MidSmoothness
100+ Head-Fier
Here's my somewhat, amateur-ish take in comparing the Kanas Pro and the DM6.
To evaluate both of these IEMs in a rather simple manner, i decided to use 4 songs from my library, which are all Japanese songs as i don't really listen to Western music.
Both IEMs are ran straight out of a phone, no AMPs or DAPs as they are fairly easy to drive in general and were enough for my listening needs.The Kanas Pro were burned in for around 100 hours so far, as instructed by the manufacturer. The files i used to test are in 320k and FLAC format.
1. Hello, Shooting Star by Moumoon
Right off the bat, what stood out to me the most immediately was the overall open-ness in the Kanas Pro vs the DM6. The DM6 sounded a bit closed in or confined whereas the Kanas Pro sounded spacious and open in comparison. I have also heard a bit of sibilance in the vocals with the DM6 with the sh- consonants, whereas the Kanas Pro exhibited a bit with s- consonants, but still relatively controlled on both. Instruments sounded alright in the DM6, whereas the Kanas Pro displayed a fuller more vibrant presentation. Separation was more or less similar, but given how i hear the DM6 as being somewhat confined, one would interpret the overall presentation of the DM6 as being somewhat intimate.
2. World, Lampshade by FantasticYouth
Much like the first song, the DM6 sounded yet again, a tiny bit masked, and confined. It pales to the Kanas Pro in comparison, where the Kanas Pro demonstrated its ability to produce an open, spacious and fuller sound overall almost effortlessly. There is slightly more sibilance in the DM6, whereas the Kanas Pro, most of the time always demonstrated firm control around that region, with vocals in particular. That's not to say the DM6 is a sibilant IEM, but rather it readily shows it a bit more than the calm and polite Kanas Pro. During the listen, i had also noticed a slightly odd reverberation going on with the piano in the DM6, which i have detected none in the Kanas Pro.
3. Winners by Reol
An EDM track, and i initially thought this was a good song to test those IEMs with due to the overall, fast and slow pace nature of the recording. This is where it gets interesting, IMO. The DM6 finally, was able to sound decently clear and not as confined like the previous two songs. My most favorite part about the DM6 when playing this song was the very tight, quite detailed, fast and controlled bass presentation. Mid-bass hits are just the right amount, accompanied by a rather rumbly, yet deep sub-bass presentation. This kind of surprised me as the BA bass driver used in the DM6 is one of the best that i have ever heard. Not even the Audio Technica's E70 demonstrated this much slam and rumble and in fact, one would even say that it sounds, dynamic-like. The overall presentation was also a bit aggressive to my ears, and as usual, a bit of sibilance will come to the foreground with all the intense synth sounds going on.
Now, for the Kanas Pro.
Less aggressive, more polite sounding, yet it manages to stay in between exciting and boring. The bass performance however, is where i would give it to the Kanas Pro. It has more texture, slightly more detail and demonstrates better deep sub-bass performance. Due to the less aggressive presentation, i would say that the Kanas Pro sounds more engaging overall with the slightly wider soundstage and more accurate imaging. In terms of detail presentation, i would say both are able to demonstrate noticeable similarities in extension and amount.
4. Choose Me by BAND-MAID
Like the third song, the DM6 gave me the impression that rock and metal music fans would certainly enjoy listening to the DM6. It is more forward, more aggressive but still manages to maintain some amount of control to prevent it from being over the line. The DM6 also sounded kind of closed in and more intimate, which adds even more excitement to its already somewhat confined signature. The Kanas Pro to my ears, again, manages to sound more open/spacious and coherent than what the DM6 can exhibit. Instruments sounded full on both, with the Kanas Pro being a bit cleaner sounding overall and slightly better separated. Even though the vocalist in the DM6 sounded upfront, the Kanas Pro stays in between being too far back, and being too upfront, which to me hits the perfect sweet spot with vocal placement.
Overall, i still can't help but think that the DM6 has some sort of blanket on its drivers that contributed to how i hear the DM6 as always slightly confined and somewhat un-engaging (depeding on the song) whereas the Kanas Pro can sound a bit boring with some songs (although that is pretty rare) and a bit polite but manages to always sound open and spacious, my most favorite part about the Kanas Pro. In terms of technical proficiency, i would say the Kanas Pro sounded better but that doesn't mean the DM6 is a bad sounding IEM, in fact, it sounds alright for what it is and some people might prefer that kind of sound in the DM6.
Just for kicks, I also had the chance to listen to the Andromeda S and i would not hesitate to say that the Kanas Pro is literally the more affordable and dynamic-driver Andromeda, with an eargasmic sub-bass performance. Sennheiser's IE80S, which i had also heard alongside the DM6, sounds more open than the DM6 but it falls short in terms of overall sonic balance to the Kanas Pro and probably to certain ears, the DM6. Alongside the Andromeda S, i also took the chance to listen to a well burned in Vegas, and would not even think twice about getting the Kanas Pro instead, due to the Vega being straight down sibilant with vocals in less well-recorded songs. I drove all the IEMs above with the same source (Oneplus 6) at my usual listening volume levels as i prefer to be as portable as possible, and also due to the fact i don't really own any decent AMPs, let alone DAPs.
Happy listening and happy new year to everyone.
Great write up! Thanks, enjoyed the read.
