IMR Audio : Sonic Adventures & Impressions

Future of IMR threads

  • Single thread for all models.

    Votes: 8 47.1%
  • Multiple threads for each model.

    Votes: 9 52.9%

  • Total voters
    17
  • Poll closed .
Jul 18, 2021 at 10:03 AM Post #3,361 of 17,705
Do you also own Astra UltraQue?
I'm trying to get an idea of the difference in Bass "quantity"? I know the bass on both will be of good "quality" so not to bothered with this! The problem I'm having is i "might" need to sell one of my IEM'S in order to afford to pay for my Astra!
Like many I'm a total Basshead so bass is VERY important to me.
I even enjoy a bit of bass bleed into the midrange warming the Signiture up abit and if its done right the slow decay injects a bit of "Atmosphere" to the whole presentation, it doas come at the cost of detail retrieval, stage and clarity but increases musically.
To be honest i hate selling any of my portable set-up but due to Clovis-19 i lost my job last week JUST after placing my order for Astra UltraQue! So my only way to raise funds is to sell one of my IEM'S. It sounds strange that im a Basshead but selling an IEM dedicated to Bass! But in reality i am struggling MASSIVELY to get a fit/Seal! If you cannot get a seal it doesn't matter how much bass the iem has you will not hear it!
It's really really important i get this right in order to not get Seller Remorse lol Another important factor is source? this goes out to anyone who own's the B.C! What are people using to get the results they hear? Are you getting this Bass with just a DAP or Phone? Also, are you using EQ & Amp? Or are you just using a standard DAP or Phone but still getting basshead level of Bass?
Anyone with B.C AND Astra i would love to hear your thoughts and comparisons? As per usual thanks in advance for your time & help it is very very much appreciated👍
My apology as I didn’t buy the Astra nor Elysium coz my target was a dual DD, a DD sitting in the middle taking care of the midrange like VE Ely did. BC didn’t disappoint and to my ears is an all rounder. In depth comparison, we may need @roygbiv6 to cover the SQ as mentioned by @NellieG. He owns all 3 and could be busy babysitting these babies...lol.

For me staying with IMR is all about SQ delivery exceeding our expectations, and that organic touch Bob is good at. Bass texture on drum kits on all IMR have that leather feel instead of canvas or plastic. Physical impact and level of mellowness is just a matter of flavour or preference in each of his model. End of the day and most importantly he don’t deprive us the midrange and treble. Hence buyers remorse should be at minimum. And always trust your judgement and ears.

IMR indeed loves a good source as all are very scalable. Investment in this area should be priority than new earphones if you intent to further your IMR sonic adventure. Having ample amplitude as @parker stated previously couple with good transients response likely to trigger those transducers to work responsively to signal thereby firing on all cylinders. But having said that, my DAP MAX with all its technical spec and power was pleasing my ears for few months only, thereafter just couldn’t please me further coz of that slight graininess in the treble region and hoping the soundstage could be bigger. No doubt it was well recv and with all round accolades from owners in MAX’s thread. My Wagnus amp with less than half the power refined and improved those areas making me realised MAX pure line out superbly implemented was the missing link. Wagnus was known for its transparency and dynamic nature probably due to its 8xBlack Gates cap in its amp section, therefore a blissful combo. Never regret owning Wagnus amp since 2013.

Meanwhile I’ve been waiting patiently for the updated version of Prelude DTR1+ from Anson. Heard he has refined the BPF section, to my understanding should be a good match for my IMR and as a backup for my MAX. Check it out if simplicity and sound your primary objective instead of commercial features for streaming.

Btw, am sorry to hear the bad news about your job. Damn C19 just don’t go away, popping up unexpectedly disrupting our daily lives. Down in SG, figures not good either these days.
 
Jul 18, 2021 at 1:18 PM Post #3,364 of 17,705
Just curious - Do folks think that Bob should make some adapters?

They are really hard to find in general. Certainly not common outside of Ali
Im not 100% sure about the quality of the wires / build quality of the ones currently available. Also, using an adapter potentially changes the characteristic of the sound
There certainly doesn't seem to be a good source in UK and I imagine other countries as well?


Using the SCC wires that Bob uses and his use of a supplier that would make them to the quality that he would demand, i think it might fill a needed gap in the market currently

I have a few short cable adapters , such as:

Fiio 2.5mm bal female to 4.4mm bal male
Fiio 4.4mm bal female to 3.5mm male
iBasso - 2.5mm bal to 3.5mm jack

For out and about I use a Hiby Pro Sabre which has a descent battery life so I can use 2.5mm balanced cable on my Knights and if I want to or need some more hours out of it I can use the Fiio adapter to utilize the 3.5mm unbalanced output

Adapters such as these are useful if you don't want to swap cables when using different devices etc
 
Jul 18, 2021 at 3:51 PM Post #3,365 of 17,705
the bass of the elan is the best in quality so far. but the image is tighter than the astra because there is no est driver. The fitting is perfect too. They are very light and soooooo beautiful. 💖 i look forward to the day when bob decides to make a elan with
EST. it will be a real end game for me.😍
 
