[aaf evo]

I'm with @aaf evo and @Tokpakorlo on this. The Canpur is solid and among the top all-rounders I've heard, but, coming from the Ronin (as what I'd consider my current "all-rounder"), something felt just a little bit off. In addition to what the other guys have said, I'd add that the soundstage seemed just a little odd in a way that I can't articulate. Maybe it's just me, since no one els has mentioned this. When I A/Bed with the Ronin, the soundstage and overall tuning just sounded more natural to me, recognizing that the Canpur has a huge advantage in the low end with its BCD.

But would echo that it's still a solid IEM and a very strong value prop. given its price.

AFAIK the BCD doesn’t impact the bass at all, and it’s just for the mid range? That may also explain why you might be struggling with staging. The mids to me are very open and holographic but you don’t quite get that feeling throughout the FR. It’s very noticeable when you listen to vocals and hear how it layers singers voices.

 

[CodenameBK201]

Reasons: The bass foundation is not as full and textured as the N30, and it's also more on the cold side.

I haven't owned an ibasso since the 160 for this reason. Putting rockbox on there was fun and as a functional dap with decent battery life and an expansion slot it got the job done, but I've found pretty much all their players to sound too cold for my taste. Demoed a few last year and didn't hear enough different to sway me on owning one, tech specs aside.

 

[drftr]

Would be curious to know how these would sound with a tube amp.

My thoughts exactly. Not sure @aaf evo ever tried a pure Class A tube amp?

A photo for the Watercooler.

Since I have a quirk and can't rest until I know I have exactly what I have to match my expectations - in other words, I don't want to leave any unanswered questions - I went with the DX320Max to compare with the N30.

Who is (for me) the king of the daps? Unfortunately, I can't answer this question exactly yet as I received the DX320Max a few hours ago. I'm going to burn it in, as it's definitely necessary. Here comes the reason. The first few minutes blew me away, the DX320Max was really great: resolution, transparency, soundstage... everything was fantastic, even better than the N30! But after just a few minutes I noticed that the DX320Max was slowly but surely coming down: that resolution, transparency and soundstage were gone. 1-2 hours burn-in time and shortly compared again. Here are my very brief impressions and I come straight to the point: the N30 was the king in this round, period. And that was immediately noticeable to me.

Reasons: The bass foundation is not as full and textured as the N30, and it's also more on the cold side. The N30's bass therefore sounds warmer, has a slower decay and is more defined. I have to admit that I have never understood how the bass foundation can have coloration - until now. So it's cold with the iBasso and warm with the N30. The mids are a little thinner on the iBasso and more emotional and plastic on the N30 (man, how I love those mids!). Last point: the N30's soundstage is more holographic (partly due to the plasticity of the mids), deeper and, above all, has more air. Such aspects of the DX320Max would currently be dealbreakers for me, and this volume control - who the hell came up with that?! So cumbersome! I don't know if I could cope with it.

N30 -> SS Mode, High Gain / Hyper Mode
DX320Max -> 4G, Ultimate Mode, D2, DAC 85 and 100

I didn't pay attention to other things because I want to let the iBasso play more first. But I still think it's pretty impressive. Updates are coming...

Barely a year ago you thought you'd never be able to adequately describe differences in your chain or even hear them! You've come long way, bro. From dummy to pro in under a year!

AFAIK the BCD doesn’t impact the bass at all, and it’s just for the mid range? That may also explain why you might be struggling with staging. The mids to me are very open and holographic but you don’t quite get that feeling throughout the FR. It’s very noticeable when you listen to vocals and hear how it layers singers voices.

What does this do to imaging, Bobby? I mean, BCD seems to work wonders for imaging, but if imaging is different for bass, mids, and treble does it still sound coherent and without getting your attention in a negative way?

drftr

 

[Sajid Amit]

It’s really funny how tastes and preferences evolve.

When I started getting serious about the hobby, I couldn’t get enough of over-ear headphones. I built up a collection, started reviewing so I could audition everything out there, and then injured my neck and back because of poor posture and the weight of heavy headphones, especially during the pandemic where I was pulling 14-hour days for my day job(s). My laptop being tiny meant I had a forward head posture as I was listening to the medieval torture device that was the AB 1266 Phi TC. All 640 grams of it.

My surface laptop was small like I said and I paid no attention to ergonomics, like using a laptop stand or otherwise raising my laptop to eye level.

Fast forward to 2021, I was told by my doc to get off headphones to heal my neck and back.

