The discovery thread!

[gadgetgod]

I received three shipments today, Simgot's new gaming headphones the Simgot EP5(gonna test this one in Delta Force).

The other shipment included the Meze ALba, but I got the shipment late in the evening and couldn't click a good picture of it yet. Will post about it along with its impressions tomorrow.

Third Shipment was from LUA, I earlier bought Synchronicity and imported without the box. This time the Box of Synchronicity along with a unit of Serendipity came my way. What a beautiful looking IEM these two are.

 

[bithalver]

with all that hype about Archangel I wonder how long will it take to have another IEM putting it into shadows; we all remember all the hype about Shock and EBC80 and now these are not so attractive when Archangel is available; ...

1st review for EBC80 was in Nov 30, 2024 (nearly 6 month ago); now you can buy it used (but not 2 weeks ago: I watched it closely and bought one).

1st review for TSMR Shock was in Aug 27, 2024 ; still no used ones (I did not watched this so closely so maybe I missed one or two; also I will have a tour unit: reason to wait with buying).

Archangel will be available used in 6-9 month from now on (mean: some colleagues will find a better replacement). This happened even with Voltage.
It is very hard to resist the VIP price (no details will leak from me ). That cable alone is a ~270USD one, so IEM costs "only" 530USD (numbers calculated without the VIP code). Sounds like a cheat to me !

This is how hype works: a shopaholic nightmare.

 

[jazzzy]

1st review for TSMR Shock was in Aug 27, 2024 ; still no used ones (I did not watched this so closely so maybe I missed one or two; also I will have a tour unit: reason to wait with buying).

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/tsmr-shock.86518/

initially I wanted shock but I'm glad I waited and invested in better source chain

 

[pk4425]

with all that hype about Archangel I wonder how long will it take to have another IEM putting it into shadows; we all remember all the hype about Shock and EBC80 and now these are not so attractive when Archangel is available; I still wonder if existing BGVP Phantom SE is on same or lower level; we wait for Aful and their upcoming release (but I guess that one will be 300-400 more expensive than Archangel); I would love to see SoundRhyme releasing a set including BCD;

That's no different than any year, dude. You can sit on the sidelines and wait for the "next big thing" or you can pull the trigger.

The industry always evolves. New models always progress. All depends on your need and/or desire to upgrade. If it's now, understand we're living in a golden age of IEMs (at least sonically, not financially in the U.S. due to the import taxes).

 

[jazzzy]

The industry always evolves.

and I ponder how much better it might be, what is the limit - implants with DSP so companies will just release tuning profiles to drivers already in your body ?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Thanks to the generosity of @Jaytiss, I got these two giants in for auditioning.

Kiwi Ears Aether
CFA Alien Brain

Decided to try out the Aether first. Really early impressions, as the gym got in the way of a listening sesh (I don't take borrowed IEMs to the gym. Ever.), but I will say tuning wise, these are the most refined planar IEMs I've ever heard. Maybe even more so than the Letshuoer S08, which are certainly the most refined and un-planar like of the dozens of planars I've put in my ears. The Aether are more refined. As for the soundstage, I'm not hearing that at all. Very average stage to my ears, especially coming off several days with the orbital Defiant or the truly colossal Archangel. Now big stage was the Elysian Apostle, Lime Ears Maris, or ISN EBC80. If we want to go much cheaper, the Letshuoer DX1, Tangzu Wu Zetian or Legend, and KZ Decet has bigger stage, with more dimensional spatial cues. Now the stage is not small. It's actually quite full sounding, but not like it was touted. Safe treble. Next to the Septet, sounds downright boring in the top end. Now it's not really boring (at least right now), but next to something that has treble air, crispness, and extension like the Septet, it sounds incredibly polite. Bass is punchy and quick, with good texture. How I like it, so that's a definite positive.

Still haven't done enough source rolling to come up with a real definitive impression, so more listening to go. Still haven't reached for the Alien Brain. That's next.

 

[thaslaya]

I'm really struggling at keeping up with the thread lately but before I get into the multiquote, I'll share my most recent review of the Jomo Nautilus (Head-fi and blog) thanks to the Audio Geek US tour group that I'm a part of. This one is pretty impressive at $800, and even though it's not quite my style of tuning, I really enjoyed my time with it. Those BCDs are definitely pumping out some midrange magic and the sense of staging and space are awesome! I would pick the Nautilus over the much loved Cantor, but maybe not over some other metal shelled IEM I've reviewed around the same price like the Unique Melody Stardust or DITA Mecha. Still it's very good and if you get a chance to demo it, make sure to put on some classical or orchestra music as that's where it really shines.

Letshuoer S12 (2024)
Letshuoer S08
Letshuoer Cadenza 4
Letshuoer DX1

Was supposed to get the Cadenza 12 and the Mystic 8, but somehow, got overlooked for those?

I still have you on my tour list brother! I'll make sure they come your way as soon as possible

Kiwi Ears have a strong presence this year for releases. This will be my 5th this year. After Punch, Airoso, Aether, with Septet & étude on the way.

Time to get the Atral next! It's impressing me so far . Also I will have a direct comparison against the KBEAR Cepheus too in the final write up so maybe that will help you decide

Alright...

I finally got my full Review/Impressions on this one. This is the kind of device that makes me happy in the hobby and revisit dead areas of it. I had quite a few Dongles before, but always felt like they were missing something and were shaped annoyingly (dongly ). This one ticks almost all the boxes for me.

Muse M5 Ultra Portable DAC/AMP (With Real Tubes!)

​

I'm really loving my M5U but man I wish the tube mode was even more tubey. Give me maximum warmth!

