[gearofwar]

How does this iem compare to Reborn LTD?

 

[McCol]

Cables.

I've never really been one for exploring cables too much. I think I've got good knowledge of earphones, DAPs and certain aspects of the portable DAC/AMP market.
Cables though are a rabbit hole I've never really bothered to wander down, I've bought a couple of cables over the years, a DIY one for my Ety er4 and another couple of cheaper cables. I get some of the basics but not that much to be honest.

Now a wee tale. I recently bought the Noble Audio Black on Black Damascus Sultan earphones. They normally retail for £3800 here in the UK, I got them new in a sale for £1800, was really happy with this price. Now they come with a cable that Noble normally charge $1700 for. The XLR 8 Graphene. Not a cable I would ever spend that kind of money but it came with earphones. Now in terms of cable speak, I'm a bit clueless and I'm assuming some of the description is all a bit of hype.

Noble describe it as and I quote from their site - 'Noble’s XLR 8 cable is an industry first, consisting of 3 braided cables of graphene, and three braided cables of cryogenically treated monocrystalline silver, and one braided cable of both graphene and silver. Graphene is extremely lightweight and 1.4 times more conductive than copper, resulting in a very low impedance cable that is lightweight and extremely musical'

When using with my Sultan's I've been impressed but I wouldn't know any different as I'm not a cable collector. Today I tried it on the Sza and I was very impressed with the small but subtle changes it has made. It seems to lift the whole sound to a slightly higher level, more air and detail in the mids and highs, bass seems more pronounced. I'm around 40hours into burn in (I think!).

In normal circumstances there is no way I would pay this for a cable on it's own, I'm not even sure if Noble are noted for their cables, I've seen a few negative comments that they are expensive rebadges of OEM cables. I can't find any other comparable cable on the few sites I've looked at. I've seen some graphene cables on Ali at a fraction of the cost but not the same spec.

Anyway enough of this rambling tale. The upshot is that the SZA seem to be a real silent hit at this price, currently listening through the N8ii with the mentioned cable and these are a bit special.

 

[mformoriarty]

So I just got the szalayi yesterday. So not burned in yet. The Monarch MK II is more analytical in comparison and not so extremely musical. The bass is also more restrained. Mids and vocals aren't as lively. I had fit issues after a good 2 hours of listening. I also didn't like it that much with the M8. On the DX320 it was ok. For the reason that he suppressed the iBasso typical upper mids a bit. IT07 with the original cable didn't go so well for me on the iBasso DX300 / 320 because of the over-emphasized upper mids. Had a tendency to scream, especially with bright women's voices. Fortunately, this is not the case with the M8. Beautiful, full, warm sound, very good bass and fine, gentle highs. But from the first impression of Szalayi I think that they are to be rated even higher. It is due to the liveliness, timbre in the midrange. I also like highs. Don't sound harsh. As I said, I have to burn in the Szalayi and then make an exact comparison.

Any updates on this? Getting an itchy trigger finger for the Szalayi lol. Lately I've been enjoying the IT-07 quite a bit, they were a bit peaky at first since I haven't used them in a while but it's been a lot more fun over the Monarchs. Don't have the M8 but I do have the DX300 (11mk1, 12EX, 13 modules), haven't noticed the suppressed upper mids you mention since I don't have another dap to compare to.

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

Any updates on this? Getting an itchy trigger finger for the Szalayi lol. Lately I've been enjoying the IT-07 quite a bit, they were a bit peaky at first since I haven't used them in a while but it's been a lot more fun over the Monarchs. Don't have the M8 but I do have the DX300 (11mk1, 12EX, 13 modules), haven't noticed the suppressed upper mids you mention since I don't have another dap to compare to.

I meant it differently with the upper mids. Ibasso emphasizes the upper mids too much for my taste. The Monarch MKII smoothed it out a bit. So now to Szalayi. It's now 240 hours burned in and sounds fantastic on pure silver wire. However, with M8. My DX 320 is with my dealer in HCM City as he is helping me with the sale. I can't say anything about the sound with Szalayi. But the szalayi is my favorite. I haven't heard from Szalayi since buying the IT07. Anyone who buys Szalayi will definitely not make a mistake. He's a lot of fun.

 

[szore]

6 weeks on and about 370 hours burned in and I'm still in the honeymoon period with Szalayi.

 

[Feischmaker]

Any updates on this? Getting an itchy trigger finger for the Szalayi lol. Lately I've been enjoying the IT-07 quite a bit, they were a bit peaky at first since I haven't used them in a while but it's been a lot more fun over the Monarchs. Don't have the M8 but I do have the DX300 (11mk1, 12EX, 13 modules), haven't noticed the suppressed upper mids you mention since I don't have another dap to compare to.

My Szalayi, 50 hours burned in (with stock everything), is paired with ibasso DX300.

