[sino8r]

I'm still waiting on my Zeniths, but once they arrive I may try the fix myself if they are out of phase. Would anyone here be willing to post some pics of how the repair is done? I know there's no soldering involved (thank God) but I'd still rather know for sure I do it right and won't have to open the housing up again.

Do you have a torx #4 (aka T4) screwdriver? And hello fellow Birmingham resident lol!

 

[bogginhead]

Do you have a torx #4 (aka T4) screwdriver? And hello fellow Birmingham resident lol!

So cool to see another Bham'er on Head-Fi! Thanks for responding. I'll see if I have a torx #4; if not, I'll get one.

 

[sino8r]

So cool to see another Bham'er on Head-Fi! Thanks for responding. I'll see if I have a torx #4; if not, I'll get one.

Yeah, I figured we're probably only a handful.

Okay, I took some pics and tried labeling them the best I could. You can get a torx T4 at almost any hardware or tech store.

There are 3 torx screws here.

This is how it should look. If yours looks like this, you are in phase and don't need to flip anything. The green wire should be on the right side. That's the positive wire. The positive should always face the vent (or right side) if looking at the iem with the housing on. You can also see that the positive matches the ribbon wire which is labeled. I circled those on the right and center. The left blue circled part is the connector obviously. Just remove it gently and flip the connector and line back up with the grooves. The soldered wires might need bending to fit but be careful. Mine were soldered pretty good but just mindful that they could come undone or break if bent too far or with too much force. They are pretty flexible so you should be okay. Just make sure they aren't smashed in the housing when you put it back together. Just tuck them back into place. Hope that helps the more adventurous types!

 

[harpo1]

Well mine are in phase but the drivers are not matched very well. The right side is quite a bit louder than the left. I thought it might be my hearing but I tested with my FlaresPro which I know are matched and no balance issue whatsoever. So I'm glad Bob is sending replacements and I hope the new set is better balanced than the set I currently have. Oh by the way I was one of the first 20 to receive mine.

 

[sino8r]

Well mine are in phase but the drivers are not matched very well. The right side is quite a bit louder than the left. I thought it might be my hearing but I tested with my FlaresPro which I know are matched and no balance issue whatsoever. So I'm glad Bob is sending replacements and I hope the new set is better balanced than the set I currently have. Oh by the way I was one of the first 20 to receive mine.

Mine sound pretty good now but I do have minor driver flex on the left side. If my replacements don't flex, I'll keep those instead. Did you try a different cable or bluetooth? I know that the seal can be very iffy and can make one side louder if it comes unsealed even with my triple flange tips.

 

[Sito Lupion]

Is it just as effective if you only flip the external connection without having to open the handset?

 

[sino8r]

Is it just as effective if you only flip the external connection without having to open the handset?

It should be fine if your cable is pliable enough. If it's the stock one, you'll have to cut the little tab off to do so.

 

[harpo1]

It should be fine if your cable is pliable enough. If it's the stock one, you'll have to cut the little tab off to do so.

No need the cable will work without cutting off the tab.

 

[bogginhead]

Yeah, I figured we're probably only a handful.

Okay, I took some pics and tried labeling them the best I could. You can get a torx T4 at almost any hardware or tech store.

There are 3 torx screws here.

This is how it should look. If yours looks like this, you are in phase and don't need to flip anything. The green wire should be on the right side. That's the positive wire. The positive should always face the vent (or right side) if looking at the iem with the housing on. You can also see that the positive matches the ribbon wire which is labeled. I circled those on the right and center. The left blue circled part is the connector obviously. Just remove it gently and flip the connector and line back up with the grooves. The soldered wires might need bending to fit but be careful. Mine were soldered pretty good but just mindful that they could come undone or break if bent too far or with too much force. They are pretty flexible so you should be okay. Just make sure they aren't smashed in the housing when you put it back together. Just tuck them back into place. Hope that helps the more adventurous types!

Thanks so much, man. I did find a Torx #4 in my little electronics screwdriver kit (I got it for a buck here in Alabaster at the Chinese Dollar Store; it's got some cool stuff sometimes). I'm really hoping my first pair of Zeniths arrive tomorrow or at least by Thursday; I can't wait to hear these things. The original R1s are pretty much my favorite pair of earphones I own, and I've got a modest but pretty decent small collection so far. What an amazing soundstage on an iem!

