[Andorn]

Lady & gentle men,

I'm about to board and fly West to extend my old year by 2.5 hrs (India being one of those countries with 30/45 minute time zones),



but also to pick up a more hardcore travel style that unfortunately won't allow for regularly chiming in around the cooler. And I know myself well enough that doing so every now and then is not going to make me happy, seeing I'm "only" 157 pages behind. So like I did earlier on I'm going to sign off until I see myself fit to become a regular again. Will hopefully be able to lurk for a few days in Chennai to avoid the cold bath. AND to see if there's a way to make it to CanJam Singapore and meet more of my virtual friends. If not, then meeting up with 4 of you in Northern India will at least soften the pain a bit.

After a big Thank You! for the never ending help, suggestions, and patience, I wish you all the best for 2023, hopefully in great or much better health than this year, and I hope to see you all back sooner rather than later!



Joop

I hope we will hear from you again sometime. Thank you for your always interesting contributions and opinions. Even though my taste (XE6, Traillii, Trifecta, EXT, Indigo, Trio, Odin) is slightly different from yours, your contributions have always been very enriching for me. Have fun and great experiences in 2023!

 

[Ace Bee]

Shot them over a PM to ask. Supposedly comes with a custom case to house the cable and IEMS (because, y'know, it'd sorta have to at that gauge) but curious as to what it looks like. @Ace Bee you reviewed the prototype. Any chance they included a case as well, or did I just miss it in your initial posting? I'm sleep deprived perpetually, so entirely possible you showed it and I spaced.

Nope. They did not provide the custom case with the cable. But it will come with the retail version.

 

[wolfstar76]

My current obsession:

Any short impression of FatFreq Maestro SE?

 

[Andorn]

I received a care package from @ranfan today.



Spiral Dot Pro tips plus some sweet VE swag.





The spirals are roughly the same size as my crystals, and just as comfortable. They have a longer stem than the crystals which is nice for fit and for sound, and they grip firmer than the Spiral Dots ++ so will be less prone to getting stuck in my ears..



Loving the sound so far. As per typical with spiral dots they add some sweetness, clarity and presence to the highs. My new preferred tip for Trifecta. Thank-you @ranfan. (Don't ask what I paid for them, however...that much is consistent through all the spirals I've been able to get my hands on.)

Where can I buy the Spiral Dot Pro?

 

[aaf evo]

Any short impression of FatFreq Maestro SE?

Sure. They’re a very clean/revealing U shaped sound signature. If you have heard Elysian Diva or to a lesser extent Campfire Supermoon, then it’s sort of in the same overall presentation as both. It has fairly decent technicals, it sounds a bit more detailed than it actually is. I'd assume this is a result of how it is tuned rather than the IEMs raw ability to extract detail. The bass presentation is quite impressive, its mostly sub bass focused so it sounds quite clean and doesn't muddy the mids at all. They're very addicting to listen to. Also I think the EST use here is for upper treble only, as the treble sounds more BA-like to my ears.

They're quite power hungry, I'm on volume 39 out of 63 on M gain, easily my most difficult to drive IEMs.

 

[mashuto]

I'd assume this is a result of how it is tuned rather than the IEMs raw ability to extract detail.

I think this is similar on the mini. Based on the graphs I saw, the tuning between them is very similar, and it seems to be down to a somewhat elevated but also kind of lean-ish treble which definitely has the effect of making it sound more detailed than it is. I do however wish I could hear the SE and see if the improved technicals would make it worth it for me.

Gonna have to give my mini some ear time this week I think. Haven't really used them much since the fibae 5 came in.

 

[wolfstar76]

I think this is similar on the mini. Based on the graphs I saw, the tuning between them is very similar, and it seems to be down to a somewhat elevated but also kind of lean-ish treble which definitely has the effect of making it sound more detailed than it is. I do however wish I could hear the SE and see if the improved technicals would make it worth it for me.

