[mvvRAZ]

Raz, by chance have you heard the Softears Turii?

Not the Turii - only one from the lineup that I haven’t gotten to try

 

[mvvRAZ]

Here goes a glimpse of the new review format, developed with @leaky74 - the tonality scores are most likely to be left out, but it’s all still being discussed!



and here go the first 4 IEMs that are going through the new impressions blender

 

[KickAssChewGum]

Here goes a glimpse of the new review format, developed with @leaky74 - the tonality scores are most likely to be left out, but it’s all still being discussed!



and here go the first 4 IEMs that are going through the new impressions blender

LOVE the look of this. Great format.

Personally, I think the tonality scores would help people work out more clearly if these were the IEMs for them or not. Perhaps rather than just a single number you could have two though; quantity and quality for each?

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Definitely the price category/categories

I also really like the general tuning categories - maybe IEMs that present the music with a certain loyalty to the recording vs signatures that are more dominant?

I don’t know if I want to separate it by frequency regions because they’re way too intertwined and a change to the bass changes the midrange completely, and the same goes for the treble

How about a “truest to the timbres and tone, ” maybe I'm an N of 1, but the “whole” is more important to me in whether I love an IEM or not.

 

[mvvRAZ]

When the @doctorjuggles PW Metropolis lookalike looks more like the PW Metropolis than the PW Metropolis looks like the PW Metropolis :X

Exhibit A: lookalike next to Metropolis


Exhibit B: Attila next to lookalike next to Metropolis


Where's the blue in the paracord PW I need some crazy specific lighting conditions to see it - it could've added a decently unique visual aspect to the paracord especially if it was a shinier, glossier blue

First impression on sound - rather lovely, similar to the Attila in its dynamics but with the treble boost being in the upper instead of the lower registers - very enjoyable all around. Doesn't come close to matching the Aeneid on first impression (on design, hardware and sound), but hey, diversity is a spice or whatever. Will probably end up keeping it to use during summer when I don't want to expose my ETs to excessive sunlight

At a 2300$ MSRP though... Yikes. I got around 25% off on it, so around 1750$... I suppose it's kinda justifiable, but honestly I see it more as a cable that should be priced at 1800$ and then that 20-25% off should be compiled. That being said, my value perception of minimalism at these price tags is especially low

 

[MatW]

At a 2300$ MSRP though... Yikes. I got around 25% off on it, so around 1750$... I suppose it's kinda justifiable, but honestly I see it more as a cable that should be priced at 1800$ and then that 20-25% off should be compiled. That being said, my value perception of minimalism at these price tags is especially low

One area I am not following you crazy lot is these super expensive cables... Most expensive I own is Leo II Octa (used), but that's the limit, really...
(EDIT: apart from the Bird cable, which came with the Bird, obviously..)

But more importantly, nice work by the good doctor again! You can really trust him to come up with something beautiful.

 

[Onurb8690]

@mvvRAZ What do you think about Jolene vs A18S??? Take the crown off your A18S?

 

[mvvRAZ]

@mvvRAZ What do you think about Jolene vs A18S??? Take the crown off your A18S?

Hey hey don’t have the Jolene yet it’s on its way to me now though, I should have it next week hopefully

 

[RPKwan]

Tbh 64 audio aren’t exactly innocent either. The Fourte is 5 years old now and had its (at the time) eye watering MSRP of $3,599.

Time will tell.

I'd say the Fourte was one of the first in that range...

 

[MatW]

Hey hey don’t have the Jolene yet it’s on its way to me now though, I should have it next week hopefully

Wow, that is an impressive (depressive..?) wait... Feels like you ordered in it February, March? I hope it will be worth it.

 

[mashuto]

Hey hey don’t have the Jolene yet it’s on its way to me now though, I should have it next week hopefully

Very interested to see how your design turned out for those, as well as your thoughts on any potential differences between the universal demo you had and the custom.

 

[KickAssChewGum]

Softears Cerberus impressions:

A big thanks to @mvvRAZ for sending me the @Softears Cerberus to review. He knew I’d had some previous experience with them at various CanJams over the last few years and that I was keen to do a deep dive with them, so the opportunity is much appreciated.

