Well, I was at Can Jam and I listened to the Khan, Wraith and Valkyrie and of course I own the Trinity. I know a lot of people said they like the Khan but to me the Khan is a disappointment. Even before I put on the Khan, I was told they specifically tune the bass down and it is true the bass is like almost nonexistent. What happened to that 10 mm DD? As for the mid and treble is pretty good except the Trinity is much more clearer by one to two veils if you know what I mean. And then between the Wraith and the Valkyrie, Valkyrie definitely has the better sound of the two, it is almost a consensus. I am sure with the feedback from this Can Jam, they are going to rework the Wraith. The Wraith just sounded too congested and disjointed. Thee are five crossovers managing 4 electrostatic driver and Ba drivers. It doesn’t even sound coherent to me. Call me bias but I think the Trinity is still my favorite electrostatic hybrids by far.
Recently tried a demo unit of FIBAE 7. The upper midrange and treble stand out for me the most. Bass decay is quick and each bass note is articulated with a nice weight. Vocals' forwardness is spot on. Treble is lively yet smooth. The amount of sparkle is apt and it helps to spice up the top end without any aggression. The soundstage provides an intimate feeling but it is still on the spacious side of things. Overall, the FIBAE 7 is engaging, clean & controlled without any harshness. An excellent flagship from Custom Art with its highly musical sound.
Well, I was at Can Jam and I listened to the Khan, Wraith and Valkyrie and of course I own the Trinity. I know a lot of people said they like the Khan but to me the Khan is a disappointment. Even before I put on the Khan, I was told they specifically tune the bass down and it is true the bass is like almost nonexistent. What happened to that 10 mm DD? As for the mid and treble is pretty good except the Trinity is much more clearer by one to two veils if you know what I mean. And then between the Wraith and the Valkyrie, Valkyrie definitely has the better sound of the two, it is almost a consensus. I am sure with the feedback from this Can Jam, they are going to rework the Wraith. The Wraith just sounded too congested and disjointed. Thee are five crossovers managing 4 electrostatic driver and Ba drivers. It doesn’t even sound coherent to me. Call me bias but I think the Trinity is still my favorite electrostatic hybrids by far.
So true the Trinity is a treat. But you all forget the Canary. It is on par with the Trinity. Both go different ways though. While the Trinity sounds full and engaging (with sweet highs) it's perfect for all kinds of electronic. I even prefer it over the Legend X when it comes to massive techno sets like "Yagya's" album "Stormur". The VE8 and the Trinity are my preferred iems for this genre because both accentuate slightly the sub bass and lower end without overpowering while letting the other frequencies come through as needed. So everything sounds beautifully coherent and exactly as i want it to sound like.
The Canary is my #1 when i'm in mood for pop & edm. It sounds so fantastic with a very dry bass and extremely fine tuned upper and lower mids. Female (and male) vocals sound nicely intimate and all the things going on in the mid section when listening to albums like "Chapters" by Yuna or "Bon Voyage" by Nina June have so much air and headroom. It's really a lot of fun. Besides it's the most comfortable uiem i've ever owned. I feel my customs more. Very underrated iem this Canary. It is paired with my OSLO cable right now and is my daily driver for searching new stuff on Tidal and Spotify.... and this procedure very often takes several hours.
Boy, those Dream XLS are looking good. Now Dita... Don't make it a limited edition run, as I want to at least have some time for puppy negotiations with the missus to see how far I can get.
Boy, those Dream XLS are looking good. Now Dita... Don't make it a limited edition run, as I want to at least have some time for puppy negotiations with the missus to see how far I can get.
Tried the 2 prototypes of the Dream XLS at Canjam earlier this year. If production sound is the same as the fuller sounding prototype, it will be the best sounding DITA product to date for me, surpassing the Brass.
Tried the 2 prototypes of the Dream XLS at Canjam earlier this year. If production sound is the same as the fuller sounding prototype, it will be the best sounding DITA product to date for me, surpassing the Brass.
I have never heard the Dream and so it is a bit difficult to guesstimate how to rate a fuller sounding version of them. However, when I spoke to Desmond a while back he explained the Fealty (which I still love) sit between the Dream and the P71, so would the fuller Dream XLS be like the Fealty on steroids? That would be... [drools]
I have never heard the Dream and so it is a bit difficult to guesstimate how to rate a fuller sounding version of them. However, when I spoke to Desmond a while back he explained the Fealty (which I still love) sit between the Dream and the P71, so would the fuller Dream XLS be like the Fealty on steroids? That would be... [drools]
Can't comment on that since I did not listen the Dream XLS and Fealty in the same session. All I can say is the fuller Dream XLS left a way more lasting impression than the Fealty/Fidelity. Cheers!
Can't comment on that since I did not listen the Dream XLS and Fealty in the same session. All I can say is the fuller Dream XLS left a way more lasting impression than the Fealty/Fidelity. Cheers!
Well, I was at Can Jam and I listened to the Khan, Wraith and Valkyrie and of course I own the Trinity. I know a lot of people said they like the Khan but to me the Khan is a disappointment. Even before I put on the Khan, I was told they specifically tune the bass down and it is true the bass is like almost nonexistent. What happened to that 10 mm DD? As for the mid and treble is pretty good except the Trinity is much more clearer by one to two veils if you know what I mean. And then between the Wraith and the Valkyrie, Valkyrie definitely has the better sound of the two, it is almost a consensus. I am sure with the feedback from this Can Jam, they are going to rework the Wraith. The Wraith just sounded too congested and disjointed. Thee are five crossovers managing 4 electrostatic driver and Ba drivers. It doesn’t even sound coherent to me. Call me bias but I think the Trinity is still my favorite electrostatic hybrids by far.
