[Xinlisupreme]

No, they are different, a little stiffer out of the box as i wrote but better seal after some usage.Stock are similar tp Symbio W Peels.

Tomorrow i'll receive it.
I bought also Epro Horn and Acoustune AET07, AET08.
I have all kind of Azla, JVC Spiraldot and many others

 

[Ludwig1968]

Here you can find measurements: Link
They are not made by me, but the measurements were madewith my PB2.
Unfortunately all descriptions are in German (first picture is upper and lower gold filter, last picture is purple low and different upper filters, with and without selfmade filter inserts).
Please note, this is not an industry standard measurement setup but correlates good with my and onthers listening experiences with the PB2.

So there can be some "spikes" seen. A broader one at around 2kHz and at around 5kHz and a smaller one at around 8-9kHz.

Tips can make a huge difference, but it is very hard to change several dB with cables.
It is also not the goal to get rid of all the peaks because than the characteristic of the PB2 is gone.
It is more a tuning to my own perception and unfortunatley for me, the filters which came with the PB2 are not enough for me.

I've seen your graphic, thank you. IMHO what are called peaks/spikes are simply re-ascent of the natural level decrease from low to high frequencies. The lower part of the spectrum in your graph is higher in level than treble region as you can see.
But "arid measurements" aren't all talking about music.
In the '70s i listened to music using a Philips all-in-one system, turntable and amp. At the time Hi-Fi was a must to have; reading hi-fi magazines i went to the decision to buy a Technics SL-1500 turntable, a Technics SU-8080 amp with 0,000000X% distorsion and a pair of ESB 100LD speakers.Assembled my new system, pushed the power button and played a record (i remember, Deja Vu by CSN&Y. Mmmmmm, changed the record... Mmmmmm again. After two days of unsatisfaction reboxed amp and speakers and gone back to the shop. At the Hifi shop they suggested a Phase Linear amp, 0,25% of distorsion (noooo, high rate of distorsion) and a pair of Infinity Quantum 5. Brought 'em home, connected, placed Deja Vu again on my turntable... Wow, another world against the 0,0000000X% prior amp. This taught me: measurements are good for sheets but the only judge about a musical device are everyone of us ears.
Ending, PB2 let me dubious. Sometimes they seem super to my ears, other times i don't like 'em. But i am only at less than 100 hours of burn-in. At this moment they are on the shelf, i'm now back in love with my Orions. With new cable and new tips they are OK.

 

[Ludwig1968]

I suspected as much.
Im surprised though as on paper the PB2 should be magnificent ! - Have you given it [at least] 160 hours of burn in?
Also, i wonder if this is a case of not getting the best synergy?
Sometimes certain headphones just so not suite your current player, sometimes you need more power...the list goes on
I would also be curios (as with my Opus Mia) just what the Electrostat drivers are doing - what and how Bob has tuned them
Please tell me more though, you have me curious. With all the IMR Iems Ive owned though Ice often had quite the relationship with each one
I love them for this
I bought one of the ATEN's last week, one of the last B-Stock units and Im blown away to find it outperforming the Opus Mia in every way !!
Which o paper shouldn't technically be possible

Ops, me too. I prefere my Atens against Rah. Simple is better? LOL. And, for the price, EDPs are monster iems. I bought PB2 with the intention to have a bit more trebles than with EDP but at this moment mission failed (partially) they are not "magic" as EDP are. Maybe different fit have something to do with this fact. EDP are "gloves" in my ears.

 

[Mouse Guard]

OK, PB2...
200+ hours burn in, change cable, change tip, change DAP setting...
so i love it now. yes, hard times passed..

I felt 2k peak too. sometimes like spike when i play high-gained female vocal or elec guitar.
so i did,

1. burn in. it tames 2k peak. but not enough.

2. tip change. i use LZ-A7's stock tip. it restrain midrange a little, but not to be dull(I don't use gold filter, cause it feels dull to me).

3. cable change. this is most important point, because pure mystery. I use CEMA 175 cable to tame 2k of PB2. but with any other IEM, 175 cable 'increases' midrange gain. so i don't like this cable usually... but why, i don't know why. this cable give elasticity to PB2. when I missed this part, I might have given up on PB2. life is strange sometimes...

4. DAP setting. I use cowon planue r2, 'mp3 enhance' funtion of this DAP is very good. it increases dynamics naturally. so I use it always, except PB2. PB2 looks very sensitive, so I use flat source as I can. Of all the iems I have, PB2 is only one to play music with 'normal' sound mode. no BBE. no eq set. enhance nothing.

As a result(1+2+3+4), there is a moderately bright-clear(and cold?) but resilient sound. maybe it's planar magic...

i think PB2 is most sensitive IMR iem. it really demands a private setting.
but it worth? yes. PB2's sound is what I expected to fibae7(I gave it because it sounds to engaged to me).

 

[Bungle1]

Don't think anyone else has posted this but the IMR site has been updated with prices and some more info on the first three 2021 models.

 

[Poganin]

Don't think anyone else has posted this but the IMR site has been updated with prices and some more info on the first three 2021 models.

Bah, no photos yet! Such a tease!

