[wazzupi]

For some reason I enjoy my IEMs more with the 300MAX than the DAVE. Maybe it’s the amp stage. With headphones I also prefer to listen through an amp rather than DAVE direct, even those that are easy to drive. DAVE, M scaler and Formula S is the best combo I’ve heard for headphones. With IEMs I prefer a good DAP or the Holo May/Ferrum OOR.

Crazy I just got the Tsuranagi and Yatono 8w ultimate coming and I heard that combo with my Damascus viking/rs8 at canjam nyc and I was floored I had just listened to my viking on Zahl hm1 and Weiss502 and it was amazing too but I swear the sound with the dap setup sounded better to my ears.

 

[wazzupi]

Now that I've got the Fir kit on the road to SG, and life has calmed down a bit post CanJam I will have some time to spend with the Custom Art Fibae 5 and FatFreq Maestro SE this weekend.

Looking forward to the maestro SE and your impressions!!!

 

[Rockwell75]

Gold player, gold kitty.

 

[drftr]

Gold player, gold kitty.

To honour your cat you should have bought Paw Gold Touch.

drftr

 

[Rockwell75]

To honour your cat you should have bought Paw Gold Touch.

drftr

I’ve just christened it the Luxury Paw 6.

 

[endless402]

It's important to note though that you can get back speed/resolution

I get what you mean. It’s more you don’t want to bottleneck the sound with the wrong cable. I’m a big cable believer as per my signature lol. But it’s not going to turn a bad setup into an amazing setup of course. You still have to start with a good source. I’m a believer in good design that lasts for years . Not a product that keeps getting replaced on an annual basis.
The lifecycle of a good product should be at least 4 years.

 

[Rockwell75]

This LP6 is really something. Lately when I demo new IEMs I'm always wondering how much of what I'm hearing is latent within the IEM and how much is the sheer beautiful sound quality of the source. LP6 creates this natural and clear yet full bodied and analogue soundscape-- it envelops and flows over you and makes me wish I could literally dive into it. It's intoxicating and utterly inviting.

 

[audionewbi]

This LP6 is really something. Lately when I demo new IEMs I'm always wondering how much of what I'm hearing is latent within the IEM and how much is the sheer beautiful sound quality of the source. LP6 creates this natural and clear yet full bodied and analogue soundscape-- it envelops and flows over you and makes me wish I could literally dive into it. It's intoxicating and utterly inviting.

I hope you spend some time with 1.4 inch out. To my ears, it probably the only way to enjoy the LP6. It sounds the most natural and less forced compared to its 4.4mm out which is more of a pesudo balance out.

Only LP6 Ti (and the later LP6 Anvi) are true balance.

 

[Rockwell75]

I hope you spend some time with 1.4 inch out. To my ears, it probably the only way to enjoy the LP6. It sounds the most natural and less forced compared to its 4.4mm out which is more of a pesudo balance out.

Only LP6 Ti (and the later LP6 Anvi) are true balance.

I don't think it sounds forced at all...though I do much prefer it in low gain. I believe the player comes with a 3.5 -> 1/4" jack so I will try it out. Using a 1/4" jack with IEMs will seem like overkill lmao.

 

[Deezel177]

Frankly, resolution of IEMs/headphones is still a mystery to me: is it a feeling or is it really somethings are missing from the lower-resolution sets? I will be really interested if someone can post a sample music that can be access by all and see if there are something that can only be heard with TOTL resolution IEMs or headphones.

Unfortunately, it is something that only clicks when you've heard the best of the best. You do need a benchmark that you can compare everything else against. I think there is a degree of good enough where you won't feel like you're lacking compared to the highest-end sets. But, it definitely takes listening to the latter first to get a grasp of how good things can get.

I like to call that “faux resolution”, there’s an IEM I bought a few years back that did this. Definitely fooled me at first but once you sit back and focus you can tell it’s not the same as having a well done resolving set. IEMs that haven’t been overly dampened to me are where the “true resolution” shines. Just my 2c though. Also, I have not heard Gaea so this is just a general comment from me.

Yup, exactly. I don't know if Gaea falls into this category. I don't think it's tuned purposefully to boost clarity or detail retrieval as much as possible. I think it's just been tuned to sound really light and wispy. But, you definitely get a sense when an IEM has detail and when an IEM is pushing detail. It's like anything else; playing music, telling jokes, heck, even dating. You can tell when someone is trying very hard - too hard - and it instantly makes them less appealing. You're far more impressed when something is done effortlessly and suavely, because you know it takes a greater degree of mastery.

That sounds very familiar, the A8000s are exactly the same. Every tiny nuance of instruments that would normally reside well back in the mix are shoved to the front of the stage alongside the stars of the show, which for shots sessions can create the pleasurable experience of being overwhelmed by detail but can soon become fatiguing.

