I'd be shocked if we were minorities who hear differences between cables.
The Coolers may have impeccable standards, but cables arent really something controversial to dive deep into.
Outside of head-fi I think most would say cables dont make a difference (at least not outside of differences arising from impedence changes/mismatches). I happen to mostly agree, but I also know that its not worth getting into a fight over, so on head-fi where thats the prevailing wisdom, I just usually stay out of those discussions. Its kind of an echo chamber (as are most online spaces), so if this is the only place you come to get your info about the hobby it will of course seem like nobody disagrees.
This is an honest to goodness true story. Observed today at an area nursing home within the past hour: a bespectacled, elderly gentleman listening to music on speakerphone in rapturous joy, bopping his head and stomping his feet. It was one of the purest moments of sheer unbridled joy I had ever witnessed.
As I walked closer, a mischievous grin came across my face when I recognized the source of his happiness:
“Me So Horny (Dirty Version)” by 2 Live Crew from the album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.
On that note, behold, my biggest guilty pleasure of 2023: the Xanadu Audio Khopensh, along with the corresponding Anubis upgrade cable. These were a surprise holiday gift from my wife. She knew I was looking at hifi stuff and tapped into her Chinese network of what I assume is mostly aurally trained ninjas to grab these for me from a hifi shop in Guangzhou. We'd originally ordered the metal versions (still sorting that out with the seller) but they sent us the resin ones instead. The cable is pure silver with gold coating, palladium coated connectors, and matching hieroglyphics themed y-splitter and 4.4 end jack, plus some Con-X connections for good measure. It'll probably be going with me into my own sarcophagus at this point. We could barely find anything on the company outside of the single press release and the taobao listing:
The IEMs themselves sport a pair of dynamic drivers, 4 balanced armatures for mids, and 4 electrostatics for highs, and they're a healthy amount of sparkle at the top with a whole lot of dynamic driver boom at the lower end.
Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking: did I order them for the tech specs, or did I order them because they look like Yu-Gi-Oh, Moon Knight and Jotaro Kujo teamed up for a headphone collaboration?
I'm in my thirties: of course I ordered them because they make me feel like Yu-Gi-Oh.
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.
You would need to keep the DAP on all the time so that you can listen to music all the time. When I WfH, I spend 8-10 hours a day at my desk, so desktop gear makes far more sense for me.
Of course I cannot take the same desktop rig with me for a walk, that’s what a DAP is for.
I do feel cables are like religion. Best to stay away from questioning others' heartfelt experience. Which does not mean it's a question of belief vs. nonbelief but rather a question of acceptance of others' experience vs. intolerance of any possible difference from yours. Open vs. closed mindset. Assumption that your experience is more empirical or objective than others vs. learning new ways of seeing the world from the utter plurality of experience. I do feel the prior poster who mentioned synergy has a good point too - if you put together a play-back chain and it sounds better than anything you've heard before it, you win. You have found that elusive synergy. If you suddenly become absolute about the qualities of the various parts of that playback chain in some sort of platonic context-free way, then you lose the bigger picture. Just my $.02 and YMMV and caveat emptor, etc.
Tonality:
Transparent, in the realm of clear/neutral with a bass boost.
Comfort:
The shells are a touch smaller than Odin and are on the larger side of iems due to the unique opposed DD arrangement.
Bass:
Dual DD bass drivers (opposed drivers) give a faster, substantive bass feel however isn’t as cavernous as Legend X but has the texture and thickness I would expect from a Dual DD setup. Bass details and decay shine on this set, the driver can keep up with bass flutters of guitar or electronic music well. This is an antithesis to Trifecta’s slow and rumbly bass presentation, and I love Camelot's DD performance as well.
Mids:
Mids are the weakest point for me on Camelot, it is overly polite in presentation. Female vocalists and violins are my go to genres to evaluate mid performance. On Camelot, the violins seem distant and lack distinct ‘bite’ or intimacy. With Sueye Park’s first track of Paganini: 24 Caprices, the violin seem distant and just beyond my grasp, as if I’m chasing a feeling that’s just out of reach. On UM’s Indigo, the presentation is completely different. I can see the violinist in front of me, the violin slowly enveloping my very essence until I’m just a foot way from Ms Park and I’m on the edge of the violin, being lost in between the strings. Camelot gives the impression I’m listening to her performance through speakers or perhaps behind a window, peeking through the blinds Jim Halpert style. Camelot’s mids are smooth without harshness, however I find this works to its detriment as it robs the engagement of the music, this can be experienced with female vocals. Given Camelot’s lack of character of the mid performance, I would describe it veering towards flat and overly smooth. It would be difficult to find the smooth and silky mid presentation objectionable, especially for those new to the hobby. For seasoned audiophiles, perhaps we would expect a little more to get our blood pumping.
Upper Mids and Treble:
This set has pulled back upper mids and a relaxed treble. This is intentional to allow for longer listening sessions, as I have nary a hint of fatigue throughout my listening sessions. However, when listening to EDM (Lose You by Tiesto), I miss the extension of upper frequencies I find on DIVA which results in suboptimal reproduction of the ‘air’ of the mix and a more sedate presentation. Furthermore, when listening to orchestra (Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith Opening), the wind and strings hit a glass wall during the crescendo.
Summary:
Camelot is a very safe tuning from Nostalgia Audio, defined by the best bass presentation I’ve heard yet from a Dual DD arrangement. If you are looking for a smooth inoffensive listen, a set you can simply put on and not be distracted by, I can see the appeal of Camelot. If Nostalgia Audio can engineer Camelot with more presence/engagement in the midrange, this iem could serve as a great ‘casual counterpoint’ to Empire Ears Odin. The bass reproduction on Camelot is tight yet substantial, bassheads should demo Camelot for this aspect alone. The Odin was an iem I wanted to love, but the tuning was overly aggressive in the upper mids and could only be enjoyed in short durations despite the incredible technicalities. Camelot suffers from the opposite, it’s a set I can enjoy for longer, but I crave more technicalities and engagement (particularly in the midrange) from. If Nostalgia Audio can address these shortcomings, they could have a real winner.
*All listening was performed directly with Chord Hugo 2 + 2Go.
yeah, it seems people are having issues with UM build quality. I can see that in my own sets relative to say FIR Audio which has the best build quality I have seen in an IEM (ciem anyway). But, I trust UM customer service. If I have a problem with a set, I am sure they will fix it. In addition, they offer reshelling services. So, I am probably going to get my Indigo converted into a custom. I love it that much.
So glad to hear you’re still rocking the UM Indigo. It amazes me every time I press play on any genre. Have you heard (or are you going to audition) the UM MM? I’m tempted by what I’m hearing online about them. Hmmmm custom indigos
I love so much my DX320X that I couldn’t resist when I saw AMP14 available from official EU reseller @Scuba Devils looks your turn now @aaf evo i hate you
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When I WfH, I spend 8-10 hours a day at my desk, so desktop gear makes far more sense for me.
