flinkenick's 17 Flagship IEM Shootout Thread (and general high-end portable audio discussion)
Mar 17, 2020 at 6:30 PM Post #21,736 of 39,414
setting 2 was the best for me too. Just the right bass amount.

Yeah, setting 2 for me is it right now. I think your erlky review nailed it, @MrLocoLuciano, and i agree that bass is "just right" on setting 2.

my favorite thing to think about when listening to the erlky is to compare it to one of the other most well-known ba monsters, the a18t.

it is super interesting to hear the differences between what 64a did with their massive ba palette vs. what vision ears did. it's really all in the tuning.

the a18t remains one of my favorite iems with superb detail, accuracy, and a massive soundstage.

but, the erlky is just...it almost doesn't sounds like regular bas making the sound. i don't know how ve achieved the kind of smoothness, power, and simply effortless detail that they did...it sounds phenomenal.
 
Last edited:
Mar 17, 2020 at 7:41 PM Post #21,737 of 39,414
Yeah, setting 2 for me is it right now. I think your erlky review nailed it, @MrLocoLuciano, and i agree that bass is "just right" on setting 2.

my favorite thing to think about when listening to the erlky is to compare it to one of the other most well-known ba monsters, the a18t.

it is super interesting to hear the differences between what 64a did with their massive ba palette vs. what vision ears did. it's really all in the tuning.

the a18t remains one of my favorite iems with superb detail, accuracy, and a massive soundstage.

but, the erlky is just...it almost doesn't sounds like regular bas making the sound. i don't know how ve achieved the kind of smoothness, power, and simply effortless detail that they did...it sounds phenomenal.

The Erlkonig on setting 2 with its 13 Ba drivers sounds like somebody standing very close to me may be within two to three feet and playing a flute from one single instrument regardless which frequency range it is playing, there is no change in drivers group, so smooth and consistent. Or in a quick flip, I can be listening to a Steinway Grand piano or a Yamaha Grand, the timbre between the two can be clearly identified. The Erlk can follow the rise and fall of the dynamic of the music without any limitation and constrain. It is magic. And then of course, there is the 4 BA bass ensemble. I have never listen to such richness and texture of bass coming BA drivers.

But then, recently things are getting quite interesting and nontraditional. For instance, My Final A8000, a pure Beryllium DD iem just doesn't sound like a DD driver at all. Before I receive my units, people were comparing the A8000 to the FiBASS which is a BA iems, and I cannot believe them until I heard it myself. Same is true with the Luna. I am fascinated by these new sounds, and to think about where we were just three to four years ago. It is just amazing. Anyone one of these iems can be the last phone for many people to enjoy a life time.
 
Last edited:
Mar 17, 2020 at 7:48 PM Post #21,738 of 39,414
really engaging thoughts, @Jalo!

i have only had the erlky for a few weeks, and actually haven't had much time to listen to it. but the more i do, the more i realize just how impressive it is.

never heard a beryllium driver before...
 
Mar 17, 2020 at 8:13 PM Post #21,739 of 39,414
Just swapped my Solaris SE Spiral Dot (M) tips for a pair of Spiral Dot++ (M) tips and I can instantly feel a difference in comfort. The Spiral Dot ++ are much softer and conform to your ear canal shape much easier. The sound difference isn't significant, I'm not sure I would be able to tell a difference in blind testing, but the comfort change is worth the price difference.
 
Mar 18, 2020 at 10:23 AM Post #21,740 of 39,414
Mar 18, 2020 at 10:34 AM Post #21,741 of 39,414
Thanks Levanter, the Micro looks sweet.

What do you think of the iFi Hip DAC? It has a balanced 4.4mm, which I could use with the Lola + the DDHiFi DJ44A

It's cheap, and might even be able to drive my Audeze LCD-2's as a bonus...

Haven't heard it, but should be good for the price. However the Micro iDSD BL has much more power output and can easily drive your LCD2 compared to the Hip DAC.
Adorama used to have sales on the Micro iDSD BL, if you find one i'd recommend it over the Hip DAC.
 
Mar 18, 2020 at 1:51 PM Post #21,742 of 39,414
I just received the Final Audio A8000 (priced at a hefty £2000) today.
It's part of a UK/EU review tour, so to my disappointment, I don't get to keep this one!

I was coming from a few days of listening only to Stealth Sonics U4 and EE Phantom, enjoying a veritable orgy of rich and thick timbre, whilst waiting for my 'bring the thunder' EE Nemesis bass-cannon to arrive in the next few days.

So for the first 30mins or so, I was a bit underwhelmed with the A8000.
It was sounding a bit too polite and lacking in body for my liking.

But once I adjusted to the sound signature, all that changed.
Seriously, it's so good that I'm hoping the postal service shuts down due to coronavirus so that I don't need to send it back for a good long time :)

I think some of you guys may find this IEM quite an intriguing proposition.

I feel that it's balanced, very detailed, delicately - yet addictively - musical. Open and spacious, technically excellent.
I suspect it would respond well to cable swapping to tweak its characteristics to your liking.

I keep selecting my go-to critical listening tracks on the LPGT, only to find I've ended up listening to the entire album or playlist.
It's been around 6 hours non-stop now, and I still can't stop.
I need to eat, somebody please help me! :sweat_smile:
 
Mar 18, 2020 at 3:11 PM Post #21,746 of 39,414
I was coming from a few days of listening only to Stealth Sonics U4 and EE Phantom, enjoying a veritable orgy of rich and thick timbre, whilst waiting for my 'bring the thunder' EE Nemesis bass-cannon to arrive in the next few days.

So for the first 30mins or so, I was a bit underwhelmed with the A8000.
It was sounding a bit too polite and lacking in body for my liking.

I feel that it's balanced, very detailed, delicately - yet addictively - musical. Open and spacious, technically excellent.
I suspect it would respond well to cable swapping to tweak its characteristics to your liking.

I keep selecting my go-to critical listening tracks on the LPGT, only to find I've ended up listening to the entire album or playlist.
It's been around 6 hours non-stop now, and I still can't stop.
I need to eat, somebody please help me! :sweat_smile:
No doubt coming from EE Phantom, it's like you've just finished two weeks of weight loss program, you feel thin. But then you realized that you are now delicate and floating on air. Enjoy.
 
Mar 18, 2020 at 3:13 PM Post #21,747 of 39,414
Nice! Getting my LUNA tomorrow hopefully, excited to hear this driver!
Soon enough, I will have the A8000 in my right hand and the Luna in my left, and I will ABABABABABABABABABABABABAB and report
 
Mar 18, 2020 at 3:23 PM Post #21,748 of 39,414
Soon enough, I will have the A8000 in my right hand and the Luna in my left, and I will ABABABABABABABABABABABABAB and report
That's funny, I was actually going to ask in my review if anyone has heard both of them :)
 
Mar 18, 2020 at 3:36 PM Post #21,749 of 39,414
Soon enough, I will have the A8000 in my right hand and the Luna in my left, and I will ABABABABABABABABABABABABAB and report

I'm also interested in that comparison! I have a Luna coming in, but no A8000 in sight.
 
Mar 18, 2020 at 4:12 PM Post #21,750 of 39,414
That's funny, I was actually going to ask in my review if anyone has heard both of them :)
There are a few on this tread that have heard both briefly in show condition. With our extremely short audio memory (like twenty seconds) nothing is better than AB comparison. But from impressions on this thread, I have a feeling that the two may not even sound the same. One is spacious and bright, and one is on the warm side. I hope they are different then I will have two different sound to enjoy.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top