[linux4ever]

As always, delighted to hear Camelot is working out well for you - definitely my IEM of the year, and indeed in this hobby… it sits in the Goldilocks zone for me.

In other news, I sold N7 - Shanling M6 Ultra and H7 to an extent will babysit this category of my sources for now, albeit of course being a step down but I’m debating my next DAP (or desktop… R2R DAC high on the list) move and doing some early spring cleaning - great DAP, loved every minute, but the hobby has firmly set teeth back in

On that note, I’ve ordered the Vortex Alida, simply due to what I perceive as a great style match with my inbound Loki… fingers crossed

Lovely looking cable

 

[jwilliamhurst]

I was fortunate enough to get the
ElysianAnnihilator23 tour demo this weekend and since I recently acquired Kinera Loki Emerald and having read the similarities between the two I was excited to A/B them.

And in fact, They are very similarly tuned. As everyone has said about Anni, it’s Midbass is very nice and warms up the signature with a nice full sound. The bass has great texture, has some grain and doesn’t extend very deep at all and starts to sound one note. Loki has more sub bass emphasis, detail/definition and extends very deep while still having an even amount of mid bass to keep the signature musical. Loki has much better resolution and feels more spacious in the mid range. Both are a bit recessed vocally and I can hear it more recessed with Anni. The mids are tonally more accurate on Loki with good texture. I hear Anni’s mids to be clear however with a bit of grain on the leading edges of notes. Which could be some mid bass bleed, vocals still being quite enjoyable in an analog sense. The treble on Anni as everyone has said is class leading extension while still sounding clear and smooth. Loki also has class leading extension and rivals Anni IMO. My biggest nitpick with Anni is the lack of coherency. It’s a bit distracting in that sense if I let my mind analyze. Loki on the other hand sounds more coherent of the two. I also prefer the imaging chops of the Loki over Anni. Soundstage sound similar to me. Loki maybe having better depth and layering. Both are and Anni is nicer to look at
As always YMMV.

For my preferences I am glad to own the Loki. I am so glad I was finally able to hear the Annihilator!

 

[gLer]

Less would have been better before the tinnitus, just maybe..?

Tell that to a 16-year-old kid in 1990 with a Walkman

As for Sony, my first listen to the 1ZM2 was blah. I only warmed up to it when a/bing with other DAPs

I personally rate the OG WM1Z > 1ZM2. Sony tried to make the 1Z more contemporary by upping the technical performance and tuning it brighter to appeal to more 'hifi' sensibilities, and in doing so I feel they lost the magic that makes the original 1Z what it is.

Interesting about the 1ZM2...that's sort of the impression I've gotten from a few folks viz a viz that it doesn't quite live up to the OG in terms of sound or user experience.

Exactly this.

 

[chickenmcnug]

I personally rate the OG WM1Z > 1ZM2. Sony tried to make the 1Z more contemporary by upping the technical performance and tuning it brighter to appeal to more 'hifi' sensibilities, and in doing so I feel they lost the magic that makes the original 1Z what it is.

I 100% agree with this. Was kind of disappointed when I demo'd the 1Z2. Did not have that special organic warmth the OG was so famous for.

 

[slumberman]

That's why I asked mostly. I find most IEMs bright while they're just fine for others, and I wondered how other tinnitus friends fared on this.


I never even added it. One worry less for the perfectionist inside of me.

drftr

There’s also to keep in mind all frequencies sensitivities or lack thereof are not necessarily sign of damage/ tinnitus: the shape of the ear canal is a major contributor in how frequencies are amplified or attenuated and ultimately translated to a personal sonic experience.

 

[phiemon]

Cross-post for all interested headfier.

A&K SP3000 vs Shanling M9+

Disclaimer: I only received the M9+ yesterday afternoon. I notice the signature is still changing, it hasn't had a burn-in yet. I won't go into details because that would really take too long. Impressions are pretty mixed so far, it is too early to make a safe decision.

