[dongster]

Rank #1:

Spiral Ear 5-Way Ultimate

​

holy shet, feels like tv show got leaked early hahahhahah

 

[Deezel177]

Wow, coming up early I see @flinkenick, what a pleasant surprise! I see the Greek beaches have done wonders for your writing Anyways, I've been absolutely itching to read about these shoot-out-killing bad boys, and I finally get to see whether or not my cash is worth spending on them. As always Nic, I very much appreciate the work you've put into this entire shoot-out. It's not everyday someone writes an impression worth a "Like" and a post of appreciation, let alone 17 of them! All the best to you Nic, looking forward to whatever you have cooking after the shoot-out

 

[Blommen]

I will read this when I get back from drinking in the greek islands and try not to make any hasty decisions

 

[gearofwar]

I was expecting it to score higher on treble but looks like there is something else to enjoy

 

[dongster]

fk, kinda feeling the emptiness you get when a great tv series ended...

 

[dongster]

@flinkenick
i notice that nothing scored even the high 90s, what is the theoretical perfect 100 yardstick?
real life? HD800/stax or high end speaker?

 

[Deezel177]

Just finished giving the review a read and I must say, I admire how much @flinkenick has managed to, kind of, "humanise" the SE5U. Before, probably due to it constantly being shrouded in mystery and legend, I saw the SE5U as this untouchable king, bred of myths and tales of its mystifying song. But now, it just feels like any other TOTL IEM, battling on an even playing field with every other IEM here. It was a more enlightening finish to the shoot-out than I expected, and I strangely feel less curious than ever, but I feel like I've reached a point where I can consider the SE5U logically among other participants eager to tear my wallet a new one, rather than a shoo-in nipping at the seams. I'm not saying the SE5U is not worth the praise it's gotten from other reviewers, rather that, for some reason, both the pros and cons Nic has laid out for the SE5U all feel more justified than usual. And, I guess that's where I can give @flinkenick my utmost respect. Despite the #1 ranking, I feel like you've broken through all the hype and managed to prevent yourself from lavishing the SE5U with unnecessary praise. As someone who's done lists and comparisons before, it can become surprisingly easy to not hold back when it comes to compliments and forget about all the flaws when you get to #1, and hats off to you Nic for being as objective as humanly possible. 'Twas a great read, cheers

 

[dongster]

Just finished giving the review a read and I must say, I admire how much @flinkenick has managed to, kind of, "humanise" the SE5U. Before, probably due to it constantly being shrouded in mystery and legend, I saw the SE5U as this untouchable king, bred of myths and tales of its mystifying song. But now, it just feels like any other TOTL IEM, battling on an even playing field with every other IEM here. It was a more enlightening finish to the shoot-out than I expected, and I strangely feel less curious than ever, but I feel like I've reached a point where I can consider the SE5U logically among other participants eager to tear my wallet a new one, rather than a shoo-in nipping at the seams. I'm not saying the SE5U is not worth the praise it's gotten from other reviewers, rather that, for some reason, both the pros and cons Nic has laid out for the SE5U all feel more justified than usual. And, I guess that's where I can give @flinkenick my utmost respect. Despite the #1 ranking, I feel like you've broken through all the hype and managed to prevent yourself from lavishing the SE5U with unnecessary praise. As someone who's done lists and comparisons before, it can become surprisingly easy to not hold back when it comes to compliments and forget about all the flaws when you get to #1, and hats off to you Nic for being as objective as humanly possible. 'Twas a great read, cheers

honestly, i think even the difference between price tiers is not that big, not to mention within the same range, once you escaped the crap zone that is

i think a good advice for everyone is to hear the most expensive and acclaimed gear you can find, after then you can make a informed decision

 

[proedros]

great job again @flinkenick , fantastic shootout and such a fun thread for all us headfiers all this time

i can not think of anyone who did not enjoy the thread or your unbiased reviews (well i can think of one person actually but c'est la vie i guess)

bravo.

 

[Deezel177]

honestly, i think even the difference between price tiers is not that big, not to mention within the same range, once you escaped the crap zone that is

i think a good advice for everyone is to hear the most expensive and acclaimed gear you can find, after then you can make a informed decision

A direct audition is of course the absolute best way for someone to judge an IEM before making a purchase, but that option is not always available, unfortunately. I used to live in Singapore where almost every single IEM in this shoot-out is available to demo. The only exceptions are the Prelude and the SE5U, both being IEMs literally no one in the world can demo. So, in spite of this limitation (which, of course, may or may not extend to more IEMs in this shoot-out depending on where you live), the second best way to go about picking an IEM to purchase is through reviews you can trust. By understanding a reviewer's biases and using IEMs you know as references, one can probably start to imagine what an IEM sounds like, or, at best, estimate whether or not a certain IEM's signature is to their liking, just by reading a review. Of course, it's not ideal, but it's pretty much the best way to go about it.

 

[Ike1985]

I wonder how much of a difference is due to the silicone, for example put a Zeus XR or an A18 in silicone, likely more clarity, better imaging.

 

[dongster]

I wonder how much of a difference is due to the silicone, for example put a Zeus XR or an A18 in silicone, likely more clarity, better imaging.

I would imagine, assuming non-vented, more rigidity in BA housing fixture is better, and silicon bores would decrease vortex/reflection interference (probably marginal, since the vertices would be too week to activate the damping effects of silicon) and allow for more air longitudinal movement that is parallel to the bore axis (i think more significant).
but silicon has more shear friction i would think.

thats my semi-educated guess knowing some fluid mechanics
man, a fluid dynamics simulation would be sooo cool

 

[proedros]

Zeus is very nice even without silicone

also i have zero envy that SE5 is number 1 , as i have a feeling that it's signature would not have been to my liking anyway

@Ike1985 you have a TOTL ciem buddy , don't fret about silicone etc - enjoy your awesome ciems you got

btw i also said it over at EE thread but sony wm1a + zeus XR = great sound , i think my zx2 will be heading soon into the FS threads

 

[Deezel177]

I wonder how much of a difference is due to the silicone, for example put a Zeus XR or an A18 in silicone, likely more clarity, better imaging.

My two Custom Art CIEMs (one silicone-filled and the other fully silicone), as I put it in the SE5U thread, "...have this laid-back and put-together sound that's somewhere between expansive and engaging. Of course, that could simply be the Custom Art house sound, but based on reviews and impressions I've read, this seems to be the case with the SE5U." They also have the, now-infamous, "powdery" quality to their trebles, with smoothness and a swift decay I've also yet to hear or read about a silicone IEM that's particularly bright or lean, most of them having a warmth, naturalness, and smoothness. So, I doubt adding silicone would add clarity. According to most marketing material I've read, silicone has great damping properties that comes in handy in reducing driver vibration. However, as @piotrus-g said, IEMs, especially vented ones, tuned in an acrylic environment will sound completely different in silicone. The A18 especially, with its open tia driver, would see a massive change in sound once that chamber has silicone in it. I also don't know if silicone IEMs have a different type of bore as @dongster stated; I reckon they use the same material, it's simply the material surrounding it that's different.

 

[Ike1985]

Zeus is very nice even without silicone

also i have zero envy that SE5 is number 1 , as i have a feeling that it's signature would not have been to my liking anyway

@Ike1985 you have a TOTL ciem buddy , don't fret about silicone etc - enjoy your awesome ciems you got

btw i also said it over at EE thread but sony wm1a + zeus XR = great sound , i think my zx2 will be heading soon into the FS threads

Not fretting and supremely happy, just enjoy the science of it all.