[damart81]

LMK how it goes. That would probably determine whether or not I get them at some point. I mostly just do spotify premium.

I am listening off the iphone X right now with the Solaris, and can turn it up about halfway in volume before it gets too loud. I could see myself using it as an daily option as I also primarily use spotify premium. I can spot very minor differences from the Topping NX4. I also do not hear any hiss on the iphone x, and hear a very minor hiss on the low gains settings using the NX4. Although when I try high gain there is definitely a persistent hiss. But I still need more listening time to determine if I will use a portable DAC with the iphone on the go.

I'm sure @davidmolliere will be able to provide a much better comparison as he has the WM1Z. I would definitely be interested in trying out a wifi capable DAP in the future.

 

[deafdoorknob]

 

[candlejack]

To each their own, right? Even with measurements, we can certainly agree that "trust your ears" is the most important thing. If it sounds good to you, that's all that matters!

Yes, and this is the reason I refrain from making statements like "A is better than B", while I'll have no problem saying that "A sounds better to me than B". And this distinction is especially important because even to me (and I assume I'm not unique in this sense) the same thing sound differently depending on how tired I am, if I have just eaten or exercised, etc.

I don't have enough history here to comment on the integrity of reviewers, but I can clearly see that the opinions they write in their reviews are influencing a lot of people to buy one thing or another. This kind of power makes the reviewers ideal targets for the companies that try to sell this stuff and I can see how it can get to a point where, if you stick to your guns a little too much as a reviewer, you can be out of the game. So I think that as consumers we need to ask for measurements to become a point of emphasis in all reviews and, if you want to be a proper reviewer, you need to find a way to incorporate more measurements to support your evaluation of a product.

Imagine I was reviewing a camera and I told you it took sharper images than the camera you currently have but showed you no pictures to back that up. Pretty ridiculous, don't you think? Currently, it looks to me like audiophile gear reviewer are like wine tasters. But I digress...

I should probably make it clear that, since I am spending time on this forum, I clearly appreciate the people who share their opinions, be they reviewers or regular consumers.

 

[nevrsumr]

I am listening off the iphone X right now with the Solaris, and can turn it up about halfway in volume before it gets too loud. I could see myself using it as an daily option as I also primarily use spotify premium. I can spot very minor differences from the Topping NX4. I also do not hear any hiss on the iphone x, and hear a very minor hiss on the low gains settings using the NX4. Although when I try high gain there is definitely a persistent hiss. But I still need more listening time to determine if I will use a portable DAC with the iphone on the go.

I'm sure @davidmolliere will be able to provide a much better comparison as he has the WM1Z. I would definitely be interested in trying out a wifi capable DAP in the future.

Go to settings, music, volume limit, then adjust the slider to change the scale of the volume. You will then be able to turn the volume up all the way if you want. They sound similar to the Andromeda's so try 3/4 on the volume limit slider and you will probably be able to turn up the Solaris to 3/4 and all your other IEMs will still be loud enough with 100% volume. Awesome adjustment on the phone for these IEMs

 

[cytoSiN]

Go to settings, music, volume limit, then adjust the slider to change the scale of the volume. You will then be able to turn the volume up all the way if you want. They sound similar to the Andromeda's so try 3/4 on the volume limit slider and you will probably be able to turn up the Solaris to 3/4 and all your other IEMs will still be loud enough with 100% volume. Awesome adjustment on the phone for these IEMs

Sounds like the iPhone has much better audio options than the "8" line of Samsung phones. The max volume on the Samsung is way too low and there's no straightforward way to fix it. But sounds like that wouldn't be an issue for the Solaris.

 

[nevrsumr]

Sounds like the iPhone has much better audio options than the "8" line of Samsung phones. The max volume on the Samsung is way too low and there's no straightforward way to fix it. But sounds like that wouldn't be an issue for the Solaris.

Check this out. This guy did a bunch of testing (DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER ) Just to be clear, this is my first ever iphone. I can say it has the best quality sound of any phone I've had and I've had a lot.

