[boodi]

It's very personal
and the source pairing too

Going from Sony 1am2 to Shanling M8 or M9+ , with Jewel , there's quite a big difference in terms of how traits of the sound are presented .

This could really be an abyss for someone that knows well gears and his gears and want to maximize the sound , or barely noticeable on first listen to someone else when he's casually listening ; or lay somewhere between these opposites.

I.e. , in case of pairing with Sony 1am2 a darker lusher analogue cable helps alot changing the somewhat bright tonality ,
with the M8 (or M9+) a revealing cable or even bright- tilted detailer can even be welcome ..so

Value depends on many factors, there's no dubt that the original Jewel cable doesn't exploit very much of the iem capabalities and doesn't expand parts of their presentation, the thing is so widespreadly shared by Jewel owners that its safe to say to start or try some cable swap for them , for good. I wouldn't advice adding on top on Jewel energy and focus though , which resides on mids and lower higs ( to my ears ofc )

 

[Leto Dal]

It's very personal
and the source pairing too

Going from Sony 1am2 to Shanling M8 or M9+ , with Jewel , there's quite a big difference in terms of how traits of the sound are presented .

This could really be an abyss for someone that knows well gears and his gears and want to maximize the sound , or barely noticeable on first listen to someone else when he's casually listening ; or lay somewhere between these opposites.

I.e. , in case of pairing with Sony 1am2 a darker lusher analogue cable helps alot changing the somewhat bright tonality ,
with the M8 (or M9+) a revealing cable or even bright- tilted detailer can even be welcome ..so

Value depends on many factors, there's no dubt that the original Jewel cable doesn't exploit very much of the iem capabalities and doesn't expand parts of their presentation, the thing is so widespreadly shared by Jewel owners that its safe to say to start or try some cable swap for them , for good. I wouldn't advice adding on top on Jewel energy and focus though , which resides on mids and lower higs ( to my ears ofc )

So you advice against 1950s which is mid focused, do I get it right?

Yeah value is very subjective and even so in this hobby. If I keep the Jewel and dont go for Trailllii instead, I definitly will get a cable (another descision to make atm).

 

[boodi]

I didn't hear 1950s unfortunately

But depending on source I would advice against specs or traits in which Jewel already do the show , moreover then so if you sensed same sensitiveness i had with them ..consider it personal as someone looks at graphs and then someone finds Jewel lacking for highs , someone tell them very natural , someone ethereal and romantic and someone else a bit hot in higher mids or can-be fatiguing for longer listenings so..take my words for what they are : a personal opinion among others, and relatively highly source dependent ( in case of Jewel)
In fact, the best pairing I had with them was with Sony 1zm2 , which is warm and sort of laid back in sound signature vs other totl daps , extremely extended in both side of frq, finely well resolved in highs but very gentle in their detail rendition , and slightly recessed in mids ..again my ears ofc...

 

[Leto Dal]

Using a N8ii atm, which I am honestly very happy with (for some ZMF overear headhpones too). I think it adds a bit of warmth and thickness to Jewel with nu tubes and overall dense tuning. I still feel like Jewel is the most ethereal, airy if not bright headhpone that I own, I dont want to add anymore brightness with the PW cable I choose in the end.

Alternativly I could go for Traillii (Jewel is currently a loaner) but I am not sure if its the right direction. Rather impressed by Jewel atm.

 

[Leto Dal]

Interestingly (or rather expected) Jewel just becomes pretty much the perfect IEM on Holo May with Bliss haha. No issues with brightness at all anymore, endless width of the stage and depth even more detail, evel with the stock cable its pretty insane.

 

[boodi]

I wouldn't want you to listen to Orpheus on Jewel and Holo May as you might well have to evaluate buying it ..as.. once heard it's hard to adapt to the lessen/compromise ..so just keep it off the way for safety

 

[Leto Dal]

Its always difficult to adapt after hearing something better than the gear you own. Thats the issue with this hobby haha, never considered getting a... IEM that looks like 10$ chi-fi piece, to beginn with. Yet alone a cable for it.

