All-Balanced Armature IEMs (Discussions & Comparisons)
Oct 28, 2020 at 11:16 PM Post #31 of 62
OT, but you got a Voyager 14? How do you like it? Did you get your JH16 fixed?

I did get a Voyager 14. I like it a lot EXCEPT for the fact that the cable detaches fairly easily from the earpieces for some reason. Maybe I need to clamp them together more aggressively, but I hesitate to exert brute force. The sound signature is balanced and pleasing, including very solid "BA bass" (which I think I like more than a lot of other people do). The Voyager has become my "go to" IEM a lot of the time, even though objectively, I guess the Unique Melody MEST I also own is "better." The Voyager has a very nice tuning IMO, and I guess my ear is not finely attuned to why Crinacle thinks it "stumbles in tuning refinement and technicalities," especially as compared with the $2500 Anole VX he thinks it resembles in its sound.

As for JH Audio, I got to audition a bunch of their IEMs and settled on getting a new JH 16 Pro v2 instead of getting my old OG 16 repaired. I got a decent discount and they were able to use my old 16's to make the new pair customs. Now that it is all done I guess I am ok with them but not thrilled, and as I indicated above, I find myself using other IEM's more, (both the Voyager and the MEST, and even my old, beloved Ortofon e-q5's). The 16 Pro v2 does have a variable bass, which is fun to play with. But overall, I think JH IEM's now seem overpriced for what you get (sadly, not uncommon with U.S. made products). I hate to say this out loud, inasmuch as the JH Audio people were REALLY accommodating and friendly throughout the process of choosing the new IEM.
 
Oct 29, 2020 at 10:55 AM Post #32 of 62
Solaris definitely has its devotees (like myself) but it also takes a few chances and is a less conventional tuning than Andro-- which means that how one feels about it will depend on what they listen to and what their own particular sonic priorities are. I listen to a lot of minimal techno and acoustic music and I place a high value on immersiveness, dense bass and holographic spaciousness-- and for what I listen to the Solaris is the best I've heard to my tastes. In some respects it takes the signature of Andromeda, stretches it out and wraps it around your head-- which can be a great effect but it leaves parts of the mid-range feeling a touch thin or wonky for some. From what I can tell people who listen to a lot of J-POP/K-POP or other music with a lot of presence in the lower treble/upper mids tend to not like the Solaris very much.

Edit: I'm talking about the non-2020 models of Solaris as those are the ones I have a lot of experience with. I know some people have had issues with the 2020 that they didn't have with the OG/SE.

My recent musical passion has been "darkish (bass-heavy) minimal techno," which is very weird for a guy my age I know :-0. I try different tracks and artists via Tidal and create playlists. I find that my preferred mode of listening is stretched out flat on my bed so I can really relax and concentrate on the musical sounds, beats, and textures. So I am necessarily using a portable source (either my iphone with dragonfly red or my A & K sr15). For me, the level of "immersion" (which is the whole objective here) depends largely on my ability to relax and focus and not let my mind drift off into thoughts. I guess the IEM makes a difference; I have really liked the Voyager 14 for this purpose, and also the UM MEST. Usually, of course, I end up falling asleep :wink:
 
Apr 28, 2024 at 2:29 PM Post #33 of 62
Sliivoslt6.jpg


A new full BA iem with an exceptional sound and a very affordable price should rightfully be added to this list... if you try it you will be amazed.
Myer Audio SLIIVO SL-T6
 
Apr 28, 2024 at 2:53 PM Post #34 of 62
I was an Etymotic fan for many years (ER4, -4P, -4XR, etc.) but I was usually disappointed with the lack of speed with faster drums, double-kicks, as well as the often lack of air movement for realistic drum sounds. Hybrids became my model of choice.
 
Apr 28, 2024 at 3:17 PM Post #35 of 62
The SL-T6 is truly a special iem... but you have to like the sound of all ba iems... obviously.
 
