[Deezel177]

Race? Hyla CE-5 won it much earlier no?

In other news, I have no idea what an Isobaric Hybrid is, but I'm sitting up and listening. Do you have any news about this songbird from AAW?

I posted about their Nightingale and Canary sometime ago:

Not yet, but I'll keep the thread posted once it comes out. Don't forget about the potential flagships they might have down the line as well (photos from MyIEMStore' Instagram):

The Nightingale - a 1 planar magnetic + 2 BA hybrid; the switch is to turn the BA's on and off



and the Canary - a 16 BA + 2 DD hybrid; the switch is to turn the DD's on and off. It also looks like they're doing something similar to 64Audio's 3D-printed scaffolding.



Very interesting proceedings from the Singaporean front.

At the time, it was a 16BA+2DD hybrid. Your guess is as good as mine as to what could possibly be in there now.

Just to chime in about JH, I had JH13 and it's very special since it was my first CIEM. Also heard Layla which sounded divine. Don't know what they're doing with that big block lugged to Janis, but I'll just await its release.



I believe that's their DOME thing.


The ol' ball and chain.

Well, I guess that ain't so bad.

 

[ezekiel77]

I posted about their Nightingale and Canary sometime ago:

At the time, it was a 16BA+2DD hybrid. Your guess is as good as mine as to what could possibly be in there now.

Wuh where was I? I'm not worthy to be in this group lol. 16+2!! It's like stuffing both sides of W900 into one shell!

 

[Deezel177]

Hey guys! I’m extremely excited - and anxious - to reveal a little project I’ve been working on for some time now: The debut of my brand new interview series for THL - An Inner View! With An Inner View, I aim to go where no interview series has gone before and approach manufacturers from a more personal point-of-view. I do my best to prod on their humble beginnings, their thoughts on the current marketplace, the future and more. But, the ultimate aim of the project is to showcase what makes each manufacturer unique, and to highlight the sheer variety of voices we have in the industry today.

For the series premiere, I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to interview Kumitate Lab CEO: Mr. Ryosuke Ito. After my article on his excellent NEXT 5 IEMs, Ito-san agreed to the interview in conjunction with my December trip to Japan, which I’ll be publishing more content from soon. I interviewed Ito-san in a café opposite his HQ, and what followed was an over-one-hour-long interview covering a huge array of topics - including preliminary impressions of his new 5-driver flagship: Focus. It’s a lot to take in, but I’m confident most of you guys will be fascinated by what Ito-san had to say about the industry and himself.

Also, since this my first go at interviewing ever, I’d love nothing more than for you guys to give me your honest feedback on the series. Whether it be my interviewing style, the questions asked, length, possible future guests or anything else, I genuinely want to hear your thoughts, so I can continue to improve and provide you guys with content you'll love to read.

So, with all that out of the way… This is An Inner View!

An Inner View – Ryosuke Ito | Kumitate Lab
​

 

[Wyville]

Hey guys! I’m extremely excited - and anxious - to reveal a little project I’ve been working on for some time now: The debut of my brand new interview series for THL - An Inner View! With An Inner View, I aim to go where no interview series has gone before and approach manufacturers from a more personal point-of-view. I do my best to prod on their humble beginnings, their thoughts on the current marketplace, the future and more. But, the ultimate aim of the project is to showcase what makes each manufacturer unique, and to highlight the sheer variety of voices we have in the industry today.

For the series premiere, I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to interview Kumitate Lab CEO: Mr. Ryosuke Ito. After my article on his excellent NEXT 5 IEMs, Ito-san agreed to the interview in conjunction with my December trip to Japan, which I’ll be publishing more content from soon. I interviewed Ito-san in a café opposite his HQ, and what followed was an over-one-hour-long interview covering a huge array of topics - including preliminary impressions of his new 5-driver flagship: Focus. It’s a lot to take in, but I’m confident most of you guys will be fascinated by what Ito-san had to say about the industry and himself.

Also, since this my first go at interviewing ever, I’d love nothing more than for you guys to give me your honest feedback on the series. Whether it be my interviewing style, the questions asked, length, possible future guests or anything else, I genuinely want to hear your thoughts, so I can continue to improve and provide you guys with content you'll love to read.

