[TwinACStacks]

  Okay, I thought the ATH-SR5 etc. was at least a bit interesting though I'm pretty sure the lower price means they will lack somewhere. Cable I'd guess but there are already upgrades out there that look good for not much money.
 
Anyhow, I guess this won't excite people much more than the cans...
"


CES 2016 Press Center
Optoma Introduces Range Of NuForce Balanced Armature Hi-Res Audio Earphones
 

 
  Optoma Technology, a leading international projector and audio brand, announces four models of Hi-Res Audio certified, multi-driver balanced armature earphones at CES 2016 (Central Hall, Booth #11440). The NuForce HEM8, HEM6, HEM4 and HEM2 earphone monitors feature balanced armature drivers, acoustically calculated, vibration-free Lexan earpieces and hand-made premium earphone cables manufactured from OFC copper and silver as well as featuring a proprietary linear-phase crossover design. These luxury and high-quality earphones are perfect for audio enthusiasts who demand balanced sound with pristine highs and deep bass, at home or on the go.
"Quality drivers alone don't make great earphones," Jon Grodem, Senior Director of Product Management at Optoma. "Our new NuForce HEM earphones are Hi-Res audio certified and specially engineered by NuForce's audio team to bring out the finest nuances from streamed or stored audio. We have spent months fine tuning these earphones to really satisfy today´s audio enthusiasts, no matter what they're listening too."
 
Balanced Armature Drivers
The HEM monitors unite the coherence and seamlessness of one-driver earphones with the detail and transient speed of balanced armature drivers to deliver an extraordinarily natural and lifelike sound. This use of BA drivers, combined with exceptional engineering and design allows the HEM series to excel in their ability to reproduce vocals and bass unlike any other in-ear headphone on the market today. Each HEM model houses either four (HEM8), three (HEM6), two (HEM4) or one (HEM2) balanced armature drivers in each earbud.
 
Crossover Design
The graininess of other balanced armature earphone designs is often the result of crosstalk between drivers due to their crossover network's inability to prevent excessive frequency overlap. To combat this, NuForce has created a three-way phase-coherent crossover design that achieves linear phase performance. This results in a natural, three-dimensional soundstage, lightning-fast transients and crystalline transparency.
This proprietary crossover design has the earphone's speakers singing together as one. The results of this technology are clearly audible. Plucked strings take on an amazingly life-like presence, vocalists sound as if they are there "in-the-flesh," percussion explodes in a truly three-dimensional sound stage. With the HEM series, the subtlest of details appear magical and the sound is never fatiguing.
 
More NuForce HEM Series Features
• Proprietary Cable Design – HEM Series headphone cables are constructed from 20% silver-plated OFC copper conductors arranged in an asymmetrical signal and ground configuration, with the ground path conductors being 20% larger in diameter than those of the signal path.
• Advanced Tweeter Drivers – Employing the latest advanced high frequency drivers from the Knowles Corporation, allows the HEM Series Headphones to offer a remarkable response that extends up to 40 kHz. 
• Rock-solid Construction – Formed from Lexan materials, the chassis of all HEM Series Headphones are rigid and free of the chassis vibrations and colorations commonly exhibited by other brands.
• Comfortable Fit – All HEM earphones include Comply Foam Ear Tips to provide superior noise isolation and performance.
 
Price & Availability
The NuForce HEM earphones will be available February 2016 and will range from $199 to $499. Each model will come with two pairs of Comply tips, a range of different sized silicon tips, and two carrying cases; one that is airtight and waterproof, and one that is a rigid fabric pouch for protection while on the go."
 
Obviously 2, 4, 6, and 8 represent the total driver number. Two things I question is $200 for a single driver?? Doubt that is gonna fly. Probably about as much as the IM01 lol. And since there is still the Primo, including new versions, what is the HEM8 four driver gonna be in comparison to those?

Yes but $499 would be quite reasonable for 8 Drivers wouldn't it?
 

TWIN

 

[jant71]

Unless you go for the Phantoms and get 10 or 12 drivers for $300 and $350 

 

[RedJohn456]

  .....
Price & Availability
The NuForce HEM earphones will be available February 2016 and will range from $199 to $499. Each model will come with two pairs of Comply tips, a range of different sized silicon tips, and two carrying cases; one that is airtight and waterproof, and one that is a rigid fabric pouch for protection while on the go."
 
Obviously 2, 4, 6, and 8 represent the total driver number. Two things I question is $200 for a single driver?? Doubt that is gonna fly. Probably about as much as the IM01 lol. And since there is still the Primo, including new versions, what is the HEM8 four driver gonna be in comparison to those?

