Multi-Custom In-Ear Monitor Review, Resource, Mfg List & Discussion (Check first post for review links & information)

[Mython]

Quote:

 
Unfortunately, no, I don't have a Miracle but from what I have been told, it is V shaped with enhanced bass.

 
 
Joe, you and I have chatted about the Miracle's freq' response character in the past, and whilst I did note many positive improvements to mine when I stopped driving them with my J3 and (drastically) upgraded to a DX100, in neither case did I ever feel that the Miracles exhibited a V shaped response. I find that assertion (I appreciate it's not your own assertion) quite laughable, since the Miracle is, IMHO, a relatively neutral CIEM with, if anything, a slightly upper-mid-forward presentation.
 
I'd be interested to hear your personal impressions of a fully-customised Miracle (i.e. not someone else's or a semi-universal demo unit), in comparison to your numerous other CIEMs. I find the Miracle particularly excellent for it's spacious soundstage (perhaps a little similar to your findings with the SA-43?).
 
I'd also be interested to hear the PRM for myself

 

[Xymordos]

I also heard from a few people that the miracles had little to no bass at all

 

[average_joe]

I have talked with many many people about the Miracle and have heard a demo and a custom version made for someone else.  The demo wasn't nearly as good as the customized one, even though it wasn't made for my ears (I A/Bed them), and since I haven't heard one for my ears, I can't say 100% about the sound signature.
 
Also, I should have said a slight V shape, at least from the majority of people that I have chatted with.  Using UE product for comparison, it would be like the UE 900, which is somewhat neutral but has a warmth about it, more so than the IERM which I consider slightly warm based on an ER4 (and NT-6/LS6 neutrality in the bass).  I shouldn't have said enhanced bass, I should have said slightly above neutral, which gives a full bodied sound and a large portion of the population prefers.
 
Until I get one customized to my own ears I won't know for sure, but there is variation on the sound from people I have talked to.  
 
 
Quote:

Hope so! Didn't have any memory of being there at all (moved out when I was 3 months old), so I hope I can have great fun there (and would the peak be tuning UE PRM? )
 
Umm, I have to disagree there, I've tried Miracle and it has a similar characteristic with the earlier batch of AKG K3003 (leaning to treble), with more refined soundstage.
 
Please note that I've only tried the demo version, and Matt said the customized version have a slight difference, although the initial sound character stays the same.

 
Quote:

 

  Good point.
 
 
 
http://resonessencelabs.com/

 
Thanks for the link...that is some serious hardware!
 
Quote:

 
 
Joe, you and I have chatted about the Miracle's freq' response character in the past, and whilst I did note many positive improvements to mine when I stopped driving them with my J3 and (drastically) upgraded to a DX100, in neither case did I ever feel that the Miracles exhibited a V shaped response. I find that assertion (I appreciate it's not your own assertion) quite laughable, since the Miracle is, IMHO, a relatively neutral CIEM with, if anything, a slightly upper-mid-forward presentation.
 
I'd be interested to hear your personal impressions of a fully-customised Miracle (i.e. not someone else's or a semi-universal demo unit), in comparison to your numerous other CIEMs. I find the Miracle particularly excellent for it's spacious soundstage (perhaps a little similar to your findings with the SA-43?).
 
I'd also be interested to hear the PRM for myself

 
Some people have thought the SA-43 has too much bass and is not "neutral," even with the bass switch off.
 
Quote:

I also heard from a few people that the miracles had little to no bass at all

 
It is all perspective!  And fit.  And source.

 

[Trox]

Nice review mate! 
 
I can see almost every custom IEM is studio for studio / music work, i'm looking foward to buy a pair of custom IEMs but I want them to be more musical, there's no need to be flat.
 
My budget is ~500, what do u suggest me?

 

[project86]

Quote:

 
Invicta?  Link please.

 
 
I reviewed one last year when it first came out and was highly impressed with it. And it should actually be even better than the one I heard - mine was a pre-production unit with less power in the headphone amp section. They also recently improved the FPGA processing engine via software update, as well as enabled FLAC playback from the SD card. Talk about an all in one solution - you literally don't need anything else but a big SD card filled with music and a pair of headphones. CIEMs worked great with it too!
 
 
Quote:

 
 
Joe, you and I have chatted about the Miracle's freq' response character in the past, and whilst I did note many positive improvements to mine when I stopped driving them with my J3 and (drastically) upgraded to a DX100, in neither case did I ever feel that the Miracles exhibited a V shaped response. I find that assertion (I appreciate it's not your own assertion) quite laughable, since the Miracle is, IMHO, a relatively neutral CIEM with, if anything, a slightly upper-mid-forward presentation.
 
I'd be interested to hear your personal impressions of a fully-customised Miracle (i.e. not someone else's or a semi-universal demo unit), in comparison to your numerous other CIEMs. I find the Miracle particularly excellent for it's spacious soundstage (perhaps a little similar to your findings with the SA-43?).
 