At that point, I reluctantly entered in-ears. My first serious flagship foray was the Legend EVO, then the Traillii, the Jewel and the rest was history.

Earlier today, I borrowed the Utopia 2022 from a friend. Its a headphone I greatly appreciate and wanted to review for my viewers. Its smoother, ever so slightly warmer rendition of the Utopia OG and has a treble that is also slightly less “metallic” in timbre than the OG Utopia.

It is, overall, a delightful headphone, and off the Sony DMPZ1, an even better experience. The openness was a nice change from IEMs and it felt like I was experiencing a surreal rendition of a private concert around my head.

However, in the few hours I was listening to the Utopia and appreciating the change from IEMs so to speak, I couldn’t help but think of how something was missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it. And then I switched to my Trifectas which in some specific ways, resemble the Utopia, perhaps mostly in dynamic driver timbre and largeness of images and dynamic energy.

After switching to the Trifecta from the Utopia, I have to say my brain immediately adjusted from critical listening and taking of notes to listening for pleasure. I know people say you can’t compare headphones and IEMs and that they are apples and oranges but of course I disagree. You can compare apples and oranges. And if you prefer one over another, of course that in itself yields a comparison.

The Trifecta to me just sounded more natural and more lifelike. I actually perceive a wider stage on the Tri than the Utopia and I understand others may hear differently. I hear a deeper stage as well and far more impressive macro dynamics, punch, slam, and a far deeper bass, and a treble that is timbrally superior. But above all, above everything else, the Trifecta and then the Perpetua just sound more cohesive and coherent than the Utopia or any headphone I can think of.

In any case, I would have never traversed the world of IEMs had I not been compelled to by physical complications. However, now that I am fully into it, I am so grateful for the switch to IEMs. Can’t ever imagine becoming a headphone-first listener.

 

[MatW]

Headphones and IEMs are both fantastic and I am very happy to have a collection of both. I go through phases. After focusing on IEMs for a few months I recently got back into headphones, adding a ZMF Atrium Open and Atrium Closed, which I both love, and Empyrean 2 (possibly moving on because I have OG and Elite).

But I also thoroughly enjoyed the Loki demo in the past few days, and I listen to IEMs every day as well, e.g. before bed. For me there is no either/or, only and/and. YMMVAAT.

 

[linux4ever]

Just some more 622b thoughts as I get more time with them..

I’d say the hype around these is justified. I’d consider this a top 3 IEM available right now regardless of price point. In terms of sheer capabilities and tuning the value proposition here even at MSRP is pretty damn good.

I am struggling a bit with them though and I cannot pinpoint why. When I listen to them I hear amazing bass mids and treble, but there’s something going on that’s making it difficult for me to hear them sort of play “as one” and make everything feel harmonious and musical. I do feel the timbre still has a slight dryness to it and transients/note edges almost feel a bit too revealing for me. Maybe that’s why I’m struggling to emotionally connect to them? I’ll keep exploring and see what happens. Sometimes I think they’re damn incredible and sometimes I feel like I’m listening to the drivers and not the music, there’s some magic pixie dust missing.

Whatever is (or isn’t) happening mentally isn’t stopping me from thinking “damn these are good IEMs” but it’s stopping me from thinking “damn these are good IEMs and that’s what I want to listen to”

We’ll see how this unfolds with more time

May be time for some shielded cables?

 

[Scubadevils]

Headphones and IEMs are both fantastic and I am very happy to have a collection of both. I go through phases. After focusing of IEMs for a few months I recently got back into headphones, adding a ZMF Atrium Open and Atrium Closed, which I both love, and Empyrean 2 (possibly moving on because I have OG and Elite).

But I also thoroughly enjoyed the Loki demo in the past few days, and I listen to IEMs every day as well, e.g. before bed. For me there is no either/or, only and/and. YMMVAAT.

I’m keen to take another step with headphones this year - at the moment I probably listen to IEMs 90% of the time, but do love when I hook up my headphones. A planar of some sort most likely next.

On Loki also later tonight for Bandcamp shopping and important wine drinking after a few days back in work…

 

[freeryder05]

Would be curious to know how these would sound with a tube amp.

Most IEMs I tried on tubes that didn’t have some sort of way to keep the FR “stable” were pretty cursed

 

[maegnificant]

It’s really funny how tastes and preferences evolve.

