Oriolus Szalayi IEM discussion thread
- Thread starter Charlyro222
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I respect that!
Stu Paddasso
1000+ Head-Fier
Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Nov 18, 2011
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Disappointed LL Westlake is a lighter blue in real life vs its pictures. Not quite the match I was hoping for with SZA.
I think it looks good, a nice contrast of lighter and darker blue. Is it a light cable? Definitely looks slimmer versus Martini which is quite thick/heavy.
Nozzles are short and wide. Combined with the thicc body it makes for a tricky fit. Proper eartip selection is key; I’m still experimenting.
Stu Paddasso
1000+ Head-Fier
It's 22awg so it's not light but it is comfortable to wear. You can move around with no problems. I wouldn't go jogging with it!
Feischmaker
100+ Head-Fier
Tried the SZA today.
Since this a store demo unit, i believe it is sufficiently "burned".
I forgot to ask whether eartips were stock or not, but fit is no issue for me.
Tested using stock cable, 4.4mm to ibasso DX300 (stock amp11 mk2), later I also swap cable to EA Cleopatra (silver).
Below are what I think are Szalayi key strengths and one drawback:
Very coherent for a tribrid
You see, the reason I don't own hybrid/tribrid now, is because i am quite sensitive to them being incoherent.
Kudos to Oriolus, from my demo time, i feel that all three drivers is working in harmony.
fyi, today i also tried a hybrid IEM that is three times more expensive than SZA, and SZA beat it in coherency
Excellent spatial presentation
While the stage width is just average, the depth is TOTL level/excellent. Moreover it's very easy to pinpoint the instrument location.
Swapping stock cable to silver open up the stages to become more spacious.
Smooth, fatigue-free tonality
There is no odd peak/dip that i can notice. Excellent tonal balance that is very suitable for long time listening.
What is the caveat?
I think Szalayi is not an all rounder.
It is very good with modern music, such as modern pop, electronics, dance music etc.
It is also good with vocals stuff.
The genre that Szalayi I think is not really suitable is acoustics and classical, which i think Szalayi is not engaging enough.
Hope it helps
Since this a store demo unit, i believe it is sufficiently "burned".
I forgot to ask whether eartips were stock or not, but fit is no issue for me.
Tested using stock cable, 4.4mm to ibasso DX300 (stock amp11 mk2), later I also swap cable to EA Cleopatra (silver).
Below are what I think are Szalayi key strengths and one drawback:
Very coherent for a tribrid
You see, the reason I don't own hybrid/tribrid now, is because i am quite sensitive to them being incoherent.
Kudos to Oriolus, from my demo time, i feel that all three drivers is working in harmony.
fyi, today i also tried a hybrid IEM that is three times more expensive than SZA, and SZA beat it in coherency
Excellent spatial presentation
While the stage width is just average, the depth is TOTL level/excellent. Moreover it's very easy to pinpoint the instrument location.
Swapping stock cable to silver open up the stages to become more spacious.
Smooth, fatigue-free tonality
There is no odd peak/dip that i can notice. Excellent tonal balance that is very suitable for long time listening.
What is the caveat?
I think Szalayi is not an all rounder.
It is very good with modern music, such as modern pop, electronics, dance music etc.
It is also good with vocals stuff.
The genre that Szalayi I think is not really suitable is acoustics and classical, which i think Szalayi is not engaging enough.
Hope it helps
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See, I think the SZA excels at classical.Tried the SZA today.
Since this a store demo unit, i believe it is sufficiently "burned".
I forgot to ask whether eartips were stock or not, but fit is no issue for me.
Tested using stock cable, 4.4mm to ibasso DX300 (stock amp11 mk2), later I also swap cable to EA Cleopatra (silver).
Below are what I think are Szalayi key strengths and one drawback:
Very coherent for a tribrid
You see, the reason I don't own hybrid/tribrid now, is because i am quite sensitive to them being incoherent.
Kudos to Oriolus, from my demo time, i feel that all three drivers is working in harmony.
fyi, today i also tried a hybrid IEM that is three times more expensive than SZA, and SZA beat it in coherency
Excellent spatial presentation
While the stage width is just average, the depth is TOTL level/excellent. Moreover it's very easy to pinpoint the instrument location.
