[Rockwell75]

Just goes to show that TOTL means TOTL tonality + technicalities. You can't have one without the other the further up the totem pole you go.

I don't think anyone has ever suggested otherwise.

I also think tonality is what we mostly debate most because it's so subjective to individual preferences.

Tonal preferences are inherently subjective yes but I think there's still a lot to discuss around what's actually meant by "technicalities".

 

[gLer]

I don't think anyone has ever suggested otherwise.



Tonal preferences are inherently subjective yes but I think there's still a lot to discuss around what's actually meant by "technicalities".

To me it's everything that's not tonality (bass/mids/treble), so stage, imaging, separation, layering, resolution, dynamics etc. Basically all the things you list above that wow you about Supermoon.

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

it takes the coherence & timbre of a single DD, scales up the stage and dramatically improves the resolution. I would say ultimately it the insane resolution (and concomitant realism and insane stage depth) coupled with the coherence, layering, separation & timbre that are really doing it for me.

Thank you! Not only do these sound like glorious IEMs, your description of them makes them sound similar to Audeze's full size planars, or the Rosson Audio RAD-0, which likewise share these qualities.

It's great to hear that the resolution is so good, especially for the price. Resolution and spacious staging are important qualities for me, and the prospect of the Supermoon being class-leading in these respects might well diminish my interest in higher-priced IEMs.

I'm glad you've found such great IEMs!

Edit: For the record my SM was spoken for almost immediately should I ever decide to sell it for a custom.

Yeah, I figured as much. I may have to do some google sleuthing or risk a custom pair, when pennies permit.

I've got the Massdrop Plus IEMs for my commutes on public transport, and the shape of their very comfy shells was apparently based on an average of thousands of custom shells made for musicians over a period of some 20 years. I wish Campfire Audio would do something like this, i.e. use the custom manufacturing process for the Supermoon but sell one that could serve as a kind of "universal."

 

[TylersEclectic]

Beautiful craftsmanship which I really admire. I am not handy in any way, barely passed shop class in high school. So my do it yourself Whammy would end up with wires sticking out of it! Anyway, would never buy one cause I’d forever have visions of Champ in Anchorman saying WHAMMY!!!! every time I turned the darn thing on! Enjoy your reviews immensely. Terrific production value. As an Auteur owner, I especially appreciate your comparisons to the other ZMFs and the RAD-0. Your impressions are so helpful as I decide what should be my next purchase. Want to explore tube amps with the Auteur. Kenzie II is intriguing me the most especially after watching your video about it though I can’t wait to see what the Zach/Decware partnership yields in the next few months.

Thank you! Yeah, exciting times ahead!! Looking forward to the collaboration as well!

Cheers

 

[gLer]

@Rockwell75 do you know if anyone's measured Supermoon yet? @aaf evo any chance you can measure your set and share it here? I'd love to see how it graphs compared to other IEMs, particularly in the lower regions.

 

[Sifo]

Been spending my quiet time with some special earbuds from tgxear not even sure if there's a model name for these

 

[aaf evo]

@Rockwell75 do you know if anyone's measured Supermoon yet? @aaf evo any chance you can measure your set and share it here? I'd love to see how it graphs compared to other IEMs, particularly in the lower regions.

Supermoon & Timeless

 

[Rockwell75]

@Rockwell75 do you know if anyone's measured Supermoon yet? @aaf evo any chance you can measure your set and share it here? I'd love to see how it graphs compared to other IEMs, particularly in the lower regions.

I'll try and get @tgx78 to measure it at some point.

To me it's everything that's not tonality (bass/mids/treble), so stage, imaging, separation, layering, resolution, dynamics etc. Basically all the things you list above that wow you about Supermoon.

I think for me there are 3 main qualities-- coherence (how the different drivers play together), timbre and technicalities. I agree with the categories of technicalities you list but I'm still trying to figure out for myself if there's anything more to it (how the different technical factors play together, for example) or if everything I really care about is accounted for in the 3 things I just listed. I've always appreciated the importance of all those factors it's just that for me the advantage of planars seems to be that they give me enough of everything I love that I don't feel I'm making any sort of sacrifices-- whereas before for me peaking out in one area meant a slight sacrifice in one or both of the other areas.

Edit: I mean 4 main qualities-- tonality should be there too.

 

[dmphile]

I pulled the trigger on Solaris 2020. It was too good a deal to pass up. Should be arriving Tomorrow or Monday. I'm jacked.

