[PeteSTRADAMUS]

I’d say that Odin still slightly edges MEST Indigo for detail retrieval. Odin is hyper-detailed lol. But MEST Indigo is still very detailed and I don’t find it to be lacking at all in that aspect. Plus, the Bone Conduction imaging coupled with the well balanced tuning makes the presentation so 3D and immersive. Def worth checking it out IMO

And yeah, I’m really loving Phonix. Bass quantity is probably my only gripe, but I think it works well with its presentation overall.

Bass isn't really on the forefront for me. Nowadays I'm all about the detail and realism. But good bass does help. I definitely need to check out that mest and possibly the Mason FS.

 

[Damz87]

Bass isn't really on the forefront for me. Nowadays I'm all about the detail and realism. But good bass does help. I definitely need to check out that mest and possibly the Mason FS.

Have you tried the Oriolus Traillii? That one is also super detailed and has excellent realism. It still stands as the most natural and realistic timbre I’ve heard in an IEM.

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

Have you tried the Oriolus Traillii? That one is also super detailed and has excellent realism. It still stands as the most natural and realistic timbre I’ve heard in an IEM.

That price is a tough pill to swallow. The Mason FS is on my shortlist. Because of the vocals it has. I still didn't hear that either. I guess once I get the vaccine I'll get to canjam in February.

 

[Damz87]

That price is a tough pill to swallow. The Mason FS is on my shortlist. Because of the vocals it has. I still didn't hear that either. I guess once I get the vaccine I'll get to canjam in February.

Yeah lol… The Traillii price is nuts.

 

[Pascal3366]

Has someone already compared the EXT to the Monarch MK2 ?

 

[nioh]

Absolutely blown away ... !!

Okay see you later

Wait ...
I forgot to say what blew me away.
It is the Unboxing !!

Trust me, I have thought long and hard whether to spend so much on any headphone.
The presentation of the product alone has convinced me that It is worth it !
I have never unboxed anything so premium even for higher prices than this. I feel like a celebrity

A huge thanks to Amin and the VE team for sending me this just before the holidays !!
Listening to my favorite tracks now. More details later

 

[Pascal3366]

Absolutely blown away ... !!

Okay see you later

Wait ...
I forgot to say what blew me away.
It is the Unboxing !!

Trust me, I have thought long and hard whether to spend so much on any headphone.
The presentation of the product alone has convinced me that It is worth it !
I have never unboxed anything so premium even for higher prices than this. I feel like a celebrity

A huge thanks to Amin and the VE team for sending me this just before the holidays !!
Listening to my favorite tracks now. More details later

How do you like it so far? Will there be a review coming soon?

I'd also like to see more reviews on YouTube. Sadly there is nothing in English till today.

 

[nioh]

How do you like it so far? Will there be a review coming soon?

I'd also like to see more reviews on YouTube. Sadly there is nothing in English till today.

I literally just opened the box and posted those pictures so a bit early for a review
Also I don't usually do reviews or unboxing. I will do a short write-up here on Head-fi in the next days.

First impressions - like I said above .. Blown away !
Everything about this beauty is perfect. I was worried about a lot of things like whether it will be too big (I have smaller ears), whether the cables would be too thick and heavy for use as a daily driver for commuting, fit and comfort etc.

I have to say this beauty is PERFECT in all ways! It is much smaller than it looks in the pictures and fits my ears perfectly. It is quite light and I am impressed also by how light the cable is for it's quality and thickness. I have other expensive cables, but none can match this !

Man, the "Made in Germany" on the cable already puts a smile on your face

First impressions on the sound - It plays anything your throw at it without muddling or over-shadowing any of the frequencies. This is a real fun pair and not a reference model which is exactly what I was looking for. The bass quality and quantity are there as expected in a Dual Dynamic driver. The Electrostatic drivers produce clear and crisp highs without being too sharp, unlike the Z1R for instance. No need for any EQ. I'm listening to it now using the IFI Go Blu with the XBass turned on (actually turned it off now since even without it this thing is punchy !).

One important thing I noticed immediately was how there is ZERO hiss when pairing the EXT with the IFI Go Blu even though this is a very sensitive IEM. I had complained in the Go Blu forum about the hiss with my other IEMs which are not nearly as sensitive as this. I wonder if this has to do with the super-high quality cable ? Listening to for example "Never an Absolution" by James Horner.

Edited to say that I forgot to say about the sound imaging. It's hard not to notice this even in the first hour of getting the product lol.

Anyways like I said, I will try do a proper write-up in the next days.

 

[Pascal3366]

I literally just opened the box and posted those pictures so a bit early for a review
Also I don't usually do reviews or unboxing. I will do a short write-up here on Head-fi in the next days.

First impressions - like I said above .. Blown away !
Everything about this beauty is perfect. I was worried about a lot of things like whether it will be too big (I have smaller ears), whether the cables would be too thick and heavy for use as a daily driver for commuting, fit and comfort etc.

I have to say this beauty is PERFECT in all ways! It is much smaller than it looks in the pictures and fits my ears perfectly. It is quite light and I am impressed also by how light the cable is for it's quality and thickness. I have other expensive cables, but none can match this !

Man, the "Made in Germany" on the cable already puts a smile on your face

First impressions on the sound - It plays anything your throw at it without muddling or over-shadowing any of the frequencies. This is a real fun pair and not a reference model which is exactly what I was looking for. The bass quality and quantity are there as expected in a Dual Dynamic driver. The Electrostatic drivers produce clear and crisp highs without being too sharp, unlike the Z1R for instance. No need for any EQ. I'm listening to it now using the IFI Go Blu with the XBass turned on.

