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

[Mimouille]

And here I was, thinking that you were one of the few members that had found a way to resist that damned upgraditus madness...

No need to blame the cat though

Anyway, that SE6 Nebula seems like a worthy upgrade, reading your description => congrats!

To be honest, the only thing I upgrade is the Spiral Ear, I always want to listen to his new stuff every 2-3 years. The rest meeh

 

[proedros]

Look what the cat dragged in. My Spiral Ear SE6 Nebula. I won't do extensive comparison, because the fit is better on my Nebula as my ears have changed, but it seems to be in the same spirit as the SE6 Edge, but with upgrade on resolution and bass detail, and a massive upgrade on soundstage.

damn you (i am jealous , enjoy)

 

[subguy812]

Look what the cat dragged in. My Spiral Ear SE6 Nebula. I won't do extensive comparison, because the fit is better on my Nebula as my ears have changed, but it seems to be in the same spirit as the SE6 Edge, but with upgrade on resolution and bass detail, and a massive upgrade on soundstage.

Congrats!

 

[mythosaur]

Look what the cat dragged in. My Spiral Ear SE6 Nebula. I won't do extensive comparison, because the fit is better on my Nebula as my ears have changed, but it seems to be in the same spirit as the SE6 Edge, but with upgrade on resolution and bass detail, and a massive upgrade on soundstage.

Awesome and cool color choice! I'm totally hooked on their sound big time as well. How's the synergy with your DAP?

 

[Mimouille]

Awesome and cool color choice! I'm totally hooked on their sound big time as well. How's the synergy with your DAP?

I would say the pair sounds quite reference without sacrificing the fun. So basically awesome. Would like to try with something warmer still.

 

[ezekiel77]

Hey gang, long time no see.

Guess I'm pretty contented with portable audio now. Haven't made a serious purchase since 2022, when Traillii became my favourite all-rounder. Turns out, the bird *is* the word lol.

The watercooler group was kinda cathartic when this group quieted down, but things easily got outta hand when people were having 5k IEM shootouts. I stepped out upon realising gee whiz, maybe retirement planning is more important haha.

I'll always have a soft spot for this group. Awaiting every fortnight for Nic's updates, trying my hand at reviewing, EE's exciting Phantom/Legend X dual flagship launch, Wyville's quest for the perfect IEM... Good times. Just a quick shout-out to everyone. Hope you're all healthy and doing well.

Lau.

 

[soullinker20]

upgraded to canpur 622b then aroma jewel after using z1r and fitear titan for a while. the Jewel reminds me of the 1st UM mentor. it does nothing wrong and nothing stands out on its presentation. the overall sound is coherent. the vocals are lush, creamy and natural. using this with tidal + dc elite combo

 

[EagleWings]

@Ike1985 , was browsing through the Immanis thread and saw that replacing the Dave with the MPD-8 solved the treble issues for you, while having even better resolution and realism. Congrats! I had the same revelation a few years back, when I replaced the Hugo2 with a Cayin N8 for DAC duties in my desktop chain. I've been on a search for a desktop DAC like the N8 since then, but my efforts have been futile so far, given my limited budget and my physical location.

I ventured into R2R thinking that it would be the solution for my treble grief, but it turned out, that the resolving R2R DACs also had some form of treble issues. In fact, you have a higher chance of finding a Delta-Sigma DACs that are void of treble issues. However, most of the Delta-Sigma are still playing catch up to R2R, Dave and good 1-Bit, when it comes to inner detail, realism, depth and layering.

Many of my friends have moved on from DACs such as, Rockna Wavedream, Holo May, Chord, Metrum, Sonnet, over to modded PS Audio DirectStream, either Mk1 or Mk2. The modded version of the Directstreams have been quite a crowd favorite, with most of us coveting the MPD-8 now.

 

[justsomesonyfan]

@Ike1985 , was browsing through the Immanis thread and saw that replacing the Dave with the MPD-8 solved the treble issues for you, while having even better resolution and realism. Congrats! I had the same revelation a few years back, when I replaced the Hugo2 with a Cayin N8 for DAC duties in my desktop chain. I've been on a search for a desktop DAC like the N8 since then, but my efforts have been futile so far, given my limited budget and my physical location.

I ventured into R2R thinking that it would be the solution for my treble grief, but it turned out, that the resolving R2R DACs also had some form of treble issues. In fact, you have a higher chance of finding a Delta-Sigma DACs that are void of treble issues. However, most of the Delta-Sigma are still playing catch up to R2R, Dave and good 1-Bit, when it comes to inner detail, realism, depth and layering.

Many of my friends have moved on from DACs such as, Rockna Wavedream, Holo May, Chord, Metrum, Sonnet, over to modded PS Audio DirectStream, either Mk1 or Mk2. The modded version of the Directstreams have been quite a crowd favorite, with most of us coveting the MPD-8 now.

Sounds like the n8 was a hidden gem as a dac. Did you experiment with more cayin devices afterwards?

 

[Frankie D]

@Ike1985 , was browsing through the Immanis thread and saw that replacing the Dave with the MPD-8 solved the treble issues for you, while having even better resolution and realism. Congrats! I had the same revelation a few years back, when I replaced the Hugo2 with a Cayin N8 for DAC duties in my desktop chain. I've been on a search for a desktop DAC like the N8 since then, but my efforts have been futile so far, given my limited budget and my physical location.

I ventured into R2R thinking that it would be the solution for my treble grief, but it turned out, that the resolving R2R DACs also had some form of treble issues. In fact, you have a higher chance of finding a Delta-Sigma DACs that are void of treble issues. However, most of the Delta-Sigma are still playing catch up to R2R, Dave and good 1-Bit, when it comes to inner detail, realism, depth and layering.

Many of my friends have moved on from DACs such as, Rockna Wavedream, Holo May, Chord, Metrum, Sonnet, over to modded PS Audio DirectStream, either Mk1 or Mk2. The modded version of the Directstreams have been quite a crowd favorite, with most of us coveting the MPD-8 now.

The N8 is a terrific DAP and DAC. I still prefer it out of the 4.4mm output.

 

[EagleWings]

@justsomesonyfan , it definitely was, but the happiness was short-lived. It developed an issue and getting it RMAd from India was quite difficult. So I haven't taken the risk to check out any other Cayin yet.
@Frankie D , indeed. I bought it primarily to use the tube mode, but it was let down. I liked it more via the 4.4mm SS and the real surprise to me was the LO. I mean other desktop DACs beat it, when the aspect are taken in isolation. But to this day, it is the most well-rounded DAC I have heard in my headphone chain.

 

[justsomesonyfan]

@justsomesonyfan , it definitely was, but the happiness was short-lived. It developed an issue and getting it RMAd from India was quite difficult. So I haven't taken the risk to check out any other Cayin yet.
@Frankie D , indeed. I bought it primarily to use the tube mode, but it was let down. I liked it more via the 4.4mm SS and the real surprise to me was the LO. I mean other desktop DACs beat it, when the aspect are taken in isolation. But to this day, it is the most well-rounded DAC I have heard in my headphone chain.

now I'm wondering if the Cayin n3 ultra can somehow beat it. I remember z reviews (not a perfect guy to quote I know) Mentioned the n3 PRO (not even ultra) and n8 were very similar soundwise, and while the n8 did edge it out, it was also way more expensive.

That being said the n3 ultra features a different dac, though it can have tubes on it's 4.4, don't think I found any direct comparison of n3 ultra and og n8

 

[subguy812]

I just received the new A&K PD10. I am charging it but it is a hell of a package, thus far. I wanted to post some photos. Feel free to share.