Okayy so now that I've finally fixed my Head-Fi notifications I have decided to do another keep or sell list, only that the keep part has grown much much smaller since I last posted
I own a lot of the stuff that didn't make it in the keep tab, but over time they'll be getting either repurposed or sold/traded, so don't mind them being in my signature
To begin with, the K E E P :
1. Vision Ears Elysium
- I've not really been giving the Elysium that much listening time since I got the Z1R, but I adore my sessions with it nonetheless. I don't think it's something I could not own, and as far as flatter sound signatures go, the Ely really has no match in my books. The midrange texture as well as sheer technical prowess make this an IEM that I couldn't really get bored of, regardless of how long I spend with it
2. Sony IER Z1R
- Despite my initially poor experience with it, I've been absolutely loving them for over a month now - the reason why these have kept my attention is how overwhelmingly technical they are, the DD texture that extends across the entire FR and the extremely slow bass and treble decays that make for an extremely soothing and satisfying experience. They make the absolute perfect counterpart to the Elysium Imo, offering a somewhat opposite sound signature, but retaining all the things that make the Elysium the IEM that it is.
Something else that dazzles me about the Z1R is the fact that it manages to pull of a recessed midrange that is extremely satisfying and doesn't feel like a compromise on any level whatsoever
3. Eletech Iliad
- What a ****ing great cable. I posted in Eletech's thread today, and this alone is the reason why I've slowly traded in all my higher end cables and will possibly be selling more of them in the weeks to come. The sound improvement it provides is quite special and matched only at the highest levels, but apart from that the design and build quality/ergonomics are unsurpassed at any price point. Loved it so much I had to order a second one for my Z1R's MMCX
4. Sony's WM1Z - absolutely loving the texture and treble boost that the DAP provides despite the slightly overwhelming warmth at times. Also can't get over the battery life and the fact that I don't have to charge it considering I buy new music more often than it runs out of battery. Oddly enough its weight hasn't been an issue for me thus far, having taken it just about anywhere
Well, that pretty much concludes the stuff I'm definitely going to be keeping in the months to come, here are the stuff that
have gone or will be going:
1. Noble Katana - Loved it while I had it but the Elysium is literally a flat out better Katana in every single way. Made no sense to keep
2. Eletech Plato - while nobody else has had this complaint, I was put off by its stiffness - it has a very distinct sound, but not one that plays well with my already quite mid-centric collection. Might be a good match for the Z1R though, would like to try that out eventually.
3. 64's A18t - I am currently demoing as many 64 IEMs as I possibly can in order to find a custom that I enjoy enough to get. While I appreciate the A18t enormously for the sheer level of technical performance and just how amazing of an all-rounder it is, I find that what I need it to do, the Elysium already does for me but better. I do enjoy owning it I suppose, but not enough to really justify keeping the money that were invested in it and not making some of that cash back to put into a 64 IEM I listen to regularly enough. Anyone with a purchase offer hit me up, given my ear canal shape you can use these as universals by simply placing tips on them
4. 64's Fourte Noir - good IEM but I'd take the treble of the original Fourte over the Noir any day. The regular Fourte hasn't been included in the list just yet because I'm not 100% about keeping or selling it despite the fact that I quite enjoy it (if I go down the A18s route I might have to sell it though) - either way, traded my Noir for a Fourte and a Khan which was a brilliant deal
5. Acoustune 1695ti - Had a proper love affair with these, and they do provide an extremely gentle and balanced listening experience, but for whatever reason I am simply not absolutely loving my time with them, and they don't get enough playtime to really justify keeping either - will probably be posting them for sale soon, hit me up if you have an offer once again
6. ItsFit Fusion - Good IEM, but the midrange just doesn't do it for me. Considering the rest of the stuff in my collection it made no sense to keep - they were extremely comfortable though and quite awesome for gaming. Sold a while ago and happy I did. The Satin Athena in the picture has been gifted to another Head-Fi member already, really disliked the hardware on that
7. Plunge Audio Unity 5ES - I consider this a bit of a failed experiment - I finally had an IEM made exactly to spec, but it did not turn out as expected. It is very technical however, and if you get the chance, do try the stock version out - with proper tuning this could be one hell of a beast
8. EA Bespoke Leo/Cleo and Cleo Octa - both of these are awesome cables, but the existence of the Iliad doesn't justify keeping them. It's just too far ahead.
Lastly, as to the
F U T U R E :
Hard to tell for now I guess. Definitely waiting on seeing what the second Iliad does with my Z1R, and I am also waiting on some pieces from Toxic Cables to try with some of my IEMs.
Mostly though, I'm searching for my match within the 64 custom line. Have a N8 universal coming my way soon (a friend was liquidating a store and sold me a demo), so once I try that out, I will probably be deciding between a potential N8, or the A18s. So far I've heard pretty awesome things about the latter, I guess time will tell if that will be the one from the 64 that manages to earn it's rightful spot in my personal top 3 favourites
