[Koolpep]

Update on the driver flex story:

IMR decided it’s best to send me a replacement set for me to see the difference. It’s already on its way..

I cannot report anything as spectacular customer service. I also ordered a balanced cable so that the shipment will arrive together.

Unfortunately though, it will reach here while I am out of the country for a week. Shame. But I shall be on top of everything in two weeks again.

Cheers.

 

[cleg]

My take on R1

 

[Venture Guy]

My take on R1

Great Review!

 

[Venture Guy]

@cleg just curious, what DAC and amp did you use for the review?

 

[cleg]

@cleg just curious, what DAC and amp did you use for the review?

I'm using A&K SP100, Lotoo Paw Gold and iBasso DX200+AMP3 as reference sources, also some mid-fi DAPs to evaluate matchability. For this exact review it was Lotoo Paw 5000 Mk2, Cayin N5ii and Hidizs AP200
Also I'm using Yulong DA9 and Resonessence Concero HP as desktop DAC/amp.

BTW, Concero HP is still one of the best options for IEMs (IMHO)

 

[Dobrescu George]

My take on IMR R1 is live now!

I find them to be an amazing IEM, if you need a very solid build quality, and a really reliable IEM with a customizable sound, R1 sure is worth looking into!

They sure have a fairly high price point, but the premium build quality and IMR's careful work's worth the asking price!

https://audiophile-heaven.blogspot.com/2018/04/imr-r1-customizable-enjoyment.html

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/imr-acoustics-r1.22682/reviews#review-20227

 

[Koolpep]

Gave the R1 to two friends to listen to yesterday night. Blue filters on, playing some high resolution still via xdsd and both really liked what they heard. The other earphone on the table was the JH Layla. The consensus was that the R1 is probably 98% of the Layla. And that is a nearly $3,000 earphone.....

 

[mfid]

How easy are these to drive? Would an iPhone 7 Plus with Tidal and Dragonfly Black be up to the task?

 

[Blommen]

How easy are these to drive? Would an iPhone 7 Plus with Tidal and Dragonfly Black be up to the task?

Yes.

 

[Koolpep]

How easy are these to drive? Would an iPhone 7 Plus with Tidal and Dragonfly Black be up to the task?

Yes.

Yes.

+1 you will be fine.

 

[Venture Guy]

Under the heading of behavioral economics, the study of how psychology influences economic decision-making, we see a wide range of reactions to the price of the R1. There are those who categorize it as "mid-fi" simply based on the $700 price. There are others who see it as being on the par with IEMs in the $1K to $3K price range and see it as a bargain (include me in this group). And, then we have a number of people who view it as expensive, irrespective of its class leading performance.... humans are a fascinating lot!

 

[mfid]

Under the heading of behavioral economics, the study of how psychology influences economic decision-making, we see a wide range of reactions to the price of the R1. There are those who categorize it as "mid-fi" simply based on the $700 price. There are others who see it as being on the par with IEMs in the $1K to $3K price range and see it as a bargain (include me in this group). And, then we have a number of people who view it as expensive, irrespective of its class leading performance.... humans are a fascinating lot!

Having never spent this much money on headphones I'm on the fence between your 2nd and 3rd groups. Closest I've got was £200 on PSB M4U 4s which were great until one ear stopped working within a couple of months. Pretty much ready to drop some money on these IMR R1s, hoping that I'll be in the 2nd by the time I've listened to them!

I see the cables are a talking point already, but to throw another element into the mix - are there any cables with a remote/mic that anyone would recommend?

 

[Dobrescu George]

Gave the R1 to two friends to listen to yesterday night. Blue filters on, playing some high resolution still via xdsd and both really liked what they heard. The other earphone on the table was the JH Layla. The consensus was that the R1 is probably 98% of the Layla. And that is a nearly $3,000 earphone.....

Welp

IMR R1 is quite amazing.

Under the heading of behavioral economics, the study of how psychology influences economic decision-making, we see a wide range of reactions to the price of the R1. There are those who categorize it as "mid-fi" simply based on the $700 price. There are others who see it as being on the par with IEMs in the $1K to $3K price range and see it as a bargain (include me in this group). And, then we have a number of people who view it as expensive, irrespective of its class leading performance.... humans are a fascinating lot!

I couldn't care less about the price when saying this, but they are an upper midrange IEM, but as @Koolpep shows above, the higher you climb on the price stair, the more the law of diminishing returns kicks in. At 700$, the price includes some for the premium build quality, thing which I love, as those look really well made.

In all fairness, unless you know what you want or have quite specific tastes that IMR R1 can't reach with their tuning mechanism (like the very specific IE800 tuning), you might keep those for a large number of years without the need to upgrade

@mfid - Do you really need mic/remote cables? You can't have mic/remote and have balanced cables at the same time, and you can't use mic/remote with an external DAC for 99% of DACs out there

 

[JohnRS]

Under the heading of behavioral economics, the study of how psychology influences economic decision-making, we see a wide range of reactions to the price of the R1. There are those who categorize it as "mid-fi" simply based on the $700 price. There are others who see it as being on the par with IEMs in the $1K to $3K price range and see it as a bargain (include me in this group). And, then we have a number of people who view it as expensive, irrespective of its class leading performance.... humans are a fascinating lot!

What about those, well that one guy, who thinks the £500 price tag is an over-inflated price, and that the B-Stock is nothing more than a ruse and the actual price tag is £200.

I'm not sure where I'd fit in your category. I paid £200 which was around the same price as my IE80's and they're in a different league. I'm not experienced enough, nor have I tried enough IEM's to comment on whether they're mid or high end. What I do know though is they were a absolute bargain and I'm more than happy with them.

 

[McCol]

The problem is that some are not able to see past the Trinity fiasco.

At £500 they outperform earphones at higher prices, at the b-stock price they are probably one of the best bargains in headphone land!!

I’ve only seen that one negative from one person saying they were overpriced.