[nmatheis]

Haha, "secret smoothie." I think I know what that is.

I worked with a Canadian once. Every time he had a trick up his sleeve, he called it a secret smoothie

 

[Hi-Fi EDU]

Guess he left quite the impression. I like it!

To add something non-smoothie related and on-topic: I find myself mightily impressed with the imaging of these IEMs (HEM6, in my case). @jyri, how'd y'all pull this off? (...if you can answer, that is)

 

[jyri]

Guess he left quite the impression. I like it!

To add something non-smoothie related and on-topic: I find myself mightily impressed with the imaging of these IEMs (HEM6, in my case). @jyri, how'd y'all pull this off? (...if you can answer, that is)

 
I am extremely happy to hear you are impressed. 

Crossover design mainly, and the driver combination secondly. The more drivers there is the more complicated it gets but luckily we have some very skillful engineers. 

 

[Jackpot77]

I am extremely happy to hear you are impressed. :etysmile:
Crossover design mainly, and the driver combination secondly. The more drivers there is the more complicated it gets but luckily we have some very skillful engineers. 

Jyri - while you are on, hoping you can answer something for me. Do Nuforce publish frequency response graphs for the HEM2 and HEM4 anywhere? Working up a review/impression of the 4 to go along with the one I did for the 2 and I'm trying to reconcile what I'm hearing when comparing the two.

@nmatheis has been very helpful in terms of general signature on a PM conversation, but I'm just trying to work out how the "leaner" sound comes about in terms of tuning as I'm not hearing it so much when comparing side by side through a splitter, unless volume compensation comes into it more than I realised.

I am enjoying the sharp sound of the 4 a lot more than I expected though - you guys did a brilliant job tuning this range by the looks of it.

 

[jyri]

Jyri - while you are on, hoping you can answer something for me. Do Nuforce publish frequency response graphs for the HEM2 and HEM4 anywhere? Working up a review/impression of the 4 to go along with the one I did for the 2 and I'm trying to reconcile what I'm hearing when comparing the two.

@nmatheis has been very helpful in terms of general signature on a PM conversation, but I'm just trying to work out how the "leaner" sound comes about in terms of tuning as I'm not hearing it so much when comparing side by side through a splitter, unless volume compensation comes into it more than I realised.

I am enjoying the sharp sound of the 4 a lot more than I expected though - you guys did a brilliant job tuning this range by the looks of it.

 
I am afraid we do not publish the frequency responses. Mainly because it´s only half of the story and we don´t want anyone to have false conclusions. We do measure (and keep the measurements) each and every unit before shipping out from the factory.
 
The leaner sound can be achieved with the more extended range. With the one BA we are limited in terms of the lowest and highest frequencies. By using two drivers we can have better reach with better balance and clarity as the drivers are dedicated for certain frequencies. 
 
I hope my comments helped even a little bit. 

 

[Jackpot77]

I am afraid we do not publish the frequency responses. Mainly because it´s only half of the story and we don´t want anyone to have false conclusions. We do measure (and keep the measurements) each and every unit before shipping out from the factory.

The leaner sound can be achieved with the more extended range. With the one BA we are limited in terms of the lowest and highest frequencies. By using two drivers we can have better reach with better balance and clarity as the drivers are dedicated for certain frequencies. 

I hope my comments helped even a little bit. 

Appreciate you might not want to publish the charts, and the explanation actually helps a lot. I'm trying to understand why my brain "hears" the 4 as leaner when I listen to it before or after the 2, but doesn't make the same impression when listening to them side by side (hardly scientific, but was just an idea I had that ended up throwing something interesting into the mix for me). Your comments about range make sense - I'm a relative newbie to mid range iems so don't have the experience to pin down why it sounds different depending on what you are hearing it with, but I think I'm getting closer!

You'll be glad to know both sound pretty good to me in any case, even if I don't trust what my brain is telling me now! I guess sound really is subjective...

 

[Dsnuts]

I figured since I have been using the HEM8 with the wide tip mod and my Spiral dot tips. I would try the stock silicones once again.. 
 
It sounds great no doubt but I am too used to that imagery expansive in my ears.  It literally goes from 3D type sound to what is more like a 2D presentation. Sound actually might be a bit more accurate using stock silicones but I just can't give up on what wider bore tips does for the HEM8. I think the reason why this is clearly more audible for me is that I have some larger ear canals. I suppose if one has a more narrow or smaller canals the tip mod might not affect the sound as much.
 