One important thing I noticed immediately was how there is ZERO hiss when pairing the EXT with the IFI Go Blu even though this is a very sensitive IEM. I had complained in the Go Blu forum about the hiss with my other IEMs which are not nearly as sensitive as this. I wonder if this has to do with the super-high quality cable ? Listening to for example "Never an Absolution" by James Horner.

Anyways like I said, I will try do a proper write-up in the next days.

Thanks

I appreciate the fun tuning.

Since I am German i had to chuckle for a moment at the 'made in Germany appreciation part'

Edit: keep in mind that with two dynamic drivers these IEMs definitely need to be broken in. So I guess they will sound even better within the next few days.

 

[nioh]

Thanks

I appreciate the fun tuning.

Since I am German i had to chuckle for a moment at the 'made in Germany appreciation part'

Edit: keep in mind that with two dynamic drivers these IEMs definitely need to be broken in. So I guess they will sound even better within the next few days.

Thank you. I am already loving it and it won't take long to burn it in

 

[Maxx134]

The U12T/A is perhaps the best all-rounder available. It does everything very, very well… but not one particular aspect of the sound is class-leading. I would flipping hope that a $4,000 IEM would be technically more proficient in one or two aspects. And I would agree with you that the Phonix boasts superior resolution in the mids

I was super impressed with the EXT, but my mainstay is the U12, because of the reason you mentioned.
Any IEM past this price level should be better in some way, or the U12T will be mentioned in their thread almost as a benchmark comparison of price/performance.
So I understand the points of bringing this up.

Also, since I had both on hand, and experimented on which module to insert into the U12, to change this IEM to get closest to the EXT, and it was by not having any module(!) leaving the hole open, that I came closest to the EXT, because I believe the EXT has more of a slight accentuated upper & lower FR limits. It seems to excell in those regions as well. Layering and soundstage was highlighted by this signature.

And again, if I did have to sail off into the sunset, does it have to be with the U12? That particular IEM hovers around 6th or 7th in my “only one IEM on a desert island” scenario, ha ha.

For me it would be the ridiculously expensive trailii, until I hear the Phonix.

Yeah lol… The Traillii price is nuts.

I agree it's more expensive and is a shame because it's the best I've heard so far untill I hear more. I would assume the Phonix is at that level, just somewhat without the same amount of bass(?). It doesn't have to be, as the Trailii is a bit bassy.

 

[Chill iLL]

I was super impressed with the EXT, but my mainstay is the U12, because of the reason you mentioned.
Any IEM past this price level should be better in some way, or the U12T will be mentioned in their thread almost as a benchmark comparison of price/performance.
So I understand the points of bringing this up.

Also, since I had both on hand, and experimented on which module to insert into the U12, to change this IEM to get closest to the EXT, and it was by not having any module(!) leaving the hole open, that I came closest to the EXT, because I believe the EXT has more of a slight accentuated upper & lower FR limits. It seems to excell in those regions as well. Layering and soundstage was highlighted by this signature.




For me it would be the ridiculously expensive trailii, until I hear the Phonix.


I agree it's more expensive and is a shame because it's the best I've heard so far untill I hear more. I would assume the Phonix is at that level, just somewhat without the same amount of bass(?). It doesn't have to be, as the Trailii is a bit bassy.

I’m in the same boat. Hoping to hear more Phonix impressions and reviews to see how they hold up against the u12t.

 

[AlfeedE]

For me the Phönix is the best sounding IEM out there. Previously I owned the Odin, but I find the Phönix to be superior. Less Bass though, excellent mids.
Hyper sensitiv

 

[Edric Li]

Is Phonix = Erlkonig setting 2 confirmed?

 

[SLC1966]

Is Phonix = Erlkonig setting 2 confirmed?

Yes the bass BA is similar to setting 2. But the final sound is different as explained below by Marcel and Oliver from the "Bob" interview in my review. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/vision-ears-phönix-iem.25667/reviews#review-27762

I copied two questions below from the interview that have to do with bass. One of the questions made the final cut for the review and the other was left off since it was a more specific Erlkonig question that Bob had the nerve to ask after numerous Kölsch beers while hanging out with Marcel and Oliver in Köln.

Bob: I am still very interested in the Phonix bass. You have stated that the Phonix bass is based off the Erlkonig bass on setting number 2. The bass of the Phonix is more impactful and shares sub and mid bass duties well. The Erlkonig bass on 2 has more of a mid bass slant. Is this difference due to a bigger stage on the Phonix?

VE: The bass drivers are exactly the same as with the EK and only a small change was made on the crossover to improve the performance. Because as soon as you improve the highs due to a new driver, the old balance is lost, so you need to adjust the other parts to get back everything into balance.


Bob: This is a sidenote question that has nothing to do with Phonix. Was the Erlkonig tuned on number 2 or number 3? And then after it was tuned on one of those were the other numbers/frequency bumps added for variety of sound? Or did you go into the Erlkonig project with 4 distinct sounds in mind?

VE: I cannot tell exactly because the development process of the ERLKöNIG was a big journey and the first prototypes were adjusted again and again. Sometimes because we thought its necessary to adjust something and sometimes we had to change something due to the shell or other reasons that force you to find a compromise. The first prototype had only one tuning and I think it was close to tuning no. 2 because from our taste, this is a good and still powerful balance. The idea of using a switch was quite early in the developing process and we had these distinctive sounds in mind already as an idea. So, yes, position no.2 was the bass sound from which we developed the the other sound signatures.