Not so fat head
1000+ Head-Fier
OMG, I have an IEZ “inner ear zit” pimple..
My IEM’s are on hold for now
My IEM’s are on hold for now
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
- Start date
Stu Paddasso
1000+ Head-Fier
How is Shanling M9+ for heat? I know M8 gets really Warm & M7 can be very Hot! 
It's been going through my head since I saw them Wednesday night!DMP-Z1 plus Orphy/FW + Substance reissue = good night!
It does get warm in regular use. Normally not enough to be more than a mild hand warmer.How is Shanling M9+ for heat? I know M8 gets really Warm & M7 can be very Hot!
However, I fell asleep listening to it the other night and it slipped under the blankets, when I woke up, it was blazing hot. Turned it off and all was fine.
For those wondering, it's size is about the same of most typical TOTL DAPs (excluding N30 and Dx320 Max) but it is definitely lighter than all of them.
Last edited:
KuroKitsu
Headphoneus Supremus
Not 1.39 bad, but probably skipping BF deals this year
Yeah, I did recently have that tour kit. I wrote about Diva a few pages back, and have yet to put down my feelings on Anni23. Diva gives a good taste of Anni, but the extra $ does indeed get you something quite a bit more "TOTL". I'll write more on Anni very soon.
I own Indigo and had some good time demoing MM. Even lacking the DD, MM was a good league ahead of Indigo in most respects. However, if I had to choose between MM and Anni23, the latter would be my choice because it does have a nicely tuned and effective DD and Elysian tuning to boot, and at a much better price than $4k MM.
Anni23 is great, endgame stuff for those who will not/cannot make the jump to the $4k+ stratosphere. For what it is, I think Anni is one of those few values in TOTL iems.
KuroKitsu
Headphoneus Supremus
American Sound in Richmond Hill
Noteworth Audio in King City
Headfoneshop in North York
Best would be the tours imo.
This
Jeff sent me UM MM and it's moving across USA currently.
This
Jeff sent me UM MM and it's moving across USA currently.
Tours are a great option yes. Just sign up for the tour as per the protocol on the first page of the tour thread. Newer members please make a point of staying visible in this thread as it adds to the trust factor. Right now in Canada the Fir kit is just finishing up, Oriolus Monachaa is about to start, as is a Custom Art tour for which I have a new IEM on the way.
Elysian Acoustics will be hitting Canada eventually too. Plus whatever other goodies I can get my hands on.
The Mentor is in the US now but I'm happy to send it to whoever (on the tour program) wants to here it, with shipping being the negotiable factor there.
OMG, I have an IEZ “inner ear zit” pimple..
My IEM’s are on hold for now
This happens to me often and consistently whenever I use universals - not in the inner ear, but at the point of contact between my ear and the UIEM's ear tips. So while I can audition universals, I can only do so for relatively short periods (usually an hour or two) before irritation begins to set in. And because of all that, it's why I am basically restricted to CIEMs in order to truly enjoy a unit.
Alexzander
500+ Head-Fier
Ok guys due to all the buzz happening around Kinera Imperial Loki in this thread you made my lazy ass go audition them using DX320 MAX TI, comparing it both to MM and Traillii.
First thing I’d like to mention is that it has the deepest custom-like fit and the best isolation among those IEMs despite having three venting holes for DD.
Coming to the sound I liked it sub and mid bass alot - it was the most engaging, visceral and holographic compared to MM and the Bird.
Midrange was pushed a bit backward but still enjoyable if you are up to V-shaped sound, but upper midrange boost was a bit too much for me - it made higher octaves of vocals and instument a bit compressed or piercing at times, a dealbreaker for me unfortunately.
Treble was done tastefully and having good amount of details, definitely not worse than competition.
Stage size was quite deep, wide and tall.
Imaging felt just a tad behind Mentor but by not too much.
First thing I’d like to mention is that it has the deepest custom-like fit and the best isolation among those IEMs despite having three venting holes for DD.
Coming to the sound I liked it sub and mid bass alot - it was the most engaging, visceral and holographic compared to MM and the Bird.
Midrange was pushed a bit backward but still enjoyable if you are up to V-shaped sound, but upper midrange boost was a bit too much for me - it made higher octaves of vocals and instument a bit compressed or piercing at times, a dealbreaker for me unfortunately.
Treble was done tastefully and having good amount of details, definitely not worse than competition.
Stage size was quite deep, wide and tall.
Imaging felt just a tad behind Mentor but by not too much.
Mid-morning shoutout to what is emerging as the sleeper combo of the year for me. The CFA Bonneville + A&K SR35.
