[ehjie]

Those Clear shells. very good looking as ever!

The Orbs laid the Bass foundations of the range, including the Fans, Serials and probably the Volts...

 

[ehjie]

I hear Ole' blue eyes, I remember @Dsnuts, and I shall call this shot "the winning smile..."

 

[morndewey]

Speaking of cables. . .this one pairs incredibly well with the Serial.



I have had the privilege of testing an Effect Audio Prototype (#32), and it pairs insanely well with the Serial and RU6. The holographic staging is in full effect and this pairing is so immersive, I can't stop listening. I am having a blast hearing how well the Serial's scale with a good cable, and this one is no doubt gonna make some waves once it's released. It's freaking ridiculous how good these iems sound!

All the Serial raptures have really made me question my decision to sell.
Beyond initial impressions I couldn’t get past what sounded to me like a flat or even muffled signature.
Tried every mid-tier cable in my arsenal, gain adjustments, tips, couldn’t find the air and crispness I like.
Probably should have stuck longer but it wasn’t even close.
3DT is more my pleasure but that’s the other extreme vs Serial insofar as air and sparkle.
Fortunately affordable enough to try again someday.

 

[rattlingblanketwoman]

All the Serial raptures have really made me question my decision to sell.
Beyond initial impressions I couldn’t get past what sounded to me like a flat or even muffled signature.
Tried every mid-tier cable in my arsenal, gain adjustments, tips, couldn’t find the air and crispness I like.
Probably should have stuck longer but it wasn’t even close.
3DT is more my pleasure but that’s the other extreme vs Serial insofar as air and sparkle.
Fortunately affordable enough to try again someday.

That was my impression with several tips soon after I got them. The second time I owned them the previous user has been burning them in (not sure how much I do or don’t think that affects things much, but mentioning it) and I used the eHorn tips. It still too a while for treble to feel as uncompromised as it does now.

 

[little grayman]

I hear Ole' blue eyes, I remember @Dsnuts, and I shall call this shot "the winning smile..."

I was hoping you could help me in deciding between the Volt and the UM MestII and CF Nio, thanks in advance.

 

[H T T]

All the Serial raptures have really made me question my decision to sell.
Beyond initial impressions I couldn’t get past what sounded to me like a flat or even muffled signature.
Tried every mid-tier cable in my arsenal, gain adjustments, tips, couldn’t find the air and crispness I like.
Probably should have stuck longer but it wasn’t even close.
3DT is more my pleasure but that’s the other extreme vs Serial insofar as air and sparkle.
Fortunately affordable enough to try again someday.

That was my impression with several tips soon after I got them. The second time I owned them the previous user has been burning them in (not sure how much I do or don’t think that affects things much, but mentioning it) and I used the eHorn tips. It still too a while for treble to feel as uncompromised as it does now.

My one quibble with the Serial was “rounded” attack on percussive instruments like piano. I tried the Sands’ cable on the Serial and that brought out the percussive attack I was missing.

 

[LoryWiv]

All the Serial raptures have really made me question my decision to sell.
Beyond initial impressions I couldn’t get past what sounded to me like a flat or even muffled signature.
Tried every mid-tier cable in my arsenal, gain adjustments, tips, couldn’t find the air and crispness I like.
Probably should have stuck longer but it wasn’t even close.
3DT is more my pleasure but that’s the other extreme vs Serial insofar as air and sparkle.
Fortunately affordable enough to try again someday.

I am a bit treble sensitive but somehow the 3DT hits the spot for me, perhaps because I'm pairing it with a HiBy RS6 R2R that adds an analogue / organic flavor. If the Serial has less air and sparkle it's probably not a good paring with RS6 IMO. YMMV of course.

 

[ehjie]

I was hoping you could help me in deciding between the Volt and the UM MestII and CF Nio, thanks in advance.

