[Natesdailies]

Hiby RS8 second impressions:​

Honeymoon going well. I have it paired up with Impact as I am writing this. Suffice to say, I am having second thoughts about selling it now. This is giving me hifi Traillii vibes. Female vocals are *chefs kiss*... effortless, organic. Notes have long decays, echoing in an enveloping stage. Usually this come with caveats such as speed. Not the case here with grippy treble lines.

Some comparisons to past gear before my brain burns in:

• Tuning (RS8 solo): This is appropriately more R2R sounding vs Cayin N7s 1 bit. There is extra warmth in the low end and mids. I hear more refinement and weight to cymbals. In terms of techs it's a level up all around vs N7. More resolving and dynamic.
• Treble (tested with Serratus OG): Compared to the original RS8 firmware, the treble is smoother and more refined. With Mentor + RS8 (original firmware), one of the dealbreakers was the mid treble sticking out. Firmware update RS8 tuning proportions remind me of a slightly leaner R2R M9+

• Staging: Now a class leading contender. I've posted several times about how deep its depth was but having an average width. Toggling the Soundfield (1.25) firmware update increased the width substancially. To simplify: the width, height, depth reminds me of XE6' staging in DAP form.
• Dynamics: RS8s amp plays within 320 Max level. There's more thump (solo RS8) vs Hiby R6P2 + 475. While Impact still wouldn't be my main bass oriented replay, it now has a satisfying amount of sub bass as a backing frequency.
• Imaging / layering: RS8 is fairly clean with great center imaging. 320 Max for example wasn't ideal here for my preferences for acoustics. XE6 + solo RS8 gives the imaging a similar smooth and brushed transient replay. Adding 475 cleans that up while adding more dynamics.

Quite enthralled . Gonna take my time testing out other filters. Open to suggestions from other owners.

​

 

[salwani8888]

Hiby RS8 second impressions:​

Honeymoon going well. I have it paired up with Impact as I am writing this. Suffice to say, I am having second thoughts about selling it now. This is giving me hifi Traillii vibes. Female vocals are *chefs kiss*... effortless, organic. Notes have long decays, echoing in an enveloping stage. Usually this come with caveats such as speed. Not the case here with grippy treble lines.



Some comparisons to past gear before my brain burns in:

• Tuning (RS8 solo): This is appropriately more R2R sounding vs Cayin N7s 1 bit. There is extra warmth in the low end and mids. I hear more refinement and weight to cymbals. In terms of techs it's a level up all around vs N7. More resolving and dynamic.
• Treble (tested with Serratus OG): Compared to the original RS8 firmware, the treble is smoother and more refined. With Mentor, one of the dealbreakers was the mid treble sticking out. Firmware update RS8 tuning proportions remind me of a slightly leaner R2R M9+

• Staging (Tested with DS): Now a class leading contender. I've posted several times about how deep its depth was but the width being average. Adding the sound Soundfield (1.25) firmware update increased the width substancially. To simplify: the width height depth reminds me of XE6s staging in DAP form.
• Dynamics: RS8s amp plays within 320 Max level. There's more thump (solo RS8) vs Hiby R6P2 + 475. While Impact still wouldn't be my main for bass oriented replays, it now has a satisfying amount of sub bass as a backing frequency.
• Imaging / layering: RS8 is fairly clean with great center imaging. 320 Max for example wasn't ideal here for my preferences for acoustics. XE6 + solo RS8 gives the imaging a similar smooth and brushed transient replay. Adding 475 cleans that up while adding more dynamics.

Quite enthralled with RS8s performance . Gonna take my time testing out other filters. Open to suggestions from other owners.

​

Congrats !
Dynamics plug in is very interesting! As well as the ultra filter (but need NOS off for that)

 

[DarginMahkum]

Why not reply to the original post in the original thread with a well reasoned argument against that author's flawed definition then (as people there actually already have)?

Who are you, his lawyer? A concerned citizen?