The Bonneville is a "complete package" IEM for me-- something that becomes more apparent the more time I spend with it. It doesn't quite jump out at you at first, as per typical CFA it's probably quite unlike what you were listening to before you popped these in. I almost passed over CFA altogether when I was in SoCal but they were right across from the Musicteck table so I figured "why not". I went for the Cascara first as that was the one I thought I'd be the most interested in. It was good-- and my affection for the Bonneville compelled me to snap one up, though it has not arrived yet. Bonny didn't jump out at me at first but after four demos over the two days in SoCal I came to the conlusion that it was my favorite IEM that I'd heard at the show-- even besting the VE X for me, which I actually had to hop over something of a mental barrier to accept. The reason for me is that it brings a bit of everything and doesn't hit any of my red flags. Bass, mids and treble are all there. It's a little bit bombastic, but not overly so. Staging is well above average in height, width and depth. The bass thumps, vocals are free from veil (if a touch recessed at times), timbre in the mids is spot on with nothing metallic and zero shout or glare to my ears and lastly there is a sufficient amount of air and sparkle up top. Layering and imaging is quite good. Most importantly (for me) it doesn't veer into dryness, thinness, brightness or harman tuned sterility as seems to be the trend right now. It's a wonderful "all in one" sort of IEM for my tastes. I had initially hoped that these might finally be a CFA IEM that isn't that divisive...however some of the impressions I've come across suggest that is not the case. I do know a few others who are as floored by these as I am, so YMMV once again. I'm converging on the viewpoint that due to pinna bypass "we all hear things differently" is more literally the case than even I suspected, with people's individual ear geometry adding affecting the sound possibly quite substantially in some cases, especially in the highs. In any case I hope more people get their ears on the Bonneville and spend some time hearing it before judging. It won't be for everyone obviously, but I still maintain that his has the potential to appeal to a much wider audience than has been typical for many CFA releases as of late. YMMV, and all that.
The Bonneville is a "complete package" IEM for me-- something that becomes more apparent the more time I spend with it. It doesn't quite jump out at you at first, as per typical CFA it's probably quite unlike what you were listening to before you popped these in. I almost passed over CFA altogether when I was in SoCal but they were right across from the Musicteck table so I figured "why not". I went for the Cascara first as that was the one I thought I'd be the most interested in. It was good-- and my affection for the Bonneville compelled me to snap one up, though it has not arrived yet. Bonny didn't jump out at me at first but after four demos over the two days in SoCal I came to the conlusion that it was my favorite IEM that I'd heard at the show-- even besting the VE X for me, which I actually had to hop over something of a mental barrier to accept. The reason for me is that it brings a bit of everything and doesn't hit any of my red flags. Bass, mids and treble are all there. It's a little bit bombastic, but not overly so. Staging is well above average in height, width and depth. The bass thumps, vocals are free from veil (if a touch recessed at times), timbre in the mids is spot on with nothing metallic and zero shout or glare to my ears and lastly there is a sufficient amount of air and sparkle up top. Layering and imaging is quite good. Most importantly (for me) it doesn't veer into dryness, thinness, brightness or harman tuned sterility as seems to be the trend right now. It's a wonderful "all in one" sort of IEM for my tastes. I had initially hoped that these might finally be a CFA IEM that isn't that divisive...however some of the impressions I've come across suggest that is not the case. I do know a few others who are as floored by these as I am, so YMMV once again. I'm converging on the viewpoint that due to pinna bypass "we all hear things differently" is more literally the case than even I suspected, with people's individual ear geometry adding affecting the sound possibly quite substantially in some cases, especially in the highs. In any case I hope more people get their ears on the Bonneville and spend some time hearing it before judging. It won't be for everyone obviously, but I still maintain that his has the potential to appeal to a much wider audience than has been typical for many CFA releases as of late. YMMV, and all that.
Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2011
- Posts
- 7,985
- Likes
- 48,180
That’s one I keep meaning to try also, read so many great reports.
Ultimate Sophistication
New Head-Fier
well though my questions here are very genuine, they help me staying visible hopefully lol. This is my first time being visible since 2019, and look at me, wondered about buying diva, and wanting to try Mentor, anni and raven now. Beautiful.
is this where people usually stop eating out and start popin off some instant noodle?
Ultimate Sophistication
New Head-Fier
idk i kinda feel like they are about the same price since you can find mm discounted here and there and not the anni23, not a chance.
I feel like I'm missing some context here. If you've replied to me somewhere and I missed that I'm sorry...I don't necessarily catch everything that gets posted in this thread.
Users who are viewing this thread
