[Ace Bee]

h..hi everybody. I am just a noob in the flagship iems. I have a question to you all stalwarts. Today I listened to the 2019 Andromeda, and the holographic presentation is addictive. But, I cannot stand the very lean bass and the energetic, almost sharp upper mids and highs. Can you suggest an iem with such a holographic stage but less sharp upper mids and highs, and meatier bass? I could not handle Solaris because of the highs.

I have Unique Melody Mirage, which is an amazing iem, and the Bass, Mids, and Highs are very much to my preference. Width and Depth is similar to Andromeda, but Height is less, which is holding it back from sounding similarly holographic. Also, the air seems slightly less than Andromeda....due to the thickness of mids, may be? Andromeda has much leaner notes.

 

[Rockwell75]

h..hi everybody. I am just a noob in the flagship iems. I have a question to you all stalwarts. Today I listened to the 2019 Andromeda, and the holographic presentation is addictive. But, I cannot stand the very lean bass and the energetic, almost sharp upper mids and highs. Can you suggest an iem with such a holographic stage but less sharp upper mids and highs, and meatier bass? I could not handle Solaris because of the highs.

I have Unique Melody Mirage, which is an amazing iem, and the Bass, Mids, and Highs are very much to my preference. Width and Depth is similar to Andromeda, but Height is less, which is holding it back from sounding similarly holographic. Also, the air seems slightly less than Andromeda....due to the thickness of mids, may be? Andromeda has much leaner notes.

MEST

 

[Ace Bee]

MEST

Anything else?

 

[Rockwell75]

Anything else?

Not that I've personally tried no. Solaris is actually my #1 rec based on what you've described.

 

[mvvRAZ]

MEST

Wait the MEST doesn't have aggressive upper mids? I haven't heard it but that was the impression I got from reviews

Damn I should re-consider it

 

[Ace Bee]

Not that I've personally tried no. Solaris is actually my #1 rec based on what you've described.

Couldn't handle the upper mids and highs of Solaris...Mest is an upgrade on Solaris also?

 

[tawmizzzz]

h..hi everybody. I am just a noob in the flagship iems. I have a question to you all stalwarts. Today I listened to the 2019 Andromeda, and the holographic presentation is addictive. But, I cannot stand the very lean bass and the energetic, almost sharp upper mids and highs. Can you suggest an iem with such a holographic stage but less sharp upper mids and highs, and meatier bass? I could not handle Solaris because of the highs.

I have Unique Melody Mirage, which is an amazing iem, and the Bass, Mids, and Highs are very much to my preference. Width and Depth is similar to Andromeda, but Height is less, which is holding it back from sounding similarly holographic. Also, the air seems slightly less than Andromeda....due to the thickness of mids, may be? Andromeda has much leaner notes.

Have you tried the andro2020? I never got to A/B but I recall it being meatier in the mids and bass at expense of some treble sparkle. Seemed less peaky overall too

From my personal experience, the “holographic” sound is definitely easier to obtain with “thinner” notes, as thinner notes helps creates that illusion of more space. It’s usually a tradeoff that’s hard to avoid. You might just consider two different IEMs to compliment each other instead.

However, depending on your DAP/DAC, maybe try to demo the Thummim. With the right pairing, it does a unique job of being thick and meaty while maintaining impressive upper treble and spherical/grand staging. It’s also a W/U shaped to my ears. And to my knowledge, that’s why it’s either loved or hate-it defies logic almost

 

[Ace Bee]

Have you tried the andro2020? I never got to A/B but I recall it being meatier in the mids and bass at expense of some treble sparkle. Seemed less peaky overall too

From my personal experience, the “holographic” sound is definitely easier to obtain with “thinner” notes, as thinner notes helps creates that illusion of more space. It’s usually a tradeoff that’s hard to avoid. You might just consider two different IEMs to compliment each other instead.

However, depending on your DAP/DAC, maybe try to demo the Thummim. With the right pairing, it does a unique job of being thick and meaty while maintaining impressive upper treble and spherical/grand staging. It’s also a W/U shaped to my ears. And to my knowledge, that’s why it’s either loved or hate-it defies logic almost

I'm from a 3rd world country. And I do not earn enough to afford Thummim.
I heard from some friends that the Andromeda 2020 lost that holographic feeling. May be the thicker notes were the reason.

