[ericp10]

I actually can't get the Sony hybrids to stay on for some reason. I have the medium UM in my ears now and they sound pretty good. Tones the bass down some. Double flange Senn accentuates the bass...
 
HJE900 large blue silicon tips pushes the vocals back. Pushes the whole soundstage back. Still 3-D but a little less.

 

[miow]

So, how do they compare to the MG7s?

 

[alphaphoenix]

As promised; however, I'm only able to review two track before I go to bed.  Source is FLAC from my Sansa Clip Zip with normal EQ, volume unchanged for both at medium listening level. If I had to visually describe the sound coming out of the Atrio mg7 and the ASG-1, it would be the following:
 

1. Atrio mg7 sound presentation is very laid back and from a speaker placement perspective, they are directly in front, but it feels that I'm far from them. 
2. ASG-1 sound presentation is like being on the border of the stage but the speakers are coming from the sides.  It's a unique sound presentation and very immersive, and yes, 3-D like.

 
I chose the following two tracks to capture how well they handle multiple layers and high-end roll offs:
 

• NIN- Hurt

1. Atrio mg7: Again, the laid back sound, centered, but far back. As expected the kick drums is hard and punchy. However, I noticed some roll offs with Reznor's voice and is was very apparent especially at the end with the static noise. I had to really focus on the little details within the song and it lacks air; throughout the song the sounds feels kind of congested. 
2. ASG-1: Greater separation of instruments, much more intimate feels much closer to the stage and centered at the vocals.  More background detail with; faint background piano is easily distinguishable. Bass is solid and punchy.  The static in the end is very layered with no noticeable high end roll off.
    

• Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence.  This song for me is hard to sound good on an earphone/headphone with out EQ.

1. Atrio mg7: Well, it sounded pretty dull. It had a hard time keeping up with the synthesizer transitions and layers.
2. ASG-1:[size=11.0pt] All the electronic pieces are separated.  It slices through and extracts the subtle details very well.  There more sense of space/air.   The hi-hat is easily heard in the background even with the synthesizers are going all out[/size].

 
I can say that the ASG-1 takes the cake as it's easily the more technically capable of the two.  Like the SM3, it does take a song or two to get use to the sound presentation.  I'll post a more greater depth over the weekend and next week.  I'm waiting on Livewires to be sent back after a refit and my HM-602 replacement to see how it fares with a warmer source that is know to have some roll off.

 

[miow]

Excelent comparison, thanks a lot. But bass quantity is same as the SM3, right? I was looking for more...

 

[dosley01]

Quote:

The only criticism I really have at this early point, is that the upper mid is a bit 'shouty' at times.  Hopefully this goes away for me through driver/brain burn in, or perhaps even with custom tips (yeah, I think I'll go for those).
 

 
shotgunshane, I have been trying to come up with what turned me off to the ASG-1 and you did it!  'shouty' it the perfect adjective to describe what I was hearing.  Honestly I though it was just me but maybe that's what project86 might have been trying to pinpoint also?  It really only bothered me on female vocals but that it a majority of what I listen to, I just felt like Diana Krall was yelling at me. Aside from that they did rock just about everything else. On the plus side, if anyone has TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light [Deluxe], listen to the last track 13 - Will Do (XXXchange Dancehall Mix) - I have not heard an IEM that made me feel it like the ASG-1 did, I would describe it as a perfectly integrated subwoofer, you don't know it's there until......

 
 

 

[soundbear]

Ericp10 and Shotgun, I'm a devoted "fan" of yours, and am curious what is happening with your newly "rediscovered" Hifiman RE262 amid all this Aurisonic excitement?   I was seriously contemplating getting the 262 till I saw your recent discovery but now slightly uncertain. ( My first effort to upgrade from my GR07 was a disaster getting the JH5, hated the SQ brightness, and couldn't take a custom(even refitted) "plastic hunk" in or outside of my ear!!LOL!! )  I love the GR07 signature, particularly bass and warmSQ, but wondering about the size and comfort of the plastic outer piece of the aurisonic Universal IEM?   Also, where would the 262 fit in?

 

[Bazirker]

Quote:

As promised; however, I'm only able to review two track before I go to bed.  Source is FLAC from my Sansa Clip Zip with normal EQ, volume unchanged for both at medium listening level. If I had to visually describe the sound coming out of the Atrio mg7 and the ASG-1, it would be the following:
 

1. Atrio mg7 sound presentation is very laid back and from a speaker placement perspective, they are directly in front, but it feels that I'm far from them. 
2. ASG-1 sound presentation is like being on the border of the stage but the speakers are coming from the sides.  It's a unique sound presentation and very immersive, and yes, 3-D like.

