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

[toaster]

Supreme Mk2 which isn’t a surprise given it’s a single magnetostatic driver. Paired with Lucifer, the most smooth and organic sound I’ve heard at expense of dynamics.

Well said…agreed.

 

[jwbrent]

I would have tried the Orpheus but I was too worried about the QDC connectors messing with the pins

Understand, though that would have been an interesting comparison.

I’ve removed and connected the Stormbreaker several times with no issues whatsoever.

 

[ranfan]

It’s maybe a good discussion point - apart from DDs, which IEMs come close to the Traillii in terms of coherency?

Apart from DDs, the all BA classic VE5 I think presents itself very coherent and at the same time musically with its smooth mids and luscious vocals. It has less bass than VE8 though, but more solid and coherent in the mids in my opinion. Another newer one I think can be awarded to the Softears RS10, as it manages to blend technicalities and coherent tonality really well with its reference house sound (somewhat targeting a particular neutral curve, that sounded just right-center to my ears, neither too warm nor cold)

 

[Damz87]

Supreme Mk2 which isn’t a surprise given it’s a single magnetostatic driver. Paired with Lucifer, the most smooth and organic sound I’ve heard at expense of dynamics.

Well said…agreed.

Gotta agree with this too. Listening to Supreme Mk2 as we speak. It would have to be one of the most coherent sounding IEM’s I’ve heard. It’s also one of the flattest/balanced tunings I’ve experienced. Top and bottom extension is rolled off slightly, giving way to the mids to shine through in a near-perfect balance between lower and upper mids. Dynamics do take a hit though. But in some ways I feel that this is more “true to the music dynamics” rather than transducer tuned colouration. If the track is mastered with proper dynamic swings, the Supreme will render it. It may not sound as dramatic as other IEM’s that are considered more dynamic, but the supreme sounds more realistic IMO.

I am super impressed with Supreme Mk2. It’s one of the most natural and life-like sounding IEM’s I’ve ever heard. It’s not going to blow anyone away on technical ability, but damn it’s a nice IEM to listen to! It needs a LOT of juice though. More than any IEM I’ve used before. Using my Kann Alpha in high gain which is like 4,000mW on 45 volume. That’s not far off the volume I used to drive my Diana Phi with

 

[snapandslide]

Gotta agree with this too. Listening to Supreme Mk2 as we speak. It would have to be one of the most coherent sounding IEM’s I’ve heard. It’s also one of the flattest/balanced tunings I’ve experienced. Top and bottom extension is rolled off slightly, giving way to the mids to shine through in a near-perfect balance between lower and upper mids. Dynamics do take a hit though. But in some ways I feel that this is more “true to the music dynamics” rather than transducer tuned colouration. If the track is mastered with proper dynamic swings, the Supreme will render it. It may not sound as dramatic as other IEM’s that are considered more dynamic, but the supreme sounds more realistic IMO.

I am super impressed with Supreme Mk2. It’s one of the most natural and life-like sounding IEM’s I’ve ever heard. It’s not going to blow anyone away on technical ability, but damn it’s a nice IEM to listen to! It needs a LOT of juice though. More than any IEM I’ve used before. Using my Kann Alpha in high gain which is like 4,000mW on 45 volume. That’s not far off the volume I used to drive my Diana Phi with

(goes and looks up the price).........HOW MUCH!?!?!?!?!

 

[Damz87]

(goes and looks up the price).........HOW MUCH!?!?!?!?!

Hahaha

Yeah, it’s priced in bird territory

 

[Scubadevils]

I was about to go Google it too but I'll hold off... My so far successful €2k ceiling on IEM spends!

 

[ranfan]

 

[Hoegaardener70]

Just a quick shootout - if one of the (fortunate) Traillii owners is interested in parting with their "stock" cable, feel free to drop me a message.

 

[Frankie D]

I am not sure that’s it I legit don’t know haha. It’s like one of those things for me that I just can’t explain why but I know when I listen if it’s present or not

My guess, it is the overall timbre that you like. Your mind is at ease and you enjoy the music and the extra details that you hear. Tks.

