The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[aaf evo]

Sure, no two IEMs sound the same. The question is will you listen to the same music with them. If the answer is yes, they are redundant.

Yeah I understand what you mean, but I do not hear that here at all between the Evo and the EXT because they have way too many differences in sound that you cannot use a graph to comprehend.

 

[claud W]

Rockwell, Every review of EXT talks about it liking lots of power. That is why, first thing this morning I ordered a Shanling M6 Pro 21. I am also on Andrew's secret list for the Shanling M9. Power makes some of these IEMs shine. 20% off is a deal.

 

[Rockwell75]

Rockwell, Every review of EXT talks about it liking lots of power. That is why, first thing this morning I ordered a Shanling M6 Pro 21. I am also on Andrew's secret list for the Shanling M9. Power makes some of these IEMs shine. 20% off is a deal.

Unless Campfire comes out of nowhere with something tomorrow the M6 Pro 21 will be what I most likely succumb to in the following days.

 

[Mehran]

WOW @rantng I just saw your list of IEMs. Do you really own all of them right now? if you'd pick the Fourte out of all of them for "the one" makes me .

 

[rantng]

WOW @rantng I just saw your list of IEMs. Do you really own all of them right now? if you'd pick the Fourte out of all of them for "the one" makes me .

Yes, fortunately/unfortunately that is an updated list; I left out a bunch of chi-fi/budget IEMs.

 

[Mehran]

Yes, fortunately/unfortunately that is an updated list; I left out a bunch of chi-fi/budget IEMs.

Just wow, lot of impressive stuff. How do you like the EE Phantom? Does it still compete today? I was always curious about it , i think the tuning might work a lot for my tastes.

 

[ranfan]

They have dealers in various parts of the EU: https://vision-ears.de/resellers

Your best bet might be the store in the Netherlands.



Here's a question for you all: if you had to go back to a previous setup (let's say just a DAP and some IEMs that you no longer own), what would you choose?

I'd go with my custom VE5. It was more than 3 years ago when I first got them. I love its transparent olive green color, they're quite mesmerizing to look at. And the build quality was impeccable by Vision Ears. I'm thinking of getting another VE custom in the future.. Not much of a DAP guy, so there wasn't one I really missed. But I'm planning on getting the SR25 MKII though next week. I think they provide a pretty good value for a sub $1k player. You get in my estimation 80-90% of SP2000T sound quality and resolution, but with less than 1/3 of the price

You certainly have my attention as why not taking your RS10!

drftr

Yeah, I would if I'm after resolution and flatter less colored sound. But I prefer to have a bit more musicality for my enjoyment. It's like watching something in a big high-res screen versus from a regular sized one. There is more intimacy in the latter, and it's also easier to immerse into at least for me

 

[drftr]

Yeah, I would if I'm after resolution and flatter less colored sound. But I prefer to have a bit more musicality for my enjoyment. It's like watching something in a big high-res screen versus from a regular sized one. There is more intimacy in the latter, and it's also easier to immerse into at least for me

Hope you still feel comfortable about them given the price. Maybe for certain genres? Or are you quietly considering a swap of sorts? Shouldn't be impossible given the love they get on the Softears thread.

drftr

 

[Stuff Jones]

What do you think could or should be trends in our hobby going forward? I think modularity. This is what I would like to see.

1) A dongle DAC/Amp (R2R please) that can be powered by phones or computers. It can also be inserted into 2) a small case with a battery, screen and GUI for DAP use. I would like this to be small (~Shanling M3X size) and have a long battery. It should have enough power to drive IEMs well (maybe about 200 MW) but shouldn't even try to power HPs. Then the last module 3) is is a larger more powerful tube amp and battery addition for less portable or desktop use. It would end up somewhere near the size of some of the larger DAPs and be able to power headphones with aplomb. If you want to use it at your desk, you should be able to buy 4) an external power source and the design should allow you to bypass the battery.

You should be able to buy 1, 1 & 2, 1, 2 & 3 or 1,2,3 & 4.

Is there any reason this wouldn't be possible and wouldn't be awesome?

 

[mashuto]

Unless Campfire comes out of nowhere with something tomorrow the M6 Pro 21 will be what I most likely succumb to in the following days.

Im guessing this time around is just going to be a sale, no new products or anything of the sort.

A dongle DAC/Amp (R2R please) that can be powered by phones or computers.

Well there is already the cayin ru6 coming out with r2r. It is however just number 1 on your list, I dont believe theres any modularity or anything of the sort expected for it.