 

My wallet say "f%$# you."
 

 

[kangcore]

Quote:

As promised; however, I'm only able to review two track before I go to bed.  Source is FLAC from my Sansa Clip Zip with normal EQ, volume unchanged for both at medium listening level. If I had to visually describe the sound coming out of the Atrio mg7 and the ASG-1, it would be the following:
 

1. Atrio mg7 sound presentation is very laid back and from a speaker placement perspective, they are directly in front, but it feels that I'm far from them. 
2. ASG-1 sound presentation is like being on the border of the stage but the speakers are coming from the sides.  It's a unique sound presentation and very immersive, and yes, 3-D like.

 
I chose the following two tracks to capture how well they handle multiple layers and high-end roll offs:
 

• NIN- Hurt
• Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence.  This song for me is hard to sound good on an earphone/headphone with out EQ.

 
I can say that the ASG-1 takes the cake as it's easily the more technically capable of the two.  Like the SM3, it does take a song or two to get use to the sound presentation.  I'll post a more greater depth over the weekend and next week.  I'm waiting on Livewires to be sent back after a refit and my HM-602 replacement to see how it fares with a warmer source that is know to have some roll off.

 
Thanks for the quickie review... looking forward to receiving my ASG-1 & AS-1b. I am getting more and more excited, especially with regard to the "immersive" presentation you're describing. Some folks might not like that but for performing musicians this kind of presentation is practically a Godsend. Will definitely include these two songs as reference tracks to see whether I have the same impressions as you.

 

[ericp10]

Quote:

Ericp10 and Shotgun, I'm a devoted "fan" of yours, and am curious what is happening with your newly "rediscovered" Hifiman RE262 amid all this Aurisonic excitement?   I was seriously contemplating getting the 262 till I saw your recent discovery but now slightly uncertain. ( My first effort to upgrade from my GR07 was a disaster getting the JH5, hated the SQ brightness, and couldn't take a custom(even refitted) "plastic hunk" in or outside of my ear!!LOL!! )  I love the GR07 signature, particularly bass and warmSQ, but wondering about the size and comfort of the plastic outer piece of the aurisonic Universal IEM?   Also, where would the 262 fit in?

Hello soundbeear. I'll try to get more details to you later, but I still love the 262 except it's not really a portable IEM to me, and it's magic is mainly in the mids. It doesn't have the same overall technical impact that the ASG-1 has IMO. It is a very good IEM, but the 262 has such a high impedance that I don't use anywhere else but with my desk amps. And it's not as live and 3-Dish sounding as the Aurisonics. But it's still a good IEM. I didn't put it up for sale (or the GR07)... Hope that helps
 

 

[ericp10]

Quote:

Excelent comparison, thanks a lot. But bass quantity is same as the SM3, right? I was looking for more...

Bass quantity is not the same as the SM3 IMO (I can't speak for shotgunshane). It's much more in quantity and quality. I would only compare the ASG-1 to the SM3 in that they have similar ways in how the music is presented (i.e. you're closer to the stage or in the middle of the music, the bubble if you will). And that's it. The SM3 is a much warmer sound IEM with less micro-details (not saying there aren't any) than the ASG-1. The SM3 has less clarity and transparency than the ASG-1. The SM3 has less 3-D imaging than the ASG-1. Again, that's how I hear it. We all hear differently though.
 
Oh, depending on tips you use, you can shape the sound to suit you more with the ASG-1 than you could with the SM3... The SM3 sound veiled compared to the ASG-1.

 

[vwinter]

Thank you! And James444 by extension.
I definitely would like to at the least experience this. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pull the trigger on these later today but just want to know:
Is the soundstage as wide as te GR07?
I really don't want to go down in that aspect as one of the reasons I went to the GR07 was for more width.
I was looking into the XBA-4 but this is much easier on the wallet.
 
 
 
Quote:

It has depth but it is surrounding you, instead of being projected forward; meaning some cues can come to the sides and behind you.  Check out this diagram from James444; it visualizes what I'm trying to say.
 

 
 

 

[shotgunshane]

.

 

[archy121]

Quote:

Is the soundstage as wide as te GR07 ?
..I was looking into the XBA-4 but this is much easier on the wallet

 
 
vwinter, below might be of help to you from few pages back:

 
Quote:

Well this is probably a bad thing, but since I've received the ASG-1, I haven't even thought about the Sony XBA-4. It's decent and has a crazy wide soundstage and instrument separation, but it just can't compare to the ASG-1. That's my subjective honest opinion. I really haven't thought about any of my other IEMs except for the GR07 (love the drums in those), but even those thoughts are fleeting. That's how enamored I am with the ASG-1.
 