 

[proedros]

also the end scene in Pulp Fiction (ok , briefcase but still....)

ps : se7en is probably the greatest 90s movie , have you noticed how there are ZERO references/clues/street names/buildings which city is the one where those crimes take place ?

Fincher's point ? These atrocities (could) happen in any/every city around the world.

Masterpiece.

 

[aaf evo]

My guess, it is the overall timbre that you like. Your mind is at ease and you enjoy the music and the extra details that you hear. Tks.

Probably. The natural and organic sound of the Traillii to me is probably what draws me in more. The Annihilator isn’t going for that and that’s fine, I wanted something complementary in the Annihilator/soon to be X so I’m okay with this, I just think I’m more of a sucker for that natural sound. Probably explains why I’m obsessed with r2r daps also.

 

[Frankie D]

Well, here is someone who does not think the bird flies as sky high ....
https://www.headphones.com/communit...d-news/oriolus-traillii-review-the-caged-bird

Not sure I could disagree more. Is it interesting that Headphones.com does not sell Oriolus, or is that a coincidence? To each his own.

 

[RTodd]

Not sure I could disagree more. Is it interesting that Headphones.com does not sell Oriolus, or is that a coincidence? To each his own.

The Dunu cable?
Could that have influenced what he was hearing?

 

[Precogvision]

Not sure I could disagree more. Is it interesting that Headphones.com does not sell Oriolus, or is that a coincidence? To each his own.

Hey, it's understandable that you think there might be some ulterior motive behind my reviews. It's unfortunate, but reviews are often used as tools to drum up hype and to dictate sales in this industry. However, I encourage you to take a look at some of my other reviews, such as the following:

• Here's my HD800S review where I straight-up say it's a critical review and go on to criticize it more than any other review I've seen on the internet.
• Here's my Focal Clear review where, again, I criticize it more than any other review I've seen.
• A&K SE180 review where I say I flat-out can't recommend it.
• 64 Audio U18s review were I say just go buy the U12t. Remember, the U18s is a thousand bucks more.
• Kilobuck shootout where I say the Sony IER-M9, the IEM that we don't sell, is objectively the best IEM out of the bunch.
• 64 Audio Fourte review where I basically say I can't recommend it.
• Campfire Dorado/Vega 2020 review where I flat-out say I don't recommend them.
• Campfire Ara review where I say the Ara's tonality is borked and I don't really recommend it.
• Moondrop B2 Dusk review where I say the Dusk is better than the B2. We don't sell the Dusk, we sell the B2.
• My middling review of the Empire Ears Hero where I call the treble harsh and uncontrolled.
• My middling review of the Audeze LCDi4 where I say it's a niche product that won't work for most people and that it sounds broken without DSP.
• My middle review of the Thieaudio Monarch where I recommend it, but say that it's not for me personally.
• My review of the Campfire Solaris 2020 where I straight-up say I recommend the Andro 2020 over it. Remember, the Solaris 2020 is more expensive.

These are all products that we sell (except for the couple times I recommended a product we don't sell over ones we sell). Something else you'll notice quickly is that even for products we do sell that I have given a positive review, mine are almost always the most critical one that you'll find. I don't get paid depending on whether my review is positive or negative. I simply write as true to what I hear as possible.

You might wonder how it's possible for us to operate like this; after all, we've lost sales and brands because of our reviews in the past. That's because unlike a lot of other review sites or retailers, the goal here isn't to make a quick buck. Sometimes that means taking a hit in the short term. We're comfortable with taking that hit because the trust we establish with readers - and future customers - in the long run is much more significant, something that can't possibly be quantified by short term sales numbers. Furthermore, educating consumers on good sound means better products for everyone in the long run! So yes, there's absolutely a motive behind my reviews. But it's never been an ulterior one, and I'm always happy to explain what we're all about.