[CharlyBrown]

Anyone care to name their favorite transparent monitors? I say a monitor is transparent when it disappears and only the music remains, it's an effortless yet high fidelity presentation with supreme clarity and seamless driver cohesion if a hybrid and good balance so nothing jumps out of line. The best example I can think of is Jewel then maybe vision ears EXT. It could be said this is more of a reference sound. Monitors can be TOTL but not transparent, a good example for me would be the Mentor, spectacular but was always "there" so to speak, reminding me it was there. I've realized this is the sound I like most, most of the time with something very different like Fir offerings thrown in for variety and am looking for more TOTL monitors that have this transparent sound. I'm hyped to hear the Annihilator 2023 as I think it could be this way.

Annihilator is everything but invisible

 

[Kiats]

I am probably a little late to the FIR party... But thanks to Wilson from Jaben Singapore, the AD for FIR in Singapore, I had some time listening to the RN6 and XE6.

Anyone who enjoys their bass will love the XE6. Reminds me of the first time I heard the FitEar MH335DW: bass seems initially to be overwhelming. However, once you come to terms with it, it is actually not bad. The bass, I reckon, adds body to the sound and depth to the soundstage. It’s a bit more 3D in that sense. Listening to Stefanie Sun, actually the details and instrument separation are all there. Which in itself is surprising, because normally with such present bass, you lose the details and separation. Suspect that the treble extension is sacrificed a bit in that the bass offsets it. In fact when I was listening to Stacey Kent, for some of the songs, I actually heard details which previously I had never realised were there.

The RN6, on the other hand, dials back the bass but it is still there. Not so much quantity but quality here. Treble extension is better. It seems to be going for more obvious clarity and upfront details. I think of it as a bit of a middle ground between the XE6 and the KR5 (which went for transparency, clarity and details above all else). It will appeal to folks who are looking for more ”transparent“ or ”audiophile” signature but would like some balance from the bottom end. I guess the RN6 will work better with warmer DAPs or simply if you want more details and bigger soundstage.

I think that at the end of the day, it really depends on what you want from your IEM, what is your source

Listening to Eva Cassidy on NightBird with the RN6: excellent! Sends shivers down the spine with her vocals and the simple guitar playing. I will say that the RN6 really excels with acoustic vocals.

Which do I prefer? Surprisingly the XE6. it's like the 335DW. It feels raw yet 3D. It’s more like listening to a live performance. I was listening to Diana Krall on ”Walk On By” and it was exquisite. I honestly did not expect to enjoy the XE6 as much as I have.

 

[Nosibilance]

Anyone care to name their favorite transparent monitors? I say a monitor is transparent when it disappears and only the music remains, it's an effortless yet high fidelity presentation with supreme clarity and seamless driver cohesion if a hybrid and good balance so nothing jumps out of line. The best example I can think of is Jewel then maybe vision ears EXT. It could be said this is more of a reference sound. Monitors can be TOTL but not transparent, a good example for me would be the Mentor, spectacular but was always "there" so to speak, reminding me it was there. I've realized this is the sound I like most, most of the time with something very different like Fir offerings thrown in for variety and am looking for more TOTL monitors that have this transparent sound. I'm hyped to hear the Annihilator 2023 as I think it could be this way.

Fanboy here says Aur Alita

 

[Sajid Amit]

I am probably a little late to the FIR party... But thanks to Wilson from Jaben Singapore, the AD for FIR in Singapore, I had some time listening to the RN6 and XE6.

Anyone who enjoys their bass will love the XE6. Reminds me of the first time I heard the FitEar MH335DW: bass seems initially to be overwhelming. However, once you come to terms with it, it is actually not bad. The bass, I reckon, adds body to the sound and depth to the soundstage. It’s a bit more 3D in that sense. Listening to Stefanie Sun, actually the details and instrument separation are all there. Which in itself is surprising, because normally with such present bass, you lose the details and separation. Suspect that the treble extension is sacrificed a bit in that the bass offsets it. In fact when I was listening to Stacey Kent, for some of the songs, I actually heard details which previously I had never realised were there.

The RN6, on the other hand, dials back the bass but it is still there. Not so much quantity but quality here. Treble extension is better. It seems to be going for more obvious clarity and upfront details. I think of it as a bit of a middle ground between the XE6 and the KR5 (which went for transparency, clarity and details above all else). It will appeal to folks who are looking for more ”transparent“ or ”audiophile” signature but would like some balance from the bottom end. I guess the RN6 will work better with warmer DAPs or simply if you want more details and bigger soundstage.