I briefly compared Rangar & Mentor side-by-side & came away feeling Mentor was slightly more resolving, but Ragnar's tuning made the detail it did resolve easier to pick out - almost like turning up the contrast in Photoshop. Which can't create new information that isn't there already, but makes it easier for our eyes to see what's there.

Yup, tuning can help push detail forward, but it can't reveal what isn't there. Even then, you need to make sure that tuning isn't sacrificing other qualities like naturalness of tone in the process too.

 

[Tex Irie]

I owned the Szalayi once and have demoed the Zero 1. I did not like the Zero 1 much. Szalayi was decent but something about it just seemed off to me. Fibae 5 reverses the driver config and has BA mids and planar highs whereas the Szalayi had planar mids and BA highs. I think my issue with the Sza was rooted in the transition between the mids and highs, which seems to be much more natural and less abrupt in the Fibae 5. I would need time again with the Szalayi to say anything more substantial or for sure but this is what I can speculate from memory.

Indeed @Rockwell75! Much respect! I appreciate your insights!

 

[theveterans]

This LP6 is really something. Lately when I demo new IEMs I'm always wondering how much of what I'm hearing is latent within the IEM and how much is the sheer beautiful sound quality of the source. LP6 creates this natural and clear yet full bodied and analogue soundscape-- it envelops and flows over you and makes me wish I could literally dive into it. It's intoxicating and utterly inviting.

That's the R2R magic Hence why my home head-fi setup will always have a R2R DAC and a SET amp

 

[ttt123]

This LP6 is really something. Lately when I demo new IEMs I'm always wondering how much of what I'm hearing is latent within the IEM and how much is the sheer beautiful sound quality of the source. LP6 creates this natural and clear yet full bodied and analogue soundscape-- it envelops and flows over you and makes me wish I could literally dive into it. It's intoxicating and utterly inviting.

Linn's focus on the source has a reason, and validity. "Your System is only as good as your source".
Everything further down the chain can only be as good as the source.
I don't think that anybody can deny this, though I also think that a more accurate statement is that "everything matters".
Everything in the reproduction chain matters, and the chain includes the ear/brain, mood, weather, barometric pressure, etc., etc.
Weaken the source, though, and the rest of the chain is hobbled....

A niggle that I have, is that over focus on any one part of the chain, without attention to the rest of the chain, creates an imbalance.
Though if people achieve happiness in the imperfection.....
But there is even more happiness possible........

 

[gLer]

When I say really bad there is something really wrong going on lol like information completely missing and stuttering etc

There is an issue where MQA tracks will stutter or scratch playing at full 768K unfold. When you okay MQA at 704K, this doesn't happen. And it's more evident in UAPP than the Tidal app.

The only difference I ever hear with UAPP is if I’ve disabled bitperfect, or have some EQ enabled (of course)

If you disable bitperfect you can't play MQA in UAPP.

Call me fickle but neutron is so ugly and unintuitive so native player or UAPP if only poweramp played as good as it looks.

Yeah, I've really tried to like Neutron. The minute I see that UI it's like...no!

Unfortunately, it is something that only clicks when you've heard the best of the best. You do need a benchmark that you can compare everything else against. I think there is a degree of good enough where you won't feel like you're lacking compared to the highest-end sets. But, it definitely takes listening to the latter first to get a grasp of how good things can get.

The most dangerous double-edged sword in the hobby. Once you hear the resolution of a top IEM, you can't unhear it. The only silver lining is that TOTL resolution is not always what you want, especially if you're listening to compressed or lossy streaming non-electronic music.

 

[Gustavo1976]

Really interesting,
However I did some critical listening on THE BEST Cable in the world which brings TONs of details with iem imaginable;
My thoughts :
Ragnar - too clean, too sterile, non musical (and that’s on DX320X which is super musical mellow and lush dap)
Gaea - has a lot of “friction harmonics” each ba produces its own sound and packed in tube, this make it sounds spacious, but dull. No harmony, very “monitor”like sound. Great bass. Just bad tuning.
IE900 - synergy, coherency, all sounds are in order and in the right place, everything sounds musical, very informative. Bass is great.
Aure AuR - my endgame in hybrid iems.
I’ve had this tuning in my head for long time - everything is crystal clear, amazing clarity, separation, easily tuned with cables, tips.
It’s a mix of Ragnar clarity and Sennheiser ie900 musicality, bass, rest.
For 400$ (with fedex shipment) I can’t imagine how can go for Ragnar, or any similarly tuned iem. It’s a Unicorn, it’s a pure luck I stumbled upon these guys on Facebook searching for boutique like company in Asia.
If you have opportunity- give it a try.
Interesting how it will perform on SP3K, these two should have great synergy together.

And Aure is discontinued Only a few units available.