Hmmn, I find the AKT8ie mki/mkii has the most natural cymbals on any iems I tried/had including the Angie. Not sure what you mean by too metallic but cymbals are made of metal. On the other hand I find the Agie/Roxanne (which I notice common with BA drivers) a bit unnatural. They don't seem to render the reverb/echo realistically.
Sure cymbals are made from metal, but I found them awfully dry on the T8, the decay is to short, especially when the cymbals are slowly brushed.
For reverb/echo, I would agree, even with good crossfeeds, multi-BA sound slightly less coherent than a single driver, which affects reverb/echo.
Perhaps the instrument separation is more highlighted on Angies that gave them the perceived advantage is detail resolution.
Certaily true.
Preference are down to individual taste and music genre.
On very heavy/complex music, I prefer the Angies because they separate better.
When less instruments are involved, the T8iE do a better job at presenting them naturally.
The bass texture to me is also as natural as it gets on AKT8ie if conpared to a stereo speker setup. With BA drivers. they may have the quantity and the slam but never have the texture that I enjoy.
For the first time yesterday, I turned the attenuators on the Angies off (4o'clock), and I was AMAZED by the bass slam they yield (especially rendering bass guitar as if you were on the stage playing, as I do as a hobby). It is insane for BAs!
It would give bassheads a run for their money, while still providing forward mids and proper details. I turned the dials back to 2 o'clock so it gets more reasonable, but it was a nice experience.
The bass on the T8iE is plentiful, but as you state, it is more "classical" like home tereo speakers, snappy, big, not too much rumble. Very pleasant, non-fatiguing, it is a "mainstream" presentation which would please most people.
One thing where you can't go wrong with either model is voices, they're very detailed, very close in terms of soundstage, you can hear the breath and articulation with much detail.
The T8iE are a bit more balanced in their overall presentation (altough some could find the treble a bit bright), the Angies are more focused on mids with adjustable bass (treble are less bright, more subtle, if you're afraid of sibilance).