I will stay out of the new IEM market, even with the tax at the "reduced" rate. This hobby doesn't mean enough to me to get ripped off.

You're too busy anyways Plus after your busy work season, you can hopefully sit back and enjoy some stuff on tour

Or Give it a few months and enjoy what you have, things WILL change.

Word. I'm content to sit on the sidelines for a while. Focus on other things.

Great advice. Now is a perfect time to sit back and enjoy or even reevaluate your collection. Maybe purge some things you don't use or use some things you forgot about. Or better yet, sign up for some tours if they're available and try new things without having to blind buy.

Hi guys, just wrote a few things about the YanYin Canon Pro IEM here:

YanYin Canon Pro review
https://www.headphoneer.com/yanyin-canon-pro-review/

YanYin Canon Pro vs Kiwi Orchestra Lite
https://www.headphoneer.com/kiwi-ears-orchestra-lite-vs-yanyin-canon-pro-comparison-review/

YanYin Canon Pro vs Thieaudio Hype 4
https://www.headphoneer.com/thieaudio-hype-4-vs-yanyin-canon-pro-comparison-revie
w/

Those Canon Pro faceplates are ! I haven't really stopped to look at them before this picture. Well done!

Still haven't reached for the Alien Brain. That's next.

Well if you don't hurry the will come for your instead

 

[Redcarmoose]

Thanks to the generosity of @Jaytiss, I got these two giants in for auditioning.

Kiwi Ears Aether
CFA Alien Brain

Decided to try out the Aether first. Really early impressions, as the gym got in the way of a listening sesh (I don't take borrowed IEMs to the gym. Ever.), but I will say tuning wise, these are the most refined planar IEMs I've ever heard. Maybe even more so than the Letshuoer S08, which are certainly the most refined and un-planar like of the dozens of planars I've put in my ears. The Aether are more refined. As for the soundstage, I'm not hearing that at all. Very average stage to my ears, especially coming off several days with the orbital Defiant or the truly colossal Archangel. Now big stage was the Elysian Apostle, Lime Ears Maris, or ISN EBC80. If we want to go much cheaper, the Letshuoer DX1, Tangzu Wu Zetian or Legend, and KZ Decet has bigger stage, with more dimensional spatial cues. Now the stage is not small. It's actually quite full sounding, but not like it was touted. Safe treble. Next to the Septet, sounds downright boring in the top end. Now it's not really boring (at least right now), but next to something that has treble air, crispness, and extension like the Septet, it sounds incredibly polite. Bass is punchy and quick, with good texture. How I like it, so that's a definite positive.

Still haven't done enough source rolling to come up with a real definitive impression, so more listening to go. Still haven't reached for the Alien Brain. That's next.

Yes, the Kiwi ears Aether really needs a little power to wake-up. Sounds basically boring from a phone, then amazing different from a DAP. Cheers!

 

[wazzupi]

Archangel CIEM ordered.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Archangel CIEM ordered.

Wow!

 

[JrOcinthepark]

Despite continuing to purchase the latest IEMs available from Linsoul and HiFigo via Amazon, I find myself gravitating towards more conventional over ear Bluetooth headphones recently. Multipoint connection, noise cancelling, and an ever increasing amount of zoom/conference calls have led me towards this transition. Typically I’ve been rotating between the Bathys, AKG N9 (underrated maybe even not rated), and the quiet comfort ultra (frequency response good with in app EQ adjustment to bass). Still, I think communities like Headfi are propelling the more commercial companies to implement better sound quality and functionality into their products. Sony WH1000mx6 was announced today. Seems like the frequency response is as close to acceptable since they released the series. Also, they feature a ten band EQ which leads me to believe they will sound pretty damn good with some adjustment. If anyone is interested in my impressions I ordered a pair already.

 

[Metalboyy]

Archangel CIEM ordered.

Nice. Thinking about doing the same. How much extra was it?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

with all that hype about Archangel I wonder how long will it take to have another IEM putting it into shadows; we all remember all the hype about Shock and EBC80 and now these are not so attractive when Archangel is available; I still wonder if existing BGVP Phantom SE is on same or lower level; we wait for Aful and their upcoming release (but I guess that one will be 300-400 more expensive than Archangel); I would love to see SoundRhyme releasing a set including BCD;

Shock still get some play, and the EBC80 doesn't get as much shine as you would think because it's a good IEM, it's above average, but it's not GREAT. Now for metal music, I think it is great, but it's not an all-arounder. The Archangel is an all-arounder, but it's also in a very tricky price range, but the more folks take the jump and buy in, the more they will realize just how good it is, and it's not just good, it's GREAT. The AFUL will be above $1,000 with tax and tariffs. So yeah, much more expensive than the Archangel.

I'm really struggling at keeping up with the thread lately but before I get into the multiquote, I'll share my most recent review of the Jomo Nautilus (Head-fi and blog) thanks to the Audio Geek US tour group that I'm a part of. This one is pretty impressive at $800, and even though it's not quite my style of tuning, I really enjoyed my time with it. Those BCDs are definitely pumping out some midrange magic and the sense of staging and space are awesome! I would pick the Nautilus over the much loved Cantor, but maybe not over some other metal shelled IEM I've reviewed around the same price like the Unique Melody Stardust or DITA Mecha. Still it's very good and if you get a chance to demo it, make sure to put on some classical or orchestra music as that's where it really shines.


Well if you don't hurry the will come for your instead

So spent a little bit of time with the CFA Alien Brain, and my verdict so far...

 

[jghjkhfd]

Vzonis VP-07 VS ivipQ Phoenixia Comparo

Great work, thank you. What about shell size and fit?

 

[wazzupi]

Nice. Thinking about doing the same. How much extra was it?

$180