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

[yilun]

  I don't think so. But I have heard good things about it. I think I have lost my interest a little bit, maybe I have seen clearly what's going on. Marketing/reviews is always better than what it usually sounds. I think I will stop for a while after harmony. Also it's about enjoying music, not comparing

You're right. Already spent lots of money on it. I think maybe I should focus more on music itself. That is so-called "tuishao" in Chinese

. 

 

[SilverEars]

Although my molds got lost in Korea, I guess I should look at that as a blessing as I didn't really pay attention to SE5.  Based on the chart, it does what NT6-6/pro does and more.  Every time I open up question about what is the most clear and detailed sounding, and it's usually NT-6, it's probably because not many people has heard SE5 because of the JHA's popularity here.  
 
So SE5 pretty much beats the NT6 in the area of clarity and details?  I guess so as it is rated that way on the chart.
 
Anyway, thanks for pulling out the chart.  

 

[average_joe]

@zachchen1996: I do completely agree that sound signature is more important than a score and make recommendations based off that belief as well as try to ignore sound signature influence in my reviews.  Here is my article on the subject.
 
Quote:

  I did have a rating chart before. I will add in the new ones shortly, specially after harmony 8.
 
But for now:
 

with K10 has a overall score of 92-93 (I may change this after hearing it on desktop source). Actually I do feel NT6 is technically superior, but I cannot deny the linearity of K10 within the frequency range I mentioned. And K10 does suit my sound preference and taste. I can stand neutral sound with a little warmth, but I can't stand neutral sound being a little bright (I will always want to make it warmer).If you are completely fine with the brightness of NT6 P and does not feel like you want to rest a little after a certain time of listening, maybe you don't need K10. but K10 will be a good choice if you want something that's neutral and organic. K10 could have got 94, however the bass isn't really what I expected, maybe it will get more controlled on proper source, but for now, NT6/6P and SE5 win for bass quality and control.
 
As for Roxanne, it will be around 86-87. really not my taste, it does have improved aspects compared to JH13 FP, however it sacrifice a lot of things too.
 
Ohh, EM32 will be around 86-87 too.

 
 

  Yes, I hear very similar to what AJ hears, that's why we are friends. just kidding. I rate it simply from my own experiences. And I do hear things that are different from AJ does, for example, on heir 8.a.
 
I have only heard of the demo of mh335dw, so I don't think I would rate it, because it's not fair to judge a CIEM/IEM on only a few minutes/hours listening.

 
Thanks for sharing again.  I have some catching up to do!
 
In some ways I am surprised by your #s and in other ways not, but am not saying that is not what you are hearing.  I could almost say the NT-6 with the Whiplash Hybrid V3 cable is better than the SE5. The 0.1 difference in overall score is more about the bass capability and my weighting system, which I would like to tweak a bit, but haven't found the time.  I was listening to both the NT-6 + WHV3 and SE5 with a new high-end desktop DAC I can't disclose and kept going back to the NT-6.  Maybe it was just that combo, but the NT-6 really does change character with the cable.
 
Some day I will probably post all my #s, but for now here are my overall scores (for anyone that missed them).  
 
Also, I have added the InEarZ IE-P250 and Perfect Seal Sportbud Silver to the buyer's guide in the sub-$300 recommendations section.
 
Perfect Seal has provided a "launch discount" code for the Sportbud Silver that brings the price down to $212.50, which I think is an excellent price for the performance.  The code is on this page.

 

[tupac0306]

   
 
 
Thanks for sharing again.  I have some catching up to do!
 
In some ways I am surprised by your #s and in other ways not, but am not saying that is not what you are hearing.  I could almost say the NT-6 with the Whiplash Hybrid V3 cable is better than the SE5. The 0.1 difference in overall score is more about the bass capability and my weighting system, which I would like to tweak a bit, but haven't found the time.  I was listening to both the NT-6 + WHV3 and SE5 with a new high-end desktop DAC I can't disclose and kept going back to the NT-6.  Maybe it was just that combo, but the NT-6 really does change character with the cable.
 