 

[Rockwell75]

Wait the MEST doesn't have aggressive upper mids? I haven't heard it but that was the impression I got from reviews

Damn I should re-consider it

I didn't find them aggressive personally...nothing about the sound was particularly shouty or fatiguing to my ears. I would definitely try and hear them at some point if you can.

Couldn't handle the upper mids and highs of Solaris...Mest is an upgrade on Solaris also?

In terms of holographic stage and meaty bass I would say yes. Solaris is more balanced and has more forward and organic mids, which won the day for me personally. I would classify the two as sidegrades to one another with individual preferences being the deciding factor.

 

[twister6]

Wait the MEST doesn't have aggressive upper mids? I haven't heard it but that was the impression I got from reviews

Damn I should re-consider it

It will depend on who you ask and their tolerance MEST is fantastic, especially for the price and all the tech inside (hybrid with 4 types of drivers), but to my ears upper mids/lower treble have a bit too much energy. After all, you have a double team of EST and Bone Conduction drivers covering ultra-high frequencies to give the sound its high res.

 

[Frankie D]

h..hi everybody. I am just a noob in the flagship iems. I have a question to you all stalwarts. Today I listened to the 2019 Andromeda, and the holographic presentation is addictive. But, I cannot stand the very lean bass and the energetic, almost sharp upper mids and highs. Can you suggest an iem with such a holographic stage but less sharp upper mids and highs, and meatier bass? I could not handle Solaris because of the highs.

I have Unique Melody Mirage, which is an amazing iem, and the Bass, Mids, and Highs are very much to my preference. Width and Depth is similar to Andromeda, but Height is less, which is holding it back from sounding similarly holographic. Also, the air seems slightly less than Andromeda....due to the thickness of mids, may be? Andromeda has much leaner notes.

Have you tried a different eartip on the Andromeda? When I placed the Azla SednaEarFitLight Short tips on the Andromeda, the bass felt a bit punchier and pronounced. It might be worth it to see if the ear tip change gets you what you are looking for in sound quality. Good luck.

 

[tawmizzzz]

The (temporary) holy trinity. Thummim for brain-rattling bass + texture, Infinity for mids/vocals, and Traillii for balance and separation .

 

[riverground]

The (temporary) holy trinity. Thummim for brain-rattling bass + texture, Infinity for mids/vocals, and Traillii for balance and separation .

Could you please adopt me?

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

2019 Andromeda, and the holographic presentation is addictive. But, I cannot stand the very lean bass and the energetic, almost sharp upper mids and highs. Can you suggest an iem with such a holographic stage but less sharp upper mids and highs, and meatier bass?

I have little experience with high-end IEMs but I've heard the 2020 and OG versions of the Andromeda. The 2020 will fix the mids and highs for you, as @tawmizzzz pointed out, but it won't do much, if anything for the bass. Are you using as a source the Shanling MO you have listed in your signature? If so, it might make the 2020 overly dark - its stated output impedance is 0.16 ohm (scroll down for the specs here); both Andros are sensitive to variations in output impedance; below an ohm you'll get the bassiest but also the darkest presentation. Having said that, I found the 2020 to present no less spacious a soundstage than the OG.

When you wrote that you "couldn't handle the upper mids and highs of Solaris" were you referring to the original or the 2020 version? From brief auditions and memory, I found the original to be less bright, but I'll defer to others here about that.

 

[Ace Bee]

I have little experience with high-end IEMs but I've heard the 2020 and OG versions of the Andromeda. The 2020 will fix the mids and highs for you, as @tawmizzzz pointed out, but it won't do much, if anything for the bass. Are you using as a source the Shanling MO you have listed in your signature? If so, it might make the 2020 overly dark - its stated output impedance is 0.16 ohm (scroll down for the specs here); both Andros are sensitive to variations in output impedance; below an ohm you'll get the bassiest but also the darkest presentation. Having said that, I found the 2020 to present no less spacious a soundstage than the OG.

When you wrote that you "couldn't handle the upper mids and highs of Solaris" were you referring to the original or the 2020 version? From brief auditions and memory, I found the original to be less bright, but I'll defer to others here about that.

Original Solaris. Have't heard the 2020 version.

I love the mids of Andro, but need meatier bass. Mirage does that, but it cannot do the magic of soundstage of Andro. Not to say that it has a bad soundstage - it extends quite well in width and depth, just not as much as in height, and hence the sir seems slightly les than Andro.