[TheVortex]

I would expect the discomfort with its evil twin, the almost identical-sounding BA10.

I saw the BA10 but never tried it. I would have had the Iron Man colour if I did order it lol

 

[InvisibleInk]

I saw the BA10 but never tried it. I would have had the Iron Man colour if I did order it lol

That's the one I have.

 

[TheVortex]

That's the one I have.

What's your thoughts on it?

 

[InvisibleInk]

What's your thoughts on it?

Fantastic, everything that's great about the AS10, but in a much less comfortable shell. I love being Ironman or Darth Vader, but wearing those guys' IEM ends up hurting the outer edges of my ears.

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

Fantastic, everything that's great about the AS10, but in a much less comfortable shell. I love being Ironman or Darth Vader, but wearing those guys' IEM ends up hurting the outer edges of my ears.

"I'll be Bach!"

--grabs coat

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

It's my belief the NRA harshly reproduces recordings that are naturally sibilant, but that normally won't bother you when: the source music recording is of high-quality (originally mastered with care, not or minimally dynamically compressed); when your audio reproduction chain is also of high quality and well-engineered (very low noise and distortion; but not necessarily state-of-the-art or crazy expensive); and when your transducers (speakers or headphones) are also well-designed and well-tuned.

Much ado over a $15 pair of in-ears? Probably, but to those following the KZ/CCA threads and are invested in the brand because it formed or still forms a significant part of their journey in their pursuit of musical enjoyment, it is a topic. It's also worthy of note as to its potential—further iterations of the NRA may yet find that sweet spot of great value, great design and great tuning. There's its very recent half-sibling, the KZ ZEX, for one.

As a first effort into this class of drivers ("electrostatic" or whatever the cognomen), at this price point, the NRA is already something. Many, including me, have noted its wonderful bass and midrange, its treble for me only marred by its sibilance and a shrill presentation of certain instruments—that btw can be remedied by subtractive EQ, and/or the use of warm-sounding amps.

As a further illustration of the NRA's capabilities and inherent characteristics, allow me to direct you to this post of archimago (one of those who over the years I have followed with attentiveness, together with solderdude and the now happily retired Tyll Hertsens, to name a couple off the cuff), entitled Archimago's Musical Performance Track (AMPT):

https://archimago.blogspot.com/2021/08/ampt-test.html?m=1

This is a relatively short post, done in archimago's usual interest-piquing style, which essentially tells that he made a test track he recorded off his RME ADI PRO Analog-to-Digital Converter from certain recordings he considers "reference" quality (save perhaps for the last one), for listener evaluation of source playback.

However, this test track can also be used to evaluate speaker or headphone response characteristics. Which is what I did with the NRA. And the rest of my headphones.

It's respectfully suggested that the post be read in its entirety, paying particular attention to his notes. Then, you can tap/click on the provided link therein and in the interests of fair use, download said test track as a Zip file and try it on the NRA, and on your playback gear and headphones.

Nice post, @SybilLance. I am burning my ears in with GK10 first on the test track and will try out NRA afterwards. I compared a couple of these tracks to Spotify and am reminded what garbage it really is. LOL! I am really tempted to just start collecting CDs again and look for one of the old carousel players from the early oughts.

cheers

 

[ExTubeGamer]

Has anyone tried using the NRA on a hybrid amp? This seems to calm the treble a bit down.

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

Has anyone tried using the NRA on a hybrid amp? This seems to calm the treble a bit down.

I'm lusting really bad for a Cayin C9. Maybe next year. Or maybe I buy an orange LED, hook it up to a AAA and insert into an inverted and empty 250 ml coke bottle and make soft, wet buzzing noises in the dark while listening to my FiiO.

 

[ExTubeGamer]

I'm lusting really bad for a Cayin C9. Maybe next year. Or maybe I buy an orange LED, hook it up to a AAA and insert into an inverted and empty 250 ml coke bottle and make soft, wet buzzing noises in the dark while listening to my FiiO.

A little Xduoo mt-602 amp was enough for me

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

A little Xduoo mt-602 amp was enough for me

Indeed. Douk Audio / Nobsound have so many to choose from that it's difficult to tell what's what. The Little Bear D4-X is like a Wish version of the Cayin C9.

Nice post, @SybilLance. I am burning my ears in with GK10 first on the test track and will try out NRA afterwards. I compared a couple of these tracks to Spotify and am reminded what garbage it really is. LOL! I am really tempted to just start collecting CDs again and look for one of the old carousel players from the early oughts.

cheers

well, this was weird, too. The quality difference to Spotify was really limited to the first track from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. It sounds like it's horrifically compressed for some reason. The other tracks had very minimal if any difference.

@SybilLance

It's respectfully suggested that the post be read in its entirety, paying particular attention to his notes. Then, you can tap/click on the provided link therein and in the interests of fair use, download said test track as a Zip file and try it on the NRA, and on your playback gear and headphones.

