Joy of the Katana Signature

My introduction paragraph of “One Hundred and Twelve Seconds of Joy” inferentially defines the Katana sound signature. A Katana is the name of a traditionally made Japanese sword. Katana is therefore the perfect name for this monitor. Here are a few of the notes I jotted down over the last month of intensively listening to the Katana: it cuts through the music; guitar strings are being plucked in my ear; cutting reference signature; I can hear every detail of the song; I can pick out each instrument in space; the attack of each instrument is noteworthy and well separated in space; acoustic guitar bliss; detail, detail, detail; clarity, clarity, clarity; not sterile; not neutral boring.

The bass of the Katana has something special going on. There is a sub bass visceral feeling happening. The sub bass gives the impression of movement of air like with a monitor with a dynamic driver. I know with a BA there is no movement of air but it literally feels like it. The mid bass is present but not the star. The sub bass is the star. The mids are not recessed. The vocals have a timbre that is correct. The vocals are on the same plane as the highs and lows. The treble is very detailed and present. Maybe the treble is a little elevated but along with loving sub bass I do love my treble. The Katana treble is not fatiguing at all. I have a hard time with V shaped monitors because I quickly get fatigued by the bass and treble. The Legend X comes to mind or the Rhapsodio Zombie. I get a lot of pleasure out of them but after 5 minutes I need a cigar, a shower, and a nap. I can go on with the Katana for hours without fatigue.

Now onto tip rolling. I once tried to get a custom monitor. My ear canal is so large that they used an elephant to create my mold since the size was the same. With the Katana I do get a light seal. Usually that is a disadvantage and causes a decrease in bass. When I do push them in further there is not a change in sound like other monitors when the seal is too light. The advantage is for longer sessions there is never any pain from too tight of seal.




La alegría de las comparaciones

Very short comparisons of the Katana with:

Campfire Audio Andromeda S

The Katana has the sub bass. The Andromeda S has the mid bass. The Andromeda S has an even sparklier treble. The mids of the two are very similar. With the Katana the instruments have a stronger attack. Instruments with the Andromeda S have a slower attack. It is almost like they have a very fast reverb/glow to them. That fast reverb/glow of the instrument attack is my definition of the Campfire Audio BA sound. The timbre with the Katana is more natural. With the Katana the instruments are front row vs. third row with Andromeda S.

I loved my Andromeda S but I sold it after an extensive comparison with the Katana. The Andromeda S sound is different from the Katana but in my mind too redundant of a signature with the Katana to keep it.

Campfire Audio Solaris

BA sub bass of the Katana vs. the DD mid bass of the Solaris. Both have special treble. The Katana mids do have a better timbre. I cannot comment much otherwise on the Solaris mids. I am still figuring them out. When I compare the Katana to the Solaris what comes to mind for me are the ZMF closed back headphones. The Katana is analogous to the ZMF Eikon with a touch of ZMF Auteur. The Solaris (with a dose of Rhapsodio Solar) is analogous to the ZMF Atticus.

Rhapsodio Eden

The Eden is the Dynamic Driver sister of the 9 BA Katana. Otherwise the sound signatures have a lot in common despite the classic DD vs. BA differences. I do not see myself ever ridding of the Katana nor the Eden.

Rhapsodio Solar

Katana and Solar both have 9 Balanced Armatures. And that is all they have in common. The Solar is special for a quickie fun time but not to spend an evening with.

Earsonics S-EM6-V2

The ultimate in neutral. Great to have around for a reality check just like my aunt Myrtle. The perfect IEM for A/B testing. It forces the brain to highlight the other IEMs sound signature.


Chameleon Cable Joy

If you do not cable roll or do not believe in cable rolling please skip this section. Your life and wallet will be better off. If you are fool enough to still be reading this section I would like to clue you into one of the most surprising assets of the Katana. I know John is not a cable roller and would have never created the Katana to be a cable chameleon but that is the little secret.

The Katana is by far the most transparent IEM when it comes to cable rolling. The sound changes distinctively based on the cable. I have never experienced such a difference in sound when trying different cables. I personally prefer the Katana with a warmer cable. The Katana already has enough Clarity and detail. A warm cable adds warmth but still keeps the clarity and detail.

