[warrior1975]

talan7 Thanks for sharing bro. Couple of questions for you. What is the stack you have a picture of? Looks like the good people at iFi, was wondering what models...

The list of IEMS, which was your favorite and why, if you don't mind bro. Thanks.

 

[talan7]

 
 

 
So, I spent all afternoon listening to my iems on the big rig and the conclusions were surprising. Earphones that I sort of gave up on rose to the top on the ifi rig. Some quick impressions below.
 
FW FLC8S
This didn't let me down. The FLC8S is one of my favorites. The bass hits hard, deep and everything is clear...does nothing wrong and scaled well. This may be my most respected iem in that I love everything it does, even if it's not the one I listen to the most. The treble extension is wonderful, maybe too much for some, but it's not harsh so it gets away with it.
 
Sony 7550 (taped, of course)
Next level! I gave up on this and wasn't even listening to it often. Pumping real power through this thing is amazing. Of all the really bassy earphones I have, this was the only one that could handle xbass x2. Many of the others could only handle xbass x1, some not at all. The clarity of mids and even the treble was more noticeable with 3D on. Most importantly, no matter how loud I turned it up, the bass held together.
 
Accutone Gemini HD
I'm impressed by this single driver iem. It has no real weaknesses, the bass is really good, maybe refined basshead. It definitely doesn't lack. Something about 1 driver, it just sounds right, top to bottom, like all together.
 
Hifiman SE600 songbird
Clarity, clarity, clarity. Boy, this thing is clear. Why, because it has the least amount of bass so everything else really pops. Balanced, on my ZX2, the bass is more pronounced, but on the ifi rig, even with xbass x2, it's still light, well not light, but not basshead. Still, the clarity kind of blows you away. With more bass overall, especially subass, this would be killer.
 
Lamborghini HL01
Like the accutone this is an all rounder, and does nothing wrong. Maybe just a little rolled off on the treble. The bass is very good, say bassy but not basshead, close.
 
JVC HA-FXZ200
This is the one, along with 7550, that rose to the top. This thing pounds, and takes all power thrown at it. Also, it's very smooth and pleasing to listen to. I hadn't listen to this in a long time because I thought many other sounded better unamped. This one needs an amp. I actually just sat and listened to this one for a long time, along with the 7550 and Fender.
 
Pioneer SE-CX8
Bass exciter practically blew up on xbass x2, I'm sorry, that's my default. Xbass was too much for it. It didn't need it. It sounded better without it. Nice sounding, but not as clear as many others. Felt like squirrels were running around in my ear though.
 
Radius NHR-21
This is one of my favorites...but, it let me down a bit. It doesn't like much power. It couldn't handle xbass x2, x1 it was good. The issue with it is that while the bass goes low, it doesn't hit hard like some of the others. The bass is soft, no matter how much power you put in, it sounds the same as unamped or just breaks up. This one is better through a player or phone. When I put more power through a iem, I expect the hit to get harder. This one seems to start at its max, unamped, so amping doesn't help. 
 
LZ A3S
All around good earphone, but lacks something. It can take power though and the bass is strong. Maybe it's the mids that are lacking.
 
JVC FX850
Really bassy right out the box. Doesn't need xbass, at least not x2. Overall, this has been one of my favorites for its sound signature, but on the ifi rig, the JVC HA-FXZ200 blew it away. This is one of those iems that sound pretty much the same no matter what you throw at it. 
 
Shure SE846
Of course this one sounded awesome. it better, for a grand. On the ifi rig this just went to another level of goodness. It took whatever I threw at it, the bass hit hard, but the mids just blew me away. With 3d, the soundstage really opened up and the treble sounded more alive. I think this iem lacks treble, but it sounds so good anyway.
 
Fender FXA7
Really handles the power well and the xbass. This thing thumps, the soundstage with 3D is awesome, maybe a little too much mid bass muddying up things just a tad. I probably could've just used xbass x1 as x2 might've been too much bass. It could handle it so I gave it.
 
Shockwave 3
This thing really took to the ifi rig. Many of my other portable rigs just don't know what to do with this earphone. I literally went into the earphone, the soundstage is so good. Funny, the treble, which is harsh everywhere else, is tamed here and smooth, even as it extends into outer space. This is definitely basshead, but subasshead. The bass is so clear and separate, I think it could use a little more mid bass. Still, on the ifi rig, I could sit and listen to it forever. Other rigs, 5 minutes and I'm out.
 
