71 IEM Brief Review thread (incl. Rhine Monitors, Cleartune, CustomArt)

[ZzmadzZ]

Interesting. I'm quite sensitive to sibilance, but I've never once heard the K10 sound harsh in the high frequencies. They are endlessly extended, but very smooth and controlled. That's one of the biggest factors that led to my decision to get them, without much hesitation, I might add. Ask Calvin. It took me only 10 minutes to decide I wanted one.

That's what I thought too. Maybe it's the aurisonic tips. I'm not sure. But once I put the phones on I can feel the sharpness and my ears starts to hurt. I changed a couple of sonGS and all resulted in my ears hurting.

I will link the song here in awhile. I forgot to test the k10 with their astell. Might be Cowon contributing with a hiss and the k10 picking the hiss up

 

[ZzmadzZ]

Jelt and malevolent this is the song I tested http://youtu.be/YVLIn6xMSh0. It's very vocalish and has some pretty high pitches.

Don't judge me for listening to kpops lols.

 

[jelt2359]

Jelt and malevolent this is the song I tested http://youtu.be/YVLIn6xMSh0. It's very vocalish and has some pretty high pitches.

Don't judge me for listening to kpops lols.

Time to try the Chord Hugo...

 

[ZzmadzZ]

Ok, so here's my impression for the Legend R.
 
The first time i placed the Legend in my ears and started a song, i was very and pleasantly surprised by how neutral sounding it was.
The bass is impactful and accurate, though if compared with both the V6S and the V8 it may be considered to be "weaker". It is never overpowering and feels just in place when needed. Although i honestly would have preferred the bass of the V8 as i think it's one of the best sounding bass i have heard.
 
The soundstage is absolutely fabulous and i think it is one of the highlight of the Legend. The soundstage to me is very spacious and the instrumental seperation is really top notch. The 3D depth that the soundstage presented really allows me to feel fully imensed within the song. This is how i feel a good soundstage imaging should be like. The soundstage of the Legend does not at any time seems to be forcing you to imagine that the instruments are forced to be seperated in a 3D type of way in which some IEMs that i have listened to try to do so by making the soundstage airier then usual.
 
The mids and highs of the legend is really sweet. Based on this song http://youtu.be/YVLIn6xMSh0 which is too sibilant for me on the K10 for reasons unknown, i can say that the vocals of the Legend is just right and it never in anyway tries to make it sound forced or harsh. The vocals of the Legend is unlike that of the Shure's which tends to exaggerate on the vocals by bringing the vocals more forward then the song actually is, thus some may feel that the Legend may sound boring and not as fun as compared to the Shure's 846 or 535. But i actually appreciate the neutral and flat sound signature that the Legend was able to portray and i would say this is the go to if you want to fully appreciate how the artists wanted their songs to be presented without any coloration from the IEMs.
 
Legend compared to V8.
Ok as some of you have already known i really love the V8's sound signature and as the Legend is also 8 driver, i keep comparing between these 2 IEMS.
 
For the V8, the first thing when you listen to it is obviously Bass!! The Bass is very very strong and its a real joy to listen! Though some may say that the bass is too overbearing i never felt this way at all. Mids and highs did not sound recessed to me in any ways even with the bass pounding in the background.
 
The soundstage presentation is vastly different as compared to the Legend. Due to the nature of the bass, the soundstage of the V8 sounded very intimate with vocals imaging sounding very close to you. Being intimate however, does not mean that the soundstage is muddy or dark. The instrumental separation of the V8 is similar and as good as the Legend. The only difference is that they sounded closer to you, but it never did gave me the feeling of the soundstage being too congested or tight.
 
So based on this session of listen at MS, i would say the V8 is a very fun sounding and bass-full type of IEM while the Legend is a very neutral sounding and super accurate IEM. That said, i already ordered the V8 so now i will probably be ordering the Legend too lols. I really love how both of them sounds. 
 
So poisonous ….

 

[jelt2359]

  Ok, so here's my impression for the Legend R.
 
