[AxLvR]

Crinacle says thieaudio v16 is just as good as traillii for a fifth of the price.

Edit: Crin's opinion not mine. Not saying i agree or disagree , don't shoot the messenger.

I think the V16 is good, as i heard it last at canjam sg, endgame level for many, tbh i prefer it sonically over the u12t if it wasn't for the bulky build. Its tuning is in the same direction as traillii and phoenix, but what i can say for certain is DEFINITELY not at the same level, it doesn't blow you away and has a tendency to be boring after a few listen. It's like comparing a Genesis G80 to a Rolls-Royce Phantom. At least thats how I see or heard it. YMMV.

 

[AnalogandDigital]

I think the V16 is good, as i heard it last at canjam sg, endgame level for many, tbh i prefer it sonically over the u12t if it wasn't for the bulky build. Its tuning is in the same direction as traillii and phoenix, but what i can say for certain is DEFINITELY not at the same level, it doesn't blow you away and has a tendency to be boring after a few listen. It's like comparing a Genesis G80 to a Rolls-Royce Phantom. At least thats how I see or heard it. YMMV.

Crinacle just needs viewers
That's how he makes his money
Sorry but I stopped watching many reviewers
Crinacle, Joshua Valour, BGGAR, Zeos
There's zero love into audio anymore for them I think
They sold their passion to the Dollah ...

 

[Natesdailies]

1. Oriolus Traillii with First TimeS Shielding
2. Mason Fabled Sound with Orpheus ( no Attila sry )
3. MMR Thummim Ti with Rosenkranz 100-Million/Sol
4. ERLKöNIG with Pegasus
5. Mason Le Jardin (stock cable Meet AgainS Shielding)
6. Noble Audio Viking with stock cable Magnus or EA Centurion
7. Aroma Jewel with ET Ode To Laura
8. Empire Ears Odin with Metropolis ft.50
9. Nostalgia Audio Camelot with First TimeS Shielding
10. Aroma Ace with Phoenix V2
11. Canal Works U91 PSTS with Acoustic Revive REC-Absolute FM
12. Ambient Acoustics MAD24 with ET Illiad

This is my current relatively complete TOP 12 list. Unfortunately, the recently purchased FitEar DC Ti and some other IEMs have not been tested, so they cannot be included in the list for the time being.

Epic collection. Like others have already said, welcome to the Watercooler. Happy to to see Traillii in your #1 spot.

How do you guys find time to enjoy all your IEMs?? I only have a handful and already can't juggle them without neglecting anyone...

There's several ways to look at it:

1) Balancing utility vs building a collection.

2) Managing budgets. Age and lifestyle plays a big factor in this. Time is money. More time = higher disposable income. At a certain point, for some the utility becomes less relevant and enjoying what they've earned does.

...for people who seem to like EVERYTHING. I lost over 2k in resale value last year with blind buying. I am at a point now that I just won't do it for high ticket items. I am not a fan of having a makeshift ebay business.

+1. I don't see the need to rush buying IEMS at the pace that they've been improving.

 

[Stu Paddasso]

EE Evo
VE Elysium
Tia Trio
Hyla TE-5B
Jomo Trinity Brass
Oriolus Szalyai
Legend X
Earsonics Stark
EE Zeus XIV
Jomo Flamenco
K-10
DCA Ether C Flow

 

[Levanter]

I’m surprised but not surprised by the lack of love to two hp that I swear are the number 1 regret I sold it and I’m rebuying it again, doh…. Hd800S and th900. they Are not technically perfect but for a host of reasons, these are must haves. But hey not offended in the least. Love to see lists of stuff

lol you are not the only one. I sold the HD800S years ago only to rebuy them again few months ago. They are special enough to remain in one's collection IMO.
Not to mention weight and comfort plays a big deal to me, and that is where the 800S excels compared to so many headphones out there.

 

[Dynamo5561]

I’m surprised but not surprised by the lack of love to two hp that I swear are the number 1 regret I sold it and I’m rebuying it again, doh…. Hd800S and th900. they Are not technically perfect but for a host of reasons, these are must haves. But hey not offended in the least. Love to see lists of stuff

I agree the HD800s is a solid hp. A bit artificial for my taste. But I found the TH900 quite sibilant, and I had the sapphire blue version which is already tamed.

