[potatoe94]

Speaking of which , anyone knows of any interesting source pairing for the Xelento ?
I kind of like the AK70-Xelento Pairing . But was wondering is onkyo/pioneer has new offerings that anyone have tried ?

 

[chortya]

I would be very interested how Xelento performs with AptX HD using LG G6 compared to wired connection to the same phone (korean version with Quad-DAC).

 

[bluelavender]

Speaking of which , anyone knows of any interesting source pairing for the Xelento ?
I kind of like the AK70-Xelento Pairing . But was wondering is onkyo/pioneer has new offerings that anyone have tried ?

Onkyo DP-X1A and kann. Interesting thing about xelento is, it will react very differently to each dap.

 

[potatoe94]

Onkyo DP-X1A and kann. Interesting thing about xelento is, it will react very differently to each dap.

Yesssss ! I figured that out too when playing around with DAPs ! Its hard to please , but once you find the right pairing , its so rewarding !

 

[zeddun]

Xelento pairs very well with my Sony NW-ZX2 and my Aurender Flow. Also scales rather well with my Erzetich Bacilius Tilia desktop headphone amp., Was pleasantly surprised about the latter because the Xelentos are rather efficient to begin with but the Tilia produces a bigger soundstage and the bass tightens up.

 

[zeddun]

How are the xelentos for electronic music?

Xelento sounds great with electronic music. The Propellerheads Take California, History Repeating and Spybreak all sound fantastic with Xelento. So does Daft Punk Da Funk, Get Lucky, etc.

 

[Fixxxer86]

Anyone knows how it compares to the se846? Did anyone an A/B test?

Thanks!

 

[csglinux]

I'm trying to put a small review together of the Xelento, and one of the IEMs I've been comparing against is the SE846.

Compared with any of the SE846 stock filters, the Xelento's treble extension is much better. Compared with the SE846 + the brown Knowles' damper mod, the Xelento's treble extension is still a little bit better; the Xelento does sound clearer up there. The other main difference is in the bass. I love sub-bass rumble, so no complaints from me in regard to the sub-50 Hz region, but depending on your preferences, you might or might not like that 5 dB bump in the mid-bass. I find it's a tough call between the two (Xelento and SE846+brown Knowles dampers). I'm not sure one is really better than the other. I think it would come down to personal preference. Speaking only for me (and I love the Xelento - it was the best-sounding IEM I heard at the last SoCal Canjam), I wish there were a way to dial that mid-bass down - just slightly.

Also bear in mind that the SE846 isolates better than the Xelento, but the Xelento may be more comfortable for long-term listening on account of its shallow insertion.

I have a feeling that the fit issues some (including myself) are experiencing with the right-ear piece is due to the stock cable.

I found that too A custom T2 litz cable with a little heat-treatment on the wires to create an inward bend, and then an over-the-ear loop, and I'm having a much easier time getting a proper fit:

Spoiler: Unbelievably lame attempt at art

 

[twister6]

I'm trying to put a small review together of the Xelento, and one of the IEMs I've been comparing against is the SE846.

Compared with any of the SE846 stock filters, the Xelento's treble extension is much better. Compared with the SE846 + the brown Knowles' damper mod, the Xelento's treble extension is still a little bit better; the Xelento does sound clearer up there. The other main difference is in the bass. I love sub-bass rumble, so no complaints from me in regard to the sub-50 Hz region, but depending on your preferences, you might or might not like that 5 dB bump in the mid-bass. I find it's a tough call between the two (Xelento and SE846+brown Knowles dampers). I'm not sure one is really better than the other. I think it would come down to personal preference. Speaking only for me (and I love the Xelento - it was the best-sounding IEM I heard at the last SoCal Canjam), I wish there were a way to dial that mid-bass down - just slightly.

Also bear in mind that the SE846 isolates better than the Xelento, but the Xelento may be more comfortable for long-term listening on account of its shallow insertion.

Curious, what is your setup for measurements?

 

[csglinux]

Curious, what is your setup for measurements?

A Vibro-Veritas coupler and REW.

