[Shadowelite]

When I think that the ACE cost me slightly less than the 7hz timeless did, it's crazy value. Mind you I havent finished the burn in and occasionally I want to reach for the Thor MKII but more because I want to compare than because I'm unhappy with the ACE. What would be one step up on the treble from the black filter?

Jesus how much did u pay for your timeless
Timeless is half the price of the ace

 

[Shadowelite]

So are you using dampers from other IMR IEMs? I have the Aten2 with the colored dampers but the Ace just has grey dampers. Am I missing something? Sorry, I posted this question earlier. In the meantime, two thumbs up for the Aces.

So u never got the tuning filters with your ace?

 

[Shadowelite]

Given the latest trend, can it really be called that in this day and age? It's going up model by model with Titan pushing 1500 with VAT (with preorder discount). My wallet diasgrees.

I think the ace is a bargain
I cant comment on the titan, way too much for my pocket but when u got iems that sell for 2-3k
If titan compares to those then its a bargain

 

[curicat]

If titan compares to those then its a bargain

I get what you mean, mate. It probably is just wording then, as English isn't my native. I thought wallet friendly meant affordable.

For example, I can call some luxury car a bargain (compaired to it's peers), but I'll never call it wallet friendly, as it's out of reach for most people, regardless how great it may be.

Same with latest IMR prices. May be discounted Ace can be called that, may be - but it's still 300+ with taxes. Avalons/Seraphs/Titans - hell no.

 

[Shadowelite]

I get what you mean, mate. It probably is just wording then, as English isn't my native. I thought wallet friendly meant affordable.

For example, I can call some luxury car a bargain (compaired to it's peers), but I'll never call it wallet friendly, as it's out of reach for most people, regardless how great it may be.

Same with latest IMR prices. May be discounted Ace can be called that, may be - but it's still 300+ with taxes. Avalons/Seraphs/Titans - hell no.

Could be me also i just finished a 16h shift im tired
So my misunderstanding lol

 

[yaps66]

Could be me also i just finished a 16h shift im tired
So my misunderstanding lol

Rest well and recharge with music!

 

[dakchi]

Given the latest trend, can it really be called that in this day and age? It's going up model by model with Titan pushing 1500 with VAT (with preorder discount). My wallet diasgrees.

I was expecting that he will increase the price a lot when he decided to reduce the number of units in a build. That’s the reason why I ordered Zenith because it might be the last affordable IEM from IMR. After this one, I am not sure I will be able to buy the next builds

 

[NellieG]

So are you using dampers from other IMR IEMs? I have the Aten2 with the colored dampers but the Ace just has grey dampers. Am I missing something? Sorry, I posted this question earlier. In the meantime, two thumbs up for the Aces.

I am going out on a limb here and this may sound daft but it has happened in the past, have you removed the tuning holder from the case.

 

[dharmasteve]

Somehow in the space of a few months I have managed to acquire 5 IMR IEMs. With Bob needing to raise cash for his workshop, bargains were appearing all around. The Ozar first, used, from here, but there was a problem which Bob in his 'best customer service' hat, swapped for new ones. The Ozars are stunning. During the discount period I got the SOG, what a super IEM. Then the 'Biggie', the Dark Matter. Yes, no large zip box and only one 4.4 Pro cable, and the initial one was not right. Again the IMR/Bob's customer orientated service immediately sent a replacement and with it a 'Rain of Bessings'....the best IEM I have ever heard. 99.5/100. OMG! The Ace meanwhile ordered in January was coming..... not coming, coming, sent, not sent, tracking number, still not sent....ahrrggg! After 6 and a half months they arrived and.....are as amazing as all Bob's gear. Bloody superb. Really superb. Then......with just a few Zenith II's left the mysterious 'finger channeling' took place, (when a shamanistic music sprite take over your finger) and bought me a Zenith II. Why they do this I don't know, because I always end up having to pay? What chance does a poor boy have? Is IEM insanity a section-able illness, because I am clearly suffering from IMR IEM channeling disease.
Bob is surely a Gandalf of IEMs , fighting the Saruman's of China and the occasional Gollum. IMR is saving the world of sound

Edit

As I write, the Zenith II has arrived.

 

[Ayretan]

Geoff the grey geek's Understanding Audio

Geoff the grey geek's Calculatorshmm

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Has anyone revieced their new BC or gotten an update on when they might ship?

 

[dharmasteve]

Somehow in the space of a few months I have managed to acquire 5 IMR IEMs. With Bob needing to raise cash for his workshop, bargains were appearing all around. The Ozar first, used, from here, but there was a problem which Bob in his 'best customer service' hat, swapped for new ones. The Ozars are stunning. During the discount period I got the SOG, what a super IEM. Then the 'Biggie', the Dark Matter. Yes, no large zip box and only one 4.4 Pro cable, and the initial one was not right. Again the IMR/Bob's customer orientated service immediately sent a replacement and with it a 'Rain of Bessings'....the best IEM I have ever heard. 99.5/100. OMG The Ace meanwhile ordered in January was coming..... not coming, coming, sent, not sent, tracking number, still not sent....ahrrggg! After 6 and a half months they arrived and.....are as amazing as all Bob's gear. Bloody superb. Really superb. Then......with just a few Zenith II's left the mysterious 'finger channeling' took place, (when a shamanistic music sprite take over your finger) and bought me a Zenith II. Why they do this I don't know, because I always end up having to pay? What chance does a poor boy have? Is IEM insanity a section-able illness, because I am clearly suffering from IMR IEM channeling disease.
Bob is surely a Gandalf of IEMs, fighting the Saruman's of China and the occasional Gollum. IMR is saving the world of sound

Edit

As I write, the Zenith II has arrived.

