[main character]

Nanjing Headphone Show

Today, I spent a couple of hours at the Nanjing Headphone Show. The venue was compact, but it was packed with lots of international and chi-fi brands. I auditioned a lot of great gear and definitely feel like my trip was worth it.

Here are a few honorable mentions:

- Luxury&Precision E7 - the next LP release - is still a WIP prototype, but it's a great-sounding dap, no doubt. I really enjoyed the different sound signature presets that E7 has built-in. The large dynamic mode provided great energy with a very noticeable change in sound signature, giving deeper bass and sharper treble that's good for classical music. Meanwhile, the harmonic mode provided a P6pro-ish analog tuning. The headphone amp/DAC is switchable, with future releases including LP1508 used on W4. I've added it to my to-buy list.


- Canpur 622b - a great-tuned IEM - has a good amount of bass and a very full-bodied sound without being too aggressive.


- Viking Ragnar Prestige - to me, it has a very noticeable difference compared to Viking Ragnar, to an extent that almost changes the sound signature. The wooden shell made the Viking sound a little bit warmer, making the overall sound presentation less aggressive and more enjoyable to listen to in my opinion.


- I also auditioned other gear, including Jomo Alpha Ti, Noble Sultan Diamond and Gold Edition, Traillii Ti, Fitear Dc Ti, Mest MKIII, Hivi's new IEM IX-Max, Go Pod, and Beat Audio Orbitsaga. Let me know if you're interested in hearing more.


Traillii Ti

Hivi IX-MAX (2DD 4BA 4EST)

Noble Sultan Diamond and Gold Edition

Jomo Alpha Ti

Go Pod + Traillii

Dc Ti

All in all, it was a great experience, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming shows!

Jomo Alpha, ifi go pod and dc Ti impressions please!!
Thanks a bunch!

 

[antdroid]

It's been a minute since I've chatted on this thread, but I've been keeping tabs every once in a while. That said, I got my "end game" IEM finally!

Now I need a portable source with a huge battery haha, as these drain batteries much faster than anything I've seen.




First Impressions:
It's tuned almost perfectly to my tastes, neutral-ish u-shaped balance. Outstanding resolution, hearing things I never heard before in recordings. Great imaging and separation, and the bass is splendid for BAs. Just very well done, and meets my overhyped expectations. Also the fit is practically CIEM for me. I had tested a 3D printed mockup of the real shells prior to buying and the first thing I noticed was they looked almost identical to my Custom Hidition Viento. Needless to say, these fit like a glove for me and easily the most comfortable Universal IEMs I've worn.

Thanks Subtonic for making these exactly for me (and taking my money).

 

[Natesdailies]

Happy Sunday evening (or Monday afternoon for others).

While contemplating waiting for Raven or re-buying Odin, I've made the decision to pull the trigger for my DD iem: 2021 Elysian Annihilator

I'll get to rule out the last Elysian Model and I figured it's still high in demand should it not resonate with me. It's been shipped out and I hope receive it by Tuesday next week

In other news, I've been building a stronger opinion of the 707 this week. Overall, while I find the Hiby-R6-Pro-2 to be superior technically (mainly dynamics, microdetails), I've growing to appreciate what it does differently.

Tsuranagi -> ZX707 -> TGX Ripples​

Sony ZX707: The main benefit for me is the smaller form factor as a true portable. Sonically what it offers me is a smoother, more mid oriented sound signature that takes the edge off of some transducers.

My TGX Ripples has been sidelined after aquiring Sunniva & Totem. I found a new love for it paired with the 707. It pairs exceptionally with the Sony House sony sound. Ripple has an aggressive characteristic to its upper mids. That area is smoothed over rendering more euphonic vocals, string instruments while keeping the energy.

Adding Tsuranagi: While I can listen to Ripple with the 707 solo, Tsuranagi takes it a step further scaling up the imaging size and fullness and improving the macro dynamics. Sub bass and treble seems more extended as well which was a negative attribute for Ripples.

Aside from XE6 + N8ii, this is one of the best pairings I've stumbled across. Loving the balance of that tonal fluidity contrasted by the grippy, snappy transients here.

 

[dleblanc343]

It's been a minute since I've chatted on this thread, but I've been keeping tabs every once in a while. That said, I got my "end game" IEM finally!

Now I need a portable source with a huge battery haha, as these drain batteries much faster than anything I've seen.