Szalayi is one of the most inoffensive IEM in my collection (including my previous gear) , I can pleasantly listen to this combo for long hours no problem. It also handles "not well-mastered" track like a champ

 

[mformoriarty]

I meant it differently with the upper mids. Ibasso emphasizes the upper mids too much for my taste. The Monarch MKII smoothed it out a bit. So now to Szalayi. It's now 240 hours burned in and sounds fantastic on pure silver wire. However, with M8. My DX 320 is with my dealer in HCM City as he is helping me with the sale. I can't say anything about the sound with Szalayi. But the szalayi is my favorite. I haven't heard from Szalayi since buying the IT07. Anyone who buys Szalayi will definitely not make a mistake. He's a lot of fun.

So you would rate these above the Monarchs Mk2 and the IT07? I have the Dunu Blanche on the monarchs, those are pure silver. Also have the Thieaudio Oceania, those are palladium plated silver if I remember correctly, haven't used those for more than an hour but they fit the color profile for the Szalayis. Really considering this IEM lol, a tribrid with a planar driver is definitely new to me.

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

So you would rate these above the Monarchs Mk2 and the IT07? I have the Dunu Blanche on the monarchs, those are pure silver. Also have the Thieaudio Oceania, those are palladium plated silver if I remember correctly, haven't used those for more than an hour but they fit the color profile for the Szalayis. Really considering this IEM lol, a tribrid with a planar driver is definitely new to me.

I wouldn't rate it higher as the Monarch MKII and IT 07 are already playing at a higher level than what you can expect for the price. But for me Szalayi is the best in terms of music and timbre. The midrange is something very special thanks to the planar driver. The bass is also very nice. Szalayi is just fun and the details are not neglected either. So it's a great addition to the Monarch MKII and IT07. They are all on a good level but the 3 have a nice sound depending on the mood. So you can buy Szalayi with peace of mind. I also think it will harmonize very well with your amp 12 EX. The power of the amp12 will do the Szalayi very good. Recommendation : buy it!!!

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

And when I think back, the DX300 and DX320 are more neutral in tuning and don't sound as musical and powerful as the M8. For me somehow too flat and too analytical. And then the emphasized upper mids. I think the szalayi will fit well. It has the power and impact in the bass range, super smooth full mids musicality and timbre. Actually everything that the DX300 / 320 lacks for my personal taste. Think with Szalayi it will sound good. For example, with the M8 you can take the slimmest sounding headphones or IEMs. And they are brought to life by the M8 sound.

 

[mformoriarty]

Succumbed to my weakness. Placed an order on Musictek.

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

You won't regret it. I'm curious what they will report.

 

[bgpolyhistor]

Succumbed to my weakness. Placed an order on Musictek.

Same here. Going on vacation in 2 weeks, haven’t purchased any other sets this year, had to bite the bullet and order from MusicTeck.

Now, I need some new music to listen to as well….

 

[drbluenewmexico]

Another 5 am listening session with Sza with Bag O Audio pure silver cryo cable into Trudatto dac and Microzotal tube headphone amp upgraded by Mojo Audio.
SZA keeps opening up after 400 hours with it and surprising me with new musicality and details. Although I’m sleepy I find myself dancing in my desk chair with glee to Tidal sourced heavy metal, jazz, and rock. The sub bass is vibrating my whole body and I feel like I just had a double espresso. Since I got SZA set up I have little interest in other new iems or other gear. The liveness of this sound set up is magically real and super satisfying. I’m beyond a honeymoon with SZA into a serious relationship, you might even say an engagement! Kudos to Oriolus and Musicteck for offering these at a relatively reasonable price compared to flagship iems. They continue to rock my world! Highly recommended!

 

[morndewey]

Another 5 am listening session with Sza with Bag O Audio pure silver cryo cable into Trudatto dac and Microzotal tube headphone amp upgraded by Mojo Audio.
SZA keeps opening up after 400 hours with it and surprising me with new musicality and details. Although I’m sleepy I find myself dancing in my desk chair with glee to Tidal sourced heavy metal, jazz, and rock. The sub bass is vibrating my whole body and I feel like I just had a double espresso. Since I got SZA set up I have little interest in other new iems or other gear. The liveness of this sound set up is magically real and super satisfying. I’m beyond a honeymoon with SZA into a serious relationship, you might even say an engagement! Kudos to Oriolus and Musicteck for offering these at a relatively reasonable price compared to flagship iems. They continue to rock my world! Highly recommended!

Doc Blu,
I’m wondering if you can tell me how similar SZA stem/nozzles are to Isa?
I adored Isa tonality but the combo of shorty stems and wide nozzles was dealbreaker. Thanks

 

[drbluenewmexico]

I will check for you Morndewey!
I can say off the bat that,SZA fits me much better than my Isabella.
But HBB couldn't get SZA to fit him at all so that's why he has not reviewed SZA! I suggested to him that he try to get a custom made, but I guess that wasn't possible.