When I started getting serious about the hobby, I couldn’t get enough of over-ear headphones. I built up a collection, started reviewing so I could audition everything out there, and then injured my neck and back because of poor posture and the weight of heavy headphones, especially during the pandemic where I was pulling 14-hour days for my day job(s). My laptop being tiny meant I had a forward head posture as I was listening to the medieval torture device that was the AB 1266 Phi TC. All 640 grams of it.



My surface laptop was small like I said and I paid no attention to ergonomics, like using a laptop stand or otherwise raising my laptop to eye level.



Fast forward to 2021, I was told by my doc to get off headphones to heal my neck and back.

At that point, I reluctantly entered in-ears. My first serious flagship foray was the Legend EVO, then the Traillii, the Jewel and the rest was history.

Earlier today, I borrowed the Utopia 2022 from a friend. Its a headphone I greatly appreciate and wanted to review for my viewers. Its smoother, ever so slightly warmer rendition of the Utopia OG and has a treble that is also slightly less “metallic” in timbre than the OG Utopia.

It is, overall, a delightful headphone, and off the Sony DMPZ1, an even better experience. The openness was a nice change from IEMs and it felt like I was experiencing a surreal rendition of a private concert around my head.



However, in the few hours I was listening to the Utopia and appreciating the change from IEMs so to speak, I couldn’t help but think of how something was missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it. And then I switched to my Trifectas which in some specific ways, resemble the Utopia, perhaps mostly in dynamic driver timbre and largeness of images and dynamic energy.



After switching to the Trifecta from the Utopia, I have to say my brain immediately adjusted from critical listening and taking of notes to listening for pleasure. I know people say you can’t compare headphones and IEMs and that they are apples and oranges but of course I disagree. You can compare apples and oranges. And if you prefer one over another, of course that in itself yields a comparison.

The Trifecta to me just sounded more natural and more lifelike. I actually perceive a wider stage on the Tri than the Utopia and I understand others may hear differently. I hear a deeper stage as well and far more impressive macro dynamics, punch, slam, and a far deeper bass, and a treble that is timbrally superior. But above all, above everything else, the Trifecta and then the Perpetua just sound more cohesive and coherent than the Utopia or any headphone I can think of.

In any case, I would have never traversed the world of IEMs had I not been compelled to by physical complications. However, now that I am fully into it, I am so grateful for the switch to IEMs. Can’t ever imagine becoming a headphone-first listener.

While the pain did help you to get closer to IEMs, I can really recommend daily stretching/yoga. 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening. Especially if you do weight lifting. It's really a game changer, less muscle pain after a workout and less everyday pain from sitting/work, also way less risk of injury. My drum teacher is also a yoga teacher and through him I developed a very good all body stretch workout that helped and still helps me overcome weakpoints in my body that I have been inheriting and developing all my life. It's a time investment, especially at first when you have to learn everything, but it enriches my everyday life immensely... This year I started over after neglecting stretching for a while, immediately got hip problems and severe shoulder pain after a few months of only weight lifting. Now after only a week of stretch treatment my pain is reduced by at least 90%. Sorry for the long ramble, but it really is worth it.

 

[aaf evo]

My thoughts exactly. Not sure @aaf evo ever tried a pure Class A tube amp?

What does this do to imaging, Bobby? I mean, BCD seems to work wonders for imaging, but if imaging is different for bass, mids, and treble does it still sound coherent and without getting your attention in a negative way?

drftr

Unfortunately I only have the R8 II to test with but given it’s a neutral/slight warm source I feel it’s not doing much to alter what I “should be” hearing.

Let me get back to you on the imaging part. So far I’d say it doesn’t sound incoherent nor does it bother me in a negative way, but I’ve purposely not A/B’d this to any of my other sets critically as I’m trying to just see how I vibe with it without any external influences. With that said I was listening to 622b this morning and used the Omnium at the gym and I’m much more “drawn in” to how the Omnium handles staging. It does give me the feeling of being more stitched together with notes sort of trailing off of each other, but it cannot match the size, separation, and spacing of the 622b on any axis. Whether or not that’s a pro or con I guess is down to the listener. I’ll have to focus properly on 622b and see if the mids BCD is randomly picking apart the image, but as of right now I’d say no, but it does make me think if thats why I’m struggling to hear the IEM as harmonious.