First Impressions:
It's tuned almost perfectly to my tastes, neutral-ish u-shaped balance. Outstanding resolution, hearing things I never heard before in recordings. Great imaging and separation, and the bass is splendid for BAs. Just very well done, and meets my overhyped expectations. Also the fit is practically CIEM for me. I had tested a 3D printed mockup of the real shells prior to buying and the first thing I noticed was they looked almost identical to my Custom Hidition Viento. Needless to say, these fit like a glove for me and easily the most comfortable Universal IEMs I've worn.

Thanks Subtonic for making these exactly for me (and taking my money).

Sounds like you need a DX320MAX Ti to do it justice.

Your friend here can be your plug, I've decided to part with mine

 

[DenverW]

Been exploring some less common daps lately: the dethonray dtr1 prelude and the acoustic research AR-M2. For my usage of just playing music files and not streaming they're both working out well.

Very different and complementary daps, imho. The barebone dtr1 with it's small screen, light weight, and decent battery life has an edge in clarity and separation while the ar-m2 has a lovely screen, more functionality, and a thicker more weighty sound. In some ways it reminds me of when I was comparing the Merason dac-1 with the audiomirror tubadour iii se. One was a clear winner in clarity while the other was a bit more musical and "meaty."

Both great daps for listening, and although they've both been mentioned as too powerful for a lot of iems on the market (hiss issues) I haven't had a problem. I can use them with any of my current iems with or without the ifi iematch +.

Each has it's issues which prevents them from becoming a dream come true giant killer, but for pure sound quality they're both fantastic bargains if you can find one.

 

[CharlyBrown]

Happy Sunday evening (or Monday afternoon for others).

While contemplating waiting for Raven or re-buying Odin, I've made the decision to pull the trigger for my DD iem: 2021 Elysian Annihilator


I'll get to rule out the last Elysian Model and I figured it's still high in demand should it not resonate with me. It's been shipped out and I hope receive it by Tuesday next week

Looking forward to your review. I still think the Annihilator is out of this world. I'm extremely happy with them.

The only issue I had was dealing with the larger nozzle that built more than usual pressure and hurt after 20mins with my usual tips. I have normal to large ears (body height 190cm/6.23ft) but my ear canal seems to narrow down. My usual go-to tip is the Final Type E in Large. With the Anni I really had to tip roll a lot and Type E didn't do the trick for me here. I ended with the Spinfits W1 in Medium and I now the Anni is my most comfortable IEM.

So, please try many different tips with the Anni if it is uncomfortable at first...

 

[Junmoe62]

Nanjing Headphone Show

Today, I spent a couple of hours at the Nanjing Headphone Show. The venue was compact, but it was packed with lots of international and chi-fi brands. I auditioned a lot of great gear and definitely feel like my trip was worth it.

Here are a few honorable mentions:

- Luxury&Precision E7 - the next LP release - is still a WIP prototype, but it's a great-sounding dap, no doubt. I really enjoyed the different sound signature presets that E7 has built-in. The large dynamic mode provided great energy with a very noticeable change in sound signature, giving deeper bass and sharper treble that's good for classical music. Meanwhile, the harmonic mode provided a P6pro-ish analog tuning. The headphone amp/DAC is switchable, with future releases including LP1508 used on W4. I've added it to my to-buy list.


- Canpur 622b - a great-tuned IEM - has a good amount of bass and a very full-bodied sound without being too aggressive.


- Viking Ragnar Prestige - to me, it has a very noticeable difference compared to Viking Ragnar, to an extent that almost changes the sound signature. The wooden shell made the Viking sound a little bit warmer, making the overall sound presentation less aggressive and more enjoyable to listen to in my opinion.


- I also auditioned other gear, including Jomo Alpha Ti, Noble Sultan Diamond and Gold Edition, Traillii Ti, Fitear Dc Ti, Mest MKIII, Hivi's new IEM IX-Max, Go Pod, and Beat Audio Orbitsaga. Let me know if you're interested in hearing more.


Traillii Ti

Hivi IX-MAX (2DD 4BA 4EST)

Noble Sultan Diamond and Gold Edition

Jomo Alpha Ti

Go Pod + Traillii

Dc Ti

All in all, it was a great experience, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming shows!

