[ceeloChamp]

Hey All,

I've been desperately trolling the internet for more recommendations/reviews of CIEMs...there aren't a lot out there. I'm trying to find an everyday all-day CIEM. I like headphones that are warmer and fuller, not lean and metallic. I had the option to listen to the Focal Eclear and the Nighthawk Carbon and I much prefer the Nighthawk, if that helps.

So far my number 1 choice is the Noble Django, the customer service people are really helpful, their designs are awesome, they have good accessories, good reviews, and the sound signature sounds like what I am looking for.

would love any suggestions as I am looking to pull the trigger next month

 

[daulagiri]

Lol most of your listed ciems are reference. If you want warm, go with JH16v2.

Or, try Custom Art FIBAE2. Your wallet and ears will thank you . FIBAE tech really works!!

 

[ceeloChamp]

What’s wrong with them being reference? Reference headphones have different sound signatures, no?

 

[daulagiri]

Nothing wrong, just ‘warm’ and ‘full’ rarely associated with reference. Those listed as options are mostly flat, if you want warm u’ll want slightly v-shaped signature.

 

[y2jdmbfan]

Nothing wrong, just ‘warm’ and ‘full’ rarely associated with reference. Those listed as options are mostly flat, if you want warm u’ll want slightly v-shaped signature.

Not to hijack the thread, but if I want a true V-Shaped sound signature custom, what should I be looking at?

 

[ceeloChamp]

Please hijack this thread and let me know what people tell you. I just got my molds today and I cannot figure out what to buy...i’m Thinking 64 Ears a8 apex

 

[Dingding123]

64audio A8 is pretty warm and with a strong bass impact although it's slightly more expensive than Django and A6 (by $100 and $200 respectively). Empire Ears Athena (non-Adel) is also pretty warm, but it is leaner and brighter. Best is if you could find time to try the various options out.

 

[ceeloChamp]

64audio A8 is pretty warm and with a strong bass impact although it's slightly more expensive than Django and A6 (by $100 and $200 respectively). Empire Ears Athena (non-Adel) is also pretty warm, but it is leaner and brighter. Best is if you could find time to try the various options out.

I wish I could find the time/a place to try them out. I talked to Noble and they said I could demo the UIEM version of the Django, but would have to pay $200 restocking fee if I didn't like them and had to return them in 5 days. $200 for trying them seems a bit steep to me. Also since these are going to be my dailys I am leaning towards the A8, then the Athena because I like the Apex/Adel tech and I like the fact they don't isolate as well so I can hear my surroundings. I think the number 1 choice now is the A8 because I know BA drivers are more slender in the bass and more reference-y, hopefully having a bass-leaning headphone like the A8 will make up for that.

 

[Dingding123]

I see what you're looking for - it's the bass texture not quantity that matters to you.
A BA IEM can have a copious amount of bass, that's just the tuning, usually by stacking multiple BA units and use sound filters to remove the mids and highs to dedicate the units for bass.
Unfortunately many BA IEMs in the market today lack a realistic bass timbre and roll-off below 50Hz despite having a large bass quantity.
Actually I would veer away from your original list and suggest you get FutureSonics MG6pro for a warm tuning or Unique Melody ME1 for a slightly leaner yet natural sound. MG6pro is vented and ME1 is open back in a custom form factor.
I wish I could tell you which has the most natural bass production among the three IEMs you listed, but I can't, because to me, all BA bass texture are kinda similar. But I can tell you that A8 has the most punch out of the IEMs I have tried.

 

[Dingding123]

Not to hijack the thread, but if I want a true V-Shaped sound signature custom, what should I be looking at?

If you mean a V-shaped tuning with a hollowed-out mid range, you can try the new version of JH16. Its mids is rather recessed iirc.