Basically, both are quite different. About the signature: the SP3000 is neutral-warm, the M9+ is warmer. The M9+ has a stronger bass foundation and more sub-bass and mid-bass punch with longer note delay. The SP3000 is a little lighter in the lower end. The transition from sub-bass to mid-bass is faster, so the note delay is quicker. This means a little more texture and resolution in this area. The mids/vocals and upper mids of the SP3000 are brighter, clearer, more dominant and with more resolution. However, I'm not so sure that this is such a positive thing. In fact, this aspect always bothered me and I tried not to focus on it because I didn't want to change the DAP. But now this could potentially even be a dealbreaker for me. Because, watch out here: 1. bright, clear and dominant vocals sometimes sound a bit strident. This is very clear with Mentor. In fact, there are some tracks and artists (e.g. Muse, Cocteau Twins, Kölsch, CamelPath, Rüfüs du Sol) that I simply can't listen to, it just bothers me. 2. and my second dealbreaker is connected to this point: when the mids and upper mids are so dominant, they rob the scene in the bottom end and the air in the top end. This is particularly noticeable in the soundstage: the focus is on the mids and the volume is geared towards them. As a result, information is lost in the background (i.e. again: in the bass and treble range). The soundstage sounds like it's lacking, precisely because the mids are dominant. This is particularly noticeable when you compare the SP3000 with the M9+. However, I particularly like the treble. They are clear and defined. The contrast with the bass range is quite good, but not with the mid range, as this is already bright per se. That's why some music (in which the mids and treble are bright and forward) simply doesn't sound good, it just bothers me.

Now comes the M9+. The sound is in the analog and emotional range. I have already written about the bass foundation. The mids are warmer than on the SP3000 and (only!) a little more in the background. The highs are smoother. This results in a full-body sound. This has the advantage of great immersion in the music. The soundstage here is really incredible. It is notably larger in three dimensions than the SP3000 and above all more holographic, there is also more air in between. I had such "wow" moments earlier with the Xe6 and Mentor that I never had with the SP3000. Everything melts together here, there is no dominance of the mids and no element in the frequency range that somehow interferes. In this sense, the M9+ is more coherent. Fir Audios sound so freaking good. The music is a single flow and you swim in it. What I would like to see is more energy on top, then the M9+ would really be perfect. But it's still too early to draw any conclusions as the device is still new. The sound will certainly continue to change.

By the way: now I understand why I couldn't like the Traillii: bright and dominant upper mids - yep, just like the SP3000, you've been paying attention! Too bad I don't have it anymore, I'm very sure that Traillii with the M9+ would have been a really good pairing! Still: Mentor tends to be sibillant with the SP3000 (again: upper mids/lower treble), but with the M9+ it sounds really good. The same applies to Anni. Yep, that's real: stronger AMP, the M9+ drives Anni better than SP3000.

Further, the M9+ has a total of 4 gains and the difference between them is audible and I swear I can hear the difference between the filters - I even tested it blind!

I do not consider other aspects (build, UI, etc.).

Sorry for linguistic and conceptual errors, I wrote from the gut without thinking.

 

[fejnomit]

Cross-post for all interested headfier.

A&K SP3000 vs Shanling M9+

Disclaimer: I only received the M9+ yesterday afternoon. I notice the signature is still changing, it hasn't had a burn-in yet. I won't go into details because that would really take too long. Impressions are pretty mixed so far, it is too early to make a safe decision.

