[blotmouse]

^^ Reminds me of the Picasso napkin story. (paraphrased from a blog)

"Picasso was at a Paris market when an admirer approached and asked if he could do a quick sketch on a paper napkin for her
Picasso politely agreed, promptly created a drawing, and handed back the napkin — but not before asking for a million Francs.

The lady was shocked: “How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!”

“No”, Picasso replied, “It took me 40 years to draw this in five minutes.”

 

[antdroid]

Just to be clear, I have met Rockwell in person once or twice? and he's a nice guy and I don't think he is racist. I just think there's an over-generalization and it could be based on manufacturers putting out what they put out.

That said, like I mentioned before Harman did a study in the mid 2010s looking at cultural preferences between Americans, Canadians , Germans and Chinese and found the data was pretty similar. If anything, Germans liked the most shouty tuning and Canadians liked more bass.

There was more of a difference in gender and age than of ethnicity.

 

[fzman]

There was an idea that the parts themselves cost comparatively so little so what could justify the sum cost…. That’s like looking at a painting and itemizing the cost of the canvas and paints. It’s like this story:

“A giant engine in a factory failed. The factory owners had spoken to several ‘experts’ but none of them could show the owners how they could solve the problem.
Eventually the owners brought in an old man who had been fixing engines for many years. After inspecting the huge engine for a minute or two, the old man pulled a hammer out of his tool bag and gently tapped on the engine.
Immediately the engine sprung back into life.
A week later the owners of the business received an invoice from the old man for £10,000. Flabbergasted, they wrote to the old man asking him to send through an itemised bill. The man replied with a bill that said:
Tapping with a hammer: £2.00
Knowing where to tap: £9,998.00”

Or even more simply, the car analogy. My beat up Honda will get me a to b as well as a luxury car but I’m sure the experience is more enjoyable in the luxury car…. unless of course I derive enjoyment from the fact that my Honda does get me there just fine…

In the end, if the Traillii is indeed one of, if not the best sounding iem, then the cost isn’t the issue, it’s my ability to afford it.

I've always heard that story as being about Henry Ford-- but it contains an important lesson.

 

[ian91]

Just to be clear, I have met Rockwell in person once or twice? and he's a nice guy and I don't think he is racist. I just think there's an over-generalization and it could be based on manufacturers putting out what they put out.

That said, like I mentioned before Harman did a study in the mid 2010s looking at cultural preferences between Americans, Canadians , Germans and Chinese and found the data was pretty similar. If anything, Germans liked the most shouty tuning and Canadians liked more bass.

There was more of a difference in gender and age than of ethnicity.

Things are most definitely more nuanced and complex than geographical location which is why I think East / West label is largely unhelpful and oversimplifying things.

What I do like to see however, is free, fair and measured discussion of that nuance and those labels. It's very easy to make assumptions of people online and free discussion of these very complex topics is important so we can all convey what we want to convey.

As has been said, we're all here for the same reason (I would hope) - the love of music and the diverse world that creates it.

 

[Knightyear]

Rock,

have you listened to blessing 2 dusks?
Edit: I see your impressions thread.

How do the isabellae compare? I am thinking of grabbing the isabellae

 

[Rockwell75]

Rock,

have you listened to blessing 2 dusks?
Edit: I see your impressions thread.

How do the isabellae compare? I am thinking of grabbing the isabellae

Dusk, whatever label you want to apply to the category of tuning, is a classic example of an IEM with too much upper mids/lower treble and not enough mid bass for my tastes. It’s well regarded but not along the lines of my personal preferences.

Bellae, on the other hand, is the IEM that currently owns my heart and is easily my number 1 generalist sub $2K rec right now.

 

[ranfan]

ETA on Reborn arrival @Rockwell75

By the way, great write-up by @jwilliamhurst on the Oriolus magical three https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ori...iscussion-thread.956589/page-23#post-16453223

An Oriolus Impression Shootout: Traillii, Isabellae, Crassirostris


Comparing all three with the same songs back to back to back. Using a Cayin N6ii DAP WITH R01 “R2R” module. All stock cables and stock large tips. Traillii (the bird) and Isabellae (Isa) terminated with 4.4 and Crassirostris (Crassi) with 3.5

I don’t really have reference tracks. I used songs that I’m currently very engaged with across a variety of genres. i.e. classical, jazz, vocal, r&b, world, and rock.

