ALRAINBOW
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2012
- Posts
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Your post to me is of great meaning. Too many pick products with littleCross-posing this from the Watercooler thread:
2023 Year-end IEM Ranking
Preamble.
Intro.
Who am I? I am nobody, just a random guy on the internet who wants to share his impressions with fellow audiophiles. I am more familiar with portable gear than with headphones/2ch systems because I am always on the go. I personally find iems to strike a good balance between quality and portability.
Preference.
I am always on the search for 'neutrality'. I had times of being a 'warm' guy or a 'cold' guy, but guess both of them didn't work out for my entire library. So I believe 'neutrality' is the best compromise to different genres, though optimal playback is not ensured. Graph-wise I perceive neutrality to be IEF neutral with a 0 to +5dB bass shelf, but that is preliminary talk. Drivers, shells etc. all have an effect on sound.
Despite the chase for neutrality, I do believe I crave for neutral-warmish and neutral-darkish signatures, which I believe to be 'imbue emotion' into audio playback. Good examples are VE8 and InEar PMX.
Sources.
Though iems take up most impact of the audio chain, sources are unmistakably important, especially as you go deeper into the rabbit hole.
I have a preference towards neutral sources, but I DO believe in synergy among different gear. To keep things simple, I would prefer to keep the source constant. Most of my impressions are based on Lotoo Paw Gold Touch, which is a DAP I consider to render 'neutrality' best, if not sounding slightly dark.
Music.
I listen to a variety of genres, but I have to admit my tracks are mainly synthpop and classical. Below would be an example of my demo playlist:
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons (Summer)
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor
Bruno Mars - 24K Magic
Naul - Sad Cafe
Taeyeon - Rain
Ranking.
My plan is to rank the top 3 iems I consider best in each compartment. Please be reminded this is my subjective view of iems, so don't be intrigued if we share different views. After all, there is no right or wrong in this hobby
Bass:
1. Campfire Audio Trifecta. Disclaimer to Trifecta lovers: I do not like this iem. It sounded too boomy for my tastes. Yet, I have to admit it has first-class bass. Excellent extension with satisfying slam. To me Trifecta satisfies a bass-lovers dream: this is the iem for one to dance along edm/bass-heavy tracks.
2. FIR Audio RN6. 'Kinetic bass' is not a slogan: It produces something you can feel - remnants of bass notes lingering in the air. It actually reminded me of subwoofers in pop concerts: Excessive yet satisfying bass. Probably my 'guilty pleasure' iem pick.
3. Fatfreq Grand Mastero. Hits hard and deep with the black module, top of the line bass. I do believe this iem scales up with power, which I am interested to explore.
Mids:
1. Vision Ears VE8. I preferred this over Phonix and Erlkonig to my disbelief. But I guess this is what VE8 is about - emotion. Being warm and dark, vocals on VE8 are sweet and lush. VE magic.
2. Vision Ears x DMA New Phonix. An iem that strikes a good balance between emotion and neutrality. Definitely on my list for extended listening sessions.
3. Noble Audio Ronin. Warm, detailed, articulate. A big surprise from Noble.
Highs:
1. Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator 2023. The definition of 'treble extension'. Endless treble extension while sounding silky smooth. Give it a powerful source, and you'll find yourself floating in 'air'.
2. Vision Ears Elysium. The first iem rocking off Sonion ESTs, and I guess it continues to rock. Well-extended without major harsh peaks.
3. JVC Victor FW10000. Can't believe I picked a DD, but its treble is amazing as a DD - natural, extended, smooth.
Technicalities:
1. Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor. Holographic stage with outstanding details, accurate staging with impressive dynamics as an all-BA set.
2. Noble Audio Viking Ragnar Prestige. Holographic stage, impressive resolution, top-of-the-line dynamics.
3. 64audio U18t. Definitely a hallmark iem. Wide stage, top-of-the-line resolution, precise staging.
All-rounder:
(Note: What I mean by 'all-rounded' is an iem that is impressive in most compartments. Faults do not affect their greatness.)
1. Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor. Top-level technicals with a standard W-shaped tuning. If it sounded less aggressive in mid-highs/low-treble, this could be the one.
2. Vision Ears VEX. W-shaped with outstanding technicalities. In my opinion VE really nailed bass and treble with their signature mids. It could sound a bit boomy and glaring for certain instants, but it does sound good. Probably my iem of the year.
3. thieaudio V16 Divinity. Basically the pinnacle of 'science hi-fi'. Highly technical, highly 'scientifically neutral', a neutral-heads dream.
(Honorable mention - Best pairing:
Unique Melody Amber Pearl + Stock Cable + Cayin N30LE AP. Natural, effortless, wonderful. Basically the pinnacle of portable audio. This pairing offers more than one can expect. It does come with a hefty price tag, but it won't disappoint you.)
Conclusion.
What a wonderful time to witness advances in portable audio: The Shure SE846 is probably one's endgame a decade ago, and now we have iems 10x the price. Regardless how you perceive the value of these luxuries, never forget why we started: To enjoy music.
Merry Christmas everyone, and happy listening
To no detail why.
I can’t comment on how many own in ciems
And universals. Then headphones to boot while many devices can get you close to a well done 2 speaker sound non are there.
the room filled of sound is where all fall short ,but headphones and great iems have a level of details few speakers can achieve at lower volumes. Yes a large of speakers playing loud has more and weighted by air pressure.
PS I have many on your list and others.
