Interesting. Right now I'm considering the Crimson, the Monarch MK3 and potentially the Mest MK3, u12T and Anole VX. Appreciate you sharing thisI compared it with my MEST II when making the purchase. Just my impression between the 2:
MEST is more holographic and therefore gives the impression of a more expansive soundstage. It is also brighter and less bassy. MEST also seems to have its bass “dislocated” from the trebles when compared to the Crimson.
OTOH, the Crimson is more bassy and less bright compared to MEST II. More balanced. The music seems more homogenous as well. Is this what they mean by coherent?
If I may imagine their sound as a 4-inch hamburger, Crimson is the one where the hamburger is compressed before you put it into your mouth whereas MEST is eating the 4-inch without squeezing it. This is not to say which is better but that’s the imagery that went through my mind when I compared the 2.
Symphonium Crimson - Impressions and Reviews (The Next Standard)
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Bewteen Monarch Mk3 and Crimson, my personal preference is Crimson.
That's what I'm leaning towards at the moment. Which one do you think is better for longer sessions (comfort)?
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In terms of fit, Crimson is easier to mount because it’s slightly smaller. Monarch 3 fits snugly and could be too big for some.
In terms of sound, I suspect I could listen longer to the Crimson than the Monarch 3.
Perfect, this settled it for me, grabbing the Crimson!
I just got my Crimson a few days ago, but my experience with it vs the Mest Mk2 is very similar. Stage width and depth seem larger on the Mest, but not by much. In pretty much every other aspect I prefer the Crimson.I compared it with my MEST II when making the purchase. Just my impression between the 2:
MEST is more holographic and therefore gives the impression of a more expansive soundstage. It is also brighter and less bassy. MEST also seems to have its bass “dislocated” from the trebles when compared to the Crimson.
OTOH, the Crimson is more bassy and less bright compared to MEST II. More balanced. The music seems more homogenous as well. Is this what they mean by coherent?
If I may imagine their sound as a 4-inch hamburger, Crimson is the one where the hamburger is compressed before you put it into your mouth whereas MEST is eating the 4-inch without squeezing it. This is not to say which is better but that’s the imagery that went through my mind when I compared the 2.
Crimson has better bass quality (also seems to slam harder), better dynamics, and better positional cues.
Did you by chance get the 8-wire cable? Debating if that's worth the extra $200
No I got the 4-wire cable
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Yes, in fact I said to the staff that Crimson is the MEST II with sweeter treble. MEST II has become sort of the reference which I measure the Crimson.
Was planning on ordering from headphones.com since I have a credit but they don't have an ETA on when they'll receive. Wish I had just bought them at CanJam Socal ;(
Oh yea.. I remember now. You had an accident with your Diva
. I'm not sure if the Crimson will be more or less durable, but at least it's a 2pin connection. I also like the Crimson's 4-wire cable better than the Diva's EA Ares S. It's a thinner cable and more pliable with little to no memory, which makes me curious how the 8-wire feels and improves on SQ.So for the sound comparisons, the Crimson has great quality bass, but I like a lot of bass so I listen to the Diva with the max bass setting. The Diva's bass hits a bit harder and you feel more sub bass rumble. I also prefer vocals on the Diva. They're a bit more forward and have a subtle reverb effect, which is especially nice with female vocals as you know. Nothing wrong with the vocals on the Crimson though - still nice, clean and clear.
Where the Crimson tops the Diva for me is with treble, a wider soundstage and better imaging. However, there's definitely more spice up top in the Crimson like others have said. I hear less of it with the Divinus tips than I do with the Azla tips so it doesn't bother me. Overall, the Crimson is a great set that complements the Diva in my collection. I saw your post earlier about your decision on the Crimson so I hope you enjoy it as well!
..now I'm just waiting for the Nightjar Duality to be available so I can feed my eardrums with more bass.
Yeah sadly that was me with the Diva. It’s still going and seems fine but I want to limit its use just in case. Really appreciate the write up as well, seems like I made the right choice with the Crimson. Glad to hear about the cable as well, I absolutely hate the Diva cable and is often even a deterrent to wanting to use it. Now I just gotta wait till headphones.com gets it in.Oh yea.. I remember now. You had an accident with your Diva
So for the sound comparisons, the Crimson has great quality bass, but I like a lot of bass so I listen to the Diva with the max bass setting. The Diva's bass hits a bit harder and you feel more sub bass rumble. I also prefer vocals on the Diva. They're a bit more forward and have a subtle reverb effect, which is especially nice with female vocals as you know. Nothing wrong with the vocals on the Crimson though - still nice, clean and clear.
Where the Crimson tops the Diva for me is with treble, a wider soundstage and better imaging. However, there's definitely more spice up top in the Crimson like others have said. I hear less of it with the Divinus tips than I do with the Azla tips so it doesn't bother me. Overall, the Crimson is a great set that complements the Diva in my collection. I saw your post earlier about your decision on the Crimson so I hope you enjoy it as well!
..now I'm just waiting for the Nightjar Duality to be available so I can feed my eardrums with more bass.
Retrorai
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The 8-wire is very pliable as well, though noticeably thicker, which does interfere with my glasses a little. Still very comfortable without the shrinkwrap though, and I love how premium it looks.
I am not a huge cable roller but I did notice a difference between the 4w and 8w cables. Compared to my 4-wire Novaron which came with Helios SE, the 8-wire Novaron seems to have more bass slam, as well as a slightly smoother treble response. There may have been other differences but if there were, I didn't notice them compared to the bass and treble.
PixelSquish
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An all BA unit beating a MEST DD bass? I have to hear that to believe that.
nihalsharma
500+ Head-Fier
That was such a spoiler. You killed all the discussions on whats inside the Crimson. The next debate should be if this info is true. LolLooks like Zeppelin & Co has a webpage open for Crimson: https://zeppelinandco.com/collections/earphones/products/symphonium-crimson
Neat! I wouldn't have even guessed correctly after comparing Crimson to Helios.
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