[kevin638880]

I just wanted to say the black sp3000's drab olive green case looks.... not good on photos and doesn't go well with any IEM I've seen it next to. I'm kinda interested in the black anodized stainless steel but the case kills it. I've said it before and will say it again: I hope AK abandons the drab colour schemes for Its TOTLs. One conservative black option for the strict and stern and then something nicer for the others. I look at a&futura series cases and designs and those things are way bolder and nicer. Or, man, the old ak120ii cases on black friday sale a week ago, especially the gorgeous yellow one

Says the guy on a plane to Berlin to pick up a x-mas sp3000 from a store

Get a Dignis alcantara one!

 

[armstrj2]

Anyway, before the Mentor pitchforks emerge

 

[rantng]

Day 2

↑
Potafes mascot was wild lmao

Spoiler

↑
Tried the Jomo flagship Gran Tourer 600 I kinda like it, it resembled Jewel in sound, slightly warm bit dark with enough treble not too sparkly. Top resolution and very good overall

Spoiler

↑
So many prototypes, UM among them with If I recall 6 drivers hybrid. Spicy extended treble, forward resolving mids with good punchy BCD-added bass down low. Treble sibilance was a let down, otherwise it's a solid prototype imho

Spoiler

↑
Noble Ronin looked so cool with matching color Eletech cable (?). It uses 8 BA + 4 EST as I've been told, similar to the bird. Still a prototype. Sounded average and 'safe' it quickly became boring

Spoiler

↑
Noble Fokus Prestige was also there. A TWS earphone with top-class aesthetics and craftsmanship. Beautiful to hold & watch. It offers unique value in the sea of TWS market. Combining Noble's expertise in custom shell/faceplate making. The sound is like Noble entry level IEM

I also asked about the price and release date of Lotoo Mjolnir, and they said it hasn't been announced yet. So only the demo for now..

Spoiler

↑
@Jack Vang was very kind to let me try his two prototypes, Project VII and X. Both are relatively hard to drive. The VII (red one above) was said to have 10 drivers hybrid, it has an intimate presentation with stage that is less wide. That said it has good separation so to avoid too much congestion. Smooth treble and mids. Vocals are positioned central and has nice body to it. Mid bass has good hit to it, and sub bass has a low deep reach with thunderous rumble and slow decay. The faceplates are from Odyssey, and are used only as placeholder

Spoiler

↑
The X was said to have 6 drivers hybrid. Similar to VII in the bass it has distinct Weapon X character to it. Subs reach was remarkable with excellent rumble that sets it apart from other makers. Good impactful kick bass sound. Excellent vocals central slightly forward in positioning. Treble extended linear and is smooth, less sparkly. Average stage size again less wide, but bigger than VII. It also has higher resolution and is overall the more enjoyable and coherent sounding hybrid from the two imho. I'd recommend this as an upgrade to Levo @metaljem77 An exciting high-quality release it'd be with addictive bass and vocals

Spoiler

Also got a cool EE pin from Jack! A nice gift, adding it to the shrine

Potafes has been so much fun. A lot of discovery/findings and witnessing of the evolution of portable audio. I met representatives from several companies, and it was interesting to hear their ideas, values and vision of what sound should be. As technology progresses more and more improvements can be made, and less limitations constraining creativity. Looking forward to visiting again next year!

Love the clear shells on the protoptype EE X. Show off that Weapon X driver @Jack Vang

 

[NOMOS]

Matching Song for today's World Cup Final

 

[Rockwell75]

Third day with Trifecta and this set is special after around 50 hours of continuous play any slight veil has lifted. The cable is great, no need to change it, stock tips well for me Azla Sedna Shorts are better, enough to switch.

If coherency was a goal of Campfire to my ears they nailed it. If letting bass occupy the foundational role it plays shine they nailed it. There is enough air, though this is not the XE6, there is enough speed though this is not the Supermoon, oh yea and vocals are fine no sibilance to my hearing. What really shines though you can hear on a track like My Morning Jacket’s Evil Urges which speaks to Trifecta’s strengths Rock out dudes and dudettes.

I think I made the right choice to go this way next instead of another BA hybrid.

Have a great day all.

You just made my morinng...Trifecta hype!

