[lee730]

Quote:

He never heard of ES5. But from reading the both of the reviews I don't think they sound similar to each other.   At least resolution wise I don't think so. Since I heard ppl saying ES5 doesnt reach the level of LCD 2's resolution and joe said SE5 has even more resolution than LCD 2
 

Stop it tupac lol. You're making my decision even harder SE 5 Way or SA-43

 

[Claus-DK]

All good comes to those who wait..
 
The waiting is hard and tedious, but will be forgotten as soon as you have them in your eas, then you will think good thing i did wait..

 

[lee730]

Quote:

All good comes to those who wait..
 
The waiting is hard and tedious, but will be forgotten as soon as you have them in your eas, then you will think good thing i did wait..

And prey you don't have refit issues as you'll wait another 3 months

 

[tupac0306]

haha no..you waited for 3 months doesnt mean they produce your IEMs using 3 months time. They still finish your 5 way in maybe a week time. and refit would be quicker I think
 

 

[average_joe]

 
Quote:

Stop it tupac lol. You're making my decision even harder SE 5 Way or SA-43

If you only have one of the two and don't have the other for comparison, you won't know what you are missing
 
Quote:

And prey you don't have refit issues as you'll wait another 3 months

Refits are no fun.
 
Quote:

haha no..you waited for 3 months doesnt mean they produce your IEMs using 3 months time. They still finish your 5 way in maybe a week time. and refit would be quicker I think
 

Yes, it doesn't take all this long to make, but there is a large backlog.  Many other headphone forums worldwide have discovered the 5-way...

 

[joshuachew]

Joe, I think you missed out my question in the previous page

 

[average_joe]

 
Quote:

I have been emailing Spiral Ears and they have been a pleasure dealing with, i think I'll be doing the 5way Reference with them soon. But i would like to know, what is the turn around time for Spiral Ears?
 
AverageJoe, from your review, i think that the ES5 and the SE5 share alot in common. Do they? and if yes, which one scales better? I would like to know because i have an ES5 and a JH13.

 
Quote:

Joe, I think you missed out my question in the previous page

 
I didn't answer because tupac is correct, I have not heard the ES5 and I can't say. I can say that the 5-way scales quite well.  And I would imagine the 5-way is closer to the ES5 than the JH16. 
 
Turn time has been discussed, and I am not the bet person to ask, but I am sure Grzegorz can give an accurate answer. 
 
 

 

[joshuachew]

I see. Thaks for the response. Sorry, I didn't know that you have not heard the ES5 yet.

 

[average_joe]

No problem, I hope to hear it this year some time, but I do have quite a few reviews lined up already.

 

[Lindskog]

 
[size=8.5pt]Hey average joe,[/size]
 
[size=8.5pt]You are doing a great and serious work to help us all to find the best IEM for our taste. I do understand it must cost you a lot of time not to mention the economical cost for all your gear (Do you ha sponsors? ) But you know we all are very thankful for that not least me! I always read your wisdom before I go to sleep Thanks![/size]
 
[size=8.5pt]But I must say that it puzzles me that you, "Mr no limits IEM guy" , haven’t got you hand on the 3A jet?! Especially since you like what you call "ambiance" (Still not sure what you mean by "technical" yet) and ambiance is just what the 3A do! Since I have it I can tell you that it is not a small difference between the JH 16 direct out of my HM-602 and the JH 16 feed by the 3A! Ambiance is just the word for it! It sound specially good feed digitally with 24/192 files. You said that you believed that jh16 sounded “short” and did not keep the tone as long as the 5-way. I think I can understand what you mean by that, but with hi-resolution files the 3A makes the tones “ring” indeed! It’s like the better the waveform the more resonance and the tone “hangs” longer in the “air” with a lot of ambiance and plenty of overtones! You’d love it man!! [/size]
 
[size=8.5pt]I understand it must feel a little bit awkward for you to buy the 3A when you already have the JH16. It’s a shame! [/size][size=8.5pt]If I only could afford it I would have bought the 5-way to do the comparison between what I think seems to be the two top IEM. [/size]

[size=1.6em]  [/size]

[size=1.6em] Again thanks for your great work![/size]

 
 

 

[average_joe]

Spiral Ear now has detachable cables that are compatible with standard detachable cables!
 
Quote:

 
[size=8.5pt]Hey average joe,[/size]
 
[size=8.5pt]You are doing a great and serious work to help us all to find the best IEM for our taste. I do understand it must cost you a lot of time not to mention the economical cost for all your gear (Do you ha sponsors? ) But you know we all are very thankful for that not least me! I always read your wisdom before I go to sleep Thanks![/size]
 
[size=8.5pt]But I must say that it puzzles me that you, "Mr no limits IEM guy" , haven’t got you hand on the 3A jet?! Especially since you like what you call "ambiance" (Still not sure what you mean by "technical" yet) and ambiance is just what the 3A do! Since I have it I can tell you that it is not a small difference between the JH 16 direct out of my HM-602 and the JH 16 feed by the 3A! Ambiance is just the word for it! It sound specially good feed digitally with 24/192 files. You said that you believed that jh16 sounded “short” and did not keep the tone as long as the 5-way. I think I can understand what you mean by that, but with hi-resolution files the 3A makes the tones “ring” indeed! It’s like the better the waveform the more resonance and the tone “hangs” longer in the “air” with a lot of ambiance and plenty of overtones! You’d love it man!! [/size]
 
