cristobalroy
100+ Head-Fier
Today my "mission" was to try several IEM to find the best match for my A&K SP1000 SS.
- The LCD-i4 surprisingly needed more power than the SP1000 can provide. It more power hungry than my "big" HE-X ! Volume was loud enough, but sound was "flat" out of the SP1000 (I could not try balanced since Audeze do not propose a balanced cable, which is STUPID). The LCD-i4 definitively need an external amp ! Powered by the HUGO 2 if became a totally different animal !
- Very very disapointed by the sound of the Empire Ears Zeus XR ! And I did not finded it confortable, with the adele option is it really BIG.
- 64 Audio U18 and Fourté were very pleasant, and confortable. U18 more accurate and Fourté, more... fun. But the fun of the fourte IMO is reached at the price of a lack of reality. They add something that is not in the recording... to please us
- the SHURE KSE 1500 electrostatic again was my final choice. They are as enjoyable as the fourte while being Faithful to the reality of the recording. No artificial input in the sound. My first reaction when I heard the SHURE out of my SP1000 was "HOW SWEET !" Finally my SP1000 has find his perfect match and is 100% musical. And then when I listened to the intro of Mahler 3rd symphony I was shocked by the extreme energy and Bass that this system can provide. It can be a Sweety or a Monster...depend of the music. Plus they are so small that they are super confortable. They fit 100% inside the ear.
AND SO....I BOUGHT TODAY ON THE SHOW A SHURE KSE1500
So, I failed in my quest to find an IEML as good as the SHURE (for the SP1000) that will not need an extra amplifier. It seems that this extra energizer box is the price to pay to get such a sweeeet, punchy and accurate sound !
Hello, just curious on the sound of KSE1500, I own once the Se846 and i don't like the very forward vocal of it, The KSE1500 also has a forward vocals. Thanks.