May 5, 2024 at 3:13 PM Post #36 of 62
Love all BA more and more. Alternative BA + EST😊
 
May 5, 2024 at 8:07 PM Post #37 of 62
After having Etymotic er4-p back in 2006 ish I soon discovered I didn’t like the sound so I quickly sold them on and cared little about returning to a fully balanced armature set until recently buying the Symphonium Meteor and I have to say I love them, very punchy with deep bass if you get a good seal.
 
May 6, 2024 at 6:56 AM Post #38 of 62
So far I've tried or owned a few all BA sets. I usually use them for stage monitoring as the all BA sets tend to have very good isolation (usually they ain't vented cause they don't have DD) and they also generally have better technical performance over the single DD sets.

My main beef with these pure BA sets is that majority of them have BA bass, which generally means lesser subbass extension and less bass movement of air. So the bass sounds a bit unnatural coming from a DD bass. On the flip side, the BA bass tends to be faster than DD bass, so a few metalhead friends of mine like BA bass for the speed and accuracy. I don't listen to metal, so can't verify this. Another area that I don't really like in pure BA sets is that BA timbre is present for acoustic instruments compared to single DD sets.

As they say, different strokes for different folks, and of course exceptions do exist for the above.



Stuff I've tried/owned (in alphabetical order):

Acoustic Effect TRY-01 (1 BA) ($149 USD). Japanese niche brand. Neutral set, bullet shaped and comfortable. Very good timbre for a pure BA set, lacks subbass as expected for a 1 BA set. Organic timbre, good soundstage and technicalities. Very smooth and fatigue free, no sibilance. Very good for acoustic, classical and jazz. Unfortunately, cable is not detachable, and due to the lack of bass, not gonna be an all rounder (eg doesn't fare well for EDM and other bass forward genres).

Audiosense DT200 (2 BA) ($149 USD). Warm neutralish set, good tonality, very smooth and dark treble. Non fatiguing. Great fit and isolation. Typical subbass roll off in BA bass. Technicalities and soundstage not the best, probably due to the limitation of 2 BA.

Audiosense T800 is a 8 knowles BA set. $298 USD. Mild V shaped, excellent technicalities and 30 dB isolation. My go to for transit and stage monitoring, though it is bright, so not the best for treble sensitive folk, unless u wanna play with tips, sources, knowles filters. It has a vented subwoofer BA that makes it sound like a DD bass, so very atypical for BA bass. It is my daily beater set too, but it is a bit picky with sources as it fares better with stuff that has the lowest possible output impedance.

Hisenior B5+ is a 5 BA knowles set at a rather affordable $70ish USD. Above average technical performance, midcentric set (which is rather rare tuning wise). Midcentric sets are pretty niche, it is not all rounder due to the tuning (lacks subbass extension and treble extension but it is good for vocals/acoustic stuff). Soundstage is below average but isolation is good. My backup set for stage monitoring.

QDC Anole VX (10 BA) ($2ish K depending on CIEM or universal). The big kahuna, my end game all BA set. Excellent technicalities, good tonality. Has tuning switches to change the sound signature too. BA timbre unfortunately. And also unfortunately I have an emotional attachment to my kidneys, can't sell the kidneys to fund this set in my lifetime.

TRN BA8 is a 8 BA set, just released, very shouty in the upper mids/lower treble for me, despite the good technicalities. Supposed to be a successor of the TRN BA5. They launched the BA8 at $140 USD, I think it dropped a bit to $130 after the initial reception wasn't the best. Amazingly, for a $130ish flagship, the accessories are almost the same as a usual $30 USD TRN budget set (ie crap cable and a few tips). But to distinguish this flagship set, TRN graciously added a $3 metal round hard case (yes it is 3 bucks on Aliexpress). At $130 it is a hard pass, u can get some gems like the Fiio FH3, TRI I3, some ThieAudio stuff at that price, and I think only trebleheads will like it.

Westone W30 (3 BA) ($400 USD). Warm neutralish set. Good isolation and fit, technicalities above average. Wouldn't recommend it as the Audiosense DT200 at less than 50% the price can meet the same sound quality.

