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A/B Comparisons - iems, buds, cans, daps, and more - Tips & Impressions
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17. moondrop variations vs sony ier-m9 (W):
the variations is more transparent, more natural, leaner, with clearer more forward mids, tighter bass, better imaging, better drums, better strings and piano, and better background detail.
the m9 is smoother, sounds fuller and more musical, has a slightly wider soundstage, more coherence, more bass, is more veiled, better elec and bass guitars. i give the m9 a slight edge due to its musicality and smoothness, even though the variations has a lot going for it. considering that the variations is half the price of the m9, it's a pretty good deal methinks.
the variations is more transparent, more natural, leaner, with clearer more forward mids, tighter bass, better imaging, better drums, better strings and piano, and better background detail.
the m9 is smoother, sounds fuller and more musical, has a slightly wider soundstage, more coherence, more bass, is more veiled, better elec and bass guitars. i give the m9 a slight edge due to its musicality and smoothness, even though the variations has a lot going for it. considering that the variations is half the price of the m9, it's a pretty good deal methinks.
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18. moondrop variations vs hidition viento-b universal (W):
although the variations are a step up from the blessing 2, the viento-b is still better in most ways. the viento-b has a wider 3D soundstage, is more airy and clear, more transparent, more musical, more natural and fuller, has tighter bass, a little more forward mids, better drums, strings and xylophone. the naturalness of these iems are real good, and the soundstage and airiness works well with orchestras. the variations do have more bass and leaner mids. it's not like the viento-b is miles ahead, but since both both aim for a natural sound, the viento-b has the edge in most things.
although the variations are a step up from the blessing 2, the viento-b is still better in most ways. the viento-b has a wider 3D soundstage, is more airy and clear, more transparent, more musical, more natural and fuller, has tighter bass, a little more forward mids, better drums, strings and xylophone. the naturalness of these iems are real good, and the soundstage and airiness works well with orchestras. the variations do have more bass and leaner mids. it's not like the viento-b is miles ahead, but since both both aim for a natural sound, the viento-b has the edge in most things.
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19. hidition viento-b universal (W) vs sony ier-m9:
the viento-b is clearer, more natural, has a wider taller soundstage, most instruments sound more natural (piano, strings, acoustic, drums, tambarines, cymbals), has better treble (but can sound shouty in comparison), mids are more forward, is more airy, faster, bass is tighter, has better instrument separation, female vocals sparkle more, is more transparent, but can hiss a bit due to source.
the m9 has more bass, which sounds richer and with longer decay, sounds fuller, smoother, more coherence, less fatiguing, is more veiled, has a better fit, isolates better, has better elec and bass guitars, and the drums sound better sometimes even though it is less natural (i guess due to the bass). the tonality of the viento-b countinues to impress me. male vocals of the m9 sounds like an machine version of somesone's voice compared to the naturalness of the viento-b's.
the viento-b is clearer, more natural, has a wider taller soundstage, most instruments sound more natural (piano, strings, acoustic, drums, tambarines, cymbals), has better treble (but can sound shouty in comparison), mids are more forward, is more airy, faster, bass is tighter, has better instrument separation, female vocals sparkle more, is more transparent, but can hiss a bit due to source.
the m9 has more bass, which sounds richer and with longer decay, sounds fuller, smoother, more coherence, less fatiguing, is more veiled, has a better fit, isolates better, has better elec and bass guitars, and the drums sound better sometimes even though it is less natural (i guess due to the bass). the tonality of the viento-b countinues to impress me. male vocals of the m9 sounds like an machine version of somesone's voice compared to the naturalness of the viento-b's.
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20. thieaudio clairvoyance (W) vs sony ier-m9:
The clairvoyance is more transparent, has leaner bass, clearer but more recessed mids, background instruments sound clearer, has faster decay, has a flat tuning, better drums, piano, violin (esp. plucking), acoustic guitar, horns; basically the instruments sound more realistic.
The m9 is more musical, has a slightly wider 3D soundstage, sounds fuller, smoother, has more bass, better cello, smoother treble.
Strangely enough, although individual instruments sound more realistic and the sound is more neutral, I find that I prefer the m9 for classical music and the clairvoyance for pop. Perhaps it has something to do with the clairvoyance’s fast decay which makes notes a little too hurried, or perhaps it’s the overly lean bass, not sure. Also, the clairvoyance can be quite source dependent, but the m9 sounds good with pretty much everything.
The clairvoyance is more transparent, has leaner bass, clearer but more recessed mids, background instruments sound clearer, has faster decay, has a flat tuning, better drums, piano, violin (esp. plucking), acoustic guitar, horns; basically the instruments sound more realistic.
The m9 is more musical, has a slightly wider 3D soundstage, sounds fuller, smoother, has more bass, better cello, smoother treble.
