[Dobrescu George]

New video is live, this time about Astrotec S80 TWS IEMs

 

[OldDude04]

WoW: Question

 

[StSe]

WoW Question

 

[Podster]

 

[Richsvt]

Been a little absent here. Work been really tough as of late. Will try to add more meaningful posts when I can.
Had a surprise that we got off work early today. Sitting with a nice craft beer and some tunes.
Listening to M5S>Norne Therium> Cypher Labs C6

thought this was appropriate for the release today:


Since it's a cold and rainy day, this song came to mind:

 

[Midgetguy]

Been a little absent here. Work been really tough as of late. Will try to add more meaningful posts when I can.
Had a surprise that we got off work early today. Sitting with a nice craft beer and some tunes.
Listening to M5S>Norne Therium> Cypher Labs C6

thought this was appropriate for the release today:


Since it's a cold and rainy day, this song came to mind:

That the original C6 or the V2? I found the original a bit darker than I had wanted it to be. Good quality though. Never knew what they were thinking for the packaging graphic of the original

 

[groucho69]

Happy Friday

 

[Richsvt]

That the original C6 or the V2? I found the original a bit darker than I had wanted it to be. Good quality though. Never knew what they were thinking for the packaging graphic of the original

It's the original C6. It is a little darker than it should be but I kinda like that. I added a pure silver cable to it and it now behaves darkly with decent detail and resolution. Really sounding good. I need to see what a balanced cable will do as I have only had running SE.

 

[rr12267]

Happy Friday to you!



Every Friday is a ....

 

[DBaldock9]

I've never heard the Hill Plasmatronics loudspeaker, but I knew a guy who did get to hear them at an Audio Show on the east coast (New York or Boston), back in the early-80s.
He described them as amazing sounding, but very expensive (and you had to be able to get the helium tank refilled periodically).
http://hillplasmatronics.com/
.
Photo from Flickr -
.

 

[Richsvt]

I'm contemplating another IEM and Cable purchase. Looking at the Orveti OH500, IT04, FH7 and Stealth Sonics U4. I've read up on each but haven't seen any direct comparisons. Any one have any input as to how these sound to one another? I know some of these are pure BA and some are hybrid. Just looking for a knee-jerk opinion. My favored signature is warm with a touch of detail, not too bright. I'll probably go back to ISN for a cable. Love those braids...

 

[Layman1]

I'm contemplating another IEM and Cable purchase. Looking at the Orveti OH500, IT04, FH7 and Stealth Sonics U4. I've read up on each but haven't seen any direct comparisons. Any one have any input as to how these sound to one another? I know some of these are pure BA and some are hybrid. Just looking for a knee-jerk opinion. My favored signature is warm with a touch of detail, not too bright. I'll probably go back to ISN for a cable. Love those braids...

Hi there! I haven't heard OH500 or FH7, but I own and have reviewed the IT04, and I reviewed the Stealth Sonics U4 and U9 a few months ago, and just bought a used U4 a few days ago.

IT04 and U4 have a few similarities but are ultimately *very* different!
I would say they both have a lovely musicality, but in different ways.

IT04 is a DD/BA hybrid, with it's DD tuned to emphasise the sub-bass region with a fairly linear mid-bass. This means that you have some impact, physicality and tactility; you can *feel* the strumming of instruments, fingers tapping or brushing against the body of the guitar, and the bass can dive down pretty deep on tracks where that's part of the music.
However, it's definitely not a powerfully tuned low end - a bit less than the IT03, and overall, its sound signature is fairly neutral.
However, it adds a tinge of warmth and has a delightful shimmering musicality that spreads across the sound signature.
Soundstage is impressively large and holographic; not quite so much as the IT03, but close, and the separation, layering and imaging (and technical performance generally) are excellent.

U4's low end is tuned to provide a significant presence in both sub-bass and mid-bass; it has both physicality and impact (the best I've heard so far on an all-BA IEM) as well as the rumble, warmth and texture that come from the mid-bass. The company use an in-house custom made jumbo sized BA for the low end, and the results are really something special.
There's a warmth that goes through the whole low and and lower mids.
You get great timbre and richness and a full-bodied sound to instruments and vocals.
The treble is relatively relaxed and smooth, never sharp or harsh (after burn-in!), but still has a lovely sparkle.
Despite the warmth and richness of the signature, the soundstage is deceptively wide and deep, and separation is excellent.
Detail astonishes me on these and keeps surprising me on a regular basis. It's not to say that they are hyper-analytical detail-monsters.
More that, with the sound signature, you'd expect them to be a bit laid-back and smooth and not to reveal much detail.
However...
As I've said before, and I quote: "The U4 had this unique ability to reveal all the details, but without drawing my attention away from the song as a whole.
Most highly detailed IEM's I've tried, I notice details, and kind of mentally zoom in automatically to focus on them, then zoom back out a while later to go back to the song as a whole and enjoy the music.
U4 didn't do that.
With the U4, I could experience all the details as an integrated part of enjoying the music. It was a unique and pretty magical feeling for me".

