[ssantan2]

So far the Ascension has been said to be a darker sounding iem which should fit my preferences. Although I can't find the FR graph for the Ascension, so can you link me the FR? So that I have a general idea of how it sounds, thanks.

I agree with @nikbr I would not call it dark and if you are expecting something dark you may be disappointed. Compared to the EA1000 it will be less in your face in the upper mids and in general smoother and more toned down but nothing is masked or missing in the mids and treble. Between the two for the genres you mentioned the Ascension is going to blow the EA1000 out of the water imo.

Its my favorite set (out of ones I have heard) for rap and R&B and is top 5 for house and pop (those are the main genres I listen to). And that's including big hitters I have heard such as the Storm, Loki, Prestige LTD and MMkIII, u4s and a few others

 

[pong2541]

I agree with @nikbr I would not call it dark and if you are expecting something dark you may be disappointed. Compared to the EA1000 it will be less in your face in the upper mids and in general smoother and more toned down but nothing is masked or missing in the mids and treble. Between the two for the genres you mentioned the Ascension is going to blow the EA1000 out of the water imo.

Its my favorite set (out of ones I have heard) for rap and R&B and is top 5 for house and pop (those are the main genres I listen to). And that's including big hitters I have heard such as the Storm, Loki, Prestige LTD and MMkIII, u4s and a few others

Gotcha, I misread about the Ascension's sound signature then, my bad. Glad the Ascension is less brighter and less shouty than the Ea1000. That was my biggest problem especially when listening to busy/energetic songs, I found it fatiguing, shouty and too sharp for my taste. Whereas the canon 2 is slightly darker sounding and not fatiguing for long hours, big plus.

Seems like the Ascension is a fusion of both the canon 2 as a fun musical set and the ea1000 as an analytical set. I'll keep looking but so far this seems like my first ever TOTL iem.

 

[DingDongMonster]

Don't forget the source makes a big difference on the Ascension. Tested a couple of times on my various IEMs. The Ascension seems to scale staging and dynamics a whole lot more between say a little Fiio BTR7 and an iBasso DX260. On the Prestige and Z1R. I am not sure I heard a difference or imagined it.

 

[DingDongMonster]

This is all some good stuff. And I really love a well done "W" set. This is probably why my favorite sets are still 1. iBasso IT-07 (decidedly a W), and 2. Aure (nother W). They are very similar overall but have enough differences to have both and call them complimentary. Both were under $1k, but IMHO both compare to over $1k (or more) sets, and I have not been able to find anything better to this point, though I have some other mid tier offerings that I would put close, but not quite (i.e. Raptgo Hook-X and Bridge, Dunu DK2001, All BA Audiosense T-800, OG Tinhifi P1 planars, etc...).

Great share!

One of the things I like so much about the iBasso DAPs is that they are very aggressive in the tier that they sell them in, without charging the same price point as other gougers companies do (Cayin and A&K, I am looking at you ). I have wanted to try out the DX240 (then DX260) since it came out. I have the OG 2019 DX160, and the DX300 (with 3 of the 4 amp cards so far), and I have always thought that the DX240/DX260 should be a cross between the two with AK DACs (the DX160 having quad CS chips, DX300 with dual CS chips, and the DX320 having dual Rohm desktop chips). The form factor and perfect size of the DX160/DX170, but the sound (or very nearly) of the DX300/DX320.

And of course, for my current favorite DX300, having an amp card that can push 3W is massive in portable, not to mention another card that can deliver some sublime (IMHO) "tubey" sound is worth owning the device all by itself. But, having a huge screen, and batteries that last 16 hours of playback, and near perfect sound (for my ears and synergy to my gear) keeps me from upgrading to something else... I am no iBasso fanboy, but I AM a DX300 (and to a lesser extent DX160) fanboy. The devices, not the company keep me listening every single day.

But that is me, and I know people that buy expensive DAP after expensive DAP because they just can't find what they like best. While I remain at end game for portable gear, my next big purchase will be something with the same or better specs in an actual desktop amplifier (which is very hard to find that won't make me sell my first born, iBasso has some VERY hard to beat specs in their gear).

Anyhow, all that "hot air" just to tell you: Congrats on your new shiny(s)!

