[Tzennn]

Sometimes, just sometimes, something comes along which breaks the mould. This may be the bluetooth device which makes wired DAC/Amps redundant. As someone said the sound quality on par with the Chord Mojo 2.



My review of the Dethonray Pegasus SG1.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/dethonray-pegasus-sg1.26154/reviews

You said Mojo 2? I found some for 170$
4tr = 4.000.000vnd = 168$

accidentally see your post, accidentally see a sale
By the way, great review!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Waiting on my Gallileo!!

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

 

[PhonoPhi]

A

PW is good. Widely recommended for universal applications, just that Legend II is tricky, only sounds good with Bravery, Copper 28 V2 is very universal.

Actually my Neon Pro has settled cable roll on PW’s copper M2. I have no use of MEST MKII’s PW stock cable, as it boost 6khz on MEST MKII which I found it a bit fatiguing. Copper M2 has more transparency than Copper 28 V2, so that matches with Neon Pro’s 10khz+ registers.

Overall tonal balance on Copper M2 is very natural and neutral, so that’s a nice pairing to Neon Pro. Copper 28 V2 has settled to Sound Rhyme SR5.

Are there any proof (dare I say, "measurements") for the "tonal response" or "attenuation" of simple good cables measuring below 0.3-0.4 Ohm?
I approached 5 different manufacturers/distributors with a simple question: " what is the acoustic advantage of your "X" $100 cable vs. "Y" $20 cable? I was prepared for a semi-reasonable or even quarter-reasonable answer validating my purchasing intentions.
Surprisingly (or not), the universal answer that I have received was: "some people can hear the difference".
Well, totally unsatisfactory to me, I am not "some people" (as in that famous tale of The Emperor's New Clothes") and then I can simply cheerfully imagine the amazing difference of blue cables and "believe" in them. Simple. Effective. The power of imagination should not neccessarily be bought for hundreds of dollars (beleiving some overconfident shillers out there...) for the lack of real abilities, evidence, etc.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

LET'S NOT START ANOTHER CABLE WAR HERE!!! COOL? THANKS.

Let's mosey on down the Discovery Rd and celebrate gear. Not argue.

 

[o0genesis0o]

You said Mojo 2? I found some for 170$
4tr = 4.000.000vnd = 168$

accidentally see your post, accidentally see a sale
By the way, great review!

Mojo 2 for 4mil VND? What kind of magic is this?

 

[o0genesis0o]

A

Are there any proof (dare I say, "measurements") for the "tonal response" or "attenuation" of simple good cables measuring below 0.3-0.4 Ohm?
I approached 5 different manufacturers/distributors with a simple question: " what is the acoustic advantage of your "X" $100 cable vs. "Y" $20 cable? I was prepared for a semi-reasonable or even quarter-reasonable answer validating my purchasing intentions.
Surprisingly (or not), the universal answer that I have received was: "some people can hear the difference".
Well, totally unsatisfactory to me, I am not "some people" (as in that famous tale of The Emperor's New Clothes") and then I can simply cheerfully imagine the amazing difference of blue cables and "believe" in them. Simple. Effective. The power of imagination should not neccessarily be bought for hundreds of dollars (beleiving some overconfident shillers out there...) for the lack of real abilities, evidence, etc.

Well, if you can recommend me an MMCX cable with some visual flair, no kinks no coil no microphonic, and does not mess up the tonality of my Andromeda, and cheap, I would very very happy. My XINHS cable changes the tonality of Andromeda for the worse. My FiiO cable completely screwed up the imaging some how (wrong polarity? I don't know). So, the only option I can think of now is a cable from EA (which is $$$$). Oh how I wish the cable thing is completely non-existent across every IEM

 

[PhonoPhi]

Well, if you can recommend me an MMCX cable with some visual flair, no kinks no coil no microphonic, and does not mess up the tonality of my Andromeda, and cheap, I would very very happy. My XINHS cable changes the tonality of Andromeda for the worse. My FiiO cable completely screwed up the imaging some how (wrong polarity? I don't know). So, the only option I can think of now is a cable from EA (which is $$$$). Oh how I wish the cable thing is completely non-existent across every IEM

Andromeda is a very regrettably poorly designed for drivability, very low-impedance IEM to start with.
So my first question would be: do you have your source certified to drive the load below 16 Ohm (very few do).
As far as my opinion goes, I would not touch Andromeda with a pole, but for the earlier Andromedas some evidence out there is that it was tuned for 1.5-Ohm cable. So trying to find such cable can work best (rather than "copper", silver, palladium, unobtanium futile route) or ditching such futile attempts altogether (?) and investing in IEM and source that can work together, then the cable should not be a part of the equation, and best fit and nice colour should do. No other recommendations, sorry.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Andromeda is a very regrettably poorly designed (unless you are a cable seller) low-impedance IEM to start with.
So my first question would be: do you have your source certified to drive the load below 16 Ohm (very few do).
As far as my opinion goes, I would not touch Andromeda with a pole, but for the earlier Andromedas some evidence out there is that it was tuned for 1.5-Ohm cable. So trying to find such cable can work best (rather than "copper", silver, palladium, unobtanium futile route) or ditching such futile attempts altogether (?) No other recommendations, sorry.

