[Roscoeiii]

Just picked up 1500s and the amp/DAC is charging. So excited!!!

And a huge thank you to Music Direct and Mark there in particular for helping make this purchase happen today! Really went above and beyond!!! Highly recommended for US folks.

 

[jude]

Just picked up 1500s and the amp/DAC is charging. So excited!!!

And a huge thank you to Music Direct and Mark there in particular for helping make this purchase happen today! Really went above and beyond!!! Highly recommended for US folks.

 
Enjoy, Roscoe! Can't wait to read your impressions. Haven't seen you in a while, man. Hope you're well.

 

[Roscoeiii]

Enjoy, Roscoe! Can't wait to read your impressions. Haven't seen you in a while, man. Hope you're well.

Will most definitely be doing a comparison with my 846s.

Jude, rewatching your video review did it for me. Hope things are good on your end too. Give holler when you're in Chicago next. Or I'll catch you at a show/meet.

 

[Roscoeiii]

Got distracted by a Bulls game, and the 846 comparison will have to wait (left them at work, or at least I hope that is where they are...). But from a very brief listen tonight, here are some details.

Logistics first:
1) fit feels very similar to 846, but smaller and lighter.
2) micro-USB to Micro-USB connection to my LG V10 would work briefly, but kept cutting out if you even breathed on it. Very frustrating since I was hoping to use digital out from my phone into the 1500 DAC (though the LG V10 phone does have an ESS DAC that folks have very favorably compared to a number of DAPs and I look forward to comparing that to the 1500 DAC). Ugh. Will troubleshoot. And welcome suggestions on this.
3) damn the Comply foam that came attached were a pain to get off. I'd recommend Shure sends these with no tips or silicon tips attached.

In suspense about the sound yet? Well, it is past my bedtime so I should go to sleep now.

 

[Roscoeiii]

OK, kidding...

The sound:

I very much agree with Jude that the detail of Electrostatic drivers and the isolation of these IEMs together is very special indeed. And noticeable immediately.

So far so good on what I've played. The acoustic instruments and vocal harmonies of Fleet Foxes S/T sounded fabulous. Superb decays without sounding etched or thin. There is still meat on the bones so that the timbre comes across very well. Very pleased with the bass on the timpani notes.

Next, Radiohead Hail to the Thief. Great test for electronic music and features some very complex passages. 1500s are very revealing in the best sense here. Also a bit more bass, like in Sit Down Stand Up. Which again the 1500s handle superbly.

OK, bass is very important to me and has been the reason I've shied away from Electrostatic speakers and headphones in general. I know it has been a question asked often on this thread. Fleet Foxes and Radiohead answered my concern about bass detail. But now it is hip-hop time. Enter Big Boi first solo album. Oh yeah. Quantity and depth & impact of bass are there too! With no EQ boost.

Then it was Sunn 0))) time. While the bass did not rearrange my internal organs like their live shows, amazingly the 1500s could also plumb those bass depths. I did hear a bit of a physical distortion/rattle on one side and I'm going to need to determine tomorrow if that is an issue with an earpiece or if it is on the recording. In bed and no 846s with me so I'll have to leave you in suspense there. But this is some punishing bass in these tracks, that could be impacting the gear used in making the recording or the earpieces. Note that this is not at extreme volumes, but is very low frequencies at my normal listening volume. It does worry me that it is only on one side, which might implicate the IEMs. The album is Monoliths and Dimensions and I heard it on more than one track in my right ear, if others want to check this out. Stay tuned. BRIEF UPDATE: tried Pan Sonic (also punishing bass tho electronic rather than from instruments) and wasn't hearing this, nor on the other Sunn 0))) album I switched to.

I'll try out some simpler vocal and acoustic stuff tomorrow, but honestly I think the tracks I started with tonight are more challenging and telling than simpler stuff (which I find easier to make sound good).

In conclusion: damn are these amazing overall so far, despite the issues I've mentioned which will need to be investigated further.