The first time i placed the Legend in my ears and started a song, i was very and pleasantly surprised by how neutral sounding it was.
The bass is impactful and accurate, though if compared with both the V6S and the V8 it may be considered to be "weaker". It is never overpowering and feels just in place when needed. Although i honestly would have preferred the bass of the V8 as i think it's one of the best sounding bass i have heard.
 
The soundstage is absolutely fabulous and i think it is one of the highlight of the Legend. The soundstage to me is very spacious and the instrumental seperation is really top notch. The 3D depth that the soundstage presented really allows me to feel fully imensed within the song. This is how i feel a good soundstage imaging should be like. The soundstage of the Legend does not at any time seems to be forcing you to imagine that the instruments are forced to be seperated in a 3D type of way in which some IEMs that i have listened to try to do so by making the soundstage airier then usual.
 
The mids and highs of the legend is really sweet. Based on this song http://youtu.be/YVLIn6xMSh0 which is too sibilant for me on the K10 for reasons unknown, i can say that the vocals of the Legend is just right and it never in anyway tries to make it sound forced or harsh. The vocals of the Legend is unlike that of the Shure's which tends to exaggerate on the vocals by bringing the vocals more forward then the song actually is, thus some may feel that the Legend may sound boring and not as fun as compared to the Shure's 846 or 535. But i actually appreciate the neutral and flat sound signature that the Legend was able to portray and i would say this is the go to if you want to fully appreciate how the artists wanted their songs to be presented without any coloration from the IEMs.
 
Legend compared to V8.
Ok as some of you have already known i really love the V8's sound signature and as the Legend is also 8 driver, i keep comparing between these 2 IEMS.
 
For the V8, the first thing when you listen to it is obviously Bass!! The Bass is very very strong and its a real joy to listen! Though some may say that the bass is too overbearing i never felt this way at all. Mids and highs did not sound recessed to me in any ways even with the bass pounding in the background.
 
The soundstage presentation is vastly different as compared to the Legend. Due to the nature of the bass, the soundstage of the V8 sounded very intimate with vocals imaging sounding very close to you. Being intimate however, does not mean that the soundstage is muddy or dark. The instrumental separation of the V8 is similar and as good as the Legend. The only difference is that they sounded closer to you, but it never did gave me the feeling of the soundstage being too congested or tight.
 
So based on this session of listen at MS, i would say the V8 is a very fun sounding and bass-full type of IEM while the Legend is a very neutral sounding and super accurate IEM. That said, i already ordered the V8 so now i will probably be ordering the Legend too lols. I really love how both of them sounds. 
 
So poisonous ….

Thanks for the impressions! I also feel that the mids of the Shure SE846 can be too forward, although I really enjoy other aspects of the sound. 

 

[Malevolent]

That's what I thought too. Maybe it's the aurisonic tips. I'm not sure. But once I put the phones on I can feel the sharpness and my ears starts to hurt. I changed a couple of sonGS and all resulted in my ears hurting.

I will link the song here in awhile. I forgot to test the k10 with their astell. Might be Cowon contributing with a hiss and the k10 picking the hiss up

Jelt and malevolent this is the song I tested http://youtu.be/YVLIn6xMSh0. It's very vocalish and has some pretty high pitches.

Don't judge me for listening to kpops lols.

 
Just played this song with the UE 900, which are a brighter pair of IEMs than the K10. Maybe it's the source (Youtube), but they didn't sound harsh at all with my UEs. Pretty good song, btw. 

 
Anyway, you might (or might not) want to take another stab at the K10. They are highly rated for all the right seasons. Be careful, though - you might be hooked.

 

[ZzmadzZ]

Just played this song with the UE 900, which are a brighter pair of IEMs than the K10. Maybe it's the source (Youtube), but they didn't sound harsh at all with my UEs. Pretty good song, btw. 

Anyway, you might (or might not) want to take another stab at the K10. They are highly rated for all the right seasons. Be careful, though - you might be hooked.

I will go for another listen too. One of the MS guy has this super cool looking honey combed designed prestige... Looks so awesome.

