RAZ's TOTL review and rambles thread... could it be.... alive?

[alsorkin]

Modern DAPs are already at desktop performance, and actually above desktop performance if you're using TOTL IEMs. I sold my high-end desktop and can tell you the R8 + 64 Audio IEMs not only sounds better, but the flexibility makes it many times more useful that having to sit in one place to listen to music.

Of course if you're wanting to use full size headphones you're not going to get the same performance from a DAP as a dedicated class A amp and full-size DAC. Which is why I no longer use full size headphones.

Your advice please- I plan on using my Monarch IEM with a R8 I'm getting. Is that a good match or would you suggest a resonably priced alternative IEM?

 

[mvvRAZ]

The 2020 TOTL Shootout

Prelude and disclaimers: this list is covering the more noteworthy IEMs I heard and owned during 2020, some of which I own to this day, and others that I owned briefly throughout the months.

Format: 1 line to cover what I feel an IEM is like, 1 line to cover its biggest pro, 1 line to cover its biggest con. I aim to be "objective" with this list in the sense that I'll be listing cons that don't really bother me or I flat out enjoy. The IEMs are ordered by preference really, but it's more like "I'd take my top three over anything else"

With that out of the way, let's begin!

1. MMR Thummim - bare-knuckle boxing
Description: A W-shaped IEM, with heavy hitting bass, extremely textured mids and very well extended treble, with staging that extends to infinity and beyond
Biggest pro: the staging. No IEM that I've tried approaches the Thummim in how wide and expansive the soundstage is
Biggest con: super over-the-top presentation. While I absolutely love that, a lot of audiophiles wouldn't be happy about something with this much coloration

2. Noble Sultan - Bottom of the deep blue sea
Description: A milder, musical W, with incredible bass, sparkly treble, very airy mids and large staging paired with some of the best layering I've ever experienced
Biggest pro: While the stage stretches fairly wide, the depth is from a different dimension. Nothing I've tried is able to do this as well as the Sultan does
Biggest con: Midrange is somewhat thin, bearing some resemblance to the Noble Encore

3. 64Audio A18S - ultimate reference
Description: A warm reference sound, with large staging, incredible treble extension and detail retrieval through dynamics
Biggest pro: Extreme balance between fun and reference, allowing you to listen to anything and everything on it without any issues
Biggest con: Very little coloration - sure the bass is warmer than neutral, but it is also very fast and tight, maintaining the overall "reference" feel of the A18S

4. 64Audio A12t - a watch for every occasion
Description: A warmer and darker version of the A18S, with incredible dynamics and wide staging
Biggest pro: Insanely versatile, literally nothing sounds bad on the A12t. I could comfortably retire with it and only it
Biggest con: The darker, warmer tonality is very pleasing but not quite as engaging as something with a little more treble energy

5. 64Audio Fourte Noir - weird, but a little less so
Description: a more linear and regular Fourte, with an over the top upper treble focus and some weirdness in the upper midrange
Biggest pro: Enormous staging and incredible imaging, courtesy of 64's tubeless tech
Biggest con: The upper-upper midrange can be quite harsh depending on the track - shows up somewhat rarely but when it does it is quite unpleasant

6. Campfire Andromeda 2020 - CFA finally nails the Andro
Description: the most linear and balanced Andromeda to date, with very fast, tight and precise bass, decently textured mids and well extended treble
Biggest pro: best midrange any CFA IEM have managed to pull off to date.
Biggest con: the texture and presentation just screams "BAs" and remains a little too ordinary

7. MMR Gae Bolg - EDC material
Description: A very linear, mid-centric IEM with great texture, and a relaxing, easy-to-listen to warmth in the midrange
Biggest pro: Potential to be used as an EDC - it is just the right blend of engaging and warm with incredible vocals and tight bass
Biggest con: Not quite as technical as some of the other options around its price point

8. VE Elysium - oh how the mighty have fallen
Description: a very vocal/mid-centric IEM, with extremely tight and precise bass and very well extended treble
Biggest pro: the texture and warmth in the midrange, absolutely incredible
Biggest con: the staging is tiny compared to more recent flagships, which combined with the rather large vocals ends up feeling somewhat claustrophobic

9. Jomo Trinity - Rockstarrrrr
Description: a V shaped IEM by Jomo, with amazing bass decay, textured mids and sparkly treble, held back by narrow staging and mediocre treble extension
Biggest pro: how good rock sounds on it. There are very few IEMs that even approach the Trinity where alt-rock and hard rock are concerned
Biggest con: The treble extension - it really does not do it for me personally, it rolls off too much too soon

