[Xinlisupreme]

I tried it a while ago, and to my ears found these three-DD driver combo to sound closer to 3BA driver performance. It doesn't have the sound you would expect from DD drivers, not the same texture or the speed. Don't have detailed notes, it was long time ago.

DMAGIC has technical abilities as a multi BA but coherency, timbre and decay is more natural and get DD behavior also.
Isn’t a bassy iem, sub bass isn’t boosted at all but has a lot of charme and needs a very powerful dap or Amp to get the best.
Connected to RS6 sounds ok but, high spl doesn’t mean you’re listening as can shine trough C9.
My 2 cents

 

[PHLHarmonic]

Starting to think the Tyrian cable despite looking great is just too hefty for me.

 

[rantng]

Sorry guys & gals, I’ll get caught up eventually. I thought about creating a multi-quote post a la @Rockwell75 but that would be one epic mega post. Instead I’ll just say that I hope everyone is well and I’m sure you’re still keeping it . Shout out to all the regulars, you know who you are and to all the newbies who’ve found the oasis that is the Watercooler! Hopefully I can get caught up and see you in the present. In the meantime, hello from the past, which given the speed this thread moves, is anything more than a week.

 

[marklivia]

Re Rockwell's survey, I'm sure I'm going to get flamed but I've been thinking about this for awhile..... Sometimes it blows my mind how much guys spend on this thread for hardware (yes, I'm jealous I can't get the latest all the time) and use streaming for software. I'm sure there are some quality sites and content but I'd be willing to bet if that same content was off a CD or downloaded from HD Tracks, etc. it would sound better.
I'm fortunate to have collected a huge library of CD quality albums and HiRes downloads. Maybe it's that I'm an old fart but quality of the music files trumps convenience every time. So for me it's 1TB cards in all my DAPs.

 

[xenithon]

My first Eletech product. Haven’t gotten a chance to listen yet but 10/10 for presentation and unboxing experience.

 

[PHLHarmonic]

Listed my Tyrian if anyone's interested. Great looking and feeling cable but too hefty in-hand.

 

[Cwebb4ers]

Those are very different IEMs, both are great just tuned very differently. Jewel is reference with some bass extension and DD for bass, Phonix is warm sounding (vocals and mids) with BA bass. Personally the Phenix never clicked with my music taste and I’ve loved the Jewel, but that’s my personal preference.

What IEMs do you currently like or what sound signature are you looking for?

i currently own Z1R, Mest2, Solaris OG, ie900 and O800. Just looking for a solid upgrade rather than a side-grade. I basically listen to every music genre out there that's well done. So a good all-arounder IEM with a bit of tamed highs would be preferred. I do find the trebles on Mest mk2 a bit too aggressive with certain instruments.

 

[Ojisan]

Really enjoying this set!! Thanks @Rockwell75

In my books, excellent timbre, slightly on the faster/drier side but warm enough to make an all-rounder. It's got great treble (for a single DD). Vocals pops out beautifully! I'll wait a little for honeymoon phase to pass but I think I will buy this to replace a few IEMs and make it my EDC/travel set.

Funny thing is, I had the polarity reversed on one end of 2-pin to mmcx converter and it sounded out of phase and far. I thought my cable broke

Edit: it's Dunu Zen Pro

 

[Xinlisupreme]

I like Leonidas II matching with Aroma duet

 

[Natesdailies]

Some tips arrived: Final Type Es, Azla Crystals, Tanchim T300T.

Tanchim T300: I ordered one size up for the Tanchjim after Jim showed me how small these fit. The M is perfect on me. The treble version gives me shout. I like the bass version of the T300T more. Putting these on the Traillii.

Azla Crystals: These are less sticky than the Xelastics. It has a similar type of "plastic" playback. I did not like this on the Odins. It gave me peaks. This works better on the XE6. It reduces some bass quantity and brings out more clarity. This almost makes it sound like different earphones. It also the most comfortable out of this batch.

Final Type E: These fit really well. The combo pack is worth it. I usually go size SS, but I was able to get the maximum insertion with size Medium with the XE6 since it has a tiny shell. I like this sound the most out of this batch. These give me the deepest sound stage and preferred bass:mids ratio.

 

[PHLHarmonic]

Some tips arrived: Final Type Es, Azla Crystals, Tanchim T300T.






Tanchim T300: I ordered one size up for the Tanchjim after Jim showed me how small these fit. The M is perfect on me. The treble version gives me shout. I like the bass version of the T300T more. Putting these on the Traillii.

Azla Crystals: These are less sticky than the Xelastics. It has a similar type of "plastic" playback. I did not like this on the Odins. It gave me peaks. This works better on the XE6. It reduces some bass quantity and brings out more clarity. This almost makes it sound like different earphones. It also the most comfortable out of this batch.

