[claud W]

Just sold my PW#10, but I'm thinking the Socrates will be a great match.

Or not. At least two of us were not impressed with Isa & Socrates pairing. # 10 for me.

 

[Rockwell75]

Any Canadians out there interested in hearing the Erlkonig? Surely an experience on the bucket list of every true audiophile. @Wildcatsare1 is going to help us make it happen...but we need numbers

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Or not. At least two of us were not impressed with Isa & Socrates pairing. # 10 for me.

Well, damn, I'll try the Iliad and Zeus as well, though these are passing through, so I'll have to buy them. Has anyone tried the 1960s with the Isabelle?

 

[Rockwell75]

I was asked via PM to compare the MEST II & Dorado 2020-- may as well share my response here.

I bought the MEST MKii largely based on how much I had enjoyed the OG Mest-- in particular its staging & bass response. (MEST impressions here if you're interested.). At the time I got the MEST II my two mains were the Elysium & Dorado 2020 and I was still basically in my honeymoon with Dorado at the time.

Regarding the Dorado 2020 relative to my own tastes and passions Dorado 2020 may very well be my favorite IEM. It has a decidedly colored and mid-bass dominant sound though, which the MEST does not....so this should be the first thing to note. Dorado has a way of bringing the whole rhythm & bass section forward. It's not an IEM you go to for vocals or to be sucked into a samadhi of mid-range bliss-- Dorado is an IEM you go to when you want to bop your head and move, when you want to be lost in the rhythm & beat of what you're listening to. At this it is peerless but for those whose ideal is more along the lines of balance & neutrality Dorado 2020 might not be a good rec.

Regarding the MEST here are my exact words at the time:

"MEST II is a very nicely balanced and engaging IEM. Compared to my memories of the OG MEST I miss the oomph and impact of the bass, but the mids are more forward and natural sounding. It doesn't have the almost surreal wow factor that I remember the staging on the original having that left me feeling almost that I was inhabiting another dimension when I was listening to them. Upper mids seem just a hair breadth too energetic for me...though possibly no different than OG. On the whole I would say the MKii is a refined and ultimately more polite take on the original...more mature and natural but not as much spectacle or fun. I feel comfortable saying they're a great IEM as to whether they're an upgrade over the original may ultimately depend on the individual."

At the end of the day (literally the first day-- the MEST II was out the door to its next owner less than 24 hours after I received it-- a personal record) I found it bland, un-inspiring and with a sort of "tuned by algorithm" feel that failed to really engage me emotionally. Also I felt they nerfed the bone conduction compared to the OG MEST....presumably to make way for (at the time) upcoming higher end releases.

 

[tgx78]

Any Canadians out there interested in hearing the Erlkonig? Surely an experience on the bucket list of every true audiophile. @Wildcatsare1 is going to help us make it happen...but we need numbers

I am interested and scared at the same time.

 

[Rockwell75]

I am interested and scared at the same time.

Don't be scared it's not like they're easy to attain. You should be more scared of your inevitable forthcoming Traillii demo.

In other news my Geek shipped:

 

[claud W]

I was asked via PM to compare the MEST II & Dorado 2020-- may as well share my response here.

I bought the MEST MKii largely based on how much I had enjoyed the OG Mest-- in particular its staging & bass response. (MEST impressions here if you're interested.). At the time I got the MEST II my two mains were the Elysium & Dorado 2020 and I was still basically in my honeymoon with Dorado at the time.

Regarding the Dorado 2020 relative to my own tastes and passions Dorado 2020 may very well be my favorite IEM. It has a decidedly colored and mid-bass dominant sound though, which the MEST does not....so this should be the first thing to note. Dorado has a way of bringing the whole rhythm & bass section forward. It's not an IEM you go to for vocals or to be sucked into a samadhi of mid-range bliss-- Dorado is an IEM you go to when you want to bop your head and move, when you want to be lost in the rhythm & beat of what you're listening to. At this it is peerless but for those whose ideal is more along the lines of balance & neutrality Dorado 2020 might not be a good rec.

