Subtonic STORM: Impressions and Discussion
Dec 9, 2022 at 11:21 AM Post #31 of 984
I think the video on your homepage already shows the full faceplate in its glory!
Just a render! It does not contain the hand-enamelled black stripes :wink:
 
Subtonic Audio Cutting-edge artisanal in-ear monitors for discerning listeners. Proudly designed and manufactured in Singapore. Stay updated on Subtonic Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Subtonic.Audio https://www.instagram.com/subtonicaudio https://subtonic.audio support@subtonic.audio
Dec 9, 2022 at 11:33 AM Post #33 of 984
Any plans to get a demo set out in the wild or is production too tight?
 
Dec 9, 2022 at 11:19 PM Post #37 of 984
Thank you for your interest. Due to the complexity of the STORM crossover, flexible internal wiring is required. We use the thickest gauge Estron silver plated copper wiring for the mids and highs as it provides a good balance of flexibility and conductivity, and a much larger gauge of 7N OCC pure copper for the bass signal path to allow for maximum current to be fed to the bass driver to minimise distortion. Mundorf Supreme solder is used throughout. As for connectors the STORM shell is designed for a recessed 2pin socket so IPX/T2 will not be available.

Many Thanks! I need to stop drooling, these attention to details is what gets the juices flowing. I love using the thickest gauge where applicable in my chain too... I exclusively only use Neotech Solid Core for everything these days (Power, USB), but it's not applicable for IEMs. Traditional Cooper wiring attracts too much EFI for Power and USB. This Does not apply to IEMs as there's not a power source. In Car Audio, that's what I do too. I use a thicker gauge for the bass. I also use about 50 Super Capacitors to power the Bass to annoy the neighbors. Great job. I love the balance of gauges between use cases.

I just noticed this so appreciated if just added:

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That .155Ω does it for me too. Drool. OMG, Mundor Supreme SilverGold. Drool. My Fav Yo. My WBT RCA C/IEM desktop cable is also under <1Ω (S- tier CIEM so not in a rush yet):

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Don't worry about IPX/T2, I'll check again in 2024. I have ConX, so my chain is flexible if I want to stoop down to that 2-pin level. But the Storm is definitely on my radar in 2024. I understand why you went 2-pin implement. Actually, I got use to my CIEMs rotating since I use thick 16-wire. 2-pin is rigid once > 8-wire. It will be hard to live without rotation as I constantly move my head as I multi-monitor.

Anyways, best of luck I'll be keeping an eye in 2023. HQ Reference monitors are a rarity these days and should have great synergy with my chain. I was the 1st person to have a HQ Reference monitor CIEM back in 2001 when I was backpacking Asia. Singapore, Japan, etc. No one had a clue what an IEM was, now everybody and their mother has an IEM. It was mainly targeted for those in the Southern California Entertainment Industry. It's nice to see Singapore evolve in this industry over the years. I'm also keeping an eye on the drone taxi industry in Singapore. I'll definitely visit when drone taxis are a thing.

I'm just not ready to think about transducers ATM as I'm still tweaking my Audio Chain in 2023:
  1. Super Capacitors to power my Audio. I have to compete with European Transportation and FedEx for Super Capacitors in the Supply Chain. So I need to stock up in 2023 before it's too late. They hog up all the good stuff due to scale.
  2. I need backup cables before my Cable Maker cuts to black like Tony Soprano
  3. I need backup State of the Art Clocks / Oscillators before my Clock Guy cuts to black like Tony Soprano
I can't live without State of the Art Clocks like the dCS guys in my CIEM chain. There's nothing like it. Perfect PRAT, highest quality of bass, layering of bass. Extract all details due to zero timing errors, so CIEMs max to full potential. It definitely moved me out of the MidFi Hell space. I can't live without so I want to focus on redundancy. Any dCS Lina impressions parallels to my experience. It definitely moved my S- tier CIEM to beyond S tier. I never heard my CIEMs perform this level of Nirvana. Only dCS guys at this level, but that's a completely different space. No one focuses on maxxing out their CIEM experience. Being a Veteran in this hobby, I'm not willing to splurge USD30,000 for a dCS chain. I can build one better specifically for CIEMs for a fraction of the cost and modular.