Westone 3 (3 BA) (no more on sale, was going at $300ish USD previously). V shaped. Good isolation and fit. Non detachable cable. Midbass bleed present, and can get hot in upper mids. I find it is similar to the KZ ZS10 Pro, but at 10 times the price.

Westone UM1 (1 BA) ($99 USD). Neutralish, no subbass. Above average technical performance.
Don't feel able to criticise the BA8s much because they're objectively technically better than anything I've heard. I will say I don't find them harsh though,and the bass beats any DDs or hybrids I've heard for body and accuracy. You've heard higher end sets than I have though: better credentials. FWIW I think the Aucoustic Effect might be one of those moving armature drivers rather than a BA, like e.g. the Ortofon Q7.

Quality post though, interested in better value alternatives to the BA8 because I've been impressed by it.
 
May 6, 2024 at 7:03 AM Post #39 of 62
Don't feel able to criticise the BA8s much because they're objectively technically better than anything I've heard. I will say I don't find them harsh though,and the bass beats any DDs or hybrids I've heard for body and accuracy. You've heard higher end sets than I have though: better credentials. FWIW I think the Aucoustic Effect might be one of those moving armature drivers rather than a BA, like e.g. the Ortofon Q7.

Quality post though, interested in better value alternatives to the BA8 because I've been impressed by it.

Ah my previous post was about 4 years old and things have moved tremendously in the all BA segment as of 2024!

These are the stuff I own that are better than the TRN BA8:

The EPZ 530 is a really excellent all BA set, V-shaped with superb technicalities. Has some BA timbre and may be a tinge bright in the treble though.

The more expensive Sony M9 is my end game for all BA now. Warm neutral with superb imaging and organic timbre (Sony damps the BA to remove BA timbre). Tight and fast bass, isolates well too.

A recent discovery I made was for the Fiio FA19. It is a 10 BA set with superb technical chops, warm neutral too with a tuning switch to add bass. Competes with higher end all BA sets too.
 
May 6, 2024 at 7:58 AM Post #40 of 62
Yeah... what I'm really looking for is detail/price bargains, even at the expense of other characteristics, inc. older models. Got the BA8s for about 50 used, an unexpected find which I may not replicate for a while.
 
May 6, 2024 at 8:06 AM Post #41 of 62
Yeah... what I'm really looking for is detail/price bargains, even at the expense of other characteristics, inc. older models. Got the BA8s for about 50 used, an unexpected find which I may not replicate for a while.

$50 is an excellent deal!
 
May 7, 2024 at 3:21 AM Post #42 of 62
At the risk of being called out for not having read the thread, what's the most significant recent advance in BA tech to look for in your opinion, though?
 
May 7, 2024 at 4:42 AM Post #43 of 62
At the risk of being called out for not having read the thread, what's the most significant recent advance in BA tech to look for in your opinion, though?

If you read about the AFUL Magic One, it is a single BA set that has some "Nautilus Acoustic Maze Technology" rear cavity acoustic tube - which is an acoustic damper that operates via air pressure to down-throttle certain frequencies; this essentially results in an increased sub-bass resonance, much more than what a traditional single BA can execute.

Nautilus.jpeg



Most single BAs lack sub-bass extension, but this IEM is an exception due to this innovative tech. Quite a lot of consumers like this AFUL Magic One's tuning, it is warm neutral, very pleasant and non-fatiguing.
 
May 8, 2024 at 11:15 AM Post #45 of 62
A strange thing happened to me when I tried the Myer Audio SL-T6 for the first time. I noticed that the left iem was crackling and I thought it was faulty, but then by adjusting the tips better that noise disappeared. It was the first time I listened to an all-ba IEM and from this I understood that (at least for the SL-T6) it is essential that the tips are perfectly perpendicular to the ear canal otherwise that annoying noise returns. Has this ever happened to you with an all-ba set? It's a normal thing? Thank you.
 

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