[mentega]

I am using the xelastec and I have to be honest they are quite remarkable. I have weirdly shaped ear canals and the xelastecs shape to my ears after a few minutes and you forget you have something stuck in your ear. They are shorter that the average tip (probably just like the azalea shorts) so they allow for a shallower insertion. The surface material is kinda tacky, so they just stay in place. In terms of overall comfort they are imo just a tad better than the final E, the benefit is that they don't tend to "walk out" of my ear when I am moving about like the final tips do.
Can't comment in terms of how they affect the sound (been diving for most of my life....) but I think they open up the soundstage a bit, possibly because they don't sit in my ears too deep.

 

[paulobao]

I'm using the Azla SednaEarfit XELASTEC size M in my IT07's and yes, they are the best I've tried until now. Unfortunately I needed to buy them directly from Azla Korea (and, since I live in Portugal, I paid much more for the fees than for the eartips itself and they are not the cheap!).
I'm still waiting for my Dorado's 2020 from Germany, hope they will arrive until the end of the week.

 

[Rockwell75]

Dorado 2020 absolutely nails this track. The natural tone and timbre of the instruments, the cymbal decay, the clarity, everything in its own space yet flowing together so well. Elysium kicked off my fascination with dynamic driven natural timbred mids and the Dorado 2020 utterly excels in this regard.

 

[DanielListening]

Dorado 2020 absolutely nails this track. The natural tone and timbre of the instruments, the cymbal decay, the clarity, everything in its own space yet flowing together so well. Elysium kicked off my fascination with dynamic driven natural timbred mids and the Dorado 2020 utterly excels in this regard.

I have been selling off my record collection (I’m all digital now). Making progress to buy the Dorado & KANN A&K.

 

[Rockwell75]

I have been selling off my record collection (I’m all digital now). Making progress to buy the Dorado & KANN A&K.

Close to 3 weeks now and still loving them just as much as the first day I tried them-- even alongside the Elysium. My only real caveat with them at this point is that they need a bit of EQ at 4K to open up a little slice of the lower treble that's a little too eclipsed by bass. But this little bit of EQ is all that is needed (for reference I've EQd every IEM I've ever owned except Andro and Elysium) and the sound of the Dorado 2020 is bang on. You can EQ in a bit of FR but you can't EQ in that beautiful natural timbre.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Close to 3 weeks now and still loving them just as much as the first day I tried them-- even alongside the Elysium. My only real caveat with them at this point is that they need a bit of EQ at 4K to open up a little slice of the lower treble that's a little too eclipsed by bass. But this little bit of EQ is all that is needed (for reference I've EQd every IEM I've ever owned except Andro and Elysium) and the sound of the Dorado 2020 is bang on. You can EQ in a bit of FR but you can't EQ in that beautiful natural timbre.

Glad you're still loving them!

I decided to step back into the Andro club with the 2020, since I realized I've never had any great outside-of-show time with the OG or the 2020 and have ironically only been with special editions.

 

[Rockwell75]

Glad you're still loving them!

I decided to step back into the Andro club with the 2020, since I realized I've never had any great outside-of-show time with the OG or the 2020 and have ironically only been with special editions.

I love the 2020 Andromeda. That may be the next (and final) IEM I purchase after I snag a Z1R.

 

[paulobao]

Still waiting for mine. Usually it should already be here but nowadays the delivers from DHL are not as before!
Anyway I'm anxious to start listening to them but worried too since recently I saw some not so good reviews about them (like the one made by Precogvision).

 

[Rockwell75]

Still waiting for mine. Usually it should already be here but nowadays the delivers from DHL are not as before!
Anyway I'm anxious to start listening to them but worried too since recently I saw some not so good reviews about them (like the one made by Precogvision).

You'll find contradictory impressions on just about every piece of gear you can imagine. There have been a few occasions where a negative review has turned me off a piece of gear that later turnout to be just what I was looking for. The trick is to find people whose impressions and tastes line up with your own tune out the rest. Ultimately there's no substitute for trying something for yourself. I knew exactly what I was getting into with this IEM and it hasn't disappointed me. I hope yours arrives soon and I look forward to your impressions.

 

[paulobao]

Yes, I totally agree. Not only with gear but let's say, art.
As I said before my problem here it's the unavailability of any of these "things". So, impossible to try before buying. I'm lowering my expectations now....just to have a good surprise .
I've already ordered a CA balanced cable since I always go/went balanced with all my iems.
Hope to receive Dorado tomorrow .

