[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Lol I thought you were a sub bass fiend, no?

I like my sub bass with a touch of roll off, resolving mid bass with punch and elasticity and just the tiniest amount of bleed into the mids so that it's not dry, a clean and clear resolving midrange , and sparkly and well extended but controlled treble. This would be FWAL2's sonic preference in a nutshell.

The Nightingale works for Andy, but he also rec'd the Tanchjim ZERO for metal, and he was spot on in that rec.

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

Can anyone here share their take on this new "meta" tuning that some people raving about it?

 

[MakeItWain]

I have not been lying to any of you this whole time, as I have spread the gospel of H60 to the Head-fi masses (and literally in the case of @thaslaya ). lol Bless you my brother. Amen.

I mean, the gospel is a bit much when the Apostle needs to drop (this is more of a pun on the name, not saying Apostle is going to be budget friendly at all) but, yeah, I get the hype.

Can anyone here share their take on this new "meta" tuning that some people raving about it?

It's basically safe AF and the new 'neutral'. I don't think it's bad at all. It's a good baseline. But it's not going to wow or impress necessarily.

 

[jbfps116]

I put up my ONIX Alpha and 7 IEMs up for sale. Culling a little bit more, and hopefully someone can make good use of the Alpha dac, as I have barely used it since I got the DCE, and even then, it was more of a "forcing" myself to use it so it didn't just sit. So someone can put it to good use, and get some great IEMs at the same time, and if it sells, that puts me at $1,300 in cull funds, but dang, if my case doesn't look anemic!! LOL Lowest amount in a decade.

It’s a tempting offer for sure… I had been interest in the A4 pro… part of me says I get all the other stuff for free and part of me says… nah I don’t need it haha. Not in the market for another dongle. Although… how much better would it be than the Fiio KA5?

 

[o0genesis0o]

Can anyone here share their take on this new "meta" tuning that some people raving about it?

It’s okay.

Well, usually, I would be more enthusiastic, but:

1. The overzealous patrons of this tuning rubbing in my face with their mythical 5128 rig and telling me what to prefer and how I should read my graph and how it’s a pivoting moment in IEM history and I should be in awe and grateful leave me a significant distaste for the whole tuning. Yes, it’s not logical; it’s against the spirit of science, yadda yadda. But I’m a human, first and foremost, despite my love for audio geekaroo.
2. This target a description of what “flat” is. Achieving flat is good (when I’m in my geeky mood, I would say flat is “ideal tuning”), but does not mean the journey is done. Preference? Breakthrough in the treble evenness? Unlocking the ability to strictly control an IEM’s dynamic? Strictly control its soundstage and imagine? There are lots of things to do, but no, let’s say those are not important, not real, rather than accepting we have a way ahead of us.
3. Taking away the distaste for the patrons of this target, I personally really like the incarnations of this target including Supernova, MagicOne, and 61t. Beautiful midrange. But again, we listen to the whole response at once, not just the midrange.
4. BUT, one cannot blindly apply this target without considering the ability of the underlying IEM, IMHO. I tried to match a few IEMs to this target (or more specifically, to supernova’s response) and the results have been varying and generally middling. In my experience, we need an IEM with strong midrange resolution to not sounding veiled and muffled with this target (but of course, resolution is not real, as per patrons).

I will stick to Harman 2019 as the “frame of reference” line, and plain old 711 coupler as the “ruler”. Other than that, tuning IEM is a skill, and I’ll keep open eyes and ears. I love my graphs, but recent experiences tell me not to trust it more than a quick visual check.


All of this reminds me of the early days when I followed internet advice to AutoEQ my IEM and headphone and have to nod and say “what a nice tuning” when the harman pinna gain drill my skull like icepick, because “experts on internet” say this is how good sound is supposed to be.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Which Pyramid versions have you tried so far? I’d be interested to know the one that gives best Price to performance?



Even with this Gourmet Sandwich above. .

Your Warm Audiophile Sandwich (sammich) looks more appetising. I must audition the Questyle CMA18 next time at the Audio Store.


