nazrin313
1000+ Head-Fier
Sanj..was like 150 hours for my set..out the box sounded awful and after burn in....audio heaven
Rhapsodio - An overlooked brand of nice IEMs
- Thread starter Lonelyers
- Start date
nazrin313
1000+ Head-Fier
Rti1 + jazz, vocals, classical and acoustic music is crazily amazing...none that i have demo'd can beat it in this specific genres yet
l3loodshed
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http://www.rhapsodiohk.com/products/536094eb131166dbda000027
anyone tried those upgrade cables from rhapsodio? most expensive there is on the market hahaha
anyone tried those upgrade cables from rhapsodio? most expensive there is on the market hahaha
Solorsammy
Member of the Trade: Rhapsodio
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That's upgrade cable would be give you special bass performance .It isn't high detail upgrade cable. It is a tuning upgrade cable i think.
It is pure gold so very expensive!
It is pure gold so very expensive!
l3loodshed
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Meaning of special bass performance (More bass presence/depth)?
tuning upgrade cable as in your send in your IEM and they tune the cable to fit your IEM? or as in it changed the whole sound signature but doesn't make things clearer?
anyway how does it stand up to the reknowned crystal picollino or the tralucent's uber cable hahahaha? expensive and not really logical to get it if the upgrade isn't significant, but you never ever ask audiophiles about logic hahaha
chesterljh
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Gold give u delay in terms of sound. sort of giving it a more natural bass as some calls it.
Crystal picolino and uber cable has silver in it which brings clarity to the sound.
generally gold cable gives u darker sound and stronger bass
hope this answers your doubts
ckryan3
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I'm back guys! With a little review of what Samy of Rhapsodio calls the 'RDBv1+'
Bit of background first, I have had (and still have) the universal rdbv1, which I absolutely love. Sadly, the cable ports got looser than Gandalf's sleeves, so I was asking around about who could reshell them (practically no one. I think only Rooth was willing to iirc), and when I asked Rhapsodio, Samy offered to instead make me a custom iem with the same drivers, for the amazing price of 300USD.
While it was being developed, my feedback on the RDBv1's recessed mids was taken into account. Samy also mentioned that he was trying to increase bass impact, despite the bass already being plentiful on the RDBv1. So, that birthed the RDBv1+!
First off, I my impressions will be relative to the RDBv1, since I don't have any FR graphs of the RDBv1+ available, and I don't really have a reference rig. So this is all going by ear, and I will put everything in terms relative to other iems. My setup is a MezzoSoprano modded AK120 (balanced line out, apodising filter, WM8741) to a RSA Intruder via Cardas SPC cable, balanced out to the earphones via Double Helix Cables SPC cable. Most of these tend to bring the mids more forward and/or smoothen the sound a little. Also, please note that the RDBv1 is a universal IEM, with which I was using with Ortofon tips, while the v1+ is a CIEM. Some claim that there is no sonic difference, but I'm not certain myself.
So, good news first, are the mids recessed? No! I would even say (albeit with much hesitation) that they are forward. Vocals aren't warm of mushy sounding, unlike you'd get from a Hifiman RE262, and instead maintain the crisp, crystal texture from the RDBv1, much like reference earphones. I find them to be slightly sweet compared to the ER4s, but no less clear or defined. On female jazz tracks ala Norah Jones, she is front and centre, singing sweetly right before you; an effect the RDBv1 consistently failed to produce.
With rock/pop, the vocals maintain a gripping presence throughout, with instrumentation complimenting it, rather than overshadowing. This is in contrast with the RDBv1, where vocals often took a back-seat when other instruments came in (guitars in particular). Given this, I would consider Samy's goal with this pair of earphones to have been achieved. I can confidently call the RDBv1+ a success based on the un-recessed mids. Vocals may not be as forward as they are on mid-centric IEMs like the SE530, but they're still a little more forward than what I would consider reference.
The trade-off, however, is that the soundstage is narrower. The RDBv1, especially when run balanced, often had me lost in its ridiculously wide soundstage. To the point, where "stage" might be an understatement; "sound-field" might have been more appropriate a term. Anyway, the soundstage suffers somwhat, much like how the UM3x had very forward mids coupled with a narrow soundstage. I suspect the same trade-off was made for the RDBv1+. At the same time, depth and layering is excellent, and more immediately apparent than with the RDBv1. Where instruments were arrayed in a huge arc with the RDBv1, they seem more stacked up with the RDBv1+, with the soundstage being "above average" at best, rather than the "OMG, i got teleported into a concert hall" feel from the RDBv1. The narrower soundstage could possibly be attributed to the v1+ being a CIEM, I cannot make a conclusion either way about this.
Detail retrieval is about even, although I would give a slight edge to the RDBv1+, as the presentation is a little drier. Electric guitar chords have more detailed transients with the v1+. Both IEMs are absolute detail monsters of course (when run balanced at least), with few peers in the IEM world, just that the v1+ is marginally better at baring them to the ear. Which is a little odd, given that the soundstage is not as wide, but..... such is as it is.....
