how much does Traillii change with Attila? what does he have more or different?
I didn't compare it to stock cable, but the combination of Attila and Traillii is really good. It adds transparency and more 3D, more accurate positioning of instruments. The sound is more organic and more natural. This is compared to EA Cleo.
Oh, the Attila + Trailli is my second favourite Trailli combo! Only after Orphy + Trailli. But Orphy is 7000+ USD for just a cable. For under 5000 USD, sometimes even 4500 or so, you can get Attila plus Mason FS which is itself an incredible IEM and extremely complementary to the bird.
Attila + Trailli has a soundstage as wide as the original 1960s Trailli, but to my ears deeper, cleaner and more holographic with a tad bit more height. Detail and separation is improved and sounds are flensed of extra fat and flab, which 1960s give them -- especially the bass. I downright hate Trailli base w its original cable, hurts my ears, way too much for me. Impressive for 10 minutes, sure, but not for the all-day listening I do with IEMs. Attila also has great treble with Trailli, maybe taking the 1960s sparkle down a lbit, but similar overall (the treble is nice with the original cable actually).
The main thing the Attila does is turn that bird + 1960s bass from something that fills the entire bottom of the image -- like a splashy ocean -- to a nice, tight, bouncy, coherent ball. This adds to holography and also allows me to turn the volume up a bit, which improves every other frequency of the bird. (With 1960s, the bass becomes so overpowering it limits volume -- and this with quite a few sources).
The other thing Attila does, which might be up to taste, but I liked it so much I ordered Attila interconnects from my DAP to C9 to get more of it -- is
dry up the sound. Attila's got this dry, slightly dusty, mildly warm quality that's hard to describe if you haven't heard that kind of sound before. It's also what people call "analogue" when connected to the bird. I don't know if you know how analogue drum machines and synths from the 70s and 80s sound? I mean dry 808s, house music electronics, not reverb-laden synthwave. The kind of sounds used later in, for example, Radiohead's "Idioteque". Attila has that kind of analogue dryness. It's very complementary/balancing to the bird's wet and liquid wow-factor. Sometimes the two form the perfect pairing, sometimes (rarely) it's a tad bit too dry for me, but I prefer dry to splashy wet any time (again, 1960s with the bird).
And then you get the Mason FS which is an IEM that has tonal accuracy, note weight and, yes, to me also realism superior to Trailli. Plus a generally more relaxed and evening-time presentation complementary to Trailli. The two were perfect together. To me, Attila saved the bird. I was ready to sell it, got the Mason to replace it. Then the Attila corrected everything I disliked about it. (To others it might be different, though -- you might like the big liquid bass and the wow factor).
Then I bought the Orpheus and now no IEM I listen to is allowed to be attached to anything else again, so the Attila gets little play. But that's because Orpheus is straight up IEM heroin.
Really curious to see if the Red Halo with the special First Times is the first IEM where I prefer the original cable to Orphy... two more weeks til it comes.
Anyway, that was my endless analysis of Attila Trailli.