The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[aaf evo]

Maybe, but you haven’t heard the Red Halo FE. Just sayin!

I’m sure I will eventually. None of the FiR IEMs are going out there to be “tonally balanced” or correct I’d say. They’re all a little quirky and fun, so for those reasons I really enjoy them. Each one allows me to hear my library in different ways. Mason RH FE would be something that would be competing with Jewel for me based on what I have read about it.

 

[Frankie D]

I’m sure I will eventually. None of the FiR IEMs are going out there to be “tonally balanced” or correct I’d say. They’re all a little quirky and fun, so for those reasons I really enjoy them. Each one allows me to hear my library in different ways. Mason RH FE would be something that would be competing with Jewel for me based on what I have read about it.

Rationalize all you want. The RH FE is calling!

 

[aaf evo]

Rationalize all you want. The RH FE is calling!

You buying it from me if I don’t like it?

 

[metaljem77]

Okay. I am ready to reveal my new top 5 IEMs. This was not an easy decision and comes after 5 days of very detailed and critical listening. Probably 12-15 hours a day on average.

1. Red Halo. Best mids, resolution, detail retrieval, imaging and dynamics of any IEM I have ever heard. Best upper mids to treble transition in the business. Best for Vocals and Classical music, but is a great all arounder and I would be very happy if it were my only IEMs.
2. EXT. Best timbre and bass to mids transition in the business. Best for Jazz music and anything with a rhythm section.
3. EVO. Best bass in the business and specialist for modern pop music for that Club experience.
4. Odin. Highly nuanced monitor with fantastic bass quality, resolution and for a lighter presentation of all music, but especially Jazz and Classical
5. Traillii. Still the only IEMs that sound great with every source and every genre of music.

It was a dog fight between EXT and Red Halo all week. They traded blows across all music types with EXT being better when the rhythm section, bass guitar and DD timbre plays a disproportionate role in the music presentation. Red Halo dominates mids by sheer resolution and detail. Since vocals and all melodic lines start in the mids, it commands attention of all music even from this bass head. Bass quality is very good. Tight and controlled missing only that last bit of texture and rumble characteristic of DD timbre.

This may be hard to believe, but Red Halo out resolves Odin and Traillii by a significant margin. The first time I noticed this was in the Sinfonia of The Marriage of Figaro when I could hear every single violin in this piece and in vocal tracks where I could actually pick out artists singing harmony with themselves. That was an unreal experience. When I A/B tested Red Halo vs Traillii on classical music. First notable moment was listening to the Theme from Schindler's list. When I heard it on Red Halo, it made me cry. It was so moving and perfectly rendered. I usually evaluate violin by describing how well the violin cries. In this case, the violin made me cry. But the moment that Red Halo was crowned King of my domain was last night when I A/B tested Red Halo vs. Odin for Piano music. It easily won the face off, but this track in particular crowned Red Halo the King of my Collection.

Vladimir Horowitz playing Mozart Piano Concerto No 23. in A, K.488 - III. Allegro assai.

This Mozart Piano Concerto is a highly dynamic piece that highlights everything that Red Halo is strong at. The upper harmonics of the Piano. The timbre and richness of the violins, the isolation of the flutes and oboes, the plucks of the violins when its done and most people don't realize it and can't hear it, the dynamics of the music. I A/B tested this movement with Traillii and I even cable and tip rolled Traillii with the First Times cable and every type of tip to see if I could get it to sound better and every single time Red Halo won by a significant margin. I can clearly hear every line of every instrument throughout the whole piece when the violins, or the Oboe or flutes take over. I've been looking for an IEM or headphone that could acceptably render classical music back to me the way I want it. I have finally found it. These IEMs are so good, I would use them to listen to live music in a theatre. The musical Hamilton would have been much more enjoyable if I could have heard the voices in this modern rap musical with the clarity of the Red Halo. I knew that I really liked it at CanJam NYC and I kept thinking about it even after I was focusing so much attention on EXT and the N8ii. I am so happy that I decided to buy it because it is now the best IEM of my collection.

I must say, I’m quite intrigued to try this IEM. Hopefully it will be at CJ SG.

