The discovery thread!

[AmericanSpirit]

Yeah, I'll write up a review of them in the couple days, and see if they can beat my current favorite, the SR8.

Didn’t know you got SR8! And just saw on your ranking list SR8 hitting pretty high Better than many multi-kilobucks right?

For P8, the digital layering and ultra micro details aren’t P8’s specialty but I’m pretty sure you will find something unique

 

[PhonoPhi]

Just few simple observational personal thoughts:

1. I was just wondering (as in a gedanken experiment) how much premium would it take for me to have "aful" vs. Moondrop or Andromeda imprinted on my IEMs - at least $50 on an $300 IEM would be my estimate - to each their own again...

2. It is an interesting experience to watch "aspiring reviewers" getting some "totls" spending their hard-earned money to be "in a trend", and then comparing some other IEMs against these totals - very funny and illuminating - I started to love this hobby more just watching people and their habits

 

[cn11]

Yeah, I'll write up a review of them in the couple days, and see if they can beat my current favorite, the SR8.

Cool... I had been thinking of getting a set for a bit now, and just momentarily ago placed my order. I'm curious to see how it stacks up too. Much hype on this one, yes.

So I've got P8, and Aür Aurora inbound... but I think Aurora will be a bit of a wait.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I got it for $400 used!! When I got it, I actually were reminded of you, because I believe you own one too? It's a kilobuck DAP, it's just a bit older, but who cares? Right? If it sounds great in 2017, it still sounds great in 2023! I sold a couple IEM's recently, and didn't double dip in IEM's, so I had the money to get this without having to go into my savings for much.

I never liked the 1A much and put 99.9% of my hours on the WM1Z, that was until MrWalkman came up with his inventions!
Now I use it 50% of the time, as it is mid-centric, in complement to the V shaped WM1Z.
https://www.mrwalkman.com/?m=1

You can PM me with any firmware questions.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

I wonder how subtonic/Symphonium folks look at these IEMs (and vice versa). I think both sides are outstanding IEM engineers and tuners. Can’t say that I am tempted by the STORM, but I will settle for Helios in a few months.

Is aful releasing a true kilobuck killer set this year? 14 drivers or something?




I think the tuning sinks the ship here. Surprising, since usually Moondrop has the tuning to cover up for deficiencies in technical performance. B3 is very detailed for a mid-fi IEM, but the tuning is questionable for most, even hardcore fans. I, for once, don’t mind the tuning problem.



Second this. B3 is very detailed, but struggles when the music gets crowded. If I talk in terms of money bracket, I would say “resolving for the price”. I remember in my A/B tests, it still falls behind the Andromeda in the end.



Leonarfd-collab when?

You can tell them to add some meat to the lower end of EW100P. Some upper treble too. The rest is great.



FH9.



You mean similar to Andromeda? I haven’t come across any IEM similar to Andromeda 2020, actually. It’s wonky in a unique way.

Not sure but yea that 14BA might come, with AFUL’s technology I’m almost certain it will be something extraordinary.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Yeah, this seems to be the newest trend.
Posting a picture with: Look what I have - and nothing more than that.

My standard response would be: A whole in your head and all common sense has escaped.

I would never say that out loud though...

Cheers

Pet peeve. For sure.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Just few simple observational personal thoughts:

1. I was just wondering (as in a gedanken experiment) how much premium would it take for me to have "aful" vs. Moondrop or Andromeda imprinted on my IEMs - at least $50 on an $300 IEM would be my estimate - to each their own again...

2. It is an interesting experience to watch "aspiring reviewers" getting some "totls" spending their hard-earned money to be "in a trend", and then comparing some other IEMs against these totals - very funny and illuminating - I started to love this hobby more just watching people and their habits

How should we review then? “Good for the price”? Unqualified, uncomparable statements like traditional professional review outlets?

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I never liked the 1A much and put 99.9% of my hours on the WM1Z, that was until MrWalkman came up with his inventions!
Now I use it 50% of the time, as it is mid-centric, in complement to the V shaped WM1Z.
https://www.mrwalkman.com/?m=1

You can PM me with any firmware questions.

It didn't even dawn on me that MrWalkman would have firmware for the 1A? Does it improve it that much? Thanks for mentioning this.