 

[ranfan]

Hope you still feel comfortable about them given the price. Maybe for certain genres? Or are you quietly considering a swap of sorts? Shouldn't be impossible given the love they get on the Softears thread.

drftr

I use the RS10 as a part of my rotation, or when I want to hear more details in certain tracks (mostly new ones recently discovered). I tend to think of it like a palate cleanser A reset to neutral from time to time allows me to appreciate other signatures more

What do you think could or should be trends in our hobby going forward? I think modularity. This is what I would like to see.

1) A dongle DAC/Amp (R2R please) that can be powered by phones or computers. It can also be inserted into 2) a small case with a battery, screen and GUI for DAP use. I would like this to be small (~Shanling M3X size) and have a long battery. It should have enough power to drive IEMs well (maybe about 200 MW) but shouldn't even try to power HPs. Then the last module 3) is is a larger more powerful tube amp and battery addition for less portable or desktop use. It would end up somewhere near the size of some of the larger DAPs and be able to power headphones with aplomb. If you want to use it at your desk, you should be able to buy 4) an external power source and the design should allow you to bypass the battery.

You should be able to buy 1, 1 & 2, 1, 2 & 3 or 1,2,3 & 4.

Is there any reason this wouldn't be possible and wouldn't be awesome?

I think so too. Modularity and higher quality wireless sound. Plus smaller chassis monitors like the IE900. I'd like to see more single driver or simple hybrid IEMs (e.g. 6mm DD + 1 BA tweeter)

 

[Rockwell75]

I think I'd go with the Tia Fourte. I originally heard it not long after its release along with the U18t as part of a head-fi tour. I hadn't heard many TOTL IEMs at that time and I remember being somewhat overwhelmed with its sound. I remember remarking that it was too "much" without a clear understanding/explanation of what "much" was. I was instead drawn to the U18t with it's resolution; back then resolution was the most important factor/benchmark for me for a TOTL IEM, before I understood how to evaluate overall sound/before my tastes matured. Fast forward a few years and although I'd gone through many (too many) IEMs in that time I'd never heard the Fourte again after that initial listen. I read about how the Fourte was an amazing IEM even years after its release. I also read about how polarizing it was. I'm also somewhat of a treble-head and I thought it was time to revisit it. I had also recently sold my Odin after failing to fall in love with it; it just didn't click with me and I was on the search for a new TOTL IEM. Then along comes @gLer with his 64 Audio Shootout

Thanks for the response! I've "known" you on here for a while but I don't think I had a really clear sense of your tastes/sonic ideals until now. I love reading about where others are coming from in their audio preferences-- we're all in this hobby together but just as no two snowflakes are alike no two of us necessarily like or hear anything exactly the same.

What do you think could or should be trends in our hobby going forward? I think modularity. This is what I would like to see.

1) A dongle DAC/Amp (R2R please) that can be powered by phones or computers. It can also be inserted into 2) a small case with a battery, screen and GUI for DAP use. I would like this to be small (~Shanling M3X size) and have a long battery. It should have enough power to drive IEMs well (maybe about 200 MW) but shouldn't even try to power HPs. Then the last module 3) is is a larger more powerful tube amp and battery addition for less portable or desktop use. It would end up somewhere near the size of some of the larger DAPs and be able to power headphones with aplomb. If you want to use it at your desk, you should be able to buy 4) an external power source and the design should allow you to bypass the battery.

You should be able to buy 1, 1 & 2, 1, 2 & 3 or 1,2,3 & 4.

Is there any reason this wouldn't be possible and wouldn't be awesome?

Something like a scaled down M30...I like it.

 

[Rockwell75]

Im guessing this time around is just going to be a sale, no new products or anything of the sort.

You're probably right. That said if I could get a new in the box Atlas for like $600 I'd probably jump.

 

[Rockwell75]

In other news I sometimes take a look at the "Users who are viewing this thread" below and there are often over 100 "guests" viewing-- which means there are an impressive number of "lurkers" out there. To anyone who is or has been lurking here and feels the urge-- drop a line and say hello! We'd love to hear from you.

Edit:

Rockwell's Curiosity-o-meter November 2021 edition:

1) Ext
2) M6 21 Pro
3) SR25 MKii
4) Dark Sky
5) Fourte
6) IE 900
7) Monarch MKii
8) Shure Aionic 3&4

 

[drftr]

You're probably right. That said if I could get a new in the box Atlas for like $600 I'd probably jump.

Would you consider the Traillii at this point or is it too much too soon?

drftr