Good evening, 'Coolers, and Merry Christmas to each and every single one of you.
I just got up from a 5-hour nap after pulling an all-nighter mixing and mastering my church's latest Christmas recording, so please excuse any wooziness that may or may not be evident on this post.
In essence, I wanna wish everyone here a wonderful end to the year, whether you spend it with family, friends or even in private. I've had the most eventful, hectic and ultimately satisfying one I've ever had with the wedding and what-not.
And, whether it was during event prep, suit fittings, workout sessions for said suit fittings, etc., I could always count on my lovely friends at the Watercooler thread for laughs, insights, friendships... and the occasional debate or two too.
Again, I hope you've all had a positive 2023, and I wish you all a fresh, new, hopeful start to 2024 as well.
Also, I wanna dedicate my respect, gratitude and congrats to our one and only
@Rockwell75. What Jeff initially started as a little chat group has evolved into one of Head-Fi's most active threads of all-time (I think that's fair to say,
@warrenpchi?), and may the communal spirit that he and so many others here have fostered continue to thrive for more years to come. Congrats on 5K pages and 75-something-something posts - I don't even know the exact figure - and here's to 5K more!
Before I forget, this is said song I've been editing, mixing and mastering for the past couple weeks (or technically,
only editing for the past couple weeks, then mixed and mastered in a rush over the past 24 hours
):
The first half of the video is a look back at many of the Christmas events, musicals and plays we've had at our current building for the 23 years we've been there. Today was our last Christmas there, as we're set to move to our new building next year. The backing track is a song my mom wrote back in the day for the choir. The track I worked on starts at 3:46, and it's a rearrangement of the track. This is what that mix section looked like a few hours into the process:
And, that's just the top half. There's an entire string section and 20 vocal tracks chilling below.
Also, 'fun fact, this song was entirely edited, mixed and mastered with the Bellos Audio X4 out of my 2019 MacBook Pro headphone output. So, if you listen to the track with those devices, then you're literally hearing it as the artist intended. 'No marketing BS there.
'Hope you all enjoy, and onto the replies!
On the EE thread, Jack went through all the changes made on the revised set, which has basically been rebuilt from the ground-up with stronger shells, more accommodating sockets, an easier-to-QC internal structure, etc. It's basically a whole new product, and early impressions of those who've handled it at shows have been very positive. Here's to hoping those who pre-ordered finally get their units soon, and all we see are glowing impressions and reviews.
The 622B is easily in my top three IEMs of the year. In fact, I just voted for it. I'll talk about it more on my much-delayed PAPI 2023 coverage post, but it's probably the most technical warm-toned set I've ever heard. I basically called it an organic, naturalistic IEM in a technical powerhouse's body on my article. I think, if you're into warmer, more organic tonalities, but with huge macrodynamic swings and instruments that truly
move, you'll love what the 622B has to offer.
'Easily well deserved, my friend. All the best on your reviewing journey. I hope you can learn from my own mistakes and shortcomings, and I look forward to what you've got cooking up for 2024.
Thanks so much, Warren! And, yeah, I've been loving the X4 more and more since I've been using it. I just drummed with it live yesterday and, as I said above, edited, mixed and mastered my first full track on it. The first of two things I've loved most about it is comfort. The In-Air Canals are a true innovation, and I've truly felt nothing like it. It's so strange, because, it physically feels like you haven't achieved a seal, because your ear canals feel almost-empty, but the isolation and bass response are perfect. I think it's low-key one of the most palpable/evident leaps in IEMs I've seen in recent memory, and it should definitely be talked about way more.
The second thing is bass response. A problem I've had with some of my reference IEMs in the past is, as I get fatigued or as the track starts getting crowded, I start losing track of the bass. I usually end up with mixes that are too bloated, especially between the sub- and mid-bass. The first reference IEM I had that sorta dodged this was the Sharona, but I think the X4 does an even better job at it, probably 'cus of ATOM and the In-Air Canals. Throughout the mixing process, I could keep the bass in check pretty much the whole time. Even if I lose track of it by ear (as in hearing for the bass), I could still tell where it was by the thumps I was getting from the DD.
So, yeah, the X4 is definitely a winner in my book, and the price it was going for during the Black Friday sale is a steal if I've ever seen one. I hope more people get to experience the IEM and grab future discounts. Even at full price, I think this thing absolutely bangs for the buck.
Once again, from my family to yours, Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
)
Sooo happy you got it in time for Christmas!
Joke aside, great impressions!
I totally get the convenience but as far as enjoyment for music goes… sheesh. 