 

[W0lrince]

Talking about dap, i eyeing this hifiman 901r for a while, not sure if anyone know about this tbh Link

 

[552609]

Didn’t know you got SR8! And just saw on your ranking list SR8 hitting pretty high Better than many multi-kilobucks right?

For P8, the digital layering and ultra micro details aren’t P8’s specialty but I’m pretty sure you will find something unique

SR8 easily competes with multiple kilobucks. Love it. Initial listen on p8 is verily good as well, maybe my new best under $500

 

[Jaytiss]

that 14BA might come.

Yeah, it might come. *We do know the single BA Aful iem is coming out soon.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Back in 2020 I had 3000 hours on the 1Z and looked at the 1A as an experimental purchase, with zero hours almost? Afterwards the firmware made the 1A have character while still retaining the mid-range it has. I have written pages and pages of descriptions of this in the Walkman Aftermarket Firmware thread. It is night and day to me......lol

There are about 10 different firmwares, at least there was, and the biggest charge happens due to regional setting changes. Meaning Sony went and made the Walkmans sound different all over the world. Japan region is one of the warmest, and MrWalkman thought that brought the 1A closer to the warmth of the 1Z, I don't agree, but that is what he stated. I believe both have unique qualities and some IEMs are better with the 1A and others are better with the 1Z.

But once you get into it there are ways to hook up your DAP to a computer to change the region settings in real time. Or of course you can go over to Rock-box and download their region changing software. There are 100s of pages on this stuff in both the 1A/1Z thread and the Aftermarket Firmware Thread.

It didn't even dawn on me that MrWalkman would have firmware for the 1A? Does it improve it that much? Thanks for mentioning this.

https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/FeatureComparison

Rockbox may not even offer the software anymore due to Sony maybe raising hell? Still you have the same fuction anyways inside the player now to change region.

At this point I'm using Midnight v2 (For 1A) in Plus v1 mode.

This may have come out prior-to region setting software being invented? I can get you the Rockbox if you want to use it along with the MrWalkman firmware? But all the firmware offered by MrWalkman makes the 1A great, sometimes really good and other times the best! Meaning just download MrWalkman and go from there, you will get the region setting tool.
https://www.mrwalkman.com/p/sony-wm1a-wm1z-custom-firmware.html

Just start with Walkman One! ^^^^^^^^^^

 

[PhonoPhi]

How should we review then? “Good for the price”? Unqualified, uncomparable statements like traditional professional review outlets?

Your ab initio assumptions that someone should "review".

From my personal observations and experience here, "free samples" just add to the price for the rest of the shrinking pool of "enthusiasts".

When I join the HeadFi, it was based on a great affordable KZ IEM, and what was discussed there in KZ thread were personal impressions - sweet old times...

Now coming big way from the rabbit hole, personal impressions, just few words of them, more than often are more important and influential for my decisions than the pages of pages of boringly detailed and mostly quite predictable reviews.

Just my two cents...

 

[WAON303]

I wonder how subtonic/Symphonium folks look at these IEMs (and vice versa). I think both sides are outstanding IEM engineers and tuners. Can’t say that I am tempted by the STORM, but I will settle for Helios in a few months.

Helios would be free real estate for me as an endgame but is marred by the Etymotic like nozzle.

I'm hoping new Helios batches have the Elise Audio collab redesign which drastically reduces the nozzle length, there's no reason not to redesign the Helios, almost everyone I've seen has panned the nozzle design.

Not paying an extra 300 bucks just to have a shorter nozzle, Helios SE is around $1,400 USD when you convert GDP to USD.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Helios would be free real estate for me as an endgame but is marred by the Etymotic like nozzle.

I'm hoping new Helios batches have the Elise Audio collab redesign which drastically reduces the nozzle length, there's no reason not to redesign the Helios, almost everyone I've seen has panned the nozzle design.

Not paying an extra 300 bucks just to have a shorter nozzle, Helios SE is around $1,400 USD when you convert GDP to USD.

It seems that both Subtonic and Symphonium are not interested in $1000 market anymore. Now they are after $2000 and up, so the chance of a new Helios is slim. Fairly disappointed by the inflation in the high-end market. I mean, yeah, good multi-kilobuck sounds awesome, but they costs more than an old car, or a few months of rent. It's crazy. And people are okay with it.

Btw, in an unexpected turn of event, I'm buying a Monarch II soon. Just in time for Monarch III to be launched