Not to derail the discussion about WC drama, but some nice tunes for jazz lovers.
The whole album is great, I love my Aurora for this.
Also had some nice fun with EQ on Aurora today, personally I like it more with metal this way. The HIBY DAPs has a nice plugin thats simple and work well for this.
Oh man that's sad to hear. I already have the Aure which is lighter in the bass than I would like so I was really hoping for that Aür magic with big DD bass...
I was actually hoping that it's at least around the bass quantity of IT07's, not basshead level but it's extremely satisfying due to how good and musical it is. I'm still excited though how it will sound.
Ya it is sad. I really thought it would kick hard with the big DD. I placed an order pretty early but I’m seriously considering cancelling as I am not sure if it’s what I’m looking for.
Yeah I wasn't looking for basshead level as I got that but less than aurora wasn't quite what I was hoping for
Can you tell which source you tested the Ascension with? I remember having itsfit fusion which is an excellent iem and with some sources it had a weak bass, with higher power sources it really sings, the truth is that I did not expect a soft bass on AscensionLooks like somebody managed to share my impressions of the Ascension (1DD 5BA 2EST, ~USD716) here before me
Wanted to share some pictures and additional thoughts for fellow Head-fiers.
Here's the original post for context
Got myself an Arianna cable 8W copper cable to pair with Aurora and Nicholas kindly brought along his Ascension to our meetup for demo.
Ascension Impressions
I'm not really a cable connoisseur myself but for those curious about the differences between Eye of Horus (EOH), Athena and the stock cable; Athena and Arianna are quite a big upgrade from the stock cable. Perceived stage is larger and more immersive due to the blacker background. The Arianna single-handedly makes the relaxed Aurora quite a revealing set, definitely worth the upgrade for me.
- Not as much bass as I was expecting when I saw the graph pre-audition. Despite the gentle downsloping mid-bass, it follows the same vein as Aurora, prioritising speed and texture over middle/upper bass slam.
- For context, the Neon Pro with bass switch off will still sound much bassier due to larger presence of middle and upper-bass.
- The new custom DD AuR got for this unit did an excellent job rendering tight basslines. Will need to wait for my personal unit and listen longer in a quiet environment to determine bass quality in greater detail.
- It may be well established that the Aurora is more for "relaxed listening". If you thought the Aurora was lacking in highs, the ascension "fixes" this with ESTs which pull out SO MUCH micro-detail and nuance without being sharp or shouty. With effortless separation to boot, Abel did an amazing job achieving that detailed and clarity-driven sound.
- To best describe the mids and treble, I'll say that it's "natural with microscopic detail". This is the set to get if you're the type to plug-in, stare into blank space and zone out analysing your favourite busy tracks
- I've got to be very careful with my words here. Being fortunate to have tried detail powerhouses and flagships such as the U12t, Rn6, Anni, DIVA, STORM, Helios and Crimson several times, all I can say is that speaking strictly for myself… I do not feel like the Ascension is lacking next to them purely from a technical standpoint.
- While I already have some thoughts, I dare not make bold written claims regarding "which is better" without A/B comparisons. However it is without a doubt that the Ascension is competent enough to hold its ground in today's big boi market. It not a good IEM for its price, it is a damn good IEM at any price.
- I'll reiterate that the above is exclusively with regard to my perception of technical performance, your personal preference toward the tuning balance of bass-mids-treble is a separate issue.
Nicholas also let me try the EOH. It clearly has an even blacker background with slightly more nuanced separation than Athena/Arianna but you know… diminishing returns and all. I still think Athena/Arianna are the way to go for value-for-money with little to no compromises in performance. Just super solid cables. The cherry on top is that their ergonomics for 8-wires are excellent, probably the most important aspect to me.
I'd like to clarify that I do not wish for this to be taken as a "hype piece" in light of the recent drama on WC. However I strongly feel the need to offer this perspective due to the lack of opportunities for many to audition AuR products. My intentions are neither to advocate for the superiority of AuR over everything else, nor to suggest the inferiority of the excellent performers costing up to 7-times more than the Ascension. The point is... the existence of gems like these in today's market is truly a win for us consumers.
I myself have voted with thy wallet, placing my order paired with Athena cable right after this audition.