As many of you know, the Softears brand is the luxury high-end division of the Moondrop brand (who have been creating some fantastic mid-range IEMs like the terrific Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk edition, tuned in association with @crinacle). I’ve not had the benefit of listening to the rest of the Softears line-up (I’d certainly like to, that’s for sure, and from what I’ve read the rest of the line-up is incredible) but I suspect that the brand is reserved only for when they feel they can do something truly exceptional in a particular market segment. Softears have been around for a few years now but, for some reason, have not been gaining as much attention and praise as they should have been. It’s really only now that they seem to be emerging as a brand that are really getting noticed, largely owing to their mid-range RSV, that I hear are category-breaking performers.

Like I mentioned a couple of paragraphs back, I’d encountered the Cerberus at a couple of CanJams a few years back (I was lucky enough to be in several countries on business that year at the same time as CanJams taking place in each). I only listened to the Cerberus for a short time at each and loved what I was hearing. I even tried to purchase them at each one but someone had already beaten me to it, which was immensely frustrating but par for the course. I haven’t been able to get them out of my head since and even tried a few times to find them on internet stores but just couldn’t track them down. It had, until recently, been one of the big regrets that I’ve had in my Head-Fi journey thus far. But recently, Michael reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in reviewing them and, of course, I leapt at the chance.

Over the years since I’ve heard the Cerberus, I have wondered though, if it was one of those ‘moments’ that I had remembered with ‘rose-tinted’ ears. For us Head-Fiers, CanJams are exciting and an ‘experience’. As such the experience can rub off on one’s impressions of what one hears in much the same way that the ‘buzz’ of a new movie at a festival can generate overly favourable reviews. So, I was ready to be heavily critical of the Cerberus, perhaps more so than most. With that in mind…

Like @mvvRAZ, I’ve got to applaud the genius who came up with the name Cerberus for a tribrid but, unlike Michael, I’m going to straight up say that I LOVE the Cerberus. That’s not to say that I don’t agree with most, if not all, of his findings, but these IEMs perfectly fit my preferred sound signature(s)(…with the right source and cable pairing in some cases - please keep reading to the very bottom of this review for an explanation).

Initially I plugged the Cerberus into my SP2000Cu and found much the same as RAZ did. To summarize:

Treble – extremely detailed, somewhat bright but never harsh or sibilant. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this is the most pleasing, well-controlled treble that I’ve ever heard in an IEM (and, yes, I have included my sacred Trailli in that appraisal too – which is really saying something as the Trailli is exceptional in that area – not to mention over three times the price).

Mids – As RAZ mentioned, the Cerberus has very forward mids, particularly in the upper mids. He is very open about his dislike for a bump in the upper mids, which is why he, understandably, doesn’t like the EE Odin. This is perhaps the one area where I tend to differ from RAZ’s preferred signature, as I am actually quite fond of a forward mid-range and I like the clarity that a bump in the upper mids brings to the overall presentation. Probably why I’m a fan of the Odin too. In fact, I’d say the Cerberus shares quite a few similarities with the Odin and perhaps does many of them better (again, I’m a huge Odin fan, before the fanboys start pulling out the pitchforks). The mids are definitely forward in the Cerberus but they, like the treble, never become harsh or unpleasant to listen to, for me.

Bass – This is where the Cerberus is most unusual in its presentation. With the SP2000Cu, I found the sub-bass to be incredibly textured and well controlled, despite being very present in the overall mix. Its quantity and quality are, for me, almost perfect, bringing that weight to tracks that need it in a way that no other IEM (except perhaps the Odin) has ever done for me. But unlike the Odin which has a very clear sense of air being pushed through the DD, this feels much more subtle and textural in its delivery, but equally as forceful – like the perfect hybrid of DD and BA. It’s very difficult to describe which is why that last line might sound a bit contradictory. All I can do is urge you to listen for yourself if sub-bass quality and quantity is important to you, because I don’t think you’ll find an IEM that can do it better.

The mid bass is where the Cerberus (on the SP2000Cu, at least) is a little unusual. Despite the heavy presence of sub-bass, the mid bass quantity is far less. Don’t get me wrong, it IS there but it’s incredibly restrained and very controlled to the point where some may feel they are missing something in the overall mix. Personally, I have mixed opinions about this. Whereas (and, I stress, on the SP2000Cu) the mid bass may be less present that I’d ordinarily like it to be, it does create a very interesting sound signature that is very mids focused but accompanied by a very grounded, almost guttural, earth shaking sub-bass that gives the overall presentation this somewhat ethereal gravitas and sets it apart from almost any IEMs I have ever heard. When, like so many here on Head-Fi, you own multiple IEMs that are all playing in similar fields, it’s a nice change to have a pair that do something so different.

