The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
Jul 21, 2022 at 2:15 AM Post #29,776 of 97,582
Got my W1’s the other day. They feel more secure than CP100/145/155’s and they seal better than Xelastecs on my ear canals. Very happy with them. Gonna buy a few more sets, but I wish they did individual size packs rather than S/M/L. The S & L tips are basically useless for me so I’m paying AUD $30 for 1 set of M tips 😒7F590758-9958-4363-A285-3854E5DFAE32.jpegC395900B-93C9-40F3-BD96-84E691C78771.jpeg
Sell me your S tips. I will pick up when we meet next month. :)
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 2:21 AM Post #29,777 of 97,582
Are there any 64 Audio U6T or 64 Audio Duo owners? If so, how do they compare?
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 2:27 AM Post #29,778 of 97,582
Got mine in the mail today and they're more comfy than the Azla Crystals as they're less rigid and so have more flex while still being secure and grippy in my ear canals. Hopefully their shape doesn't get messed up like the Azla Xelastec tips do over time.


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just got mine as well what do you think about it, i also bought the AZLA MAX, both are really comfortable for my traillii and FS.
 

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Jul 21, 2022 at 3:01 AM Post #29,779 of 97,582
It took me quite a while to convince myself that it wasn't time to think about the Storm yet. It’s called Storm because it's born to wipe out our wallet :sob:
At that price, I might as well forget it exists!

I still won't be able to stop myself from reading impressions.
It's a shame that it is so expensive really. That said, I know how much goes into making it, crazy high.

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This is the pre-production sample, of course. The final IEM, on true-recessed 2-pin connectors, will be Chromium-plated black with 18K Gold-plated faceplate, Storm-deco laser etching. I've seen the rendering -- it's quite impressive! The cable is a NightJar Mira, which is a neutral and pairs very well with Storm, imo better than the usual suspects of Orpheus (too imposing), Centurion (not as resolving), etc. Shown here is a 4-wire edition; it's a paid upgrade (better resolution and imaging) from the stock with Storm which is the 2-wire version. Some people prefer the stock, it is less heft but they're both really quite soft and pliant, ergonomics shouldn't be an issue. The case is made with a really nice leather from Todah (a handmade leather goods atelier), imo better quality than any I've seem come with an IEM. And then there is the matter of labor; apparently 1 unit per 2-man day!

USD5K+ is indeed hard to swallow but at least you know you're getting top quality stuff here.

According to their website, ships from UK?

I signed up for US tour to take a listen, but I think it was delayed since I didn't hear any updates since June. Curious to hear it as well, and would like to read other reviews, especially knowing that some of the reviewers involved are not too keen to anything over $2k :wink: 4.8k GBP is $5.7k USD
Elise Audio is their UK/Euro-zone reseller. There should be a US/Head-fi tour, and I know on good authority that you're on the list. 😊 Be interesting to read your take on it!

At that price it'll either take this thread by storm, or end up a storm in a teacup. 😁
Maybe now is a good time to rehash my previous impressions of the impending Storm... ⛈ ☔

I thought singapore since they’re from there. Their website reads like the storm is the one and only be all and end all iem they’re gonna make
The plan is 4 IEMS, each bearing the preference/tuning of each is based the founders. Storm's a reference, highly technical flat-impedance IEM based on @toranku's signature. The other three to come will each have its own special characteristics and tuning that would be equally interesting and unique, to say the least. Exciting brand!
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 4:29 AM Post #29,781 of 97,582
Elise Audio is their UK/Euro-zone reseller.
UK is not part of the Euro-zone anymore. I wonder if there will be demo units within the EU as importing them from the UK will lead to customs fees (over 1000€ at this price point).
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 5:08 AM Post #29,782 of 97,582
Just received a mail from @Questyle, Got their flagship M15 USB DAC/AMP. Just unboxed and I am literally awestruck with its outstanding build. I instantly connected it to my iPad Air and Senn IE600. This little baby sounds super clean, the background has no signs of hiss or noise. Bass feels tighter especially in the sub-bass section(which is actually the tuning of IE600), so I guess the M15 has a highly transparent sound presentation.

More impressions with time :) See how beautiful this baby looks <3

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Jul 21, 2022 at 5:18 AM Post #29,783 of 97,582
Just received a mail from @Questyle, Got their flagship M15 USB DAC/AMP. Just unboxed and I am literally awestruck with its outstanding build. I instantly connected it to my iPad Air and Senn IE600. This little baby sounds super clean, the background has no signs of hiss or noise. Bass feels tighter especially in the sub-bass section(which is actually the tuning of IE600), so I guess the M15 has a highly transparent sound presentation.

