[DrewVz]

hahahaha, ya tbh sound quality from a cable isn't my biggest concern. and you aren't wrong, these things are already monster details but i could use an extra spark on the treble now and then. I am more concerned with swapping out the OG cable to something nicer and modular. if you find the time to do that i would appreciate it

I'm sure you've been here already, but:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/oriolus-szalayi-iem-discussion-thread.964150/page-48


Frankly, the stock cable is excellent. It sounds great, it's supple and smooth, and it's very non-microphonic. Yes, you might find something with better staging and a fuller sound, but the stock cable is actually very nice. If you want more sparkle, maybe something with more silver or palladium would be your best bet. I tend to look for cables in the other direction, where the sound is smoother with a broader soundstage.

 

[theintention]

ASOS is a great allrouder meaning it will be very versatile. For more details you want some silver as a part of the cable make up.


New version of the Penon Mix is modular. You want extra sparkle this should do it but then half of its cores are a very solid crystal copper. My gut feeling is this is what your looking for. And it is one of the softest most pliable cable Penon makes. Great cable. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/penon-mix.25122/review/25789/ My old 2021 review on them

This pic looks better then the ones on the site... def like this way more seeing it, thank you.

I'm sure you've been here already, but:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/oriolus-szalayi-iem-discussion-thread.964150/page-48


Frankly, the stock cable is excellent. It sounds great, it's supple and smooth, and it's very non-microphonic. Yes, you might find something with better staging and a fuller sound, but the stock cable is actually very nice. If you want more sparkle, maybe something with more silver or palladium would be your best bet. I tend to look for cables in the other direction, where the sound is smoother with a broader soundstage.

oh, i love the stock cable, i guess i worded that wrong. I just want something modular. need to find another of these stock cables actually, i want it on other IEMs...

 

[bschnell9]

This pic looks better then the ones on the site... def like this way more seeing it, thank you.

That’s the Mix cable in the picture. Weren’t you saying you didn’t like the ASOS look?

 

[Danx3k]

Any of you guys with the Quattro that also have the ISN S2, tried this pairing?

Also, does the blue sleeve of the cable match the blue of the faceplate?

I had the H2 back when I had the 10th. Whilst I loved the look of the cable, I found the modular plug annoying as it would come loose easily. I also found the cable a bit too rigid, especially without ear hooks - as it didn’t really have the flexibility to bend around the ear too well.

However Penon said they can put a soldered/ fixed 4.4mm plug on, as well as ear hooks, which fixes the two issues I had with it.

 

[jsmiller58]

See...I have the opposite experience; to me EQ ruins the sound, when I switch it off, instant improvement.

You may have misunderstood…. I meant that to me turning on EQ ruins the sound, then after a while (let’s say two hours of listening) turning off EQ ruins the sound. Rinse and repeat. To me that’s a simple experiment to demonstrate brain burn in.

 

[RunWithOne]

See...I have the opposite experience; to me EQ ruins the sound, when I switch it off, instant improvement.

I'm curious about which EQ settings you use on which devices.

 

[Sheeno101]

Yes, I'm confused about how adding EQ can be said to ruin sound. Surely it depends what EQ is added, what gear is used and what song is being played. To me it's like saying that adding paint to a painting ruins it; it only ruins it if applied incorrectly. I take the opposite view, which is that EQ can always improve the sound as it's impossible that an IEM's stock tuning will be 100% perfect to someone's tastes for any given song. It may be good enough that there is no point in EQing, but that doesn't mean tiny improvements couldn't be theoretically made.

 

[Singaravelan]

You folks are playing a semantics game, not sure why. The intent is that the customer should not judge the IEMs on a brief experience without allowing adequate burn-in. They recommend 200 hours for the Quattro before passing judgment. If you don't want to do this, then don't buy the product. But they're trying to limit the bad reviews by providing the cautionary statement ahead of time. You can't fault them for that.

An educated consumer is their best customer. I'm not sure why folks are blasting them for that.

Aful P 8s had suggested in the literature they had sent with the product to burn-in at least 100 hours.

 

[RunWithOne]

I hope I can help, this is from the Beyerdynamic Help Center:

Breaking in the headphones is not absolutely necessary. Whether a difference in sound can be perceived when using headphones depends on the headphones and individual hearing ability.

Even without a break-in phase, it is completely normal that minimal changes in the sound of the headphones become noticeable after a certain period of use. This could, for example, mean that the headphones sound a little softer in the highs.

After a certain amount of time, sound improvements are often noticed that cannot be measured. This is called the so-called adaptation effect. The human ear gets used to the sound of headphones. Sound features that may initially have been perceived as disturbing become less intense over time or are not perceived at all.

It is therefore strongly recommended not to rely on the first (sound) impression and make a quick judgment, but rather to listen to the headphones over a longer period of time.

 

[szore]

You may have misunderstood…. I meant that to me turning on EQ ruins the sound, then after a while (let’s say two hours of listening) turning off EQ ruins the sound. Rinse and repeat. To me that’s a simple experiment to demonstrate brain burn in.

No, I understood you. I have the opposite experience.

 

[szore]

Yes, I'm confused about how adding EQ can be said to ruin sound. Surely it depends what EQ is added, what gear is used and what song is being played. To me it's like saying that adding paint to a painting ruins it; it only ruins it if applied incorrectly. I take the opposite view, which is that EQ can always improve the sound as it's impossible that an IEM's stock tuning will be 100% perfect to someone's tastes for any given song. It may be good enough that there is no point in EQing, but that doesn't mean tiny improvements couldn't be theoretically made.

To me EQ ruins the fidelity of the sound. It's all I can say. If you need and like EQ, enjoy.

 

[BobJS]

Regarding burn-in, I'm sure there is some physical (vs brain adaptation) burn-in with SOME DD drivers. But I'm not going to be saying anything that hasn't been said thousands of times. My favorite skeptic's retorts :

1. If physical changes due to burn-in are real, why do they always make the sound "better"?
2. Amazing how the hours of burn-in "required" always seems to put the IEM just outside of the return period.

 

[Danx3k]

Quattro is definitely an iem that’s really enjoyable and plays well with the right music, but definitely not suitable for others. I’m completely okay with that, as it offers me something I didn’t previously have.

My Helios SE is that same, but in regard to not being great with certain genres but excels at others. They’re just polar opposites, in terms of the music they work well with.

I’m surprised some people said it lacked treble extension or couldn’t hear it. It’s really well extended in my opinion, which is a must for me.

 

[Echalon]

Regarding burn-in, I'm sure there is some physical (vs brain adaptation) burn-in with SOME DD drivers. But I'm not going to be saying anything that hasn't been said thousands of times. My favorite skeptic's retorts :

1. If physical changes due to burn-in are real, why do they always make the sound "better"?
2. Amazing how the hours of burn-in "required" always seems to put the IEM just outside of the return period.

Very much agree about some DD requiring burn-in. Regarding you points:

1. Why would an IEM be designed to sound steadily worse? Whatever the mechanism for burn-in, it is essentially getting the drivers to the point where they sound as intended. An odd case is some IMR models, which have a very long burn in during which they get better and worse, until finally settling down.

2. Doubtless some companies have shady practices, but ~50 hours is just 2 days. Surely that’s well under the return window for most companies?

Most IEMs I have owned have had no observable burn-in (to my ears), but a few really do. Penon, ISN and IMR always seem to benefit from it.

 

[theintention]

That’s the Mix cable in the picture. Weren’t you saying you didn’t like the ASOS look?

ASOS just doesn’t match my Sza well, my comment was about the product page pictures of the Mix though, the copper looks a bit different there.