 

[riverground]

Would love to see XE6 Trifecta and Supermoon on this chart, bet all three 20hz would be between the Bird and the Odyssey/EVO.

Unfortunately, no Trifecta.

 

[Rockwell75]

Day 2

↑
Potafes mascot was wild lmao

Spoiler

↑
Tried the Jomo flagship Gran Tourer 600 I kinda like it, it resembled Jewel in sound, slightly warm bit dark with enough treble not too sparkly. Top resolution and very good overall

Spoiler

↑
So many prototypes, UM among them with If I recall 6 drivers hybrid. Spicy extended treble, forward resolving mids with good punchy BCD-added bass down low. Treble sibilance was a let down, otherwise it's a solid prototype imho

Spoiler

↑
Noble Ronin looked so cool with matching color Eletech cable (?). It uses 8 BA + 4 EST as I've been told, similar to the bird. Still a prototype. Sounded average and 'safe' it quickly became boring

Spoiler

↑
Noble Fokus Prestige was also there. A TWS earphone with top-class aesthetics and craftsmanship. Beautiful to hold & watch. It offers unique value in the sea of TWS market. Combining Noble's expertise in custom shell/faceplate making. The sound is like Noble entry level IEM

I also asked about the price and release date of Lotoo Mjolnir, and they said it hasn't been announced yet. So only the demo for now..

Spoiler

↑
@Jack Vang was very kind to let me try his two prototypes, Project VII and X. Both are relatively hard to drive. The VII (red one above) was said to have 10 drivers hybrid, it has an intimate presentation with stage that is less wide. That said it has good separation so to avoid too much congestion. Smooth treble and mids. Vocals are positioned central and has nice body to it. Mid bass has good hit to it, and sub bass has a low deep reach with thunderous rumble and slow decay. The faceplates are from Odyssey, and are used only as placeholder

Spoiler

↑
The X was said to have 6 drivers hybrid. Similar to VII in the bass it has distinct Weapon X character to it. Subs reach was remarkable with excellent rumble that sets it apart from other makers. Good impactful kick bass sound. Excellent vocals central slightly forward in positioning. Treble extended linear and is smooth, less sparkly. Average stage size again less wide, but bigger than VII. It also has higher resolution and is overall the more enjoyable and coherent sounding hybrid from the two imho. I'd recommend this as an upgrade to Levo @metaljem77 An exciting high-quality release it'd be with addictive bass and vocals

Spoiler

Also got a cool EE pin from Jack! A nice gift, adding it to the shrine

Potafes has been so much fun. A lot of discovery/findings and witnessing of the evolution of portable audio. I met representatives from several companies, and it was interesting to hear their ideas, values and vision of what sound should be. As technology progresses more and more improvements can be made, and less limitations constraining creativity. Looking forward to visiting again next year!

Wonderful impressions thanks for sharing. It's great to be able to live vicariously through others for things we're unable to attend ourselves. And congrats on the Phonix LE!

I’m definitely curious about Trifecta - how could I not be as a DD lover? - one DD, two DDs, three DDs

I'm surprised you haven't jumped on it already.

Jokes aside, I tend to ‘prefer’ DD timbre - I’m conscious this could be a familiarity thing as most of my listening lately where I take timbre more into consideration has tended to be on dynamic drivers - I prefer the rendition of piano or strings for example on Turii Ti or Eclipse even versus Mentor at the moment… I find a piano key to sound a touch warm/heavy on Mentor vs either of the aforementioned where there is more air and overall to my ears sounds more natural. Anyway, before the Mentor pitchforks emerge, I did caveat and indeed a personal perspective at present

Pitchforks or not, I'm 100% with you there.

 

[SteveK27]

I’m definitely curious about Trifecta - how could I not be as a DD lover? - one DD, two DDs, three DDs

Jokes aside, I tend to ‘prefer’ DD timbre - I’m conscious this could be a familiarity thing as most of my listening lately where I take timbre more into consideration has tended to be on dynamic drivers - I prefer the rendition of piano or strings for example on Turii Ti or Eclipse even versus Mentor at the moment… I find a piano key to sound a touch warm/heavy on Mentor vs either of the aforementioned where there is more air and overall to my ears sounds more natural. Anyway, before the Mentor pitchforks emerge, I did caveat and indeed a personal perspective at present

It's quite a coincidence as my first exposure to Mentor revealed how important timbre was to my listening experience.

