A man is still wondering how he stumbled here in the first place.
He would like to wish everyone at the Watercooler a Happy New Year.
May the good spirits of the thread continue always.
May everyone be blessed with good health and happiness always.
A week before Christmas, a man has lost a friend.
May these songs reach her wherever she is.
I am living in a house with a housemate for rent right now, but after more than 8 years, it's time to move on.
No doubt about that. The moments shared were irreplaceable.
There's an empty space there somewhat. But we move on. Here today, gone tomorrow.
I'm very excited about the results of the IEM of the year poll! Thank you @Rockwell75 ! The rankings give me hints were to look at nextHello everyone the time has come to tally up the results and declare the Watercooler 2023 IEM of the year. There were 164 participants in all:
@-rowan-
@8481
@Acts
@aaf evo
@AAI19
@AboveNBeyond
@AEIOU9
@Alexzander
@Altes
@Andricop
@audionewbi
@Auricon
@AxLvR
@Badlands
@Bax1020
@BeardSplinter
@berger
@bgillis
@bigbeans
@BLitt
@blotmouse
@BlueA
@bmichels
@bossfan48009
@Bret Halford
@briantrinh86
@btwine
@CharlyBrown
@circafreedom
@Ckro
@claud W
@Click
@Crazeee
@Damage
@Damz87
@DAS OHR
@ddlo
@Deezel177
@DenverW
@dkar
@dleblanc343
@Dragonite820
@drftr
@dsherrick
@DunkFealer
@emdeevee
@Erkil
@fejnomit
@Ferdinando1968
@fevers end
@fiascogarcia
@FooFighter
@freeryder05
@FunnyMark
@Garney
@gLer
@grumpy213
@gryphonos
@hariznordin
@HiFiHawaii808
@iDesign
@illsque
@jambul
@JaviGCalderoni
@jazzyja42
@jdan1457
@jmo04
@Junmoe62
@jwilliamhurst
@katzuhiroo
@kevin638880
@KhunChang
@Kiats
@kokokab
@KrólArtur
@KuroKitsu
@Leonarfd
@Leviathant
@leylandi
@LFC_SL
@linux4ever
@lllEvo
@maegnificant
@MaggotBrain
@main character
@MatW
@McCol
@Meejay
@MichRT
@monduvo
@named name
@Natesdailies
@navysteve232
@Neweymatt
@nihalsharma
@nil
@nocturne19
@OhmsClaw
@Ojisan
@oliveradr
@OneEyedHito
@osocan
@pankaj1431
@pasul
@PeacockObscura
@peppy
@phamanhduc1011
@phiemon
@pradiptacr7
@praveenp
@psklrdk
@ranfan
@RBYRER
@Rockwell75
@roeschel
@RonaldS86
@rootsd
@royalemint
@RTodd
@Sajid Amit
@Scuba Devils
@SCYJ
@Seiji
@ShaneyMac
@Sifo
@Simpeler
@slumberman
@Smirk 24
@somnarium
@soundblast75
@stacey
@SteffSergeant
@stefzulj
@stersa
@Stu Paddasso
@Tex Irie
@TheMiddleSky
@theveterans
@timeslip
@tjzurlaaa
@tma6
@tombrisbane
@trbo996
@Tristy
@twister6
@tyrael
@ulverr
@vaporsynthwave
@Visceral
@Visveswaran Umashankar
@vladzakhar
@Voltriant
@Wildcatsare1
@wolfstar76
@wutthikorn
@Xdrixn
@Xinlisupreme
@yaps66
@Yifang
@Zachik
@Zaghamkarim
@zeloutre
@zikarus
@Zmue
As a refresher there were two brackets, a sub $2k bracket and an elite ($2k+) bracket. Each person got to pick a top 3 in each bracket, ranked in order, with their first choice being awarded 5 points, the second 3 points and the third 1 point.
Final standings, mid-fi bracket:
Winner: NightJar Singularity - 224 points
It was no contest for the Singularity, which took a commanding lead early on and never let up. Not bad for a brand none of us had heard of this time last year. We are very excited to see what @Chang and co. have in store for us in 2024!
Second place:
Campfire Audio Bonneville - 168 points
Props to the Bonneville for making an impressive debut for an IEM that basically premiered recently in SoCal. In my estimation this is one of CFA's most well rounded efforts to date and I expect its standing to only grow.
Tied for third:
Unique Melody Mest MKiii - 159 points
Elysian Acoustic Labs Diva - 150 points
The UM MEST Mkiii and Elysian Diva are here tied for third place.