Swapping stock cable to silver open up the stages to become more spacious.
Smooth, fatigue-free tonality
There is no odd peak/dip that i can notice. Excellent tonal balance that is very suitable for long time listening.
What is the caveat?
I think Szalayi is not an all rounder.
It is very good with modern music, such as modern pop, electronics, dance music etc.
It is also good with vocals stuff.
The genre that Szalayi I think is not really suitable is acoustics and classical, which i think Szalayi is not engaging enough.
Hope it helps
Feischmaker
100+ Head-Fier
For me the answer is both yes and no.
Yes because of its amazingly holographic presentation.
No because for some reason it lacks the energy that i usually feels when i listen with another setup.
This actually surprised me most when i listened to an opera.
The singers' voices are presented very well, i can feel the emotion.
But the accompanying orchestra feels unusually... dispirited?
Feischmaker
100+ Head-Fier
For me Szalayi is stellar at its price. And I want to buy it because of how good it is in doing what it does.
But if you are looking for an all rounder (i am not looking for one), then it is not, just like my other IEM, they are not either.
But if you are looking for an all rounder (i am not looking for one), then it is not, just like my other IEM, they are not either.
just out of curiosity, I did an A/B between the Serial tri DD and the SZA...listening to Mozart symphonies 40 and 41, altho the SZA has great texture in the strings and a definite sense of grandeur, it seems the serials do have a bit more body in the mids....same with the EST50's, strings are a bit more vivid.....going back to the SZA...richer depth and layering...i think the timbre of the strings and different symphonic elements could be better on the SZA with classical. But overall I would still choose the SZA due to its other assets (imaging, etc.). 
masantaemusic
New Head-Fier
I’ve decided to roll cable to this Aliexpress silver plated graphene , 4 core, LITZ 7N OCC, just after more than 120 hours burning:
When playing Schnittke’s Choir Concerto 4th movement on DSD upscaling on my Fiio M11 LTD AKM the imaging is just breathless: each choir divisi is clearly heard on each chord. On details, some voices of the choir on this recording are more raw in sound than others, and this can be heard specially among female. Good response of bass and mid lows, superb I must say for a choral recording
Björk’s Hyperballad, ripped on DSD from its original album Post, bring another quality to the bass and sub bass region of the SZA for me: massive, controlled within its own registers, but when the track opens to different instrumentation, it gets fascinating: nothing is wasted here and everything is on its right place. And, the strings at the end… did you know the strings already appeared at 2:59, just when the chorus went insane? I didn’t listened to that until now. And when alone, these strings sounded more rounded, full of body, not can-ish like with other IEMs.
When you listen to ELO’s Mr Blue Sky you can be aware you’re listening to an excellent recording engineering work of art, flawless: all these rhapsodic transitions, the Sonovox tracks, the full orchestration along with the band sounds balanced and precise within its holographic image.
This has been for long one of Vytas Brenner’s favourite tracks for me (It is from my homeland, cant help it). With the SZA I can hear all guitar-mandolin doublings on the melody line clearly and well positioned, what didn’t happened with any of my IEMs. You can also understand all synth’s soundscapes with fluidity and it resulted now to be a more colourful track than expected.
The cable rolling is not quite bad at all, more controlled bass maybe, but I’m afrain I’m missing a little bit (but just a very little of) highs, around 6-8k. Not terrible. Though, but I need to try with a silver cable later on.
When playing Schnittke’s Choir Concerto 4th movement on DSD upscaling on my Fiio M11 LTD AKM the imaging is just breathless: each choir divisi is clearly heard on each chord. On details, some voices of the choir on this recording are more raw in sound than others, and this can be heard specially among female. Good response of bass and mid lows, superb I must say for a choral recording
Björk’s Hyperballad, ripped on DSD from its original album Post, bring another quality to the bass and sub bass region of the SZA for me: massive, controlled within its own registers, but when the track opens to different instrumentation, it gets fascinating: nothing is wasted here and everything is on its right place. And, the strings at the end… did you know the strings already appeared at 2:59, just when the chorus went insane? I didn’t listened to that until now. And when alone, these strings sounded more rounded, full of body, not can-ish like with other IEMs.
