[FastAndClean]

the new Thie tribrits look interesting

 

[buonassi]

Yeah, even the most harsh critic, who needs no @, posted a few pleasant sentiments on them on his personal site.

 

[Precogvision]

the new Thie tribrits look interesting

Yeah, even the most harsh critic, who needs no @, posted a few pleasant sentiments on them on his personal site.

Thieaudio has been hit or miss for me, but yeah, the new tri-hybrids are promising. They're both tuned by a guy in one of the Discord servers I hang in. Hopefully I get the chance to demo one, although who knows when that'll be. I get the feeling I'm blacklisted from Linsoul lol

 

[Precogvision]

Empire Ears [Brand Overview]​

Based out of Georgia, Empire Ears is known for their IEM's colorful faceplates and equally colored sound signatures.

Hero [6/10]

Exhibits a strong tilt towards the upper-midrange and the lower-treble with too much energy for some listeners. Bass is also strongly boosted, delving into bloat and contrasting very noticeably with the BAs tokening the midrange; coherency is an issue. The Hero is surprisingly dynamic, though, with good amounts of weight to its dynamic swings. Resolution is also not bad; a fairly technical IEM in general despite the small staging and questionable tonal balance. An unabashedly in-your-face presentation, and if there's one thing I can't knock, it's that the Hero has character.

Odin [8/10]

The Odin eschews the colorful tonality that characterizes Empire Ear's other IEMs with a more balanced, upper-midrange leaning sound. Bass is sub-bass oriented, tight and controlled. If I had a critique, it would be that it lacks character; there is an absence of the sheer air that I could tell was being pushed on the Hero and Valkyrie. The midrange is upper-midrange tilting, but well-balanced and with an abundance of macro-detail. Treble is extremely smooth if not lacking in those oh-so-final octaves of extension. The Odin is a strong technical performer with terrific resolution and positional cues; it mainly falls short on the macrodynamic side of things. This is one of the most well-rounded IEMs on the market today; one of only two multi kilobuck IEMs I give the nod to.

Valkyrie [6/10]

Extremely V-shaped with incredible amounts of bass decay, enough to give something like the IER-Z1R a run for its money in this department. Definitely bloated as a result. Midrange is expectedly very thin, but surprisingly, the Valkyrie has one of the better EST implementations with good amounts of lower-treble. The bass balances it out and keeps things from getting too fatiguing. Another surprisingly technical IEM given the skewed tonal balance, and I actually like the Valkyrie with specific genres.

Wraith [2/10]

Textureless, limp BA bass, a smothered midrange, and little-to-no treble extension (unless, allegedly, you run it off of a dedicated amp, but why?). Lives up to its namesake without question.

 

[toranku]

my #1 favorite reviewer behind antdroid

 

[toranku]

the new Thie tribrits look interesting

Sorry to derail - I am well aware this is not my thread.

Monarch is incredibly bassy. They don't hold upperbass bloat but they are still boosted in the midbass. And the subbass is terrifyingly forward. It's too much. IMO it's incessant and excessive rumble. Mids are really really tuned and I'd just describe it as "normal" sounding. It's high praise since 99% of iems can't nail a really natural and normal sounding midrange. Highs are well tuned as well with great evenness but they do lack some HF extension past 10khz. The HF "rolloff" isn't an issue though, just preference since I wanted more.

 

[Precogvision]

Sorry to derail - I am well aware this is not my thread.

I don’t mind! If anyone ever wants to offer their own input, thoughts, or questions, it’s never a problem. You certainly have way more expertise than I do. Plus how could I possibly say no to my #1 fan?

 

[FastAndClean]

the subbass is terrifyingly forward

sounds good to me, sometimes we need fun in our lives

 

[Precogvision]

DUNU Line-up Impressions

Okay, this is probably going to be the last one for a while! I know I'm pumping these out. Classes are starting next week and I won't have as much free time. Hopefully I'll have the full, line-up review done by late next week. Still need to give the DK-2001 and 3001 Pro more listening time.

Dunu DK-2001
Not sure what to call this one's frequency response, sort of a V-shape? I hear a slight bass boost, fairly level lower-midrange, then a steep rise in the upper-midrange and treble. The bass response is fine. But there needs to be more low-end quantity to balance out those upper frequencies, IMHO, and it quickly comes off as fatiguing. Definitely a "fun" IEM. Surprisingly, resolution is a step up from the DK-3001 Pro. Seems to be fairly technical; solid as a whole, but tonality will likely be the biggest roadblock.

