The discovery thread!

[JamoBroGuy]

This just sounds like you disagree with his evaluation (of an IEM you haven't yet tried for yourself). That's why you should never just rely on a single reviewer. And ideally, you should get them in your own ears. As just one example among many, I love the Dita Project M, but Mark hated it--so much so that he declined to review it. But that's not an indictment of his abilities as a reviewer. Just a sign that we're different people with different ears and different tastes.

A good reviewer just tries to stay faithful to their own experience, and hopefully doesn't make the mistake of assuming that their experience will be everyone else's. If a reviewer has done their job well, even a negative evaluation of an IEM might still convince a reader/viewer that they would like it regardless. IMO it's why all of us have our own go-to reviewers. It's not because we all like the same things, but because we know how to "translate" their evaluations to our own ears/tastes.

Okay, first of all, outstanding answer.

You're right, I haven't heard the Cantor. Once I get them I'll form my own opinions and see if they line up with Mark's.
The reason it's so hard for me to really trust any reviewer is because.. well, I haven't seen a single audiophile who listens to the kind of music I do (super fast-paced and intricate electronic music with a lot going on at once). I have tried a few headphones though, and what consistently caught my attention was if it had good separation or not (I wonder why, lmao). So I know that's what I want, and the Cantor presumably has that in spades.

 

[theintention]

Polished the offending shell with a microfiber cloth... and the "scratch" buffed out. I guess it was some residue or something.

Anyhow... briefly tested the Nautilus against the Yu Xuan Ji on an instrumental track... Kinda unfair haha I know, but the Tangzu sounded clean, but a bit bland compared to the Jomo. No comparison haha. @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 might be right lol. The Nautilus may render most of my IEM collection that I don't decide to cull into obsolete functional art pieces LOL.

personally, whenever i see someone stuck in a loop of mid-fi sidegrades, I try to advise to bump up that price range a bit. It’s worth it.

Need to listen to my own advice now and save for an even bigger fish I’m glad your scratch turned out to be residue.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Oof, sorry to hear. I was tempted by it but can’t say I was reassured by your apparently liking solid state more than tube yesterday.

I hope the RMA process goes smoothly with your seller.

Sonically it is remarkable, believe me.

As for the TUBE sound, I don't have much experience (I only have an AUNE FLAMINGO), but I can tell you that (before they broke) I listened to it for a few hours with DEUCE and ESTRELLA, and with both IEMs I really appreciated the clear and incisive sound rendering of the NON TUBE mode, which seemed better than the TUBE one.
(I may not like the TUBE sound by itself; I can tell you that I like the R2R sound when it's implemented well.)

I had promised myself to test the TUBE mode with brighter IEMs, in an attempt to find a synergy with that operating mode.
Unfortunately, it didn't go well.

I hope to be able to perform this test in the future.

Credit goes to @Echalon for posting this on the Penon thread. A new colorway and grafix for the Tansio Mirai X. Tansio Mirai been colorful as of late.

They are magnificent.

 

[Hypops]

Okay, first of all, outstanding answer.

You're right, I haven't heard the Cantor. Once I get them I'll form my own opinions and see if they line up with Mark's.
The reason it's so hard for me to really trust any reviewer is because.. well, I haven't seen a single audiophile who listens to the kind of music I do (super fast-paced and intricate electronic music with a lot going on at once). I have tried a few headphones though, and what consistently caught my attention was if it had good separation or not (I wonder why, lmao). So I know that's what I want, and the Cantor presumably has that in spades.

I don't have anywhere near the experience that others in this thread do, but in my experience, treble tuning (where most technicalities like separation, presence, detail, etc. come from) is very dependent on your own ear anatomy. This might be why Mark's Cantor review hit people the wrong way since he got too much treble energy from them (or too little mids if he used a deeper fit), while many others didn't. Jay of Jay's Audio similarly thought they were way too sharp.

My take is that we each respond to different treble peaks differently. Treble peaks can be mitigated by things like insertion depth, tip rolling, filter mods, and EQ, but really so much of it has to do with our individual ear anatomy. Sometimes, certain treble peaks work for us. Sometimes they don't. "Safer" tunings don't risk it and will usually subdue or even roll off the treble to avoid any potential issues that some people might have. No answer for it but to try for yourself.

 

[o0genesis0o]

OK, this is what scares me about BCD. One, I don't want to have to constantly f*ck with my IEM in my ear to ensure BCD is working. I'm also not sure if I'm comfortable with the idea of something vibrating in my ear or tickling my ear hairs. That sounds like as much of a distraction from music as it is an enhancement to music.

I can add two points here:

• In my case, I just need to pinch the back of the IEM against the antihelix once to ensure proper fit. The fit is quite stable with the sticky stock tips, so no fiddling.
• There is no noticeable vibration of the shells. Like I said, it’s hard to say whether the BCD does anything with certainty since I can’t turn it off. But the way this IEM does drums (not bass) and soundstage, especially when instruments pan to the side channels and the distant elements in the mix, are rather interesting. Since the illusion is similar to that of MEST III to me, I guess BCD works?

But no, no vibration. The IEM does not jump around the table or anything like that.

 

[JamoBroGuy]

I don't have anywhere near the experience that others in this thread do, but in my experience, treble tuning (where most technicalities like separation, presence, detail, etc. come from) is very dependent on your own ear anatomy. This might be why Mark's Cantor review hit people the wrong way since he got too much treble energy from them, while many others didn't. Jay of Jay's Audio similarly thought they were way too sharp.

