[o0genesis0o]

Ported and open IEMs/headphones simply sound more open in terms of their staging to me. I think this is a quality that even objectivists admit is distinct from FR? My friend who has worked on building his own IEM also tell me that they found that playing with increased tubing length during R&D also led to subjectively more open staging.

I found that increasing the distance from drivers to ear drums (lengthening the “pipe”) is one of the most effective method to extend the soundstage. Not just width, but like the whole ball of sound around your head is larger. Interesting to hear that even tube length matters.

I don’t think we can achieve better depth or out-of-head imaging with only open design, though. Case and point, my Fiio FD5 sounds open yet the center image is strictly in the head, similarly to my HD560S. Some dips around 1k and 3k are necessary to diffuse the center image to give that speaker-like center.

 

[podnosimyszafe]

This debate, if there is such thing as technicalitie,s will probably go on as long as people will use headphones and IEMs

I wonder if other hobbies have some kind of similar debate. Would not surprise me if mechanical keyboard and/or fountain pens afficionados had analogical topic that always sparks discussion on forums.

 

[o0genesis0o]

mechanical keyboard

Let's see,

• cherry MX brown is a good tactile or a scratchy linear
• buying fake Chinese keycaps is logical or scum

fountain pens afficionados

• End game pen?
• TWSBI is good or not (given their tendency to crack)

To that point, I think one of the easiest ways to have a BA closely mimic a DD is by boosting the sub-bass while pulling down the mid-bass. When you look at the best IEMs for "BA bass" they almost universally have this characteristic.

You are actually right. I swapped to a tighter fitting tip on my Andromeda and boosted the sub bass while keep the mid bass where it is. It actually sounds more impactful now. Again, no where near good DD bass, but not too bad. I can live with this until getting Trio (or some ChiFi manages to copy a Trio)

 

[Harisankar]

For timbre specifically, I think the Dioko doesn't fare as well. The lack of warmth exacerbates the "planar timbre" in the bass, and the leaner bass and midrange brings more attention to the 8kHz peak in the treble. So I generally don't find the Dioko is as accurate in terms of timbre production as its frequency response might suggest. Staging on the Dioko might be better than the Timeless. It does sound more open than the Timeless does to me, although I don't really hear most IEMs as having much depth (if at all, unfortunately). Generally, I think I prefer the Timeless overall, especially for its to

7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Dioko Impressions

Price: $99
Configuration: Planar
Unit kindly provided for review by Linsoul: https://www.linsoul.com/products/7hz-x-crinacle-salnotes-dioko?variant=43008001999065



I'm expecting quite a few people are waiting for my impressions on this IEM which happens to be Crinacle's latest collaboration. As a quick disclaimer, it seems there was a mix-up at the factory with the filters, leading to the incorrect filters being applied to some early units. This doesn't appear to be the case with my unit; however, just in case, I'll still be receiving the replacement filters that will be sent out to all early adopters. In the meantime, I've been given the go-ahead to drop some early thoughts:

• Bass is anemic and comparison with the ER2XR - which graphs nearly identically in the bass - illustrates a noticeable gap for a sense of slam and texture.
• Midrange is thinner in a good way and doesn't have the odd contrast between lower-and-upper midrange that the Timeless might have. Immediately reminded me a lot of the Symphonium Helios.
• Treble needs work. It's spicy around 8kHz, as there simply isn't enough bass to mask the peak. Extension is expectedly good.
• Timbre generally could use some work; see comments on bass. Also sounds like a high pass filter has been cranked on the upper-midrange and up which seems to lend to an odd head voice-y quality at times.
• Very good sense of resolution even if it might just be a product of the lean and mean tonality. Trades blows with most of the other planar IEMs for this.

So here's the deal with the Dioko based upon some quick listening. In my opinion, the tuning isn't anything mind-blowing for $100. I've said it before, I'll say it again...all of these new planar IEMs sound like they have their fare share of tonality issues to me. Listeners who want a smooth, natural listen should probably give this a pass; 7Hz's own Timeless would suit better. But technicalities, if you just want technicalities, you could probably snap this up now, as I'd be hard-pressed to think of an IEM more technical for $100. The Dioko has excellent clarity across the board even if it falls short in more "latent" intangibles, such as dynamics, to my ears. The detail and the EQ heads can eat their heart out on this one.

