[MRT-Man]

I personally prefer to use the kse1200/1500 when listening to metal because of their god level speed and detail retrieving.

I'm sure it comes down to personal preference, like any genre. But I agree, for metal, I value speed, details, separation/layering (since there can be a lot going on, depending on the type of metal), and mids/treble.

Dream Theater is my benchmark for testing, given the complexity of their music and the production quality of their albums. For speed, my torture test is the opening riff from "The Enemy Inside"; for details/layering, "The Gift of Music" and "The Count of Tuscany"; and for timbre/vocal quality, "Wither" and "Along for the Ride".

I also find the KSE to be a great option for metal. I also really like the Ragnar with the Ode to Laura cable, since it's somewhat comparable to the KSE in speed/detail/clarity etc. but with much better bass and overall tonality (the cable does an awesome job of taming the treble and adding more weight to the mid-bass & mids).

 

[Skullar]

Not for me but one of my buddies decided to order a hamburger in Cozumel where it looked like the patty had been sitting raw in the afternoon sun for God knows how long. That coupled with all the draft beer we drank culminated in him spending most of the night on the can clutching a garbage can and ejecting liquid from both ends.

Sounds like he was beaming with joy. Almost literally... The true moments you will never forget.

 

[CodenameBK201]

Four years ago this week I joined Head Fi and embarked what has been little short of a roller coaster journey through all sorts of great gear and great times with great people. In that time I've learned a lot about my preferences and quirks and I'm happier now that I've ever been in terms of personal satisfaction...and that's ultimately what matters most. FWIW I've come to the conclusion that Sedna Crystals are the most comfortable and best fitting tips out there for me. I always wind up coming back to them.



PS - This Shanling M6 U is a beast and in my estimation rules the mid-fi DAP world right now. Try it if you can.

Trifecta is still high on my want to try list, but that edition size makes me feel unlikely to find a secondhand set, and the cost new is a bitter pill to swallow compared to something like, say, the Supermoon. If CanJam really blows me away, maybe CFA might sell the demo model? A man can but dream.

 

[Rockwell75]

Trifecta is still high on my want to try list, but that edition size makes me feel unlikely to find a secondhand set, and the cost new is a bitter pill to swallow compared to something like, say, the Supermoon. If CanJam really blows me away, maybe CFA might sell the demo model? A man can but dream.

There will be sets available used eventually-- experience has taught me that no set, however limited and hard to find, doesn't appear on the used market eventually. That said the current 333 of the Trifecta is dubbed the "premier edition" so my guess is that there will be a more regular release at some point. The cost is steep yes sadly in this age $3K represents the lowest end of the higher end market.

 

[CodenameBK201]

There will be sets available used eventually-- experience has taught me that no set, however limited and hard to find, doesn't appear on the used market eventually. That said the current 333 of the Trifecta is dubbed the "premier edition" so my guess is that there will be a more regular release at some point. The cost is steep yes sadly in this age $3K represents the lowest end of the higher end market.

I think mentally a part of me still feels like $2k should be the price of a flagship, if only because it was a short decade ago. At secondhand prices, a couple flagships, Evos included, feel like a really good buy. Less so at new, when that cost basically becomes the cost of my DAP, the IEMs, and an upgrade cable. These days, the Supermoons seem like a downright bargain for what they are. I upgrade very infrequently though. I trade out gear a lot, especially initially, when I'm trying to find what I like, but once I'm there, I'm there, y'know?

Right now, I'm running these xanadu audio khopensh my wife got me as a holiday gift. I had them on sale for all of two seconds because the company sent me the resin versions instead of the metal ones she ordered, but it's being sorted. In the interim I need to post pics and impressions, it's just been a busy holiday), and those have BA mids, EST highs and a whopping amount of DD bass. I'm sort of in my sweet spot with them. Bass could maybe be more shaped, but for my first real experience with DD bass, I'm sorta starting to see what the appeal in the Trifectas is.

 

[Rockwell75]

I think mentally a part of me still feels like $2k should be the price of a flagship, if only because it was a short decade ago. At secondhand prices, a couple flagships, Evos included, feel like a really good buy. Less so at new, when that cost basically becomes the cost of my DAP, the IEMs, and an upgrade cable. These days, the Supermoons seem like a downright bargain for what they are. I upgrade very infrequently though. I trade out gear a lot, especially initially, when I'm trying to find what I like, but once I'm there, I'm there, y'know?

Right now, I'm running these xanadu audio khopensh my wife got me as a holiday gift. I had them on sale for all of two seconds because the company sent me the resin versions instead of the metal ones she ordered, but it's being sorted. In the interim I need to post pics and impressions, it's just been a busy holiday), and those have BA mids, EST highs and a whopping amount of DD bass. I'm sort of in my sweet spot with them. Bass could maybe be more shaped, but for my first real experience with DD bass, I'm sorta starting to see what the appeal in the Trifectas is.

