[HiFiHawaii808]

I can only speak for me personally. I am very happy with my custom Jewel and just have no real interest in another IEM at the moment so I didn't participate in this vote.

I am considering to go to HighEnd Munich or CanJam London to listen to some interesting IEMs like the Storm and Mentor but without any intention of buying anything at the moment.

You don't need anything else. We are all crazy audiophiles that change what we like most on a monthly basis.

 

[aaf evo]

I am listening to RN6 now. I am wondering if I even need Storm given how good this is for the genre of music I would focus Storm on? RN6 is epicly good.

Well.. If I may add my two cents. I prefer RN6 to Storm but I feel there's definitely room for both if you still wanted to add Storm. Storm for me would still surpass RN6 in sheer resolution and accuracy and its much more neutral in the low mids whereas RN6 still has a healthy dose of warmth from there, which is sort of offset by its brighter highs. But if you're going to be using them for the same genre of music then that's really only something you can decide at the end of the day.

If Storm doesn't add anything to your inventory then it would be an unnecessary purchase imo.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

The RN6 is that big of a difference vs the XE6? I listened to the XE6 pretty extensively as part of the tour, but not the RN6.

It's a complementary set for music that needs clarity and less warmth in the lower mids. Listening to John Williams sound tracks right now. It is so good. When you have excess lower mids, the presentation is very cloudy. Not with RN6.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Great list - thank you for taking the time and effort!

One little bug though as far as Jewel, Neon Pro and Annihilator are concerned

Neon Pro is excellent. Aur is making a huge mistake not touring it in the watercooler. I think it would make a lot of sales. It has an exciting sound reminiscent of FIR Frontier, but at a fraction of the cost.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Well.. If I may add my two cents. I prefer RN6 to Storm but I feel there's definitely room for both if you still wanted to add Storm. Storm for me would still surpass RN6 in sheer resolution and accuracy and its much more neutral in the low mids whereas RN6 still has a healthy dose of warmth from there, which is sort of offset by its brighter highs. But if you're going to be using them for the same genre of music then that's really only something you can decide at the end of the day.

If Storm doesn't add anything to your inventory then it would be an unnecessary purchase imo.

I am learning that resolution is not as important to me as I originally thought. Tonality and timbre are way more important. And, FIR just has an exciting sound to it.

 

[zikarus]

Neon Pro is excellent. Aur is making a huge mistake not touring it in the watercooler. I think it would make a lot of sales. It has an exciting sound reminiscent of FIR Frontier, but at a fraction of the cost.

You are right, I love mine...

 

[aaf evo]

I am learning that resolution is not as important to me as I originally thought. Tonality and timbre are way more important. And, FIR just has an exciting sound to it.

Indeed this is something I pretty much look for in every set I own. That's what I didn't get from Storm outside of appreciating its technical chops and top class BA bass, but the bass aspect feels moot as it's not a set I'd buy for bass in the first place.

 

[hAbIrAbI]

You don't need anything else. We are all crazy audiophiles that change what we like most on a monthly basis.

To be fair I'm currently waiting for my Linn Selekt Edition Hub streamer to be delivered so that my stationary setup with the Streamer/DAC, my Niimbus US5 Pro and the Abyss 1266TC and HE-1000se is finally complete.
So the focus is shifted a bit. Add to this that with remote work I only travel to the office once a week instead of 4 days a week as before Covid. I will be travelling more this year but that doesn't quite compensate for the days not in the office.

Depending on how Munich/London goes my mind might change. Otherwise I might wait for a proper upgrade next year. Obviously any new IEM needs to improve my enjoyment of music to be considered and that is not easy.

 

[firesign]

Neon Pro is excellent. Aur is making a huge mistake not touring it in the watercooler. I think it would make a lot of sales. It has an exciting sound reminiscent of FIR Frontier, but at a fraction of the cost.

I think there is something going on (about the tour), but I don't have many more details.

I think I should have my Neon Pro shortly. I'm looking forward to seeing what it offers.

