[Mimouille]

Thanks for the suggestions @proedros
 and @jonsim86
.

On a different note, anybody ever wonder what a lovebaby of the Samba and Zeus-R would sound like? Probably something like this.

​

Only 3000$, meeeh I am not interested in budget rigs.

 

[Wyville]

  Either that, or "F you, you weaselley S.o.B." 

 

But yes the competition is intense. Like I tried to explain in a couple of long-@ss apologetic posts, shootout reviewing is very different from regular reviewing. Just like tournament soccer in the playoff stages is different from competition soccer so to speak; different styles, different tactics. When I came up with the idea of the shootout, I thought I could just reuse the older reviews. But it wasn't possible; you need to explain in more detail why an iem is placed where it is, the good and the bad. It forces you to take a more honest approach, to justify the relative scores.
 
With regular reviews you're comparing an iem's performance to the grand average of all iems. With a shootout, you're comparing it to the standard set by the 17 iems in this shootout, which is pretty high. For instance, the 8.2 only costs roughly 2/3 of the average MRSP, with many iems costing a good deal more. 
 
My guess is probably 10 out of 17 companies will never speak to me again after this, hehe. I made peace with that a long time ago. I'll probably take a long break after this shootout anyways.

I guess some people might not quite get the concept of a shootout, but I think it is really good fun! Line up 17 of the best TOTL IEMs and see who comes out on top in absolute performance, rather than the more usual way of reviewing (taking into account price/performance etc). I think it is really quite a unique thing as few reviewers will have access to enough TOTL gear to pull it off. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but still very informative for everyone and a different type of feedback for the companies that is valuable in its own unique way.

 

[daulagiri]

Wew 8.2 got last place. I wonder how good the rest are

 

[Wyville]

Wew 8.2 got last place. I wonder how good the rest are

I think it might in part also be the tuning. From what I understand the 8.2 is tuned quite smoothly and from my own experience with the Ei.3 that gives an understated listening experience. Very pleasant, very musical, and non-fatiguing, but not technically as proficient. I like that about my Ei.3 and is what makes me interested in the 8.2 (were I to be looking in that price range).

 

[FastAndClean]

Wew 8.2 got last place. I wonder how good the rest are

it's surprising that it sound worse than the beer cap in ear

 

[flinkenick]

  it's surprising that it sound worse than the beer cap in ear

People shouldn't underestimate that one. Also, KLM earpads might reach quite far.

 

[FastAndClean]

  People shouldn't underestimate that one. Also, KLM earpads might reach quite far.

i think the battle for the first place will be between beer cap and KLM

 

[seamon]

 

  People shouldn't underestimate that one. Also, KLM earpads might reach quite far.

i think the battle for the first place will be between beer cap and KLM

For the God tier. Ranked so high, it's not even in the same playing arena as these other cheap IEMs like the Zeus XRA and A18Tzar

 

[daulagiri]

I think it might in part also be the tuning. From what I understand the 8.2 is tuned quite smoothly and from my own experience with the Ei.3 that gives an understated listening experience. Very pleasant, very musical, and non-fatiguing, but not technically as proficient. I like that about my Ei.3 and is what makes me interested in the 8.2 (were I to be looking in that price range).

It is. 8.2 is pleasantly musical, yet technically proficient enough. IMO all in Custom Art's range are musical and not fatiguing. But somehow people feel that they has less clarity, I bet this is due to less presence and lower treble range.

But i agree with Nic's review:

For sensitive listeners, the 8.2’s treble might be a god’s gift. This treble is harmless. But there is a price to pay: a touch of clarity and precision. In addition, the treble tuning affects the tone of especially string instruments.

I'm one of those sensitive listeners after all .

 

[twister6]

I just want to make one comment since i noticed some are a bit shocked that H8.2 in the "last" place.. We are talking about hundreds of iems and ciems with probably dozens of flagships where Nic picked the Top 17 to begin with. So relatively speaking, they are all "winners" for being considered to be at the top of this shootout

The so called "last place" doesn't mean it's a bad iem. It's just a relative comparison from a perspective of the reviewer. And just like with jelts shootout, some might agree or disagree

 

[Wyville]

It is. 8.2 is pleasantly musical, yet technically proficient enough. IMO all in Custom Art's range are musical and not fatiguing. But somehow people feel that they has less clarity, I bet this is due to less presence and lower treble range.

But i agree with Nic's review:
I'm one of those sensitive listeners after all

.

Yes, me too! If it wasn't for some unexpected pressure issues I could listen to my Ei.3 all day without any issues and I am notoriously sensitive to sharp treble. That said, after adding an SPC cable the Ei.3 gained another level of musicality and a bit more sparkle up top. Infinitely enjoyable when combined with my AK70 and using the "pro" equaliser setting. Custom Art certainly has its own unique strengths that I feel might sometimes be a little underrated (in a general sense, not related to the shootout).

 

[Toolman]

 

Nice abex V18 you got there :^)

LOL!! I couldn't afford the real one, luckily they made this in China for 1/4 of the price 

yeah like some of the FakeEars...which sounded pretty good tbh

 

[ranfan]

I just want to make one comment since i noticed some are a bit shocked that H8.2 in the "last" place.. We are talking about hundreds of iems and ciems with probably dozens of flagships where Nic picked the Top 17 to begin with. So relatively speaking, they are all "winners" for being considered to be at the top of this shootout

The so called "last place" doesn't mean it's a bad iem. It's just a relative comparison from a perspective of the reviewer. And just like with jelts shootout, some might agree or disagree

Thank you. I agree. I think by being on this list, companies would also be grateful for the attention. From discussion, and review, they can also get a better understanding of what the consumers think. It's all fun and good, win-win.

---

I remember Vlad from 64, (low-key) being optimistic the A18 can beat Zeus. Maybe that's why Nic's A18 took a bit longer
And John, being the Wizard. He couldn't care less, haha.
 

 

[crinacle]

And John, being the Wizard. He couldn't care less, haha.

 
Maybe the competition got him scared

 

[daulagiri]

100% agree. It's still in the best CIEM list. From what I understand, in the TOTL world, signature and preference play a lot. But I really curious how W900 and 5way ultimate turn out