[fokta]

I guess this has to do with the way I usually wear IEMs, which is with a very shallow insertion of the tip. I find that IEMs that are often labeled as too shallow work beautifully for me because of this.

This completely does not work with the Solaris. With deep insertion there is incredible pressure even with small tips.

This is the difficulty with designing a universal product, you simply can't cover all corners of the human anatomical distribution, and I totally understand that. It's just heartbreaking because of how good these sound.

I'll probably mine this thread for tips (pun intended) on increasing comfort for those with tight canals, and failing those suggestions, I'm headed for the listings page

Well if u re open to custom tips, I think that's one of option.. I leave the other to reply this.

 

[dhc0329]

if you can please listen to solaris with a N8 in tube mode, you will change your opinion

I understand every has different ears and taste rather. I did not enjoy Solaris pairing with N8 that much. Solaris matches well with some what of dry players
like R2R2K. N8 is just too wet, warm to have a good synergy with Solaris. This is my personal perception.

 

[fokta]

I understand every has different ears and taste rather. I did not enjoy Solaris pairing with N8 that much. Solaris matches well with some what of dry players
like R2R2K. N8 is just too wet, warm to have a good synergy with Solaris. This is my personal perception.

When u said Dry, u mean bright?
then its back to ear preference...
mine prefer solaris from Neutral DAP...
And try to avoid Warm sig, but my AMP8 is here...
sometimes u need to try although u think will be different...

 

[candlejack]

Well if u re open to custom tips, I think that's one of option.. I leave the other to reply this.

Custom tips generally make the fit even shallower (the insertion depth is smaller) so I doubt that will be the solution for @azeral.

 

[mark88888]

Hi all,

I'm a longtime Etymotic owner, currently using the ER4XR, and I use these tips:
https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ER38-14F-Replacement-Eartips/dp/B0078JXDRI
My DAP is the Shanling M2s.

So I was able to try the Solaris at the fantastic e-earphone store in Tokyo and I was very impressed. I'm thinking about picking up a pair, but I have a few concerns and as I'm not super-knowledgeable as an audiophile I thought I'd ask here.

- The store was noisy, and I could hear the noise. To me the ER4XR isolation, with the tips I posted a link to above in particular (I don't do well with the silicone/flange type, just the foam) is much better. Is it possible to approach the isolation of Etymotic with the Solaris? Are tips made of the same material I posted above (foam, but not the soft Comply type foam... this type is less dense and lasts longer, it's less "mushy") available for the Solaris?

And In general, are you able to get good isolation with the Solaris, for example on a commute? I'd often use them on a noisy commute. I felt like I had a good seal with the ones I tried in the store and did wear them correctly (not sure of the type of tips) but still there was a good amount of sound leakage, at least in comparison to the Etymotics.

- Any thoughts about my how my source, the Shanling M2s, pairs with the Solaris? Would I be much better off with the Shanling M3s or M5s, which I believe have balanced output (to be honest I'm not sure what that means or what the advantage would be, but I think the Solaris supports it.). I don't plan to buy an amp or a much more expensive DAP. Do you think a relatively cheap player like the Shanling is really short-changing the ability of the Solaris, or ? To me the sound was great and for sure it got loud enough, but I'm still very curious about the point of view of others here.

- For anyone who has used the ER4 series of Etymotics (I have the ER4PT and ER4XR) I'd be very curious about how you think the sound compares. I know it's a completely unfair comparison as the Solaris are many times more expensive, but anyway.

To me, the sound of the Solaris is actually similar to the excellent ER4XR, but ... enhanced in some ways. Like, the bass was a bit more rumbling and distinct, the soundstage (if I understand the term correctly) was wider, and I could just hear more. But like the Etymotics I felt like it was a very pleasant, natural and neutral sound.... treble not fatiguing, the bass not booming and overdone.

Thank you for any and all thoughts!!

 

[candlejack]

- Any thoughts about my how my source, the Shanling M2s, pairs with the Solaris? Would I be much better off with the Shanling M3s or M5s, which I believe have balanced output (to be honest I'm not sure what that means or what the advantage would be, but I think the Solaris supports it.). I don't plan to buy an amp or a much more expensive DAP. Do you think a relatively cheap player like the Shanling is really short-changing the ability of the Solaris, or ? To me the sound was great and for sure it got loud enough, but I'm still very curious about the point of view of others here.

I'm sure most people will tell you differently, but I thought the Solaris sounded great from my Samsung Galaxy S8 phone and only improved a bit with a $3k player, so if you liked how the Solaris sounded with your M2s, then you don't need to buy anything else. It would be helpful to try different players though, to see if you hear differences and if they matter to you.

 

[Kitechaser]

Hi all,

I'm a longtime Etymotic owner, currently using the ER4XR, and I use these tips:
https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ER38-14F-Replacement-Eartips/dp/B0078JXDRI
My DAP is the Shanling M2s.