I think I'll buy the next iBasso 300 series. The 340 I guess. The DX260 is an eye-opener for me. A very solid performer for the price.

 

[pong2541]

Don't forget the source makes a big difference on the Ascension. Tested a couple of times on my various IEMs. The Ascension seems to scale staging and dynamics a whole lot more between say a little Fiio BTR7 and an iBasso DX260. On the Prestige and Z1R. I am not sure I heard a difference or imagined it.

Oh ok, so far I have the fiio k7 and ibasso dc04 pro. Either of them should be plenty for the Ascension power-wise I assume.

 

[DingDongMonster]

Oh ok, so far I have the fiio k7 and ibasso dc04 pro. Either of them should be plenty for the Ascension power-wise I assume.

It doesn't sound terrible or anything like that. I tried it on my wife's BTR-15 and it sounded great. It's just that in a DX260. It opens up and jumps a whole level up. Which is nuts.

 

[pong2541]

It doesn't sound terrible or anything like that. I tried it on my wife's BTR-15 and it sounded great. It's just that in a DX260. It opens up and jumps a whole level up. Which is nuts.

Ah ok, I just looked at the DX260 and I understand why it's a game changer. Especially at that price it better be a game changer haha.

Also, I saw your comment about the Ascension being better than the prestige ltd but at a general level. So if it's ok, can you tell me what exactly does the Ascension do better than the prestige ltd then?

 

[DingDongMonster]

Ah ok, I just looked at the DX260 and I understand why it's a game changer. Especially at that price it better be a game changer haha.

Also, I saw your comment about the Ascension being better than the prestige ltd but at a general level. So if it's ok, can you tell me what exactly does the Ascension do better than the prestige ltd then?

Mids and dynamics.

The mids of the Prestige is not engaging. It's not recessed, but neutral and smooth. The mids on the Ascension is forward. Which I describe as bite, making it more engaging.

The other is dynamics. The prestige is calmer. Some call it boring. The Prestige is energetic when called, and calm when needed. Maybe someone else can explain this better.

Then finally the price. The Ascension is a fraction the cost of the Prestige LTD. Even with the upgraded cable it still cost less than a Monarch III. Which makes recommending the Prestige difficult.

 

[fidgeraldo]

It's not as spectacular as Aurora Borealis...but it's quite enjoyable, pretty pretty nice IEMs...
Joining the club as a happy owner...

Nice one, mate!

 

[nikbr]

It's not as spectacular as Aurora Borealis...but it's quite enjoyable, pretty pretty nice IEMs...
Joining the club as a happy owner...

Nice one, mate!

Wow congratulations & welcome!

Aurora gets under your skin, wait and see. Still my best set for evening listening. It does everything in such a relaxing manner.

 

[fidgeraldo]

Wow congratulations & welcome!

Thanks!
It will indeed find its place...bass kinda has weird resonance...but I like it when it's not plain...

It does everything well...

Topping E70/A90D--->Aur Audio Aurora...hmm, ain't this also strange...weird

 

[nikbr]

Subbass is amazing, midbass slam is not its forté, though, certainly not a punchy set. Also, is it a second-hand set or a brand new one? Burn-in, burn-in, and more burn-in.

 

[hungryewok]

burn in is a myth. it's a way for manufacturers to get away with bad tuning hoping that your brain will adjust.

 

[bschnell9]

burn in is a myth. it's a way for manufacturers to get away with bad tuning hoping that your brain will adjust. IMO

Fixed it for you

 

[BS5711]

Fixed it for you

He had it right in the first place

I read a comment somewhere from a technical guy in a high end IEM company where he said that burn in was real but it happens in about 30 seconds because the drivers have very little excursion and move so fast freeing up the moving/flexing areas happens in next to no time. That makes perfect sense to me.

I firmly believe burn in is in our heads like so many other parts of this hobby. We become accustom to the sound over time even if it isn't agreeable for us at first and we figure something has changed, it has, our brain has come to accept the sound as normal, that is just what our brain does.

My first ever IEM was the Campfire IO and to me they sounded normal. That was until I get something better which did sound normal and all of a sudden the IO was unlistenable for me since the tonality was so wonky. I did a bit of reading and found that was a very common opinion of the IO. My brain burnt in then burnt back out again