No they're all identical in function. Only the size differs depending on IEM. ATOM XL is interchangeable with 64 Audio IEMs.
https://www.firaudio.com/store/atom-xl-4pk
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
- Start date
https://www.firaudio.com/store/atom-xl-4pk
Haha yeah I certainly wouldn't call Raven neutral.... I would describe it as an energetic 'W' shaped sig leaning slightly toward bass.If Raven is the new neutral then I'm out!
drftr
Very curious about Raven, it’s not very represented in the thread, is there a community consensus on that thing?
Yes, normally it's the opposite of my opinion
drftr
Happy Lunar New Year Watercoolers! It's been a while since I last posted here in the Watercooler threads, and I really want to share some of my recent thoughts about my rankings for flagship IEMs from 2023. 
Here are the Super Flagship Rankings (Judged solely on sound and personal preference; rankings after 8th place are less sequential; my general opinions are included):
1. Noble Viking Damascus: Probably the strongest in-ear earphones in practical terms. Nothing much needs to be said about their ultimate sense of space; they are the closest to the kind of sound you get with two-channel audio.
2. Unique Melody Mason FS Le Jardin: High-density midrange performance, with excellent spatial awareness due to palladium-coated bone conduction – these earphones work miracles. They sound like a completely different world with an amplifier. Of all the tunings, this is still my favorite; the vocals are close but don't cause discomfort in the head, making them very, very listenable – I emphasize this thrice.
3. Unique Melody Amber Pearl: This model can be considered an evolution of the Mentor. The overall performance is more perfect than the Mentor, and the sound is closer to contemporary Hi-Fi, which I think is more suitable for pop music. Of course, at this price point, it can handle any genre, but the tuning is not as distinctive as the Jardin; it’s more balanced across the board. Also, it comes with a less impressive cable compared to the Jardin, however at the same price, which is somewhat surprising.
4. Noble Viking Prestige (same as KE): Compared to the standard Viking, the Prestige version has a slightly more relaxed listening experience. The technical differences are minimal, but overall, it's more pleasant to listen to for a variety of genres. Technically, it still outperforms many ultra-flagships and can be paired with an ear amplifier, but it doesn't require one to sound good. The potential with its dual drivers is immense; they might not seem special on the surface, but just a bit of amplification instantly solves any issues with slightness in body. Really, the quality is top-notch, making it a contender for the top two spots.
5. Oriolus Traillii: In my opinion, these are the ultimate in-ear monitors for listening to Japanese pop, ACG, or live vocals. They have excellent musicality with a warm body but also possess a very unique sense of space. Their dynamic drivers go very deep, and the performance of the four electrostatic drivers is exceptional. They require no amplification to sound great. The only issue might be the lack of a vent, which can make long listening sessions uncomfortable. Also, they are very expensive but can be considered a starting point and are of a pioneering caliber.
6. Vision Ears Phoenix LE: An exceptionally balanced pair of in-ear monitors with excellent performance and particularly good quality. If anything, their midrange stands out, which suits pop music and won't overwhelm the listener, unlike some earphones with overwhelming density. They also have a slightly stronger dynamic and better layering.
7. Empire Ears Odin: Technologically impressive with high quality. The best aspect is their midrange and the extraordinary control over the bass, which is deep without being overly so, and the superb tactile feeling is quite exceptional. They are one of the first thresholds of ultra-flagships. The only issue might be the treble; it can be a bit piercing with some music but changing the cable can potentially fix that. Their current price makes them very recommendable.
8. Aroma Jewel: The cable must be changed; the original is not satisfactory.
9. Noble Ronin Prestige: The warm vocal performance has a relatively relaxed listening feel but maintains a certain density in the midrange. The Ronin Prestige has a better overall layering and does not give off the slightly blurred feeling of the standard Ronin. The low frequency layering is better, the depth is slightly greater, making it quite versatile. However, I usually use it for listening to slow songs, chamber music, and jazz.
10. Flipear Aurora: With quite resilient bass and an Odin-like texture, albeit with a bit more bass, it has successfully controlled the treble, eliminating any roughness and making the overall sound very smooth and listenable. The price is also quite attractive for an ultra-flagship, with a midrange vocal performance that retains a certain musicality.
11. Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor: It's pleasant to the ear with a quite balanced tuning. The treble lacks some airiness, but the bone conduction provides a great impact feeling; the midrange density is very high. However, it still lacks uniqueness, but this can to some extent be compensated by changing the cable. The bass performance with the dynamic drivers is also commendable in the industry.
12. Elysian X: I've only heard it once so I can't say much. However, the overall performance can be said to be very good with the dual Foster DDs. The bass goes deep, midrange density is suitable, and overall very musical.
13. Fatfreq Grand Maestro: Its bass performance is probably the most impressive I've ever heard in in-ear monitors. It goes deep with a large, layered low frequency, but the vocal performance is average. It’s not particularly harsh; however, it's not the highlight of these monitors. However, the major issue is the poor build quality; it is unfortunate that $3,000 monitors look like toys.