So I was able to try the Solaris at the fantastic e-earphone store in Tokyo and I was very impressed. I'm thinking about picking up a pair, but I have a few concerns and as I'm not super-knowledgeable as an audiophile I thought I'd ask here.

- The store was noisy, and I could hear the noise. To me the ER4XR isolation, with the tips I posted a link to above in particular (I don't do well with the silicone/flange type, just the foam) is much better. Is it possible to approach the isolation of Etymotic with the Solaris? Are tips made of the same material I posted above (foam, but not the soft Comply type foam... this type is less dense and lasts longer, it's less "mushy") available for the Solaris?

And In general, are you able to get good isolation with the Solaris, for example on a commute? I'd often use them on a noisy commute. I felt like I had a good seal with the ones I tried in the store and did wear them correctly (not sure of the type of tips) but still there was a good amount of sound leakage, at least in comparison to the Etymotics.

- Any thoughts about my how my source, the Shanling M2s, pairs with the Solaris? Would I be much better off with the Shanling M3s or M5s, which I believe have balanced output (to be honest I'm not sure what that means or what the advantage would be, but I think the Solaris supports it.). I don't plan to buy an amp or a much more expensive DAP. Do you think a relatively cheap player like the Shanling is really short-changing the ability of the Solaris, or ? To me the sound was great and for sure it got loud enough, but I'm still very curious about the point of view of others here.

- For anyone who has used the ER4 series of Etymotics (I have the ER4PT and ER4XR) I'd be very curious about how you think the sound compares. I know it's a completely unfair comparison as the Solaris are many times more expensive, but anyway.

To me, the sound of the Solaris is actually similar to the ER4XR which I love), but ... enhanced in some ways. Like, the bass was a bit more rumbling and distinct, the soundstage (if I understand the term correctly) was wider, and I could just hear more. But like the Etymotics I felt like it was a very pleasant, natural and neutral sound.... treble not fatiguing, the bass not booming and overdone.

Thank you for any and all thoughts!!

Try them again with spiral dots, they are the most isolating eartips I have ever used, they should help a lot with blocking out external noise.

 

[fokta]

Hi all,

I'm a longtime Etymotic owner, currently using the ER4XR, and I use these tips:
https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-ER38-14F-Replacement-Eartips/dp/B0078JXDRI
My DAP is the Shanling M2s.

So I was able to try the Solaris at the fantastic e-earphone store in Tokyo and I was very impressed. I'm thinking about picking up a pair, but I have a few concerns and as I'm not super-knowledgeable as an audiophile I thought I'd ask here.

- The store was noisy, and I could hear the noise. To me the ER4XR isolation, with the tips I posted a link to above in particular (I don't do well with the silicone/flange type, just the foam) is much better. Is it possible to approach the isolation of Etymotic with the Solaris? Are tips made of the same material I posted above (foam, but not the soft Comply type foam... this type is less dense and lasts longer, it's less "mushy") available for the Solaris?

And In general, are you able to get good isolation with the Solaris, for example on a commute? I'd often use them on a noisy commute. I felt like I had a good seal with the ones I tried in the store and did wear them correctly (not sure of the type of tips) but still there was a good amount of sound leakage, at least in comparison to the Etymotics.

- Any thoughts about my how my source, the Shanling M2s, pairs with the Solaris? Would I be much better off with the Shanling M3s or M5s, which I believe have balanced output (to be honest I'm not sure what that means or what the advantage would be, but I think the Solaris supports it.). I don't plan to buy an amp or a much more expensive DAP. Do you think a relatively cheap player like the Shanling is really short-changing the ability of the Solaris, or ? To me the sound was great and for sure it got loud enough, but I'm still very curious about the point of view of others here.

- For anyone who has used the ER4 series of Etymotics (I have the ER4PT and ER4XR) I'd be very curious about how you think the sound compares. I know it's a completely unfair comparison as the Solaris are many times more expensive, but anyway.

To me, the sound of the Solaris is actually similar to the ER4XR which I love), but ... enhanced in some ways. Like, the bass was a bit more rumbling and distinct, the soundstage (if I understand the term correctly) was wider, and I could just hear more. But like the Etymotics I felt like it was a very pleasant, natural and neutral sound.... treble not fatiguing, the bass not booming and overdone.

Thank you for any and all thoughts!!

I'm sure most people will tell you differently, but I thought the Solaris sounded great from my Samsung Galaxy S8 phone and only improved a bit with a $3k player, so if you liked how the Solaris sounded with your M2s, then you don't need to buy anything else. It would be helpful to try different players though, to see if you hear differences and if they matter to you.

Candlejack have valid point...

M3s, quite surprise with this DAP, very low Hiss, quite neutral. with Solaris
M5s, low Hiss, consider Bright for Solaris... if you like Spark...

and yes, better try urself... make sure u prepare SDcard with the song u know...

regarding eartip... this is really preference... my still use the silicon from TFZ, but now I need a bigger size for my left ear... my ear canal bore is bigger (just found out)...

