[metal571]

My thoughts on the Timeless

https://twitter.com/metal571/status/1456805631193718785?t=iUUEe4CAs0Sm2eA7HyZNYQ&s=19

 

[ttorbic]

My thoughts on the Timeless

https://twitter.com/metal571/status/1456805631193718785?t=iUUEe4CAs0Sm2eA7HyZNYQ&s=19

Hi @metal571! I was a big fan of your review videos back in the day quick question: do you think the Timeless would be good with classical / orchestral / choral music? Or should I go for a single dynamic driver IEM instead? Thanks in advance

 

[-rowan-]

quick question: do you think the Timeless would be good with classical / orchestral / choral music? Or should I go for a single dynamic driver IEM instead? Thanks in advance

Not sure if you have a particular DD in mind. But as someone who owns (and paid for) both, I love my Timeless and could happily use it for orchestral and choral music and anything involving acoustic instruments, but given a choice would probably still reach for a dynamic or three - in my case, the UM 3DT - for these situations. Mind you the Timeless isn’t far behind - it is fast and clean like a typical planar and has good timbre for these genres but you might notice the softness in attack taking the edge off some performances.

So if it’s classical that you’re after, that’s my recommendation even though it’s not very new anymore. Or I’d wait for Penon’s 3DD, the Serial, which should drop any moment now.

 

[ttorbic]

Not sure if you have a particular DD in mind. But as someone who owns (and paid for) both, I love my Timeless and could happily use it for orchestral and choral music and anything involving acoustic instruments, but given a choice would probably still reach for a dynamic or three - in my case, the UM 3DT - for these situations. Mind you the Timeless isn’t far behind - it is fast and clean like a typical planar and has good timbre for these genres but you might notice the softness in attack taking the edge off some performances.

So if it’s classical that you’re after, that’s my recommendation even though it’s not very new anymore. Or I’d wait for Penon’s 3DD, the Serial, which should drop any moment now.

Thanks for your reply! I am thinking of Hana 2021 or Moondrop Kato. Do you not have coherency issues with 3DD compared to single DD? I have a hybrid (Yinyan Aladdin), and it sounds amazing, but I think the upper register (e.g. violins) doesn't sound quite realistic. Hoping a good DD would solve that issue!

 

[Nabillion_786]

Not sure if you have a particular DD in mind. But as someone who owns (and paid for) both, I love my Timeless and could happily use it for orchestral and choral music and anything involving acoustic instruments, but given a choice would probably still reach for a dynamic or three - in my case, the UM 3DT - for these situations. Mind you the Timeless isn’t far behind - it is fast and clean like a typical planar and has good timbre for these genres but you might notice the softness in attack taking the edge off some performances.

So if it’s classical that you’re after, that’s my recommendation even though it’s not very new anymore. Or I’d wait for Penon’s 3DD, the Serial, which should drop any moment now.

Between 3dt and timeless which one would you choose for male vocals in particular? I'm really happy with my new Kato's but was wondering if the timeless is worth it for a vocal specialist iem aswell. Never heard a planar iem.

 

[Nabillion_786]

@chickenmoon I am definitely going to get the timeless based on research and especially your recommendation to compliment my Kato's but am also veryy curious how these compare to the fd7 aswell especially in mids? It will be very interesting to know how close the timeless can come to a much more expensive set that is being hyped by in other threads.

 

[Musicoflife]

My thoughts on the Timeless

https://twitter.com/metal571/status/1456805631193718785?t=iUUEe4CAs0Sm2eA7HyZNYQ&s=19

Using Sinewave sweeps and listening by ear, I've found that the often observed high frequency peak on Timeless changes with different tips used. It could be 5khz, moving to 6.5khz, and with one tip even having no apparent high frequency peak!

So I'm thinking this peak is actually due to the tip-ear canal resonance which changes with insertion depth and the resonant ear canal chamber. It may not be due to Timeless per se. How else to explain this?

The same thing happens in FR measurement rigs, with coupler resonance, so we're told to ignore the spike at around 8khz (Crinacle actually provokes this for setup consistency).

Bottom line: to be fair to any IEM, reviewers should tip roll with different insertion depths, bore size before concluding the IEM has a high frequency spike.

 

[voicemaster]

Using Sinewave sweeps, I've found that the often observed high frequency peak on Timeless changes with different tips used. It could be 5khz, moving to 6.5khz, and with one tip even having no apparent high frequency peak!

So I'm thinking this peak is actually due to the tip-ear canal resonance which changes with insertion depth and the resonant ear canal chamber. It may not be due to Timeless per se. How else to explain this?

The same thing happens in FR measurement rigs, with coupler resonance, so we're told to ignore the spike at around 8khz (Crinacle provokes this for setup consistency).

The Timeless is the most noticeable IEM that I have from changing the tips. They gave us plenty different kind of tips and each type gives a bit different sound. I am using the Large original black tips as it gives me a more flatter sound.

 

[metal571]

Using Sinewave sweeps and listening by ear, I've found that the often observed high frequency peak on Timeless changes with different tips used. It could be 5khz, moving to 6.5khz, and with one tip even having no apparent high frequency peak!

So I'm thinking this peak is actually due to the tip-ear canal resonance which changes with insertion depth and the resonant ear canal chamber. It may not be due to Timeless per se. How else to explain this?

The same thing happens in FR measurement rigs, with coupler resonance, so we're told to ignore the spike at around 8khz (Crinacle actually provokes this for setup consistency).

