[aaf evo]

Great question-and I know not directed at me but I think to me it’s the boring old:

1. Width
2. Depth
3. Height

I considered putting depth first but then remember how intimate IEMs can sound without width, and at that point, I too easily fall into the mental notion that I have two earbuds in my ears. With a huge width, at least it feels like it’s envelops around my head which helps me personally feel more immersed in the presentation. It was 1 of my issues with Odin, width felt too intimate with that colder tonality (despite excellent depth). Height, in general, is more for fun factor and a plus--since it’s rarer, it’s that “special sauce” that makes some IEMs more unique than others in staging.


Get outta here you treble masochist. I can't believe you almost enjoyed Infinity Mk2 out of DX220 MAX. I was legit wincing in pain much like our good ol' friend below here.

The treble quality from Annihilator compared to Infinity are on entirely different planets, not to mention the Annihilator is literally tuned miles better.

 

[snapandslide]

I do like listening to Jazz music with my Z1Rs, but only when I EQ them. The Z1Rs have a great and exciting sound perfect for live music.

I think we've discussed EQ-ing the Z1R before. I've still not really experimented with EQ-ing them. I kinda accept the sound as it is, but maybe time to give it a go. totally agree - it has a sound that is perfect for live instruments, something I think the Odin's struggle in comparison.

Great question-and I know not directed at me but I think to me it’s the boring old:

1. Width
2. Depth
3. Height

I considered putting depth first but then remember how intimate IEMs can sound without width, and at that point, I too easily fall into the mental notion that I have two earbuds in my ears. With a huge width, at least it feels like it’s envelops around my head which helps me personally feel more immersed in the presentation. It was 1 of my issues with Odin, width felt too intimate with that colder tonality (despite excellent depth). Height, in general, is more for fun factor and a plus--since it’s rarer, it’s that “special sauce” that makes some IEMs more unique than others in staging.


Get outta here you treble masochist. I can't believe you almost enjoyed Infinity Mk2 out of DX220 MAX. I was legit wincing in pain much like our good ol' friend below here.

I agree with your ranking and your rationale. I think that 'height' is what makes the Z1R exciting. The Odin does not have the biggest stage - but it feels accurate. Maybe also why I think it goes so well with electronic music where it is of slightly less import.

 

[Ace Bee]

Get outta here you treble masochist. I can't believe you almost enjoyed Infinity Mk2 out of DX220 MAX. I was legit wincing in pain much like our good ol' friend below here.

Is the Infinity Mk2 that bright and have sharp treble?

 

[tawmizzzz]

Is the Infinity Mk2 that bright and have sharp treble?

Nah, its just very source dependent so from pairings like the MAX, it was unpleasant. But definitely one of my favorite BA trebles for upper treble and sparkle, especially from sources like R8. I have lower treble sensitivity and didn't have issues from most pair ups. Infinity2 is mostly an upper-mids tuning to my ears.

If you have more questions about it, feel free to PM me-don't wanna clog up Precog's thread.

 

[CL14715]

That’s it. Traillii hypes dead. Mine are for sale.


… So I can order customs

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

That’s it. Traillii hypes dead. Mine are for sale.


… So I can order customs

I saw that. Which plate did you pick?

 

[CL14715]

I saw that. Which plate did you pick?

S4. I’m a sucker for that pearl blue

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

S4. I’m a sucker for that pearl blue

Are you getting an Orpheus, too? Seems to be the cable choice of those choosing the S4.

 

[CL14715]

Are you getting an Orpheus, too? Seems to be the cable choice of those choosing the S4.

Hellllllllllllllllllll no lol.

And I misspoke. I meant B6

 

[KuroKitsu]

How would you rank height, width and depth in terms of importance? Height is probably the least important to me but I think this also depends on type of music too.

Height would be the top priority. A lot of stuff already does width really well to begin with and depth becomes more of a preference.

Definitely depends on the type of music.

 

[iammarcy]

Height would be the top priority. A lot of stuff already does width really well to begin with and depth becomes more of a preference.

Definitely depends on the type of music.

Definitely. I felt like the LCDi4 and Monarch did really well width wise, but struggled with height.
It felt like I was looking at a blueprint of the song if that makes sense. Super wide with details/imaging laid out in front of you.

 

[Heo00911]

Shure KSE1500 Impressions

Drove out to do a quick demo of this IEM today - much thanks to kdphan for the hook-up! The KSE1500 is quite the interesting IEM. It uses an electrostatic driver (something traditionally reserved for full-size headphones) and requires a separate, transformer pack to provide the necessary juice for the IEM. Listening was done with both a Sony WM1Z and iBasso DX160.

