Okay guys, so I just spent the last four hours with these babies...usually when I test IEMs, I like to plug them into my Kindle Fire HDX and try several different applications. Tonight I watched an episode of Bloodline on Netflix, multiple movie trailers (if an IEM or headphones can't cut it with movies, they don't last long around here!), about 20 youtube music and gaming clips, and some other misc stuff. Overall I'm very, very impressed.
I think my favorite quality of the Titans so far is the spacious soundstage. This is clearly one area where they best my beloved Atrios. The Grado GR8s I had in here recently had a very nice sized soundstage, and I'd have to say the Titans are on par with those (the GR8s are $300 IEMs, by the way). The low end is also very nice. It stood out to me within the first ten mins earlier in the evening, and it still stands out now. I'd still have to give the nod to the Atrios in this department, but that's not a knock on the Titans because the bass is the strength of the Atrios. The Titans easily beat out the RHA MA750s that I own, though, and like the soundstage, I feel the low end shines on the Titans.
Further, these are very detailed and they avoid one of the main pitfalls that is usually a deal breaker for me - the dreaded VEIL. This was one reason why I did not keep a headphone like the Sennheiser HD700 around...myself and several others noted a slight veil to the sound that limited transparency. It's something that I'm very sensitive to and it stands out like a sore thumb when it's present. The Titans are very transparent, detailed, and do not sound veiled at all.
Another big positive - the COMFORT. Maybe it's just my ears, but these are even more comfortable than the GR8s, which surprised me. I'm sure I'll pick up some Comply tips to play around with, but the stock tips so far combined with the way these stay perfectly placed in my ear canal scores HIGH marks with me. The biggest reason I'm not more into IEMs is because I hate the feeling of something being stuck in my ear. If all IEMs were this comfortable, I'd probably invest more into them than I do. I love how these feel. Excellent ergonomics.
One sticking point with me, though, is still the midrange. I don't know if it's recessed in general or just recessed relative to the overall sound signature, but I find they lack richness, particularly with vocals. My favorite instrument is the human voice. Much of my music falls into the singer/songwriter genre. I love simple instrumentation combined with AMAZING vocals. These fall short of the mark just a bit...I won't go so far as to call the mids lifeless, but I do find them lacking. Maybe other tips will alter the presentation, I dont know, but this is the one area I give them a "ding".
Taken all together, for a ~$100ish IEM, the Titans are one AMAZING value. I had high expecations going in based on all the positive feedback I read before ordering, but I tempered those by knowing about what I would expect from an IEM in that price range. I feel these outkick the coverage by a fair margin and overall are a very enjoyable product. There is no IEM on earth that would ever take precedence over some of my favorite headphones at a variety of price points, but even though I can't say I like them better than my Atrios, I already like them enough to put them in the same category of performance. In short, I love both and plan to keep both. That was my goal going in - to add another IEM that had a different sound signature, but was also one I could enjoy as much or more than the Atrios.
Mission Accomplished!
Thanks to Wayne for first bringing them to my attention, and thanks to the rest of you guys for all the feedback and for answering my questions
