[mrstrangeguy]

Well, looking at both of Nick's reviews (and @crinacle 's FRs) for both those IEMs, there's a good amount of justification for why they are ranked where they are, regardless of subjective preference, both IEMs appear to take a step back technically in one area of the frequency response, with the competition as tough as it is, that's always going to be hard to compensate for.

 

[Tom Yum Goong]

Wow, honestly I'm pretty shocked right now knowing that aether rank fairly low. i had some short session with the aether demo unit in e-earphone, it was one of a kind tuning of an iem, so beautifully presented, so natural. the note transition between the note is so smooth and it has a nice air. But unfortunately i couldn't spend a long time with aether and i'm type of person that need a lot of listening time to fully assess the strong and weak point of an equipment.

nevertheless it's really a superb analysis there nic, i could relate to the how weak aether in the bass extension and the upper extension from the memory. the upper midrange is indeed one of the most beautiful part of this iem yet it still lack the top end extension. and i do think it still lack some of the precise detail retrieval.

even right now i'm still thinking to get a pair in the future, and from what i heard the lime ears have created the prototype of the aether successor if that could fix some of the aether weak point, then i'm sold

Nic is ranking them this low. They could still totally be your number one after listening to the other 15 on the list.

 

[flinkenick]

Hi guys, just a few notes about the Aether, its scores, and its rank. I can totally understand that anybody that has heard Aether would be surprised by its rank, like @andra555 mentioned it has a very beautiful and natural sound. I would like to think I too emphasised this in the review, because the Aether stands out for its tone, which is not something I write about every iem. As @Tom Yum Goong just mentioned, this rank by no means that its inferior to the number 8, 5 or 1 for that matter.

The score chart turned out to be a bit small, I hope people could read it (you can zoom in on your phone maybe). I will fix that tomorrow. When the shootout is done, you will be able to compare Aether's individual scores to all the others, and I think you will find that its strengths are very much reflected. For instance, Aether has a higher than average score for upper midrange (88), treble (87), and tonality (89). So Aether definitely sounds very good, even when compared to the 2K+ iems. I had critique on Aether's bass. But to put this in perspective, for this shootout I'm comparing it (as well as all aspects) to the highest possible standard. That doesn't mean it's a terrible bass, or worse than the average iem out there. It just means its not perfect: I scored it a 78, not a 45.

Finally, when we look at Aether's performance (separation, transparency, resolution, imaging) Aether scores quite good compared to any standard iem. I would even say its layering ability and overall separation is really good (86), there's nothing wrong there. BUT, there are iems that have really pinpoint precise imaging, a very black background, as well as high resolution and transparency; so the total performance is not just 'very good', its absolutely crystal clear. Now, aspects as transparency and resolution can be a bit abstract and less relevant for some listeners (compared to tone), but there are other listeners that find them extremely important. That's why the final score consists of a grand average of all these different aspects, but not all of them will be just as relevant for everyone.

I might have had some critique here and there. This is the case with every iem, including way more expensive ones. But I stand by every word that I write, and I ended the Aether review by saying I would be more than happy if it was my only iem. It is a wonderful sounding iem, and I hope that the content of the review as well as the individual scores reflects that. Like I once said, the content of the review is infinitely more important than a rank or score; people with different taste will select or ignore different aspects. Finally, also keep in mind the relative scores are pretty close. Aether ranks #16 with an average score of 85. The #1 I believe scores an 89.

 

[Wyville]

Finally, also keep in mind the relative scores are pretty close. Aether ranks #16 with an average score of 85. The #1 I believe scores an 89.

It is a bit like finishing at the back of an Olympic 100m final. It might not look impressive at that point in time, but try getting to that final in the first place.

 

[flinkenick]

It is a bit like finishing at the back of an Olympic final. It might not look impressive at that point in time, but try getting to that final in the first place.

Well said. There are no 'suckers' in this lineup. Aether's (and the 8.2's) rank is only a testament to that, as will the next iems be.

 

[ranfan]

Music preference/playlist also plays a part I think. Someone who for example listens to mostly acoustics, and prioritize in an IEM its tonality might find the Aether a great value.