 

[boodi]

Exponential ramping pricings in iem and iem cables have become irrational and an issue lately

 

[Leto Dal]

Yep and thats why I think I should be rather careful with venturing in IEM summit-fi territory =)

 

[boodi]

You should.
Unless you have unlimited funds or so.

 

[tawmizzzz]

Fei Wan: FW for F**king Wondrous

I am grateful to have the opportunity to continuously demo some of the new IEM revelations. After a few recent ones that were impressive, none particularly struck out which really tempted me to jump back into the portable world. But Fei Wan…man, this IEM is a treat!

After you become complacent in the audio world, you get really used to your setup and somewhat ingrain this new standard or reference point. It's an essential part of really appreciating and understanding your gear (and obviously, for your wallet), but it can gatekeep you from other wonderful sonic attributes that your gear might not excel on.

Let me explain-not until I put the FWs the FWs forced themselves into my ears, did I realize how much I was truly missing dynamics in my music when listening out of my beloved Meze Elites. The Elites have such a beautiful tonality with a spacious, airy presentation with good energy, but here came FW with a visceral, banging opener to remind me about the importance of energy and punch.

Damn-ymics. Never have I heard metal music so lively, with authority yet control. So much energy, technically-proficient, yet musical

*All of my listening was done out of a Rockna Wavelight + Rockna Server + Ferrum OOR/Hypsos desktop setup, and then on the L&P W2 for portable. Stock cable.

Sound Impressions:


FW to me is a U-shaped (maybe slight V-shape) where the midrange is slightly recessed, but deceptively detailed with a strong timbre. Vocals sound sweet with good texture. My issue with previous U/V-shaped IEMs was that yes, the bass is thunderous and the treble lively and sparkly, but it comes at expense of timbre and technicalities which throws me out of the overall musical immersion. They were too much of a specialist IEM, a one-trick pony.

FW, on the other hand, is more versatile than meets the eye. Despite its fun sound signature, it still manages to have organic timbre with rich mids (albeit taking a backseat to bass and treble on the stage).



Bass: Thunderous, powerful, hard-hitting, yet controlled. Even for blistering double-bass metal tracks, I noticed how snappy and fast the bass was with clean precision. In Bad Omen’s Artificial Suicide, I found myself nearly headbanging at the 1:50 mark with the double-bass, crisp cymbals, and authoritative, gruff, and punchy vocals all to boot. The bass is powerful, textured, clean and fast, all without being too overpowering in the overall signature.

Midrange: I discussed it a bit earlier, but despite slight recession in the mids (which might not be ideal for vocal-centric tracks), the midrange is still very detailed and organic sounding with strong texture. Fast forward to the melodic breakdown at 1:55 in All That Remains’ Chiron and you’ll notice a beautiful, vivid, and rich acoustic guitar playing with strong texture to each pluck of the guitar. It’s almost as if once the bass and treble take a breather, the midrange can come out and show how elegant and high-class it really is. Overall, instruments sound superb with great microdynamics to add to their naturalness, weight, and tone.

Treble: I understand why a few people can view the FW a bit fatiguing. I think the fatigue to my ears comes from an elevated upper midrange with the constant bombardment of punchy dynamics, mostly macro although still impressive micro. To my ears, treble is tastefully done with crisp yet smooth and vivid detail, with no sibilance or splashiness. There is good air to give the sound a bit of a concert/stadium feel. In no way is the IEM dark, but I also wouldn’t call it bright. Slightly bright warm…if that’s a thing, in a good way. Oh and did I mention how fun cymbals sound?

Technicalities: Up there with some of the best. The width is large, although I hear a bit more depth than width. Strong detail with clear imaging and layering. Decay is natural yet fast and snappy to keep up with more complicated passages. FW is one of the few IEMs where I don’t feel I am taking an obvious drop in technicalities coming from open-back planar TOTL headphones, and that only further proves what a phenomenal task Aroma Audio has achieved by blending such a musical IEM with top-tier technicalities.

