[HiFiHawaii808]

I got a nice UPS surprise today. Rush to get it out of the box and was frustrated that Tidal doesn't work. Got it working through my iPhone paired with Lotoo PAW S2. This is definitely a keeper and a special IEM. First of all, it is literally the most beautiful IEM I own. The cable is very soft and nice to the touch. And, the sound is fantastic. Got me right out of the box. The imaging is the best. Sound stage is not out of the head, but the imaging is 3D and best I've heard. The bass is not tuned to bass head levels, but it is fantastic. Balance is great. Still has some treble issues similar to the OG which makes me wince at times. A little dry there instead of smooth and thick like Traillii. These are just my 5 minutes or less impressions. Big improvement over OG and needless to say I love them. More as I spend more time with them.


.

 

[aaf evo]

I got a nice UPS surprise today. Rush to get it out of the box and was frustrated that Tidal doesn't work. Got it working through my iPhone paired with Lotoo PAW S2. This is definitely a keeper and a special IEM. First of all, it is literally the most beautiful IEM I own. The cable is very soft and nice to the touch. And, the sound is fantastic. Got me right out of the box. The imaging is the best. Sound stage is not out of the head, but the imaging is 3D and best I've heard. The bass is not tuned to bass head levels, but it is fantastic. Balance is great. Still has some treble issues similar to the OG which makes me wince at times. A little dry there instead of smooth and thick like Traillii. These are just my 5 minutes or less impressions. Big improvement over OG and needless to say I love them. More as I spend more time with them.


.

The imaging is insane right? Better than any IEM I've used. It makes it engaging based off of that alone, I miss mine. I may grab another pair down the road.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

The imaging is insane right? Better than any IEM I've used. It makes it engaging based off of that alone, I miss mine. I may grab another pair down the road.

I kept the MEST OG in my collection due to its fantastic imaging. The Indigo takes it to another level and it is worth keeping these just for that feature alone, but it is so much more. This is definitely top 5 in my collection. I am going to have to spend a lot of time figuring out where it ranks. It's funny, the impressions I have read so far are pretty subdued. This IEM deserves a lot more praise than it is getting. It basically took what I loved about OG and improved on everything that I didn't like about it.

 

[aaf evo]

I kept the MEST OG in my collection due to its fantastic imaging. The Indigo takes it to another level and it is worth keeping these just for that feature alone, but it is so much more. This is definitely top 5 in my collection. I am going to have to spend a lot of time figuring out where it ranks. It's funny, the impressions I have read so far are pretty subdued. This IEM deserves a lot more praise than it is getting.

Hehe, I talk to people mostly outside of Head Fi but Indigo is a top 5'er for me. I shouldn't have sold it, I thought I'd get the EXT fit down with more tips and the EXT tuning is a bit more to my liking but the Indigo from an objective standpoint is a pretty damn good IEM. I find it much better than the Mason Fabled Sound/FuSang also.

The only problem I had with Indigo is that it kinda lacks some of that "TOTL" quality throughout the sound. None of the bass, mids, or treble to me are top class in terms of their delivery but overall its a great tuning with fantastic technicalities.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

@Skullar. I see you are selling both your EVO and your Indigo. I knew that MEST mkii was your first love. You had to venture out to hear some others before coming back to where you always wanted to be.

For me, you wrote this in your Indigo ad: "Indigo is warmer, punchier Mest with full-bodied lower mids and a touch toned down upper mids and upper treble without losing too much sparkle, this iem is for you. It is also slightly more resolved in treble which gives a touch sharper imaging."

You nailed it. What you described nails my preferences perfectly.

 

[Skullar]

Hehe, I talk to people mostly outside of Head Fi but Indigo is a top 5'er for me. I shouldn't have sold it, I thought I'd get the EXT fit down with more tips and the EXT tuning is a bit more to my liking but the Indigo from an objective standpoint is a pretty damn good IEM. I find it much better than the Mason Fabled Sound/FuSang also.