I think that at the end of the day, it really depends on what you want from your IEM, what is your source

Listening to Eva Cassidy on NightBird with the RN6: excellent! Sends shivers down the spine with her vocals and the simple guitar playing. I will say that the RN6 really excels with acoustic vocals.

Which do I prefer? Surprisingly the XE6. it's like the 335DW. It feels raw yet 3D. It’s more like listening to a live performance. I was listening to Diana Krall on ”Walk On By” and it was exquisite. I honestly did not expect to enjoy the XE6 as much as I have.

I prefer the XE6 as well.

First time I heard it, I didn't like it. I thought the bass was too muddy.

Next time at CJ SG, I first tried the RN6 and liked it a lot. Next, I tried the XE6 and I was like, "Wow. Where were you all my life?" I buy and sell more frequently than I plan to, but from the look of things, the XE6 will be a part of my long-term stable, along with the Perpetua and the Trifecta.

I also find that the Symbio W foam tips do a lot to reign in the midbass for my ears and preferences.

 

[Simpeler]

Im actually thinking of selling my Rn6, even though it is AMAZING.

It might be to “all-round” for my ever changing taste.

Also, im falling in love with Odin all over again lol (with a new cable)

 

[Simpeler]

Also: where are those Vision Ears Aura reviews? I heard its now up for grabs

(I refuse to call them Astell and Kern Aura)

 

[Sajid Amit]

On a different note, I have also been suffering from a wee bit of audiophilia fatigue. Maybe that's an overstatemennt. Of course, the hobby is large, complex and cosmic, but in so far as the part of the hobby that has to do with trying and buying new gears, is concerned, I am ever so slightly less excited than ever before, because there is nothing in the horizon that I get excited to own. Not the VEX nor the Aurora. I still want to own the GM and the Letshuoer Cadenza at some point, but happy to wait on those.

I still love reading all your posts and commenting when I feel the need to. I also love making my YouTube content now and then (YouTube has always been a part of the hobby for me). I also watch others' videos, read up on "audio science" just to keep up with nerds, lol, and meet community members wherever possible.

However, buying and otherwise trying new gears is an important element of the hobby for me. Critical even.

I left headphones because of neck pains and speakers because they are too demanding (in terms of requiring dedicated listening time, space, room correction, etc).

However, interestingly, over the last two days, I have been eyeing CD players! To use with my IEMs!

I used to collect CDs when I was a child audiophile so to speak. The patient pursuit of full albums one enjoys is an underappreciated dimension of the hobby I think.

I still think CDs sound incredible (and better than most formats) and I am thinking of making a bedside rig with a CD player and my Tsuranagi.

So, do any of you listen to CDs with your IEMs? I can imagine it being quite the experience given how resolving and utterly awesome some IEMs are!

 

[Kiats]

I prefer the XE6 as well.

First time I heard it, I didn't like it. I thought the bass was too muddy.

Next time at CJ SG, I first tried the RN6 and liked it a lot. Next, I tried the XE6 and I was like, "Wow. Where were you all my life?" I buy and sell more frequently than I plan to, but from the look of things, the XE6 will be a part of my long-term stable, along with the Perpetua and the Trifecta.

I also find that the Symbio W foam tips do a lot to reign in the midbass for my ears and preferences.

Yeah… I think the fit is so important with the XE6. For myself, I gravitate towards the AZLA SednaEarFit Light eartips.

 

[MatW]

My experience with Xe6: absolute horror upon first listen -> selling it -> buying it back -> growing on me -> absolutely loving it. With the right music (not too fast or complex).

On a different note, I have also been suffering from a wee bit of audiophilia fatigue. Maybe that's an overstatemennt. Of course, the hobby is large, complex and cosmic, but in so far as the part of the hobby that has to do with trying and buying new gears, is concerned, I am ever so slightly less excited than ever before, because there is nothing in the horizon that I get excited to own. Not the VEX nor the Aurora. I still want to own the GM and the Letshuoer Cadenza at some point, but happy to wait on those.

I still love reading all your posts and commenting when I feel the need to. I also love making my YouTube content now and then (YouTube has always been a part of the hobby for me). I also watch others' videos, read up on "audio science" just to keep up with nerds, lol, and meet community members wherever possible.

