[klyzon]

I was just looking into Han Sound cables and wondered what their logo meant (they're from Taiwan) until I found this:



drftr

It’s just Han Sound in Chinese characters.

Cute pac man tho. Wonder who did it haha

 

[drftr]

Pacman brings back good memories of my youth. I used to stay in a housing estate in Singapore called Seletar Hills and I would regularly cycle through a really old housing estate (we call them kampongs) to get to a more modern housing estate (at the time) called Serangoon Gardens and I would go to a arcade to either watch someone beating the last high score or trying to beat it myself. Good memories!

Getting around some kampongs I recently walked in Solo, Semarang, and Yogya can feel like featuring in a Pacman game!

"...but you can never leave..." tadadadadaaaatadada...

drftr

 

[Skyediver]

For those going to CanJam in two weeks-- what are you eyeing up in terms of potential show discounts?

So much, potentially because there’s a number of things I’m interested in. But it’s just as likely I’ll keep my wallet on lockdown and just enjoy demoing for the experience, wait until holiday sales to buy anything, as CanJam discounts are rarely THAT great, comparatively. Something freeing and fun about just going to listen, putting my consumerist leanings to the side for a time.

I’ve gone to every US-based CanJam this year (even considered UK and Singapore for the experience) and have systematically taken advantage of the show discounts, a little break in spending wouldn’t hurt me.

 

[kevin638880]

Tried Ode to Laura today. It is kind of like an XE6 for cables - excellent bass while remaining crystal clear. I really liked the subbass extension and the added punch to the midbass, makes Phonix sound like a full DD driver. Mids are highly textured and realistic while treble is more on the relaxed side (compared to something like the Centurion). Soundstage depth is quite apparent.

It might be a tad too thick with Phonix/XE6+WM1ZM2, and I really miss the added colour/sweetness and extra air gold cables bring, so I'll probably pass on this excellent cable.

 

[Natesdailies]

Thursday morning musings while listening to my newest aquisition: The Eletech Ode to Laura.

What is the value of a portable audio device that you can take anywhere with you? How much does that matter? For me, the marriage of the two should determine the way we "invest" into our audio journey.

Growing up, music has been a vital part of my life. It gave me a leg to stand on when I was backed up against the wall. It allowed me to focus and drown out the cacophony of the many distractions that adds up to what we call life. As an artform, it continually gives me a peek into the human condition of the past and present.

There's been a few moments so far in my audio journey that gave me butterflies. The same type you get during your first flight. There is a moment where you have doubt. Then you get the butterflies. The Oriolus Traillii did just that. I remember listening to Armin Van Buurens Mirage, a song I've listened to so many times, every melodic progression burned into my skull. Listening to it on the Traillii was a mind altering experience. Chords that I didn't know existed were created out of thin air. Shortly after, I got emotional. It shined a spotlight of a memory of that 1st year university student browsing audio shops. At the time, I had to think hard about purchasing $300 earphones.

Jumping back into the present, I've been curious about cable upgrades. For my 33rd birthday, I decided to take the plunge and ordered the Ode to Laura. When I read somewhere that cables had the most diminishing returns, my reptile brain decided "hey we should maximize that difference! ".

Was it worth it?

My first impressions. Disclaimer: I am not a cable expert. YMMV.

Wow. Even after the first song, the differences to my ears was as big as jumping from my Shanling UP5 to the N8ii (the delta difference).

Compared to stock, the biggest change was an increase in treble energy. It had a faster, tighter bass, more holographic and even cleaner black backround. Compared to stock, it leans towards a brighter tuning. While listening to electronic music, a veil was lifted. One potential negative was that for metal music, the treble energy. This is something I'll continue to tweak N8ii settings.

Like all highs and lows, I am sure that this feeling will subside and my hedonistic curiousity will continue to push for more. For the moment, I am savoring this moment. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to indulge in this hobby.

More impressions to come.

- Nate

 

[gLer]

Hi guys, I've just posted my full review of the Lavricables Ultimate V3 (for the Sony MDR-Z1R and IER-Z1R) on The Headphone List. You'll find it HERE, along with some audio pr0n to enjoy. Here's a sample to tempt you...

 

[Scubadevils]

S12 landed, it'll have to do until I can somehow get my hands on a universal Supermoon

 

[Tchoupitoulas]

S12 landed, it'll have to do until I can somehow get my hands on a universal Supermoon

I quite like my S12 but only after doing the micropore tape mod, which rhythmdevils on SBAF came up with to tame the treble peaks (more info here). The mod does indeed tame the treble, which was far too bright and prickly and peaky for me, but it does mean there's less air and sense of openness. Still, this trade-off is more than worthwhile, imho, because the tuning becomes really quite lovely.