 

[jeffhawke]

Is this one of those sheriff Bart/Waco Kid questions? I must, I must!
So let’s go:
1 - Zenith, Black Filter No Choke, Med. Auvio Tips
2 - Icarus III, Black Filter No Choke,
Med. Auvio Tips
3 - Delta V2, Gold Filter No Choke,
Lg. Auvio Tips
4 - R1, Gun Metal Filter W/Choke,
Lg. Auvio Tips
5 - Masters, Long Gun Metal W/Choke, Med. Orange Core Tips
6 - Vyrus V2, Long Black No Choke,
Med. Orange Core Tips
7 - Vyrus V1, Gun Metal W/Choke,
Lg. Yellow Core Tips

These are the seven of Bob’s iem’s I’ve kept and enjoy, the filter & tips are what my ears like and may not be for everyone so take my choices with a grain. I have given away my Delta V1, Hyperion, Sabre, Phantom Master 4 and my 17 year old went through 3 pair of Techne’s and always cable failure from wadding in his pocket! Can’t tell ypu how many times his mother washed them and they always worked

Thanks pal, I've always been intrigued by Bob's designs. Just got my Zenith (connector flipped), I have a set of Delta V2 and one of Master, they're alright but miles away from the Zenith or the R1, which I shouldn't have sold but I could not resist the offer. I would like to find a good Icarus, and I'm also wondering about the Hunter, I had found a couple of sets but they were very expensive, and also I thought that having the R1 there might be some duplication. Now I'm having second thoughts...

 

[bk123]

Well mine are in phase but the drivers are not matched very well. The right side is quite a bit louder than the left. I thought it might be my hearing but I tested with my FlaresPro which I know are matched and no balance issue whatsoever. So I'm glad Bob is sending replacements and I hope the new set is better balanced than the set I currently have. Oh by the way I was one of the first 20 to receive mine.

This is exactly the case with me as well. Right channel is louder than the left channel.

 

[playininjapan]

Is this one of those sheriff Bart/Waco Kid questions? I must, I must!
So let’s go:
1 - Zenith, Black Filter No Choke, Med. Auvio Tips
2 - Icarus III, Black Filter No Choke,
Med. Auvio Tips
3 - Delta V2, Gold Filter No Choke,
Lg. Auvio Tips
4 - R1, Gun Metal Filter W/Choke,
Lg. Auvio Tips
5 - Masters, Long Gun Metal W/Choke, Med. Orange Core Tips
6 - Vyrus V2, Long Black No Choke,
Med. Orange Core Tips
7 - Vyrus V1, Gun Metal W/Choke,
Lg. Yellow Core Tips

As a fellow Icarus III (gold dampened filter, foam tips) owner, I am curious about the high ranking. Do you find them to be better than the R1? I was looking into getting an R1, now I'm not so sure. How much bigger is the soundstage? Oh yeah, I find tons of enjoyment with the humble Vyrus (gold undampened filter, JVC tips) for doing yardwork, or other light "on the go" moments.

 

[Immortal]

Ok I put them in phase, but overall I'm still preferring the old R1s.
Burn-in time is just 24h, so I really hope that they'll change in the future.
Right now I'm using them with the same filters and tips that I'm using in my R1s (copper + spire dots medium), and they're less detailed and kinda "muddy" (sorry, I don't know a better term) in some songs, while in others they're pretty good. In my case, it seems that the left driver is a little bit louder than the right one.
Driver flex is still present but it's way way better than R1s. Also I really love the new cable!
The new porting system is quite different from the previous one with its pros and cons. It looks better and it's easy to tell if it's open or closed. However a little sign on the top to indicate the rotation to close/open it would have been good. Also, I accidentally close it to much and I had to struggle a little bit to reopen it, because the new knob is smaller in diameter.
Anyhow, my main focus is the sound and I really hope they'll be better after the burn-in or the new pair will have some other fixes (apart from the phase issue) to let them top the R1s.

 

[cleg]

I've got my pair today. Tested phasing and channel balance, looks like mine are 100% ok.
Zenith requires burn-in, but even initial impressions are positive: Zenith has better treble extension and layering and noticeably better 3D staging
I'm using similar blue filters for both

​

 

[Focux]

anyone able to compare these with Acoustune's offerings? 1650 or 1670