Hi @Crazeee
Wow! Pretty cool gears for demo at the Nanjing Show! Thanks for sharing!
FYI there’s gonna be an Audio Show in Shanghai as well this coming Saturday! If you’re still around and feel like coming to Shanghai!
I hope they’ll have all those stuff to demo as well! Any suggestions on must try?

First reports I've heard of the E7-- thank-you for sharing! Would love to hear more (in particular a comparison with something like LP6 Gold).

How does Traillii Ti compare to Trailli? My understanding is that that one is not an Oriolus Jp release

Hi @Rockwell75
I could try E7 out and compare it to LP6 Gold if you’re interested! If it’s available at the Shanghai audio show this weekend of course!

For Traillii Ti I think you are correct! From my understanding, it’s not a Oriolus JP product, but a Jaben Oriolus limited edition (200 units) dedicated to China mainland market, which explains why almost no one demoed it or own it on the forum (and also because of the “great filter” which is the price… )

As for Traillii Ti VS Traillii OG, I already posted about it back in march, during the Shanghai Canjam, but I‘ll try to summarize briefly.
@Crazeee ’s description pretty much mirrors mine.
From memory, it felt almost like Traillii OG’s bass tuning was reversed on the Ti. By this I mean that OG is emphasized on mid bass and drops down a bit in the sub bass, while Ti has more sub bass presence and less mid bass bleed into the mids, leading to a bit less warm and muddy mids (not that OG’s mids are muddy, but in comparison…). This leads to a more revealing mid range as well as airier and more detailed upper register. Overall it felt ever so slightly V shaped compared to OG.
Also, for me, the thing that struck me the most while A/Bing against OG was the difference in stage size. Ti felt noticeably bigger on the tracks I tried (I think I might have tried something like 4 tracks including Outlands from Tron Legacy, Only from Zhu, After Hours from The Weeknd and I can’t remember the last one). I don’t know if @Crazeee had the same experience or not, and from what I understand soundstage is somewhat of a psychoacoustic effect so different people might perceive it differently I guess…

I agree on the fact that it is more of a side grade than an upgrade, because it’s more of the same thing with a bit different flavor, even though I feel the difference could be enough to be called a mark 2. After, in a subjective perspective, it changes Traillii OG in pretty much the way that I would if I had to change anything to fit my current taste. So for me personally, I would consider it a straight upgrade SQ wise. For those who prefer very warm an analog, they will surely prefer OG.
And of course this is just talking about SQ. When factoring in the titanium built and the upgraded cable which is better looking and more supple, this is an objective upgrade on the hardware side.

Oh! BTW @Crazeee , did you manage to try the PWA cable from the OG on the Ti? I’m wondering how much of the sound signature‘s change is due to the different cable.
The unit I tried at the Shanghai show wasn’t a demo unit, but the set of an owner kind enough to let me try, so I didn’t feel like asking him if I could cable roll his brand new $7000 IEMs!

Anyways! Looking forward to trying some cool stuff at the Shanghai show! I’ll try to give a veeery quick and dirty summary!

Cheers,

Julien

 

[wazzupi]

New machine received!!
NIIMBOT D11
Quite big..


What does it do?



Oh.. Ok.


I noticed that this U4S match sounds quite nice, even than my KR5(previously matched with 64 True fidelity foam tip, silver atom module, Erua Miro 4.4 cable)
I was missing Fibae 5 for better high-end extension and vocal compared to U4s but this match really completes U4s and felt there is no further need for other fun tribrid set up.

AK300-Wetern electronic 1940s Vintage 3.5 mini cable (Company: Wiredream)- Kojo KM01 fire gold(older version of current Kojo Doyagu amp)(Eneloop Pro AAA battery)- stock 64 cable 3.5mm premium cable- 64 audio U4s (Canalworks gel tip narrow bore, Fir black atom module)

Vintage western electric(phone company?) before 1950s use Natural rubber as insulation. High latex content. Unlike plastizer used synthetic rubber or Vinyl, they do not stick to or harm inner tinned copper cable. Resistance is quite low and SQ is very nice with lots of detail, good high end extension, nice woofer-like bass and special airy wide midrange. I was very shocked after first listening to Vintage mini cable. Cable is very stiff with some rubber scents.
I believe there are some mania for Vintage cables in the speaker world.
Also I believe many K-music cafe members think this is the best 4.4 or 3.5 mini cable, not the Brise Yatono Ultimate, even though price is 25-33% only. (Brise one can be less musical with limited high end extension I hear. I myself never had opportunity to demo Brise)