Gonna have to give my mini some ear time this week I think. Haven't really used them much since the fibae 5 came in.

I hope it is not like mini, otherwise, it is not my taste.

 

[aaf evo]

I hope it is not like mini, otherwise, it is not my taste.

I have not heard the Mini but based off graph only SE looks better tuned imo.

 

[Bret Halford]

I have not heard the Mini but based off graph only SE looks better tuned imo.

I have an OG mini and the SE. YMMV but they track closer than that graph would suggest, in the mid bass particularly.

Biggest difference is the more forward mids and treble presence on SE. The scoop on the mini helps cover some of the stretched BAs and buries it in a nice sense of scale. The Mini sounds like the music is in a cavernous big space, whereas the SE makes the music itself sound big and cavernous.

I have trouble believing that if you fundamentally dislike the mini tuning that the SE will change that. But this hobby is full of wonderful surprises, certainly try both for yourself...

 

[552609]

I have an OG mini and the SE. YMMV but they track closer than that graph would suggest, in the mid bass particularly.

Biggest difference is the more forward mids and treble presence on SE. The scoop on the mini helps cover some of the stretched BAs and buries it in a nice sense of scale. The Mini sounds like the music is in a cavernous big space, whereas the SE makes the music itself sound big and cavernous.

I have trouble believing that if you fundamentally dislike the mini tuning that the SE will change that. But this hobby is full of wonderful surprises, certainly try both for yourself...

Those are really cool looking.

 

[wolfstar76]

I have an OG mini and the SE. YMMV but they track closer than that graph would suggest, in the mid bass particularly.

Biggest difference is the more forward mids and treble presence on SE. The scoop on the mini helps cover some of the stretched BAs and buries it in a nice sense of scale. The Mini sounds like the music is in a cavernous big space, whereas the SE makes the music itself sound big and cavernous.

I have trouble believing that if you fundamentally dislike the mini tuning that the SE will change that. But this hobby is full of wonderful surprises, certainly try both for yourself...

I demoed mini OG and V2, I won't say I dislike them, but just nothing special to me, especially with high expectation before the demo.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I demoed mini OG and V2, I won't say I dislike them, but just nothing special to me, especially with high expectation before the demo.

I did, too. I really did not like them at all. I am encouraged by @aaf evo's impressions.

 

[Neweymatt]

Cooler,

Would I be better off getting a desktop setup (since I listen to most of my music WFH) for around $1000-$2000 instead of getting a DAP? I don’t own any FLAC files, I just stream HD music. I think I might be able to get a higher quality source for the money. Any suggestions?

Yes, for WFH you are much better off with a desktop rig. Schiit Biftost2/Jotunheim2 is about the best bang for buck at about $1200, and you are set for full sized headphones and high impedance ear buds as well. Add a Magni for more sensitive IEMs.

Would that mean that I just have it plugged into wall power all the time?

Don't do that. A lot of DAP, like smartphones, are not build to be constantly plugged in, you will be wasting battery charge cycles. There are amps like Fiio M17 that has build in mechanism that bypass battery charging, however.

Exactly why a DAP makes no sense to me for WFH.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Yes, for WFH you are much better off with a desktop rig. Schiit Biftost2/Jotunheim2 is about the best bang for buck at about $1200, and you are set for full sized headphones and high impedance ear buds as well. Add a Magni for more sensitive IEMs.


Exactly why a DAP makes no sense to me for WFH.

I disagree. Who says you need to keep the DAP on all the time? If you want to listen to music while going for a walk, you can do it with DAP solution. You can't with the desktop solution.

 

[fabio19]

Is there a huge difference in SQ between the LP6 gold and the LP6 Ti or about the same?

LP6 Ti has more detail than LP6 Gold. It has a slightly thicker and a little more punchy sound. It's not much better....but if you think that LP6 Gold already borders on perfection, it takes all of this a little further. I say that because I've had Gold and Ti. And I still stayed with Ti.