Dunu DK-3001 Pro
Definitely the standout of the lineup. Neutral, balanced signature. Nice bass response too, no real complaints. The midrange needs some work though. It's fairly inoffensive, but it's fuzzy compared to the 2001, and 's' on male vocals runs hot. As for the treble, well, it rolls-off I think. It certainly doesn't offend, but it really feels kind of dead and lacks air. Not the most technical IEM, especially at this price point. But despite the issues I've cited, I think tonality is the 3001 Pro's strength. It's really inoffensive, and it's safe to say it'll be making the "good" cutoff for my scoring.

Dunu Luna
This one has gotten the most listening time, and it's...interesting. It's certainly not lacking anything when it comes to speed; this thing is fast. Very quick transient speed, probably the fastest I've heard of a single DD with the resolution to match. Despite the cramped staging, I do think it's well above average when it comes to layering and imaging too.

But any further praise hits the can - I take issue with literally every part of its frequency response. The low end? Lacking sub-bass extension. The midrange? Lacks note-weight and has a hollow, wispy quality to it. The upper midrange also has a lift, and it slaps female vocals, often bordering on sibilance, right in your face. The Luna falls even shorter in the highs. They're a peaky mess and in particular, cymbal hits are dragged out with a distinctive screechiness.

Most of my listening is done at lower levels, but I do like to have my fun. Even at just say, ~75dB, the Luna is extremely fatiguing to my ears. There's no way I can see this possibly being a daily driver.

 

[Precogvision]

Okay, so quite a few updates!

Ranking List

First, I’ve put together a ranking list of most of the IEMs I’ve heard. There's not a lot so far, but I'm looking forward to adding to it! You can find the link in the thread's first post or here. Why do I think having a ranking list and scoring is important? Because it establishes transparency. For all the downsides of a ranking list (the subsequent drama if everything is not 10/10, S-tier, etc.), I believe there needs to be a standard which is adhered to. It forces me to critically assess what I’m hearing, and to articulate the why in my reviews. Even more importantly, it’s a tool to be used by you to calibrate and see where your preferences align with my own.

As some might guess, the current scoring methodology is heavily inspired by another individual’s. I spent a good deal of time deliberating on whether I wanted to keep the current system or to make it more nuanced, balanced, and less “shocking”. Hell, I revised the list no less than five times. And eventually, I had to ask myself: Why bother? I’ve decided to keep the current scoring as a recognition of my own limitations. I currently have neither the experience, nor the skill, to judge to the level of nuance I’d like. A ranking list like this is subjective. I make no claim that it is statistically balanced or anything similar; there's going to be margin for ambiguity one way or another.

And to this effect, this is ultimately a reflection of n=1’s preferences. It does not reflect anybody else’s opinion, and I think that too often it’s confused as a personal attack when these things misalign. That’s really not a good mindset, especially because everyone hears things differently. If you disagree, first ask why? And if you’re not satisfied with the explanation, or you hear something completely different, then you can agree to disagree. I personally don't agree with plenty of other people's rankings, and I'm happy to just move on - or even adjust my own thoughts - when opinions clash.

Reviews

So far, I have distanced myself from most of the mainstream reviewing sites. But going forward, I will be working with Headphones.com to do IEM reviews. This is for a couple reasons. First, I don't have access to a lot of the gear I'd like to demo (broke college student here, remember). It's even more difficult given my fairly critical reviews. This is a mutually beneficial way for me to get access to the latest stuff and for Headphones.com to dip their toes further into the IEM space.

I know that a lot of the appeal behind my reviews was that, well, I wasn’t sponsored which obviously presents a conflict of interest. So the other reason I have chosen to work with them, specifically, is because they are quite honest about the way they run things. We agreed that my reviews will not be changing significantly, that is to say, taking a turn for highlighting only the positives. In fact, that was one of the key points we discussed. It is their belief - and my own - that honesty is the best policy in the long-run. I'll definitely still be posting impressions here and there, but most of my full-reviews will probably end up there going forward.

Latest Review

I just wrapped up my DUNU Line-up review consisting of the Luna, DK-2001, and 3001-Pro. You can find it here or on Audio Discourse here if my site is having trouble loading.

