[drftr]

I'd be honored to receive such recognition from ASR

Yo buddy! Just curious if Santa has been getting any notes from you???

drftr

 

[Wyville]

Very different character though and I think the only reason why the name looks similar is that they both use 18 BA drivers. I wished they had used something very different as the name as the sound characters don't match at all.

drftr

Yes, I gathered they are quite different. I always had the suspicion that the U18t would be especially good for classical, but never had an opportunity to try. (I am sure Nic would have let me borrow his A18t, but I can't force fit his CIEMs.)

I'd be honored to receive such recognition from ASR

I actually meant the science subforum over here, but I guess ASR can be quite similar.

 

[Doug2507]

Well boys, we out here.



It's been a long journey for me, I haven't purchased anything since A18t(What was that like 2018 or something?). I've heard a lot and some things captured my attention and almost my wallet:

Phonix: overall signature and technicalities were exceptional
EXT: A better Elysium with those ultra lifelike vocals but still not the full monte
KR5: the true Fir flagship, technically perfect and very addictive signature.

I wanted to hear the following but at the black friday discount it was too hard for me to resist Jewel:

Odyssey: To my ears Empire Ears is most known for their ultra black background, layering and separation, coherency and their pinpoint accuracy, in other words technicalities. They have a distinct black background that I've only ever heard on their monitors and I really wanted to hear Evo/Odyssey before making a decision but I cannot wait forever.

Red Halo: Signature sounds right up my alley, couldn't find a demo and also like companies that push the envelope and UM is certainly doing that. If anyone can get me a Red Halo demo I'd appreciate it.

In the end I heard many IEMs that were at the top in the moment but at the peak I require a certain level of technicality regardless of signature and many just didn't have it. People seem to not like A18t for some reason but to my ears (maybe it's my setup; Hugo 2 and sometimes ALO CDM) it was one of the most technical monitors ever and it trounced many of the so called best of the past few years with regard to the aforementioned technicalities. Never understood the hate, seemed to be signature related. Jewel was the first undeniable technical step up while maintaining a good signature that I like.

Congrats, I love mine and won't be going anywhere for a long time!

Red are quite different. More of a specialist than a jack of all like Jewel. IMO complimentary and both suit different aspects of my library better than each other. Good mix to have depending on what you're in the mood to listen to at the time.

 

[drftr]

I always had the suspicion that the U18t would be especially good for classical

Yep, but all acoustic music really and that's what won me over and preferred them to all TOTL IEMs that I've heard so far under 5k. Until I met the Noble Sultan that is. They very much share the same character, are equally excellent for classical, acoustic jazz, et cetera, but its DD for the low end adds just enough oomph to make me happy with amplified music as well. I also prefer its bass timbre quite a bit better as to my ears BA bass still sounds too much as being played on a keyboard. Like the exact right amount, tonality, and definition, but without the timbre and vibrations and stuff. The Sultan is slightly warmer in upper bass and lower mids than the U18t too, giving instruments and vocals the body, smoothness, and palpability I was longing for but couldn't find. On top of that positioning and imaging in the mids is quite a bit better, and although the U18t is no slouch there either they do clog up the mids slightly where the Sultan creates a defined space around each player without really widening the sound stage. Last but not least the treble on the Sultan is attenuated compared to the U18t and for instance Kublai Khan and Viking Ragnar. Where I find fault with Sultan is that a certain lower treble frequency came across too aggressive for me (although I could only find one example for this) and that they could use a little bit more air. From a natural tonality point of view with just enough warmth to sound realistic I prefer them over Traillii and anything I have heard so far. But they don't have the same technical chops as Traillii, Jewel, and a few others which, to be fair, are quite a bit more expensive. But since price matters less and less the more you go up this may not be relevant for most, where I personally still focus on value for money over what is technically possible.

The main reasons that I preferred U18t over U18s was that the latter had too much emphasis on the low end while at the same time being too lean in the mids. This made vocalists and certain acoustic instruments come across too lean and in fact incidentally transformed a singer into a much younger version.

drftr

 

[Wyville]

Yep, but all acoustic music really and that's what won me over and preferred them to all TOTL IEMs that I've heard so far under 5k. Until I met the Noble Sultan that is. They very much share the same character, are equally excellent for classical, acoustic jazz, et cetera, but its DD for the low end adds just enough oomph to make me happy with amplified music as well. I also prefer its bass timbre quite a bit better as to my ears BA bass still sounds to much as being played on a keyboard. Like the exact right amount, tonality, and definition, but without the timbre and vibrations and stuff. The Sultan is slightly warmer in upper bass and lower mids than the U18t too, giving instruments and vocals the body, smoothness, and palpability I was longing for but couldn't find. On top of that positioning and imaging in the mids is quite a bit better, and although the U18t is no slouch there either they do clog up the mids slightly where the Sultan creates a defined space around each player without really widening the sound stage. Last but not least the treble on the Sultan is attenuated compared to the U18t and for instance Kublai Khan and Viking Ragnar. Where I find fault with Sultan is that a certain lower treble frequency came across too aggressive for me (although I could only find one example for this) and that they could use a little bit more air. From a natural tonality point of view with just enough warmth to sound realistic I prefer them over Traillii and anything I have heard so far. But they don't have the same technical chops as Traillii, Jewel, and a few others which, to be fair, are quite a bit more expensive. But since price matters less and less the more you go up this may not be relevant for most, where I personally still value for money over what is technically possible.

The main reasons that I preferred U18t over U18s was that the latter had too much emphasis on the low end while at the same time being too lean in the mids. This made vocalists and certain acoustic instruments come across too lean and in fact incidentally transformed a singer into a much younger version.

drftr

Thank you... I hate you. Now I really want to try the Sultan. Sounds like the Sultan have a lot of what I like and I am with you when it comes to the advantages of a DD for the bass. Shame I am no longer living in London. That's where I was able to demo my first audiophile IEMs, which was almost the entire Noble line up at the time (back in 2016).