This tiny Apple device has better performance and more and cleaner output than many fancier "audiophile" devices I've tested. Apple has more resources to make better stuff than the smaller companies. Most 3rd-party headphone amps and DACs, all be they bigger and far more expensive, put out less clean power into 32Ω loads, and do it with more distortion, poorer sound and lousier frequency response.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm

 

[davidmolliere]

@candlejack Well, if you limit the "right" to review to those who have the ability to make measurements then it's going to be a very very limited set of people... which is kind of what I understood [the forum that can't be named] is about and it's the argument all over again on the subjectivity of reviews and the commercial aspect lying underneath. I for one paid the full price for every IEM I have owned including Solaris and I wrote 2 reviews so far that are my honest and humble opinion. Yes I am enthusiastic about the Solaris, because I truly mean what I wrote. It's a hobby and I am trying to further my understanding by writing reviews. People are adults, they make their own choice and sharing opinions is just that my review is a pure opinion and what I am honestly hearing, I don't ever pretend to own any truth.

On top of this from what I understand of measurements it's really hard to make those without both incredibly expensive equipment to do it right and in depth knowledge which aside from professional training isn't likely to be enough to make the measurements valid. I remember reading several heated discussions over diverging measurements that then turn to be really dependent on methodology and measuring gear. This weakens the objectivity argument a lot IMHO, because if measurements were absolute you wouldn't have diverging measurements to begin with... last but not least, measurements and FR graph most of the time tell me little about a headphone and IEM tuning.

There is much more to sound than pure frequency charts...

As you said that even your state of mind will influence your perception (yes, it's psycho-acoustics so it's not entirely objective).

Check this out. This guy did a bunch of testing (DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER )
https://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-quality.htm

I love Ken Rockwell, my other hobby is photography, but let's say he has a bit of radical views on this kind of stuff I've read similar things before from him. I'll take that with a grain of salt.

Now I'll try the iphone X dongle right away and report what I subjectively hear

 

[nevrsumr]

@candlejack Well, if you limit the "right" to review to those who have the ability to make measurements then it's going to be a very very limited set of people... which is kind of what I understood [the forum that can't be named] is about and it's the argument all over again on the subjectivity of reviews and the commercial aspect lying underneath. I for one paid the full price for every IEM I have owned including Solaris and I wrote 2 reviews so far that are my honest and humble opinion. Yes I am enthusiastic about the Solaris, because I truly mean what I wrote. It's a hobby and I am trying to further my understanding by writing reviews. People are adults, they make their own choice and sharing opinions is just that my review is a pure opinion and what I am honestly hearing, I don't ever pretend to own any truth.

On top of this from what I understand of measurements it's really hard to make those without both incredibly expensive equipment to do it right and in depth knowledge which aside from professional training isn't likely to be enough to make the measurements valid. I remember reading several heated discussions over diverging measurements that then turn to be really dependent on methodology and measuring gear. This weakens the objectivity argument a lot IMHO, because if measurements were absolute you wouldn't have diverging measurements to begin with... last but not least, measurements and FR graph most of the time tell me little about a headphone and IEM tuning.

There is much more to sound than pure frequency charts...

As you said that even your state of mind will influence your perception (yes, it's psycho-acoustics so it's not entirely objective).



I love Ken Rockwell, my other hobby is photography, but let's say he has a bit of radical views on this kind of stuff I've read similar things before from him. I'll take that with a grain of salt.

Gotcha but he was doing actual tests. I don't think he has interest in throwing the tests. I guess you could argue his equipment used. I appreciate knowing the FR is completely flat. At least you know you are getting studio reference level across the board with the X.

 

[davidmolliere]

Gotcha but he was doing actual tests. I don't think he has interest in throwing the tests. I guess you could argue his equipment used. I appreciate knowing the FR is completely flat. At least you know you are getting studio reference level across the board with the X.

I wouldn't argue because I am no expert

I am testing it right now and the Solaris does sound pretty good out of the iPhone X dongle, quite better than the MacBook Pro even if it's much warmer and bassier the soundstage is greater.