Basically, both are quite different. About the signature: the SP3000 is neutral-warm, the M9+ is warmer. The M9+ has a stronger bass foundation and more sub-bass and mid-bass punch with longer note delay. The SP3000 is a little lighter in the lower end. The transition from sub-bass to mid-bass is faster, so the note delay is quicker. This means a little more texture and resolution in this area. The mids/vocals and upper mids of the SP3000 are brighter, clearer, more dominant and with more resolution. However, I'm not so sure that this is such a positive thing. In fact, this aspect always bothered me and I tried not to focus on it because I didn't want to change the DAP. But now this could potentially even be a dealbreaker for me. Because, watch out here: 1. bright, clear and dominant vocals sometimes sound a bit strident. This is very clear with Mentor. In fact, there are some tracks and artists (e.g. Muse, Cocteau Twins) that I simply can't listen to, it just bothers me. 2. and my second dealbreaker is connected to this point: when the mids and upper mids are so dominant, they rob the scene in the bottom end and the air in the top end. This is particularly noticeable in the soundstage: the focus is on the mids and the volume is geared towards them. As a result, information is lost in the background (i.e. again: in the bass and treble range). The soundstage sounds like it's lacking, precisely because the mids are dominant. This is particularly noticeable when you compare the SP3000 with the M9+. However, I particularly like the treble. They are clear and defined. The contrast with the bass range is quite good, but not with the mid range, as this is already bright per se. That's why some music (in which the mids and treble are bright and forward) simply doesn't sound good, it just bothers me.

Now comes the M9+. The sound is in the analog and emotional range. I have already written about the bass foundation. The mids are warmer than on the SP3000 and (only!) a little more in the background. The highs are smoother. This results in a full-body sound. This has the advantage of great immersion in the music. The soundstage here is really incredible. It is notably larger in three dimensions than the SP3000 and above all more holographic, there is also more air in between. I had such "wow" moments earlier with the Xe6 and Mentor that I never had with the SP3000. Everything melts together here, there is no dominance of the mids and no element in the frequency range that somehow interferes. In this sense, the M9+ is more coherent. Fir Audios sounds so freaking good. The music is a single flow and you swim in it. What I would like to see is more energy on top, then the M9+ would really be perfect. But it's still too early to draw any conclusions as the device is still new. The sound will certainly continue to change.

By the way: now I understand why I couldn't like the Traillii: bright and dominant upper mids - yep, just like the SP3000, you've been paying attention! Too bad I don't have it anymore, I'm very sure that Traillii with the M9+ would have been a really good combination! Otherwise: Mentor tends to be sibillant with the SP3000 (again: upper mids/lower treble!), but with the M9+ it sounds really good. The same applies to Anni.

Further, the M9+ has a total of 4 gains and the difference between them is audible and I swear I can hear the difference between the filters - I even tested it blind!

I do not consider other aspects (build, UI, etc.).

Sorry for linguistic and conceptual errors, I wrote from the gut without thinking.

Very helpful. Thank you

 

[metaljem77]

If I remember correctly I think @HiFiHawaii808 and @metaljem77 asked about the differences between the Mira and Mira mk2. For the mk2, some improvements have been made to the SPC used in the shield as well as the PVC used for the insulation. Sound wise, they are largely the same tonally, with some refinements to treble and slight improvement to technical performance relative to the original Mira.

Thank you for your insightful posts, and for remembering kudos to the ethos that you and your teammates at Subtonic demonstrate

 

[emdeevee]

Thank you for your insightful posts, and for remembering kudos to the ethos that you and your teammates at Subtonic demonstrate

I personally feel that @Chang should be "last" on your list!!!

 

[bigbeans]

Sunday afternoon listening session. The magic of this combo, an ode to timbre and natural sound.

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Sunday afternoon listening session. The magic of this combo, an ode to timbre and natural sound.

How do you like the LL cable with the Trifecta?

 

[emdeevee]

I've seen that series pop up. My wife is into everything Korean so I get a lot of kdrama recs. She is even taking Korean language classes and travels to Korea a few times per year.

As I said, the acting is great. So is the character development. What is puzzling to me are the decisions they make. What I am unsure of is whether or not those are typical cultural decisions they would make or if I am just missing something with their puzzling choices. I guess if they make the right decision, the series would be over in one episode. It's a bit like when every villain takes their time killing the hero in an action film and they always end up regretting that decision. If you are a bad guy, the general rule is kill the good guy as soon as you get a chance. Don't tie him up and tell him your plan. Just kill him.