While taking extensive notes with each track, a common thread emerged. Very similar to what has already been stated about Traillii and Isa. Crassi however being fairly new with few impressions. So I will try and do my best to break down the differences and similarities as they were all tuned by “the old man”! Each tuning is remarkable in its own way. I believe all three have a place in my collection. I was skeptical due to the Traillii being soooo good at everything, however the Isa and Crassi do have some unique specialties that the Traillii can spread to far out. More on that later.

I will say that with all three of these monitors, you do not need a deep fit. They are extremely comfortable and non fatiguing. I also want to point out that Isa and Crassi are still burning in.

I’ll start off with The Court Jester Crassi. Well because he has a few tricks up his sleeves. It’s been stated that crassi is flat, neutral and not fun. I can agree with one part of this. It’s definitely a neutral tuning but I do not hear it as flat and I am having a lot fun with it due to the hybrid with DD driver configuration.(coming from only having Traillii for 6months) However I have found that I can’t stop listening to the Crassi with Classical music. It seems almost made for this genre. Which made me extremely and happily surprised. I’ve been on the hunt for a classical monitor. A few times I forgot I was supposed to switch Monitors and three tracks in…Whoops….that tells me I was very much absorbed into the music. So I would have to go back to the first track and listen again as to compare the other two iems.

The overall tonality of the Crassi is neutral with good separation and air in the upper frequencies but still smooth. A single DD taking care of the Low end and in a very balanced way. There is depth, control, layers and texture to the bass. It’s about split even for mid bass and sub bass presence to my ears. The old man really knows how to tune. This is not a bass head IEM at all. The mids are slightly pushed back especially in correlation to the Isa. This is not a problem for me however with the music I mainly listen to, as it creates a less in your head experience. The soundstage width is above average, bettering the Odin from my memory. However the Crassi does lack some depth. Some tracks give a smidgen of that Traillii soundstage magic, feeling it all around the head. Track dependent however.

There is def a BA timbre with piano music especially. Crassi has a quick decay and fast transients that make it sound more dynamic than the Isa. It resolves well. Although in very busy tracks, can be a tad incoherent. But that is to be expected in a hybrid. Layering is really good to my ears. With any of the tracks I tested I haven’t heard where it suffered or lacked. However there is driver flex. If you are sensitive to this, it’s worth mentioning.

I will say that The Crassi to me seems like a specialist. As if it was made for classical and chamber music. This is where he really shines. (Also with well produced pop and R&B) Hence the court jester title. From my reading the best monitor for classical is one that is super coherent, highly resolving, with a wide soundstage, hence a lot of single DD’s that excel here. So I was shocked to hear this hybrid replay classical better than any monitor I’ve come across thus far. Traillii indeed is the better monitor (almost perfect tonal balance) but I prefer the more neutral sound of Crassi for classical. Isa is a different iem all together and I’m having a hard time comparing them because of that. With Jazz music, the Crassi is dynamic and technical while still drawing me into the music. One stand out is cymbal strikes. See Milt Jackson’s version of Caravan. They are perfectly balanced on Crassi. Again harkening to the tuning genius of “the old man” The difference of staging with Crassi compared to Isa and Traillii is that Traillii is in a large music hall, sitting in the middle of the hall. The Isa is as if you are on stage next to the performers and Crassi is a smaller venue a few rows back.

I’ve always had a fascination with classical music but the Crassi has made me fall deeper into adoration with this emotionally engaging music. Which is quite the conundrum that it sounds best with a neutral set of monitors.

The classical tracks I used for comparison are as follows:

Ester Magi and the Estonian National Orchestra-vesper

Krystian Zimmerman-Beethoven compete piano concertos-Allegro Con Brio

Scott Yoo-Metamorphosen- serious song, a lament for string orchestra

Janos Starker-Bach/suites for solo cello-Allemande

Edit:

I almost ended my review and decided to try some of my recent favorite modern high res Pop and R&B tracks (not something I listen to often) and the Crassi excels here as well. Actually it’s Great. Tracks sound full and engaging, getting the fullness of the DD to come out and play. I don’t listen to EDM, but I can see Crassi excelling here as well. Im not sure if anyone will remember when Thieaudio released the Monarch and Clairvoyance iems and the hype involved there…well the Crassi takes the best of both of those; expounds on and balances it all out with an exceptionally mature tuning. Im also getting some Odin vibes without that upper mid spike and full on assault of the senses.

