flinkenick's 17 Flagship IEM Shootout Thread (and general high-end portable audio discussion)
Sep 17, 2017 at 9:35 AM Post #4,621 of 39,414
Thanks bro, is have you tried both samba and flamenco? I'm really interested in them, sounds like a cooler more engaged and detailed S-em9 to me.
What's the difference between Samba and Flamenco?

Yes, I have. The Samba is crisper, brighter, and drier overall compared to the Flamenco with both switches down. The bass response is the only region where this differs, where the Flamenco is brighter and airier in tonality and neutral in impact, while the Samba's sub-bass is much more pronounced, and mid-bass more dark.

They both have transparent and clear midranges that are closer to neutral than natural. I can't recall how they differ in this region specifically, but it's worth noting that they both have a midrange that's airy and articulate, but rather "small" if that makes sense; although it's technically proficient, it's not the most soulful, or euphonic, or rich midrange. Though, with the bass switch up, the Flamenco has a rather hefty lower midrange that compensates for this at the cost of a bit of coherence.

The upper-midrange of the Samba is significantly more pronounced, leading to the impression of more clarity and air, but this causes the Samba to become a more fatiguing IEM than the Flamenco when heard at the same listening volumes. The Flamenco's upper midrange and treble can somewhat simulate this with the treble switch up, but there's a certain hardness to the Samba's treble that's not present even in this configuration; the Flamenco will always come out smoother. However, due to the Flamenco's superior extension, resolution, instrument placement and instrument body on the Flamenco supercede that of the Samba.

Soundstage-wise, they both present engaging, proportionate, and rather intimate soundstages, compared to the competition. Although, great imaging and stage organisation prevents its soundscape from ever becoming congested, closed-in, or messy. The Samba has the airier presentation with (arguably) a blacker background, while the Flamenco's superior extension and instrument reproduction presents a stabler image with a more realistic and "physical" aural image.
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 10:06 AM Post #4,622 of 39,414
Yes, I have. The Samba is crisper, brighter, and drier overall compared to the Flamenco with both switches down. The bass response is the only region where this differs, where the Flamenco is brighter and airier in tonality and neutral in impact, while the Samba's sub-bass is much more pronounced, and mid-bass more dark.

They both have transparent and clear midranges that are closer to neutral than natural. I can't recall how they differ in this region specifically, but it's worth noting that they both have a midrange that's airy and articulate, but rather "small" if that makes sense; although it's technically proficient, it's not the most soulful, or euphonic, or rich midrange. Though, with the bass switch up, the Flamenco has a rather hefty lower midrange that compensates for this at the cost of a bit of coherence.

The upper-midrange of the Samba is significantly more pronounced, leading to the impression of more clarity and air, but this causes the Samba to become a more fatiguing IEM than the Flamenco when heard at the same listening volumes. The Flamenco's upper midrange and treble can somewhat simulate this with the treble switch up, but there's a certain hardness to the Samba's treble that's not present even in this configuration; the Flamenco will always come out smoother. However, due to the Flamenco's superior extension, resolution, instrument placement and instrument body on the Flamenco supercede that of the Samba.

Soundstage-wise, they both present engaging, proportionate, and rather intimate soundstages, compared to the competition. Although, great imaging and stage organisation prevents its soundscape from ever becoming congested, closed-in, or messy. The Samba has the airier presentation with (arguably) a blacker background, while the Flamenco's superior extension and instrument reproduction presents a stabler image with a more realistic and "physical" aural image.
WOW! Thank you so much for such a detailed review Sir!
I feel like that Samba is more "likeable" for first impression, which Flamenco is more "enjoyable" for long time listening, while both of them are "fun" tunes?
Samba sounds like a super Ultrasone IQ form my understanding.
Well, that's quite hard to choose, I may prefer Samba's bass, but I may like mid an d treble from Flamenco.
So I may end up with w900, lol.
I wish I can get a lottery and grab both of them.
Do they still have a tour or something? Or is there any place in State that I can check them out?
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 10:53 AM Post #4,623 of 39,414
WOW! Thank you so much for such a detailed review Sir!
I feel like that Samba is more "likeable" for first impression, which Flamenco is more "enjoyable" for long time listening, while both of them are "fun" tunes?
Samba sounds like a super Ultrasone IQ form my understanding.
Well, that's quite hard to choose, I may prefer Samba's bass, but I may like mid an d treble from Flamenco.
So I may end up with w900, lol.
I wish I can get a lottery and grab both of them.
Do they still have a tour or something? Or is there any place in State that I can check them out?