I took this photo a while back during my first listening session of Mentor and I happened to have a Turii Ti in hand right alongside out of sheer luck. You first came to my mind as I was switching back and forth between these two sets as I knew you owned both and understood how much you appreciate that organic and natural DD timbre.

Turii Ti undoubtedly has much better timbre than Mentor to my ears, but falls short in its sheer technical competence against today's newest flagship models. I would like to recommend Trifecta as your next DD set because I find Trifecta to be performing at a higher caliber than Turii Ti with a sharper midrange and upper harmonic transients and bigger, bolder, and airier bass that you simply need to hear to believe.

I do not know how it would synergize with your M9 and LPGT, but I personally found Trifecta to be at least as enjoyable of an experience as Turii Ti with the sources that I've had in possession.

It has a bolder approach with a bit more emphasis on the treble than Turii Ti. Please do take it into consideration and I hope that you'll get a chance to demo a set one day

 

[Scubadevils]

I'm surprised you haven't jumped on it already.

I haven’t had the balls to tbh I’m certainly done for the year and at least somewhat (exact period to be defined) into 2023, I’ll be keeping a watchful eye though on impressions and hopefully get to try in a meet with @Eoin in Feb.

 

[SteveK27]

Day 2

↑
Potafes mascot was wild lmao

Spoiler

↑
Tried the Jomo flagship Gran Tourer 600 I kinda like it, it resembled Jewel in sound, slightly warm bit dark with enough treble not too sparkly. Top resolution and very good overall

Spoiler

↑
So many prototypes, UM among them with If I recall 6 drivers hybrid. Spicy extended treble, forward resolving mids with good punchy BCD-added bass down low. Treble sibilance was a let down, otherwise it's a solid prototype imho

Spoiler

↑
Noble Ronin looked so cool with matching color Eletech cable (?). It uses 8 BA + 4 EST as I've been told, similar to the bird. Still a prototype. Sounded average and 'safe' it quickly became boring

Spoiler

↑
Noble Fokus Prestige was also there. A TWS earphone with top-class aesthetics and craftsmanship. Beautiful to hold & watch. It offers unique value in the sea of TWS market. Combining Noble's expertise in custom shell/faceplate making. The sound is like Noble entry level IEM

I also asked about the price and release date of Lotoo Mjolnir, and they said it hasn't been announced yet. So only the demo for now..

Spoiler

↑
@Jack Vang was very kind to let me try his two prototypes, Project VII and X. Both are relatively hard to drive. The VII (red one above) was said to have 10 drivers hybrid, it has an intimate presentation with stage that is less wide. That said it has good separation so to avoid too much congestion. Smooth treble and mids. Vocals are positioned central and has nice body to it. Mid bass has good hit to it, and sub bass has a low deep reach with thunderous rumble and slow decay. The faceplates are from Odyssey, and are used only as placeholder

Spoiler

↑
The X was said to have 6 drivers hybrid. Similar to VII in the bass it has distinct Weapon X character to it. Subs reach was remarkable with excellent rumble that sets it apart from other makers. Good impactful kick bass sound. Excellent vocals central slightly forward in positioning. Treble extended linear and is smooth, less sparkly. Average stage size again less wide, but bigger than VII. It also has higher resolution and is overall the more enjoyable and coherent sounding hybrid from the two imho. I'd recommend this as an upgrade to Levo @metaljem77 An exciting high-quality release it'd be with addictive bass and vocals

Spoiler

Also got a cool EE pin from Jack! A nice gift, adding it to the shrine

Potafes has been so much fun. A lot of discovery/findings and witnessing of the evolution of portable audio. I met representatives from several companies, and it was interesting to hear their ideas, values and vision of what sound should be. As technology progresses more and more improvements can be made, and less limitations constraining creativity. Looking forward to visiting again next year!

I need an EE iem in my arsenal
I wish I was there to listen to all those iems together!

Thank you for sharing - even though it lowkey made me jealous

 

[Rockwell75]

It's quite a coincidence as my first exposure to Mentor revealed how important timbre was to my listening experience.