Here's a video showing how to apply the tape mod. I used 3M micropore tape (see here), which should be readily available:



The mod is super easy and completely reversible. Here's how rhythmdevils describes the effects of the mod (in the description below the video):

"After the mod the treble is reduced to neutral, the midrange is brought up and bass is brought up and super dynamic, punchy and endlessly extended. The result is the best sounding iem I’ve ever heard. An occ copper cable is recommend to add a bit more warmth and a warm source as well. The Cayin RU6 dongle has magical synergy with the modded S12."

Given its success in taming the treble on the S12, I'm giving serious thought to buying a Final Audio A8000 and seeing if this mod works its magic with these IEMs, too.

 

[GRIFONE1973]

Claud enjoying the sunset.

yes, you are right about Thunder. Send a PM to drjuggles and tell him what you would like your cable to improve. I Friday and am very happy with his cable. Ordered another one for my Jewel.

I wrote and am awaiting your reply.
Thanks again

Davide

 

[Rockwell75]

I can see the Dorado / Xe6 comparison. I sold the Xe6 after two weeks and the Dorado after two hours...

It's a tuning profile that's certainly not for everyone. Given that the Dorado 2020 currently holds the record for longest I've ever owned a single IEM since getting into the higher end stuff it's clear that it resonates with me. If I didn't already have the Dorado I'd probably be moving mountains to get the Xe6. On that topic I hope more companies toy around with ceramic shells because there's definitely some secret sauce there imho.

 

[yaps66]

Tried Ode to Laura today. It is kind of like an XE6 for cables - excellent bass while remaining crystal clear. I really liked the subbass extension and the added punch to the midbass, makes Phonix sound like a full DD driver. Mids are highly textured and realistic while treble is more on the relaxed side (compared to something like the Centurion). Soundstage depth is quite apparent.

It might be a tad too thick with Phonix/XE6+WM1ZM2, and I really miss the added colour/sweetness and extra air gold cables bring, so I'll probably pass on this excellent cable.

Cables are such strange creatures! Whether or not they have an impact on sound is debatable but, for me (YMMV) they do have an impact (placebo or not), and they are like the icing on the cake. It can make or break an already great cake! The OTL is one sexy beast! All the shilling does not help my resolve! Thankfully they are not so easy to get in Vietnam. Unfortunately Singapore is just a hop away! Sigh!

 

[Rockwell75]

Cables are such strange creatures! Whether or not they have an impact on sound is debatable but, for me (YMMV) they do have an impact (placebo or not), and they are like the icing on the cake.

My thought exactly.

 

[Scubadevils]

I quite like my S12 but only after doing the micropore tape mod, which rhythmdevils on SBAF came up with to tame the treble peaks (more info here). The mod does indeed tame the treble, which was far too bright and prickly and peaky for me, but it does mean there's less air and sense of openness. Still, this trade-off is more than worthwhile, imho, because the tuning becomes really quite lovely.

Here's a video showing how to apply the tape mod. I used 3M micropore tape (see here), which should be readily available:



The mod is super easy and completely reversible. Here's how rhythmdevils describes the effects of the mod (in the description below the video):



Given its success in taming the treble on the S12, I'm giving serious thought to buying a Final Audio A8000 and seeing if this mod works its magic with these IEMs, too.

Interesting, thanks for that and I'll definitely give it a shot. So far, I've no issue with treble - it actually benefits the genres I tend to enjoy on planar as I need that sense of air, space, and micro detail retrieval... those being my usual ambient and modern classical! The below for example sounds wonderful with S12, just listening now. I'll try more lively genres later and see how I get on, but I'll happily have S12 as a specialist just for these genres.

 

[yaps66]

It's a tuning profile that's certainly not for everyone. Given that the Dorado 2020 currently holds the record for longest I've ever owned a single IEM since getting into the higher end stuff it's clear that it resonates with me. If I didn't already have the Dorado I'd probably be moving mountains to get the Xe6. On that topic I hope more companies toy around with ceramic shells because there's definitely some secret sauce there imho.

The ceramic shell is probably worth its weight in gold, never mind that it was my first kilo-buck iem that drew me into the rabbit hole that seems never ending, YMMV of course! Less than a year after, Xe6 is now my firm favourite!

Edit: @Rockwell75 we might be in the minority in our joint like of the Dorado but absolutely no regrets in what probably broke my cherry!

 

[RTodd]

The ceramic shell is probably worth its weight in gold, never mind that it was my first kilo-buck iem that drew me into the rabbit hole that seems never ending, YMMV of course! Less than a year after, Xe6 is now my firm favourite!

Edit: @Rockwell75 we might be in the minority in our joint like of the Dorado but absolutely no regrets in what probably broke my cherry!

Only listened to the Dorado at Bloom Audio a couple years ago but you can count me as a third fan.