I've noticed a number of comments wishing for these to turn the slam up a little more than the Aurora which was also reserved in the low end. Learning of the fancy new DD they cooked up for this tribrid, I was expecting something with "massive bass slam and treble extension". Coming from daily driving the Aurora, I too shared this sentiment until my audition... where the Ascension subverted my expectations well enough for me to love what Abel cooked up in the lab.
^Official graph from AuR themselves
It's not lacking, just not the big bassy subwoofer-ey effect I mentally imagined prior to my demo. For even more context, the NP is still quite heavy in the low end even with the bass switch off. I did not feel the need to turn it up during my comparison with the Ascension today. To put it simply:
The Ascension has a more gradual downward sloping bass shelf with more mid-bass but it isn't going to slam that much harder than Aurora for the same bass notes. If you really want an AuR with more bass slam then NP (switch on or off) might be more appropriate for the job.
Instead, the bass slope does more to give vocals and instruments a more well rounded "natural" sound. This works especially well since Ascension's higher frequencies are stronger than Aurora, helping to balance it to make things natural yet super detailed.
Firstly, I think it is against the rules here on Head-Fi for a "member of the trade" to get involved at that level.
Not to derail the discussion about WC drama, but some nice tunes for jazz lovers.
The whole album is great, I love my Aurora for this.
Also had some nice fun with EQ on Aurora today, personally I like it more with metal this way. The HIBY DAPs has a nice plugin thats simple and work well for this.
As for both the Aure and the IT-07, I don't believe they are bass light in any regard. I suppose it comes down to what your ears are used to hearing though.
):
Firstly, I think it is against the rules here on Head-Fi for a "member of the trade" to get involved at that level.
Bottom line is whatever they might have/have not done in the past is just that.....
Definitely agree on your description of the Aure. I don't consider them bass light, just lighter on the bass than I would like. Mainly, as you called out, in the midbass. My comment about the IT07 was cause I heard those are basshead level and I'm not particularly looking for that either (although I wouldn't hate itFirstly, I think it is against the rules here on Head-Fi for a "member of the trade" to get involved at that level.
Also, there was also some other scandal that Aur was involved in some time back; I'll let you all search for that one (having to do with one company copying name, design, etc.. of another). But, I don't really care either way. They have provided me with a great quality IEM at an affordable price, and the QC is top notch, and service/care is also of top notch. Bottom line is whatever they might have/have not done in the past is just that.....
That is a really cool looking tool... Is it just for Hiby players, or is it an android add-on to the Hiby Music App (which is also a great tool)?
As for both the Aure and the IT-07, I don't believe they are bass light in any regard. I suppose it comes down to what your ears are used to hearing though.
The Aure may seem a bit light only because they do not have as much of a boosted mid bass... It is VERY linear so when there is sub bass, you will hear/feel it, but when there is no sub bass, it might seem bass light, though I do not think it is. The bass on these is fairly linear and flat....
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aÜr-audio-iems.965140/post-17355260
The IT-07, I am not too sure about the comment on these because these are very nearly bass head levels of bass, if not actually there, with somewhere around 14dB boost (even though I really do love them as well, they are still my favorite IEM overall
)
No idea
Judged by all the commentary we obviously need to hear the Ascension by ourselves asap badly...
I don't know...NP with switch on is close to basshead if possible from BAs.No idea
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I heard with Nicholas and he find Ascension more bass heavy than Aurora. since it has more mid bass focus and more amount, but less warmth since treble is more forward.
I think we need to wait until more have hand on it to know
I bet we will never get a bass monster by Abel, always more about Balance.
Yup
That is a really cool looking tool... Is it just for Hiby players, or is it an android add-on to the Hiby Music App (which is also a great tool)?
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aÜr-audio-iems.965140/post-17355260
The IT-07, I am not too sure about the comment on these because these are very nearly bass head levels of bass, if not actually there, with somewhere around 14dB boost (even though I really do love them as well, they are still my favorite IEM overall
Some may already perceive it as bass head level, but I remember comparing IT07 to several true bass head level IEMs and it's still far from it. But it is definitely boosted and due to its stronger magnet, the way it reverberates is top notch and satisfying. Nevertheless, it is still musical and one my favorites as well.Definitely agree on your description of the Aure. I don't consider them bass light, just lighter on the bass than I would like. Mainly, as you called out, in the midbass. My comment about the IT07 was cause I heard those are basshead level and I'm not particularly looking for that either (although I wouldn't hate it