On the technicalities side of things, I’d say that the Cerberus excels on most fronts. The stage is expansive (perhaps a bit more width than depth or height, but not lacking in those either). The detail retrieval is exceptional, as are imaging and placement. I’d say that, in those categories, Cerberus are at the top of the pile for me. And the coherence is pretty exceptional for a hybrid, let alone a tribrid, which is doubly surprising to me, given the separation between sub-bass and mids (again… on the SP2000Cu).

I’m not really one who cares about the look of things, but the Cerberus are really great looking, and the build quality is exceptional, befitting a true TOTL experience. If I had to criticise one element, it would probably be the cable that is supplied with them. It’s a really strange choice of cable as it really doesn’t bring out the best in the Cerberus. It’s by no means awful and does the job but, in these days of TOTL IEMs being supplied with customised TOTL cables, it’s perhaps a little lacking in that department. But, and this is a big BUT, the Cerberus have been around since 2018, before that became a thing, and they are also priced at around $2k rather than the $4k to $6k that such modern TOTL IEMs command.

If you’ve read this far (thank-you) and you’re into Jazz, Movie Scores or Classical music then, honestly, you can stop reading now. The Cerberus are pretty much the best IEMs (even through the SP2000Cu) that I’ve ever heard for these types of music (yes, sorry Trailli fanbase – of which I’m one – but these really are THAT good).

If you’re into Rock, EDM or Hip Hop, keep reading…

So, then I switched the cable to the EA Onyx, a 6-wire palladium plated silver cable, and plugged them into my Cayin N6ii with the new R2R R01 board and, HOLY crap, PLOT TWIST…

… suddenly all the awesome qualities that I’d discovered with the SP2000Cu were still there but they’d been joined by an exceptionally controlled, very present mid-bass and lower mid-section. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this is the best controlled mid-bass that I’ve ever heard in an IEM, with exceptional separation between frequencies, none bleeding into the other. Along with that exceptional sub-bass, those incredible mids and treble, the Cerberus has suddenly become something TRULY exceptional.

This change (I’m loathe to use the term ‘improvement’ because, for certain types of music, the Cerberus were already perfect for me) is so huge, yet strangely didn’t make listening to Classical or Jazz any less gratifying. I’ve never heard a change so dramatic when adjusting cable or source (or both) before and it really took me by surprise.

This made me want to try them out with another source, so I immediately tried them on the Cayin N6ii/A02 and Cayin C9 combo and, again, a slightly different presentation that lies somewhere between that of the R01 and SP2000Cu, with a slightly larger stage (in all directions) but no less satisfying than either. I haven’t had any time to do more cable rolling or tip rolling (I'm currently using Azla Sedna short, for those that are interested) but I’m willing to bet that I’ll find slight changes in the presentation again, and I’m also willing to bet they’ll be equally pleasing too, just in different ways.

Since I’ve had the Cerberus, I’ve mainly been listening to either them or the Trailli through the same equipment. Both different sound signatures, both immensely satisfying and both complimentary to each other. If I could only have two IEMs, these would be them (sorry Odin and many others in my signature - I love you too, but…).

Is the Cerberus as ‘holographic’ as the Trailli? Perhaps not quite, but we’re talking tiny fractions here and the immense sub-bass (and stunning mid-bass on some pairings) more than makes up for that. In fact, I’ve found myself reaching for the Cerberus more in my late-night listening sessions than the Trailli. And if that isn’t the highest praise imaginable then I really don’t know what is.

Are the Cerberus my favourite IEMs? Quite possibly, yes!

 

[toaster]

I'd say the Fourte was one of the first in that range...

The fourte was so ahead of its time, though.

I just revisited the fourte, and while I still feel it has some significant flaws, and falls short vs the new ultra-totl stuff, some of what it does remains extremely impressive (staging / detail / bass…).

The fact that it did some of this stuff as well as it did 5 years ago, when virtually nothing else at the time could compete, is what solidifies the fourte’s special status in hf history.

one could make a strong case its eye-watering release price was justified.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Softears Cerberus impressions:

A big thanks to @mvvRAZ for sending me the @Softears Cerberus to review. He knew I’d had some previous experience with them at various CanJams over the last few years and that I was keen to do a deep dive with them, so the opportunity is much appreciated.