Here is the thing: Andromeda is not that low in impedance (I have some IEMs with 8 ohm impedance. Yesterday I was browsing through MusicTeck stock and I saw something with 6ohm (what can even drive that correctly??)). Most of my sources have OI <= 1ohm so no problem whatsoever. The stock cable also works perfectly fine, though it is ugly as sin (I mean come on, AUD $1600 and CFA use rubbery clear plastic for the cable hardware. The AFUL P5 comes with chrome metal plug. FH15 comes with interchangeable metal plug and a nice two strands cable). It coils up like instant noodles after I wrap it and leave it in the case for 1 week or so.

What's insane about the Andromeda is sensitivity. CFA advertise this IEM as "flat" for studio monitoring. I can't imagine this IEM working with any audio interface without blowing the engineer's ears off. And the hiss, and the tinny harsh sound when the OI is not right. The horror.

Btw don't write off the Andromeda, especially the 2020 version. I have been reviewing an impressive IEM called EAxEA Gaea lately, and after A/B against many in my collection, I have to conclude that the sheer detail retrieval and imaging of Andromeda (and Gaea) is still a solid step above most emerging stuffs. In fact, after the initial shock of the Gaea wore off, I realised the Gaea is simply brighter but not more resolving than the old "boomy" "muddy" Andromeda. I don't appreciate most CFA IEMs, but this one is an exception. CFA's tube-less, shove-everything-in, no-crossover approach works in this particular case. Highly recommended if you can pick one at a steep discount, now that the 2020 has been discontinued and replaced by the (likely a dud) Andromeda 2023.

(Paid full price for my unit, btw. No shill here )

 

[PhonoPhi]

Here is the thing: Andromeda is not that low in impedance. Most of my sources have OI <= 1ohm so no problem whatsoever. The stock cable also works perfectly fine, though it is ugly as sin (I mean come on, AUD $1600 and CFA use rubbery clear plastic for the cable hardware. The AFUL P5 comes with chrome metal plug. FH15 comes with interchangeable metal plug and a nice two strands cable). It coils up like instant noodles after I wrap it and leave it in the case for 1 week or so.

What's insane about the Andromeda is sensitivity. CFA advertise this IEM as "flat" for studio monitoring. I can't imagine this IEM working with any audio interface without blowing the engineer's ears off. And the hiss, and the tinny harsh sound when the OI is not right. The horror.

Btw don't write off the Andromeda, especially the 2020 version. I have been reviewing an impressive IEM called EAxEA Gaea lately, and after A/B against many in my collection, I have to conclude that the sheer detail retrieval and imaging of Andromeda (and Gaea) is still a solid step above most emerging stuffs. In fact, after the initial shock of the Gaea wore off, I realised the Gaea is simply brighter but not more resolving than the old "boomy" "muddy" Andromeda. I don't appreciate most CFA IEMs, but this one is an exception. CFA's tube-less, shove-everything-in, no-crossover approach works. Highly recommended if you can pick one on steep discount, now that the 2020 has been discontinued and replaced by the (likely a dud) Andromeda 2023.

(Paid full price for my unit, btw. No shill here )

1. No impedance values you have cited. Have you seen the graphs of frequency impedance dependence of Andromedas?
2. The low source impedance is not any direct evidence/indication that it can provide all the demanding current modulations to drive the low-impedance load.
3. It may be helpful to decouple the price and any justification for the purchase decision with the real IEM performance."The Emperor's New Clothes", again.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Here is the thing: Andromeda is not that low in impedance (I have some IEMs with 8 ohm impedance. Yesterday I was browsing through MusicTeck stock and I saw something with 6ohm (what can even drive that correctly??)). Most of my sources have OI <= 1ohm so no problem whatsoever. The stock cable also works perfectly fine, though it is ugly as sin (I mean come on, AUD $1600 and CFA use rubbery clear plastic for the cable hardware. The AFUL P5 comes with chrome metal plug. FH15 comes with interchangeable metal plug and a nice two strands cable). It coils up like instant noodles after I wrap it and leave it in the case for 1 week or so.

What's insane about the Andromeda is sensitivity. CFA advertise this IEM as "flat" for studio monitoring. I can't imagine this IEM working with any audio interface without blowing the engineer's ears off. And the hiss, and the tinny harsh sound when the OI is not right. The horror.

Btw don't write off the Andromeda, especially the 2020 version. I have been reviewing an impressive IEM called EAxEA Gaea lately, and after A/B against many in my collection, I have to conclude that the sheer detail retrieval and imaging of Andromeda (and Gaea) is still a solid step above most emerging stuffs. In fact, after the initial shock of the Gaea wore off, I realised the Gaea is simply brighter but not more resolving than the old "boomy" "muddy" Andromeda. I don't appreciate most CFA IEMs, but this one is an exception. CFA's tube-less, shove-everything-in, no-crossover approach works in this particular case. Highly recommended if you can pick one at a steep discount, now that the 2020 has been discontinued and replaced by the (likely a dud) Andromeda 2023.

