JohnRS
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It's not that bad, here is a video of it being done. After that it's just a waiting game for the sleeves to be made up.
IMR - R1 Thread
- Thread starter AudioJunki3
- Start date
It's not that bad, here is a video of it being done. After that it's just a waiting game for the sleeves to be made up.
You can always go with triple flange tips with symbio foam inserted at base. Perfect seal every time.
mrchrisg
Head-Fier
Hi all,
I got my pair of IMR Zenith's earlier in the week, and thought I'd share some early thoughts and pictures. I hope this will be useful to those about to receive them or thinking of buying.
I should say - this is an early review. I haven't burned these in much at all, maybe 7 or 8 hours. They need a lot longer.
About me
I am an IMR R1 owner too, so I'll provide some comparison to the previous model. I am a proper bass-head (love Drum & Bass and other forms of electronic music) but also a critical classical music lover who appreciates rounded orchestral and melodic solo piano music. My past earphones include a mix of manufacturers and models, but my past loves include Sennheiser HD650's and Futuresonics Atrios.
My thoughts on the previous model (IMR R1) - and why I bought these
I believed the IMR R1 were the best earphone I'd ever tried, and thought I would possibly never need to buy another model. But seeing the new Zenith's peaked my curiosity, and I wanted to have two pairs with one acting as a backup, so buying them with some spare money was a no brainer. I know from experience it took somewhere between 50 and 100 hours to burn in my pair of IMR R1 that preceded these, and the sound definitely developed over that period.
Physical build
The cable
The first thing to note out of the box is that the cable is massively improved. It's still chunky in the part connecting to your player of choice, but the parts connecting the drivers from the Y junction are thinner (roughly half diameter) and much more relaxed for use, either over ear or straight down as I prefer.
As you can see from the photos, this allows the cable to curl up better.
Even if you don't like the cable, the new driver connector allows for a much wider choice of replacement cable if you so choose. However, I always liked the cable on the IMR R1, and feel this is a slight step up from that one.
IMR Zenith showing the natural contraction of the cable, as you can see, the upper part above the Y junction is tighter. This makes it easier to identify which end you are dealing with when you get them out of a pocket. A small aesthetic detail, but a pleasant one.
Close up on the Y junction and cable thickness. The small black part above the junction can be moved up, as per most earphones.
The driver unit
The housing for the driver is incredibly similar, if not identical, to the IMR R1, with the exception of the vent.
I am using the large foam tips, as these fit my ears perfectly and provide great sound isolation and enhancement to the bass/overall sound.
Comparison of IMR Zenith (Left) to IMR R1 (right)
The new vent
The knob for opening/closing the vent is far better than the R1 for two reasons.
1) It is far less easy to accidentally change from open to closed, and vice versa. The smaller dial is solid, and being smaller it feels far less likely to turn if stored in your pocket. I was always paranoid that I had knocked the large dial on the IMR R1.
2) The vent visibly opens when you turn the knob, so you are always clear what position it is in.
IMR Zenith - port open, with a visible gap. Opens with a simple few turns so can be adjusted easily.
IMR Zenith - port closed. I use mine closed always, as I did on the IMR R1.
Sound quality and shape
Sound quality so far seems excellent, however this is the one area I cannot definitely review until I have burned them in fully. I am using the black filter that are attached when you first receive them. The bass is deep, thumping and rich. I have not yet tried the other filters, but I know that I might end up using the orange filter. Mids and treble rise clearly above the bass, and the overall sound has clarity of position of instruments and is somewhat beautiful, as it was on the IMR R1.
Like others who are testing early, I have noticed some harshness in the upper midrange/lower-to-mid treble. It's particularly noticeable with snares. .However, don't let that put you off - I know from experience that with the IMR R1, after 50-100 hours of loud burn in, this harshness goes away - leaving you with a stunningly beautiful pair of earphones with a balanced sound signature and that stunning bass.
Summary at this stage
In short, early impressions are brilliant - the aesthetics are improved on the IMR Zenith, and the sound is equally promising - however I need to wait to see how these develop as they burn in more. I'll update more in a couple of weeks.
I got my pair of IMR Zenith's earlier in the week, and thought I'd share some early thoughts and pictures. I hope this will be useful to those about to receive them or thinking of buying.
I should say - this is an early review. I haven't burned these in much at all, maybe 7 or 8 hours. They need a lot longer.
About me
I am an IMR R1 owner too, so I'll provide some comparison to the previous model. I am a proper bass-head (love Drum & Bass and other forms of electronic music) but also a critical classical music lover who appreciates rounded orchestral and melodic solo piano music. My past earphones include a mix of manufacturers and models, but my past loves include Sennheiser HD650's and Futuresonics Atrios.
