[Aurisonics]

Quote:

Do you mean new in regards to the drivers shipping in current production phones, and not the ones found in the AS-2 generic demo that doesn't have the final tweaks? 

Yes the drivers in the AS-2 demos are very good but are what we have used for a while, but like I said we are always tweaking on things. What will be shipping moving forward is an updated driver. The AS-2 moving forward and ASG-2 will all have the new driver. A few people are about to be getting some AS-2 and AS-1 with the new driver on here I'm sure they will agree tweaking is good...

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

Quote:

Yes the drivers in the AS-2 demos are very good but are what we have used for a while, but like I said we are always tweaking on things. What will be shipping moving forward is an updated driver. The AS-2 moving forward and ASG-2 will all have the new driver. A few people are about to be getting some AS-2 and AS-1 with the new driver on here I'm sure they will agree tweaking is good...

I guess that explains why Kenman kept reiterating that what people are hearing is a "demo" unit, which by all accounts already sounds like it's quite the performer, very nice to hear that the final product exceeds even that lofty baseline. And yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing what Shane thinks of them, I remember him posting that he was quite impressed by the old prototype's bass and treble extension. Your answers do help a lot in terms of ascertaining what goes into the final product as well as what to expect out of it. Helps mitigate the pains of waiting just a bit haha

 

[Aurisonics]

Quote:

I guess that explains why Kenman kept reiterating that what people are hearing is a "demo" unit, which by all accounts already sounds like it's quite the performer, very nice to hear that the final product exceeds even that lofty baseline. And yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing what Shane thinks of them, I remember him posting that he was quite impressed by the old prototype's bass and treble extension. Your answers do help a lot in terms of ascertaining what goes into the final product as well as what to expect out of it. Helps mitigate the pains of waiting just a bit haha

I hate to wait too but... Good things come to those who wait.

 

[naoo]

Hi I'm pretty much going to get the AS-2 I guess after reading kenman's review a dozen of times.

Would like to ask about the ambient port... I'm pretty clueless as to what will it do.
Anyone who is able to enlighten me on that aspect?

 

[whitefroded]

If the ASG-2 is ordered without the bass port, will it be possible to add it at a later date?

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

Quote:

I hate to wait too but... Good things come to those who wait.

 
 
Ha, no doubt. You had a fan in me the second that I saw the modular capacity of the ASG-1. As someone who has amassed a largely redundant set of phones and is hesitant to sell off phones for one reason or another, it feels good to invest in a product that has capacity for growth and isn't just relegated to languishing there, collecting dust once a shiny new configuration hits in the product line. 
 
Quote:

Hi I'm pretty much going to get the AS-2 I guess after reading kenman's review a dozen of times.
Would like to ask about the ambient port... I'm pretty clueless as to what will it do.
Anyone who is able to enlighten me on that aspect?

The ambient ports let in environmental sound, so as a performer you can let in some background sound into your mix 

 

[Aurisonics]

Quote:

If the ASG-2 is ordered without the bass port, will it be possible to add it at a later date?

Cannot be added later

 

[FlySweep]

Originally Posted by nyonya /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20Spoiler!

 
Hi all,
 
I'm currently auditioning a demo unit of the AS-2s - just thought I'd share some thoughts. I don't have the depth of experience that members like ericp10 and FlySweep have, so I'd think their opinions should carry more weight. Anyways, here's a short comparison of the AS-2s vs. my current favorite IEM, the GR07 Mk II:
 
Overall, the signatures of these are very very close; this is a good thing for me, as I picked the GR07s over all the other IEMs I've had the fortune to hear (check my profile for a list of almost everything I've heard; I've also briefly auditioned the Ortofon EQ-5, Brainwavz B2 and Hisound Crystal). The bass of the AS-2s hits lower than the GR07s, if you can believe it - making everything sound just that much sharper. I'd previously found the GR07s the kings of sub-bass, but the AS-2 is clearly better in this regard. The mids of the AS-2s sound very much in line with the bass and the treble - a little more forward than the GR07s I think, but it's very close. The treble of the AS-2s sounds very technically competent - I'm not a huge treblehead but they do seem slightly better than the GR07s here - certainly a bit less fatiguing. I'd guess it's missing some of those peaks in the upper registers of the GR07s, but I'll leave it to more experienced members to corroborate that.
 