Bottom line: to be fair to any IEM, reviewers should tip roll with different insertion depths, bore size before concluding the IEM has a high frequency spike.

Yes. I used the stock tips to do my initial EQ and they are quite a short tip. Tried my significantly longer SpinFits but it felt like they robbed some of the air above 10k. 5-7k is a pretty common IEM resonance but absolutely changes based on insertion depth which itself is affected by the tip, naturally.

 

[JeanPaul Petrosyan]

Is there any chance that someone here could compare the Timeless to Ikko OH10? I know it might seem like a strange comparison to make, but it would have been of great help to me as I have no other point of reference at the moment. I'd like something a bit more neutral, technically proficient and "transparent". OH10's are pretty good with detailing and staging (according to some opinions at least), but I feel like the tuning has a lot to do with it, although sometimes it makes me wish for a bit less bass & upper mids with a bit more apparent and natural treble (there's something wrong/unnatural with OH10's treble, though sadly I'm unable to properly articulate what it is exactly).

 

[JeanPaul Petrosyan]

From what I understand RE: the Soloist 2, it's a tentative name. I got sent an early engineering sample via Aoshida Audio, no box, no details about the IEM (it's not even branded). But it sounded pretty decent. Turns out it also uses a 14.8mm planar driver... and measures a lot like the Timeless.

Could you by any chance give us your impressions on that Shuoer Soloist 2 prototype in comparison to the Timeless? It seems somewhat better tuned to me at the first glance at least (for one, it is the reduced 2,5 kHz peak vs Timeless). I'm thinking of getting myself the Timeless in a few days, but maybe it would be better to wait for the Soloist 2 for the sake of a slight improvement/refinement over that.

 

[claud W]

Any recommendations for a cable upgrade for timeless?

 

[ChrisOc]

Is there any chance that someone here could compare the Timeless to Ikko OH10? I know it might seem like a strange comparison to make, but it would have been of great help to me as I have no other point of reference at the moment. I'd like something a bit more neutral, technically proficient and "transparent". OH10's are pretty good with detailing and staging (according to some opinions at least), but I feel like the tuning has a lot to do with it, although sometimes it makes me wish for a bit less bass & upper mids with a bit more apparent and natural treble (there's something wrong/unnatural with OH10's treble, though sadly I'm unable to properly articulate what it is exactly).

No comparison is strange, if the OH10s are a reference point for you. Although there are times when you end up with apples and oranges....in effect a comparison between two sets which are simply different and there is not much to compare.

In any case, my Timeless are in transit. If someone else does not compare the Timeless to the Ikko OH10s before my set arrive, I will do the comparison after they have had some time to settle.

 

[-rowan-]

Thanks for your reply! I am thinking of Hana 2021 or Moondrop Kato. Do you not have coherency issues with 3DD compared to single DD? I have a hybrid (Yinyan Aladdin), and it sounds amazing, but I think the upper register (e.g. violins) doesn't sound quite realistic. Hoping a good DD would solve that issue!

Nope. Coherency issues have ruined IEMs for me in the past, but not with the 3DT.

I haven’t listened to the Aladdin but from your description it sounds like my dreaded issue with hybrids. Especially when you’re listening to an instrument with a large pitch range like the piano or harpsichord, and during long runs you actually hear it undergo several metamorphoses as it moves up or down the register.

I’ve yet to hear anything like that with the 3DT. Coherence and timbre are its strongest suits imo. Apparently its two smaller DDs handle full bass duties in tandem (according to UM anyway) which keeps it tight and textured while the larger DD does mids and treble.

If it matters to you, the 3DT is not the bass cannon that it looks from the chart. It’s actually leaner than the Timeless, which has a solid bass shelf and truly awesome sub bass extension but sometimes takes a leisurely approach to keeping them in check. A/Bing them, the Timeless is more fun and the 3DT will always sound thinner at first until your ears adjust, but after that, you might appreciate not having the basso continuo bleed all over the rest of the orchestra.

Between 3dt and timeless which one would you choose for male vocals in particular? I'm really happy with my new Kato's but was wondering if the timeless is worth it for a vocal specialist iem aswell. Never heard a planar iem.

Both are very good for male vocals in terms of timbre and the difference is not night and day.

But I did a quick A/B test of the two and in practically all instances it was advantage 3DT in terms of better texture, detail and weight, whereas the same voices on the Timeless lack a certain weight and come across more smoothed over. It’s more noticeable in bass and baritone voices, less so in tenors - think Leonard Cohen on You Want It Darker as opposed to say David Bowie on Life on Mars. You’d give up some of the gravelly texture in Cohen’s voice on the Timeless, but not on the 3DT.

So between these two, I’d point you to the 3DT for male vocals. But if you’re in the market for a iem specifically for vocals there’s also the Penon Volt but that’s in a different price bracket…

But if you specifically want to try a planar iem to hear what it can offer, it should be the Timeless.

 

[chickenmoon]

@chickenmoon I am definitely going to get the timeless based on research and especially your recommendation to compliment my Kato's but am also veryy curious how these compare to the fd7 aswell especially in mids? It will be very interesting to know how close the timeless can come to a much more expensive that is being hyped by in other threads.

Lower mids of the FD7 aren't the thickest. I think there is more weight on the low mids with the Timeless. As it's a planar it'll have another overall feel/flavor to the sound vs any other DD, hope you will like it, it's a really nice IEM IMO.