In your ranking list, Dioko has a final score of 3.1 compared to 5.8 of the Timeless. Is the Dioko that much worse than the Timeless or is your score not fixed by now (there is no score in the 'bias' section for Dioko) ? Finally is there any reason to get the Dioko since I already have the Timeless? Thanks in advance!

 

[WAON303]

In your ranking list, Dioko has a final score of 3.1 compared to 5.8 of the Timeless. Is the Dioko that much worse than the Timeless or is your score not fixed by now (there is no score in the 'bias' section for Dioko) ? Finally is there any reason to get the Dioko since I already have the Timeless? Thanks in advance!

I'm pretty sure that's just a placeholder value.

I reckon both have comparable tuning but the Dioko is like $100 cheaper which makes it a far more attractive purchase than the Timeless.

No reason to get the Dioko if you have the Timeless. I'd save $$$ for a flagship instead of spending more $$$ on what is essentially a side grade

 

[Harisankar]

I'm pretty sure that's just a placeholder value.

I reckon both have comparable tuning but the Dioko is like $100 cheaper which makes it a far more attractive purchase than the Timeless.

No reason to get the Dioko if you have the Timeless. I'd save $$$ for a flagship instead of spending more $$$ on what is essentially a side grade

I am still reflecting on the Dioko. On the one hand, tuning preferences are subjective and Precog only had a brief time with the Dioko. Similarly, Precog mentions that the Dioko sounds more open than the Timeless. I will buy the Dioko only if it is truly comparable to the Timeless and offers a different but not inferior tonality. I will have to experiment and learn more about this hobby before I feel confident enough to invest in a flagship. Lastly, Precog's takes are pretty unique and most critical in this hobby. For example, I have not seen anyone rank Thieaudio Monarch and Clairvoyance as low as Precog did (comparatively, I mean). Other reviewers like Crinacle, Resolve and Antdroid all had much more positive opinions of both the Monarch and Clairvoyance.

 

[podnosimyszafe]

In your ranking list, Dioko has a final score of 3.1 compared to 5.8 of the Timeless. Is the Dioko that much worse than the Timeless or is your score not fixed by now (there is no score in the 'bias' section for Dioko) ? Finally is there any reason to get the Dioko since I already have the Timeless? Thanks in advance!

It is because lack of bias rank. If Precog will give 5 in this category, Dioko will have 5.1 and tie with Tin hifi P1 max. Also will be a smidge ahead of Dunu titan s, so it seems we have very strong price/performance ratio IEMs here.

 

[Harisankar]

It is because lack of bias rank. If Precog will give 5 in this category, Dioko will have 5.1 and tie with Tin hifi P1 max. Also will be a smidge ahead of Dunu titan s, so it seems we have very strong price/performance ratio IEMs here.

I actually have a suspicion whether the unit Precog received is a defective one. Here is a statement from his impressions "Also sounds like a high pass filter has been cranked on the upper-midrange and up which seems to lend to an odd head voice-y quality at times.". One of the noticeable characteristics of the defective Dioko units is shouty upper mids. Crinacle specifically talked about faulty units being underdampened in the mids and highs. Finally, the total impressions of the Dioko by Precog also resemble what can be expected from faulty units of the Dioko and not the correct ones.

 

[lazarian]

I actually have a suspicion whether the unit Precog received is a defective one. Here is a statement from his impressions "Also sounds like a high pass filter has been cranked on the upper-midrange and up which seems to lend to an odd head voice-y quality at times.". One of the noticeable characteristics of the defective Dioko units is shouty upper mids. Crinacle specifically talked about faulty units being underdampened in the mids and highs. Finally, the total impressions of the Dioko by Precog also resemble what can be expected from faulty units of the Dioko and not the correct ones.

Precogs measurements show expected response though.

 

[Harisankar]

Precogs measurements show expected response though.

My comment was mostly based on his impressions. It is kind of strange if Precog indeed has the Dioko with the correct FR. Dioko (correct version) graphs very similarly to the Yume Midnight also tuned by Crinacle. Precog critiqued Midnight for not being technical enough and here he criticizes the Dioko for not being tonally good enough. He had in his review of the Midnight described it as having close to ideal tonality.