10. Campfire Vega 2020 - who needs mids lul
Description: a rather rough, heavily V shaped IEM with very slow, fun and satisfying bass and a largely elevated treble quantity to maintain clarity
Biggest pro: Hella fun. Nothing more nothing less to be said here
Biggest con: It doesn't really sport much of a midrange it's perfect for what it is though, no real cons at its price point if you're into Vs imo

11. Campfire Ara
Description: a very reference-oriented, rather thin and somewhat bright IEM with reasonable technical ability and great detail retrieval
Biggest pro: detail retrieval without a significant treble/upper midrange boost
Biggest con: Andromeda 2020 exists and is literally the more engaging/better version of the Ara

12. Rhapsodio Infinity Mk2
Description: a forward and intense signature with spectacular texture with very large and expansive staging
Biggest pro: easily the lower mids - some of the very best I've heard. Very few IEMs are able to pull off this much texture and weight
Biggest con: easily the upper mids - way overdone and they end up making the signature as a whole too intense and fatiguing

13. Campfire Andromeda MW10 - I remain unconvinced
Description: a thick and very well textured Andromeda with excellent, engaging tuning but not much technical ability to really speak of
Biggest pro: The tuning is very engaging, allowing you to "get lost in the music" without really noticing the transducer as much as you would normally
Biggest con: Absolutely awful, congested, narrow and suffocating stage - it might just be the most narrow IEM I've ever tried

14. Empire Ears Odin - so close yet so far
Description: a relatively neutral and referency IEM with what might just be the most overloaded upper midrange I've experienced to date
Biggest pro: the bass - no IEM manages to pull off a neutral bass with this much warmth and texture to it, simply incredible
Biggest con: how insanely forward and intolerable the upper mids are. Would easily make my top 3 if it maintained that neutrality but stayed more linear

15. Noble Zephyr
Description: a warm/neutral IEM with an upper midrange tilt balanced with good texture and a more forgiving, relaxed nature
Biggest pro: female vocals sound really good on it, but are also quite oversized and bloated because of the upper midrange hump
Biggest con: unless you are specifically looking for vocals, it remains a little underwhelming/boring overall - lacks some character

 

[proedros]

@mvvRAZ you should get this and share your thoughts here, 400 euros is probably pocket money to you

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-...mm-drop-premium-copper-balanced-cable.952898/

just a heads up

 

[Avian]

1. MMR Thummim - bare-knuckle boxing
Description: A W-shaped IEM, with heavy hitting bass, extremely textured mids and very well extended treble, with staging that extends to infinity and beyond
Biggest pro: the staging. No IEM that I've tried approaches the Thummim in how wide and expansive the soundstage is
Biggest con: super over-the-top presentation. While I absolutely love that, a lot of audiophiles wouldn't be happy about something with this much coloration

2. Noble Sultan - Bottom of the deep blue sea
Description: A milder, musical W, with incredible bass, sparkly treble, very airy mids and large staging paired with some of the best layering I've ever experienced
Biggest pro: While the stage stretches fairly wide, the depth is from a different dimension. Nothing I've tried is able to do this as well as the Sultan does
Biggest con: Midrange is somewhat thin, bearing some resemblance to the Noble Encore

Do you think that the Thummin has a warm bass compared to the signature of the Sultan? Are there more details and texture in that region?

 

[mvvRAZ]

Do you think that the Thummin has a warm bass compared to the signature of the Sultan? Are there more details and texture in that region?

The sultan and Thummim are extremely similar in their bass imo. The thummim might have just a touch more presence and impact, with similar texture on both

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

The 2020 TOTL Shootout

Prelude and disclaimers: this list is covering the more noteworthy IEMs I heard and owned during 2020, some of which I own to this day, and others that I owned briefly throughout the months.

Format: 1 line to cover what I feel an IEM is like, 1 line to cover its biggest pro, 1 line to cover its biggest con. I aim to be "objective" with this list in the sense that I'll be listing cons that don't really bother me or I flat out enjoy. The IEMs are ordered by preference really, but it's more like "I'd take my top three over anything else"

With that out of the way, let's begin!

