[SemiAudiophile]

Of course Thieaudio releases a new set of tribrid twins Excalibur / Oracle at the $500 mark...and Crin says the Oracle is very close to the Clairvoyance.

Only question is, should I get them now or later? I think I'll wait til more reviews come in...need to return some more things first.

At least they're 2-pin so I can use them with the UTWS3 without an adapter. I returned the BT20S pro already.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Of course Thieaudio releases a new set of tribrid twins Excalibur / Oracle at the $500 mark...and Crin says the Oracle is very close to the Clairvoyance.

Only question is, should I get them now or later? I think I'll wait til more reviews come in...need to return some more things first.

At least they're 2-pin so I can use them with the UTWS3 without an adapter. I returned the BT20S pro already.

I'd wait until it at least goes through BGGAR's stable. Trust his ears well enough and he's familiar with the Thie sound.

Those OE adapters are so worth it, by the way. Been loving the B2/CF01 combo. Tried the Kanas Pro last night and found out either the filter is clogged or they're perma-borked with a channel imbalance. I'll try to troubleshoot today.

 

[tinyman392]

Of course Thieaudio releases a new set of tribrid twins Excalibur / Oracle at the $500 mark...and Crin says the Oracle is very close to the Clairvoyance.

Only question is, should I get them now or later? I think I'll wait til more reviews come in...need to return some more things first.

At least they're 2-pin so I can use them with the UTWS3 without an adapter. I returned the BT20S pro already.

They aren't recessed 2-pin right? Those seem to not be as popular anymore (at least compared to when I entered into this hobby). My recessed 2-pin IEMs don't work with the Fiio adapters. Otherwise I'd be using my HiFiMan CIEMs with them

 

[SemiAudiophile]

They aren't recessed 2-pin right? Those seem to not be as popular anymore (at least compared to when I entered into this hobby). My recessed 2-pin IEMs don't work with the Fiio adapters. Otherwise I'd be using my HiFiMan CIEMs with them

Nope they are flush AFAIK.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

I'd wait until it at least goes through BGGAR's stable. Trust his ears well enough and he's familiar with the Thie sound.

Those OE adapters are so worth it, by the way. Been loving the B2/CF01 combo. Tried the Kanas Pro last night and found out either the filter is clogged or they're perma-borked with a channel imbalance. I'll try to troubleshoot today.

I think BGGAR did review them. I saw a few videos pop up when I searched for Oracle reviews. Hadn't check them out yet though.


Yup.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

I think BGGAR did review them. I saw a few videos pop up when I searched for Oracle reviews. Hadn't check them out yet though.


Yup.

Diamonds mean he recommends on a blind buy, so I guess that answers that. Tempted myself, but I've got so many neutral-tuned pairs at this point, I wouldn't mind something more fun.

Man, working with peroxide around my IEMs always gets a little stressful. Trying the non-destructive methods first...

 

[michsu]

Amazon deal of the day

Deal of the day: Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Plus, True Wireless Earbuds (Wireless Charging Case Included), Black – US Version https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083KVM9VW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_R3NFM02ZW1ZW72MRG3FE

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Much better. Imbalance gone. KPs have been brought back to life!

Dang this CF01 just keeps surprising me. I'd have thought they were going to have a hard time with the Kanas Pro, but nope; gives them plenty of juice without skewing the original signature. This thing seems to have a current output that seriously belies its form factor.

You're certainly getting what you paid for, that's for sure. Me likey.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Fired up the creative BT-w3 with my iPhone and the pI7. What a cool little product even if it’s a bit fussy. Can definitely tell a bit of a difference between the codecs. AptxHD seems smoother, less compressed and things like cymbals sound more natural. The differences are slight but they are there. Not sure however if I could tell a difference between iOS AAC and AptxHD though. In any event, I feel better knowing I have the best! 40 bucks well spent.

 

[helmutcheese]

Well if AAC is still 250K in iOS (I ask as I do not know) like other non Apple device then it will sound worse (I do not believe the compression is that good) and nor would battery life be at 320k (CD quality).

FYI Win 10 (past 2 DEV builds) now supports AAC.

Can you really swap codes with a press of the button like they claim or does it not work i.e. the ear/headphones accept the change?

I have a few aptX Adaptive earphones now but nor my Android or PC support it.

 

[tinyman392]

Well if AAC is still 250K in iOS (I ask as I do not know) like other non Apple device then it will sound worse (I do not believe the compression is that good) and nor would battery life be at 320k (CD quality).





FYI Win 10 (past 2 DEV builds) now supports AAC.

Can you really swap codes with a press of the button like they claim or does it not work i.e. the ear/headphones accept the change?

We're in lossy territory right now. So how the compression is done and more specifically what is tossed out is far more important than just the baseline bitrate. For all intents and purposes AAC 256 is far superior to SBC. Further the point, AAC 256 can be superior to APTX in certain circumstances while the opposite is true in others. For a pretty rough example, AAC 256 is normally thought to be about equal in quality to MP3 320.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Well if AAC is still 250K in iOS (I ask as I do not know) like other non Apple device then it will sound worse (I do not believe the compression is that good) and nor would battery life be at 320k (CD quality).





FYI Win 10 (past 2 DEV builds) now supports AAC.

Can you really swap codes with a press of the button like they claim or does it not work i.e. the ear/headphones accept the change?

I have a few aptX Adaptive earphones now but nor my Android or PC support it.

I’m a believer in high end codecs but bitrates do not tell the entire story when it comes to these things. Implementation matters and AAC over iOS is implemented very well. And then there’s the question of whether my ears can tell a difference. Many report AAC on iOS is audibly transparent. I will admit that LDAC and AptxHD sound better to me than SBC and Aptx but it gets much harder when AAC is involved.

 

[helmutcheese]

That is why I mentioned it and added I doubt it is true but Apple will keep claiming so, AFAIR Nero had a modded version of AAC and it was good (long ago).

For my usage most are CD Rips so will only need aptX and if I am subbed again to Amazon HD aptX HD on PC (via transmitter similar to yours) and LDAC on Android, I know it is still being changed/compressed from one thing to another.

SBS was cut down to push aptX, it can do so much more.

Example:

CODEC Type: aptX, Sampling Frequency: 16/32/44.1/48kHz, Channel Mode: Stereo/Mono

Example:

CODEC Type: SBC, Sampling Frequency: 16/32/44.1/48kHz, Channel Mode: Mono/Dual Channel/Stereo/Joint Stereo, Block Length: 4/8/12/16, Subbands: 4/8, Allocation Method: SNR/Loudness, Min/Max Bitpool: 2/53

 

[clerkpalmer]

We're in lossy territory right now. So how the compression is done and more specifically what is tossed out is far more important than just the baseline bitrate. For all intents and purposes AAC 256 is far superior to SBC. Further the point, AAC 256 can be superior to APTX in certain circumstances while the opposite is true in others. For a pretty rough example, AAC 256 is normally thought to be about equal in quality to MP3 320.

AAC on iOS definitely sounds better to me than aptx. AAC on android sounds worse however. And both are noticeable.

 

[helmutcheese]

That figures and makes sense.

Did you see my question about the Creative Codec Select function button?