[pk4425]

A lot of pop is great! Check out Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX, Charlotte Day Wilson, Lizzy McAlpine, Oklou, Empress Of, Imogen Heap, just to name a few…

New Dua Lipa made my day actively worse though stay away from that

Don't forget Maggie Rogers!

 

[Yari]

Just struck me why I really dig my Trio. I use the prat dynamics plugin (bass, treble, mids) from joebloggs on my source device HiBY M300 and also his 'limit bias' slider. I don't know details of their functioning, but together it does couple of things: that 'thinness' is gone and that oomph slam on how bass slams magnifies.
When you wrote thinness, that pricked my ears and I went to my device and realised I have em on default these days and taken em for granted. A/b ed ( sorry, we don't use compared!) it on and off the plugin, and I can hear what you hear.

Used to use soundstage plugins before but they don't satisfy me for long and so stopped those.

Thanks @Joe Bloggs for elevating the aural experience.

Ran into your comment, managed to get it working with Shizuku and RJDSP, its pretty cool. I'm just wondering if Shizuku needs to be on at all times, if you know? Not sure what is required to keep the plugins from staying active.

 

[Singaravelan]

Ran into your comment, managed to get it working with Shizuku and RJDSP, its pretty cool. I'm just wondering if Shizuku needs to be on at all times, if you know? Not sure what is required to keep the plugins from staying active.

Hmm. I used shizuku once to install. Haven't touched it after that. Rjdsp is the main go-to from then on. Its on button (near bottom of screen) is what makes plugins remain active. Unless new versions has something else that I am unaware of.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

100% my taste as well. Usually the first thing I do with any new IEM is to fire up None So Vile by Cryptopsy because I've listened to that thing a thousand times, and then Mgła and Ulcerate to hear that wonderful cymbal work. If it gets me this realistic energetic, visceral cymbal strikes with that extended, lingering shimmer then it's a keeper.

It's actually hard to pass the test. Most IEMs in my signature don't.


Like many there was a time I thought I was treble sensitive, when in fact it's the 2-5kHz region that really ruins it for me.

Absolutely LOVE that record, and it's also one of my test albums! Well done. I also use Arsis - We are the Nightmare for testing capabilities and extension. \m/ \m/

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

yes, Hakugei had an one with the same name

Sea Elf? Terrible IEM.

 

[pk4425]

It's one of those items that isn't perfect but it is in that weird price point. It's just so good. Like it's just right tonal balance with great extension. Good price-to-performance ratio. Like I love it. How much.? Hard to say. If I didn't have a pile of stuff and hifiguides drama to deal with over eviscerating some iem in a Youtube review not long ago...

Jay, you're a saint for putting up with the pretentious BS from those two interloper jackoffs in that thread. I like HiFiGuides -- visit it just as much as here. But those two motherf*ckers treating their opinion like it was objective gospel was ridiculous.

Keep doing your thing, man!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Wow, that is a bolder IEM to wear than Dioko
The faceplate images also evoke associations with rodents somehow...
I would be really curious of personalities of those wearing such IEMs.

Anyhow, to the recent budget hybrids:
ZS10 pro 2, ST7 and more.

ST7 is again more treble-prominent to me than ZS10 pro 2 (my treble sensitivity is at 5.5-7 kHz).
ST7 feels closer to ZS10 pro X, and competes with the latter greatly with ST7 price and being tuned a bit differently.
The stage and resolution of all three are nice, especially for the price.
In contrast, much praised/hyped Simgot E6ML feel much more timid, and I could never understand how E6ML can be great for $100-120 (??). No more of E6ML hype now, right?

Compared to ST7, ZS10 pro 2 have some tuning genes/traits of Rhapsody and Trio, and is one-generation ahead of 10 pro X and ST7. I will be curious to hear @FreeWheelinAudioLuv2 comparison of ST7 and ZS10 pro 2.

ZAT with the most treble-enhancing switches and the nozzle mesh removed is most to my liking of all my hybrids. Celest Plutus with the freed treble by the nozzle mesh removal is my great "basshead" hybrid.
Phoenixcall required adaptation time, but it was really great different listening experience when ears retuned to its lower pinna gain.
Best treble out of my budget hybrids is that of 1More Penta.
Lastly, I still appreciate old CCA CA16 for its relative forgiveness to the recording quality and seamless DD/BA integration.
In contrast, smooth DD/BA integration can't be the case with the recent praised/hyped Hydro, IMO, due to its 8 identical BAs firing in the same range. The achieved great BA smoothness must be its stellar feature, but not the range and DD/BA transition. So I will wait for the next KZ hybrid hopefully further building upon ZAT.