My thoughts on the previous model (IMR R1) - and why I bought these
I believed the IMR R1 were the best earphone I'd ever tried, and thought I would possibly never need to buy another model. But seeing the new Zenith's peaked my curiosity, and I wanted to have two pairs with one acting as a backup, so buying them with some spare money was a no brainer. I know from experience it took somewhere between 50 and 100 hours to burn in my pair of IMR R1 that preceded these, and the sound definitely developed over that period.
Physical build
The cable
The first thing to note out of the box is that the cable is massively improved. It's still chunky in the part connecting to your player of choice, but the parts connecting the drivers from the Y junction are thinner (roughly half diameter) and much more relaxed for use, either over ear or straight down as I prefer.
As you can see from the photos, this allows the cable to curl up better.
Even if you don't like the cable, the new driver connector allows for a much wider choice of replacement cable if you so choose. However, I always liked the cable on the IMR R1, and feel this is a slight step up from that one.
IMR Zenith showing the natural contraction of the cable, as you can see, the upper part above the Y junction is tighter. This makes it easier to identify which end you are dealing with when you get them out of a pocket. A small aesthetic detail, but a pleasant one.
Close up on the Y junction and cable thickness. The small black part above the junction can be moved up, as per most earphones.
The driver unit
The housing for the driver is incredibly similar, if not identical, to the IMR R1, with the exception of the vent.
I am using the large foam tips, as these fit my ears perfectly and provide great sound isolation and enhancement to the bass/overall sound.
Comparison of IMR Zenith (Left) to IMR R1 (right)
The new vent
The knob for opening/closing the vent is far better than the R1 for two reasons.
1) It is far less easy to accidentally change from open to closed, and vice versa. The smaller dial is solid, and being smaller it feels far less likely to turn if stored in your pocket. I was always paranoid that I had knocked the large dial on the IMR R1.
2) The vent visibly opens when you turn the knob, so you are always clear what position it is in.
IMR Zenith - port open, with a visible gap. Opens with a simple few turns so can be adjusted easily.
IMR Zenith - port closed. I use mine closed always, as I did on the IMR R1.
Sound quality and shape
Sound quality so far seems excellent, however this is the one area I cannot definitely review until I have burned them in fully. I am using the black filter that are attached when you first receive them. The bass is deep, thumping and rich. I have not yet tried the other filters, but I know that I might end up using the orange filter. Mids and treble rise clearly above the bass, and the overall sound has clarity of position of instruments and is somewhat beautiful, as it was on the IMR R1.
Like others who are testing early, I have noticed some harshness in the upper midrange/lower-to-mid treble. It's particularly noticeable with snares. .However, don't let that put you off - I know from experience that with the IMR R1, after 50-100 hours of loud burn in, this harshness goes away - leaving you with a stunningly beautiful pair of earphones with a balanced sound signature and that stunning bass.
Summary at this stage
In short, early impressions are brilliant - the aesthetics are improved on the IMR Zenith, and the sound is equally promising - however I need to wait to see how these develop as they burn in more. I'll update more in a couple of weeks.
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I have been using the Zenith's since I opened them on Tuesday night and once worked out which tips to fit (ended up with large RHA tips). I have just been using the black filters with the ports have been open since I started and have listened to a variety of musical styles. I think I prefer them to the R1's. I'm listening to Tina Dico at the moment and her voice sounds exactly as it should, bass guitar is nice, I'm noticing a little grain in the upper mids but I'm sure with a decent burn in this should smooth out.
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JohnRS
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Anyone else's port screw wiggle a little bit when part open? Mine are burning in so haven't used them properly but i wonder if I'd be able to hear it when walking.
Hi all,
I got my pair of IMR Zenith's earlier in the week, and thought I'd share some early thoughts and pictures. I hope this will be useful to those about to receive them or thinking of buying.
I should say - this is an early review. I haven't burned these in much at all, maybe 7 or 8 hours. They need a lot longer.
About me
I am an IMR R1 owner too, so I'll provide some comparison to the previous model. I am a proper bass-head (love Drum & Bass and other forms of electronic music) but also a critical classical music lover who appreciates rounded orchestral and melodic solo piano music. My past earphones include a mix of manufacturers and models, but my past loves include Sennheiser HD650's and Futuresonics Atrios.
My thoughts on the previous model (IMR R1) - and why I bought these
I believed the IMR R1 were the best earphone I'd ever tried, and thought I would possibly never need to buy another model. But seeing the new Zenith's peaked my curiosity, and I wanted to have two pairs with one acting as a backup, so buying them with some spare money was a no brainer. I know from experience it took somewhere between 50 and 100 hours to burn in my pair of IMR R1 that preceded these, and the sound definitely developed over that period.
