[JaviGCalderoni]

Some of my favorite IEMs for vocals:

1) Anything Oriolus: Reborn (female vocals especially), Traillii, Isabellae
2) Vision Ears: Elysium (female vocals), EXT (male vocals), Phonix (both)
3) Elysian Diva & Effect/Elysian Gaea (female vocals).
4) Penon Impact
5) IER Z1R (female vocals)
6) Dunu Zen Pro

Edit: I'll also add that the Campfire Solaris SE had some of the nicest male vocals I've ever heard.

Oooo Campfire Solaris SE is a pick.

Question: would you say something like the VE Phoenix did both male and female vocals better than, say, the Gaea did just female?

 

[Rockwell75]

Oooo Campfire Solaris SE is a pick.

Mark Knopfler's voice has never sounded better to me than on the Solaris SE.

Question: would you say something like the VE Phoenix did both male and female vocals better than, say, the Gaea did just female?

Yes. Gaea to me is mostly about upper mid resolution and its sweet and full yet transparent treble response.

 

[JaviGCalderoni]

Mark Knopfler's voice has never sounded better to me than on the Solaris SE.

Sigh. Maybe I’ll find one to try some day. When Campfire hits for me, they really hit.

Yes. Gaea to me is mostly about upper mid resolution and its sweet and full yet transparent treble response.

I essentially made this thread (partly) to see if the Gaea was a worthy investment hahaha. So I guess the multiple mentions of it are my answer!

 

[Rockwell75]

I essentially made this thread (partly) to see if the Gaea was a worthy investment hahaha. So I guess the multiple mentions of it are my answer!

I have a Gaea on tour down in the US now search out the Watercooler Tour thread and sign up if you want to try it first. It's a bit of a contentious IEM due to its lack in the lower mids area-- I myself EQ it a bit. But man I love that treble.

 

[JaviGCalderoni]

I have a Gaea on tour down in the US now search out the Watercooler Tour thread and sign up if you want to try it first. It's a bit of a contentious IEM due to its lack in the lower mids area-- I myself EQ it a bit. But man I love that treble.

I was scoping it out earlier! I may just bite the bullet on the Gaea now (because I’m impatient and make rash decisions) but I’ve got the tour thread marked! 100% participating in one soon

 

[Mangodango369]

Interesting. I haven’t been able to demo any Elysian iems unfortunately but I always heard the Diva was the best for vocals. Really wanna try them all one of these days

I recall when I heard diva I thought the bass and mid eats up a bit of the female vocals. Gaea and Annihilator doesn't have that issue and the female vocal shines through.

 

[JaviGCalderoni]

I recall when I heard diva I thought the bass and mid eats up a bit fo the female vocals. Gaea and Annihilator doesn't have that issue and the female vocal shines through.

I mean the only way for me to know for sure is to try all three I guess. I mean I feel like I have to now. For science.

 

[-rowan-]

Interesting. I haven’t been able to demo any Elysian iems unfortunately but I always heard the Diva was the best for vocals. Really wanna try them all one of these days

I recall when I heard diva I thought the bass and mid eats up a bit of the female vocals. Gaea and Annihilator doesn't have that issue and the female vocal shines through.

The Elysians have good mids but I’d definitely say try them first. The Diva has a fun and useful dial to crank up the bass but yes I agree that it can throw the mids a bit off.

The Impact is way more refined for vocals. It - and all Penon IEMs - are tuned with mids, particularly vocals in mind, so you may want to consider one of those, depending on your budget.

Fwiw, I commented on this in a small Diva vs Impact comparison in this post.

 

[JaviGCalderoni]

The Elysians have good mids but I’d definitely say try them first. The Diva has a fun and useful dial to crank up the bass but yes I agree that it can throw the mids a bit off.

The Impact is way more refined for vocals. It - and all Penon IEMs - are tuned with mids, particularly vocals in mind, so you may want to consider one of those, depending on your budget.

Fwiw, I commented on this in a small Diva vs Impact comparison in this post.