As Samy said, bass has been increased further. I honestly thought that the RDBv1 had more than enough bass, but the v1+ has EVEN MORE. As with the v1+, they don't cloud the mids or interfere with the other frequencies despite their substantial quantity. I suppose this could be said to be a good thing, as Rhapsodio is pushing the boundaries on bass quantity without polluting the rest of the frequency with the boomy-ness of it all. However, I personally prefer reference levels of bass, such as is found in the ER4s or Fitear F111, thus I find the bass on both too much, more so for the v1+. This isn't to say the bass is bad, quite the opposite in fact, just that the quantity is easily more than 5db over a reference level. Quality is great in fact, excellent impact and decay and you can almost feel the dynamic driver doing its work.
Highs, on the other hand, are less emphasized than the v1. Probably due to the bass and mids being greater in quantity, thus the highs are relatively further back.They have lost a little of the harshness and sibilance though. That's... about all I have to say about this bit....
Overall, I'd say that the v1+ is a slightly confused IEM. It has forward mids, yet isn't quite mid-centric. It has a fairly large quantity of bass, yet is also very detailed. It is very detailed, yet doesn't have an especially wide soundstage. It proves that there is no "perfect" IEM; in that by enhancing one aspect, it imbalances others. Unlike many earphones which have a coherent direction of what they are trying to achieve, the v1+ lacks that focus. It is very difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes it sound slightly odd. Technically, and when broken down into individual components, it is an outstandingly good IEM, with practically nothing to fault. Yet as a whole, the package does not quite come together as smoothly as the v1 or indeed, with other top-tier IEMs. It is as if the different components of the sound as a whole do not really complement each other.
When we say "ahhh, what if the TF10 had the mids of the SE530...." we imagine that the result would be an excellent IEM, proficient across the spectrum, with deep, impactful bass, sweet lush mids, and crystalline crisp highs. The result does indeed have all of these aspects, but also ends up trying to do too much, such that it does not seem to perform as a single cohesive unit.
The v1+ is certainly an extremely interesting IEM, and makes an excellent point about IEMs as a whole, and wishing for too much from one.
Is it superior to the v1? Probably, but it's hard to say "yes" definitively.
Is it an IEM I would listen to as my main IEM? Definitely. Despite the conclusion I reached seeming somewhat negative, I do enjoy listening to them a lot, and they are my main IEM now.
An excellent effort from Rhapsodio, a very impressive IEM as a whole.
Thanks for reading through the lot if you have indeed read the whole review!
If you haven't, TLDR; omnipotence is not realistic.
EDIT: Should this be posted as a thread or as a review in the appropriate section?
Bit of background first, I have had (and still have) the universal rdbv1, which I absolutely love. Sadly, the cable ports got looser than Gandalf's sleeves, so I was asking around about who could reshell them (practically no one. I think only Rooth was willing to iirc), and when I asked Rhapsodio, Samy offered to instead make me a custom iem with the same drivers, for the amazing price of 300USD.
While it was being developed, my feedback on the RDBv1's recessed mids was taken into account. Samy also mentioned that he was trying to increase bass impact, despite the bass already being plentiful on the RDBv1. So, that birthed the RDBv1+!
First off, I my impressions will be relative to the RDBv1, since I don't have any FR graphs of the RDBv1+ available, and I don't really have a reference rig. So this is all going by ear, and I will put everything in terms relative to other iems. My setup is a MezzoSoprano modded AK120 (balanced line out, apodising filter, WM8741) to a RSA Intruder via Cardas SPC cable, balanced out to the earphones via Double Helix Cables SPC cable. Most of these tend to bring the mids more forward and/or smoothen the sound a little. Also, please note that the RDBv1 is a universal IEM, with which I was using with Ortofon tips, while the v1+ is a CIEM. Some claim that there is no sonic difference, but I'm not certain myself.
So, good news first, are the mids recessed? No! I would even say (albeit with much hesitation) that they are forward. Vocals aren't warm of mushy sounding, unlike you'd get from a Hifiman RE262, and instead maintain the crisp, crystal texture from the RDBv1, much like reference earphones. I find them to be slightly sweet compared to the ER4s, but no less clear or defined. On female jazz tracks ala Norah Jones, she is front and centre, singing sweetly right before you; an effect the RDBv1 consistently failed to produce.
With rock/pop, the vocals maintain a gripping presence throughout, with instrumentation complimenting it, rather than overshadowing. This is in contrast with the RDBv1, where vocals often took a back-seat when other instruments came in (guitars in particular). Given this, I would consider Samy's goal with this pair of earphones to have been achieved. I can confidently call the RDBv1+ a success based on the un-recessed mids. Vocals may not be as forward as they are on mid-centric IEMs like the SE530, but they're still a little more forward than what I would consider reference.
