Ha! Well, here's to the spike going away...
Hmmm, Do we know this is coming???? I just wrote to Bob, asking what might be next up his sleeve.Now to see how much burn a planar/ DD/ piezo takes- betcha it's more
Yup, Bob stated it a couple times before the R2 launch. There might be even a plain planar IEM before the Rah, but it is unlikely.
I mean, a planar/ DD/ piezo IEM is a pretty complicated beast. I can't imagine how $1000 isn't a relative bargain in that space- border-pushing flagships are $2k+ territory, typically.
I am in no doubt it is a bargain from a technical perspective. I mean this is something completely new, and surely will require an immense amount of testing and tuning, together with designing a new housing (most likely).
Yup, the Rah will be the triple hybrid. The plain planar I was talking about did not receive a name yet, i think.
I think sometimes in audio we get this "endgame" mentality that convinces us that there's some sort of hierarchy where one product will do everything better. I'm not convinced I'll enjoy anything more than the R2s (the journey so far has been part of the fun to me), but I'm certain that I'll enjoy some things differently (see list in signature). I suspect the Rah is one of those things, and, to be honest, I'm not sure it will cost as much as originally projected, either. Discovering cost efficiencies is part of the design phase.
Well spoken! I originally had the same impression with the Zenith and before with the R1. Sure, they had their flaws. But i enjoyed the sound signature so much, that i definitely saw them as my end of the line IEM.
Was just about to ask the same question. I think the R2 is in a league above. Plus it's nowhere near as fussy as the Z with regards to tips
Well the "Best IEM" is the one you ENJOY the most as far as I'm concerned. I just unloaded a brand new set of Xelentos because because I so much more enjoyed the $150 P1 - so $$$ had nothing to do with it. I'm still looking for the "Perfect Tavel Buddy": easy to drive, sound spectacular with good excellent resolution, depth, clarity and sparkle and isolates well. That last bit is the only reason I rescinded my Aten order and went with Zenith. Oh yeah, one more thing I really want, relatively flush fit so I can sleep with them. Aten could have done that. Once I've burned the Zeniths in and had a really good listening session with them, I may still come back for an R2, by then all of your burn ins will be done and your impressions well formed. I may just skip the Aten and wait for Rah. Thanks for all your (collective) input!
I haven't tried the Zeniths, but they are quite enjoyable. On the other hand, while they excel at what they do, I don't see myself ever even thinking about attempting to sleep in them. They aren't that kind of enclosure
The Zenith's are definitely a good way to get an impression of the IMR sound. And thanks to the porting very versatile and travel friendly. So if you should enjoy the sound signature of it a lot, really give the R2 a try as well.