Some day I will probably post all my #s, but for now here are my overall scores (for anyone that missed them).  
 
 

My #s isn't really anything about "averaging every column”, I do put my preference in my overall scores, but 100 will be 100% "neutral" and flawless for my findings.
 
Whiplash Hybrid V3 is the cable I really wish to try. I do have Whiplash Hybrid V2, it does turn NT6 into a more musical, smoother CIEM, however not the point I can completely forget about "I am actually listen to a CIEM with super high clarity" and enjoying the music. And I was always doing the opposite: keep going back to SE5, specially the rev.1. Maybe V3 will push the limit of NT6 just a little bit. 
 
Thank you for the scores, wow the LCD 2 (rev.1)'s scores surprised me a little.

 

[average_joe]

My scoring isn't just an average, but I have a formula that averages certain other categories for a sub-score, changing the weight of certain characteristics.  There is no "right" way to do it and I have tried many different scoring methods, but this one seemed to fit my goals fairly closely.
 
How are you surprised by the LCD-2 score?  Too low or too high?  It really can't compete with the higher-end CIEMs in so many ways regardless of the source.
 
Looking at my notes/chart I found a note that the NT-6 doesn't pair well with the D1, so I wonder if that is the case with the D2 also.
 
Here are my numbers:

Mids​

Treble​

Focus​

Width​

Depth​

Ratio​

Quality​

Rumble​

Quality​

Quality​

Spiral Ear​

SE 5-way Reference ​

$1,650​

​

Accurate​

Warm​

Resolving​

10​

75​

97​

85​

85​

1.00​

95​

96​

100​

100​

Hidition​

NT-6 + Whiplash Hybrid V3​

$1,750​

Aftermarket cable​

Reference​

Analytical​

Clear​

8​

100​

103​

88​

87​

1.01​

100​

88​

100​

98​

[td=rowspan:2]

Manufacturer​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Model​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Price​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Option​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Primary sound signature​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Secondary sound signature​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

tertiary sound signature​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Chameleon​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Detail Articulation​

[/td] [td=colspan:4]

Soundstage​

[/td] [td=colspan:2]

Bass​

[/td]

 
 

Spiral Ear​

SE 5-way Reference ​

100​

100​

100​

100​

100​

100​

95​

100​

95​

93​

98.2​

18 Hz​

20K​

Hidition​

NT-6 + Whiplash Hybrid V3​

100​

100​

100​

100​

100​

95​

105​

103​

100​

92​

98.1​

14 Hz​

19K​

[td=rowspan:2]

Manufacturer​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Model​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Transparency​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Coherence​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Dynamics​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Resolution/Detail​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Instrument Detail​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Note Attack /Decay (PRaT)​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Clarity​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Imaging​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Speed​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Soundstage Score​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Total - Quality​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Low Freq cutoff​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Hi Freq Cutoff​

[/td]

​

 
 
One of the biggest differences is in what I call detail articulation, which is how much the details are brought to the forefront.  It is much easier to hear the detail from the NT-6 as is slices and dices a presentation.  Clarity is over 100 because with the Whiplash cable, a new standard was set, so instead of adjusting all the scores I used numbers above 100.  The soundstage score is subjective based on the soundstage section and the chameleon rating.  My high and low frequency cutoff is done with test tones by ear, and I was a little surprised by my ability to hear 20K with the SE5.  The bass cutoff is more of a sensation below 20 Hz, but I know it is moving air at the respective cutoff frequencies.
 
These are two very different sound signatures and both are at the top of their game (as far as what I have heard), but in different ways.

 

[tupac0306]

  My scoring isn't just an average, but I have a formula that averages certain other categories for a sub-score, changing the weight of certain characteristics.  There is no "right" way to do it and I have tried many different scoring methods, but this one seemed to fit my goals fairly closely.
 