Regarding the MEST here are my exact words at the time:

"MEST II is a very nicely balanced and engaging IEM. Compared to my memories of the OG MEST I miss the oomph and impact of the bass, but the mids are more forward and natural sounding. It doesn't have the almost surreal wow factor that I remember the staging on the original having that left me feeling almost that I was inhabiting another dimension when I was listening to them. Upper mids seem just a hair breadth too energetic for me...though possibly no different than OG. On the whole I would say the MKii is a refined and ultimately more polite take on the original...more mature and natural but not as much spectacle or fun. I feel comfortable saying they're a great IEM as to whether they're an upgrade over the original may ultimately depend on the individual."

At the end of the day (literally the first day-- the MEST II was out the door to its next owner less than 24 hours after I received it-- a personal record) I found it bland, un-inspiring and with a sort of "tuned by algorithm" feel that failed to really engage me emotionally. Also I felt they nerfed the bone conduction compared to the OG MEST....presumably to make way for (at the time) upcoming higher end releases.

I still have my Mest 11. I broke it in for a whole week 24/7. It sounds quite dynamic, but I have not used it in 2 months. My time was taken up with Dorado 2020 and Isa.

 

[claud W]

Yo Rock, you have both Eltech Prudence and PW Audio # 10. Could you compare these two on an IEM of your choice for us? They are both reasonably mid priced IEM cables that your followers may have in their cable inventory.

 

[Rockwell75]

Yo Rock, you have both Eltech Prudence and PW Audio # 10. Could you compare these two on an IEM of your choice for us? They are both reasonably mid priced IEM cables that your followers may have in their cable inventory.

Hey man unfortunately not easily at the moment as my Prudence is MMCX and the #10 2-pin so there is no way to compare them with the same IEM. I could do a compare of my sky blue **** and the Prudence but I'm not sure how interesting that would be. I have 2-pin/MMCX adapters but I won't have access to them until the end of August.

 

[Rockwell75]

I still have my Mest 11. I broke it in for a whole week 24/7. It sounds quite dynamic, but I have not used it in 2 months.

I understand why people who love the MEST love it but it's a perfect example of the sort of tuned by algorithm sound that, while appearing fine on paper, comes off as something where each of the elements were adjusted and determined individually from the top down and somewhere along the way the soul of the thing was lost. Dorado 2020, even with its obvious imperfections, has the soul & sincerity of artistic inspiration and I think once you strip all the layers away this fact (along with me being a mid-bass junky) is at the root of what keeps drawing me back to it. For the record everything I've said here about the Dorado (barring the specifics about its mid-bass focus) applies just as well to M8, Isa, Elysium, Andro, IER Z1R, Solaris, VE8, OG MEST etc...or any IEM/piece of gear that has really captured my heart & imagination.

My time was taken up with Dorado 2020 and Isa.

M8, Isa & the Dorado 2020 is currently collection that most completely covers all my bases without crossing into summit fi prices.

 

[claud W]

Don't be scared it's not like they're easy to attain. You should be more scared of your inevitable forthcoming Traillii demo.

In other news my Geek shipped:

I am such a pushover for a cheap IEM that way outperforms its price. Mine is ordered.

 

[Dsnuts]

You guys should take a pic of your faces after getting the GK10 and giving them a good listen. They do need some burn in as they have two dynamics doing the bulk of the sound. Treble smooths out as well. Looking forward to see what you guys have to say. And remember folks these cost $45.

 

[Rockwell75]

I am such a pushover for a cheap IEM that way outperforms its price. Mine is ordered.

It's funny for years I never paid more than $50 for an IEM then for a few years I went crazy and bought all kinds of IEMs at the other end of the $$ spectrum and now here I am seeking out $50 IEMs again. From childhood to childhood lol

I see the GK10 has "piezoelectric" drivers. How are these different from e-stats? Does anyone know?

 

[Rockwell75]

You guys should take a pic of your faces after getting the GK10 and giving them a good listen. They do need some burn in as they have two dynamics doing the bulk of the sound. Treble smooths out as well. Looking forward to see what you guys have to say. And remember folks these cost $45.

Nice to see you here .

I for real can't wait-- the fact that I already have a bal cable waiting for it just sweetens the deal.

 

[Dsnuts]

Piezos are not as good. You don't see UM or EE using them. That would be something. But they are the cheap mans EST drivers. Essentially does what ESTs do. Generally upper trebles with Piezos sounds a bit thinner but it can be precise and airy sounding as well. GK10 surprisingly implements them well.

I found out a dual Sinion EST cost $160 for a set. No way your gonna put ESTs in a $45 earphone. Lol.