The only problem I had with Indigo is that it kinda lacks some of that "TOTL" quality throughout the sound. None of the bass, mids, or treble to me are top class in terms of their delivery but overall its a great tuning with fantastic technicalities.

I was surprised that you sold it so easu to be honest. It seemed to me like it might be up your alley.

This IEM deserves a lot more praise than it is getting.

I honestly expected much more hype about it. There is a lot to like about them. There is some music that just shines with it. And its a remedy for those who wanted a warmer MKII.

 

[aaf evo]

I was surprised that you sold it so easu to be honest. It seemed to me like it might be up your alley.

It was a poor decision. The EXT should have been what I got rid of from the beginning because I won't tolerate a sub-par fit regardless of sound. I thought I would have gotten it to work eventually but it never got close to what I wanted. I didn't want to keep that many IEMs so stuff was going to be sold regardless, I had a friend who wanted the Indigo so I just said whatever and sold it. Oh well, it's not like I can't rebuy one eventually anyways.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

It was a poor decision. The EXT should have been what I got rid of from the beginning because I won't tolerate a sub-par fit regardless of sound. I thought I would have gotten it to work eventually but it never got close to what I wanted. I didn't want to keep that many IEMs so stuff was going to be sold regardless, I had a friend who wanted the Indigo so I just said whatever and sold it. Oh well, it's not like I can't rebuy one eventually anyways.

I almost didn't buy the Indigo and that would have been a mistake. There was so many positive impressions about EXT at the same time I was going to wait for that IEM. I decided to pull the trigger on the Indigo ultimately because it was a limited edition IEM and I was not sure how hard it was going to get later. Glad I did. Interestingly, I did get the extra accessory kit meaning I was in the top 50. Not sure how that happened because I waited until pretty late to buy mine.

I did sell my MEST OG. With the Indigo, I won't be missing them.

 

[Skullar]

It was a poor decision. The EXT should have been what I got rid of from the beginning because I won't tolerate a sub-par fit regardless of sound. I thought I would have gotten it to work eventually but it never got close to what I wanted. I didn't want to keep that many IEMs so stuff was going to be sold regardless, I had a friend who wanted the Indigo so I just said whatever and sold it. Oh well, it's not like I can't rebuy one eventually anyways.

Understood. Those iems are going nowhere there is always some on sale regardless how good they are.

@Skullar. I see you are selling both your EVO and your Indigo. I knew that MEST mkii was your first love. You had to venture out to hear some others before coming back to where you always wanted to be

Yes both are excellent iems. But i just need to get some fresh air from basshead iems. So will stick witk MKII until i get my Stingrays made. I am also getting EXTs this week.

 

[aaf evo]

I almost didn't buy the Indigo and that would have been a mistake. There was so many positive impressions about EXT at the same time I was going to wait for that IEM. I decided to pull the trigger on the Indigo ultimately because it was a limited edition IEM and I was not sure how hard it was going to get later. Glad I did. Interestingly, I did get the extra accessory kit meaning I was in the top 50. Not sure how that happened because I waited until pretty late to buy mine.

I did sell my MEST OG. With the Indigo, I won't be missing them.

I love the EXT, but it is definitely a try before you buy IEM because of the weird fit and quirky upper mid range/treble tuning depending on which way you look at it. I also didn't find the EXT technicalities to be anything special and I voiced that on the VE thread, but some people don't agree with me there.

 

[drftr]

Is anyone else having Tidal problems today? I can login with some devices, but not all. At first I was having problems with my mixes. Now, I can't login with my DX300 DAP.

They may be using Amazon's AWS storage which is having problems today.

drftr

 

[Rockwell75]

Some more Zen Pro impressions.

TLDR they are damn good.

