[McCol]

 
Quote:

Yea, it will be interesting to see if you thing the same about pairing the Mi-3 with a Clip/Clip+.  And the Arrow does have more warmth and deep bass than the iPod even with no bass boost so that would improve low volume performance.  I think it is in part due to the ability of better amps to control the signal much better than a iPod or Clip or most other DAPs.
 
I was originally going to summarize how I thought the UM3X compared with the Mi-3, but decided not to write more than about the warmth, but the second thing I thought of was the additional treble emphasis of the Mi-3, lol.  From memory, I also think the UM3X is more mid-forward and the Mi-3 has a much larger presentation space among other differences.

Thats exactly my thought on the Mi-3 compared to the um3x, although with the Arrow it has brought the mids forward a bit more, I'm also finding after a bit more listening today that the Arrow opens up the presention a little bit more as well.  There were a few tracks recently where i was finding the treble on the Mi-3 to be a bit too forward, not harsh or sibliant but just a bit more forward than i would like.  Again though, the arrow has taken that away for me by bringing the mids more in line.  Only a few tracks though out of hundreds i've listened too and it may just be the recordings themselves.
 
 

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

Thats exactly my thought on the Mi-3 compared to the um3x, although with the Arrow it has brought the mids forward a bit more, I'm also finding after a bit more listening today that the Arrow opens up the presention a little bit more as well.  There were a few tracks recently where i was finding the treble on the Mi-3 to be a bit too forward, not harsh or sibliant but just a bit more forward than i would like.  Again though, the arrow has taken that away for me by bringing the mids more in line.  Only a few tracks though out of hundreds i've listened too and it may just be the recordings themselves.

Thanks for sharing and glad we agree.  This review should almost write itself  Well, not really but people are now getting a sneak peak.  And its a funny thing about comparing songs as some songs make you think the presentation is one way and others can chance that.  I believe this is due primarily to the frequency response combo of the song and the headphone; if a peak occurs at the same point as a primary frequency of an instrument, it will seem more forward.  And this can be more enhanced with mastering as sometimes certain instruments are emphasized.  What version of the Arrow do you have?  One of the nice things about it is if you listen at very low volumes you can easily boost the bass.
 
Looking forward to your thought with your Clip when you get a chance.

 

[High_Q]

What is the best SS amp for customs?  How high are customs distortions relative to SS amp distortions?

 

[average_joe]

 
Quote:

What is the best SS amp for customs?  How high are customs distortions relative to SS amp distortions?

There is no "best" amp IMO as they synergize differently with different customs and DAC/DAPs.  What custom IEM would this be used with and what DAC/DAP?  I own 3 amps and I compare them with the custom with two different DAC/DAPs that have different sound signatures.
 
I am not completely sure about your second question, so any elaboration would be appreciated.  Distortion of the drivers will usually always be higher than that of any amp.  Volume level is important for distortion, as is the amount of surface area (dual drivers effectively increases this) and what part of the frequency spectrum they cover.  Or, are you talking about phase distortion from crossovers?  All of this is on a case by case basis depending on the custom IEM and amp.
 

 

[High_Q]

Look here.  Dynamic drivers with vent.  Any more mftr that make dynamic customs?

 

[average_joe]

If you haven't see it, the Rooth LS8 review is done.
 
Quote:

Look here.  Dynamic drivers with vent.  Any more mftr that make dynamic customs?

 
Yes, there is another company here.  And there are 3 companies that make dynamic driver/BA driver hybrids that I can recall at the moment, Thousand Sound, Unique Melody, and EarPower.
 
 

 

[High_Q]

I'm blown away, after digging through massive posts by you joe.  I have never seen such informative post on headfi yet.  Very nice, joe.  Your effort is greatly appreciated by us all.  Apologies for not reading everything before asking questions because your post covers many questions people will ask.

 

[High_Q]

@joe
 
I found these excellent videos on UE.  I thought it was very informative.  It explains the process as well.  You can add it to the front pay if you wish.
 

 

[rawrster]

For some reason when I browsed through the first couple posts of this thread I saw a lot of improved CK10 or something to that effect It looks like I should try one of them eventually.

 

[average_joe]

 
Quote:

@joe
 
I found these excellent videos on UE.  I thought it was very informative.  It explains the process as well.  You can add it to the front pay if you wish.
 

 
Thanks for finding the videos, I will add them!