How are you surprised by the LCD-2 score?  Too low or too high?  It really can't compete with the higher-end CIEMs in so many ways regardless of the source.
 
Looking at my notes/chart I found a note that the NT-6 doesn't pair well with the D1, so I wonder if that is the case with the D2 also.
 
Here are my numbers:

Mids​

Treble​

Focus​

Width​

Depth​

Ratio​

Quality​

Rumble​

Quality​

Quality​

Spiral Ear​

SE 5-way Reference ​

$1,650​

​

Accurate​

Warm​

Resolving​

10​

75​

97​

85​

85​

1.00​

95​

96​

100​

100​

Hidition​

NT-6 + Whiplash Hybrid V3​

$1,750​

Aftermarket cable​

Reference​

Analytical​

Clear​

8​

100​

103​

88​

87​

1.01​

100​

88​

100​

98​

[td=rowspan:2]

Manufacturer​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Model​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Price​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Option​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Primary sound signature​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Secondary sound signature​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

tertiary sound signature​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Chameleon​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Detail Articulation​

[/td] [td=colspan:4]

Soundstage​

[/td] [td=colspan:2]

Bass​

[/td]

 
 

Spiral Ear​

SE 5-way Reference ​

100​

100​

100​

100​

100​

100​

95​

100​

95​

93​

98.2​

18 Hz​

20K​

Hidition​

NT-6 + Whiplash Hybrid V3​

100​

100​

100​

100​

100​

95​

105​

103​

100​

92​

98.1​

14 Hz​

19K​

[td=rowspan:2]

Manufacturer​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Model​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Transparency​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Coherence​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Dynamics​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Resolution/Detail​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Instrument Detail​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Note Attack /Decay (PRaT)​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Clarity​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Imaging​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Speed​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Soundstage Score​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Total - Quality​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Low Freq cutoff​

[/td] [td=rowspan:2]

Hi Freq Cutoff​

[/td]

​

 
 
One of the biggest differences is in what I call detail articulation, which is how much the details are brought to the forefront.  It is much easier to hear the detail from the NT-6 as is slices and dices a presentation.  Clarity is over 100 because with the Whiplash cable, a new standard was set, so instead of adjusting all the scores I used numbers above 100.  The soundstage score is subjective based on the soundstage section and the chameleon rating.  My high and low frequency cutoff is done with test tones by ear, and I was a little surprised by my ability to hear 20K with the SE5.  The bass cutoff is more of a sensation below 20 Hz, but I know it is moving air at the respective cutoff frequencies.
 
These are two very different sound signatures and both are at the top of their game (as far as what I have heard), but in different ways.

 
I haven't heard of LCD 2 for almost two years now and I have been listening to LCD 3 for very long, so can't really recall much about LCD 2, maybe that's what it was. LCD 2 was one of my favourite headphones before I hear any CIEM.
 
Thanks for sharing, the rating looks very convincing!
 
Yes, D2 isn't a perfect pairing for NT6 although it's technically great. D2 + 627 makes NT6 sounds much better.  Also what makes me prefer SE5 over NT6 is that NT6's treble extension isn't really impressive to my ears. It's good compared to all my other CIEMs, but I just feel something is missing above 12k Hz after listening to SE5.  So although it's super clear and bright, I still feel the ultimate airiness and transparency isn't as good as SE5 (rev1). But lots of people can't hear it because:1. NT6 is bright, they can't differentiate between brightness and extension. 2 they haven't heard of SE5. But I am sure you can. So I actually find NT6 quite hard to pair with, bright source will make it sound analytical, however warm source will make it sound a little bit lack of transparency due to its treble roll off. So far DX100 is still probably the best source for it. Maybe the difference we talking here is Whiplash Hybrid V3 vs V2.
 
Also how to define "treble extension" is very hard, if people only look at high frequency cut off, then most of the top end CIEM can reach above 19 Hz. However my rating for treble extension is how easy I can hear the extension compared to the rest of the spectrum.
 
