[Blackberry Jack]

I buy 2,3,$4000 DAP's because it's fun.
I do not invest that cash in IEM because I truly do not believe in it. My borderline mental O.C.D tells me it's not worth it.
The DAP's are not really either but i enjoy trying the latest and greatest. So my money goes there.

The only pricey IEM that has lived past my hyps stage is the Empire Ears LEGEND and that plastic thing is ghetto but the x-over system is an O.C.D dream. Some say it is bassy. Really? Why not try out that x-over and enjoy the true tech that thing offers.

The stuff coming out of China is making the gap that was already small non existent in my opinion.

My music library is always in my review vids. S6 Rui is likely the best value. The S8 Freedom is a Harman(esque) tuning
(a.k.a. : safe) and the build and looks are just the pretty bow on the box. It makes me sit and listen and sing into an unplugged mic. My neighbors surely ad another notch to the that gaijin is crazy image.

I'm looking forward to someone else getting the S8 freedom as much as you are. If they listen to what's in my library I am REALLY excited to hear their thoughts. I gotta work now. I will be as helpful as i can be later tonight.

The S8F with the S10 shell and caps.....mmmmm mmmmmmmm that is ...that woulda been dope.

Thanks for the reply.
I can see your point here, however, I was just wondering: when you say, that s6 is significsntly better than Solaris, what do you mean by that? Is it technically superior, i.e. better resolution, soundstage, separation etc.? Or just a tonality that you like more? Cause I remember I watched your Fiio x5-3 review, quite a long time ago and you said that its sounds better than dx200. And while I liked the tonal balance of x5-3 more either, I couldnt deny the fact, that objectively dx200 is just a whole another level when it comes to details and other things. Back to Solaris, it has one of the best holographic stages and instrument separation on the market, no matter the price. So if s6 technically sounds better why would anyone buy anymore totl iems? Its just too good to be true. And if it is so, fearless audio will ruin the whole audiophile market.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

I mean, I haven't tried either, but your "if then" at the end there absolutely doesn't follow. People are not rational actors, and it's not as if they don't often buy more expensive things when cheaper things are literally just as good or even better (which obviously isn't always the case, but is objectively sometimes the case). It's entirely within the realm of possibility that some Chinese company is making IEMs that--for some people--are objectively better than American IEMs that are double or triple the price.

(Also, the s6 are ~$400, not $300.)

 

[Blackberry Jack]

I mean, I haven't tried either, but your "if then" at the end there absolutely doesn't follow. People are not rational actors, and it's not as if they don't often buy more expensive things when cheaper things are literally just as good or even better (which obviously isn't always the case, but is objectively sometimes the case). It's entirely within the realm of possibility that some Chinese company is making IEMs that--for some people--are objectively better than American IEMs that are double or triple the price.

(Also, the s6 are ~$400, not $300.)

Well in my opinion, the if-then totally makes sense. Audiophiles tend to spend lots of money for minor upgrades of SQ, but none would spend it for the actual downgrade. Sure, the sq/price ratio is not linear, and usually the more expensive gear u buy - the less step up u get. But when u say, that a 3 times cheaper iem sounds much better than one of the most successful TOTL iem - that totally breaks the game. Thats why i asked id he judges subjectively or by technical performance, which is more or less objective thing.

 

[guicnovaes]

Thanks for the reply.
I can see your point here, however, I was just wondering: when you say, that s6 is significsntly better than Solaris, what do you mean by that? Is it technically superior, i.e. better resolution, soundstage, separation etc.? Or just a tonality that you like more? Cause I remember I watched your Fiio x5-3 review, quite a long time ago and you said that its sounds better than dx200. And while I liked the tonal balance of x5-3 more either, I couldnt deny the fact, that objectively dx200 is just a whole another level when it comes to details and other things. Back to Solaris, it has one of the best holographic stages and instrument separation on the market, no matter the price. So if s6 technically sounds better why would anyone buy anymore totl iems? Its just too good to be true. And if it is so, fearless audio will ruin the whole audiophile market.

Sounds is subjective.
however, it is an objective fact that iems, like CA Solaris, are more than overpriced. The cost of production is similar to that of an IEM, perhaps a little higher, due to the workforce in the USA being more expensive than in China. Either way, the profit margin is huge. And, marketing is not based on rationality, but on emotions. When most people see an IEM costing 1500 $ USD, they will naturally find that it has the best aue and an iem that costs 400 dollars, even if you use drivers, dampers from the same manufacturer ...

