[Rockwell75]

I've had an opportunity to demo the supermoon (universal fit) for the past week now. I must say, for $1500 this is probably the best totl value deal I've had a chance to try - and not just from a price to performance perspective, but a technically proficient and excellent sounding iem overall. I can genuinely see this being an end game for those who doesn't mind it's timbre (it's quite "digital") and have a preference for a lesser pinna gain than the Harman target.

I haven't seen its frequency graph yet but the vocals are recessed to my hearing - leaning towards a darker tuning, but with a bright and accentuated treble. In tandem with the previous reviews, it is quite V-shaped and adds a hefty amount of excitement to whichever genre you listen to. This is probably the most enjoyable and exciting-sounding iem I've had a chance to try in recent times.

I can understand the hype that's built around it thanks to @Rockwell75

I must say it's stock cable does not do justice as to how well the supermoon scales. To those who get a chance to demo, I highly encourage you to get it paired up with a better cable.

Now onto it's technical performance...
As I'm comparing it side-by-side with the Odin, supermoon exceeds Odin when it comes to detail retrieval, soundstage, and resolution. I remember the first time I was awe-struck by Odin's hyper-resolution. Supermoon takes it a notch further up with a 4k-like resolution with a more intimate, but grander soundstage that expands both in width and depth (height is comparable to Odin). Its depth alone really sold the impression of giving a holographic presentation that I haven't heard elsewhere. Imaging is a standout with a tad better layering than the Odin.

I'd say its biggest caveat (if you like its darker tuning with emphasized treble) is the timbre, as it has a bit of a digitized tone to everything it plays. I can imagine this being a substantial problem with those more accustomed to a natural-sounding hifi experience. The bass also lacks texture at the lower end, although it is quite fun with its substantially elevated db that provides punch and weight.

Now in as much as I've enjoyed this unit, I unfortunately won't be upgrading from my Odin mainly due to the tuning. I find the treble way too emphasized and forward that it appears quite sibilant to my ears (although other have had quite a different experience). I can't last longer than than an hour before it gets too fatiguing for my ear, in spite of having excellent ergonomics even for a universal fit (probably the best fitting uni I've tried).
The upper midrange is also quite recessed for my liking, as I do enjoy more forward vocals closer in line with the Harman target. The midrange also sound more flat compared to the Odin, which could be me just being spoiled by now honestly haha.
The timbre has also been questionable, which was a surprise as I'm usually not sensitive to timbre.

Great impressions thank-you for sharing. It's funny that you're comparing with the Odin, an IEM I found to be quite fatiguing over time, though due to the emphasized lower mids vs. the treble. Definitely a personal preference/sensitivity thing. I find the treble on Supermoon quite prominent but it's never veered into sibilance or anything fatiguing for me. I wonder if source (or ear geometry) may have something to do with this. Definitely a YMMV thing, and a pretty YMMV IEM in general it seems. I've heard some pretty varied impressions from people, including metallic timbre in the mids, digital timbre, shouty or sibilant highs (which are all things I'm sensitive to but don't really notice in this case) and quite a few from people who are totally smitten with it like me. It's definitely not as natural sounding as a nice DD but for me the trade off in technical prowess is worth it. YMMV and all that.

Overall, this demo trial has been a splendid experience and makes me even more curious about their upcoming planar + ba hybrid that I'm patiently waiting

Do you know for sure it's BA/Planar? Have you heard anything else about it? I'd love to see a planar/DD hybrid.

 

[SteveK27]

Great impressions thank-you for sharing. It's funny that you're comparing with the Odin, an IEM I found to be quite fatiguing over time, though due to the emphasized lower mids vs. the treble. Definitely a personal preference/sensitivity thing. I find the treble on Supermoon quite prominent but it's never veered into sibilance or anything fatiguing for me. I wonder if source (or ear geometry) may have something to do with this. Definitely a YMMV thing, and a pretty YMMV IEM in general it seems. I've heard some pretty varied impressions from people, including metallic timbre in the mids, digital timbre, shouty or sibilant highs (which are all things I'm sensitive to but don't really notice in this case) and quite a few from people who are totally smitten with it like me. It's definitely not as natural sounding as a nice DD but for me the trade off in technical prowess is worth it. YMMV and all that.



Do you know for sure it's BA/Planar? Have you heard anything else about it? I'd love to see a planar/DD hybrid.

I'm confident it has to do with our ear geometry as everyone's sensitivity differs in different frequencies
Having heard your second favorite EXN as well, which I also found a bit darker in the upper mid-range for my liking (although excellent treble!), I think we just simply have different preferences haha
It's like how everyone has different tastebuds when seasoning their food! We all have different preferences and tolerances, which is why I always encourage those who are just starting in this hobby to not get too caught up into a single person's review/ranking as bible, as their preferences may differ without even knowing.

My source is the dx320 on amp13 (right po). Always wanted to try the m9 though

In regards to the upcoming ba/planar, i got my info from @ExpatinJapan on the other campfire audio forum - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/campfire-audio-new-iem-release.932244/page-60

I'm pretty sure you know of this as well. Personally, i'm more excited with the ba/planar proposition than with dd hybrid. I often find ba to have faster transients than dd, which I really enjoy.