The separation on the AS-2s is clearly better than the GR07s as well - if audio memory serves, they aren't far from the UM3X here. Also, I finally see what eke2k6 means with respect to the GR07's soundstage - it really is height that they're missing, which the AS-2 isn't. Consequently, it certainly sounds more open and well-rounded than the (now in my mind) squished GR07. The AS-2s are more efficient as well, requiring about a 5 step lower volume level than the Vsonics out of my Clip Zip - which by the way drives them just fine. I do hope to experiment with some better sources at some point.
 
If I had to pick one word to describe the AS-2s, it would be: natural. Everything sounds great on these - the timbre is great, and I'm pretty confident the dynamics are improved over the GR07 as well. It sounds very cohesive as well - I can't pinpoint any difference between the sound of the dynamic driver and the balanced armatures; I won't pretend to be an expert in this area however.
 
Now for the main question: are these improvements worth a ~$350 premium (my other option is getting custom tips for my GR07s)? I have yet to fully figure that out, but I'm leaning towards ordering a pair.
 
If anyone has any specific questions, or any tracks they'd like me to listen to with these and provide feedback - I'm happy to do that. I'll be going on vacation starting Friday morning however, so won't be able to listen to these after that.
 

 

 
Very nice review, nyonya.  Your thoughts largely mirror how I heard the AS-2 (and how they compare to the GR07), too.

While in general I agree with you they are not what you'd call analytical, they very well could be if you listen to them like I do. It just a matter of condition. If you are sitting down with them and just listening to them you'll feel they're a lot more analytical than you previously thought, but if you're reading or walking around or doing much of anything then they are just music to your ears in a metaphorical sense and quite literal sense. 

 
What I think you're getting at is that the AS-2 reproduces musical accurately.. without it feeling or sounding "clinical."

 

[PsiCore]

Someone already asked about the bass port on the ASG-2, but there was no answer.
So I would like to repeat it - how much bass does it "let in"? Which frequencies are affected (subbass?, midbass?).

 

[naoo]

Also, is there anywhere I could see color samples of the musicians filter hearing protection.

 

[nyonya]

Quote:

How is the soundstage/imaging?

 
I don't think I can say anything more about the soundstage/imaging than I have already.
 
Quote:

Nice, sounds like they'd make for a nice complement to my ES5s. And yeah, I'd hope that separation is good on them, I think that's a hallmark that should be found in every top performing IEM and greatly contributes to clarity. How do you find drums on the AS-2 proto? Do snares have a palpable snap and crack and do toms and kick drums have a nice weighty resonance to them?

 
Yes, I think the drums all sound powerful (but not overbearing) and very clean - in fact, I think the GR07 is ever so slightly softer in the drum impact, which is high praise indeed.
 
I also don't want anyone to think that I'm saying these are worlds better than the GR07 - I think the Vsonic is still very much a top-tier IEM, and I've been very happy with the sound they produce for the last few months. The AS-2 just really seems like a natural upgrade from the GR07 if you really like those - very similar sound signature but with improvements in some of the GR07's weaker areas. This is not an easy choice by any means.

 

[ericp10]

Great review nyonya! 

 

[nyonya]

Quote:

Great review nyonya! 

 

[zenor87]

does anybody have pictures of their as-1 or as-2 with stealth finish cover & body? having a hard time choosing between the stealth & rhodium. 

 

[PsiCore]

Quote:

Someone already asked about the bass port on the ASG-2, but there was no answer.
So I would like to repeat it - how much bass does it "let in"? Which frequencies are affected (subbass?, midbass?).

 
C'mon, guys, Dale, anybody?
 
I'm really considering the bass port, but I simply don't know, if it's worth the extra money.