More impressions with time :) See how beautiful this baby looks <3

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Been curious about that - it actually looks smaller than I thought from marketing images.
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 5:59 AM Post #29,784 of 97,582
The plan is 4 IEMS, each bearing the preference/tuning of each is based the founders. Storm's a reference, highly technical flat-impedance IEM based on @toranku's signature. The other three to come will each have its own special characteristics and tuning that would be equally interesting and unique, to say the least. Exciting brand!
Should've arrange for a better time to try it when I got the stormbreaker from you haha
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 6:34 AM Post #29,786 of 97,582
it actually looks smaller than I thought from marketing images
Actually my thoughts when i unboxed the device. From the marketing images, the M15 looks super huge, but in reality it isn't that huge but yeah it's thiccccc
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 7:17 AM Post #29,788 of 97,582
More fun, more pictures, your portable in your hand, if you can get a reflection of your face, bonus.
My most consistent listening time morning with tea.

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Well, that's the ultimate endgame Luxury & Precision P6 Pro. I never got a chance to audition this. Noone in my country owns it.
 
Jul 21, 2022 at 7:59 AM Post #29,789 of 97,582
One of my fav Korean dishes growing up! Great on a warm day.


Is that the Burson? For me personally experimenting with the M17 on over ear mode (3 Watts) for IEMs I didn't notice as much of an upside.

For example sometimes I even prefer running low gain on the N8ii on the Traillii to off set the upper mids for treble heavy music.





For scratch proofing something like this wouldn't be a bad idea for stainless steel shells. This came in the Eletech Luxe case. I wonder if its sold separately. @Eric
Chong
Hi Natesdailies,


Started off Wednesday (7/20) morning with ginger cold brew coffee (w/ sparkling water), from Stumptown Coffee Roasters (Art District, Los Angeles, California).
StumptownCoffee-GingerColdBrewCoffee-ArtDistrictLA.jpg
First time having something like an espresso tonic with a ginger twist, but with a smooth mellow citric taste & feel and a hint of herbal-lemon & subtle toasted caramel notes fused with dark rich espresso. It’s a simple-casual take on a carbonated espresso drink for a light fare type of occasion, but it would've been nice to have a bit more espresso to balance out the fruit and herbal side. The taste is somewhat reminiscent of Sujeonggwa (Korean cinnamon punch), but without the heat of ginger and cinnamon, and with a smoother body and slight carbonated feel in a more mild form of Cascara shrub tonic.


On the way back to work, I’ve noticed some other murals along the way I haven’t seen before. There were some murals in an adjoined disarray that caught my eye.
Mural-ArtDistrictLA.jpg
Murals of characters and symbols (by various artists, including one at the very right by artist David Choe, at Santa Fe Avenue, Art District, Los Angeles, California, 7/20).


Following up to your response from the previous post, it's nice to know dongchimiguksu is a dish you’ve grown to be fond of and appreciate from your upbringing, much in the way I’ve had a strong craving and fondness for mohmilguksu (cold soba noodles), with chopped green onions, grated Korean radish, a small dab of wasabi, a half spoon of rice wine, with a half-cup of soba noodle soup base, topped with some ice, to cool down and replenish the senses on a hot day.

As for desktop audio gear, my current desktop setup is a Topping DX7 Pro (mostly used as an amp & dac w/ Supermoon ciem), and also a Violectric V280 (for use w/ HD800S headphones) which I don’t use as much nowadays. I’m curious to see if there’s any noticeable difference/improvement in sound with Supermoon ciem in xlr 4-pin balanced, as my Plus Sound xlr 4-pin to 4.4 8-wire spc interconnect adapter should arrive by the end of this week (at earliest). And, now that I think about the aesthetics of DX7 Pro from a quick glance, I can see how it kind of resembles a Burson Conductor amp & dac.
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Topping DX7 Pro desktop headphone amplifier & dac, w/ Campfire Audio Supermoon ciem + Plus Sound 4-wire spc in 4.4.


As good as Burson headphone amplifiers and dacs are in quality of build and sound, I think the Topping DX7 Pro is plentiful enough in power output and sound quality, and I feel it does the job just fine, especially for streaming movies and documentaries, and also for listening to music with my Supermoon ciem when I have a little more time at home after work.