I will be interested to read these reviews.

Oriveti Lowmaster Is featured on this somewhat Controversial Video I watched.



The S12 2024 Could be delivered shortly.



But I’m not holding my breath….. Or.

That Lachlan guy pretty much hit the nail on the head with his short review of the Lowmaster, but it's the treble I like, but he's right, the stage is a bit left for wanting.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

It’s a tempting offer for sure… I had been interest in the A4 pro… part of me says I get all the other stuff for free and part of me says… nah I don’t need it haha. Not in the market for another dongle. Although… how much better would it be than the Fiio KA5?

It's got an organic sound with a very large soundstage. It's what drove the hype originally, not to mention they synergize so well with the A4 Pro, it's the ONLY reason I decided to add them as the tentpole. Whoever buys this is going to get an absolutely phenomenal combo, and the tuning options are vast.

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

It’s okay.

Well, usually, I would be more enthusiastic, but:

1. The overzealous patrons of this tuning rubbing in my face with their mythical 5128 rig and telling me what to prefer and how I should read my graph and how it’s a pivoting moment in IEM history and I should be in awe and grateful leave me a significant distaste for the whole tuning. Yes, it’s not logical; it’s against the spirit of science, yadda yadda. But I’m a human, first and foremost, despite my love for audio geekaroo.
2. This target a description of what “flat” is. Achieving flat is good (when I’m in my geeky mood, I would say flat is “ideal tuning”), but does not mean the journey is done. Preference? Breakthrough in the treble evenness? Unlocking the ability to strictly control an IEM’s dynamic? Strictly control its soundstage and imagine? There are lots of things to do, but no, let’s say those are not important, not real, rather than accepting we have a way ahead of us.
3. Taking away the distaste for the patrons of this target, I personally really like the incarnations of this target including Supernova, MagicOne, and 61t. Beautiful midrange. But again, we listen to the whole response at once, not just the midrange.
4. BUT, one cannot blindly apply this target without considering the ability of the underlying IEM, IMHO. I tried to match a few IEMs to this target (or more specifically, to supernova’s response) and the results have been varying and generally middling. In my experience, we need an IEM with strong midrange resolution to not sounding veiled and muffled with this target (but of course, resolution is not real, as per patrons).

I will stick to Harman 2019 as the “frame of reference” line, and plain old 711 coupler as the “ruler”. Other than that, tuning IEM is a skill, and I’ll keep open eyes and ears. I love my graphs, but recent experiences tell me not to trust it more than a quick visual check.


All of this reminds me of the early days when I followed internet advice to AutoEQ my IEM and headphone and have to nod and say “what a nice tuning” when the harman pinna gain drill my skull like icepick, because “experts on internet” say this is how good sound is supposed to be.

Good thing I got the supernova, 61T and MagicOne, so they are align with this "meta" tuning right?

I'm sort of thinking that this "meta" tuning is a derivative or an evolution of DF target or Ety in-house tuning. Me and @Leonarfd are discussing this one.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Still in love with my DC-Elite

Hell yeah, brother! Nice combo indeed, and you're listening to one of my favorite albums of all time (Live - Mental Jewelry). Saw them live on the Throwing Copper tour, and that was great, but I prefer MJ to TC. It's an absolutely fantastic album for test tracking a wide variety of frequencies and tones.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Good thing I got the supernova, 61T and MagicOne, so they are align with this "meta" tuning right?

Somewhat. AFAIK, this tuning is also characterised by more recessed 1.5kHz. Supernova is a touch forward there.

AFAIK, Meteor is also an example

Tbh, this was all over the place, without an authoritative source (say, a paper on Arxiv) that I feel this target more hearsay than anything at this point.

Essentially, get rid of the wrongness of Harman target, we get this nice new tuning. Thicker, less disjointed, less sounding like drill in the skull. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty nice target to follow.

Edit: I pick u6t as an example because of this article: https://headphones.com/blogs/features/the-shape-of-iems-to-come

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Can anyone here share their take on this new "meta" tuning that some people raving about it?