 

[twister6]

Well said. There are no 'suckers' in this lineup. Aether's (and the 8.2's) rank is only a testament to that, as will the next iems be.

Nic, if i were you, i would be cautious opening any surprise packages from Poland in the next few months You never know, Piotr and Emil could be plotting a revenge lol! j/k

 

[flinkenick]

Music preference/playlist also plays a part I think. Someone who for example listens to mostly acoustics, and prioritize in an IEM its tonality might find the Aether a great value.

Yes definitely, music taste is one of the most important aspects for choosing an iem. For instance, when I listen to EDM I really find technical performance (resolution, transparency, imaging) very important, as well as bass or upper midrange maybe. Tone (or tonal accuracy) is negligible. But for classical music, tonality might be one of the most important things. And when listening to easy listening music, midrange and treble might be most important, but transparency or separation might be less relevant. And then some people simply find stage dimensions very important, etc. etc.

 

[flinkenick]

Nic, if i were you, i would be cautious opening any surprise packages from Poland in the next few months You never know, Piotr and Emil could be plotting a revenge lol! j/k

LOL!! Yes, they can split the bill and save on costs now hehe.

 

[Sound Eq]

over 80 pages so please forgive me as i like to take a shortcut and ask, which iem out of all the iems out there fits the following bill
1- great bass, that is tight and controlled, i simply love bass
2- amazing mids that are fully present and layered
3- no harsh, metallic sounding or sibilence in the highs
4- is musical warm and just inviting to keep listening
5- good sound stage

also i do not see any chart for the iems in the shootout

 

[flinkenick]

Brief impressions A18 are up:

http://theheadphonelist.com/brief-impressions-64-audio-a18/

 

[EagleWings]

Brief impressions A18 are up:

http://theheadphonelist.com/brief-impressions-64-audio-a18/

Reading your's and Alex's impressions on the A18/U18, I think I made a mistake by not including it in my Top 5 prediction.

 

[andra555]

sorry maybe the way i said it looks like i didn't agree and had a heavy critic towards nic review.

I was simply expecting the aether to be ranked more higher, just like i said i only spend really short session with the aether (maybe 30 minutes or so) and from my experience i'm really sensitive to the upper mid presentation and lower mid presentation, i really love the airy and natural upper mid so when i listen to aether that what struck me for the first time. I believe nic already spent a lot more time with aether to assess the weak point and strong point of it and what nic wrote in the review really reflect what i'm hearing back there, to the point that for now i believe in his review more than my own ears lol.

and as @Tom Yum Goong said and I believe @flinkenick said once all the IEM in this shootout is already the best out of other IEM out there and picking the best of the best is not easy deed by any means.

now i'm really excited to see where noble katana will be placed in the ranking, one of my another favorite TOTL that i had a chance to listen to. pretty sure it's still behind zeus XR though

 

[flinkenick]

Oh I didn't take it as critique. Quite the contrary, I completely understood where you're coming from. I just wanted to elaborate on that an iem can still sound very good compared to others, but 'rank' lower based on a combined average of many factors.

 

[andra555]

Oh I didn't take it as critique. Quite the contrary, I completely understood where you're coming from. I just wanted to elaborate on that an iem can still sound very good compared to others, but 'rank' lower based on a combined average of many factors.

precisely, I just have realized how important it is to include detailed scoring for each aspect of the IEM, so rather than looking at the average rating you could look it on the aspect you care the most and related to the type of music you are listening to

over 80 pages so please forgive me as i like to take a shortcut and ask, which iem out of all the iems out there fits the following bill
1- great bass, that is tight and controlled, i simply love bass
2- amazing mids that are fully present and layered
3- no harsh, metallic sounding or sibilence in the highs
4- is musical warm and just inviting to keep listening
5- good sound stage

also i do not see any chart for the iems in the shootout

i don't know what other might say, but, from what i ever heard, noble k10 (not encore, the old one i never heard encore unfrotunately) seems to fit your preference it has good textured bass and sweet mid the highs are also smooth and free of sibilance.

btw about the chart i couldn't see it either, in my laptop and phone it just show broken image link , i think part of it is because of the head fi recent "upgrade"