Good lord, you're edging me ever closer to watching these with with my GF...right now, I use that time to listen to music, and trust me, the Netflix subscription remains the most used! Too many great iems to listen to right now, Kdrama needs to wait.

Anyone here has heard Clear Tune Monitors Da Vinci X and have some impressions to share? It's on sale for $1200. It's a 10 BA setup.

Yes, I have this set, bought last year on the same deal. They are not to my taste. Too light in the bass for me. An interesting tuning, tho. I'll sell you mine if you want!

Cross-post for all interested headfier.

A&K SP3000 vs Shanling M9+

Disclaimer: I only received the M9+ yesterday afternoon. I notice the signature is still changing, it hasn't had a burn-in yet. I won't go into details because that would really take too long. Impressions are pretty mixed so far, it is too early to make a safe decision.

Basically, both are quite different. About the signature: the SP3000 is neutral-warm, the M9+ is warmer. The M9+ has a stronger bass foundation and more sub-bass and mid-bass punch with longer note delay. The SP3000 is a little lighter in the lower end. The transition from sub-bass to mid-bass is faster, so the note delay is quicker. This means a little more texture and resolution in this area. The mids/vocals and upper mids of the SP3000 are brighter, clearer, more dominant and with more resolution. However, I'm not so sure that this is such a positive thing. In fact, this aspect always bothered me and I tried not to focus on it because I didn't want to change the DAP. But now this could potentially even be a dealbreaker for me. Because, watch out here: 1. bright, clear and dominant vocals sometimes sound a bit strident. This is very clear with Mentor. In fact, there are some tracks and artists (e.g. Muse, Cocteau Twins, Kölsch, CamelPath, Rüfüs du Sol) that I simply can't listen to, it just bothers me. 2. and my second dealbreaker is connected to this point: when the mids and upper mids are so dominant, they rob the scene in the bottom end and the air in the top end. This is particularly noticeable in the soundstage: the focus is on the mids and the volume is geared towards them. As a result, information is lost in the background (i.e. again: in the bass and treble range). The soundstage sounds like it's lacking, precisely because the mids are dominant. This is particularly noticeable when you compare the SP3000 with the M9+. However, I particularly like the treble. They are clear and defined. The contrast with the bass range is quite good, but not with the mid range, as this is already bright per se. That's why some music (in which the mids and treble are bright and forward) simply doesn't sound good, it just bothers me.

Now comes the M9+. The sound is in the analog and emotional range. I have already written about the bass foundation. The mids are warmer than on the SP3000 and (only!) a little more in the background. The highs are smoother. This results in a full-body sound. This has the advantage of great immersion in the music. The soundstage here is really incredible. It is notably larger in three dimensions than the SP3000 and above all more holographic, there is also more air in between. I had such "wow" moments earlier with the Xe6 and Mentor that I never had with the SP3000. Everything melts together here, there is no dominance of the mids and no element in the frequency range that somehow interferes. In this sense, the M9+ is more coherent. Fir Audios sound so freaking good. The music is a single flow and you swim in it. What I would like to see is more energy on top, then the M9+ would really be perfect. But it's still too early to draw any conclusions as the device is still new. The sound will certainly continue to change.

By the way: now I understand why I couldn't like the Traillii: bright and dominant upper mids - yep, just like the SP3000, you've been paying attention! Too bad I don't have it anymore, I'm very sure that Traillii with the M9+ would have been a really good pairing! Still: Mentor tends to be sibillant with the SP3000 (again: upper mids/lower treble), but with the M9+ it sounds really good. The same applies to Anni. Yep, that's real: stronger AMP, the M9+ drives Anni better than SP3000.

