[toaster]

yup, "end-game" doesn't mean the game is over...oh no!

to me, end-game simply means you've found something that sounds so much better than anything else you've heard, that you would be satisfied to spend a substantial amount of time listening with (insert audio component here) vs anything else, and you don't feel like you're "missing" anything.

Since you can find multiple pieces of audio equipment that evoke this response, you can have multiple end-game components at once. And of course, discovering one end-game component does not preclude the future discovery of new end-game components...

 

[papa_mia]

What are you guys talking about, isn't End-game the title of the upcoming Avengers movie?

 

[iemcamp]

What are you guys talking about, isn't End-game the title of the upcoming Avengers movie?

Yes, there is 1/14M chance to win in this audio game, same odds as in some kind of lottery...

 

[KuroKitsu]

What are you guys talking about, isn't End-game the title of the upcoming Avengers movie?

Nah, End-game is gonna be the title of a series of upcoming Avenger movies lined up to the heat death of the universe

 

[putyograsseson]

Hey folks, I’ve got a nooby question for you:
Would the sony mdr-ex800st (16ohm) work properly in combination with an NFB 11?

On their page they state that the NFB has an output impedance of 2 ohm for the headphone output, would that be low enough?

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB112014/NFB112014EN_Specs.htm

 

[deafdoorknob]

Hey folks, I’ve got a nooby question for you:
Would the sony mdr-ex800st (16ohm) work properly in combination with an NFB 11?

On their page they state that the NFB has an output impedance of 2 ohm for the headphone output, would that be low enough?

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB112014/NFB112014EN_Specs.htm

https://clarityfidelity.blogspot.com/2017/02/sony-mdr-7550-iem.html?m=1

ex800st/7550 has flat non-reactive impedance, 2ohm is more than low enough

 

[siruspan]

Yep, i never had any issues with ex800st even on high impedence output of tube amplifier.

 

[putyograsseson]

That’s nice to hear, thanks guys!

On another note, is there a significant difference in sound signature between the mdr-ex800st and like an HE 400i overear headphone?
I currently own a pair of HIFIMAN but plan to switch to the Sony IEM due to medical circumstances.

 

[buonassi]

Yeah I know it sounds like a exaggeration but what else can I say

"voice of God"

 

[crinacle]

It's been a long time coming and I guess some people expected it, but it's time for me to move away from Head-Fi. Not that I hate this platform but the complaints have been stacking up and I've finally gotten around to addressing the issue. Here's to a few reasons that many of you may be familiar with:

• Horrible mobile compatability. The ranking list doesn't look good on a lot of phones.
• No sorting function. Self explanatory, would be really nice to be able to sort by price or brand or whatever.
• BBCODE IS IMPOSSIBLE TO WORK WITH. Especially on this scale. I get demotivated just thinking about having to update the list with the spaghetti code that is my post.
• Little to no personalisation. I've been wanting to do a bit of extra design and flair to my reviews/posts, but posting in a forum limits that greatly.
• Horrible SEO. Google isn't kind to people like me.

I'm starting to migrate most of my data over to my own website, first priority being the ranking list itself. Still very much WIP but feel free to drop by, some of the extra functionalities have already been finished.

https://crinacle.com/ranking-list/

(P. S. the tagline is a bit of a joke but also a goal for me. I really hope I can one day say that unironically.)

 

[productred]

@crinacle Just tried on the Shozy AAW Pola today.......you know I'm with you for quite a portion of your rankings, but seriously the Pola is nothing but what you have described. It needs to be understood but that won't take you more than 10 secs - it needs power and a fairly tiny bit of burn-in, and even after burn-in it's low level listening is a big no-no. But normal listening levels clean up everything and it becomes a very (not vastly - that's for the U18 and co) detailed iem with a punchy bottom, creamy intimate mids and highs that extend beyond the limits. I'd say its highs are not unlike the EST, just not as prominent. Both of these are tuned without the 2k and 7-8k peaks (not really necessary with the ES tweeters) so you just won't feel the somewhat "forced" presence range of conventional BA or DD based iems, but after a song or two such tuning spells lifelike realism with an abundance of high frequency overtones. Can't be farther from a dark and veiled signature.

Just my two cents, another iem that I'd say it's worth a second try if you can afford the time.

 

[crinacle]

@crinacle Just tried on the Shozy AAW Pola today.......you know I'm with you for quite a portion of your rankings, but seriously the Pola is nothing but what you have described. It needs to be understood but that won't take you more than 10 secs - it needs power and a fairly tiny bit of burn-in, and even after burn-in it's low level listening is a big no-no. But normal listening levels clean up everything and it becomes a very (not vastly - that's for the U18 and co) detailed iem with a punchy bottom, creamy intimate mids and highs that extend beyond the limits. I'd say its highs are not unlike the EST, just not as prominent. Both of these are tuned without the 2k and 7-8k peaks (not really necessary with the ES tweeters) so you just won't feel the somewhat "forced" presence range of conventional BA or DD based iems, but after a song or two such tuning spells lifelike realism with an abundance of high frequency overtones. Can't be farther from a dark and veiled signature.

Just my two cents, another iem that I'd say it's worth a second try if you can afford the time.

Charles from Shozy said that the Pola I tried was not the intended tuning. So take that how you will.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

@crinacle Just tried on the Shozy AAW Pola today.......you know I'm with you for quite a portion of your rankings, but seriously the Pola is nothing but what you have described. It needs to be understood but that won't take you more than 10 secs - it needs power and a fairly tiny bit of burn-in, and even after burn-in it's low level listening is a big no-no. But normal listening levels clean up everything and it becomes a very (not vastly - that's for the U18 and co) detailed iem with a punchy bottom, creamy intimate mids and highs that extend beyond the limits. I'd say its highs are not unlike the EST, just not as prominent. Both of these are tuned without the 2k and 7-8k peaks (not really necessary with the ES tweeters) so you just won't feel the somewhat "forced" presence range of conventional BA or DD based iems, but after a song or two such tuning spells lifelike realism with an abundance of high frequency overtones. Can't be farther from a dark and veiled signature.

Just my two cents, another iem that I'd say it's worth a second try if you can afford the time.

What do you consider "normal listening levels"? My first impressions of the Pola weren't great driven from an AK SR15.

I'll be stopping by that specific store either today or sometime in the near future to try out the new Hylas (TE-5T and TE-5B), so I might give it another listen.

 

[productred]

What do you consider "normal listening levels"? My first impressions of the Pola weren't great driven from an AK SR15.

I'll be stopping by that specific store either today or sometime in the near future to try out the new Hylas (TE-5T and TE-5B), so I might give it another listen.

I tested the Pola using my WM1A - for reference I listen to my U18 at around 60 or 60 sth on a busy noisy street / when commuting in the subway, and around 50 or 50 sth in office (quiet but with aircon humming and some chattering). For the Pola at that numerical level it is just as how crin described it - veiled, a complete mess (my own words). Weird balance, everything just crammed up. But the sound pressure / volume was also way lower than the U18 output, so I crank up the volume - a lot - and at around 85 I got the volume to my usual listening level, and all of a sudden everything just miraculously tidied up and was like 2000% clearer than when heard soft. The whole balance becomes just right. Give it another go before sealing the verdict - I couldn't help smiling at the experience.

Re the new Hylas........coming from the CE-5 which I have been enjoying a lot I gotta say I am not impressed, and don't really see the point of their release after the mighty CE-5. Admittedly my trial was not long enough and not under the most ideal circumstances - so please share what you think after testing them out.

 

[491326]

Quick question, about the resonant peak in measurement, aside from ignoring treble, what else can we do about it?