I must state that the stock cable is all that is needed and a cable in my mind is the least important piece in the chain. But those that have gone off the deep end will thoroughly enjoy the chameleonness of the Katana.


A Bilan Joyeux

Now onto my final thoughts on the Wizard/Joy Collaboration Katana. When learning a language there is the phenomenon of how over time being exposed to the language it seems like the language slows down. It seems like over time someone is turning a dial and everyone is speaking slower. The Katana does that for me. It slows down the instruments so that each one is heard separately in space with more detail and clarity. The Wizard/Joy Collaboration Katana adds a one of a kindness to your IEM. For a relatively minimal added cost you have an IEM with an stunning artistic Joyous touch!

My first review was titled Goldmember “Welcome to 1975.” That review was for the in your face Goldmemberish Rhapsodio RDB MK 8 Zombie.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/rhapsodio-rdb-mk-8-zombie-in-ear-monitor.22799/reviews#review-20483

Today’s review is the antithesis of Goldmember. Hence the nomenclature Silvermember. Introducing the Timbrelicious Rhapsodio Eden:



Single Dynamic Driver IEM
10mm Aluminum Diaphragm
Pure Silver Housing
Retail Price $2000
https://www.facebook.com/rhapsodiohk/
https://www.rhapsodiostore.com

It is easiest to contact Rhapsodio through Facebook. I am whimsically forlorn so I contact Rhapsodio the second-best way and that is through email. Contacting Sammy the owner directly is the best way to work out what monitor you would like and with what cable you would like it to be. Sammy is not shy about recommending IEMs and cables not in his best interest but in your best interest and that is honorable and rare to see.

The Rhapsodio Eden is a brand-new IEM. Sammy is the owner and mad scientist behind Rhapsodio. I think he runs a one-person show. To date there may be 5 Eden’s in existence. I was going to review it as part of the tour currently happening but Sammy contacted me about a month ago to let me know there was an Eden in California. He asked if I would like to purchase it before it was sent back to him in Hong Kong. The original owner was in the process of trying numerous Rhapsodio IEMs. So that is how I came upon this Eden.


The Eden and the Christofle Cluny. Oh so Silver!

How did I get here?

I am 10 months into the IEM world. I have purchased 20 IEMs in that time period (yes, I have a problem). I have sold most after extensive listening. I tend to get very focused on things. For example, I once spent 4 months only listening to and only reading about Pink Floyd every spare moment. I also spent one year doing the same thing with Miles Davis music and literature. I have read about, and listened to IEMs every non-life essential moment during the past 10 months. I do not sleep much so easily 5-6 hours a day have been spent in the IEM world. I try to keep 3-5 IEMs at a time. I get bored with just one signature and each monitor has certain types of music it plays best with depending on my mood.

If I have learned anything is that TOTL means high end and not the best. No matter which TOTL monitor I am using there will be tradeoffs. TOTL to me means that the sound is of very high quality. The sound is visceral. The sound is real or a variation of real that is fun but not thin and annoying over time. I have tasted TOTL IEMs so I am spoiled and get annoyed with non TOTL IEMs after a short while. I was in a past life heavily into tennis and heavily into demoing, re-stringing and selling tennis racquets. I could blindly spend some time with a racquet and could tell you exactly what the cost of the racquet should be. I could tell you if it was a TOTL racquet and within the TOTL racquet world I could tell you exactly the racquets strengths and weaknesses. I could tell you exactly the string that was used and how many pounds it was strung at. The tennis string is the cable of the IEM world and just as important. I would love to be that good someday in the audio world. I am far from being there but the journey is fun.

For the Zombie review I focused on comparing it to the Empire Ears Legend X. This comparison was done because they are both in the same family of sound signature: hybrids with a serious emphasis on bass. For this review I will describe the Eden sound as I perceive it. I will then spend time focusing on comparing it to the Empire Ears Phantom. The Phantom is a “hot” monitor right now and the sound of the Eden and Phantom are in the same family of signatures even though the Phantom is a 5 BA IEM and the Eden has a single dynamic driver.