The trade-off, however, is that the soundstage is narrower. The RDBv1, especially when run balanced, often had me lost in its ridiculously wide soundstage. To the point, where "stage" might be an understatement; "sound-field" might have been more appropriate a term. Anyway, the soundstage suffers somwhat, much like how the UM3x had very forward mids coupled with a narrow soundstage. I suspect the same trade-off was made for the RDBv1+. At the same time, depth and layering is excellent, and more immediately apparent than with the RDBv1. Where instruments were arrayed in a huge arc with the RDBv1, they seem more stacked up with the RDBv1+, with the soundstage being "above average" at best, rather than the "OMG, i got teleported into a concert hall" feel from the RDBv1. The narrower soundstage could possibly be attributed to the v1+ being a CIEM, I cannot make a conclusion either way about this.
Detail retrieval is about even, although I would give a slight edge to the RDBv1+, as the presentation is a little drier. Electric guitar chords have more detailed transients with the v1+. Both IEMs are absolute detail monsters of course (when run balanced at least), with few peers in the IEM world, just that the v1+ is marginally better at baring them to the ear. Which is a little odd, given that the soundstage is not as wide, but..... such is as it is.....
As Samy said, bass has been increased further. I honestly thought that the RDBv1 had more than enough bass, but the v1+ has EVEN MORE. As with the v1+, they don't cloud the mids or interfere with the other frequencies despite their substantial quantity. I suppose this could be said to be a good thing, as Rhapsodio is pushing the boundaries on bass quantity without polluting the rest of the frequency with the boomy-ness of it all. However, I personally prefer reference levels of bass, such as is found in the ER4s or Fitear F111, thus I find the bass on both too much, more so for the v1+. This isn't to say the bass is bad, quite the opposite in fact, just that the quantity is easily more than 5db over a reference level. Quality is great in fact, excellent impact and decay and you can almost feel the dynamic driver doing its work.
Highs, on the other hand, are less emphasized than the v1. Probably due to the bass and mids being greater in quantity, thus the highs are relatively further back.They have lost a little of the harshness and sibilance though. That's... about all I have to say about this bit....
Overall, I'd say that the v1+ is a slightly confused IEM. It has forward mids, yet isn't quite mid-centric. It has a fairly large quantity of bass, yet is also very detailed. It is very detailed, yet doesn't have an especially wide soundstage. It proves that there is no "perfect" IEM; in that by enhancing one aspect, it imbalances others. Unlike many earphones which have a coherent direction of what they are trying to achieve, the v1+ lacks that focus. It is very difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes it sound slightly odd. Technically, and when broken down into individual components, it is an outstandingly good IEM, with practically nothing to fault. Yet as a whole, the package does not quite come together as smoothly as the v1 or indeed, with other top-tier IEMs. It is as if the different components of the sound as a whole do not really complement each other.
When we say "ahhh, what if the TF10 had the mids of the SE530...." we imagine that the result would be an excellent IEM, proficient across the spectrum, with deep, impactful bass, sweet lush mids, and crystalline crisp highs. The result does indeed have all of these aspects, but also ends up trying to do too much, such that it does not seem to perform as a single cohesive unit.
The v1+ is certainly an extremely interesting IEM, and makes an excellent point about IEMs as a whole, and wishing for too much from one.
Is it superior to the v1? Probably, but it's hard to say "yes" definitively.
Is it an IEM I would listen to as my main IEM? Definitely. Despite the conclusion I reached seeming somewhat negative, I do enjoy listening to them a lot, and they are my main IEM now.
An excellent effort from Rhapsodio, a very impressive IEM as a whole.
Thanks for reading through the lot if you have indeed read the whole review!
If you haven't, TLDR; omnipotence is not realistic.
EDIT: Should this be posted as a thread or as a review in the appropriate section?
Retrias
Headphoneus Supremus
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I am actually offered the RDBv4 by a person from another forum , how is this IEM? How is the fit , the sound ? I like punchy bass, rather forward or at least not reccesed mid and smooth trebles.
thanks for the answers beforehand
thanks for the answers beforehand
cleg
Headphoneus Supremus
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RTI1 is really great earphones. I've made a small unboxing video
[VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58sGKvpQg_E[/VIDEO]
[VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58sGKvpQg_E[/VIDEO]
taz23
100+ Head-Fier
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I agree. It is really amazing with the level of details retrieval and instrument separation.
As mentioned in my previous comments, the bass is the only (minor) weakness. But having found the Cayin C5 (which has a bass boost that was done very tastefully), I am enjoying the RTi1 even more now.
Enjoy it, Cleg!
nazrin313
1000+ Head-Fier
loving my RTi1 for close to a year now. All you owners, get the Best Audiophile Voices series..it is OMG amazing on the RTi1
taz23
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For classical music, I recommend the Butterfly Concerto recording by Gil Shaham with SSO (http://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Lovers-Concerto-Violin-Tchaikovsky/dp/B000VXVYWY). The instrument separation is unbelievable!
cleg
Headphoneus Supremus
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Well, with proper tips (allowing good seal) and after burn-in RTI1 does have really good bass. So I'm enjoying
taz23
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Well, with proper tips (allowing good seal) and after burn-in RTI1 does have really good bass. So I'm enjoying
RTi1 has very quality bass, no doubts about that.
It's great now with the C5 amp, as I can have it neutral or fun.
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