[340519]

With headphones I am a fan of the Abyss 1266: slam/punch AND detail. I guess I am looking for the best of these worlds in IEMs as well. I am hoping the Nio will provide more slam, while retaining a good level of detail retrieval. Maybe I should check out the Solaris as well.

I got the abyss tcs today and they sound awesome with alice in chains, nin, and tool so far!

 

[Hyperfluxe]

I need help selecting a pair of full headphones for home use with my XPS 17 laptop and a pair of IEMs for portable use with my LG V60. I actually already own the FiiO FH7 IEMs, and based on everything I've read they're the the best I'll get within a $1500 CAD budget (not too interested in the Unique Melody Mirage, given Hansotek's assesment):




I've read the last 50 or so pages of this thread along with the Metal-Fi thread, there's so many good choices including Focals, ZMFs, LCD-2s, Meze, etc. I'm hoping the subgenres and bands I listen to might help narrow it all down.

Here's my Last.FM Music Profile and Soundcloud Profile.

My favorite subgenres of Metal are:

Black Metal
Traditional (Mgla, Immortal, Behexen, Inquisition, Bathory), Atmospheric/Ambient (Forteresse, Mare Cognitum, Drudkh, Darkspace, Akhlys, Lustre), Symphonic (Emperor, Limbonic Art, Asagraum), Melodic (Dissection, Sargeist, Naglfarm), Folk/Viking/Celtic Black (Windir, Primordial, Manegarm, Falkenbach), Post-Black/Blackgaze (Fen, Agalloch, Alcest)

Death Metal
Traditional (Bolt Thrower, Death, Immolation, Decapitated, Pestilence), Technical/Progressive (Spawn of Possesion, Beyond Creation, Ulcerate, Inferi, Gorguts), Melodic (Kalmah, Mors Principum Est, Insomnium, Hypocrisy), Old School (Cruciamentum, Entombed, Demigod, Adramalech, Convulse)

Doom Metal
Death/Doom (Runemagick, Enshined, Hooded Menace), Funeral (Evoken, Thergothon, Shape of Despair)

Thrash Metal
Traditional (Havok, Vektor, Morbid Saint, Vio-Lence), Black/Thrash (Nifellheim, Aura Noir, Skeletonwitch, Absu), Death/Thrash (Revocation, Massacra, Nocturnus)

(Occasional Folk and Power Metal)
Traditional/Epic Folk (Ensiferum, Wintersun, Equilibrium), Progressive/Power (Angra, Symphony X, Kamelot)

I also listen to Drum and Bass (Neurofunk, Liquid Funk, Techstep, Drumstep, Halftime) and Real Dubstep, so I do need heavy bass. That's the main reason I haven't invested in a pair of high-end open back headphones yet.

I’m really interested in knowing how it all turns out for you, as I’m in a similar position myself.

I’ve been leaning toward the Final A8000 due to the lightning speeds it promises and from what I read probably can’t be beat in that regard by any other DD driver. Still, mulling over my options before I shoot for it though.

What sort of metal is it you’ll mostly be listening too btw? I too am an Emperor fan

Made this post a few pages back, that was my entry. I was looking for headphone advice then, but now I'm looking for the ideal IEM and have a lot of candidates to try.

Speaking of which, the Empire Ears Odin are finally here! I know that they're really expensive, but like I concluded earlier I knew this was going to be a must try alongside the IER-Z1R and 64a Nio one day in no particular order. Highly tempted to order a set to try right now. From what I'm reading, they really did fix the excess mid-bass bleed from the original Legend X and made it more balanced. On paper it sounds pretty perfect and anecdotes so far are great with comparisons to other IEMs, but there's only so much you can gather from sponsored reviews/promotional material/general hype.

Ignoring price completely, how would you guys feel with the EA Odin with the above subgenres and bands listed? It's not exactly the bass canon people expected it to turn out though, some even mentioned the newest CA Solaris having deeper sub-bass. Hmm. Others put it on par with VE8s and Elysiums.

 

[Hyperfluxe]

With headphones I am a fan of the Abyss 1266: slam/punch AND detail. I guess I am looking for the best of these worlds in IEMs as well. I am hoping the Nio will provide more slam, while retaining a good level of detail retrieval. Maybe I should check out the Solaris as well.

Yeah this is exactly along the lines of what I'm looking for in IEMs as well. The Abyss are beloved by everyone I've seen/spoken to in this thread as well. I wonder how the 64audio Nio compares to the EA Odin, I know it's apples to oranges but I've only read Tia Fourte comparisons.