To be perfectly honest I don't have any idea what you're on about here or how it is in any way connected to anything I've said.

What are you talking about? My comment in the EE thread? I assure you that the "mine" had long since blown up in that thread before I turned up. If you're refering to my citing the objectivist and subjectivist definitions from the Holt glossary I was not quoting it as gospel so much as pointing out that something resembling that "dispute" has been a fixture of audio discourse since the dawn of time (or at least since the early 90s when the original Stereophile article was published).

Well then, congratulations. You just read my response to your next controversial quote that hasn't blown up yet.

 

[maegnificant]

Frequency response can be equalized guys.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Who are you, his lawyer? A concerned citizen?

I would like to think I'm on your side (as you might gather from my last few replies here other than the ones directed at you), but I'm thinking "with friends like these..." at the moment.

Honestly I don't think anyone here will be changing sides anytime soon, but pissing people off might just be the best way to make sure of that. Bravo?

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Hiby RS8 second impressions:​

Honeymoon going well. I have it paired up with Impact as I am writing this. Suffice to say, I am having second thoughts about selling it now. This is giving me hifi Traillii vibes. Female vocals are *chefs kiss*... effortless, organic. Notes have long decays, echoing in an enveloping stage. Usually this come with caveats such as speed. Not the case here with grippy treble lines.



Some comparisons to past gear before my brain burns in:

• Tuning (RS8 solo): This is appropriately more R2R sounding vs Cayin N7s 1 bit. There is extra warmth in the low end and mids. I hear more refinement and weight to cymbals. In terms of techs it's a level up all around vs N7. More resolving and dynamic.
• Treble (tested with Serratus OG): Compared to the original RS8 firmware, the treble is smoother and more refined. With Mentor + RS8 (original firmware), one of the dealbreakers was the mid treble sticking out. Firmware update RS8 tuning proportions remind me of a slightly leaner R2R M9+

• Staging: Now a class leading contender. I've posted several times about how deep its depth was but having an average width. Toggling the Soundfield (1.25) firmware update increased the width substancially. To simplify: the width, height, depth reminds me of XE6' staging in DAP form.
• Dynamics: RS8s amp plays within 320 Max level. There's more thump (solo RS8) vs Hiby R6P2 + 475. While Impact still wouldn't be my main bass oriented replay, it now has a satisfying amount of sub bass as a backing frequency.
• Imaging / layering: RS8 is fairly clean with great center imaging. 320 Max for example wasn't ideal here for my preferences for acoustics. XE6 + solo RS8 gives the imaging a similar smooth and brushed transient replay. Adding 475 cleans that up while adding more dynamics.

Quite enthralled . Gonna take my time testing out other filters. Open to suggestions from other owners.

​

Have you installed the Darwin V2 filters and tried the DRX10K dynamics supercharger?

 

[Kiats]

Not sure if anyone else has tried the Noble Spartacus yet. This was amongst the other goodies sent across by Wilson from Jaben Singapore as I am stuck home recovering from a slipped disc.

I did a search online but couldn’t track information except about Spartacus the movie and the history.

Anyway, I managed to find the necessary details: it uses only Sonion drivers. The pretty faceplate is made from organic amber material.

The driver configurations are:

• Ultra High: 1 BA
• High + Mid-high: 2 BCD
• Mid-bass: 1 BA‘
• Bass + Ultra Bass: 2 BA

It’s quite nice cos it comes with switchable plugs for 4.4mm, 3.5mm and 2.5mm.

It is still early days with the Spartacus. I had a quick listen this morning while awaiting the Amazon Fresh delivery chaps. First thing I noticed is that the fit is much better than I have experienced thus far. Usually I find that Noble UIEMs then to be pyramid shaped and stick out my ears a fair bit. It would also feel uncomfortable because the shell is clinging for dear life from the point of insert of the ear tips.. This time around the Spartacus, the insertion is just nice, the shell sits flush against my concha and does not stick out. Together with the cable over my ear, I almost did not notice it was there.