Strangely enough, although individual instruments sound more realistic and the sound is more neutral, I find that I prefer the m9 for classical music and the clairvoyance for pop. Perhaps it has something to do with the clairvoyance’s fast decay which makes notes a little too hurried, or perhaps it’s the overly lean bass, not sure. Also, the clairvoyance can be quite source dependent, but the m9 sounds good with pretty much everything.
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21. moondrop blessing 2 vs sennheiser hd600 (W):
I thought it would be fun to compare a great $300 iem to a $300 full size can. Both were driven by a kann alpha to make sure the hd600 had enough juice for a fair comparison. I actually thought the hd600 would wipe the floor off the blessing 2, but that was not the case, even if I did prefer the hd600 overall.
The blessing 2 is more transparent, is a little faster, has more bass which is also tighter and clearer, the mids are leaner, the piano, keyboard, elec guitar and drums are better, and pop sounds more musical.
The hd600 is of course airier and has a wider soundstage (though not by much). It is also more musical, has better treble and smoother mids, is more balanced, more coherent, sounds more dynamic, better imaging, instruments generally sound more realistic, classical music is more engaging, better acoustic guitar, winds and vocal, but background instruments sound more distant and is more veiled.
I thought it would be fun to compare a great $300 iem to a $300 full size can. Both were driven by a kann alpha to make sure the hd600 had enough juice for a fair comparison. I actually thought the hd600 would wipe the floor off the blessing 2, but that was not the case, even if I did prefer the hd600 overall.
The blessing 2 is more transparent, is a little faster, has more bass which is also tighter and clearer, the mids are leaner, the piano, keyboard, elec guitar and drums are better, and pop sounds more musical.
The hd600 is of course airier and has a wider soundstage (though not by much). It is also more musical, has better treble and smoother mids, is more balanced, more coherent, sounds more dynamic, better imaging, instruments generally sound more realistic, classical music is more engaging, better acoustic guitar, winds and vocal, but background instruments sound more distant and is more veiled.
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22. sennheiser hd600 (W) vs hd58x jubilee:
These two are cut from the same cloth, so there are much more similarities than differences. Testing was done on the kann alpha to give the hd600 enough power.
The 58x has smoother mids and treble, has more (but not better) bass, more grit in vocals, sounds more musical, more intimate, music feels more like a whole, takes less power to drive.
The hd600 has sharper mids and treble, better imaging, more analytical, more transparent, clearer, better background detail, better vocals, treble more forward.
These two are cut from the same cloth, so there are much more similarities than differences. Testing was done on the kann alpha to give the hd600 enough power.
The 58x has smoother mids and treble, has more (but not better) bass, more grit in vocals, sounds more musical, more intimate, music feels more like a whole, takes less power to drive.
The hd600 has sharper mids and treble, better imaging, more analytical, more transparent, clearer, better background detail, better vocals, treble more forward.
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23. thieaudio clairvoyance (W) vs moondrop blessing 2:
These two actually have quite a similar sound, so there aren’t as many differences.
The clairvoyance has more bass (especially sub-bass), recessed mids, is smoother, airier, more musical, has wider soundstage, better background detail, better piano and cello, and better layering.
The blessing 2 has more forward mids, is a little more transparent, clearer, leaner, more intimate, slightly faster, has sharper treble, tighter bass, and better instrument separation.
These two actually have quite a similar sound, so there aren’t as many differences.
The clairvoyance has more bass (especially sub-bass), recessed mids, is smoother, airier, more musical, has wider soundstage, better background detail, better piano and cello, and better layering.
The blessing 2 has more forward mids, is a little more transparent, clearer, leaner, more intimate, slightly faster, has sharper treble, tighter bass, and better instrument separation.
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24. hidition viento-b (W) vs thieaudio clairvoyance:
The viento-b is clearer, more transparent, faster, has more forward mids, better background detail (which is also louder), better tonality, a littler sharper overall, more musical, better layering, better string, can be more sibilant, tighter bass, is airier and more engaging.
The clairvoyance has more bass (but it’s muddier), smoother treble, lots of sub-bass, has thicker notes, a flatter smoother tuning, but feels like it only has a single layer, feels veiled and muffled in comparison and is more dependent on what song you listen to.
The viento-b is clearer, more transparent, faster, has more forward mids, better background detail (which is also louder), better tonality, a littler sharper overall, more musical, better layering, better string, can be more sibilant, tighter bass, is airier and more engaging.
The clairvoyance has more bass (but it’s muddier), smoother treble, lots of sub-bass, has thicker notes, a flatter smoother tuning, but feels like it only has a single layer, feels veiled and muffled in comparison and is more dependent on what song you listen to.
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25. moondrop blessing 2 (W) vs sennheiser ie300:
The blessing 2 is more neutral, transparent, clearer, has tighter bass, more forward mids, better instrument separation, better background detail, and better layering. Most instruments just sound better.