Final Type E: These fit really well. The combo pack is worth it. I usually go size SS, but I was able to get the maximum insertion with size Medium with the XE6 since it has a tiny shell. I like this sound the most out of this batch. These give me the deepest sound stage and preferred bass:mids ratio.

I also find that the Type E tips go well on the XE6. The silicone is far more comfortable to me than any of the Sedna ones in general.

 

[Scubadevils]

i currently own Z1R, Mest2, Solaris OG, ie900 and O800. Just looking for a solid upgrade rather than a side-grade. I basically listen to every music genre out there that's well done. So a good all-arounder IEM with a bit of tamed highs would be preferred. I do find the trebles on Mest mk2 a bit too aggressive with certain instruments.

Aroma Audio Thunder sounds like a good fit for you... excellent all-rounder, and you'll have no issue with treble.

Oh and it's an upgrade (in my opinion) on Z1R, MEST MKII, IE900 and O800 - I can't comment on Solaris OG as I've not heard.

 

[Scubadevils]

Files versus download inspired me to do a bit of Bandcamp shopping tonight - delighted I did, found this wonderful electronic album... love how it's rooted in 1970's synth music, but with a contemporary twist. Really excellent, and I can already say it'll be in my top 2022 albums - instant hit.



"With Un' Altra Forma Di Vibrazioni Tagliabue continues to expand on the cosmic foundations laid by such pioneering experimental forefathers as Franco Battiato whose ground-breaking ambient, abstract experiments made waves in the '70s, Klaus Schulze whose legendary Innovative Communications label birthed the “Berlin school” sound in the early '80s, then tracing a path toward later luminaries like Boards of Canada and Plaid. There's a very personal, emotive, even ethereal quality also present here conjuring feelings of 4AD's glory years and the likes of This Mortal Coil and Dead Can Dance.

However, backwards-looking music this is not. It's fair to say the Milan-based producer is developing his very own distinct sound as he matures from one release to the next and regardless of his wide range of influences, it's his firm grasp of sound design and current developments in audio engineering that takes this album far beyond the realm of just “electronica” or “psychedelia” and plants it firmly into a distinctly forward-looking contemporary space of its very own, that's as much music for the heart as it is music for the head.

It's this emotive quality that makes the album feel like a departure in sound from what the label has been doing until now so it seemed appropriate to create a sub-series for this release - and thus Black Inc. was born.

Tagliabue provides some insight into the release's creation: “Un' Altra Forma Di Vibrazioni (meaning Another Form Of Vibration in Italian) is a concept album inspired by one of the most sensational scientific discoveries of recent years, namely evidence of the existence of the "Cosmic Web". The album is comprised of ten tracks, each linked to one another, much like the various forms of matter in the cosmic web, and whose meaning can only be understood by listening to them as a collective whole: the album therefore is a well constructed sonic experience fusing elements of ambient, psych, rock, experimental and trance. Designed to be listened to continuously from start to finish, the album's journey through the universal elements is reflected in each track, whose rhythms resonate in harmony with the phenomena they represent, whilst a backdrop of drones and mesmeric grooves contribute to an atmosphere of otherworldly mechanical oneirism."

 

[KuroKitsu]

#BringBackTheEU

... this is fine and good so long as nobody gets ahead of themselves and imagines that their preferences and recs have somehow attained the status of holy writ.

But I just got the Valknut printed on this banner.....

I know clearly who are being paid but I will not call them out. If you know, you know.

Please tell Empire to pay me.

Aroma Jewel
PW First Times
DX300 Max
Aroma A100TB + PS100

When the would be robber tells the officer "He turned around and assulted me with his jewellery"

I joined 2017 when headphone review was picking up on YT. Having grown up in Japan around my dad's Sansui system, I was always into music+gear. Got started with cassette walkman and Aiwa decks back in 80's, then CD walkman for a long time. Came to US in 1990 so I missed out on the MD craze in Japan, although I still have the Sony MZ-RH1. Then, early 2000's I got back into IEMs with Shure e4c (used this until the plastic crumbled!), then SE846, Yamaha EPH-100, and JVC HA-FX700. These were used with various generations of iPods and odd Japanese MP3 players like Panasonic SV-SD80. In 2017, I got the headphone bug, joined HF and that led me through the usual Senns, Focals, and Stax. As an engineer and tinkerer, I enjoy reading about mods and amp builds so I find these forums useful. The last 3 years have been mostly IEMs and DAP craze starting with the original Fiio M11 and Andro...



Yay, the postal is a little slow here but it should arrive tonight!

Sansui and Daiwa mmmh. I still have a couple of those systems in use around the house.

The problem with two channel is you need a dedicated room, room treatment, speakers need to be away from the wall (generally) and it is x100 times the cost.

Not a headphones person either, but this basically cemented my iems only decision.

