[kms108]

  I tried a few balanced mmcx cables, and both from a bass level and ergonomy point of view, I found the FiiO RC-SE1B to give good results with my T8iE (so it should apply to Xelento).
Its connectors are quite tight and not angled (angled connectors and rigid earguides make Xelento/AK T8iE fit become very difficult, the cable need to remain flexible with these IEMs).
And it keeps the good bass.
 
The Fidue balanced cable for the A83 made the fit bad (angled connectors) and did decrease the bass.
I tried custom-made cables as well but nothing came close to the price/performance ratio of the FiiO cable (in the <120$ category, which is my personal limit for a cable).

Thanks I will have a look into these, but I have set my eyes on the final audio, but there is one thing that worry me, as you have mentioned, you have tho have the bent area a small form, and a flexible cable, for the final audio, the cable is flexible, but the plug area is about a inch long and is not so flexible.
 
What do you thing, I have posted this a few times, but no reply, seems like no one has this cable, and it will be around december when I will get this in Japan.
 

 

 

[csglinux]

BTW, cool new website headfi!

 

[Jephre]

I know this might be apples and oranges with Andromeda being BA and Xelento being DD, but does anyone know how they might compare?

 

[csglinux]

I know this might be apples and oranges with Andromeda being BA and Xelento being DD, but does anyone know how they might compare?

A lot of people seem to like the Andromeda. It didn't wow me. It does have good (linear) treble extension. I found it's bass a bit much for my taste, but not by a wide margin. It's a good-sounding headphone - just not as exciting to listen to as the Xelento. That may be because the Xelento has a little more of a v-shape to its sound signature (a little v-shape is always a good thing, IMHO!). Andromeda fails for me with its ergonomics and ridiculously short, stubby nozzles.

I wish more manufacturers would look at what Etymotic, Shure, Westone, FLC, etc., are doing with their headphone design. I'm not talking about sound at all - just the shape and size of the earpiece and nozzle. It is sooooo easy to get a good, comfortable and consistent seal with any of the above headphones. Xelento is better than Andromeda in this regard, but my number one wish for Xelento 2 would be for longer nozzles. I'm still struggling to get a consistent seal in my right ear.

 

[davehutch]

A lot of people seem to like the Andromeda. It didn't wow me. It does have good (linear) treble extension. I found it's bass a bit much for my taste, but not by a wide margin. It's a good-sounding headphone - just not as exciting to listen to as the Xelento. That may be because the Xelento has a little more of a v-shape to its sound signature (a little v-shape is always a good thing, IMHO!). Andromeda fails for me with its ergonomics and ridiculously short, stubby nozzles.

I wish more manufacturers would look at what Etymotic, Shure, Westone, FLC, etc., are doing with their headphone design. I'm not talking about sound at all - just the shape and size of the earpiece and nozzle. It is sooooo easy to get a good, comfortable and consistent seal with any of the above headphones. Xelento is better than Andromeda in this regard, but my number one wish for Xelento 2 would be for longer nozzles. I'm still struggling to get a consistent seal in my right ear.

Don't know if they fit or not but have you tried the Comply P-Series? They're ,longer than usual

 

[Trager]

@Jephre -- I pretty much exactly have the same response as @csglinux about Andromeda vs Xelento. Andromeda was good (in my limited listening at CanJam), but too bassy and a little clinical on the high end. Xelento is a whole different story. I don't hear the V-shape as much as he does (usually I associate that with a midrange recession, which I very much don't get with Xelento), but X is definitely more fun than the Campfires.

I'm still tip-rolling to figure it exactly what is the best match with these bad boys. Soon as I get that sorted, it'll be time for a detailed review.

 

[Sound Eq]

A lot of people seem to like the Andromeda. It didn't wow me. It does have good (linear) treble extension. I found it's bass a bit much for my taste, but not by a wide margin. It's a good-sounding headphone - just not as exciting to listen to as the Xelento. That may be because the Xelento has a little more of a v-shape to its sound signature (a little v-shape is always a good thing, IMHO!). Andromeda fails for me with its ergonomics and ridiculously short, stubby nozzles.

