[aaf evo]

I listened to the Storm today. Still gathering my thoughts, but I can safely say, based on first impressions and after speaking with the guys behind the IEM and cable, I am impressed. Maybe more later…

How’s the imaging ability on it? I have a friend who also went to demo it and said it was a solid IEM but felt the imaging was lacking?

 

[Rockwell75]

I have to admit I have no interest in fashion, and therefore no interest in fashion branding. That goes for jewellery and watches too, though I can appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into making them. This is just my opinion, and no offence meant, but I just can't understand anyone who pays more than H&M prices for a shirt or a pair of shoes just because it has a label. I say that with the full understanding of the irony that I'd pay $2000 for a pair of earphones and consider it great value.

Same I look at people who spend $$$ on shoes and pants with the same sort of astonished amazement that I get greeted with when I tell most people how much my IEMs cost.

I like to add to the "watercooler" discussion...

My whole journey has been fundamentally moved by comparison. Comparison, comparison, comparison, was the motivation to change and upgrade.
Wether it headphones, IEM, cables, amps, or Daps. Being able to not only hear, but to compare the difference was key.
Almost anything will sound impressive today, without any direct comparison.

An example for me, was the Sony WM1Z. I absolutely loved this unit... Its analog flavor. I posted many times in threads.
It wasn't until I did a three way side-by-side comparison with an LP P6, and an ibasso 220Max.
It was then when Sony broke my heart with betrayal..

It deviated, where the other two converged in agreement. I realized that not only was sony adding it's "analog" sound, but it was also "reinterpretating" and for lack of better word, "fabricating" every other aspect the sound, soundstage, and cues.
I realized with disappointment that my lovely sound was not only less technical, but more artificial and further away from the actual performance displayed with the other two totallydifferent Daps (Lesabre& R2R). It was then that I realized the Sony dac was acting more like a sound processor, manipulating beauty out of the music with their software, straying further away from the truth. Beautiful, yes, accurate, no.
It was a disappointing moment to realize that they did this on purpose, and to this day in their new offering, they're still gimping on the volume output.

To put it all in perspective, the differences I mention are actually small, to be noted on mainly in comparisons. I still loved the musicality of the sound. It was just time to move on to more resolving players, with companies that don't have the ideology to gimp thier players performance, which is what history shows of the wm1a&1z.

Anyways, the point is that my main tool for me had become comparison observation based on a reference point.
I used this method on all my own measuring and researching, as I modded headphones and amps as a hobby.

So after experiencing many TOTLs, I have narrow down the three observations about sound that I would propose to show how I view aspects of sound for IEMs:

**Detailed = sensitivity
**Technical (analitical) = less harmonics
**Musicality = more **harmonics (distortions)
**Resolving = speed

So we can have an IEM that's detailed (sensitivity) but still sounds like a cartoon, compared to a TOTL performer that had resolve (speed).
Resolve is probably the strongest aspect to sounding real. Speed. That why the Raal SR1a and Stax sounds TOTL.

They can still have great harmonics and sound real (like planars) with speeeed.
Harmonic distortion has nothing to do with actually being better.
For instance Tube amps can have tons of juicy harmonics and still sound real...

So to me:
1- being analytical/ sterile, doesn't need to be a "necessary component" in any type of gear, weather headphones or DAP or system.
2- details come easy in IEM world, and are confused with performance.
3- realism & musicality going hand in hand, are the real achievements of being TOTL.

So with that, my IEM preference has changed from an all BA unit (U12T) to a multi unit.
It needs to have DD bass and BA mids, & ES top end.
I am already biased to want those "signatures" in my sound.
Distortion aspects, to me are only the addded flavors to the signature of the driver, not any description of resolve or performance.

So as for the IEMs, my observations are that
I found the EXT impressive, and although the soundstage was great, but that top end was too much, giving me an almost "U" shaped presentation.