Well, that was my afternoon. Lots of fun. It's funny how iems scale, or don't scale. The ones that blew me away where the 7550, Shockwave 3 and the JVC HA-FXZ200. The JVC HA-FXZ200 has really climbed to the top from being one of my earphones that i stopped using. The sony scaled the best. The SW3 was finally tamed into a *****cat from a feral lion, that's the surprise in that.
 
Right below that, though not exactly worse was the FLC8S. Nothing jams up this earphone. No matter what you throw at it, it sounds amazing, so no surprise there. Same with the SE846. It just sounds amazing. The Fender is another that just scaled well. It has the best soundstage except for the SW3, (you can actually get lost in the SW3). The fender has maybe the best all around bass, maybe tied with FLC8S. My fender is still breaking in though. The SW3, the best subass, The JVC HA-FXZ200, the best sounding impact, the 7550, the best impact overall and the one with the greatest limits.

 

[warrior1975]

I agree regarding the se846, the bass never distorted on me, no matter what I threw at it. In that sense, it was a great iem.

 

[talan7]

@talan7 Thanks for sharing bro. Couple of questions for you. What is the stack you have a picture of? Looks like the good people at iFi, was wondering what models...

The list of IEMS, which was your favorite and why, if you don't mind bro. Thanks.

IFI all the way. I have the iDSD, iCan 2, iUSb, iPurifier, Gemini cable, all in the iRack. The purity of sound is amazing. I thought the iDSD alone was good. The iCan 2, with 2 xbass and 2 3D positions, is amazing. With the ipurifier, iUSB, and gemini cable (splitting up the usb signal), there is absolutely no noise, a complete vacuum.

 

[unknownguardian]

Sir, no offense taken at all. I did re read my message and it was a little more scathing than how I intended it.

I did check the kumitate site and it doesn't suggest there is a DD in anything except the REF. However these are not exactly what the cards included in the tour set from over a year ago say! this leads me to believe the designs have evolved but such evolutions were not documented.

In the fast I distinctly remember the KANON page advertising a dd + 2 ba's but now as you can see it's either 4 or 6 BA's





Cheers bro. I'm still real jealous of your Kumitate collection...

the KANON from the kumitate demo set is also the 4/6 ba one with the screw tuner. guess there was a mistake in the label card or you might had remembered wrongly.

 

[vapman]

the KANON from the kumitate demo set is also the 4/6 ba one with the screw tuner. guess there was a mistake in the label card or you might had remembered wrongly.

The photos of the cards are on an old phone's memory. But the rest of the kumitate models check out. So is REF the only one with any dynamic driver still?

Thanks for the input bro

If the tour set was a 4BA model i certainly THOUGHT it sounded like DD+BA. Hats off to Kumitate for making a basshead worthy all BA set.

Edit: i only received one with a screw tuner from the tour, the REF. Is the screw adjuster one new?

 

[Lohb]

LZ A3S All around good earphone, but lacks something. It can take power though and the bass is strong. Maybe it's the mids that are lacking.
 

The LZ A3S is a weird one and I found amp chip rolling changed it from awful to amazingly rich and musical/immersive. Not really a true basshead IEM though.
After seeing the new LZ A4 shell in advance, I'm hoping he took my advice on a bigger neodymium cone. It is no longer bullet-shaped like the proto unit but has more space for a bigger cone.
 
Should receive an advance retail set any week now.

 

[unknownguardian]

The photos of the cards are on an old phone's memory. But the rest of the kumitate models check out. So is REF the only one with any dynamic driver still?

Thanks for the input bro

If the tour set was a 4BA model i certainly THOUGHT it sounded like DD+BA. Hats off to Kumitate for making a basshead worthy all BA set.

Edit: i only received one with a screw tuner from the tour, the REF. Is the screw adjuster one new?

 
Thankfully managed to find some photos that i took previously.
 


 
just to clarify with you, this is the KANON you are referring to right? as seem in the above picture, there's 3 tuning option on the KANON (6+: bass boost, 6o: neutral and the 4 driver tuning)
 
and Kumitate Lab also offer another dd+ba model, that is TRIO (the sterling silver body universal fit model - see below) but not included in the demo package.

