[Nulliverse]

Great review Eke2k6, thanks. And good call doing it in a new thread.
 
If my GR07s were not taken, I'd also be making comparisons. I think that this is particularly relevant, given that both are dynamic stage monitors.
 
I was surprised that you found soundstage to be on par as I remember finding the GR07s a little lacking in terms of depth... but musical memory does funny things!
 
 

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Great review Eke2k6, thanks. And good call doing it in a new thread.
 
If my GR07s were not taken, I'd also be making comparisons. I think that this is particularly relevant, given that both are dynamic stage monitors.
 
I was surprised that you found soundstage to be on par as I remember finding the GR07s a little lacking in terms of depth... but musical memory does funny things!
 
 

Thanks Nulliverse. I wouldn't have been able to do the ASG-1 justice without those sennheiser tips. I think the issue is that the GR07 doesn't exaggerate the soundstage. I tried not to pay any attention to depth, etc. when listening to songs because of this. A true test is the binaural recording, where both performed magnificently. Both were able to simulate the razor behind the head properly, and both were able to throw cues in all directions, and I could track movements across the sound field. 
 

 

[kenman345]

Seeing how the AS-1 and ASG-1 models were made for musicians mainly, and the audiophile world kinda came up and latched on afterwards, the AS-2's and ASG-2's may be developed with the Audiophile world in mind. Only time will tell.
 
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Oh no doubt; if I could afford to own more than one expensive pair of IEMs, I would have kept them, and the W3s and X10s too, but they weren't the final answer for me, mostly due to the mids. Great bass and soundstage, but the colored treble and super-emphasized mids were deal breakers for me personally. Really great bass though, my favorite bass of any IEM I've heard yet.
 
I am very curious to see what the ASG-2 is like; if the mids get toned down a bit, and the treble improves, I very well may jump on board.
 


 

 

 

[vwinter]

Nice review! I'm glad you did it this way because I certainly couldn't have chosen winners like that haha. What's interesting is with full (unshortened 2nd version) filters, I found vocal "timbre" to be dead on, which seems to coincide what you heard when you cut down the mids with EQ.

Thanks for the shoutout lol! Just as an additional note for anyone looking for it. The song Mind Heist is actually only on the Mind Heist EP by Zack Hemsey. I'm pretty sure it's not on the Inception OST. It's not the best quality recording but it provides interesting elements as points for testing and comparison.

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Nice review! I'm glad you did it this way because I certainly couldn't have chosen winners like that haha. What's interesting is with full (unshortened 2nd version) filters, I found vocal "timbre" to be dead on, which seems to coincide what you heard when you cut down the mids with EQ.
Thanks for the shoutout lol! Just as an additional note for anyone looking for it. The song Mind Heist is actually only on the Mind Heist EP by Zack Hemsey. I'm pretty sure it's not on the Inception OST. It's not the best quality recording but it provides interesting elements as points for testing and comparison.

Oh ok, I'll go fix that now. I'm really looking forward to testing the filters, as listening with EQ on the iphone is a bother since I can't use the native app.
 
That truly is a fantastic track. I keep waiting for the "peeeerrmmmm" (for lack of better words) to come around 

 

[vwinter]

Oh ok, I'll go fix that now. I'm really looking forward to testing the filters, as listening with EQ on the iphone is a bother since I can't use the native app.
 
That truly is a fantastic track. I keep waiting for the "peeeerrmmmm" (for lack of better words) to come around 

Haha me too! The best part of that track on the ASG-1 is these sheeny mid-bass oriented undulations that layer right behind the "peeerrrrrmmm." There's something I never thought I'd use to describe mid-bass, sheeny.

As you may have noticed, I'm particularly enthralled with the effortlessness and articulation of the ASG-1's midbass. It makes me forget about all of its faults lol.

Edit: when do you get your hands on the filters?

 

[pack21]

Very nice review my friend.

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Haha me too! The best part of that track on the ASG-1 is these sheeny mid-bass oriented undulations that layer right behind the "peeerrrrrmmm." There's something I never thought I'd use to describe mid-bass, sheeny.
As you may have noticed, I'm particularly enthralled with the effortlessness and articulation of the ASG-1's midbass. It makes me forget about all of its faults lol.