The Traillie had better sound & beautiful mids with good soundstage. It showed me true TOTL performance.

The Odin was right up there, being smooth and balanced, although missing a bit of that top end air, and having less/closer soundstage.

So in the end ended up with the Indigo. It has the resolution/beauty of the others, with a signature closer to the EXT, without the EXT's excess on either (bass& treble) extremes, while having a similar great soundstage. So it was a preference choice, ticking all the boxes of what I preferred, with a soundstage just as good as any of them.

Going from this point on, both the EXT & the Indigo convinced me that DD bass is the way to go if I ever choose to upgrade, but like others already mentioned in this thread, the technology is basically hitting limits and so most are similarly TOTL level, so we're just picking preference.
In the end, it's personal preference.

A fascinating and well thought out post. I had a similar experience with my Sony ZX300...I loved it at first but when I got my Cayin n6ii the ZX300 sounded very processed and compressed all of a sudden. I can't comment on the 1Z.

Here’s hoping for a Solaris successor…

YES...April 29th it is....most exciting news for me in a while, even though with their track record as of late I should be just as prepared to go ??? when it's all said and done.

 

[AxLvR]

I listened to the Storm today. Still gathering my thoughts, but I can safely say, based on first impressions and after speaking with the guys behind the IEM and cable, I am impressed. Maybe more later…

oh man, please, enlighten me... please.. how is it... or PM me...

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I listened to the Storm today. Still gathering my thoughts, but I can safely say, based on first impressions and after speaking with the guys behind the IEM and cable, I am impressed. Maybe more later…

The thing that matters most to me is whether nor not you are willing to buy it and if you have to sell something, what does it replace? There are 20 IEMs out there that sound great and are impressive including the Helios Symphonium, but I am not buying it. Where does it fit into your top 10-20 IEMs you have heard?

 

[mashuto]

YES...April 29th it is....most exciting news for me in a while, even though with their track record as of late I should be just as prepared to go ??? when it's all said and done.

Andromeda 2022 pandemic ultra special limited edition.

But for real, hopefully it's something new and interesting, and not just the mostly rehashes we got with that whole multiverse thing.

 

[Rockwell75]

Andromeda 2022 pandemic ultra special limited edition.

But for real, hopefully it's something new and interesting, and not just the mostly rehashes we got with that whole multiverse thing.

The Multiverse was a big "ehhhhh" moment for me...I was actively hoping to want to buy something but nothing really made me want to take the plunge. I'm hoping for a new Solaris. I wouldn't begrudge another Andro if they managed to improve on the 2020 somehow...but it would be nice to see something new and interesting. Sabre didn't do i for me. Mammoth never piqued my interest and Holocene was nice but ultimately a little redundant alongside Andromeda. At a time when there's not a lot of new stuff that's really compelling for me the anticipation over the next two weeks will be a pleasant dose of excitement.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Okay, I did what I didn't want to do which is A/B test EVO with FT cable and @doctorjuggles cable. I probably slightly prefer FT, but not enough to replace the @doctorjuggles cable. This is a relief because I really didn't want to change it. I did it because another headfi is making a cable choice for EVO and asked me my opinion on the cables. I think the FT cable slightly tightened up the sound and presented upper mids slightly more vividly in a good way.

By the way, I freaking love the EVO with N8ii. Any of the brightness I experienced when I first demoed them together at CanJam is not there. I am listening in my default P, tubes, AB mode.

 

[Garney]

The Multiverse was a big "ehhhhh" moment for me...I was actively hoping to want to buy something but nothing really made me want to take the plunge. I'm hoping for a new Solaris. I wouldn't begrudge another Andro if they managed to improve on the 2020 somehow...but it would be nice to see something new and interesting. Sabre didn't do i for me. Mammoth never piqued my interest and Holocene was nice but ultimately a little redundant alongside Andromeda. At a time when there's not a lot of new stuff that's really compelling for me the anticipation over the next two weeks will be a pleasant dose of excitement.

