[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Not sure I agree with that, myself.

 
Me neither.  My HD800 was and is simply the most capable and enjoyable dynamic headphone I've heard and it took me A LOT of effort/money to get beyond my best portable rig.  People make a lot of generalizations such as speakers>headphones>IEMs.  The reality is that it depends.  If detail retrieval and resolution is paramount, more often than not it's IEMs>headphones>speakers.

 

[Lillee]

OK just read and re-read last couple of pages. Are you guys suggesting that the 334's are close to but obviously better than W4s? But not by a great margin? sound stage, treble extension, low end extension.
 
Does that mean that the ES5's (which are often described as W4's on steroids) will cream (or at least be as good as) the 334's??? Especially ES5 with cable upgrade?
 
Extremely curious to hear views on anyone that has both ES5 and TG334's
 
(Yes I understand ES5 is a custom and TG334's is a universal, but the price points are similar and interested in finding the ultimate in IEM, custom or otherwise)

 

[cn11]

There's a rather sizable gap between the Westone 4 and the TG!334. Yes, some of the differences I described are subtle in their single state, but the combination of all the factors when heard together, like I said in the comparison, go together to make a significantly larger listening experience. 
 
I realize your'e thinking about customs, but one of the most attractive aspects of the 334 being universal is the resale value (at least I like that point), should you not be happy down the road or upgrade at some stage.

 

[Lillee]

I understand that, but my issue is not about resale. I will happily forego resale value over comfort and I am happy to report that the ES5's are very comfortable (personally have 10 years of Shure usage).
 
Anyway I am speaking about SQ and SQ alone. I don't care if it requires surgical implants at this moment (Ok maybe not!), I just want to know how they sound...

 

[temporaryname]

Westone 4's are my main iem and I demoed the 334 recently. My impression was that the music was much more fleshed out on the 334, instrument separation was very distinct and presentation was very coherent. Bass was stronger and more driving (which I preferred) and treble extension seemed better. The most striking difference was the increased amount of perceivable detail. The resolution impressed me.

Westone 4's are very laidback and relaxed in comparison to the 334. I would say that they aren't as musical or involving to these ears. I hope to sell the w4's at some stage and buy the 334's.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Today I listen to TG334 with Piccolino crystal cable.
 
The most improvement I got is in term of imaging, detail and texture. I think this is the best soundstage depth I ever heard in universal IEM world, though some IEMs will provide wider staging, but as the whole soundstage image, nothing is this precise. Also, we easily can get many kind of bass texture and vocal vibration from singer with very smooth treble.
 
Sound sig wise, it has little more forward midrange with slightly more pronounce treble, otherwise it's still the same.
 
 

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

Ditto, after using my ES5's as my only IEMs (because the GR10's kind of suck) for a couple of months, going back to tips feels pretty bad for me.  I ordered some of those Sony hybrids people seem to like, though, so we'll see how that works out.

 
I am also a fan of the ES5 and intrigued by the TG334. Please do let us know how the Sony hybrid tips work out with the 334 to bridge the gap from custom to universal fit.

 

[Hahayyy]

anyone compared this to any of the custom flagships like jh16, es5?

 

[audionewbi]

Quote:

anyone compared this to any of the custom flagships like jh16, es5?

I think somewhere in this thread I read that they seem to sound better than jh16. 

 

[Hahayyy]

Oooh cool HAHA can I get them if im in SG? But I guess its more of a preference kind of thing too? like the sound sig

 

[AnakChan]

@Hahayyy, try looking for a chap called John of Lenbrook Asia Pte Ltd. (Shaw Tower), front of store will have NAD Electronics and have a chat with him.
 
Edit: If you live far away, call them first before rocking up .
 
Edit #2: By the way, it looks like the 000 cables are made with silver cable strands. A quote from the person who's modded/balanced the cable for me :-
 
"[snip!]...I found that its rather first class. a unique stranded silver wire, pure silver and is quite nice....[snip!]"
 
In case people are wondering where the $300 for the cable goes to.

 

[temporaryname]

Quote:

 
Edit #2: By the way, it looks like the 000 cables are made with silver cable strands. A quote from the person who's modded/balanced the cable for me :-
 
"[snip!]...I found that its rather first class. a unique stranded silver wire, pure silver and is quite nice....[snip!]"
 
In case people are wondering where the $300 for the cable goes to.

 
Haha! I called it!
 
I actually prefer the sound of that cable... something I don't say very often. The difference was quite audible.

 

[cusx]

Quote:

 
Not yet. I've still got my 000's. I'm going to show it to some Perth Head-Fiers first before sending them to Ken to have it balanced.

have you sent it to Balanced ? Because I live in Perth, and I would love to compare it with my ES5, if you wouldn't mind tho.

 

[40760]

Quote:

@Hahayyy, try looking for a chap called John of Lenbrook Asia Pte Ltd. (Shaw Tower), front of store will have NAD Electronics and have a chat with him.
 
Edit: If you live far away, call them first before rocking up .
 
Edit #2: By the way, it looks like the 000 cables are made with silver cable strands. A quote from the person who's modded/balanced the cable for me :-
 
"[snip!]...I found that its rather first class. a unique stranded silver wire, pure silver and is quite nice....[snip!]"
 
In case people are wondering where the $300 for the cable goes to.

 
Shaw Tower is just a couple of streets away... I guess I'll drop by and hopefully find they bring in the 111s.
According to PriceJapan, my 000 cables are on back order... Can't for for this "unique stranded silver wire" to get in my hands

 

[AnakChan]

Quote:

 
Not yet. I've still got my 000's. I'm going to show it to some Perth Head-Fiers first before sending them to Ken to have it balanced.

have you sent it to Balanced ? Because I live in Perth, and I would love to compare it with my ES5, if you wouldn't mind tho.

It's a pity you could join us a few weeks back. We had a Perth Head-Fi meet & th folks got to try the TG!334 with standard & 000 cables - but in Single Ended mode only. After the meet, I shipped the 000 & the ALO Rx Mk3 for some modifications. The 000 were going to get balanced, whilst the Rx Mk3 was gonna have its gain re-adjusted. Thanks to @temporaryname, he helped me notice a hiss with the amp even at low gain through the TG!334.

Ken Ball, of ALO, has provided me a great service for this work. He's balanced the 000 cable, & readjusted my gain in record time & I hope to get them back later this week. After I've received & tested the 000's in balanced, I'll send the pack off to Currawong for his evaluation.