Bass quantity is clearly up, with a lot more mid bass than 1Z and even Mojo, the Solaris is more of a bass-head experience there but you loose a bit of control (not that much, kudos to Apple adapter) the bass is not as tight, on the other and you loose a lot of detail/nuances and textures. Depending on the genres you favor it could not be an issue. I know for me listening to Jazz the double bass is so good on the 1Z, here I loose a lot of the magic. I could see people preferring output of the iPhone to the 1Z because it's flattering you get quite some basshead kick and treble extension is pretty decent, mids remain transparent even if they do loose some separation and articulation over a DAP like 1Z. But you don't loose as much sound stage as with the Mojo which is quite puzzling and a performance. The signature is very reminiscent of the iPod 5G, not bad.

Overall, it's a highly pleasing experience and for non critical listening on the go with streaming services it's still technically quite proficient despite loosing what constitute the "magic" I am hearing with the 1Z (also related to much more dynamic range). But we're talking nuances that are best enjoyed in a quieter setup.

It's a much better SQ than I expected, and a testament to the Solaris versatility!

 

[Dsnuts]

Anyone order recently within the last week get an update. Seems they are making them as we order them. I ordered mines on Sunday and have no update.

 

[BruceyWayne]

Anyone order recently within the last week get an update. Seems they are making them as we order them. I ordered mines on Sunday and have no update.

i ordered mine last friday and it is still processing. The inventory was ****ed up last week i think. When i placed the order it says "5 left in stock" but once the order is made it became "shipping in 3-5 days". Their support team emailed me back yesterday saying it will be shipped out at the end of the week.

 

[Dsnuts]

Seems like they are making em as people are buying them. I can see them working real hard right about now making em

 

[candlejack]

Seems like they are making em as people are buying them. I can see them working real hard right about now making em

Lol, hopefully with less use of hammers.

 

[fuhransahis]

Yes, and this is the reason I refrain from making statements like "A is better than B", while I'll have no problem saying that "A sounds better to me than B". And this distinction is especially important because even to me (and I assume I'm not unique in this sense) the same thing sound differently depending on how tired I am, if I have just eaten or exercised, etc.

I don't have enough history here to comment on the integrity of reviewers, but I can clearly see that the opinions they write in their reviews are influencing a lot of people to buy one thing or another. This kind of power makes the reviewers ideal targets for the companies that try to sell this stuff and I can see how it can get to a point where, if you stick to your guns a little too much as a reviewer, you can be out of the game. So I think that as consumers we need to ask for measurements to become a point of emphasis in all reviews and, if you want to be a proper reviewer, you need to find a way to incorporate more measurements to support your evaluation of a product.

Imagine I was reviewing a camera and I told you it took sharper images than the camera you currently have but showed you no pictures to back that up. Pretty ridiculous, don't you think? Currently, it looks to me like audiophile gear reviewer are like wine tasters. But I digress...

I should probably make it clear that, since I am spending time on this forum, I clearly appreciate the people who share their opinions, be they reviewers or regular consumers.

But this hobby is indeed very much like the wine or food industry in my opinion. As far as I know there is no effective way to measure food or wine quality in graphs, perhaps you can chart levels of different elements or minerals in them to show you a general taste profile, but that doesn't speak to the direct quality of the food or wine itself. And it should be very obvious that this doesn't mean that food froma 3 Michelin star restaurant isn't objectively better than McDonald's. This also doesnt mean that some people may not be able to get the difference in quality between the food and prefer McDonald's regardless.

That being said, I hadn't listened to music out of my phone for months since I had the DX200. I went ahead and tried it out on the Phantom out of my S9 Plus... it made it sound muddied and slow and I couldn't bear it. This is relative to using Amp 8 on the DX200. I then tried it out of Amp 1 after testing on my phone, and to my surprise it sounded only marginally better. Certainly clearer, but still so much less dynamic and clear and holographic and balanced compared with Amp 8.

