Lime Ears Aether - Ciem Flagship - discussion, review, and impressions thread
- Thread starter MrButchi
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Certainly the Rox will give you the deepest bass (I owned the 846 for a while) . However the Aether is so musical and such great highs I would certainly consider it. I have custom Angie and out of all the IEMs I tried at canjam Inc. Roxanne, Layla, Aether, Final Audio, FLC's, IE800, Nobel's - the Aether is the one I'd have.
Look like have to wait until canjam singapore next month to audition. So many TOTL IEM to try. Just audition AAW W500 today. Any comparison with Aether?
Hi guys, does anyone here have a chance to compare Aether to Hum Pristine R ? I'd like to hear your impression. Thanks
The Aether and the HUM have significantly different signatures. The Aether is more energetic and fun with a sparklier treble, a more recessed midrange, and a bigger and bolder bass. The HUM is neutral yet laidback with a focus and slight forwardness on the midrange. The HUM's treble and bass performance is quite dependant on the track played through it, though a commonality I've found is great resolution on both ends of the spectrum, despite rather rolled-off highs. I'd say the HUM beats out the Aether on resolution, but the Aether edges it out on absolute clarity. Soundstage-wise, the HUM is wider while the Aether is deeper, and I'd say the HUM is more spatially accurate.
hechlok
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Hi, I am Aether owner for a year or so and I've been using them with FAW Hybrid IEM cable (forzaudioworks.com). I am looking for a different balanced cable for ZX2. Anyone tried Whiplash cables with Aether? Maybe something you can recommend?
There are two cables I can recommend for the Aether to emphasize two different strengths the Aether possesses.
The Effect Audio Ares II+ adds a richness and lusciousness to the Aether and thickens its midrange, for a more laidback and soothing signature. It is a heavy cable though; its ergonomics are not as strong as its sonic performance.
On the other hand, I can also recommend the DHC Symbiote SP Type 4 Ver. 3 (or, their latest silver cable, for short) which livens up the Aether and emphasizes its airiness, giving it a quickness, lightness, and energy, without adding sibilance and maintaining organic dynamics. Though, as usual with DHC, the lead time is approximately three months.
In the end, it's all a matter of preference and where you want to take the Aether.
Hope this helps!
Has anyone here compared Aether to Vega? Would like to hear your impression. Thanks
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I own the vega and have subscribed to the aether demo tour, so I will have a chance tk compare them.
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Currently in possession of the Aether from the tour. Just wanted to post up my impressions. I have only used them for approximately two days so my opinions might change. This is by no means an objective piece but my opinion.
I am currently driving the Aether straight from my MacBook pro or my iPhone 6s. They both seem to provide enough juice to power the Aether and seem easy enough to drive. In this review I will try to talk about the comparison of the Aether compared to my SE846 especially since the switch seems to target the bass response.
Overall: The Aether are fantastic IEM's. They are clear and concise. The treble is very revealing without ever getting too hot. It reveals enough information and it doesn't seem overtly sparkly to me. I am quite sensitive to treble and my IE800 will give my ears some fatigue if I sit with them too long. For the portion that I have listened to the aether, I have been using these for electronic music. I have to say that I do appreciate the bass switch but to my ears the bass seems perfectly fine from the neutral position. I honestly think that if the Aether were released without the bass switch it would do just fine. The bass switch when I turn them on seem to pull the mid range to the back seat while the bass and treble can be heard. I also feel as if there is a bit of recessed vocals when I turn on the bass switch. The bass can be a touch forward and it pulls the vocals where I kind of want to hear them more. Its great that It is so easy to switch them back and forth to see the difference. I prefer the beautiful neutral sound signature rather than the bass version of the Aether. In some tracks the bass sticks out but it doesn't offer the same level of cohesion and bass slam that I get with my SE846.
Bass: The bass on the SE846 has a mid forward and authoritative slam in the mid bass region that is very full, warm and cohesive. Its like one well cohesive sound with a strong emphasis on the bass. The sound stage is much smaller on the SE846 which gives it even more of that focused pictured kind of sound that I love for electronic music. The bass on the Aether sounds perfect on neutral as I mentioned. Well paced, controlled and plenty of power but doesn't offer the same level of slam. The bass switch controls more of the sub bass but when I turn it on, I crave the cohesive sound signature that the neutral position offers. The more forward mids and the beautiful sound stage that is wide enough with just a little bit of height. The cohesion and musicality is the Aether strong point. If I could describe my IEM's I would say my SE846 are fun, while the Aether are Musical. I enjoy turning the bass switch on sometimes and with the right track that has a good mastered track the sub bass and bass are incredible. Other times, I just find that keeping them off is better because the bass is a touch too much and the neutral position is just better and more refined. It seems that the aether was designed with the neutral position in mind and the switch for the bass was added afterwards. The bass brings some needed rumble but at the expense of the beautiful musicality that Aether already possesses. You sometimes dont need to alter a picasso painting. It's perfect the way it is and I sometimes find the bass switch unnecessary the more I listen to it. Its great that there is the option to just be able to play around with it but when I A/B both settings, I often find myself going back to neutral/musical position over bass position. It really depends on the song as sometimes I will appreciate the way the producer/engineers envisioned the track and the Aether will display some fantastic sub bass in a cohesive and musical manner.
