The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[slumberman]

Personally, music quality while training, walking, hiking or doing anything that takes my attention away from the music itself is a secondary priority to convenience. Besides, I regularly listen with the Sony XM5 even when I'm not out and about, so it's more than good enough for me for unfocused listening. YMMV as always.

(Plus my expensive IEMs go nowhere near gyms, walkways or mountains... )

Same here. To me it’s more the cumbersomeness of cables/dongles/daps when I move/workout/etc that takes away from the mosci and activity. Between APP2 and Denon Perl Pro I don’t miss my hi end stuff when out and about.

Edit-I have no idea how I replied to a message from 60 pages ago lol

 

[Crazeee]

Hi Cooler fam!
I wish everyone the best year ever for 2024!

For me 2024 is gonna be a big shift in life since I’ll be leaving China after living there for nearly 14 years! I’m planning on moving back to France for the foreseeable future. The bad news is that I’m heading straight to headfi no man’s land… But that might actually be a good thing for my wallet…

I’m definitely looking forward to some Cooler meetups in Europe! We gotta do something guys!!!


On the audio side, I’m still waiting for my CP622b custom to be delivered after a bit over a month. It was supposed to receive it for Christmas, but Santa left my package at the Chinese border and brought me flu instead…
Anyways, I should be receiving it this week.
I’ll let you guys know how the custom version turned out and I’ll go back to the store to compare against the universal version.




Buying:

I’ll be buying the Rosenkranz Silver HB in the coming days. Just love this thing! Unique sound.
I‘ll probably buy a cable as well to pair up with HB, since it comes without cable. I’m hesitating between Ode to Laura, Sonnet of Adam or Cross Lambda Apollo.
Apollo is the best of the 3 I think but I need to try if the pairing is good. Also, Apollo is damn expensive, so there’s that…

BTW, it makes me realize that I’ve never seen this cable discussed here, which surprises me because it’s got to be one of the best sounding cable out there with Orpheus and Beat Audio Orbit Saga.

Here is a picture I took in the shop, for those who don’t know about this cable:



It looks, feels and sounds pretty close to Orpheus Shielded.
It’s got some of the best shielding tech on the market. The background is incredibly black.
It’s also cheaper than Orphy S.


Demo :

Except the Fatfeq lineup and Nightjar / Subtonic ones, not much else I’m looking forward to demo.
A shop received PMG Audio APX for demo, so I’ll go check that out this weekend.
Raven should be available for demo soon as well.


Hey @drftr !
Maybe I can help with your 2 first ones! I should be back to north of France in early March and as far a I understand you’re from the Netherlands?! If you can wait until march, we could definitely meet! It’s not very far!
Also, note that my CP622b is a custom… it won’t be optimal but it should be possible to fit some ear tips on it to try out…


Lastly, I would thank all the cooler friends for sharing all their 2023’s favorite albums! Really cool stuff in there!
And also, a big thank to @Rockwell75 for all he’s doing for the community! Hats off to you sir!

Cheers guys and have a blast in 2024!

Julien

aw Julien we shall definitely find sometime to meet in Shanghai before you leave! Sadly my trips to Shanghai last year were all short and rush ones packed with business engagements....

 

[boodi]

Same here. To me it’s more the cumbersomeness of cables/dongles/daps when I move/workout/etc that takes away from the mosci and activity. Between APP2 and Denon Perl Pro I don’t miss my hi end stuff when out and about.

Edit-I have no idea how I replied to a message from 60 pages ago lol

I might have to try Fokus Prestige, both Sony and Technics totl tws failed for me and I have no solution still for gym sports and alike, also carrying around dap iems and tangles of cables in a pouch feels ancient unpractical and medieval other then bulky, many times

 

[CodenameBK201]

Apple Music on Android has the option to save offline file on SD Card. Of course, you have to use that SD card with apple music. I guess Tidal and Qobuz would have the same option.