Reminds me of:

FW reminds me a bit of Elysian X, a previous favorite of mine in the V-shaped category. However, it seems to have built upon some of my flaws with X, mainly in bass and the mids. X had fun, abyssal-depth levels of subbass, but its midbass was whimsical in comparison. FW takes a near 1:1 approach to its midbass and subbass while retaining excellent slam, texture and control.

X’s midrange is noticeable more recessed and less organic sounding, meanwhile FW adds a touch of naturalness to blend the overall midrange into a better organic timbre. Vocals are richer, instruments more natural with good weight in comparison to X's thinner midrange.

Treble-well, X is still the GOAT there. Nothing that I have heard yet touches its ethereal, vivid yet silky treble sound. But FW is not too far behind with its' energetic, detailed yet smooth top end.

TLDR:

I am most definitely looking forward to CanJam NYC next month because a future FW might be the move . I'll of course have to check out those $80k new Unique Melody IEMs (not a typo, being facetious), along with VE10, etc., but I can't imagine they check more boxes than FW already has.

Thank you Aroma Audio for reminding me how much I love dynamics in my music while packaging it into such a technically-proficient product---whether it’s a mosh pit in my head through metal music that terrifies my neighbors, or shedding a tear to the microdynamics of each pluck of an acoustic guitar during an emotional guitar solo. Musicality, energy, and punchy, yet technical, controlled and organic---finally, a true WOW IEM for me

 

[btwine]

Fei Wan: FW for F**king Wondrous

I am grateful to have the opportunity to continuously demo some of the new IEM revelations. After a few recent ones that were impressive, none particularly struck out which really tempted me to jump back into the portable world. But Fei Wan…man, this IEM is a treat!

After you become complacent in the audio world, you get really used to your setup and somewhat ingrain this new standard or reference point. It's an essential part of really appreciating and understanding your gear (and obviously, for your wallet), but it can gatekeep you from other wonderful sonic attributes that your gear might not excel on.

Let me explain-not until I put the FWs the FWs forced themselves into my ears, did I realize how much I was truly missing dynamics in my music when listening out of my beloved Meze Elites. The Elites have such a beautiful tonality with a spacious, airy presentation with good energy, but here came FW with a visceral, banging opener to remind me about the importance of energy and punch.

Damn-ymics. Never have I heard metal music so lively, with authority yet control. So much energy, technically-proficient, yet musical

*All of my listening was done out of a Rockna Wavelight + Rockna Server + Ferrum OOR/Hypsos desktop setup, and then on the L&P W2 for portable. Stock cable.

Sound Impressions:


FW to me is a U-shaped (maybe slight V-shape) where the midrange is slightly recessed, but deceptively detailed with a strong timbre. Vocals sound sweet with good texture. My issue with previous U/V-shaped IEMs was that yes, the bass is thunderous and the treble lively and sparkly, but it comes at expense of timbre and technicalities which throws me out of the overall musical immersion. They were too much of a specialist IEM, a one-trick pony.

FW, on the other hand, is more versatile than meets the eye. Despite its fun sound signature, it still manages to have organic timbre with rich mids (albeit taking a backseat to bass and treble on the stage).



Bass: Thunderous, powerful, hard-hitting, yet controlled. Even for blistering double-bass metal tracks, I noticed how snappy and fast the bass was with clean precision. In Bad Omen’s Artificial Suicide, I found myself nearly headbanging at the 1:50 mark with the double-bass, crisp cymbals, and authoritative, gruff, and punchy vocals all to boot. The bass is powerful, textured, clean and fast, all without being too overpowering in the overall signature.