 

[normie610]

Rationalize all you want. The RH FE is calling!

Let’s see in the next 24 hours. I’m sure @aaf evo will succumb

 

[aaf evo]

Let’s see in the next 24 hours. I’m sure @aaf evo will succumb

I have resisted once already.

 

[PHLHarmonic]

The EXT is such a cool looking IEM and I wish I could drop the money on it. I'm strongly considering pulling the trigger on an MEST MKII at this point though.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I must say, I’m quite intrigued to try this IEM. Hopefully it will be at CJ SG.

It's not a basshead IEM. It's a reference monitor. So, EXT will sound better for a lot of music like Dire Straits, Doobie Brothers, Boston.

But, anything with a vocal compoent, like Maroon 5, Dua Lipa, James Taylor, Lady Gaga, Red Halo will be better.

If I could only have one IEM, it would be Red Halo. If I could only have 2, it would be Red Halo and EXT. IF I could only have 3, it would be Red Halo, EXT and EVO.

Remember, I am a basshead and Jazz musician who loves club music.

 

[F700]

2. When I went to demo the Z1R I started with Massive Attack's "Protection". I had never heard bass like this before, and I knew immediately that I would buy that IEM. Two days later I did.

Listening to the « Man Next Door » out of the IER-Z1R right now. Yes, it’s good. Very. Good.

 

[Frankie D]

You buying it from me if I don’t like it?

That will depend on the price.

No way you dislike it. And it’s Red!

Seriously though, this was the one IEM I felt at the show was definitely right there with my Traillii. I will say I preferred the Traillii once I connected it to the Orpheus. Other than that it is a dog fight. And you will probably like the added texture from the bone conduction (assuming you get the correct fit). You had tried the UM Mason FE. If you remember there was a very slight veil in the mids as compared to Traillii. Very hard to hear and the FE was excellent. Well, the RH FE has no such veil in direct comparison. The weaknesses have been overcome. This is what the Phoenix wishes it was. I was also not a fan of the EXT, so no contest in that comparison as well IMHO. That might have been a fit issue, but I doubt it. Go Big Red!

As a side note: They should have packaged it as an homage to Secretariat, my favorite horse of all time as I was a kid watching his Triple Crown Victories. His record breaking victory at the Belmont is something I will never forget ( and still the record today, 39 years later! ). Secretariat’s nickname was Big Red.

 

[14christ]

EXT will be here tomorrow. I'm just glad to hear that EXT held its own against RH

 

[metaljem77]

It's not a basshead IEM. It's a reference monitor. So, EXT will sound better for a lot of music like Dire Straits, Doobie Brothers, Boston.

But, anything with a vocal compoent, like Maroon 5, Dua Lipa, James Taylor, Lady Gaga, Red Halo will be better.

If I could only have one IEM, it would be Red Halo. If I could only have 2, it would be Red Halo and EXT. IF I could only have 3, it would be Red Halo, EXT and EVO.

Remember, I am a basshead and Jazz musician who loves club music.

I listen to more symphonic metal, and need those melodies to carry the thump. A lot of my music has female vocalists like Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, In this Moment. And I have enough bass-heavy IEMs. But Red Halo’s price is eye watering so if I’m ever keen, I’ll have to wait till a second-hand unit comes along (looking at aaf evo) whahaha

 

[Rockwell75]

You just moved your goalpost for no reason. lol.

The reason is that we like trying new and exciting things and often the spirit of new and exciting gets conflated with improved and better. I'm pretty sure I could go back to my OG Solaris & Fiio M9 and be just as happy as I was when I had it.

I love Tidal. The algorithms are superior than anything else I've used ie Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify etc...

Yes, you want the better SQ for sure...


... and this. From what I've learned of your music preferences @Scuba Devils, I really think you'll appreciate Tidal's algorithms. I have a never-satisfied-appetite for new music and Tidal wins for me hands down over AM, Spotify and definitely Amazon. I listen to the My Daily Discovery playlist created by the algorithm every day (duh!), and there is always at least 2-3 tracks, if not albums or artists, I wind up adding to one of my own lists

I was a little disappointed at first when I signed up for Tidal 2 years ago, there were just a few strange holes in their library, eg no Courtney Barnett, Wolf Alice, Garbage and a few others. That's been fixed recently, so now I have zero issues with their service. The only reason I still have AM is because of the AppleOne Family plan we are all on.

