[colinharding]

Very nice!!  I'm sure that you'll cover this in your review, but did you notice any differences in sound between the stock cable and the chris_himself cable?

 

[v0nn]

I will be. And in short yes. Its cleaner and clearer. With the volume at the same level. I feel that the chris_himself cables are louder. I can tell you that bass is stronger because its the most noticeable difference. Then again I'm not sure if its because the volume seems louder.
I'm not sure if that makes sense to any one.

 

[Nulliverse]

Yup, makes sense to me v0nn. And thanks for the pics.
 
Here are mine, which are now awaiting customs clearance:
 

 
Will be replacing the cable with the MA Silver Dragon.

 

[v0nn]

Compared to: TF10 Remolds
 
Cable Used chris_himself cables
 
Preliminary Impressions (used stock cables):
To be honest out of the box the Aud-5x did not blow my mind. I did however recognize that they were more capable than anything I have ever owned. After some quick listening i  left then to burn in for few days. Since I caught a cold I couldn't really listen to them.
 
Impression ( used Chris_himself cables)
There was some getting used to coming from the TF10s . I felt Aud-5x were warmer in presentation. In fact I thought it was muddy after changing from the TF10s.
 
Well as was recommended I gave myself about 2 -3 days to get accustomed to the presentation of these monitors after the burn in.
First thing I noticed was the instrument separation and I guess what's called 3d presentation. These are FAR superior than the TF10s. For instance when listening to Inutil Paisagem by Esperanza Spalding I could distinctively hear the subtle beat sound she made with her lips. The light claps were far more crisper and clearer. Listening to Dat Dere By Ricky Lee Jones made the children's laughter in song sound like they were running around. Plucking of ever acoustic instrument can be felt and heard with resonance. I can hear the Saxe the shakers everything can be heard so clearly.
 
The bass dept is needlessly much capable than the TF10s. TF10 s bass was enough for me so anything better was great. It definitely gave me a new found appreciation for bass guitars and cellos. Drums sounded so impactful and accurate. With these monitors music became so lively and engaging.  
One thing that I realized with better monitors is that they test the quality of the source. Several times I was about to call Mitch ,when listen to some old Beatles tracks , about problem drivers.
 
Cables.
I find it hard to explain the differences I hear from the cables. One thing I found with both the TF10  and Aud-5x is that stock cables left me longing for the silver cables. The most noticeable difference is the bass. The chris_himself provides more detail and cleaner overall presentation. I have said this before all else being equal, I feel that the silver cables produce a higher volume than stock cables.
 
Well thats it folks. Feel free to ask me, disagree/agree with me.

 

[caracara08]

so silver is cleaner and more detailed but does that have to do with having a higher volume?  if volumes were matched, would it be the same? i myself have spent maybe 1-2 thousand on headphone/earphone/interconnects.  i THINK i prefer silver too but cannot say for certain. i too believe that silver produces a slightly higher volume, but does that give the appearance of clairty?

 

[v0nn]

That is what I ask myself too.

 

[average_joe]

Thanks for the write-up v0nn.  As far as the silver cable vs. stock, here are some questions to think about when A/Bing the cables.  
 
If you turn up the volume a bit with the stock cable, do you get the same sense of spaciousness and clean sound?  If it is just a cable, why would the volume be higher?  That is a change right there, so what is causing the increased volume?  Is it less signal loss through the cable allowing for more of the original sounds, especially the lower power parts of the analog audio (treble and micro-detail) to go through?  
 
Looking forward to your (and others) thoughts on this, although maybe this would be better discussed here.

 

[v0nn]

 
Quote:

Thanks for the write-up v0nn.  As far as the silver cable vs. stock, here are some questions to think about when A/Bing the cables.  
 
If you turn up the volume a bit with the stock cable, do you get the same sense of spaciousness and clean sound?  If it is just a cable, why would the volume be higher?  That is a change right there, so what is causing the increased volume?  Is it less signal loss through the cable allowing for more of the original sounds, especially the lower power parts of the analog audio (treble and micro-detail) to go through?  
 
Looking forward to your (and others) thoughts on this, although maybe this would be better discussed here.

 
 


Gotcha.

 

[Nulliverse]

Interesting questions raised there. Will keep an eye on the cables thread.
 
On a different note: Average_Joe, could you possibly make a brief comparison between the AUD-5X and EM4? I understand that it'll be relatively meaningless, due to the EM4 costing almost double that of the AUD-5X, but think it'll be interesting to read alongside your comparisons with the SA-43, JH16 and UERM.
 
 

 

[colinharding]

I use all silver interconnects in my main system and definitely noticed an improvement along the same lines as v0nn did in his Aud-5X.  Might have to give the chris_himself cables a try haha.  Thanks for the review v0nn it was a great read and I'm glad that you are enjoying them.  They are quite a different beast from the TF10s.  Nulliverse, not that I'm trying to steal average_joe's thunder here, but from what I've read the EM4 is very much the detailed "audiophile" version of Earsonics IEMs.  Doesn't sound like something I would personally enjoy haha, especially since the write-up on the Earsonics website claims that the customs have "sharp highs."  Sounds a bit painful, I'd really like to see average_joe review the EM6 if he can get his hands on one.  

 

[average_joe]

I haven't had a chance to stick both the 5X and EM4 in my ears, but going from the notes as well as having both in my ears comparing to another CIEM not too long ago, the EM4 is more bass heavy, detailed, and mid-forward with a bit better transparency.  The EM4 has a liquidity about it while the 5X is more between analytical and cold.  Soundstage space is similar, but the EM4 is more mid-forward and really has a unique presentation as the bass in some tracks can be far back in comparison making for a cavernous space, yet other tracks have very up front bass.  The EM4 outputs more bass due to the presentation and additional enhancement and actually has more rumble, but the 5X has better control.  Overall the EM4 is more refined and performs quite well, but there is a huge price differential.

 

[bigc23]

any ideas how much the Chirs_himself cables are and where I can get them from? figured i'm gonna be in the US picking up my 5Xs so may pick up some cables. Can't wait to get these in my ears once I get to NYC
 
Thanks guys!

 

[Kuroda Tsubasa]

 
Quote:

any ideas how much the Chirs_himself cables are and where I can get them from? figured i'm gonna be in the US picking up my 5Xs so may pick up some cables. Can't wait to get these in my ears once I get to NYC
 
Thanks guys!

 
http://chrishimselfaudio.blogspot.com/p/pricing.html
Also contacting him by email or PM here won't hurt too.  http://www.head-fi.org/u/55992/chris-himself

 

[v0nn]

Headphonelounge.com is the actual website where you can place an order.


You can always just message him here!

 

[Nulliverse]

I'll be picking mine up in the morning.
 
Just thought I'd warn anyone located in the UK, or EU, that I got seriously shafted by customs. £94 / 115 Euros / $152. Ouch! This brings the total price (including shipping) to £491 / 602 Euros / $798 + impression costs.
 
Is a charge of this magnitude normal I wonder? I'll certainly be looking into this!
 
Anyway, I have no regrets, and will post impressions after a few days of burn-in / listening.