[Wildcatsare1]

This. n.b. the 'you' here is not Deezil, just the generic 'you'. the "i" is, on the other hand, me specififcally)
I feel like many of the terms that Head-Fi-ers use to describe the sound are really names of colorations, and don't mean what I interepet them to mean, from context, a la the famous line from 'Princess Bride' "I don;t think that word means what you think it means!"

Since no component (iem) is perfect, it either adds or subtracts from the signal it is fed (or both). Gross changes in tonal balance can make things seem 'detailed' or 'warm' or 'organic' -- thosen terms, at least to me, signal an alteration of the music being performed by the iem under review..... When we are talking about a recording of acoustic instruments, i.e., a person playing a sax in front of a microphone, then we have a frame of reference.. the actual soujd of the sax. The mic and recording gear can and do alter that sound, but if you were in the room when that sax performance was being recorded, you can compare the recording to the sound of the sax itself. If you have ade many similar reordings in the same room, with the same mic and gear, then you have a range of data, from which to discern how 'close' to the actual sound the recording(s) is getting.

With electronic instruments (what I've decidede to call 'direct to voltage'), not so much. There is no sound, per se, jjust an intention on the part of the musician to make a recording that sonds a specific way. There's nothing wrong with that, just saying that you can only really say whether you lkike the way an iem makes them sound, not whether it is right or wrong--unless you are the artist, and it hits your target. When an audiophile or reviewer gets hold of these recordings and uses them to judge, evaluate, and describe the sound of gear, then things get interesting. If you are picking out stuff you like, then, awesome! Seek your bliss. I'm not gonna tell you not to put salt or pepper on all your food - make it taste the way you want it to.

If you are judging stuff on behalf of others, then there is some need to make sure you are using the words to mean what others think they do, and that you have a proper basis for being able to make these descriptive/reviewing claims. I agree that detail can be 'faked', or mistaken for salience. Tipped up tonal balance, or depressed low end can make other things stick out.... closing the car windows makes the radio sound louder, right? Perhaps it's just me being obtuse or stubborn, but when I hear things like intimate, or wide sooundstage, I wonder whether they mean that every recording sounds that way--if so, then the iem is acting as an editor--no thanks! That said, there's also a tendency for people to think that neutral, or resolving are bad things - I say don;t blame the messenger. I also agree that if something is too accurate to allow it's an issue that was “tackled” you to enjoy your music, then don;t buy it. Don't blame meteorologist when it rains (unless they promised you it wold not!).

In other words, I think I am agreeing with Deezel, and iirc, he is a recording engineer, so has real data to work from.

Onward!

You are to something, but it's an issue that was resolved decades tago by two of the “founding fathers” of audio equipment reviewing. They are “The Absolute Sound” (TAS) and “Stereophile, ” they are quite similar but I personally prefer TAS, so that will be where I focus.

TAS based all reviews within the context of “the absolute sound, ” defined as reproducing music indistinguishable from the original event. From there a “thesaurus” of descriptive phrases, always focused on how it either served or was detrimental in obtaining “the absolute sound” (it will never be achieved). They published this “thesaurus” annually, so both audience and reviewer were “singing from the same hymnal.”

I'm sure I can find a copy on the net. This could be a collaborative project between Head-Fi proper, some of the professional reviewers, and myself to take TAS’s effort, and rewrite it to be headphone centric, and updated to match present sensibilities.

 

[riverground]

334 mids is hard to beat, till now they still imo one of the most allure mids I have heard

I thought so too man, until the Wraith came in(But for the price, yeah, no contest lol the 334 is still the winner). And now that I have tried the MH335DW-SR, that is also pretty insane. Idk how Suyama-san did it, but he was able to retain the romantic and intimate mids of the 334 with an even more energetic treble and that bass... is just guilty pleasure...

I just wished @KuroKitsu was able to force-fit the customs in his ears but it was a little too wide for his ears. I'm the lucky one that I was able to somehow force-fit his custom 64 Audio A3 and the A12t.

 

[KuroKitsu]

Does that mean I'll be getting the customs for you to force fit from now on?

 

[riverground]

Does that mean I'll be getting the customs for you to force fit from now on?

 

[Junmoe62]

True, true - coming from the 1K area i would never have thought to go for one of the 3x plus more expensive IEM's. I was closed to by a QDC or Elysium and then went for the most expensive one. I spent 5K as Musicteck was kind to have a promotion running at that time and i think that this the max one should ever ask for ANY IEM no matter how good they are. Did you write a comparison review of the Erlky, Odin, Elysium with Trailli ?

