I got around maybe 1:30 - 2 hours listening so far today. Honestly, I feel
@twister6 did a pretty good job of describing them. I'm not even sure what else to add or what I can, haha.
They are very good though, it's a warmer/richer timbre that has some amazing coherency. If the Elysian IEMs get their coherency from a "top-down" approach, as in they were all tuned around the EST drivers, then the Xenon 6 is doing the opposite. The bass is what is the IEMs starting point of tuning and everything else is following its lead but doing so in very coherent fashion.
You get really big powerful bass and subwoofer-like airy bass that blends very well into a richer lower mid range without bleeding over. There is an emphasis on the upper mid range to help push female vocals forward but its a very natural and organic timbre as opposed to being revealing or clarity based. So it doesn't come off as disjointed to the lower mids. It doesn't lack any clarity, its just not that type of "crystal clear" sound you'll get from the upper mids like you are used to in the X. The upper mid range reminds me sort of the Traillii or A12t. The forwardness I am hearing in 2k ish area really helps keep the mid range balanced.
The lower treble drops a bit in presence and then just extends very well all the way into upper treble, while still keeping a very natural but airy upper treble presentation. It reminds me a bit of the VE Phonix in how the treble is done. The treble quality is good, I haven't done any A/B to Phonix which is probably my new gold standard for treble but I'm not noticing anything wrong with my initial listening at least.
So basically I'm hearing a rich and warmer bass through upper mid range presence then the sound tapers down a tiny bit but stays linear and extends all the way through the upper treble. You get a very inviting and fatigue-free sound signature.
The bass on this is different. What I'm noticing on the Xenon 6 is that when the initial bass note hits there's almost this slight tickling sensation. It's really hard to describe, the first song I listened to I turned it up and it made me blink once or twice out of reaction. It's almost like the impact of the bass is giving you a legitimate feel and then you're hearing the air/rest of the note originate in its own space. It stays very well controlled and has a big presence without being overly emphasized. For example, when I go to the A12t I can tell that the bass is all originating from within my ear canals (or something comparable to like the subs in a trunk in your car). When I listen to the X6 it sounds more out of head and bigger, as if the origin of the bass note is coming from a much bigger enclosure (or room) and isn't constrained by any air limitations.
The build on them is awesome, really premium feeling. Very Z1R-esc, there's a nice sense of weight without being too heavy. The fit is pretty good for me, but unless universal IEMs fit me like the Traillii or Phonix I don't really like using them. Oh, the new ATOM XS modules are so damn small... I changed them from the middle one to the most isolating one and have zero desire to deal with that again. It even comes with a tiny tool to swap them out. It's tedious and not fun but I guess necessary to keep the IEM size reasonable without keeping it all internal like the M5 universal.
