[Jmop]

Honestly? Not much difference. EST can have a bit more refinement and spatiality, but some of these new micro planar and planar treble drivers, like in the i3 MK III, P7, and Brain Dance are starting to blur the lines with the wispiness, silkiness, and air. EST's are in trouble.

I was imagining them sounding similar, but yeah maybe planar buzz being a bit weightier.

 

[Surf Monkey]

oh SCORE! Color me jealous. I'd love to have a nice pair of speakers again but our city environs with common stone walls don't make for neighbor friendly listening.

Like many here I’m sure, my hi-fi system is nice but doesn’t get updated a lot. Unlike the chi-fi market things just don’t move as quickly on the hi-fi front. I’ve had Yorkville YSM1 studio monitors as my mains for over twenty years. They’re fantastic flat tuned speakers that are impressive for their compact size, but speaker tech has advanced a lot since the early 2000s. With the YSM1s I have to rely on a sub to get down to around 36hz. The Wharfedales can do that without a sub.

I considered the KEF LS50 and the Martin Logan Motion XT B100s but the Linton 85 won out due to the thick, rich midrange presentation (I auditioned all of these before pulling the trigger.) Plus they look so so cool. They arrive tomorrow.

Here they are for anyone who doesn’t know what I’m talking about:

Sorry about the derail. Back to the discoveries!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Agreed. The B4-X makes everything sound better, especially in soundstage, separation and imaging. It also seems to smooth out any noticeable peaks without losing detail. Fabulous.

Just had a good scare. I got done charging the B4-X for a good 3 hours, and then when I plugged it in, it was still not working and giving me the "please charge me" clicks. I was thinking OH POOP! MY BATTERY DIED (this is a legit fear, since one of the biggest knocks on the B4-X, and probably the biggest reason it's not an industry star, is that the battery is prone to failure)! Then I realized the power cord had somehow come unplugged from the wall. PHEW! What a relief! I still might buy another unit as a backup or a nice modding set? Actually, it's a certainty, but not until I pick up the JM1.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I remember that piezo used to be a cheaper version treble driver compared to EST, but limited by its poor timbre and harshness when implemented poorly. I havent tested any micro plannar IEMs yet but very excited to hear how it compare against EST hoping that it can bring down tribrid / quadbrid IEM prices down to several hundreds dollors or less.

Yeah, the piezo's always seemed to be tuned very brightly, and yes, with sometimes off tonality. Now piezo has been around for more than a decade. I remember buying the old MEE Audio CC51 ceramic IEM, with a piezo driver. It wasn't too bad at all, but lacked enough bass for me (in 2012-2013, I was a basshead). After that, it was the now famous NiceHCK NX7 series, which really pushed the piezo to the forefront, and controversy (enough to get this thread or the Chinese IEM thread shut down for a bit lol).

 

[Syan25]

Like many here I’m sure, my hi-fi system is nice but doesn’t get updated a lot. Unlike the chi-fi market things just don’t move as quickly on the hi-fi front. I’ve had Yorkville YSM1 studio monitors as my mains for over twenty years. They’re fantastic flat tuned speakers that are impressive for their compact size, but speaker tech has advanced a lot since the early 2000s. With the YSM1s I have to rely on a sub to get down to around 36hz. The Wharfedales can do that without a sub.

I considered the KEF LS50 and the Martin Logan Motion XT B100s but the Linton 85 won out due to the thick, rich midrange presentation (I auditioned all of these before pulling the trigger.) Plus they look so so cool. They arrive tomorrow.

Here they are for anyone who doesn’t know what I’m talking about:



Sorry about the derail. Back to the discoveries!

Speaker chat is welcome. I'm in a small room so these are my babies...

Monitor Audio Gold 100s. British.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

time to do my once a year work from the home office. HATE IT. I'll probably have reams to catch up on with the thread when I get home? Peace n grease!

I'm bringing the Capsules and my R3 II to work with me. Easy peasy.

 

[drspeter]

Yeah, the piezo's always seemed to be tuned very brightly, and yes, with sometimes off tonality. Now piezo has been around for more than a decade. I remember buying the old MEE Audio CC51 ceramic IEM, with a piezo driver. It wasn't too bad at all, but lacked enough bass for me (in 2012-2013, I was a basshead). After that, it was the now famous NiceHCK NX7 series, which really pushed the piezo to the forefront, and controversy (enough to get this thread or the Chinese IEM thread shut down for a bit lol).

