[Totally Dubbed]

Quote:

Alright, thanks.  I'll have to look into this a bit, the problem with getting the Tx500s is that they won't fit any other IEMs I have or will be likely to get, whereas the Tx400s will be more likely to fit a slightly wider range of them...

yup that's why I'm selling mine off now
 
And well you could get the tx400's...but when you stretch em...they won't fit your others lol.

 

[tgx78]

How this A03 compare to ASG-1 (version 1.1)? I remember someone mentioning that RedGiant is much better than Aurisonics?
I live in Canada and I see few local dealers I can order this from. With large soundstage it should be good match for classical symphonies?

 

[Totally Dubbed]

^ that's a very, very hard one.
 
They are different, both of them.
None are better than the other IMO.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

How this A03 compare to ASG-1 (version 1.1)? I remember someone mentioning that RedGiant is much better than Aurisonics?
I live in Canada and I see few local dealers I can order this from. With large soundstage it should be good match for classical symphonies?

 
They are very different from one another. The ASG-1 is more enclosed versus the artificially large presentation of the A03. Both image well. The ASG-1 is a bit more adept with tracking / channel panning, whereas the A03 excels more with instrument separation. In terms of the way they're tuned, I personally find the A03 to have a bit more bass emphasis and a smoother top-end. The mids are more recessed on the A03 compared to the ASG-1 however. That being said, I found the ASG-1 to have a very unpleasant echo effect in the mids (most likely due to the materials used in its shell construction according to some head-fiers in Hong Kong), and I think this is what gets labeled the "shouty effect" by some people. It basically sounds like yelling inside a cave to my ears. The midrange of the A03 sounds much more natural to me.
 
Personally, I'd take the A03 over the ASG-1 any day. That's just my opinion, of course. That being said, I could see the ASG-1 being a better choice for more aggressive music and the A03 a better choice for classical symphonies due to its large presentation and sense of grandeur.
 
Neither is what I'd call exceptionally accurate though, so if you want transparency first and foremost, I wouldn't recommend either.

 

[Totally Dubbed]

^ I pretty much disagree with everything said lol.
 
Shouty effect comes from the mids being spiky and not the echo-radio like effect (which i didn't really experience)
 
For classical, if anything you would want incredibly good separation and soundstage.
If anything the A03 is the more mainstream, r'n'b esk earphone, and the asg-1 are the ones that are super (possibly over-the-top) analytical earphones. They were built as stage monitors for a reason

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

 

 
True on the ASG-1. That's why the changes in rev. 1.2 will include, not only filters and tuning changes, but dampening material inside the shell to reduce the resonance or echo.

 

[MuppetFace]

We're all entitled to our opinions of course, but just to clarify my own:
 
1.) "For classical, if anything you would want incredibly good separation and soundstage."
 
I find the A03 has a bigger more grandiose soundstage compared to the ASG-1 and has better instrument separation, as I said, so that is precisely why I recommend it over the ASG-1 for symphonic music.
 
2.) Whatever you may choose to call it, I find the echo effect of the ASG-1 to be extremely unpleasant. I have spoken to several other head-fiers via PM who agree that the ASG-1 has an echoey midrange, so other head-fiers do seem to hear it aside from myself. This is what I consider the "shouty effect" personally. Additional characteristics of the midrange, "spikiness" or what-have-you, may compound that effect, but I don't see it as the general source. No amount of EQ gets rid of the shouty effect for me, so it's not merely a characteristic of the mids. The source of the echo is most likely in the inner chambers caused by the shell material used in its construction.
 
3.) I own several stage and musicians' monitors, and the ASG-1 is the only one that displays this echo effect. The Sony EX800ST is what I personally consider to be the epitome of a "monitor earphone," and it's actually quite natural sounding, relaxed, and linear. In comparison the ASG-1 is far too unnatural in my humble opinion to really qualify as a legitimate stage monitor.

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

ASG-1 is far too unnatural in my humble opinion to really qualify as a legitimate stage monitor.

 
It's not a stage monitor in the capacity you're implying. The mids are the way they are to emphasize vocals. In a concert setting, you want to hear yourself above all else, crowds, other musicians, etc. Listen to this with the ASG-1, and please let me know what you think.
 

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

 
It's not a stage monitor in the capacity you're implying. The mids are the way they are to emphasize vocals. In a concert setting, you want to hear yourself above all else, crowds, other musicians, etc. Listen to this with the ASG-1, and please let me know what you think.
 

 
Yeah, I've heard the story about its specific application. It's a vocalist's monitor with emphasized mids in the same capacity that something like the SA-13 LIVE is a bassist / drummer monitor with an emphasized bottom end. The EX800ST on the other hand is a studio monitor, so it has more linear tuning.
 
I do generally get the idea behind certain products being designed with uses other than audiophile listening in mind, but I still feel the echoey mids of the ASG-1 are a design flaw and not something that can be explained away by saying it was made for vocalists. The echo stems from the shell material, and the shell material was not chosen with vocalists in mind as far as I know. The midrange is tuned a certain way for vocalists, yes, but this just compounds the problem in my humble opinion.
 
Anyway... I will now refrain from any further ASG-1 discussion. : )

 

[DaBomb77766]

Awesome, and the replacement is already in the mail!  That was fast!
 
I should probably write down some impressions soon, but it's probably best until I actually have a pair that isn't defective...but defective or not, I still like these quite a bit!

 

[Totally Dubbed]

Quote:

Awesome, and the replacement is already in the mail!  That was fast!
 
I should probably write down some impressions soon, but it's probably best until I actually have a pair that isn't defective...but defective or not, I still like these quite a bit!

I don't think it's defective in fact - today I have them on, and when one didn't fit properly, it sounded like one of them wasn't working to it's 100%

 

[Totally Dubbed]

My review of the A03 is live
8/10 from my end.
 
Special earphones, if you ask me!

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

I don't think it's defective in fact - today I have them on, and when one didn't fit properly, it sounded like one of them wasn't working to it's 100%

I dunno, I've tried everything I can to get that one to fit, even flipping the channels around, and nothing has worked.  I doubt a poor seal would make them buzz like that, honestly...

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

My review of the A03 is live
8/10 from my end.
 
Special earphones, if you ask me!

Wait, where?

 

[tomscy2000]

Not here. Elsewhere.