[jon parker]

Probably the BC as that has the ceramic still. Like i mentioned though i am just making assumptions and when the new models arrive we will know for sure.

Aha, Interesting. I had forgotten the BC had the ceramic driver. Maybe its the 'pistonic action' that is what burns in and sounds better?
If it IS the ceramic driver (which is very rigid and tough) then I wonder if the ADLC driver will also take the same sort of burn in? The ALDC is a mix of flexible and super rigid materials so... One can but wonder. Exciting times for sure

 

[NellieG]

Aha, Interesting. I had forgotten the BC had the ceramic driver. Maybe its the 'pistonic action' that is what burns in and sounds better?
If it IS the ceramic driver (which is very rigid and tough) then I wonder if the ADLC driver will also take the same sort of burn in? The ALDC is a mix of flexible and super rigid materials so... One can but wonder. Exciting times for sure

For me the bass does change over time but that isn’t where I get the “OMG these are broken” from, it is in the upper mids lower treble sort of range and then it corrects itself with time.

I honestly know nothing about the new ADLC drivers, but an ideal driver diaphragm would be super rigid and super light, rigid to keep distortions at bay and light to have fast transients and high pistonic motion.

 

[jon parker]

For me the bass does change over time but that isn’t where I get the “OMG these are broken” from, it is in the upper mids lower treble sort of range and then it corrects itself with time.

I honestly know nothing about the new ADLC drivers, but an ideal driver diaphragm would be super rigid and super light, rigid to keep distortions at bay and light to have fast transients and high pistonic motion.

Agreed, I must have burnt in something like 170+ Headphones / IEMs by now and the biggest change is almost always the low end, In brief - loosing any unpleasant bloom, tightening up, developing a better more realistic texture. Sometimes the highs loose some harshness or brightness off the very top and often all the frequencies seem to come into line, too become more balanced and harmonious
IMR are quite unique with their burn in - I like what you say about the areas where a noticeable 'something isn't quite right' - The bass is not where I find a problem with during the burn in process its more as you say. Hard to pin down, the initial magic seems to go - Like what you thought was gold then burnishes down to a bronze but then later you find that there was a layer of thin bronze with a thin gold like veneer on top that soon dissolves BUT then later after much burn in, that thin layer of 'bronze only like sound' goes and you get to the real solid gold of the actual fully fleshed out, settled in, well burned in IEM

So....Boy I am hungry - I need to eat something ! o_0

"an ideal driver diaphragm would be super rigid and super light, rigid to keep distortions at bay and light to have fast transients and high pistonic motion"

Which is a spot on description of what the ADLC should do combined with Bob's new super piston action (ooo err Missis)

 

[NellieG]

Which is a spot on description of what the ADLC should do combined with Bob's new super piston action (ooo err Missis)

Gutted I can’t try the new driver and configurations though, too broke at the moment.

 

[holsen]

I always thought it was the Aten Driver that went sideway between 50 and 100 hours ... In any case Planars are also known to need exeptionally long burn in in time. My EDPs didnt go to the horror zone at 70 hours like my Rah (CIEM Shipped Last Night) but they sure did continue to vastly improve way past 150 hours. Had the same experience wit the P1 and the Cupid - both Planars - both needed long burn to reach their potential.

 

[Toesnip13]

Please be aware though that over the 30-100 hour mark they will start to sound bad. Im not exaggerating. They will sound nothing like they do out fo the box - If / when you start to find they start sounding 'off' or not quite right you will need to revisit them at a minimum of 120 hours of use/burn in later. Preferably 200 hours
You have been warned
This is not just my experience but many people here . . . even Bob himself has been caught out by this phenomenon!

But to be honest I sometimes listen to music on a pair of airplane earphones I remember bagging a good 15 years ago if I can’t be bothered to reach for anything haha. I’ve built up some immunity now. I like to use photography as an analogy - sometimes I use my ££££ kit and sometimes I extract a photo by screenshooting a slighty blurry 480p video on my phone. We must be flexible and learn to appreciate everything we label as ups and downs, pros and cons.

sorry for pseudo-philosophy but it’s important to me

 

[Toesnip13]

Gutted I can’t try the new driver and configurations though, too broke at the moment.

I’ll pay you £100 towards a pair of EDP+ if ya like

 

[AlexCBSN]

I always thought it was the Aten Driver that went sideway between 50 and 100 hours ... In any case Planars are also known to need exeptionally long burn in in time. My EDPs didnt go to the horror zone at 70 hours like my Rah (CIEM Shipped Last Night) but they sure did continue to vastly improve way past 150 hours. Had the same experience wit the P1 and the Cupid - both Planars - both needed long burn to reach their potential.

after the edp, I’m selling (I should have made it before) both of those models, cupid never cut it for me, i sent my pair to be modded by romi audio (changed internal cables for pure silver) but meh, treble extension felt better, and I think there’s more current running to the planar driver, but I’ve never been amazed by them, they do have the worst suction effect and a huge nozzle, which actually hurt a couple of times

 

[Tiaa]

I honestly know nothing about the new ADLC drivers, but an ideal driver diaphragm would be super rigid and super light, rigid to keep distortions at bay and light to have fast transients and high pistonic motion.

It's adlc properties. But next dd driver will it be graphene?

 

[jon parker]

It's adlc properties. But next dd driver will it be graphene?

Some adlc drivers have graphene as one of their elements, the other being a carbon something or other

 

[holsen]

I’ll pay you £100 towards a pair of EDP+ if ya like

Wow, I love this community; what a beautiful offer to make.

 

[holsen]

Gutted I can’t try the new driver and configurations though, too broke at the moment.

I felt exactly the same way with PB2, Semper, etc...
Lockdown destroyed my business and we burned alot of our piggy bank last year (actually it was more like the piggy ate our bank). But just as cold is blanced by hot, day by night, dark by light last years circumstances forced me to rebuild in a new and better way and I missed a lot of things including a couple IMRs I REALLY Wanted - but that too has been balanced out. Had I just received a Semper, there's no way I'd be picking Elysium. We know Bob. He'll be coming with something to trump whatevever Elysium and Astra are doing. How many generations did Aten go through? I suspect we'll see a few iterations of ADLC and he has said a foucus on shrinking the shell. We now have shrunk shell v1.0.

Still sucks - I know, but something good coming for you at the right time with the right IEM.

 

[jon parker]

Have to admit the only way I can afford any of the IMR is by selling stuff :/ Going to have sell a sizable chunk of gear to pay for the Astra but . . . you know . . . worth it

 

[holsen]

For those interested, my experiment with RAH CIEM shipped last night. I posted the first pics On The Rah Thread
I should have them in 3 weeks.

 

[holsen]

after the edp, I’m selling (I should have made it before) both of those models, cupid never cut it for me, i sent my pair to be modded by romi audio (changed internal cables for pure silver) but meh, treble extension felt better, and I think there’s more current running to the planar driver, but I’ve never been amazed by them, they do have the worst suction effect and a huge nozzle, which actually hurt a couple of times

Same here. I never did the mod but I really tried to love them but couldn't get past moderately liking them. The P1 showed me what detail and resolution in a miniaturized planar could look like and many praised the cupid because of the bass it brought but the upper mids and treble always sounded vieled and held back. To be honest, it was a huge let down. The humble P1 in my opinion blew it away. Then came Bob, first with the RAH - In fact that's how I found IMR, these threads and all of you. My joy with P1 and disappointment with cupid led me in a search for the ultimate planar and that was right around the time pre sale for RAH was announced. And, well, you know the rest