[eruilluvitar]

Early days for me but it's a stunningly beautiful pairup. I haven't heard the 21 Anni since I owned it last year and from memory the 23 seems to fix what was the only real issue with that IEM-- the bass. Previously it was what I would call "minimally acceptable" but here it's something of a highlight. Tighter, better extended, more present. Annihilator doesn't "need" lots of power but it sure does benefit from it. Trhough the RS8 on high gain/turbo it makes for a hell of an experience. RS8 has a really natural, analogue, authoritative yet liquid tonality that suits this IEM like a charm.

In other news we're two weeks into fall and two days past CanJam SoCal-- it's time for our seasonal 3 IEMs that own your heart at this moment poll. I'm not looking for your all time favorite 3 or anything (though of course you can submit those if you want). This poll is more meant to take the temp of the Watercooler at this moment in time.

Go!

1. 64 Audio U12t
2. Sennheiser IE600
3. Sennheiser IE900

But that's really based on my current mood here at 9:37pm MDT on this particular day. Prolly different in 20-30 minutes

 

[tjzurlaaa]

Early days for me but it's a stunningly beautiful pairup. I haven't heard the 21 Anni since I owned it last year and from memory the 23 seems to fix what was the only real issue with that IEM-- the bass. Previously it was what I would call "minimally acceptable" but here it's something of a highlight. Tighter, better extended, more present. Annihilator doesn't "need" lots of power but it sure does benefit from it. Trhough the RS8 on high gain/turbo it makes for a hell of an experience. RS8 has a really natural, analogue, authoritative yet liquid tonality that suits this IEM like a charm.

In other news we're two weeks into fall and two days past CanJam SoCal-- it's time for our seasonal 3 IEMs that own your heart at this moment poll. I'm not looking for your all time favorite 3 or anything (though of course you can submit those if you want). This poll is more meant to take the temp of the Watercooler at this moment in time.

Go!

This is so true about annihilator getting better with power I’ve been doing testing all day and didn’t think to throw it on the big stuff and damn it was like the annihilator got a Zen Kai boost and shot its way to the top ! Yikes

 

[kevin638880]

Early days for me but it's a stunningly beautiful pairup. I haven't heard the 21 Anni since I owned it last year and from memory the 23 seems to fix what was the only real issue with that IEM-- the bass. Previously it was what I would call "minimally acceptable" but here it's something of a highlight. Tighter, better extended, more present. Annihilator doesn't "need" lots of power but it sure does benefit from it. Trhough the RS8 on high gain/turbo it makes for a hell of an experience. RS8 has a really natural, analogue, authoritative yet liquid tonality that suits this IEM like a charm.

In other news we're two weeks into fall and two days past CanJam SoCal-- it's time for our seasonal 3 IEMs that own your heart at this moment poll. I'm not looking for your all time favorite 3 or anything (though of course you can submit those if you want). This poll is more meant to take the temp of the Watercooler at this moment in time.

Go!

VE Phonix LE
Annihilator 2023
Fitear DC Ti

 

[DraconicNerd]

Early days for me but it's a stunningly beautiful pairup. I haven't heard the 21 Anni since I owned it last year and from memory the 23 seems to fix what was the only real issue with that IEM-- the bass. Previously it was what I would call "minimally acceptable" but here it's something of a highlight. Tighter, better extended, more present. Annihilator doesn't "need" lots of power but it sure does benefit from it. Trhough the RS8 on high gain/turbo it makes for a hell of an experience. RS8 has a really natural, analogue, authoritative yet liquid tonality that suits this IEM like a charm.

In other news we're two weeks into fall and two days past CanJam SoCal-- it's time for our seasonal 3 IEMs that own your heart at this moment poll. I'm not looking for your all time favorite 3 or anything (though of course you can submit those if you want). This poll is more meant to take the temp of the Watercooler at this moment in time.

Go!

1. Bravado Mk II - The one set I own personally and fell even more in love with seeing just how high they can scale with better gear at CanJam.
2. Raven - Everything I love about EE perfected.
3. Campfire Bonneville - I enjoyed these a ton and am now sad I never went back to get more ear time.

 

[Auricon]

3 IEMs that own your heart at this moment

Down to two IEMs and DAPs (down from 7 a year ago, LOL) open spot for a 3rd

1. RN6
2. XE6
3. Future FIRs

DAPs

1. N30LE
2. RS8

 

[ma151]

Same with Singularity and Duality. A lot of Singaporean IEMs need lots of juice evidently.

Do you find Bonneville difficult to drive ?

 

[Valrhona]

1. Subtonic STORM - Simple excellence in every aspect across the board!
2. FatFreq Maestro SE - Bass, bass, BASS RUMBLE! I liked this more than Grand Maestro.
3. 7th Acoustics Supernova - One of the most perfect tuning & tonality ever!

May a man ask how the Maestro compares to the XE6 or the Evos.

 

[tjzurlaaa]

May a man ask how the Maestro compares to the XE6 or the Evos.