 

[twister6]

A Vibro-Veritas coupler and REW.

My calibrated Veritas (w/StarTech interface and ARTA) FR curve looks close:



Btw, perfect balance/match between L/R channels (blue/red), and a clever dip around 6k to cut down on sibilance.

 

[Fixxxer86]

I'm trying to put a small review together of the Xelento, and one of the IEMs I've been comparing against is the SE846.

Compared with any of the SE846 stock filters, the Xelento's treble extension is much better. Compared with the SE846 + the brown Knowles' damper mod, the Xelento's treble extension is still a little bit better; the Xelento does sound clearer up there. The other main difference is in the bass. I love sub-bass rumble, so no complaints from me in regard to the sub-50 Hz region, but depending on your preferences, you might or might not like that 5 dB bump in the mid-bass. I find it's a tough call between the two (Xelento and SE846+brown Knowles dampers). I'm not sure one is really better than the other. I think it would come down to personal preference. Speaking only for me (and I love the Xelento - it was the best-sounding IEM I heard at the last SoCal Canjam), I wish there were a way to dial that mid-bass down - just slightly.

Also bear in mind that the SE846 isolates better than the Xelento, but the Xelento may be more comfortable for long-term listening on account of its shallow insertion.





I found that too A custom T2 litz cable with a little heat-treatment on the wires to create an inward bend, and then an over-the-ear loop, and I'm having a much easier time getting a proper fit:

Spoiler: Unbelievably lame attempt at art

Thanks! Very good info.

What about details, soundstage and dynamics? Is the xelento better in those areas?

I'm looking for a nice universal iem (saddly i can't get customs where I live). I have the shure se215, with them I have a proper seal and fit with the medium foam tips (so I guess that the se846 may be the same). I know that the se215 are miles away from totl iems like xelento or se846 but knowing that I have a proper fit with these is a good starting point. Also I have a pair of senns Amperior wich I love in terms of sound signature, anyway I will prefer deeper bass and a little bit less of treble (I find these a little bit harsh in some songs) I was looking for the se846 because a lot of people says that in the low end rocks (I love bass, but I don't consider myself as a basshead), but I'm getting a hard time deciding for these or other options since I saw a lot of people also saying that they lack treble (I'm not a fan of insane treble, but I do appreciate good details and clarity)

I'll look into that "brown knowles" mod that you say about se846.

Thanks again!

PD: May be the se846 a safer pick since one can actually change filters and mod these to change the ss to your liking? The xelento doesn't have this as far as I know...

 

[zeddun]

I used to own the SE846 and it was a very good IEM. I sold it to purchase the Xelentos. As far as I remember the soundstage on the SE846 is equal to the Xelneto. I just prefer single dynamic driver IEMs because of the impactful bass (although I'm not a basshead). Even though the Xelento has good sensitivity it scales really well with better sources. With my Aurender Flow and Bacillus Tilia desktop head amp the soundstage increases and bass tightens up but is still very impactful (sounds more like a full sized headphone than with my Sony ZX2). In fact I really love this pairing: Windows 10 Surface Book>JR Media Center>Aurender Flow>Xelento. Conversely I found that the SE846 did not scale very well. With the blue filters the SE846 sounded too muffled and warm with the Tilia-never got to try it with the Flow because I had sold the SE846 by then). I also like Beyerdynamics new headphone tuning. They seem to be going with a warmer signature on the Xelento, T5p and T1 vs the brighter signature that existed with previous generation's T1 and T5p. The new T5p also has much better bass that the previous version. Just my two cents worth.

 

[kel77]

Speaking of which , anyone knows of any interesting source pairing for the Xelento ?
I kind of like the AK70-Xelento Pairing . But was wondering is onkyo/pioneer has new offerings that anyone have tried ?

I have the Pioneer XDP-30R with the Xelento.
Packs more than enough power and I run it on low gain.

 

[potatoe94]

I have the Pioneer XDP-30R with the Xelento.
Packs more than enough power and I run it on low gain.

Have yet to try that little thing ! looks like a really attractive alternative to the AK70 , but i really do not understand why they put such a tiny screen !