 

[Rockwell75]

It's like how everyone has different tastebuds when seasoning their food! We all have different preferences and tolerances, which is why I always encourage those who are just starting in this hobby to not get too caught up into a single person's review/ranking as bible, as their preferences may differ without even knowing.

Agreed 100%. I use food analogies all the time in this hobby as I think there's a lot of overlap . There is no tuning that will appeal to everyone any more than there is a single food that will be preferred by everyone. We all have our own sensitivities & preferences plus different music tastes to boot. Learning to chart my own course and not become over-reliant on the preferences or orthodoxies of others is the surest pathway to bliss in this hobby imho

 

[SteveK27]

@Rockwell75
Btw I'm quite curious if you've ever considered asking campfire audio for a black universal instead.

I think the black one looks stellar with it's stainless steel backing.

 

[Skies]

I'd say its biggest caveat (if you like its darker tuning with emphasized treble) is the timbre, as it has a bit of a digitized tone to everything it plays. I can imagine this being a substantial problem with those more accustomed to a natural-sounding hifi experience. The bass also lacks texture at the lower end, although it is quite fun with its substantially elevated db that provides punch and weight.

Now in as much as I've enjoyed this unit, I unfortunately won't be upgrading from my Odin mainly due to the tuning. I find the treble way too emphasized and forward that it appears quite sibilant to my ears (although other have had quite a different experience). I can't last longer than than an hour before it gets too fatiguing for my ear, in spite of having excellent ergonomics even for a universal fit (probably the best fitting uni I've tried).

What cable would you pair the Supermoon with? You mentioned the standard cable to be subpar. I decided to pair it with a pure copper cable to hopefully diminish the forward treble.

 

[SteveK27]

What cable would you pair the Supermoon with? You mentioned the standard cable to be subpar. I decided to pair it with a pure copper cable to hopefully diminish the forward treble.

It's hard to recommend a cable as I haven't tried many after market cables beyond the stock cables that comes with the iem. A pure copper cable would rationally be a good decision however.

I've been using it with the cema vulture cable as it has a pretty loose and relaxing signature with wide soundstage. But honestly, if you also find the treble sibilant as well, the best option would be to move on and find a different iem that's tuned to your preference. No amount of cable swap will "fix" an iem beyond a small attenuation. Changing your dac/amp source would have a bigger impact, but it would be cheaper to find a more suitable iem Imho.

 

[Lookout57]

What cable would you pair the Supermoon with? You mentioned the standard cable to be subpar. I decided to pair it with a pure copper cable to hopefully diminish the forward treble.

The best cables are OCC copper, silver or one that uses both.

Avoid any and all plated cables. Silver plated copper cables are a low cost shortcut to try to duplicate a copper and silver cable sound. Other types of plating are marketing schemes that cannot produce what OCC copper of silver can produce.

 

[Rockwell75]

@Rockwell75
Btw I'm quite curious if you've ever considered asking campfire audio for a black universal instead.

I think the black one looks stellar with it's stainless steel backing.

I never thought to try as my understanding is that they don't want to release it generally as a universal. The one I got was a Hong Kong only release.

 

[Skullar]

Is there a graph floating around for Supermoon?

 

[aaf evo]

Is there a graph floating around for Supermoon?

I shared mine in the water cooler thread , let me dig.

 

[aaf evo]

Supermoon and Timeless. SM is yellow.

 

[Skullar]

Supermoon and Timeless. SM is yellow.

Thanks. Looking really cool. Sent CFA email regarding demo unit. Was really impressed by it in CJ London. But to commit to ciem i would need to spend some more time. Or ideally get a universal haha. Shame guys in CJ did not agree to part with demo unit

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Thanks. Looking really cool. Sent CFA email regarding demo unit. Was really impressed by it in CJ London. But to commit to ciem i would need to spend some more time. Or ideally get a universal haha. Shame guys in CJ did not agree to part with demo unit

Look forward to your thoughts when you get that demo in!

 

[Silco]

Supermoon and Timeless. SM is yellow.

The fact that SM, timeless and S12 use the absolutely same driver from the literally same factory in China, and SM is even more v-shaped than timeless and probably as much as the S12, I can't think of a reason to get this when something like the shuoer s12 is 120$ pretty much permanently(even timeless is just 200$). Through a bit of eq they can sound the same, and reshell s12 or timeless won't really cost much if you want to go custom.

 

[aaf evo]

The fact that SM, timeless and S12 use the absolutely same driver from the literally same factory in China, and SM is even more v-shaped than timeless and probably as much as the S12, I can't think of a reason to get this when something like the shuoer s12 is 120$ pretty much permanently(even timeless is just 200$). Through a bit of eq they can sound the same, and reshell s12 or timeless won't really cost much if you want to go custom.

Ehhh, EQ won’t make the Timeless sound like Supermoon. Timeless cannot compete with Supermoon stage and imaging capabilities, but if that’s not important to you then it’s whatever. Overall the Supermoon is tiers above Timeless for me when I had them both to demo.