Ooff what a battle

 

[RonaldS86]

So just to add on to the discussion, I am now considering purchasing the Fitear DC Ti or the Creator (universal DC Ti). Jaben HK told me that The Creator is to arrive late December and DC Ti takes 3 months on average to make, so I am leaning towards waiting for the universal. DC Ti is probably the closest to a full HP experience I have heard from an IEM with an outrageously large soundstage and precise imaging. Bass is one of the best I have heard and overall it is probably the best musical all rounder for me suitable for all genres.

Also tried the Fitear Titan - fantastic for instrumentals but vocals are sibilant, which ultimately was the dealbreaker.

Straight away googling the Creator and I got dizzy when I find out the price

 

[Rockwell75]

1. Bravado Mk II - The one set I own personally and fell even more in love with seeing just how high they can scale with better gear at CanJam.

@SBranson are you hearing this. Perhaps I could send you my RS8 to pair with your Bravado MKii

2. Raven - Everything I love about EE perfected.

Issues with shell/build quality notwithstanding it's my favorite EE also. I've never fully connected with one of their IEMs and Raven was pretty awesome for me under the right circumstances. I need more time to fully assess.

3. Campfire Bonneville - I enjoyed these a ton and am now sad I never went back to get more ear time.

Excellent. I enjoyed them a ton at first also however it was the near the end of the second day when I followed up with all my faves from the first day that really cinched it when I realized that I preferred them to just about everything else I heard that day. The bass is great...but I have a lot of great bass in my collection. I've been hankering for a good mids set and I was surprised at how well they tick that box for me. With the exception of that new Fir DD which I will be snapping up as soon as I can the Bonneville has nerfed my desire for anything else right now.

Down to two IEMs and DAPs (down from 7 a year ago, LOL) open spot for a 3rd

1. RN6
2. XE6
3. Future FIRs

DAPs

1. N30LE
2. RS8

You need to hear their new single DD. It properly blew my mind-- it was significantly better than that new 64 IEM imho, which I found comparitively dull and pedestrian by comparison.

Do you find Bonneville difficult to drive ?

No. Save Supermoon none of CFA's IEMs have ever been very difficult to drive, though it's not crazy sensitive like Andro or Solaris were. My little SR35 makes them sing quite nicely.

 

[Yifang]

May a man ask how the Maestro compares to the XE6 or the Evos.

Haven't heard Evo but I like the Maestro significantly more than the XE6.

Maestro SE is clean controlled bass while XE6 is boosted the entire range of bass and mids. As much as Maestro SE is talked about having a lot of bass, it does so while actually being pretty balanced for mids and treble, focusing mostly on sub-bass. XE6 is extremely unbalanced and just sounds bassy the whole frequency range with far more mid-bass than Maestro. Upper regions are also elevated for perceived detail, the whole thing sounds far more unnatural than Maestro SE does.

 

[Rockwell75]

Maestro SE is a great example of an IEM with a tuning profile that emphasizes sub-bass and upper mids without being shouty or fatiguing. It's excellent for female vocals but lacks meat in the mid-bass/lower mids to be an all rounder for me. YMMV etc.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Early days for me but it's a stunningly beautiful pairup. I haven't heard the 21 Anni since I owned it last year and from memory the 23 seems to fix what was the only real issue with that IEM-- the bass. Previously it was what I would call "minimally acceptable" but here it's something of a highlight. Tighter, better extended, more present. Annihilator doesn't "need" lots of power but it sure does benefit from it. Trhough the RS8 on high gain/turbo it makes for a hell of an experience. RS8 has a really natural, analogue, authoritative yet liquid tonality that suits this IEM like a charm.

In other news we're two weeks into fall and two days past CanJam SoCal-- it's time for our seasonal 3 IEMs that own your heart at this moment poll. I'm not looking for your all time favorite 3 or anything (though of course you can submit those if you want). This poll is more meant to take the temp of the Watercooler at this moment in time.

Go!

Here we go!
1. Trifecta (nothing is moving my utter love for this IEM just yet)
2. XE6
3. Traillii

 

[Auricon]

Haven't heard Evo but I like the Maestro significantly more than the XE6.

Maestro SE is clean controlled bass while XE6 is boosted the entire range of bass and mids. As much as Maestro SE is talked about having a lot of bass, it does so while actually being pretty balanced for mids and treble, focusing mostly on sub-bass. XE6 is extremely unbalanced and just sounds bassy the whole frequency range with far more mid-bass than Maestro. Upper regions are also elevated for perceived detail, the whole thing sounds far more unnatural than Maestro SE do

XE6’s stock Scorpion-C copper cable contributes a lot to that mid-bass blanket. A good cable roll – EA CODE23, ET Raph or OTL – does wonders for XE6, opening it up and bring more balance.

 

[RonaldS86]

Still no picture or clue about the packaging of VE X gonna look like? Is it weird that even though I have no intention of purchasing it but curious about it? My previous VE IEM is only Elysium and it surely left a good impression on me