[floeezy]

Although I haven't heard the cayin n3pro personally, maybe if you can audition it with your kse1200? The reason why I recommend it is because of the tube ability. I think it pairs well with tube sound DAP. The n3pro weighs only 200g
The most ideal is that you go and audition as much DAP as possible, then shorten the list (which i did)

Thanks for your suggestion @realmccoy. However, it doesn't look like Cayin N3 Pro is Android based.

 

[floeezy]

Damn, I'm realizing how important a proper seal is for earphones.

After two iterations, I finally have my custom sleeves for the KSE1200s. When I first listened to them with the included foam and silicone tips, I sadly had to agree with the reviewers who said the bass was anemic. HOWEVER, now that I have these custom sleeves, the bass is sublime. Much more impact, full-bodied and sweet -- even at a lower volume. This sudden change makes me wonder if the reviewers had a good seal.

And this sound is achieved by listening to 320 kbps MP3s through the Fiio BTR3K... I can't wait to try out the Sony NW-ZX507 with hi-res files.

 

[floeezy]

OK, I may have been exaggerating a bit. The bass is not as impactful as my planar magnetic HE-500.

 

[realmccoy]

Thanks for your suggestion @realmccoy. However, it doesn't look like Cayin N3 Pro is Android based.

Would the Fiio m15 be too bulky?

 

[floeezy]

Would the Fiio m15 be too bulky?

Yeah, I'm afraid so. The ZX-507 with the KSA1200 is already quite bulky.

How are you guys managing your portable setup? Or do you mainly listen at home or at work?

 

[Sound Eq]

Damn, I'm realizing how important a proper seal is for earphones.

After two iterations, I finally have my custom sleeves for the KSE1200s. When I first listened to them with the included foam and silicone tips, I sadly had to agree with the reviewers who said the bass was anemic. HOWEVER, now that I have these custom sleeves, the bass is sublime. Much more impact, full-bodied and sweet -- even at a lower volume. This sudden change makes me wonder if the reviewers had a good seal.

And this sound is achieved by listening to 320 kbps MP3s through the Fiio BTR3K... I can't wait to try out the Sony NW-ZX507 with hi-res files.

there is no iem what so ever that sounds better than kse1500, only bad thing is u have to deal with the setup

the kse1500 is simply sublime

 

[realmccoy]

there is no iem what so ever that sounds better than kse1500, only bad thing is u have to deal with the setup

the kse1500 is simply sublime

Latest tri-brid iems from other companies are getting really good at implementing the electrostatics. So I do think now there are better iems out there

 

[plakat]

Latest tri-brid iems from other companies are getting really good at implementing the electrostatics. So I do think now there are better iems out there

From a technical standpoint those hardly qualify as electrostatic drivers...what they do is actually very limited. Plus I think that a multi-driver setup will have a hard time giving the same coherence as the KSE1500, which I still count as the best headphone I know

 

[siruspan]

Latest tri-brid iems from other companies are getting really good at implementing the electrostatics. So I do think now there are better iems out there

The problem with hybrids of any sort right from the start is that coherence always take a hit compared to one driver solutions. When you compare dynamic driver iem to one that is using only balanced armature you feel dramatic difference in the way each type of driver sounds like. You get used to that type of driver after using it for some time however in hybrids you hear it all the time because dynamic driver lows sounds different than balanced armatures midrange and that sounds different than electrostatic highs. Its just not coherent and not realistic. I've tested many TOTL iems and many of them are equally good or even better in some areas but none so far excelled in everything like KSE.

 

[realmccoy]

Yes i do agree that KSE still the best at what it does. That’s why from time to time I would take it out and have a listen at home, and still get amazed by it. But for general listening to a wide range type of music, hybrids are on the advantage and latest models are getting better at the coherence between the drivers. Surely it still have room for improvement

 

[robm321]

Disagree completely.

 

[118900]

Question, has anyone actually compared these to the STAX SRS-009 or 009S? if so what is your opinion?

