PhonoPhi
Headphoneus Supremus
Merga Orangy Reemergence
(I felt almost qualified to apply for a KZ text writer position, and to include tongue twisters as a skill in my resume)
Merga has been fitted and explored with Lacquer/Liquor tips - and it definitely worked!
Not to transform $13 to $1500 IEM, and my expectations were quite high - but treble and mids were a bit attenuated by these tips to bring a bit more midbass.
The result - light not thin, "light and plucky (as in pizzicato)" would be my main description of Merga. 4 membranes of 2 DDs are oscillating readily perhaps (?)
Again, a likeable overall tuning from the start. The treble is nicely extended.
From ZS10 pro series - this signature is great for electric guitars. Works nicely for classical strings (limited me do prefer BA rendering).
To try to summarize - Merga can definitely make a great first IEM; for more seasoned audiophiles here - rather not Trio (Trio is more earthy and easier to like right away). So if you may look for a lighter sound (not sacrificing deep bass) - Merga is there.
With 2 DDs, Merga beats EDX/EDA series in many/most features. Great IEM under $20. Not outcompeting Castor Harman to my ears, but technically more advanced (a tie).
My revelation came from Celest Phoenixcall- which felt a bit timid and uneventful at first due to its low pinna gain, I surmise,(many of my favourite IEMs have huge pinna gains of 12+ dB - my ears/brain survive and enjoy it). With Phoenixcall, I was lucky to leave it in my ears for about 30 minutes, and there I was amazed that my ears/brain realign to start to resolve finer features with this signature in a very different and very much enjoyable experience.
Plutus were a great experience in a different plane, so it was no way that I could not order Relentless (almost here).
In the same vein, AS24 - while plain to many from the first impressions - totally shine for me when listening in longer time sessions.
After this revelational experience, I am trying to listen for longer times as much as I can, and have harder time to understand how anyone can deliver any unbiased impressions orher than spending tons of time and efforts!
(I felt almost qualified to apply for a KZ text writer position, and to include tongue twisters as a skill in my resume)
Not to transform $13 to $1500 IEM, and my expectations were quite high - but treble and mids were a bit attenuated by these tips to bring a bit more midbass.
The result - light not thin, "light and plucky (as in pizzicato)" would be my main description of Merga. 4 membranes of 2 DDs are oscillating readily perhaps (?)
Again, a likeable overall tuning from the start. The treble is nicely extended.
From ZS10 pro series - this signature is great for electric guitars. Works nicely for classical strings (limited me do prefer BA rendering).
To try to summarize - Merga can definitely make a great first IEM; for more seasoned audiophiles here - rather not Trio (Trio is more earthy and easier to like right away). So if you may look for a lighter sound (not sacrificing deep bass) - Merga is there.
With 2 DDs, Merga beats EDX/EDA series in many/most features. Great IEM under $20. Not outcompeting Castor Harman to my ears, but technically more advanced (a tie).
AB tests really started to scary me after I realized that ears/brain adjustment to B after A, and to A after B can take more than 15 minutes, so fast flipping does not remove previous bias (imprint, hysteresis) and may be very limited.I did a bunch of AB tests today to finalise the review of some IEMs. It shocks me how similar most of them sound, with perhaps a bit better stage there, nicer bass here. Too many same same.
Perhaps our community needs to recall that our brain can EQ anything and if they want something “cool” with character, they need to deviate from the same Harman-ish target.
My revelation came from Celest Phoenixcall- which felt a bit timid and uneventful at first due to its low pinna gain, I surmise,(many of my favourite IEMs have huge pinna gains of 12+ dB - my ears/brain survive and enjoy it). With Phoenixcall, I was lucky to leave it in my ears for about 30 minutes, and there I was amazed that my ears/brain realign to start to resolve finer features with this signature in a very different and very much enjoyable experience.
Plutus were a great experience in a different plane, so it was no way that I could not order Relentless (almost here).
In the same vein, AS24 - while plain to many from the first impressions - totally shine for me when listening in longer time sessions.
After this revelational experience, I am trying to listen for longer times as much as I can, and have harder time to understand how anyone can deliver any unbiased impressions orher than spending tons of time and efforts!
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