[ddmt]

So is that a rule of this forum? Can't say anything if you don't own the item you are talking about?

 

[Kitechaser]

So is that a rule of this forum? Can't say anything if you don't own the item you are talking about?

I think you shouldn't write reviews unless you have spent at minimum a 150 hours with an iem. And not just graphing them ,and prodding and poking them with sticks, but actually listening to music.
If you cannot put in the 150-200 hours, do us all a favor, and don't write a bunk review that is no good to anyone.

 

[matique]

I think you shouldn't write reviews unless you have spent at minimum a 150 hours with an iem. And not just graphing them ,and prodding and poking them with sticks, but actually listening to music.
If you cannot put in the 150-200 hours, do us all a favor, and don't write a bunk review that is no good to anyone.

You do know that it isn't a review, but just first impressions right? Read the disclaimer lol. He'll get another set to see whether it's a unit specific flaw, and that set too will be burned in.

 

[Kitechaser]

You do know that it isn't a review, but just first impressions right? Read the disclaimer lol. He'll get another set to see whether it's a unit specific flaw, and that set too will be burned in.

Most of his list are impressions, but are treated as reviews.
There's that.
I don't even own the Solaris, but can call a spade a spade. This forum has turned this one dude and others like him into kingmakers.
If these reviewers opinion's are to hold this much sway, maybe people should ask them to be more professional and thorough.
Is that too much to ask?

 

[ddmt]

I think you shouldn't write reviews unless you have spent at minimum a 150 hours with an iem. And not just graphing them ,and prodding and poking them with sticks, but actually listening to music.
If you cannot put in the 150-200 hours, do us all a favor, and don't write a bunk review that is no good to anyone.

OK. Darn, I said a few times I like my Andro SS, don't think I've listened to it over 100 hours. I'm really sorry.

 

[Leftbehind]

I just want to be clear here in case not everyone has taken the time to go to Reddit.

Crin didn't write a review, he just summarized a few of his initial impressions.

If that's made anyone angry or insecure about their recent Solaris purchase I would consider reading Head-Fi for post-purchase rationalization.

I think you shouldn't write reviews unless you have spent at minimum a 150 hours with an iem. And not just graphing them ,and prodding and poking them with sticks, but actually listening to music.
If you cannot put in the 150-200 hours, do us all a favor, and don't write a bunk review that is no good to anyone.

 

[aaf evo]

Man, never seen so many people upset over a first impression that’s somewhat “negative.” Guys, if you enjoy them then what else matters? Keep on enjoying them There is no IEM that’s for everyone.

 

[gemmoglock]

Most of his list are impressions, but are treated as reviews.
There's that.

Wow that's a great idea! Even the great crin didn't realise impressions are worthy of being treated as reviews.

Why demo or read reviews when you have impressions

 

[Penguino]

Can't even take a differing opinion. So ya'll resort to your subjective definition of what "makes a good review"(it was initial impressions) or "quantifies a real impression". Snow flakes. Resorting to that sort of argument is null because it has very little to do with what is being said in the first place. Please if you disagree be civil and say so instead of kicking and screaming like a bunch of children that just got their sand castle kicked.

 

[bukumurah]

He doesn't even post those early impressions here on Head-Fi.. it's people who chase after him and his reviews/impressions elsewhere.. LOL

 

[Kitechaser]

So if right off the bat you can tell it's bad or the soundsig is not for you. You have to spend 200+ hours with it? Just to write up on it? If he's reviewing it sure. But if he's trying it for inpressions then what should he do????

Please do give me a solid solution.

Its a hybrid with a DD driver in there. Plenty of people on this forum including the manufacturer have talked about burn in.
I don't know where you stand on that, but that driver is handling to mids on this iem.
Burn it in, it doesn't take long. If you don't like it after, fair enough, let your ears adjust to the tuning at least.
These hot takes don't help anyone.
Especially people considering buying it.
Just creates confusion and undue chaos.

