Just thought I'd drop by and share some impressions of the IEMs I listened to at CanJam
First up though, a huge thank you to all those people involved in organising another excellent event, and of course to the manufacturers, dealers and so on who provided such a variety of things to listen to!
I spent Saturday mostly sat behind the Elise Audio desk, helping out with the Fir Audio line up; basically the IEMs from Elise Audio's *extensive* line-up with which I was most familiar.
Big thank you to all the CanJam attendees who came up to listen and chat!
I had a blast chatting with you all, comparing impressions, answering questions and vicariously enjoying the various reactions to the Fir line-up
Prior to starting my stint at the Elise stall, I went over to the VE (Vision Ears) one.
My impressions here are mainly about the EXT actually, a cross-post from the VE thread, but reduced significantly in length and background here.
I had been sent the EXT about a year ago as part of a review tour.
I struggled with the fit, finding it actually painful in one ear.
I had never heard a low end like it!
I just vividly remember listening to familiar songs, and feeling them come alive in a way I'd never experienced before.
For example, on an old Motown song, the bassline, which was usually not particularly noticeable, was suddenly *there*, present, anchoring the song and infusing it with the most gorgeous musicality.
This same kind of effect just kept on happening with songs from various genres.
My memory of other aspects of its sound is a bit fuzzy, but I think I recall feeling that it was quite an intimate tuning (perhaps due to the warmth from the low end), and maybe not that technical?
So, fast forward to CanJam 2023, and even before I'd attended, I'd made up my mind that no matter how many amazing shiny new IEMs were present, I was going to go to the VE stall and have another try to see if I could find some eartips that would let me get a fit that didn't hurt! Of course, this time I'd have someone from VE on hand to help me fit the eartips onto those huge nozzles too, removing another factor that stymied my efforts last time.
I got to speak to
@Vision Ears head honcho Marcel, who was the perfect ambassador for the brand. Really patient, friendly and helpful. He showed me the trick of getting the eartips onto the EXT's nozzles.
Well, to my complete astonishment, the EXT fitted perfectly first time, even with the large size stock silicone eartips which I'd tried last time. Perhaps my ears have grown since then?! I have no explanation.
I eventually settled on my Flare Audio Earfoams.
If you don't know this UK brand, I can highly recommend their Earfoams. Note that they actually have two sets of eartips, both called Earfoams, but only one of which is actually foam; the other being silicone! Go figure...
However, the Earfoams are great because they have a strong core with a fairly wide bore, and just a thin layer of soft foam surrounding them.
I personally don't like the feel of silicone tips (nor Xelastec) in my ears, but foam tips are not recommended for IEMs with Bone Conduction Drivers; the idea being that they dampen the vibrations and hence reduce the effect of the BCD's.
However, I've not found that to be an issue with the thin foam on the Flare Audio tips.
AND, an added bonus with the EXT, the tips are not as tall as most eartips, having quite a squat profile. A
As such, they're a really good additional option in one's 'tip arsenal' when trying to find the perfect fit, especially for IEMs that have (or require) a deep insertion.
So for me, these were the ideal tips for the EXT.
So how about the sound this time round?
Did it match up to my possibly rose-tinted memories from my previous listen?
Well, getting the right fit and seal with the right eartips proved to be the final piece of the puzzle!
Whilst that utterly enchanting musicality was still very much present and correct, this time I heard the whole soundstage open up. It hugely impressed me how the EXT fused so much low end presence with so much space and air.
Huge clarity and detail. Shimmery, extended upper mids and treble. Technically excellent, but first and foremost, a joy to listen with!
They've moved swiftly up to the top of my 'must save up and buy these' list!
it was still better with the improper seal than the new Spirit Torino open-back planar magnetic headphones though. Yeesh, that was probably the worst thing I heard all weekend. Shoddy design and construction too.