 

[ceeloChamp]

I see what you're looking for - it's the bass texture not quantity that matters to you.
A BA IEM can have a copious amount of bass, that's just the tuning, usually by stacking multiple BA units and use sound filters to remove the mids and highs to dedicate the units for bass.
Unfortunately many BA IEMs in the market today lack a realistic bass timbre and roll-off below 50Hz despite having a large bass quantity.
Actually I would veer away from your original list and suggest you get FutureSonics MG6pro for a warm tuning or Unique Melody ME1 for a slightly leaner yet natural sound. MG6pro is vented and ME1 is open back in a custom form factor.
I wish I could tell you which has the most natural bass production among the three IEMs you listed, but I can't, because to me, all BA bass texture are kinda similar. But I can tell you that A8 has the most punch out of the IEMs I have tried.

Yes! Thank you for putting words to what I was trying to find, I find it's very hard to describe the kind of sound I'm looking. I will say I really loved the Campfire Vegas, have you heard those? I basically just want something that sounds like them but in CIEM form, lol. The Unique Melody ME1 looks interesting, but sadly its not a CIEM. I can't do IEMs for very long use, they just don't seem to fit my ears well, even with all the tips.

 

[y2jdmbfan]

If you mean a V-shaped tuning with a hollowed-out mid range, you can try the new version of JH16. Its mids is rather recessed iirc.

Thanks for the reply! Yes, something to that effect...I had the Shure SE846's w/ White Filters for a long time, loved those. Went looking for customs and got JH Angie after auditioning the universals, and man were they mid-centric. No treble and no bass, hated the customs, didn't sound anything like the universals I was demoing. Luckily I was able to sell them to someone overseas and didn't lose too much money. I have KSE1500's which I love, that I got for a steal, and sold the SE846's, but want something more portable again to go along side them. Is the Kaiser Encore in the right ballpark? I am leery of JH Audio again because of my previous experience.

 

[Dingding123]

Yes! Thank you for putting words to what I was trying to find, I find it's very hard to describe the kind of sound I'm looking. I will say I really loved the Campfire Vegas, have you heard those? I basically just want something that sounds like them but in CIEM form, lol. The Unique Melody ME1 looks interesting, but sadly its not a CIEM. I can't do IEMs for very long use, they just don't seem to fit my ears well, even with all the tips.

I understand your pain of not being able to use universals, a few of my friends have that issue too.
ME1 DOES have a ciem option. Perhaps you can check with their customer service. However ME1's is definitely leaner than Vega's.
I have heard Vega, and it sounds pretty different with different sources. Do you remember what source did you try the vega with? I'm asking cuz I wanna have a better idea of the kind of bass you like. On a phone output it sounds pretty flat and the bass is subpar, but on a better source such as the ALO continental, it sounds deep and the bass is very overwhelming.

 

[Dingding123]

Thanks for the reply! Yes, something to that effect...I had the Shure SE846's w/ White Filters for a long time, loved those. Went looking for customs and got JH Angie after auditioning the universals, and man were they mid-centric. No treble and no bass, hated the customs, didn't sound anything like the universals I was demoing. Luckily I was able to sell them to someone overseas and didn't lose too much money. I have KSE1500's which I love, that I got for a steal, and sold the SE846's, but want something more portable again to go along side them. Is the Kaiser Encore in the right ballpark? I am leery of JH Audio again because of my previous experience.

Actually the IEMs you've mentioned here all have a strong mids. Especially the Encore, it is retuned from the renowned Kaiser 10 just to improve its mid range performance.
Are you sure you would enjoy a V shaped tuning with a backwardly-positioned vocal? It seems to be a far cry from what you are used to.

 

[y2jdmbfan]

Actually the IEMs you've mentioned here all have a strong mids. Especially the Encore, it is retuned from the renowned Kaiser 10 just to improve its mid range performance.
Are you sure you would enjoy a V shaped tuning with a backwardly-positioned vocal? It seems to be a far cry from what you are used to.

Oh, not at all, that is why I am asking for suggestions in finding something comparable to the SE846 with white filter.