Oh. Comparing The VOLT to Mest2 and the Nio is improbable for me. I haven't auditioned both.
However, there are lots of reliable reviews all over so you can deduce.
https://headfonics.com/unique-melody-mest-mkii-review/
https://twister6.com/2021/04/11/unique-melody-um-mest-mkii/
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/unique-melody-mest-mkii.25035/reviews
https://crinacle.com/2020/11/24/64-audio-nio-review-the-real-n8/
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/64-audio-nio.24741/reviews
https://www.headphones.com/communit...ip-shootout-nio-u12t-tia-trio-u18t-tia-fourte
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/64-audio-nio.24741/reviews


As for the Volts:
For:
1. Genuine flagship build and sound quality, good separation, decent layering
2. Very Good Value for money
3. One of the best mids - at any price range, large scale of imaging
4. Very good bass rumble, texture, timbre perfect percussion* - level of fidelity is very high
5. Overall more euphoric than analytical, more macro than low level details
6. Will play 100 % of your playlist - any genre will play very well - most especially on the human voice, very forgiving on bright and bad recordings

Against:
1. Needs a fairly powerful source - I suspect the est high and super high drivers draw power from the source amp stage, as well as the dynamic driver require high current as well.

Giving it power, fantastic dynamic range, impactful lows, very liquid MIDS, and a timbre correct top - as well as a fairly large imaging on all axes and scale to boot - IS THE REWARD.
Kindly note that solid state current and vacuum tube current maybe represented differently in the output stages of amplification.
1a. (For me) a cable upgrade is imperative for it to (really) sing
1b. One of the modern releases for near field holo. imaging (surround, around the periphery of the head), as opposed to mainly front of head holo. imaging. Think CA Solaris classic, Kaiser Encore and the likes. This will perceive the listener as having a more close in depth of field imaging. But in realistic listening experience it IS not.
2. * depending on your expectation of gain in the upper treble - this is not the Volt's highlight - no not the treble, but the MIds is the star of the show here. Both bass and treble compliment the superior mids to complete a performance. Definitely not for Trebleheads

A COUPLE of case studies:
A holographic imaging perfect rendering. A band performance on a stage, correct positioning of players and their instruments. Excellent width and height, very deep from the Solaris Classic, depth on the Volts is more closed in. Scale of imaging is virtually the same. Overall Timbre is better on the Volts

A similar rendering, this time off Centre band placement, right side wider - with the impression some sound is coming from another room (to the right)
Both the Classic and the Volt have great holographic imaging width


A mids done right, is a perfect headphone In my book...

 

[Wes S]

My one quibble with the Serial was “rounded” attack on percussive instruments like piano. I tried the Sands’ cable on the Serial and that brought out the percussive attack I was missing.

Had the same issues with the stock tips and cable. Those issues are completely gone, with tip and cable rolling.

 

[BrokenHill]

All the Serial raptures have really made me question my decision to sell.
Beyond initial impressions I couldn’t get past what sounded to me like a flat or even muffled signature.
Tried every mid-tier cable in my arsenal, gain adjustments, tips, couldn’t find the air and crispness I like.
Probably should have stuck longer but it wasn’t even close.
3DT is more my pleasure but that’s the other extreme vs Serial insofar as air and sparkle.
Fortunately affordable enough to try again someday.

Hi.
One thing to keep in mind with Serials is that they require a deep insert to do its best. Try some tips that allow it, and at the same time have a wide bore so as not to lose treble. We each have our favorite tips. In my case it was the xelastec and recently the sedna crystal. A wire with more silver can also help. I have tried the Penon Mix, but in the end my Serials go with the ISN G4. Sometimes I put the ISN Solar that I have for my Volts on them, and the combination is sublime, and it enhances the treble. As many colleagues have said, with the Serial, even though the stock is very good, tips and cable rolling are necessary, but when you find the right combination... it's fantastic!

 

[BrokenHill]

Oh. Comparing The VOLT to Mest2 and the Nio is improbable for me. I haven't auditioned both.
However, there are lots of reliable reviews all over so you can deduce.
https://headfonics.com/unique-melody-mest-mkii-review/
https://twister6.com/2021/04/11/unique-melody-um-mest-mkii/
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/unique-melody-mest-mkii.25035/reviews
https://crinacle.com/2020/11/24/64-audio-nio-review-the-real-n8/
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/64-audio-nio.24741/reviews
https://www.headphones.com/communit...ip-shootout-nio-u12t-tia-trio-u18t-tia-fourte
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/64-audio-nio.24741/reviews


As for the Volts:
For:
1. Genuine flagship build and sound quality, good separation, decent layering
2. Very Good Value for money
3. One of the best mids - at any price range, large scale of imaging
4. Very good bass rumble, texture, timbre perfect percussion* - level of fidelity is very high
5. Overall more euphoric than analytical, more macro than low level details
6. Will play 100 % of your playlist - any genre will play very well - most especially on the human voice, very forgiving on bright and bad recordings

Against:
1. Needs a fairly powerful source - I suspect the est high and super high drivers draw power from the source amp stage, as well as the dynamic driver require high current as well.

