[efftee]

Unfamiliar with night jar. I did have a chat with the owner of subtonic over email, very nice guy. Left quite an impression on me to say the least. Definitely want to get my hands on a demo if possible, or I’d blind buy it if they’re offering promotional pre order pricing like how I got with the Elysian X. They haven’t figured that part out yet though.

I didn't do any cable rolling so cannot say too much about the Mira, will certainly try to do that next time. These guys are very proud of what they're doing and quite adamant about getting the quality control issues all worked out before letting the Storm out of the gates.

 

[Deezel177]

I didn't do any cable rolling so cannot say too much about the Mira, will certainly try to do that next time.

I can take care of that.

 

[AxLvR]

Not that I know. In fact, one of them is the Night Jar guy himself. The 4-wire Mira is very audibly better on the Storm, much like the Stormbreaker to the 1960 proper.

i see, let's see if they have a good deal on upgrading it to the 4-wire mira instead of the 2-wire... may/june will feel such a long time now

 

[AxLvR]

I can take care of that.

​

ohohohoho

 

[efftee]

I can take care of that.

​

Ah, the 4-wire Mira. An improvement over the 2-wire on the Storm.

 

[efftee]

i see, let's see if they have a good deal on upgrading it to the 4-wire mira instead of the 2-wire... may/june will feel such a long time now

It will certainly be an option. Hopefully less than the $1K retail price difference!

 

[Garney]

Forgive me if I missed it, but are there pictures of the Storm shells floating around? Or renders?

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

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 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.

Thank you. That tells me a little bit more than I knew before. You put it at the level of Odin and Annihilator. You mention that the developers have a vision in mind. How does that manifest itself in what you hear? What is different about it?

 

[Deezel177]

Ah, the 4-wire Mira. An improvement over the 2-wire on the Storm.

I feel really bad not writing about them yet, because I’ve had them for a few months now. But, with the Storm hype slowly brewing (sorry, ‘couldn’t resist), it looks like my timing may end up appropriate after all.

What I can say is that it’s a vast, vibrant, open-sounding cable, which could be responsible for a bit of the air you talked about in your Storm impressions. I imagine its cleanliness, energy and (especially) height would pair wonderfully with something like the Xe6. *cough* @aaf evo *cough* Though, I think portability will be a hot topic with the 4-wire, as it is rather thick, rather stiff, and rather heavy. ‘Definitely not something I’d go out and about with.

But, yeah, I hope to be able to say more soon. I’ve got one or two reviews to photograph before I get to it, but we’ll get to it for sure.

 

[aaf evo]

I imagine its cleanliness, energy and (especially) height would pair wonderfully with something like the Xe6. *cough* @aaf evo *cough*

Yummmm

Though, I think portability will be a hot topic with the 4-wire, as it is rather thick, rather stiff, and rather heavy. ‘Definitely not something I’d go out and about with.

Not yum.

 

[PHLHarmonic]

I too found the EXT fit better with the cable pointing down rather than over-the-ear. To clarify, the way this is done is to rotate the shells 180 degrees and wear the left shell in your right ear and the right shell in your left ear, swapping the cable sides as well so you get the audio channels correct. I actually do this with the Fir Frontier Series and a lot of universal iems with success. I wear glasses and find it is easier/quicker to remove iems when interrupted at work while wearing them with the cable pointing down.

Interesting. Given the angle of the nozzles I can't envision how that works. I was able to merely rotate them forwards while hook still went over the ear and it worked just as well.

 

[efftee]

Thank you. That tells me a little bit more than I knew before. You put it at the level of Odin and Annihilator. You mention that the developers have a vision in mind. How does that manifest itself in what you hear? What is different about it?

Actually, I didn't put it at the same level as Odin and Annihilator; the similarity among them is that I purchased them on the spot, not sound quality. To me, the Annihilator and Storm are technically better than the Odin in every department except for the bass, which for me, is maybe more fun on the Odin.