Symphonium Crimson - 96 points
FatFreq Maestro SE - 83 points
Bellos Audio X4 - 58 points
Penon Quattro - 58 points
7th Acoustics Supernova - 49 points
FatFreq Scarlet Mini - 48 points
Thieaudio V16 Divinity - 34 points
Aur Audio Neon Pro - 29 points
Sound Rhyme - DTE900 - 28 points
Campfire Audio Cascara - 21 points
Sound Rhyme SR8 - 21 points
Aur Audio Aurora - 16 points
Night Oblivion Butastur - 3 points
Final standings, elite bracket:
Winner: Fir Audio Radon 6 - 227 points
As in the mid-fi bracket it was no contest here-- the Fir Radon 6 clearly won the day in this poll...and frankly those following our polls all year could have seen this coming. The Rn6 is one of those IEMs that, compared to some of the others, might seem almost plain-- but don't be deceived the Rn6 is a very compelling package and, while there are other IEMs that excel it in various specific ways it's probably the closest thing to an "all things to a large-as-possible number of people" that there is on the TOTL landscape right now and in that light it's hard to imagine a more deserving choice for the Watercooler 2023 IEM of the year. Big ups to @bogdan belonozhko and co for winning this award 2 years straight.
Second place:
Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator - 149 points
Coming in confidently in second place is the Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator 2023. "Anni" has been on the scene for some time but recent revisions plus a partnership with EA that has brought some organizational saavy to Lee Quan Min's endeavours has seen that the Annihilator has had an unprecedent amount of exposure this past year and as a result it has become a sudden and fond favorite of many Watercoolers in recent months...and deservedly so.
Runners up...
Campfire Audio Trifecta - 127 points
Subtonic Storm - 125 points
Unique Melody Amber Pearl - 123 points
Coming in, basically tied for third place, are the Trifecta, STORM and Amber Pearl. Trifecta and Storm have been neck-neck in a number of recent polls, which is all the more interesting given that they are pretty much polar opposites in terms of their sonic ideal and presentation. STORM from its inception was designed to be the ultimate reference monitor and it manifests as a pillar of transparency and accuracy. The Trifecta, on the other hand, stands as the ultimate in bombastic pleasure, a bass driven magnum opus. Neither are likely to be topped on their own terms any time soon and their being ranked so highly and similarly is a testimony to the varied tastes of this community and one of the reasons I love it so much. Amber Pearl, like the Bonneville in the other bracket has made a huge debute for an IEM that only just came out. In this case it's all the more incredible given it's jaw dropping cost. UM clearly did something right with this one.
Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor - 110 points
Aroma Audio Fei Wan - 70 points
AK x VE Aura - 61 points
Noble Audio Viking - 58 points
FatFreq Grand Maestro - 46 points
Canpur CP622b - 45 points
Dita Perpetua - 45 points
Noble Audio Ronin - 43 points
Empire Ears Raven - 43 points
Vision Ears VEX - 41 points
Kinera Loki - 30 points
Thanks everyone for participating and much respect to the Fir Audio Rn6 and NightJar Singularity as the 2023 Watercooler IEMs of the year.
Audio: I started the audio journey in my youth with portable walkman and CD players followed by turntables and 2 ch system. Then I took an almost 18 years break. Way too long! I'm glad and very happy that I rediscovered (portable) audio in 2022 to start the journey again. I'm very grateful for all your music recommendations, especially @Scuba Devils @jwilliamhurst @Leonarfd and thank you for all the work you've put into it! I also waited way too long to go into TOTL territory - I'm loving my Trifecta very much!
What a great performance! I'm loving the language (Dialekt). It's a heritage in Germany!
Sorry to hear that your dog has passed away.
A highlight was certainly a small part of a live show in german television that we played 4 songs in. A very cool new experience for me.
https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/k...-2023/swr/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzE5NzM5NzM
A man is still wondering how he stumbled here in the first place.
He would like to wish everyone at the Watercooler a Happy New Year.
May the good spirits of the thread continue always.
May everyone be blessed with good health and happiness always.
A week before Christmas, a man has lost a friend.
May these songs reach her wherever she is.
So sorry for your lossI wish you all a happy new year guys. Love this community and being part of it, even in a small way, is a great feeling. The year had many ups and downs and tedium en masse. But music always has the potential to support the emotions desired, which I am thankful for.
I lost my dog at the end of this year, 16 years was a good age to leave though. Goodbye my friend.
A highlight was certainly a small part of a live show in german television that we played 4 songs in. A very cool new experience for me.
https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/k...-2023/swr/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzE5NzM5NzM
And for new beginnings, I might be able to get my own small place in early 2024 with the help of my parents, nothing set in stone yet, but wishful thinking...
Keep your family and friends close and try to stay open to new people! Every passing year I notice that there's nothing else that's more important than companionship in any way. We all deserve to be loved and cared about.
May your 2024 be what you want it to be
Thanks a lot to you both it was certainly a very fun experience. Proschd Neijoahr indeed!
A rather small but significant step in my life.
