Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
The Original Solaris 2018.
Kinda reminds me of Solaris drama early on lmao.
Kinda reminds me of Solaris drama early on lmao.
Final list update for a while!
It’s been an expensive couple of months for me in this hobby, but I feel pretty damn lucky to have owned/heard some amazing IEM’s, and I’m now at a place where I can sit back and enjoy my collection for a while and stop the constant chasing (famous last words but my bank account is now calling the shots). So with that said, here is how I would rank the IEM’s I’ve owned over the past 2 years of chasing the endgame dragon. New additions in bold:
1. MMR Thummim
2. Vision Ears Erlkönig LE
3. 64 Audio A18s
4. Empire Ears Legend X SE
5. Sony IER-Z1R
6. 64 Audio U12t
7. Empire Ears Odin
8. 64 Audio Tia Fourte Noir
9. 64 Audio Nio *not a new addition, but bumping it up the list after I discovered how much better they sound with wide bore tips.
10. Campfire Audio Solaris 2020/SE
11. QDC Anole VX
12. Sony IER-M9
13. Empire Ears Legend X
14. Campfire Audio Andromeda S
15. Sony XBA-Z5
16. Sony EX1000
17. FAudio Major
18. Sony XBA-N3
19. BLON BL-03
20. Sony EX800ST
21. Tin HiFi T4
22. Sony XB90EX
23. Sony XBA-4
24. Sony MH1C
25. Sony MH755
26. KZ ZSX
So far aaf evo is selling his odin in one day and bggar also selling the odin and quite a few people ranking it pretty low on the list is not giving me optimism about odin.
Update:
1. Empire Ears Odin
2. 64 Audio U12T
3. Sony Z1R
4. 64 Audio Tia Trio
5. Hidition Viento-B
6. Unique Melody MEST
7. Campfire Andromeda MW10
8. Shure KSE1200
9. Audeze LCDi4
10. QDC Anole VX
Slight shake up. Moving 2020 off the list because Tia Trio wandered its way in. Moved Shure KSE1200 to #8 (from #5 - more on this later) and bumped up UM MEST and MW10 one rank each.
Now onto the Trio:
- if there was an IEM that combined technicalities and tonality without overly sacrificing too much, I think the Trio would be it. Odin - treble is a tad pulled back, U12T - no DD bass, Z1R - lower mids are lacking, Viento - no DD bass. One would think the Trio is a hard V-shape looking at the graphs, but oddly enough, I found my vocals not recessed at all and in the center of the presentation. Female vocals particularly have an extra boost to them which compliments the aggressive (yet precise) sub-bass very well. Male vocals has excellent texture to them as well. I find the full vocal register presented well with no holes in it which is really nice if you like vocals (usually either lower mids or upper mids are pulled back).
- DD bass - really no replacement for it. BA bass wise I think the U12T takes it as far as it goes, but for proper air, slam and dynamics - you just need a DD bass and the Trio gives gobs of it while being precise and not smearing like the LX or Hero. Reminds me of Odin in some ways, but I think Odin does bass better (better texture, more definition, reaches a little deeper).
- TIA highs - really the best treble out there in terms of definition, extension and tone. You can fight me on this one.
- mids - like I mentioned before, I don't find them lacking at all and well presented. There's no lower mids suck out or excessively boosted upper mids which are my usual gripes. Transients are good (probably added by the upper mids boost). Everyone overall just sounds sharp and defined.
- non-tangibles: I find the Trio has a very romantic and warm-ish sound to them. They're very easy to listen to and immerse yourself in. I find myself having longer than usual listening sessions compared to other IEMs because I'm so engaged in the music. Probably added by the light weight of the units and the internal APEX as well.
Shure KSE1200 bump down:
- after listening the Trio, I've realized how important tonality is to musical enjoyment. While the KSE1200 is very proficient technically, it's hard to have long listens w/ it because of its intense and sterile sound.
Hoping to demo the Nio soon and update the list again. So many good TOTLs and near TOTL out there right now.
Love the list and notes you've been posting. For the MEST vs Trio, would you say they are similar? I have the Trio and have been tempted to buy the MEST but not sure if there's anything it does better to really make it worth owning both
That's true but it's silly. If you get worked up over someone else's ranking then you're losing the battle of life. That said it's been long enough that we're starting to see some more balanced views of the Odin...and surprise surprise it turns out it doesn't walk on water. I don't agree with all of @Damz87 's placements but I admire and respect his consistency. Based on his and other trusted assessments I've read I'm starting to suspect that if I ever want to break into the $3K + realm and get something more than a sidegrade to what I have right now then the Thummim and Erlky are currently the best candidates for me. I'd have to sell a kidney to get there at the moment though.
I will keep both my kidneys and wait till damz give me a good deal on his thummim. LolIf you do decide to pursue the single-kidney life, I would highly recommend demo'ing the Thummim based on your love for the Solaris. It's like an amped up version of the Solaris in terms of presentation, but with a lot more density and note weight across the FR.
If you do decide to pursue the single-kidney life, I would highly recommend demo'ing the Thummim based on your love for the Solaris. It's like an amped up version of the Solaris in terms of presentation, but with a lot more density and note weight across the FR.
FH3 over FH7? You’re not the only one to rank them that way.From best to worst:
Sony IER-Z1R
FiiO FH3
FiiO FH7
FiiO FD1
Sony MH755
Shuoer Tape
iBasso IT00
Final E5000
Arbily F7 (TWS)
Soundmagic E11
VE Monk Plus (Earbud)