Listening to my vocal music, my initial impression is that it is nice and cohesive. Soundstage seems big enough. Vocals are rendered well.

The Spartacus is fascinating. I think it needs burn in for sure. But even at this early stage, it is promising. The trebles are extended but controlled. If they pushed out any further, I am sure it would cross over into sibilance.

I also happen to have the Viking Ragnar on hand, as part of the care pack from Wilson, Jaben SG. I had a quick listen for comparison. I suspect that the Spartacus has that same details and nuances as the Ragnar but overlaid with more bass which gives a fuller, more 3D sound. I am not sure that as a consequence it creates an aural illusion that the sound stage is smaller than Ragnar. Perhaps it is only because Spartacus has more depth in its soundstage.

I think if you are fan of the Noble house sound, you will find the Ragnar and Spartacus to be quite complementary. By side by side comparison to the richer fuller sound of the Spartacus, the Ragnar has a grander soundstage but yet strangely austere.

Anyway, those in Singapore are in luck. The Spartacus demo unit is in at Jaben Singapore. I should be sending the care pack and this demo back to Wilson by the end of the work week.

 

[ranfan]

All of this philosophical talk at close on 1 a.m. gave me a headache, so I put on some music, which I perceived to be pleasant, and now I feel better.

Wireless with noise cancelling feature?

 

[DarginMahkum]

I would like to think I'm on your side (as you might gather from my last few replies here other than the ones directed at you), but I'm thinking "with friends like these..." at the moment.

Honestly I don't think anyone here will be changing sides anytime soon, but pissing people off might just be the best way to make sure of that. Bravo?

I don't think you or anyone here should assume that I am on a side that is not my own when it comes to having a "subjective" impression of what I think what is going on here. I haven't seen anyone here reading rational explanations and then going "oh, well, that is eye opening, let me hit that switch and change sides". That will only happen when people don't feel that they need to buy new things and wake up to the wasteland they just built, or they are not able to buy them anymore. Until then we keep the fire burning, including me.

My response is more for the people that feel like the "Neo the red pill addict", and categorise the rest as clumsy beings with a blue pill stuck at their throats. When I see that, I write. If you don't like it from me, you are welcome to hit that magical ignore button.

 

[o0genesis0o]

you are welcome to hit that magical ignore button.

Best point/advice from you so far. Thank you.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Not to throw fuel into a discussion that is winding down, but just want to give my two cents as someone that's still very interested in the hobby and yet still some days get convinced that my $99 TWS earphones are so good I shouldn't bother with anything else.

I think there's some truth in that at the level we are spending (in at least the thousand range for one equipment in the chain and buying multiples of them) that we should be aware we aren't going to actually see a technical difference, especially at the pace this forum goes where the flavor of the IEM changes every 6 months. That's alright because that's the point of the hobby, to get into the discussion and discuss the merits we perceive with our ears as well as celebrate the potential new changes that the technicians and brands do to vitialize it. However, I also buy that the ear will dictate more than the technical aspects like graphs or how-many-so-and-forth drivers because we are creatures of feelings as well and our brains will adjust slightly based on what everyone is saying, the hype, environment and ultimately our moods as well.

There's likely truth in both camps hence the back-and-forth debates and discussions regarding to brain burn-in vs actual burn-in, graph-readers and anti-graph-readers etc etc. All just part of what it means to be an audiophile in my opinion.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Not to throw fuel into a discussion that is winding down, but just want to give my two cents as someone that's still very interested in the hobby and yet still some days get convinced that my $99 TWS earphones are so good I shouldn't bother with anything else.