However, buying and otherwise trying new gears is an important element of the hobby for me. Critical even.

I left headphones because of neck pains and speakers because they are too demanding (in terms of requiring dedicated listening time, room, room correction, etc).

Interestingly, last two days, I have been eyeing CD players!

I used to collect CDs when I was an informal audiophile so to speak lol, in my teenage years. And I loved collecting CDs. The patient pursuit of full albums one enjoys is an underappreciated dimension of the hobby I think.

I still think CDs sound incredible (and better than most format) and I am thinking of making a bedside rig with a streamer, a CD player and my Tsuranagi.

So, do any of you listen to CDs with your IEMs? I can imagine it being quite the experience given how resolving and utterly awesome some IEMs are!

If I had a larger house I would probably get back into vinyl... Fortunately I do not have the space - so at least this rabbit hole will be avoided.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

On a different note, I have also been suffering from a wee bit of audiophilia fatigue. Maybe that's an overstatemennt. Of course, the hobby is large, complex and cosmic, but in so far as the part of the hobby that has to do with trying and buying new gears, is concerned, I am ever so slightly less excited than ever before, because there is nothing in the horizon that I get excited to own. Not the VEX nor the Aurora. I still want to own the GM and the Letshuoer Cadenza at some point, but happy to wait on those.

I still love reading all your posts and commenting when I feel the need to. I also love making my YouTube content now and then (YouTube has always been a part of the hobby for me). I also watch others' videos, read up on "audio science" just to keep up with nerds, lol, and meet community members wherever possible.

However, buying and otherwise trying new gears is an important element of the hobby for me. Critical even.

I left headphones because of neck pains and speakers because they are too demanding (in terms of requiring dedicated listening time, space, room correction, etc).

However, interestingly, over the last two days, I have been eyeing CD players! To use with my IEMs!

I used to collect CDs when I was a child audiophile so to speak. The patient pursuit of full albums one enjoys is an underappreciated dimension of the hobby I think.

I still think CDs sound incredible (and better than most formats) and I am thinking of making a bedside rig with a streamer, a CD player and my Tsuranagi.

So, do any of you listen to CDs with your IEMs? I can imagine it being quite the experience given how resolving and utterly awesome some IEMs are!

I certainly do! Headphones just really don't do it for me on the other hand. IEM just feels like a complete immersive experience. I actually enjoy watching concert discs and then leaning back to really feel it.

 

[stacey]

As for RS8, a few of my audio friends tell me the updated firmware makes it the most impressive dap overall they've heard.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about the RS8, ever since I saw the prototype last year. You might is well pair the RS8 with Tsuranagi and see what the result is!

Only downside is that the RS8 is really large for a “portable” DAP.

 

[audionewbi]

On a different note, I have also been suffering from a wee bit of audiophilia fatigue. Maybe that's an overstatemennt. Of course, the hobby is large, complex and cosmic, but in so far as the part of the hobby that has to do with trying and buying new gears, is concerned, I am ever so slightly less excited than ever before, because there is nothing in the horizon that I get excited to own. Not the VEX nor the Aurora. I still want to own the GM and the Letshuoer Cadenza at some point, but happy to wait on those.

I still love reading all your posts and commenting when I feel the need to. I also love making my YouTube content now and then (YouTube has always been a part of the hobby for me). I also watch others' videos, read up on "audio science" just to keep up with nerds, lol, and meet community members wherever possible.

However, buying and otherwise trying new gears is an important element of the hobby for me. Critical even.

I left headphones because of neck pains and speakers because they are too demanding (in terms of requiring dedicated listening time, space, room correction, etc).

However, interestingly, over the last two days, I have been eyeing CD players! To use with my IEMs!

I used to collect CDs when I was a child audiophile so to speak. The patient pursuit of full albums one enjoys is an underappreciated dimension of the hobby I think.

I still think CDs sound incredible (and better than most formats) and I am thinking of making a bedside rig with a streamer, a CD player and my Tsuranagi.

So, do any of you listen to CDs with your IEMs? I can imagine it being quite the experience given how resolving and utterly awesome some IEMs are!

I also feel somewhat tired and disappointed on where the hobby is heading towards. I've decided to take a break from it and focus more on enjoying my old collection and rediscovering old albums again.

Part of reason why I still use my C4 and LP6 is that it makes me listen much like a CD player. No streaming, hard to navigate so it makes me listen to the entirety of the CD.
I used modern dap to find new music.

