[papa_mia]

My obsession with the Elysium has led me to finally break the 1000$ boundary I had placed for myself when it comes to cable purchases

Bruh that's my budget for the entire combo plus a happy meal.

 

[mvvRAZ]

With the only monitors that interest me being ee/dd/ba hybrids (wraith, m5, etc and I'm sure 64 will release one as well) It would seem to me the price of TOTL IEMs is no longer worth it when one considers what sort of cans can be purchased for 3.5-5k(which is where we are heading). I would take 3.5k cans over 3.5k IEMs all day. You could probably get 5k-6k cans for 3.5k used.

Idk, I have spent quite a lot of time with the Utopias/LCD4 etc etc, the classic TOTL cans but I much much prefer the sound of IEMs. It is just more intimate and intense and detailed to my ears. I also travel loads and listen in all kinds of environments so open backs is pretty annoying to me

 

[491326]

Utopias/LCD4 etc etc, the classic TOTL cans

I've never really explored cans because they seemed a little more "price prohibitive" when I first started
but I've been thinking that maybe I can go explore headphones now that I have portable gear that can power them. The only other classic totl can i know is the hd800. What other headphones can I audition?

I agree that iems sound a lot more detailed than headphones though. What about soundstage, in particular soundstage depth? Do headphones create a deeper sounding center image? that's kind of what I find iems least capable of presenting. Although, it could just be me listening to too much speakers lately.

 

[mvvRAZ]

I've never really explored cans because they seemed a little more "price prohibitive" when I first started
but I've been thinking that maybe I can go explore headphones now that I have portable gear that can power them. The only other classic totl can i know is the hd800. What other headphones can I audition?

I agree that iems sound a lot more detailed than headphones though. What about soundstage, in particular soundstage depth? Do headphones create a deeper sounding center image? that's kind of what I find iems least capable of presenting. Although, it could just be me listening to too much speakers lately.

If you're into speakers I think you'd really enjoy headphones I think

The way I see it, in terms of "realistic" No1 are speakers, headphones approximate them, and IEMs approximate headphones

That being said, if you love exaggerated sound I think nothing beats IEMs. I love hearing every note and breath and while I would never be able to hear that live, I don't really need the experience to be realistic so to say

Soundstage on headphones is much wider, but I feel like the placement of instruments is just more concrete on IEMs - you can hear exactly where everything is, where the soundstage ends and just how deep it goes. Again, less realistic, more exaggerated

The last thing that bums me out when listening to headphones is the instrumental separation. IEMs just feel like they separate everything more and mix the sound a bit less. I'm guessing that's mostly due to the high driver count (compared to the fixed single driver in headphones)

I like the HD800 personally, the Utopia is a pretty good headphone too and so are any of the standard headphone TOTLs.... I guess someone who knows more about them can chime in here

One that I especially liked was the Focal Elear, but that's the one that headphone people say sounds really closed off - I like it because it's the headphone that sounded most like IEMs haha

 

[491326]

That being said, if you love exaggerated sound I think nothing beats IEMs. I love hearing every note and breath and while I would never be able to hear that live, I don't really need the experience to be realistic so to say

On that note, I'm still really looking forward to auditioning the AAW Canary and the Fir Audio M5. I think the M5 implements something I've been thinking a lot about theoretically. By nature, iems bypass the external ear completely, but looking at some pictures of people's custom M5's, I'm guessing that the internal chamber recreates parts of the external ear. I'm wondering what kind of research went into external ear acoustics as well as how they would manage consistency of sound between different custom units. Although, I may just be completely mistaken and the internal chamber of the customs is the same in every unit.

 

[mvvRAZ]

On that note, I'm still really looking forward to auditioning the AAW Canary and the Fir Audio M5. I think the M5 implements something I've been thinking a lot about theoretically. By nature, iems bypass the external ear completely, but looking at some pictures of people's custom M5's, I'm guessing that the internal chamber recreates parts of the external ear. I'm wondering what kind of research went into external ear acoustics as well as how they would manage consistency of sound between different custom units. Although, I may just be completely mistaken and the internal chamber of the customs is the same in every unit.

I used to own the universal M5 and while I did like it, the bass was too much for me

Normally i can adjust that with cables sources etc, but the M5’s sound sig is really set in stone, whether you have plugged it into your phone or whatever source

Never listened to an IEM that is so resistant to tone controls, that’s why I traded it in

 

[twister6]

I used to own the universal M5 and while I did like it, the bass was too much for me

Normally i can adjust that with cables sources etc, but the M5’s sound sig is really set in stone, whether you have plugged it into your phone or whatever source

Never listened to an IEM that is so resistant to tone controls, that’s why I traded it in

Wonder if you are sensitive to bass impact and prefer more neutral bass quantity? With the pair (M5) I reviewed, listening with foam marshmello tips and stock 8wire premium cable, M5 bass is on the same quantity level as Fourte/Noir, Trio, N8, Solaris, and definitely less than Legend X. M5 is probably in my Top5 now, but of course a matter of personal taste.