(Paid full price for my unit, btw. No shill here )

RSV is 8ohms with 125db of super sensitivity. It’s good and full of tech

Ah I didn’t know Andro 2020 is open air BA, hmmm I like those open BA. Maybe If I see a good deal I may get it.

 

[o0genesis0o]

1. No impedance values you have cited. Have you seen the graphs of frequency impedance dependence of Andromedas?

Never mind, the impedance of Andromeda swings wildly, reaching 4ohm in the bass region. Averaging 8.7ohm. I need to correct my notes. I have Andromeda's impedance as 12.8ohm here.

2. The low source impedance is not any direct evidence/indication that it can provide all the demanding current modulations to drive the low-impedance load.

You might be onto something here. I found that Andromeda does not sound that nice with Apple dongle with everything more tight and congested and "blurry" somehow. Not poor, but not outstanding. Things improve noticeably with beefy sources (K7, Shanling M6U, Topping G5). Minor difference between these three. Maybe because none of these have current limitation of a USB dongle?

3. It may be helpful to decouple the price and any justification for the purchase decision with the real IEM purchase."The Emperor's New Clothes", again.

My current "goals" of my "reviews" are quite simple: (1) find something that sound as detailed and 3D as the Andromeda and its peers (e.g., Monarch II) at the lowest costs, because there is no reason why $1000 magically make them good, and (2) find something that gives Andromeda and its peers a run for their money. So far, I failed to achieve both goals. If you have some mental conditioning so that everything sounds equally good, I'll be happy to take Because browsing through MusicTeck website regularly to see what's on discount is no fun.

---

@AmericanSpirit I'm sick of super sensitive IEM. Give me 300ohm or 600ohm drivers like earbuds. Let the amps stretch their imaginary legs

 

[baskingshark]

Actually, recorded music can surpass live concerts under these circumastances

In live concerts;
▶︎you don’t always get the best acoustic reception points, internal echo, resonance of sound wave may vary depending on your position.

▶︎live concert hall location, playing artists condition, if classical that means to all conditions of conductors /concert master/ leads, that impacts the performance, no retakes, Only rehearsals or live.

For recordings
▶︎the sound outlet is filly controlled with mixing and mastering, the original recording is performed with best tonal resonating spot with best quality recording microphones, (sorry if it was industry standard Shure ones, I’m speaking AKG or Neumann’s) , you can retake the part and redo it for the perfection.

▶︎If anyone who have experience in participating lives with singers, you know many of singers performs poorly in live. Yes, most of modern musics has “make up” on their vocal performance, when you are releasing a song, you will go to recording studios full of sound and recording engineers, and sing a part of the song for more than couple of times, the engineers will decide the best sounding part and will do their magic copy and paste, tonal adjustments to make it sounding better than actual raw sound.

So it’s more of two different vector of entertainment, a perfected artwork vs highly volatile raw performance it maybe once a lifetime amazingly great concert like Keith Jarret’s Koln concert, so I feel live vs recording are two independent things. EDMs are surely way better for live as they are basically big house playback of recordings.

Good points. Agreed++.

I frequently do stage monitoring and have to say that nowadays, majority of bands "cheat" in performances.

For example, singers use "auto-tune" to let them hit their notes magically (even if they are singing out of key). Singers routinely sing a few keys lower than their sold recorded/mastered recordings, as there is no computer/back-end touch-up to help them in a live concert. There's lip sync cheats etc.

Even for musicians, there is much back-end work done for live recordings. So if a drum is a bit out of beat/tempo, or an instrument hits a note that is a bit too fast/slow, everything can be manufactured back-end to be inch perfect. There's apps like Abbleton and stuff that can generate live loops and patches in concerts. EDM as you mentioned features a lot of cut and paste and computer-modified/assisted music.

Gone are the days of old, where musicians and singers played and sang, and this is recorded and published without any touch-up.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

HEXA x KBEAR Hazy x H570 = Spatial Magician, image positioning is very impressive and borderline of diffusion field is very far distant yet detailed.
Hazy was like $25 (now $21), and the finish of the cable is some serious high end grade, it’s good

2 years ago, this $20 range was full of junky cables, Tripowin Zonie was considered better quality ones among those. Now even with $20, you have very good cables like NiceHCK MixPP($17), KBEAR Hazy ($21), I’m glad even for cable market the competition forced cable brands to brush up their quality

 

[baskingshark]

Bullet shaped planar:

AKOUSTYX S-6​

$129 USD now on DROP (previously $175)

https://drop.com/buy/akoustyx-s-6-studio-reference-iem

 

[106miles]

HEXA x KBEAR Hazy x H570 = Spatial Magician, image positioning is very impressive and borderline of diffusion field is very far distant yet detailed.
Hazy was like $25 (now $21), and the finish of the cable is some serious high end grade, it’s good

2 years ago, this $20 range was full of junky cables, Tripowin Zonie was considered better quality ones among those. Now even with $20, you have very good cables like NiceHCK MixPP($17), KBEAR Hazy ($21), I’m glad even for cable market the competition forced cable brands to brush up their quality

Hazy x Heyday