Congratulations bro , these stuff looks really beautiful , eagerly waiting for your impressions specially how they hold their position against Andromeda S ,
Just arrived home and put them through the paces with the Sony 1A and 1Z. I’m going 4.4mm balanced with the Mee audio multi plug adapter cable.
I was slighly worried, maybe a 1 in 10 chance they wouldn’t scale but they do. They scale wonderfully in most areas, which would include bass definition, soundstage and treble smoothness.
The elephant in the room is the midrange and vocals, and please remember here, I’m not a total midrange fanatic. Due to the intensity of treble and bass in EDM, midrange isn’t always a requirement for success. But like the Sony ZR1 full size headphone............midrange seems the easiest slight deficiency to work with.........but.........that could be just me?
So with the Apple Touch 6th generation the midrange factors were harder to identify. Also mind you these IEMs have maybe 4 hours of burn in at this time. My other pair has more hours but I’m not changing cables with it yet, so no critical listening with the Sony DAPs.
Going balanced with the Mee cable 4.4mm is better with the lesser cost 1A at this point. The 1Z naturally out of the box has a forward treble and boosted bass. I’m using FW 3.0 with the 1Z and FW 2.0 with the 1A. I’ve gone and listened to my test tracks which I will list below and feel the 1A simply creates a better balance. Though this is absolutely one of the best values I have ever come across in audio, it’ probibly 80-90% perfect.
Could I sell all my headphones and IEMs and walk away using only the
DM6????................I probibly (almost) could, as it’s that good. Still other IEMs and headphones are going to offer a more complex and harmonically rich (and forward) midrange. I think it’s one of those things where I’m pretty sure I can get around the midrange issue as it’s really only there in a small area of the midrange and not a giant midrange issue like what had to be fixed with the Sony Z7 full-size headphone. It is where the vocals sit but it’s not that bad. And.............I’m pretty sensitive to what I think sounds like hollow or scooped out midrange. In fact the IEM does so much right at so many charming levels that it’s easy to overlook and simply forget about. But remember I like the pulled midrange signature, and always have. This issue is so small that I see it being addressed somewhat with cable build and metal property change outs.........I think cables could go a little way toward improving the mids. Still there is always maybe going to be that area where the midrange is not as rich and robust as other IEMs.
I have heard a bunch of IEMs but have only spent a ton of time with what I own. In comparison to the Z5, the Z5 bass is slighly smoother still the DM6 has amazing bass in pretty much every way. The bass is detailed, goes low, in fact .............and has a charming location of all it’s own in the soundstage. It’s this definition which comes from musical information being set apart from other elements which makes this IEM so magical. The fact that the soundstage is special. Also it’s pretty forgiving of bad files or bad recording. It makes everything sound good. I hate to say this so soon, but this IEM may be just as well rounded as the Z5, but slighly in it’s own way. I can’t easily recommend the Z5, as after you get them you will need a different cable as the one they come with flops around, also the DM6 is way..way more comfortable. It’s hard for me to ever compare the Z5 sound as I love it so, it’s like an IEM wife, or some strange thing.
There is no harsh treble in any way, so again from my last post the treble is just right, being detailed but rolled-off correctly. This is not a treble head IEM, but a slight V enhancement which makes most music fun and come to life. As a value it’s probable to compete with $500-$800 IEMs, that is if you can deal with the slight lack of complexity in the small area of the midrange. I can’t believe how much I like it.
So from my last post only using an IPod, I can now hear the slight issue with the midrange, still it is not a big negative with me. It’s one of those things I became used to with the Z1R and the Z7. Nice 24bit files sound as you would want, 44.1/16 bit is fantastic, MP3 320kbps are totally enjoyable. But I would recommend a good source, as they are revealing enough to show you your source quality. Better source, better quality.
Disclaimer:
These only have a couple hours on them, and I’ve just purchased these IEMs, still I can’t figure anything will change except better sound after burn-in?