1. MMR Thummim - bare-knuckle boxing
Description: A W-shaped IEM, with heavy hitting bass, extremely textured mids and very well extended treble, with staging that extends to infinity and beyond
Biggest pro: the staging. No IEM that I've tried approaches the Thummim in how wide and expansive the soundstage is
Biggest con: super over-the-top presentation. While I absolutely love that, a lot of audiophiles wouldn't be happy about something with this much coloration

2. Noble Sultan - Bottom of the deep blue sea
Description: A milder, musical W, with incredible bass, sparkly treble, very airy mids and large staging paired with some of the best layering I've ever experienced
Biggest pro: While the stage stretches fairly wide, the depth is from a different dimension. Nothing I've tried is able to do this as well as the Sultan does
Biggest con: Midrange is somewhat thin, bearing some resemblance to the Noble Encore

3. 64Audio A18S - ultimate reference
Description: A warm reference sound, with large staging, incredible treble extension and detail retrieval through dynamics
Biggest pro: Extreme balance between fun and reference, allowing you to listen to anything and everything on it without any issues
Biggest con: Very little coloration - sure the bass is warmer than neutral, but it is also very fast and tight, maintaining the overall "reference" feel of the A18S

4. 64Audio A12t - a watch for every occasion
Description: A warmer and darker version of the A18S, with incredible dynamics and wide staging
Biggest pro: Insanely versatile, literally nothing sounds bad on the A12t. I could comfortably retire with it and only it
Biggest con: The darker, warmer tonality is very pleasing but not quite as engaging as something with a little more treble energy

5. 64Audio Fourte Noir - weird, but a little less so
Description: a more linear and regular Fourte, with an over the top upper treble focus and some weirdness in the upper midrange
Biggest pro: Enormous staging and incredible imaging, courtesy of 64's tubeless tech
Biggest con: The upper-upper midrange can be quite harsh depending on the track - shows up somewhat rarely but when it does it is quite unpleasant

6. Campfire Andromeda 2020 - CFA finally nails the Andro
Description: the most linear and balanced Andromeda to date, with very fast, tight and precise bass, decently textured mids and well extended treble
Biggest pro: best midrange any CFA IEM have managed to pull off to date.
Biggest con: the texture and presentation just screams "BAs" and remains a little too ordinary

7. MMR Gae Bolg - EDC material
Description: A very linear, mid-centric IEM with great texture, and a relaxing, easy-to-listen to warmth in the midrange
Biggest pro: Potential to be used as an EDC - it is just the right blend of engaging and warm with incredible vocals and tight bass
Biggest con: Not quite as technical as some of the other options around its price point

8. VE Elysium - oh how the mighty have fallen
Description: a very vocal/mid-centric IEM, with extremely tight and precise bass and very well extended treble
Biggest pro: the texture and warmth in the midrange, absolutely incredible
Biggest con: the staging is tiny compared to more recent flagships, which combined with the rather large vocals ends up feeling somewhat claustrophobic

9. Jomo Trinity - Rockstarrrrr
Description: a V shaped IEM by Jomo, with amazing bass decay, textured mids and sparkly treble, held back by narrow staging and mediocre treble extension
Biggest pro: how good rock sounds on it. There are very few IEMs that even approach the Trinity where alt-rock and hard rock are concerned
Biggest con: The treble extension - it really does not do it for me personally, it rolls off too much too soon

10. Campfire Vega 2020 - who needs mids lul
Description: a rather rough, heavily V shaped IEM with very slow, fun and satisfying bass and a largely elevated treble quantity to maintain clarity
Biggest pro: Hella fun. Nothing more nothing less to be said here
Biggest con: It doesn't really sport much of a midrange it's perfect for what it is though, no real cons at its price point if you're into Vs imo

11. Campfire Ara
Description: a very reference-oriented, rather thin and somewhat bright IEM with reasonable technical ability and great detail retrieval
Biggest pro: detail retrieval without a significant treble/upper midrange boost
Biggest con: Andromeda 2020 exists and is literally the more engaging/better version of the Ara

12. Rhapsodio Infinity Mk2
Description: a forward and intense signature with spectacular texture with very large and expansive staging
Biggest pro: easily the lower mids - some of the very best I've heard. Very few IEMs are able to pull off this much texture and weight
Biggest con: easily the upper mids - way overdone and they end up making the signature as a whole too intense and fatiguing