All this Tidal talk is tempting me...I've never subscribed to a streaming service before.

Anyone have any tip suggestions?

Sednafit Crystals worked very well for me with the Xe6.

SpiralDot++ have been my go to recently and replaced my Xelastics

Those are still my preferred tips for EXT. I've had them for over a year and they are still the most expensive tips I've ever purchased but it wasn't until EXT came into my life that I found the perfect IEM for them. The Sprial Dots ++ were decisively instrumental in my victory at the battle of the bulge.

One of the reasons I want to ramp up the reviewing part of the hobby is that it helps to dilute the hype, for me. The more stuff I hear, the more I realise there's just varying degrees of excellent past a certain point. And then I listen to the occasional $16K headphone system and realise that there's excellence and there's permanence.

I really enjoy participating in (and organizing) tours as this helps me assuage my curiosity (which is really the problem) without committing to purchase. I've really come to appreciate the difference between "good" and "good enough". I've found-- just like with cars, watches, or anything else-- that I don't need the absolute best of the best to be happy...I just need something that works for me in all the right ways. I head the Traillii over a year ago and it blew my mind, but it didn't drive me to drink because I couldn't purchase one and it didn't cause me to enjoy my own gear any less.

And to think that it’s purely mechanical with no electronics at all….

Yes it's absolutely amazing. I think those watches are high in the running as the supreme examples of perfection in ingenuity and craftsmanship ever created.

I haven't had much time with XE6 but the thing that comes to mind straight away is if you tried EVO and had issues with the mids or highs then XE6 is probably the set for you.

I haven't heard EVO but this is kind of the sense I get...however I don't consider Xe6 as really a basshead IEM in the usual sense, which is what all reports I've heard of EVO have suggested. Maybe Xe6's open nature has something to do with this.

As a consumer electronics nut, where most of my career was in that profession in some shape or form, I can say with absolute certainty that the M9 is one of the most exciting / beautiful / sexy / luxurious / amazing products I've ever had the pleasure of encountering. I always remember being in my 'rich' uncle's house as a kid, and drooling over his Denon separates, and massive Kef floorstanding speakers, and of course the sound quality and vast library of CD's - I now look now at my M9, and newly ranked top 3 IEM's, and feel I've reached and surpassed the modern day equivalent of that dream system.

1. Traillii
2. EXT
3. IE900 (sorry ZEN PRO, you might get back to 3rd at some point)

Beautiful collection. Zen Pro has nothing to be ashamed of being number 4 in that collection

I haven't heard the M9 myself but based on the impressions I have seen on this thread, I am sure that it is amazing. Even if there is a difference to you after hearing the N8ii, that doesn't diminish the M9. It just means it could be an option for you to upgrade in the future when the price is more reasonable.

This is really an important point and one I touched on above. When I heard the Traillii it blew me away, but it was beyond what I was willing to pay and it didn't diminish my love for my own IEMs. I love the Xe6 for its bombastic and visceral nature, but my Dorado 2020 shares a lot of similarities and gets me most of the there and for the time being I'm totally satisfied with it. A big part of this hobby, in addition to learning to be happy with what you have, is staying within your limits. I'm still jonesing for a Traillii though...perhaps I'll grab a used one some day.

That is the approach I am going in with the Xenon 6. I'll pick it up if I absolutely feel like it would enhance my experience

I'm quite curious to hear your thoughts on the EXT as well.

delaying my gratification now leaves room for future upgrades.

That is some sage wisdom right there.

Traillii, EXT and XE6 driven by M9 is an outstanding trio of TOTL IEMs. It covers the waterfront.

My trio would be Red Halo, EXT and EVO driven by N8ii.

3. Even though I had demo'ed the Andro2020 before I bought it, it still hadn't quite clicked with me until a couple days after I received it and I had a listen to Cocteau Twins' Blue Bell Knoll on the SR25. That has been my go-to pairing out and about ever since.