Further, the M9+ has a total of 4 gains and the difference between them is audible and I swear I can hear the difference between the filters - I even tested it blind!

I do not consider other aspects (build, UI, etc.).

Sorry for linguistic and conceptual errors, I wrote from the gut without thinking.

Thanks for sharing these impressions! Having M9+ it seems natural to compare with SP3000, they're DS chips and architecture aren't that different. I still haven't heard SP3000 tho I will definitely try it at canjam this year.

Having tried a handful of new DAPs at CanJam, except the M9+, I was most impressed with RS8 at the price point. At @Rockwell75 recommendation, seeing as he has an RS8, I blind went for M9+ especially when I learned it was as light as it was, in comparison to pretty much every other TOTL DAP out there.

IMHO, maybe just short of N30LE (which must weigh 2x), this Shanling is the queen of DS implementation for me. I have consistently been drawn to R2R sound, and seriously debated the RS8. Both could stream and power everything I have. But I decided that since I was keeping P6Pro no matter what, I should go for this DS, and I could always complain to Jeff later!

Well, zero effing complaints, that's for sure (except maybe battery)!! I am so happy with its sound and feel exactly like you said, though I think there's gobs of treble extension to balance out that big bass. It's indeed warm (and gets warm with play) with no hint of that metallic edge I so often detect in DS players. I further agree that when paired with an Xe6, you've got nirvana in a very portable package (N30 might have an edge sound wise, but that ain't so portable!). Also, I agree that the gain levels make appreciable differences without altering the signature. I rarely need to use medium, let alone hi. I still have yet to try my HD800S with it, but with that additional power setting above hi gain, I must give it a try.

For a bunch of reasons, you can't go wrong with M9+!

 

[BlueA]

I’m debating my next DAP

Darwin DSP

 

[bigbeans]

How do you like the LL cable with the Trifecta?

I can't comment on the SQ diff as I haven't noticed much of a change from stock. I do like what I'm hearing.

Ergowise, I prefer Westlake to stock. Much easier to handle and looks better than stock imho.

 

[linux4ever]

Good lord, you're edging me ever closer to watching these with with my GF...right now, I use that time to listen to music, and trust me, the Netflix subscription remains the most used! Too many great iems to listen to right now, Kdrama needs to wait.

Yes, I have this set, bought last year on the same deal. They are not to my taste. Too light in the bass for me. An interesting tuning, tho. I'll sell you mine if you want!

Thanks for sharing these impressions! Having M9+ it seems natural to compare with SP3000, they're DS chips and architecture aren't that different. I still haven't heard SP3000 tho I will definitely try it at canjam this year.

Having tried a handful of new DAPs at CanJam, except the M9+, I was most impressed with RS8 at the price point. At @Rockwell75 recommendation, seeing as he has an RS8, I blind went for M9+ especially when I learned it was as light as it was, in comparison to pretty much every other TOTL DAP out there.

IMHO, maybe just short of N30LE (which must weigh 2x), this Shanling is the queen of DS implementation for me. I have consistently been drawn to R2R sound, and seriously debated the RS8. Both could stream and power everything I have. But I decided that since I was keeping P6Pro no matter what, I should go for this DS, and I could always complain to Jeff later!

Well, zero effing complaints, that's for sure (except maybe battery)!! I am so happy with its sound and feel exactly like you said, though I think there's gobs of treble extension to balance out that big bass. It's indeed warm (and gets warm with play) with no hint of that metallic edge I so often detect in DS players. I further agree that when paired with an Xe6, you've got nirvana in a very portable package (N30 might have an edge sound wise, but that ain't so portable!). Also, I agree that the gain levels make appreciable differences without altering the signature. I rarely need to use medium, let alone hi. I still have yet to try my HD800S with it, but with that additional power setting above hi gain, I must give it a try.

For a bunch of reasons, you can't go wrong with M9+!

Thank you for your impressions on CTM Da Vinci X. Too light in the bass won't work for me too.