[HarlanDraka]

On another note, just for fun.

Since we are talking about iems we love, I’m curious about iems we hate.

I start: the worst iem I have ever tried was InEarz Euphoria.

Never though a super warm veiled muddy signature could be very sibilant and sharp as well. Quite an achievement

 

[ian91]

You needed a stronger amp. I don't like the mkii on the M8 at all, in fact. Turbo gain isn't enough for proper control. It's brittle and lifeless.
I was all ready to sell it off and then I plugged it into the AR-M2 (w/ Cayin 4.4 to 3.5 adapter) and the sky's parted. I can't believe how much it came to life. Total 180º (well, audiophile 180). All the strange tonal peaky things and overtones fell in line. The DD and estats started PRODUCING and even went holographic.
I laughably don't want to like it (so hyped, so popular), but I can't seem to quit it.
Likely has everything to do with the high impedance of the player, and the MEST being super source, tip, and fit dependent. If you are fortunate enough to have all that line up, it's pretty darn good. But that begs the question why they would produce such an iEM that is so finicky to begin with? If it wasn't for the God of synergy, it would have been only a faint memory to me.

Agreed, MEST sounded best from my C9. With more power behind it, everything it did well got that much better. Unfortunately, what it also did was widen stage further and enlargen the presentation with the sensation of even more space but lost some musicality. I just never gelled with its objective, I purchased it blind and at the time didn't know what my preferred tuning / presentation was. It was great for ambient and soundscape, don't get me wrong. It just didn't fit with my library or tastes.

I can definitely see why you can't put it down if its strengths appeal to you.

 

[ian91]

4)KZ BA10 - Not too impressed with these out of the gate. They kind of remind me of an Andromeda that couldn't get it up. Maybe I'll slip them some Viagara and see what happens.

Oh dear, poor guy.

 

[Rockwell75]

Personally I would not consider u12t as a microscope on music since it’s not a reference flat tuning, far from it.

Well if you take away the sub bass lift that's basically what it is. The u12t serves to present whatever it is you're listening to in a magnificently consistent order, and that's what it excels at-- but musicality and emotional involvement are not so much it's thing imho.

I did a shootout once with the u12t and some other IEM and this was my essential summary of the u12t:

"The u12t presents every layer of the recording you’re listing to in such a way that 1) you can isolate each layer at any time and get lost in its details and 2) it does in such a non-obtrusive way that you can be totally doing something else (like focusing on your own playing or, as the case may be, writing a paper or something). Even the added bass boost makes sense in this capacity as it is done, not to color the signature, but to compensate for the bass that is lost in the ambient noise of a stage setting. I could see the u12t being the perfect IEM for someone who likes to listen at work, wants to experience the entirety of what they’re listening to but also have their mind in the foreground focused on something else.

This is an IEM for the analyst who values correctness and precision above all. When I was listening to the u12t I was consistently in awe of it...such a great reference sound but with killer DD-like bass. Ultimately for me (and the way my mind works when I listen to music) with the level of detail in u12t I often found myself zoning out on all the different layers of a recording-- but I have a harder time viewing it as a unity...I'm not talking about a coherence problem or anything...just that u12t is so good at what it does that I just get lost in all the detail and “forget the forest for the trees” so to speak. Put another way, it reminds of an experience I had after consuming some psilocybin back in the early 90s. Some friends of mine were excited because we were going to see Return of the Jedi in the theatre— we thought the experience, in our elevated state, would make the movie super intense and involving. For me, quite the opposite happened…watching the movie in that state all the effects became transparent and all the illusions were dissolved-- the space ships and props looked like models and even the actors came across as people playing a part in a play. It was indeed an intense experience—all the details of everything I was seeing on the screen presented themselves accurately to my mind…but the romance was gone. It was technically very impressive but I was yearning to be swept off my feet. This same sort of thing happened to me every now and again with the u12t—I’d be wowed by all the different layers of what was going on, but it wasn’t quite as emotionally involving or exciting for me as a whole."

This was written during an extended two week demo I was fortunate to have of the u12t once and I would basically stand by it. I want to emphasize, as I think I clearly expressed above, that I do think the u12t is a great IEM-- in its own way it's the Oriolus Traillii of analyticity-- but it is far from my personal ideal. I can understand the love for it but ultimately I can't relate to it.

You should have listened to PP8 or Jomo Flamenco, those are microscopes

I've heard of the Flamenco but was basically being phased out for the Trinity by the time I started looking in to IEMs. You don't see or hear about them too much these days.

 

[Rockwell75]

On another note, just for fun.

Since we are talking about iems we love, I’m curious about iems we hate.