The point is obviously the quality of each source varies and moreover the synergy between particular sources varies as well - the quality of a superior DAP like the DX200 is objectively better than that of my phone. This doesn't mean another IEM may not pair better with my phone than the DX200 with one amp or another. But even with the same DAP the SQ using a different amp alone is on an entirely other level. And even despite the objective difference, one may prefer the sound of the buds that come with your phone than that of a Tia Fourte or Solaris.

But my own opinion is if you can't tell the difference in SQ between different sources, as disparate as they can be to many of us, and this is personal preference notwithstanding, then I'm sure you can't tell the difference in quality between TOTL headphones and IEMs as well and are just going for tuning preference, and unless you're spoiled rich and like wasting money, spare yourself the expense and look for different gear on a smaller budget. What's the use of pairing a Solaris with a phone, or putting $300 ketchup on a Big Mac? If you're paying top dollar for equipment then you are doing that gear a disservice by feeding it garbage. Unless that's just your thing. (Btw I'm not using you in reference to candlejack, but as a general you.)

 

[candlejack]

@candlejack Well, if you limit the "right" to review to those who have the ability to make measurements then it's going to be a very very limited set of people... which is kind of what I understood [the forum that can't be named] is about and it's the argument all over again on the subjectivity of reviews and the commercial aspect lying underneath. I for one paid the full price for every IEM I have owned including Solaris and I wrote 2 reviews so far that are my honest and humble opinion. Yes I am enthusiastic about the Solaris, because I truly mean what I wrote. It's a hobby and I am trying to further my understanding by writing reviews. People are adults, they make their own choice and sharing opinions is just that my review is a pure opinion and what I am honestly hearing, I don't ever pretend to own any truth.

On top of this from what I understand of measurements it's really hard to make those without both incredibly expensive equipment to do it right and in depth knowledge which aside from professional training isn't likely to be enough to make the measurements valid. I remember reading several heated discussions over diverging measurements that then turn to be really dependent on methodology and measuring gear. This weakens the objectivity argument a lot IMHO, because if measurements were absolute you wouldn't have diverging measurements to begin with... last but not least, measurements and FR graph most of the time tell me little about a headphone and IEM tuning.

There is much more to sound than pure frequency charts...

As you said that even your state of mind will influence your perception (yes, it's psycho-acoustics so it's not entirely objective).

I wasn't talking about limiting anybody from expressing their opinions. What I was saying is that someone's opinions would carry a lot more weight with me if they were backed by some measurements. And I get it, it's expensive to make good measurements, it's probably even more expensive to figure out how to interpret them, but they are key. Btw, I haven't done any research but from the couple articles I read I was left with the impression that we don't exactly know yet how to measure things like "soundstage". So maybe the science is lagging behind on this subject too, but one thing is for sure: if you can hear it, it can be measured. And just like DPReview states how a test picture has been taken and how it has been post-processed, an audio reviewer will have to disclose this information as well and hopefully we will be educated enough to judge if we can trust the measurement or not.

About your review of the Solaris, I haven't read it yet, but I have to say that I am amazed (in a very positive way) that forum members who get no palpable benefit from it have enough enthusiasm to put in the time and focus to write these reviews. That being said, I am lucky enough to have a Campfire Audio (and 64 Audio) distributor close to where I live so I can try the Solaris myself in a couple of weeks, which means I don't have to rely on other people's opinions. Even so, where reviews like yours are important for me is in areas like source pairings, tips, this sort of thing, because I don't have the resources to explore every option for myself.

I love Ken Rockwell, my other hobby is photography, but let's say he has a bit of radical views on this kind of stuff I've read similar things before from him. I'll take that with a grain of salt.

Funny to see this name in a audiophile context. Takes me back 10 years, during the Canon vs Nikon wars, when Ken was one of Nikon's greatest champions.

I also used to be into photography (somehow the passion has died for me) so I feel like get to know someone if I see their photography. Would you care to share your gallery links? I'll break the ice and go first: allydea@deviantart.com