[KuroKitsu]

THAT's the problem, you've been using them without a cable.

What do you mean? I stripped this from the power lines out front myself

My take regarding EQ is something along the lines of :

- Speakers benefit the most from EQ given you can account for room deficiencies and such since there are significant more variables in acoustic environment and listening conditions. This is a whole other discussion however from speaker placement, room treatment, measuring signals, and the whole lot.

- Headphones all require EQ to sound their best. Most headphones come with horrendous stock tuning, with some rare cases getting most of the way there, but still requiring tweaks. For example, a bass shelf would be the minimum I'd apply given most "hi-fi" headphones have no bass shelf in stock form. The benefit is that good planar headphones nowadays with their usually linear impedance and extremely low distortion, can respond extremely well to EQ and completely change a headphone, so find something with techs that you like, and make the tuning then suit you is the best choice IMO. I'd like to assume it is also very difficult to stock tune a headphone well given the many more considerations involving HRTF and other properties that are inherently present in headphones.

- IEMs shouldn't need EQ. An advantage IEMs have to begin with is that it should be easier to tune, especially given multi-driver setups and crossovers, allowing for more accurate control over each frequency range. In addition, it is rather impractical to EQ IEMs given their primary advantage over headphones and speakers lies within portability. Needless to say, parametric EQ on the go is rather difficult to achieve considering most portable sources are incapable of good parametric EQ, compared to desktop sources and powerful DSP available to these devices with higher processing potential, particularly those fed via computers.

Not necessarily EQ, but I do agree the variability with sound perception as you go 2ch > full sized > iems greatly decreases.

My thoughts

2ch: I have to spent WHAT on a setup, then I have to TREAT the room? I'm fine with my sub $1K setup (90% of the cost was actually the Marantz all in one)

Headphones: Much better. Wait HRTF?! I just want to enjoy the music not spend the most of the session making sure its place exactly right like a blood pressure monitor cuff.....That AT I've been using for almost 20 years for mixing? Tis fine.

IEMs: TAKE MY MONEY. But not all of it. Be gentle.

Side note: I asked Toni about the "cable" you absolute madlad

 

[Onurb8690]

Here are my current EnDgAmE collection of IEMs:



I mentioned in a previous post that lately I found myself feeling a sense of decision anxiety when I've owned a larger number of IEMs, and I wanted to find a sweet spot that covers all bases both sonically and practically for my listening habits. I believe somewhere between 4-8 IEMs works best for me, and with these 6 in hand I feel I've mostly achieved what I'm looking for, with a bit of space to potentially add 1-2 more IEMs if something new comes along.

What I'm looking for is a variety of sound signatures that can be considered specialists, whilst also being decent all-rounders at the same time. I guess that means I didn't want anything that went too far in one tuning direction so I wouldn’t necessarily need to change whichever IEM I'm using if I wanted to listen to a particular album or genre.

Subtonic Storm I consider my main all-rounder/reference set, FatFreq Grand Maestro my sub bass specialist, Fir Xe6 my mid bass and warmer tuning specialist, UM Amber Pearl my midrange specialist, and Elysian Annihilator 23 my treble specialist. All these IEMs are so much more than specialists or "one-trick ponies" in my opinion, but they all have their respective special features they bring to the table which makes them all so enjoyable to me in their own way.

Sony IER-Z1R is somewhat an anomaly as it doesn't really have a place like the others but I have a sentimental attachment to it being the first high-end IEM I bought and I consider it cheap enough to warrant keeping it around, plus I think it still sounds damn good and holds its own against the other more expensive sets in my setup. Its bass and treble are still some of my favourite, and its soundstage still stands as one of the most expansive I've heard.

I realised a while ago that there is no such thing as endgame in this hobby and I'm sure it wont be long until another shiny new IEM comes along to make one of these redundant, but I want to implement a rule that if I buy a new IEM, it will need to replace an existing one in any of those categories to keep my collection focused on quality over quantity.

The next step is to find ideal DAP pairings for them all, then I'll focus on cables. The rabbit hole gets ever deeper but that's all part of the fun

Which cable do you use for each one? And what is your most used Dap?

 

[Auricon]

Meze Elite - A headphone that I can call one of the TOTLs of today's time in terms of technical performance and fit. It's a headphone that has a coloured tuning, quite a nice one at that, but it's the technical performance again that is highly impressive - especially its grandness of sound, big soundstage for a headphone, left to right separation and space between every panned instrument. I of course EQ it to a neutral response and with that its technical performance shines even more and it becomes an even better headphone for my use case. This is again a headphone that has one of the most attractive designs, an even more comfortable fit, and is able to come closer to the speakers in a room kind of sound, more than most other headphones have. *Heads up - Review incoming!*

Looking forward to your review! Until then, Elite appreciation night sesh at my “Cabin in the Woods”

 

[PeacockObscura]

Great to hear that you have found the answers for yourself. It is such a crucial step towards finding and understanding yourself. Knowing "something" is going on that is affecting your life is incredibly frustrating when you don't know what that "something" is. Intuitively you might find ways to cope, but that is not the same as understanding what makes you tick.