Test Music:
Hans Zimmer
The Dark Knight Rises OST 192/24
Thanks that was very informative. So If I understood correctly your saying it is very mildly recessed which can become more neutral with cables? Can you recommend a very cheap cable I good pair with this on my phone to bring that midrange more forward?
Well, I don’t know? The DM6 fits better. And........I just wrote what my first impressions are. As we know there is the new toy hype. So far so good with the DM6, they scale well........but yes, the Z5 sounds expensive has way smoother bass, is a certified winner doing all genres and can scale to higher and higher places with the right gear. I have only had the DM6 for a couple days. Still without a doubt the DM6 sounds way better single ended from an iPod. The Z5 is high maintenance needing juice to start to wake. That’s the thing.......the Z5 is nothing special from a phone but the DM6 is nice.
The real hype here probably comes from the simple fact of the $199 sounding the way it does; that’s a new thing in itself. IMO
@Redcarmoose and @silverfishla, I’m taking both have quite different signatures? I’ve owned the XBA-A3 and really enjoyed its forward bass presentation. I’ve heard the Z5 is less treble forward but similar in presentation. The DM6 has a flatter signature?
Thanks for your impressions. Definitely sounds like DM6 has great value.
Thanks that was very informative. So If I understood correctly your saying it is very mildly recessed which can become more neutral with cables? Can you recommend a very cheap cable I good pair with this on my phone to bring that midrange more forward?
It’s noticeable how the vocal area is slightly pulled from the mix. Where people who are really concerned to use it with vocal music should take note. I really don’t even listen to vocal music so I don’t care. The mids too are slightly thin sounding; meaning they don’t have emphasis, but also don’t have harmonic richness. The mids are just slightly one-dimensional. IMO. And........ it’s hard to say this as everything else is just so great for the money. I used the Sony 1A DAP which is better at balancing to a midcentric signature, but the intrinsic IEM quality was still there with the DM6. The 1A is the best DAP I have with the DM6. Still I spent most of last night using the TA desk-top amp with them.
I am just guessing about a different cable working. I’ve now used it with the included grey/bass cable, though it seems there is an option for the white, more bright cable to be included. Strangely both my pairs came with different cable plugs and the grey cable. First pair had the bigger L shaped plug and the second pair had a straight plug, though there was no mention about the plug configuration on the box?
I’m always slightly sketchy about doing numerous MMCX cable changes as I think the plugs wear out. I don’t believe the sales pitch about the DM6 being able to perform 5000 cable switches before MMCX failure.
Also I would suggest people to just get them and listen, I’m hopping the signature will change slightly after burn in. This midrange character is there but maybe not as pulled-back and noticeable as other V shape IEMs.
The Magaosi K5 (2.0 edition with improvements to cable quality) is another $199 IEM I picked up this weekend, and it has profound midrange emphasis, but unless the eartip seal is not totally correct with the Sony Hybrid Tips, the sound comes offf bass shy. The Magaosi V5 2.0 is a perfect example of maybe a mid-forward “vocal” IEM, but it doesn’t display the natural tone and correctness of the DM6. The Magaosi doesn’t have the largeness of sound stage or filled out presence of the DM6 in the end.IMO
It’s like the Magaosi K5 2.0 is all about the midrange, and the DM6 improves so many other areas of the signature, it leaves the Magaosi K5 2.0 in the dust.
At some point I will try a Han Sound Zen 4 wire with the DM6 and report back, but I need to get one, my Zen I own is two-pin not MMCX. It’s strange as the vocal area of the DM6 sound is slightly pulled in the mix; and will always be there, though at times it’s more noticeable and at times it’s not. It’s absolutely the best instrumental IEM you can get for $199 or less, though there will always be members which are looking for a strictly vocal IEM, which although being fairly well rounded, the DM6 is not 100% perfect due this slight midrange issue.
The Magaosi K5 2.0 is a strictly vocal IEM, but it’s nothing of the sonic value the DM6 is in the end.