[size=8.5pt]I understand it must feel a little bit awkward for you to buy the 3A when you already have the JH16. It’s a shame! [/size][size=8.5pt]If I only could afford it I would have bought the 5-way to do the comparison between what I think seems to be the two top IEM. [/size]

[size=1.6em]  [/size]

[size=1.6em] Again thanks for your great work![/size]

Give me some time and I will compare the two  I can only review so much stuff and I am having fun reviewing many other options, but I do want to review the JH-3A since it is a top performer.  
 
My definition of ambiance is the recreation of spatial queues that enable hearing the depth of the space in the presentation.  While other CIEMs reproduce some of the sounds, it isn't presented in a way that adds to the depth of the presentation, but just a sound in space while the 5-way integrates it into the presentation and makes it part of the space, adding depth and a realistic ambiance that you would hear by sitting in the room.  If the JH-3A can reproduce that with a different sound signature, that would be awesome!
 
My definition of technical ability is the capability of the headphone irrespective of sound signature, with traits such as transparency, bass rumble, dynamics, soundstage proportions, resolution (which is closely related to ambiance), clarity, note attack and decay, etc.  For example, the JH16 has a rather flat soundstage but great instrument detail.  When an aftermarket cable is used, the soundstage proportions improve, which improves the performance of everything else.
 
I am looking forward to your comparison and looking forward to the opportunity to compare the JH-3A with the 5-way.

 

[Mython]

(cough!) 

 
Since we're on the subject, average_joe, I'd also love to see/hear your comparisons of the SE 5-way vs.:
 
1) UM Miracle
2) FS MG6Pro
 
I feel, as others do, that you're performing a very useful and valuable service by giving potential purchasers of top-end CIEMs some framework for comparing the available products. I wish I were as wealthy as you - if I was, I'd happily do very much the same thing for folks here on the board.
 
In the meantime, thankyou for your efforts, and do please consider reviewing/comparing the above 2 CIEMs.
 
Many thanks!
 
 
P.S. I also enjoyed your reviews of the Starkey SA-43 and the Hidition NT-6

 

[lee730]

So are you saying the spirals give you a sense that these sounds are literally taking place around you (out of head experiences?) That's what I am gathering from your comment. The only IEM to give me that feeling on a frequent basis depending on the recording was the IE8. Basically realism...
 
Quote:

Spiral Ear now has detachable cables that are compatible with standard detachable cables!
 

Give me some time and I will compare the two  I can only review so much stuff and I am having fun reviewing many other options, but I do want to review the JH-3A since it is a top performer.  
 
My definition of ambiance is the recreation of spatial queues that enable hearing the depth of the space in the presentation.  While other CIEMs reproduce some of the sounds, it isn't presented in a way that adds to the depth of the presentation, but just a sound in space while the 5-way integrates it into the presentation and makes it part of the space, adding depth and a realistic ambiance that you would hear by sitting in the room.  If the JH-3A can reproduce that with a different sound signature, that would be awesome!
 
My definition of technical ability is the capability of the headphone irrespective of sound signature, with traits such as transparency, bass rumble, dynamics, sound stage proportions, resolution (which is closely related to ambiance), clarity, note attack and decay, etc.  For example, the JH16 has a rather flat sound stage but great instrument detail.  When an aftermarket cable is used, the sound stage proportions improve, which improves the performance of everything else.
 
I am looking forward to your comparison and looking forward to the opportunity to compare the JH-3A with the 5-way.

 

 

[bluesband]

Hello, been lurking here for a while.

I'm ordering my first set of custom IEM's soon and I can't decide between the Heir Audio 3A or the SE 3-way REF.

After reading through this thread I'm curious about the "ambiance" sound average_joe explains. I'm guessing all of the SE REFERENCE line-up give that sense of feeling? Or am I missing something?

I also read that the production time is quite slow, 3 months? That's crazy too long!

 

 

[average_joe]

 
Quote:

So are you saying the spirals give you a sense that these sounds are literally taking place around you (out of head experiences?) That's what I am gathering from your comment. The only IEM to give me that feeling on a frequent basis depending on the recording was the IE8. Basically realism...

just about every CIEM I have has better head stage and soundstage compared to the IE8, what I am talking about is additional resolution that allows you to perceive the room space and things I have not heard, at least to the same extent with other headphones/IEMs. 
 
Quote:

Hello, been lurking here for a while.

I'm ordering my first set of custom IEM's soon and I can't decide between the Heir Audio 3A or the SE 3-way REF.

After reading through this thread I'm curious about the "ambiance" sound average_joe explains. I'm guessing all of the SE REFERENCE line-up give that sense of feeling? Or am I missing something?

I also read that the production time is quite slow, 3 months? That's crazy too long!

I can't say if the 3-way has ambiance like the 5-way, but a prominent reviewer should be getting one in the near future.