[Xamdou]

How I wish the cable management in my office is half as tidy as EE's

 

[seamon]

The closest I can think of is perhaps the JH Roxanne (dials to full bass) or the 64 A8/U8, but even there I would not know if it would satisfy their needs.

When all else fails, there's always Beetz

 

[Mr-Nice]

Greetings

I see that my post caused a bit of stir and chaos around here, and yes I was expecting to be banned.
Now let me put things in more perspective and explain from where all the anger came from. The purchase of the Zeus XiV that my friend bought was based on my advise and he paid heavily even its a second hand one. Now naively I recommended it to my friend despite me never hearing it before, and I relied on reviews


So the shock was perceived after he got it, and he called me in anger and told me that I really was dishonest and that he is not liking what he is hearing, and that it lacks bass contrary to the reviews below which I relied on when I offered him my advise for buying the best iem out there. It caused friction between us

So my posts above and anger all stem from reading reviews where it says that it has powerful bass like the one done by headfonics review

http://headfonics.com/2016/03/the-zeus-by-empire-ears/
Bass
Zeus’ bass is slightly north from neutral. With bass heavy music it is powerful, and slams with the authority one can expect from its name. Bass speed is about average, but has great detail and texture; multiple bass lines are displayed with great precision and separation. The sub-bass hits very deep, providing great depth in the soundstage. The mid-bass provides a good slam, while also giving fullness to the lower mids. The general tone is slightly warm. "

Also here https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/e...ons-thread-worlds-first-14-driver-iem.787791/

"The bass is reference quality, meaning it is not boomy, not out of focus, and not muddy or muffled. On the contrary, the Zeus’ bass is punchy, with good impact. Kick drums and synthetic beats alike sound as natural as can be. The bass is fast, snappy, and is naturally neutral-sounding in its deliverance.

So maybe not being an big expert in interpreting reviews, and thinking that my Sony XBA Z5 bass is similar to what is written in those reviews, I gave a total wrong recommendation to my friend, thinking that the bass at least would be as good as Z5. As I thought beats iems bass are the ones that are basshead type while my sony z5 fall into descriptions like the above reviews.

Anyhow as I mentioned the last thing I know is my friend is trying to sell it to someone who is more into classical music, for of course a loss. My credibility towards him sunk to the ground because of a wrong recommendation.

Anyhow I threw out big words and I apologize, but I know from now that every review needs to analyzed way better, and that an iem being really expensive does not mean that it will meet all requirements for the masses.

I am simply hoping to hear that my friend will succeed in selling his iem, although he is not in touch with me now, so he can move on and buy what ever he wants without me trying to help and then get in trouble.

Finally again I apologize for throwing a tantrum fit, but I was so ticked off and the whole issue was a mess for me on a personal level. In the midst of it I realized that our friendship was not that strong as I imagined it to be.

Cheers

 

[flinkenick]

Hi there, I appreciate the new direction in your tone, as well as the honesty. I'm sorry to hear your friend is taking it out on you personally.

That Headfonics review is mine. It indeed says "slightly north of neutral". For me, neutral bass starts with iems that have significantly less bass than Zeus. Things like the classic Etymotics, the Ultimate Ears UE18+ pro, or Perfect Seal Deca, or even Zeus-ADEL. The Z5 is not slightly north of neutral; it is probably in the top 3 of ultimate basshead iems, along with the likes of the ASG 2.5 and Sony EX1000. It seems like you were taking that as a reference point of what is slightly enhanced, and expected the quantity of bass to increase even more with more expensive iems. But that isn't going to happen, there aren't any iems that I can think of in the TOTL segment above $1500 that can match the Z5's quantity. It's because powerful bass also comes with downsides, and the targeted market of audiophiles tend to have different preferences.

Maybe I should have written 'neutral' instead of 'lightly enhanced' in retrospect, I can admit to that. The reason at the time was that I also had iems with even less bass like the Perfect Seal AR6, which I took as reference point for 'neutral bass'. But what consitutes 'neutral bass' is often a topic of discussion since there's so much variation.

..but I know from now that every review needs to analyzed way better, and that an iem being really expensive does not mean that it will meet all requirements for the masses.

Making an expensive purchase is a very big decision. I used to send pm's to a few members just to get some more specific feedback before I bought something. In fact, I paid a lot of money for the Zeus in that review myself, and had long conversations with members like SGS before I did so, to make sure it was right for me. At the time it was the most expensive purchase I ever made, so I needed to be as sure as I could get. And one of the greatest advantages of this forum is that you can post these questions in advance on the thread, rather than after the fact.