TRIO

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

 
 
 

 
So, I spent all afternoon listening to my iems on the big rig and the conclusions were surprising. Earphones that I sort of gave up on rose to the top on the ifi rig. Some quick impressions below.
 
FW FLC8S
This didn't let me down. The FLC8S is one of my favorites. The bass hits hard, deep and everything is clear...does nothing wrong and scaled well. This may be my most respected iem in that I love everything it does, even if it's not the one I listen to the most. The treble extension is wonderful, maybe too much for some, but it's not harsh so it gets away with it.
 
Sony 7550 (taped, of course)
Next level! I gave up on this and wasn't even listening to it often. Pumping real power through this thing is amazing. Of all the really bassy earphones I have, this was the only one that could handle xbass x2. Many of the others could only handle xbass x1, some not at all. The clarity of mids and even the treble was more noticeable with 3D on. Most importantly, no matter how loud I turned it up, the bass held together.
 
Accutone Gemini HD
I'm impressed by this single driver iem. It has no real weaknesses, the bass is really good, maybe refined basshead. It definitely doesn't lack. Something about 1 driver, it just sounds right, top to bottom, like all together.
 
Hifiman SE600 songbird
Clarity, clarity, clarity. Boy, this thing is clear. Why, because it has the least amount of bass so everything else really pops. Balanced, on my ZX2, the bass is more pronounced, but on the ifi rig, even with xbass x2, it's still light, well not light, but not basshead. Still, the clarity kind of blows you away. With more bass overall, especially subass, this would be killer.
 
Lamborghini HL01
Like the accutone this is an all rounder, and does nothing wrong. Maybe just a little rolled off on the treble. The bass is very good, say bassy but not basshead, close.
 
JVC HA-FXZ200
This is the one, along with 7550, that rose to the top. This thing pounds, and takes all power thrown at it. Also, it's very smooth and pleasing to listen to. I hadn't listen to this in a long time because I thought many other sounded better unamped. This one needs an amp. I actually just sat and listened to this one for a long time, along with the 7550 and Fender.
 
Pioneer SE-CX8
Bass exciter practically blew up on xbass x2, I'm sorry, that's my default. Xbass was too much for it. It didn't need it. It sounded better without it. Nice sounding, but not as clear as many others. Felt like squirrels were running around in my ear though.
 
Radius NHR-21
This is one of my favorites...but, it let me down a bit. It doesn't like much power. It couldn't handle xbass x2, x1 it was good. The issue with it is that while the bass goes low, it doesn't hit hard like some of the others. The bass is soft, no matter how much power you put in, it sounds the same as unamped or just breaks up. This one is better through a player or phone. When I put more power through a iem, I expect the hit to get harder. This one seems to start at its max, unamped, so amping doesn't help. 
 
LZ A3S
All around good earphone, but lacks something. It can take power though and the bass is strong. Maybe it's the mids that are lacking.
 
JVC FX850
Really bassy right out the box. Doesn't need xbass, at least not x2. Overall, this has been one of my favorites for its sound signature, but on the ifi rig, the JVC HA-FXZ200 blew it away. This is one of those iems that sound pretty much the same no matter what you throw at it. 
 
Shure SE846
Of course this one sounded awesome. it better, for a grand. On the ifi rig this just went to another level of goodness. It took whatever I threw at it, the bass hit hard, but the mids just blew me away. With 3d, the soundstage really opened up and the treble sounded more alive. I think this iem lacks treble, but it sounds so good anyway.
 
Fender FXA7
Really handles the power well and the xbass. This thing thumps, the soundstage with 3D is awesome, maybe a little too much mid bass muddying up things just a tad. I probably could've just used xbass x1 as x2 might've been too much bass. It could handle it so I gave it.
 
Shockwave 3
This thing really took to the ifi rig. Many of my other portable rigs just don't know what to do with this earphone. I literally went into the earphone, the soundstage is so good. Funny, the treble, which is harsh everywhere else, is tamed here and smooth, even as it extends into outer space. This is definitely basshead, but subasshead. The bass is so clear and separate, I think it could use a little more mid bass. Still, on the ifi rig, I could sit and listen to it forever. Other rigs, 5 minutes and I'm out.
 
