Effect Audio x Elysian Acoustic Labs Gaea - Discussion & Impression Thread
Mar 26, 2023 at 4:09 PM Post #136 of 186
Apart from the fit, what would you say the main differences are between the Gaea and the MMKII? The main music I listen to is rock - 60s, 70s, and early 2000s garage rock. Which IEM would be best for that?
I had Monarch MK2 and I sold them because they have a large shell... And of course the magnificent Gaea landing, unlike the Monarch. Gaea plays rock better than Monarch. More cheerful, more perky. Gaea is great for rock. Gaia is brighter than monarchs. Especially on the Spinfit W1 tips. And on other tips with a large hole. I'm still testing the sound on different tips and I'm not ready to make some kind of global conclusion yet, especially since I'm still waiting for some tips. I 'm currently listening to Gaia on ddHiFi ST35 Silicone . They play much better Final Audio Type E. Improvements in bass and vocals. I also really liked the Audiosense S400. Gaia plays amazing with them without being bright. I also tried the JVC Spiral Dot++ 10 and was surprised by the amazing softness of the sound, despite the huge hole the size of a volcano crater. The brightness is decreasing, i need more time for tests...

I think from everything I've tried so far, the best option for Gaea is the Audiosense S400. It sounds like it's between Spinfit 145 and Final Type E. The same inclined head as Spinfit. A large hole for the headphone nozzle. And a wider opening than in the Final Type E, in connection with which there is no such loss in the upper frequencies, vocals, sound stage. Very comfortable, very soft.
 
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Mar 26, 2023 at 7:53 PM Post #137 of 186
Any thoughts on this vs IER-Z1R, and the Diva?

Gaea is like a more upper mid centric take on a similar type of tuning as IER Z1R. Hot take would be (as mentioned) that Z1R has better bass and Gaea has better treble. Z1R has a grander presentation overall. Both do female vocals very well, both lack some meat in the lower mids/mid-bass.

Diva feels like a more conventionally tuned Gaea. Probably a better all rounder but I think the comparative openness of Gaea's upper mids and treble puts the tuning of those regions on better display than on the Diva. For me a little EQ works wonders-- drop the upper mids and boost the lower mids a touch and you still get that wonderful treble.

The Gaea has the best treble response

Agreed this is worth the price of admission for Gaea imho.

If one can, Code 23 makes wonders to Gaea

I have a Code 23 here and have not tried this combo yet...I will have to check it out.

Edit: No can do my Code 23 only has MMCX and 2-pin options.
 
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Mar 26, 2023 at 9:11 PM Post #138 of 186
Gaea is like a more upper mid centric take on a similar type of tuning as IER Z1R. Hot take would be (as mentioned) that Z1R has better bass and Gaea has better treble. Z1R has a grander presentation overall. Both do female vocals very well, both lack some meat in the lower mids/mid-bass.

Diva feels like a more conventionally tuned Gaea. Probably a better all rounder but I think the comparative openness of Gaea's upper mids and treble puts the tuning of those regions on better display than on the Diva. For me a little EQ works wonders-- drop the upper mids and boost the lower mids a touch and you still get that wonderful treble.



Agreed this is worth the price of admission for Gaea imho.



I have a Code 23 here and have not tried this combo yet...I will have to check it out.

Edit: No can do my Code 23 only has MMCX and 2-pin options.
You can just remove the Pentaconn from Gaea stock cable and put on Code 23 :)

PS.: Gaea stock cable is ConX. :)
 
Mar 26, 2023 at 9:12 PM Post #139 of 186
You can just remove the Pentaconn from Gaea stock cable and put on Code 23 :)

PS.: Gaea stock cable is ConX. :)

Oh snap...I actually knew that but had forgotten it.
 
