[Armaegis]

 
AD01 has two vents.  One on the rear of the shell and one just before the nozzle start on the front of the shell.

 
Well y'see, I was completely off base

 

[nmatheis]

   
Well y'see, I was completely off base

Just being factual.  I am a scientist, after all 

 

[Armaegis]

If I were to bust out my science chops, I'd be using an electron microscope

 

[nmatheis]

If I were to bust out my science chops, I'd be using an electron microscope

I know, you're an artsy guy. I secretly wish I was, too. If I were artsy, I'd be composing laptop electronic music like Autechre- the really abstract stuff that drives a lot of people crazy!

Or modern composition, following in the footsteps of Cage, Glass, and Reich. Love that stuff!!!

Drove a lot of my coworkers mad listening to music that for them really didn't follow the musical rules they'd learned listening to mainstream music...

 

[money4me247]

  quite the contrary here. In fact, i am one who do not like the idea of using frequency response to judge a pair of earphones. The AD01 has been measured here:http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AlphaandDeltaAD01.pdf. Don't think tyll will approve of it =p
 
Perhaps I would like to address the most common criticism here which is the enhanced bass and the deviation from a more audiophile tuning. When the team set out to create the AD01, we deliberately deviate away from having a more audiophile tuning to create something bass heavy. This is because I feel that in the USD 100 ish price range, the market is lacking of something that has a really strong bass, something akin to the levels of Futuresonic Atrios. Thus, our intention is to create something similar while improving on the clarity and highs which I think is one weakness to the Atrios.

@TEOSJ,
 
I think for a bassy pair of headphones, the Alpha & Delta AD01 is very well done. I think on this sort of enthusiast website, a bass-focused sound signature will generally get viewed slightly negative (fairly or unfairly), except by more basshead enthusiasts. I do think that its overall sound signature will be very popular among normal consumers, so reviews here with pickier specific sonic preferences may be a bit inaccurate for wider tastes.
 
I did try to write my own review to be a bit less influenced by sound sig preferences, but it is hard to completely remove subjective bias when pair of headphones does not fit personal tastes.
 
thank you for this opportunity & appreciate the in-thread community involvement.
 
cheers!

 

[nmatheis]

Good points money4me247!

I actually prefer a sound signature that has bit of bottom end lift, but I need it to be quite fast and punchy. EQ-ing down the mid-bass a bit helps the AD01 achieve this. So for me, that's what I'm looking for in an AD02.

For a lot of people, AD01 will hit the spot by fulfilling their desire for bass but not at the expense of sacrificing mids and treble.

 

[Tom22]

Good points @money4me247!

I actually prefer a sound signature that has bit of bottom end lift, but I need it to be quite fast and punchy. EQ-ing down the mid-bass a bit helps the AD01 achieve this. So for me, that's what I'm looking for in an AD02.

For a lot of people, AD01 will hit the spot by fulfilling their desire for bass but not at the expense of sacrificing mids and treble.

 
i think thats a good way to put it,
 
it is certainly a bassy (a kind of chunky bass), which i think can be satisfying and quite enjoyable, when not critically listening.
 
but in the times you are, the mids and the treble is nicely proportioned and detailed.
 
its certainly a fine line.
 
ah! i switched back to the stock wide bore biflanges (included), their just more comfortable, and sound a bit more balanced to me. 

 

[nmatheis]

i think thats a good way to put it,

it is certainly a bassy (a kind of chunky bass), which i think can be satisfying and quite enjoyable, when not critically listening.

but in the times you are, the mids and the treble is nicely proportioned and detailed.

its certainly a fine line.

ah! i switched back to the stock wide bore biflanges (included), their just more comfortable, and sound a bit more balanced to me. 

I don't typically get along with biflanges but am looking forward to trying out single-flange wide-bore tips when I get these back. If I notice improvements like you and twister6, I'll update my review.

Who knows, maybe Bob at Trinity will have some wide-bore foam-filled hybrid tips available soon. Sounds like those might be perfect for these!

Tom22: Can you try taping over either vent hole and reporting back?

 

[Alpha & Delta]

   
It's all good. I'm happy to see you taking an active part in the discussion.
 
I'm not as well versed in iems as I am with regular headphones, but are the AD01 fully sealed? The feeling I got was similar to headphones with very tight seals which caused that "pressurized" feeling as well as what I interpret as increased distortion. Normally I can "hear" bass distortion, but the mid/treble range is more "felt". I wonder if a change in venting would affect this (without overly changing frequency response).
 
Granted, I am aware that iems and headphones do not necessarily respond in the same way, and that varies with the driver type as well, so I could be completely off base here as I'm just making guesses.

 
AD01 has two vents.  One on the rear of the shell and one just before the nozzle start on the front of the shell.
 

 
 
thanks for the helping me to answer the question @nmatheis 

 

[Alpha & Delta]

  @TEOSJ,
 
I think for a bassy pair of headphones, the Alpha & Delta AD01 is very well done. I think on this sort of enthusiast website, a bass-focused sound signature will generally get viewed slightly negative (fairly or unfairly), except by more basshead enthusiasts. I do think that its overall sound signature will be very popular among normal consumers, so reviews here with pickier specific sonic preferences may be a bit inaccurate for wider tastes.
 
I did try to write my own review to be a bit less influenced by sound sig preferences, but it is hard to completely remove subjective bias when pair of headphones does not fit personal tastes.
 
thank you for this opportunity & appreciate the in-thread community involvement.
 
cheers!

 
no problem! i perfectly understand how this IEM is not for everybody and had expected such a response. In the LMUE store, customers who tried it either love it very much or just plainly hate it.  I just thought i might shed more light on how these are being conceived so that everyone can understand why we made certain design choices. 

 

[nmatheis]

no problem! i perfectly understand how this IEM is not for everybody and had expected such a response. In the LMUE store, customers who tried it either love it very much or just plainly hate it.  I just thought i might shed more light on how these are being conceived so that everyone can understand why we made certain design choices. 

Yes, I think we all appreciated your explanation of how the AD01 was conceived and also that you're willing to put your product into our hands for critique and praise as each individual sees fit. Absolutely commendable!

 

[Tom22]

I don't typically get along with biflanges but am looking forward to trying out single-flange wide-bore tips when I get these back. If I notice improvements like you and @twister6, I'll update my review.

Who knows, maybe Bob at Trinity will have some wide-bore foam-filled hybrid tips available soon. Sounds like those might be perfect for these!

@Tom22: Can you try taping over either vent hole and reporting back?

@nmatheis sure i'll give it a shot and i'll let you guys know

 

[nmatheis]

@nmatheis
sure i'll give it a shot and i'll let you guys know

Cool!

 

[afbug]

I've received the ear guides. Makes wearing over the ear easier. It's my first time using ear guides although I've own Shures and Westones, kinda novelty for me.

Those colored tips are from eBay. I bought them so it's easier to differentiate left to right. Here's the weird part; it's not as comfy as the supplied tips but it reduces the bass. Gives it a flatter sound. I need to do more comparisons before confirming it.

 

[nmatheis]

I've received the ear guides. Makes wearing over the ear easier. It's my first time using ear guides although I've own Shures and Westones, kinda novelty for me.

Those colored tips are from eBay. I bought them so it's easier to differentiate left to right. Here's the weird part; it's not as comfy as the supplied tips but it reduces the bass. Gives it a flatter sound. I need to do more comparisons before confirming it.

Are they wider bore tips than the stock ones?