[blotmouse]

+1 Though I don't own one at the moment, and for my specific preferences & tastes the Dorado is presently the king of the CFA lineup, I must say with all the gear I've been through in the past 3 years I don't know of anything that bests Solaris across the board on its own terms. I think the closest comparison is still probably the IER Z1R, though that IEM is decidedly skewed "eastward" in its FR whereas the Solaris is decidedly skewed "westward"-- in many respects the two make an ideal complimentary pair imho. It's probably only a matter of time before I join the Solaris fambam again and if opportunity arises I may well plunge on that AK model if for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity.

For the prices OG's are going for, its a no brainer jack of all trades and super value.
I want to hear the SE at some point you rave about, but I am also thinking the ceramic may bring the mids too forward to continue to perform the same function. But idk, I am always surprised by what I think I will like and what I end up liking.
The Cayin thickens the midrange and mid bass down low already (this pairing sounds like what I envisioned the Dorado to sound like before hearing it) I need the midrange held back selectively to fix the sharper and shrill recordings I am feeding it.

 

[rantng]

I use the FiiO EM5 to watch movies on my iPad, as the open nature of the earbuds maximizes the soundstage. Also, the openness minimizes any ear fatigue I’d get from 2+ hours of surround sound explosions, car crashes, fight scenes, lasers, etc. as opposed to IEMs.

 

[blotmouse]

Yeah I'm delighted to have a solution for older recordings. A lot of my dance music choices from the early 90s sound far more like what I remember them, playing Orbital 2 (Brown album) right now and it's putting shivers through me... again, no sonic wizardry, just a great representation of what it should sound like.

Yeah, its awesome when you end up finding it. I'll just put it through "the fixr"

 

[Scubadevils]

I use the FiiO EM5 to watch movies on my iPad, as the open nature of the earbuds maximizes the soundstage. Also, the openness minimizes any ear fatigue I’d get from 2+ hours of surround sound explosions, car crashes, fight scenes, lasers, etc. as opposed to IEMs.

I hadn't thought to try with movies etc, perfect solution for that too.

Honestly, the best $300 or so I've spent in this hobby!

 

[Scubadevils]

Yeah, its awesome when you end up finding it. I'll just put it through "the fixr"

Yes exactly!

 

[Rockwell75]

For the prices OG's are going for, its a no brainer jack of all trades and super value.
I want to hear the SE at some point you rave about, but I am also thinking the ceramic may bring the mids too forward to continue to perform the same function. But idk, I am always surprised by what I think I will like and what I end up liking.
The Cayin thickens the midrange and mid bass down low already (this pairing sounds like what I envisioned the Dorado to sound like before hearing it) I need the midrange held back selectively to fix the sharper and shrill recordings I am feeding it.

SE definitely has more forward mids, so tread lightly there. A few of the guys at SBAF think OG has better treble too but I'm not sufficiently versed in treble nuance to really comment. Given your summary dismissal of the Bravado II I'd be inclined to steer clear of the Dorado as it's also a bass heavy IEM. That said I listen to a lot of old jazz & funk and bass heavy IEMs like the Honeydew & Dorado work wonders as the boosted bass adds a lot of presence on such older recordings that tend to be mastered with very little bass. YMMV etc

 

[blotmouse]

I'd be inclined to steer clear of the Dorado as it's also a bass heavy IEM

Yep. Owned it already and returned it in a similarly dismissive way.

 

[Mehran]

+1 Though I don't own one at the moment, and for my specific preferences & tastes the Dorado is presently the king of the CFA lineup, I must say with all the gear I've been through in the past 3 years I don't know of anything that bests Solaris across the board on its own terms. I think the closest comparison is still probably the IER Z1R, though that IEM is decidedly skewed "eastward" in its FR whereas the Solaris is decidedly skewed "westward"-- in many respects the two make an ideal complimentary pair imho. It's probably only a matter of time before I join the Solaris fambam again and if opportunity arises I may well plunge on that AK model if for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity.

All things considered, Dorado is my favourite IEM right now. Very dynamic , rich and analogue sound.
But after buying the IE300 I gotta say I'm very curious to hear the IE900. I've come close to pulling the trigger, but I've resisted so far. Any chance you're going to hear one?

 

[snowy8171]

That's not good. Had good expectations for the hiby. Need more impressions of it

 

[Rockwell75]

All things considered, Dorado is my favourite IEM right now. Very dynamic , rich and analogue sound.
But after buying the IE300 I gotta say I'm very curious to hear the IE900. I've come close to pulling the trigger, but I've resisted so far. Any chance you're going to hear one?

Not unless I blind buy but with VEs new ones on the horizon that is very unlikely. I’ve never heard a Senny IEM but it seems the 900 have a sub bass focus which would make them a nice compliment to the mid bass focused Dorado. Just out of curiosity what would an ie900 cost (in Euros) in your neck of the woods?

 

[Rockwell75]

That's not good. Had good expectations for the hiby. Need more impressions of it

Im honestly not surprised. I’ve come close to plunging on a few Hiby daps but it’s always negative reports of SQ that have turned me off. It seems to be one area they consistently shart the bed on.

 

[Mehran]

Not unless I blind buy but with VEs new ones on the horizon that is very unlikely. I’ve never heard a Senny IEM but it seems the 900 have a sub bass focus which would make them a nice compliment to the mid bass focused Dorado. Just out of curiosity what would an ie900 cost (in Euros) in your neck of the woods?

One store here in Italy has it for 1199 Euros.
Well I hope you get to hear one. Knowing your preferences I bet you will love it if the little brother is any indication. It's a little gem IMO for the price. So natural and engaging, it just sounds "right" to my ears. The fit and comfort also is just amazing.

 

[Rockwell75]

One store here in Italy has it for 1199 Euros.
Well I hope you get to hear one. Knowing your preferences I bet you will love it if the little brother is any indication. It's a little gem IMO for the price. So natural and engaging, it just sounds "right" to my ears. The fit and comfort also is just amazing.

That’s honestly not surprising given Sennheisers history. As for me it’s sounding more and more like all my IEM dreams have come to fruition in the EXT so that’s where my heart is at the moment.

 

[Mehran]

That’s honestly not surprising given Sennheisers history. As for me it’s sounding more and more like all my IEM dreams have come to fruition in the EXT so that’s where my heart is at the moment.

Yeah, I still love my Ely,. Looking forward to your impressions the most. It's gonna be epic I think.

 

[Rockwell75]

Yeah, I still love my Ely,. Looking forward to your impressions the most. It's gonna be epic I think.

Plot twist: I’ll wind up preferring Phoenix. Either way epicness guaranteed.