 

[Rockwell75]

For me the full size vs. IEM question is something of a moot point when it comes to sound. I have a pointy head and have never enjoyed the experience of wearing headphones for any length of time. Further my use case and listening habits demand that I'm not, in @Deezel177's apt words, tethered to a monolith. So whether one of the other is inherently superior sonically is beside the point-- IEMs' small size and intrinsic portablity are what I am after and as always I'm eternally grateful for the leaps in quality and variety that we've seen in the portable space in the past few years.

 

[dkar]

It’s really funny how tastes and preferences evolve.

When I started getting serious about the hobby, I couldn’t get enough of over-ear headphones. I built up a collection, started reviewing so I could audition everything out there, and then injured my neck and back because of poor posture and the weight of heavy headphones, especially during the pandemic where I was pulling 14-hour days for my day job(s). My laptop being tiny meant I had a forward head posture as I was listening to the medieval torture device that was the AB 1266 Phi TC. All 640 grams of it.



My surface laptop was small like I said and I paid no attention to ergonomics, like using a laptop stand or otherwise raising my laptop to eye level.



Fast forward to 2021, I was told by my doc to get off headphones to heal my neck and back.

At that point, I reluctantly entered in-ears. My first serious flagship foray was the Legend EVO, then the Traillii, the Jewel and the rest was history.

Earlier today, I borrowed the Utopia 2022 from a friend. Its a headphone I greatly appreciate and wanted to review for my viewers. Its smoother, ever so slightly warmer rendition of the Utopia OG and has a treble that is also slightly less “metallic” in timbre than the OG Utopia.

It is, overall, a delightful headphone, and off the Sony DMPZ1, an even better experience. The openness was a nice change from IEMs and it felt like I was experiencing a surreal rendition of a private concert around my head.



However, in the few hours I was listening to the Utopia and appreciating the change from IEMs so to speak, I couldn’t help but think of how something was missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it. And then I switched to my Trifectas which in some specific ways, resemble the Utopia, perhaps mostly in dynamic driver timbre and largeness of images and dynamic energy.



After switching to the Trifecta from the Utopia, I have to say my brain immediately adjusted from critical listening and taking of notes to listening for pleasure. I know people say you can’t compare headphones and IEMs and that they are apples and oranges but of course I disagree. You can compare apples and oranges. And if you prefer one over another, of course that in itself yields a comparison.

The Trifecta to me just sounded more natural and more lifelike. I actually perceive a wider stage on the Tri than the Utopia and I understand others may hear differently. I hear a deeper stage as well and far more impressive macro dynamics, punch, slam, and a far deeper bass, and a treble that is timbrally superior. But above all, above everything else, the Trifecta and then the Perpetua just sound more cohesive and coherent than the Utopia or any headphone I can think of.

In any case, I would have never traversed the world of IEMs had I not been compelled to by physical complications. However, now that I am fully into it, I am so grateful for the switch to IEMs. Can’t ever imagine becoming a headphone-first listener.

I was actually considering the Utopia to complement my Susvara for desktop listening, but I’ll have to reconsider this after I hear the Trifecta.

I should have my Trifecta on Monday.

 

[drftr]

I’ll have to focus properly on 622b and see if the mids BCD is randomly picking apart the image, but as of right now I’d say no, but it does make me think if thats why I’m struggling to hear the IEM as harmonious.

I thought that might explain you not connecting to them enough. With the quality IEMs you usually have at hand it may focus on ever changing imaging aspects without you realizing it, and it may take away from the overall experience because of it.

Hope to be proven wrong on this!

drftr

 

[phiemon]

Barely a year ago you thought you'd never be able to adequately describe differences in your chain or even hear them! You've come long way, bro. From dummy to pro in under a year!

Thank you for the compliment!

I'm quite analytical by nature (worked in science as a researcher until recently) and can't find peace until I can analyze and understand things that interest me myself. Music has always been very important to me, but since then it has gained enormously in importance, so it interests me a lot. In the meantime, I've trained in "listening", I've explored sound deconstruction and reconstruction in order to understand the meta level and the whole level. This didn't have to be a purely analytical exercise; rather, my goal is always musical enjoyment, which of course can only be achieved if you know what you like and how to achieve it. Incidentally, my approach is not limited to this area. In my opinion, I am also familiar with other things (…).

 

[linux4ever]

I went with the DX320Max to compare with the N30.

Who is (for me) the king of the daps? Unfortunately, I can't answer this question exactly yet as I received the DX320Max a few hours ago.

Reasons: The mids are a little thinner on the iBasso and more emotional and plastic on the N30 (man, how I love those mids!).

That's the main reason I can't get along the iBasso sound.