 

[fejnomit]

I also feel somewhat tired and disappointed on where the hobby is heading towards. I've decided to take a break from it and focus more on enjoying my old collection and rediscovering old albums again.

Part of reason why I still use my C4 and LP6 is that it makes me listen much like a CD player. No streaming, hard to navigate so it makes me listen to the entirety of the CD.
I used modern dap to find new music.

Yes, I think in these moments it's very important to reconnect with the music itself and shift the focus away from the gear. I, too, love reading about and talking about and trying out all the gear I can get my hands on. But obviously that is going to have its emotional limits. We do not love the gear, after all, we love the music it produces. We love the emotions and transport that music provides. The gear is the vehicle to get us there and we do have to remember to rest, take a step back, get off the train for a while and just listen. I find the listening cure works every time.

 

[Rockwell75]

Some More Results...

Bass

Trifecta x11

Grand Maestro x6
Xe6 x6
Ragnar x5
Maestro SE x4
Legend EVO x4
Rn6 x4
IER Z1R x3
EXT x2
IE 900 x2
Kr5 x2
Duality x2

Singularity
Legend X
Fourte Noir
BC2023
Aurora
Storm
Grand Duke
Neon Pro
Kublai Khan
Odin
DC Ti

Mids

Mentor x10
Traillii x10

Rn6 x7
Phonix OG/LE x6
EXT x2
Neon Pro x2
Aurora x2
Perpetua x2
MH334SR x2
Ronin x2

Mest MkIII
IER M7
GL-AMT16
Mason
Turii OG
QDC V14
Crimson
Hybrid 3 Pro
Volt
Erlkonig
Storm
Aure
Elysium
Butastur
TG334
a18s
Le Jardin
a12t
Fibae 5

Treble

Annihilator x11

Ragnar x7
Elysian X x6
Mentor x4
Phonix LE x4
Elysian Dio x2
Butastur x2
Fibae 5 x2
LCD-i4 x2
IER Z1R x2
Odin x2
Storm x2
Ronin x2

Helios
Neon Pro
IER M9
KSE-1200
Kr5
DTE900
Fitear EST
Grand Maestro
Unity
Kublai Khan
DesTI
Infinity MKii
Anole VX
C435

Here we are:

Bass: Kr5
Mids: Trailii
Treble: Anole VX

Some of this IEMs are no longer with me…but they left their mark

Anole VX has what is possibly still the best BA bass I've heard.

I am not sure what happened to AudioTiers but they were coordinating for US market. Maybe other countries? They seem on hiatus now.

I don't know what happened but it became a lot more sporatic and harder to follow after it left Head Fi. Barra was gracious to help me get started running tours and it always sort of seemed like I took the baton from them in a way.

Ragnar

Ragnar has such a big treble presence I'm not sure it would fit the "does not draw attention to itself" criteria for me.

Interesting that they tune the international version brighter rather than darker. Usually, people associates "eastern" tuning with bright, shouty signature and "western" tuning with warm, dark, bass signature.

That's usually how it works. I wouldn't say it's an absolute but it's a pretty good rule of thumb in my experience. Shouty vs. muddy lol

I like to write about the best IEM I've tried and subsequently bought this year, Madoo typ 821. Madoo is considered the experimental Acoustone, dare I say, to my ears it is the more matured line between them two.
The built of reminds of AP watches with spahire class and hexa type screw drivers.

It's driver type is ortho, closed back, basically what I was waiting for Audeze release after open back i4.
I haven't figured out its tonality, as it so far has proven agile, transparent.
I hear no peaks in treble. I'm looking forward to pairing it with my bakoon amps once I'm back home.

Nice...that's one brand I've consistently heard a lot about over the years but never actually managed to demo. Perhaps there will be something kicking around in SoCal I can try.

I certainly do! Headphones just really don't do it for me on the other hand. IEM just feels like a complete immersive experience.

+1

I've never really gotten into headphones either-- and I tried some summit fi setups in NYC. IEMs, with the sound pressed right up against your brain, are more immersive for me too.

 

[ulverr]

My experience with Xe6: absolute horror upon first listen -> selling it -> buying it back -> growing on me -> absolutely loving it. With the right music (not too fast or complex).

I have exactly the same experience with XE6! Needed to learn to understand these items They surprise me quite often, as the synergy with different records is unpredictable.

Did someone try to pair XE6 with Aroma100TB?