[Deezel177]

Oh I saw the post on /r/innerfidelity and I was like "oh boy, some folks are gonna bring out the pitchforks when they hear this". I'm still planning to test it out though if my dealer has it. Guidelines =/= what my ears like.

I was a bit flabbergasted when Zeus XRA dropped from S. But I still love mine.

Everyone has their own subjective tastes, which should be respected. There's always room for discussion, but never for contempt. It's worth noting that the XRA and XR are miles apart in both signature and technical performance. So, they should never be looked at with the same standards.

@Deezel177 Does the mod void the warranty? Id be a bit worried if I bought a DAP at that price and then some to mod it and have it flake out on me only to find its better to buy a new one.

I'm relatively sure it will. In my case, I got the DAP used at a very good price, so there wasn't much cause for concern. Plus, it's a very non-invasive mod. Anything vital is left untouched, and what can go wrong can easily be fixed with spare parts as well.

 

[Wyville]

lol, the A12t is in S class, and even though I own a pair, I still think it sounds kind of boring when my brain starts cancelling out the bass. It sounds great in bursts but living with it reveals flaws in the treble and the mids. The treble is flat sounding now imo (referring to flat as in soundstage flat), although, people have said that the A12t doesn't have great soundstage height in the first place. Mids sound pretty neutral in tone to me but everything is presented really close. I can hear the echo of instruments far away but the instruments themselves are close to my ears.
I don't think whether or not something is in S class is a good indicator of what I will like. It's just the impressions of one guy (admittedly a cool guy)

Listening to music is a very subjective experience that differs from person to person and even from day to day with the same person. I have days where I am more treble sensitive than others. How much you like something depends on your personal dispositions (not talking about your man-crush on Mim here ) and the specific areas of the signature you value. Rating IEMs is always a subjective exercise and most informative when you understand the reviewer's preferences and criteria. That is why I always loved following Nic's shootout, because I know quite well what Nic's preferences are and what areas of the signature he values (and thus rates highly), and that I share very similar preferences. That is also why I agreed to buy the Phantom even though at the time they were still in a prototype stage. As long as you have a reasonable idea of the reviewer's preferences, their rankings can be really informative, even if you would rank differently.

 

[KuroKitsu]

Everyone has their own subjective tastes, which should be respected. There's always room for discussion, but never for contempt.

It's easier said than done, all it takes is one person to take a subjective statement objectively and it starts flying. It's pretty much a rule of thumb to take everything subjectively here, otherwise you end up mired in mud slinging rather than talking about gear.

It's worth noting that the XRA and XR are miles apart in both signature and technical performance. So, they should never be looked at with the same standards.

I'm relatively sure it will. In my case, I got the DAP used at a very good price, so there wasn't much cause for concern. Plus, it's a very non-invasive mod. Anything vital is left untouched, and what can go wrong can easily be fixed with spare parts as well.

Ive gathered as much from the Empire thread. Reviews for the non XRAs seem touch fewer for some reason as well. I went in to demo Zeus almost completely blind.

From my perspective it makes much more sense to find a DAP that fits your preferences since it feels a bit much to hand 9ver x amount than y amount to obtain a desired signature. Outside of the Project K mods, do you think other mods are worth it? Romi Audio in HK has a bunch of cool stuff.

 

[Deezel177]

It's easier said than done, all it takes is one person to take a subjective statement objectively and it starts flying. It's pretty much a rule of thumb to take everything subjectively here, otherwise you end up mired in mud slinging rather than talking about gear.


Ive gathered as much from the Empire thread. Reviews for the non XRAs seem touch fewer for some reason as well. I went in to demo Zeus almost completely blind.

From my perspective it makes much more sense to find a DAP that fits your preferences since it feels a bit much to hand 9ver x amount than y amount to obtain a desired signature. Outside of the Project K mods, do you think other mods are worth it? Romi Audio in HK has a bunch of cool stuff.

The only other mod I've tried myself is Ryuzoh's Kai mods. His mods are a lot more invasive, to the point where my AK70 was outputting harmful levels of voltage due to a faulty capacitor. I've yet to try any others, so the Project K mods so far would be my top pick in terms of both performance and safety/reliability.

 

[proedros]

It's worth noting that the XRA and XR are miles apart in both signature and technical performance. So, they should never be looked at with the same standards.

this.

 

[474194]

why not tho? I've always had the idea that the source and the cable should sound as uncolored as possible and the only thing that heavily colors the sound is the iems. I know synergy is important but I just don't see the importance of a warm or dark sounding source unless you bought an iem that is too bright and thin for your taste and vice versa. But then again most people buy iems then realize they want to tweak it. Time to eat my words

Yes, I like neutral on netural action. You won't get any more neutral than a H2 + SilverFi R4 combo in the portable/transportable realm. And then you just fill it out with a TOTL CIEM with your preference (colored, natural, neutral, etc.) My goal is immersion and realism, SQ follows.

 

[474194]

Oh, I forgot to ask, are there any days that can act as USB DACs that have very little, nearly unnoticeable lag? people say the mojo is laggy but tbh I can't tell

I haven't experienced lag on Mojo or H2 either. I'm using USB. Maybe optical there maybe an issue. There are issues with the Chord Summit-Fi DACs with video (Home Theatre). If there is ever a delay with video, VLC has +/- time delay function.

 

[474194]

Oh I saw the post on /r/innerfidelity and I was like "oh boy, some folks are gonna bring out the pitchforks when they hear this". I'm still planning to test it out though if my dealer has it. Guidelines =/= what my ears like.

I was a bit flabbergasted when Zeus XRA dropped from S. But I still love mine.

Isn't it /r/inearfidelity? /r/innerfidelity is the shell of itself once Tyll left subreddit...?

 

[KuroKitsu]

Isn't it /r/inearfidelity? /r/innerfidelity is the shell of itself once Tyll left subreddit...?

I did an oops, this why you dont respond headfi with Skillet blaring in your ears

 

[474194]

I did an oops, this why you dont respond headfi with Skillet blaring in your ears

No worries, I made the same mistake at first. Kind of like buying Adidas sportswear in Shenzhen when you then notice the non-official logo has two d's instead of one. Official Addidas sportswear here...

 

[491326]

As long as you have a reasonable idea of the reviewer's preferences, their rankings can be really informative, even if you would rank differently.

I'm thinking crinacle prefers transparent revealing signatures?

 

[491326]

anybody ever heard of this?
http://www.instamold.com/consumer-products/insta-mold-custom-in-ear-music-monitors/

 

[Wyville]

I'm thinking crinacle prefers transparent revealing signatures?

I am not entirely sure what Crin's preferences are, but do get the impression he has a well-defined set of criteria he uses. Perhaps more towards the technical side. So for instance, I am quite interested in his definition of a more ambiguous term such as "natural" and hope to get a few IEMs in he really likes, just to compare notes. For me that is always a great way to learn and gain new insights (comparing notes with someone who seems to have very different preferences).

 

[491326]

I am not entirely sure what Crin's preferences are, but do get the impression he has a well-defined set of criteria he uses. Perhaps more towards the technical side. So for instance, I am quite interested in his definition of a more ambiguous term such as "natural" and hope to get a few IEMs in he really likes, just to compare notes. For me that is always a great way to learn and gain new insights (comparing notes with someone who seems to have very different preferences).

I think something really interesting is his pre and post 2018 impressions of the Jomo Flamenco. He says it was retuned warmer though Jomo hasn't confirmed it. I was definitely considering the Flamenco as a reference revealing iem for my collection but the Trinity SS might be a better choice now (but no custom )

 

[MrLocoLuciano]

Not yet, but they are working on it.