Hi everyone! I am a long time lurker in head fi, but still a newbie in terms of technical terms and critical listening. Always prefer to enjoy my favourite songs and music "just like that", thus am not sure if I will ever jump into critical listening. I do not have much IEMs to compare to, but just hoping that I can contribute back to the community. There are already many reviews on ASG 2 on the technical side from much more qualified people, so I will just pour out my impression from a "simple consumer" POV. Sorry in advance if what I wrote are confusing.
History - Thou I have been listening using earphones/IEMs on and off for many years, I didn't really get into them somehow. But since late last year, I picked up the audio hobby again, and got the very popular Vsonic GR07 MKII. I then bought the ASG 1.3 early last month. like it so much, that I get the ASG 2 in just 3 weeks
. Since then, poor wallet just keep crying lol. Anyhow, I will compare it mostly with the GR07. That was my favourite IEM until I got the Aurisonics.
Why I get the ASG 2 - I love the ASG 1.3, but it seems to be missing something in the highs, and the ASG 2 had 2 BA for the highs, so....
The highs are soft in volume for 1.3, and for most songs, the singers feels like they are singing in a very very quiet room. It's so quiet, that even with the music going, you can still FEEL the quietness. I think that's what most people here term as "dark"? I always thought I don't like much highs, but the 1.3 taught me otherwise. Somehow with the 2, the songs feel more natural and more lively.
What are the main attractions for ASG 2 - Design, comfort, liveliness, imaging & separation & details, sounds from drums!
Design: This is a very important aspect to me. For an almost S$1k IEM, I would want it to last at least 5 years. My ASG 2 are the stealth ones, and thou the looks doesn't wow me that much, the construction is top notch. It's made of hard plastic of 1mm thickness (rough estimate from my clear 1.3 wiv a ruler), and should be able to take quite a lot of abuse. The socket of the cable is also fitted tightly to the earpiece, and the cable itself looks and feel sturdy. The ASG 2 also hold on well while walking, and it doesn't move around at all for me. Overall, I'm very pleased with the construction and quality, and feel at ease while using ASG 2. I do faced problems with the paint job thou (refer below for more info).
Comfort: The ASG 2 (and 1.3) is the most comfortable IEM I had, with reference to IEMs like Vsonic GR07 MKII, Sunrise Xscape v2, JVC Marshmallows,... Before getting Aurisonics, I had went to a local store to try out the Unique Melody. But surprisingly, all of their offerings do not fit my ears well. I know these are customs, but even with their new universal 3DD model, they cause me much pain on my ear. I suspect that the protruded part in all the UMs are causing that. Maybe it's just my odd ears, but ASGs fit me very well. The stock tips are also comfortable for me.
Liveliness: This is what caught my attention for ASG 2, and I felt it's the biggest factor of ASG 2. I don't really know how to describe this, but somehow songs seems to be more lively with the ASG 2. It's like the sounds are more fluid, have more life in them. I seems to be more "into" the songs with this liveliness. Within a same pop song, I felt like I'm more excited when I'm listening to ASG 2, but much more calm when listening to GR07. Listening to the ASG 2 makes me want to listen to every details in the song. But with the ASG 1.3 and GR07, I don't get this feeling.
Imaging & Separation & Details: Coming from GR07, it's like out of a sudden, the "space" become larger, it's more airy, and the sounds from the instruments seems to come from different distance away from you (is this call depth?). It's not that there isn't any such effect from GR07, but somehow it's more prominent in ASGs. I can also hear each instruments clearer, and the more details from the instruments which I didn't hear in GR07 initially. Going back to GR07, I have to "hunt" for the particular sound or instrument that I hear it clearer in ASG 2.
Given these attributes for the ASG 2, I think I even heard flaws in the mastering of a particular song that I liked? This particular song, 'Emotion' by Destiny's Child from album 'The Very Best of Destiny's Child', seems to be distorted when Beyonce started to sing at loudly. I went back to GR07 looking for these distortion, but it's much softer in volume. I can hear these distortion on both ASG 1.3 and 2. If someone have this song, will you be kind enough to confirm this?
Sounds from drums: This is very personal, but I really love the sound of drums from this ASG 2. The texture, decay, are.... woooo.... I have never had such feeling from hearing drum sounds before. I listen mostly to chinese pop songs from singers like Khalil Fong, Wang LeeHom, Jay Chou where different drums are always used. The ASG 2 sounds really amazing! That said, if there's a ASG like this plus more rumble, it will be heavenly.
What other attractions of ASG 2 - Vocals, Isolation
Vocals: I dunno why, but after some usage time on ASG 2, I started to listen more of the vocals section. Beyonce, Christina Aquilera, Whitney Houston, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Terry Lin... they sound so good thru ASG 2. If you listen to Chinese or Cantonese pop, look for Leslie Cheung and Terry Lin. From the song "当爱已成往事", the texture in the lows of Leslie Cheung voice that I heard, is just
Isolation: I only notice how good the isolation is when I brought it out for breakfast one morning. The feeling is a little odd, especially when I'm walking in the heavy raining. There I am, in my world of music, hearing all the instruments and vocals playing, but my shoes and pants are getting wet, I am feeling chill from the strong winds, and what I see are water all around. It's an ears out.of.the.world feeling.
Concerns of ASG 2 - Paint
Paint: The ASG 2 I got is the stealth version, which is covered in a black matte coat of paint. After just 1 week of very light use, I noticed the paint started to wrinkle at the side with the ear. Then more wrinkles are seen over the week, along the edges as well. And then, the biggest wrinkle become a tear. I contacted the local agent, and Dale happened to be in Singapore last week, so I met up with Dale and the agent. Dale told me that the stealth ASG 2 I had was an older version, which have such paint issues. He then took it back with him, and promised to send me a new updated one with some minor improvements to the port hole as well. Thou I'm disappointed with the paint job initially, I'm glad that Dale looked into it and provided a proper solution. That's what I call service!
What is the price value of ASG 2 - I use my own ways to determine price value, so again, this is very personal. I use a simple price/yr for my purchases. Do note, the life of the IEMs here are expected years, not actual years.
ASG 2 (stealth) -> expected to last 4 yrs -> price/yr = S$225/yr.
ASG 2 (clear) -> expected to last 4 yrs -> price/yr = $187.5/yr
ASG 1.3 -> expected to last 4 yrs -> price/yr = S$87.5/yr.
GR07 -> expected to last 2 yrs -> price/yr = S$110/yr.
Given these numbers,
Would I pay 105% more for ASG 2 (stealth) vs GR07? Yes! With reference to the above qualities of the ASG 2, ASG 2 amaze me much more than when I got GR07
Would I pay 157% more for ASG 2 (stealth) vs ASG 1.3? I already did
. The 2 BA of the ASG 2 not only give just the highs. After listening to ASG 2 for 3 weeks before returning it and switching back to ASG 1.3 (EQ-ed), I notice a lack of a sparkling feel. The songs also sound less lively than on ASG 2.
And with the adjustable port, its like having more than 1 IEM.
How the ASG 2 affect me
- Listen to songs for at least half an hr every work day (vs nil)
- Dig out old songs and CDs to re-listen. Rediscover music
- Bought a Sansa Clip+, a Sony android phone (as source), C5 amp, HiFimediy DAC, and more... within a month
- Rekindle my DIY fire.. made a few interconnects
I think that's about it. Thanks for reading!
PS: Great thanks to all the people contributing, and special thanks to eke. I have been stalking your posts since GR07 times
Edited: Sorry Dale, I got your name wrong
Many apologies
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