Is the Solaris 2020 officially discontinued at this point? I see that it's sold out on CA's website.

I agree that there isn't much on the horizon to get excited about at the moment... I'm holding out hope that we get some new EE goodness later this summer at a palatable price point.

 

[aaf evo]

Okay, I did what I didn't want to do which is A/B test EVO with FT cable and @doctorjuggles cable. I probably slightly prefer FT, but not enough to replace the @doctorjuggles cable. This is a relief because I really didn't want to change it. I did it because another headfi is making a cable choice for EVO and asked me my opinion on the cables. I think the FT cable slightly tightened up the sound and presented upper mids slightly more vividly in a good way.

By the way, I freaking love the EVO with N8ii. Any of the brightness I experienced when I first demoed them together at CanJam is not there. I am listening in my default P, tubes, AB mode.

Evo bass texture on N8ii is damn awesome. Really need EE to do some new CIEM models.

 

[Rockwell75]

Is the Solaris 2020 officially discontinued at this point? I see that it's sold out on CA's website.

I think it was discontinued last fall...they were sold out and at first they said "back in stock by blah blah" and then eventually it disappeared from their website and there was a note saying it was discontinued. I'm not sure how much of this has to do with supply issues etc. I'd hate for it to disappear off their roster-- it's a legacy IEM and I hope it stick around...and I especially hope they're able to work out the kinks present in the 2020 relative to the OG. It's a top tier IEM and there's lots of potential there.

I'm holding out hope that we get some new EE goodness later this summer at a palatable price point.

I'd be down for that. If they could give me a Bravado II with more forward mids I'd be all over it.

 

[gLer]

Evo bass texture on N8ii is damn awesome. Really need EE to do some new CIEM models.

EVO bass + LX mids + Odin treble, leave out the BC so they can do CIEM...can't be too difficult, right?

 

[efftee]

How’s the imaging ability on it? I have a friend who also went to demo it and said it was a solid IEM but felt the imaging was lacking?

oh man, please, enlighten me... please.. how is it... or PM me...

I am still gathering my thoughts on it. Spent a couple hours listening and another couple talking to the boys behind the project. These guys have set out with a vision/mission in mind, and that is to bring the experience/delight of what a studio monitor has to offer, in this case, the Genelec, to an IEM. Pretty ballsy, if you ask me. The belief is if you move up the ladder on a studio reference monitor and one that is purely musical, they converge at a single point and become one and the same thing. Is Storm it? Well, I don't know what Genelec or another studio reference sounds like, but if it is really supposed to converge, then I might be hearing it or something close! It is definitely technically sound, I cannot pick any flaws, just whether the tuning is your cup of tea -- for a BA bass, I am impressed, the mids were very balanced, I did not hear any funky quirks (like the FIRs) and the trebles, quite excellent. Resolution, details, all present. Timbre, very natural sounding, neither an enlarged or small soundstage, balanced. All in all, a very good all around performer. I thought there was a tinge of brightness that not only did I not mind, but I felt like it's the residual of great extension beyond the 10K range. Very nice. If there's one thing that really stood out for me, it is the transition from bass to mids to trebles, it is as natural and smooth as I have ever heard it in an IEM. I suspect it's the work they put into the crossovers, like how a full range speaker would have.

I was planning to pop over for a revisit with the Jewel after the Storm but ended up spending so much time with it, I never made it. Sorry, B.

The thing that matters most to me is whether nor not you are willing to buy it and if you have to sell something, what does it replace? There are 20 IEMs out there that sound great and are impressive including the Helios Symphonium, but I am not buying it. Where does it fit into your top 10-20 IEMs you have heard?