Last edited:
Jul 18, 2021 at 4:26 PM Post #3,367 of 17,705
Do you also own Astra UltraQue?
I'm trying to get an idea of the difference in Bass "quantity"? I know the bass on both will be of good "quality" so not to bothered with this! The problem I'm having is i "might" need to sell one of my IEM'S in order to afford to pay for my Astra!
Like many I'm a total Basshead so bass is VERY important to me.
I even enjoy a bit of bass bleed into the midrange warming the Signiture up abit and if its done right the slow decay injects a bit of "Atmosphere" to the whole presentation, it doas come at the cost of detail retrieval, stage and clarity but increases musically.
To be honest i hate selling any of my portable set-up but due to Clovis-19 i lost my job last week JUST after placing my order for Astra UltraQue! So my only way to raise funds is to sell one of my IEM'S. It sounds strange that im a Basshead but selling an IEM dedicated to Bass! But in reality i am struggling MASSIVELY to get a fit/Seal! If you cannot get a seal it doesn't matter how much bass the iem has you will not hear it!
It's really really important i get this right in order to not get Seller Remorse lol Another important factor is source? this goes out to anyone who own's the B.C! What are people using to get the results they hear? Are you getting this Bass with just a DAP or Phone? Also, are you using EQ & Amp? Or are you just using a standard DAP or Phone but still getting basshead level of Bass?
Anyone with B.C AND Astra i would love to hear your thoughts and comparisons? As per usual thanks in advance for your time & help it is very very much appreciated👍
First of all in still on black/ black on everything as haven't had a chance to try different filter combos yet.

If bass quantity is the main criteria then the BC wins here but for me the Astra tops it everywhere else. The BC is a very good bass cannon that has little bass bleed & good midrange & top end details for one. This makes it very versatile and a keeper for me but I prefer the overall sound of the Astra.

So the BC has good micro details, placement, vocal detail etc but the Astra is superb in these areas. The Astra sounds very natural to me with vocals and instruments. The BC does a good job here but not to this level. The Semper is the best I've heard here but the Astra gets close.

If you go from BC to Astra the Astra sounds bass light & vice versa the BC bass is the first thing you notice.

I'd say as a guide for bass on the Astra it has slightly less bass quantity than the Mest2 but slightly more detail. Kind of a less is more bass as the depth & detail gives you more without the pound. I used to chase high quality bass pound but realised somewhere along the way I prefer this kind of bass with the Mest2 the slightly better balance of pound & quality.

The BC reminds me of a refined version of an old school IMR (R1, R2 era). I even use foamies on them like the R2 and they fit like they did in that they stick out of my ears but you forget they are there. Astra & BC both fit as well as each other for me but fit is more important for the Astra due to the bc. The BC is bigger but has less contact with the ear so they feel abiut the same. Do try foamies with them if you are having fit issues as they don't move.
 
Jul 18, 2021 at 4:38 PM Post #3,368 of 17,705
Just curious - Do folks think that Bob should make some adapters?

They are really hard to find in general. Certainly not common outside of Ali
Im not 100% sure about the quality of the wires / build quality of the ones currently available. Also, using an adapter potentially changes the characteristic of the sound
There certainly doesn't seem to be a good source in UK and I imagine other countries as well?


Using the SCC wires that Bob uses and his use of a supplier that would make them to the quality that he would demand, i think it might fill a needed gap in the market currently

I have a few short cable adapters , such as:

Fiio 2.5mm bal female to 4.4mm bal male
Fiio 4.4mm bal female to 3.5mm male
iBasso - 2.5mm bal to 3.5mm jack

For out and about I use a Hiby Pro Sabre which has a descent battery life so I can use 2.5mm balanced cable on my Knights and if I want to or need some more hours out of it I can use the Fiio adapter to utilize the 3.5mm unbalanced output

Adapters such as these are useful if you don't want to swap cables when using different ddevices.
I've been using these dunu ones for a long time and think they are great. All of my ones that have a couple of inches of cable fail where it meets the end plug so I just use these now.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_v1krHj

I do like the dunu cables with the changeable ends as well.
 
Jul 18, 2021 at 6:00 PM Post #3,369 of 17,705
@RumbleWeed

I have both the Elysium and Astra however the Astra is many hours behind in the burn-in process.

What I would say at this stage is that the mids and bass on the Elysium are a smoother, more velvety if you like whereas the level of detail on the Astra in its early hours are probably its stand out compared to the Elysium.
 
Jul 18, 2021 at 8:05 PM Post #3,370 of 17,705
I never use foams, can’t seem to get past the idea of inserting something that I can’t completely sanitize at a given moment. Also, they are disposable and I don’t like having to check and see if it’s time to replace. I used foams really early on when I first got into the hobby and mine always seemed yucky and covered in wax.
You do have a point!! I mainly use foam for the breathability as I have severe sinus and a full seal usually means ear problems.
 
Jul 19, 2021 at 11:50 AM Post #3,371 of 17,705
1626709692854422531966563767744.jpg


Out of all the imr headphones, these are my favorite ones looks wise. They stunned me right away. Matte black with an anodized feel

Will get them on right away and start listening but I'm perplexed looking at em

I have high hopes for this ones

Ozar in the house
 
Jul 19, 2021 at 11:56 AM Post #3,372 of 17,705
Happy / glad to see this added to website:

200/300hrs+ BURN IN TIME REQUIRED.
 
Jul 19, 2021 at 11:57 AM Post #3,373 of 17,705
Beauties! Really looking forward to hearing your take on them. My Astras have left the UK - I'm thinking I'll have them on Friday. Have fun!
 
Jul 19, 2021 at 12:22 PM Post #3,374 of 17,705
1626709692854422531966563767744.jpg

Out of all the imr headphones, these are my favorite ones looks wise. They stunned me right away. Matte black with an anodized feel

Will get them on right away and start listening but I'm perplexed looking at em

I have high hopes for this ones

Ozar in the house

Anybody know if it is the same shell as Aten/Red or it just looks similar but is a new size or shape difference?
 
Jul 19, 2021 at 12:41 PM Post #3,375 of 17,705
Anybody know if it is the same shell as Aten/Red or it just looks similar but is a new size or shape difference?
Similar shell to Red and Rah.
 

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