[flinkenick]

I should probably build my own ciem too so I can rank it first next time.

Alternatively, @piotrus-g could do his own shootout and rate mine last. Guess that would be the ultimate form of poetic justice.

 

[Mimouille]

What impresses me is that, whatever the final ranking of the SE5 Ultimate within the top3, it is the retuning of 5 year old CIEM, with "only" 5 drivers, and you see a ton of more expensive iems, with more drivers, more BS technology, that have a hard time competing with it. Plus they have zero marketing, put out one product every five years...

 

[Kerouac]

I should probably build my own ciem too so I can rank it first next time.

Yeah...The FlinkenIEM48 (with 8x DD and 16BA a side + room to spare for a living hummingbird, which flies around inside for some extra air movement). For that Nicredible spacious, once in a lifetime, listening experience...have you patented that one already?
Such a shame that you already spoilt the plot for your next shootout though

 

[andra555]

haven't checked in a while and look what i missed, what a great write up by @piotrus-g i hope i have some time to spare to dig into this technical things more, better check that DIY iem thread and hang out in the sound science sub forum more,
for the start i really want to learn how to measure the FR of the IEM been wanting to grab vibro veritas for a while but not sure where to start

Yeah...The FlinkenIEM48 (with 8x DD and 16BA a side + room to spare for a living hummingbird, which flies around inside for some extra air movement). For that Nicredible spacious, once in a lifetime, listening experience...have you patented that one already?
Such a shame that you already spoilt the plot for your next shootout though

don't forget to install that MFM (Manual Feeding Modules) so you have a vent to place the food for the hummingbird , unless you want it to die inside the shell

 

[ezekiel77]

Yeah...The FlinkenIEM48 (with 8x DD and 16BA a side + room to spare for a living hummingbird, which flies around inside for some extra air movement). For that Nicredible spacious, once in a lifetime, listening experience...have you patented that one already?
Such a shame that you already spoilt the plot for your next shootout though

Just to play Nickelback

 

[proedros]

What impresses me is that, whatever the final ranking of the SE5 Ultimate within the top3, it is the retuning of 5 year old CIEM, with "only" 5 drivers, and you see a ton of more expensive iems, with more drivers, more BS technology, that have a hard time competing with it. Plus they have zero marketing, put out one product every five years...

and as i mentioned earlier in one of my usual 'just the facts' posts , this is the 2nd serious shootout where se5 finishes in the top spots proving that the hype is not there but the quality is

quite a feat indeed

 

[Deezel177]

and as i mentioned earlier in one of my usual 'just the facts' posts , this is the 2nd serious shootout where se5 finishes in the top spots proving that the hype is not there but the quality is

quite a feat indeed

There's a bit of irony there too to be fair. The SE5 is the only IEM (apart from the Prelude, as it is brand new and uses strange acoustic designs after all) to not have and never will have a universal demo that everyone can try. The closest thing the SE5 has to an audition is force-fitting someone else's pair. And, thus, the SE5's marketing is solely based on the hype it builds from Jelt, Nic, and average_joe's shoot-outs, and the user reviews that come after. But, of course, those users only bought the product after hearing about it from the former's reviews. Now, granted, this isn't malicious by any means, and the user reviews that have come out have been pretty positive (apart from the few I'm sure you're all aware of at this point ), but it would be dishonest to say Spiral Ears isn't, even a little bit, banking on hype to sell their products.

 

[jmills8]

and as i mentioned earlier in one of my usual 'just the facts' posts , this is the 2nd serious shootout where se5 finishes in the top spots proving that the hype is not there but the quality is

quite a feat indeed

When you going to buy one ?

 

[proedros]

When you going to buy one ?

well i just bought a new Zeus XR so dunno, no money around atm

besides, i am not sure if se5's signature is close to my liking , i am sure it is an amazing ciem but there are some thoughts if its tuning is what i am after

 

[Kerouac]

don't forget to install that MFM (Manual Feeding Modules) so you have a vent to place the food for the hummingbird , unless you want it to die inside the shell

I think Nic is still working on that. And it might even come with a free (reminder) T-Shirt

Just to play Nickelback

Especially to play Nickelback!!! It will make their songs even sound like...eeeh....music?
It will be so revealing that their songs will probably scale up to a 'Mahlers Symphony No 8' complexity level

Oh wait...your word joke (NICKelback) just hit me with my first cup of coffee

What impresses me is that, whatever the final ranking of the SE5 Ultimate within the top3, it is the retuning of 5 year old CIEM, with "only" 5 drivers, and you see a ton of more expensive iems, with more drivers, more BS technology, that have a hard time competing with it. Plus they have zero marketing, put out one product every five years...

