davescleveland
100+ Head-Fier
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I have a lot of items. I recently got the OG andromeda and I love it. I am thinking of getting a used OG Solaris. Thoughts? How different is it? Better? Etc. please help!
Rank the IEM's you've heard
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It's much bigger and better. The former not necessarily a good point.
I much prefer the Solaris 2020 for size and fit.
Monthly update, new additions are in bold. That makes 100+ IEMs I've heard. Rookie numbers compared to some, but I'm pretty happy about it
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CharlyBrown
Headphoneus Supremus
This is a really impressive list of IEMs!Monthly update, new additions are in bold. That makes 100+ IEMs I've heard. Rookie numbers compared to some, but I'm pretty happy about it
Added MEST MKii.
1) Vision Ears Elysium => Still the best due largely to its capacity to draw me in to a palace of bliss and elicit a deep emotional response from me.
2) Campfire Audio Dorado 2020 => I came for the bass but stayed for the naturally textured and bodied mids. The most transparently fun, solidly technical and naturally engaging IEM I've heard.
3) Sony IER Z1R => Similar in a lot of ways to #2 (wonderfully natural sound, bass is just as good) and just as fun...it loses points from me only because its FR is not as close to my personal target as the Dorado's.
4) Campfire Solaris/SE => I've gone back and forth with the Solaris and IER Z1R for much of my audio life. Solaris has my preferred FR, and I would say is slightly better techically, but the Sony at its best is more fun to listen to which is why it ultimately pulled ahead for me for the time being. Solaris SE still has the nicest male vocals I've heard.
5) Campfire Andromeda 2020/MW10 => Possibly the most instantly and generally appealing IEM I've ever heard. Still my #1 general rec for someone knowing nothing of their particular tastes.
6) UM MEST Mk1 => Not as purely emotive as anything above but in terms of raw spectacle and "wow factor" it is probably near or at the top. Spellbinding to listen to and so much fun.
7) EE Legend X => King of the beasts of bass...and on its own terms it's still peerless in some respects. But it loses points as a generalist for me because I find the signature to be lacking in air over longer listening sessions. In terms of bass texture it's on par with though different than the Dorado 2020 and IER Z1R. (LX -> boom boom, Z1R -> woob woob, Dorado 2020 -> thump thump is the easiest way to distinguish the 3 to my ears...each excels at its own thing).
8) VE VE8 => Wonderfully emotive sig with some of the nicest BA bass and midrange in the game. Loses points as I found it sibilant up top at times.
9) QDC Anole VX => My idea of a perfectly reference/technical sound that is minty fresh and imho super engaging...the only thing I'd change would be to lessen some of the vibrance in the upper mid/lower treble region.
10) UM MEST Mkii => My impressions of the MKii are that they clarified and pushed the mids forward but neutered the rest of the sound. Bass quantity and (imho) quality are a step down and what I described as the "chamber of secrets like staging" of the original is now totally gone. Ultimately a decently balanced and engaging IEM in its own right but has that "revised by a committee" feel to it and lacks soul and character of the OG.
11) 64 Audio Nio => A nicely balanced decently resolving signature with good bass. I found the mids to be lacking body/a little thin at times. I could easily get used to it and probably easily live with the Nio as my only IEM.
Up Next possibly: (universe seemingly not cooperating but hopefully one day willing) The Odin, Jolene uni if one ever comes to fruition, whatever VE or Campfire may announce in the future.
1) Vision Ears Elysium => Still the best due largely to its capacity to draw me in to a palace of bliss and elicit a deep emotional response from me.
2) Campfire Audio Dorado 2020 => I came for the bass but stayed for the naturally textured and bodied mids. The most transparently fun, solidly technical and naturally engaging IEM I've heard.
3) Sony IER Z1R => Similar in a lot of ways to #2 (wonderfully natural sound, bass is just as good) and just as fun...it loses points from me only because its FR is not as close to my personal target as the Dorado's.
4) Campfire Solaris/SE => I've gone back and forth with the Solaris and IER Z1R for much of my audio life. Solaris has my preferred FR, and I would say is slightly better techically, but the Sony at its best is more fun to listen to which is why it ultimately pulled ahead for me for the time being. Solaris SE still has the nicest male vocals I've heard.
5) Campfire Andromeda 2020/MW10 => Possibly the most instantly and generally appealing IEM I've ever heard. Still my #1 general rec for someone knowing nothing of their particular tastes.
6) UM MEST Mk1 => Not as purely emotive as anything above but in terms of raw spectacle and "wow factor" it is probably near or at the top. Spellbinding to listen to and so much fun.