The Eden

As I stated earlier the Eden is the antithesis of the Zombie. Sammy’s goal was to create something with high resolution with a “reference” sound. Well I think he did it and more. The sound of the Eden is extremely natural. Nothing jumps out to me concerning highs, mids, and lows. Nothing dominates and to me that is important for longer listening sessions. At any moment though while listening to music I can decide what to focus on. Because of the high resolution I can grab the bass or the treble or the vocals or any single instrument and own it and become one with it. I can take the holographic sound within my mind and take hold of and lift above the holograph any instrument or sound I want. For example at any time I can lift out the cymbals, the bass drum, the rhythm guitar, the main guitar, the piano, the vocals, or the brush drumming. Anything I want I can take out and it becomes mine as long as I want. Just like the EarSonics S-EM9 when you first insert the Edens they sound good. After a few minutes though the music envelopes you and brings a smile to your face.

Timbre as defined by Merriam-Webster: the quality given to a sound by its overtones: such as the quality of tone distinctive of a particular singing voice or musical instrument. Timbre is the word that is hard to pronounce and has been popping up in the audiophile world lately. Well the Eden nailed Timbre whether I can pronounce it correctly or not. The sound of the Eden is the most natural sound I have ever heard from a monitor. It is the closest to what I perceive as how an instrument or voice should sound. This is easiest for me to spot when listening to non-texturally complex acoustic music. Mellow trio Jazz such as the Bill Evans trio is a great place to start. It is about the double bass, the piano and the drums and Eden brings acoustic music to life better than any other IEM I have heard. I am right there with Bill, Scott, and Paul and the clinking glasses in the background. Such a natural drug.



If you have experienced the fit of the Rhapsodio Galaxy V1 then you are 8/11thof the way there to knowing the fit of the Eden. The Eden has the same shape as the Galaxy V1 except that it is a little thicker and has a little bit longer nozzle. I get a great fit with both. I get a better sound isolation with both than I have with any other IEM. The Eden is heavier than the Galaxy V1 (aluminum housing) but the Eden is a pleasant weight. I fine piece of jewelry weight (whatever that is) without being cumbersome at all.


The Silvermember as compared to the Venerable Phantom:



I purchased the Universal Phantom about 4 months ago. I liked the sound so much that I purchased a Custom Phantom. The Phantom was my definition of “musical reference” with an excellent natural sound. I believe in direct A/B testing only after spending a vast amount of time with each monitor individually. I did though do some direct A/B testing for fine tuning my impressions. I really like what the Rhapsodio 2.98 V1 8 wire cable does with both monitors. I therefore found a second 2.98 V1 so I could compare the two monitors using the same cable. More importantly, I like how the look and feel of the 2.98 cable is the same as high quality real gut string for tennis racquets.

I tried to keep user bias out of my comparison but that is impossible. I tried to keep user preference out of my comparison but that is even more impossible.

Both monitors display outstanding detail. The Timbre of both is a highlight. The mids of both are so impressive. Both are in the “reference” family. With both I can separate out each instrument and make it mine. Both have minimal fatigue over time.

Now I will try and tease out some differences. And as a reminder both are great monitors that live within a similar family of sound. The Eden does have more coherency but less separation of instruments. The Eden is analogue sounding. Even more natural than the Phantom. The Phantom is more “digital” sounding but only when directly comparing it to the Eden. With the Eden you are about 6 rows back form the orchestra. With the Phantom you are in the first or second row. The Eden has a little more veil to it than the Phantom because of being a few rows further back. The Phantom does the BA treble correctly. The Eden has a better visceral DD bass happening. It is not prominent but still visceral with the DD thump when you pull it out and play with it in your mind. The fingers on a guitar and the lips on a mouthpiece are more real with the Eden. The vocals on the Eden stand out as more natural than with the Phantom. The texture of the music is better with the Eden. The sound of the Eden is thicker vs. the thinner sounding Phantom when directly comparing to two.

Concluding Remarks:



As with the Zombie the Eden is not your one and done IEM. I do not believe there is such a thing. There is variation in signatures within high end monitors. The Eden is what I suggest be your “reference,” high resolution, timbrelicious IEM. It plays best with acoustic music such as Jazz and Classical. Having Eden in your life is a sign of a very healthy relationship: you end up longing for more the longer you are with it. It is your “I want to be enveloped by music IEM.”

