Not sure what is the appropriate thread to put this in, but I spent some time at MS a couple of weeks back when I had some time and these were the CIEM demos that I auditioned along with some short findings:
1. 1964 Ears Adel 12
The first pair I auditioned and to be honest I wasn't entirely blown away by the sound. It sounded excellent, don't get me wrong, but for the pricepoint and with the intrigue surrounding the Adel technology, I guess I expected a very un-IEM like sound closer to full-sized cans, but instead the A12 'only' sounded like a nice flagship IEM. Granted, I'm not very familiar with the modules, and I'm not sure which ones the demo had on. Sound wise, bass was north of neutral, and it sounded really unique in a spatial sense (if I'm even making sense). I can't quite describe it nor can I decide if I like it, but the bass was probably the only frequency range that sounded different compared to all other IEMs I've ever heard. Mids and highs were excellent. Nothing noteworthy here. Clarity, detail, transparency, tonality were all great to my ears.
2. 1964 Ears Adel 10
Essentially the A12 with lesser bass. Whilst I'm not sure how much I like the A12, I definitely liked the A10 - a lot. The tuning of the A10 was flatter, and as a result of the reduced bass compared to the A12, the A10 sounded clearer and more transparent. Vocals sounded a notch better. Sounded a tinge clearer to me as well. Airiness, together with the A12, was supreme. If I had to choose between the A10 and A12, I'd definitely go for the A10. Cheaper, more linear sound - right up my alley.
3. Rhines Stage 7
Excellent for vocals. The midrange definitely stood out for me whilst the bass and highs were much more polite in nature. Unfortunately, the Stage 7 saw the least in-ear time for me so I can't offer much except to say that it was one of the top 4-5 IEMs I heard that day (and mentioned in this list)
4. Earwerkz Legend R
Actually, I couldn't remember by name if it was the R or the Omega that I listened to. But it wasn't a bass monster so I can safely assume its the Legend R. I liked this quite a bit, except in the midrange where, similar to my own Earwerkz Supra 2 customs, the tone is somewhat off, and in the soundstage, where it seems like the Earwerkz house sound leans towards a more intimate/closed-in setting. Not really my cup of tea, but definitely by design and not a fault of the IEM. Overall though, the Legend R was very technically proficient, some sort of a supercharged Supra 2.
5. Noble Kaiser 10
Super high hopes for these considering the immense praise I've seen on Head-fi. Unfortunately, I wasn't very impressed. First and most obviously was the overall 'thinness' of the midrange, which I didn't like at all. Compared to the first 4 IEMs that I listened to, I couldn't pick one aspect of the K10 that I liked more than the others. While obviously it still bests 90% of all the other IEMs I've even listened to before, I didn't really think it was anything special at the summit of IEMs.
6. Clear Tune Monitors ____
Unfortunately since this review came about 1-2 weeks too late, I can't remember which model I tried. It was either the CT-500E or the CT-6E. All I can remember about them is that they sounded excellent, and could hang around with the big guns. For the price that the MS guy mentioned to me, probably one of the top choices for those seeking a budget option (if $1K is budget at all!?)
7. HUM Pristine Stage Monitor
I believe this one is quite unknown even in the massive far-reaching Head-fi universe. If I recall correctly, the demo unit came in just a few days before I visited MS. What I can remember clearly is that whilst the MS guy told me that the HUM was one of his top choices for vocals, I didn't really find it so. It was very similar to the Legend R midrange in my opinion and I just didn't quite dig it. The technology the HUM uses is quite novel I believe (can't remember much about this as well). Overall sound was very good as well. But similar to the K10 demo, I didn't really think it was the best in any department.
8. Lime Ears Aether
The last IEM I demo-ed. I was rushing for time and almost passed up on listening to these, but boy am I glad the MS guy persuaded me to give a shot at them. Without doubt, my favorite CIEM demo of the bunch. It is undoubtedly the best earphones I have ever had the privilege to test out. The lushest, most realistic midrange I have ever heard in any IEM by far. Complete mindblown. Bass was very present but very well controlled. The highs were excellent as well. Not mind-blowingly good as with the midrange. Maybe lacking the last ounce of sparkle, but it mixed well with the overall sound. Clarity and the sense of space was top notch as well. The only thing I didn’t like was the switch at the bottom which to me was not necessary at all considering how the normal tuning sounded just fine to me. I gave it ago though and there was a slight increase to the bass weight. It didn’t come at the cost of anything though, so I’m positive that bassheads would find that an awesome feature.
If I had to dish out rankings, I would probably do it in tiers:
Tier 1: Lime Ears Aether demo
Tier 2: Rhines Stage 7 demo, 1964 Adel A10 demo
Tier 3: 1964 Ears Adel 12 demo, Earwerkz Legend R demo
Tier 4: Noble K10 demo, HUM Pervasion demo, Clear Tunes Monitors ___ demo
Please also note that my impressions are all based on demo sets, which in my experience can vastly differ from the actual CIEM experience. Also, my impressions are highly affected by my subjective preference in sound signature, which basically means that my findings are likely to differ from many out there.
