[Nick24JJ]

In my opinion and to my experience the general sound of IEMs and headphones can only be tuned by 10-20% by cables and tips/earpads.

Okay, I understand, allow me to ask you a question, please. Do you still have the Advar? If so, how do you find the bass when listening to Electronica? Like, Trance, Progressive, Downtempo, Psy Trance, House, Techno, and similar styles.

 

[betula]

Okay, I understand, allow me to ask you a question, please. Do you still have the Advar? If so, how do you find the bass when listening to Electronica? Like, Trance, Progressive, Downtempo, Psy Trance, House, Techno, and similar styles.

Advar bass is mid-bass emphasised but in a tasteful manner. Bass is smooth and plentiful but not the cleanest and most impactful. I quite enjoyed the genres you mention on the Advar but if speed and impact is what you are after you have better choices out there. The Advar is most of all a 'pleasant' and rounded listen.

 

[DrewVz]

Okay, I understand, allow me to ask you a question, please. Do you still have the Advar? If so, how do you find the bass when listening to Electronica? Like, Trance, Progressive, Downtempo, Psy Trance, House, Techno, and similar styles.

I'm a huge fan of those genres and the Advar will not satisfy you. The 109 Pro is better suited, but still not ideal. The Advar is a step down.

If you want an IEM that is suited to those genres, then you should be looking for an Oriolus Szalayi, UM MEXT, or an IMR offering (BC2023, Semper, Ace, Zenith2) in that price range. Also, FatFreq makes some IEMs that you might want to look at, although I've never tried them. The 7Hz Legato would meet the bass needs, but I suspect the tuning is quite different than the 109 Pros. Closest is definitely Advar, but if you want satisfying bass, then you need to move up a bit.

If you want to stretch your budget, then look for a 64audio Duo, EE Evo, or FiR Xenon6.

Just sharing my experience.

 

[Nick24JJ]

Okay guys, thank you both for your impressions. I just thought I could get away, paying for the GO Pod £200 less by getting the Advar, as well, but it does not worth it, as it seems. I already have the IMR Elan+ and this is the reason I will get the iFi GO Pod.

PS: @DrewVz for me, the cable you can see in my signature makes the the 109 Pro perfect! Honestly! The Mojo 2 non-destructive DSP is there for me, I've never felt the need to use it.

 

[DrewVz]

Okay guys, thank you both for your impressions. I just thought I could get away, paying for the GO Pod £200 less by getting the Advar, as well, but it does not worth it, as it seems. I already have the IMR Elan+ and this is the reason I will get the iFi GO Pod.

PS: @DrewVz for me, the cable you can see in my signature makes the the 109 Pro perfect! Honestly! The Mojo 2 non-destructive DSP is there for me, I've never felt the need to use it.

I have the Meze copper PCUHD cable for my 109 Pros and it's a great match. I have the Healer for my IEMs but it's not a great match for any of them. Solid bass, but spatial cues and high frequency details are too reserved for my tastes. It's a nice cable though.

 

[558698]

I'm a huge fan of those genres and the Advar will not satisfy you. The 109 Pro is better suited, but still not ideal. The Advar is a step down.

If you want an IEM that is suited to those genres, then you should be looking for an Oriolus Szalayi, UM MEXT, or an IMR offering (BC2023, Semper, Ace, Zenith2) in that price range. Also, FatFreq makes some IEMs that you might want to look at, although I've never tried them. The 7Hz Legato would meet the bass needs, but I suspect the tuning is quite different than the 109 Pros. Closest is definitely Advar, but if you want satisfying bass, then you need to move up a bit.

If you want to stretch your budget, then look for a 64audio Duo, EE Evo, or FiR Xenon6.

Just sharing my experience.

Its interesting cause I personally find the Advar great for electronic music, because of its rich bass and intimate sound. They were the IEMs that lead me to try(and then buy) the 109s for use at home. (My ears dont appreciate something in them for hours a day, sadly.)

Granted, I dont have extensive experience with any higher end IEMs, albeit by choice.
I find that the Advars have a very comfortable sound, much like the 109 though definitely more bass which can be great, but makes it a poor performer for strongly acoustic or vocal music.
For electronic stuff, I still grab it all the time.

I also just want to make a general comment that while there are probably far superior performing IEMs for any type of sound you’d want compared to the price bracket the Advar operates in, but that this definitely doesnt have to equate to something like the Advar outright not having “satisfying bass” or not being a good value because there are more expensive IEMs that naturally then also do (in this case) bass better (whatever that even means in this wonderfully subjective hobby).
Find something you can afford, preferably comfortably so you can replace or repair it without immense stress if need be, that is the best at what you need and want it to do in that pricebracket.
Personally, I greatly enjoy my Advar and 109 knowing I can afford to take care of them much more than I would gear twice the price that I cant afford to have anything happen to.

 

[Nick24JJ]

Advar bass is mid-bass emphasised but in a tasteful manner. Bass is smooth and plentiful but not the cleanest and most impactful. I quite enjoyed the genres you mention on the Advar but if speed and impact is what you are after you have better choices out there. The Advar is most of all a 'pleasant' and rounded listen.

What do you suggest?

 

[Nick24JJ]

Its interesting cause I personally find the Advar great for electronic music, because of its rich bass and intimate sound. They were the IEMs that lead me to try(and then buy) the 109s for use at home. (My ears dont appreciate something in them for hours a day, sadly.)