I tend to agree with this, my order or preference after listening to LX, Valkryie, Wraith and Khan was Valkyrie, LX(very close), Wraith and Khan. I honestly would just stop at Valkyrie if it was my money as they are considerably less cost and available in a custom now. I think Khan may have scored higher in my preference with better isolation, I really could not get a good seal with the Uni at Canjam but did only give it maybe a 5 minute listen as the they were busy and I was not buying. Trying to respect the time for people spending $$. I just completely spaced on the Jomo booth and am kicking myself for that as I may never get to hear those ever again.
Here are my impressions I shared on the site-which-must-not-be-named almost a year ago:
Impression #1: Hey guys, I just wanted to chime-in real quick about ZDT Jr and HD800S pairing. I received the Massdrop x EC ZDT Jr loaner unit yesterday, and have been using my HD800S, and have been comparing it to my Lyr 3 (TS 6SN7).
- Coming from portable audio, Lyr made me hear sub-bass on my HD800S for the first time. ZDT goes a step further and makes you feel the sub-bass. ZDT also punches harder and deeper, displaying excellent authority. But Lyr might have the slight advantage in bass control, cleanliness and transitions.
- One other aspect about the Lyr 3, I was critical was the soundstage. It wasn't that it was closed in or intimate. But it seems to fall short in its depth and is a touch forward sounding. ZDT gets both those aspects quite right with better depth and a more neutral placement of the presentation.
The reason I wanted to make this post is, if a HD800/S is all you own, and are about to pull the trigger on a Lyr 3, may be it would be wise to hold off on the purchase, until some members who have tested both amps (ZDT Jr and Lyr) could add their $0.02. I know it is not possible to order a new ZDT Jr anymore. But may be there are other amps in the price range, that would work better for the HD800/S, than the Lyr 3.
Impression #2: After testing the ZDT Jr (Loaner #2, with GE tubes) for 5 days, here are some impressions. Actually nothing substantially more or new to add than, what I already posted above. Please Note: The unit I tested was, the one which had the GE tubes in the front. I am not sure, how the stock tubes sound, but if it doesn't sound good, I'd happily get the GE tubes that Marv put on his unit and call it a day.
With the HD800S: - For HD800S, I would pick the Jr over the Lyr3 anyday. The Jr basically fits in like a Tetris block, to fill in the negative gaps of the HD800 and evens out the unevenness for the most part.
- High Z port is the way to go for the HD800. The high Z port has a more expansive presentation and better macro and bass dynamics. It was the first time I heard HD800 slam and rumble like a beast. Going from High Z port to the Low Z port, makes you feel like the presentation is compressed. The only advantage of the Low Z port is, it presents cleaner bass transitions and textures.
- Between Lyr 3 and Jr on High Z, Lyr 3 presents a cleaner mid-range and also has better resolution. Despite the difference in resolution and a fuller body that the Jr presents, its separation and layering is still on the same level as the Lyr 3.
- The treble linearity is quite similar on both. I couldn't perceive much difference there. But take my treble comparison with a grain of salt, as I use a bit of EQ to smooth out 800's glare in the treble.
- The soundstage on both are very good. Lyr 3 has better width and height, but the Jr creates better depth, that creates a more convincing 3D stage. The additional depth also helps with the layering.
- Sometimes, very rarely, I hear some grain on the Jr. I am NOT referring to grain in treble. More like distortion or noise type of grain. Lyr 3, from what I have tested so far, is free of those grains.
With the Audeze LCD-i4: - The choice between Lyr 3 and Jr for the i4 is a bit difficult. Each amp does certain aspects better than the other, that it would be a close call. But because my other headphone is a HD800, I'd probably pick the Jr. But if the i4 was all I had, I'd be unsure, and ultimately, I'd probably go with the Lyr 3.
- The i4 when connected to the Low Z port, sounds not too far off from the Lyr 3. So between Jr Low Z vs Lyr 3, I'd definitely go with the Lyr 3. Lyr 3 has better resolution and is more expansive (or sounds less compressed).
- The high Z port is a little tricky though. Due to the reduction in damping, i4's bass gains a little bloom, that helps improve the perceived bass power. But I am not sure if the high Z would be ideal for a full-size planar, as the bass on those phones are already quite authoritative. Also, the bass lines and texture on the high Z is not the cleanest. Depending on my music, mood and needs, I would switch between the Low or High Z ports.
- In all other regards, what I wrote in the HD800S section on top, applies here as well.
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the Trinity is a treat. But you all forget the Canary. It is on par with the Trinity. Both go different ways though. While the Trinity sounds full and engaging (with sweet highs) it's perfect for all kinds of electronic. I even prefer it over the Legend X when it comes to massive techno sets like "Yagya's" album "Stormur". The VE8 and the Trinity are my preferred iems for this genre because both accentuate slightly the sub bass and lower end without overpowering while letting the other frequencies come through as needed. So everything sounds beautifully coherent and exactly as i want it to sound like.
