Elysian Annihilator 2023

[ryder78]

I missed it, it's a very good review! Thanks for sharing

At Canjam I tried the Storm (and the Rn6, the Xe6, the U12t, Triò, Fourte, Ragnar, VE Phoenix and VEX, the Prestige LTD, the Svanar and many others) but the Annihilator were the only IEM that had a WOW factor for the mix of ingredients that make them outstanding from the others.
I doubted about it, so I came back to the Elysian stand to try them again and I felt the same sensations.
The day after I placed a preorder

You should try also the Thieaudio Prestige LTD, they are better than Monarch on the treble side and very interesting for their price.

I searched this thread to see if anyone has compared the Annihilator to Thieaudio Prestige LTD where I currently have one on pre-order. I listened to the Monarch mk3 in the store and briefly compared it to my Simgot EA1000 and felt they still don't sound as airy, open or spacious in the treble as I would prefer it to be. The Monarch mk3 is just slightly better than my Simgot EA1000, not by much. I have high hopes on the Prestige LTD to comfortably outperform the EA1000.

The Annihilator is out of my price range but it's useful to note that they had a WOW factor that is missing with all other IEMs.

 

[o0genesis0o]

I searched this thread to see if anyone has compared the Annihilator to Thieaudio Prestige LTD where I currently have one on pre-order. I listened to the Monarch mk3 in the store and briefly compared it to my Simgot EA1000 and felt they still don't sound as airy, open or spacious in the treble as I would prefer it to be. The Monarch mk3 is just slightly better than my Simgot EA1000, not by much. I have high hopes on the Prestige LTD to comfortably outperform the EA1000.

The Annihilator is out of my price range but it's useful to note that they had a WOW factor that is missing with all other IEMs.

Dayum, you were asking about Pilgrim the other week and now you jump directly to Prestige?

 

[ryder78]

Dayum, you were asking about Pilgrim the other week and now you jump directly to Prestige?

Yeah, I'm all tapped out already after jumping to the Prestige LTD. I want to make this my endgame IEM to get out of the merry-go-round of upgrades so I skipped the Pilgrim and went straight for the Prestige LTD..

By the way, just to seek your experiences, do you find significant or worthwhile differences between dongles, say RU7, iBasso or FIIO? I currently heard minor differences between the RU7 and KA13. I'm not sure if something like an iBasso DC Elite or DC07 will make much positive impact if I have a bout of upgraditis in the near future.

 

[o0genesis0o]

By the way, just to seek your experiences, do you find significant or worthwhile differences between dongles, say RU7, iBasso or FIIO? I currently heard minor differences between the RU7 and KA13. I'm not sure if something like an iBasso DC Elite or DC07 will make much positive impact if I have a bout of upgraditis in the near future.

If you have the funds, by all mean. I think it depends on the IEM and what you listen to.

For example, when I compared STORM between the P6 Pro + PB5 chain and my W4 dongle out of an iphone, the STORM loses quite a bit of its soundstage and dynamic. Annihilator 2023 also does not sound impressive with my R3II, decent with W4, good with iBasso DX300, and super good when I add G5 as an amplifier. Meanwhile, the U12t does not change much between these.

Back to your question, I would get a decent dongle with low battery drain (which are numerous nowadays. For the more budget friendly option, I prefer Aful SnowyNight. For $$$$$, I recommend L&P W4). The next upgrade would be to add a low impedance amplifier. It can be a desktop one from topping or Schiit, or a portable one like NX7/G5. Connect your dongle into this amp when it’s convenient.

Anyhow, (1) the differences are “refinement” rather than ground breaking, and (2) let’s wait and see how your prestige “scale” first (i.e., is it similar to Anni or U12t). Ultimately, your ears would decide whether it is worth it. To me, I drool at the Hiby R8II because how “spacious” it sounds. Other says it sounds no different from $200 DAP.

 

[ryder78]

If you have the funds, by all mean. I think it depends on the IEM and what you listen to.

For example, when I compared STORM between the P6 Pro + PB5 chain and my W4 dongle out of an iphone, the STORM loses quite a bit of its soundstage and dynamic. Annihilator 2023 also does not sound impressive with my R3II, decent with W4, good with iBasso DX300, and super good when I add G5 as an amplifier. Meanwhile, the U12t does not change much between these.

Back to your question, I would get a decent dongle with low battery drain (which are numerous nowadays. For the more budget friendly option, I prefer Aful SnowyNight. For $$$$$, I recommend L&P W4). The next upgrade would be to add a low impedance amplifier. It can be a desktop one from topping or Schiit, or a portable one like NX7/G5. Connect your dongle into this amp when it’s convenient.

Anyhow, (1) the differences are “refinement” rather than ground breaking, and (2) let’s wait and see how your prestige “scale” first (i.e., is it similar to Anni or U12t). Ultimately, your ears would decide whether it is worth it. To me, I drool at the Hiby R8II because how “spacious” it sounds. Other says it sounds no different from $200 DAP.

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, appreciated. I am trying to avoid DAP. Anyway good to know that DAC dongles will make a difference. That's all I need to know. The Aful SnowyNight is cheaper than the Cayin RU7 which I currently have. It's my reference dongle at the moment. Anyway, good advice to wait and see how the Prestige LTD will perform with my current dongles.

Thanks again.

 

[Tybot]

What's your setup with Supermoon? Cable/DAP/Ear tips? If you don't mind sharing ... Thank you.

I have numerous high end DAPd but my perfect setup for Supermoon is…

(keep in mind this rig is what I sleep with every night)

iPhone 5S + HeadAmp Pico with a NiceHCK Meet Alice cable. Tips are acustone Ae08 believe. The key for me is an app called EQu. I just love this setup.