So, with all that out of the way… This is An Inner View!

An Inner View – Ryosuke Ito | Kumitate Lab
​

Awesome stuff Daniel! Now my weekend is off to a great start... Good reading, good sound.

 

[proedros]

@Deezel177 for the win

 

[Ike1985]

As someone who may dip my toe into this industry in the near future, this is more valuable than any review I've ever read. Thank you.

 

[toaster]

Really great stuff, Deezel...the insights you explore are fantastic.

Agree with Ike that this perspective is unique and a much-welcomed departure from the standard product review format.

Also...nailed the name of this new endeavor.

 

[Deezel177]

Awesome stuff Daniel! Now my weekend is off to a great start... Good reading, good sound.

@Deezel177 for the win

As someone who may dip my toe into this industry in the near future, this is more valuable than any review I've ever read. Thank you.

Really great stuff, Deezel...the insights you explore are fantastic.

Agree with Ike that this perspective is unique and a much-welcomed departure from the standard product review format.

Also...nailed the name of this new endeavor.

Thanks so much for the warm reception, guys. I can't stress enough how much of a good sport Ito-san was throughout the whole thing. He was willing to share by the truckload and I truly hope the interview captures even an inkling of the passion he has for the industry, the consumers and just audio in general. His humility, integrity and kindness is truly rare and I would love nothing more than for this interview to showcase that. Again, if you guys have any feedback or suggestions to share, please do. Look forward to more content from Japan and An Inner View soon, and have a pleasant weekend ahead.

P.S. @toaster22, so glad you noticed. I'm proud of the name too.

 

[Mimouille]

Thanks so much for the warm reception, guys. I can't stress enough how much of a good sport Ito-san was throughout the whole thing. He was willing to share by the truckload and I truly hope the interview captures even an inkling of the passion he has for the industry, the consumers and just audio in general. His humility, integrity and kindness is truly rare and I would love nothing more than for this interview to showcase that. Again, if you guys have any feedback or suggestions to share, please do. Look forward to more content from Japan and An Inner View soon, and have a pleasant weekend ahead.

P.S. @toaster22, so glad you noticed. I'm proud of the name too.

Cool stuff. It is funny that what brought me deeper into the game is a SE530 reshell with Unique Melody

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Hey guys! I’m extremely excited - and anxious - to reveal a little project I’ve been working on for some time now: The debut of my brand new interview series for THL - An Inner View! With An Inner View, I aim to go where no interview series has gone before and approach manufacturers from a more personal point-of-view. I do my best to prod on their humble beginnings, their thoughts on the current marketplace, the future and more. But, the ultimate aim of the project is to showcase what makes each manufacturer unique, and to highlight the sheer variety of voices we have in the industry today.

For the series premiere, I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to interview Kumitate Lab CEO: Mr. Ryosuke Ito. After my article on his excellent NEXT 5 IEMs, Ito-san agreed to the interview in conjunction with my December trip to Japan, which I’ll be publishing more content from soon. I interviewed Ito-san in a café opposite his HQ, and what followed was an over-one-hour-long interview covering a huge array of topics - including preliminary impressions of his new 5-driver flagship: Focus. It’s a lot to take in, but I’m confident most of you guys will be fascinated by what Ito-san had to say about the industry and himself.

Also, since this my first go at interviewing ever, I’d love nothing more than for you guys to give me your honest feedback on the series. Whether it be my interviewing style, the questions asked, length, possible future guests or anything else, I genuinely want to hear your thoughts, so I can continue to improve and provide you guys with content you'll love to read.

So, with all that out of the way… This is An Inner View!

An Inner View – Ryosuke Ito | Kumitate Lab
​

That was a good read.

I used to do interviews more often on Head pie but only very occasionally now.

#headpiesucks

 

[davidmolliere]

Great read indeed, kudos @Deezel177 I know little about the behind the scenes and I learned a lot reading that interview... great stuff!

 

[koven]

Hey guys! I’m extremely excited - and anxious - to reveal a little project I’ve been working on for some time now: The debut of my brand new interview series for THL - An Inner View! With An Inner View, I aim to go where no interview series has gone before and approach manufacturers from a more personal point-of-view. I do my best to prod on their humble beginnings, their thoughts on the current marketplace, the future and more. But, the ultimate aim of the project is to showcase what makes each manufacturer unique, and to highlight the sheer variety of voices we have in the industry today.