Oh I didnt know that there were that much drama around piezos haha. Yeah piezo has always been infusing excess brightness to the tuning which can be a huge no no for those who are sensitive to such tuning. I wonder if those failure has led to overdampening the EST drivers in many early 1st gen tribrids, making them even darker than DD or BA driven treble. Good to see that there is no such apparent failure or drama around micro plannars.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Speaker chat is welcome. I'm in a small room so these are my babies...

Monitor Audio Gold 100s. British.

I looked at the Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g as well. They sound great!

 

[fidgeraldo]

Monitor Audio Gold 100s. British.

I am in an even smaller room, and I have Bowers & Wilkins 706 S2---> and I am not even British!

Cheers!

 

[domq422]

Alfa4C - ah those are indeed beautiful little cars. I once had the chance to sit and startup an Alfa 8C .. no driving, though. What a machine. The idea of piloting it on public roads seemed terrifying tbh. A buddy of mine has a little Boxster and has had the time of his life throwing that thing around the Cali mountain roads during the summer. Vanilla? In looks department, totally. But talk about bang for buck! Honda reliability and Porsche balance and handling. While i'm here oversharing, my last "sports" car some years ago now was a classic XJS-V12. Temperamental, but comfortable, quick'ish, and super smooth. Worse than Alfa maybe for reliability. The 80s era smog gear is a nightmare. It sure was beautiful to drive and look at, however, and it made lovely noises. Jag totally redeemed themselves with the F type and prices actually aren't that bad. </car_nerd>

The 8C is such a special car. I've been lucky enough to see more than a few of them, I sat in just one my self but I've also never driven on. Quite frankly, even if I was given the chance to I'd probably say no. It's just so rare and valuable, I wouldn't want to risk it. I've been very lucky in my life when it comes to cars, I've been able to drive so many unreal machines for work. Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo, Rolls... you name it. The best car I've ever driven, still to this day is the Ferrari 458 Coupe. That was genuinely such an incredible experience and it def gave me the fizzzzzz. Most expensive and terrifying was the Porsche 918... Incredible experience, but I will never do that again The 718 (Boxsters) are amazing little sports cars, I hope Porsche never stops making them. Mid engine little go kart that you can get with 3 pedals? Yes please! Those old jags are just cool, man. There's no denying that! I love the way they look. Old chrome wheels, Hoods a mile long, plush leather interior with a big ass v12 in the front? It's basically a front engine Ferrari The 1st gen F-Types are lovely. Horrible interiors, but I think they look incredible still to this day and the V8 version sounds incredible.

Alright, done messing up the thread with car stuff, my fault! hahah

I'll be looking for impressions, both of you! I checked on the same store and it's 215 euro / $232 to crepes country, and delivery estimate isn't until January 7th. I'm a bit nervous about the form factor, admittedly. BTR17 looks like a chonkster and a half.

I pulled back from ordering from that store tbh, I'm going to go through HiFigo for this one possibly, or even Amazon when it does become available on there. Something seemed off about a store selling a BTR17 at a discount already...

Origin was probably the best sounding Thieaudio I've heard. But that Kiwi Punch could be amazing...

you're not the first person to say that, which is why I'm foaming at the mouth to give them a listen. The Punch could definitely be great, especially for under $500. There has to be a compromise somewhere for the price though.

Titan after market is rough. I didn’t see many bad impressions of sound at all so it’s surprising to me, but the fit issues makes sense. It’s the same story for all their IEMs…

Agreed. Symphonium has a hard time getting fit down for whatever reason. The Europa is decent with the longer nozzle, but it's no where near as good as it could be. I think the Titan's market is down due to the Deuce being released. Tbh, even tho it pains me to admit this, the Deuce is probably 75% of the Titans in terms of sound quality with a much better fit. It's tough justifying the price tag for the Titans at that point and I think that's the reason for the prices coming down.

 

[fidgeraldo]

Many IEMs are good to me, and the rest are great to me...but some of them are !!!

And it's no secret that Final Audio B3 is to me!!!
The more words are unnecessary...
Forza Final...Excellent experience! Numero 7+++!

Cheers!

 

[pk4425]

Yep. That's kinda how it's been landing lately.

I'm still quite surprised you love the Explorer. Thought it would be too chill, too smooth, for you. Glad you dig! It's a special set.

Right now, I'm kinda in the same boat. All the things I'd want to buy are currently "sold out" on the website, and tbf, Linsoul isn't very good at re-stocking, so I have little faith those items will be available by 11.11. So I may end up eating the LEC code? Not sure, but it's looking that way.