No I didn’t write comparison review. I believe to write a proper review, one needs to spend some quality time with the gear, which I personally didn’t, unfortunately. I did share some rough first impressions on some of the gear I tried in this very thread few pages ago. You might want to check my recent activities of the last few weeks, in my profile, if you wish. Nothing fancy though...
As for reviews, guys like @twister6, @marcusd, @Deezel177 and others are doing such an outstanding job that I don’t think it would bring anything valuable... Also, it’s really a lot of work to put a good review together and I don’t think I’d have the time for that (an elegant way to say I’m far too lazy!!! ).

In @twister6 ’s review of the Traillii, he compared it to Erlky, Odin, Elysium and others. His description is very clear and spot on as usual.

As for me, if I had to summarize roughly Traillii’s sound, I’d say that it takes all the strengths that made the fame of each top IEMs and blend them in a very compelling, musical and elegant delivery. It’s probably not the best at anything specific but its strength lays in being a jack of all trades. It might be the best at being great at everything, from sound to comfort, isolation,... Although it’s definitely not the best at being beautiful...

I might eventually write a review, if I find the strength, when I get them next month, after I spent enough time with them.

Oh! And we might want to slow down on the Traillii’s post in this thread if you don’t want us to end up getting stoned!!

 

[Layman1]

Soo.. I have pulled the trigger (metaphorically speaking, rather than Bohemian Rhapsody style) and a - slightly used - EE Odin Founder's Edition is on its way to me as we speak, hurrah!

Even by the lofty standards of this thread, this might have been slightly noteworthy news some 3+ months ago, before the Trailii started doing the rounds.. Oh well..

I had planned to demo it at Harrods, but missed my chance before the next lockdown occurred.
I really don't know if I will like it or not.
Funnily enough, in Deezel177's recent review, you know how he does that helpful list of "3 things that would make this a good IEM for your tastes", along with "3 things that might make this a less suitable choice for your tastes"?
I ticked all of the *bottom* 3 paragraphs, and only one of the top 3 paragraphs.. Hmm...

I really do generally prefer a meaty, full bodied, warm and smooth signature.
Although I also absolutely love a huge and holographic soundstage and terrific technical performance too.
So my ideal would be an IEM that could do both, assuming that's not too contradictory

And yet, and yet.. I just want to see those faceplates and hear it for myself. That summit-fi goodness
I am thinking that perhaps it might be a complement to other IEMs I have, like the Solaris 2020 and EE Phantom.
Something for when I want the pinnacle of (relative) purity and technical excellence. Which I definitely sometimes do.
Right now, I reach for my UM MEST at such times. And I did demo the Zeus ages ago and loved it at that time. So who knows?

On the other hand, if I just can't get over the lack of those qualities that I usually prefer, then I'll be flipping the Odin on here faster than a McDonald's employee who's won 'speed chef of the month' 3 times consecutively

In which case, anyone interested can start PM'ing me their offers now (I'm in the UK, if that matters). And/or offers for the Stormbreaker cable, as if I do keep the Odin, I'd want to change that ASAP

Interesting times ahead!

 

[mvvRAZ]

Soo.. I have pulled the trigger (metaphorically speaking, rather than Bohemian Rhapsody style) and a - slightly used - EE Odin Founder's Edition is on its way to me as we speak, hurrah!

Even by the lofty standards of this thread, this might have been slightly noteworthy news some 3+ months ago, before the Trailii started doing the rounds.. Oh well..

I had planned to demo it at Harrods, but missed my chance before the next lockdown occurred.
I really don't know if I will like it or not.
Funnily enough, in Deezel177's recent review, you know how he does that helpful list of "3 things that would make this a good IEM for your tastes", along with "3 things that might make this a less suitable choice for your tastes"?
I ticked all of the *bottom* 3 paragraphs, and only one of the top 3 paragraphs.. Hmm...

I really do generally prefer a meaty, full bodied, warm and smooth signature.
Although I also absolutely love a huge and holographic soundstage and terrific technical performance too.
So my ideal would be an IEM that could do both, assuming that's not too contradictory

And yet, and yet.. I just want to see those faceplates and hear it for myself. That summit-fi goodness
I am thinking that perhaps it might be a complement to other IEMs I have, like the Solaris 2020 and EE Phantom.
Something for when I want the pinnacle of (relative) purity and technical excellence. Which I definitely sometimes do.
Right now, I reach for my UM MEST at such times. And I did demo the Zeus ages ago and loved it at that time. So who knows?