It really is a great iem. I've even come to appreciate what the tint does to the sound, from a subjective basis at least.

 
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Very nice review my friend.

Thanks packman
 

 

[eke2k6]

 
 
This is one of my favorite songs. I always wished I could have seen Bob Marley perform live, and with the ASG-1 it's almost like I'm there.
 

 

[eke2k6]

I've received the 1.2 revision of the ASG-1. I'll be updating the review as soon as I can.

 

[vwinter]

Looking forward to it!

 

[eke2k6]

Added ASG-1 revision 1.2 mini review to the first post
 
 
 

 

REVISION 1.2  (May 17, 2012)​

 
 
As I stated earlier, the ASG-1 was originally targeted at the professional crowd who needed to hear vocals and mid-range oriented instruments above all else. Unfortunately, this midrange emphasis, combined with the materials used to build the shell, created a shouty effect that made some music downright unpleasant to listen to. On top of that, the severe mid emphasis literally colored the rest of the sound, something that is usually attributed to large bass emphasis.
 
So, to address this, Dale (CEO of Aurisonics) created a nozzle filter and driver dampening material that would smooth out the peakiness in the midrange, and lessen the echo of the shell. He also increased the size of the internal port.  Below is the end result:
 

 
As you can see, the peaks at ~2 kHz and 4.5 kHz have been vanquished, the bass response has increased (more on that later), and the treble is flatter down the range.
 
 
Sound
 
The whole point of the ASG-1 was to address the "faults" of the original version. I am happy to say that every issue I described has been resolved. However, one problem has arisen.
 
I'll start off with the most glaring fault of this revision of the ASG-1. The treble.
 
It's refined, it's richly defined with timbre as good, or better, than the GR07 (yeah, I know). The problem is that there's barely any of it. This leads to an overall darker sound that I feel HAS to be EQ'ed to restore some balance to the sound. When I do EQ it, it's the best earphone I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. Below is the EQ is use on the Equalizer app for iPhone. As a matter of fact, it's just the "Treble Booster" preset.
 

 
 
My initial intent for this review was to continue the comparison with the Vsonic GR07, but there's really no point in going into detail. I've never heard my GR07 so utterly outclassed. The attributes that I could usually use to stand on a leg and defend the GR07 are simply done better by the ASG-1.2. 
 
The most striking thing to me was the difference in POWER  that the ASG-1.2 has over the GR07. I'm not just talking about bass response, but just in the overall sound is exuded by the ASG-1. It's really quite stunning, and makes my GR07 sound positively anemic in comparison.
 
The next aspect is the soundstage. I went from not hearing any discernable difference between the two, to it being a different story altogether. The greatest part about the ASG-1's presentation is the height of the soundstage. It's an involving, engaging experience that makes me not want to put it down. It's completely 3D, being able to throw cues in ANY direction.
 
The best part component of the ASG-1's sound, and the nail in the GR07's coffin, is the midrange. Now that the beast has been reigned in, it's become a magnificent animal that is capable of both power, and delicacy. I had maybe my third "wow" hi-fi moment when listening to John Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," and Taylor Swift's "Never Grow Up," and also her "Last Kiss" (I make no apologies for my music tastes, they are very diverse). Going back to my GR07 was just...underwhelming.
 
I had trouble recommending the version 1.0 of the Aurisonics ASG-1 due to it's problems. Would I version 1.2 over my previous favorite, the GR07, despite the diminished treble presence? A resounding yes. Reason being, you can EQ up the treble, but you can't add power and soundstage to an IEM.
 
In short, ASG-1.2 = AWESOME!!!

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

Wow... that's quite the addendum! And pardon if this has been answered before, but how much does it cost to update the ASG-1 to the 1.2 variant?

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Wow... that's quite the addendum! And pardon if this has been answered before, but how much does it cost to update the ASG-1 to the 1.2 variant?

 
A measly $20, including shipping back to you if you're in the US.

 

[BRCMRGN]

Just received my ASG-1 1.2 upgrade. Huge difference - no more shouting! Much better balance. Still struggling a bit with tips, but I have some clear double flanges (Meelec?) that seem to work pretty well.