Giving it power, fantastic dynamic range, impactful lows, very liquid MIDS, and a timbre correct top - as well as a fairly large imaging on all axes and scale to boot - IS THE REWARD.
Kindly note that solid state current and vacuum tube current maybe represented differently in the output stages of amplification.
1a. (For me) a cable upgrade is imperative for it to (really) sing
1b. One of the modern releases for near field holo. imaging (surround, around the periphery of the head), as opposed to mainly front of head holo. imaging. Think CA Solaris classic, Kaiser Encore and the likes. This will perceive the listener as having a more close in depth of field imaging. But in realistic listening experience it IS not.
2. * depending on your expectation of gain in the upper treble - this is not the Volt's highlight - no not the treble, but the MIds is the star of the show here. Both bass and treble compliment the superior mids to complete a performance. Definitely not for Trebleheads

A COUPLE of case studies:
A holographic imaging perfect rendering. A band performance on a stage, correct positioning of players and their instruments. Excellent width and height, very deep from the Solaris Classic, depth on the Volts is more closed in. Scale of imaging is virtually the same. Overall Timbre is better on the Volts

A similar rendering, this time off Centre band placement, right side wider - with the impression some sound is coming in another room (to the right)
Both the Classic and the Volt have great holographic imaging width


A mids done right, is a perfect headphone In my book...

Excellent summary of the Volts, and excellent musical taste.

 

[-rowan-]

OS133 with Serial.

I thought the Serial was sorted with the PAC480, but that’s going to change now.

The PAC480 is the more fun of the two, and if you want to really max out that amazing Serial sub bass, the PAC480 will do it happily.

But the OS133 offers a completely different proposition. More note space, a wider stage and more treble detail. It’s very discernible in the added realism it brings to cymbals, tambourines and such.

(A lot of it is still to do with burn in and deep insertion, especially for the Serial - but if, like me, you could always use an extra bit of treble information, this is a pretty sweet surprise).

I plan to get one anyway when the Vortex lands.

Ha! Famous last words. Getting a second one when the Vortex lands. Or maybe before.

 

[morndewey]

OS133 with Serial.

I thought the Serial was sorted with the PAC480, but that’s going to change now.

The PAC480 is the more fun of the two, and if you want to really max out that amazing Serial sub bass, the PAC480 will do it happily.

But the OS133 offers a completely different proposition. More note space, a wider stage and more treble detail. It’s very discernible in the added realism it brings to cymbals, tambourines and such.

(A lot of it is still to do with burn in and deep insertion, especially for the Serial - but if, like me, you could always use an extra bit of treble information, this is a pretty sweet surprise).



Ha! Famous last words. Getting a second one when the Vortex lands. Or maybe before.

Very nice photo

 

[-rowan-]

OS133 with Serial.

I thought the Serial was sorted with the PAC480, but that’s going to change now.

The PAC480 is the more fun of the two, and if you want to really max out that amazing Serial sub bass, the PAC480 will do it happily.

But the OS133 offers a completely different proposition. More note space, a wider stage and more treble detail. It’s very discernible in the added realism it brings to cymbals, tambourines and such.

(A lot of it is still to do with burn in and deep insertion, especially for the Serial - but if, like me, you could always use an extra bit of treble information, this is a pretty sweet surprise).

I realised I forgot to add my verdict: the OS133 is the least expensive cable I’ve tried yet that is able to offer such noticeable improvements to the Serial. A no brainer at its current price of just under $40.

Very nice photo

Thanks! Very nice IEMs, that’s what

 

[ehjie]

Excellent summary of the Volts, and excellent musical taste.

Thank you for the kind words.
The Volt's gift to our ears - absolute fidelity for the money. Simple as it would seem, a lovely voice, string and a brass. Penon sends us into a trance^ - Fluid, engaging, interesting, the exact opposite of boring.

Track 8
https://www.discogs.com/release/210636-Various-Triphoprisy
^neither awake nor asleep. Please don't blame if you stay up for long listening hours, LOL