Midrange: I discussed it a bit earlier, but despite slight recession in the mids (which might not be ideal for vocal-centric tracks), the midrange is still very detailed and organic sounding with strong texture. Fast forward to the melodic breakdown at 1:55 in All That Remains’ Chiron and you’ll notice a beautiful, vivid, and rich acoustic guitar playing with strong texture to each pluck of the guitar. It’s almost as if once the bass and treble take a breather, the midrange can come out and show how elegant and high-class it really is. Overall, instruments sound superb with great microdynamics to add to their naturalness, weight, and tone.

Treble: I understand why a few people can view the FW a bit fatiguing. I think the fatigue to my ears comes from an elevated upper midrange with the constant bombardment of punchy dynamics, mostly macro although still impressive micro. To my ears, treble is tastefully done with crisp yet smooth and vivid detail, with no sibilance or splashiness. There is good air to give the sound a bit of a concert/stadium feel. In no way is the IEM dark, but I also wouldn’t call it bright. Slightly bright warm…if that’s a thing, in a good way. Oh and did I mention how fun cymbals sound?

Technicalities: Up there with some of the best. The width is large, although I hear a bit more depth than width. Strong detail with clear imaging and layering. Decay is natural yet fast and snappy to keep up with more complicated passages. FW is one of the few IEMs where I don’t feel I am taking an obvious drop in technicalities coming from open-back planar TOTL headphones, and that only further proves what a phenomenal task Aroma Audio has achieved by blending such a musical IEM with top-tier technicalities.

Reminds me of:

FW reminds me a bit of Elysian X, a previous favorite of mine in the V-shaped category. However, it seems to have built upon some of my flaws with X, mainly in bass and the mids. X had fun, abyssal-depth levels of subbass, but its midbass was whimsical in comparison. FW takes a near 1:1 approach to its midbass and subbass while retaining excellent slam, texture and control.

X’s midrange is noticeable more recessed and less organic sounding, meanwhile FW adds a touch of naturalness to blend the overall midrange into a better organic timbre. Vocals are richer, instruments more natural with good weight in comparison to X's thinner midrange.

Treble-well, X is still the GOAT there. Nothing that I have heard yet touches its ethereal, vivid yet silky treble sound. But FW is not too far behind with its' energetic, detailed yet smooth top end.

TLDR:

I am most definitely looking forward to CanJam NYC next month because a future FW might be the move . I'll of course have to check out those $80k new Unique Melody IEMs (not a typo, being facetious), along with VE10, etc., but I can't imagine they check more boxes than FW already has.

Thank you Aroma Audio for reminding me how much I love dynamics in my music while packaging it into such a technically-proficient product---whether it’s a mosh pit in my head through metal music that terrifies my neighbors, or shedding a tear to the microdynamics of each pluck of an acoustic guitar during an emotional guitar solo. Musicality, energy, and punchy, yet technical, controlled and organic---finally, a true WOW IEM for me

Fantastic review. You’ve inspired me to liberate the small but mighty metal section of my library with the massive and mighty Fei Wan!

 

[dhc0329]

I am running with fei wan for two days on lp p6 pro ti99. Not sure if this thing requires more burnin but didn't enjoy the bass at all so far. Too dispersed and mellow out for my taste. Then I realized the iem is extremely source sensitive. This thing just screams on n30le and n7 transforming into completely different beast. I love what I am hearing but I really like to get it right with ti99 because that's my most favorite dap at the moment. Clarity and dynamic are beyond exceptional but the bass is just not tight enough on ti99.

 

[dhc0329]

Bass' on FW certainly refining with more run time but it is definitely thicker comparing to jewel. All freq's pumped up so it's beyond stimulating. I had to take off the earphone trying to get work done while listening. can't relax. The earphone's for young punks.

 

[srinivasvignesh]

On the Aroma Air, an accidental find. Not sure if this means anything..

If I press the volume up/down button, and immediately tap power button, the display changes in steps from F1-F8 and back to F1, for each tap of the power button.

I could not sense any immediate sound changes. Any idea what this could be?


EDIT: Looks like these are digital filters, I probably need to pay more attention to see if I can hear the differences.