Yes I could, but I've railed about it enough over the last 3,000 pages, and folks are tired of hearing me talk about it LOL So I'll let @baskingshark or others share their thoughts on what makes meta meta. But I will share two aspects (BIG WARM BASS and not enough treble extension air or shimmer).

 

[Ozboyblu]

Shock with Q15 is also pretty outstanding. A bit smoother and more relaxed listen compared to the very detailed and transparent DC Elite, but bass and dynamics are still excellent. Very musical and immersive combo.
I wonder how the Q15 compares to K11 R2R.

I’m can’t talk about the Q15. But I’m fairly sure you would enjoy the K11 R2R with the Shock. Gives some analog goodness off the treble. The Bass is still well defined and full of impact, no bleeding in mids at all. Add that with your FiftyStrings M.Hawk Cable that’s on the way. Chefs Kiss.!

@ToneDeafMonk were you able to replace the DC Elite knob? I don't see a set screw to loosen, and I don't wanna use too much pulling force.
I'd like to install a taller knob; it's a bit difficult to adjust volume when it's inside a pocket.

When you sort this Knob situation out. Please post a pretty Picture of your DC-Elite.

Mail call!

I also still have an Aful MagicOne to review as well... Notes all done, just about fully writing out my thoughts.

Also the S12 2024 has been with me since CanJam but I forgot to share that I had it. Thanks again @thaslaya

S12 2024 is a very good planar IEM. I actually really like it. I don't think you'd be disappointed in them at all.

Project M will be interesting, going to bust those out tonight for a bit and start taking notes.

MagicOne is good, man. Spoiler alert. It's got that special sauce even if I usually want bass or more bass (as a bass addict).

Initial listening impressions:

If I was a bright head/treblehead/neutral'ish head, Dita is probably a good fit. I'm not, though.

I'd probably say Pilgrim is better to my tastes and ears.

ISN H60 - alright, I get the hype. These are good. Warm, musical, but solid detailed and technical performance. Bass comes in when needed. Could use a bit more impact but some tracks work well. So far, Like a more technical DaVinci? Or a warmer Estrella?

Your IEM selection is on fire , But so is your impressions. Really enjoying your posts.

Only one of the bunch I haven’t heard yet, is the S12 2024. ( But supposed to be delivered later today )

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Good thing I got the supernova, 61T and MagicOne, so they are align with this "meta" tuning right?

I'm sort of thinking that this "meta" tuning is a derivative or an evolution of DF target or Ety in-house tuning. Me and @Leonarfd are discussing this one.

The one thing is it's gotta have bass. It's not flat or neutral in the bass area. It's gotta have bass, with high bass shelf and punchy warm mid bass, which in turn warms up the midrange, as @o0genesis0o mentions, and so there's a warmth and forwardness in the midrange, lots of bass presence, and polite upper mids treble that's "there", but doesn't ever get a spotlight, and can provide some details when you turn it up (like the Explorer or Black Abyss).

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

Somewhat. AFAIK, this tuning is also characterised by more recessed 1.5kHz. Supernova is a touch forward there.

AFAIK, Meteor is also an example



Tbh, this was all over the place, without an authoritative source (say, a paper on Arxiv) that I feel this target more hearsay than anything at this point.

Essentially, get rid of the wrongness of Harman target, we get this nice new tuning. Thicker, less disjointed, less sounding like drill in the skull. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty nice target to follow.

Edit: I pick u6t as an example because of this article: https://headphones.com/blogs/features/the-shape-of-iems-to-come

Hmmmmm..... LETSHOUER EJ07M

Audiosense DT300

Audiosense AQ4

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

The one thing is it's gotta have bass. It's not flat or neutral in the bass area. It's gotta have bass, with high bass shelf and punchy warm mid bass, which in turn warms up the midrange, as @o0genesis0o mentions, and so there's a warmth and forwardness in the midrange, lots of bass presence, and polite upper mids treble that's "there", but doesn't ever get a spotlight, and can provide some details when you turn it up (like the Explorer or Black Abyss).

I see, thanks for sharing your idea.