I start: the worst iem I have ever tried was InEarz Euphoria.

Never though a super warm veiled muddy signature could be very sibilant and sharp as well. Quite an achievement

Honestly largely thanks to communities like this one, the vastness of the internet and people being willing to share their impressions I've been fortunate in that I've never really encountered an IEM I've truly hated.

 

[Rockwell75]

A couple current lists...usual caveats that this is just based on my personal enjoyment & taste and that I love every IEM on both these lists.

Top 10 Sub $1K

1. Oriolus Isabellae
2. Oriolus Reborn
3. Sony IER M9
4. Empire Ears Bravado MKii
5. Penon Globe
6. Campfire Honeydew
7. UM 3DT (Modded with EQ)
8. KBEAR Believe
9. Shure SE215
10. Zero Audio Carbo Mezzo

Top 10 General

1. Oriolus Traillii
2. Vision Ears Elysium
3. Oriolus Isabellae
4. Campfire Dorado 2020
5. Oriolus Reborn
6. Campfire Andromeda 2020/MW10
7. Sony IER Z1R
8. Campfire Solaris OG/SE
9. Vision Ears VE8
10. Empire Ears Legend X

 

[ian91]

2. Vision Ears Elysium

One day I'll hear this. One day...

Also quite impressed with the position of the Reborn. One to keep my eye on .

The GK10 will sit in that list soon enough...

Edit: just noticed the 3DT gets a mention too. It's great value for money!

 

[Rockwell75]

One day I'll hear this. One day...

Can't wait to hear your thoughts when you do.

Also quite impressed with the position of the Reborn. One to keep my eye on .

It needs EQ to sounds its best to me but so much about it is soo good I can't deny it.

The GK10 will sit in that list soon enough...

Can't wait to hear it

 

[ian91]

It needs EQ to sounds its best to me but so much about it is soo good I can't deny it.

I have in the past played with EQ, but I'm thankful that currently none of my IEMs need it as I would be limited to UAPP on the M8.

Generally, what are you adding/subtracting?

 

[Rockwell75]

I have in the past played with EQ, but I'm thankful that currently none of my IEMs need it as I would be limited to UAPP on the M8.

Generally, what are you adding/subtracting?

While it's reasonably well balanced Reborn veers towards what, when left to my own devices, I refer to as an "Eastern" tuning in that it has a sub-bass emphasis over mid-bass and lots of upper mid presence. These upper mids get a little strident-- though never shouty-- for me at times and to compensate for that I drop ~2K by a couple DB and boost ~250 by about the same. This was rec'd to me by someone in the Oriolus Hybrid thread to my ears it works rather well.

 

[Rockwell75]

You needed a stronger amp. I don't like the mkii on the M8 at all, in fact. Turbo gain isn't enough for proper control. It's brittle and lifeless.

That's really unfortunate and surprising-- firstly because turbo gain on the M8 is about as much power as you can find on any DAP I think and second because power wasn't a problem at all for the OG MEST.

 

[blotmouse]

That's really unfortunate and surprising-- firstly because turbo gain on the M8 is about as much power as you can find on any DAP I think and second because power wasn't a problem at all for the OG MEST.

M8 has a lot of power, not the most you can get, but in the top tier. ~840mW in Turbo looks like, but I suspect it isn't just the power, but the topography and impedance interplay as well. It was loud when set at around 40, but the textures were off. The M2 is lower rated at 430mW Class A 3.7V. It just put more meat on the bones.
Wonder if its a bit like tube watts vs. solid state?

 

[claud W]

Gee, I'm going to have to listen to my Mest 2 tomorrow. I do not remember any inkling of a lack of power with my M8. Mine is and was on Turbo. Are you positive your M8 was on Turbo????

 

[blotmouse]

Gee, I'm going to have to listen to my Mest 2 tomorrow. I do not remember any inkling of a lack of power with my M8. Mine is and was on Turbo. Are you positive your M8 was on Turbo????

Yeah, positive. The issues I have with it get larger on high gain.
And it isn't terrible or anything for me on M8, but it was the difference between me selling or keeping it. M8/MEST was decent with music that did not require an organic delivery. Anything organic required and the micro detailing just bothered me. Reverb was off and drum hit decays reached peaky discomfort levels to my brain. Vocals WAY out in front. Funny that a somewhat colder DAP tuning warmed up the MEST and the warmer tuned M8 chilled it down. But hey, you gotta follow your ears. No allegiance. And no offense please to anyone enjoying this combo. What's the mantra, we all hear different?

 

[Rockwell75]

Oriolus Percivali on its way to me to demo thanks to @endless402 ...really looking forward to hearing this one