flinkenick's 17 Flagship IEM Shootout Thread (and general high-end portable audio discussion)

[subguy812]

Epic upgraditis here. Considering either selling my Khan for the U12t/U18t or the A12t while they got the sale on. Plus my left ear canal doesn't play well with the Khan's shape.

Uh oh the uncontrollable spiraling out of control is occurring...

 

[junix]

I was a little bit interested in Empire Ears Legend X but can't buy it now after splurging on Meze Empryean.

Empyrean, amazing headphone, amazing!
I tried it for an hour or so.. and I was blown away, but I decided I don't want full size cans in my life anymore..
I also managed not to buy an LCD-4z (and I love Audeze..).

How do you like it so far?

 

[ayang02]

Empyrean, amazing headphone, amazing!
I tried it for an hour or so.. and I was blown away, but I decided I don't want full size cans in my life anymore..
I also managed not to buy an LCD-4z (and I love Audeze..).

How do you like it so far?

My Empyrean will probably arrive sometime early next week. I was also blown away by the Empryean during my short audition and decided to pull the trigger. The price is definitely steep but its sound and build quality are both just awesome. This headphone is also so comfortable to wear and not heavy like most Audeze headphones.

 

[Deezel177]

Hey folks, 'got another review for y'all for the weekend! It may not be the flavour-of-the-month (more content in that vein coming soon ), but it is to me a very enjoyable, warm-and-crisp monitor with the technical chops to boot. And, it's worth considering - by today's standards - as a more affordable flagship, as long as you're not allergic to a bit of colour. Without further ado, Lark Studio's LSX!

Lark Studio LSX - Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice

 

[junix]

My Empyrean will probably arrive sometime early next week. I was also blown away by the Empryean during my short audition and decided to pull the trigger. The price is definitely steep but its sound and build quality are both just awesome. This headphone is also so comfortable to wear and not heavy like most Audeze headphones.

Great buy, you will surely enjoy them a lot! You're set for an year or so..
Meze did a really great job with the Empyrean, they look beautiful, sound amazing and they are so comfortable to wear.. in terms of comfort, 2 steps above any Audeze I ever tried (I tried them all ).

I can see you also have the Penta Rei, how do you like them?
I tried them after the Empyrean and that was a big mistake.. I wanted to buy them, they are built, no, crafted.. impeccably!
But I didn't like their tonal balance, well at least not after the Empyrean.. so I decided to pass.

 

[ayang02]

I can see you also have the Penta Rei, how do you like them?
I tried them after the Empyrean and that was a big mistake.. I wanted to buy them, they are built, no, crafted.. impeccably!
But I didn't like their tonal balance, well at least not after the Empyrean.. so I decided to pass.

The RP is another really comfortable IEM to wear. Seems like Meze nailed both headphone and IEM comfort with the Empryean and RP.

When I first listened to the RP, I wasn't really wowed by its performance like I was by my first listens to Andromeda, Z1R, or U18t. I mean, it has a very coherent sound signature but nothing had me thinking "wow this is amazing". I could imagine right after listening to the Empryean, you'd probably feel even more so.

After a few more auditions, the RP's performance grows on you. It has a decent soundstage, but not large like the Andromeda or U18t. Its mids/vocal performance is what got me attached with its natural presentation. Then I noticed the treble had decent amount of details without being sparkly or airy like the U18t. To me, the most surprising part about the RP is its bass: very well-controlled for a dynamic driver and only hits hard and deep when needed in your music. It's just an IEM that kept growing on me and I like them more and more after subsequent listens. Perhaps the awesome build quality on the RP had something to do with it too

 

[491326]

Oh @ayang02 have you had the chance to try the Cleo yet? any comparison to the dream duet?

 

[KuroKitsu]

The RP is another really comfortable IEM to wear. Seems like Meze nailed both headphone and IEM comfort with the Empryean and RP.

When I first listened to the RP, I wasn't really wowed by its performance like I was by my first listens to Andromeda, Z1R, or U18t. I mean, it has a very coherent sound signature but nothing had me thinking "wow this is amazing". I could imagine right after listening to the Empryean, you'd probably feel even more so.

After a few more auditions, the RP's performance grows on you. It has a decent soundstage, but not large like the Andromeda or U18t. Its mids/vocal performance is what got me attached with its natural presentation. Then I noticed the treble had decent amount of details without being sparkly or airy like the U18t. To me, the most surprising part about the RP is its bass: very well-controlled for a dynamic driver and only hits hard and deep when needed in your music. It's just an IEM that kept growing on me and I like them more and more after subsequent listens. Perhaps the awesome build quality on the RP had something to do with it too

Whelp time to ask Charles if he has another pair of the RP coming in soon.

 

[ayang02]

Oh @ayang02 have you had the chance to try the Cleo yet? any comparison to the dream duet?

Not yet, and I probably won't audition it anytime soon...

Edit: I met Sammy from Rhapsodio in Taipei a few weeks ago, had a brief chat, and I promised to try his cables so I'll do that before trying something else. Plus, my funds are depleted again.....

 

[491326]

Plus, my funds are depleted again.....

that's unfortunate...

 

[ayang02]

that's unfortunate...

I thought MYIEM has demo Cleo cables, don't you go there frequently? I think if you want to compare the Dream Duet with Cleo side-by-side, it's best to visit "音悅 Hifi" as I think they have both cables for demo.

By the way, don't know if you've been to "Audio Linked" but it's on the same floor as MYIEM and they have a bunch of (even less) mainstream stuff and hidden gems there. I think it's a fun store to check out and the owner Victor gives pretty good advices.

 

[Sound Eq]

going to be in hong kong soon and the reason i am going there is to enjoy great time visiting a new country and of course to be able to audition iems, headphones and daps

My question is if there was only one iem you would buy or own which would it be, one iem period within range of up to 4k usd ?

genres I like are everything except classical music

 

[491326]

I thought MYIEM has demo Cleo cables, don't you go there frequently? I think if you want to compare the Dream Duet with Cleo side-by-side, it's best to visit "音悅 Hifi" as I think they have both cables for demo.

By the way, don't know if you've been to "Audio Linked" but it's on the same floor as MYIEM and they have a bunch of (even less) mainstream stuff and hidden gems there. I think it's a fun store to check out and the owner Victor gives pretty good advices.

Thanks! I'll check it out once i'm less busy with college/work

 

[Wyville]

Not yet, and I probably won't audition it anytime soon...

Edit: I met Sammy from Rhapsodio in Taipei a few weeks ago, had a brief chat, and I promised to try his cables so I'll do that before trying something else. Plus, my funds are depleted again.....

From what @SeeSax has told me his cables sound incredibly good, but lack a bit in ergonomics compared to others. I would love to try them myself, at the moment though I am quite happy to leave the cable rolling for a bit and just listen to the pairings I have settled on for now.

Interestingly, I came across his new RSD Extreme yesterday while browsing the Rhapsodio Facebook page. Single planar driver:

 

[davidcotton]

Same. So far Empire's universals have the unique distinction of not slowly ejecting themselves from my left ear.

Decided to see if I can flip the Khan before 64 Audio finishes their sale.

that's typical...

ftfy