Yeah, if IEMs are a rabbit hole, two channel is a rabbit cave. Proceed with caution. Bring proof of residence and ID for the remortgage papers. Don't tell your wife/signficant other where you're going

That only works if they don't touch the finances. My solution was to buy her an A12t of her own.

Totally agree and I think it's partly a byproduct of having TOTL gear already. Pretty much akin to cables. When you've already got exceptional IEM and DAP, you shut the door to a certain extent on improvement and this leads you down the path of cables (looking for the standard "5%" improvement) and external amping. I'm more savvy than to believe its night and day and generally ignore the shouting from the rooftops of it transforming an existing TOTL setup. As Rock said, take the glory shouting with a big pinch of salt. Still, if the end goal is looking to get the cherry on top, let's give it a go but the elephant with amping is the significant reduction in portability/ convenience which a cable swap doesn't have. For me, that comes above any benefit in sq when the existing sq is already top notch.

There are very few iems that have such a drastic change with cables. For most of my cable rolling shenanigans, there was probably about a 3% change from a stock to a decently made aftermarket. Even going from the Stormbreaker to my current bespoked cable on Odin was less than that.

Inversely there are iems that completely change when cables are thrown in the mix. The Andro being one, and a second that @riverground and I discovered today. More on that when I get my thoughts up.

I think IEMs will always have an inherent disadvantage in a sense because they have to create the illusion of something (space) that HPs and (especially) 2-channel have in superabundance. On the other hand some IEM makers-- and I am here thinking primarily of VE-- don't seem to be trying to mimic 2-channel or headphones at all but are rather focusing more on trying to create an emotive experience with IEMs on their own terms and relative to the strengths of the drivers they are using. This is why something like Jewel will be preferable to many as it is much more in line with a 2-channel experience than something like EXT, which doesn't seem to be aiming to do that at all but which instead has plenty of its own strengths on its own terms that make it thoroughly unique in the IEM world. YMMV etc. All of that said, and has been said often, the portability and convenience IEMs offer give them an advantage for those of us with a use case that demands it which desktop and 2-channel gear can't possibly compete with.

This came up today while I was demoing @riverground 's 1266 in a park. IEMs have to result to tuning tricks to give the perception of 2ch setups. It comes down to other factors why you would choose iems over 2ch in that case.

Quick survey question: How many of you (like me) don't stream at all but do all or most of your listening off local files? I'm still attached to the perhaps outdated notion of curating a music library of files and albums etc.

100% local. FLAC for archival, encoded to 320 MP3 for listening. I use Mp3tag and Tagscanner meticulously to keep it curated. Not a fan of paying recurring fees to listen to music

Random question for the cooler folks - For those that own it / have heard it, do you feel the 64 Audio Fourte still holds it's own against the latest crop of TOTL offerings in terms of staging, detail retrieval and technicalities?

Definitely. It owns a lot of that to the tuning as well and that in itself is super polarizing. I had no issues with that, but eventually traded mine because the sound I was seeking required DAPs that were out of my limits.

What about that QDC Dmagic 3D never heard it so not sure about detail. Three DD drivers could sound very good for acoustic and vocals. $1,300 retail in the Mid Tier price level.

DMagic doesn't use the traditional way of doing the coaxial setup for multiple DD setups and thar might be a reason why it ends up feeling more like a multi BA setup. You do get DD bass and a coherent presentation between the drivers.

I didn't get it at the $1300 MRSP and I feel thats slightly overpriced for what it does. It is a solid iem at the $1K mark.

It's interesting that people have been talking about the DMagic, I remember @Xinlisupreme PMIng me about it.

I think 64 audio got left behind when the two main player from 64 audio started Fir. Nothing new has really come out and no new tech from them in years.

64's main market isn't the audiophile market and as such they don't have a need to pop out a new product with new bells and whistles every x months. It's unfair to judge them for that alone.

 

[Frankie D]

Random question for the cooler folks - For those that own it / have heard it, do you feel the 64 Audio Fourte still holds it's own against the latest crop of TOTL offerings in terms of staging, detail retrieval and technicalities?

I still own it. You will hear every detail. The treble can be too much at times, and this is probably its weakest point. But this is 64 Audio treble. At CanJam my 2 favorite 64A IEMs were still the 12T and the Fourte. The DD can produce thunderous bass when it gets going, but it is not in your face at all times. Its biggest weakness vs the Traillii would be the midrange and the overall timbre. Vs the Elysium for example it will produce much more bass when asked for. Very powerful with EDM. I like it with the Leo II cable and I also currently use the Horus.

It is also great at letting you know the differences among cables. You can easily hear cable differences using it which can make it a good tool for such comparisons and they turn out the same way on other IEMs.

It got new life for me when I switched to the AzlaSednaShort Light ear tips. These tips gave me a better fit with it and boosted the bass and the overall listening experience with it.

If you get it let me know what you think.