I wish more manufacturers would look at what Etymotic, Shure, Westone, FLC, etc., are doing with their headphone design. I'm not talking about sound at all - just the shape and size of the earpiece and nozzle. It is sooooo easy to get a good, comfortable and consistent seal with any of the above headphones. Xelento is better than Andromeda in this regard, but my number one wish for Xelento 2 would be for longer nozzles. I'm still struggling to get a consistent seal in my right ear.

shure 846 is the only iem that I achieve perfect seal with no hassle what so ever, so you are right on that point about design, wonder how xelento compares to shure 846

 

[twister6]

shure 846 is the only iem that I achieve perfect seal with no hassle what so ever, so you are right on that point about design, wonder how xelento compares to shure 846

Achieving a perfect seal is a matter of finding the right eartip I had to do some serious tip rolling, digging through a few dozen of my spare tips before I got to my "perfect" seal. Also, so far, really digging pair up with Ken's ALO SPC Litz cable.

 

[Noobmachine]

Just picked these up to replace my broken DITA IEMs, and they are quite the performer! I've been away from the audiophile community for a bit, just casually enjoying the music, but the Xelentos are good enough that I felt the need to give a brief write-up to praise these little guys.

Clear detailed mids and high end, plenty of clarity and sparkle with no sibilance to speak of. Low end is also very impressive, with solid sub and mid bass performance. Really no complaints other than the poorer than average isolation, and I could easily see how some people have fit issues with these though, the fit is pretty unique, and people with "elephant ears" might have a tough time with these. The fit is pretty shallow, so if you are used to a deep fit, these are probably not for you...

These are pretty much a standard U shaped signature rather than the V that people here seem to claim, I don't find any part of the mids lacking, but I could understand if the extreme spaciousness were to be mistaken for a certain airiness/lightness to the mids. Running these out of the Chord Mojo is an absolute pleasure, and I highly recommend the pairing. I am used to the DITA IEMs though, and some find those to have slightly laid back mids than average, but I think they're plenty present, even in more crowded tracks.

Honestly the market has become so saturated in the 1 and a half or so years I've been away, and with the average price of IEMs climbing higher and higher, I really didn't know what to expect for a $1000 earphone anymore. The $1000 mark used to be "summit-fi" territory (or really close), and now it feels like people treat it like a mid-fi kinda tier, when the performance is pretty much better than the flagships of old.

The Xelentos feel like what a flagship IEM needs to sound like, and I can't quite claim that the sound of a pair of 14 driver $2000 IEMs (which I actually demoed at the store I got the Xelentos) are better than these in any regard. When you pay more than $1000 dollars for any IEM at this point, I feel like it's just catering to personal tastes, and no pair is objectively better than another anymore... There's always been this "spend more, get more" kinda attitude in the audiophile world, and quite frankly I don't think, in this current era of technology, that sound/performance/stuff gets significantly better to warrant the insane prices offered.

Just my two cents.

TLDR; The Xelentos are great, they're as good as I feel anyone with normal hearing really needs to have without spending more than $1000.

 

[batracom]

Can you please tell us

Achieving a perfect seal is a matter of finding the right eartip I had to do some serious tip rolling, digging through a few dozen of my spare tips before I got to my "perfect" seal. Also, so far, really digging pair up with Ken's ALO SPC Litz cable.

Can you please tell us what tips eventually resulted in the perfect fit with the Xelentos? I am still not there with the right-ear. But it's good that many alternative tips fit the nozzle, it's quite opposite the IE800 scenario...

 

[zeddun]

Everyone's mileage may vary but the stock silicone tips work the best for me. Isolation is decent for a universal IEM and the stock tips to me provide the most transparent and dynamic sound. I've also used medium SpinFit tips (CP-100) with the the Xelentos and they would be my second choice. The SpinFits provide a slightly more secure fit and better isolation than the stock silicone tips but the SpinFit tips sound a little too bass heavy for my my tastes. FYI my Beyer contact recommends 100 hours break in/burn in time for the Xelentos to sound their best and as intended. I haven't yet formed an opinion as to whether burn in actually helps with headphones/earphones.

 

[Sound Eq]

wonder how xelento compares to vega

 

[Trager]

wonder how xelento compares to vega

I tried them out back to back at CanJam and preferred Xelento by a long shot. Vega was too bass heavy for me, and there's no comparison in terms of form factor.

 

[bluelavender]

Has anyone tried xelento with fiio se1b balanced 2.5mm cable?

 

[zeddun]

I also tried the Vegas at Axpona 2017 a few weeks ago. The Vegas sounded pretty good but a little too bass heavy for me and I found the mids to be more forward than the Xelentos. Also, as Trager mentioned you cannot beat the comfort and form factor of the Xelentos.