 

[siruspan]

Question, has anyone actually compared these to the STAX SRS-009 or 009S? if so what is your opinion?

I've never heard 009 but I did own L700mk2 which I've read are in general 90% of 009 when using Stax amplifiers. However 009 are supposed to be much better when using Headamp BHSE or KGSSHV and I was using Stax SRM-007tII. I've also read that 009 are brighter and more neutral and L700 are warmer and not as picky when it comes to equipment.

First of all, KSE posses more weight in general. They have much more powerful bass going all the way down to the bottom combined with a strong impact and great physicality. The L700 bass is shallower, there is generally less of it, it is not that varied or so palpable. The midrange in KSE more forward, properly weighted, but not soft and not plush. The L700 are gentler and more organic on this subject, but also not as direct. Treble is more pronounced in the Shure, very resolving, without extraordinary aggression, but it is also no as smooth and refined as in the L700. Stax'es seem more natural here, conveying even more information in a more calm way. The L700 has a softened attack which allows for pleasant and fatigue-free listening, while the Shure is more tangible and much more engaging. KSE are not as ethereal as Stax, and yet they manage to maintain their purity, speed and transparency, adding to this greater genre versatility, more punch and weight. The L700 have a larger stage, although they deliver the sound not so directly and from a greater distance. Moreover, they have even higher resolution, they are calmer, more organic, and are more sophisticated, while the Shure's are more exciting, contain more energy, allow for closer contact with music and even physical contact with it.

 

[118900]

I've never heard 009 but I did own L700mk2 which I've read are in general 90% of 009 when using Stax amplifiers. However 009 are supposed to be much better when using Headamp BHSE or KGSSHV and I was using Stax SRM-007tII. I've also read that 009 are brighter and more neutral and L700 are warmer and not as picky when it comes to equipment.

First of all, KSE posses more weight in general. They have much more powerful bass going all the way down to the bottom combined with a strong impact and great physicality. The L700 bass is shallower, there is generally less of it, it is not that varied or so palpable. The midrange in KSE more forward, properly weighted, but not soft and not plush. The L700 are gentler and more organic on this subject, but also not as direct. Treble is more pronounced in the Shure, very resolving, without extraordinary aggression, but it is also no as smooth and refined as in the L700. Stax'es seem more natural here, conveying even more information in a more calm way. The L700 has a softened attack which allows for pleasant and fatigue-free listening, while the Shure is more tangible and much more engaging. KSE are not as ethereal as Stax, and yet they manage to maintain their purity, speed and transparency, adding to this greater genre versatility, more punch and weight. The L700 have a larger stage, although they deliver the sound not so directly and from a greater distance. Moreover, they have even higher resolution, they are calmer, more organic, and are more sophisticated, while the Shure's are more exciting, contain more energy, allow for closer contact with music and even physical contact with it.

Thank you very very much for your input, you have actually answered my underlying question regarding the ethereal sound of the Staxes which is what was kind of bothering me.

I used to own a Stax 303 system (which I hadn't listened to for a long long time because of my home set up). I ended up selling them (after literally 10 years of not listening to them) and I recently replacing them with an Audeze LCD-4z and the KSE 1200s (and some SE846s). I love my current set up and more importantly I am actually able to use them (especially the KSEs) but neither the Audeze nor the KSE seem have that "ethereal" quality which you mentioned and which is exactly the word I myself thought of when listening to them (but wasn't sure about because having not listened to them for so long I began wondering whether it was just something I had imagined).

Your comment has nailed it on the head and confirmed that my memory was correct even though, at the end of the day considering the pros and cons, I think I can live with the current compromise.

again my thanks

 

[siruspan]

Yes, the ethereal and delicate nature of the Stax'es is very unique and that is their blessing and the curse. Some genres and recording sound truly magical but others lack the proper heft and punch. I've owned during the years SR-202, SR-Lambda pro, SR-407 (twice), SR-L700mk2 and there's nothing else like it. KSE have the same speed, way more punch but they don't have this ethereal quality.