[proedros]

well i am on a tight budget so no way i can shell out 1500-2000$ for a ciem , in fact i am happy as i have managed to stay below the 900 euros threshold in every custom i have bought so far 
 
there are some more customs i would love to try/buy but it's a combination of pricing and funds available when available

NT6 was my no1 wishlist (with a normal budget that is) so i am happy/grateful i got it - i am not some rich person making 5000$/month , so owning a NT6 is definitely a blessing at my current tight economic situation

LE aether , se5 ult , EE zeus r - these are the ciems i would love to try atm (and maybe spartan, although i already have NT6 which should be slightly better i think)

with 2 great customs (nt6 and athena) i can stay put for the next 6 months , after that we shall see 

 
but for now , i am happy with what i have - and we know how hard being happy is in this sick hobby of ours 

 

[headwhacker]

  well i am on a tight budget so no way i can shell out 1500-2000$ for a ciem , in fact i am happy as i have managed to stay below the 900 euros threshold in every custom i have bought so far 
 
there are some more customs i would love to try/buy but it's a combination of pricing and funds available when available

NT6 was my no1 wishlist (with a normal budget that is) so i am happy/grateful i got it - i am not some rich person making 5000$/month , so owning a NT6 is definitely a blessing at my current tight economic situation

LE aether , se5 ult , EE zeus r - these are the ciems i would love to try atm (and maybe spartan, although i already have NT6 which should be slightly better i think)

with 2 great customs (nt6 and athena) i can stay put for the next 6 months , after that we shall see 

 
but for now , i am happy with what i have - and we know how hard being happy is in this sick hobby of ours 

 
I feel you mate, I also need to sell stuff which I won't be using anymore and wait for a promo before I can consider getting an iem like se5. I will be a blind purchase and that is my biggest concern. Hopefully, a used one could pop up and come along my way.

 

[headwhacker]

  Just heard the Spartan with Jack at RMAF and it was awesome. He was testing a new version and I cannot remember if it was with or without the Adel module, but it was very much like the NT6 with a little less extension both directions. Very transparent and resolving with great dynamics. Don't think you could go wrong there.
 
The SE5 write ups are all I can go by since I have never gotten a chance to hear them personally. What I am reading from those that own both the Hidition and the SE5 is that the Hidition is all about transparency and resolving where the SE5 is richer and more euphonic while still driving the same resolution. So the SE5 is more fun and emotional while the Hidition tells it the way it is. Don't be mislead by the reference label as everyone has a different concept of reference. In the end, most owners of both use the SE5 more which says something to me. Again, this is just what I am reading. 
 
The Hidition, Spartan, and the SE5 all have something in common. They avoided the driver wars by using less, but bigger/better drivers that seem to sound better, and they have more crossover points for purity of frequencies between the drivers. To me this is like comparing a 15 inch subwoofer to a subwoofer that drives a pair of 8 inch drivers. Together, the 8 inch drivers add to 16 inches, but you would be hard pressed to beat the single 15 inch in real world situations. Also, having specialty drivers that excel at their part of the spectrum typically always sound better than a single driver trying to do everything well. I am sure there are exceptions to both in the lab, but in the real world, these crazy driver counts often sound very busy compared to a clean Hidition/SE5/Spartan setup.

 
Of all the iem impressions thread I came across it seems only this thread that everyone has more or less the same impression. Also it helps a lot that a demo is locally available for me. I went for NT-6 (non-pro) because it's more balanced than the pro version. What makes me nervous with SE5 Ref/ult is that I have no f..king clue how it sounds. Although impressions are somewhat good in general like hear however, what I learn here at head-fi is I can't rely 100% on other people's impression.
 
I stopped paying attention to the hyped tech behind the headphone. Just gotta hear it before I buy.

 

[headwhacker]

Here's the FR chart of my NT-6

 

[omastic]

Hi @headwhacker , would you say the NT6 demo at Null Audio is a good approximation of the final sound of your customized pair? 

 

[headwhacker]

  Hi @headwhacker , would you say the NT6 demo at Null Audio is a good approximation of the final sound of your customized pair? 

 
The demo doesn't fit well on my ears so I have to constantly press the monitors into my ears so I get a good seal while listening. Except for the bass the overall sound is similar to my custom pair. The bass will definitely be lacking a bit when you try the demos. This is why I thought my customs sounds like NT-6 Pro demo I tried. 
 
If you find the bass lacking when you try the demo. It will be a level up when you get your own pair. 

 

[lookingforIEMs]

Of all the iem impressions thread I came across it seems only this thread that everyone has more or less the same impression. Also it helps a lot that a demo is locally available for me. I went for NT-6 (non-pro) because it's more balanced than the pro version. What makes me nervous with SE5 Ref/ult is that I have no f..king clue how it sounds. Although impressions are somewhat good in general like hear however, what I learn here at head-fi is I can't rely 100% on other people's impression.

I stopped paying attention to the hyped tech behind the headphone. Just gotta hear it before I buy.

You're in sg so I don't mind meeting you to let you try mine. Pm me if you're interested.

