Fit for a Bat! – Flagship IEMs Shootout (8:CT6E, 7:H8P, 6:JH13, 5:K10, 4:BD4.2, 3:A12, 2:W500, 1:SE5U)

[dulty]

It got here too late. It will be in Fit for a Bat 2, together with another 6-7 others

Woooot!!!! 

 
BTW, don't forget that CA CIEMs are silicone (except the Ei.3) and tend to require more space. So if you can't have a Harmony, that may not mean you can't have an 8 driver acrylic CIEM.

 

[Evshrug]

Hey look, I finished a (much less involved) review! I said I hoped to write two, and... that didn't happen, but I still made what I could! Just gotta keep plugging away when you can.

Found an audiologist, now I just have to wait for them to open after the 4th of July celebration and schedule a time.

 

[jelt2359]

Hey look, I finished a (much less involved) review! I said I hoped to write two, and... that didn't happen, but I still made what I could! Just gotta keep plugging away when you can.

Found an audiologist, now I just have to wait for them to open after the 4th of July celebration and schedule a time.

Congrats! Where's the link? I can't find it... And what CIEM are you going to get?

 

[jelt2359]

Updated with IEM #5: Be Water, my Friend.
 
Hope you enjoy reading it!

 

[284033]

Great review!

 

[Tony1110]

Updated with IEM #5: Be Water, my Friend.

Hope you enjoy reading it!

Great review. I was expecting it to come in third behind the Lear and the a12. If you'd been ranking them in terms of pure musical enjoyment, would the K10 still have been in fifth place?

I always had the impression that K10 was untouchable. You told me it wasn't and you've confirmed it here. I knew it was a midrange lover's dream, but I thought it was supposed to be equally brilliant in the top end. Also surprised to learn that it struggles against other top CIEMs in projecting a 3D soundstage.

 

[jelt2359]

Great review. I was expecting it to come in third behind the Lear and the a12. If you'd been ranking them in terms of pure musical enjoyment, would the K10 still have been in fifth place?

 
Good question. I find myself reaching for the K10's when I'm in a 'meh' mood, the kind of mood when I would pick a glass of chilled water over a soda or a beer. This is why I wrote the intro the way I did.  

 

[Edric Li]

Now you have me so so very interested in the Lear BD4.2. Gotta go to hk and give it a listen. 

 

[Edric Li]

  Now you have me so so very interested in the Lear BD4.2. Gotta go to hk and give it a listen. 

 
My ranking of all the TOTL IEM's I've auditioned and A/B'ed is:
 
1964 V8 >= VE6 = JH Roxanne >= Dita Truth = JH16 = MH335 >= ToGo334 = K3003 = JH13 >= SEM6 = 5way ref >= SE846 = FI-BA-SS > UE18 >= UE11 > IE800 >> Heaven VIII >> Piano Forte X-G
 
The ranking is purely subjective. Take it as a grain of salt. 

 

[jelt2359]

Great review!

Thanks bro

 

[proedros]

I have said it before , i will say it again

Your reviews are the best reviews here , easily

If Joker is well Joker

, you sir are Batman (and then some more)

Congrats

 

[Evshrug]

Congrats! Where's the link? I can't find it... And what CIEM are you going to get?

Oh, it's a review of the Creative E1 DAC/Amp/Processor, but I didn't want to post a link and self-promote on your thread... Intent was to gently encourage you, lol! I'm excited to get to read your next update on my first break at work!!

I just made an appointment on the 21st to get ear impressions done, and ear-size willing I've had my eye on a couple of IEMs (JH13 freq, UM Mentor) in the classifieds If something happens, my backup plan is either a 1964 V6 Stage or Alclair Reference... Subject to change of course!

 

[Ike1985]

So the order of the reviews has not gone as many had planned.  Anyone want to organize the rest of the list, see if they get lucky?  I think it'll go like this:
 
Advanced AcousticWerkes AAW W500 AHMorph
Lear Audio LCM BD4.2
se5 ultimate
A12 Adel

 

[Evshrug]

Updated with IEM #5: Be Water, my Friend.

Hope you enjoy reading it!

Wow, really fun and informative! The "final frontier" part of your comparison with the S5E Ult made me laugh aloud (Weird looks in the break room, win!), but overall you maintain a playful energy in tone throughout your review, even when getting to the nitty-gritty of description.

Some people have the writing tone that makes me think of a Botox'd bored person, saying "Bass is clear, mids are best, treble has buzzwords like you see in most reviews, I haven't said anything relevant to competitive options but take me at my word... the M50's aaaare the best. Now I'll go back to stapling documents." Whereas my mind's eye image of you is a gleeful sparkle in your eyes as you turn and reveal these characteristics one at a time. You're just happy to be here, and that we're here too, and you're just happy to show us why.

I've read some/many of the impressions you wrote in the other thread about these headphones, but I still don't know how the rest of the list will rank out. You have said more than a few magical words that have drawn my attention to the SE5 Ultimate... But, we shall see. I'm still interested in the 1965 Adel, AAW W500, and basically anything else you feel like reviewing.

Thanks again for the fun! Keep up the amusing photos and writ wit!

 

[DuxR]

Very nice and detailed reviews....any chance you could provide a quick comparison between the K10 and Adel A12? Really interested to see how those two compare.