Brands like Campfire, JH, 64 audio ... will always have a specific consumer.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

Well in my opinion, the if-then totally makes sense. Audiophiles tend to spend lots of money for minor upgrades of SQ, but none would spend it for the actual downgrade. Sure, the sq/price ratio is not linear, and usually the more expensive gear u buy - the less step up u get. But when u say, that a 3 times cheaper iem sounds much better than one of the most successful TOTL iem - that totally breaks the game. Thats why i asked id he judges subjectively or by technical performance, which is more or less objective thing.

I mean, you can believe that if you want, but people buy thousand-dollar headphone cables because they think they hear a difference between 99.9999% pure copper and 99.99999% pure copper. They think they can hear the difference in the electron configuration caused by dunking the wire in liquid nitrogen. They think all sorts of dumb crap; it's not really that outlandish to say.

And 3 times...? That's not crazy at all. How much profit per unit do you think is being made on some of these TotL American IEMs? Why wouldn't China undercut that when they know there's a market for it?

 

[manukmanohar]

Sounds is subjective.
however, it is an objective fact that iems, like CA Solaris, are more than overpriced. The cost of production is similar to that of an IEM, perhaps a little higher, due to the workforce in the USA being more expensive than in China. Either way, the profit margin is huge. And, marketing is not based on rationality, but on emotions. When most people see an IEM costing 1500 $ USD, they will naturally find that it has the best aue and an iem that costs 400 dollars, even if you use drivers, dampers from the same manufacturer ...

Brands like Campfire, JH, 64 audio ... will always have a specific consumer.

I think all Blackberry Jack and I, are asking is if it is based on subjective tonality preference, or whether OP feels S8 Free trumps Solaris in terms of technicalities as well (imaging, attack, decay etc).

As you said, even for that, there could be some subjectivity involved ( have heard two ppl differing on this with the exact same setup). But, typically, this is relatively the more objective out of all parameters. So, just that clarification would be good enough, for us.

 

[ddmt]

I'll buy one immediately if S8 Freedom is really better than Solaris. I'll wait for more reviews, especially the owner of both iems

 

[SciOC]

F'it. Having them ship the S6 to me rather than wait for the S8F. Need something new now....

 

[flameas]

cant decide between S6 Rui and NiceHCK NK10. Any advice?

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

I think I said it sounded audibly better.

If anyone can find where I said significant I'd re-phrase but i don't recall ever saying that?

 

[ZenoJin]

Just god S6, very brief impression tho, i would say S6 is mid forward, so those that like vocal would really enjoy this set. ok amount of bass. treble can offend some people, it is borderline raping my ears

Edit: getting treble rape is only on a song called fable by mili, this song is have lots of treble instrument, at 40second, that is where all the cymbal, snare, etc treble instrument comes in.

i will try and compare against DM6 and NK10, and see how it goes.

 

[LMka]

Just god S6, very brief impression tho, i would say S6 is mid forward, so those that like vocal would really enjoy this set. ok amount of bass. treble can offend some people, it is borderline raping my ears

Edit: getting treble rape is only on a song called fable by mili, this song is have lots of treble instrument, at 40second, that is where all the cymbal, snare, etc treble instrument comes in.

i will try and compare against DM6 and NK10, and see how it goes.

This is what I was afraid of, well, no turning back for me now. I hope I won't be completely treble raped.

I am interested in comparison with NK10. NK10 is very decent iem, the best multi ba which come from these aliexpress noname shops.

Can you tell if S6RUI has a "thin/hollow" feeling in it's tonality? It seems that there is some curve which affect lower mids and they might sound unnatural and artificial due to that.

 

[johnchpark]

Jumped the gun and bought a S5T a couple of months ago before all the hype rolled in.
I really like it on certain tracks, especially if it's a male vocalist with a deeper voice or it's an instrument (guitar, bass, piano) centered track. If it's a right track, it can bring a smile to my face because it really does sound so sweet.
But in most cases, I'm left feeling like something is missing. A lot of vox can sound recessed and the overall impression can seem dull.
Now I'm wondering if I should use my next paycheck to move up to a "higher" model. Wanting something more...refreshing.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

Just god S6, very brief impression tho, i would say S6 is mid forward, so those that like vocal would really enjoy this set. ok amount of bass. treble can offend some people, it is borderline raping my ears

Edit: getting treble rape is only on a song called fable by mili, this song is have lots of treble instrument, at 40second, that is where all the cymbal, snare, etc treble instrument comes in.

i will try and compare against DM6 and NK10, and see how it goes.

I will listen to that track when I have time. Thanks for giving a track and timestamp . Should be what everyone does






Starts where I did graph.

I have a request. (for anyone) Find where I mentioned Solaris as being significantly anything relative to S6. Please. I feel like I am losing my mind. Thanks in advance

 

[manukmanohar]

I think I said it sounded audibly better.

Wrt your comparison, would really appreciate if you could provide more details between the two in terms of how they fare wrt soundstage & imaging, and resolution?