[irv003]

edited:
will transfer post to oriolus portable source gear

 

[Hanesu]

I have recently listened to the Crassirostris for the first time. Since I am a long time Mk2 owner I can tell you that they sound very, very similar. My perception was that there is only a very slight difference in treble response. Interestingly, Crassirostris sounded even slightly rounder/smoother/rolled off (however you perceive that and/or find that a positive or negative thing) in the treble and maybe as a result of that, also its soundstage sounded slightly more intimate to me. Otherwise, again, I find them super similar. Both have the typical emotional thick vocal Oriolus sound

 

[morndewey]

Isa still amazing me.
Have hooked up to A&K sa700 and balanced Dunu Blanche with Final E tips.
Like a completely different monitor from what I was used to with wm1a. No longer gently subtle but dynamic to the hilt. Very versatile.
I still think, on a budget (or not), Isa is superlative, gets you to very high reaches of hifi heaven

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

Yes, I think so, too. I love the Isas. I use them with Satin Audio Athena cables and then they thrive on the DX312 W. Just very nice.

 

[morndewey]

Yes, I think so, too. I love the Isas. I use them with Satin Audio Athena cables and then they thrive on the DX312 W. Just very nice.

When I used Isa with wm1a, I had Medusa 2 balanced on it. And it sounded great. The combination of more amp power (higher class output too?) with sa700, and the more forward upper mid tuning of sa700, brings out a totally different character to Isa. Cheers

 

[fabio19]

Mellianus VS Traillii ?

 

[blotmouse]

Mellianus VS Traillii ?

pretty sure @twister6 knows

 

[fabio19]

pretty sure @twister6 knows

Yes .... I have already read the Twister6 comparison, as I always do. I respect him very much.
I wanted to know if there were any other opinions on this ....

 

[blotmouse]

Mellianus is rare indeed in the wild.

 

[fabio19]

Mellianus is rare indeed in the wild.

Too bad, because from what I read it still sounded very good

 

[twister6]

Too bad, because from what I read it still sounded very good

It is, especially at that price. And sorry, I didn't get to write full review yet, it is in queue, but I did cover the comparison between Traillii vs Mellianus JP (new version) in this post, the one you probably referring to. I will try to remember to take FR comparison measurements as well and share it in Traillii thread, maybe tonight or tomorrow.

 

[tummus]

Does anyone know how the Crassi compares to the Thieaudio Monarch MK i/ii?

 

[ljnew]

Oriolus Reborn first day impressions...consolidated post, continually updated. Crossposted here.

Earliest of early impressions after just a few test tracks were that this is another work of characteristic Oriolus magic. First thoughts-- very well balanced and pleasing tuning. Think Solaris with more sub-bass, a bit less mid-bass (a little less thump but more woob), not quite as spacious or layered but with more forwardness & even temperedness in the mids combined with The Old Man's peerless affinity for extracting nuance, emotion and subtle textures out of vocals and bringing the whole upper mid-range forward without overshadowing the lower mids, sacrificing weight and body or veering into anything too shouty (it did come a bit close on one of my tracks but that could have been the recording) or sacrificing sweetness in the highs. So far, huge thumbs up.



Some more notes after a few hours. Something I've been surprised about: these things are sub-bass beasts. Not in quantity but in quality-- the bass is quick, thick, very well extended, nicely nuanced & detailed...all in all possibly the most satisfying pure sub-bass experience I've had since the IER Z1R. On the flip side mid-bass oomph, as I noted earlier, is not as strong and at first-- coming right from something like the Dorado or even the Isabellae-- I find myself missing that presence, however invariably after some time passes and my brain adapts to the sound I stop noticing/minding...it's funny how our minds work and what we can adapt to. Not unlike walking into a bright room from the dark-- it's overwhelming at first but after time your perception adjusts accordingly.

On any of my tracks that benefit from a good sub-bass emphasis the Reborn absolutely knocks it out of the park-- I was not expecting the sub-bass to be this good.

Mids are fantastic-- sometimes upper mids veer into "almost too sharp" territory but they never quite get there. I think this is a consequence of missing mid-bass presence I am used to as well as adjusting to, what is in my experience generally sharper, BA midrange timbre. Male vocals are some of the nicest I've heard.

Staging is fairly wide and tall but quite deep-- this is where Reborn's hybrid elements allow it to surpass something like Isa. There is a really nice sense of holographic rendering here and you get the inklings of a tangible 3-d presence-- something that The Old Man perfected in the Traillii.

All that said this IEM has already won me over. My only real reservations so far are 1) re-adjusting back to BA timbre in the mids, 2) not as much mid-bass presence as I usally like, and 3) upper mids come within a hairbreadth of too strident at times...though I must also say that after I've been listening for a while my awareness of all these things vanish as I find myself melting into the inviting, open and embracing tuning of the Oriolius Reborn.

Spoiler: Unboxing

Love Solaris but it definitely lacks detail especially in the treble region. My $400 audio technica is better when it comes to treble.

 

[thomasu]

I've got a Crassirostris on the classifieds if anyone is interested!

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/oriolus-crassirostris.22566/

 

[PhenixS1970]

I have a ‘bird’ on sale in the classifieds , EU, UK only.