[ranfan]

Yeah...#

What'd be your guess?

 

[Kerouac]

What'd be your guess?

Well, at some point that freakin' beer cap iem should pop-up, right?

 

[flinkenick]

Rank #12:

Noble Katana​

 

[Ike1985]

Rank #12:

Noble Katana​

Nice review. Things are heating up. Can't wait to break into the top 10. If none of the IEMs we put in the top 5 have been reviewed yet, can we still revise our predictions?

 

[EagleWings]

If none of the IEMs we put in the top 5 have been reviewed yet, can we still revise our predictions?

Have you heard of the Monty Hall problem? 3 Doors and a Goat behind one of em.

 

[MuZo2]

Can't wait 3 more months to know which is Rank no #1. Need to hack into Nic's laptop. If its not there might have to kidnap him.

 

[Virtu Fortuna]

Noble Katana not as high as I expected.. Anyway, looking forward the final rankings buddy

 

[justrest]

Nice review Nic, Surprise result for the Katana.

 

[Mimouille]

I am quite happy to see that the review of the Noble co-flagship is much more balanced then when reviewed by blogs who happen to be sponsored by Noble. On the other hand one will argue it is just taste and subjectivity. I think the differences will come from quite objective parameters.

 

[LunaC]

<cut>

 

[flinkenick]

Nice review. Things are heating up. Can't wait to break into the top 10. If none of the IEMs we put in the top 5 have been reviewed yet, can we still revise our predictions?

Thanks. I'm afraid that's not feasible, if people can change their prediction I can't keep track of who predicted what to start with. Plus it would put the rest of the people at a disadvantage. And generally, that's not how a bet works

 

[proedros]

bravo nic , nice to see people who have heard more than 1-2 TOTL (C)iems not labeling something good as 'gifts from gods' and telling their opinion subjectively without hype and other diseases of this place

well done (you are our BFF here , cause you inform us correctly on where to spend our hard-earned money)

 

[Layman1]

bravo nic , nice to see people who have heard more than 1-2 TOTL (C)iems not labeling something good as 'gifts from gods' and telling their opinion subjectively without hype and other diseases of this place

well done (you are our BFF here , cause you inform us correctly on where to spend our hard-earned money)

Hmm.. I stumbled upon this thread from another link.
I was tempted to leave in derision after realising that most of the IEMs on here that *I personally* imagine should be the 'best' don't even make it into the top 10(!).
And that's compared with what *I regard* as several 'no-name' IEM's that I've never heard of!

However, I started by reading his initial post and methodology, then started reading his reviews so far.
I really enjoyed his clear and detailed way of describing the sound and explaning technical factors responsible for it.
I get an education at the same time as a review. Bonus

Plus, as he pointed out (and as my initial 'unfiltered' response demonstrates) we are all subject to our own personal bias to some degree or other.

After taking time to examine my own initial reaction and bias, I can look at myself and say "that's pretty dumb. I can do better as a human being intellectually and be more open-minded".
I'm now looking forward to reading his reviews and explanations for all the other IEMs, including learning about many I'd previously never heard of.

In conclusion, although thoughtful and objective reviews are extremely helpful, it's our own ears, with their own bias and preferences, that will "inform us correctly where to spend our hard-earned money"

 

[Wyville]

Hmm.. I stumbled upon this thread from another link.
I was tempted to leave in derision after realising that most of the IEMs on here that *I personally* imagine should be the 'best' don't even make it into the top 10(!).
And that's compared with what *I regard* as several 'no-name' IEM's that I've never heard of!

However, I started by reading his initial post and methodology, then started reading his reviews so far.
I really enjoyed his clear and detailed way of describing the sound and explaning technical factors responsible for it.
I get an education at the same time as a review. Bonus

Plus, as he pointed out (and as my initial 'unfiltered' response demonstrates) we are all subject to our own personal bias to some degree or other.

After taking time to examine my own initial reaction and bias, I can look at myself and say "that's pretty dumb. I can do better as a human being intellectually and be more open-minded".
I'm now looking forward to reading his reviews and explanations for all the other IEMs, including learning about many I'd previously never heard of.

In conclusion, although thoughtful and objective reviews are extremely helpful, it's our own ears, with their own bias and preferences, that will "inform us correctly where to spend our hard-earned money"

We've discussed this before in the thread and it is probably best to see it as an Olympic final. All of the IEMs in this shootout are among the best money can buy and the differences are very small overall. That's the unique nature of this shootout, it is a comparison of ultimate performance as envisioned by various companies.

I can certainly agree that the reviews are a great resource for learning more about sound and the technical aspects involved in creating a certain signature. For me personally the Harmony 8.2 still rank among my top options if I were ever to step up from my Ei.3, and many of the ones that are technically perhaps a little better have fallen right off simply because I better understand how their signature is built up. For instance, I doubt that the Katana would suit me very well because I like a warm, lush and full sound, as well as a natural sound. The Katana appear to tend more toward the analytical.

 

[Kerouac]

...
After taking time to examine my own initial reaction and bias, I can look at myself and say "that's pretty dumb. I can do better as a human being intellectually and be more open-minded".
I'm now looking forward to reading his reviews and explanations for all the other IEMs, including learning about many I'd previously never heard of.
...

Great post you wrote there imo. Especially this part shows that you have the ability to take a deep breath and look at things (including your own thoughts/emotions) from a 'helicopter point of view'.
Many people take themselfs and the things (they think) they know way too serious, like their opinion is some kinda universal truth. Hats off to the ones that have the courage to (try to) look at things from another angle as well and have the ability of self insight/relativity.
So, in this case hats off to you sir!

Oh and yes, someones own ears are definitely the best judge in case of any iem/headphone. But we're all on our own (and sometimes very limited) budgets over here and thanks to reviewers like @flinkenick, @twister6, @jelt2359, etc. we are lucky to get so much, well written, information (from their pov) in the first place.