The Andromeda 2020 was another "wow" moment for me for sure-- pure bliss on the SR25ii.

Okay. I am ready to reveal my new top 5 IEMs. This was not an easy decision and comes after 5 days of very detailed and critical listening. Probably 12-15 hours a day on average.

1. Red Halo. Best mids, resolution, detail retrieval, imaging and dynamics of any IEM I have ever heard. Best upper mids to treble transition in the business. Best for Vocals and Classical music, but is a great all arounder and I would be very happy if it were my only IEMs.
2. EXT. Best timbre and bass to mids transition in the business. Best for Jazz music and anything with a rhythm section.
3. EVO. Best bass in the business and specialist for modern pop music for that Club experience.
4. Odin. Highly nuanced monitor with fantastic bass quality, resolution and for a lighter presentation of all music, but especially Jazz and Classical
5. Traillii. Still the only IEMs that sound great with every source and every genre of music.

Helpful description. You've described exactly why EXT is my number one IEM (relative to what I listen to).

I must say, I’m quite intrigued to try this IEM. Hopefully it will be at CJ SG.

The UM Mason Green Aurora will be out by then and hopefully you can demo that too \

This thread is full of enablers. We've all been in the position of the penguin on the right, just nudged over the edge by someone here:

Meanwhile this is me trying to withstand all the n8ii hype:

 

[F700]

The reason is that we like trying new and exciting things and often the spirit of new and exciting gets conflated with improved and better. I'm pretty sure I could go back to my OG Solaris & Fiio M9 and be just as happy as I was when I had it.





All this Tidal talk is tempting me...I've never subscribed to a streaming service before.



Sednafit Crystals worked very well for me with the Xe6.



Those are still my preferred tips for EXT. I've had them for over a year and they are still the most expensive tips I've ever purchased but it wasn't until EXT came into my life that I found the perfect IEM for them. The Sprial Dots ++ were decisively instrumental in my victory at the battle of the bulge.



I really enjoy participating in (and organizing) tours as this helps me assuage my curiosity (which is really the problem) without committing to purchase. I've really come to appreciate the difference between "good" and "good enough". I've found-- just like with cars, watches, or anything else-- that I don't need the absolute best of the best to be happy...I just need something that works for me in all the right ways. I head the Traillii over a year ago and it blew my mind, but it didn't drive me to drink because I couldn't purchase one and it didn't cause me to enjoy my own gear any less.



Yes it's absolutely amazing. I think those watches are high in the running as the supreme examples of perfection in ingenuity and craftsmanship ever created.



I haven't heard EVO but this is kind of the sense I get...however I don't consider Xe6 as really a basshead IEM in the usual sense, which is what all reports I've heard of EVO have suggested. Maybe Xe6's open nature has something to do with this.



Beautiful collection. Zen Pro has nothing to be ashamed of being number 4 in that collection



This is really an important point and one I touched on above. When I heard the Traillii it blew me away, but it was beyond what I was willing to pay and it didn't diminish my love for my own IEMs. I love the Xe6 for its bombastic and visceral nature, but my Dorado 2020 shares a lot of similarities and gets me most of the there and for the time being I'm totally satisfied with it. A big part of this hobby, in addition to learning to be happy with what you have, is staying within your limits. I'm still jonesing for a Traillii though...perhaps I'll grab a used one some day.



I'm quite curious to hear your thoughts on the EXT as well.



That is some sage wisdom right there.





The Andromeda 2020 was another "wow" moment for me for sure-- pure bliss on the SR25ii.



Helpful description. You've described exactly why EXT is my number one IEM (relative to what I listen to).



The UM Mason Green Aurora will be out by then and hopefully you can demo that too \

This thread is full of enablers. We've all been in the position of the penguin on the right, just nudged over the edge by someone here:



Meanwhile this is me trying to withstand all the n8ii hype:

Welcome to the club… the N8ii is calling me too, big time. BUT NO! We have to be weak… no no no, strong I meant. I swear.

 

[discord]

N8ii demo unit arrives next week. First up pairing will be with XE6.