Supermoon are a great bargain and do shoot above their price but having had them for months I do share the sentiment that they lack some of the refinement of higher tier sets (Trifecta, imho, included). That said when they do hit-- which is quite often-- they're as good as anything out there and there are many aspects of their sound (bass response in particular) that for me rank above some of the more lofty BA/e-stat driven sets. I agree that prices generally too high at the moment and that $2-$3k is where most flagships should fall. However as long as there are people willing to pay then I don't blame companies for their prices. The market ultimately determines what flies and what doesn't.

 

[Rockwell75]

Welcome back @Garney was nice to see your name in my notifications again. Hope you're doing well as we kick of 2023.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Trifecta is still high on my want to try list, but that edition size makes me feel unlikely to find a secondhand set, and the cost new is a bitter pill to swallow compared to something like, say, the Supermoon. If CanJam really blows me away, maybe CFA might sell the demo model? A man can but dream.

In 6-12 months, there will be plenty of Trifecta units for sale at significant discounts. Just look at the UM Indigo. It was released with only 200 sets. It originally sold for $2600 USD. Now, you see them around $1500. And that IEM was highly rated by many well respected Watercooler members.

 

[Rockwell75]

In 6-12 months, there will be plenty of Trifecta units for sale at significant discounts. Just look at the UM Indigo. It was released with only 200 sets. It originally sold for $2600 USD. Now, you see them around $1500. And that IEM was highly rated by many well respected Watercooler members.

You can pretty much count on any $$$ relase to be available at a steal price eventyally. Traillii's regularly go for like $3300 these days which is like half off their MSRP. There have been some great deals on Xe6's lately also. This hobby does tend to reward those with patience (something man of us don't have lmao).

 

[CodenameBK201]

Supermoon are a great bargain and do shoot above their price but having had them for months I do share the sentiment that they lack some of the refinement of higher tier sets (Trifecta, imho, included). That said when they do hit-- which is quite often-- they're as good as anything out there and there are many aspects of their sound (bass response in particular) that for me rank above some of the more lofty BA/e-stat driven sets. I agree that prices generally too high at the moment and that $2-$3k is where most flagships should fall. However as long as there are people willing to pay then I don't blame companies for their prices. The market ultimately determines what flies and what doesn't.

It's curious though, isn't it? I'm eyeing that Effect Audio Code 23, and at 600 msrp, it honestly feels like it's directly competing with some of the cheaper Chinese competition, Dunu specifically. Swappable end adapters are becoming less of a luxury and more of an industry standard. I'd hoped some of the Chinese planar IEMs would have driven down prices, and maybe they did, at least for models like Supermoon.

In 6-12 months, there will be plenty of Trifecta units for sale at significant discounts. Just look at the UM Indigo. It was released with only 200 sets. It originally sold for $2600 USD. Now, you see them around $1500. And that IEM was highly rated by many well respected Watercooler members.

I still want an Indigo, but that one post about one member's set literally falling apart at the seams was a big, flashing caution sign for me. I've seen conflicting opinions about CFA's stuff, but never anything negative regarding build quality.

 

[Garney]

Welcome back @Garney was nice to see your name in my notifications again. Hope you're doing well as we kick of 2023.

Thanks! A Happy New Year to you as well. A chaotic stretch of 6+ months filled with work travel and life events forced a break from Head-Fi. I logged back in last week to see some 1200+ new pages here. Happy to see so many familiar names still posting regularly. Hoping I can pop in somewhat frequently again.

For now, I'll do my best to catch up on the latest gear releases from the latter half of 2022 and dig back through the 'cooler archives.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

You can pretty much count on any $$$ relase to be available at a steal price eventyally. Traillii's regularly go for like $3300 these days which is like half off their MSRP. There have been some great deals on Xe6's lately also. This hobby does tend to reward those with patience (something man of us don't have lmao).

Well, I am waiting for a second unicorn to show up. Noble Viking Damascus.

 

[twister6]

Reminds me of this time I went to Mexico.

... and learned my lesson not to drink tap water and to avoid ice (after one of the spring break trips to Cancun many moons ago).

 

[Skullar]

PS - This Shanling M6 U is a beast and in my estimation rules the mid-fi DAP world right now. Try it if you can.

How does it stack against RS6?

 

[ulverr]

The fit of the Xe6 is not great for my ears. I bought the XL tips from 64 audio. They are certainly large (see below compared to Xelastecs L), but they don’t have any grip, so they slide out.. Xelastecs is still the best solution for my ears… It was worth a try. Maybe the XL tips will work with some of my other IEMs.

I had the same issues with the Xe6. Did not slide out with Xelastecs only. Foam tips did also help a lot but of course made it sound more veiled and bassy.

For me Xenon6 is an extraordinary IEM for electronic music genres but did not work much with metal or fast and complex music. Still miss the Xe6 sometimes too