Amen, Hervie. Bang on.
Outstanding description. This writer/editor tips his pen toward you in a salute.
As I will say at band practice later this evening, "Spark up!"
No shame in wanting a TWS can for convenience and ANC. And the Senny M4s are very, very good within that space. Better overall sound than Sony and Bose, for sure, but those two brands have better ANC.
I think that's because a lot of headphone manufacturers have a house sound or tuning philosophy and stick to it, for the most part. If you buy a HiFiMan, you're going to get recessed mids, planar bass and some glaring treble, at least at lower price points. If you buy any Senny 6 series can, you're going to get remarkable mids. If you buy many Focal or Audeze models, count on weird mids that demand EQ. And so on.
IEM manufacturers can be a bit more daring with tuning variety because multiple drivers and driver type allow a granularity in tuning that I don't see as much in over-ear cans. ZMF tunes quite differently across its models, but that's kind of rare.
Those excellent photos identify a potential problem with the burgeoning IEM industry in 2025 -- just how big can manufacturers go?
Many enthusiasts with small ears already can't use some of the models with a zillion drivers stuffed into a shell because the units are just too damn big. And it just seems like there is no limit to the size increase, as adding drivers still is all the rage for marketing among IEM companies, equating quantity with quality. Then you see a damn good -- but HUGE -- IEM like the BrainDance earn critical acclaim, and that will only motivate more companies to release f*cking Hickory Farms-thick sausage slices as new IEM models in 2025.
That's not good for the hobby, as fit will prevent some people from enjoying IEMs.
Reminds me of the evolution of pickup trucks in America over the last 40 years. I owned a small pickup in the late 80s, a Ford Ranger. It truly was a compact pickup. Now "compact" pickups in America seemingly are the size of F-150 full-sized trucks in the 1980s. This allows manufacturers to charge more for bigger vehicles even though they're overkill for probably 75 percent of truck owners.
Hope you're feeling better, mate.
I may be a bit scarce here the next few days, also for illness, but I'm heartsick. One of our two cats, Chuck, died last night after a brief illness. We're not crazy pet people who consider pets to be children -- I have three of the real thing. But they do become family members, and it's always tough to say goodbye.
At least Chuck didn't suffer much, and my eldest son was home from Colorado and helped me dig a grave in the backyard at 3 a.m. this morning so we could give him a quick and proper burial. My son was the closest of our three kids to the Big Fella, and I'm glad he was here to say farewell in person.
Chuck was a 20-pound fur ball of contradictions. Weird and independent, yet fiercely loyal. He could swat at your hand and five minutes later plant his big body on your chest on the couch. Social as hell but terrified of noise. Probably all byproducts of being a stray that we brought into our home in January 2017, and we learned two weeks ago during an X-ray at the vet that some a-hole shot him with a pellet before we rescued him! The pellet still was in his body.
I wish we had more time with the Big Killer, but he gave us nearly eight years of laughter and joy with his unique combination of playfulness and strangeness.
See you on the other side, Big Man.
Three of your five also are on my potential hit list, Hervie: P7, Cadenza 4 and BrainDance. You're a man of exquisite taste!
Hmm. This is a buffet for thought. I was pretty locked into buying the P5+2. But I've watched a ton of videos slinging praise on the BrainDance and now your recommendation of the C4 over the P5+2.
Decisions, decisions ...
canal , really close to the ear drum 
. But Ithat would be an overstatement .
at all the details . Hearing the DNA 
inside the music.
️. I think CANTOR maybe coming for your crown 
.
in the Oven. That’s one Amazing Rig.