Specifications

Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 126dB/mV
Impedance 6 ohm
High frequency: 4 Balanced Armature Drivers
Medium frequency: 4 Balanced Armature Drivers
Full Frequency Production: 1 Dynamic Driver.
MSRP USD $1,600

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/rhapsodiohk/
https://www.rhapsodiostore.com

How did I get here?

I have always enjoyed music. My first memory of music is saving up for the White Album. I walked to the store with my older brother and plopped down my hard-earned cash (not sure how I earned the money at 9 years old). I walked home with the album tucked under my arm only to be informed at home that we had nothing to play it on. Ooops, reality bites. Anyway, soon thereafter my brother had an LP player. When he left the house, I would sneak in his bedroom and enjoy playing his records. I would play “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” as loud as I could enjoying every literal moment of the song knowing that the “Reaper” could be home any minute.

I left music once it went digital until I discovered what a DAC was (thank you whoever enlightened me). I came back with vengeance. I figured out a 2 CH system to my liking then a closed HP system in the bedroom. I then listened to a friend’s HD 600. You know where this is going! Since I already had a DAC on the 2CH system might as well add a headphone amp and an open back Headphone. I was unable to find an engaging portable closed back HP so I tried the CA Lyra II on a whim. Sold all my portable HPs the very next day and 8 months later here I am. Just to get a picture of how obsessed I have become in the last 8 months: I have purchased, enjoyed, and sold 9 IEMs and I currently own 6 IEMs. I wanted to have one reference BA, one DD I enjoyed thoroughly, and a way out there heavy bass hybrid. Somehow that equals 6. Not sure how.

The “way out there heavy bass hybrid” is what this review is about today. The RDB MK 8 Zombie. I like boutique companies and somehow, I discovered Sammy and Rhapsodio and my quest for a DD led me to the outstanding Galaxy V1 and V2. A fellow Head-fier heard I was looking for a unique heavy bass hybrid. He had the solution for me and he got me in contact with Sammy. I agreed to write an honest review in return for a very small discount on the MSRP of the Zombie. Sammy is a one man show from what I can tell. Always experimenting and always quick to respond via Facebook. If you are one of the 6 people like me not using Facebook (my “My Space” account is inactively active) then he can be contacted via email and he has always responded quickly.

For this review I will first give you a brief overview of my take on the Zombie. I will then review the Zombie further through the lens of comparing it to other IEMs I am currently enjoying. I will use analogies and metaphors (no parables or similes) along the way with dry humor embedded. This will not be a technical review. It will hopefully be informative and give the reader a good “feel” for what the Zombie is and is not.

The Zombie

As I listen to the Zombie I am transported to one of Austin Powers characters: Goldmember. In my head I am wearing all gold and skating around my environment as content as can be and saying things like “Hello, I am from Holland, a Schmoeck and a Pancake, a flapjack and a cigarette, a cigar and a waffle” and “that’s a keeper.”

Sorry about those images but the Zombie is a keeper! It is not a flapjack or a waffle but is more like a cigarette and a cigar with some serious kick. It is not syrupy and it is not pretending to be. It is right in front of you with intense bass and with appropriate mids and highs. It is thoroughly engaging and fun.



So unique it is. 4 BAs for the treble and 4 for the mids (I would say Sammy put more emphasis on the BA highs than the mids but not to the Zombies detriment). It is not like other IEMs in that the DD is not just for the bass but goes across the whole frequency. It goes from the lows all the way to the highs. This is where I should talk about crossover. Well, I cannot because there are no crossovers. Now that is unique.

My difficulty with other hybrids is that I hear an incongruency between where the DD ends and the BAs start. I do not hear that incongruence with the Zombie because the DD never stops. A critique of the Zombie is that the DD bleeds into areas it should not. I do not hear that but when listening to the Zombie I am Goldmember with my gold blinders on. Sorry also about that image.