Well, that was my afternoon. Lots of fun. It's funny how iems scale, or don't scale. The ones that blew me away where the 7550, Shockwave 3 and the JVC HA-FXZ200. The JVC HA-FXZ200 has really climbed to the top from being one of my earphones that i stopped using. The sony scaled the best. The SW3 was finally tamed into a *****cat from a feral lion, that's the surprise in that.
 
Right below that, though not exactly worse was the FLC8S. Nothing jams up this earphone. No matter what you throw at it, it sounds amazing, so no surprise there. Same with the SE846. It just sounds amazing. The Fender is another that just scaled well. It has the best soundstage except for the SW3, (you can actually get lost in the SW3). The fender has maybe the best all around bass, maybe tied with FLC8S. My fender is still breaking in though. The SW3, the best subass, The JVC HA-FXZ200, the best sounding impact, the 7550, the best impact overall and the one with the greatest limits.

 
 
I would take the 7550 and JVC from that list. Love them both.
 
I never heard the Lambo or Shockwave 3 but the 500mW max input on the 7550 helps them scale up with good gear.
 
What combo of filters do you use for the FLC8 ??

 

[talan7]

   
 
I would take the 7550 and JVC from that list. Love them both.
 
I never heard the Lambo or Shockwave 3 but the 500mW max input on the 7550 helps them scale up with good gear.
 
What combo of filters do you use for the FLC8 ??

Gold, red and empty for the FLC8S. I read empty bass port gets deepest bass. The bass on the shockwave 3 is surprising in that it's mostly subass, also, the treble is so bright and soundstage so big that when the huge bass hits, it's always a shock, hence shockwave 3 i guess. It's like everything is pushed to extreme. Great for analyzing, but for normal listening, I don't know. The ifi definitely made them sound great, and listenable.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

 
Gold, red and empty for the FLC8S.

Thanks.
I am gonna try that config today!

 

[MikiRawr]

I finaly got my Sony ex800st. At first I was very disappointed by their performance. The only other headphone I could conpare them to, were VE Monks. When I was comparing them, the Monks sounded better to me, probably because I was used to them and I could get more into the music. I was also expecting more bass slam/impact. Also I thought that the bass overshadows eveything else. Then after a few days of listening I started to like them more and more. Everything sounds more detailed than monks and bass it's just perfect for a lot of tracks that I listen to. I had to learn how to enjoy bass 'sound' and not expecting crazy head shaking.

ATM I drive them straight from the source (phone/laptop). What would I gain if I invest in an amp?

 

[canali]

 
Gold, red and empty for the FLC8S. I read empty bass port gets deepest bass. The bass on the shockwave 3 is surprising in that it's mostly subass, also, the treble is so bright and soundstage so big that when the huge bass hits, it's always a shock, hence shockwave 3 i guess. It's like everything is pushed to extreme. Great for analyzing, but for normal listening, I don't know. The ifi definitely made them sound great, and listenable.

i have read (and not just here on headfi) in reviews is that using the black filter (midbass) vs gray can lead to the bass
smearing into the mids (innerfidelity etc' in their reviews of the FLC)....so does that also happen with an empty bass port?

 

[talan7]

I finaly got my Sony ex800st. At first I was very disappointed by their performance. The only other headphone I could conpare them to, were VE Monks. When I was comparing them, the Monks sounded better to me, probably because I was used to them and I could get more into the music. I was also expecting more bass slam/impact. Also I thought that the bass overshadows eveything else. Then after a few days of listening I started to like them more and more. Everything sounds more detailed than monks and bass it's just perfect for a lot of tracks that I listen to. I had to learn how to enjoy bass 'sound' and not expecting crazy head shaking.

ATM I drive them straight from the source (phone/laptop). What would I gain if I invest in an amp?

If they are like the 7550 it's all about amping them. I am listening to my 7550 right now on my ifi rig and it's night and day different than any of the portable rigs or my zx2 alone. They really come alive once amped (well)

 

[talan7]

  i have read (and not just here on headfi) in reviews is that using the black filter (midbass) vs gray can lead to the bass
smearing into the mids (innerfidelity etc' in their reviews of the FLC)....so does that also happen with an empty bass port?

I think that is a concern, but once i tried it, I liked it better.