[Barndoor]

This is why i always saved these post for later to see how long it takes to buy a new iem after declare "endgame" or "out of the game" or "last iem". Only one successful attempt so far is @AmericanSpirit !

Last iem still leaves the door open for electronics, cables, tips, etc!

 

[WAON303]

Bro, in this deadly hobby, there is only "PAUSE GAME".

END GAME is a myth! See you back here next week =)

I'll probably be around here even after reaching endgame, the IEM market is too interesting to sleep on.

 

[WAON303]

Last iem still leaves the door open for electronics, cables, tips, etc!

Might get one of those "budget" effect audio cables for endgame sets, purely for da looks

Pairing cables with IEMs for da looks is very reminiscent of people who play Pokemon games and want Pokemon caught in super specific balls (IE: Tapu Lele caught with a Love Ball.)

I was one of those people 6 years ago when Sun & Moon came out, I got pretty much everything I wanted before my interest in the game fizzled out.

 

[o0genesis0o]

I'll probably be around here even after reaching endgame, the IEM market is too interesting to sleep on.

Which endgame are you looking at?

 

[WAON303]

Which endgame are you looking at?

After weeks of thinking, I've come with these possible routes:

"Cheap" endgame:

- Symphonium Meteor or Sennheiser IE600 + Moondrop S8 or 7th Acoustics Supernova

Standard endgame:

- 64audio u12t
- Elysian Diva
- 64audio u4s + 7th Acoustics Supernova
- Three of the 600-700 dollar sets, I'd also consider the Xenns UP and DUNU SA6 MKII as viable options

Money no subject:

Anole VX + Maestro SE
u12t + Anole VX

The big boy route is probably not going to happen, I'd rather choose cheap or standard for the sake of not going super homeless

My budget is going to be at least $1,500 USD or so

 

[o0genesis0o]

After weeks of thinking, I've come with these possible routes:

"Cheap" endgame:

- Symphonium Meteor or Sennheiser IE600 + Moondrop S8 or 7th Acoustics Supernova

Standard endgame:

- 64audio u12t
- Elysian Diva
- 64audio u4s + 7th Acoustics Supernova
- Three of the 600-700 dollar sets, I'd also consider the Xenns UP and DUNU SA6 MKII as viable options

Money no subject:

Anole VX + Maestro SE
u12t + Anole VX

The big boy route is probably not going to happen, I'd rather choose cheap or standard for the sake of not going super homeless

My budget is going to be at least $1,500 USD or so

I’ll compare SA6 Mk2 with my Andromeda and U12t. Finger crossed that this is “the one”.

 

[gadgetgod]

I’ll compare SA6 Mk2 with my Andromeda and U12t. Finger crossed that this is “the one”.

I would say not as huge as Andromeda in terms of staging, but surely has better character, and a better tone, although the bass is harder and faster on the Andros. I am talking about previous generation Andros(Maybe V2 or V3). U12T is something else, it's actually one of my dream sets, but too costly hehe. Also the stock cable of U12T is like super bad, I recommend using Cadmus with it. For the Price I am super happy with the SA6 Mk2.

 

[dharmasteve]

So I got caught up in the general view on this thread that the NiceHCK Black Cat cables were very good value at their discounted prices, which totalled for a 4.4mm MMCX and two 4.4mm .78mm, 2 pins, at under £50 for the three (the two pins were more expensive than the MMCX). They are good strong, well made, cables.....BUT what the F does NiceHCK BlackCat Zinc Copper Alloy Oil Soaked mean. Even if whatever is true, are they soaking it in oil like a 'Confit' duck leg. Zinc/Copper alloy for a cable...anyone heard of that before? They are well made and work well BUT why oil soak?