 

[mbirand]

I haven't gotten around to cable rolling myself

coming across the second time with “cable rolling”. there’s also tip rolling. what do they mean ? if i may ask

 

[wolfstar76]

coming across the second time with “cable rolling”. there’s also tip rolling. what do they mean ? if i may ask

Meaning trying different cables/tips to see which one work the best for the IEM.

 

[wolfstar76]

I read the review from @Leonarfd regarding Aür Audio Neon Pro, I am really intrigued by his claim that Neo Pro reproduces (almost) the sound of ZMF Verite in a portable format. However, I am really doubtful BA vs DD timbre in that claim.

 

[mungster]

Im only taking 1 ciem ( jewel ), 1 universal ( mentor ) and sony wm1am2 ( lightweight dap ) with Miter 4 case for 10 days travelling.


But.. im already missed all my babies at home..

 

[Sifo]

The biggest surprise to me is Jewel's epic drop from one poll to the next. I have never seen anything like it. Is it because people jumped from Jewel to Storm? Or, did @Sifo's experience with them impact their perception as a company?

don't get me wrong I still think it's a great iem but in a top 3 I just didn't wanna mention it when the poll is also what's in my heart right now. I have no place in my heart for it after this situation.

 

[Dsnuts]

coming across the second time with “cable rolling”. there’s also tip rolling. what do they mean ? if i may ask

Everyone has certain degrees of hearing which has a lot to do with your age, ear hygiene, ear shape and in certain cases your health. IEMs in theory should all come to your doors with the exact same tuning and specification of what was designed but where the degree of difference person to person comes down to how we perceive that sound. Tips and cables all have an effect of how one hears the sound from an IEM. The tips help funnel sound to your ears but certain material for tips and its shape can alter or skew a sound for better or for worse. So in the hobby where everyone collects in ear monitors to listen to their favorite tunes. It makes sense to have a nice variety of ear tips that help personalize a sound to ones liking and comfort. So the act and term tip rolling is something folks do on the regular to find that right tip for IEMs.

By the way if you fellas need a great new tip to try for your IEMs. Try the Tri clarion tips. Excellent for multi bored high end IEMs. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804506659233.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_groupList.8148356.4.5f6f631cPBL4PG&pdp_npi=2@dis!USD!US $8.99!US $8.99!!!!!@2103241d16812423477748789eb240!12000030513958069!sh&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US

It is subjective but cables does the same thing and while there will always be a debate just how much cables can change or enhance the perception of a sound that is funneled to your ears. Cable material makes for interesting tweaks on how the sound is perceived. If you see a measured graph of an IEM before and after a cable change there is no real difference in the actual graph but if you actually listen to that same IEM, yes more times than not you will hear a bit of a change to how the sound is portrayed. Some call it a myth. Some call it BS but. No science dude can tell me what I am hearing from cable changes to my own IEMs. Much like the tip collection we all have. Cables have become a necessary component to the audiophile that demands absolute peak performance of an IEM. It is like adding rocket fuel to your V8 engine. subjectively making what sounds good sound even better. This is a completely different rabbit hole that folks get into and a reason why there are cables that cost as much as the TOTL IEMs folks buy.

The more exotic the material mix the more expensive the cables are. There are some that are more hard core than others when it comes to cables but having a variety of cables on hand is never a bad thing to have around for IEMs especially when you own more than a lion share of IEMs. Cable synergy if you ever experience it is yet another level of sound that one can reach using an IEM and the perfect matching cable. More times than not the cables that come included with an IEM is not the best for that particular sound as a lot of the cables included with IEMs are throw ins meaning they usually are cheaper cables made of standard copper and or mass produced cables. So a lot of the times the quality of the material used for the stock cable is not great. Another reason to have a few aftermarket cables on hand.

I suppose it can be best summed up as getting the peak of what your getting out of an IEM. There is a reason why cables are more numerous than the IEMs they are meant to be used with in the market right now. In the end it will come down to the IEM itself first. Then tip rolling and then the cable and I suppose your nicer sounding sources come into play here as well but again each portion of the sound chain-- This would mean the cable is it not? Is in fact important to achieve the best optimal sound for you.