I even used Spiral Dot on one ear and the stock tips on the other.  I can clearly hear how much flatter and restricted the sound is on the stock tip in comparison.
 
It is a tough call. I can see how for some it might not make much of a difference but for me it is substantial.

 

[klove4252]

  I figured since I have been using the HEM8 with the wide tip mod and my Spiral dot tips. I would try the stock silicones once again.. 
 
It sounds great no doubt but I am too used to that imagery expansive in my ears.  It literally goes from 3D type sound to what is more like a 2D presentation. Sound actually might be a bit more accurate using stock silicones but I just can't give up on what wider bore tips does for the HEM8. I think the reason why this is clearly more audible for me is that I have some larger ear canals. I suppose if one has a more narrow or smaller canals the tip mod might not affect the sound as much.
 
I even used Spiral Dot on one ear and the stock tips on the other.  I can clearly hear how much flatter and restricted the sound is on the stock tip in comparison.
 
It is a tough call. I can see how for some it might not make much of a difference but for me it is substantial.

I tried the same thing the other day. I just can't go back to any other tips besides the wide tip mod. The tip mod just opens up the sound so much more for me. I also have pretty large ear canals so it might just be a preference for us wide ear canal people. 
 
Has anyone tired using any other cables? I've been using a few different ones, but I think I've settled on the Linum Bax as my favorite so far. Some heavier cables have impacted the fit, and I feel these do well without memory wire or very light memory wire.

 

[Jackpot77]

Not tried any after-market cables with the 2 or 4 yet - does anyone know what pin size they take as I have a new cable for my ASG 2.5 coming in soon from Turbulent which has 0.78mm pins - would they be too long?
 
Have to say, I have been giving the HEM4 a bit of a run-in now I have some spare time over the weekend and I am actually liking it quite a lot. It comes across initially as a bit leaner than the 2, but has a bump in definition and detail that makes it sound like it is operating in a higher price range. To try and offset the leanness in the bass I have given it a bump of +3db on Rockbox (just using the simple EQ) and that gives it just the kick I was hoping for, turning it into something like the HEM2 in signature but with added crispness and extension. If you aren't averse to a bit of simple EQ, these are a pretty good set of IEMs, and even without, as @nmatheis said, they are pretty good when listened to "in isolation".
 
Really enjoying my HEM listening journey so far - will try and get some more structured ramblings and impressions on the 4 up next week (and how they compare with the 2) to add to the stuff already up here.

 

[nmatheis]

Great contribution Jackpot77!

 

[DannyBai]

I've used a black dragon 2-pin balanced for Pono and it works.

 

[Jackpot77]

Hey guys
 
Impressions of the HEM4 are up on the Head Gear section (link below):
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/nuforce-hem4-reference-class-hi-res-in-ear-headphones-with-dual-balanced-armature-drivers/reviews/16093
 
After spending another solid few days listening to them, I have come to the conclusion that the leanness of the sound just doesn't tick enough of the right boxes for me without serious EQ, hence the tone of the review. As per my previous comments, they are a good IEM for that type of the signature, but after initially warming to them, my brain flipped back to my initial impressions over time. Hopefully the tone was objective enough - as always, any feedback on my review or suggestions for improvements please drop me a line!
 
Cheers.

 

[Jackpot77]

As I'm half way through the series now, would love to hear the other two. If anyone (preferably in Europe) has a HEM6 or 8 they want to trade for the HEM2 and HEM4 in a 2 for 1 trade, drop me a PM? Not seeing many ads on the FS boards so thought I'd try the direct approach!

 

[nmatheis]

As I'm half way through the series now, would love to hear the other two. If anyone (preferably in Europe) has a HEM6 or 8 they want to trade for the HEM2 and HEM4 in a 2 for 1 trade, drop me a PM? Not seeing many ads on the FS boards so thought I'd try the direct approach!

If you were in the US, I'd send them your way. Not really up for the int'l shipping, though...

 

[Jackpot77]

If you were in the US, I'd send them your way. Not really up for the int'l shipping, though...

Are we talking permanent trade or loaner? Would consider covering shipping both sides if it's a permanent swap - agree it's a bit steep if it's a boomerang arrangement tho. Damn international postage. PM me if you are talking permanent - have enough IEMs to be getting on with at the moment anyway but would love to see what the progression is like up the top end of the range at some point!