First listen to the Zenith II. I have about 300 hours of burn-in to go. Brain burn-in will be important after listening to all the CNT drivers like the DM, Ozar and Ace recently. So take with a pinch of salt please. It is very clever as it is so different to the CNT drivers like the Ace and the Dark Matter. Very analogue and at the moment with Black lower and Blue treble filter, If there is such a thing as a sub-basshead IEM, this is it. Doesn't have the slam of the CNT drivers but does have a lot of depth and substance without the massive CNT impact. Will need to give them a lot of time to burn in. Used Closed, 2.5mm, with Spiral Dot L and Hidizs S9 pro, to give it a little wellie. The Zenith II is a new IMR sound to me so I want to do them justice.

 

[Robert777]

Any happy Splash of red (SOR) owners out there?

I am thinking of getting them to compliment my original EDP and T800. I slept too long on the ZII and the Ozar is more than I am comfortable spending.

Cheers

 

[Ace Bee]

Something I've been meaning to ask... pardon me for interrupting your feeds about Ace and Zenith II. I've been on this audiophile journey for about 3 years, and still getting acclimated to this world. Question: Where does IMR fit in the hierarchy of audio brands?

Price wise, IMR seems to fit toward the top of the "mid range", I suppose (or maybe toward the bottom of the high-end range), but then we all know the price Bob shows usually isn't what you pay. I still get a little sticker shock when I see what it costs for Campfire Audio, UM, Empire Ears, Audio 64, and the TOTL Sennheiser and Sony IEMs, to name a few. Are they worth it or is it down to marketing? I've spent more than $1,000 (don't tell my wife) on IMR in the last 10 months (Elan, DM, R2 Red, Ace), and part of me wonders if I should have just focused on one IEM from those brands.

My perspective is that IMR units definitely have plenty of bang for the buck and some of Bob's creations can definitely go toe-to-toe with those brands. Accurate? I'm on the headfi Facebook group and often see people post images of their $XXXX dollar IEMS, and my tendency is to smile, knowing (assuming) I'm getting about the same performance at a third or a quarter of the cost. What's the truth?

Thanks in advance.

I have and heard some pretty good single DD, along with 2 IMRs. And let me tell you my findings:



Sennheiser IE600, $799, sounds miles better than Elan and Dark Matter. Except upper mids, which is a bit too much spicy and sounds unnatural. But it sets a standard for imaging and three dimensional stage - outstanding to say the least.



Meze Advar, $699, sounds better than Elan and DM in terms of spaciousness and imaging. Much better than DM in terms of Treble (well, anything is better than DM in terms of treble, even my Penon Vortex). Elan has the upper hand in bass, but Advar lower mid is much more organic than Elan, and not as overly full-bodied as DM. Female vocals are better on DM though.



Shanling MG600, $599, different tuning, not exactly better than Elan, more like equals, but definitely better than DM in terms of bass tightness and treble energy & extension. Mids are quite fine on them, better than Elan, different than DM.



FAudio Dark Sky, $1100, simply better than Elan and DM in all fields, hands down.



634EARS LOAK-T (CL) Cocobolo, $626, much more transparent and open sounding with a bigger stage than both Elan and DM. Although Elan and DM seems to have a touch more depth, and slightly better imaging on Elan. DM loses because of its overblown midbass.



From what little I heard of the Sennheiser IE900, again it's much better than both Elan and DM.



I am not much inclined to BA timbre. But discounting that personal preference, I can say that the top class iems truly perform their price's worth. For example - Sony IER-M9 and 64 Audio U12T. Both of them are miles and miles ahead of Elan and DM. Same goes for Vision Ears VE8, EVE20, QDC Anoe VX. I have heard them all, and they are all in their own distinct classes that Elan and DM cannot even hope to touch.



So, yes, the crazily priced iems that are out there, they do things better than Elan and DM very surely. Whether the price difference justifies that - now that is a question which is very personal for each individual. For me, it does till the level of may be $1500...but I do not see me buying iems costlier than that simply because I want a bit better sound.



Oh, to focus on the lower tier, Hiby Lasya and Penon Vortex - both of them sound very comparable with Splash Of Red, if not better in some aspects, while inferior in some. So to state that SOR is unmatchable in its specific price point would be wrong.



For me, IMR makes quite interesting IEMs, which are quite good for their price, but definitely does not play above their price. However, the insanely discounted price makes them that much desirable and worthy. For Elan, I might have felt paying a bit more justifiable, but not for DM.

 

[Ryokan]

No burn in time stated for Ace or Zenith II, do they benefit from a few hundred hours or is it not necessary? Thanks.


Ace seem to sound 'fuller' after several hours but I've switched to using Azla Crystals on these as the supplied silicone tips needed positioning a certain way else they sounded a bit muffled.

 

[jon parker]

For me, IMR makes quite interesting IEMs, which are quite good for their price, but definitely does not play above their price. However, the insanely discounted price makes them that much desirable and worthy. For Elan, I might have felt paying a bit more justifiable, but not for DM.

How many hours burn in did you give the Dark Matter ?