[redrol]

I utterly blast my KPE and the tuning suits that very much. No bad peaks, no screechy mids, just pure enjoyment.

 

[exitfire401]

I utterly blast my KPE and the tuning suits that very much. No bad peaks, no screechy mids, just pure enjoyment.

Couldn't agree more. Wanted to test with the wife and see how loud I could go on my M11 before she could hear the music. Had the volume up to 92/120 before she could hear anything and while that was about 30 notches too high for my normal listening, everything stayed crystal clear.

 

[MariusAB]

Couldn't agree more. Wanted to test with the wife and see how loud I could go on my M11 before she could hear the music. Had the volume up to 92/120 before she could hear anything and while that was about 30 notches too high for my normal listening, everything stayed crystal clear.

How do you like m11 and KPE combo? Do you feel these both fits each other. As kpe has really good tuning in treble and subbass i like. Does m11 alter this somehow or lets KPE be what it is. Thanks.

 

[exitfire401]

How do you like m11 and KPE combo? Do you feel these both fits each other. As kpe has really good tuning in treble and subbass i like. Does m11 alter this somehow or lets KPE be what it is. Thanks.

It's a great budget pairing. I don't find the M11 adding or detracting from the sound of the KPE. Everything still sounds well balanced and I have no complaints.

 

[MariusAB]

It's a great budget pairing. I don't find the M11 adding or detracting from the sound of the KPE. Everything still sounds well balanced and I have no complaints.

Thanks for sharing. So as i love my kpe very much happy to hear that m11 and kpe is good sounding together. And price for this combo is hard to beat. Hope to have m11 soon.

 

[surfgeorge]

I'm now convinced that the problem with Crescent is mostly at 4k(at least for me). I'd say you can take any song. The first thing I noticed when I put the Crescents on is how unusually and unnaturally clear the vocals sound, almost like the vocalist has the microphone in his/her throat. I'm exaggerating a little bit to make a point, but that's what I hear. I listen to a lot of big band jazz, latin jazz, and when the cymbals hit full force together with trumpet section... not great at all and they don't sound natural to me.

So if Kanas Pro has same amount or more at 4k then it's probably not for me. @DynamicEars, I've read your review and comparison with T2, but I wonder if KP has less or more treble than T2? T2 definitely has too much treble for me overall.

@Pechius
I pulled out the Crescent and gave them a listen to try to better understand what you are describing.
You mention 2 things - the unnaturally/unusually clear vocals and the cymbals and trumpets.

Actually, I find the Cresecent to be rather full sounding, with only a very moderate bump in the vocal range, and the strong bass more than balances that. So IMO the vocals are quite nice, but not as clear and forward/elevated as with some other IEMs. I can only think of 2 explanations for your experience - either you don't have a good seal and are losing bass impact, or you are so used to recessed vocals that the Crescent appears unnatural. Ok, a third possible reason is condensation - when I received the Crescents they obviously had condensation inside and sounded aweful. After leaving them out in the open for a few days that was gone.

The second issue you mentioned is cymbals and trumpet - that's the treble spike in the 7-8kHz region. The Crescent has a bit of a spike there, and it does sounds a bit sharp at times.

Comparison to KPE:
KPE has much clearer vocals, not just more elevated but much better separation and detail and a really nice, floating presentation. It's their best part.
If you find the Crescent too clear in the vocals, the KPE has much more clarity.
Treble on the other hand is smoother on the KPE and depending on tips can be very smooth. Especially with the custom silicone tips I got for them, treble was even too smooth at times.
IMO much better than Crescent.

If you are sure your Crescent are ok, seal is good and you still don't like the sound signature, maybe a flatter IEM like the EX800ST would suit your taste.

 

[FastAndClean]

 

[redrol]

A friend just got the KxxS and was like these are better than they have any right to be.

 

[Pechius]

You can`t just judge by amount of dB level @ 4kHz - the whole picture of FR graph is important as that 4khz can be "balanced out" by other frequencies. It is not so easy to interpret graphs.

I'm very aware of that. I came up with this conclusion by playing

@Pechius
I pulled out the Crescent and gave them a listen to try to better understand what you are describing.
You mention 2 things - the unnaturally/unusually clear vocals and the cymbals and trumpets.

Actually, I find the Cresecent to be rather full sounding, with only a very moderate bump in the vocal range, and the strong bass more than balances that. So IMO the vocals are quite nice, but not as clear and forward/elevated as with some other IEMs. I can only think of 2 explanations for your experience - either you don't have a good seal and are losing bass impact, or you are so used to recessed vocals that the Crescent appears unnatural. Ok, a third possible reason is condensation - when I received the Crescents they obviously had condensation inside and sounded aweful. After leaving them out in the open for a few days that was gone.

The second issue you mentioned is cymbals and trumpet - that's the treble spike in the 7-8kHz region. The Crescent has a bit of a spike there, and it does sounds a bit sharp at times.

Comparison to KPE:
KPE has much clearer vocals, not just more elevated but much better separation and detail and a really nice, floating presentation. It's their best part.
If you find the Crescent too clear in the vocals, the KPE has much more clarity.
Treble on the other hand is smoother on the KPE and depending on tips can be very smooth. Especially with the custom silicone tips I got for them, treble was even too smooth at times.
IMO much better than Crescent.

If you are sure your Crescent are ok, seal is good and you still don't like the sound signature, maybe a flatter IEM like the EX800ST would suit your taste.

Thanks for your ideas. In terms of vocals, I wasn't really talking about them being too forward/elevated. If anything, they seem slightly recessed. I'm certainly not used to recessed vocals, if anything, I'm used to the opposite. K550 cans really bring out the vocals nicely which I'm used to. A bit too much, actually.

I definitely have a good seal and lots of bass. Too much, actually.

I still wouldn't agree with you about 7-8kHz. I don't think I have any problem with that. I played with EQ and I can get rid of that problem by cutting a few db @4kHz. Increasing 7-8khz doesn't really bother me, while increasing 4khz definitely does and makes everything even even more harsh..

Good to know that treble is smoother on KPE, and I'll have to consider ex800st as well, maybe that's my answer.

 

[redrol]

I have both the KPE and the ex800st. The KPE definitely has more / better ocd detail and high end. The 800St has this special thing with the bass and mids, sounds more like old large analog speakers. I love both and one can't replace the other!

 

[gazzington]

A friend just got the KxxS and was like these are better than they have any right to be.

What's s kxxS?

 

[guicnovaes]

Looks like almost the same as the KP, with a very slightly more treble.

 

[FastAndClean]

Looks like almost the same as the KP, with a very slightly more treble.

around 7db more energy at 14-15 khz, that is a lot and the KP already has enough upper treble sparkle

 

[guicnovaes]

around 7db more energy at 14-15 khz, that is a lot and the KP already has enough upper treble sparkle

Measurements are "precise" only until 10Khz. Values after this must be ignored (that's why the area is colored in grey).
Even until 10Khz, some non-existent peaks can show up, mainly on the 7,5-9khz region(insertion depth, Resonances in the coupler, etc).

 

[FastAndClean]

Measurements are "precise" only until 10Khz. Values after this must be ignored (that's why the area is colored in grey).
Even until 10Khz, some non-existent peaks can show up, mainly on the 7,5-9khz region(insertion depth, Resonances in the coupler, etc).

upper treble spike is consistent with various measurement rigs, the grey area shows the raw uncompensated response, also the treble sound like it measures, a lot of air and details in the upper treble