As many of you know, the Softears brand is the luxury high-end division of the Moondrop brand (who have been creating some fantastic mid-range IEMs like the terrific Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk edition, tuned in association with @crinacle). I’ve not had the benefit of listening to the rest of the Softears line-up (I’d certainly like to, that’s for sure, and from what I’ve read the rest of the line-up is incredible) but I suspect that the brand is reserved only for when they feel they can do something truly exceptional in a particular market segment. Softears have been around for a few years now but, for some reason, have not been gaining as much attention and praise as they should have been. It’s really only now that they seem to be emerging as a brand that are really getting noticed, largely owing to their mid-range RSV, that I hear are category-breaking performers.

Like I mentioned a couple of paragraphs back, I’d encountered the Cerberus at a couple of CanJams a few years back (I was lucky enough to be in several countries on business that year at the same time as CanJams taking place in each). I only listened to the Cerberus for a short time at each and loved what I was hearing. I even tried to purchase them at each one but someone had already beaten me to it, which was immensely frustrating but par for the course. I haven’t been able to get them out of my head since and even tried a few times to find them on internet stores but just couldn’t track them down. It had, until recently, been one of the big regrets that I’ve had in my Head-Fi journey thus far. But recently, Michael reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in reviewing them and, of course, I leapt at the chance.



Over the years since I’ve heard the Cerberus, I have wondered though, if it was one of those ‘moments’ that I had remembered with ‘rose-tinted’ ears. For us Head-Fiers, CanJams are exciting and an ‘experience’. As such the experience can rub off on one’s impressions of what one hears in much the same way that the ‘buzz’ of a new movie at a festival can generate overly favourable reviews. So, I was ready to be heavily critical of the Cerberus, perhaps more so than most. With that in mind…

Like @mvvRAZ, I’ve got to applaud the genius who came up with the name Cerberus for a tribrid but, unlike Michael, I’m going to straight up say that I LOVE the Cerberus. That’s not to say that I don’t agree with most, if not all, of his findings, but these IEMs perfectly fit my preferred sound signature(s)(…with the right source and cable pairing in some cases - please keep reading to the very bottom of this review for an explanation).

Initially I plugged the Cerberus into my SP2000Cu and found much the same as RAZ did. To summarize:

Treble – extremely detailed, somewhat bright but never harsh or sibilant. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this is the most pleasing, well-controlled treble that I’ve ever heard in an IEM (and, yes, I have included my sacred Trailli in that appraisal too – which is really saying something as the Trailli is exceptional in that area – not to mention over three times the price).

Mids – As RAZ mentioned, the Cerberus has very forward mids, particularly in the upper mids. He is very open about his dislike for a bump in the upper mids, which is why he, understandably, doesn’t like the EE Odin. This is perhaps the one area where I tend to differ from RAZ’s preferred signature, as I am actually quite fond of a forward mid-range and I like the clarity that a bump in the upper mids brings to the overall presentation. Probably why I’m a fan of the Odin too. In fact, I’d say the Cerberus shares quite a few similarities with the Odin and perhaps does many of them better (again, I’m a huge Odin fan, before the fanboys start pulling out the pitchforks). The mids are definitely forward in the Cerberus but they, like the treble, never become harsh or unpleasant to listen to, for me.

Bass – This is where the Cerberus is most unusual in its presentation. With the SP2000Cu, I found the sub-bass to be incredibly textured and well controlled, despite being very present in the overall mix. Its quantity and quality are, for me, almost perfect, bringing that weight to tracks that need it in a way that no other IEM (except perhaps the Odin) has ever done for me. But unlike the Odin which has a very clear sense of air being pushed through the DD, this feels much more subtle and textural in its delivery, but equally as forceful – like the perfect hybrid of DD and BA. It’s very difficult to describe which is why that last line might sound a bit contradictory. All I can do is urge you to listen for yourself if sub-bass quality and quantity is important to you, because I don’t think you’ll find an IEM that can do it better.