I will be testing the k10 next time with their ak120 instead of my Cowon. Could be my cowon's fault. And maybe change the suretips too.

 

[georgelai57]

In Singapore the K10 is almost double the price of the Legend R, so is it almost twice as good?

 

[ZzmadzZ]

In Singapore the K10 is almost double the price of the Legend R, so is it almost twice as good?

Hard to say. It depends on your preference i would say. Go down to MS for a demo, they have both available! 

 

[georgelai57]

Don't get me wrong. I have been noting this thread, following noble's twitter feed on their amazing designs etc. I just feel that at that price level the K10 should be evaluated against top line Fitears, Vision Ears, etc. whilst the Legend R takes on the lower VE, 1964 V6/8 etc.

 

[jelt2359]

Don't get me wrong. I have been noting this thread, following noble's twitter feed on their amazing designs etc. I just feel that at that price level the K10 should be evaluated against top line Fitears, Vision Ears, etc. whilst the Legend R takes on the lower VE, 1964 V6/8 etc.

Putting aside what I think about using price to judge quality...
 
The Legend R's MSRP is $1299. The JH13 retails at $1099. The JH16 retails at $1149. The CustomArt Harmony 8/8Pro retails at ~$1130. The UM Miracle retails at $1049. The UE18 retails at $1350. The Hidition NT6 retails at $1250. 
 
Those all look within the same ballpark to me.... And they're all flagships.

 

[georgelai57]

Agreed that price does not equate to quality. No arguments there. Though the Legend R during the launch phase is "only" US$999

 

[jelt2359]

Agreed that price does not equate to quality. No arguments there. Though the Legend R during the launch phase is "only" US$999

You have a good point- the current price is quite good, below all of the other flagship IEMs I listed. Although to be fair, the Legend R is not the only item to have a launch discount. Preorder and Early Bird specials are quite common around here... I bought my own Hifiman HE6 for example, at $999 when it first launched. It then went up to $1299 and hasn't been discounted since.
 
Plenty of other companies also have limited time discounts- Black Friday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, etc...

 

[Ivabign]

Like I've posted before, I think the $899 price of the 1964 Ears V8 has actually worked against it, as many look at the price and automatically place it in a lower tier. The workmanship, the quality of drivers, the tuning and the service rendered by 1964 all scream flagship. It just doesn't cost as much as other 8 driver CIEMs. Earwerkz figured it out - $1299 is high for an 8 driver - but it is on SALE for $999 - lol. It is all our fault for not considering the V8 a flagship as 1964 has now realized that to be taken seriously, their IEMs need to be priced seriously - so we get a 12 BA driver with advanced tech (the jury is out on ADEL, but it could be a game changer) at $1999 - no one is going to accuse the A12 of being underpriced.

 

[ZzmadzZ]

  Like I've posted before, I think the $899 price of the 1964 Ears V8 has actually worked against it, as many look at the price and automatically place it in a lower tier. The workmanship, the quality of drivers, the tuning and the service rendered by 1964 all scream flagship. It just doesn't cost as much as other 8 driver CIEMs. Earwerkz figured it out - $1299 is high for an 8 driver - but it is on SALE for $999 - lol. It is all our fault for not considering the V8 a flagship as 1964 has now realized that to be taken seriously, their IEMs need to be priced seriously - so we get a 12 BA driver with advanced tech (the jury is out on ADEL, but it could be a game changer) at $1999 - no one is going to accuse the A12 of being underpriced.

Yes the V8 is really underpriced in my opinion as it to me sounds so much better then many of the more expensive IEMs. Furthermore, if you backed it on kickstarter you will only be paying 578 for it. Im not into the Adel technology but its something nice to have if it proves to be useful in the future. The Legend is priced really competitively for its sound quality. 
 
I do not feel that the K10 is expensive as well since it has 2 extra drivers and compared to the original pricing of the Legend which is 1299 with 8 drivers, the additional 2 drivers per ear should in normal sense equate to an additional of 300 dollars.
 
Have yet to try the vision ears but have heard great things on the sound quality… Afraid to try them though… Scared that i will like the sound signature...