Here's a link to a review of the U4 by @Deezel177
https://theheadphonelist.com/stealth-sonics-u4-boom-boom-clap/2/
(I'm dropping you in directly to page 2 where the sound signature is discussed in superb detail).

Oh, one more thing worth mentioning is the accessories package for the U4 is outstanding. It has a good sized, light but sturdy case and even includes an airline adaptor and a1/4″ adaptor.

Ok, there's a great many IEM's I haven't tried at all budget levels, including the $500 approx level of the IT04 and U4.
However, based on my existing experience, I haven't heard anything that sounds like the U4, and I absolutely love it.
I've been thinking about it longingly ever since I reviewed it, and when the chance came to get a used pair at a great price, I didn't hesitate, despite being low on funds.

I think if you've already got the IT03, then adding IT04 is not giving you an option that's greatly superior or different (I am a fan of the IT03 too by the way!).

Conversely, U4 is something pretty unique and special, and it's sound signature is - for me - very addictive and hugely enjoyable.
One thing worth mentioning is that I haven't tried any different cables with it - yet.
I suspect it will respond quite significantly to different cable materials.
I'm not sure what the U4 cable is made of; I can't remember.
It think it's copper, although it could be silver-plated copper.
I should be reviewing the EA Vogue series of cables in the next few weeks, and plan to try them with the U4 amongst others.

All this is according to my own personal taste of course.
And hopefully others can comment about the OH500 and FH7, ideally vs IT04 and U4.
But that's my genuine thoughts on the matter and I hope you (and anyone else interested) find them helpful
One final disclaimer, as it were: I know a bit about @Richsvt in terms of his taste and his existing IEMs.
If you *don't* already own the IT03, then I would say that both the U4 *and* IT04 are great contenders for your money.
Then it's really about which sound signature suits your taste more; something more neutral and delicate with a tinge of warmth and musicality and strong technical performance (the IT04), or something more rich, warm, full-bodied, detailed, revealing and musical (the U4).
Anyway, don't want to clog up the thread with a huge post, so will end here! Happy to answer any further questions

 

[Wyville]

I'm contemplating another IEM and Cable purchase. Looking at the Orveti OH500, IT04, FH7 and Stealth Sonics U4. I've read up on each but haven't seen any direct comparisons. Any one have any input as to how these sound to one another? I know some of these are pure BA and some are hybrid. Just looking for a knee-jerk opinion. My favored signature is warm with a touch of detail, not too bright. I'll probably go back to ISN for a cable. Love those braids...

I reviewed the FH7 and U4, although I did not do a direct comparison. The FH7 definitely have some brightness to them and I personally found them hinting towards fatiguing, although I know I can be quite sensitive to certain frequencies. The U4 are a lot more forgiving, quite warm and smooth, but with enough detail coming through. In terms of build quality the FH7 feel very solid with their metal build, whereas the U4 are extremely light, yet do not feel fragile at all.

 

[KEV G]

I'm contemplating another IEM and Cable purchase. Looking at the Orveti OH500, IT04, FH7 and Stealth Sonics U4. I've read up on each but haven't seen any direct comparisons. Any one have any input as to how these sound to one another? I know some of these are pure BA and some are hybrid. Just looking for a knee-jerk opinion. My favored signature is warm with a touch of detail, not too bright. I'll probably go back to ISN for a cable. Love those braids...

If you go for the IT04, be prepared to get a new cable as the Ibasso ones are crap !!!
Been a while since I tried the IT04 so wouldn’t like to comment on them apart from thinking they had slightly less bass than the IT03 and more neutral sounding. I think @Layman1 could advise here as he has the 04 I think.
I may have bought the 04 if the fit was better than the 03 but it’s more or less the same and not for my ears. I did enjoy the 03 but comfort became an issue for me unfortunately.

 

[Layman1]

I think @Layman1 could advise here as he has the 04 I think.

I'm all over it, like white on rice lol