 

[Roscoeiii]

OK, I can't take em out. Next up: Sgt Pepper's and Pappy Van Winkle. So good, the both of them.

I'm not a huge soundstage nut, just not a priority for me. But am hearing more width here than I am used to with IEMs. Music recorded live will be a better test.

I also understand why Shure included an anti-sibbilance EQ setting. Not that the 1500s are harsh up top, but my first impression read is they are so revealing that very hot recordings up top could use that EQ's help.

 

[expat852]

Roscoeiii, given that it sounds like you are using the analog input since your Android cable is on the fritz, and given that you noticed some distortion, it's worth noting that it is really easy to overdrive the analog input.  If your meters are getting into the red, then setting Audio > Input Pad to -10 dB will help.  I had the same issue using the line out from an AK240.  

 

[Roscoeiii]

Roscoeiii, given that it sounds like you are using the analog input since your Android cable is on the fritz, and given that you noticed some distortion, it's worth noting that it is really easy to overdrive the analog input.  If your meters are getting into the red, then setting Audio > Input Pad to -10 dB will help.  I had the same issue using the line out from an AK240.  

Thanks for the idea. I'll give it a try tomorrow!

 

[goodvibes]

They all get removed for a reason as was one of mine. It's a discussion for a different forum. Posters will consistently bring 'bitrate is unimportant' to a product discussion that triggers opposing views. It becomes a different thread because there are strong feelings on both sides of the issue. For me, it's recording before bitrate but if the recording and playback setup are good enough, that recording will sound even better at a higher bit rate. Call it personal opinion and last I'll say in this stream about it.

 

[goodvibes]

Speedracer1, I was concerned about portability as well. After a few days, my setup has settled on:
- AK240 Velcroed to Shure amp
Various cables: USB/charge, Lightning, Android
- micro SD cards, spare tips (Comply P series large)
- mu dual charger (in a country with British-style AC, it's folding design is brilliant)
- Case Logic small tablet case

For me the bottom line is that the setup is too bulky to walk around with, but I am a light traveler and this compact package easily makes the cut for travel and use on the plane. Hope this helps.

As noted before I am still having a problem with low level 50/60 Hz hum when charging only. This occurs with the factory charger and cables, and with every other charger, USB and audio cable that I have tried so far. I will contact Shure and hope that this flaw in an otherwise spectacular product can be resolved.

I'm not a brick guy either but if I owned that, I would at least  try a 2 pocket approach with perhaps a 1-3 foot cable between them (depending on which pockets). The dap would function normally and only Volume is used from the Shure and even that is optional as the AK out can be varied. Would take the concentrated weight and bulk away from a single point.

 

[AnakChan]

  They all get removed for a reason as was one of mine. It's a discussion for a different forum. Posters will consistently bring 'bitrate is unimportant' to a product discussion that triggers opposing views. It becomes a different thread because there are strong feelings on both sides of the issue. For me, it's recording before bitrate but if the recording and playback setup are good enough, that recording will sound even better at a higher bit rate. Call it personal opinion and last I'll say in this stream about it.

 
As goodvibes has correctly identified, it's off topic and can belong a different thread as it is not KSE-1500 specific. OTOH if someone posts "On the KSE-1500 I do/do not hear a difference compared to another DAP/DAC-Amp", that's a fair comment that stays as it's on topic. But if it's a generic "bit rate does (or doesn't) matter", then that's off topic.

 

[musicday]

Did anyone tried roughly to find out the real battery life?

 

[goodvibes]

Nice to see some sold and get more reports. Fun to pass time in theory when not much more was happening but now we can get to the meat.

 

[Mimouille]

Nice to see some sold and get more reports. Fun to pass time in theory when not much more was happening but now we can get to the meat.

Second game, find out which of my kidneys I use less and put it on the market.

 

[fiascogarcia]

Second game, find out which of my kidneys I use less and put it on the market.

You have a pretty nice selection of equipment.  How many kidneys do you have?