 

[MatW]

Yeah this is exactly along the lines of what I'm looking for in IEMs as well. The Abyss are beloved by everyone I've seen/spoken to in this thread as well. I wonder how the 64audio Nio compares to the EA Odin, I know it's apples to oranges but I've only read Tia Fourte comparisons.

Don't know Odin yet of course, and I won't, simply due to the price, but will have Nio with upgrade cable tomorrow end of day.

 

[MatW]

Don't know Odin yet of course, and I won't, simply due to the price, but will have Nio with upgrade cable tomorrow end of day.

First impressions of the Nio are very positive, they sound great for metal. Very full and powerful sound, excellent for chuggy riffs. I have only heard 3 iems though, so cannot really compare with a wide range.

 

[burningv]

First impressions of the Nio are very positive, they sound great for metal. Very full and powerful sound, excellent for chuggy riffs. I have only heard 3 iems though, so cannot really compare with a wide range.

What albums did you listen to with the Nio?

 

[MatW]

Quite a few, but to name a few examples, the latest Black Crown Initiate, which is fantastic btw, latest Onslaught, Selbst, new Deep Purple. And the last Abigail Williams album.

All in a day's work..

 

[Leviathant]

Quite a few, but to name a few examples, the latest Black Crown Initiate, which is fantastic btw, latest Onslaught, Selbst, new Deep Purple. And the last Abigail Williams album.

All in a day's work..

Just randomly discovered the new Selbst album yesterday as it happens. I liked it quite a lot actually!

Don’t suppose you’d mind seeing how the Nio keeps up with some grind core bands such as Wormrot, Pig Destroyer or Nasum? I always worry that a DD won’t do them justice and it’s got me looking to Beryllium driver IEMs for fast transients and bass. However, the Nio still tempts me should I find a good price on one and IF it’s up to snuff.

 

[genck]

I always worry that a DD won’t do them justice and it’s got me looking to Beryllium driver IEMs for fast transients and bass.

Let me know if you find anything better than the Periodic Audio Be for metal in the $300 and under category (IEM only). I like mine a lot but wouldn't mind branching out.

 

[MatW]

Just randomly discovered the new Selbst album yesterday as it happens. I liked it quite a lot actually!

Don’t suppose you’d mind seeing how the Nio keeps up with some grind core bands such as Wormrot, Pig Destroyer or Nasum? I always worry that a DD won’t do them justice and it’s got me looking to Beryllium driver IEMs for fast transients and bass. However, the Nio still tempts me should I find a good price on one and IF it’s up to snuff.

Just tried a few of these. Sounds good to me, I think Nio keeps up quite well, but I have no experience with beryllium driver iems, so cannot really compare unfortunately.

 

[Leviathant]

Let me know if you find anything better than the Periodic Audio Be for metal in the $300 and under category (IEM only). I like mine a lot but wouldn't mind branching out.

Maybe look at the ISN H40 - they seem great value at $200 (at Penon audio). 1DD+3BA with a great stock cable (ISN were originally a cable maker). Just to clarify, they aren’t beryllium/beryllium-coated!

I’ve not had them too long but im sure I’m going to prefer these over the Be. They have a cleaner presentation and improved details & treble to my ears, without being at all bright. A very nicely done W shaped response. I haven’t done an extensive A/B though. Bought them as another option to use out and about before I decide on my next high end purchase.

I am thinking about getting a trial set of the Dunu Luna, as they use pure beryllium drivers so should have the insane speed I’m after put at a much higher price bracket! They even use the Utopia as a reference went tuning them

 

[genck]

Maybe look at the ISN K40 - they seem great value at $200 (at Penon audio). 1DD+3BA with a great stock cable (ISN were originally a cable maker). Just to clarify, they aren’t beryllium/beryllium-coated!

I’ve not had them too long but im sure I’m going to prefer these over the Be. They have a cleaner presentation and improved details & treble to my ears, without being at all bright. A very nicely done W shaped response. I haven’t done an extensive A/B though. Bought them as another option to use out and about before I decide on my next high end purchase.

I am thinking about getting a trial set of the Dunu Luna, as they use pure beryllium drivers so should have the insane speed I’m after put at a much higher price bracket! They even use the Utopia as a reference went tuning them

Did you mean ISN H40?

 

[Leviathant]

Did you mean ISN H40?

Yes I did, sorry! They confuse me as the logo on them looks like a ‘K’!