Well, I have not heard the Genelec so I cannot say how successful they have been able to replicate the experience. What stood out for me, in a way that is reminiscent of speakers, is the transitions, possibly due the crossover work they have done. It doesn't jump out or sound completely different from other IEMs; it's subtle, something that you'd take for granted when listening to live music. Knowing that is engineered with a vision just makes it more impressive for me.

 

[efftee]

I feel really bad not writing about them yet, because I’ve had them for a few months now. But, with the Storm hype slowly brewing (sorry, ‘couldn’t resist), it looks like my timing may end up appropriate after all.

What I can say is that it’s a vast, vibrant, open-sounding cable, which could be responsible for a bit of the air you talked about in your Storm impressions. I imagine its cleanliness, energy and (especially) height would pair wonderfully with something like the Xe6. *cough* @aaf evo *cough* Though, I think portability will be a hot topic with the 4-wire, as it is rather thick, rather stiff, and rather heavy. ‘Definitely not something I’d go out and about with.

But, yeah, I hope to be able to say more soon. I’ve got one or two reviews to photograph before I get to it, but we’ll get to it for sure.

I'd agree with all your points except for its physical attributes. It is thicker and heavier due to, what I think is, the solid core and shielded properties of the wire, but I didn't think it was stiff or unwieldy. I'd say it handles like... the Centurion, though that is a 8-wire cable compared to the 4-wire Mira. Looking forward to your review!

 

[Xinlisupreme]

I am looking for an IEM with a warm to dark signature as I am a both quite a bit treble sensitive and at the same time craving for something that gives me pleasure and enjoyment more so than neutrality.

I am tempted by CA Mammoth and maybe Honeydew, though the latter might be a bit too bass heavy judging from the impressions.

I am familiar with Final’s offerings: 500/2000/3000 but would prefer something with a detachable cable.

CA Mammoth is stretching my budget so something cheaper is preferable. Most of the time I am listening to my Audeze LCD-2C through the Chord Mojo 2.

I mostly listen to indie, rock, electronica.

What should I get? Chi-fi is also an option. I had the KZ ATE but that was too muddy.

Aroma audio Witch girl W6.2 should be your cup of tea

 

[Deezel177]

I'd agree with all your points except for its physical attributes. It is thicker and heavier due to, what I think is, the solid core and shielded properties of the wire, but I didn't think it was stiff or unwieldy. I'd say it handles like... the Centurion, though that is a 8-wire cable compared to the 4-wire Mira. Looking forward to your review!

Yeah, it's not impossible to carry around and use out-and-about. It's just that it's stiff and heavy enough for me to see certain people being turned off by it. It'd be a breeze for people who listen to IEMs at their desktops, though. Again, it depends on your use case and your personal tolerances. But, yeah, I'll talk about and compare it more on the full review.

Actually, I didn't put it at the same level as Odin and Annihilator; the similarity among them is that I purchased them on the spot, not sound quality. To me, the Annihilator and Storm are technically better than the Odin in every department except for the bass, which for me, is maybe more fun on the Odin.

Well, I have not heard the Genelec so I cannot say how successful they have been able to replicate the experience. What stood out for me, in a way that is reminiscent of speakers, is the transitions, possibly due the crossover work they have done. It doesn't jump out or sound completely different from other IEMs; it's subtle, something that you'd take for granted when listening to live music. Knowing that is engineered with a vision just makes it more impressive for me.

I've heard a few Genelec monitors at shows - the near-field 8040B's or 8050B's, I believe - and I can picture an IEM tuned like them. I remember them having a bit more low-end rumble, less high-mid projection and more high-treble air than some of the more in-your-face-sounding Focal's or Avantone's I've heard, which should give you that straightforward, neutral-ish, hi-fi sig. The Neumann monitors at my uncle's studio kinda emulate that slightly-IEM-ish sound as well, which is why they're my preferred set for mixing, and why I've had such a terrible time adjusting to the Focal's and Avantone's even to this day.