13. Campfire Andromeda MW10 - I remain unconvinced
Description: a thick and very well textured Andromeda with excellent, engaging tuning but not much technical ability to really speak of
Biggest pro: The tuning is very engaging, allowing you to "get lost in the music" without really noticing the transducer as much as you would normally
Biggest con: Absolutely awful, congested, narrow and suffocating stage - it might just be the most narrow IEM I've ever tried

14. Empire Ears Odin - so close yet so far
Description: a relatively neutral and referency IEM with what might just be the most overloaded upper midrange I've experienced to date
Biggest pro: the bass - no IEM manages to pull off a neutral bass with this much warmth and texture to it, simply incredible
Biggest con: how insanely forward and intolerable the upper mids are. Would easily make my top 3 if it maintained that neutrality but stayed more linear

15. Noble Zephyr
Description: a warm/neutral IEM with an upper midrange tilt balanced with good texture and a more forgiving, relaxed nature
Biggest pro: female vocals sound really good on it, but are also quite oversized and bloated because of the upper midrange hump
Biggest con: unless you are specifically looking for vocals, it remains a little underwhelming/boring overall - lacks some character

Fantastic summary! Which IEM would you say has the best bass quality (texture and slam with sufficient quantity), but has a mostly balanced sound (neither forward nor recessed mids) that extends well for both treble and bass?

 

[mvvRAZ]

@mvvRAZ you should get this and share your thoughts here, 400 euros is probably pocket money to you

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-...mm-drop-premium-copper-balanced-cable.952898/

just a heads up

I am tempted considering all your posts about the Zeus, but I don't think it would suit me very much, and I am trying to clean house for 2021's upcoming TOTLs and goodies

Fantastic summary! Which IEM would you say has the best bass quality (texture and slam with sufficient quantity), but has a mostly balanced sound (neither forward nor recessed mids) that extends well for both treble and bass?

I’d love for @doctorjuggles to chime in here honestly, he’s way more knowledgeable about bass than I am

My take though, the Thummim is super over the top but should fit that bill very well, I’m not sure if you've tried it

the sultan has incredible bass but the treble might not extend as high up as you might want it

A18S is everything you’d require imo, but it has that distinctly fast and boomy BA bass with less texture than what most DDs would put out

I know I kinda keep recommending those top 3s, and I do apologize for that but they are the three best all rounders I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing/owning (and obviously for my preferences)

it’s hard to say though, are you after thicker/leaner sound, what kind of staging would you prefer

 

[tawmizzzz]

Fantastic summary! Which IEM would you say has the best bass quality (texture and slam with sufficient quantity), but has a mostly balanced sound (neither forward nor recessed mids) that extends well for both treble and bass?

To piggyback on Raz- to my ears, the Sultan and Noir have that excellent 1:1 midbass to subbass ratio (or even slightly subbass focus) with incredible extension, and thus are my two favorite basses up to date.

LXSE is similar although I feel not as detailed/clean as the other two. Sultan is probably the cleanest bass of the two, and has slightly more subbass than Noir. Noir feels more visceral. Thummim bass is awesome too but probably only better if you prefer a larger slam/midbass with slower decay. It won’t do as well for faster genres IMO, but does have the best “texture” down there.

The treble seems to be a love or hate for Sultan so I won’t comment much there except agreed with Raz that the upper treble extension there *could* fall short for some people. Sultan has great texture overall.

If you enjoy wonky mids, Noir could be a good option as I recall it having some great treble extension. Odin has great extension but the thinner mids/lack of warmth does sacrifice some texture. The Traillii is also being described ultra balanced with incredible extension both down low and high, despite the dual BAs for the lows. Haven’t heard it myself yet tho.

 

[mvvRAZ]

To piggyback on Raz- to my ears, the Sultan and Noir have that excellent 1:1 midbass to subbass ratio (or even slightly subbass focus) with incredible extension, and thus are my two favorite basses up to date.

LXSE is similar although I feel not as detailed/clean as the other two. Sultan is probably the cleanest bass of the two, and has slightly more subbass than Noir. Noir feels more visceral. Thummim bass is awesome too but probably only better if you prefer a larger slam/midbass with slower decay. It won’t do as well for faster genres IMO, but does have the best “texture” down there.

The treble seems to be a love or hate for Sultan so I won’t comment much there except agreed with Raz that the upper treble extension there *could* fall short for some people. Sultan has great texture overall.