But in the end, the world of hi-fi always comes with a lot of disappointments, because taste is so specific. I've had a long journey myself, and maybe really liked 1 out of 4-5 iems I ever had. So I also had to sell the rest with a loss (before I started reviewing, not samples of course). This is an inevitable part of hi-fi that we all go through, so it's not fair of your friend to react this way.

 

[seamon]

So my posts above and anger all stem from reading reviews where it says that it has powerful bass like the one done by headfonics review

http://headfonics.com/2016/03/the-zeus-by-empire-ears/
Bass
Zeus’ bass is slightly north from neutral. With bass heavy music it is powerful, and slams with the authority one can expect from its name. Bass speed is about average, but has great detail and texture; multiple bass lines are displayed with great precision and separation. The sub-bass hits very deep, providing great depth in the soundstage. The mid-bass provides a good slam, while also giving fullness to the lower mids. The general tone is slightly warm. "

Also here https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/e...ons-thread-worlds-first-14-driver-iem.787791/

"The bass is reference quality, meaning it is not boomy, not out of focus, and not muddy or muffled. On the contrary, the Zeus’ bass is punchy, with good impact. Kick drums and synthetic beats alike sound as natural as can be. The bass is fast, snappy, and is naturally neutral-sounding in its deliverance.

The review is very accurate as expected of Nic. Zeus bass is punchy, decently speedy, extends deep, very deep. The first time I heard the Zeus, I was taken aback by the impact. It was seriously satisfying. Sure quantity is not that much but the texture, extension and the mid-bass impact is top-notch. The bass is much more satisfying that many other TOTLs like Andromeda etc.

Also, how long did your friend spend with the Zeus?
His ears may be accustomed to Bass heavy IEMs. Maybe spend a month with the Zeus and then let him try the Z5. I bet he would never want to listen to Z5 again.

 

[Mr-Nice]

Hi there, I appreciate the new direction in your tone, as well as the honesty. I'm sorry to hear your friend is taking it out on you personally.

That Headfonics review is mine. It indeed says "slightly north of neutral". For me, neutral bass starts with iems that have significantly less bass than Zeus. Things like the classic Etymotics, the Ultimate Ears UE18+ pro, or Perfect Seal Deca, or even Zeus-ADEL. The Z5 is not slightly north of neutral; it is probably in the top 3 of ultimate basshead iems, along with the likes of the ASG 2.5 and Sony EX1000. It seems like you were taking that as a reference point of what is slightly enhanced, and expected the quantity of bass to increase even more with more expensive iems. But that isn't going to happen, there aren't any iems that I can think of in the TOTL segment above $1500 that can match the Z5's quantity. It's because powerful bass also comes with downsides, and the targeted market of audiophiles tend to have different preferences.

Maybe I should have written 'neutral' instead of 'lightly enhanced' in retrospect, I can admit to that. The reason at the time was that I also had iems with even less bass like the Perfect Seal AR6, which I took as reference point for 'neutral bass'. But what consitutes 'neutral bass' is often a topic of discussion since there's so much variation. But still, I would argue that neither of the posts you quote say this is earth-shattering bass that will be a delight for bassheads.



Making an expensive purchase is a very big decision. I used to send pm's to a few members just to get some more specific feedback before I bought something. In fact, I paid a lot of money for the Zeus in that review myself, and had long conversations with members like SGS before I did so, to make sure it was right for me. At the time it was the most expensive purchase I ever made, so I needed to be as sure as I could get. And one of the greatest advantages of this forum is that you can post these questions in advance on the thread, rather than after the fact.

But in the end, the world of hi-fi always comes with a lot of disappointments, because taste is so specific. I've had a long journey myself, and maybe really liked 1 out of 4-5 iems I ever had. So I also had to sell the rest with a loss (before I started reviewing, not samples of course). This is an inevitable part of hi-fi that we all go through, so it's not fair of your friend to react this way.