14. Vision Ears X Astell&Kern Aura: This headphone has good musicality and classic V-shaped tuning, but the bass is a bit too much for me, and the overall separation is slightly lacking, so there is a problem with the bass being too thick.
15. Aroma FEI WAN
Simply put, it's just because it's highly rated in North America right now, the tuning is indeed good, and the overall technical level is quite good. But personally, I can't compare it after listening a few times. Currently, I feel Jewel is better.
Once again, I wish everyone a happy new year. After returning to Taiwan, I have made many new friends and met many important people. I am grateful for the help of many benefactors, which enables me to collect the dream headphones I love. In the future, I will start working harder to write more articles for everyone's reference. Thank you!
Later, I will publish another article about the headphone cable brand that I have recently liked and paid attention to. Please give me more advice.
Just wanted to share some of my recent gear that I'm using
Viking + Shirogane 8w Fitear Creator
Mason FS Le Jardin with Orpheus
Here are the Super Flagship Rankings (Judged solely on sound and personal preference; rankings after 8th place are less sequential; my general opinions are included):
1. Noble Viking Damascus: Probably the strongest in-ear earphones in practical terms. Nothing much needs to be said about their ultimate sense of space; they are the closest to the kind of sound you get with two-channel audio.
2. Unique Melody Mason FS Le Jardin: High-density midrange performance, with excellent spatial awareness due to palladium-coated bone conduction – these earphones work miracles. They sound like a completely different world with an amplifier. Of all the tunings, this is still my favorite; the vocals are close but don't cause discomfort in the head, making them very, very listenable – I emphasize this thrice.
3. Unique Melody Amber Pearl: This model can be considered an evolution of the Mentor. The overall performance is more perfect than the Mentor, and the sound is closer to contemporary Hi-Fi, which I think is more suitable for pop music. Of course, at this price point, it can handle any genre, but the tuning is not as distinctive as the Jardin; it’s more balanced across the board. Also, it comes with a less impressive cable compared to the Jardin, however at the same price, which is somewhat surprising.
4. Noble Viking Prestige (same as KE): Compared to the standard Viking, the Prestige version has a slightly more relaxed listening experience. The technical differences are minimal, but overall, it's more pleasant to listen to for a variety of genres. Technically, it still outperforms many ultra-flagships and can be paired with an ear amplifier, but it doesn't require one to sound good. The potential with its dual drivers is immense; they might not seem special on the surface, but just a bit of amplification instantly solves any issues with slightness in body. Really, the quality is top-notch, making it a contender for the top two spots.
5. Oriolus Traillii: In my opinion, these are the ultimate in-ear monitors for listening to Japanese pop, ACG, or live vocals. They have excellent musicality with a warm body but also possess a very unique sense of space. Their dynamic drivers go very deep, and the performance of the four electrostatic drivers is exceptional. They require no amplification to sound great. The only issue might be the lack of a vent, which can make long listening sessions uncomfortable. Also, they are very expensive but can be considered a starting point and are of a pioneering caliber.
6. Vision Ears Phoenix LE: An exceptionally balanced pair of in-ear monitors with excellent performance and particularly good quality. If anything, their midrange stands out, which suits pop music and won't overwhelm the listener, unlike some earphones with overwhelming density. They also have a slightly stronger dynamic and better layering.
7. Empire Ears Odin: Technologically impressive with high quality. The best aspect is their midrange and the extraordinary control over the bass, which is deep without being overly so, and the superb tactile feeling is quite exceptional. They are one of the first thresholds of ultra-flagships. The only issue might be the treble; it can be a bit piercing with some music but changing the cable can potentially fix that. Their current price makes them very recommendable.
8. Aroma Jewel: The cable must be changed; the original is not satisfactory.
9. Noble Ronin Prestige: The warm vocal performance has a relatively relaxed listening feel but maintains a certain density in the midrange. The Ronin Prestige has a better overall layering and does not give off the slightly blurred feeling of the standard Ronin. The low frequency layering is better, the depth is slightly greater, making it quite versatile. However, I usually use it for listening to slow songs, chamber music, and jazz.
10. Flipear Aurora: With quite resilient bass and an Odin-like texture, albeit with a bit more bass, it has successfully controlled the treble, eliminating any roughness and making the overall sound very smooth and listenable. The price is also quite attractive for an ultra-flagship, with a midrange vocal performance that retains a certain musicality.
11. Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor: It's pleasant to the ear with a quite balanced tuning. The treble lacks some airiness, but the bone conduction provides a great impact feeling; the midrange density is very high. However, it still lacks uniqueness, but this can to some extent be compensated by changing the cable. The bass performance with the dynamic drivers is also commendable in the industry.