If you enjoy wonky mids, Noir could be a good option as I recall it having some great treble extension. Odin has great extension but the thinner mids/lack of warmth does sacrifice some texture. The Traillii is also being described ultra balanced with incredible extension both down low and high, despite the dual BAs for the lows. Haven’t heard it myself yet tho.

Agreed with everything on here. The Thummim’s bass decay is super responsive to cables imo, I like it nice and slow with the Iliad but the Plato is a better match if you’re after speed

there’s always a trade off between texture and clarity, and I’ve always favored texture myself - there’s something incredibly satisfying about rock on a thiccc and heavy IEM

honestly even something like the Andro MW10 could do the trick for you, the bass texture on it is incredible IMHO, and would be an easy recommendation if staging isn’t a priority for you

 

[RTodd]

To piggyback on Raz- to my ears, the Sultan and Noir have that excellent 1:1 midbass to subbass ratio (or even slightly subbass focus) with incredible extension, and thus are my two favorite basses up to date.

LXSE is similar although I feel not as detailed/clean as the other two. Sultan is probably the cleanest bass of the two, and has slightly more subbass than Noir. Noir feels more visceral. Thummim bass is awesome too but probably only better if you prefer a larger slam/midbass with slower decay. It won’t do as well for faster genres IMO, but does have the best “texture” down there.

The treble seems to be a love or hate for Sultan so I won’t comment much there except agreed with Raz that the upper treble extension there *could* fall short for some people. Sultan has great texture overall.

If you enjoy wonky mids, Noir could be a good option as I recall it having some great treble extension. Odin has great extension but the thinner mids/lack of warmth does sacrifice some texture. The Traillii is also being described ultra balanced with incredible extension both down low and high, despite the dual BAs for the lows. Haven’t heard it myself yet tho.

I have the Traillii and it is very balanced and has very nice treble. The BA bass is well done in that I do not feel like anything is missing down low.

 

[doctorjuggles]

Fantastic summary! Which IEM would you say has the best bass quality (texture and slam with sufficient quantity), but has a mostly balanced sound (neither forward nor recessed mids) that extends well for both treble and bass?

I’d love for @doctorjuggles to chime in here honestly, he’s way more knowledgeable about bass than I am

My take though, the Thummim is super over the top but should fit that bill very well, I’m not sure if you've tried it

the sultan has incredible bass but the treble might not extend as high up as you might want it

A18S is everything you’d require imo, but it has that distinctly fast and boomy BA bass with less texture than what most DDs would put out

I know I kinda keep recommending those top 3s, and I do apologize for that but they are the three best all rounders I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing/owning (and obviously for my preferences)

it’s hard to say though, are you after thicker/leaner sound, what kind of staging would you prefer

Well I haven't heard everything in the list, so to be fair/clear, I haven't heard: 64Audio A18S ; 64Audio A12t; Campfire Andromeda 2020; MMR Gae Bolg; Campfire Vega 2020; Rhapsodio Infinity Mk2; Campfire Andromeda MW10 or Empire Ears Odin.

Of the remaining IEMs, I'd probably narrow things down to the Sultan, Thummim, Noir and Trinity for bass if you want the full deck of slam, texture and quantity. Once you start overlaying "balanced" - I'd personally narrow it down even further from there to the Sultan, Noir and Trinity.

Now we're in the realms of some pretty expensive stuff here. I've eliminated the Thummim because, even though it's probably my favourite IEM, it's too exaggerated to fall into the "balanced" category. Left with the remainder - I think the Sultan edges the other two for me. It's got oodles of texture and slam, never gets overbearing or bloated (Crin et al will disagree, but Raz has asked me to weigh in, so this is my view on it ) and it's a little more balanced across the rest of the frequency range, while still maintaining a tiny bit of a W signature and a little bit of the Thummim's magical signature, but without going overboard. It's an easy listen, not fatiguing, but still revealing. But most importantly, I've assumed that because @HiFiHawaii808 mentioned bass quality first and foremost, it's very important to him.
So with bass as the first concern and balance a close second, I view the Sultan as the best of these to provide the required bass qualities requested, while still holding onto a more balanced signature across the rest of the spectrum.

Something I need to add here - from the feedback I've read, the Odin might also be one worth considering too. I'll stress again that I haven't heard it, and I hear things very similarly to @mvvRAZ so it's worth mentioning his experiences with the forward upper mids here - but almost nobody has a bad word to say about the bass and, assuming you don't have the same mortal fear of forward upper mids Raz and I both share, it might be one you should consider too.