 

[AxLvR]

Crinacle just needs viewers
That's how he makes his money
Sorry but I stopped watching many reviewers
Crinacle, Joshua Valour, BGGAR, Zeos
There's zero love into audio anymore for them I think
They sold their passion to the Dollah ...

imho I think these audiophile youtubers are doing just fine, i mean it's their take on what they prefer sonically anyway, even if maybe some of them receive monetary gain from sponsors and they do make the collab dollars out of reviewing stuff. I do have to say however that these collabs has shaped the 'budget' audiophile path to better tunings (at least in the chi-fi market) with more competitive pricing and well, i guess that's not a bad thing. The only negative outcome is that some of their audience has become too focused on FR and rankings, that they habitually judge an IEM or a headphone based solely on that data, which in my opinion is not the most accurate evaluation in the audiophile world. It's so bad that i see some people coming in to an audio store, saying that "this iem sucks that iem sucks because the FR is this way or that way" without actually trying them on, to the point that they can't even trust their own ears. These reviewers are like influencers in the audio world and thats fantastic, the audio market is more exciting now than ever, but at the same time i really wish these viewers can also have solid opinions based on what they truly listen to and trust their ears more...

 

[gLer]

Cooler survey: What is your 12? Full size, IEMs and buds welcome...but you get only 12 total collectively.

I'm not really into rankings any more, so other than my top pick in each category, I've split my list between headphones and IEMs in random order. All of these I have either owned or auditioned extensively, and I expect the list will change as I get to hear more gear.

IEMs

Sony IER-Z1R
Oriolus Traillii
Sennheiser IE 900
EE Legend EVO
EE Legend X
64 Audio Tia Fourte

Headphones

Sony MDR-Z1R
T+A Solitaire P
Sennheiser HD800 SDR
Audeze LCD-3 Fazor
ZMF Auteur African Wenge
HEDDphone

I like your question and am happy to answer it. I have all the products I own in my signature, and I fill up maybe 3-4 Vannuys' 12-compartment organizers, which is shocking. Most of the products on the signature list are still in my inventory; some have been loaned to friends. I used to have more, especially DAPs, such as Shanling M8 M9, iBasso DX300 MAX, and Cayin N8ii, but due to various, They've been sold by me multiple reasons, so they're no longer on the inventory list.

The 12 IEMs and accompanying cables shown yesterday are the ones I've enjoyed listening to the most recently. (Actually, there are other IEMs and cables in the display box, but I only show 12 of them for the sake of taking pictures)

Of course, you see similar products like ERLKöNIG Limited Black Edition and ERLKöNIG, Red Halo, and Le Jardin. I'm a look-alike guy. I don't usually share the same cable between IEMs; I'm terrified of using the female socket so often that it gets loose. You can see I have more than one First TimeS Shielding cable.

At the same time, I like how the same IEM behaves with different cable pairings, like Horus Octa and Pegasus paired with ERLKöNIG. When paired with Pegasus, ERLKöNIG's details will be more prominent, and the high-frequency extension will be better; when I use Horus Octa, the vocals will be warmer, and the low-frequency momentum will be more abundant. The same goes for Orpheus, FTS, and MAS paired with the FS series.

I hope my answer solved your problem.

@Anfernee be like:

Welcome to the Cooler, mate!

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I’m surprised but not surprised by the lack of love to two hp that I swear are the number 1 regret I sold it and I’m rebuying it again, doh…. Hd800S and th900. they Are not technically perfect but for a host of reasons, these are must haves. But hey not offended in the least. Love to see lists of stuff

I have been listening to mostly full sized headphones this week and rotating my top 5 every few hours (Susvara, 1266TC, Utopia, Atrium, Verite Closed). I am really set on this 5 headphone rotation and the quality and diversity they bring to the table. Now I am listening the HD800S and I still love the sound. But, it is definitely a half step or more lower in sound quality than the other 5. The bass quality is just not there. I can't even listen to it on my Ferrum Orr with R&B/Soul music. Classical and Jazz are absolutely wonderful with a unique sound. There is just not enough note weight to its bass response and it is not as resolving as the other headphones.

Comfort, sound stage, timbre are still its forte and they sound the best with the tube amp. I will never sell these headphones, but the same is true with my HD650 and HD600. They get very little ear time anymore although I still like them a lot when I do get them out.