And yes, I'm about to say it here, these are the first universals I've owned that I think can handily compete with my 1964-Q custom. If the universal is this good, I can only imagine what the custom might sound like. With the ports and bass tuner, it will probably sound like various customs in one. Exciting times for this hobby indeed.

 
 
Quote:

Hello whitefroded. I will have to do some more deliberate listening and comparing of the two, but this is what I tell you right off the back: 
 
- ASG-1 is more 3-D in its sound signature than the GR07 (please don't think I'm not loving the Vsonic anymore when I type these comments). The music is taller and I think has a bit more of a soundstage in the ASG-1 compared to the GR07. Although it didn't help to mean anything, but we are talking about high quality massive 15mm dynamic driver as compared to the 11.5mm dynamic driver.
 
- I don't really hear a mid-bass hump although I'm sure there has to be one in the ASG-1. What I hear is massive glorious deep bass in quantity and quality. I always say I'm more of a basshead than not (although not a full-blown member of that segment). I know one of our members stated earlier in this thread that the FS has more bass. I can't imagine that in my head, nor would I think one needs more bass than what I'm hearing out of these universals. These go low when call for in the music. I've been listening diligently but have detected no muddiness. The Aurisonics surpasses the GR07 in sub-bass.
 
- Fit: The GR07, although purported to be a monitor, is built like any typical universal IMO. It's a pretty decent build. The ASG-1 is basically a custom IEM put in a body (or shell if you will) to be as universal as possible. But the shell of the ASG-1 is basically shaped in the same way that you would get  it if you were to buy a custom. I'm saying this - I could be wrong - because I don't believe Aurisonics is meant to be a universal in-ear monitoring unit. I think it was made into one because of demand by some audiophiles and regular music lovers who are cautious about stepping into the customs world. But this is clearly meant to be a custom in-ear monitor in my opinion. So what I'm getting at is the GR07 was designed to fit all ears, and it fits mine most comfortably. The ASG-1 is really designed to fit all ears who get a custom IEM made, but the universal probably won't fit all ears. I think it will fit most. It fits mine quite comfortably, but I wouldn't surprise if a few didn't have the same results. You have to be able to wear these like a custom, however, to get the optimum sound from them. The build quality of the ASG-1 simply surpasses the GR07 - from the beautiful detachable cable, well-crafted shells and design, all the way down to the wonderful hard shell case. I don't know how long Dale and crew can keep this up, but I really feel what you get in the tangible parts of this product way surpasses its price point. All of this has nothing to do with sound (well, the way the drivers are placed in the shell may have something to do with the sound, but that's another topic).
 
- Vocals are just as forward in the ASG-1 as the GR07 - perhaps more so. Now, sometimes it sounds like the singer is too close to the mic in the ASG-1 (very detailed), but I don't want to be too critical of this just yet as ASG-1 has little burn-in whereas the GR07 has probably about 400 hours or better now. I need to give the ASG-1 more time to settle in. 
 
- Mids simply have more details in the ASG-1 than the GR07. But drums are still my favorite in the GR07. The ASG-1 are very damn close and are more 3-D, but again, it needs burn-in. I can see the potential of the drums being so close. The drums in both are very natural and realistic. The GR07 may have little bit of a warmer sound than the ASG-1.
 
- Highs are harsher in the GR07. The highs in the ASG-1 blend in more naturally with the mids. I'll add more thoughts and comparisons as A/B them further, but overall  (as you can see) I think the ASG-1 is the much better value - especially at its price point. Again, you're basically getting a custom IEM pushed into a universal's body.

 


 

 

[project86]

Quote:

 
shotgunshane, I have been trying to come up with what turned me off to the ASG-1 and you did it!  'shouty' it the perfect adjective to describe what I was hearing.  Honestly I though it was just me but maybe that's what project86 might have been trying to pinpoint also?  It really only bothered me on female vocals but that it a majority of what I listen to, aside from that they did rock just about everything else.  I just felt like Diana Krall was yelling at me.  On the plus side, if anyone has TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light [Deluxe], listen to the last track 13 - Will Do (XXXchange Dancehall Mix) - I have not heard an IEM that made me feel it like the ASG-1 did, I would describe it as a perfectly integrated subwoofer, you don't know it's there until......

 
 

 
That's exactly it. I came up with it yesterday but didn't get a chance to post. 
 
It isn't extreme but sometimes takes away from the overall enjoyment of a track. It's source dependent to some degree though - listening on a high end rig makes it somewhat smoother than a Sansa Clip. In this way it is similar to my Westone ES3X. 
 
 

 

[shotgunshane]

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