Yes, that just about sums it up :D I haven't heard the IQ, so I can't comment, but the W900 is definitely quite different to both. It's significantly wider and more natural-sounding; coming back to my VE8-vs-Zeus comparison, the Jomo's sound more like uber-transparent studio monitors, while the W900 is beautifully life-like; listening to acoustic music on the W900 is a pure joy! However, the W900's treble is a definite sore spot. It is gorgeously-extended, but lacks sparkle and air, both of which the Jomo's definitely do not lack. As a result, the W900 sounds incoherent up-top, and lacks a bit of articulation, thought that will aid in naturalness nonetheless. The W900's dynamic bass is a clear stand-out in this comparison, though some may find it lacks air and speed in its decay compared to the two BA-based IEMs, so it probably won't be the most ideal choice if you listen to metal and prog-rock. It's impact and extension on the other hand, are pretty friggin' great for my tastes :wink:
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 11:00 AM Post #4,624 of 39,414
Yes, that just about sums it up :D I haven't heard the IQ, so I can't comment, but the W900 is definitely quite different to both. It's significantly wider and more natural-sounding; coming back to my VE8-vs-Zeus comparison, the Jomo's sound more like uber-transparent studio monitors, while the W900 is beautifully life-like; listening to acoustic music on the W900 is a pure joy! However, the W900's treble is a definite sore spot. It is gorgeously-extended, but lacks sparkle and air, both of which the Jomo's definitely do not lack. As a result, the W900 sounds incoherent up-top, and lacks a bit of articulation, thought that will aid in naturalness nonetheless. The W900's dynamic bass is a clear stand-out in this comparison, though some may find it lacks air and speed in its decay compared to the two BA-based IEMs, so it probably won't be the most ideal choice if you listen to metal and prog-rock. It's impact and extension on the other hand, are pretty friggin' great for my tastes :wink:

Hmm... he might also really like Solar.
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 11:15 AM Post #4,625 of 39,414
Hmm... he might also really like Solar.

I remember trying a Rhapsodio CIEM demo (I believe it was the Solar) at Zeppelin in Singapore. It was really smooth, warm, and coherent, yet pretty airy and clear as well. Definitely a unique tuning and I'll surely give it another go the next time I visit.
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 11:27 AM Post #4,626 of 39,414
Well I guess I knew this question was coming :) The A18 is still the better, and most of all, more impressive monitor. In terms of resolution the ES80 is similar, but the A18 has an even wider stage, and fuller sound. Bigger notes and vocals. Its bass isn't technically better, because the ES80's really excels in its neutral role. But its just bigger in terms of impact, making it more engaging. Its upper mids and treble are brighter; while this makes the ES80's signature slightly more coherent, it gives the A18 an extra touch of excitement, while making it more upfront in its detail retrieval. So the ES80 is more neutral, and you could say its bass and treble are more 'correct'; but there's no denying the A18 sounds more engaging.

