[wolfstar76]

I went to the booth of FatFreq and found Maestro mini has V2 coming with even bigger boost on both ends

 

[KuroKitsu]

That's the 2nd or 3rd report suggesting they "repaired" the lean mids of the OG which was the part I disliked (assuming fuller mids would automatically tone down the otherwise bright treble, that is). Is the price tag for this cable already public?

drftr

Soc is a bright leaning copper, so it kind of depends. If anything the 8 might lean into it a bit to do what it does.

I heard the Socrates8 prototype during CJ SG, and felt it had fantastic synergy with EXT. Proj P+S is my current preferred pairing with EXT

Chatting with Eric on WA, the one at SoCal is the final production wire that they've settled on. The SG one is probably the same prototype we Canuck bois have on hand. Enough for me to ask Eric to put me on the list behind you and @Kiats

 

[Rockwell75]

realized I was never going to catch up at the rate I was going.

For a while there once in a blue moon I'd get a notification from you from like 1000 pages back and I would think that to myself.

 

[Shecky504]

That's the 2nd or 3rd report suggesting they "repaired" the lean mids of the OG which was the part I disliked (assuming fuller mids would automatically tone down the otherwise bright treble, that is). Is the price tag for this cable already public?

drftr

The price has not yet been announced. ETA is an October release, Eric mentioned this prototype is the final tuning but not the final design.

 

[drftr]

The price has not yet been announced. ETA is an October release, Eric mentioned this prototype is the final tuning but not the final design.

I think similar projects like the 8-wire Plato x Socrates were around $1,500 or so. Socrates being a little cheaper than Plato would take a virtual Socrates x Socrates below $1,300 I would hope.

drftr

 

[Neweymatt]

Oh, to add some context to a few things in the uploaded pics that might not be super clear: Justin's holding a vintage tube tester. Said in his presentation that if any of us are buying tubes for tube rolling from anywhere except a few trusted retailers (think Ebay), you're getting screwed, lol. A tester is the only way to well, test what you're buying.

Interesting, are you able to elaborate on who the 'trusted' retailers might be?

I haven't tested any of the tubes I've purchased, all the ones I've received sound fine to my ears with one exception. And in that case, Billington Export replaced it at their expense no questions asked.

 

[raylu]

Just wondering if anyone had tried the gt600 from jomo and compared it with other totals ( Viking Ragnar, mentor, even traillii )

 

[wazzupi]

Just wondering if anyone had tried the gt600 from jomo and compared it with other totals ( Viking Ragnar, mentor, even traillii )

It was V shaped good soundstage I think it fits with the 3k range iems... I didn't spend a lot of time with it because I was looking for a complementary iem for my jewel.

 

[raylu]

I see, so does it mean it might somehow be similar to traillii? I have a traillii and FS, basically looking for dd hybrid totals , right now I am looking at Viking Ragnar, and gt600 but don't know if I should wait for the odyssey

 

[audio123]

I see, so does it mean it might somehow be similar to traillii? I have a traillii and FS, basically looking for dd hybrid totals , right now I am looking at Viking Ragnar, and gt600 but don't know if I should wait for the odyssey

I praised the GT600 before but the Viking Ragnar is in another league. No competition. For the Viking Ragnar, it is competing against Jewel and Traillii. GT600 is just a mid-tier flagship.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Just wondering if anyone had tried the gt600 from jomo and compared it with other totals ( Viking Ragnar, mentor, even traillii )

I heard it at CanJam Socal. After one track, it was obvious that it wasn't at the same level as Ragnar and so I put it down. I didn't really get any impressions other than it is wasn't at the same level as Ragnar.

 

[gLer]

I heard it at CanJam Socal. After one track, it was obvious that it wasn't at the same level as Ragnar and so I put it down. I didn't really get any impressions other than it is wasn't at the same level as Ragnar.

GT600 was the 'star of the show' at CanJam London. How quickly things change.

 

[audio123]

I heard it at CanJam Socal. After one track, it was obvious that it wasn't at the same level as Ragnar and so I put it down. I didn't really get any impressions other than it is wasn't at the same level as Ragnar.

The Ragnar is sublime.

 

[Natesdailies]

Just finished a 12 hour session with the Viking Ragnar. Jotting down some notes before it escapes me. I am going to add a disclaimer that these are day 1 impressions. Some of these thoughts may evolve over time as I burn it in, roll tips and cables.

The Unboxing:
At first I was planning on going home to record a unboxing video. However, as I was driving I couldn't contain my excitement. I pulled over to a park somewhere and used my bare hands to rip open the wrapped plastic on the box. Quite savagely I will add. There might have been a family or two watching. "What is this guy on?" ... Man. If they only knew how much heat this thing was packing inside.

The Ragnar was packed quite modestly. It reminded me of the Traillii experience. Instead of a Van Nueys, Noble included a pellican hard case case & a thin leather pouch. This is awesome because I have neither of those in my stable. The thinner rectangular leather pouch seems like it will conform better to my jacket than the conventional thicker circular cases.

Aesthetics & build quality:

It's beautiful . Ragnar both looks and feels high quality. I like the subtle, masculine, monochromatic design language. The cables weave pattern also match the damascus faceplate. Extra points to Gryffindor.

After sitting at the park staring at it for a while, I tested the integrity of the cable & the IEM housing. It took me a bit of effort to disconnect it. The female two pins connectors are the tightest I have come across so far. I have had some bad experiences with chifi products literally falling off the cable. This is good insurance for light walks.

The Fit:
The fit is something ive been curious about because I have troubles with universal shells. To give you a reference, right now the XE6 is nearly perfect, the Traillii is slightly snug. The Ragnar is a little more snug than the Traillii but much better than the Odin. While wearing Ragnar, I can consciously feel that something is there but it's not unbearable like the Phonix and Z1R. Green checkmarks on the fit. ️

How does it sound?

If I had to choose 5 adjectives to describe Viking Ragnar it would be: Immersive, intense, majestic, immaculate. The mids are star of the show but it would be an understatement to label it as a mids specialist. It is incredibly resolving like the Odin which is something I have come to expect with reference sets. However it is Traillii-esqe in the sense that it does it while painting a vivid, lucid image. Another characteristic that it shares with the Trailliis is the sense of space. Each instrument is well defined and coherent.

The tuning is on a brighter side compared to the U12T. I found the bass quantity more than adequate. The texture is something I'll have to A/B test later. It destroys classical, movie soundtracks and acoustics. It might be on another tier for vocals music.

The treble is well extended. Lots of sparkle for high hats and synths for electro. The upper mids might be a problem for genres like electronic and metal. I noticed this with some songs where the kickdrums were louder than the rest of the instruments. A potential negative is that the Ragnar is ruthless in the sense that if a track has deficiencies, you will hear it.

Nocturne in E-flat major - Joshua Bell


Violins have so much air and sincerity. The imaging at 1:35 is stellar. I can hear how much emphasis Bell puts against on his violins. I hear more nuances, both vertically and horizontally creating a 3 dimensional image in my mind. When I close my eyes I can visualize his hand movement.

It has the charisma of the Traillii in how it draws you into the music. An example is a soundtrack from one of my favourite movies Pans Labyrinth:



While listening to this I felt completely lost in the music. The female vocalist sounds ethereal. When the strings kicked in my jaws dropped as I was whisked away to a different space and time.

More to come.

-Nate

 

[Lumithium]

Interesting, are you able to elaborate on who the 'trusted' retailers might be?

I haven't tested any of the tubes I've purchased, all the ones I've received sound fine to my ears with one exception. And in that case, Billington Export replaced it at their expense no questions asked.