First thing that struck me: This thing is bright. I tried using silicon tips with it very briefly, 10/10 would not recommend. Foam is the way to go. It's really difficult to describe what part of the treble, specifically, is bright though. There's something of a resonance to the way treble instruments decay; triangles, in particular, have a shimmer to them that gets fatiguing quickly. This same quality, to a lesser extent, seems to extend to the upper-midrange with female vocalists sounding, well, simply not quite natural. Thankfully, the lower midrange seems more normal, and bass is a good deal above neutral. It's no DD substitute for bass, particularly when it comes to sheer slam and texture, but the KSE1500's bass is nimble with good extension, a step ahead of BA bass in my book. Imaging is unfortunately subpar to my ears with what sounds like a notable absence of center image incisiveness; staging is likewise fairly sonic-walled.

So, the KSE1500 is finicky, niche by design, and there are clearly some tonal quirks at hand. What's the catch, you ask?

Well, the KSE1500 just might be the most resolving IEM I've heard. Microdynamic ability is present in spades; mind you, this is something that I think most IEMs, even many at the flagship level, simply lack. The qdc Anole VX, the EE Odin, hell, name any other IEM, and I don't think it has anything on the KSE1500 here. All the little details in a track that are there, but sort of glossed over even on stuff like the U12t and Erlkonig - yeah, they're suddenly there, just popping at you. I'm reminded of the first time I tried the HD800S, and I don't think it would be an understatement to say that the KSE1500 can play ball with most headphones in this regard. The macrodynamic ability and positional incision of the KSE1500 are well-above average too. Some have described the electrostatic driver transients as "ethereal" though, and hmm, I'm not so sure. Certainly very quick and clean to say the least, but the KSE1500's transient response also sounds different from memory to the only other electrostatic I've heard, the HE1 (which I also would not describe as ethereal, funnily enough). Maybe I just don't have a good frame of reference, but...

My conclusion after a mere hour or so of listening? The KSE1500 is an IEM that won't be for everyone - I don't think I can personally recommend it - but it's one that should be on your demo shortlist if only for the unique experience it delivers; words don't do justice the sheer amount of detail this IEM possesses. Needless to say there's something beautiful, elegant about TOTL headphone-comparable performance minimized into such a small package.

Wow, even LCD-i4 cannot stand a chance against this thing?!!

 

[Ace Bee]

Nah, its just very source dependent so from pairings like the MAX, it was unpleasant. But definitely one of my favorite BA trebles for upper treble and sparkle, especially from sources like R8. I have lower treble sensitivity and didn't have issues from most pair ups. Infinity2 is mostly an upper-mids tuning to my ears.

If you have more questions about it, feel free to PM me-don't wanna clog up Precog's thread.

I have it coming for a review tour. Will definitely message you once it comes.

 

[Feischmaker]

Hey now, I do listen to other stuff outside of K-pop/J-pop weeb garbage. It's just the stuff I listen to most.

Yes, my ratings have been somewhat inconsistent. Sometimes I'll just drop a complete preference score, and sometimes I'll drop where I think the IEM in question really lies based entirely on SQ, weighing tonality/technicalities. This is more an instance of the latter, and you'd be closer to the mark of my personal preference with your proposed score. But I wouldn't read into my scoring too much, as it's direly in need of a re-work haha. Maybe soon, when I have more time on my hands.

Hey Precog, as a long time silent reader, I really appreciate all the effort that you put to review all these IEMs.

I am very grateful to read a review from someone who is not only critical, but also share a similar taste of garbage... i mean music

On the rating that you deemed "inconsistent", I don't really think it's a big issue, because well... all reviewers (with scoring) are like that to some degrees

It's obvious that for an IEM to score high, not only it needs to has excellent sound quality but it also needs to meet the reviewer taste (i.e. did well on the music genre that the reviewer prefers, weighting of technicality factor, etc)

This apply to most reviewer with scoring, I see it like this, large portion of the score is given by its SQ, then additional points if it meet the reviewer preferences (or even minus point when it's not?)

For example: in precog's case U12t is a 9, because it's capable (which contributes 7 or 8 points), and it fits his taste (which grants additional +1 or +2 points)

Therefore, when i read people review i always try to account for their taste to get their "non-biased" score (comparison to other item really helps here)

And ultimately this is why i am grateful that i found a critical reviewer that share similar taste

 

[Precogvision]

Wow, even LCD-i4 cannot stand a chance against this thing?!!

Nah, the KSE1500’s all about sheer detail. It doesn’t have much staging, and the LCDi4’s in another league for that by comparison. But you’re going to get top-tier techs either way, it just depends on what you’re after.