[Rockwell75]

TRAILLII:

I am glad there is a dedicated thread now. I did post on the Flinkenick's thread a comparison of the Traillii and the Erlkoenig a day after I got the Traillii.

Now that I know the Traillii better (2 week in and a ton of time with it) I feel more qualified to to talk about it. I will refer to the Traillii as "T" for the rest of this post.

I use the T with mainly DX300 on D5 or D3. Medium gain with Tidal. I also have used it with the Jotunheim on balanced low gain. Using Tidal also. I roughly listen to 40% jazz, 40% Ben Howard, Alexi Murdoch, Jose Gonzalez type stuff, and 10% classic rock i.e. Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, etc......

4 years ago I started a Headphone quest. Three and a half years ago I moved into an IEM quest. I started to prefer IEMs over HPs due to portability and intimacy. Not walk around portability but around the house or take to work for the day or grab one of numerous IEMs during the night from the nightstand drawer next to the bed,

I am over 60 IEMs into the quest. Ridiculous in itself. With any passion none of this has been planned. Just following a passion.

I love IEMs but the T is different than any other IEM I have owned. It really sounds like the best, most engaging, most clear, most natural open back Headphone on the market. It is an open back headphone that does not have the issue of hearing sounds around me.

Due to the wide stage and clarity of the T, at times I feel like I need to stop listening so the sound is not annoying those around me. Then I realize I have an IEM in my ears with excellent isolation and no sound is bleeding to others around me. Extremely mind boggling at times.

The staging of the T is the most prominent thing that comes to me at first. The stage is super wide. In a good recording I can pick out where every instrument and the vocals are on the stage. Very far left and right and a little front to back. What a joy. The notes are so spread out and clear but still super engaging. Nothing jumps out with the mids, the bass and the treble that distract from the enjoyment of the music.

The timbre is extremely natural. This is an unbelievably well tuned IEM. With other IEMs things jump out as not blending together well. That does not exist with the T. Everything blends together extremely well.

The T is not like an IEM. Therefore it is not as intimate as other IEMs. Erlkonig or Elysium come to mind for intimacy. This is an IEM to enjoy and live the music. It is an extremely engaging IEM.

I know I have said this already but it is not an IEM that has the sound produced within the space of your head. It is the most amazing "Open Back Headphone" I have ever heard. The music is not just in your head but is in and all around your head. The music is not colored. To me the music is true to how it was meant to be heard. Whatever the hell that means. A better way to say it is that the sound is true to how I think the sound is supposed to be heard.

I can of course easily add the Traillili to the list of IEMs I thoroughly enjoy. I need variety and the Traillii is such an enjoyable addition. So different to any other IEM I have heard.

That is my take for the moment.

That was a fantastic and highly relatable writeup-- thank-you for sharing!

You've got an amazing collection of IEMs. I'm surprised I don't see the IER Z1R in there.

 

[SLC1966]

Nice to read your experience!

I am coming from the Susvara, and was on the look out for a portable partner. I though I give the T a try, I really liked what I read in the reviews. So far, Susvara is still King in technicalities but I do not mind crowning the T as Queen. The T is very similar to the Sus, not the same, but close enough for me. Out of the box the T is more engaging for sure: a Sus needs a lot work (speaker amps, pad rolling and moderate EQ) to achieve this.

Only 5 hours in the bank, maybe it will get even better with some days of playtime. Musictech recommended 50. The sus really needed 100 hours minimum. So far so good. Really happy,

What is your experience with burn-in/break-in?

Thank you.
I have not heard the Susvara but have read about similarities with the Traillii.

I have a hard time knowing if something is "burn in" or "brain burn". I did take the Traillii to work the second day I had it and it was not doing much for me with Jotunheim (but I had just been up all night comparing Erlkoenig and Traillii). I brought Traillii to work two days ago and it was the best IEM experience I have had at work. So that is a massive turnaround. But I am not sure which variable to attribute it to.

 

[SLC1966]

That was a fantastic and highly relatable writeup-- thank-you for sharing!

You've got an amazing collection of IEMs. I'm surprised I don't see the IER Z1R in there.

Thank you for the kind words.

I almost pulled the trigger on the IER Z1R a couple times. I refrained due to possible fit issues (I have had fit issue with numerous IEMS) and after market cables fitting the IER Z1R. Since those few times I almost purchased it, I have found my “favorite” IEM with DD for more than or other than just bass (Elysium) and I have given up on non 2 pin IEMs unless it comes with an incredible cable like the Mason V3+ does (Phanes). I ran into to many MMCX IEM/cable compatibility issues.

 

[Rockwell75]

Thank you for the kind words.

I almost pulled the trigger on the IER Z1R a couple times. I refrained due to possible fit issues (I have had fit issue with numerous IEMS) and after market cables fitting the IER Z1R. Since those few times I almost purchased it, I have found my “favorite” IEM with DD for more than or other than just bass (Elysium) and I have given up on non 2 pin IEMs unless it comes with an incredible cable like the Mason V3+ does (Phanes). I ran into to many MMCX IEM/cable compatibility issues.