 

[headwhacker]

You're in sg so I don't mind meeting you to let you try mine. Pm me if you're interested.

PM sent, thanks mate.

 

[headwhacker]

Just notice that NT-6 has an effect on me like no other iems (Universal or custom).
 
Every time I put it on (after several hours of not listening to it) and hit play, the sound I hear is a bit thin, harsh and flat. But then after a minute or 2. everything would clear up. Bass appears to increase and the depth and width increases. Then details come to it's usual laser sharp clarity. Similar to feeling like when waking up in the morning and you open your eyes the first time. Things appear to be blurry. But after a few minutes everything will be clear again.
 
Also, as soon as I take out NT-6 and switch immediately to another IEM. That particular iem immediately sound crap and it takes time before my ear adjust and the iem sound like what I used to remember them sound like. But clearly leaves a perception that they are far from NT-6 in terms of performance (clarity, resolution, bass thump/impact, soundstage depth/width).
 
Roxanne and T8ie are the most impacted. Roxanne, never recovers and now sounded poof even after 30 minutes in my ears. T8ie now feels very conjested and too warm for my taste (changed after NT-6?). Only Sakura+ survives (barely) which I can still enjoy immediately after NT-6. But even that which I initially thought is on the same level or a bit better in terms of clarity and detail retrieval over NT-6 now clearly sits behind NT-6.
 
This has never happened before. I almost never feel ever to dislike another phone after hearing another. I may have a slight preference for 1 headphone over another but not in this case. Can I say NT-6 is addictive? Or maybe parasitic. lol 

 

[proedros]

 
 
Also, as soon as I take out NT-6 and switch immediately to another IEM. That particular iem immediately sound crap and it takes time before my ear adjust and the iem sound like what I used to remember them sound like. But clearly leaves a perception that they are far from NT-6 in terms of performance (clarity, resolution, bass thump/impact, soundstage depth/width).
 
This has never happened before. I almost never feel ever to dislike another phone after hearing another. I may have a slight preference for 1 headphone over another but not in this case. Can I say NT-6 is addictive? Or maybe parasitic. lol 

 
it is addictive - matter of fact i became so enamoured with it, that i sold all my (c)iems soon after i got NT6 , i never got that effect from another (c)iem

now i have not tried many TOTL (c)iems so i try to not get overly excited, but K3003 / UM Miracles / CA Anzu v2 , all sounded like a level (or 2) below NT6 and i sold them instantly
 
i have started thinking of maybe searching for a 2nd NT6 as a back up pair, but then i come to my senses 

 
@headwhacker what kind of cable are you using on your NT6 ? if those impressions of yours come with the stock cable , i really can not imagine the posts you will do when paired with a good hybrid cable 

 

 

[headwhacker]

   
it is addictive - matter of fact i became so enamoured with it, that i sold all my (c)iems soon after i got NT6 , i never got that effect from another (c)iem

now i have not tried many TOTL (c)iems so i try to not get overly excited, but K3003 / UM Miracles / CA Anzu v2 , all sounded like a level (or 2) below NT6 and i sold them instantly
 
i have started thinking of maybe searching for a 2nd NT6 as a back up pair, but then i come to my senses 

 
@headwhacker what kind of cable are you using on your NT6 ? if those impressions of yours come with the stock cable , i really can not imagine the posts you will do when paired with a good hybrid cable 

 

 
I am not using the stock cable. I find it stiff and micrphonic. I got an an i-mini Muse EAF4 cable (4-strands 20AWG). It's a copper-plated silver cable. Lol. I got it because I don't have much choice when I look for aftermarket cables with my favorite shop. Lots of cables either microphonic or just have a very loose connector. The other ones that are ok look too flimsy and may not survive for a long time.

 

[tupac0306]

Here's the FR chart of my NT-6

Looks like hidition upgraded their tuning cuz mine was sharper/brighter than this. I have to say, it looks incredibly linear, truly a ultimate reference CIEM, I don't think I have seen any CIEM that is as accurate as this. 

 

[proedros]

which DAPs really elevate the NT6 performance , especially compared to the ZX2 ?

i know that NT6 scales well and i am wondering of a ZX2 upgrade , the ciem barrier can go higher only with something probably very expensive anymore

 

[bluesyfluesy]

which DAPs really elevate the NT6 performance , especially compared to the ZX2 ?


i know that NT6 scales well and i am wondering of a ZX2 upgrade , the ciem barrier can go higher only with something probably very expensive anymore

Have you tried the DP-X1? Moving from the AK100II to the DP-X1, I was really impressed (before that I was thinking that the AK100II would be my "endgame"). The DP-X1 is really transparent, clean, neutral and has a spacious soundstage. I think it really synergises well with the NT-6. Just my 2 cents.

 

[headwhacker]

I tried AK320, X7 and M1. But so far I think my NT-6 sounds the best when driven by Hugo. Not a night and day difference. But no matter how I change couple of times Hugo just gave me the best perceived SQ. The other DAPs is like a toss up. Which makes the M1 imo a very good value.