Precog's IEM Reviews & Impressions
- Thread starter Precogvision
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Oh for sure! You owe it to yourself.Nope, that's one IEM I'd really like to hear tho
sm0rf
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Yeah, I'll second these
is it a 64 audio twin with normal bass level ?... even if you had already shocked some people with this statement: SoftEars RSV from 7 -> 6 (lackluster microdynamics and just dead boring)
Yeah, we were joking about that earlier because I was surprised too.
In all fairness, I don't actually have the Aria for A/B right now; it's just my KXXS. From memory, I think KXXS is comparable to Aria for technicalities, and I know (that at least for me) L2's behind the SSR and KXXS in technicalities from direct A/B. At least in terms of sheer resolution, it goes SSR > KXXS > L2.
Technicalities also encompass a lot of things - dynamics, detail retrieval, and basically everything outside of frequency response - which makes it difficult to draw 1:1 "objective" comparisons under an umbrella term. For example, KXXS has significantly better dynamic range than the L2 to my ears. While that's something I might weigh heavily as an aspect of technicalities, Ant might not care as much; you can see he only mentioned "detail retrieval and resolution" specifically. Then you could also simply have a difference of hearing between two people - to a certain extent, at least. Because if someone tells you that "x" IEM has airy, sparkly treble, but you look at the measurement and see it rolls off a cliff after 5kHz, they're more than likely spouting BS or have some interesting hearing.
I like the L2. I also like the Aria, and others. I write my reviews somewhat based on price range too. Its not a technical IEM when I compare it to something with similar tonal balance but in a different bracket like my Viento. I think the Aria and the L2 are very similar. Aria is a tad brighter, and has better bass. I think the L2 does a little better for some genres that I listen to (a lot of acoustical music), but either one is fine. Aria is a little more fatiguing and sharp, but L2 is a little darker and maybe a tad more compressed because it lacks the upper treble spike that Aria does, which gives it a sense of air and splash to upper harmonics.
Its $99, and I think it beats out a lot of other $99 products, based solely on its tonal balance on its own because its smooth and presents a natural sound for its asking price.
Aria, L2, ER2XR, ER3XR -- i'll take any of these for under $100 and be generally happy.
But if I had more to spend, I'd buy something better.
Yeah, I'll second these
... even if you had already shocked some people with this statement: SoftEars RSV from 7 -> 6 (lackluster microdynamics and just dead boring)
Haha, maybe I was a bit harsh. Just "boring" is probably more apt. It had some DD characteristics which was pretty sweet, but as a result, I felt that it was smoothing over micro-detail and dynamics, so I didn't listen to it very much after completing the review. It's still a very well-tuned set that doesn't do much wrong; I can't knock that.
Meet-up Notes 7/11/21
Had the usual meetup with @MRSallee. Brought over the Oriolus Traillii and the U12t for him to A/B too. You can ask him what he thinks haha. Anyways, here's the run-down of what I heard today:
Blon A8 Prometheus: Pretty mediocre. Same mushy, blunted notes thing going on as the BL03. Actually, it might be even worse due to more thickness in the vocals; it sounds almost overbearing in the lower-midrange like I'm wading through a swamp. Treble response is also sort of uneven. Gone is the lower-treble emphasis of the BL03 and I hear a lot more mid-treble. Not particularly fatiguing, but not good or extended either. The BL03 was already being carried by its tuning, so the A8 is a regression if you ask me. Looks like Blon is running out of oppoties to score themselves another hit.
Ikko Gems OH1s: Meh. It's hard to believe that this is the same company that put out the Ikko OH10. This thing literally has zero bass and sports a decidedly counter-clockwise sound signature. Very thin, unnatural vocal presentation. The treble isn't really quite fatiguing, but it does have a peak at 7kHz followed by some absurdly high spike for air not unlike the OH10. It's a little difficult to tell because the peak for air isn't as strong on the right side of the unit I heard and my hearing also does not extend as high on that ear. Either way, there's something wonky going on here. I don't see any reason to purchase the Gems OH1s when the OH10 exists, and there's plenty of better "shout" IEMs for less if that's your thing.
