[jelt2359]

Nice impressions roundup. Hehe now that you got your Encore, I'm curious how you gonna compare them to say, K10 vs Legend R vs Layla vs CT6E.


Did you join in on the Adel 12 custom kickstarter?

K10 is on the way; Legend R as well (sent it back for a refit). Won't be getting the Layla; I'm gonna wait till the entire Siren series is out before making a decision.

A12 should be sent out next week, at least according to the Kickstarter update. My impressions have also reached Spiral Ears and JH (upgrading my 13's to the FP version). Still waiting for news on my AAW W500- given how long it's been, though, it should be soon now.

CT6E and Encore couldn't be more different. The new Cleartunes flagship has a 3D soundstage with an energetic presentation that's bright without sibilance and mids that are a bit dipped in some portions and has great energy in others, making for an interesting contrast and unique transference of mid energy. Nonetheless it's very nice and clear throughout, and has a dry touch.

On the other hand the Encore is organic, lush, warm. They both have big soundstages but the Encore's is a more natural, airy one, as opposed to the aggressive imaging and surround sound on the CT6E. The ACS pair reminds me of a good vinyl record- a real throwback- with strengths in musicality, naturalness, and overall coherence. I can see how some people would liken them to the Layla- which is a closer match, signature-wise, than the Angie.

I'll have more in an upcoming shootout, including rankings of all these TOTLs. I'm waiting for them all to come in so I can properly rank them against one another. I also have another (10?) sub-$400 universals to rank on the same scale, so it may take a while, but I'll push out what I can ASAP. 

Don't sleep on the Lear LCM BD4.2 or the CA H8P either.

 

[Shawn71]

great thread.....subbed.

 

[robm321]

Yeah, same here sub'd.

 

[sleepfu]

Wow, this is really a comprehensive review of the various IEMs. Great job and thanks for the hard work. I would really like to get TS's thoughts on the updated UE 900s and read a review about it and how it stacks up with the others.

 

[alexnishi]

Don't sleep on the Lear LCM BD4.2 or the CA H8P either.

 
Haha...  Sorry if my english isn't the best one, but what does this mean?
Does it have a second meaning other than its literal meaning?

 

[Mimouille]

Haha...  Sorry if my english isn't the best one, but what does this mean?
Does it have a second meaning other than its literal meaning?

It means that you should not have sex with your customs no matter how much you love them because obstructing the canals in such a way voids the warrantee.

 

[kazuhikoaikawa]

It means that you should not have sex with your customs no matter how much you love them because obstructing the canals in such a way voids the warrantee.

 

 

[Mython]

It means that you should not have sex with your customs no matter how much you love them because obstructing the canals in such a way voids the warrantee.

 
 
Thanks for allowing us to benefit from your hard-won experience, Mim.
 
I'm sorry to hear your warranty was voided, but there are always plenty more fish in the sea 

 

[jelt2359]

Eventful weekend, K10, Legend R, SE5 Ult, JH13 FP and Supra arrived. ACS Encore also got here last week. Few more coming, probably will arrive by April, but I got lots of listening to do for now...

 

[Malevolent]

Eventful weekend, K10, Legend R, SE5 Ult, JH13 FP and Supra arrived. ACS Encore also got here last week. Few more coming, probably will arrive by April, but I got lots of listening to do for now...

 
You'll be a busy, but happy man, bro! Enjoy your listening time! Will be eagerly awaiting your impressions. 

 

[Edric Li]

Eventful weekend, K10, Legend R, SE5 Ult, JH13 FP and Supra arrived. ACS Encore also got here last week. Few more coming, probably will arrive by April, but I got lots of listening to do for now...

Looking forward to your impressions! 

 

[284033]

Eventful weekend, K10, Legend R, SE5 Ult, JH13 FP and Supra arrived. ACS Encore also got here last week. Few more coming, probably will arrive by April, but I got lots of listening to do for now...

Man, waiting to meet up with you so I can try your SE-5 Ultimate and ACS Encore.

 

[Cecala]

I posted this same question in the other thread so......
Can anybody comment on classical music here regards soundstage on the Legend R.

 

[ZzmadzZ]

I posted this same question in the other thread so......
Can anybody comment on classical music here regards soundstage on the Legend R.

As copied from my reply in another thread:

Soundstage for the legend R is sufficiently big. Never too small but it's not big like the dita or the UERM.

However, it's background is really black, and the presentation of its mids is really superb. If your classical music consist of many strings instruments like cello, violin. You will be amazed. I was able to detect the vibrations and the twangs when the cello or the violin is playing. You can feel it's resonance very very clearly.

Representation of trumpets and tubas is also very impressive and you can feel each breathe that the musician is taking to produce the sound. It just sounds very smooth and lifelike.

I tested the legend while sitting in the middle of a lecture theatre and I played some live music, the legend is able to give me quite an accurate representation of where the instruments are currently playing at the different locations. That feeling is really surreal and you guys should try it out haha!!

 

[jelt2359]

Copied from my post on the CT6E thread, a quick comparison between Legend R and CT6E:
 

The CT6E has more subbass, giving a satisfying low-end slam. The Legend R has a significantly more rolled-off subbass with less low-end extension. The EarWerkz pair does have a tighter, punchier midbass, though- partly as a result of a less full subbass.
 
They are even more different in the mids and treble. The CT6E has an dip in the middle of the mids, but soars after that to reach good heights in the upper mids. The Legend R also soars in the upper mids, but remains level in the middle mids. I've never heard this type of presentation (CT6E) in the mids before- helps soundstage depth for sure, but also gives a very interesting contrast in the mids, often portraying both recessed and forward presentations within the same stanza of music.
 
In the high registers, the CT6E is impressively level in the lower treble, whereas the Legend R has a dip that causes it to lose out in soundstage.
 
The CT6E has a very unique soundstage that is aggressively 3D in nature and actually sounds almost holographic, while also retaining thick notes to give the music good depth and character. Actually, the holographic presentation makes the notes sound more diffused and spread out than they normally would on the CT6E, but they never sound thin, and manage to retain enough thickness. The Legend R also has nice, thick notes and outstanding separation, but does not have this holographic 3D sonic presentation. The CT6E is also clean and fast throughout- the Legend R is just a bit slower. This means that sonic vibrations are better presented on the Legend R, but if you're a fan of super clean decay, the CT6E would be a better choice.