 

[Arghavan]

- The store was noisy, and I could hear the noise. To me the ER4XR isolation, with the tips I posted a link to above in particular (I don't do well with the silicone/flange type, just the foam) is much better. Is it possible to approach the isolation of Etymotic with the Solaris? Are tips made of the same material I posted above (foam, but not the soft Comply type foam... this type is less dense and lasts longer, it's less "mushy") available for the Solaris?

And In general, are you able to get good isolation with the Solaris, for example on a commute? I'd often use them on a noisy commute. I felt like I had a good seal with the ones I tried in the store and did wear them correctly (not sure of the type of tips) but still there was a good amount of sound leakage, at least in comparison to the Etymotics.

In general noise isolation of Solaris is good but not great. Etymotic IEMs are great for noise isolating but dynamic driver (and hybrid) IEMs such as Solaris have vent(s) to prevent driver flex. So the isolation is not nearly as good. My own experience is with SE846 vs. Solaris; although the Solaris wins in all sonic categories the fit and isolation definitely goes to Shure's IEM.

 

[subguy812]

I should have a Solaris arriving soon and am really looking froward to it!

 

[mark88888]

I'm sure most people will tell you differently, but I thought the Solaris sounded great from my Samsung Galaxy S8 phone and only improved a bit with a $3k player, so if you liked how the Solaris sounded with your M2s, then you don't need to buy anything else. It would be helpful to try different players though, to see if you hear differences and if they matter to you.

Thanks, that makes sense. You know, at e-earphone I did try one or 2 more expensive DAPs with my Etymotics, but I couldn't detect much of a difference. However I hear a big difference in sound amongst the different earphones I tried. So it seems to me that you get more improvement in sound by upgrading your earphones rather than the DAP, once you reach a certain level of DAP. ? Maybe.

Try them again with spiral dots, they are the most isolating eartips I have ever used, they should help a lot with blocking out external noise.

OK, thanks! But... Are do they come in only silicone, or also foam? I saw a pic with what seemed to be foam ones but not sure.

Candlejack have valid point...
M3s, quite surprise with this DAP, very low Hiss, quite neutral. with Solaris
M5s, low Hiss, consider Bright for Solaris... if you like Spark...

That is interesting. So maybe I;d try the M3s, but avoid the M5s. In any case I'm happy with the M2s... but it doesn;t support balanced output, while the M3s does. I'm not sure how much that might alter or improve the sound?

In general noise isolation of Solaris is good but not great. Etymotic IEMs are great for noise isolating but dynamic driver (and hybrid) IEMs such as Solaris have vent(s) to prevent driver flex. So the isolation is not nearly as good. My own experience is with SE846 vs. Solaris; although the Solaris wins in all sonic categories the fit and isolation definitely goes to Shure's IEM.

Wow, the Solaris sounds so much better than the Shure?!
I did try a couple of other expensive IEMS at e-earphone, I found the Solaris to be much better.

I also have the Sennheiser HD 600. In addition to the Etymotics, if anyone out there owns those, I'd be curious how you find they compare to the Solaris.

Another difference between the Etys and these is how they loop over the ear. That's necessary, right? You cant just wear them like the Etys, stick them in and forget about looping over the ear...? I noticed that all the high end IEMs were this way, I suppose they need the extra support due to the increased weight...? It wasnt that uncomfortable but again not as easy and "weightless" as sticking in and forgetting about it. ?

 

[Audiophonicalistic]

In general noise isolation of Solaris is good but not great. Etymotic IEMs are great for noise isolating but dynamic driver (and hybrid) IEMs such as Solaris have vent(s) to prevent driver flex. So the isolation is not nearly as good. My own experience is with SE846 vs. Solaris; although the Solaris wins in all sonic categories the fit and isolation definitely goes to Shure's IEM.

Shures are the most comfy I've tried to date

 

[candlejack]

Thanks, that makes sense. You know, at e-earphone I did try one or 2 more expensive DAPs with my Etymotics, but I couldn't detect much of a difference. However I hear a big difference in sound amongst the different earphones I tried. So it seems to me that you get more improvement in sound by upgrading your earphones rather than the DAP, once you reach a certain level of DAP. ? Maybe.

That is certainly how I hear things. In my experience, you get more quality/variation spending $500 on headphones than you do spending $5000 on DAPs or cables.

 

[Gayron]

So it seems to me that you get more improvement in sound by upgrading your earphones rather than the DAP, once you reach a certain level of DAP. ?

Confirm. When I got my Solaris, I was greatly impressed with the SQ increase after I compared them with my Andromedas, a lot more than when I compared my DX208 with SP1000!

 

[fokta]

That is interesting. So maybe I;d try the M3s, but avoid the M5s. In any case I'm happy with the M2s... but it doesn;t support balanced output, while the M3s does. I'm not sure how much that might alter or improve the sound?

yes, give more power/Dynamic I assume, because when I tried, I used balanced alrd, so I think is ur to find out...

M5s have nice resolution on the Hi Freq.
but of you prefer warm side, this will be challenging... try it... because this is my perspective...