[AnakChan]

unless he will dramatically change the design or the diaphragm, i doubt the sound will change much

think about slightly different sound sig here and there but nothing major

Actually if it were solid titanium I actually think it would. The Kuros are an example of how the housing could impact sound.

My speculation here for the titanium is probably further extending the highs & that's not to my liking for the Sakuras as I think there enough highs?

 

[kadamian]

Actually if it were solid titanium I actually think it would. The Kuros are an example of how the housing could impact sound.

My speculation here for the titanium is probably further extending the highs & that's not to my liking for the Sakuras as I think there enough highs?

if by extending you mean exaggerating or making them piercing, then yes
 
how do you feel about your sakuras?
 
i can't compare them to other ocharakus but i've compared them to many ba's and their sound is indeed very special, very "atmosperic"
 
glad i wasn't bitten by that "ba-totl syndrome" that is soooo trendy nowadays

 

[shigzeo]

Today I spent two hours at Ocharaku. I'm a red kind of guy but I found a lot to enjoy about black Sakura.

 

[AnakChan]

if by extending you mean exaggerating or making them piercing, then yes

how do you feel about your sakuras?

i can't compare them to other ocharakus but i've compared them to many ba's and their sound is indeed very special, very "atmosperic"

glad i wasn't bitten by that "ba-totl syndrome" that is soooo trendy nowadays

I do like my Sakuras but I do feel I prefer the Kaede IIs a little better for my tastes. It's nothing to do with the performance of the Sakuras as I think it is well implemented and it excels technically. However tonal curve for my personal preference, the Kaede II is more suited. Its not enough to make me change from my Sakuras though - but I'm always happy to build an Ocharaku collection .

In terms do BA, I don't have any kind of animosity to it. IMHO, really depends on implementation.

 

[artwood100]

  Today I spent two hours at Ocharaku. I'm a red kind of guy but I found a lot to enjoy about black Sakura.

ah finally nathan has heard both models, can u share your impressions about those two. and u prefer red? why?.
i myself have a black one, but i havent really heard the red version
thanks very much

 

[shigzeo]

In my opinion, the black one fits a music style I don't listen to as much. It is beautiful for wood instruments, non-rock strings, vocals, but tends toward bass bloom when fed trance, fast EDM and even some hip hop. I am decidedly a non-audiophile listener and therefore, the one with less bass resonance fits my listening habits better. But, I listened to the black one and Mr. Yamagishi's musical selection and then compared with Red. No contest: for his music, which was heavier on vocals, woods, and classical opera, jazz, etc., black was my favourite. 

 

[kadamian]

by red you mean extended tube?

 

[kadamian]

btw, it is interesting what kind of diaphragm is used in ocharakus
 
can't find any info

 

[sonickarma]

  by red you mean extended tube?

Flat4-SAKURA Plus (top image) and AKAZAKURA Plus (bottom image)
 

 

[d3885u]

@anakchan

Is it true that according to my frined who has listened on both version said that kaede ii tend to be more neutral and flatter on response compared to the sakuras?

 

[kadamian]

found this sakura vs kaede II comparison (by rudi0504)
 
http://headpie.blogspot.ru/2016/03/ocharaku-kaede-zakura-vs-ocharaku-kaede.html
 
 
i still think that these differences are a bit exaggerated but what caught my attention is prominent difference in mids where sakuras are "analog" sounding (which i definitely prefer)
 
p.s. however i still can't get what "wide"/"deep"/"tall" soundstage means - this is iem, after all and the music is still in your head! it can't be compared to standalone speakers! 

 

[recarcar]

So I got a chance to listen to them together to see how my memory of the Kaede II compares (28mm Kaede and Akazakura) just with the GOv2. They are more the same than different but have some notable differences IMO. I generally don't expect too much from IEMs but I just look for four things in general: decent FR (neutrality), decent tonal balance, good reproduction of timbre, and good detail reproduction. It has been a challenge to find something with all these components in IEM form. Anyway...
 
The Kaede II is more incisive, and what I mean is that is its ability to convey the edges and very subtle transients of acoustic instruments especially is better. Because of this it sounds more accurate in terms of instrument timbre to me.
 
However, I was greeted again with the really contrasty nature of the Kaede II. It's a phone that really emphasizes bass and treble frequencies. Its FR is just not as even as the Akazakura. The Akazakura is better behaved, especially in the upper treble and bass, which gives it in some ways a more natural presentation that doesn't fuzz out information in the lower frequencies and doesn't over emphasize treble detail. 
 