Physical build
The cable
The first thing to note out of the box is that the cable is massively improved. It's still chunky in the part connecting to your player of choice, but the parts connecting the drivers from the Y junction are thinner (roughly half diameter) and much more relaxed for use, either over ear or straight down as I prefer.
As you can see from the photos, this allows the cable to curl up better.
Even if you don't like the cable, the new driver connector allows for a much wider choice of replacement cable if you so choose. However, I always liked the cable on the IMR R1, and feel this is a slight step up from that one.
IMR Zenith showing the natural contraction of the cable, as you can see, the upper part above the Y junction is tighter. This makes it easier to identify which end you are dealing with when you get them out of a pocket. A small aesthetic detail, but a pleasant one.
Close up on the Y junction and cable thickness. The small black part above the junction can be moved up, as per most earphones.
The driver unit
The housing for the driver is incredibly similar, if not identical, to the IMR R1, with the exception of the vent.
I am using the large foam tips, as these fit my ears perfectly and provide great sound isolation and enhancement to the bass/overall sound.
Comparison of IMR Zenith (Left) to IMR R1 (right)
The new vent
The knob for opening/closing the vent is far better than the R1 for two reasons.
1) It is far less easy to accidentally change from open to closed, and vice versa. The smaller dial is solid, and being smaller it feels far less likely to turn if stored in your pocket. I was always paranoid that I had knocked the large dial on the IMR R1.
2) The vent visibly opens when you turn the knob, so you are always clear what position it is in.
IMR Zenith - port open, with a visible gap. Opens with a simple few turns so can be adjusted easily.
IMR Zenith - port closed. I use mine closed always, as I did on the IMR R1.
Sound quality and shape
Sound quality so far seems excellent, however this is the one area I cannot definitely review until I have burned them in fully. I am using the black filter that are attached when you first receive them. The bass is deep, thumping and rich. I have not yet tried the other filters, but I know that I might end up using the orange filter. Mids and treble rise clearly above the bass, and the overall sound has clarity of position of instruments and is somewhat beautiful, as it was on the IMR R1.
Like others who are testing early, I have noticed some harshness in the upper midrange/lower-to-mid treble. It's particularly noticeable with snares. .However, don't let that put you off - I know from experience that with the IMR R1, after 50-100 hours of loud burn in, this harshness goes away - leaving you with a stunningly beautiful pair of earphones with a balanced sound signature and that stunning bass.
Summary at this stage
In short, early impressions are brilliant - the aesthetics are improved on the IMR Zenith, and the sound is equally promising - however I need to wait to see how these develop as they burn in more. I'll update more in a couple of weeks.
Throw on the brass filters and tell us how they hit with some bass. I'm very curious and have a couple of weeks for mine. Thanks!
mrchrisg
Head-Fier
Funny you should say that. I've been trying the copper filters tonight. The sub-bass is immense, and wide, like a layer of bass below everything else, but without distorting it.
I can't really describe it well, but imagine being in a good club and feeling the thud of a bass-drum and rolling thunder rumble of a subbass shuddering your body, this is like that in your brain - then you hear other stuff over the top of it. IMO, IMR totally nail heavy bass music, but with a great mid/top range over the top of it.
You will be bouncing your head like me.
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Immortal
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thanks for your impressions! Did you notice any difference in terms of bass/sub-bass vs the original R1s? Also, could you just post some of the tracks that you used to feel that kind of "festival"/sub-bass? thanks!
gtrx333
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Okay just got the zenith today and the E5000 few days before.
The zenith ootb I am finding a bit harsh and fatiguing sounding. I have swapped to the orange filters and have the ports open.
The E5000 is very smooth and laid back. Makes mids sound soft and airy. It requires as much, maybe even more, than my Mr speakers Aeon flow. The imr are more detailed but I am finding them much more unforgiving to poor recordings.
Ootb I think the E5000 easier to listen to but I have the zenith on burn in.
Dobrescu George
Reviewer: AudiophileHeaven
Interesting!
You make me thing that I'd enjoy Zenith greatly
I agree, E5000 is very laid back and smooth, but at times too thick and too laid back for most metal music
Not for the filter im using since its covering the portYou can always go with triple flange tips with symbio foam inserted at base. Perfect seal every time.
That's true. Otherwise, it will become the bass filter.
gtrx333
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Interesting!
You make me thing that I'd enjoy Zenith greatly
I agree, E5000 is very laid back and smooth, but at times too thick and too laid back for most metal music
I have burned them in for 24h and that has helped balance the sound out.
They are excellent at extracting detail out of songs but my god are they brutal, if the recording isn't good it will crap on it hard!
Immortal
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Shouldn't that be a good quality on them?
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