The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[ranfan]

I have seen and heard about it...no impressions yet though...have you heard anything about it?

I've only listened to the M6 21, not the Pro version. Maybe next week or so. The Pro 21 hasn't yet arrive at the store.

Speaking of which, I'm thinking of replacing the stock Elysium cable later with this for going 4.4mm balanced. Not sure if it'll look cool together, but I like the cable design (earhook, splitter, slider, plug) and not least its price

Spoiler

 

[Rockwell75]

I've only listened to the M6 21, not the Pro version. Maybe next week or so. The Pro 21 hasn't yet arrive at the store.

Speaking of which, I'm thinking of replacing the stock Elysium cable later with this for going 4.4mm balanced. Not sure if it'll look cool together, but I like the cable design (earhook, splitter, slider, plug) and not least its price

Spoiler

I'l eventually be in the market for a 4.4 upgrade cable for my Elysium...looking forward to you thoughts on this if you demo or go for it.

I'm thinking of ordering a Prudence for my Dorado directly from Eletech...does anyone have a sense of how long it will take them to ship it to me, and what method they would use?

 

[rantng]

I’ve actually been looking at the M6 Pro as a possible “mini” portable M8. Somewhat annoyed that the M6 Pro thread has been changed to an M6 Pro 21 thread, with @Shanling even going so far as to change the initial post announcing the original M6 Pro. With the change to the ESS chips I’d consider it a completely new product.

 

[Rockwell75]

I’ve actually been looking at the M6 Pro as a possible “mini” portable M8. Somewhat annoyed that the M6 Pro thread has been changed to an M6 Pro 21 thread, with @Shanling even going so far as to change the initial post announcing the original M6 Pro. With the change to the ESS chips I’d consider it a completely new product.

The M6 Pro/21 was at the top of my list of potential second DAPs until Cayin announced the n6ii Ti and threw me into a tizzy.

I would agree that the sabre board makes it an entirely new product as sabre boards are typically a bit of a wilder character (sharper, less relaxed, some glare) than AK boards in my experience.

 

[claud W]

I'l eventually be in the market for a 4.4 upgrade cable for my Elysium...looking forward to you thoughts on this if you demo or go for it.

I'm thinking of ordering a Prudence for my Dorado directly from Eletech...does anyone have a sense of how long it will take them to ship it to me, and what method they would use?

No. You need to order it from Bloom. They will give you a discount ( small but better than nothing) and their shipping is fast. From China/ Eletech takes forever.

 

[Rockwell75]

No. You need to order it from Bloom. They will give you a discount ( small but better than nothing) and their shipping is fast. From China/ Eletec takes forever.

Great suggestion...thank-you!

 

[Rockwell75]

Thanks to @Andrew DiMarcangelo at Bloom I just ordered one of these for my CFA Dorado 2020. I've been jonesing to try an Eletech cable for a while.

 

[Andrew DiMarcangelo]

Hope you enjoy it!

 

[claud W]

Just sitting on my screen porch at my beach cottage watching it rain and listening to tunes on M8 and Dorado 2020. Hard to beat.

 

[Rockwell75]

Just sitting on my screen porch at my beach cottage watching it rain and listening to tunes on M8 and Dorado 2020. Hard to beat.

Very similar circumstance here

This song plus Elysium = bliss.

 

[tgx78]

Listening to beautiful sound of the Isabellae again. I believe @Rockwell75 also lived in North Vancouver before moving to Vancouver Island so maybe he can relate to the moods here.

 

[Rockwell75]

Listening to the beautiful sound of Isabellae again. I believe @Rockwell75 also lived in North Vancouver before moving to Vancouver Island so maybe he can relate to the moods here.

Indeed I grew up in Lynn Valley and actually had family who lived on the same street you do

 

[tgx78]

Indeed I grew up in Lynn Valley and actually had family who lived on the same street you do

I go hiking often starting from Lynn Valley bridge. Love the area

 

[Rockwell75]

I go hiking often starting from Lynn Valley bridge. Love the area

It will always be home to me.

 

[Deezel177]

I agree. it's the the same sort of functional and aesthetic symmetry you see with Apple products and Sony was Apple before Apple was Apple. I've been a Sony fanboy much of my life . I hope they keep going in the realm of TOTL portable audio. I'd love to see them attempt at least one "western tuned" flagship.



I think all the best IEMs go for a distinct atmosphere-- some sort of wholistic vision or ideal, be it relaxing, visceral, bombastic or zen inducing. Picking an IEM is kind of like choosing an album or a movie to watch-- your choices will range between varying styles, tones, and ideals etc. All my favourite companies (Shanling, Campfire, Vision Ears, Oriolus, Sony, Cayin, Empire etc.) excel at creating products that feel inspired, that they are the result of a singular vision and purpose as opposed to being tuned/designed by committee or algorithm.



I would love to hear you expand on this a bit. I'm actually converging on an opposite view...at least relative to a literal interpretation of that statement. Instead of "stepping back" for me the act of listening to music for me is one of immersion, envelopment and, ultimately, oneness.

Edit: Thank-you for this thoughtful response-- I really enjoyed engaging with it.

The distinct IEMs you're describing are my personal favourites to review as well. They're easy to talk/write about, and they're easy to recommend (or suggest people look away from) as well. Whereas, when I hear an IEM for the first time and my immediate impression is that it just sounds there, that's when the groans and sighs start coming in. As an example, Ryan from THL graciously sent over his Moondrop Starfield recently; not for me to review, but just to listen to as a reference for a Harman-sounding IEM. My immediate thoughts were that it sounded normal or safe. It didn't try to do anything particularly bold tonally or spatially. Now, that can easily be everything someone's looking for in an IEM. But, given the amount of IEMs I've listened to, I'm now gravitating towards the odd or unique, whether it be by having a distinctly-coloured tone or by presenting colourlessness in a unique way.

I think, when it comes to immersion vs. analysis, or diving in vs. stepping back, it tends to depend on the IEM you're listening to. That's why I describe certain in-ears as having compact, orderly instruments ideal for analysis, and others as having wet, resonant notes that create a looser, more cohesive image; where instruments intermingle and pull you in. I certainly believe the type of sound the IEM has does dictate how we listen to it somewhat. An IEM like JH Audio's Jolene has a stage that's so big, that instruments are innately pulled further apart than they would be on, say, Stealth Sonics' far richer, far more intimate-sounding C9 Pro. Instruments on the original DITA Dream lined the outer perimeter of the stage, rather than the centre, which made it difficult to immerse into, as another example. So, yeah, I definitely think the IEM has a large say in how we'd tend to interact with the music.