 

[491326]

I used to own the universal M5 and while I did like it, the bass was too much for me

Normally i can adjust that with cables sources etc, but the M5’s sound sig is really set in stone, whether you have plugged it into your phone or whatever source

Never listened to an IEM that is so resistant to tone controls, that’s why I traded it in

I see, I was actually thinking that the rcx connector would be a pain for cable rolling since everything I own is 2pin. I guess that's a nil point though. I'm a bit of a bass head so I'll take my chances

 

[mvvRAZ]

Wonder if you are sensitive to bass impact and prefer more neutral bass quantity? With the pair (M5) I reviewed, listening with foam marshmello tips and stock 8wire premium cable, M5 bass is on the same quantity level as Fourte/Noir, Trio, N8, Solaris, and definitely less than Legend X. M5 is probably in my Top5 now, but of course a matter of personal taste.

Yup I personally prefer neutral or even recessed bass

The Noir does have quite a bit of bass in the stock configuration but I am using it with silicone tips and a brighter cable so I could adjust it to my preference

I see, I was actually thinking that the rcx connector would be a pain for cable rolling since everything I own is 2pin. I guess that's a nil point though. I'm a bit of a bass head so I'll take my chances

The RCX was a bit annoying yeah, but the connector does feel much better than both MMCX and 2pin. But you are right, not being able to cable roll is barely an issue there

 

[davidcotton]

I see, I was actually thinking that the rcx connector would be a pain for cable rolling since everything I own is 2pin. I guess that's a nil point though. I'm a bit of a bass head so I'll take my chances

Might like Custom Arts 6 then from what I've read about (I know dangerous to recommend stuff you haven't heard).

 

[491326]

Might like Custom Arts 6 then from what I've read about (I know dangerous to recommend stuff you haven't heard).

I probably would, but from what I recall, it's a Massdrop/Drop exclusive. I was an early Massdrop user, but I realized that sometimes the msrp is artificially inflated. I bought a pair of headphones they listed as $300 and said the drop would bring it down to $120. A few weeks after it shipped, the price on Amazon was at $120. I felt a little lied to so I stopped using the service.

 

[noplsestar]

A bit over a month since I received them, the VE Elysium has become my ultimate point of reference. Of everything I've listened to I am yet to find an IEM with a midrange that is this textured and complete. My obsession with the Elysium has led me to finally break the 1000$ boundary I had placed for myself when it comes to cable purchases as I had to see what it will sound like on a maxed out setup (Leo/Cleo Bespoke)

I recently got a longer listen to the SP2000 but I think I will wait for an M version as the size is too much of an issue for me currently. Currently looking at some desktop DAC options, maybe the Hugo 2 or the Brooklyn DAC+, but I am not sure how much of an improvement they would be over the RME ADI 2 DAC, which for the sound I'm looking for seems like a bit of a peak performance

Recently sent my A18t for a remold due to some fitting issues, I'm curious to compare the detail retrieval on the two, and just generally make a more detailed comparison

@davidmolliere How is the Elysium listening coming along?

is it just the size or also that the sound wasn’t too convincing for the pricetag?

 

[twister6]

I see, I was actually thinking that the rcx connector would be a pain for cable rolling since everything I own is 2pin. I guess that's a nil point though. I'm a bit of a bass head so I'll take my chances

From my review, either use short rcx to 2pin adapter, though works better with an angled 2pin connector housing:



Or use a pigtail rcx to 2pin adapter (pictures with early prototype shell):

 

[mvvRAZ]

is it just the size or also that the sound wasn’t too convincing for the pricetag?

I’m generally not crazy about the idea of spending that much on a device with a battery that will sooner or later just wear out

I got a really good deal on the 1000M, and it was also a major improvement over my SR15, but even that felt like a bit of a stretch

The 2000 does sound great imo (albeit not that much better than the 1000), but as a complete package, I do like the 1000M better

 

[mvvRAZ]

I realise this might be the wrong thread to ask considering it's about IEMs and portability, but it might also be the perfect place haha

So far the only desktop DAC that I have listened to that worked really well with my small jewels is the RME ADI 2 DAC

Do you guys think you could recommend some desktop DACs to be used exclusively with IEMs? I read some pretty good stuff about the Brooklyn DAC+ but I'm honestly not sure