I was actually also 35 when I found out I had ADHD (inattentive type), although my life up to that point was very different from yours. By the time I was diagnosed, I had already worked myself up from car mechanic to finishing university and earning my PhD. Still suffering the chronic fatigue, etc, that you have experienced as well, though. The reason I came here to Head-fi was because the meds didn't work well for me and I needed to find alternative ways of managing myself. Music is a great tool because it has harmony and when it resonates in our mind, it helps to bring some order to the chaos that is always there.

I too always feel most at home in nature. I intentionally moved to a small village with woods all around, got myself a dog and these days spend around two hours every day walking in the woods while I observe the seasonal changes. My dog 'Barnie' has been a great help to me as well:


Thanks my friend! I sadly never got to do the research on music therapy that I wanted to do. I still think there is much that can be gained from a better understanding of how our minds respond to music, both psychologically and neurologically, especially for mental health. Fascinating stuff!

Still working on a few reviews, btw. You have the VE7, right? If you can, try pairing those with Sonnet of Adam. I can't tell you how much I love that pairing. It is stunning.

I feel you brother I was diagnosed ADHD at 50 years and have always used music to regulate unfortunately my impulsive buying another ADHD trait keeps me poor. All my family laughed at me and said we've always known when my diagnosis came through I think it's a super power not a detriment

 

[Damz87]

Do you guys usually prefer a wired connection or TWS for your daily driver? I mean when commuting on train or bus. I have Bose QC2 and Sony XM4 as my daily driver, but recently I always grab my QC2 because I feel it has a fuller sound vs the XM4. Maybe because I don't have a good seal with the stock eartips I dunno
Want to grab XM5 because some people said it's better sounding than XM4 but I'll have to demoed it first and I'm still not sure the battery leakage problem won't happen again on XM5

I would’ve said wired for SQ, but the iFi Go Pods changed my perspective on this. They sound as good as the higher end dongles ive used and can even drive the lower sensitive IEM’s without a problem.

 

[tamtrum]

I used Ifi gopods on Storm for a bit and I was impressed with the output power and the tonality of the gopods. Easily an upgrade from the fiio utws5 even though the software on the ifi go pods is kinda trash. The LEDs on the gopods box is also pretty neat when you lift the lid.

 

[Auricon]

Yeah! What is this EQ heresy?

PITCHFORKKKKKKKS

Right?!?

I did have to EQ my Audeze though, then found a home for them.

I've never heard a single Meze thing, shouldnt a cable fix it?

Git outta my head – that’s my line!

 

[kaeswiss]

I am appalled by this post coming from an admin of Headfi. Even when the word “sympathy” is used, it is condescending and apathetic. Instead of actually empathizing with members’ plight of inaccessibility of iem auditioning it became an elitist rejection of members’ concerns.
It shows that forum members are not valued if opinions differ.
Any hints of inclusivity has evaporated. Very disappointing

His reply started with "it sucks to be you" and ended with a statement about the rest of the world not being as bad, hifi-wise, as it is for firesign. Is that a show of sympathy.. perhaps? Empathy? Nope.

It's disappointing reading a post like that from an admin here, but the reality is that the community is what keeps this forum and these threads alive. I surely hope head-fi admins don't speak on behalf of head-fi as a whole, especially in posts like that. I know this isn't a widespread hobby, but listing off 6 CanJam locations and 3 other countries where there are other non-CanJam hifi conventions doesn't mean this hobby is as easily accessible to the rest of the world as it is for you.

 

[Yifang]

What do you mean? I stripped this from the power lines out front myself

Not necessarily EQ, but I do agree the variability with sound perception as you go 2ch > full sized > iems greatly decreases.

My thoughts

2ch: I have to spent WHAT on a setup, then I have to TREAT the room? I'm fine with my sub $1K setup (90% of the cost was actually the Marantz all in one)

Headphones: Much better. Wait HRTF?! I just want to enjoy the music not spend the most of the session making sure its place exactly right like a blood pressure monitor cuff.....That AT I've been using for almost 20 years for mixing? Tis fine.

IEMs: TAKE MY MONEY. But not all of it. Be gentle.

Side note: I asked Toni about the "cable" you absolute madlad

Oh boy... The Cable!

 

[warrenpchi]

While I disagree with your characterizations, I can still respect your opinions about this. And because I do, here's an opportunity for us to have a civil discussion about this.

Instead of actually empathizing with members’ plight of inaccessibility of iem auditioning it became an elitist rejection of members’ concerns.