Note:
I have found the Sony Hybrid Tips to be the best tips to use with the DM6.
It’s noticeable how the vocal area is slightly pulled from the mix. Where people who are really concerned to use it with vocal music should take note. I really don’t even listen to vocal music so I don’t care. The mids too are slightly thin sounding; meaning they don’t have emphasis, but also don’t have harmonic richness. The mids are just slightly one-dimensional. IMO. And........ it’s hard to say this as everything else is just so great for the money. I used the Sony 1A DAP which is better at balancing to a midcentric signature, but the intrinsic IEM quality was still there with the DM6. The 1A is the best DAP I have with the DM6. Still I spent most of last night using the TA desk-top amp with them.
I am just guessing about a different cable working. I’ve now used it with the included grey/bass cable, though it seems there is an option for the white, more bright cable to be included. Strangely both my pairs came with different cable plugs and the grey cable. First pair had the bigger L shaped plug and the second pair had a straight plug, though there was no mention about the plug configuration on the box?
I’m always slightly sketchy about doing numerous MMCX cable changes as I think the plugs wear out. I don’t believe the sales pitch about the DM6 being able to perform 5000 cable switches before MMCX failure.
Also I would suggest people to just get them and listen, I’m hopping the signature will change slightly after burn in. This midrange character is there but maybe not as pulled-back and noticeable as other V shape IEMs.
The Magaosi K5 (2.0 edition with improvements to cable quality) is another $199 IEM I picked up this weekend, and it has profound midrange emphasis, but unless the eartip seal is not totally correct with the Sony Hybrid Tips, the sound comes offf bass shy. The Magaosi V5 2.0 is a perfect example of maybe a mid-forward “vocal” IEM, but it doesn’t display the natural tone and correctness of the DM6. The Magaosi doesn’t have the largeness of sound stage or filled out presence of the DM6 in the end.IMO
It’s like the Magaosi K5 2.0 is all about the midrange, and the DM6 improves so many other areas of the signature, it leaves the Magaosi K5 2.0 in the dust.
At some point I will try a Han Sound Zen 4 wire with the DM6 and report back, but I need to get one, my Zen I own is two-pin not MMCX. It’s strange as the vocal area of the DM6 sound is slightly pulled in the mix; and will always be there, though at times it’s more noticeable and at times it’s not. It’s absolutely the best instrumental IEM you can get for $199 or less, though there will always be members which are looking for a strictly vocal IEM, which although being fairly well rounded, the DM6 is not 100% perfect due this slight midrange issue.
The Magaosi K5 2.0 is a strictly vocal IEM, but it’s nothing of the sonic value the DM6 is in the end.
Note:
I have found the Sony Hybrid Tips to be the best tips to use with the DM6.
Thanks ever so much, this was a very detailed response. I guess I'll probably just cancel my dm6 order then because I am looking for clear, full and well done vocals that is not recessed with a good soundstage for movies. Most of the recent users have mentioned about this having slightly recessed midrange so I feel it will not be an upgrade over my os v3 now.
I have been very tempted to buy a pair of Fender Puresonic IEMs Jant likes but have always held off. So today I thought to look at the website of Long and Mcquade a national yet local music store here in Canada and they had the Fender FXA2 on sale for $139 CAD which is the lowest I have ever seen for that IEM. So figured it would be close to the Puresonic and allow me to play with cable options.
So here are my new bad boys,
Have to say I have been shy to buy anything Aurisonic since the Rockets because I was not that happy with that particular IEM. But this FXA2 has a great signature. Nice beefy bass, liquid mids, relaxed yet detailed treble. May not match up to the best chi fi stuff or have multi drivers but this one chill sounding single dynamic driver IEM. For $139 it's a pretty good deal and scratched my itch to try a Fender IEM for the past couple of years.
Jant, have you heard the FXA2? If so how does it compare to the Puresonic models? Looking at specs I suspect they share the same driver but it always hard to say for sure.
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