I'd also be interested to hear the PRM for myself

 
I think I heard the Miracle about the same way you do - and I really enjoyed it. If I ever get some extra cash I still intend to buy a pair. 
 
Quote:

I also heard from a few people that the miracles had little to no bass at all

 
That's counter to what I heard. I really enjoyed the bass impact on them - some of the best I've ever heard. At the time I preferred their bass to that of the JH13.

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

I reviewed one last year when it first came out and was highly impressed with it. And it should actually be even better than the one I heard - mine was a pre-production unit with less power in the headphone amp section. They also recently improved the FPGA processing engine via software update, as well as enabled FLAC playback from the SD card. Talk about an all in one solution - you literally don't need anything else but a big SD card filled with music and a pair of headphones. CIEMs worked great with it too!

 
^ My plan precisely.  

 
I looked up one of those "huge" 256gb SD cards though.  $900.  

 
 
Edit: However, 128gb is only $120.

 

[project86]

Quote:

 
^ My plan precisely.  

 
I looked up one of those "huge" 256gb SD cards though.  $900.  

 
Edit: However, 128gb is only $120.

 
Exactly - a 128GB card isn't too bad, and if you are willing to swap cards once in a while you can get 32GB cards for less than $20 shipped. That's like 62 cents per GB or something like that. 

 

[Mython]

Quote:

 
I think I heard the Miracle about the same way you do - and I really enjoyed it. If I ever get some extra cash I still intend to buy a pair. 
 

 
Yeah, I was forced to sell mine the other day

, but when I'm working again, I fully intend to buy another pair.
 
 
Quote:

I also heard from a few people that the miracles had little to no bass at all

 
Quote:

 
That's counter to what I heard. I really enjoyed the bass impact on them - some of the best I've ever heard. At the time I preferred their bass to that of the JH13.

 
LOL!  The Miracle can be quite the chameleon - when I first bought mine, I was driving them with my Cowon J3 and I thought the same thing. Then I got myself an iBasso DX100 and WOW! Not only did the DX100 itself sound great but it also grabbed hold of my Miracles and drove them properly for the first time since I'd owned them. It was then that I realised that the J3's output stage had been to blame for the flimsy bass response of my Miracles. The Miracles only rumble properly when driven by a decent amp stage and a pair of Miracles, when driven by a DX100, sound fantastic with large-scale orchestral works and film soundtracks like Bladerunner, Gladiator, etc. The Miracles don't have an exaggerated bass, so they may disappoint people who like exaggerated bass, but if you like neutral with decent bass rumble and bass foundation to the sound, then you will very definitely be content with the Miracles' bass response PROVIDED YOU DRIVE THEM PROPERLY.  Joe will be able to confirm that he and I shared exactly this discussion, in private, as I went through the first couple of months of owning mine.
 
 
Also see:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/599177/unique-melody-miracle-without-an-amp/15#post_8286591
 
.

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Nice review mate! 
 
I can see almost every custom IEM is studio for studio / music work, i'm looking foward to buy a pair of custom IEMs but I want them to be more musical, there's no need to be flat.
 
My budget is ~500, what do u suggest me?

 
There are plenty of CIEMs that are for the audiophile at that price range; what sound signature are you looking for as most are "musical."  Does that mean warmer and more bass heavy?  Is your budget hard set, or can you stretch it?  I think there is some great value at just above the $500 price point, although some $500 CIEMs are also very nice.  Is your budget with shipping and impressions?
 
The aud-5X and i9pro come to mind, although both are a bit above the price point.  The AM4 pro is very musical, so the AM4 might be what you are looking for if you want more bass, and if the Alclair Crankmaster 3000 is a more bass heavy Reference, it too can be a good choice.  The Dunu DC4 is also a musical CIEM.  All have different flavors, so you should figure out which fits your taste the best.
 
Quote:

I reviewed one last year when it first came out and was highly impressed with it. And it should actually be even better than the one I heard - mine was a pre-production unit with less power in the headphone amp section. They also recently improved the FPGA processing engine via software update, as well as enabled FLAC playback from the SD card. Talk about an all in one solution - you literally don't need anything else but a big SD card filled with music and a pair of headphones. CIEMs worked great with it too!
 
 
 
I think I heard the Miracle about the same way you do - and I really enjoyed it. If I ever get some extra cash I still intend to buy a pair. 
 
 
That's counter to what I heard. I really enjoyed the bass impact on them - some of the best I've ever heard. At the time I preferred their bass to that of the JH13.

 
Very nice review, thank you for sharing.  That is making me drool!
 
I need to hear my own Miracle as it sounds like it is so very good and the demo and non-perfect fitting customized versions I have heard haven't apparently haven't done justice to the sound.
 
Quote:

Yeah, I was forced to sell mine the other day

, but when I'm working again, I fully intend to buy another pair.
 