Also for detail articulation, I do hear details clearly from NT6 because of its sound signature. however for micro details such as high hat (above 10k Hz), I find it much easier to hear from SE5 compared to NT6. So for some instruments, details are brought more fore-front on SE5 to my ears. I still find SE5's detail level is unbeatable.
 
Yes, soundstage is a very hard one. But I do agree with your findings about SE5. Initially it sounds really small, however after sometime, I found it's very large, actually one of the largest I have ever heard.

 

[shakur1996]

Tupac0306, what are the differences between new/old (rev.1/rev.2) versions of SE5way?

 

[tupac0306]

Tupac0306, what are the differences between new/old (rev.1/rev.2) versions of SE5way?

I prefer not to speak on it because it's pointless now. There are definitely some differences here and there, but I do enjoy both of my SE5s.
 
There is no such thing as rev.1 and rev.2 because all SE5 are the same now.  I put rev.1 and rev.2 for my old and new SE5 respectively so it's easier to type.

 

[shakur1996]

I prefer not to speak on it because it's pointless now. There are definitely some differences here and there, but I do enjoy both of my SE5s.

There is no such thing as rev.1 and rev.2 because all SE5 are the same now.  I put rev.1 and rev.2 for my old and new SE5 respectively so it's easier to type.

This is what I wanted to hear. Thanks.

 

[kh600rr]

Nice job tupac,I think I shall be completely happy, when my K-10's arrive. I'm looking at a Whiplash cable, for my K-10'-AK-240.

 

[average_joe]

I have been communicating with Mike Martinez of Perfect Seal and have started a new thread with info on him and a bit on the lineup for those that are interested.

 

[project86]

Just received my Noble Kaiser 10 (I prefer the full name.... but K10 is cool too) and I'm overwhelmingly impressed. I'm hearing bits of LCD-3 in there, bits of my Stax SR-007 (as driven from my KGSShv), some of the better parts of the UM Platform Pure 6.... and of course a family resemblance to the 8C. Wow. Obviously need to spend a lot more time with it.... but so far I'm very pleased. 

 

[lbbef]

Hi guys! I recently got myself a CIEM from a new local company. Was wondering what's the difference between the various connectors (MMCX, 2 Pin, Reversed 2 Pin) and which one would be better.

Currently only the MMCX connector is offered. For the other 2 connectors, there's an extra lead time of a few weeks.

I noticed that most other CIEMs use the 2 pin connectors. So I was thinking that the 2 pin connector would be better since if I upgrade my cable, I'd be able to re-use the cable for future CIEMs.

Please advice a lost soul here.

 

[kh600rr]

Hi guys! I recently got myself a CIEM from a new local company. Was wondering what's the difference between the various connectors (MMCX, 2 Pin, Reversed 2 Pin) and which one would be better.


Currently only the MMCX connector is offered. For the other 2 connectors, there's an extra lead time of a few weeks.


I noticed that most other CIEMs use the 2 pin connectors. So I was thinking that the 2 pin connector would be better since if I upgrade my cable, I'd be able to re-use the cable for future CIEMs.


Please advice a lost soul here.

Shoot that question on one of thecable threads. Teds Headfood,Toxic cables, Whiplash audio,Double Helix. They can advise you. There up on the latest styles

 

[Vic29]

  Hi guys! I recently got myself a CIEM from a new local company. Was wondering what's the difference between the various connectors (MMCX, 2 Pin, Reversed 2 Pin) and which one would be better.

Currently only the MMCX connector is offered. For the other 2 connectors, there's an extra lead time of a few weeks.

I noticed that most other CIEMs use the 2 pin connectors. So I was thinking that the 2 pin connector would be better since if I upgrade my cable, I'd be able to re-use the cable for future CIEMs.

Please advice a lost soul here.

I prefer 2 pins connector for this reason, most of the companies are using them as standard. But standard evolves and if the 2 pins are common, big brands like Westone and Shure, and now JHaudio with the Roxanne, are using other standard...