 

[ranfan]

Hmm this shade of the faceplate colour looks quite similar but I hope to have a planar IEM eventually in my collection. Am quite interested in Supermoon but I’d prefer a universal one… not in a rush anyway, too many toys and too many holes in my wallet

I just tried the DD hybrid Thieaudio Monarch MKII, and I think its bass may be to your liking..
LX level stuff, with EST handling the treble nicely with lovely control even-ing things at the upper-end so it doesn't become lopsided
Highly recommend for heavy metal, and tracks with deep rough sub-bass!
Like this one for instance:

 

[ceramicears]

I don't think anyone has ever suggested otherwise.



Tonal preferences are inherently subjective yes but I think there's still a lot to discuss around what's actually meant by "technicalities".

To me it's everything that's not tonality (bass/mids/treble), so stage, imaging, separation, layering, resolution, dynamics etc. Basically all the things you list above that wow you about Supermoon.

It's crazy how much is at play to make something sound good to someone. It's a concoction of tonality, timbre, technicalities, and presentation. These aspects are all intertwined and it's not enough to judge tonality separately, for example, because two items could measure almost identically yet sound drastically different because of the physical properties of the transducer/diaphragm and how the sound is physically delivered and then perceived by the ear.

I'm not particularly picky about frequency response because I believe there's a myriad of frequential synergies that you can make work. The trend of seeking the Harman curve truly annoys me and leads to a lack of variety in this hobby as well as harmful preconceived notions that are applied universally. I don't automatically consider something bassy or lacking pinna gain as being bad. In fact, things that follow the Harman target I find to be shouty quite often with skimpy bass. What I do dislike is weak and limp dynamics, lack of body and tangibility, veiled or distant sound, unnatural raspy metallic timbre, and sibilance. The amount of TOTL items I've tried that had these qualities is staggering.

I want audio equipment to move me or seduce me, be it exuberant and grand or relaxing and soothing. If the concoction is done right, I achieve emotional engagement and truly enjoy the music. Campfire and Meze manage to give me that moreso than any other company for whatever reason and I'm grateful they exist to do something different.

I'm a basshead at heart but I'm not that fond of something like the Legend X. It's got the bass and it's technically capable but the LX simply doesn't grab me and it proved that there is more to sound than just frequency graphs and high technical performance. I'm noticing that the dimension of the sound, especially in how the bass is presented, and the interplay of the frequencies (coherency) play a significant role in what I like.

 

[Rockwell75]

It's crazy how much is at play to make something sound good to someone. It's a concoction of tonality, timbre, technicalities, and presentation. These aspects are all intertwined and it's not enough to judge tonality separately, for example, because two items could measure almost identically yet sound drastically different because of the physical properties of the transducer/diaphragm and how the sound is physically delivered and then perceived by the ear.

I'm not particularly picky about frequency response because I believe there's a myriad of frequential synergies that you can make work. The trend of seeking the Harman curve truly annoys me and leads to a lack of variety in this hobby as well as harmful preconceived notions that are applied universally. I don't automatically consider something bassy or lacking pinna gain as being bad. In fact, things that follow the Harman target I find to be shouty quite often with skimpy bass. What I do dislike is weak and limp dynamics, lack of body and tangibility, veiled or distant sound, unnatural raspy metallic timbre, and sibilance. The amount of TOTL items I've tried that had these qualities is staggering.

I want audio equipment to move me or seduce me, be it exuberant and grand or relaxing and soothing. If the concoction is done right, I achieve emotional engagement and truly enjoy the music. Campfire and Meze manage to give me that moreso than any other company for whatever reason and I'm grateful they exist to do something different.

I'm a basshead at heart but I'm not that fond of something like the Legend X. It's got the bass and it's technically capable but the LX simply doesn't grab me and it proved that there is more to sound than just frequency graphs and high technical performance. I'm noticing that the dimension of the sound, especially in how the bass is presented, and the interplay of the frequencies (coherency) play a significant role in what I like.

Beautifully put-- it seems we're kindred spirits

 

[toaster]

It's crazy how much is at play to make something sound good to someone. It's a concoction of tonality, timbre, technicalities, and presentation. These aspects are all intertwined and it's not enough to judge tonality separately, for example, because two items could measure almost identically yet sound drastically different because of the physical properties of the transducer/diaphragm and how the sound is physically delivered and then perceived by the ear.