Dx300 max ti-Eletech Socrates 4.4mm- Kr4( black atom module, Divinus Velvet tip)

So, I am trying this match to improve Kr5. Like VE7, KR5 is quite sensitive (Prob RN6 too) and there are some difficulties with amping(white noise, L/R imbalance with low vol.). Kojo amp matches well with sensitive iems without hiss though..
Cable upgrade may make sense for sensitive IEMs like Kr5. Though I am trying to get a hold of Eletech Aeneid and Fir red modules for try out, above combination is already quite satisfactory for me.

As always, the key is not to A/B gears I guess.

I disagree with the lack of high end extension none of the Yatono ultimate line up lack extension in comparison to Orpheus it's a night and day difference (Orpheus lacking high end extension)

 

[stacey]

Hi @Rockwell75
I could try E7 out and compare it to LP6 Gold if you’re interested! If it’s available at the Shanghai audio show this weekend of course!

Definitely do! I’m really curious to see if it can drive headphones well

 

[endless402]

Have you tried the Hugo2 one?

The Pw audio adapter has a similar wider soundstage effect.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Another busy evening, I need something to wake me up!



...then something to put me back to relaxed mode...

 

[freeryder05]

Looking forward to your review. I still think the Annihilator is out of this world. I'm extremely happy with them.

The only issue I had was dealing with the larger nozzle that built more than usual pressure and hurt after 20mins with my usual tips. I have normal to large ears (body height 190cm/6.23ft) but my ear canal seems to narrow down. My usual go-to tip is the Final Type E in Large. With the Anni I really had to tip roll a lot and Type E didn't do the trick for me here. I ended with the Spinfits W1 in Medium and I now the Anni is my most comfortable IEM.

So, please try many different tips with the Anni if it is uncomfortable at first...

I also have an Anni 2021 and it took me forever. I'm roughly the same size as you but settled on Spinfit CP100 smalls and I wore them on a flight from NY to LA with a small bathroom break in the middle. My most comfortable UIEM. I think I tried every tip under the sun.

 

[Rockwell75]

Fir Rn6 in the house.

It's been a real treat to hear the Rn6 again-- my last demo was in NYC at CanJam. This is decidedly my favorite of the Frontier Series-- a wonderfully balanced IEM that's hard to fault and doesn't do much if anything really wrong.

 

[Rockwell75]

It's been a minute since I've chatted on this thread, but I've been keeping tabs every once in a while. That said, I got my "end game" IEM finally!

Now I need a portable source with a huge battery haha, as these drain batteries much faster than anything I've seen.




First Impressions:
It's tuned almost perfectly to my tastes, neutral-ish u-shaped balance. Outstanding resolution, hearing things I never heard before in recordings. Great imaging and separation, and the bass is splendid for BAs. Just very well done, and meets my overhyped expectations. Also the fit is practically CIEM for me. I had tested a 3D printed mockup of the real shells prior to buying and the first thing I noticed was they looked almost identical to my Custom Hidition Viento. Needless to say, these fit like a glove for me and easily the most comfortable Universal IEMs I've worn.

Thanks Subtonic for making these exactly for me (and taking my money).

Always nice to see you drop in Antman-- congrats on attaining your endgame! Would be great to see you in SoCal this year

 

[Natesdailies]

Looking forward to your review. I still think the Annihilator is out of this world. I'm extremely happy with them.

The only issue I had was dealing with the larger nozzle that built more than usual pressure and hurt after 20mins with my usual tips. I have normal to large ears (body height 190cm/6.23ft) but my ear canal seems to narrow down. My usual go-to tip is the Final Type E in Large. With the Anni I really had to tip roll a lot and Type E didn't do the trick for me here. I ended with the Spinfits W1 in Medium and I now the Anni is my most comfortable IEM.

So, please try many different tips with the Anni if it is uncomfortable at first...

Thanks. @freeryder05 During my brief demo of the 2023 Anni, I noticed the larger shells compared to Elysian X. I'll give this one a thorough tip roll. Either CP155 or Eartune fidelity Us should give it a better fit for me.

Shippings on hold due to an exemption so I might not get it this week. The shipper thinks DHL might think theres a mini battery inside.