most reviewers don't do this except Michael Bruce. I also think "volume scaling" should be a sub-rating/marking point in reviews. because some IEMs sound really good at a lower loudness level but crappy at a higher level. the scale from very good to crappy is pretty large for some.
Ya for sure, and vice-versa; good sets at mid volume turns into a different beast with scaling (tea, 07, DM etc). It'll definitely be more work, but it would be very helpful to have.
Could you write down a liitle comparison between these two? Just curiousDon't do this to me... I just bought the RSV and SA6 Ultra
Oh ya for sure. Planning to review both when they come in… but SA6 Ultra hasn’t shipped yet
I’ve ordered RSV from hifigo on friday, hasn’t been shipped yet tooOh ya for sure. Planning to review both when they come in… but SA6 Ultra hasn’t shipped yet
EXT had some crazy treble extension, but I found both EXT and Phonix to be quite disappointing on the whole. At least in a show setting environment.I haven't been following the questions in the thread as much lately, so here's some catch-up.
I'd like to, but it would probably have to be on loan from someone. I don't think they're doing any US tours. It's an interesting IEM for sure. The treble extension and upper-treble on it is enough to match the Annihilator. VE has come a long way in their EST implementations and seems to have eschewed their philosophy of rolled-off upper-treble. In fact, there's almost too much treble on the EXt from memory.
I heard it briefly, and it was my favorite IEM at the FatFreq booth, but I only gave it a cursory bias score. It sounds a lot like the Maestro Mini just with even cleaner (plus more) sub-bass and some slight improvements in technicalities. I might request a review unit; just not sure if I'll have the time to get around to it.
That unit is Super*Review's. I think the review units from Symphonium are going out sometime later this week, though, so that'll definitely get a full review when it arrives.
Ahhh nah I'm still on the Apple donglethat was just because the cable on it came terminated in 4.4mm and I couldn't swap it.
Yeah, I don't have a concrete stance on resolution these days and I still mostly adhere to this line of thought that I posted before. Volume is another major factor. I've been listening to the Supernova, and I have to wonder if the detail I hear on it is simply because I am listening louder than usual. It is so smooth that cranking the volume is effortless. I only noticed when I went back to other sets for A/B and realized I have to significantly turn up the volume on those sets after listening to the Supernova.
I haven't heard those yet. Honestly, I don't think I'm interested enough to request them for review, but if someone else wants to send them to me I can give them a listen.
The main problem I have with all the recent planar IEMs on the market is that it's a race to the bottom. Who can re-make the same IEM at a cheaper price and, if we're lucky, maybe with a few small tweaks? It becomes a question of "how can we cut costs more" and "how can we make our production more efficient" rather than "how can we push the envelope and do something new?". Asking these questions are somewhat beneficial to the consumer, but as a reviewer, it's incredibly boring writing about what is more or less the same IEM five times over. A similar principle applies to most of Chi-Fi in general. It's detrimental to innovation and perpetuates hype train cycles. Something else I'll point out is that when everyone pumps out the same IEM that "punches above it's price" then, technically, none of them punch above their price anymore
Guess we’re both waiting… RSV will probably arrive before so I’ll probably do a comparison of that with the Oracle2 and EJ07
This sounds very tempting. How is it in terms of comfort/size?
I'd suspect such a rating would just end up reflecting how well the bass boost and 3 kHz pinna gain match the reviewer's own preferences. I recall Precog measuring people's outer ears with a mic and finding that variations in upper midrange/lower treble perception are rooted in real differences in ear anatomy. The S8Pro sounds like screechy pain to me at 85 dB, but people whose personal target aligns with DF might think it sounds great and quite detailed at that level.
Don't do this to me... I just bought the RSV and SA6 Ultra
Curious, what volume do you test/listen at? I ask because the Variations and Oracle MK2 are A+ IEMs for me mid volume (<75db), but when I crank it up (~80db+) they get too spicy for me and my ears starts ringing after 30 minutes or so; this doesn't happen with darker sets like EJ07 or Dark Magician - I'd consider them TOTL for high volume. Would your ranking of an IEM change based off volume?
Ya most likely, but I guess might as well then since it's his preference either way mid or high volume haha. Just curious
Yes.
64 Audio Fourte Blanc Impressions
Price: $3700
Configuration: 1DD/3BA
Unit provided on loan for review by Headphones.com: https://headphones.com/products/tia-fourte-blanc?_pos=1&_psq=four&_ss=e&_v=1.0
Where to begin? I actually heard the prototype that would become the Fourte Blanc all the way back in April of this year. At the time, I wrote down some brief impressions:
Sounded more like the Tia Trio IMO. Slightly less bass than Trio but still sub-bass focused. More 3-5kHz than their other models and slightly sibilant. Pretty bright, really good resolution.
Admittedly, I think that the production version of the Fourte Blanc that I have on hand now sounds different (mostly with respect to the level of elevation from 1-5kHz), but my memory is far too fuzzy at this point to really verify. One thing is abundantly clear either way: I am not particularly enthusiastic about the sound of the production version Fourte Blanc, and it is best considered an acquired taste like the original Fourte.
Now credit where credit is due, the Fourte Blanc does have measurable adjustments to its bass response. It’s been reigned in for a cleaner sub-bass focus and eschewed some of the puffiness that I recall plaguing its predecessor. But I still don’t find the Fourte Blanc’s bass to be noteworthy for a sense of attack crispness compared to something like the IER-Z1R (which I have for direct A/B and don’t even find entirely impressive for bass these days). It also doesn't have the tasteful softness to attack, with the subsequent impact and thickness, that characterizes the bass of the Tia Trio. The Fourte Blanc has an inoffensive bass response to be sure, but this is a miss to me given that the Fourte Blanc is significantly more expensive than either IEM.
To circle back to the comments on acquired taste, something that I cannot turn a blind eye to every time I hear the Fourte (and by extension the Fourte Blanc) is the midrange. It is extremely recessed around 1kHz. This leads to something of a cross between singers - especially those of the soprano persuasion - sounding like they are holding their nose, and singing into a cup, with me listening to the reverb. Perhaps what makes this phenomenon all the more disturbing is the excellent resolution of the Fourte Blanc that stems from the treble response. No way about it, the Fourte Blanc is a bright IEM. It doesn’t necessarily sound like it peaks in one specific region to wholly throw off treble tonality, it’s just…again, bright. Too bright, really, on a lot of tracks that I listen to. Foam tips help with this issue, but then you're killing the Fourte Blanc's technicalities.
Speaking of which, there is not really much point in discussing the technicalities of the Fourte Blanc because it is an IEM that is capsized by inception, for me, by virtue of its tonality. But as I alluded to above, yes, I find it very detailed. It sounds very open. It is fairly dynamic. I question how much of these impressions are simply a product of its very unique tonality, but I digress.
If you are someone in the market for the unique sound of the Fourte, then the Fourte Blanc is undoubtedly the better buy. The sound is a little more refined, the aesthetics are way nicer (in my opinion), and the extra cable tips the value proposition. But I think the better question might be the following: who’s in the market for a Fourte in the first place when the Tia Trio exists? At least what I would like to have seen is a special edition of the Tia Trio because the shells of the Fourte Blanc, and the new cables, are excellent steps forward irrespective of what I think of the sound.
Bias Score: 6/10
All critical listening done off of my iBasso DX300 and iPhone 13 Mini.
Hope that life and new job are treating you well.
