Shanling ME700 lite
An audition was performed by connecting to the 2.5mm balanced terminal of the E1DA 9038SG3 and 3.5mm out of the iphone 6S.
Immediately after first listening session of the ME700 lite, I could tell the transparency and resolution level are extremely high.
For Mid to High frequency range, ME700 lite almost matches the IT07's detail retrieval level and only drops slightly behind on bass resolution.
Dynamic rises quickly and the image is very clear. One thing I noticed with the ME700 lite's imaging is that fine sound grains are tightly packed inside, and yet the images of the instruments are well separated. For a hybrid IEM, timbre is very good and have no peculiar habits, and even if I listen at high sound pressure level, my ears were not stressed as distortion level seemed quite low. I was also impressed by the clear separation of each note in the bass, and the faithful reproduction of the changes in timbre down to the lowest octave. Overall all frequency ranges are integrated harmoniously to make it quite musically accurate sound.
Also one thing I found interesting was that no matter what genre I listen to, I heard the optimal sound, as if this was tuned for that individual genre.
I think balanced frequency response is one of the attributing factor for this impression. Genres I tried were classical, jazz, hip hop, rock, metals, and folk.
First, I tried songs centered on live musical instruments. In Bill Evans Trio's masterpiece "My Foolish Heart", I paid attention to the relaxed piano sound at the beginning.
The ME700 lite shows a delicate touch and intonation. When listening with earphones such as Legacy 4 or TSMR-5, the sound becomes bit thin and it is difficult to understand how it spreads in the space, but with the ME700, it gently extends into a wider space. In the following, cymbal, the luscious fine sound of the sizzle and the sound of the snare with a brush do not become a lump, but are intertwined with the relaxed piano. It's a pleasant sound that makes you feel like you're listening to live music.
Then, "Respighi: Symphonic Poem Roman Pine" (Boston Symphony Orchestra) conducted by Seiji Ozawa is played. A high-energy performance is unfolded in a large space that does not make you feel the ceiling. The sound of orchestra is faithfully open and spacious. Even the details of low-volume woodwind instruments are heard clearly. String instruments are silky smooth from the mid to high frequencies. Even in the part where the sound changes finely, the sound of a quick attack approaches one after another with natural decay. I enjoyed the brilliant scale of playback which perfectly achieved both smoothness and speed.
Now after all this praise, there are few cons I need to disclose. ME700 Lite's cable is pretty bad: noodly, feels cheap and only single ended. Shell is on a larger size and maybe challenging for some to fit them properly. Also similar to my Andromeda, because of its impedance curve, it is super sensitive to output Z. I felt the iphone 6S with a Z-out of 4ish ohms was better match than >1ohm of E1DA.
Overall, the Shanling's flagship IEM lived up to its price tag and then some. ME700 lite provides a balanced sound with very pleasant treble and an open, spacious soundstage. Blindfolded, you’d hear that you were in the presence of a big, dynamic, full-range, and incredibly balanced set. You might not know how much it cost, but you’d know it was expensive. With your eyes open, you’d see that you were paying for gorgeous white shell and superb presentation (sans noodly cable) and finish.
They may be my next purchase. I've looked at the Sony XBA-N3 although it's £100 more than the FH3, but I'll consider it also.
