Overall Detail / Clarity
For this I always use both Steely Dan’s “Gaucho” and Dire Strait’s “Sultans of Swing” as there is a lot of micro detail in both tracks, and the recording quality for both is excellent.
With Gaucho, the sax intro is natural sounding and very smooth – with more bass guitar emphasis than I’m usually used to. Vocals are also smooth and lush – but the cymbals and high hats are quite subdued – almost lost in the background. I can definitely hear the bass guitar, and thump of the kick drum coming through. Overall – a smooth and warm listen. I am missing some of the upper end sparkle that makes this track magic though. There just isn’t enough contrast.
Switching to Sultans of Swing, and again it’s a really warm and smooth listen. The constant background sound is the bass guitar. With other IEMs, this is usually punctuated with the crunch of Knopfler’s guitar and the polite splash of cymbals, but this time that crunch doesn’t have edge, and the cymbals are a gentle ‘tish’ – hardly there really. The bass is reasonably good overall, with a slight mid-bass bloom and longer decay. Vocals are clear – and this is where the A71 shines, but all the upper end detail is being masked by the overly warm signature. I know the detail is there – I can hear it, but I’m straining to get it – and normally the contrast is what supplies this track its dynamics. The contrast is missing. Sadly so is the magic.