Of all my other headphones, the Atrium is most like the HD800S. The HD800S has a slightly bigger stage, but in every other way the Atrium is better. Better resolution. Better bass and mids response. More pleasant tonality. That's why I didn't select HD800S in my overall top 12.

 

[Andricop]

EE Evo
VE Elysium
Tia Trio
Hyla TE-5B
Jomo Trinity Brass
Oriolus Szalyai
Legend X
Earsonics Stark
EE Zeus XIV
Jomo Flamenco
K-10
DCA Ether C Flow

Oh nice to see an Earsonics IEM in this ranking!
Love them, especially EM32 and Grace.
I like this company, it’s run by passionate people and they have great service.

Here is an interesting video showing their built process:



(In French but you can use CC auto-translation to English if needed)

 

[Natesdailies]

I was thinking a long time ago to get the Monarch Mk II
To be honest only a select few like it
And all the rest sells it due to the size / fit issues
Probably of the lovers, most like it just because Crin puts it #1 on the list
Finally we all know it sounds better as Traillii and Jewel
But Crin is married to Linsoul so ...

From a business perspective, it has to make sense for both the manufacturer and the influencer to push a product. The Monarch MK2 has more of an approachable price point for the target western demographic compared to something like Le Jardin.

The market for TOTL iems is very tiny in comparison I.e. There's less than 50 for Elysian X, 200+ for Indigo. This reflects in the viewership. Chifi IEM content dwarfs summit level priced IEMS (3K+). I've noticed that most flagships aren't covered at all in English videos.

People have a tendency to defend what they can buy. With other hobbies like cars, you can some objective claims about horsepower and gas mileage. With audio, theres more room to lean on subjectivity.

 

[Scubadevils]

On the subject of headphones, I hooked my HD650 to the M9 on headphone mode yesterday - best I've ever heard them, very impressed... that said, I felt I was missing the detail and resolution I seek in most IEMs - and it did make me wonder what a good step towards cans might involve... Still reluctant to go there, but I certainly enjoyed the HD650 listening experience yesterday, so comfortable.

Out of interest, if spending say $2k on a set of headphones that will be driven well by the likes of the Shanling M9, and offer the following attributes, what should be considered?

• High resolution
• Good extension both ends - I'll need deep sub, plus sparkling highs
• Mid bass needs to be solid, but I'll take better sub
• Clear, but emotive mids
• Excellent detail retrieval
• Excellent layering / imaging
• Big soundstage
• Non fatiguing, comfort is essential

 

[xenithon]

Here goes my list - I want to add that I decided on these based purely in terms of musical enjoyment of the sound. That is, it isn't a ranking of technical competence, and I have also intentionally not taken comfort into account as that would have discounted several of these (noted this in the list):

IEMs

Oriolus Traillii
64 Audio Tia Fourte Noir
64 Audio U12t
64 Audio U18s
Vision Ears EXT (comfort an issue)
Meze Advar

Headphones

Meze Elite
T+A Solitaire P
Sennheiser HD800
Stax SR-Omega (comfort an issue)
Sennheiser HE60 "Baby Orpheus"
Audio Technica ATH-W11JPN

 

[Nostoi]

On the subject of headphones, I hooked my HD650 to the M9 on headphone mode yesterday - best I've ever heard them, very impressed... that said, I felt I was missing the detail and resolution I seek in most IEMs - and it did make me wonder what a good step towards cans might involve... Still reluctant to go there, but I certainly enjoyed the HD650 listening experience yesterday, so comfortable.

Out of interest, if spending say $2k on a set of headphones that will be driven well by the likes of the Shanling M9, and offer the following attributes, what should be considered?

• High resolution
• Good extension both ends - I'll need deep sub, plus sparkling highs
• Mid bass needs to be solid, but I'll take better sub
• Clear, but emotive mids
• Excellent detail retrieval
• Excellent layering / imaging
• Big soundstage
• Non fatiguing, comfort is essential

Curious also about a headphone that can do all that for 2k. Open or closed? Portable?

 

[Scubadevils]

Curious also about a headphone that can do all that for 2k. Open or closed? Portable?

It's probably a big ask! Open is fine and doesn't need to be portable.