[FooFighter]

I agree that Legend X is the perfect complement to the Traillii. So is the Z1R.

My best 3 IEMs used to be Odin, Z1R and LX. Once I got the Traillii, it is now Traillii, Z1R and LX. Odin is still better than LX and comparable to Z1R, but it overlaps too much with the Bird and Bird is better at far more things than Odin.

How about LX SE?

 

[Frankie D]

@SBranson asked me an interesting question which I cannot answer not having heard the Elysium.

How do Ely mids compare to the bird of destruction?

There is nothing that the Ely can do that is better than the Traillii in my opinion. A number of others have mentioned this as well. If you can afford Traillii, just get it. If not, get Ely and you will still be happy. I just did some comparisons last week and still feel the Traillii has the edge, even in the mids.

That said, if you have any music that you feel is too bass forward, then the Ely would be my pick between the two for that track. The simplest explanation of the Traillii to someone with an Ely is to imagine it with the proper amount of bass. Obviously there are other differences, but this is a good high level summation.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

How about LX SE?

I haven't heard it yet.

Don't get me wrong. I still love the Odins. I love its bass and smoothness. If it's the only thing I listen to in a day, I love them. The problem is that the Traillii is so good that for the use cases and genres of music I listen, the Bird sounds better over all. I need to experiment with EQ to see how close I can get them.

If EE comes out with an Odin SE or a new IEM that is all DD, that would make things very interesting. The biggest problem at this summit level is the coherence of the Odin and tuning relative to the Traillii. Everytime I A/B test Odin vs Traillii, I hear these problems.

 

[RTodd]

There is nothing that the Ely can do that is better than the Traillii in my opinion. A number of others have mentioned this as well. If you can afford Traillii, just get it. If not, get Ely and you will still be happy. I just did some comparisons last week and still feel the Traillii has the edge, even in the mids.

That said, if you have any music that you feel is too bass forward, then the Ely would be my pick between the two for that track. The simplest explanation of the Traillii to someone with an Ely is to imagine it with the proper amount t of bass. Obviously there are other differences, but this is a good high level summation.

I get it, though what does it matter what is best.
As long as an IEM brings it, we win.
The Elysium is also unique in its shell design, which is, in my opinion beautiful. Points for that.
To me they do not sound the same in the mids, similar, the Bird as everyone says is amazing, well at everything, depends on use case where Ely may make sense, or budget.

 

[tawmizzzz]

Regarding which has better mids, I think what Frankie is alluding to is that Elysium’s tuning by nature allows the mids to shine due to the more complimentary bass and lower treble. It’s hard to compare the two mids since Traillii goes for a more W-shaped, or even slight U with a stronger bass impact which will inevitably detract from the mids, especially with it’s more laid-back imaging/presentation.

That’s why it’s impossible for an IEM IMO to be the “best” in all 3, because our brains cannot focus on all 3 to that level. That’s also why although Supreme has the best mids in my opinion, it’s bass and treble are nothing too revolutionary. Gotta pick your poison

 

[SBranson]

@SBranson

This is all from memory, but Elysium is probably still top 3-4 for me in mids despite many of the summit-fi's I've heard. The "recession" that some folks allude to on the Traillii is in actuality just a by-product of an insanely large depth staging. The detail is all there-it just won't be shoved down your throat. I wouldn't even call Elysium particularly forward (more in the middle of the pack)- especially compared to Infinity/Odin/Erlkonig. Traillii takes Elysium's stage (height, depth and width) and pushes the vocals and mids slightly more back on the staging (think of a huge spherical concert) but with all the organic timbre/clarity easily present. There is that "wetness" factor that makes it very engaging and musical.

So for your genres, it is possible that Traillii is not the best mid-centric IEM. But like how many others have stated, the mids are still summit-fi and beautifully complimented by the best treble in the game and one of the best bass responses across any driver type. It really is the whole product you are looking at. But if mids is your main priority, Elysium is easily best bang for the buck there.

Hope this kinda helps.

This is a great help. I have no doubt that the Trailli has summit-fi performance and based on the Isabellae I’m confident of their tuning being appealing, but as you point out, considering what I listen to most with this part of my audio setup. I wonder if the strengths of the Elysium are more tailored to my tastes. The Trailli might be better in a general sense but not necessarily worth the huge disparity in cost for the relatively narrow range of music I would be listening to.