If you want to have offline music on SD card to use with any device:

I've had the weirdest experience last night. Bought both the original (and the new) Willy Wonka scores off Qobuz to do a compare/contrast (the new one is fantastic if you haven't listened to it yet) as well as some fiddling with pentaconn coreir tips for soundstage (they're good, but I miss the bass slam the final tips provide). The new Wonka score downloads fine offline, no problem and now shows up under the walkman app, but the old one (which is some ridiculously high res 24/192 flac) doesn't show under local files, even though I know it's there because I can play it in the qobuz app when I disable wifi. Most frustrating given that the entire point of buying off qobuz is because I'm too lazy to hook the player up to my computer to sync. Shame, given that nine times out of ten qobuz is my go-to. Prices aren't nothing, but the convenience of fully tagged hi-res albums with corresponding artwork that I can re-download anytime is a major win. Bandcamp is a close successor, and what I defer to for more indie bands.

You can also just buy the music. If you have thousands of dollars for gear, maybe think about diverting some funds to support the people making the actual thing you are consuming. Streaming is like paying for a tractor without owning any land.

This should be pinned somewhere. That said, I keep a VPN handy at all times because half the music I've legally purchased had to be done by circumventing region restrictions. Japan makes it hard for me to give them my money.

 

[linux4ever]

I really thought I was done with Storm + DX320Max , but curiosity creeped back in , big time a bit later.
I think it’s a bit like cuisine: I might have a favorite dish that “you can eat for the rest of your life”, but you’re more than happy to go and try different restaurants and even variations of the same dish , let alone different cuisines from all over the world.

Or maybe it’s just a financially obliterating addiction. Or both ?

Yeah. We're all permanent inmates in the Cooler Asylum (something like Arkham Asylum, but related to audiophile stuff only)

 

[Alexzander]

Cross-posting from the Empire Ears thread:



Raven arrived this morning. The unboxing experience was great. Definitely an improvement on Odin and Legend Evo. Lovely accessories, in particular the launch edition leather case. The stock PW cable is decent. Reminds me of the UM MEST Mk2 cable. I like it more than the Genesis cable that came with Evo but I liked the Stormbreaker more than this one. The overall build quality seems excellent. No issues removing and reinserting the cable, and I love the Satin gold faceplate. To me it’s more understated and classy compared to the shiny faceplates. No fingerprints to wipe off every time you touch it

My initial thoughts on the sound quality are positive. It’s a highly energetic type of presentation with what sounds to me like a slight U-shape tuning. It has quite an energetic top end with lots of treble extension, much more than I remember Odin or Odyssey having. Mids are clear, revealing and resolving, leaning tonally bright. I found Odyssey's upper mids to be pulled back a little too far, making it sound somewhat hazy and too relaxed for me. I feel Raven has fixed this. Bass sounds slightly north of neutral, and pretty even between mid and sub bass (maybe a touch more sub bass than mid bass). The bass quality is superb, and I wouldn’t expect anything less coming from EE. Initially I thought a smidge more bass would've been nice, although after listening a bit longer the bass has opened up and I think more bass could potentially sound disjointed from the mids and treble.

On that note, I do find Raven to sound quite cohesive considering its configuration, and the technicalities overall are strong. The stage is large, and the imaging sounds precise. There’s loads of microdetail being picked up. Dynamics seem decent but not outstanding.

Overall my initial feeling on Raven is that it’s a very good IEM and ticks pretty much all the boxes for a flagship monitor. I think people looking for a warmer, bassier or relaxed presentation will need to look elsewhere, but if you’re a fan of a revealing, high-energy type of tuning with a slight U-shape emphasis, then Raven would be a pretty good choice in todays market. Ravens biggest problem in my opinion is that it's got some stiff competition in its price bracket that goes for a similar sound, such as Elysian Annihilator or Kinera Loki, and it's tough to recommend paying an extra ~$500 over those IEMs for Raven.

Thank you for your impressions!

It was very hard not to comment all this story in the EE thread in order to not heat it up more unnecessarily while all those production problems were arising - glad that this whole thing has come to its end!

From what you have described it looks like the final product became what one could call a revised update on the Odyssey project. Which is also a good thing by the way.

Though I wish they would stick withe last pre-final tuning which was described as more of L-shaped but without overshadowing mids or treble.
I believe that an updated EVO with bass having more quality, lower and upper mids being more even and treble not rolled off would be a true banger.