 

[10DeeQ]

You'll find contradictory impressions on just about every piece of gear you can imagine. There have been a few occasions where a negative review has turned me off a piece of gear that later turnout to be just what I was looking for. The trick is to find people whose impressions and tastes line up with your own tune out the rest. Ultimately there's no substitute for trying something for yourself. I knew exactly what I was getting into with this IEM and it hasn't disappointed me. I hope yours arrives soon and I look forward to your impressions.

Hi Rockwell
Since you’ve listened bothe z1r and dorado
In terms of mids
Vocal i mean
Which one is “warmer and fuller ? “
thanks

 

[Rockwell75]

Hi Rockwell
Since you’ve listened bothe z1r and dorado
In terms of mids
Vocal i mean
Which one is “warmer and fuller ? “
thanks

Dorado for sure. Z1R has many great qualities but I wouldn't say warm and full vocals is near the top of the list. Dorado has a bass dominant signature and the mids can be recessed at times but I find the nice DD texture and natural full sound more than compensates for the lack of forwardness. I find the midrange on the Dorado easy to connect with despite the recessions, especially compared to other IEMs that have more forward mids whose BA texture leaves them feeling vaguely artificial and harder to embrace emotionally. The Z1R has more lower treble presence and as I've stated elsewhere I've found it necessary to EQ Dorado up a couple db at 4k but once this is done the sound is perfect to my ears and tastes (relative to the type of sound I'm after with Dorado). All of that said I haven't yet compared then two directly as my loaner Z1R was out the door a couple days before I got the Dorado. However I've just purchased an IER Z1R and I should have it in a few days after which I'll be able to a/b them properly. If I can find the time I may even to a proper shootout between the Elysium, IER Z1R and Dorado 2020.

 

[Rockwell75]

I took the time here to a/b/c Dorado, Elysium and Nio with Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. I may as well post them here.

Here are some observations on the 3 IEMs:

Elysium—Bang on the money. Everything is perfectly balanced and the texture & timbre is off the charts. Vocals are right in the middle, crystal clear, well bodied and seductive. Guitars have crunch, bite and body with zero veil behind the bass. Bass is thumping, detailed, crunchy, impactful.

Dorado 2020-- Vocals and guitars are pushed behind the bass. It does seem like a dash of the FR is pushed completely behind the bass. Vocals are present, have great texture, despite being pushed a bit in the background. Guitars have great texture and body but lack crunch and bite-- a touch of info here and there does seem nearly totally eclipsed by the bass at times. Bass texture, timbre, impact, is off the charts good.

Nio-- This one was interesting. The Nio has more of the forwardness, detail and clarity of the Elysium, but it lacks the body, texture and natural timbre of the Dorado. Guitars have crunch and bite but they lack body and texture-- at times the sound of the Nio sounds like a 2-d image atop a 3-d surface of bass.

Conclusion-- the Elysium is the closest thing to a total package IEM for me right now and this comparison illustrated precisely why. The most remarkable thing about it is that I never find myself missing the DD on the low end when I'm listening to them. Between the Dorado and Nio it's a "choose your poison" kind of situation. For those who prefer detail and clarity over naturalness and timbre then the Nio may be the way to go.

For me, as I've indicated, it's the bass response combined with the natural timbre of the mid-range that has won the day for me here with the Dorado. When seeking an IEM that has a forward and dominant bass response I went into it knowing there'd be a sacrifice in the mids somewhere. Thus, when listening to the Dorado I take it as almost axiomatic that there will be times when I hear part of the midrange lose some of its dynamics by being pushed behind the bass a bit. Regarding the bit that seems to be completely behind the bass the bright side of this situation is that it’s not a super wide range of the FR that is missing information. As I noted in my full review of the Dorado, a slight bump to 4K on EQ should open up the most recessed area of the lower treble enough reasonably mitigate the issue and remove any sense that anything is "missing". I have been using the Dorados for the last day or so with +2db @4k EQ applied and it seems to be doing the trick rather well. FR can be EQ'd in but no amount of EQ can produce the seductive rich natural timbre of the Dorado 2020.

 

[10DeeQ]

Thnks for the reply
Problem is here in my country the price difference between the z1r and the dorado is less than $400 thus makes my decision quite difficult
At first i really want to get the z1r but after reading so many reviews about the comfort and fit now i’m leaning towards the dorado more.
I mainly listen to top 40, slow and rnb

by the way have you tried shure 846 ?
I wonder the hos the bass on the z1r and dorado compared to 846’s

 

[Rockwell75]

I mainly listen to top 40, slow and rnb

Reading this I 100% would rec Dorado 2020 over Z1R for its more lower/mid/bass prominence (the weakest area of the Z1R's FR imho).