I'm interested to hear the different recordings but am out of time. Comparing like for like with what I have (GK10's piezo drivers vs. NRA's magnetostatic), I just don't hear any resonant sibilance issues from the FLAC based test track on the NRA. I've dedicated 2 hours to this exercise and am over my time allotment, unfortunately, because I'd wanted to compare the dac chips from his recordings.

The NRA are more revealing than the GK10 without EQ, but there's not that much in it to be honest. Whether the extra resolution is from being on a balanced cable and source vs single ended output (same source, BTR3K) for the GK10, I'm not quite sure. I've been using the GK10 single ended at my desk for the most part and didn't want to swap the cables.

The closest to sibilant vocals in the test tracks is Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy, and I don't hear any difference between these two sets on the esses. Without EQ the GK10s are certainly not as bright. With a touch of EQ they have about equal levels of detail retrieval from their piezos and sound remarkably similar to the NRA. The NRA is cheating with its balanced cable, but they have faster bass than GK10 and a more forceful impact. Mids are virtually the same for these limited test tracks. There's a bit wider sound stage from the NRA on balanced cable, but it's just a touch. It mainly shows up on the second track, which sounds like a binaural recording with lots of tapping and castanet type noises strategically placed in the distance. I think that's the dual amp circuits more than the phones ...

cheers

 

[Nimweth]

Indeed. Douk Audio / Nobsound have so many to choose from that it's difficult to tell what's what. The Little Bear D4-X is like a Wish version of the Cayin C9.



well, this was weird, too. The quality difference to Spotify was really limited to the first track from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. It sounds like it's horrifically compressed for some reason. The other tracks had very minimal if any difference.



I'm interested to hear the different recordings but am out of time. Comparing like for like with what I have (GK10's piezo drivers vs. NRA's magnetostatic), I just don't hear any resonant sibilance issues from the FLAC based test track on the NRA. I've dedicated 2 hours to this exercise and am over my time allotment, unfortunately, because I'd wanted to compare the dac chips from his recordings.

The NRA are more revealing than the GK10 without EQ, but there's not that much in it to be honest. Whether the extra resolution is from being on a balanced cable and source vs single ended output (same source, BTR3K) for the GK10, I'm not quite sure. I've been using the GK10 single ended at my desk for the most part and didn't want to swap the cables.

The closest to sibilant vocals in the test tracks is Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy, and I don't hear any difference between these two sets on the esses. Without EQ the GK10s are certainly not as bright. With a touch of EQ they have about equal levels of detail retrieval from their piezos and sound remarkably similar to the NRA. The NRA is cheating with its balanced cable, but they have faster bass than GK10 and a more forceful impact. Mids are virtually the same for these limited test tracks. There's a bit wider sound stage from the NRA on balanced cable, but it's just a touch. It mainly shows up on the second track, which sounds like a binaural recording with lots of tapping and castanet type noises strategically placed in the distance. I think that's the dual amp circuits more than the phones ...

cheers

If you like the Firebird Suite, this version puts IEMs through their paces!

+1 for Eva Cassidy as well!

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

If you like the Firebird Suite, this version puts IEMs through their paces!

+1 for Eva Cassidy as well!

One and the same! Eiji Oue conducting, 1996 recording. From the link that Sybilance shared, the FLAC is available at this link below. 16 and 24 bit FLAC are both available, as well as the CD!

https://referencerecordings.com/recording/stravinsky-the-rite-of-spring/

 

[Nimweth]

I h

One and the same! Eiji Oue conducting, 1996 recording. From the link that Sybilance shared, the FLAC is available at this link below. 16 and 24 bit FLAC are both available, as well as the CD!

https://referencerecordings.com/recording/stravinsky-the-rite-of-spring/

I have the CD, and many others on the Reference Recordings label. The Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances is another good one, and also "Ports of Call" which I enjoy very much.

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

I have the CD, and many others on the Reference Recordings label. The Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances is another good one, and also "Ports of Call" which I enjoy very much.

Yes, great site! I just spotted Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 for Organ in their catalog. This could be dangerous ...

I only have a handful of FLAC recordings, actually. I've lost so many over the years (read decades) that I'm nervous to collect them. I have setup and managed several organizations now that were compliant to ISO 27001 standards including routine audits for disaster recovery, but I can't seem to keep track of my own digital photos and music. It's a bitter irony.

 

[Nimweth]

Yes, great site! I just spotted Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 for Organ in their catalog. This could be dangerous ...

I only have a handful of FLAC recordings, actually. I've lost so many over the years (read decades) that I'm nervous to collect them. I have setup and managed several organizations now that were compliant to ISO 27001 standards including routine audits for disaster recovery, but I can't seem to keep track of my own digital photos and music. It's a bitter irony.

I rip my own FLAC files from CD and keep them on an external drive. Another one I can recommend is "Reverie" which has lovely versions of Sibelius's "The Swan of Tuonela" and Ravel's "Alborada del Gracioso", fabulous dynamics on that one!