Next up Princess Isabellae

I save this and Traillii for last because they will be the hardest to write about as all the impressions and reviews thus far have hit the nail on the proverbial head. So I’m unsure what I can really add without sounding redundant. I’ll give it a go and so be it if it’s been said before!

These are amazing monitors, period.



End of impressions.





Nah just kidding.



Miss Isa is such a darling. She is refined, upright and knows how to have a good time.

My kind of lady.

Like all have said here, the tonality of Isa is nothing short of brilliant. The timbre of acoustic instruments is awe inspiring. Anything acoustic, I.e. guitar, bass, drums, cello, violin, piano, etc. Listening again to Milt Jackson’s-Caravan, the upright bass is just perfect. You can hear the layers in the bass as he scales the fretboard. You can hear Janos Starker taking breathes in-between sections. Breathtaking in its most simple form.

Vocals are the best I have ever heard. (I’m sorry Traillii). Roberta Flack’s-Just Like a Woman is simply sublime. As if she is singing only to me. Damien Rice- I don’t want to change you. The acoustic timbre of his guitar is natural and real. You can hear each string reverberate. And his voice is the best I’ve heard it EVER. I don’t really know how to describe it other than it sounds real and natural and not replayed.

This is my first time hearing a single DD. I’ve always read about the stellar coherence with them. And I now understand. It’s completely addictive. I don’t want to stop listening to them. I listened to an entire album and didn’t even realize it because I was enjoying it too much to pay attention to every little detail. **I didn’t use this album for my comparisons.**

Okay enough gloating over this fine lady. Let get into the details.

Soundstage is intimate- less wide than Crassi and def less than Traillii. But this is not a downfall. Because when I’m listening I do not notice this as a fault. The music does not feel in my head. I feel connected to whatever I’m listening to. Isa sucks you into her sweet vortex of ooey gooey goodness Timbre, Texture and Tonality. Adorning you with a balance of coherency across the spectrum. She may not be as technical or resolving as her counterparts but what she lacks she makes up in spades of emotion.

I have said about the Traillii that it’s lower register piano timbre is blunted or if the piano is pushed back in the mix. Which bothers me with some of my very favorite jazz tracks such as Oscar Peterson’s -Maria. His Piano is a little further back in the recording and with Isa, his piano sounds as it should, it’s hits, rises and has a good decay, the note is not blunted or let go for too long. Perfect tuning here. Traillii blunts his piano on this track and now I cannot ever not hear that. One more thing that has been said in every review/impression is that Isa is Mid Bass forward, with very little sub bass presence. This is not an issue for me as it pairs perfectly for my main music taste. However I’m not sure how well you would like it if you want the rumble and texture.

Bill Evans Sunday at the Village Vanguard-All of you(take 2) followed by Jade Visions(take 2) recorded days before legendary bass player Scott LaFaro died tragically. The upright bass here is unlike I have ever heard it before. You can hear his hand snap and slap and pluck the strings, you can feel it. It’s layered, rich and deep, taught and tight with a heaviness that feels weightless. Intoxicating. Another track that shows off the instrument prowess of the Princess Isa, is Brandee Younger- Somewhere different. She is a harp player and one of the best I’ve heard. About 2:05 into the track some reverb comes in and it envelopes you. Even though an intimate monitor, this part of the track was a “WOAH, WHAT THE!?!” Moment! The treble stays smooth and the bass never booms or blooms into the mids. The mids are my favorite part of this iem and I would say it’s mid focused. It doesn’t sound quite neutral to me. It’s definitely on the warm side.

I will say that I did not prefer Isa with classical. It plays well but it’s too warm for orchestra in my opinion.

The Bird! The Queen Traillii

Radiance, Awe and Immersion. The allure is real, like a sirens call. The poetic love of Traillii and her now legacy will continue and live on through all of us that have had the great pleasure of her acquaintance. I myself am quite obliged and honored to be in this royal court of the trinity. With Traillii firmly

In the top.