Kiwi Ears Orchestra: Pretty good overall. Very balanced tuning as might be expected of the tuner of the Thieaudio IEMs. Bass is slightly above neutral, midrange and pinna compensation are neutral to the more relaxed side, and the treble sounds like it extends surprisingly well. Yeah, the treble is interesting actually. On paper it doesn't have the greatest extension, but my ears disagree. The dynamics of the Orchestra are upwards-compressed as a whole (for macro-dynamics), and individual instrument lines - particularly in the midrange and treble - also have upwards compression. You effectively have something of a mismatch between the more relaxed tuning and the dynamic range of this IEM; it sounds overly loud. Decent resolution, imaging and staging are just your average affair.
Moondrop Variations: I've been listening to this for the past week - the review is already pretty much done - but I'll just spoil some of it now. The Variations is darn good, and it presents a marginal improvement over the B2 lineup. Most will know of my disdain for the dynamic drivers being used in the B2 lineup; they sound dry and overly textureless. I'm happy to report that the Variations is a considerable improvement in that regard. The midrange of the Variations is pretty similar to the Dusk, but it eschews some of the grit that characterized both of the B2 IEMs. Similarly, the treble has seen a good jump both in terms of extension and in discarding the sandpaper quality that the Knowles driver being used for treble in the B2 lineup exhibited. Not a bad EST implementation at all. Value is probably the Variations biggest bottleneck. There's not much point in purchasing it if you already own a B2 Dusk, as the improvement is marginal for the extra $200. But if you don't have one, and are in the market for a tribrid, I think you'd be hard-pressed to go wrong with this IEM.
Sendy Aiva: Listened to this at the last moment before I left, so I only have some very quick thoughts. Sounds sibilant on Taeyeon's "Fine" which isn't something I've heard before. Something is definitely wrong with the upper-midrange. Treble has a peak to it somewhere that doesn't sound pleasant. On the whole, this headphone also sounds surprisingly congested for an open back planar. It really does not make me think "oh, planar!" at all when it comes to technicalities. I'd take the Sundara over this wholeheartedly.
Tanchjim Hana 2021: Wow, I like this. Tamer version of the original Hana which I felt could make vocalists sound like they were choking. Heavier bass. Pinna compensation has been brought down, as has the 5kHz peak? So you have a smoother, less peaky treble response. The Hana 2021 does seem slightly more congested than the Hana; some of the imaging chops have been neutered, but it's a small price to pay for the improved tonal balance I hear. I also A/B-d it with the Moondrop Aria to get a feel for where it stands against the competition. Hana 2021 has a slight edge in note definition, and I felt that it better captured ambiance and dynamics. Whether those differences are worth twice the Aria's cost, that's harder to say. Still, the Hana 2021's a good step in the right direction overall and it aligns very closely with the Tanchjim Oxygen I heard a while back.
Scores:
All graphs are on the database here: https://precog.squig.link/?share=Precog_Target
Had the usual meetup with @MRSallee. Brought over the Oriolus Traillii and the U12t for him to A/B too. You can ask him what he thinks haha. Anyways, here's the run-down of what I heard today:
Blon A8 Prometheus: Pretty mediocre. Same mushy, blunted notes thing going on as the BL03. Actually, it might be even worse due to more thickness in the vocals; it sounds almost overbearing in the lower-midrange like I'm wading through a swamp. Treble response is also sort of uneven. Gone is the lower-treble emphasis of the BL03 and I hear a lot more mid-treble. Not particularly fatiguing, but not good or extended either. The BL03 was already being carried by its tuning, so the A8 is a regression if you ask me. Looks like Blon is running out of oppoties to score themselves another hit.
Ikko Gems OH1s: Meh. It's hard to believe that this is the same company that put out the Ikko OH10. This thing literally has zero bass and sports a decidedly counter-clockwise sound signature. Very thin, unnatural vocal presentation. The treble isn't really quite fatiguing, but it does have a peak at 7kHz followed by some absurdly high spike for air not unlike the OH10. It's a little difficult to tell because the peak for air isn't as strong on the right side of the unit I heard and my hearing also does not extend as high on that ear. Either way, there's something wonky going on here. I don't see any reason to purchase the Gems OH1s when the OH10 exists, and there's plenty of better "shout" IEMs for less if that's your thing.
