I've compared the non truth version to many of the top flagship universal IEMs and CIEMs such as the fitears, JH, Roxanne, Noble, UM, Sennheiser, AKG, Vision ears, and IMO, the answer is easily comparable to all of these top end IEMs. Perhaps these multi BA IEMs do certain things better, for one, the fitears in particular do have a more well defined midrange, but none of these IEMs have either the extension to compete with the ditas, or natural realism of tone. Yes, even the cheaper version without the Van Den Hul cable upgrade.
Personally, I listen to a lot of classical music, thus, the full range extension on both ends is really important to me and I guess the answer has a large advantage here. Perhaps on vocal tracks many of these multi BA IEMs could perform slightly better due to the BAs inherent ability to perform well at the midrange, However, in terms of top end extension and low end bass slam, the answer is truly on another level. The bass is powerful, tight, well extended, yet immaculately controlled, giving the full, mellow, and natural tone to the various instruments when the music calls for it. Imaging and soundstage are very good as well, and very natural indeed, especially when paired with the right sources and amplification. In terms of details, the answer doesn't lose out one bit as well.
In fact, the answer is perhaps one of the most natural and organic sounding IEMs I've heard to date. Yes, the UM miracle has a more immense soundstage, but it just sounds thin and unnatural in comparison. The JH13 has a really unique midrange tone that gives for a really interesting listening experience, coupled with a wide soundstage. The fitears have a sweet, well defined and strong midrange. The k3003s come close with lots of energy in the upper mids, but compared to the answer, they lack the full bodied low end and that extra energy in the upper midrange sometimes translates into a bit of shoutiness, Basically, many of these IEMs do perform better in the answer in a couple of ways, but at the end of the day, if I had to pick one pair, I would go with the answer any day, for they sound far more natural at everything they do. In fact, listening to orchestral pieces from the Living Stereo, the answer literally made me feel like I was there, at the concert hall. It's the tone. It's that real. It's that good.
In fact, when the makers were designing the answer, they had one goal in mind, to be able to emulate a well tuned 2 channel speaker setup. And I must say that they have succeeded. If you ever get a chance to hear them, remember, though, that these are NOT earphones that would jump out at you on the first listen. Compared to the fitears, or the JH IEMs, for example, they do not have that wow factor on first listen. In fact, had I not known that other people who grew to love them had the exact same sentiments, I would not have made myself sit down and continue to listen to them. However, the more you listen, the more it grabs you. The woody tone of the strings, the energy in the violins, the alacrity and lightness in the guitars, and more than anything, they sound so real. Give it time, sit down and let it grow on you, and I guarantee that it won't disappoint!
