[Verificateur]

Has anyone here gone with the IMR Knight?

Wanted to pick your brain on what you expect from it, and how capable of a bass beast you think it could turn out, given its size/one driver limitations?

 

[Tjhfirefighter]

When is Elysium supposed to ship? Haven’t heard anything from Bob

According to IMR site at time of purchase, Elysium supposed to ship at the end of May. If on time then would likely get both edp+ and elysium near same time. We’ll see.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Thank you, I think I've not tried that combination yet.

I've gone through black/black, black/blue, grey/blue, pink/red and pink/pink, which is the one I'm using now as I find it the most balanced for me.

It's just that I keep finding my self tip and source rolling trying to find a combination that works best with most genres.
With PB1 and OG Aten I'm fine with black nozzle / blue filter, but with Semper I find bass a bit bloated with anything above pink nozzle, and treble too sharp and sometimes screechy with any filter above pink.

I've even come to think that my Sempers could be out of phase and did some tests available on YouTube just to make sure it wasn't the case.

I think Semper sounds really good with good mastered songs, but it may sound really convoluted in not so good mastered ones (for example, I can barely listen to any black metal albums with them).

So I'm about to finally send my Semper to the drawer and call a day, and just enjoy my PB1s which sound just amazing; It's just that I can't help keep trying from time to time to find my perfect nozzle/filter combo, as I'm aware of the potential that lurks inside those big shells lol.

Okay Malfario now you mention black metal I am going to have to dig into this and think-tank with you. I am still on pink for bass filter and red for upper, close to your set-up. My other set is the OG Aten like you, where I use black for bass, pink for upper; and I know I loved the Rah, the PB1’s closest sibling, so we must have similar taste.

First thing I’d suggest is source rolling - what are you using? I think my Cayin N3Pro takes care of a lot of that screech you mention while giving out plenty of energy in Ultralinear mode. It even gets close to classic tube mellowness in Triode mode.

Well-implemented tubes are an effective antidote to the ceramic’s excess sizzle.

 

[Poganin]

I've gone through black/black, black/blue, grey/blue, pink/red and pink/pink, which is the one I'm using now as I find it the most balanced for me.

I think Semper sounds really good with good mastered songs, but it may sound really convoluted in not so good mastered ones (for example, I can barely listen to any black metal albums with them).

Have you tried red/blue or silver/blue? I found the latter to be exceptional for rock and metal, as it removes the boom from bass and kick drums, which in turn allows you to focus on everything that is happening up top.

For the second bit, yes, that's even what it said on the Semper's IMR page. It requires high quality recordings to show off its capabilities.

 

[malfario]

Okay Malfario now you mention black metal I am going to have to dig into this and think-tank with you. I am still on pink for bass filter and red for upper, close to your set-up. My other set is the OG Aten like you, where I use black for bass, pink for upper; and I know I loved the Rah, the PB1’s closest sibling, so we must have similar taste.

First thing I’d suggest is source rolling - what are you using? I think my Cayin N3Pro takes care of a lot of that screech you mention while giving out plenty of energy in Ultralinear mode. It even gets close to classic tube mellowness in Triode mode.

Well-implemented tubes are an effective antidote to the ceramic’s excess sizzle.

Hey monsieurfromag3, thanks for chiming in.

I've tried several setups:

1. Pre Box S2 Digital acting as DAC for JDS Atom Amp / Topping L30, some fairly transparent combos AFAIK.
2. Burson Play w/ a mix of Burson V6 Vivid & Classic opamps for a warmer representation.
3. E1DA 9038s-G3 and EarStudio ES100 mk2 for portable setup.

I really enjoy my PB1 (black nozzle/blue filter as I said) with any of these setups; the bass texture and dynamics are simply amazing, the piezo treble is sharp and crisp while being inoffensive, and the planar mids are just crazy.

Sadly I cannot say the same when switching to Semper. With black/grey nozzle, the bass gets in the way of every other frequency, making even difficult to hear details in treble (eg. rides and hi-hats are almost testimonial).