For the series premiere, I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to interview Kumitate Lab CEO: Mr. Ryosuke Ito. After my article on his excellent NEXT 5 IEMs, Ito-san agreed to the interview in conjunction with my December trip to Japan, which I’ll be publishing more content from soon. I interviewed Ito-san in a café opposite his HQ, and what followed was an over-one-hour-long interview covering a huge array of topics - including preliminary impressions of his new 5-driver flagship: Focus. It’s a lot to take in, but I’m confident most of you guys will be fascinated by what Ito-san had to say about the industry and himself.

Also, since this my first go at interviewing ever, I’d love nothing more than for you guys to give me your honest feedback on the series. Whether it be my interviewing style, the questions asked, length, possible future guests or anything else, I genuinely want to hear your thoughts, so I can continue to improve and provide you guys with content you'll love to read.

So, with all that out of the way… This is An Inner View!

An Inner View – Ryosuke Ito | Kumitate Lab
​

Fun read! KL shells are quite possibly one of the most gorgeous on the market IMO... I will be in Tokyo in March and KL is top of my demo list. (If they even have universal demos.. hope so)

 

[Zhanming057]

Thanks so much for the warm reception, guys. I can't stress enough how much of a good sport Ito-san was throughout the whole thing. He was willing to share by the truckload and I truly hope the interview captures even an inkling of the passion he has for the industry, the consumers and just audio in general. His humility, integrity and kindness is truly rare and I would love nothing more than for this interview to showcase that. Again, if you guys have any feedback or suggestions to share, please do. Look forward to more content from Japan and An Inner View soon, and have a pleasant weekend ahead.

P.S. @toaster22, so glad you noticed. I'm proud of the name too.

Do you happen to know if Kumitate currently takes orders directly from the US? I'd be pretty interested in getting a pair of their new flagships.

My Japanese isn't quite at a level where I'd want to use it to discuss CIEM designs, so I'm definitely hoping that someone over there is willing to work with a customer in English.

 

[Deezel177]

Cool stuff. It is funny that what brought me deeper into the game is a SE530 reshell with Unique Melody

That was a good read.

I used to do interviews more often on Head pie but only very occasionally now.

#headpiesucks

Great read indeed, kudos @Deezel177 I know little about the behind the scenes and I learned a lot reading that interview... great stuff!

Thanks so much, guys! Hope to bring you more content like this soon.

Fun read! KL shells are quite possibly one of the most gorgeous on the market IMO... I will be in Tokyo in March and KL is top of my demo list. (If they even have universal demos.. hope so)

Appreciate it! E-earphone Akihabara and Osaka have demos of the KL-REF and KL-Lakh. Fujiya Avic has demos of the Focus. I don’t know whether or not Fujiya Avic has demos of the NEXT 5 line-up, but E-earphone surely don’t.

Do you happen to know if Kumitate currently takes orders directly from the US? I'd be pretty interested in getting a pair of their new flagships.

My Japanese isn't quite at a level where I'd want to use it to discuss CIEM designs, so I'm definitely hoping that someone over there is willing to work with a customer in English.

They definitely do. You’ll have to order them off of their website. In terms of design, they have a massive selection of options displayed on their lookbook. It’s in Japanese, but I’m sure you can uae screenshots from it for better illustration. http://www.kumitatelab.com/images/companies/1/KumitateLabDesignBook2017-2018.pdf

But, Ito-san can speak pretty great English as well. The interview you just read was fully spoken in English. I’m sure you’ll have no issues whatsoever discussing design with him.

 

[Zhanming057]

They definitely do. You’ll have to order them off of their website. In terms of design, they have a massive selection of options displayed on their lookbook: http://www.kumitatelab.com/images/companies/1/KumitateLabDesignBook2017-2018.pdf

But, Ito-san can speak pretty great English as well. The interview you just read was fully spoken in English. I’m sure you’ll have no issues whatsoever discussing design with him.

Awesome. I've been trying to decide between Kumitate and Canal Works and the latter told me to go through Hong Kong which means two extra shipping charges and a much longer wait. Glad to hear that Ito-san can do international orders directly.