OK. I just got the well run in 100 loaners and have them in my ears as I'm typing this. I only listened for a short time but it never takes me too long.
Let me start by saying that I like them and the perspective....but not as a high end type product...to me.
I'm enjoying then as a whole and hear the cool imaging though it could use more specificity compared to the best. They throw some neat stuff at the perimeter but aren't as focused towards center. They are quite open.
These comments will be of a super critical nature so they will be overstated in the grand scheme. They have good clarity but they sound a bit compressed and lack some black between notes and that's not just from woofer fill. Snares sound fine but female vocals and midrange piano, while tonally good lack a bit of bite or percussiveness. Could have sharper edges. The top is a very slightly splashy in a smoothed sort of way. Maybe slightly elevated somewhere around near 5k but never peaky. The bass is somewhat overdone while not killing the mids.
It doesn't do a great string bass recording justice but doesn't kill it as much as other bass enhanced IEMs either. The bass does have a bit of a disjointedness to the mids and to speculate, the openness may come from a bit of 2 fulrange driver displacement which would account for some other aspects as well. Total guess.
Unfortunately to critic something is to talk about it's deviation from what you perceive as correct and none of these characteristics are there to a significant degree. Compared to other iems in the range they are a good option. They have no glaring faults, have a good amount of info, a cool perspective and consumer friendly, natural tonality above the rather elevated bass that most prefer anyway. While I think a GR07 is more proficient in most ways, I couldn't live with the highs, PFEs lack bass with the preferred gray filters etc. There is no perfect IEM under $200 and these are a fine option. I could listen to these for a long time without fatigue.
Do I think them a good buy. For most, I'd say yes but they are not for me.
I'm not going to get into amping and swapping DAPs etc. There's no need for me. This is a consumer product and will be evaluated as such by me. I used a clip+ and touch 4g. I don't have my HiSound or amps with me at work today but these need to work with precisely these types of associated DAPs..
While this review will be percieved as damning to fans, It's not. I actually do like them and think those that purchased them should be happy. I just don't think they are a high end type product and just a VG one but that's just IMO.