I'll also throw in the Legend X. Most won't consider it balanced and that's probably true - but it's a lot better in the mids and treble than most give it credit for, with outstanding technicalities. And nothing I've heard does bass like the LX - but I'm super biased about this IEM
For a more balanced version of this - the odd LX SE sometimes becomes available here on the forums, worth keeping an eye out.

With stuff this expensive, I'm always in favour of an audition in person, of course. Even if you can only hear one, you can always come back and let us know how you hear that one IEM. With that info, it's at least a barometer for us to compare our own experiences and calibrate a little better relative to how you hear things. It's never perfect, but it's better than blindly trying to recommend too many IEMs for you

 

[normie610]

Hey Michael @mvvRAZ I remember you once owned the RAD-0. What is it that you don’t like about them? Did you have a chance to write a review or impressions when you had them?

Thanks!

 

[mvvRAZ]

Hey Michael @mvvRAZ I remember you once owned the RAD-0. What is it that you don’t like about them? Did you have a chance to write a review or impressions when you had them?

Thanks!

The Rad-0 is very nice, but a little too smooth for my taste, it doesn’t have the dynamics of the Diana V2 or that background darkness and separation

It’s very easy to listen to, it just isn’t as impressive I feel

 

[Deferenz]

Well I haven't heard everything in the list, so to be fair/clear, I haven't heard: 64Audio A18S ; 64Audio A12t; Campfire Andromeda 2020; MMR Gae Bolg; Campfire Vega 2020; Rhapsodio Infinity Mk2; Campfire Andromeda MW10 or Empire Ears Odin.

Of the remaining IEMs, I'd probably narrow things down to the Sultan, Thummim, Noir and Trinity for bass if you want the full deck of slam, texture and quantity. Once you start overlaying "balanced" - I'd personally narrow it down even further from there to the Sultan, Noir and Trinity.

Now we're in the realms of some pretty expensive stuff here. I've eliminated the Thummim because, even though it's probably my favourite IEM, it's too exaggerated to fall into the "balanced" category. Left with the remainder - I think the Sultan edges the other two for me. It's got oodles of texture and slam, never gets overbearing or bloated (Crin et al will disagree, but Raz has asked me to weigh in, so this is my view on it ) and it's a little more balanced across the rest of the frequency range, while still maintaining a tiny bit of a W signature and a little bit of the Thummim's magical signature, but without going overboard. It's an easy listen, not fatiguing, but still revealing. But most importantly, I've assumed that because @HiFiHawaii808 mentioned bass quality first and foremost, it's very important to him.
So with bass as the first concern and balance a close second, I view the Sultan as the best of these to provide the required bass qualities requested, while still holding onto a more balanced signature across the rest of the spectrum.

Something I need to add here - from the feedback I've read, the Odin might also be one worth considering too. I'll stress again that I haven't heard it, and I hear things very similarly to @mvvRAZ so it's worth mentioning his experiences with the forward upper mids here - but almost nobody has a bad word to say about the bass and, assuming you don't have the same mortal fear of forward upper mids Raz and I both share, it might be one you should consider too.

I'll also throw in the Legend X. Most won't consider it balanced and that's probably true - but it's a lot better in the mids and treble than most give it credit for, with outstanding technicalities. And nothing I've heard does bass like the LX - but I'm super biased about this IEM
For a more balanced version of this - the odd LX SE sometimes becomes available here on the forums, worth keeping an eye out.

With stuff this expensive, I'm always in favour of an audition in person, of course. Even if you can only hear one, you can always come back and let us know how you hear that one IEM. With that info, it's at least a barometer for us to compare our own experiences and calibrate a little better relative to how you hear things. It's never perfect, but it's better than blindly trying to recommend too many IEMs for you

Your assessment of the Sultan has me intrigued. Along with the Elysium, this is another IEM that I would love to try.

 

[mvvRAZ]

A small update on the P6 Pro - after having sessions with pretty much my entire collection it feels like it is the kind of warm and textured that plays especially well with things that are already warm and textured. Quite weird in a sense, but it feels like it pushes the dynamics to such an obscene level that it allows for the warmth of said IEMs to maintain separation and clarity with 0 smearing and muddiness

I don't currently have something super bright to really test it out with, but I'm curious if it would have a similarly positive effect with it. The Odin is an IEM that comes to mind that might play especially well with the P6 Pro