Mids: Mids have a fantastic pace and almost layered textured to it. I cant really determine if its due to the sound stage but I am guessing it is. It's beautiful and it seems like a neutral positioned or maybe just a bump north of neutral. When I turn on the bass port however, I find that some tracks the mids disappear into the background. When some tracks have the right bass instruments, I find it perfect. As I am listening to Yellow Claw- Good Day which is an electronic music/ trap song. The vocals of the singer are prominent regardless of the bass switch. Other tracks are not so lucky and I usually find myself turning the switch off. Mids overall have sound beautiful on the neutral position so if you are ever craving some fantastic vocals with well controlled, top notch bass, the neutral position aether are for you. The level of bass I may get with the SE846 is heavier with the mids fairly foward while the Aether if I crank up the bass with the switch, the mids may take a back seat position. The fact that I think the sound stage is fairly large also plays into the way the mids are presented. With a wide sound stage, boost in the sub bass and well layered treble, it makes sense that the mids may take a back seat. The reverb on the vocals that the producers used in the track along with the size of the sound stage they often use on the vocal tracks can be heard very clearly. This a feature I have only been able to pick up on my near field monitors.
Treble: Treble is sparkly without going into the hot zone and being offensive to my ears. They seem just right. The decay of the cymbals are well paced and sound very natural. Bass switch on or off, they treble doesn't seem to change at all. Treble is beautiful and doesn't lack any detail. It doesn't roll off like the SE846. They seem just right with the right level of sparkle without getting too hot.
Overall: The Aether are great IEM's at TOTL status and it is fun to play around with the sub bass switch but at times they can lack that cohesion of the regular sound signature. Turning on the bass switch can at some times give the impression of different sound stages from the music to the vocals. I think Emil did a fantastic job with the Aether and it could have easily been designed without the bass switch but an added bass switch is welcomed to separate it from the competition. It has something that is different and I like different. I enjoy playing around with the switch to see how a bump in the sub bass region changes the overall perception of the music. I just cant say that with the bass switch on could really compete with the presentation of the SE846. Its more of an added bonus and the two are pretty different IEM's. A good comparison would have been the comparison of the harmony 8.2 and the Aether. Aether (Neutral) vs the Harmony 8.2 is a close race. That say a lot because I really liked the Harmony 8.2
Edit: So I changed the tips to my Noble Audio tips and the sound hasn't necessarily improved because the clarity never disappeared but the sound signature sounds more refined and cohesive painting one picture. Prior I felt that the mids were in their own space with the treble and bass sounding like they occupied a different sound stage. It could have been the tips because partially the bores on the IEM were half covered due to the size of the ear tip bore.
The noble earths fit better than the stock tips included and are much more comfortable. The tips from the tour kind of dont seem like the earth bore is large enough and covers parts of the holes on the IEM. They also stick out more and cause some discomfort when I insert them into my ears. The Noble audio tips are perfect. They fit snug almost like a wrap and mold the IEM bores almost like a pair of customs. They sound a whole lot better. The vocals dont seem as distant when the bass switch is turned on which I originally had an issue with. I think the positioning in the ear and the tips really made a difference in my impression. I am somewhat sure that the customs probably have an even more refined sound.
I am currently driving the Aether straight from my MacBook pro or my iPhone 6s. They both seem to provide enough juice to power the Aether and seem easy enough to drive. In this review I will try to talk about the comparison of the Aether compared to my SE846 especially since the switch seems to target the bass response.
Overall: The Aether are fantastic IEM's. They are clear and concise. The treble is very revealing without ever getting too hot. It reveals enough information and it doesn't seem overtly sparkly to me. I am quite sensitive to treble and my IE800 will give my ears some fatigue if I sit with them too long. For the portion that I have listened to the aether, I have been using these for electronic music. I have to say that I do appreciate the bass switch but to my ears the bass seems perfectly fine from the neutral position. I honestly think that if the Aether were released without the bass switch it would do just fine. The bass switch when I turn them on seem to pull the mid range to the back seat while the bass and treble can be heard. I also feel as if there is a bit of recessed vocals when I turn on the bass switch. The bass can be a touch forward and it pulls the vocals where I kind of want to hear them more. Its great that It is so easy to switch them back and forth to see the difference. I prefer the beautiful neutral sound signature rather than the bass version of the Aether. In some tracks the bass sticks out but it doesn't offer the same level of cohesion and bass slam that I get with my SE846.
