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Do you mind listing all the IEMs you have been listening to...Thinking about it, don't bother.
I am amazed this company is still going despite coming up with the most ridiculous designs and charging silly money for it....
Assuming you mean me, that day I did a side-by-side-by-side of Westone 2 and 3 (universal fit), JH Audio 11 (universal fit, not customs), ACS T1s (customized demo pair) beside the PianoFortes. Signal chain was constant throughout: MacBook Air, playing straight through ITunes (no Amarra or Pure Music), Apple Lossless files of Clapton's Unplugged, Strauss' Die Fledermaus and some Gordon Lightfoot via generic USB to a GoVibe Porta Tube +. All headphone cables were stock.
The Westone's were OK, but bass shy for lower bass in the lower octaves. The ACS T1s, despite not being fit for me, had great isolation due to their soft shell material and great range, from bass to treble. Very impressed. (I bought a pair of these). The JH 11s were unlucky enough to be demo-ed between the ACS and Finals. The JH 11s sounded like the frequency cut off below 250 Hz, not just shy but missing entirely. I had to double check that the connections were tight and that these were actually JH 11 and not Apple Buds. Really not impressive at all.
The PianoFortes are a) really heavy for IEMs and b) the least ergonomic shape since the old yellow Sony SportWalkman that sat at 90 degrees to your head, the ones that stabbed into the temples. There was little isolation with the PianoFortes and no sense of a good fit. Plus the fact that the are metal and therefore were very cool temperature-wise, made for a pretty unconventional fit.
But as soon as the source started playing it was really easy hear tiny details made audible and incorporated musically into the mix. No "best I've ever heard" or hyperbole, but really made me want to listen more, and wished I had more of my own source material. Did I think about getting a pair? For about 2 seconds, until I was quoted a price that made my eyes water. Just not realistic. On top of that, I don't understand the audience for these. They're not truly portable; the buds fit so sloppy, I would imagine them falling out after just a few walking steps. But the cord was so short (1 meter?), that you would have to be sitting at your system to do any critical listening. My listening seat is about 2+ meters from my amps. But I will go back and listen to their demo pair a few more times.
If you find a place to audition them, I would recommend it.
IEMs I own and use regularly are Westone UM-2 and a pair of Ultimate Ears, but I can't remember which model. I have close to 2 years with these 2 pairs, but both were unavailable for the demo (the UM-2 finally need a cable replacement >sniff<).