 

[FranTBW]

Bass is not bad, but not great at all. Bass is almost BA like, has no impact or slam that is worthy of a DD, although texture is there. The quality of bass makes me wonder then, why they even put a DD in there in the first place?
As mentioned, upper mids sounds disjointed and weird compared to the rest of the frequency range. Lower mids sound close to shouty, and lacks body.
Treble doesn't extend, and a lack of air and energy makes it quite laid back. I'd give Andromeda the edge here, although I don't particularly fancy it.

Imaging is alright. rather precise, although quite bloated. Soundstage is decent, but again the edge goes to Andromeda imo.
Resolution is pretty good, as expected for something that costs this much. Unfortunately, the comparative lack of upper mids makes it quite smeared/weak in comparison.

I just think it's not worth the asking price. I wanted it to be good, especially for a hybrid, but sorry, it doesn't do it for me.

 

[CreditingKarma]

I do agree that there is a burn in period with the solaris. I did not have the same experience with the roxanne so I would agree that it is related to the dynamic driver. I think that it is important to audition any iem or headphone with your own equipment. I am by no means an expert in reviewing iems. With that in mind I have been a musician for 25 plus years and I have to say that the tonality off the Solaris with my setup is pretty damn close to what you would hear with live instruments. I think that it is also helpful that in a review the music that is auditioned with is listed as a point of reference.

I will be at a meet this week and will be bringing my solaris for others to audition. I will post some of there feedback here if that helps anyone.

At the end of the day it is about what you like and enjoying the music. I am sure there are people that love their beats and skill candy headphones

 

[FangJoker]

Not sure if this is a new policy, but as mentioned a bit further back they have a 15 day trial period, no restocking fee (just shipping back).

I couldn't return all 3 within 2 weeks without penalty. Maybe if I bitched and moaned then I could've gotten my money back, but that's the risk I took and I'm not going to do it again. If they sold them through amazon, I would seriously consider them along with the upcoming sony Z1R. Or I could just look for a lightly used Trio as I know what that sounds like and while it may not be perfect, I know that I'd be happy with them.

 

[Kygreying]

I've heard the same unit that only just arrived in SG, so this would be again fresh fresh impressions, and from 15mins of listening (does this make me unqualified to have an opinion?)

Bass: superior the the Andromeda in every way, but mostly in quantity
Mids: clean, if a bit recessed in the upper mids region
Treble: very nice, with good extension

The good:
This is the best offering i've heard from CFA since the Andromeda, which I liked, but not enough to buy.
The Solaris has good imaging, detail and resolution
A step up in the bass performance from the Andro (and anything else they have)
Generally the tonality is enjoyable and easy to listen to, with nothing particularly offensive

The bad:
That upper mids drop-off is unfortunate, and really hurts instrument rendering and female vocals - they just aren't as clear as they could be. Do note - this doesn't mean that that range is balls or sounds like whack, the recession just makes it odd.
Bass performance - unfortunately I would expect better bass performance from a hybrid with a DD - don't quite feel the kick from it.
Fit - unfortunately, I just was unable to find a good fit with this, the shell is too big and only with tips for deeper insertion was I able to get a decent seal at all.

Final thoughts:
All things considered, this is an IEM that is quite well done, it has an enjoyable and very listenable flavour, and is much better than some of the previously released models. Having said that, it does not wow me particularly in any area at all - there seems to be some caveats given for everything it does correct. I can see why people would like it a lot, in the same way that people would like the EE Phantom or Legend X. I suspect that the Solaris will not be quite as polarising as those two (you either really love it or hate it, and unfortunately I dislike both of the EEs). The Solaris trades technicalities for naturality and slight improvements in bass response over the Andromedas - unfortunately this would not seem to me to be a solid enough value proposition for an IEM that costs S$2,199. I like it, but it probably isn't worth the MSRP.