[zephyrstar]

I have read many times that Raven is quite sensitive to changes in tips and cables which I think is good as it means it has a decent range of adjustment, but there is another constant that I see repeated, the Raven sound is often mentioned as bright signature, I'm thinking of purchasing a Raven since I loved Odyssey, but bright signatures are not my cup of tea, can anyone shed some light on the subject??

I always thought Raven would be a little less warm than Odyssey but not to the point of being a bright signature

I don't find it to be bright, for me it is about as perfect as an IEM I have heard. I am 51 though so your mileage may vary of course

 

[Alexzander]

I have read many times that Raven is quite sensitive to changes in tips and cables which I think is good as it means it has a decent range of adjustment, but there is another constant that I see repeated, the Raven sound is often mentioned as bright signature, I'm thinking of purchasing a Raven since I loved Odyssey, but bright signatures are not my cup of tea, can anyone shed some light on the subject??

I always thought Raven would be a little less warm than Odyssey but not to the point of being a bright signature

It is definitely not bright, I would call it neutral-warm.

 

[Deezel177]

I will A/B both FW and Raven for holography, though I need to understand the concept better so I know what to listen for. How do you define holography? My assumption is it is the illusion of musicians distributed in space in three dimensions. If that is the case, then how is that different than imaging, which I have been listening for?

For me, imaging is a general, umbrella term that covers how a track's soundscape is made to look by an IEM. Holography is one of those aspects, and so is soundstage size, instrument placement, imaging accuracy - how tight or focused a note looks in the stage - etc. My definition of holography is similar to @Tristy's, where it's how 3D a note looks in the image. I'd also add that it's related to the IEM's background blackness as well. The blacker the IEM's background, the more the note can stand out from it, making it seem more 3D. It's like how a TV panel with minimal backlight bleed and super-dark blacks will make images punch and pop more. The same goes for a stage that expands out-of-head. That'll help sell the illusion that the song isn't just happening in your head. So, all those things contribute to palpable holography to me, which in turn adds to an IEM's imaging.

To clarify, was it a retune or did the measures taken to reinforce the IEM or new finish cause a slight difference in sound?

There should be no difference at all in sound. They switched from polished to satin because the failure rate on the former was too high; too many samples failing QC. The new finish lets them get more units out the door faster.

 

[nioh]

There should be no difference at all in sound. They switched from polished to satin because the failure rate on the former was too high; too many samples failing QC. The new finish lets them get more units out the door faster.

There was also a change in the shell from V1 to V2 and Jack mentioned that due to this there is also a slight change in bass (V2 should have slightly more bass).

 

[Deezel177]

There was also a change in the shell from V1 to V2 and Jack mentioned that due to this there is also a slight change in bass (V2 should have slightly more bass).

I thought OP was talking about the differences between the hundred-or-so polished V2 units that went out vs. the satin V2.

 

[nioh]

I thought OP was talking about the differences between the hundred-or-so polished V2 units that went out vs. the satin V2.

This is even worse, especially for resale. Like one in classifieds right now seller doesn't even know if it's V1 or V2 and the buyer has no way of knowing it either ?
What a mess this release has been overall !

 

[Yefry]

@Alexzander @zephyrstar

Thanks for the answer!

I know the graphs tell a very small part of the story but being so similar between Odyssey and Raven, I would be surprised if there was such a big difference

 

[KuroKitsu]

This is even worse, especially for resale. Like one in classifieds right now seller doesn't even know if it's V1 or V2 and the buyer has no way of knowing it either ?
What a mess this release has been overall !

Assume its V2 is probably the best bet. I don't think anyone is crazy enough to have a V1 and V2 to do a comparison.

Auditory memory is unreliable and I wouldn't rely on anyone who sent their V1 in to have a significantly reliable comparison to their V2.

 

[haci]

Assume its V2 is probably the best bet. I don't think anyone is crazy enough to have a V1 and V2 to do a comparison.

Auditory memory is unreliable and I wouldn't rely on anyone who sent their V1 in to have a significantly reliable comparison to their V2.

I haven’t seen V2, but isn’t it supposed to have transparent shells that shows inside a bit?

 

[KuroKitsu]

I haven’t seen V2, but isn’t it supposed to have transparent shells that shows inside a bit?

I had one of the V2 LEs with the polished plates and the matter black SE, but I haven't shone bright light it or anything.

Just enjoying the music

 

[Deezel177]

I haven’t seen V2, but isn’t it supposed to have transparent shells that shows inside a bit?

No, the shells are still black. What’s now transparent in the V2 is a structural component inside the IEM, so they can be QC’ed more thoroughly at EE’s HQ. Some of the V1’s structural issues were caused by that component hiding the fact that some sockets were glued incorrectly.

 

[stacey]

No, the shells are still black. What’s now transparent in the V2 is a structural component inside the IEM, so they can be QC’ed more thoroughly at EE’s HQ. Some of the V1’s structural issues were caused by that component hiding the fact that some sockets were glued incorrectly.

He’s probably referring to previous releases. Odyssey has a black shell, but it’s a low opacity making it semi transparent. This is more noticeable if you shine a light through it.

 

[Beh0lder]

He’s probably referring to previous releases. Odyssey has a black shell, but it’s a low opacity making it semi transparent. This is more noticeable if you shine a light through it.

Hero is also see through with a torch. If the Raven is as well maybe the driver count guy can chime in

 

[SoundFlow]

The Raven shell is not solid black, it has a bit of transparency to it. I didn’t even check my gold LE to see if this was the case but it is with my satin black standards.

 

[btwine]

For me, imaging is a general, umbrella term that covers how a track's soundscape is made to look by an IEM. Holography is one of those aspects, and so is soundstage size, instrument placement, imaging accuracy - how tight or focused a note looks in the stage - etc. My definition of holography is similar to @Tristy's, where it's how 3D a note looks in the image. I'd also add that it's related to the IEM's background blackness as well. The blacker the IEM's background, the more the note can stand out from it, making it seem more 3D. It's like how a TV panel with minimal backlight bleed and super-dark blacks will make images punch and pop more. The same goes for a stage that expands out-of-head. That'll help sell the illusion that the song isn't just happening in your head. So, all those things contribute to palpable holography to me, which in turn adds to an IEM's imaging.

Many thanks for this, @Deezel177. Once again you are helping fill out my audiophile mental encyclopedia. Now I just need to assemble all these nuggets somewhere before they go poof from my brain.