Crin's rankings don't mean the IEMs are in the same league, just that they rank a certain way based on their design goal. Traillii and Solaris are completely different and divergent IEMs, and I think even diehard Solaris users will concede it's not even in the same galaxy as Traillii. But as always YMMV.
Oriolus Traillii Electrostatic Hybrid IEM discussion thread
- Thread starter tgx78
- Start date
Well, it's been a while since I pulled the trigger and bought Trailli. As they drove up to me, I read the topic from the first page. Fortunately, not immediately, but in a few days. So, sometimes I even had time to sleep.
I saw a cautious curiosity, I saw a distrust that was replaced by sincere delight. I saw sincere, almost childish joy and broken skepticism, broken spears around the price. And saw an increase in price. I saw the disappointment when people who usually buy for dating and sell, a few months ago almost rushed to sell Trailli. I saw panic here, some excitedly asked - what happened. I saw disappointment again and finally a resurgence of faith that all was not lost. I saw how the cablerolling and the selection of the source began. I watched in amazement as some seriously tried to find what seemed to be the cheapest good source for such headphones. I've seen Ori become the best headphones in the world, considered better than more expensive models, and compared to noticeably cheaper ones. How they became the best in the world for metal, jazz, EBM and other genres. I've seen how boring or, conversely, their faceplates can be beautiful.
So let me say a few words that probably won't be new, and of course there are only IMHO. And forgive my bad English.
So, of course, when a thing gets cheaper, those who pay less for it feel lucky. It makes more discussions and attention. But those who have paid the full cost feel with broken heart and wallet. This is also normal, but the longer the model lasts, the harder the competition. So the price has to go down. And it is this gradual reduction in price that makes those who bought first not so unhappy - yet then the times were different.
The price dropped on the secondary market, so those who did not have enough money had the opportunity to join the pack. At least someone, apparently, looks at this "generation of second owners" like on white ... Trailli)
So, the price. Whether they cost how much, everyone must decide for themselves. Naturally, headphones are not cheap, and besides, they are not cheap even on the secondary market. So for some, their price would be insane.
Was it crazy to set such a price at the start of the sale? No. Unfortunately, the modern world is such that it is not enough to just make a good model. It still needs to be sold.
And to the club of top are allowed only with top prices. That is, no one would take the model as seriously and as a competitor, for example, EE Odin or 64 Forte, if its manufacturer was just altruistic and set the minimum possible price, for example, in the conventional 1k dollars. I also don't print money, and I don't like the current trend of tops that should be higher than at least their previous model in price. Theoretically, competition should lower the price. But in fact it plays the role of positioning. That is, if it is a top, then it must also compete on price. And better things costs more.
It's like poker. It is not enough to just have good cards, even if they are ok, but if there is no money, you lose. So would they get worse if they were cheaper? I do not know what to save. Prices are not so transparent and this price is not because they assembled the headphones from the components for $ 200 and added 300% benefit. Obviously, the price includes previous unsuccessful attempts and other costs left behind, but which eventually led to the fact that this model now exists and that it is just that.
Apparently, if they cost less, they would become napalm that would burn out many competitors. As was the case, for example, with Andromeda or Solaris.
Why did everyone rush to sell them? Everyone has their reasons. Someone just keeps moving on and can't be with the headphones for long time. And why so fast? Well, because when the price is 60% of the store it is a good discount. And when it is only 15%, it is still less. And someone will want to have the experience of tearing crispy films and pay more. But Black Friday is always a day of discounts. And everything is getting cheaper. So it is good that there will be more owners.
As for the source, I understand why people use dongles, but I think that they or Cayin N6-2 (mid/high-mid) level players, although not bad, are not good enough for Ori. That is, if I already have good headphones, then there must be a suitable source. I understand that for some I may say like a snob with my LPGT, but I think that the headphones are worthy of a quality player. And the simpler ones will not reveal them enough. Still, I think Ori is worth buying to get the maximum of the music, not the maximum of the dongle or mid-player capabilities.
And, my short impressions.
First, it is a small bird in a large nest. I'm a big fan of van nuys, so I've seen a bit of their cases. This one is big. It's nice that he's special. Will I use it often? I don't know, he's still big. Like twin tubes too. They are larger than standard van nuys. So I went back to the famous Campfire Audio twinbag solution. So on the set - this price adjusts to something more premium. On the other hand, perhaps it is a Japanese tradition that is designed not to distract from the main thing.
As for the sound, yes, these are the best headphones for metal, jazz and anything else. I was afraid that their sound would be too thick. And he is just like that. Thick, rich. Their scene is quite wide and deep, but that's not what the wow effect is. Iems dont have wow effect. Just playing. Just gorgeous. Iems are the most macro I've ever heard. But for me it's not too much, because they are one of the best in terms of technicality and analysis. That is, the sound is not too heavy, muddy, clumsy, greasy, and so on. It is very variable. From recording to recording, from beat to beat or from string to string. No need to guess when someone, for example, is playing tapping. Just good vocals sound really great. Emotional, but true. Let's say Beth Hart, Michael Patton or Will Ramos.