Greetings

Thanks for clarifying all this and I apologize for being so childish, if only you knew what words he told me and I think our friendship is even over.
Anyhow I am in peace with all this and I give all respect to all of you and I feel so naive saying what I said

Also I am terribly sorry to Jack as it seems he is really one of the most honest people around here

So so sorry, I wish somehow that all what has been said by me could be removed as it is a disgrace what I said

Cheers

 

[Mr-Nice]

The review is very accurate as expected of Nic. Zeus bass is punchy, decently speedy, extends deep, very deep. The first time I heard the Zeus, I was taken aback by the impact. It was seriously satisfying. Sure quantity is not that much but the texture, extension and the mid-bass impact is top-notch. The bass is much more satisfying that many other TOTLs like Andromeda etc.

Also, how long did your friend spend with the Zeus?
His ears may be accustomed to Bass heavy IEMs. Maybe spend a month with the Zeus and then let him try the Z5. I bet he would never want to listen to Z5 again.

Greetings

Honestly I do not want to get into any advise to that person again, and I just hope he sells his and goes back to beats iems or what ever he likes

Cheers

 

[seamon]

Greetings

Honestly I do not want to get into any advise to that person again, and I just hope he sells his and goes back to beats iems or what ever he likes

Cheers

If he's making such an expensive purchase, maybe he should have done his own research. If he was a good friend then he would know that you wouldn't advise him poorly. Maybe you are better off without him. I apologize if I overstepped any boundaries. Just food for thought.

Moral - Do you own research when buying multi thousand dollar TOTL IEMs.

 

[Wyville]

Greetings

Thanks for clarifying all this and I apologize for being so childish, if only you knew what words he told me and I think our friendship is even over.
Anyhow I am in peace with all this and I give all respect to all of you and I feel so naive saying what I said

Also I am terribly sorry to Jack as it seems he is really one of the most honest people around here

So so sorry, I wish somehow that all what has been said by me could be removed as it is a disgrace what I said

Cheers

It is good to see your apologies. We all make mistakes and that is fine because we learn from it.

When it comes to bass there is a big difference between quality and quantity. I recently learned that myself and mentioned it in my review of the Custom Art Ei.3 (here). It took me a while to fully get used to the quality of the bass of the Ei.3 because I was so used to the quantity the Shure se215 produce. It even took me quite a long time before I got to the point where I do not much care for the bass of the se215 anymore. Too loose, too boomy and far too present throughout the signature. Moreover, it is a weak bass despite its boom. The Ei.3 hit harder and much more precise, reproducing more details at the lower end. I think it took me several weeks before I was able to fully appreciate this.

 

[Kerouac]

In some way Head-Fi has a lot of similarities with life itself...many lessons can be learned (even for free) over here

I used to travel a lot in the past. Now I often consider HF / audio as one great adventure...in both cases I also met a lot of nice/helpful people down the road.

 

[Ike1985]

Greetings

Thanks for clarifying all this and I apologize for being so childish, if only you knew what words he told me and I think our friendship is even over.
Anyhow I am in peace with all this and I give all respect to all of you and I feel so naive saying what I said

Also I am terribly sorry to Jack as it seems he is really one of the most honest people around here

So so sorry, I wish somehow that all what has been said by me could be removed as it is a disgrace what I said

Cheers

Someone who would disavow you for not liking an IEM you recommended them is not someone you should be friends with. It seems to me someone with little experience in this field asked someone with similar maybe a bit more experience to do research for them (why not research it for himself?) and it didn't work out. Not suprised.

 

[proedros]

Mr Nice , you lost a 'friend' but you won some new head-fi mad-hatters to accompany you here if you decide to jump into the mad ocean of TOTL CIEMs

Judging by your 'friend' and how he behaved towards you , i feel certain to say that you are better off without him

Welcome !

 

[boblauer]

Greetings

Honestly I do not want to get into any advise to that person again, and I just hope he sells his and goes back to beats iems or what ever he likes

Cheers

I would also like to echo your reply and say it was very well articulated and I understand now why you wrote what you wrote. Unfortunately a true friend would understand a misinterpretation versus deceit. You misinterpreted some reviews based on your knowledge of what was neutral, you did not deceive them into buying something simply to cause them harm. He/she needs to understand that and not lose a friendship over that, should they chose to lose a friend then they were not a true friend bottom line. Hang in there and hopefully he/she comes around and understands that. Oh and before they take a significant loss why not list it for sale here or Audiogon. best chances of finding someone who knows the value of the IEM in question.

 

[twister6]

... the only thing left to say:

 

[Kerouac]

The above wasn't posted in cynical mode...now was it?

and what also bonds / connects us over here, is that we all love music