The mid bass is where the Cerberus (on the SP2000Cu, at least) is a little unusual. Despite the heavy presence of sub-bass, the mid bass quantity is far less. Don’t get me wrong, it IS there but it’s incredibly restrained and very controlled to the point where some may feel they are missing something in the overall mix. Personally, I have mixed opinions about this. Whereas (and, I stress, on the SP2000Cu) the mid bass may be less present that I’d ordinarily like it to be, it does create a very interesting sound signature that is very mids focused but accompanied by a very grounded, almost guttural, earth shaking sub-bass that gives the overall presentation this somewhat ethereal gravitas and sets it apart from almost any IEMs I have ever heard. When, like so many here on Head-Fi, you own multiple IEMs that are all playing in similar fields, it’s a nice change to have a pair that do something so different.

On the technicalities side of things, I’d say that the Cerberus excels on most fronts. The stage is expansive (perhaps a bit more width than depth or height, but not lacking in those either). The detail retrieval is exceptional, as are imaging and placement. I’d say that, in those categories, Cerberus are at the top of the pile for me. And the coherence is pretty exceptional for a hybrid, let alone a tribrid, which is doubly surprising to me, given the separation between sub-bass and mids (again… on the SP2000Cu).



I’m not really one who cares about the look of things, but the Cerberus are really great looking, and the build quality is exceptional, befitting a true TOTL experience. If I had to criticise one element, it would probably be the cable that is supplied with them. It’s a really strange choice of cable as it really doesn’t bring out the best in the Cerberus. It’s by no means awful and does the job but, in these days of TOTL IEMs being supplied with customised TOTL cables, it’s perhaps a little lacking in that department. But, and this is a big BUT, the Cerberus have been around since 2018, before that became a thing, and they are also priced at around $2k rather than the $4k to $6k that such modern TOTL IEMs command.

If you’ve read this far (thank-you) and you’re into Jazz, Movie Scores or Classical music then, honestly, you can stop reading now. The Cerberus are pretty much the best IEMs (even through the SP2000Cu) that I’ve ever heard for these types of music (yes, sorry Trailli fanbase – of which I’m one – but these really are THAT good).

If you’re into Rock, EDM or Hip Hop, keep reading…

So, then I switched the cable to the EA Onyx, a 6-wire palladium plated silver cable, and plugged them into my Cayin N6ii with the new R2R R01 board and, HOLY crap, PLOT TWIST…

… suddenly all the awesome qualities that I’d discovered with the SP2000Cu were still there but they’d been joined by an exceptionally controlled, very present mid-bass and lower mid-section. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this is the best controlled mid-bass that I’ve ever heard in an IEM, with exceptional separation between frequencies, none bleeding into the other. Along with that exceptional sub-bass, those incredible mids and treble, the Cerberus has suddenly become something TRULY exceptional.

This change (I’m loathe to use the term ‘improvement’ because, for certain types of music, the Cerberus were already perfect for me) is so huge, yet strangely didn’t make listening to Classical or Jazz any less gratifying. I’ve never heard a change so dramatic when adjusting cable or source (or both) before and it really took me by surprise.



This made me want to try them out with another source, so I immediately tried them on the Cayin N6ii/A02 and Cayin C9 combo and, again, a slightly different presentation that lies somewhere between that of the R01 and SP2000Cu, with a slightly larger stage (in all directions) but no less satisfying than either. I haven’t had any time to do more cable rolling or tip rolling (I'm currently using Azla Sedna short, for those that are interested) but I’m willing to bet that I’ll find slight changes in the presentation again, and I’m also willing to bet they’ll be equally pleasing too, just in different ways.

Since I’ve had the Cerberus, I’ve mainly been listening to either them or the Trailli through the same equipment. Both different sound signatures, both immensely satisfying and both complimentary to each other. If I could only have two IEMs, these would be them (sorry Odin and many others in my signature - I love you too, but…).

Is the Cerberus as ‘holographic’ as the Trailli? Perhaps not quite, but we’re talking tiny fractions here and the immense sub-bass (and stunning mid-bass on some pairings) more than makes up for that. In fact, I’ve found myself reaching for the Cerberus more in my late-night listening sessions than the Trailli. And if that isn’t the highest praise imaginable then I really don’t know what is.

Are the Cerberus my favourite IEMs? Quite possibly, yes!

That’s an excellent review, thank you for posting! I’ll put it in the index page a little later

 

[Onurb8690]

Hey hey don’t have the Jolene yet it’s on its way to me now though, I should have it next week hopefully

You've been waiting a long time, I think!!! But I'm waiting for your opinion on them, I'm torn between A18s and Jolene.l, you don't have your table now?