[freeryder05]

they are Indonesian

Thanks for the correction. Lemme fix that.

 

[Not so fat head]

I own the Annihilator 2023 and firmly believe it to be a better buy than X9000, which I've also owned temporarily in-house & tried with 3 different estat amplifiers + an energizer off my Bryston power amp taps.

I know the headphone game like the back of my hand and own/ have owned HE60, ES-1a, VOCE, CRBN, SR009 & currently also have the SR007A on longterm loan.

The issue with E-stats will always boil down to 2 things:

1. Inadequate dynamics to be classified as "endgame". The most dynamic estats I've heard would be HE60/ HE1. STAX in general are more ethereal and have great microdynamics, but more diffuse-field and light on their feet, therefore not much weight or slam. SR007 & X9000 to a less degree remedy this by having a midbass hump which is tasteful, but you will always have subpar low bass, even if driven off the incredible T2 amplifier ($12K+)

E-stats generally lack PRAT and impact, although this is more of a STAX-specific voicing compromise more so than limitation of electrostatic options on the market. STAX are also notably mid-forward, for better or for worse (can be ever slightly shouty, except 007 line and older Lambdas).


2. Amplifier selection and good source. To have an endgame e-stat rig, it takes commitment & especially $$$. No other way around it. You definitely need to build a chain around it and said chain will at some stage either require some tonal density (by means of R2R DAC, tube pre into your energizer or otherwise a tube amp). There is no other way around it (unless using DSP/ EQ, but that's another topic; ES-1a soars to my #2 fave of all-time e-stat with convolution EQ)


I genuinely find the Annihilator 2023 to be a more accurate and engaging sound representation of music than X9000, though it will not have the same detail prowess as the over-ear flagship estat (spoiler alert, almost no headphone let alone iem matches it there). That being said, Anni is more controlled, less shouty and less thin sounding, which really carries it to a more mature level of playback all while having totl resolution throughout its FR.

If you want a similar sound to X9000 in iem, it's the KSE1200 - especially with KSE1500 and some mild EQ'ing with its built-in DSP. There's no better iem comparable really.

Nobody talks about that iem much, but it cracks my top 6 along with Storm, Mentor Multiverse & Z1R. #1 being Annihilator 2023. Annihilator 2021 would be tied at 6 with KSE, just to give you an idea of the small gap in preferences at this point - they are all wonderful and world class products.

For e-stats I've extensively heard, this is my ranking:

1. HE1
--
2. ES-1a with convolution filter
--
3. SR007mk1 (S.N 71xxx range)
4. X9000, HE60 (mint drivers and O-rings) or SR009 with convolution filter
--
7. SR007mk2.5/ 007A
--
8. Lambda Nova or ES-1a stock form
--
10. CRBN & VOCE


Hope that was somewhat helpful & not too overwhelming lol

Hey, my Audio Technic connection!!
Lower those ATH-WB2022 beauties to under $1.5 to $2k, so us poor folks can buy'em...

 

[MusicTeck]

Save 20% on select products during our Memorial Day sale! Don’t miss out on these deals! Pick up your favorite while it lasts: https://shop.musicteck.com/pages/holiday-sale-price-preview

 

[stacey]

Well, speaking as a reviewer who chats with a lot of my consumer readers, how many do really pay the full MSRP price? And then you also have crazy seasonal sales on top of that. Someone just pinged me asking about N8ii DAP and Musicteck memorial day sale, down to $2.8k. So, I'm scrolling through their sale page and see Mentor down to $3.6k from $4.5k. Ronin and Ragnar are down by $800, etc. My point, from what I see and my readers tell me, hardly anybody pays full retail price. I bet you, you can probably get that red MKIII for the price of blue

To be fair, you also pay a heavy premium for being first, or buying a limited edition IEM like the Odyssey. I paid full MSRP for that, and the LP6 Ti still moves for near its MSRP on classifieds when it pops up.

 

[Damz87]

is there any impressions that compare the two ?

Not yet, but I’m sure once Dio is released there’ll be plenty. Hopefully not too much longer

 

[CharlyBrown]

Dio will be higher priced than Anni 2023, right? I heard well above 4k?

 

[aaf evo]

Dio will be higher priced than Anni 2023, right? I heard well above 4k?

Indeed.

 

[stacey]

Higher than X?

 

[aaf evo]

Higher than X?

It’ll be his most expensive IEM to date.