The positioning of the tools is very good. And because of the good dynamic range, and because of the right size. When it is natural records. When it's metal or electronics, it all depends on how it's written. There were some tracks where the beats were so large and huge that I was really surprised - and in the headphones it is possible ?!
At the same time, headphones are not megacritical of recording quality. That is, if he is ok and you are willing to tolerate his non-perfection - they will pull out everything that was there in the subconscious. Just a good record will sound better. Many times better.
Well, a few words about the cable. I gave up stock and use DHC Symbiote Elite 19. Convenient, albeit thick. Also good with Effect Cleo. But not so radically.
Epic post. I think if I had to pick one post to capture the spirit of Head Fi in 2021 so far it would be this one.
Actually, it does mean they are in the same league.
- The IEMs are ranked purely by sonic performance.Fit, isolation, durability, build quality etc. are ignored unless they interfere with the sound itself.
- The IEMs are not ranked in terms of price-to-performance value. They are ranked according to what I think is “objectively” the best.
In Crin's world, a Blessing 2 is much better than a Legend EVO. That's not my world.
If that's the case then I completely misunderstood the rankings. My bad! Also, if that's the case I'm going to get whiplash from shaking my head so much, because it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me (sorry Crin).
I've owned the VE8 & two versions of the Solaris and have demoed Traillii on a few occasions now. Solaris & VE8 imho are basically on the same level of performance but they have different specialties and different tonalities. Traillii is similar to Solaris in that both IEMs have massive canyons at 4K, which may explain why many of the Harman/Moondrop/"boost my upper mids" crowd haven't been as enamoured with it as some have. I would consider Traillii a massive step up from both the Solaris & VE8-- and pretty much every IEM I've heard for that matter-- by just about every metric I am familiar with. That ranking is straight up bonkers to me, but to each their own.
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what I quoted above are the very first 2 disclaimers in Crin's actually rankings table.
https://crinacle.com/rankings/iems/
I always read it as (just an example) U12t and Blessing are both S, but it goes without saying U12t is better as an IEM. If that's not the case, then I'm done looking at Crin's ratings as a guide.
To be fair I almost never look at his ratings. I find his graphs very valuable though.
tone.texture.soul
Previously known as Tokpakorlo
U12t in a category above Traillii??? Nio and Andromeda in the same? That's ridiculous. IMHO of course.
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Agreed. I never look at the rankings, as they make little sense to me.
To be fair to Crin, he posts plenty of disclaimers that it's just his opinion. His preferences also clearly deviate quite significantly from mine, as do his methods.
Also, watching his latest video explaining the rankings, I think he takes great delight in p****** people off and generating clickbait. He's turned his rankings into a neat little side business, and good for him. Just don't take them as gospel or as anything approaching a definitive ranking.
Once you know people's preferences and experience, you'll know which of the guys around here are far more reliable and consistent in their assessments (and there are quite a few).
tone.texture.soul
Previously known as Tokpakorlo
I had actually never even heard of this list before it was posted here, so I was quite surprised it is so far off from what I considered to be realistic. Everyone has their opinions, just bizarre order to me. I would never rely on, or advise someone to follow this kind of list. Individual reviews from seasoned audiophiles with tastes similar to one's own would give much better results I feel.
I prefer looking at the rankings of @Damz87. But even there are some differences with my own preferences. The only thing rankings are good for is to get an idea which IEMs are possible candidates, esp for newcomers.
@twister6, @Damz87, @aaf evo, @Deezel177, yourself too Mat. Plenty of guys with more knowledge and experience of the IEMs that matter to me.
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Demo'ed First Times today. Brief impression compare to bird stock cable:
- Bass slightly elevated
- Mid, especially in vocal more forwarded
- Cleaner background and more revealing a bit
- While vocal feel closer, imaging wider than stock
- Ear guide is tighter than stock cable, loop is smaller but i don't have problem with the fit
Overall, i agree they're upgrade from stock cable but not large margin IMO. Treble is the weakest part in this cable, not bad, but could be not bright enough for some people. If somehow you can get rid of stock cable (or want to keep same traits) then it's worth for you. Otherwise, stick to stock cable perfectly fine.
It's already officially announced just now.
Normal HKD $18,800 (USD $2410)
Shielding HKD $25,800 (USD 3,308)
- Bass slightly elevated
- Mid, especially in vocal more forwarded
- Cleaner background and more revealing a bit
- While vocal feel closer, imaging wider than stock
- Ear guide is tighter than stock cable, loop is smaller but i don't have problem with the fit
Overall, i agree they're upgrade from stock cable but not large margin IMO. Treble is the weakest part in this cable, not bad, but could be not bright enough for some people. If somehow you can get rid of stock cable (or want to keep same traits) then it's worth for you. Otherwise, stick to stock cable perfectly fine.
It's already officially announced just now.
Normal HKD $18,800 (USD $2410)
Shielding HKD $25,800 (USD 3,308)
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