Oh super appreciate that comparison. Is it bad that, because I haven’t done a lot of research on Penon, I was kinda put off by them a while ago because of how … not good the website is? Haha. But honestly the Impact has really piqued my interest. Serious contender now, tbh

 

[-rowan-]

Oh super appreciate that comparison. Is it bad that, because I haven’t done a lot of research on Penon, I was kinda put off by them a while ago because of how … not good the website is? Haha. But honestly the Impact has really piqued my interest. Serious contender now, tbh

Yeah, it’s unfortunate but shouldn’t detract from the fact that the Impact and the entire Penon range are serious contenders in their respective price brackets for anyone who’s after vocals and midrange. They have a very coherent and consistent tuning philosophy in that way.

 

[magicalmouse]

It would be really good if there were a cheap iem for vocals (both male and female)

d

 

[DaveStarWalker]

For me :

1) Aure Audio Ringo's
2) The same...
3) Again ...

In my book they are quite unique.

Because they merge absolutely contradictory qualities: crystal clear, but warm (in a good sens : a human and emotional sens), incarnated, so natural, liquid but no slouch or lazy at all. The timbres and tones are masterfully mastered.

Male or female voices : same magic spell.

Their tuning is an inversed "V". But never in a caricatural way.

Then, I would say Alambic Ears Mentawai's (an authentic high end "audiophile feeling" : definition and resolution are ridiculous for instance), and... Aure Audio Élixir (less special than the two others but exceptional too). They are "W" shaped, these two uiems.

But the Ringo's ...

 

[Altes]

I'm considering the Isabellae, Impact, or Diva for vocals mainly, but also want it to be a good all-rounder. It seems the mainstream reviewers put the Diva higher than the Oriolus (even the Traillii), whereas the head-fi forums seem to praise the Isabellae and Impact more. E.g., HBB listens to test gear rather than enjoyment so I can see him ranking Oriolus stuff lower, but Gizaudio loves/tonality/timbre/vocals so I expected Oriolus IEMs to rank high, but for some reason his preference score for Isabellae is 5.5/10. Anywho, in forums, it seems the only potential weaknesses of the Isabellae and Impact is the sub-bass extension from what I've read, whereas for the Diva, you can switch the tunable switch setting to lowest bass. As for the Traillii, it has even less bass than the Isabellae, right? I might not be willing to give up that much for the Traillii given the price is also the highest.

I heard the most obvious cons of the Isabellae is the nozzle diameter, but not sure if the Diva has an even wider nozzle diameter although Diva is known for the big shell. Can't find any measurements, but I'm assuming the Impact has the narrowest nozzle diameter? (I can feel pain from 6mm diameter nozzle on my V16 and Indigo (not sure their precise measurements)). I hope the Isabellae and Diva is very ergonomic and angled perfectly to alleviate the nozzle diameter (if it's even wider than 6mm).

In terms of value, I would guess without having listened to either that it's simply in order of price (since they're all good?): So, Isabellae -> Diva -> Impact?

What about ignoring value and just picking the IEM that can capture a listener the most (no nitpicking or A/B'ing, just wowing once they put it on)?

For audiophiles, if they pay attention to the technicalities and start nitpicking, what would be the order? I saw audioreviews say Isabellae lacks extension on bass and treble.

 

[Smirk 24]

I'm considering the Isabellae, Impact, or Diva for vocals mainly, but also want it to be a good all-rounder.

In terms of value, I would guess without having listened to either that it's simply in order of price (since they're all good?): So, Isabellae -> Diva -> Impact?

For audiophiles, if they pay attention to the technicalities and start nitpicking, what would be the order? I saw audioreviews say Isabellae lacks extension on bass and treble.

I've had the Diva '23 for a few months now. I can attest that their vocals are top-tier - it's my personal favorite for vocals specifically. They're definitely colored and opinionated, but in an addictive, drug-like way.

I think that the bass switch adds to its value with its tuning flexibility. The middle setting has a slightly darker lower mids presentation while the low/high settings have the opposite effect.

The Diva is well-extended on both ends except for a steep drop-off after about 16kHz. This is okay for me since I'm sensitive to this region, but may not be for others.

The nozzle and shells of the Diva are indeed quite large. They're surprisingly lightweight and ergonomic though, so if you can fit the nozzles, it's relatively comfortable.

As an anti-example, the Symphonium Helios which also sports large shells and nozzles, are heavier in comparison and less ergonomic leading to a more contentious fit.

 

[lmfboy01]

QOA Mojito has quite a unique vocal tone that stands out from the rest of IEMs I own.