 

[drftr]

Thank you... I hate you. Now I really want to try the Sultan. Sounds like the Sultan have a lot of what I like and I am with you when it comes to the advantages of a DD for the bass. Shame I am no longer living in London. That's where I was able to demo my first audiophile IEMs, which was almost the entire Noble line up at the time (back in 2016).

The good news being that people who bought the Sultan in 2020 are still suffering from the same syndrome and are doing whatever they can to sell them nowadays to scoop up the new flagship Viking Ragnar and the like. This made prices for used Sultans plunge as much as 50%. So if you wanted you could buy one for "little" and have extremely limited price risk if you decide it's not your thing; the main risk being having to wait a bit longer for selling.

If I make it back home soon due to whatever reason I'd be happy to have you check it out for a couple of days. I take dogs as collateral nowadays so you're good

drftr

 

[audio123]

Anyone getting the Supermoon? Very tempted especially since it is in white.

https://campfireaudio.com/shop/supermoon-universal-moonstone-multiverse-day-2/

Love my Aya Snow for both sound and aesthetics.

 

[Stu Paddasso]

Anyone getting the Supermoon? Very tempted especially since it is in white.

https://campfireaudio.com/shop/supermoon-universal-moonstone-multiverse-day-2/

Love my Aya Snow for both sound and aesthetics.

I might have gotten the toilet bowl if came with a 4.4mm cable.

 

[audio123]

I might have gotten the toilet bowl if came with a 4.4mm cable.

Should I?

Here are my pending IEMs:
UM Multiverse Mentor
Plussound Allegro
FitEar MH334DWSR Custom

 

[drftr]

Today I visited the imperial city of Hué in Vietnam and managed to hear 3 traditional concerts on period instruments. I was intrigued by this very instrument on the right side that only features one string while the stick she holds functions like a guitar tremolo. Have to do some research on it as I might be offending someone and/or something here.

Also managed to see the royal performance hall. Nothing going on but a beauty all the same!

drftr

 

[iFi audio]

It's one thing to have your own belief but another to indoctrinate other people to have the same mindset.

Jus one of many sides this hobby has, I guess. That's why it's so important to try things out for yourself if possible and move from there

 

[SteveK27]

Today I visited the imperial city of Hué in Vietnam and managed to hear 3 traditional concerts on period instruments. I was intrigued by this very instrument on the right side that only features one string while the stick she holds functions like a guitar tremolo. Have to do some research on it as I might be offending someone and/or something here.



Also managed to see the royal performance hall. Nothing going on but a beauty all the same!



drftr

This is beautiful. Makes me want to visit Vietnam myself!
I'm sure these photos can be taken by tourist organizations for advertisement purpose. It's absolutely stellar and full of emotions

 

[SteveK27]

Jus one of many sides this hobby has, I guess. That's why it's so important to try things out for yourself if possible and move from there

I absolutely agree!
Having once been agnostic about cable-rolling until I got to experience the changes myself, the best way to move forward is to try as many things as possible while keeping an open mind to all things.

I'd say the Coolers here are so deep in this hobby we're now discussing variations in sound quality based on the SD cards we're using

Even though I have yet to experience any changes myself, I'm still keeping an open mind for all and any possibilities

 

[yaps66]

Today I visited the imperial city of Hué in Vietnam and managed to hear 3 traditional concerts on period instruments. I was intrigued by this very instrument on the right side that only features one string while the stick she holds functions like a guitar tremolo. Have to do some research on it as I might be offending someone and/or something here.



Also managed to see the royal performance hall. Nothing going on but a beauty all the same!



drftr

While you are in Hue, you might want to see if @Tzennn can meet up with you!

 

[CodenameBK201]

Hi everyone. Came to this thread at the suggestion of another member, hoping people here can offer some friendly advice to a new (ish) audiophile? And genuine apologies in advance if this is the wrong thread for this.

I have an itch that only some new, TOTL IEMs can scratch and I could use some input. I started out nearly a decade ago with a pair of v-moda crossfade m100s which, for the time, I loved. V shaped signature, fun tuning, cool design, but perhaps lacking in the detail department. I then jumped to my first (and only) pair of expensive, custom IEMs, my Noble Kaiser 10s. They're beautiful, they sound good...but they're lacking in the bass department. I'm not a basshead, I just like a good, "fun" sound signature for lack of a better term. Going back to the v-modas, the bass sounds muddy, and lacking clarity. My only recent IEMs have been the raptgo hook x, and I absolutely adore them. They're everything I wanted: wide soundstage, fun bass thump, easy to listen to and non-fatiguing because of the open back. I had the opportunity to demo them next to the timeless 7hz (which sounded lifeless and flat to me) and I liked the raptgo better. So if anything, I'm looking to upgrade from that type of sound. My music library is eclectic. Lots of jazz...but also some anime soundtracks...but also film soundtracks...but also classic rock and roll.

I'm not at all an audio expert, and I haven't demoed a whole lot, but I believe I like the sound of that bone conduction bass driver. Right now I've narrowed my options down to the following:
-UM Mest MKII
-UM Mest Indigo
-Empire Ears Legend Evo
-Empire Ears Odin (maybe? I've heard conflicting things about whether this is "better" than the Evo)

Out of my options, is the Evo the way to go? Or are there other brands I should be considering? My budget is ideally around the 1.5k-2.5k mark, but I can flex on that a little depending, or try to track down used models from the classifieds. Open to any and all input here. I've been out of the game for a long time, but I'm looking for something that I won't want to replace anytime soon.