On the other hand, if I just can't get over the lack of those qualities that I usually prefer, then I'll be flipping the Odin on here faster than a McDonald's employee who's won 'speed chef of the month' 3 times consecutively

In which case, anyone interested can start PM'ing me their offers now (I'm in the UK, if that matters). And/or offers for the Stormbreaker cable, as if I do keep the Odin, I'd want to change that ASAP

Interesting times ahead!

You want to sell the stock cable, a PW1960s?

T R I G G E R E D

 

[Tristy]

Soo.. I have pulled the trigger (metaphorically speaking, rather than Bohemian Rhapsody style) and a - slightly used - EE Odin Founder's Edition is on its way to me as we speak, hurrah!

Even by the lofty standards of this thread, this might have been slightly noteworthy news some 3+ months ago, before the Trailii started doing the rounds.. Oh well..

I had planned to demo it at Harrods, but missed my chance before the next lockdown occurred.
I really don't know if I will like it or not.
Funnily enough, in Deezel177's recent review, you know how he does that helpful list of "3 things that would make this a good IEM for your tastes", along with "3 things that might make this a less suitable choice for your tastes"?
I ticked all of the *bottom* 3 paragraphs, and only one of the top 3 paragraphs.. Hmm...

I really do generally prefer a meaty, full bodied, warm and smooth signature.
Although I also absolutely love a huge and holographic soundstage and terrific technical performance too.
So my ideal would be an IEM that could do both, assuming that's not too contradictory

And yet, and yet.. I just want to see those faceplates and hear it for myself. That summit-fi goodness
I am thinking that perhaps it might be a complement to other IEMs I have, like the Solaris 2020 and EE Phantom.
Something for when I want the pinnacle of (relative) purity and technical excellence. Which I definitely sometimes do.
Right now, I reach for my UM MEST at such times. And I did demo the Zeus ages ago and loved it at that time. So who knows?

On the other hand, if I just can't get over the lack of those qualities that I usually prefer, then I'll be flipping the Odin on here faster than a McDonald's employee who's won 'speed chef of the month' 3 times consecutively

In which case, anyone interested can start PM'ing me their offers now (I'm in the UK, if that matters). And/or offers for the Stormbreaker cable, as if I do keep the Odin, I'd want to change that ASAP

Interesting times ahead!

You managed to get ahold of a used one in the UK? Where? I've been all over it like a rash.

 

[Layman1]

You managed to get ahold of a used one in the UK? Where? I've been all over it like a rash.

By giving up and looking slightly further afield
I wasn't actually looking, to be honest; someone PM'd me a trade offer for a DAP that I was selling, and I thought "why not"?
I've been dying to hear it, and I figured it shouldn't be too hard to sell on if I don't love it.

Actually, I was aware you were wanting one, and I'd been thinking to PM you once I'd had a listen and let you demo it (even if I was keeping it), since you're a trustworthy local Head-Fi'er and it would save you from having to blind buy it

 

[mvvRAZ]

By giving up and looking slightly further afield
I wasn't actually looking, to be honest; someone PM'd me a trade offer for a DAP that I was selling, and I thought "why not"?
I've been dying to hear it, and I figured it shouldn't be too hard to sell on if I don't love it.

Actually, I was aware you were wanting one, and I'd been thinking to PM you once I'd had a listen and let you demo it (even if I was keeping it), since you're a trustworthy local Head-Fi'er and it would save you from having to blind buy it

I do personally suspect you'd quite enjoy it considering you liked the A8000. I've never heard the latter but considering some impressions from friends there seems to be some general resemblance between the two

 

[Junmoe62]

Soo.. I have pulled the trigger (metaphorically speaking, rather than Bohemian Rhapsody style) and a - slightly used - EE Odin Founder's Edition is on its way to me as we speak, hurrah!

Even by the lofty standards of this thread, this might have been slightly noteworthy news some 3+ months ago, before the Trailii started doing the rounds.. Oh well..

I had planned to demo it at Harrods, but missed my chance before the next lockdown occurred.
I really don't know if I will like it or not.
Funnily enough, in Deezel177's recent review, you know how he does that helpful list of "3 things that would make this a good IEM for your tastes", along with "3 things that might make this a less suitable choice for your tastes"?
I ticked all of the *bottom* 3 paragraphs, and only one of the top 3 paragraphs.. Hmm...