I think the LEC codes only were for sale through Nov. 5. I went to linsoul.com yesterday to investigate buying one or both, and they were not for sale.

I don't know how you guys afford this. Takes me ages to raise the funds to get one iem. The ThieAudio Prestige Ltd costs £1100.

I sell gear or use my gig money. My 11.11 purchase of the $200-ish P5+2 may be the only purchase from the "general fund" I make this year as a small treat to me.

Any discount matters, really.

Sure as hell does. It all adds up.

10 out 40 iems that i have are worth the money.

Then why keep the other 30? Sell them to buy better IEMs that are worth the dough with other people's money! That's one of my favorite ways to buy -- "other people's money."

Those type of vows are typically short lived...
if we had to flash an alert on here each time that type of vow-breaking happens it would be a constant flashing my many simultaneous flashing alerts..

My vow is more of a correction. I like to think I'm one of the most FOMO-proof mofos here. I vowed three years ago to keep only three over-ear cans at once, a vow that remains unbroken to this day. In fact, I only have two now!

I'm right there with you, sir. I don't spend my money on anything else besides my family, coffee and audio. Vacations are nice, but they're more stressful than fun I feel. Cars are the same - If I was rich, then yeah I'd have a nice Porsche. But I'd rather be able to enjoy my music in a fulfilling way all the time.

If it makes you happy, that's all that matters.

Vacations here consist of visiting our daughter and son-in-law in Seattle and son in Durango, Colorado, at least annually. We also have a small house on a lake in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, so we can "vacation" there on weekends in the summer.

This graphic gave me a hearty belly laugh. So effing true and shows what gullible sheep consumers can be. Funny!

I think @pk4425 does the same thing?

You bet. I run all my IEMs off desktop gear about 97 percent of the time. The Piccolo is about the only one I run from a phone dongle, and it sounds better on desktop.

In another life I went through one of several midlife crises in NYC and spent a summer blowing $1000 a week on cocktails and private car services, and I was just a normal salaryman living in Manhattan.

Call the EMTs -- holy f*ck, I had a stroke reading that. I probably don't spend $1,000 on any discretionary stuff in a year. Whisky and weed are not discretionary -- they are essential for life. But I don't even spend that much on those, either.

Let medical doctors, lawyers, and licensed engineers be your lifestyle guide, not the nouveau riche. That guy you see biking to work in the rain could have a portfolio worth 5 million and you'd never know it. For 99% of us, luxury spending is the enemy of building a small amount of wealth and shaking free of the day job.

Unsolicited advice from an elder: you’re young, so start automating what you pay into a retirement account, savings, etc. Doesn’t need to be much. Build up those amounts slowly as your income increases. And don’t use credit to pay for luxuries. If you can do those two things now, you’ll be able to retire at a young enough age to actually enjoy it.

Yes, yes, yes. I have maxed my 401K since I was a newspaper reporter in the late 80s making $17K per year. I take advantage of every tax shelter I can find. We buy only used cars, pay them off early. Paid off mortgages early. Never carry a credit card balance ever. Sounds spartan, but I'm on track to enter semi-retirement at age 61.5 with a nice nest egg buttressed by zero family money. The furthest thing from a member of the Lucky Sperm Club here. I come from a stable, upper-middle class family, but both of my parents were raised during the Great Depression in America in working class families, so they drilled the importance of savings to me and my three siblings and made it VERY clear there would be no handouts to us as adults.

There are more than a few of us car nerds in this thread. Can’t speak for the rest of us, but I appreciate the occasional “off-track” conversation.

I love race cars and race motorcycles. But my eye also is drawn by attractive performance street cars, too. Mainly sports cars.

 

[jbfps116]

Honestly? Not much difference. EST can have a bit more refinement and spatiality, but some of these new micro planar and planar treble drivers, like in the i3 MK III, P7, and Brain Dance are starting to blur the lines with the wispiness, silkiness, and air. EST's are in trouble.

Was the Phoenixcall one of the first to use microplanars? I think it sounds fantastic, especially once you pull it off it’s matching but sadly bright-inclining cable.

 

[Takeda`1537]

My vow is more of a correction. I like to think I'm one of the most FOMO-proof mofos here. I vowed three years ago to keep only three over-ear cans at once, a vow that remains unbroken to this day. In fact, I only have two now!

Kudos

 

[Takeda`1537]

Was the Phoenixcall one of the first to use microplanars? I think it sounds fantastic, especially once you pull it off it’s matching but sadly bright-inclining cable.

nice promising tech innovation in an industry that seem just to re-jiggle the same tech over and over again...