On-Deck

I should have the Campfire Andromeda and Solaris 2020 coming in next week. Pretty excited for those, as I have yet to hear a single Campfire IEM. After that, I believe I'm the first reviewer on the list for the new Empire Ears stuff once they get measured!

 

[Precogvision]

Special thanks to @kdphan for lending me these!

Jomo Trinity Brass Impressions

This is Jomo Audio's $2800 flagship, tri-hybrid IEM. It's rocking 1DD/4BA/2EST.

Ok, so the first thing I noticed about the Trinity is that it's not actually made out of brass. The entire thing's purple sans a few golden accents for the logo and nozzles. Super disappointing, I know. But seriously, you'd think they could actually make it out of brass or something given how much they're charging. Who wouldn't appreciate a unique, earwax patina? Jokes aside, let's talk about the actual sound:

• Starting from the bass - holy moly, it hits like a truck. The thing has gobs, an absurd amount of sub-bass and decay. Do I like it? Hell yes. But in moderation. See, the problem with the Trinity's bass is that it's not the cleanest. Attack is sluggish, it clearly bloats into the midrange, and it struggles on quicker, bass-centric tracks. The Trinity just takes it a little too far for me here. While it certainly has bass in spades, the quality is lacking.
• The midrange is pretty nice. I don't think the transients are the sharpest - far from it, in fact - but it's quite natural, and there's a slight lift to the FR which appeals to my upper-midrange tastes.
• Treble implementation is dubious. I hear good amounts of lower/mid-treble impact, but as with most EST setups, I don't think it quite extends for air. FWIW, I've heard much, much worse.

When it comes to technicalities, the Trinity is decent. There's a very warm coloration to the timbre that I find attenuates pure resolution and imaging capability. If it suffers from BA timbre or coherency issues, it's difficult for me to tell because of this. Everything's just a little too smoothed for my preferences. It's quite the inoffensive IEM, though, and hard-to-fault. Staging seems a little oval with more width; occasionally, it does feel like it has some decent depth. In terms of overall speed, I'd put it in the middle.

The Trinity's definitely a good IEM - I rather like it. As for whether I think it's worth it...well, that's another matter entirely. I'm also not quite sure how I'd rate it. It's clearly more balanced than the EE Valkyrie with similar technical capability, but it's also not quite playing to the level of the VE Elysium, especially in the treble. For now, I'll let my more subjective biases skew the score slightly in its favor.

Score: 6/10

All critical listening was done off of an iBasso DX160 using the 3.5mm port. I was also lent a Sony ZX507 which I briefly gave it a try with. Bear in mind, I don't source-swap often. The bass has the most notable change to my ears. It tames some of that gigantic, sub-bass emphasis. The midrange is a little less fuzzy, less in-your-face, and has more depth. In general, everything's a little tighter, and I think it's a less aggressive, less warm, slicker source. But while it certainly has a more refined, "Hi-Res" sound, it also sound less fun, and I'll have to give it more listening time.

 

[kdphan]

Special thanks to @kdphan for lending me these!

Jomo Trinity Brass Impressions



This is Jomo Audio's $2800 flagship, tri-hybrid IEM. It's rocking 1DD/4BA/2EST.

Ok, so the first thing I noticed about the Trinity is that it's not actually made out of brass. The entire thing's purple sans a few golden accents for the logo and nozzles. Super disappointing, I know. But seriously, you'd think they could actually make it out of brass or something given how much they're charging. Who wouldn't appreciate a unique, earwax patina? Jokes aside, let's talk about the actual sound:

• Starting from the bass - holy moly, it hits like a truck. The thing has gobs, an absurd amount of sub-bass and decay. Do I like it? Hell yes. But in moderation. See, the problem with the Trinity's bass is that it's not the cleanest. Attack is sluggish, it clearly bloats into the midrange, and it struggles on quicker, bass-centric tracks. The Trinity just takes it a little too far for me here. While it certainly has bass in spades, the quality is lacking.
• The midrange is pretty nice. I don't think the transients are the sharpest - far from it, in fact - but it's quite natural, and there's a slight lift to the FR which appeals to my upper-midrange tastes.
• Treble implementation is dubious. I hear good amounts of lower/mid-treble impact, but as with most EST setups, I don't think it quite extends for air. FWIW, I've heard much, much worse.