I don't think I could ever rank IEMs from best to worst. What's the premise, the parameters? I think the Annihilator is much better than the Odin on the HM1K stack, but it's crappier than my AirPods on the SP2K! On to the rubber meets the road stuff, I find the gear I buy on the spot, the ones I must take home with me after listening, are usually the right decisions for me -- IEMs wise, those would be the Odin, Annihilator, DC Ti (and now the Storm). Those that I have to think about, to justify or make a case for, are the ones I usually regret. What separated the Storm with the other IEMS out there, for me, is it's not just engineered to be very good (like everyone tries to be good just for goodness sake), but it is product of a bold vision. Love it or hate it, the Storm is a representation of something that breaks away from the norm and be different from the rest. And I was sold more on that vision than just another good sounding IEM. Frankly, I am not surprised that @Precogvision has rated the Storm as highly as he did.

 

[Garney]

I think it was discontinued last fall...they were sold out and at first they said "back in stock by blah blah" and then eventually it disappeared from their website and there was a note saying it was discontinued. I'm not sure how much of this has to do with supply issues etc. I'd hate for it to disappear off their roster-- it's a legacy IEM and I hope it stick around...and I especially hope they're able to work out the kinks present in the 2020 relative to the OG. It's a top tier IEM and there's lots of potential there.

Gotcha. I haven't been following along. I'll be looking to see what's announced later this month, though!

I'd be down for that. If they could give me a Bravado II with more forward mids I'd be all over it.

I'm wanting to add an Empire Ears IEM to my collection after what I heard at CanJam and my interaction with Jack. I had a chance to buy @SBranson's Bravado MkII a long while back and still regret not going for them.

 

[PHLHarmonic]

I am still gathering my thoughts on it. Spent a couple hours listening and another couple talking to the boys behind the project. These guys have set out with a vision/mission in mind, and that is to bring the experience/delight of what a studio monitor has to offer, in this case, the Genelec, to an IEM. Pretty ballsy, if you ask me. The belief is if you move up the ladder on a studio reference monitor and one that is purely musical, they converge at a single point and become one and the same thing. Is Storm it? Well, I don't know what Genelec or another studio reference sounds like, but if it is really supposed to converge, then I might be hearing it or something close! It is definitely technically sound, I cannot pick any flaws, just whether the tuning is your cup of tea -- for a BA bass, I am impressed, the mids were very balanced, I did not hear any funky quirks (like the FIRs) and the trebles, quite excellent. Resolution, details, all present. Timbre, very natural sounding, neither an enlarged or small soundstage, balanced. All in all, a very good all around performer. I thought there was a tinge of brightness that not only did I not mind, but I felt like it's the residual of great extension beyond the 10K range. Very nice. If there's one thing that really stood out for me, it is the transition from bass to mids to trebles, it is as natural and smooth as I have ever heard it in an IEM. I suspect it's the work they put into the crossovers, like how a full range speaker would have.

I was planning to pop over for a revisit with the Jewel after the Storm but ended up spending so much time with it, I never made it. Sorry, B.

I guess the question is, subjectively speaking, does it seem like it could be anything close to worth the potential asking price given other options on the market in the $3-5k range? How's the fit?

I'm wanting to add an Empire Ears IEM to my collection after what I heard at CanJam and my interaction with Jack. I had a chance to buy @SBranson's Bravado MkII a long while back and still regret not going for them.

They're not too badly priced right now, but reviews (at least in the public sphere which we might take with a grain of salt) seemed mixed on them from what I saw, and they're apparently kind of big, yes?

 

[Rockwell75]

They're not too badly priced right now, but reviews (at least in the public sphere which we might take with a grain of salt) seemed mixed on them from what I saw, and they're apparently kind of big, yes?

Standard EE fair with respect to size-- I found them quite manageable. RE the reviews...the Bravado II is another IEM that I don't think got a really fair shake. I was very pleasantly surprised at now nice they were when I heard them. If it weren't for my aversion to more v-shaped IEMs lately I'd probably have owned a pair...the bass and treble on those is top tier, and it's a pretty low entry point for EE's TOTL bass driver.