7) EE Legend X => King of the beasts of bass...and on its own terms it's still peerless in some respects. But it loses points as a generalist for me because I find the signature to be lacking in air over longer listening sessions. In terms of bass texture it's on par with though different than the Dorado 2020 and IER Z1R. (LX -> boom boom, Z1R -> woob woob, Dorado 2020 -> thump thump is the easiest way to distinguish the 3 to my ears...each excels at its own thing).
8) VE VE8 => Wonderfully emotive sig with some of the nicest BA bass and midrange in the game. Loses points as I found it sibilant up top at times.
9) QDC Anole VX => My idea of a perfectly reference/technical sound that is minty fresh and imho super engaging...the only thing I'd change would be to lessen some of the vibrance in the upper mid/lower treble region.
10) UM MEST Mkii => My impressions of the MKii are that they clarified and pushed the mids forward but neutered the rest of the sound. Bass quantity and (imho) quality are a step down and what I described as the "chamber of secrets like staging" of the original is now totally gone. Ultimately a decently balanced and engaging IEM in its own right but has that "revised by a committee" feel to it and lacks soul and character of the OG.
11) 64 Audio Nio => A nicely balanced decently resolving signature with good bass. I found the mids to be lacking body/a little thin at times. I could easily get used to it and probably easily live with the Nio as my only IEM.
Up Next possibly: (universe seemingly not cooperating but hopefully one day willing) The Odin, Jolene uni if one ever comes to fruition, whatever VE or Campfire may announce in the future.
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I received the Solaris LE today. Sounds great . More balanced mid forward compared to OG Mest. Little less subbass , wider soundstage . As you said the midrange is more engaging than the Mest, but Mest is more dynamic I guess. Though the fit isn't the best to be honest.
I am using it With stock SE cable. Does it benefit form a balanced cable in your opinion?
Nice the LE is the only Solaris I haven't heard...it's on my short list of IEMs I might impulse buy in the future. I've heard consistently good things about it though, both from here and from other forums we're not allowed to mention here. I find the bass on the Solaris to be tighter and denser than the bass on the MEST overall, which I think allows the Solaris to get "more with less" in terms of bass response. But yes, when I had the MEST on loan last December my only other IEM at the time was the Solaris SE so I spent a lot of time going back and forth between the two. Ultimately what it came down to for me was that the MEST was more pizazzy and engaging upon first listen, the Solaris due to its more engaging mids (the emotional centre of the music) has more staying power for me-- indeed I went the better part of two years with one version or another of the Solaris as my only IEM and I never found them wanting. YMMV, and all that. With the MEST MKii I'm tempted to say it sounds like they were trying to bring them closer to the Solaris in terms of mid-forwardness and engagement-- but they weren't quite able to get there imho (particularly wrt timbre-- Solaris has a very natural timbre, MEST often sounds almost simulated) and in the process they seemed to lose much of what was magical and unique about the OG MEST.
Whether or not balanced is better depends more on the source than on the IEMs. Some sources have a great balanced architecture, for others it's no different than the SE. What is your source?
I am using Fiio M15 now.
Yes I completely get what you say about the Mest timbre, somehow it doesn't sound completely right to me too. I like the timbre the LE. You are about the bass too. It has impact despite being less in quantity. Even in this early hours of use. But I must admit I still prefer my Semper to both of them . Nothing sounds like that one for me. It's not perfect, and bot as technical ad either of them but sounds so, so natural to me.
Semper sounds nice...I'll have to keep it on my radar.
I have my LE paired with a balanced DHC clone fusion cable and I think it's a significant upgrade in all regards versus the stock cable (which is pretty good for a stock cable in its own right).
CharlyBrown
Headphoneus Supremus
Interesting! I didn’t see that coming, always thought they where an improvement. I lost track about the MESTs after going „all in“ Empire Ears. I thought the MK1s bass was really good but only when equalized (meaning elevated). According to your description, the MK2 definitely aren’t for me.
But then again, I am spoiled by EE regarding bass...
That's good to know . Thanks. I'll be recieving a Dunu DUW-02 cable soon. I don't know about cable materials but at least it has balanced plugs.
Those aren't rookie numbers. Well done.Monthly update, new additions are in bold. That makes 100+ IEMs I've heard. Rookie numbers compared to some, but I'm pretty happy about it
Tybot
500+ Head-Fier
LCD-i4 (EQ’d and modded) > KSE1500 > Noble Khan > Vision Ears Erolking > Mest > Legend X > lots of others > LCD-i4 (without EQ).
All IEMs have shifted down a place now that I have CA Andromeda 2020. They are now the number 1 spot and I think maybe I am done.
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