Apr 15, 2023 at 9:13 AM Post #141 of 186
Effect Audio Code 23. This is not photoshop ))) It's amazing, but the cable stands by itself due to its too tight. Yes, it is tight and does not twist by itself, only with his hands, having shaped it, he holds it. Code23 certainly feels more massive, tight and more thorough than the drain. At first, he was like a stick, twisted, turned and set the shape, and then he bent it right on his ears. Lifting the limiter slightly higher makes the landing more convenient. In general, sitting on a chair is a good fit. It takes a little getting used to. The guys laugh, they say, put it in the corridor and hang your clothes like on a hanger ))

About the sound, there are no words!...The first main difference is the scene. On the drain, it goes like a flattened sphere to the left, to the right, slightly down and slightly behind the head, on Code 23 it is seriously added with going up and down. There is much more air, better separation of instruments. The second is how much the sound has become fleshier. The fleshiness, juiciness of the sound has been added just noticeably more. The sub-bass began to dig deeper, the punch intensified on the mid-bass (it became much more massive than on the most bass tips that I put on, but there was a loss of air and the stage), the drum barrel became more expressive, the entire range of instruments that plays on the mid-bass and at medium frequencies it transformed, became more massive, denser. But with all this, the detail remained at the same level. That is, without losing any detail at all, the mass and the scene are increasing. Regarding the HI, everything is at the same highest level, the treble is played a little more softened, they are the same detailed, they sound generally softer and more pleasant. Amazing cable! I am satisfied. I got what I wanted on light headphones. A serious and tangible increase in fleshiness, an increase in airiness and scenes and a slightly softer treble.

Sitting, listening to the Code 23, there is practically no difference in comfort with the drain. It does not put pressure on the ears in any way, does not pull down. But it feels a little on the body that something serious is attached. You have to get used to it. In some other conditions, I do not know, it may cause some discomfort. Therefore, a cable for quiet listening is preferably on the spot. I haven't taken him with me yet, I'll have to take him outside to see how he will behave in a walk.

In the photo, a bag from ddhifi, a cable with headphones fits there. Dunu SS ear tips on Gaea. I really like the sound in them. Just super! Very airy, elegant positioning of the instruments. It will also need to be closely compared with Spinfit W1. But so far, in a cursory comparison, the W1 sounds a little brighter and the bass, midrange are not so fleshy. Even Dunu is better on stage! All the ear tips that I tried with a small hole do not give such an amazing scene and such airiness. It's something. They had to put Dunu SS ear tips in the kit.
 

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Apr 18, 2023 at 5:21 PM Post #145 of 186
Gaea rotates on the connector around without a problem. It turns easily. But it's holding up well.
yes, I meant if there is any wobble Left / Right. I've had this type of connector in the past on a different set of IEM.
 
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Apr 20, 2023 at 12:59 AM Post #148 of 186
Apr 24, 2023 at 7:42 PM Post #149 of 186
Has anyone tried using an impedance adapter on these to see if that has any effect on the DD to increase the Bass Response? Am genuinely curious if there are ways to get more bass out of this iem in a relatively straight forward/ reversible manner - it's about adding more fullness to the bass for a select few tracks. Maybe an impedance adapter or if someone has some knowledge on Convolution files - would it be possible to use those to generate the effect of rumble (at a lower db as an echo/ reverb or adjusting bass to be centre channel whilst moving mids/ treble to surround - effectively pumping more energy to the DD)?
 
Apr 25, 2023 at 2:45 AM Post #150 of 186
I noticed that max Gain increase makes Gaea even brighter. The brightness gets even higher. Therefore, this is not an option. The most effective is the equalizer. But I don't like the equalizer and listen to streaming services. Of the available ones, this is the replacement of the cable with pure copper, preferably a large colibre like code23, and the replacement of ear tips. I recently received an Acoustune AET06. M+ size. These are the most bassy ear tips. At the same time, a soft, detailed sound, a great scene, soft and pleasant high frequencies, gorgeous vocals. I managed to boost the bass response very well. It will even be too much... Now punch are very obvious and sensitive.

PS: If you change the cable even to Effect Audio Eros S, you will get a much greater bass response. although it is also a hybrid cable, but there is more copper in it. More punch. Not to mention code23. They had to make an 8-core copper cable in the kit (ares s 8-core). For me, it's a disadvantage to put a cable with silver in bright headphones to enhance their brightness even more. I 'm not a basshead )

Oh, I completely forgot... Source! The source is extremely important! It should be a more warm. Either a high-level DAP or DAC. Preferably with an emphasis on low frequencies. I can 100% say that this is from the middle price segment or DAP Cayin N7. It has amazing low frequencies. Or like my DAC\AMP Shanling H7, it also has an emphasis on low frequencies.

Bottom line: source > cable > ear tips
 
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