Moving to pink nozzle makes lower frequencies more bearable, but then I miss the punch and air that is present on PB1 and Aten's bass with black nozzle; and as the mids and treble become more prominent, I find the treble a bit too hot for my taste on some recordings with any filter above pink.

I've also tip rolled all over my collection trying to find a good match for at least grey nozzle / blue-black filter (as I've given up on black nozzle): Azla Sedna Light/Regular, JVC Spiraldots, Spinfits, some BGVP tips, KZ starlines, Final E Type, etc.

I've settled on Spiraldots half a size bigger than I'm used to with other IEMs, as it allows me get a better seal with a shallower insertion.

Right as I'm writing down this essay (sorry lol) I'm listening to Wheel's (the German, not Finnish band) "Aeon of Darkness" from their 2021 album "Preserved in Time", and even on pink filter crash cymbals sound borderline harsh (almost distorted sometimes, definitely not smooth at all) on my Pre Box S2/JDS Atom combo.

I don't know, maybe EST treble is not for me?

 

[malfario]

Have you tried red/blue or silver/blue? I found the latter to be exceptional for rock and metal, as it removes the boom from bass and kick drums, which in turn allows you to focus on everything that is happening up top.

For the second bit, yes, that's even what it said on the Semper's IMR page. It requires high quality recordings to show off its capabilities.

Thanks for your suggestion. I think I've not tried any of those combinations, but will do for sure.

 

[Mehran]

Hey monsieurfromag3, thanks for chiming in.

I've tried several setups:

1. Pre Box S2 Digital acting as DAC for JDS Atom Amp / Topping L30, some fairly transparent combos AFAIK.
2. Burson Play w/ a mix of Burson V6 Vivid & Classic opamps for a warmer representation.
3. E1DA 9038s-G3 and EarStudio ES100 mk2 for portable setup.

I really enjoy my PB1 (black nozzle/blue filter as I said) with any of these setups; the bass texture and dynamics are simply amazing, the piezo treble is sharp and crisp while being inoffensive, and the planar mids are just crazy.

Sadly I cannot say the same when switching to Semper. With black/grey nozzle, the bass gets in the way of every other frequency, making even difficult to hear details in treble (eg. rides and hi-hats are almost testimonial).

Moving to pink nozzle makes lower frequencies more bearable, but then I miss the punch and air that is present on PB1 and Aten's bass with black nozzle; and as the mids and treble become more prominent, I find the treble a bit too hot for my taste on some recordings with any filter above pink.

I've also tip rolled all over my collection trying to find a good match for at least grey nozzle / blue-black filter (as I've given up on black nozzle): Azla Sedna Light/Regular, JVC Spiraldots, Spinfits, some BGVP tips, KZ starlines, Final E Type, etc.

I've settled on Spiraldots half a size bigger than I'm used to with other IEMs, as it allows me get a better seal with a shallower insertion.

Right as I'm writing down this essay (sorry lol) I'm listening to Wheel's (the German, not Finnish band) "Aeon of Darkness" from their 2021 album "Preserved in Time", and even on pink filter crash cymbals sound borderline harsh (almost distorted sometimes, definitely not smooth at all) on my Pre Box S2/JDS Atom combo.

I don't know, maybe EST treble is not for me?

I'm a big fan of Semper. Love the tonality, the staging, the bass, the amazing thick syrupy midrange. But I can admit that I'm not fond of the treble either. Specially after hearing the VE Elysium,it has EST treble too and is sounds unreal. Best treble I've heard.

 

[Jawis]

Because of Semper's large size, deep insertion works the best for me for a stable and secure fit. For the best seal and long term comfort the medium size spinfits have worked the best for me. Semper fits like a glove for me this way.

I have been using pink bass and pink tip for about 2 months now, but I have recently moved back to pink bass and red tip. I noticed a distinct change with better detail and layered strings and there's a crispness to percussion that I find quite engaging. I'm happy with the lower end and vocals in either setup.

I switch between low and medium gain. I keep the digital filter to NOS on the DX300.

 

[Mehran]

@Mehran
Your collection is growing mighty impressive. How do you find the Shanling M8 with IMR stuff?