I'll surely compare as soon as I get the KZ in, which is traveling abysmally slow compared to the ST7.

 

[pk4425]

Waifu box? pffft, thats outdated.
Here's WAIFU FACEPLATE in COLORS

Jesus H. To each their own, but I do not get the entire fascination with Japanese cartoon softcore kiddie porn. Waifu sounds like Wagyu beef on a waffle for breakfast to me.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

The Starriver was indeed a treble heads wet dream!

ikr! But it was a very tizzy and BA type timbre, and even after intense burn in, where's the bass?! The bass didn't improve in quality OR quantity.

 

[activatorfly]

Jesus H. To each their own, but I do not get the entire fascination with Japanese cartoon softcore kiddie porn. Waifu sounds like Wagyu beef on a waffle for breakfast to me.

I couldn't agree more...maybe it's more subtle, alas it's no less blatant than the Wall's ice-cream logo, which is exactly the same as the pedo heart swirl aka GirlLover logo??

 

[thaslaya]

That ear gain compensation makes it difficult to recommend anything comparable, unless you're ready to go big:


Zeos said many months ago in a video that he has a collaboration coming up based on the Volume with Softears. I haven't heard anything about it since.

Thanks I appreciate it! It was more just a question out of curiosity to see what graphs similar to the Volume. I doubt I'll ever be able to move up to the Glacier price point but it could be a possibly used purchase if I save up awhile.

 

[F700]

What gear so far in 2024 has interested you guys the most??

Hopefully not too late in the party… All the following items fall into the #analogue_sounding category:

1) Oriolus Traillii Ti - Endgame station reached. All curtains down.

2) Hiby R8 II - A full-featured DAP with the best sound I came across in the DAP-world with streaming services and WiFi (at the exception of the N30LE). Battery life is insane and the EQ features are at the top of nowadays possibilities in the portable world.

3) Canpur CP54e - Blind purchase that turned into a jackpot, soundwise. Best « fun » tuning with amazing vocals and highly textured, pounding bass. All of this w/o any DD under the shells. Btw, the higher frequencies are deliciously tuned.

4) VE Prime DAC Gold - VE hit a homerun with this 1kg small footprint DAC. It’s a very limited edition, but worth the attention of portable and/or desktop listeners.

5) Calyx K - USB-DAC with a 3.5mm HO only, but with big, analog and emotional sound. Sounds as good as the Calyx M DAP.

 

[PhonoPhi]

I shall also wait for freewheel 's comparisons of Pro2 and TRN.

But wrt above comment... If that "BA/DD transition" is achieved, then how do you expect it to play out in layman's terms? What would be the soundscape projected as compared to how Hydro plays out now?

Different drivers have different timbre (overtone series) due to different geometries of their membranes.

DDs being most common are often associated with "natural timbre" to many. BAs sound differently, especially in the extreme of indampened small size-ones, like good old KZ 30095.

In DD-BA hybrids, the transition between DD range (usually lows) and BA range (usually highs), especially with a single BA can be quite noticeable and often problematic for timbre/naturalness perception.
My most drastic experience with the DD-BA transition was with old Fiio F1H, where lower and upper notes of the cello in a string quartet felt like of two different instruments.

The DD-BA transition can be alleviated by BA damping (e.g. in Sonion BAs), side-firing BAs (e.g. Sony) or simply using more BAs to smoothen the transition, like in CCA CA16.

 

[thaslaya]

or simply using more BAs to smoothen the transition, like in CCA CACA16.

KZ: "More drivers? "

 

[PhonoPhi]

KZ: "More drivers? "

Absolutely.
It always worked for KZ, more is better despite naysayers' negativity and all unfounded allegations of not-functional drivers.
The recent example is "highly praised/hyped" Hydro with 8 same BAs firing for great smoothness (I do not have Hydro and do not plan getting one). Smoothness of more BAs is in direct analogy between a single violin and a violin orchestral section, if you know what I mean.