Absolutely intriguing that it ranks so high in both shootouts! But regarding the SE 5-way I also think that source synergy might play a big role.
I know a member that sold his SE5U last year as he preffered the H8.2 over it at that time. But I doubt that he would have sold it if he could have listened to it from let's say the LPG.
Based on the FFAB review and also on some of your positive posts, the SE5U is still on my wishlist. Although I think it's a shame that it only comes in silicone, as that material needs more maintenance and it doesn't seem to last as long as acrylic shells

 

[flinkenick]

Rank #1:

Flinkenick GrandMaster 3000​

​

Stayed up all night working on it, it was less hard than I thought. It costs $2500.

 

[Kerouac]

Haha...clicked on the link and there it was...the greatest song of all time
Although I would have expected (based on your ciems name) this song somehow.

 

[rushofblood]

I think it's important to note amidst all the excitement with the top 3 that the reviews are written from Nic's perspective - and as good of a reviewer he may be, he is susceptible to personal taste as much as the rest of us are, and his taste may not match yours. Too many variables exist - signature preferences, musical tastes, source equipment, cables, listening volumes and so forth, that I've found his reviews to be the most enlightening in his subjective descriptions and not the numerical scores and rankings; following the ranking as some sort of purchase guide from top to bottom is going to work well for some and horribly for others...hell, I've heard almost all the IEMs in the shootout (save a few like the S-EM9) and if I had to rank them it would look very different - 2 of Nic's top 5 would be fighting for last place - a testament to how much power the acronym YMMV holds in this hobby.

So, for those with the privileged ability to easily demo stuff, please do so to supplant what you read, and for everyone else in places where portable audio is hard to come across, please don't get swept up in the numbers and read the excellent reviews for the descriptions more than anything else. Remember, you listen with your preferences and tastes, not Nic's or anyone else's...

 

[Wyville]

I think it's important to note amidst all the excitement with the top 3 that the reviews are written from Nic's perspective - and as good of a reviewer he may be, he is susceptible to personal taste as much as the rest of us are, and his taste may not match yours. Too many variables exist - signature preferences, musical tastes, source equipment, cables, listening volumes and so forth, that I've found his reviews to be the most enlightening in his subjective descriptions and not the numerical scores and rankings; following the ranking as some sort of purchase guide from top to bottom is going to work well for some and horribly for others...hell, I've heard almost all the IEMs in the shootout (save a few like the S-EM9) and if I had to rank them it would look very different - 2 of Nic's top 5 would be fighting for last place - a testament to how much power the acronym YMMV holds in this hobby.

So, for those with the privileged ability to easily demo stuff, please do so to supplant what you read, and for everyone else in places where portable audio is hard to come across, please don't get swept up in the numbers and read the excellent reviews for the descriptions more than anything else. Remember, you listen with your preferences and tastes, not Nic's or anyone else's...

Yes, this discussion has popped up a few times in the run up to, and during, the shootout. One of the things I personally like is that these are 17 TOTL IEMs all reviewed by the same person and that gives a lot of insight into Nic's preferences, but also how he uses terms to describe what he hears, etc. In that sense the early "Audiophile matters" articles are invaluable for getting the most out of the shootout.

The irony is that I think the Aether might be among Nic's favourites, as well as the UE18+ Pro, so the scoring might have at times come as a surprise to him as well.

 

[Deezel177]

Yes, this discussion has popped up a few times in the run up to, and during, the shootout. One of the things I personally like is that these are 17 TOTL IEMs all reviewed by the same person and that gives a lot of insight into Nic's preferences, but also how he uses terms to describe what he hears, etc. In that sense the early "Audiophile matters" articles are invaluable for getting the most out of the shootout.

The irony is that I think the Aether might be among Nic's favourites, as well as the UE18+ Pro, so the scoring might have at times come as a surprise to him as well.

His review of the Prelude, and I'm guessing the SE5U as well, has helped form an interest in me that instrument body and density resolves an image as well as stage cleanliness and clarity do. It's a hypothesis that I'm willing to explore, and it's just my luck that the two IEMs that exemplify this most are the only two with no demos available on the market. Well, I guess food's only slightly necessary, right? *logs into PayPal account, oh wait I forgot Spiral Ear only accepts wire transfers*