What music does the Zombie attract me to? Any music I am ok with being colored. I take my jazz music way to serious. I listen to it like I am playing chess. Therefore, I do not want my jazz colored. I am trying to figure out the next move so no distractions please. EDM? Yes, oh what fun. Rock? Yes, color me silly! My music heroes Ryan Adams, Neil Young, and David Bowie with Mick Ronson? Yes, I know their music so well that adding color to it helps me rediscover it.

The Zombie brings out my best Pavlovian responses when getting ready to listen to well recorded music with numerous instruments e.g. Steely Dan (no Goldmember pun intended), Dire Straits and Dave Matthews Band. The Zombie also goes well with 70s music when music was recorded analogue and without synthesizers. I have read numerous references to the Zombie analogue sound. I agree but I do not know how to describe what that means.

Another analogy with the Zombie is that when engaging with it I am also transported to the most amazing smoke-filled bar with the highest quality raw sound coming directly at me. The bar is full but there are no peripheral sounds. Just the music and just me in a pleasure dome.

The build quality and looks of the Zombie are as good as I have seen. Rather tank like but comfortable. No issue getting a seal.

Tips? Each to his own. For me it took a lot of rolling to figure out which tips seal with which IEM. I have a small drawer full of tips. I usually get a seal with either Spiral dots or a variant (there are many) of SpinFits. I have usually found one tip brand/style that works. Oddly enough I have never found two types that work for the same IEM.

Thank you, Sammy for having your Y-split further down on your cables. With Rhapsodio cables I can have the neck freedom I want or feel choked by the choke as needed. I own 5 different Rhapsodio cables. They are well made and the prices are more than fair for the quality of cable.


COMPARISONS


Empire Ears Legend X (LX)



Comparison done with both using the Rhapsodio Dark Knight Cable.

Both the Zombie and LX are hybrid. Valid comparison eh? The LX has 2 Sub Woofers, 2 Mid BAs, 1 mid high BA, 1 High BA, 1 super high BA, 10 way crossover

I spent about a month with each of these simultaneously. I would usually spend quality extended time with each one individually but when I did do a direct A/B listen I used the following songs:
Impossible Germany, Wilco
Magnolia Mountain, Ryan Adams
My funny Valentine Live at Philharmonic Hall, Miles Davis
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Jeff Beck

They both have serious bass and both have elevated treble. The Zombie vocals are a little more up front. LX seems tame compared to Zombie which says a lot for the impact of the Zombie. The LX is not tame and is very alive when compared to other IEMS. Very alive. The LX has more maturity. The sound is alive but not in your face. It is an IEM with ADD but is receiving appropriate treatment. The Zombie is not even aware yet that it has an issue. Depends if you want mature fun vs. immature irresponsible fun. The Zombie is more analogue sounding than the LX even though I cannot describe what that is in writing.

Bass? LX is controlled and tight. The Zombie can be bloomy depending on tip and cable. Also, the Zombie bass benefits from burn in. I was not a believer in burn in nor cable rolling before getting the Zombie. I am now a believer in both whether fact or faith based or just brain burn in. The more Silver your cable has the tighter the Zombie gets. The more copper you use the warmer it gets.

The Zombie is mid bass focused. The Zombie has that extra special thump. The LX Bass has a quick visceral bass. The Zombie has a longer Visceral thump feel. With the Zombie the voices are more up front and treble is less coherent. Everything is tighter on the LX. The Zombie is rounder, more flowing. The LX is more analytic vs. the Zombie being analogue

The LX is smoother, more controlled and has a more analytic natural timbre vs the Zombie analogue timbre. It is like being at an intimate sting concert vs. being at a bar with a great band and great acoustics (that may not exist but when listening to the Zombie it does).

The Zombie vocals and cymbals are more forward. For me the Zombie has better instrument separation except with the lows. The Zombie treble is more pronounced.

On a side note, you can tell which one you are inserting in your ear without even looking. The LX has a Double driver flex upon insertion vs. single a driver flex with the Zombie. No harm, no foul.


Empire Ears Phantom



Both with Rhapsodio Dark Knight Cable

Mountain Biking and Road biking are each a joy but are very different. Both can be expensive toys. The Zombie is my Mountain Bike: rugged, rough, a rush and extreme fun. The Phantom is my road bike: serenity, distance, peace, and cadence.