 

[firesign]

My comment was mostly based on his impressions. It is kind of strange if Precog indeed has the Dioko with the correct FR. Dioko (correct version) graphs very similarly to the Yume Midnight also tuned by Crinacle. Precog critiqued Midnight for not being technical enough and here he criticizes the Dioko for not being tonally good enough. He had in his review of the Midnight described it as having close to ideal tonality.

Very similar is not exactly the same, and those small differences can imply quite appreciable changes in tonality.

The Midnight has quite a bit more presence below 500Hz, below 100Hz it's almost a 5dB difference (nearly 100% power). That whole area of the Dioko is a long way from Precog's preferred tonality.

 

[Harisankar]

Very similar is not exactly the same, and those small differences can imply quite appreciable changes in tonality.

The Midnight has quite a bit more presence below 500Hz, below 100Hz it's almost a 5dB difference (nearly 100% power). That whole area of the Dioko is a long way from Precog's preferred tonality.

Seems like even graphs vary.... I was talking based on this graph

 

[Precogvision]

In your ranking list, Dioko has a final score of 3.1 compared to 5.8 of the Timeless. Is the Dioko that much worse than the Timeless or is your score not fixed by now (there is no score in the 'bias' section for Dioko) ? Finally is there any reason to get the Dioko since I already have the Timeless? Thanks in advance!

I actually have a suspicion whether the unit Precog received is a defective one. Here is a statement from his impressions "Also sounds like a high pass filter has been cranked on the upper-midrange and up which seems to lend to an odd head voice-y quality at times.". One of the noticeable characteristics of the defective Dioko units is shouty upper mids. Crinacle specifically talked about faulty units being underdampened in the mids and highs. Finally, the total impressions of the Dioko by Precog also resemble what can be expected from faulty units of the Dioko and not the correct ones.

Hey, I just haven't filled in that value yet and will likely hold off on it for some time due to some things that have come up. To lend more context, Crin reached out to me last night and said that he suspects my unit does not have the correct filter. He did some testing, and it seems that Dioko's with the incorrect filter measure with closer to 10-11dB of pinna gain. Green is with the incorrect filter, blue is with the correct filter:

That said, I have measured his unit of the Moondrop Variations before and, when I compare the graphs, I don't think the difference is as pronounced as shown above.

Or at least the difference is not nearly as pronounced as Super*Review's unit which definitely has the incorrect filter. Super*Review has also measured my personal unit of the Variations (which more or less graphs identically to Crin's unit in the pinna gain regions), and this is how they compare:

Extrapolating from the above, I think there's a possibility that my unit is a case of driver variance rather than an incorrect filter. But it can't hurt to get the correct filter to swap it and confirm, which is what I'm waiting on now. Hope that answers your questions!

 

[Harisankar]

Hey, I just haven't filled in that value yet and will likely hold off on it for some time due to some things that have come up. To lend more context, Crin reached out to me last night and said that he suspects my unit does not have the correct filter. He did some testing, and it seems that Dioko's with the incorrect filter measure with closer to 10-11dB of pinna gain. Green is with the incorrect filter, blue is with the correct filter:



That said, I have measured his unit of the Moondrop Variations before and, when I compare the graphs, I don't think the difference is as pronounced as shown above.




Or at least the difference is not nearly as pronounced as Super*Review's unit which definitely has the incorrect filter. Super*Review has also measured my personal unit of the Variations (which more or less graphs identically to Crin's unit in the pinna gain regions), and this is how they compare:




Extrapolating from the above, I think there's a possibility that my unit is a case of driver variance rather than an incorrect filter. But it can't hurt to get the correct filter to swap it and confirm, which is what I'm waiting on now. Hope that answers your questions!

Oh!! If I understand this correctly, this puts QC issues as more of a concern for Dioko than I thought of. Driver variance seems baffling. What if an ordinary customer buys a Dioko and gets a unit with driver variance? They won't have the luxury of diagnosing it correctly as reviewers like you, Super and Crin can. They will just dismiss this iem as poor sound or underwhelming. Is driver variance an ordinary issue for chifi or is it just a special case of 7hz being at fault? Thanks in advance!

 

[Harisankar]

Precogs measurements show expected response though.

Precog replied to me and stated that his unit might be suffering from driver variance. Crin had also reached out to Precog stating that there might be an issue with Precog's unit. So my impressions were at least partly correct