When you listen to ELO’s Mr Blue Sky you can be aware you’re listening to an excellent recording engineering work of art, flawless: all these rhapsodic transitions, the Sonovox tracks, the full orchestration along with the band sounds balanced and precise within its holographic image.
This has been for long one of Vytas Brenner’s favourite tracks for me (It is from my homeland, cant help it). With the SZA I can hear all guitar-mandolin doublings on the melody line clearly and well positioned, what didn’t happened with any of my IEMs. You can also understand all synth’s soundscapes with fluidity and it resulted now to be a more colourful track than expected.
The cable rolling is not quite bad at all, more controlled bass maybe, but I’m afrain I’m missing a little bit (but just a very little of) highs, around 6-8k. Not terrible. Though, but I need to try with a silver cable later on.
I’ve decided to roll cable to this Aliexpress silver plated graphene , 4 core, LITZ 7N OCC, just after more than 120 hours burning:
When playing Schnittke’s Choir Concerto 4th movement on DSD upscaling on my Fiio M11 LTD AKM the imaging is just breathless: each choir divisi is clearly heard on each chord. On details, some voices of the choir on this recording are more raw in sound than others, and this can be heard specially among female. Good response of bass and mid lows, superb I must say for a choral recording
Björk’s Hyperballad, ripped on DSD from its original album Post, bring another quality to the bass and sub bass region of the SZA for me: massive, controlled within its own registers, but when the track opens to different instrumentation, it gets fascinating: nothing is wasted here and everything is on its right place. And, the strings at the end… did you know the strings already appeared at 2:59, just when the chorus went insane? I didn’t listened to that until now. And when alone, these strings sounded more rounded, full of body, not can-ish like with other IEMs.
When you listen to ELO’s Mr Blue Sky you can be aware you’re listening to an excellent recording engineering work of art, flawless: all these rhapsodic transitions, the Sonovox tracks, the full orchestration along with the band sounds balanced and precise within its holographic image.
This has been for long one of Vytas Brenner’s favourite tracks for me (It is from my homeland, cant help it). With the SZA I can hear all guitar-mandolin doublings on the melody line clearly and well positioned, what didn’t happened with any of my IEMs. You can also understand all synth’s soundscapes with fluidity and it resulted now to be a more colourful track than expected.
The cable rolling is not quite bad at all, more controlled bass maybe, but I’m afrain I’m missing a little bit (but just a very little of) highs, around 6-8k. Not terrible. Though, but I need to try with a silver cable later on.
Told you those Ali Express cables were good! My 8-wire pure silver cable is delivered tomorrow!
Correction delivered today!
Listening to the 8 wire silver and I feel it is absolutely fantastic...soooo smooth..detailed, musical...the bass is refined and layered, and the highs come into their own! Who would have thought that the SZAs little BA driver for the treble could sound so sweet! And the planr driver with this cable just dissappears and all you get is ultra refined, layerd, textured, holographic magnificant mids! I need more time but of the 3 cables I got, this one is by far the best for me, at least now... The other gold plated silver can be a tad laid back, and the palladium cable can be a tad too aggressive (depends on IEM, my custom Valkyries sound best with palladium cable!) but for the Szalayi, the 8 wire silver sounds like it was made for the SZA! Cable was $240!
Listening to the 8 wire silver and I feel it is absolutely fantastic...soooo smooth..detailed, musical...the bass is refined and layered, and the highs come into their own! Who would have thought that the SZAs little BA driver for the treble could sound so sweet! And the planr driver with this cable just dissappears and all you get is ultra refined, layerd, textured, holographic magnificant mids! I need more time but of the 3 cables I got, this one is by far the best for me, at least now... The other gold plated silver can be a tad laid back, and the palladium cable can be a tad too aggressive (depends on IEM, my custom Valkyries sound best with palladium cable!) but for the Szalayi, the 8 wire silver sounds like it was made for the SZA! Cable was $240!
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One more thing! The unboxing I love, but I just realized the tassle on the box is held in by an I Ching coin! How cool is that!
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