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All the gear, sources, Sony, OEM cables, etc. in the IEM threads target the Kpop, Cpop and Jpop genres. I lived through the conception of this industry especially the Asian market so that's what I notice. Asian culture influenced the Western Market portable market hardware-wise. Unfortunately being a Westerner, I'm only interested in the highest quality of masterings so none of the hardware sources, software or cables are of interest. I have to build a chain that targets my old school listening habits. I'm not in this for compressed or generic masterings (streaming). I'm more high quality > high resolution. I can't listen to generic masterings. Generic masterings, use a DAP, glorified or basic USB source to a USB DAC. Once you get into the highest quality of masterings you need a State of the Art Oscillator in the chain and a non-OEM cable preferably with WBT RCA. As there's nothing like listening via WBT RCA. Fun for gaming too (imaging) via USB optical.

generic clocks / generic DAC / generic OS / generic playback SW / generic OEM cable (typical rig on IEM threads) = generic sound, no magic. good for compressed or generic masterings.

sota clocks / fpga DAC / low latency realtime OS / summit-fi playblack SW / non-OEM w/ RCA cable = magic. well-mastered stuff. for those with the highest standards to make their CIEMs really hum. not just output a fraction of what their CIEMs can do, but full potential stuff. what the summit-fi headphone / speakers experience, but at reasonable IEM prices.

But of course depends if you listen to the finest masterings. Thank you Storm. This should be the missing tail end in the chain to complete my dreams.

Hopefully I can swing by when the world is back to some normality. I just want to focus on having a redundant system and not think about transducers. C/IEMs are more readily available and I don't have to worry about a single point of failure to ruin my Audio Chain (Someone cutting to black as Life Expectancy is much lower throughout the world). That reminds me, Good Luck Celine Dion. Tough break. Hope you don't suffer. Canada has good options.

So I do have interest in the Storm, I'm just not there yet until I have redundancy. But thanks for your input and your understanding. I'm definitely your target market. The timing is just not there yet as my focus is elsewhere.

Hope the Subtonic crew gets to celebrate in Sentosa. Be back to this thread in 2024. Thanks for letting me Geek out. GG




My chain is on fire so this weekend's listening while dreaming of the Storm:

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EDIT: Storm should be a Perfect Match with my Chain. IEMs should be agnostic from other variables in the Chain. I look forward to trying it out at Jaben, DMA, The Usual Suspects... Philosophy and Thought Process >>> Physical Stuff. Your Philosophy aligns pretty well. Cheers.
 
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Dec 10, 2022 at 4:48 AM Post #40 of 984
STORM-221207-231440-2.jpg

Titanium metal meets enamel paint to materialize golden clouds striked with black stripes. A lengthy process goes into hand-enameling the faceplates to obtain the radiant shine of the clouds. Any mistake - no matter how small - would mean that the hand-painting process has to be restarted, entirely from the top. Every pair of faceplates are made by the meticulous hands and eyes of Symphonium.

For every 3 pairs of faceplates made, 1 pair has to be discarded due to the intricate work required. A complete labour of love.

Stay tuned for tomorrow as we release a blog post on our SLAM woofer technology!
 
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Subtonic Audio Cutting-edge artisanal in-ear monitors for discerning listeners. Proudly designed and manufactured in Singapore. Stay updated on Subtonic Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Subtonic.Audio https://www.instagram.com/subtonicaudio https://subtonic.audio support@subtonic.audio
Dec 10, 2022 at 6:16 AM Post #41 of 984
Looking good! Are the faceplates fully flat or textured?
 
Dec 10, 2022 at 7:55 AM Post #42 of 984
STORM-221207-231440-2.jpg
Titanium metal meets enamel paint to materialize golden clouds striked with black stripes. A lengthy process goes into hand-enameling the faceplates to obtain the radiant shine of the clouds. Any mistake - no matter how small - would mean that the hand-painting process has to be restarted, entirely from the top. Every pair of faceplates are made by the meticulous hands and eyes of Symphonium.

For every 3 pairs of faceplates made, 1 pair has to be discarded due to the intricate work required. A complete labour of love.

Stay tuned for tomorrow as we release a blog post on our SLAM woofer technology!
Stunning.😍🔥
 
Dec 10, 2022 at 8:32 AM Post #43 of 984
Looking good! Are the faceplates fully flat or textured?
Seems textured with a coloring/enamel filled between the gaps of the texture.
 
Dec 11, 2022 at 2:17 AM Post #44 of 984
Any plans to get a demo set out in the wild or is production too tight?
We are working with our retailers to get demo units in physical stores. We will prioritise pre-orders as of this moment!

Looking good! Are the faceplates fully flat or textured?
Subtonic IG Posts Graphics (2).png

They feature a textured finished as the enamel is hand-applied into the grooves of the faceplate, as Infoseeker mentioned :)
 
Subtonic Audio Cutting-edge artisanal in-ear monitors for discerning listeners. Proudly designed and manufactured in Singapore. Stay updated on Subtonic Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Subtonic.Audio https://www.instagram.com/subtonicaudio https://subtonic.audio support@subtonic.audio
Dec 11, 2022 at 2:24 AM Post #45 of 984
Hi, is it possible to share some FR chart so we can get an idea what kind of sound it might produce? I knwo FR doesn't tell, but considering how hard it likely going to be try it, I guess FR will help most of greatly.
 

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