Kiwi Ears Orchestra: Pretty good overall. Very balanced tuning as might be expected of the tuner of the Thieaudio IEMs. Bass is slightly above neutral, midrange and pinna compensation are neutral to the more relaxed side, and the treble sounds like it extends surprisingly well. Yeah, the treble is interesting actually. On paper it doesn't have the greatest extension, but my ears disagree. The dynamics of the Orchestra are upwards-compressed as a whole (for macro-dynamics), and individual instrument lines - particularly in the midrange and treble - also have upwards compression. You effectively have something of a mismatch between the more relaxed tuning and the dynamic range of this IEM; it sounds overly loud. Decent resolution, imaging and staging are just your average affair.
Moondrop Variations: I've been listening to this for the past week - the review is already pretty much done - but I'll just spoil some of it now. The Variations is darn good, and it presents a marginal improvement over the B2 lineup. Most will know of my disdain for the dynamic drivers being used in the B2 lineup; they sound dry and overly textureless. I'm happy to report that the Variations is a considerable improvement in that regard. The midrange of the Variations is pretty similar to the Dusk, but it eschews some of the grit that characterized both of the B2 IEMs. Similarly, the treble has seen a good jump both in terms of extension and in discarding the sandpaper quality that the Knowles driver being used for treble in the B2 lineup exhibited. Not a bad EST implementation at all. Value is probably the Variations biggest bottleneck. There's not much point in purchasing it if you already own a B2 Dusk, as the improvement is marginal for the extra $200. But if you don't have one, and are in the market for a tribrid, I think you'd be hard-pressed to go wrong with this IEM.
Sendy Aiva: Listened to this at the last moment before I left, so I only have some very quick thoughts. Sounds sibilant on Taeyeon's "Fine" which isn't something I've heard before. Something is definitely wrong with the upper-midrange. Treble has a peak to it somewhere that doesn't sound pleasant. On the whole, this headphone also sounds surprisingly congested for an open back planar. It really does not make me think "oh, planar!" at all when it comes to technicalities. I'd take the Sundara over this wholeheartedly.
Tanchjim Hana 2021: Wow, I like this. Tamer version of the original Hana which I felt could make vocalists sound like they were choking. Heavier bass. Pinna compensation has been brought down, as has the 5kHz peak? So you have a smoother, less peaky treble response. The Hana 2021 does seem slightly more congested than the Hana; some of the imaging chops have been neutered, but it's a small price to pay for the improved tonal balance I hear. I also A/B-d it with the Moondrop Aria to get a feel for where it stands against the competition. Hana 2021 has a slight edge in note definition, and I felt that it better captured ambiance and dynamics. Whether those differences are worth twice the Aria's cost, that's harder to say. Still, the Hana 2021's a good step in the right direction overall and it aligns very closely with the Tanchjim Oxygen I heard a while back.
Scores:
| Blon A8 Prometheus | 3/10 |
| iBasso IT01X (very warm V-shape, generally lacking in technicalities) | 3/10 |
| Ikko Gems OH1s | 2/10 |
| Kiwi Ears Orchestra | 6/10 |
| qdc Uranus (V-shape, just a plain mediocre IEM overall) | 3/10 |
| Moondrop Kanas Pro (pleasant tuning, but sounds darker, less resolving than KXXS) | 4/10 |
| Moondrop Variations | 7/10 |
| Tanchjim Hana 2021 | 5/10 |
All graphs are on the database here: https://precog.squig.link/?share=Precog_Target
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Seems more and more like the Hana 2021 is the cheaper Oxygen most were expecting on the release of the original Hana. Thanks for your impressions.
So the Ikko OH1s is Ikko's version of the FH5s? It's a shame really because the OH1s is probably a lot more comfy due to the shells being significantly smaller than the OH1/OH10.
I wanted a QDC Uranus for the looks (I'm a sucker for cool acrylic shells.) but they are being sold at either full MRSP or above, why though? It's an IEM that came out around 3 years ago and was barely competitive back then.
The Variations is just another solid EST set that is unfortunately somewhat of a hard sell given the existence of the B2/Dusk and also faces competition from the SA6 and Oracle. Looking at the stock pics, I think the Variations has a slightly thinner insertion stem which is good given that the B2 had it's own fair amount of complaints regarding fit.