I can’t really say much that I haven’t already said about her or that others have emphatically praised her for. It is the single most balanced and tonally correct monitor I have ever heard. Remarkable timbre coming from an all BA Set. If I did not know it was, I would not be able to Guess it was.

The natural 360 soundstage is head scratching. The way the treble sparkles and never fatigues, pushing air around every single nuance in the FR. Creating a beautiful sense of space, without any loss of resolution, detail, layering, dynamics or coherency. It’s absolutely stunning how this monitor Has been tuned. It’s a master stroke. You can hear it! This is indeed a Master of his craft at the top of his game. I don’t always prefer the Traillii as I sometimes appreciate a more intimate sound especially with jazz trio when the band IMO should be heard intimately. Three musicians basically huddled together-a wide soundstage doesn’t seem natural in this setting to my ears. I prefer the intimacy with Isabellae and how it overtakes me with emotion and a warm blanket like feeling. Not to say it’s veiled. Just a comparison to how a warm blanket feels when it’s cold. It’s an emotional response. One that Traillii has given me on multiple occasions with different music and now Isabellae is giving me the same just in a different way. But just because I prefer some things over Traillii does not take away from its masterful tuning. One that I will never rid nor tire of.

The most beautiful aspect of this shootout is that I can hear the DNA of “the old man” in all three monitors. His heart and soul is in these. It’s palpable! And as @Rockwell75 would say..that “Oriolus Magic”

Shout out to @RTodd for pushing me to write this up for all of you. And for great music rec’s
@MusicTeck for the being the best. And to Andrew for having the most genuine and authentic customer service I’ve ever experienced. Thanks to him I own all of these, all paid for by myself including the dap and module.

Tracks listened to for comparison but not mentioned in the review as follows

Neil Young-Ambulance blues

L’Rain-find it

Nat King Cole- if I may

Charles Owens Trio- If 6 was 9

Milt Jackson-Sunflower

Anouar Brahem-astounding eyes of Rita

Tool- the pot

Why so serious?- Hans Zimmerman

Gary Burton-straight up and down

Greentea Peng-dingaling

Carla Bruni-L’excessive

Celeste-both sides of the moon

Ester Magi- bukoolika

Ilhan Erashin- freedom

Laura Mvula- got me

Against All Logic-this old house is all I have

Eloise-who’s she

Puma Blue-Already Falling

El Michels Affair- Walk with me

Ghost Creek- June

Erika de Casier-Someone to chill with

Dawn Richard-Nostalgia

 

[Rockwell75]

ETA on Reborn arrival @Rockwell75

By the way, great write-up by @jwilliamhurst on the Oriolus magical three https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ori...iscussion-thread.956589/page-23#post-16453223

I saw that

Regarding the Reborn-- it just left Memphis so it should be in Canada by the end of the day and, with some luck, in my hands tomorrow or the next day assuming the customs process isn't a hassle.

 

[Rockwell75]

My initial impressions of the Isabellae are sorta similar. The upper-mids and low-treble are certainly on the more forward side. It has that sizzle-y quality to its transients that give vocals, snare drums, hi-hats and the like a touch of tizz. They're fine with most of my music, though. I only noticed a bit of leanness on vocalists like Rachael Price or Michael Bublé, who tend to rely on their lower ranges for gravitas and power. But, otherwise, I found the tonality fairly natural and pleasing throughout, and it definitely has some of the best technique I've heard under $1000. It doesn't have that fuzziness to its imaging or that pillowy-ness to its dynamics that I often find on in-ears at this price range. Everything sounds tactile, vivid and clean-cut, so there are definitely no complaints there. Like you, though, I'll be burning them in a bit more before I post my more thorough impressions on the threads.

I'd also like to add that its build overall feels very nice. Based on how thick (and evenly thick) its shells are, I'm pretty confident that they were 3D-printed. If they are, then props to Oriolus for getting them as clear as they are. I should note, though, that I only find them impressive for the Isabellae at its price point. It's a different story if it was pricier... much pricier.

Thank-you for sharing these brief impressions I've been eagerly awaiting your thoughts on Isa and between my Traillii demo on Sat and some other discussion which took most of my attention the last couple days this post slipped through my radar. Looking forward to the full review!