I've had just under 2 hours of ear time so far but to quote the esteemed rhythmdevils from SBAF, whose glowing rec of these IEMs played no small part in my purchasing them, "**** me these are good". I thought he was kidding in his glowing assessment, or at least exaggerating but no, these are some of the most perfectly balanced, exceedingly technical, bodied, dynamic, clear, detailed & spacious IEMs I've ever heard-- and the timbre is excellent. I never fully understood the appeal of neutral tuning until I heard these-- they are just so fun, engaging & satisfying to listen to and yet effortlessly technical, transparent and precise in their presentation. I often classify IEMs as veering more towards an analytic (technical, detailed, precise) sound vs. a more fun & emotional sound. The Zen Pro strike as perfect a balance between those two qualities as any I have heard-- there is no excess and everything is represented perfectly. In fact it's only as I sit here writing this that it occurs to me that the name "Zen" is perfectly apt for these IEMs. Stage is not massive but fathomlessly deep and so detailed. Imaging is superb. The Zen Pro is technical enough to satisfy those who usually pursue BA driven sets and the timbre is natural, thick and engaging enough for those of us who usually default towards DD sound for this very reason. I was a little worried about bass given what I'd read but through the Shanling M8 the bass is beyond excellent. These could very well top both Isabellae & the Duo as the best overall IEM release of 2021 for me.

 

[aaf evo]

Went to get some ear impressions today. These will be heading out to Elysian Acoustic Labs in Malaysia for my CIEM Annihilator. I tried to use old STL files (same ones I had my A12t made from, which fit great) but the isolation on the dummy moulds I received wasn’t good enough so I figured I’d just send a pair of impressions.

The process can be quite uncomfortable for short periods of time which is why I tried to use STLs. When I was there I had my ears cleaned too, I’m very good about keeping them clean regularly but overtime there’s deep wax build up that you can’t get out with your finger or even one of those over the counter fluid kits for ears. I highly recommend going maybe once a year (idk how often is considered normal?) and getting them cleaned out, especially if you listen as much as I do.

Feels like a small veil has been lifted off of my ear since I got back from the audiologist.

 

[drftr]

Some more Zen Pro impressions.

TLDR they are damn good.

I've had just under 2 hours of ear time so far but to quote the esteemed rhythmdevils from SBAF, whose glowing rec of these IEMs played no small part in my purchasing them, "**** me these are good". I thought he was kidding in his glowing assessment, or at least exaggerating but no, these are some of the most perfectly balanced, exceedingly technical, dynamic, clear, detailed & spacious IEMs I've ever heard-- and the timbre is excellent. I never fully understood the appeal of neutral tuning until I heard these-- they are just so fun, engaging & satisfying to listen to and yet effortlessly technical, transparent and precise in their presentation. I often classify IEMs as veering more towards an analytic (technical, detailed, precise) sound vs. a more fun & emotional sound. The Zen Pro strike as perfect a balance between those two qualities as any I have heard-- there is no excess and everything is represented perfectly. In fact it's only as I sit here writing this that it occurs to me that the name "Zen" is perfectly apt for these IEMs. Stage is not massive but fathomlessly deep and so detailed. Imaging is superb. The Zen Pro is technical enough to satisfy those who usually pursue BA driven sets and the timbre is natural, thick and engaging enough for those of us who usually default towards DD sound for this very reason. I was a little worried about bass given the assessment above but through the Shanling M8 the bass is beyond excellent.

Must be damn good if you don't even mention Isa! My beloved unicorn...

drftr

 

[Rockwell75]

Must be damn good if you don't even mention Isa! My beloved unicorn...

drftr

Compared to the Zen Pro Isabellae feels like more of a specialist-- more intimate, mid-range/instrument/vocal focused. Zen Pro by comparison is balanced across the board and it wouldn't surprise me if, once the dust settled, I proclaim it the best "all rounder" I've heard. It doesn't quite sweep me off my feet and draw me into the mid-range like Isa does, and to be fair it's midrange on the whole probably isn't as emotionally evocative-- but the bass, treble and overall tonal balance & technical chops of Zen Pro is a decided step up from Isa imho.