 

[Vruksha]

Hey guys, just found this thread. Happy to finally find a thread dedicated to metal. I am looking for an iem around $300, please suggest me some options. I like more quality bass over quantity, fast attack with quick decay, good detail retrieval micro to macro, great instrument seperation and soundstage with precise imaging. Good emphasis on mids with detail. Most of my music is old school death metal, I also listen to blackend death metal/ atmospheric black/death, prog death, doom, sludge/stoner, dark ambient, tech death...and such. Was thinking about Audiosense T800 but bass seems overpowering and slow so that's out, LZ A6 sounded perfect from what I read but QC issues apparently (moisture issues), Moondrop Blessing 2 seems like the last one standing as of now. So what do you guys think? Your suggestions will be highly appreciated. Thanks!

PS - Right now am using a Shuoer H27 and TRN BA5, BA5 is defenitely my fav even though it cheaper, it's defenitely the $50 extreme metal king! Only problem is moisture condensation especially since am living in a very cold place.

 

[Hyperfluxe]

I’m really interested in knowing how it all turns out for you, as I’m in a similar position myself.

I’ve been leaning toward the Final A8000 due to the lightning speeds it promises and from what I read probably can’t be beat in that regard by any other DD driver. Still, mulling over my options before I shoot for it though.

What sort of metal is it you’ll mostly be listening too btw? I too am an Emperor fan

Audiophile Heaven just posted a YouTube review on the FAD A8000, he's one of the few YouTubers that listens to proper extreme metal subgenres (maybe not grindcore but definitely some black/folk crossover, melodic death, etc). His preference is definitely much different from mine though, it may have been the primary reason I was so dissapointed with the FiiO FH7. I'm looking into either a Japanese unit/tuning of the UM MEST or the 64audio Nio next. There seems to be a large influx in people deciding to sell their Nios for some reason this week. I also decided against the EA Odin after seeing what it looks like on camera, can't wear flashy faceplates like that outside unfortunately. Crinacle did mention that it would almost top his current ranking list if it wasn't for the price (from his brief audition), and BGGAR is reviewing his set in the next few days.

So getting back on topic with full sized headphones...I finally understand the appeal after hitting a major roadblock with my vinyl + floorstanding loudspeaker setup (on paper). It's such a headache to try to piece together all the components, making sure your room is adequate in size and good enough for general acoustics, avoiding pressure traps, etc. It's almost like you need a room custom built for your setup or else you won't be getting the desired sound. Vinyl Engine forums have quite a bit of theads on loudspeakers for metal and even more minor components like the right turntable cartridge for extreme metal. Steve Hoffman, Audiogon, and WhatHifi boards also have some good home audio discussions pertaining to metal.

This is what I've gathered: a standard bookshelf tweeter pair + subwoofer just won't cut it for metal, you need floorstanding loudspeakers right off the bat. I've personally auditioned the Klipsch R51M tweeters + their corresponding 12" subwoofer at a local audio store with the correct room setup. It sounds absolutely awful with metal. Some of the dirtiest mid-bass I've ever heard, and the horns are a bit too aggressive especially with poorly recorded BM. Anyway, I calculated an entry level cost of ~$5500 CAD just for the basics...that would be a pair of Cerwin Vega SL-12 3-way towers and the corresponding entry level subwoofer (which I would use for DnB, not necessarily metal seeing as the Vegas provide enough bass with their standard woofers). That's $2500 CAD for the speaker system. Then I would need an power amp for the speakers (entry level Marantz starts at $1200 CAD). Finally a budget entry level turntable with an integrated amp (Rega Planar 1 Plus) costs $800 CAD. Then I have to worry about receivers, aftermarket components like a cartridge, tonearm, and/or stylus upgrades, etc. I know I'm missing a few things but that's all that pops to mind right now.

This guy's vinyl setup and collection is the best I've ever seen on the internet, his gear adds up to a whopping $75k CAD (he has two Dynaudio Contour 60 towers) and that's not even counting the receivers, furniture, ultra rare pressings, etc. Isn't that everyone's endgame goal someday? Anyway I'm probably going about this all wrong and I'm just ranting at this point, but I have a newfound appreciation for open air headphones in general now that I realize how much simpler it is to setup and the mobility/flexibility that it affords the user. I can't be tied down to a house, yet alone a full home audio set at my current age and in my field of work - I need mobility. Also I'm aware that vintage audio would cut costs by at least 2/3 but that's not really the issue, it's the fact that finding a perfect room in a condo or townhouse won't be easy and you can't listen at too loud a volume.

TLDR; just ranting about how tedious it is to setup a home audio system with vinyl and floorstanding loudspeakers. Once I'm satisfied with an IEM, I'll look into finally getting an open-air pair of headphones for vinyl listening. I was set on the RAD-0 this whole time but I wonder if I'll be dissapointed with the bass extension after all the reviews I've read/watched. I'm not expecting closed back levels of bass impact but some reviewers make it sound like there's no punch present at all. Suddenly the Abyss look more appealing despite the price tag.