I know this isn't a widespread hobby, but listing off 6 CanJam locations and 3 other countries where there are other non-CanJam hifi conventions doesn't mean this hobby is as easily accessible to the rest of the world as it is for you.

First of all, I don't believe said inaccessibility actually exists.

The member in question has indicated that "in Europe, you have to buy your IEMs to try them." Even a cursory Google search has revealed there are quite a few audio shows in Europe, in locations that include: Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg (which I found somewhat surprising), Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Serbia. And of course, there are quite a few shows in the UK, if that member is willing to travel across the channel.

However, should that member wish to remain within Spain -- where that member claims to be from -- I'd like to point out there are personal audio stores in Spain. Most notably, these include Supersonido locations in Agorta, Barcelona, and Bilbao. You should check out their web site to see their store pics -- they have some very, very nice stores! There's also a Zococity in Valencia. Together, they carry a great deal of the brands we discuss here.

In fact, I feel pretty comfortable saying he has access to more premium IEMs, in better retail environments, in Spain that I do here in the United States. Neither Spain nor the US can hold a candle to the incredible selection in Singapore of course, but then again Singapore is truly special in that regard.

Secondly, if you review this thread, you'll see that member has spent a great deal of time trying to convince us that we should talk about one specific brand, AüR Audio, more than we do. I think that, by and large, we'd be happy to discuss them more, if we were able to audition them. However, that has proven to be somewhat difficult as there are little to no opportunities to do so here.

When we explained that AüR Audio does very little marketing in our regions, in that they do not attend shows here, nor do they seem to have dealers here, it was implied that we should simply blind buy AüR's IEMs in order to evaluate them. Suggesting that we audition any given brand's IEMs is one thing. Suggesting that we purchase them in order to audition them is, perhaps, a bit unreasonable?

 

[kaeswiss]

While I disagree with your characterizations, I can still respect your opinions about this. And because I do, here's an opportunity for us to have a civil discussion about this.




First of all, I don't believe said inaccessibility actually exists.

The member in question has indicated that "in Europe, you have to buy your IEMs to try them." Even a cursory Google search has revealed there are quite a few audio shows in Europe, in locations that include: Austria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg (which I found somewhat surprising), Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Serbia. And of course, there are quite a few shows in the UK, if that member is willing to travel across the channel.

However, should that member wish to remain within Spain -- where that member claims to be from -- I'd like to point out there are personal audio stores in Spain. Most notably, these include Supersonido locations in Agorta, Barcelona, and Bilbao. You should check out their web site to see their store pics -- they have some very, very nice stores! There's also a Zococity in Valencia. Together, they carry a great deal of the brands we discuss here.

In fact, I feel pretty comfortable saying he has access to more premium IEMs, in better retail environments, in Spain that I do here in the United States. Neither Spain nor the US can hold a candle to the incredible selection in Singapore of course, but then again Singapore is truly special in that regard.

Secondly, if you review this thread, you'll see that member has spent a great deal of time trying to convince us that we should talk about one specific brand, AüR Audio, more than we do. I think that, by and large, we'd be happy to discuss them more, if we were able to audition them. However, that has proven to be somewhat difficult as there are little to no opportunities to do so here.

When we explained that AüR Audio does very little marketing in our regions, in that they do not attend shows here, nor do they seem to have dealers here, it was implied that we should simply blind buy AüR's IEMs in order to evaluate them. Suggesting that we audition any given brand's IEMs is one thing. Suggesting that we purchase them in order to audition them is, perhaps, a bit unreasonable?

Thanks for the explanation, but you have to admit. The tone and content of this post is not the same as your previous post. While this post is more informative and offers the member options to experience product testing and auditioning within his country, the previous post was far from it.

 

[kaeswiss]

FWIW, I didn't agree with his qualms about Aur Audio not being talked about in this thread either. You should only give impressions on what you've actually listened to.

 

[warrenpchi]

Thanks for the explanation, but you have to admit. The tone and content of this post is not the same as your previous post. While this post is more informative and offers the member options to experience product testing and auditioning within his country, the previous post was far from it.

Yes, I can admit that.

Like anybody, I too have certain limits in terms of patience. Having read post after post regarding this topic - which included other members' patiently trying to explain our lack of access to AüR's products - well, I simply reached my limit.

And in accordance with that admission, should that member wish an apology from me regarding my tone, he/she will most certainly have it. But I do stand by the main points in my posts (yes, even the aggrieved one to an extent) as I feel those points to be valid.

 

[chickenmcnug]

That lovely feeling when an item clears customs. EXT will be here soon. My first IEM purchase in 3 years.

 

[Zyder]

Totally agree with only buying AuR audio or even any other iem after audition. Most new stuff start getting noticed in CJ or any other exhibit, if brands can't make it then yeah, no choice.