I received the M8 today. I tell you, it's amazing how much these have improved the Semper for me over the M15. I can't believe they scale this much and the M15 couldn't handle them properly. Who knows how much more these can give. The sibilance and treble issue on bad recordings is very minimised now compared to before. I suggest anyone here to try something with more power to drive these.
The natural , thick tuning of the M8 works great with Semper too.

 

[malfario]

I'm experimenting with silver nozzle/blue filter as @Poganin suggested, using narrower bore tips (I'm trying Final Type E, KZ Starline and Spinfit CP100-2) and I must say I'm really liking what I hear!

Bass is tight and controlled while retaining punch (I still miss some of the air PB1 moves, though); treble is still a bit hot for my taste sometimes, but is bearable even in poorly mastered tracks.

Thanks everybody for your help and suggestions!

 

[yiokuan]

I'm experimenting with silver nozzle/blue filter as @Poganin suggested, using narrower bore tips (I'm trying Final Type E, KZ Starline and Spinfit CP100-2) and I must say I'm really liking what I hear!

Bass is tight and controlled while retaining punch (I still miss some of the air PB1 moves, though); treble is still a bit hot for my taste sometimes, but is bearable even in poorly mastered tracks.

Thanks everybody for your help and suggestions!

If you yet to explore foam tips, these Comply should make the treble less spicy.

Agreed with you that PB1 is an amazing IEM, a refine RAH tastefully tuned by Bob. I am using Black nozzle and blue filter as well.

 

[Poganin]

If you yet to explore foam tips, these Comply should make the treble less spicy.

Agreed with you that PB1 is an amazing IEM, a refine RAH tastefully tuned by Bob. I am using Black nozzle and blue filter as well.

Depending on the material, foam tips can muddy the mids. For example, the foam tips that come with IMR products, while having excellent compression retention, affect the sound horribly. On the other hand, the Tennmak foam tips affect sound to a much smaller degree, but they lose their compression retention properties really quickly. Then again, they last forever. I bought some a year ago and there's still no sign of wear on them at all.

 

[yiokuan]

Depending on the material, foam tips can muddy the mids. For example, the foam tips that come with IMR products, while having excellent compression retention, affect the sound horribly. On the other hand, the Tennmak foam tips affect sound to a much smaller degree, but they lose their compression retention properties really quickly. Then again, they last forever. I bought some a year ago and there's still no sign of wear on them at all.

I evaluated several Comply foam tips including Tennmak over the months, and happened to find one of my old comply T600 which I used during my Shure days. Into my PB1 and the clear sounding PB1 SQ was elevated further, simultaneously solved my fitting issue with Semper.

The beauty of this T600 based on my set up doesn’t muddy the body of the music, in fact SQ even bested the Tennmak. Moreover it can be easily removed from the nozzle therefore more durable than the rest of the comply.

My first pair is still in good shape, and proceeded to order a couple more sets from Comply US as most SG shops don’t carry Large size. Medium doesn’t give me a good seal.

End of the day, still dependable on individual.

 

[Tiaa]

We need a shipment of new Bob products to keep this thread busy so we can keep up the IMR worship and turn away from the drama. LOL. Waiting on EDP+ and Elysium. Love my planars and really excited to experience bone conduction.

End of may will be amazeballs Christmas saints days.

 

[Tiaa]

I am waiting for Bob’s Bass Cannon (BC) to blast my ears and blow my mind...lol

Btw, I have been enjoying my Semper ever since I hooked my Max to my trusted Wagnus amp over the past weeks. Metallica, Dreamthearter, Dire Straits, Neil Young, John Mayall, Peter Green, Uriah Heep, Ozzy, and so on...excellent synergy with wonderful Top to Toe SQ. None of those ‘battlefield’ effect so to speak. Just pure joy and into the music that warm my heart smooth my brain experiences.

I am a very basshead, didn't find yet a subbass IEM that suits my expectations. Everything has too shy and too muddy/bold subbasses. I need power and resolved low end. And I expect a lot about BC.