My take is that we each respond to different treble peaks differently. Treble peaks can be mitigated by things like insertion depth, tip rolling, filter mods, and EQ, but really so much of it has to do with our individual ear anatomy. Sometimes, certain treble peaks work for us. Sometimes they don't. "Safer" tunings don't risk it and will usually subdue or even roll off the treble to avoid any potential issues that some people might have. No answer for it but to try for yourself.

For sure.
One thing I've noticed with the Cantor is that people's comments on how comfortable they are correspond to their sound impressions. The better the fit, the less bright it is.
Mark didn't get a great fit with the Cantor, which is probably why he called it U-shaped, even though @o0genesis0o's graph clearly shows that it's neutral with sub-bass boost.

Same with Jay, he called it shrill, so he probably didn't get a good fit.
People who have had no issues with the fit call it neutral. @baskingshark called it monitor-like, to the point where you can use it as a professional monitor.
I guess I just gotta try for myself.

 

[Erkil]

Okay, first of all, outstanding answer.

You're right, I haven't heard the Cantor. Once I get them I'll form my own opinions and see if they line up with Mark's.
The reason it's so hard for me to really trust any reviewer is because.. well, I haven't seen a single audiophile who listens to the kind of music I do (super fast-paced and intricate electronic music with a lot going on at once). I have tried a few headphones though, and what consistently caught my attention was if it had good separation or not (I wonder why, lmao). So I know that's what I want, and the Cantor presumably has that in spades.

For fast paced busy music you can keep an eye out for IEM’s people like for metal. Metal have some of the same traits.

 

[theintention]

There is no noticeable vibration of the shells. Like I said, it’s hard to say whether the BCD does anything with certainty since I can’t turn it off. But the way this IEM does drums (not bass) and soundstage, especially when instruments pan to the side channels and the distant elements in the mix, are rather interesting. Since the illusion is similar to that of MEST III to me, I guess BCD works?

if you turn up the anvil quite loud and hold it between your fingers, does it feel like its rumbling? The Origin does, wondering if its actually the same driver.

 

[JamoBroGuy]

For fast paced busy music you can keep an eye out for IEM’s people like for metal. Metal have some of the same traits.

Trust me, this music is different. It's not the typical "EDM" audiophiles describe, it's truly wild. As in like, sometimes on the ADHD level.
So for me it's technicalities first and foremost.

 

[o0genesis0o]

if you turn up the anvil quite loud and hold it between your fingers, does it feel like its rumbling? The Origin does, wondering if its actually the same driver.

with loud and bassy music, I can feel a faint vibration when gently place the ear pieces against my upper lip. Hard to feel any vibration in hand. Maybe I’m worried that I would burn out the drivers so I didn’t turn it loud enough?

 

[theintention]

with loud and bassy music, I can feel a faint vibration when gently place the ear pieces against my upper lip. Hard to feel any vibration in hand. Maybe I’m worried that I would burn out the drivers so I didn’t turn it loud enough?

maybe lol cause on this IEM it DEFINITELY is rumbling a bit in the hand.

 

[theintention]

Okay, first of all, outstanding answer.

You're right, I haven't heard the Cantor. Once I get them I'll form my own opinions and see if they line up with Mark's.
The reason it's so hard for me to really trust any reviewer is because.. well, I haven't seen a single audiophile who listens to the kind of music I do (super fast-paced and intricate electronic music with a lot going on at once). I have tried a few headphones though, and what consistently caught my attention was if it had good separation or not (I wonder why, lmao). So I know that's what I want, and the Cantor presumably has that in spades.

What type of music? I listen to a lot of IDM and DnB, as does @Scubadevils … People here are happy to help where “traditional” YouTube reviewers lack

 

[activatorfly]

First thing today, noticing that it was selling out, I PTT on the Klean. The thing that swayed it was watching this "AndyAudioVault" video....
Andy is straight to the point & given that he's auditioned a shed load of budget sets...he knows what he's talkin' about.

He states that although they aren't exactly a stage monster, the thing that elevates them to > $100 range, is their ability to organically render the decay of instruments, and thus avoids any clipping of reverb trails etc. For binaural soundscapes/electronica this is a prerequisite, and is what really separates out the "Wheat" from the Chaff-Fi !!

My recent (Trio) quandary regarding PTT on either: 1) Explorer 2) QuietSea 3) Klean..is now thankfully over, & my Delci will finally have an newer "more Kefined" brother!

One thing I noticed when listening to iems output from my new Fiio K11 R2R...is how they're appear to be upscaled when rendered via R2R architecture. My WGT-1 now sounds better than when I first received the set. It's akin to reversing the "honeymoon period" methinks. Does anyone who owns this amazing DAC...feel the same way?

 

[sistoz]

Hi guys! Does anyone know this IEM?

YU9 Audio YAN In Ear Monitor
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EvgVcff

BangsAudioReviews put it in his number 1 for price/performance of the year, he is very suprised by its powerful bass and holographic soundstage, but I can't find any other reviews on it...

 

[activatorfly]

It's too early for me to compare.
I can only tell you that it's not a toy.
It's a solid DAC.

Works flawlessly both wired and BT.
Tested FLAC and DSD at various frequencies (only iPhone for now, tomorrow morning PC) without any hitches.
Sounds clear and defined.
Very very good.

So far I prefer it in NON TUBE mode; I can say that the two modes are not slogans: the difference is clear.

I think I hear a sort of crackling in TUBE mode + USB, but I need to make sure that's nothing else.
So far I can say that it's a great product, a big upgrade over the M4.

Tbf, it still confuses me that Shanling releases the M5 Ultra, whilst knowing full well that the MUSE HiFi M5Ultra is already in the marketplace? The former is top of my DAP list for next year, alas it's no wonder people get their wires crossed!