12. Elysian X: I've only heard it once so I can't say much. However, the overall performance can be said to be very good with the dual Foster DDs. The bass goes deep, midrange density is suitable, and overall very musical.
13. Fatfreq Grand Maestro: Its bass performance is probably the most impressive I've ever heard in in-ear monitors. It goes deep with a large, layered low frequency, but the vocal performance is average. It’s not particularly harsh; however, it's not the highlight of these monitors. However, the major issue is the poor build quality; it is unfortunate that $3,000 monitors look like toys.
14. Vision Ears X Astell&Kern Aura: This headphone has good musicality and classic V-shaped tuning, but the bass is a bit too much for me, and the overall separation is slightly lacking, so there is a problem with the bass being too thick.
15. Aroma FEI WAN
Simply put, it's just because it's highly rated in North America right now, the tuning is indeed good, and the overall technical level is quite good. But personally, I can't compare it after listening a few times. Currently, I feel Jewel is better.
Once again, I wish everyone a happy new year. After returning to Taiwan, I have made many new friends and met many important people. I am grateful for the help of many benefactors, which enables me to collect the dream headphones I love. In the future, I will start working harder to write more articles for everyone's reference. Thank you!
Later, I will publish another article about the headphone cable brand that I have recently liked and paid attention to. Please give me more advice.
Just wanted to share some of my recent gear that I'm using
Viking + Shirogane 8w Fitear Creator
Mason FS Le Jardin with Orpheus
I think that's mostly due to It having a rocky (understatement) start... If we are talking purely in terms of sound, it's really quite good and I haven't heard any IEM (yet) that can replicate its excellent holographic properties alongside the cavernous staging. The inclusion of that W9+ bass is just the icing on the cake. I've heard it extensively and I'd put it above Odin for my preferences and fighting for the top spot as my favourite IEM. If I were to compare it to another IEM I'd say it sounds sorta like a mentor but with more emphasis on the 'W' aspects of the sig, whereas Mentor sounded more 'U' shaped and came off as a little boring to me due to the (relatively) recessed upper mids (obviously the lack of DD didn't help).
Last edited:
Uhm, Mentor and Raven are quite different in almost everything (it starts with the tuning: natural-warmish/fullbody vs neutral-brightish/energetic), plus Mentor is quite better at holography/staging/layering/imaging (Raven stage is a sphere and Mentor's is a wall beyond this sphere) and it's not that Mentor has too few upper mids, but Raven might have (too?) a lot of them.
Last edited:
During my work travel, I usually travel with just TWS type earphones for simplicity. However, during one my stops I purchase up the Questyle NHB 15.
Have never used their products and quite enjoying these as super comfortable and their tuning seems to be balanced (neutral?) , have a good bass rumble , mids and highs ,don't seem to be compromise with any peaks.
Quite useful that they had XL tips. They seal well with these. Thankfully as I don't have any tips with me.
These are good for work as they minimize what I need to drag around.
Have never used their products and quite enjoying these as super comfortable and their tuning seems to be balanced (neutral?) , have a good bass rumble , mids and highs ,don't seem to be compromise with any peaks.
Quite useful that they had XL tips. They seal well with these. Thankfully as I don't have any tips with me.
These are good for work as they minimize what I need to drag around.
Hmmm that’s not how I heard it but if that’s what you hear then who am I to say otherwise. I already alluded to mentor being relatively more neutral and the upper mids comment also applied to the majority of other IEMs I heard on the day (mentor sounded relatively more sedated compared to nearly everything I heard on the day).
I haven't heard the Raven yet but if it sounds more energetic than the Mentor I would expect that to be caused by the treble peaks at 6k and 8k, rather than the upper mids? But of course graphs do not tell the full story and don't reflect BCD. Looking forward to hearing the Raven. I guess that will happen at the meeting in Amsterdam.
Hmm interesting, I’ve never seen the mentor graph before but I’m glad my hearing isn’t totally out of whackI haven't heard the Raven yet but if it sounds more energetic than the Mentor I would expect that to be caused by the treble peaks at 6k and 8k, rather than the upper mids? But of course graphs do not tell the full story and don't reflect BCD. Looking forward to hearing the Raven. I guess that will happen at the meeting in Amsterdam.
looks along the lines of what I was trying to describe. Looking forward to you hearing them and reading your impressions!Which tips did you find to work well??, stock tips did not wok for meI've been having lots of fun with my 634ears MIROAK-II Japan Limited set. They're fantastic.
nephilim32
1000+ Head-Fier
I wanna try the E3 from Dan Clark Audio. Seems like a really great closed back and it would fit nicely into my set up. Very practical being a closed back as well. Reviews so far are generally positive, but of course I wanna hear them for myself.
Great question and thank you for all that you do and explore.
I've been having lots of fun with my 634ears MIROAK-II Japan Limited set. They're fantastic.
Waiting on my set which may be a couple weeks or so out. Really hoping I like them.