I really do generally prefer a meaty, full bodied, warm and smooth signature.
Although I also absolutely love a huge and holographic soundstage and terrific technical performance too.
So my ideal would be an IEM that could do both, assuming that's not too contradictory

And yet, and yet.. I just want to see those faceplates and hear it for myself. That summit-fi goodness
I am thinking that perhaps it might be a complement to other IEMs I have, like the Solaris 2020 and EE Phantom.
Something for when I want the pinnacle of (relative) purity and technical excellence. Which I definitely sometimes do.
Right now, I reach for my UM MEST at such times. And I did demo the Zeus ages ago and loved it at that time. So who knows?

On the other hand, if I just can't get over the lack of those qualities that I usually prefer, then I'll be flipping the Odin on here faster than a McDonald's employee who's won 'speed chef of the month' 3 times consecutively

In which case, anyone interested can start PM'ing me their offers now (I'm in the UK, if that matters). And/or offers for the Stormbreaker cable, as if I do keep the Odin, I'd want to change that ASAP

Interesting times ahead!

Well... I have to say that your ideal ressemble very closely what the IEM which name shall not be spoken anymore sounds like! Haha

Joke aside, congrats on your purchase! I don’t see how you could dislike Odin. It’s really an outstanding set. You might just have to get used to it’s sound signature in the worst case. It’s quite different to your Solaris in tonality but I think they’ll be a formidable complement to them and let you discover your music in a different way. If as @mvvRAZ said, you like A8000, it seems you can enjoy some brighter / more analytical signature. From memory, Odin didn’t feel as bright and sharp as A8000, while keeping (and even improving on) soundstage and detail retrieval. It might lose slightly in the sound coherency (to my taste) to the A8000 though...

Anyways, enjoy and please let us know what you think of it!

 

[fzman]

Good morning all! I really want you all to stop making me want new stuff! I accept none of the responsibility for this whatsoever--it's ALL YOU! hahaha

I have the A8000 and really love them,, even though they are not my normal thing. I think with the right cable, the P6 Pro's liquid magic, and my 64 year old ears, they are a coherent, open window to the music. I think a lot of their magic for me is their 'speaks with a single voice' single DD configuration.

I also just received the Solaris Flower and they are coming along nicely as well. I really vibe with Ken's take on iems , even though I am not a multi-BA guy, i very much like my Andro Golds. (I have not done the Flower-OG Solaris comparison, and do not have the 2020 version at all).

I also just got a Brise flex001 cable from @:Hoegaardener70. Used it with my P6Pro and the Flower on its maiden voyage for me. Wow! I was listening to Jeremy from Pearl Jam Ten, and realized that tears were running down my cheeks, as the emotional meaning of the song overwhelmed me... It was part of a 3 hour or so episode in my Sunday.

 

[Tristy]

By giving up and looking slightly further afield
I wasn't actually looking, to be honest; someone PM'd me a trade offer for a DAP that I was selling, and I thought "why not"?
I've been dying to hear it, and I figured it shouldn't be too hard to sell on if I don't love it.

Actually, I was aware you were wanting one, and I'd been thinking to PM you once I'd had a listen and let you demo it (even if I was keeping it), since you're a trustworthy local Head-Fi'er and it would save you from having to blind buy it

That is awfully kind of you but I wouldn't want to put you out and for you to have to entrust Royal Mail (or any other courier for that matter) with a package of that value, just for my sake. I've been meaning to go up and audition it in Harrods when this lockdown eases up anyhow. But thank you for the kind offer. Do let us know how you find it when you receive it though! It's really top of my list atm ... even if I have to sell a kidney.

 

[Layman1]

I do personally suspect you'd quite enjoy it considering you liked the A8000. I've never heard the latter but considering some impressions from friends there seems to be some general resemblance between the two

Ah, but in the end I just couldn't get over the lack of bass and warmth.. For others it might be ideal, but for my *personal* preferences, it just left me unfulfilled too often.
And yet I still miss it and think of its amazing and unique qualities often..
It must be something in the human condition..

 

[Layman1]

That is awfully kind of you but I wouldn't want to put you out and for you to have to entrust Royal Mail (or any other courier for that matter) with a package of that value, just for my sake. I've been meaning to go up and audition it in Harrods when this lockdown eases up anyhow. But thank you for the kind offer. Do let us know how you find it when you receive it though! It's really top of my list atm ... even if I have to sell a kidney.

You're welcome! I will certainly share my thoughts, as and when I have some
Regarding selling a kidney, that would probably put the Trailii within reach.
For Odin, you're probably just looking at your appendix. Maybe throw in a couple of tonsils to sweeten the deal