[Deftone]

Today (Sunday) there are two very interesting seminars, from two different legends in digital audio (Chord Electronics and dCS), both of these companies with very different approaches and technologies. Following are the seminar times, both in the Ocean 6 seminar room, second floor:

12:30-1:30pm Exploring Digital Audio with the dCS Bartok
Raveen Bawa of dCS will discuss their first entry into the world of Head-Fi and share some insights into dCS design philosophy and capabilities in the world of digital audio.

2pm-3pm Chord Hugo M Scaler Technical Talk With Rob Watts
Rob Watts will be talking about the importance of transients for auditory perception, and how digital audio has problems in recreating transients accurately enough. He will then talk in detail about the Chord Electronics Hugo M Scaler, which guarantees better than 16-bit reconstruction of transients, with the one-million tap WTA filter employed in the Hugo M Scaler.

Hope someone records and uploads these!

 

[twister6]

Anyone see Effect Audio Cleopatra cable?

As was already mentioned, both headfonics and my Cleo reviews were posted a few days ago. I don't see audio46 having EA cables listed in stock or on their site yet, but I believe Musicteck has it already for sale.

 

[fuhransahis]

As was already mentioned, both headfonics and my Cleo reviews were posted a few days ago. I don't see audio46 having EA cables listed in stock or on their site yet, but I believe Musicteck has it already for sale.

Looks like they recently (and thankfully) redid their site
https://audio46.com/collections/effect-audio

Cleo not listed yet but might not be up to date

 

[twister6]

I was looking forward to a number of different hybrid iems, then comes the Fir M5 that not only has the dynamic driver for bass, BAs for mids, and electrostatic driver for treble, but is tubeless across the board!... In custom format! I'm really hoping this is as good as it seems. Could be a real game - changer.

and also has ATOM (controlled leak) module, available as either internal or removable in their CIEMs.

 

[AlexanderBelonozhko]

‘atom’ since its so small, aka ‘air transferring open module’ for the collateral

We offer 3 grades of ATOM, our base neutral and +/- approximately 1.5db at 20hz.

I will note that the internal module option by default is neutral, but is also customizable at request.
Once the faceplate is on, theres no backing out. Unless you are sure of what you ask for when it comes to the internal atom, neutral is just right.
(all of our M series demos are fitted with N atom as a reference)

 

[Bassslayer0488]

I did and Alex was simply fantastic to meet and get to know. I snagged one of the 5 he brought with him and all I can say is, if you can find it, get it.

Wow, that’s great! Saw a few pictures on his Facebook, they really do look incredible I was just praying the sound would match. From the few that have listened sounds like they are very good. Hopefully you can post some more detailed impressions soon.

 

[thecrow]

iDAC-6MK2 DAC/preamp
This is a major revision of our very popular tube buffered DAC, and we have set up three headphone amps (HA-300, iHA-6 and HA-1A MK2) with four headphones (HiFiman Susvara, Kennerton Thror, HD800 and Grado G2000e), definitely doing the best we can to facilitate your exploration.

Where do I / we get info on the updated dac, particularly compared to the original idac6?

(I have the iha6 but chose to not buy the idac6 at the time)

 

[raypin]

Mm...no postings about Vision Ears? The new ones? Noble Khan? Come on, people. Energy! Energy! You can do better than that.

What happened to the Soundwriter? Vaporware? Unicorn?

 

[Zhanming057]

Mm...no postings about Vision Ears? The new ones? Noble Khan? Come on, people. Energy! Energy! You can do better than that.

What happened to the Soundwriter? Vaporware? Unicorn?

Agreed. Did VE have the Elysium there?

 

[raypin]

Mm..speak up! Dagnabbit! My DMP Z1 is lonely! It needs an iem partner. I need clues.

 

[joshuachew]

Agreed. Did VE have the Elysium there?

Looking for this? Managed to have a private session with them

 

[twister6]

Mm...no postings about Vision Ears? The new ones? Noble Khan? Come on, people. Energy! Energy! You can do better than that.

What happened to the Soundwriter? Vaporware? Unicorn?

I thought you gonna buy each one anyway, and in different colors too j/k

SW is not a vaporware. From what I heard, there were too many variables and dependencies in that equation. But it will see the second wind, one way or the other

 

[284033]

What happened to the Soundwriter? Vaporware? Unicorn?

Hey raypin,

We've unfortunately had to shelve the Soundwriter project due to some production issues we encountered. With that said, stay tuned...

 

[KcMsterpce]

I had a good time. The vibe is tremendously positive, and the friendliness is contagious.
I listened to some stuff... and bought "a" stuff. Didn't intend to buy anything, but that Campfire Audio Solaris was like a beacon of sin just waiting for my ears to embrace them. Sure enough, I pulled the trigger. SMH
Otherwise... it was a great time!

 

[Deezel177]

Mm...no postings about Vision Ears? The new ones? Noble Khan? Come on, people. Energy! Energy! You can do better than that.

What happened to the Soundwriter? Vaporware? Unicorn?