Lastly, you’ve brought up an interesting point with sound being upsized rather than having it scale up as a whole on a particular amp & dac. I think part of the way we hear and feel sound scaling up in dynamics, imaging and staging, or increasing in perceived loudness on a more linear-like scale with more minimal changes, attributes more to iem synergy with amp & dac, and how certain iems interact with noticeable little differences from different materials and configuration of components in the source chain. This is one of the reasons why I’ve considered going for another custom-fit iem (for use at work) that doesn’t require as much power to sound near its best at relatively low impedance, rather than buying another expensive portable dap to rotate more with other daps.
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From left to right:
iBasso DX300 w/ amp12, iBasso DX220 w/ amp8, iPhone 13 Pro Max w/ Adv Lite dongle to Plus Sound palladium-plated copper 3.5 to 4.4 interconnect adapter, w/ Campfire Audio Supermoon ciem (audiophile-fit) + Plus Sound 4-wire spc cable in 4.4.




Cooler survey, summer fun edition.

We're going to create Watercooler summer mixtape. I'll ask everyone interested to contribute 3 tracks as follows:

1) One of you're all time fave classic tracks
2) Something new or new to you that you're feeling right now
3) Something somewhat obscure or left-field that you'd like to share.

Hi Rockwell75,


Here are some brief thoughts on the music I listen to (old and new/current).

1. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 (in C Minor, Op. 18, by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra) is the track I listen to the most, as this was my first introduction to orchestral classical music. When my cousin visited me from Texas in summer of 1996, I was gifted a cd of Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 (by New York Philharmonic) & Rhapsody On A Theme of Paganini (by Philadelphia Orchestra). At that time, I vividly remember playing this cd from start to finish on some cheap speakers hooked up to a desktop computer (Intel Pentium MMX 166 MHz, with a 'turbo' button on the front of the computer case, haha). This opened up a gateway of discovering a variety of classical music, and eventually led me with inspiration to learn how to play the violin.
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2. Bill Evans - Without A Song (Remastered 2022, from Jazz playlist on Tidal). Classic combination of piano and drums done in a mellow but lively fun way.
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3. I haven't really mentioned much about my preferences for electronic music in my previous posts. But, from time to time, when I'm in the mood for electronic music (and electronic dance music), I listen to mostly trance, from big room and uplifting trance to some techno-trance and vocal trance, as well as some dubstep, and also some electronic rock. From early to mid-late 2000's, back at a time when I was my younger self living on the edge for the thrill, I listened to a variety of edm bands and artists, most notably The Prodigy, some Armin van Buuren, Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Deadmau5, Darude, and many more. Every once in a while, I listen to some old tracks from edm bands and artists I'm familiar with, or see what's fresh and new from current edm artists on Tidal or on YouTube.
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The Prodigy - Breathe (from Tidal)




Does it feel secure even with the nozzle being that short? The audiophile fit looks a lot shorter than I would have imagined, I'd be worried about breaking the seal moving my head around. If end up liking these enough to buy, I'd probably just go with the artist fit since I'm already used to that type of fit in other brands.
Hi discord,


Based on photos of Supermoon ciem shells & nozzles (in audiophile-fit) from my previous post, the audiophile-fit nozzles are not as lacking in noise isolation as you may think they appear to be.

When I sent in my third set of ear impressions for my Supermoon ciems to be made, I sent in two notes of requests to Campfire Audio, which went in detail on how I preferred to have slightly shorter & less thick nozzles (to reach a bit further away from the first sharp bend) and inner shells with less rounded thickness for a more relaxed and snug fit.

By the time I picked up my order and tried on my Supermoon custom-fit iems for the first time (on July 11), I felt the nozzles had enough grip of contact about midway through the transitioning point towards the first sharp bend in my ear canals.

From recent memory, when I moved around with Supermoon ciem in my ears (rotated in pairing w/ iBasso DX220 and w/ iBasso DX300) at a fairly swift pace for the first two hours, I felt a slight give with subtle tilting movements of the inner shells and nozzles whenever I tilted my head side to side, or leaned my head towards one side at a time. However, making movements at tilt-angled positions to a less or greater degree did not lose nor break the seal, as I felt the curved end tip of the nozzle to cling and stay in place well onto the curved transitioning point towards the first sharp bend in my ears.

The only time I noticed the seal to loosen up a little and let sound come in is when I opened up my mouth more (whether it was yawning, or eating). For all other use cases in a residential environment, I think it does a reasonably adequate job in isolating and keeping out fairly loud noises from coming in at mid-distance and further around.

However, I still need to try Supermoon ciem sometime at work, to see how effectively it isolates loud ambient noise outside on the streets, as well as around stores and warehouses in business areas. When the time and day permits at work, I’ll post some updates on differences I hear in passive noise isolation with Supermoon ciem in different ambient settings outside and around stores for another time. =)


-Daniel.
 
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Jul 21, 2022 at 8:00 AM Post #29,790 of 97,582
Holy cow that’s a long one
 

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