 
 
The FAD Heaven series are single BA too iirc. As is the Ortofon EQ8 I think. 

 

[jant71]

Comparing well regarded boutique Japanese brands to them is not quite apples to apples. IM-01 is more of an apt comparison. All FAD did for a while was single armatures and they have the cheap Heaven II on up to well above what the 8 driver costs. The HEM2 would seemingly be closer to the lower FADs.
 
They certainly strike me like the W10 or IM-01. When has the lowest of a family four BA models ever been that great. IM-01, W10, XBA-1, Shure SE210/310, Earsonics SM1, etc? We can always hope but the track record is not so good. Best to play it safe till proven wrong. Of course we are also in the time of well regarded hybrids for $100 or less. We could start a poll and see who would choose the HEM2 over an LZ-A2 or A3 or a Fidue A73  or similarly priced Sony XBA-A2 etc.
 
Just my two cents

Hopefully I'm proven wrong.

 

[Tom22]

rediscovering nuforce after being absorbed by optoma technology in the NE800M
 
pretty carbon fibre/brass shells!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/nuforce-ne800m/reviews/14981
 

 

[Koolpep]

Wonder why I haven't been seeing this thread on my subscriptions page.

I may have a bombshell to drop on you guys in a few days

A successor to the amazing EX1?

The first "self made" Fiio in-ear?

Waiting in anticipation.....

 

[leobigfield]

A successor to the amazing EX1?

The first "self made" Fiio in-ear?

Waiting in anticipation.....

 
Or the only thing that Fiio still hasn't: full size/portable Cans! 

 

 

[encoreAC]

I randomly ordered a Trinity Delta despite knowing that a v2 will be released soon. Hope they don't disappoint. 

 

[ericp10]

R.I.P. David Bowie... There will never be another one. 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[doctorjazz]

R.I.P. David Bowie... There will never be another one. 

Yup!

 

[waynes world]

  R.I.P. David Bowie... There will never be another one. 

 
You got that right - sad day. But his music will love on forever.
 
His latest album "Blackstar" is pretty profound and poignant stuff, especially knowing that he wrote it during his illness. Here's Lazarus... "Look up here, I'm in heaven"..
 

 

[ericp10]

   
You got that right - sad day. But his music will love on forever.
 
His latest album "Blackstar" is pretty profound and poignant stuff, especially knowing that he wrote it during his illness. Here's Lazarus... "Look up here, I'm in heaven"..
 

 
True words indeed. I just heard Lazarus earlier today. That is one bada-- song! He was clearly saying goodbye (through that song and the whole album). 

 

[ngoshawk]

R.I.P. David Bowie... There will never be another one. 

Damn, he could still get it. Wow.

 

[ericp10]

  OK, here is my 2016 discovery with a review, a brand new 3-way hybrid which just entered the market:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oriveti-primacy-whole-aluminium-body-triple-drivers-hybrid-2-balanced-armature-dynamic-high-fidelity-cable-detachable-in-ear-headphones/reviews/14971
 

 
No significant burn-in yet, but I see why twister6 is feeling these. A very premium smooth, full and detailed sound out of the box (about 25 minutes of listening). Fantastic for jazz with wonderful instrument separation. Different than other hybrid I've heard as the sound seems to be a bit warmer than the rest (yet the details are their). It's almost pointing at what the Miles Davis Trumpet should have been (nowhere near as warm, blurred or muddied as that earphone though....like several levels beyond that sound, but in the family). Instrument separation is fantastic too. It's list as $400 but sells for $300. The sound is in the vein of other IEMs I've heard in that price category. I can't wait to hear what a good burn-in brings out of it. 

These are my initial thoughts, and this is not a sample (paid for it out of my own pocket). Job well-done Oriveti. And someone asked me in my inbox what's the best sounding universal I own now. It's still hands down 64 Audio's U-12, but for the price range, I can see myself spending a good amount of time with the Oriveti. It seems to hit my favorite sound signature pretty close. Now I can't wait for the M4U4 to come in. 

 

[doctorjazz]

Nice to see you back in the "Discovery" mode, Eric, sounds like a good fine
Really curious what you think of the U12 when it comes, remember the campaign, I was this close to pulling the trigger, but had gone for too much other stuff at the time.
(I remember liking the Miles Davis Trumpets way back when the Monster stuff was in vogue...along with some of the other Monsters out at the time. Haven't listened to them in ages, though. On the other hand, my taste and preferences have changed some since then, have heard a lot more stuff, those were my Head Fi Virgin days, so to speak... )