I covered the VE3.2 and 4.2 at the launch event the day before CanJam here:

Hey guys! I just got back from the Vision Ears launch event at ConnectIT, where they unveiled the VE3.2 and VE4.2 for the very first time in Singapore. Unfortunately, the Elysium was not in attendance, but I will be listening to it tomorrow at CanJam Singapore 2019. Here are photos from the event (click for the full image), and some brief impressions of the VE3.2 and VE4.2. Enjoy!



Like the original VE3, the 3.2 possesses a linear tonal balance. Thankfully, the 3.2’s most noticeable improvement is the original’s main flaw: Spatial performance. The stage it exhibits is now stable with decent headroom, strong holography and even proportions. The diagonals are particularly impressive. When listening to overhead mics, the VE3.2 accurately positions them at 10 and 2 o’clock; how the drummer would hear it. In terms of frequency response, the only forwardness I hear are in the upper-mids, while a mid-treble dip smoothens articulation quite a bit. For my tastes, I believe those regions could be better balanced. With an EQ, I added a 2dB dip at 4kHz and a 1.5dB rise at 8kHz, and I found the result more energetic, engaging and clean (or defined) all around. The verdict on whether or not it could compete with its peers (resolution-wise, especially) is still up in the air to me, but as a well-balanced, spacious and inoffensive all-rounder, I’d say Vision Ears have done an impressive job reprising the VE3.



The VE4.2 possesses a signature that’s more space-oriented. A laidback upper-midrange and a more articulate treble creates a stronger sense of space. The treble seems to extend further as well, rendering a blacker background, greater headroom and a more holographic presentation. Despite the VE4.2 pitch as a bass-driven IEM, the signature is actually impressively well-balanced. Echoing in-ears like Empire Ears' X Series or the 64 Audio A6t, the low-end is more sub-bass driven, but there's a fair bit of mid-bass body as well. Again, the midrange is gorgeously spacious whilst remaining likeable with a large majority of music. It’s a thicker shade of neutral, so it sounds pleasing with everything. Like the 3.2, the midrange possesses strong dynamic range as well, but the blacker background and the sense of space exacerbate that effect. I found the treble more coherent and articulate on the VE4.2, though I believe it's more so because its upper-midrange sounds more laid-back. Considering how mixed I was with the original VE4, I think the VE4.2 has gone to greater lengths to improve upon its predecessor. It's now an IEM I'd call an all-rounder plus bass with great midrange integrity to boot.

My full impressions of the two and my impressions of the Elysium will be on the CanJam article coming soon, but who knows? I may tease a bit on this thread at some point.


I covered the Khan in January as well, here:

I was fortunate enough to audition the Khan at Plaza Singapura's Stereo Electronics. Apologies for the horrid phone photo.

​

Here are my thoughts:

The Khan has a crisp, energetic and musical signature - the product of a sparkly, open treble counterbalanced against a warm, full-bodied bass. Although it’s a signature that’s become relatively common nowadays, the Khan supersedes most of its ilk through sheer physicality. This is an immensely punchy IEM that sounds downright addictive with percussion, especially. Pre-panned tom rolls where hits are happening all around the listener's head are where this phenomenon is most effective. Hits pop from the in-ear’s serene, black background with great impact, and it’s a treat every time.

The bass is to credit for this. The Khan’s low-end punches with a balance of warmth and authority. Hits are harmonic, rounded and - again - pop, but they aren’t terribly undefined either. The low-end is quite strongly layered and only a hair bright in tone. Of course, for such a signature to exist, there’s a sacrifice to be made in timbre. Although the Khan remains admirably neutral in tone - largely due to the warmth of the bass - the crispness of the treble prevents it from being wholly accurate to my ears. Horns and saxophones have a slight reediness to them, and vocals are crisper - more transient-led - than what I’d call natural. Vocal performances hold weight, but aren’t the most powerful or resonant I’ve heard. Simply put, the treble could’ve been smoother for a more life-like texture, but that’s not what I believe the Khan aims to be anyway.

What it loses in naturalness however, it gains in imaging, layering and separation. The treble’s snappy nature gives the Khan great immediacy, and laces its soundscape with lots of detail as well. For its intended tuning and configuration, coherence is relatively high. Where it's weakest however is probably the midrange. The upper-mids are well-presented with zing to spare, but the lower-mids leave some to be desired. It’s neutrally-positioned and un-impactful relative to the rest of the pack. This isn’t an IEM I’d recommend for rich male vocals or meaty, roaring electrical guitars.

But all in all, the Khan is immensely proficient at crafting large stages and packing them to the brim with nuance and detail. This is an IEM that lovers of the A18t or the Legend X should look out for. Its arsenal of physical quirks certainly offer something extra to percussion that I haven't heard from those two. In terms of tonal transparency, the Khan is... good. The lower-mids are on the lean side and the middle-treble tends to tizz quite a bit; I’m guessing there’s a significant peak around 10kHz. It’s definitely not made for the studio. But, if you’re up for a vast, detailed and fun-sounding TOTL - and you don’t mind having all your tracks tinged with a similar brand of crisp cleanliness - the Khan is a flagship worth looking out for, even at its hefty price of S$3300.