I own a DUNU EST 112 which is arguably the weakest of the new mid-fi EST sets that have been released during 2021 (The lack of upper treble energy is a bit disappointing.) I reckon buying the Variations wouldn't be a complete waste of $$$ given it's superior tuning and EST implementation.
I wanted a QDC Uranus for the looks (I'm a sucker for cool acrylic shells.) but they are being sold at either full MRSP or above, why though? It's an IEM that came out around 3 years ago and was barely competitive back then.
The Variations is just another solid EST set that is unfortunately somewhat of a hard sell given the existence of the B2/Dusk and also faces competition from the SA6 and Oracle. Looking at the stock pics, I think the Variations has a slightly thinner insertion stem which is good given that the B2 had it's own fair amount of complaints regarding fit.
I own a DUNU EST 112 which is arguably the weakest of the new mid-fi EST sets that have been released during 2021 (The lack of upper treble energy is a bit disappointing.) I reckon buying the Variations wouldn't be a complete waste of $$$ given it's superior tuning and EST implementation.
Yup, that's exactly how I'd describe it! I want to say Oxygen is slightly more out-of-head for imaging, but I'd need to A/B them. Either way, the Hana 2021 comes quite close.
I can sort of see that sound-wise, at least in the sense that both are brighter, leaner regressions imo. The OH1S is definitely smaller, but an even bigger difference for comfort would probably be the weight!
I would say, yes, I prefer the Variations by a solid margin over the EST112. I also prefer it over the Thieaudio tribrids, and while I can't speak for the new Oracle or Excalibur, I think it's pretty telling the Variations is already playing ball with the older brothers. It's just difficult to justify if you already have a Dusk and are looking for an upgrade, I think.
Guys, what's your thought about... dongles? Some people regard them as being inferior to DAP in general (excluding those kilobucks TOTL) and excuse me for my ignorance, but wouldn't a well calibrated dongle with enough power sound as good as a DAP with many times its cost?
mvvRAZ
Headphoneus Supremus
Dongles are limited in that they can’t draw too much power from a phone or else the phone will 1) die within a few hours max or 2) just reject the dongle (iPhones have a limit as to how much power can be drawn from them)
That being said, the PAW S1 to me is the best sounding dongle there is currently and in pairings where the IEM isn’t very demanding in terms of sources, it does an incredible job
I went down the path of wanting to avoid DAPs completely since I have an iPhone and I believed that the innovation in Android and IOS would leave DAPs in the dust. Now, after having gone down both the DAC/AMP rabbit hole and made it part ways through the DAP rabbit hole, I am now a fan of the DAP. Why? Usability.
For DAC/AMPs, I own DragonFly Red, Fiio BTR5, Chord Mojo/Poly, Chord Hugo/2go, Lotoo PAW S1 and L&P W2. I've also demoed the Ifi Diablo and loved it. Where these product shine is in sound quality. Where they fail is in usability. The Chord products have fantastic sound, but their networking and software sucks. The S1 and W2 sound great and are compact and work with with the iPhone, but they drain the battery rather quickly and you need to fasten it somehow to the iPhone. The W2 has come up with a clever magnetic case to have it stick to your iPhone. But, you still can't get around easily the notifications from your iPhone.
For DAPs, I own an iBasso DX160 and DX300 and a Hiby R6 2020. Only a few and now I am loving the DAPs because they are custom built with the right features for listening to music. It has the right ports depending on your IEM or headphones. It has the right play buttons on volume adjustments. And, the music players work fabulously or streaming services work in native mode on them if you have an Android device and you can download music.
So, I like the sound of both, but the usability features are what have swung me to the DAP side of things.
What about sound quality? Do they match up with DAP
What about sound quality? As I use android phone, I face much fewer problems with these devices than with iPhone.
I forgot to mention that the L&P W2 at $299 USD, sounds better than my Hiby R6 202 at $799 and my DX160 at $499. But, it's not better than my DX300 at $1249. The W2 has been labelled as the mid tier DAP killer due to its quality, design and power. I think the sound quality is equivalent to the Chord Mojo and Poly with a transparent vs. a warm sound signature.
Paw S1 = Hiby R3pro
L&P W2 = Dx160
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