 

[shonkhochil]

I have numerous high end DAPd but my perfect setup for Supermoon is…

(keep in mind this rig is what I sleep with every night)

iPhone 5S + HeadAmp Pico with a NiceHCK Meet Alice cable. Tips are acustone Ae08 believe. The key for me is an app called EQu. I just love this setup.

Thank you for sharing this.

 

[BORUSSIA]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, appreciated. I am trying to avoid DAP. Anyway good to know that DAC dongles will make a difference. That's all I need to know. The Aful SnowyNight is cheaper than the Cayin RU7 which I currently have. It's my reference dongle at the moment. Anyway, good advice to wait and see how the Prestige LTD will perform with my current dongles.

Thanks again.

Tried the Anni 23 with different DAPs, Dongles and Dac/Amp combos.

My experience is that the synergy is the most important part. I preferred a warmer sounding pairing (Se300, Shanling H7) to for example more neutral sources (Dx260, Dx240, D16).
On top of that more demanding IEMs like the Anni favour powerful sources. They generally open up the soundstage and improve the bass. Lower output devices are sounding lean and flat on the Anni.

But for what I have tried, tips had a significant impact on the sound. A good seal improves the bass, wide bores open up the soundstage and increase the treble.

I would choose an IEM with a sound signature that you like and look for a good tip and source pair-up afterwards.

YMMV

 

[ryder78]

Tried the Anni 23 with different DAPs, Dongles and Dac/Amp combos.

My experience is that the synergy is the most important part. I preferred a warmer sounding pairing (Se300, Shanling H7) to for example more neutral sources (Dx260, Dx240, D16).
On top of that more demanding IEMs like the Anni favour powerful sources. They generally open up the soundstage and improve the bass. Lower output devices are sounding lean and flat on the Anni.

But for what I have tried, tips had a significant impact on the sound. A good seal improves the bass, wide bores open up the soundstage and increase the treble.

I would choose an IEM with a sound signature that you like and look for a good tip and source pair-up afterwards.

YMMV

Thanks for the experience, appreciated. I received the same advice on the importance of tips and have the Dunu S&S on order. It looks like a wide bore and from what I was told, it will improve treble response and increase airiness and soundstage, all the aspects I'm looking for in the sound reproduction. I'll likely receive the Dunu by end of this week.

I don't use a DAP and curently have two dongles which I often swap around. They bring a small but important difference to the sound especially with better IEMs. With cheaper IEMs such as Simgot EW200, the difference with or without the dongle is minimal or negligible. With better IEMs such as EA1000, the difference is more significant.

 

[Tybot]

Thank you for sharing this.

Here's a pic of the Supermoon setup. The Pico is perfect for sleeping. Not only can I leave it on all night, but even if I forget to turn it off the next morning, it's still good for at least another couple days. Tend to get about 2 weeks from the battery listening a few hours per night. It's also a little tank and won't mind falling off the bed while I sleep. Used a 2.5 cable with a 90 degree adapter so it was tucked away from my rolling over and breaking it during the night. Meet Alice is a super nice cable but silly cheap if I role over on it and break it. Seems to be pretty much my ideal sleep setup.

 

[shonkhochil]

Here's a pic of the Supermoon setup. The Pico is perfect for sleeping. Not only can I leave it on all night, but even if I forget to turn it off the next morning, it's still good for at least another couple days. Tend to get about 2 weeks from the battery listening a few hours per night. It's also a little tank and won't mind falling off the bed while I sleep. Used a 2.5 cable with a 90 degree adapter so it was tucked away from my rolling over and breaking it during the night. Meet Alice is a super nice cable but silly cheap if I role over on it and break it. Seems to be pretty much my ideal sleep setup.

Really nice set up...
Based on the leather case condition, I can tell it's getting a fair amount of usage!!

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Shape77]

Yeah, I'm all tapped out already after jumping to the Prestige LTD. I want to make this my endgame IEM to get out of the merry-go-round of upgrades so I skipped the Pilgrim and went straight for the Prestige LTD..

By the way, just to seek your experiences, do you find significant or worthwhile differences between dongles, say RU7, iBasso or FIIO? I currently heard minor differences between the RU7 and KA13. I'm not sure if something like an iBasso DC Elite or DC07 will make much positive impact if I have a bout of upgraditis in the near future.

Surely some more powerful amp than a dongle could improve the sound. Quloos MUB1 or Questyle CMA18p surely can have a lot of impact in terms of SQ. But I suggest you to try them in order to find the best synergy wuth the IEM you're going to use - and the Prestige LTD are really a good choice for me, congrats!.

 

[Deferenz]

I’m thinking about getting the AK PA10 amp to go with my sp3k to try and give the Anni 23 some more power. I’m intrigued by what an amp would do to the sound.

 

[ryder78]

Surely some more powerful amp than a dongle could improve the sound. Quloos MUB1 or Questyle CMA18p surely can have a lot of impact in terms of SQ. But I suggest you to try them in order to find the best synergy wuth the IEM you're going to use - and the Prestige LTD are really a good choice for me, congrats!.

Thanks. Although both are not available locally and need to be shipped, they do look good. Which one is supposed to sound better? The Questyle has AKM chips which should sound good. The Quloos is cheaper and has Cirrus chips.

Both should sound noticeably if not significantly better than small dongles such as ibasso DC Elite or Cayin RU7 I suppose?

 

[Shape77]

Thanks. Although both are not available locally and need to be shipped, they do look good. Which one is supposed to sound better? The Questyle has AKM chips which should sound good. The Quloos is cheaper and has Cirrus chips.

Both should sound noticeably if not significantly better than small dongles such as ibasso DC Elite or Cayin RU7 I suppose?

Questyle is more linear, while Quloos is is warmer.