 

[tfenton02]

I’ve been fortunate to own a few of the top IEMs. My top pairings thus far is (not in priority order)

1) Anni > N30LE (hyper mode, classic tube)
2) Grand Maestro > SP3000.
3) The Anni > SP3000 is also amazing (detail retrieval is insane) but I just melt with the mid range in tube mode with the N30LE
4) RN6 CIEM, Dita Celeste Cable > SP3000

I struggle with the iBasso 320 Max TI and my IEMs while the detail competes I find it cold/analytical. Great portable device for my cans but can’t seem to find the right paring for me IEMs.

 

[chickenmcnug]

How do people on average salaries afford these things again?

Classifieds have some great deals here and there. If lucky, in my experience a user was even willing to let me pay over a couple weeks (1.5 months in my case). Doesn't hurt to ask sometimes.

 

[CodenameBK201]

They do not?

Or they choose to diligently save and spend as they choose

Actually that is relevant to Sajid's poll question the other day what common mistakes are made. I suggest do not assume costs more money equals better. That is just marketing speak and could be applied to any category of consumer spending.

A lot of online impressions are demos or funded through part exchange of selling other kit. So - in a non-lecturing way - do not incur bank loans chasing someone else's lifestyle or is not real. There is always someone with more disposable income or they have access to a source willing to provide samples

I'll add to this that the people throwing around the largest sums that don't work in the industry have either been working for a while (tenure=larger salary, ideally) and/or don't have kids/significant others. I'm not throwing shade, but I can tell you that I for one was a lot more liberal with my purchases when I was single and in my twenties versus now when I'm paying for daycare, saving for retirement, hosting extended family, etc.

 

[gLer]

3. How do people on average salaries afford these things again?

I read a very poignant comment many years back now that I keep harking back to whenever hobby affordability is discussed: don't buy what you can't afford to lose/replace.

Easier said than done, I know, especially when we get swept up in the hype and excitement of new gear. But a nugget of wisdom nonetheless.

 

[dmphile]

I might have to try Fokus Prestige, both Sony and Technics totl tws failed for me and I have no solution still for gym sports etc but also other occasions, carrying around dap iems and tangles of cables in a pouch feels ancient and medieval at times other then bulky

Fokus Prestige has been taking most of my time lately, even over Ronin. Noble has done a great job with the tuning of Prestige and that bass reaches low and deep. It is very satisfying. It's made me remember what a well tuned DD can do to your listening experience and put me on the prowl again for a diff IEM that has a DD.

 

[barrycro]

It's a sad day when this is said about EE IEMs. Long live the Legend!

I thought the same thing. CFA Atlas was my benchmark for a good bass forward set then bought the EE Bravado MK2. That EE sub driver hits so astoundingly deep and hard it should be rated X. Legend X that is. With the right playlist it is phenomenal. I haven’t heard the Raven but it has 2 of those sub drivers, thin bass seems improbable.

 

[gLer]

I thought the same thing. CFA Atlas was my benchmark for a good bass forward set then bought the EE Bravado MK2. That EE sub driver hits so astoundingly deep and hard it should be rated X. Legend X that is. With the right playlist it is phenomenal. I haven’t heard the Raven but it has 2 of those sub drivers, thin bass seems improbable.

It's not the type of driver, it's the tuning. Odin also has two upgraded Weapon IX+ drivers, but is tuned with neutral bass that's often described as 'bass light'. Likewise Odyssey (and now reportedly Raven) while having a more elevated bass tuning than Odin, is still tuned with less quantity than EVO or Bravado II or indeed LX (and I'm talking specifically quantity, not quality, which is a different and more subjective discussion).

 

[drftr]

Hey @drftr !
Maybe I can help with your 2 first ones! I should be back to north of France in early March and as far a I understand you’re from the Netherlands?! If you can wait until march, we could definitely meet! It’s not very far!
Also, note that my CP622b is a custom… it won’t be optimal but it should be possible to fit some ear tips on it to try out…

We'll find a way to put some European ears together, although efforts always stop at the exact same point. We gotta come up with a Plan B @Scuba Devils...

Canpur I would be able to demo in the Netherlands, but Rosenkranz absolutely not.

drftr

 

[MatW]

Question for the Perpetua fans. What type of music do you enjoy it with the most? Is it a generalist or a specialist?