They both seem to have some funny reflections going on in the cabinet that makes me think that something is up with the phase correction tech.
 
I don't know which I prefer as the reason I liked the Kaede II was it's ability to replicate instrument timbre, but it basically has a very lo-fi FR and was not very balanced to my ears. The Akazakura on the other hand, sacrifices a bit of timbre reproduction for better balance which in turn makes them a more natural sounding earphone. And because it has a better FR, it seems to convey detail in a more accurate way, instead of emphasizing it with over cooked treble and ticked up bass. It has lost a bit of the magic in terms of reproducing timbre of acoustic instruments though that made all the shortcomings of the Kaede II tolerable, to me anyway.
 
I was also really surprised to hear any differences at all, but they are there IMO.  

 

[artwood100]

nearing 100 hours with my sakura plus,  so i'll try writing an impression about it as well.
for your information i listen mainly to 70s funk, 80s  rock and blues, a little bit of jazz, and a fan of acoustic version of them all. 
i was the proud owner a kaede ii for 7 months and  donguri keyaki for 1 year+, before i sold them both for a gamble which called the SAKURA PLUS.
 
I can say for me it was the right gamble to make, the sakura plus in my opinion was a crossbreed of the 2 previous ocharakus i've had. 
it has the definition, detail  and timbre like the kaede with smoother edges of course. and it has a bit more focus in the high mid section than the kaede ( this resembles the donguri keyaki)
it has a slower pace than the kaede, but not as laid back as a donguri keyaki. it really is 60 % kaede and 40% donguri keyaki ( just like my friend robby said).
 
THE SOUND
 
HIGH :The kaede ii really excels in micro detail, one thing that the sakura plus produce a smoother version of it, this maybe a disappointment to some, but for my ears, it is still reproduce a very high degree of detail without the sharp edges of the highs ( which sometimes the kaedes high pierces my ears to a degree that i just have too take them off).
 
MID: A bit confusing, while i like the mid high section, which produce a very good vocals, it lacks a bit is the mid low section.
 
LOW: THe Low section in the sakura is a thicker than the kaede, with sufficient control to produce a bass that is very nice in quantity and quality.
 
THE SPEED
 
well everything has its ups and downs, the speed that the sakura has cannot compare to the kaede, 
the kaede allows me to listen to some speedy rock ( mr. big, dream theater ) and speedy jazz ( casiopea) with a god like prescision, 
while the sakuras speed is more for a slower tunes, blues ( clapton, bb king), jazz & vocals (caroll kidd, sting, chris botti)  , acoustic pops ( the coors, nirvana ,alanis morisette unplugged)
 
END WORDS
 
The kaede and sakura plus  are two different IEM, yes they have more in common than they differs, but for me they are really tuned differently to enjoy different kinds of music.
whereas the Sakura plus is  a definite upgrade than the donguri keyaki.
 
i tip my hat to mr yamagishi who i consider a man that really knows what he is doing in his world ( the IEM world).
 
I really like the Sakura, i know its not for every music that i listen to, but it really takes my listening of vocals and acoustic music to a new level. while for the more speedier side of my playlist i have my trusted Flare audio R2PRO.
 
thanks all for spending your time reading this.

 

[artwood100]

  In my opinion, the black one fits a music style I don't listen to as much. It is beautiful for wood instruments, non-rock strings, vocals, but tends toward bass bloom when fed trance, fast EDM and even some hip hop. I am decidedly a non-audiophile listener and therefore, the one with less bass resonance fits my listening habits better. But, I listened to the black one and Mr. Yamagishi's musical selection and then compared with Red. No contest: for his music, which was heavier on vocals, woods, and classical opera, jazz, etc., black was my favourite. 

Ok, so u met Mr yamagishi and listened to his music, I'm curious with which DAP did he paired his ocharakus with??
what is his preffered DAP's
thanks bro

 

[recarcar]

@artwood100
 
Thanks for your impressions! Definitely concur with most of your impressions. The Sakura has a softer and more rounded sound compared to the Kaede II. I'm finding that the Akazakura is just as detailed but it derives it's micro detail in a more natural way to me (through a more tonal/FR balance). The Kaede II seems to over highlight detail by way of its huge upper treble peak to my ears. In terms of speed, I think it is on par with the Kaede II (as well as my flare r2a), and sounds a bit more controlled in the bass. The Kaede II has the propensity of fuzzing out bass detail especially when the music is a bit faster/more congested IMO.
 
I'm finding the Akazakura to be the more versatile phone as I listen to many genres of music. But it sometimes leaves me wanting in terms of the incisiveness of the Kaede II.