I hope you get to check it out sometime. Since owning the Elysium I've gained a new appreciation for a certain kind of treble response and the Z1R, while definitely a step behind Ely in some respects, comes very close and the combination of that treble in tandem with what is arguably the pre-eminent sub-bass experience in IEMs right now (sorry LX) gives the IER Z1R a certain kind of "emotional fun factor" that in my experience has neither a parallel nor quite an equal in the TOTL realm. The IER Z1R is the closest thing we have to "Elysium with DD bass" right now and I'm currently plotting a way to secure one as my #2 (should this happen I'd happiliy send it to you to demo if you're interested).

Sorry for the off topic.

 

[aaf evo]

I hope you get to check it out sometime. Since owning the Elysium I've gained a new appreciation for a certain kind of treble response and the Z1R, while definitely a step behind Ely in some respects, comes very close and the combination of that treble in tandem with what is arguably the pre-eminent sub-bass experience in IEMs right now (sorry LX) gives the IER Z1R a certain kind of "emotional fun factor" that in my experience has neither a parallel nor quite an equal in the TOTL realm. The IER Z1R is the closest thing we have to "Elysium with DD bass" right now and I'm currently plotting a way to secure one as my #2 (should this happen I'd happiliy send it to you to demo if you're interested).

Sorry for the off topic.

Hmmm, Z1R closest thing to Ely with DD bass? I agree they have similar treble... ish. But man... z1r mid range can’t even touch Elysium’s...

 

[Rockwell75]

Hmmm, Z1R closest thing to Ely with DD bass? I agree they have similar treble... ish. But man... z1r mid range can’t even touch Elysium’s...

I didn't mean it quite like that (perhaps I misspoke)-- I know the midrange on Elysium is on another level compared to that of the Z1R. Quite frankly I'm not convinced they can produce mids as transparent, open and natural as Elysium's with the thickness of a DD in the background. I meant more that both Elysium and Z1R have a very fast, clear and natural treble that has an almost alchemical effect on the rest of the signature. With Ely it's highs working on the mids, with Z1R it's highs working on lows. I find them both very engaging in different ways. I suppose my view is that they're spiritual siblings more than one simply being a different version of the other. Anyway I'll stop talking about this in the Trailli thread.

 

[xAssailant]

Speaking of non-Android daps, has anyone else tried bird with a Sony WM1Z? I love this pair up. It rivals SP2K on sq but the lack of streaming is what kills it for me. It would be great to hear some other people’s impressions though

Yes, I posted my pic of the pair it sounds amazing. Very natural and realistic, sound stage great as expected. I just don’t feel that I’m using 1Z that much because I prefer the convenience of the W2.

I also ordered one of these from AliExpress to test out -

C$ 61.11 30％ Off | OKCSC HiFi Adapter for iphone lightning Dad Male Connector 4.4mm 2.5mm Balanced Mom 3.5mm Female Jack for Earphone Amplifier
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqkTgnl

 

[bluestorm1992]

W2 is really good. Best dongle in the market IMHO.

 

[xAssailant]

W2 is really good. Best dongle in the market IMHO.

It sure is. My honey h1 is still my fave over any DAPs (m8 and 1z). And the only thing beating my h1 is my rme adi 2, that thing is too beast IMO.

Honey h1 + Traillii is a very amazing combo. My hd800s are so boring now lol, I just use them to give my ears a break at this point.

 

[toaster]

W2 is really good. Best dongle in the market IMHO.

It sure is. My honey h1 is still my fave over any DAPs (m8 and 1z). And the only thing beating my h1 is my rme adi 2, that thing is too beast IMO.

Honey h1 + Traillii is a very amazing combo. My hd800s are so boring now lol, I just use them to give my ears a break at this point.

how do w2 and honey h1 compare to mojo?

thx.

 

[bigbeans]

This combo has to be experienced, I’ve never heard Traillii perform this well before. Every time this is a stunner.

 

[bluestorm1992]

how do w2 and honey h1 compare to mojo?

thx.

I don’t have the Mojo. I don’t think it can compare with Hugo 2, but it is a lot more convenient. And, I spotted that @Calfredo826 sold his Hugo 2 after getting W2.

 

[toaster]

I just sold my h2...a bit sterile for my tastes.

staging and details are fantastic, though.

 

[xAssailant]

I just sold my h2...a bit sterile for my tastes.

staging and details are fantastic, though.

Not sure; I liked Hugo 2 more than mojo, and I sold my Hugo 2 when I got the honey h1

 

[Damz87]

This combo has to be experienced, I’ve never heard Traillii perform this well before. Every time this is a stunner.

I’ve been trying to convince @aaf evo to join us on the DMP/Bird train

It's easily the best IEM audio quality I've experienced. Really hope more people try this combination. Glad that you’re loving it, man!