 

[Rockwell75]

Road trip today with my cats and backed by the thump of my Dorado 2020.



In other news it looks like my Reborn will be waiting for me at my mom’s when I arrive later:

 

[ranfan]

There was an idea that the parts themselves cost comparatively so little so what could justify the sum cost…. That’s like looking at a painting and itemizing the cost of the canvas and paints. It’s like this story:

“A giant engine in a factory failed. The factory owners had spoken to several ‘experts’ but none of them could show the owners how they could solve the problem.
Eventually the owners brought in an old man who had been fixing engines for many years. After inspecting the huge engine for a minute or two, the old man pulled a hammer out of his tool bag and gently tapped on the engine.
Immediately the engine sprung back into life.
A week later the owners of the business received an invoice from the old man for £10,000. Flabbergasted, they wrote to the old man asking him to send through an itemised bill. The man replied with a bill that said:
Tapping with a hammer: £2.00
Knowing where to tap: £9,998.00”

Or even more simply, the car analogy. My beat up Honda will get me a to b as well as a luxury car but I’m sure the experience is more enjoyable in the luxury car…. unless of course I derive enjoyment from the fact that my Honda does get me there just fine…

In the end, if the Traillii is indeed one of, if not the best sounding iem, then the cost isn’t the issue, it’s my ability to afford it.

That's an excellent point and analogy. The product is not just the sum of its physical constituent parts. But also the mastery and style of which they're combined. That is equal to the taste or vision of the designer. Whether or not they'll resonate with most listeners would not only depend on how 'good' it sounds, but may also be by how that supply meets the demand of that particular point and era. There's also the point of view of the sales division that plays a role in determining its 'value' in my opinion. Because surely just like art, fashion and knives, a boutique IEM maker need to also figure out the point of equilibrium where the product could be priced just right to continue being in business for longer period (i.e. longetivity). You could try and release one-of-a-kind limited edition products only but face the risk of underexposure from people recognizing your brand, and pricing them too high that it'll take too long to sell. Or you could mass-produce them and rely on quantity for profit. And hope that there won't be many things that are going to go wrong in the future (e.g. quality inspection, tool maintenance). Not to mention the dynamics of the market trend and competitors, which require some resource allocation to explore and research for development of future products. As well as risk the product be seen as a lesser quality due to its low price, because people compare in order to derive value of anything. And price is often the next thing to consider after a product name

Although the thing about speakers in general is that like paintings, their value is highly subjective to the quality of sound they can reproduce. Highest fidelity rendition like a high-resolution photograph doesn't always mean 'better' in the sense that it's viewed as being more 'beautiful'. Or the sharpest factory-made knife isn't always viewed as being better in a sense than man-made ones as they lack the 'touch' or qualities that master craftsmen can impart so to say. This perceived value of something seems innately human, in that despite being technically better, function doesn't always beat form. Especially in the space relating to art

In the case of Traillii, I think the price was considered with initial projected sales and manufacturing capacity in mind. In addition, they also had to partner with an external cable company. But purely for the monitors alone, and how long they took to build the pricing seems to me to be more reflective of the lead time, inspection and opportunity cost, on top of the application of knowledge and experience (i.e. R&D) towards the way they're assembled and tuned

 

[ranfan]

Road trip today with my cats and backed by the thump of my Dorado 2020.



In other news it looks like my Reborn will be waiting for me at my mom’s when I arrive later:

Woah, exciting journey up ahead Safe travels!

 

[Rockwell75]

Traillii up for sale:

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/oriolus-traillii.7629/

Seeing them available for this reduced but still exorbitant cost admittedly starts a little hamster wheel reluctantly turning in my mind…

 

[snapandslide]

Traillii up for sale:

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/oriolus-traillii.7629/

Seeing them available for this reduced but still exorbitant cost admittedly starts a little hamster wheel reluctantly turning in my mind…

I know how you feel. Good luck staying strong for as long as you can...

 

[KutuzovGambit]

Traillii up for sale:

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/oriolus-traillii.7629/

Seeing them available for this reduced but still exorbitant cost admittedly starts a little hamster wheel reluctantly turning in my mind…

Lol when $4,800 is an enticing bargain.