 
Quote:

For some reason when I browsed through the first couple posts of this thread I saw a lot of improved CK10 or something to that effect It looks like I should try one of them eventually.

Yea, the LS8 is similar to the CK10, but if you like a thinner, colder sounds without too much bass stay away as the difference is pretty big to me!  The SA-12 is pretty close to a CK10 but I haven't had time to really compare the two as of yet.

 

[abrmecom]

MI2 arrived I'll post an update as soon as I've had a chAnce to listen to them. Very happy with the speed.

 

[Vitor Teixeira]

Hi Joe,

In percentage, how much of an improvement do you think the Whiplash v2 TWag make with the Miracle?
I know it's subjective, but does it really worth that kind of money?

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

MI2 arrived

I'll post an update as soon as I've had a chAnce to listen to them. Very happy with the speed.

Looking forward to it!

 
Quote:

Hi Joe,

In percentage, how much of an improvement do you think the Whiplash v2 TWag make with the Miracle?
I know it's subjective, but does it really worth that kind of money?
 

I won't tell people what is worth it and what isn't but just share my experiences.  I was thinking of giving a subjective % but decided I don't think it will be very helpful as my number could be way off for someone else, so I will just share my experiences.  Also, I am working on my own scoring system for the gear I am reviewing but am a ways off from my final numbers, therefore the numbers can change.
 
And I don't have a Miracle so I can't answer the question directly but can give you my experience with cables.  My results with the TWag have been mixed, but there have been fairly consistent changes, but the amount of change depends on the custom IEM I have paired the TWag with.  The changes include increased clarity, better dynamics, improved imaging, and overall smoother sound with a slight shift in tonal balance to a more airy, brighter sound.  I will be writing a cable summary in the near future and haven't spent too much time with cables past my listening to the TWag and Beat Audio cables with the LS8 (which I decided to save for the cable writeup) and of course the cables for the TS842.  
 
However, I did loan it to another member that owns the Miracle and he described it with the Miracle somewhat like I heard it with the LS8.  With the LS8, the TWag cable showed a slight improvement of clarity/dynamics, but the LS8 is already extremely clear with excellent dynamics to start with.  At the same time it changed the presentation due to the changes in imaging, which I thought sounded a little worse than the stock cable, so all in all I didn't care for the combo because of the change in presentation.  I will be spending more time with the combo as I spent only 10-15 minutes A/Bing with the stock cable and about 5 minutes listening to it.
 
The TWag does help my EM3 Pro enough for me to think it is worth the cost with that custom IEM for my situation, but the presentation of the EM3 Pro is thicker and not as detailed as the LS8 with a different soundstage shape (much more 3D than the LS8).  With the EM3 pro it improves the overall presentation by increasing the definition of everything within the space, improving instrument separation, clarity, dynamics, and imaging and with some sources such as the Clip+ the improvement is readily apparent after listening for a few minutes or A/Bing.  What I mean by the apparent improvement after a few minutes is that when the EM3 Pro is paired with the Clip+ when using the stock cable I think the sound is too thick and veiled and not all that great sounding (the Clip+ is a darker player IMO), but with the TWag the improvements mentioned above as well as a brighter sound make the EM3 Pro much more enjoyable.  
 
With a lower end custom IEM such as the Kozee X3, which is very dynamic but has a grain in the mids/treble isn't improved, and my guess is the dynamics are already very good and the grain prevents improvements.  However, the TS842, which has a slight edge (different than grain) was improved with the Effect Studio Athena cable (different pin compatibility, but still silver wire) due to the smoothing/easing of the edge.  If I were to rank the improvements, it the EM3 Pro with the TWag would be the largest followed by the Athena with the TS842 and then everything else I have tested so far would fall in a gray area of little, if any improvement.  Of course, your experiences may differ with different sources, music, custom IEMs, and listening situations.

 

[average_joe]

OK, I have several updates:
- My Spiral Ear SE 5-way Reference review is 95% complete, however Grzegorz thinks it is best if I send them back for a refit first as he thinks I may be missing out on some things.  I do know there is discomfort after wearing them for extended times, so if the sound stays the same and they fit comfortably, I will be extremely happy!
- I am no longer getting a reshelled JH16, I will be getting a JH16 from JHA.  Kozee has taken care of me after a serious customer service issue.
- I am working on the Minerva Mi-3 review and getting some ear time with the Starkey SA-12 also.  I am about 60% done with the Mi-3 review.

 

[snoopy-u]

Useful thread, thanks for putting this together.