 
LOL!  The Miracle can be quite the chameleon - when I first bought mine, I was driving them with my Cowon J3 and I thought the same thing. Then I got myself an iBasso DX100 and WOW! Not only did the DX100 itself sound great but it also grabbed hold of my Miracles and drove them properly for the first time since I'd owned them. It was then that I realised that the J3's output stage had been to blame for the flimsy bass response of my Miracles. The Miracles only rumble properly when driven by a decent amp stage and a pair of Miracles, when driven by a DX100, sound fantastic with large-scale orchestral works and film soundtracks like Bladerunner, Gladiator, etc. The Miracles don't have an exaggerated bass, so they may disappoint people who like exaggerated bass, but if you like neutral with decent bass rumble and bass foundation to the sound, then you will very definitely be content with the Miracles' bass response PROVIDED YOU DRIVE THEM PROPERLY.  Joe will be able to confirm that he and I shared exactly this discussion, in private, as I went through the first couple of months of owning mine.
 
Also see:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/599177/unique-melody-miracle-without-an-amp/15#post_8286591

 
Yes, we have chatted about that (thanks for jogging my memory).  The DX100 is excellent with firmware 1.1.7 with pretty much everything I own and I agree that driving them properly is important.  

 

[rfilho]

Hi Joe,
 
currently I have an Etymotic ER4 to listen to my Classical music. I was considering getting the Heir 8a as an upgrade. Would there be any other good option?
 
Thanks a lot for your help end this great post!
 

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Hi Joe,
 
currently I have an Etymotic ER4 to listen to my Classical music. I was considering getting the Heir 8a as an upgrade. Would there be any other good option?
 
Thanks a lot for your help end this great post!

 
Do you want to keep a somewhat similar sound to the ER4?  If so, the Hidition NT-6 is IMO the best ER4 upgrade I have heard.  It retains the sound sig of the ER4 for the most part, but adds detail, capability (read dynamics and note sustainment), and soundstaging the ER4 lacks.  The UE IERM is warmer, but similar (I compare the two in my NT-6 review).  I will be getting the Lear LCM-5 back soon, and that too is neutral.  
 
The 8.A on the other hand is warmer and has a great deal more bass.  Competitiors to the 8.A include the EM4, SE 5-way, and SA-43.

 

[s0lar]

I'm still looking out to get a CIEM.
At the moment I enjoy Ortofon EQ-5 most. My number 2 is RE262 when amped.
DBA-02 is too bright, same with FXT90.
For laid-back listening (laying on my back too) I like the DDM.
 
My sources are either Clip+, can be amped with Corda MOVE or computer-> (DAC+AMP) iBasso D4 with OPA1612 or the D4 DAC to O2 amp.
 
I would like to upgrade my portable DAP so I can get the most out of my RE262 without the need for an amp and ofcourse in the future my CIEM will benefit from a better source as well.
How do the Rocoo/Studio V and the likes compare to iBasso DX100, since the price difference is very big.
 
And ofcourse, what CIEMs might I like, and do you think I should better get a better portable source first or CIEM?

 

[average_joe]

The DX100 (with 1.1.7 firmware) surpasses the RoCoo BA and Studio V for most CIEMs I have heard.  I don't have the Studio V any more, and it is better than the RoCoo BA in that the Studio sound more natural, but the RoCoo BA doesn't have the hiss issue that the Studio has with sensitive IEMs.  The DX100 is an all around amazing performer that can drive just about anything well.  If you have the money, I don't think you can go wrong!
 
What CIEMs do I think you will like?  Please check out the review summaries in the first post (I list what I think is comparable), and there are links to my full reviews.  Off the top of my head, the Fabs and Alclair Reference would seem to be good fits. The ACS T1 Live! is also another potential for you.

 

[s0lar]

I will read your detailed reviews of:
SE-5
ACS T1
EM4
8.A
SA-43
EM3 PRO
X3
Mi3
Fabs
aud-5X
Alclair
DC4
 
I want a CIEM with (slightly) forward mids that is balanced and sounds engaging, natural, sweet and musical. I don't need a very spacious presentation but intimacy must be done very well. Vocals must sound convincing a well as stringed intruments. I like the way I can almost feel the strings being picked and feel lips move or subtle breaths are taken. I don't want an aggressive presentation, I prefer soft notes instead.

 

[project86]

Quote:

I will read your detailed reviews of:
SE-5
ACS T1
EM4
8.A
SA-43
EM3 PRO
X3
Mi3
Fabs
aud-5X
Alclair
DC4
 
I want a CIEM with (slightly) forward mids that is balanced and sounds engaging, natural, sweet and musical. I don't need a very spacious presentation but intimacy must be done very well. Vocals must sound convincing a well as stringed intruments. I like the way I can almost feel the strings being picked and feel lips move or subtle breaths are taken. I don't want an aggressive presentation, I prefer soft notes instead.

 
That sounds to me like the Heir 4.A, though definitely continue reading Joe's reviews of the models you listed.