Initial impressions
Source: LG G7 ThinQ (Quad DAC on, preset: Normal)
IEMs: Fearless S8 Pro
Adam Watts
World War Three (feat, iRussi) [DAC filter- slow]
Supernatural detail. Very clean, clear. Organic. The vocals on this song can struggle for balance, clarity. The S8 Pro has a very clean presentation, female vocals blend in well, nothing overpowers anything else and balance is maintained throughout.
The Westone W40s present this song honestly with no gloss, but at a much quieter level compared to the S8 Pros. Everything is a little more "boxy." The [DAC filter- fast] helps, but that's compensating.
Adam Watts
Back to Earth [Dac filter- slow]
Detailed, rich, full.
The cello "breathes" on this track about as well as I've ever heard a pop recording work; it's very "real," and everything is in balance. Male vocal very slightly recessed as details and track body come "up," almost like the BAs are starting to run out of space in the upper mids (a pretty common thing with flatter tuned IEMs, but something I didn't suspect might happen with the shape of HBB's graph). A touch bunched in the upper mids and lower treble.
The W40s are utterly outclassed on this track. They're super boxy and congested in the lower mids/ midbass transition.
The Tanchjim Oxygen have the most balanced presentation on this track with the widest soundstage and the best instrument placement. Of course, that makes sense looking at the graphs. THe Oxygens are recessed in all the places the S8 Pros get overwhelmed.
Eisley
Ambulance [DAC filter- slow]
This is my test track for strident female vocal. The S8 Pros absolutely ace this track, super smooth and perfectly textured female vocals, gorgeous violin tones, honest and properly textured electric guitars, very slightly recessed cymbals (as recorded).
The W40s are boxy but detailed, much better, more balanced with [DAC filter- fast]
The Tanchjim Oxygen create a broader soundstage and have better sub bass "thump." Less lower mids, less detail, less natural, woody warmth...
The Cleveland Orchestra. Prokofiev
Romeo and Juliet, Op.64/ Act 1- Dance of the Knights
This is what the S8Pro lives for. Instruments and textures are perfectly spaced, incredibly accurate, to the point where I could actually conduct this orchestra from the sound alone. If I were to pigeonhole the S8 Pro at this point, I'd say it's the best headphone I've ever heard for classical. Yes, including 'cans. It takes the strident highs off the strings without sucking the air out of them, gives the brass the necessary weight, even brings the woodwinds to the fore at precisely the right moment...
...I haven't loved this track this much since listening to it on my parents' tube-powered console record player in my youth. It's that good on these 'phones.
The W40s have all of the detail, but everything is more constrained, tighter, less alive. When a percussionist drops his mallet, it's a dull thud, where on the S8Ps it resonates off the aged oak flooring and clatters twice before the desperate musician can trap it with the palm of a sweaty right hand. The W40 is accurate, but the S8 Pro is ALIVE.
The Tanchjim Oxygens with [DAC filter- fast] very nearly approach the grandeur of the S8 Pros, lacking only lower midrange warmth and detail. It's the difference between listening to the same track on digital and vinyl. The S8 Pro is the front seat, and the Oxygen is the balcony- spacious and gorgeous, even spine-tingling at times, undyingly balanced and fully "alive," but still the balcony.
I learned to conduct orchestras for the kind of experience the S8 Pros provide here. I buy tickets for the Oxygen's experience.
Of the three, the W40s are the set I'm most familiar with, having used them for onstage monitors for the last 3 years, but they're also the weakest listen, too congested in the midbass region, and smaller in every way than the other two.
The Oxygens are the surprise. I had to spend significant time getting the right fit, and they're still not the best for long-term comfort, but they're the easiest listen and the most spacious-sounding of the three sets.
The S8 Pros, at least until I get better acclimated to them, are absolutely BRILLIANT on classical, Prokofiev (my favorite) in particular, and did I mention Debussy...
BUT they're certainly not perfectly flat, and they can get a bit jumbled with a busy mids-heavy rock mix. They are earphones for musicians who enjoy things that trained musicians enjoy (You should hear Wes Montgomery on these...). They're super flattering to female vocals and not as fond of baritone male vocals, which is a shame, because I was hoping to use them as vocal/ guitar monitors, and I'm a baritone. They handle every technical challenge with aplomb, but get thick where the technically less proficient Oxygens shine. It's a strange, quirky experience for such an outstanding set of IEMs.
That leaves me in kind of an odd place, and one that I'll have to spend some time resolving. Part of the problem is fit- I have weird canals and only specific tips work well on specific earphones. So far, the best I've managed is Comply Comfort Mediums, but they're not exactly right, very slightly too large. Part of me wonders if this is part of the lower mids problem, but I'll find out in time and update y'all as I figure it out.
tell if it makes a difference in sound 