Granted, I dont have extensive experience with any higher end IEMs, albeit by choice.
I find that the Advars have a very comfortable sound, much like the 109 though definitely more bass which can be great, but makes it a poor performer for strongly acoustic or vocal music.
For electronic stuff, I still grab it all the time.

I appreciate your opinion, if I may ask, are you listening to your own audio files and are they FLAC?
More importantly, are you listening to any YouTube DJ mixes with your Advar? How does this sound?
Are you using any streaming services like Amazon Music or Qobuz? How does this sound?

Thank you!

PS: all the above sound excellent to me, with my 109 Pro (and the Healer cable).

 

[558698]

I appreciate your opinion, if I may ask, are you listening to your own audio files and are they FLAC?
More importantly, are you listening to any YouTube DJ mixes with your Advar? How does this sound?
Are you using any streaming services like Amazon Music or Qobuz? How does this sound?

Thank you!

PS: all the above sound excellent to me, with my 109 Pro (and the Healer cable).

Always happy to talk about music and gear!

I basically exclusively listen to music using my DAP with Qobuz, so either CD quality flac or hi-res.
I also have some audio files on my DAP, bought from Qobuz so again CD quality flac or hi-res.

I find that it sounds really good, warm, energetic, intimate, impactful (for an IEM).
The main things I have against the Advar aren’t really issues for me when listening to electronic music, e.g. the elevated bass and treble drowning out a lot of nuance in the midrange.
I find that the 109 Pro is noticeably more neutral in that regard. (Granted Im currently on the stock cable, and I dont know the Healer cable.) Great for an all-rounder pair of headphones, but I prefer the Advars when I want to drown the world out and vanish into some otherworldly soundscapes.

Beyond that the Advars possess a lot of treble, which can sometimes be uncomfortable, borderline unpleasant, when music is sufficienly treble-heavy. (Supposedly aftermarket tips can help with this, Ive found using a balanced cable helps a lot in my case.)

I really never listen to music on YouTube, as basically all music I like is available on Qobuz. I reckon the Advar would be a bit overkill for the quality YouTube feeds it, but your mileage may vary there. I wouldnt say the Advars are more critical of what you feed them than the 109, if anything less so.

Lastly Ive found that the Advars can sound quite different depending on what source you use with it (or what cable for that matter). But definitely always warm and intimate (with treble that is a topic of debate).

 

[Mhog55]

I have the Meze copper PCUHD cable for my 109 Pros and it's a great match. I have the Healer for my IEMs but it's not a great match for any of them. Solid bass, but spatial cues and high frequency details are too reserved for my tastes. It's a nice cable though.

Do you feel like that copper cable toned down the higher frequencies much? I own the cable, but I use it with different cans.

 

[aravaioli]

Okay guys, thank you both for your impressions. I just thought I could get away, paying for the GO Pod £200 less by getting the Advar, as well, but it does not worth it, as it seems. I already have the IMR Elan+ and this is the reason I will get the iFi GO Pod.

PS: @DrewVz for me, the cable you can see in my signature makes the the 109 Pro perfect! Honestly! The Mojo 2 non-destructive DSP is there for me, I've never felt the need to use it.

I have both the Advar and the IMR Elan+ (I also own the Ozar, great value but inferior to the Elan+ in all aspects), unfortunately my music tastes are polar opposite, only acoustic jazz, flamenco and classical. However I can tell you that that the soundstage of both my IMR is far superior to the Advar. The latter is perfect for vocal-centric acoustic music. For your music I suspect with its strong emphasis on upper mids is a poor choice and I would definitely pass if in possession of any IMR.

 

[Nick24JJ]

I have both the Advar and the IMR Elan+ (I also own the Ozar, great value but inferior to the Elan+ in all aspects), unfortunately my music tastes are polar opposite, only acoustic jazz, flamenco and classical. However I can tell you that that the soundstage of both my IMR is far superior to the Advar. The latter is perfect for vocal-centric acoustic music. For your music I suspect with its strong emphasis on upper mids is a poor choice and I would definitely pass if in possession of any IMR.

Thank you for confirming my initial hunch and the other members who have reported the same. I have already decided to not purchase the iFi Go pod & Meze Advar combo. I will wait for the Go pod to be offered as a standalone product.

 

[Quadrangulator]

Anyone have a solution to the microphonic/resonance of the 109 Pro's metal headband?

When I speak, my voice creates a resonance in the headband that I can hear. Same with some notes in music, and same when I move my head sometimes. Pressing down on the headband dampens/removed the resonance, but that's not really a practical solution.

 

[J Mirra]

Anyone have a solution to the microphonic/resonance of the 109 Pro's metal headband?

When I speak, my voice creates a resonance in the headband that I can hear. Same with some notes in music, and same when I move my head sometimes. Pressing down on the headband dampens/removed the resonance, but that's not really a practical solution.

I use mine for gaming and when in party chat I hear the odd ping.... ding when I talk. Doesn't really bother me to often the audio quality makes up for it.
I can see how it might bother you though.

 

[Newsee]

Anyone have a solution to the microphonic/resonance of the 109 Pro's metal headband?

When I speak, my voice creates a resonance in the headband that I can hear. Same with some notes in music, and same when I move my head sometimes. Pressing down on the headband dampens/removed the resonance, but that's not really a practical solution.

If the resonance really annoys you, you can dampen the vibration by putting someting dampening around the band, e.g. some clothes. Or you can change the resonance frequency of it by fixing someting heavy piece to it firmly. Or both. Maybe a thicker rubber band around the middle would to the trick.