I just arrived in Tokyo and spent more than 2h at e-earphone, listening to IEMs!
This was the first time I had the chance to listen in a shop and to hear TOTL models.
I used the iPhone with Tidal Hifi offline files and the Chord Mojo to compare.
what follows are short impressions of what I heard, from top down
(Take it as that - short impressions!)
Sony IER Z1R
WOWWWWW! That one blew me away. Big, heavy but comfortable, and a sound to die for. Extremely clear and balanced, like every element and frequency has more presence than with anything else I heard. Sounstage, body, timbre, punch, sparkle, it sounded very real, but just so much more than all other IEMs that it was almost unreal. But a very intense listening experience and with “Butterflies and Hurricanes” there was some sibilance at higher volume. Everything else was great, very bold, powerful
Listening to the KPE in comparison, KPE sub bass has good wuantity but less definition, mid bass lacks body, vocals are actually very good, but not as radically clean and full bodied as the Z1R and the treble lacks the energy and sparkle of the Sony
64 Audio Tia Fourte
This one felt like a safer variant of the Z1R, it also felt powerful, balanced, full bodied, airy, sparkly, punchy, but in a more „refined“ way
I am sure I would not get tired of listening to that one even after a long time. With the Z1R I am wondering if it could be too intense.
CA Andromeda
I was very curious about this one as it is so often mentioned as TOTL IEM.
It felt like an even safer IEM compared to the Tia Fourte. Very balanced, detailed top to bottom, but not as lively as the Fourte, let alone the Z1R
CA Solaris
I gave this only a short listen, since I didn’t like the fit and they felt too light to me. Felt a bit livlier than the Andromeda, closer to the Fourte, somewhere in the middle, maybe closer to the Andromeda.
CA Comet:
Very nice mids but lacking extension on both ends. I am sure you can get used to it and enjoy what is there (whch sounds very good) but you give up treble and bass
Tanchjim Oxygen
Now that one is interesting to compare with the KPE. Some said it’s better, and I found it more balanced, but there is some clarity and life in the KPE that I found missing in the Oxygen. I think it’s the KPE’s midrange that is so clear and transparent yet lively and not thin that stands out. Both are good, I feel the Oxygen could be a more versatile choice, but the KPE shines more with music that matches it character.
I also listened to iBasso IT01 (good), IKKO OH1 (not much memory, didn’t particularly impress) and the Final Audio E-series (very balanced and especially the E2000 feels like a very good natural sounding budget IEM)
And then I listened to the JVC HA-FD01 and FD02, which are particularly interesting for me since I bought the FD02 and will receive it in 2 days.
Here I need to go into the comparison between Z1R, KPE and the JVC HA-FD02 (Luckily I liked the FD02 better, the FD01 was even brighter)
When I listened to the Z1R and compared it to the KPE, I think I learned to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the KPE. The toughest comparison was with Stravinsky’s “Firebird”. The Z1R had beautifully clear and powerful sound from sub bass to upper treble, no weak spot.
KPE had less mid bass (even a little less sub bass I felt) and less treble.
It laced some foundation and body, and sparkle, bite and shimmer in the treble. And there were some parts that sounded a little off, like the strings at 1:40 into the piece. Distorted, a tiny bit screechy, I’d describe it.
Additionally of course the Z1R had more transparency and detail, better separation etc.
The JVC FD02 seemed to have no such distortion issues, everything sounded “right”, more detailed, and mid bass is punchier, but is clearly generally much brighter than the Z1R or the KPE. Sounded good with some music, but then I came across a piece that really hurt my ears. I guess I may end up using James444’s mod
Bottomline about the KPE:
I feel the mid range is really, really good for the price, sub bass is good, transparency, soundstage and separation are also very good. This sounds GREAT with some tracks. Treble is a matter of taste, but IMO it could be a bit more sparkly and energetic (consider I use a smooth source...)
But with some pieces that need a strong mid bass or treble to balance the other elements I think there might be better options.
Once again - these are impressions, not reviews, and my experience with IEMs is limited. I am happy to own the KPE.
If I could pick one IEM of what I heard today, regardless of price I tend to pick the Z1R, with the Tia Fourte a second, “safe” choice, completely disregarding prices.
I listen lot of very complex tracks (prog rock) and it is marvelous!