Bass: The bass on the SE846 has a mid forward and authoritative slam in the mid bass region that is very full, warm and cohesive. Its like one well cohesive sound with a strong emphasis on the bass. The sound stage is much smaller on the SE846 which gives it even more of that focused pictured kind of sound that I love for electronic music. The bass on the Aether sounds perfect on neutral as I mentioned. Well paced, controlled and plenty of power but doesn't offer the same level of slam. The bass switch controls more of the sub bass but when I turn it on, I crave the cohesive sound signature that the neutral position offers. The more forward mids and the beautiful sound stage that is wide enough with just a little bit of height. The cohesion and musicality is the Aether strong point. If I could describe my IEM's I would say my SE846 are fun, while the Aether are Musical. I enjoy turning the bass switch on sometimes and with the right track that has a good mastered track the sub bass and bass are incredible. Other times, I just find that keeping them off is better because the bass is a touch too much and the neutral position is just better and more refined. It seems that the aether was designed with the neutral position in mind and the switch for the bass was added afterwards. The bass brings some needed rumble but at the expense of the beautiful musicality that Aether already possesses. You sometimes dont need to alter a picasso painting. It's perfect the way it is and I sometimes find the bass switch unnecessary the more I listen to it. Its great that there is the option to just be able to play around with it but when I A/B both settings, I often find myself going back to neutral/musical position over bass position. It really depends on the song as sometimes I will appreciate the way the producer/engineers envisioned the track and the Aether will display some fantastic sub bass in a cohesive and musical manner.
Mids: Mids have a fantastic pace and almost layered textured to it. I cant really determine if its due to the sound stage but I am guessing it is. It's beautiful and it seems like a neutral positioned or maybe just a bump north of neutral. When I turn on the bass port however, I find that some tracks the mids disappear into the background. When some tracks have the right bass instruments, I find it perfect. As I am listening to Yellow Claw- Good Day which is an electronic music/ trap song. The vocals of the singer are prominent regardless of the bass switch. Other tracks are not so lucky and I usually find myself turning the switch off. Mids overall have sound beautiful on the neutral position so if you are ever craving some fantastic vocals with well controlled, top notch bass, the neutral position aether are for you. The level of bass I may get with the SE846 is heavier with the mids fairly foward while the Aether if I crank up the bass with the switch, the mids may take a back seat position. The fact that I think the sound stage is fairly large also plays into the way the mids are presented. With a wide sound stage, boost in the sub bass and well layered treble, it makes sense that the mids may take a back seat. The reverb on the vocals that the producers used in the track along with the size of the sound stage they often use on the vocal tracks can be heard very clearly. This a feature I have only been able to pick up on my near field monitors.
Treble: Treble is sparkly without going into the hot zone and being offensive to my ears. They seem just right. The decay of the cymbals are well paced and sound very natural. Bass switch on or off, they treble doesn't seem to change at all. Treble is beautiful and doesn't lack any detail. It doesn't roll off like the SE846. They seem just right with the right level of sparkle without getting too hot.
Overall: The Aether are great IEM's at TOTL status and it is fun to play around with the sub bass switch but at times they can lack that cohesion of the regular sound signature. Turning on the bass switch can at some times give the impression of different sound stages from the music to the vocals. I think Emil did a fantastic job with the Aether and it could have easily been designed without the bass switch but an added bass switch is welcomed to separate it from the competition. It has something that is different and I like different. I enjoy playing around with the switch to see how a bump in the sub bass region changes the overall perception of the music. I just cant say that with the bass switch on could really compete with the presentation of the SE846. Its more of an added bonus and the two are pretty different IEM's. A good comparison would have been the comparison of the harmony 8.2 and the Aether. Aether (Neutral) vs the Harmony 8.2 is a close race. That say a lot because I really liked the Harmony 8.2
Edit: So I changed the tips to my Noble Audio tips and the sound hasn't necessarily improved because the clarity never disappeared but the sound signature sounds more refined and cohesive painting one picture. Prior I felt that the mids were in their own space with the treble and bass sounding like they occupied a different sound stage. It could have been the tips because partially the bores on the IEM were half covered due to the size of the ear tip bore.
The noble earths fit better than the stock tips included and are much more comfortable. The tips from the tour kind of dont seem like the earth bore is large enough and covers parts of the holes on the IEM. They also stick out more and cause some discomfort when I insert them into my ears. The Noble audio tips are perfect. They fit snug almost like a wrap and mold the IEM bores almost like a pair of customs. They sound a whole lot better. The vocals dont seem as distant when the bass switch is turned on which I originally had an issue with. I think the positioning in the ear and the tips really made a difference in my impression. I am somewhat sure that the customs probably have an even more refined sound.
Sound Eq
Headphoneus Supremus
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is there a universal version ?
After reading the few, but awesome reviews about the Aether i decided to contact Emil and asked him if he could loan me a demo unit so that i could have a listen and confirm the hype around his new flagship.
Emil was very prompt on his email replies and after 1 week i received the universal demo version of the Aether.
I´m not a fan of universal iems but as soon has i put these "little" monsters on my ears i was blown away!!
It only took me 2 hours to understand that i would want a pair of the Aether´s but in custom form.
And so after 24h with these babies i ordered my custom version with Emil and now the wait begins!
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