 

[jon parker]

what do you mean when you say that aten is superior to opus? did you like tonality and a smoother presentation? because conventionally low frequencies on opuses are much better and deeper, you can also say about the upper part of the middle frequencies. As for pb2, I think here we need to look at the porta fi review and it will be clear there that this model is with a rather strong emphasis on mid frequencies, which makes them not universal, I will assume that this is exactly the problem

I need to listen more but straight out of the box - the REALISM is far better than the Opus - by this I mean the instruments sound much closer to their individual tonalities . . . weirdly so! The bass is finally where I personally prefer it. Bass is often a strong point with IMR BUT I want to listen to music not music that has parts exaggerated for the thrill seeker part [of us all] - i love a GOOD but qualified bass. On the website it mentions bass is more refined . Its just a few words but the reality of this is amazing. Never heard such a perfect balance of drum HIT, of bass drum FEEL and just the over all correct energy of the drum set COMBINED with the nicest, sweetest Highs and mids that all fit together into an extraordinary soundstage.
Its hard to explain but this is by far the most MAGICAL sounding IMR Ive yet to hear.
TBH - i thought it would a 'bit of' an upgrade from the previous aten driver IEM the RED2 but this IMR ATEN is on a whole 'nother level
Maybe Porta-fi got a different model to me, he didn't seem that over awed?? - maybe I have just stumbled onto perfect synergy ? but I am blown away by this IMR - more than any other
And with most of the others I could have happily retired from this hobby with
Good times
Nice to see on Instagram Bobs new model of a cable design as well...what a legend!
As for 'upper part of the middle frequencies' I will have to listen more but there is nothing, no faults at all that Im hearing. Not to forgot though that in 160 hours the sound will likely be quite different

 

[Xinlisupreme]

I've seen your graphic, thank you. IMHO what are called peaks/spikes are simply re-ascent of the natural level decrease from low to high frequencies. The lower part of the spectrum in your graph is higher in level than treble region as you can see.
But "arid measurements" aren't all talking about music.
In the '70s i listened to music using a Philips all-in-one system, turntable and amp. At the time Hi-Fi was a must to have; reading hi-fi magazines i went to the decision to buy a Technics SL-1500 turntable, a Technics SU-8080 amp with 0,000000X% distorsion and a pair of ESB 100LD speakers.Assembled my new system, pushed the power button and played a record (i remember, Deja Vu by CSN&Y. Mmmmmm, changed the record... Mmmmmm again. After two days of unsatisfaction reboxed amp and speakers and gone back to the shop. At the Hifi shop they suggested a Phase Linear amp, 0,25% of distorsion (noooo, high rate of distorsion) and a pair of Infinity Quantum 5. Brought 'em home, connected, placed Deja Vu again on my turntable... Wow, another world against the 0,0000000X% prior amp. This taught me: measurements are good for sheets but the only judge about a musical device are everyone of us ears.
Ending, PB2 let me dubious. Sometimes they seem super to my ears, other times i don't like 'em. But i am only at less than 100 hours of burn-in. At this moment they are on the shelf, i'm now back in love with my Orions. With new cable and new tips they are OK.

IMR with EST drivers needs 200h min
Don’t worry it’s normal what you heard

 

[Xinlisupreme]

I need to listen more but straight out of the box - the REALISM is far better than the Opus - by this I mean the instruments sound much closer to their individual tonalities . . . weirdly so! The bass is finally where I personally prefer it. Bass is often a strong point with IMR BUT I want to listen to music not music that has parts exaggerated for the thrill seeker part [of us all] - i love a GOOD but qualified bass. On the website it mentions bass is more refined . Its just a few words but the reality of this is amazing. Never heard such a perfect balance of drum HIT, of bass drum FEEL and just the over all correct energy of the drum set COMBINED with the nicest, sweetest Highs and mids that all fit together into an extraordinary soundstage.
Its hard to explain but this is by far the most MAGICAL sounding IMR Ive yet to hear.
TBH - i thought it would a 'bit of' an upgrade from the previous aten driver IEM the RED2 but this IMR ATEN is on a whole 'nother level
Maybe Porta-fi got a different model to me, he didn't seem that over awed?? - maybe I have just stumbled onto perfect synergy ? but I am blown away by this IMR - more than any other
And with most of the others I could have happily retired from this hobby with
Good times
Nice to see on Instagram Bobs new model of a cable design as well...what a legend!
As for 'upper part of the middle frequencies' I will have to listen more but there is nothing, no faults at all that Im hearing. Not to forgot though that in 160 hours the sound will likely be quite different

i chose PB2 over Semper to have different kind of bass, I didn’t listen it yet, because I don’t want to have delusion before burnin isn’t ended

 

[jon parker]

i chose PB2 over Semper to have different kind of bass, I didn’t listen it yet, because I don’t want to have delusion before burnin isn’t ended