 

[baskingshark]

Money no subject:

Anole VX + Maestro SE
u12t + Anole VX

The big boy route is probably not going to happen, I'd rather choose cheap or standard for the sake of not going super homeless

My budget is going to be at least $1,500 USD or so

I used to think that the Anole VX, Maestro SE and U12T were the peak of peaks at SummitFI level. Then I auditioned some bigger fish from these companies at the recent Singapore CanJam.

So in terms of technicalities:
Anole V14 > VX
Fatfreq Grand Maestro > Maestro SE
64 Audio U18T > U12T

Haha, so there always seems to be some higher unattainable mountain to scale. One cannot unhear a so-called "better" set, and this rabbit hole is never ending.

And even in SummitFI, TOTL IEMs are not perfect. For example, these pairs we mentioned above all suffer from glassy BA timbre of some form in the higher frequencies. The Grand Maestro is a Maestro SE on steroids, and it has 2 tuning switches. There is a vocal switch that makes the vocals a bit too forwards for my taste.

Honestly, MidFI is still where the sweet spot is, as TOTL brings about tremendous diminishing returns. Ballpark 10 - 20% improvement for 10x the price? And as alluded to, there will always be a shinier toy that comes out next week. Even if one gets a TOTL IEM, there are other areas in the audio chain that if not optimized - eg DAC, amp, source file - will also limit the TOTL IEM's performance.

And yeah there were quite a few "TOTL" IEMs I have tried that were stinkers. Won't mention names but price does not correlate with sonic quality sometimes.

So I got caught up in the general view on this thread that the NiceHCK Black Cat cables were very good value at their discounted prices, which totalled for a 4.4mm MMCX and two 4.4mm .78mm, 2 pins, at under £50 for the three (the two pins were more expensive than the MMCX). They are good strong, well made, cables.....BUT what the F does NiceHCK BlackCat Zinc Copper Alloy Oil Soaked mean. Even if whatever is true, are they soaking it in oil like a 'Confit' duck leg. Zinc/Copper alloy for a cable...anyone heard of that before? They are well made and work well BUT why oil soak?

Haha I'm just joking k, I respect both camps of cable detractors and cable believers.

I've seen some cable manufacturers also boast of using cyrotherapy (liquid nitrogen) to coat their cables. Does this cryotreatment bring snake oil to a new level? Instead of "burn in" we now have "freeze in"?

 

[Carpet]

So I got caught up in the general view on this thread that the NiceHCK Black Cat cables were very good value at their discounted prices, which totalled for a 4.4mm MMCX and two 4.4mm .78mm, 2 pins, at under £50 for the three (the two pins were more expensive than the MMCX). They are good strong, well made, cables.....BUT what the F does NiceHCK BlackCat Zinc Copper Alloy Oil Soaked mean. Even if whatever is true, are they soaking it in oil like a 'Confit' duck leg. Zinc/Copper alloy for a cable...anyone heard of that before? They are well made and work well BUT why oil soak?

I think the "oil soaked" refers to the surface finish on the cable. It has a different appearance and feel to normal PVC coating.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

This is why i always saved these post for later to see how long it takes to buy a new iem after declare "endgame" or "out of the game" or "last iem". Only one successful attempt so far is @AmericanSpirit !

Call it Endgame for 2023 CQ2 then problem solved

 

[AmericanSpirit]

I’ll compare SA6 Mk2 with my Andromeda and U12t. Finger crossed that this is “the one”.

Oh you got Mk2? Congrats

 

[Tzennn]

Call it Endgame for 2023 CQ2 then problem solved

i guess SR8 can be called an "endgame" ?

 

[Descoberto]

SIMGOT EA500:

Guys, what tips are you using? and what size do you recommend? I need a tip that is a standard size and doesn't keep the highs sibilant.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Bro, in this deadly hobby, there is only "PAUSE GAME".

END GAME is a myth! See you back here next week =)

Hey bro, check your bank statement!

”End”ing Balance as of 4/13/2023.

Endgame as of 4/13/2023 is ok from financing perspective

I like Pausegame word too, maybe I start use that for SR8 review!