I took this photo a while back during my first listening session of Mentor and I happened to have a Turii Ti in hand right alongside out of sheer luck. You first came to my mind as I was switching back and forth between these two sets as I knew you owned both and understood how much you appreciate that organic and natural DD timbre.

Turii Ti undoubtedly has much better timbre than Mentor to my ears, but falls short in its sheer technical competence against today's newest flagship models. I would like to recommend Trifecta as your next DD set because I find Trifecta to be performing at a higher caliber than Turii Ti with a sharper midrange and upper harmonic transients and bigger, bolder, and airier bass that you simply need to hear to believe.

I do not know how it would synergize with your M9 and LPGT, but I personally found Trifecta to be at least as enjoyable of an experience as Turii Ti with the sources that I've had in possession.

It has a bolder approach with a bit more emphasis on the treble than Turii Ti. Please do take it into consideration and I hope that you'll get a chance to demo a set one day

This timbre vs. technicals debate with DDs vs. non-DDs is as old as time. As Ken Ball himself once said just like there are cat and dog people so are there enthusiasts who will gravitate towards BA driven or DD driven sets.

balls

Heh...I see what you did there

Can't wait for your thoughts when you eventually get to try a pair

 

[Scubadevils]

It's quite a coincidence as my first exposure to Mentor revealed how important timbre was to my listening experience.



I took this photo a while back during my first listening session of Mentor and I happened to have a Turii Ti in hand right alongside out of sheer luck. You first came to my mind as I was switching back and forth between these two sets as I knew you owned both and understood how much you appreciate that organic and natural DD timbre.

Turii Ti undoubtedly has much better timbre than Mentor to my ears, but falls short in its sheer technical competence against today's newest flagship models. I would like to recommend Trifecta as your next DD set because I find Trifecta to be performing at a higher caliber than Turii Ti with a sharper midrange and upper harmonic transients and bigger, bolder, and airier bass that you simply need to hear to believe.

I do not know how it would synergize with your M9 and LPGT, but I personally found Trifecta to be at least as enjoyable of an experience as Turii Ti with the sources that I've had in possession.

It has a bolder approach with a bit more emphasis on the treble than Turii Ti. Please do take it into consideration and I hope that you'll get a chance to demo a set one day

Absolutely agree that Turii Ti falls short from a technical perspective versus many hybrid flagships - I don’t always want the absolute max in technicality and often prefer to immerse myself in sheer emotive engagement factor, especially when there is for my ears perfect synergy with key shelves of my library… Turii Ti hits a wonderful sweet spot in that regard. I did miss having a highly competent technical set, which blends great emotion and Mentor absolutely ticking that box for other listening scenarios, likewise KR5 to a lesser extent.

But indeed, Trifecta certainly becoming increasingly interesting!

 

[claud W]

Any recommendations for a EE EVO cable, or is the stock one a goody ?

 

[Piotr Michalak]

Phonix LE

Whoah! Good to know they made something new. Did anyone try to order a CIEM version and see if they would make it? I'm somewhat dissatisfied VE no longer develops the custom line.

If I could only have one IEM, I would pick Mentor

Unique Melody currently holds 5 (FIVE) of my CIEMs: a dummy / demo shell with neutrally tuned 1BA sent back for them for comparisons, MEST 1 & 2 (refitted for the past 6 [SIX] months - really!), Le Jardin (that were assymetrical and sent for correction) and Multiverse Mentor in production.

I'm asking twice a week if they sent anything. MEST are lying ready for the past two months and they still did not send them back, waiting all the time to finish other stuff.

I'm anxious that I won't get anything before Christmas, and then I fly out for two weeks which makes the waiting time unacceptable to me (I want my noise isolation on a plane).

I've decided to make a plegde that if I won't get my Le Jardin back before Christmas, I won't buy anything from them ever again.

That's typical in my cooperation with these companies in this industry. Hopefully you guys have better experience with CIEM companies than me!

 

[Rockwell75]

Enjoying the first weekend on holidays and waiting for my Trifecta to land in a couple days...here is Watercooler "End of 2022" Survey.

As with the last survey answer as many or as few questions as you'd like...though you do have to provide your Head Fi name. I will share results as we go along.

Survey here: Pause...I want to add one more question,

Let's see if we can crack 100 responses again.

Enjoy!