The sound of an IEM out of the box is still perfectly valid as 'the sound of the IEM' but (as we lucky few understand) the ending, fully burned in sound of an IEM especially of an IMR iem can be quite different (I know hat your re saying though!)
With the ATEN out of the box - this is the first IEM i have ever heard where I am just 100% happy and have zero desire to go through the burn in process, [understanding which elements of it be improved]
I do like the difference sound sigs of the IMR's - Ive found them all to be spectacular and have impressed me far more than any other IEM I have heard. The descriptions of the next 3 are tantalising! I just hope we have no more titanium drivers - didn't find much special about that one. The Aten driver though...! WoW

 

[Ludwig1968]

I need to listen more but straight out of the box - the REALISM is far better than the Opus - by this I mean the instruments sound much closer to their individual tonalities . . . weirdly so! The bass is finally where I personally prefer it. Bass is often a strong point with IMR BUT I want to listen to music not music that has parts exaggerated for the thrill seeker part [of us all] - i love a GOOD but qualified bass. On the website it mentions bass is more refined . Its just a few words but the reality of this is amazing. Never heard such a perfect balance of drum HIT, of bass drum FEEL and just the over all correct energy of the drum set COMBINED with the nicest, sweetest Highs and mids that all fit together into an extraordinary soundstage.
Its hard to explain but this is by far the most MAGICAL sounding IMR Ive yet to hear.
TBH - i thought it would a 'bit of' an upgrade from the previous aten driver IEM the RED2 but this IMR ATEN is on a whole 'nother level
Maybe Porta-fi got a different model to me, he didn't seem that over awed?? - maybe I have just stumbled onto perfect synergy ? but I am blown away by this IMR - more than any other
And with most of the others I could have happily retired from this hobby with
Good times
Nice to see on Instagram Bobs new model of a cable design as well...what a legend!
As for 'upper part of the middle frequencies' I will have to listen more but there is nothing, no faults at all that Im hearing. Not to forgot though that in 160 hours the sound will likely be quite different

As a long run drummer, since 1967, my opinion on drum kit realism between all the several brand iems i own is EDP has the more real drum kit rendition despite their price, second in row are Campfire Orions paired with Lnum Bax cable, third Aten MK1. I'm not owning the New Atens but i have no doubt are better than Original Atens. More than one year of upgrades is significant making a product better sounding under various points of view than precedent versions.

 

[holsen]

Look Like there will 6 New Models this year not just the three that are now on the current generation page. I wrote to Bob last night about the EDP+ and this is what came back. Orders will apparantly open later this week. I think its going to be a magical IMR year! Count me in for the EDP+

"I jumped onto the IMR site last night to see if Bob had any B Stock and discovered he had posted three new models which he hasnt even announced to any of us yet.
I sen him an email to ask a few questions and apparently there are 3 More in the wings. Anyway, thought I'd share this with you: I'll be grabbing the new EDP+

The EDP+ is fairly similar in overall size but with a more oval shape than the previous model. Isolation is the same but I will be including a separate face place that can be swapped out to run open for those that wish to.

Sound is a step up and it is mainly down to the ADLC driver which is utterly magic! Realism is kept but detail retrieval is a marked improvement and the bass is also cleaner and offers more changes in the tuning on the filters.
For me I would put the EDP+ above the Opus Mia in almost every respect.

I had to think very hard about pricing for this year, I know many of my customers have had their finances hit hard due to covid19 and so have tried to make everything a touch more affordable while retaining profitability. Having said that the Opus Melius and Astra Ultraque wont be anywhere near as budget friendly."

 

[Poganin]

Well, best of luck to all those who decide to join the IMR fan-club this year! You're in for a treat.
I'm quite happy with what I have IEM-wise, so aside from (possibly) the Dunu Zen, I will try to invest in desktop sources a little (provided I find a buyer for my LCD-3).

 

[holsen]

I've gotten a little curious about the ADLC and here's what I found on Campfire's site

At the heart of the Vega is a single full-range dynamic driver. Using our signature A.D.L.C. (amorphous diamond-like carbon) coating material, we have created a unique lightweight and rigid diaphragm. These physical attributes increase the driver’s musical performance by reducing flex, improving detail, and reducing sonic distortion.
Regarding the Dorado they say

A single balanced armature augments our custom-tuned 10mm A.D.L.C. diaphragm dynamic driver. Leaving the sparkling highs to the B.A., this dynamic driver is afforded the space to dig in a bit deeper, reach a bit lower, and deliver rich and satisfying bass. Its vocal delivery is precise and pronounced. Dorado 2020 is very much a hybrid high fidelity earphone.

So, you take the ADLC, a new gen Planar, Bob's tuning and you've another champion!

 

[jon parker]

As a long run drummer, since 1967, my opinion on drum kit realism between all the several brand iems i own is EDP has the more real drum kit rendition despite their price, second in row are Campfire Orions paired with Lnum Bax cable, third Aten MK1. I'm not owning the New Atens but i have no doubt are better than Original Atens. More than one year of upgrades is significant making a product better sounding under various points of view than precedent versions.

It must be difficult to drum whilst doing long runs ! My respects Anyway.. what would be your go-to albums for checking drum sounds?
I enjoy Joe Walsh - Country Fair [SACD] for tonality, Band of Gypsies - Machine Gun . . . a couple that I also have a quick check with on new IEMs. What are your favs ?