When it comes to technicalities, the Trinity is decent. There's a very warm coloration to the timbre that I find attenuates pure resolution and imaging capability. If it suffers from BA timbre or coherency issues, it's difficult for me to tell because of this. Everything's just a little too smoothed for my preferences. It's quite the inoffensive IEM, though, and hard-to-fault. Staging seems a little oval with more width; occasionally, it does feel like it has some decent depth. In terms of overall speed, I'd put it in the middle.

The Trinity's definitely a good IEM - I rather like it. As for whether I think it's worth it...well, that's another matter entirely. I'm also not quite sure how I'd rate it. It's clearly more balanced than the EE Valkyrie with similar technical capability, but it's also not quite playing to the level of the VE Elysium, especially in the treble. For now, I'll let my more subjective biases skew the score slightly in its favor.

Score: 6.5/10 (tentative)

All critical listening was done off of an iBasso DX160 using the 3.5mm port. I was also lent a Sony ZX507 which I briefly gave it a try with. Bear in mind, I don't source-swap often. The bass has the most notable change to my ears. It tames some of that gigantic, sub-bass emphasis. The midrange is a little less fuzzy, less in-your-face, and has more depth. In general, everything's a little tighter, and I think it's a less aggressive, less warm, slicker source. But while it certainly has a more refined, "Hi-Res" sound, it also sound less fun, and I'll have to give it more listening time.

Enjoyed reading that review on the Trinity Brass.
This is my first time owning an IEM using EST drivers. I tried a few different sources and they all gave different results. First was the ZX507, second the M15 and 3rd Grace M902 desktop amp. ZX507 gave the smoothest listening experience, while the M15 opened up the EST a bit, giving treble a much needed lift. M15 also added a bit more low end bass rumble, making the Trinity truly V-shaped. I briefly listened on the M902 amp. Bass was tight and smooth similar to the ZX507, but the best thing it did was add more definition to vocals, giving it more emphasis as well. Treble quantity/quality were similar to the M15.

Going to pair with my XI audio amp once I get it back.

Since the EE Odin is the Trinity Brass on steroids, I hope it’s a more refined Trinity. Looking forward to trying the Odin.

 

[Precogvision]

Campfire Audio Andromeda & Solaris 2020 First-Impressions

Spoiler: Photo

I've been wanting to get these in for a while, as I've not listened to a single Campfire Audio IEM so far.

Andromeda: Very impressed by what I'm hearing. Tonality is fine - something of a U-shape (I think?) and it looks like they've done away with Andromeda's sparkly treble. Anemic, BA bass with a mid-bass emphasis. Midrange positioning is a little further back which I find aids in imaging capability. And yeah, let's talk about that: Imaging is incredibly good, easily playing with the best I've heard. I've often scoffed at the terms that are thrown around to describe imaging, but if there's any IEM that merits these buzzwords, it's the Andromeda. I don't even have to hone in on the vocalist; the stage easily defuses, and it's quite wide at that. In tandem with the Andromeda's high-level of layering capability, it really is a treat.

I'll probably have some more critiques for the Andromeda by the time I get around to the full review, but I'm in the honeymoon phase for now.

Score: 7/10

Solaris: I'm not quite sure what to make of the Solaris. It's clearly a step-down from the Andromeda in terms of layering capability and resolution; it gets congested quite easily and there's also some more timbral coloration going on. I'm not getting the same, open soundstage that the Andromeda has, perhaps by virtue of the aforementioned issues. More of a sub-bass emphasis to the bass, and you get that dynamic slam, but it's really lacking in texture for this price point. Seems to have a thicker note-weight to the midrange; there's something funky going on with the upper-midrange. Feels compressed here, like something is pushing down on female vocals. I can't say it's bad by a long shot, but really, it's not at all comparable to the Andromeda to my ears.

Score: 4/10

 

[duaned]

I think Campfire need someone else to tune their IEM's. They tune something right, then stuff up the same IEM but tuning another frequency range wrong. Nothing in their line-up is worth buying when one considers what is available from the competition.

 

[Spie1904]

I think Campfire need someone else to tune their IEM's. They tune something right, then stuff up the same IEM but tuning another frequency range wrong. Nothing in their line-up is worth buying when one considers what is available from the competition.

Andromeda aren’t bad at all in my opinion.
For the same price point, what would you consider better then?