The ie300 has more bass and sub-bass, has a wider 3D soundstage, recessed mids, is much warmer, has fuller notes, a better fit, sounds more like a whole and has sparkle in treble. It’s more fun, but is veiled and sounds muffled in comparison.
To be honest, I'm not really a fan of the ie300. It has some good points but it just sounds too muddy in comparison. However, I can see bassheads enjoying it over the blessing 2 ^^
The blessing 2 is more neutral, transparent, clearer, has tighter bass, more forward mids, better instrument separation, better background detail, and better layering. Most instruments just sound better.
The ie300 has more bass and sub-bass, has a wider 3D soundstage, recessed mids, is much warmer, has fuller notes, a better fit, sounds more like a whole and has sparkle in treble. It’s more fun, but is veiled and sounds muffled in comparison.
To be honest, I'm not really a fan of the ie300. It has some good points but it just sounds too muddy in comparison. However, I can see bassheads enjoying it over the blessing 2 ^^
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26. sennheiser hd600 vs hifiman sundara (W):
The hd600 has lusher mids, is more natural and neutral, has better strings, sounds more intimate (which I actually like because it makes it sound more like a whole), but is more veiled and has a harder clamp.
The sundara has a wider soundstage, sparkly treble, background instruments are clearer, more sub-bass, clearer bass, better drums and bass guitar, better layering and imaging, is airier, more transparent and comfy. The vocals sound about the same distance on both cans, but background instruments sound further out on the sundara; sometimes it can feel too distant.
The hd600 has lusher mids, is more natural and neutral, has better strings, sounds more intimate (which I actually like because it makes it sound more like a whole), but is more veiled and has a harder clamp.
The sundara has a wider soundstage, sparkly treble, background instruments are clearer, more sub-bass, clearer bass, better drums and bass guitar, better layering and imaging, is airier, more transparent and comfy. The vocals sound about the same distance on both cans, but background instruments sound further out on the sundara; sometimes it can feel too distant.
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27. audioquest jitterbug vs no jitterbug
I could not detect a significant change between a laptop-jitterbug-cobalt chain and a laptop-cobalt chain apart from the fact that the jitterbug resulted in decreased volume.
I could not detect a significant change between a laptop-jitterbug-cobalt chain and a laptop-cobalt chain apart from the fact that the jitterbug resulted in decreased volume.
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28. audioquest dragonfly cobalt (W) vs no dragonfly cobalt
The cobalt does make a lot of difference. I won’t go into what differences since everyone’s laptop is different, but it’s significant.
The cobalt does make a lot of difference. I won’t go into what differences since everyone’s laptop is different, but it’s significant.
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29. audioquest dragonfly cobalt vs a&k sr25 (W):
I was surprised to find that these were very similar in sound, and that the differences are minute. If I really nitpick, the cobalt has a wider soundstage and the background instruments are louder, while the sr25 has a little more sub-bass and the mids are a little more forward. More surprisingly, the lack of sonic difference also extends to when I use my hd600, which is a 300 ohm headphone. I actually thought that the cobalt would not be able to drive these, but they did, at 50% of laptop volume.
As for preference, when using 3.5mm on both, the cobalt sounds better, but the 2.5mm on the sr25 sounds better than the cobalt 3.5mm.
I was surprised to find that these were very similar in sound, and that the differences are minute. If I really nitpick, the cobalt has a wider soundstage and the background instruments are louder, while the sr25 has a little more sub-bass and the mids are a little more forward. More surprisingly, the lack of sonic difference also extends to when I use my hd600, which is a 300 ohm headphone. I actually thought that the cobalt would not be able to drive these, but they did, at 50% of laptop volume.
As for preference, when using 3.5mm on both, the cobalt sounds better, but the 2.5mm on the sr25 sounds better than the cobalt 3.5mm.
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30. schiit iemagni/modi 3+ stack (W) vs audioquest dragonfly cobalt
The schiit stack is leaner, clearer, has better background detail, sharper treble, wider soundstage, better coherence and better instrument separation.
The cobalt has more bass, sounds fuller and more organic, more intimate, has a little more height and background is louder, but can feel shouty or muddy at times in comparison.
To be honest, these are nickpicking and i suspect most people would be pleased with either of these. I think for this comparison many would view portability as a bigger asset than the slight sonic differences.
The schiit stack is leaner, clearer, has better background detail, sharper treble, wider soundstage, better coherence and better instrument separation.
The cobalt has more bass, sounds fuller and more organic, more intimate, has a little more height and background is louder, but can feel shouty or muddy at times in comparison.
To be honest, these are nickpicking and i suspect most people would be pleased with either of these. I think for this comparison many would view portability as a bigger asset than the slight sonic differences.
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