I think there's some truth in that at the level we are spending (in at least the thousand range for one equipment in the chain and buying multiples of them) that we should be aware we aren't going to actually see a technical difference, especially at the pace this forum goes where the flavor of the IEM changes every 6 months. That's alright because that's the point of the hobby, to get into the discussion and discuss the merits we perceive with our ears as well as celebrate the potential new changes that the technicians and brands do to vitialize it. However, I also buy that the ear will dictate more than the technical aspects like graphs or how-many-so-and-forth drivers because we are creatures of feelings as well and our brains will adjust slightly based on what everyone is saying, the hype, environment and ultimately our moods as well.

There's likely truth in both camps hence the back-and-forth debates and discussions regarding to brain burn-in vs actual burn-in, graph-readers and anti-graph-readers etc etc. All just part of what it means to be an audiophile in my opinion.

Not $99 TWS, but as I work on the review of some $300-$500 IEMs like the baby sibling of the new Monarch III, Hype2, I can’t help but wondering how far up this game can go, for how long.

Just back in 2021 when I started, all $300-$500 IEMs at my local hifi store was unsatisfying in terms of resolution, staging, imaging, bass quality. The only thing in their stock that seems “right” on everything was the U12t. Flash forward, I find myself enjoying a tiny DAP from Hiby called R3 II and a budget friendly IEM called Phoenixcall without feeling like I need to reach for my DX300 and U12t. It’s amazing how much tech and expertise have trickled down.

Edit: not saying that the tiny chain mentioned above sound the same as the DX300-U12t chain though.

I wonder what the modern kilobucks of this era like the Crimson and Diva 2023 can do.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Not $99 TWS, but as I work on the review of some $300-$500 IEMs like the baby sibling of the new Monarch III, Hype2, I can’t help but wondering how far up this game can go, for how long.

Just back in 2021 when I started, all $300-$500 IEMs at my local hifi store was unsatisfying in terms of resolution, staging, imaging, bass quality. The only thing in their stock that seems “right” on everything was the U12t. Flash forward, I find myself enjoying a tiny DAP from Hiby called R3 II and a budget friendly IEM called Phoenixcall without feeling like I need to reach for my DX300 and U12t. It’s amazing how much tech and expertise have trickled down.

Edit: not saying that the tiny chain mentioned above sound the same as the DX300-U12t chain though.

I wonder what the modern kilobucks of this era like the Crimson and Diva 2023 can do.

Absolutely! Having taken a break an almost decade-long, it is very interesting to hear the coherency and technology improve in such ways and makes it very exciting. Of course, that's not to say that my $99 IEM is better than something like the Trifecta or the Traillii -- it isn't. But it does sound great!

Also, want to give a shout-out to your reviews. I absolutely love reading them (especially the Allegro, which I have only demo'd and it was great to see how another person felt about this IEM in such detail), I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for your next review for Hype2.

 

[bmichels]

Happy to get soon “My precious” : a Lotoo Mjölnir

I am ready to carry an extra 2 kg to get ( I hope) a desktop level sound while traveling. . .

 

[Scubadevils]

I must say I’m genuinely very surprised as to how good a +30 year old player sounds - it’s interesting that with IEMs it hasn’t been fantastic as there is quite a bit of hiss which becomes obvious in silent passages, but buds are excellent and now trying the JVC SW01 and again wonderful synergy. I honestly thought it would be a brief bit of nostalgia and park it away in my electronics museum, but absolutely not the case at all - there’s something quite special about listening to an album where it’s not so easy to switch as with digital, and it really takes me back to I guess more innocent moments with music. As one would expect, there’s quite an analogue sound and incredibly emotive - no prizes to be had for soundstage etc but honestly I’m not missing it as such either.

S-XBS sure does inject huge energy down low! Quite a lot of power too, barely at 3/10 with SW01 and I’ve not gone beyond 5 with any buds.

This of course does not mean I’ll be selling my DAPs and IEMs, but it’s absolutely another wonderful way to enjoy albums - I’ve even ordered a few cassettes to include the latest from Slowdive… oh and I’m now eyeing up other classic portable cassette players that are likewise in unused condition, some of which going for almost €1,000