flinkenick's 17 Flagship IEM Shootout Thread (and general high-end portable audio discussion)
Nov 24, 2017 at 7:54 AM Post #6,181 of 39,414
How can I not...
tenor.gif


yeah bro lol :joy::joy::joy::joy:
 
Nov 24, 2017 at 11:09 AM Post #6,183 of 39,414
1st birthday falls on BF = let's celebrate by buying some more TOTL stuff

evil , very evil
 
Nov 24, 2017 at 12:41 PM Post #6,185 of 39,414
I bought only "cheap" stuff for BF : the AAW Q was at like 80 S$ instead of 299 and the Jays Q Jays at 50% off (for my mom).

I picked up the Q for my other half (she has ear canals like really small drinking straws) and been looking at the Q-Jays as a potential gym pair myself. Anyone here heard them? Can't make my mind up from the reviews I've read (if there are any left by now).
 
Nov 24, 2017 at 12:56 PM Post #6,187 of 39,414
Nov 24, 2017 at 5:06 PM Post #6,190 of 39,414
Suggesting the ECZD is hardly evil, it's brilliant!

That's the problem. It's too brilliant and makes the best recommendations. :)

Eagle is going spiraling down the rabbit hole. :D I wish I could help, but I don't know much about DAC/Amp.

It's only a matter of time before I smoothly talk some of you guys into desktop gear. Guess who is on top of my list? :wink:
 
Nov 24, 2017 at 7:28 PM Post #6,191 of 39,414
Somehow I feel this also applies to the balancing powers of @Wyville vs. @Mimouille on the thread.

:innocent:Oh, such a wonderful place for people to come together!:innocent:
:smiling_imp:I've been around for so long I can barely tolerate these people sometimes:smiling_imp:
:innocent:So many nice iems to choose from, must consider all the options:innocent:
:smiling_imp:Seriously, how often must I tell these people to get a 5-Way and get it over with:smiling_imp:
:innocent:What wonderful cable impressions, thanks for sharing:innocent:
:smiling_imp:Ah good, more idiot manufacturers trying to fool idiot people out of their money:smiling_imp:
:innocent:I will post some puppy gifs to share some warm and cozy feelings:innocent:
:smiling_imp:I will ruin the child-like innocence of these gifs, hehe:smiling_imp:
Gave me a good chuckle haha

I wonder if Mim has the one rare doll with a factory defect of instead of the thumb, a middle finger raised of his avatar
9245643_thumb.jpg
 
Nov 24, 2017 at 7:34 PM Post #6,192 of 39,414
Before pulling the trigger on Zeus-XR, I once again demoed the QDC Gemini as it is one of the iem that catches my attention. Comming from the Andromeda, I was looking for a custom that has more bass but retains the thin and bright female vocals. QDC Gemini and Tia Fourte are the only two iem that I think has achieved this requirement. One of the greatest plus for QDC Gemini is the switch. With a flick of a switch, mid bass and sub bass is boosted significantly. Very noticeable even you are hearing it for the first time or scrolling through facebook and doing other stuff, compared to the switch on the Zeus-XR, untrained ears may not be able to pick up the change immediately if you are hearing it for the first time on the ZeusXR. Gemini seems to gives more mid-bass than Andromeda, which gives the bass more weight and body. For the treble, Gemini has just enough amount of it to retain a sparkle top, I think the decay of the treble and cymbals instrument is slightly faster than Andromeda. I think this is due to the TEAC high BA driver in the Andromeda that is slightly similar to the idea of the Tia high BA driver in the Fourte. It allows the highs travel freely instead of containing them within tubes. The decay of cymbals instrument in the Fourte last the longest, among Gemini and Andromeda.

Switching back to Zeus-XR from Gemini to confirm my decision, I immediately hear more detail and resolution from the Zeus-XR. I would describe Zeus-XR vs Gemini as

Zeus - Back to business
Gemini - Fun and playful

I would recommend the Gemini over the Andromeda due to the switch that makes Gemini much more versatile and covers a larger range of music. It is very easy to love and the change to sound signature provided by the switch is very noticeable. To the shape of my ears, the fit of the Gemini is significantly better than the Andromeda, it has better seal and sound isolation. No sharp corners is also a plus.

Listening on SP1000SS for all 3
 
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Nov 24, 2017 at 9:22 PM Post #6,193 of 39,414
Somehow I feel this also applies to the balancing powers of @Wyville vs. @Mimouille on the thread.

:innocent:Oh, such a wonderful place for people to come together!:innocent:
:smiling_imp:I've been around for so long I can barely tolerate these people sometimes:smiling_imp:
:innocent:So many nice iems to choose from, must consider all the options:innocent:
:smiling_imp:Seriously, how often must I tell these people to get a 5-Way and get it over with:smiling_imp:
:innocent:What wonderful cable impressions, thanks for sharing:innocent:
:smiling_imp:Ah good, more idiot manufacturers trying to fool idiot people out of their money:smiling_imp:
:innocent:I will post some puppy gifs to share some warm and cozy feelings:innocent:
:smiling_imp:I will ruin the child-like innocence of these gifs, hehe:smiling_imp:
But these are my cutest GIFs, the other ones includes two dogs and a cup :frowning2:
 
Nov 24, 2017 at 11:24 PM Post #6,194 of 39,414
Before pulling the trigger on Zeus-XR, I once again demoed the QDC Gemini as it is one of the iem that catches my attention. Comming from the Andromeda, I was looking for a custom that has more bass but retains the thin and bright female vocals. QDC Gemini and Tia Fourte are the only two iem that I think has achieved this requirement. One of the greatest plus for QDC Gemini is the switch. With a flick of a switch, mid bass and sub bass is boosted significantly. Very noticeable even you are hearing it for the first time or scrolling through facebook and doing other stuff, compared to the switch on the Zeus-XR, untrained ears may not be able to pick up the change immediately if you are hearing it for the first time on the ZeusXR. Gemini seems to gives more mid-bass than Andromeda, which gives the bass more weight and body. For the treble, Gemini has just enough amount of it to retain a sparkle top, I think the decay of the treble and cymbals instrument is slightly faster than Andromeda. I think this is due to the TEAC high BA driver in the Andromeda that is slightly similar to the idea of the Tia high BA driver in the Fourte. It allows the highs travel freely instead of containing them within tubes. The decay of cymbals instrument in the Fourte last the longest, among Gemini and Andromeda.

Switching back to Zeus-XR from Gemini to confirm my decision, I immediately hear more detail and resolution from the Zeus-XR. I would describe Zeus-XR vs Gemini as

Zeus - Back to business
Gemini - Fun and playful

I would recommend the Gemini over the Andromeda due to the switch that makes Gemini much more versatile and covers a larger range of music. It is very easy to love and the change to sound signature provided by the switch is very noticeable. To the shape of my ears, the fit of the Gemini is significantly better than the Andromeda, it has better seal and sound isolation. No sharp corners is also a plus.

Listening on SP1000SS for all 3

How much of a difference the switch makes on the XR is actually determined by source. I’ve tried several sources with my Zeus, and the difference ranges between not-much-at-all to night-and-day. But, I do agree that the Gemini is a great musical IEM.
 
Nov 24, 2017 at 11:30 PM Post #6,195 of 39,414
How much of a difference the switch makes on the XR is actually determined by source. I’ve tried several sources with my Zeus, and the difference ranges between not-much-at-all to night-and-day. But, I do agree that the Gemini is a great musical IEM.

The Zeus was surprising in the sense that it is prone to hiss but at the same time benefits from power...it was much much better with LPG than with 240.
 

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