The depth is roughly similar between ES80 and A18, maybe A18 has slightly more depth. ES80 has a very clean sound with excellent separation, very precise. A18's layering could be neater with stock cable; but with a high quality cable, the quality of its depth and layering improves. In that case, its separation is as good as any iem, while having the added advantage of its absolute dimensions.
Any iem better than a18?
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 11:28 AM Post #4,627 of 39,414
Yes, that just about sums it up :D I haven't heard the IQ, so I can't comment, but the W900 is definitely quite different to both. It's significantly wider and more natural-sounding; coming back to my VE8-vs-Zeus comparison, the Jomo's sound more like uber-transparent studio monitors, while the W900 is beautifully life-like; listening to acoustic music on the W900 is a pure joy! However, the W900's treble is a definite sore spot. It is gorgeously-extended, but lacks sparkle and air, both of which the Jomo's definitely do not lack. As a result, the W900 sounds incoherent up-top, and lacks a bit of articulation, thought that will aid in naturalness nonetheless. The W900's dynamic bass is a clear stand-out in this comparison, though some may find it lacks air and speed in its decay compared to the two BA-based IEMs, so it probably won't be the most ideal choice if you listen to metal and prog-rock. It's impact and extension on the other hand, are pretty friggin' great for my tastes :wink:
Yeah bro, that's something hardest in my life. I always want to enjoy some real high end features in portable audio, but my genre just won't allow me to do so. My favorite headphone big cans are th900mkii, just looking for something alike iems. Another head-fier suggested solar, which is already on the way to my house, that I may use for most metal genres, but Solar seems not very friendly to Jazz Fusion.
The iems I currently own just have some shortages can't be ignored, like k10's treble makes me have some "plastic" feel. S-em9's sound stage is a little bit narrow, bass is a little bit light, Galaxy V1 is sorta slow, Roxanne never breathes, and super weird sometimes.
However almost all the features I like(as a companion of my other iems) are in w900 except treble. Somehow remind me of the old legend-- E5C.
I'm seriously in a "suicide point", everything is so good, but nothing ideal for me.
I'm going to write my first review once I made the final decision to salute all the head-fiers helped me out, let the spirits carry on.
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 11:42 AM Post #4,628 of 39,414
Besides the Solar and Galaxy, Rhapsodio also seems to have a new interesting option these days :thinking:
It's a 1DD + 8BA called RDB MK8

...aka Zombie
200.gif
 
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Sep 17, 2017 at 11:51 AM Post #4,629 of 39,414
Any iem better than a18?

Better at what? The A18 has tons of strengths against the competition, but it has its shortcomings as well; particularly, in terms of its depth and tonal naturalness.

Yeah bro, that's something hardest in my life. I always want to enjoy some real high end features in portable audio, but my genre just won't allow me to do so. My favorite headphone big cans are th900mkii, just looking for something alike iems. Another head-fier suggested solar, which is already on the way to my house, that I may use for most metal genres, but Solar seems not very friendly to Jazz Fusion.
The iems I currently own just have some shortages can't be ignored, like k10's treble makes me have some "plastic" feel. S-em9's sound stage is a little bit narrow, bass is a little bit light, Galaxy V1 is sorta slow, Roxanne never breathes, and super weird sometimes.
However almost all the features I like(as a companion of my other iems) are in w900 except treble. Somehow remind me of the old legend-- E5C.
I'm seriously in a "suicide point", everything is so good, but nothing ideal for me.
I'm going to write my first review once I made the final decision to salute all the head-fiers helped me out, let the spirits carry on.

If you can manage to find a demo (and funds), the A18 is definitely worth trying, now that I've heard your thoughts on these other IEMs; it might genuinely be the answer to your problem.
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 11:59 AM Post #4,630 of 39,414
Besides the Solar and Galaxy, Rhapsodio also seems to have a new interesting option these days :thinking:
It's a 1DD + 8BA called RDB MK8

...aka Zombie
200.gif
Those companies are killing me, I'm going to wear my roommate's beats for a whole day turn up to the max volume to kill myself, see you guys when I rebirth. Farewell.
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 12:39 PM Post #4,632 of 39,414
@DrummerLeo have you tried out the Fitear MH 335 DW and 335SR? Enough bass, plenty of transparency, good separation, good soundstage. Although it is not reviewed in this thread, it is nonetheless a flagship product. You can find plenty of reviews online.
I heard some good news about it, mainly about it's decent vocal which I don't really listen to. I tried 334, they are great by many regard, but just not a cup of my tea.
But yeah, I should give it a try when I back to China this winter vacation. Thank you bro!
 
Sep 17, 2017 at 2:18 PM Post #4,635 of 39,414
I heard some good news about it, mainly about it's decent vocal which I don't really listen to. I tried 334, they are great by many regard, but just not a cup of my tea.
But yeah, I should give it a try when I back to China this winter vacation. Thank you bro!
No prob! Though I have to point out that while 334 is good at vocals, 335 has a different tuning. Trebles are more aggressive and mid-bass is more authoritative. I thought that the way they handle the transients is very good for jazz (for fusion jazz for the matter).
 

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