I'm not particularly picky about frequency response because I believe there's a myriad of frequential synergies that you can make work. The trend of seeking the Harman curve truly annoys me and leads to a lack of variety in this hobby as well as harmful preconceived notions that are applied universally. I don't automatically consider something bassy or lacking pinna gain as being bad. In fact, things that follow the Harman target I find to be shouty quite often with skimpy bass. What I do dislike is weak and limp dynamics, lack of body and tangibility, veiled or distant sound, unnatural raspy metallic timbre, and sibilance. The amount of TOTL items I've tried that had these qualities is staggering.

I want audio equipment to move me or seduce me, be it exuberant and grand or relaxing and soothing. If the concoction is done right, I achieve emotional engagement and truly enjoy the music. Campfire and Meze manage to give me that moreso than any other company for whatever reason and I'm grateful they exist to do something different.

I'm a basshead at heart but I'm not that fond of something like the Legend X. It's got the bass and it's technically capable but the LX simply doesn't grab me and it proved that there is more to sound than just frequency graphs and high technical performance. I'm noticing that the dimension of the sound, especially in how the bass is presented, and the interplay of the frequencies (coherency) play a significant role in what I like.

nice post, man.

 

[aaf evo]

It's crazy how much is at play to make something sound good to someone. It's a concoction of tonality, timbre, technicalities, and presentation. These aspects are all intertwined and it's not enough to judge tonality separately, for example, because two items could measure almost identically yet sound drastically different because of the physical properties of the transducer/diaphragm and how the sound is physically delivered and then perceived by the ear.

I'm not particularly picky about frequency response because I believe there's a myriad of frequential synergies that you can make work. The trend of seeking the Harman curve truly annoys me and leads to a lack of variety in this hobby as well as harmful preconceived notions that are applied universally. I don't automatically consider something bassy or lacking pinna gain as being bad. In fact, things that follow the Harman target I find to be shouty quite often with skimpy bass. What I do dislike is weak and limp dynamics, lack of body and tangibility, veiled or distant sound, unnatural raspy metallic timbre, and sibilance. The amount of TOTL items I've tried that had these qualities is staggering.

I want audio equipment to move me or seduce me, be it exuberant and grand or relaxing and soothing. If the concoction is done right, I achieve emotional engagement and truly enjoy the music. Campfire and Meze manage to give me that moreso than any other company for whatever reason and I'm grateful they exist to do something different.

I'm a basshead at heart but I'm not that fond of something like the Legend X. It's got the bass and it's technically capable but the LX simply doesn't grab me and it proved that there is more to sound than just frequency graphs and high technical performance. I'm noticing that the dimension of the sound, especially in how the bass is presented, and the interplay of the frequencies (coherency) play a significant role in what I like.

Fully agree, and this is almost exactly how I feel about the FiR XE6 and why it resonates with me so highly. I don't care that it doesn't have the most clarity or separation. The way it sounds with my library is unlike anything else I have heard and I just enjoy it so much. It also has a high level of technical ability imo so it is just so pleasant for me.

 

[dmphile]

It's crazy how much is at play to make something sound good to someone. It's a concoction of tonality, timbre, technicalities, and presentation. These aspects are all intertwined and it's not enough to judge tonality separately, for example, because two items could measure almost identically yet sound drastically different because of the physical properties of the transducer/diaphragm and how the sound is physically delivered and then perceived by the ear.

I'm not particularly picky about frequency response because I believe there's a myriad of frequential synergies that you can make work. The trend of seeking the Harman curve truly annoys me and leads to a lack of variety in this hobby as well as harmful preconceived notions that are applied universally. I don't automatically consider something bassy or lacking pinna gain as being bad. In fact, things that follow the Harman target I find to be shouty quite often with skimpy bass. What I do dislike is weak and limp dynamics, lack of body and tangibility, veiled or distant sound, unnatural raspy metallic timbre, and sibilance. The amount of TOTL items I've tried that had these qualities is staggering.

I want audio equipment to move me or seduce me, be it exuberant and grand or relaxing and soothing. If the concoction is done right, I achieve emotional engagement and truly enjoy the music. Campfire and Meze manage to give me that moreso than any other company for whatever reason and I'm grateful they exist to do something different.

I'm a basshead at heart but I'm not that fond of something like the Legend X. It's got the bass and it's technically capable but the LX simply doesn't grab me and it proved that there is more to sound than just frequency graphs and high technical performance. I'm noticing that the dimension of the sound, especially in how the bass is presented, and the interplay of the frequencies (coherency) play a significant role in what I like.

Well said, I'm definitely of the same mindset and feeling. You just happened to articulate it the best.