Some notes after a day with the Cayin Fantasy...
I received the tour package for the Cayin Fantasy single DD IEM today. It couldn't have come at a more interesting time as I'm currently two days in with the Oriolus Isabellae-- an IEM that has knocked my socks off and firmly implanted itself among my favorites. Given how embedded the Isa has been in my mind the last couple days the most meaningful commentary I can give on the Fantasy at this point is to compare the two IEMs. The Isabellae has really impressed me with its masterful tuning-- from bass to highs the signature is wonderfully balanced and oh so refined. When you're listening to it your mind is drawn to the signature as a whole but your heart is drawn into the midrange...not since Elysium have I heard an IEM that so easily draws me in to the heart and soul of what I'm listening to. Further, the Isabellae has full bodied lower mids and the bass emphasis is skewed towards mid-bass oomph over sub-bass rumble. While the bass on the Isa extends rather well there is less presence in the sub-bass region. There is lots of upper mid presence on the Isabellae however coupled with the aforementioned mid-bass presence and the downward sloping peak free highs Isa's upper mids serve to add a nice layer of clarity and air to the sound without ever becoming shouty or overly dominant.
The Fantasy has a lot in common with the Isa from the bass to upper mids. Fantasy has a slight sub-bass emphasis so you get better perception of extension down low but you miss a bit of oomph and body in the mid-bass and lower mids. Female vocals are nice and sweet on the Fantasy and the mid-range has decent speed and texture. I found the mids to be reasonably forward, however on the whole not quite as clean, refined and polished they are on the Isabellae-- in particular with vocals. Male vocals are fuller and more natural on the Isa whereas on the Fantasy they seem a little...chesty or something sometimes. On the whole though the bass & mids of the Fantasy and the Isabellae are way more similar than different...it's the highs where the two IEMs are the most different. Isbella feels much more even keeled across the FR and the graphs that
@tgx78 shared of Isabellae confirm this-- the highest point of Isa's FR is in the upper mids with the trend being generally downward through the highs. This maintains balance keeps Isa free from peakiness, disjointedness, sibilance, and other issues stemming from overloaded treble.
I haven't seen graphs of Fantasy yet but if I had to guess based on what I've heard I would say that the highs, instead of sloping gradually downward following the elevated upper mids as they do in the Isa, instead slope upward. It wouldn't surprise me if there was an 8K or so peak in there somewhere. For my music I would say like 70% of the time the Fantasy sounds great, and notwithstanding Isa's cleaner mids and more seductive vocals, it stands neck and neck with Isabellae for the most part. A big difference I think is that the aim of Cayin's tuning seems to be more towards a clean and airy sound whereas Isabellae seems more about intimacy and emotional connection. There are definitely peaks in Fantasy's treble that spring up every now and again and make me hit the skip button. Sometimes there is just too much I hear sibilance on Morrisse's "I am Hated for Loving"-- which is why I suspect there might be an 8K peak. At its best Fantasy sounds open, detailed, airy, clean and spacious-- but when the highs get out of hand they can feel over done, not metallic or ringy or anything...but elevated above and thus a little disjointed from everything else.
The sub-bass and bass texture in general on the Fantasy has a pleasing timbre and is nice and disciplined-- I would say sub-bass & extension is one area of the FR the Fantasy has a slight advantage over the Isabellae. I'm tempted to say Fantasy is a little V shaped-- but the V is more pronounced in the highs and I didn't hear any recession of the mids. If sub-bass and clear, clean airy highs are your priorities over a nuanced, sculpted and seductive midrange then the Fantasy may be for you.