 

[jwilliamhurst]

I am in a bit of reminiscing mood today, as I am working from home which is very unusual in my profession but I had alot of accounting work to catch up on....Anyway, I am finding myself distracted and reading old pages on the EE thread and the Traillii thread. Those days were the days....it was as if we were on the precipice of a whole new world within our Audio niche. I think the arrival of Odin and Traillii had a lot of us starry eyed and full of anticipation for what we are now seeing in the hobby. But, for whatever reason after reading back...it seems the threads recently arent as "thriving" or "familial" as they once were....I suppose we havent had another Traillii “break” Head-Fi......I thought Storm may have been the one but nothing since Traillii has had the massive appeal and support as THE BIRD! To take a cheesy line from Mr. Tolkien "One Ring Monitor to rule them all!!" I wonder if there will ever be another set that strikes the balance Traillii did, not only with its tuning but the balance of community. I tip my hat to Oriolus once more. Thank you for giving us such an honored set that brought many of us together. Cheers to "The Old Man"

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Cross post from the Tansio Mirai Thread

Tansio Mirai RGB

RGB is a monitor that in my opinion is in a select group of other monitors with a similar tuning, each using there own select drivers with slight variations here and there but overall to me this set falls into the “Traillii” camp of iems.

I tried all variations of tunings with the switches but my preference was 103 and all impressions made with this tuning selection in mind.

I prefer Traillii but I do enjoy the implementation here with RGB as well. So much so, it made my top 10 iem list. It is a very clean sound, not bright or rigid mind you. Super clean and articulated. Layering is especially remarkable, while the sound field comes in more average having more height than breadth and depth being average.

I do not hear the mids as forward but more in line with the rest. Everything sounds natural but pretty average warm neutral, vocals especially. This may be my biggest caveat and the reason I would not go out and purchase a set for myself. Male vocals have a better presence and heft than Female vocals which imbue a bit more energy.

Bass is fairly linear with a fast decay. There is no rumble, slam. Sub bass is fairly ordinary, slight rumble in tracks that demand it, otherwise a bit absent. Mid bass has a subtle thump but also just very average. It is to me, in service to the rest of the FR providing a good foundation.

Treble here lacks the sparkle I am used to from EST’s especially this one having 8 of them!! Cymbals can come across metallic in some instances. The treble seems nicely extended but lacking air and sparkle while having some weight, reminding me of a BA or Piezo Super Tweeter. There is a delicacy to the treble but still has weight that lacks texture but snaps and crisps with ease defining the edge of notes with an organic feeling. (Acoustic guitar, bells, chimes, etc) Its an enveloping sound adding to the already fantastic separation and layering.

Imaging is above average and I hear micro dynamics (details) taking the upper hand over macro (stage). It is an opposite direction than the Traillii here but gives off a similar feeling of grandiosity. Notes sound large with great clarity and transparency however the Dynamic range of RGB is a bit lacking all together. Volume swings are almost non existent. RGB has more energy than Traillii and does not feel as laid back, all the while still honing a vintage vibe, although Traillii presents better Timbre, Tonality and Stage.

Resolution and coherency are both very good and in the realm of TOTL. Resolving better than Penon Impact although the Impact has a better textured note across the FR. If the Penon Impact had better separation and resolution, it would be my pick over RGB, however my preference lies therein.

 

[Rockwell75]

I received my @doctorjuggles custom gold plated silver cable with Con-x and terminated 1/4”.

This is an absolute endgame chain for me, both aesthetically and sonically. The gold plated silver, as reported by @phiemon and others, really elevates Trifecta....smoother up top, more sparkle and articulation in the treble...slightly more balanced and holographic sound on the whole. Pure win for me.

 

[Damz87]

I received my @doctorjuggles custom gold plated silver cable with Con-x and terminated 1/4”.



This is an absolute endgame chain for me, both aesthetically and sonically. The gold plated silver, as reported by @phiemon and others, really elevates Trifecta....smoother up top, more sparkle and articulation in the treble...slightly more balanced and holographic sound on the whole. Pure win for me.

Looks absolutely man

 

[boromcom]

I received my @doctorjuggles custom gold plated silver cable with Con-x and terminated 1/4”.



This is an absolute endgame chain for me, both aesthetically and sonically. The gold plated silver, as reported by @phiemon and others, really elevates Trifecta....smoother up top, more sparkle and articulation in the treble...slightly more balanced and holographic sound on the whole. Pure win for me.

Nice!

 

[jwilliamhurst]

I received my @doctorjuggles custom gold plated silver cable with Con-x and terminated 1/4”.



This is an absolute endgame chain for me, both aesthetically and sonically. The gold plated silver, as reported by @phiemon and others, really elevates Trifecta....smoother up top, more sparkle and articulation in the treble...slightly more balanced and holographic sound on the whole. Pure win for me.

This looks better than I couldve ever imagined. I only wish I could listen to this 1! 2! 3! Combo! I bet it is highly engaging. Enjoy Jeff. Happy for you