The Phantom is cadence with a very slight elevated bass and treble. But the mids are perfectly present and accounted for like no other. Whoever developed the signature of the Phantom should get the Audiophile Oscar for 2018. The Phantom plays perfectly with my preferred signature when playing chess, I mean listening to Jazz. It is such a correct signature for me that I recently ordered a custom version of the Phantom.

But, I love jumping on my mountain bike and going for a ride. I may get injured but the rush is worth it.


Audeze LCD XC



Zombie with Rhapsodio Pandora Dwarf cable. LCD XC with c3Audio Canare cable.

Had to include this comparison because the LX was the impetus which got me here. Fell in love with the XC sound and then tried to find a portable closed back and I could not find one that compared to the non-portable sound of the XC. Hence, I stumbled upon IEMs and here I am. The XC has been gathering a lot of dust for 8 months but is making a comeback into the rotation.

The XC is so reference sounding compared to the Zombie. The bass is mellow already with the XC but the Zombie in comparison booms! Treble with XC is similar to Zombie. Both are treble bright. The XC mids are recessed compared to the Zombie.


Rhapsodio Galaxy V1



Both with Dark Knight cable

--I thoroughly enjoy DD. Sammy knows how to do DD! When I go back and forth between the two IEMs it takes a bit to reset. The V1 seems at first not dynamic compared to the Zombie. It is not in your face but after a few minutes the joy is back. Such an enjoyable bass with what I consider a reference signature of the V1. All is in its right place for a DD with the added special bass bonus. The V1 has the best fit of any IEM I have tried. I know others have had different fit experiences. Long session listening with V1 vs. the direct blast of the Zombie. With the Zombie in comparison everything is right out in front of you ready to show you a good time. No relaxing allowed with the Zombie.


EarSonics S-EM9



Zombie with Triton8 Pure Silver Cable. EM9 with Whiplash Audio TWau

I purchased the EM9 during a weak moment because I read somewhere that it is a rather unique BA. 9 drivers (4 high, 4 mid, and 1 low). Each time I put them in I first need to remember that for the lettering on the IEM red is for left and the right IEM has blue lettering. Oh, the French. This reminds me of my favorite French words. The French word for “Walkie Talkie” is “Talkie Walkie.”

I digress. After I put the EM9 in I am underwhelmed for a tiny bit just like I am with the Galaxy V1. Then all the sudden all is there. Outstanding bass, and treble. The weakness is slightly recessed mids. But wow is it musical. S-EM9 is not easy to compare to the Zombie. They are not alike at all but are not complete contrasts either. Both are engaging in different ways. Musical BA vs. over the top hybrid.


Acoustune HS1551 CU



Zombie with Rhapsodio 2.98/8 cable. Acoustune with aftermarket 50/50 blended copper silver cable from Taobao.

The HS1551 CU is the best under $500 IEM I have heard. Wonderful single DD.

Both IEMs have a similar serious Midbass always present. The Acoustune treble is not as elevated and has less instrument separation. The mids are similar which says a lot of good about both. The Acoustune is a different level of quality of sound which you would expect based on price alone.


Rhapsodio Saturn



Both with Rhapsodio Pandora Dwarf cable.

Saturn is a miniature Zombie. There is more veil with the Saturn. For me the best analogy is that the Saturn is like listening to the Zombie but with a few added window panes between the IEM and the music you hear. The Saturn is engaging with a lot of bass. A lot I must I say. Slightly recessed mids and treble is excellent for a DD. The built quality of the Saturn is excellent.


Concluding Remarks:



The Zombie is not your one and done IEM but it should be in everyone’s rotation. It is an IEM all should experience. The Zombie is an IEM that is unique. It is an IEM that has the BA treble and mids that I enjoy very much (crisp and present). The bass is raw, deep, and addicting. You end up longing for more when away from it. The Zombie also possesses the DD sound I prefer and is through all frequencies. It is not a sit and meditate or sit and play chess in your head IEM. It is an “I want an injection of fun” IEM. Goldmembers preferred frequency signature!