I’ll mull it over… thanks

 

[SBranson]

I get it, though what does it matter what is best.
As long as an IEM brings it, we win.
The Elysium is also unique in its shell design, which is, in my opinion beautiful. Points for that.
To me they do not sound the same in the mids, similar, the Bird as everyone says is amazing, well at everything, depends on use case where Ely may make sense, or budget.

If the Trailli fits like the Isabellae, then that is actually a win for the Trailli, for me. The Isabellae is one of the most comfortable iems I’ve had.

 

[toaster]

Traillii is one of the most comfortable iems (uni or custom) I’ve experienced.

 

[RTodd]

If the Trailli fits like the Isabellae, then that is actually a win for the Trailli, for me. The Isabellae is one of the most comfortable iems I’ve had.

I find Traillii comfortable.

I can not lay on my ear with it in, the Ely is the only one so far that I can get away with that, not fully mind you still need to elevate my ear a little.

 

[SBranson]

I find Traillii comfortable.
I can not lay on my ear with it in.

I never do that so it’s never been an issue..

 

[KickAssChewGum]

Traillii is one of the most comfortable iems (uni or custom) I’ve experienced.

I 100% agree with this. I was actually very shocked how much more comfortable it is than most.

 

[Frankie D]

I get it, though what does it matter what is best.
As long as an IEM brings it, we win.
The Elysium is also unique in its shell design, which is, in my opinion beautiful. Points for that.
To me they do not sound the same in the mids, similar, the Bird as everyone says is amazing, well at everything, depends on use case where Ely may make sense, or budget.

For me, there almost always is a “best.” Whether or not that extra hair is of value is another matter. But my post was in response to a question asking the mids of Traillii to be compared to the Ely. In my book, Traillii wins. While close and certainly a bit different timbre, the Traillii is the more accurate. Also the Traillii can soften the upper mids which is where the Ely gets in trouble at times. This was also mentioned by @twister6 and he used the Code 51 to ameliorate that a bit. I currently use the PW1950 on it, but the Traillii still has the better timbre in my opinion. If someone wants to add in those cables, you might as well get the Traillii.

The advantage of the Traillii in the mids is actually more clearly heard with instrumentals. I do not listen to choral music much( I think someone said they did), but this is where the difference might be even more noticeable. But I do agree with you, they would only be heard in comparison.

And as we have discussed, there is no wrong here. I also agree with you on the shell design. Ely, to me, is gorgeous. But, sound first. Tks.

 

[RTodd]

For me, there almost always is a “best.” Whether or not that extra hair is of value is another matter. But my post was in response to a question asking the mids of Traillii to be compared to the Ely. In my book, Traillii wins. While close and certainly a bit different timbre, the Traillii is the more accurate. Also the Traillii can soften the upper mids which is where the Ely gets in trouble at times. This was also mentioned by @twister6 and he used the Code 51 to ameliorate that a bit. I currently use the PW1950 on it, but the Traillii still has the better timbre in my opinion. If someone wants it add in those cables, you might as well get the Traillii.

The advantage of the Traillii in the mids is actually more clearly heard with instrumentals. I do not listen to choral music much( I think someone said they did), but this is where the difference might be even more noticeable. But I do agree with you, they would only be heard in comparison.

And as we have discussed, there is no wrong here. I also agree with you on the shell design. Ely, to me, is gorgeous. But, sound first. Tks.

No intention to criticize your comment, it was just the last one in a conversation that made me want to defend the Ely, just know that for some people the Elysium is one of the best they have, I do believe it is a capable and enjoyable sounding set.

 

[toaster]

Elysium is a fantastic iem.

At its price-point, it's definitely one of my favorites.

Ely mids are indisputably world-class.

 

[twister6]

If the Trailli fits like the Isabellae, then that is actually a win for the Trailli, for me. The Isabellae is one of the most comfortable iems I’ve had.

I personally find Traillii to fit just a little better in my ears. Also, as I mentioned in my quick impressions post about Isa in Oriolus thread, Isa's nozzle has bigger diameter, approximately 6.5mm, just in case if you have a very narrow earcanal. Of course, everything is subjective and relative to your ear anatomy, so here are the side by side pictures: