[MatW]

What I'm wondering though, as a fan of Abyss 1266 particularly, what are the IEMs (any price range) considered to have insane technicalities? Whether it's insane resolution, clarity, details or soundstage? In short, what's the Abyss 1266 of the IEM world?

I suspect you might get a range of different suggestions. In part because headphones and IEMs are different listening experiences and therefore difficult to compare. The Trifecta does have some similarities actually, namely its big bass and elevated treble, in other words somewhat V shaped signature, and a large soundstage. It does not have the best level of technical performance in the IEM world though (but better than most give it credit for imho). More technically accomplished alternatives with a (slight) V shape that come to mind include the Fei Wan and the Annihilator. Some folks may mention the Storm, as possibly the best IEM in terms of technical performance. I have not heard it myself, but I don't think the bass will come close to the 1266. But that goes for most IEMs. The 1266 bass (with air gap) is unique, among both headphones and IEMs.

 

[Smirk 24]

CanJam NYC IEM Impressions (Part I):

Had a great experience attending my first CanJam over the weekend trying out new gear and meeting a bunch of cool people!

Here are some IEM impressions from the weekend. I demoed all iems using iBasso 320MAX Ti and Azla Sedna Short tips.

The showfloor is quite loud so its difficult to ascertain the finer nuances of an iem. I tried my best to understand the general presentation and problem areas of each set.


Noble Onyx ($3200 USD)

Onyx was an enjoyable, easy listen.

Nice sub-bass/mid-bass quantity. Mid-bass is a bit soft sounding, lacking impact and maybe a little pillowy. I thought the dynamics could have been better and the staging was unremarkable. Decent resolution.

Nice voicing, no shout. No upper-mids to lower-treble sharpness. Overall very well-tuned.

I didn't know the price going in and I thought it was a 1k to 2k USD set max. Very enjoyable listen though and I like the shell design.


A&K x EE Novus ($5000 USD)

I was keen to demo Novus because I thought Odin and Raven did a lot of things well.

Immediately, I thought Novus could use more sub-bass quantity. Mid-bass had a good initial edge and then quickly loses body.

Vocal timbre sounded a little off, possibly tinny. Transient attack was well-defined but sounded slightly artificial and/or forced. There was also a touch of upper-mid to lower-treble sharpness.

Overall, I don't think Novus did anything particularly well. Perhaps it's an issue of synergy with the 320MAX Ti.

I'd be happy to give it a re-demo at some point but I left largely unconvinced.


Rhapsodio Supreme V3 ($6400 USD)

Eye-watering price aside, I thought the Sup V3 was a decent set.

I would have liked a little more sub-bass and mid-bass quantity, but the bass quality was fine.

Great resolution, imaging, and transient attack. I thought the timbre leaned a little cold but not overly so.

There was a hint of sharpness in the upper-mids to lower treble but the treble was otherwise enjoyable.

Overall a good set. Could have used a little more bass quantity to add to its engagement factor.


Campfire Audio Trifecta ($3300 USD)

Stopped by the Effect Audio booth to meet @Delitia where he let me try his Trifecta I think on a EA Cleopatra(?) cable. I also demoed Trifecta a second time with a group of friends, using Nightjar's Sovereign Symphony 8W cable for kicks.

On the EA cable:

I found Trifecta to have good sub-bass quantity and quality, but the bass wasn't super clean on faster tracks.

The vocal timbre was pleasant and the dynamics were pretty good. There was a touch of sharpness in the upper-mids to lower-treble but not overly so.

The major issue with Trifecta was a center image wonkiness/skew that threw off the entire presentation. It's very strange, or unique sounding, depending on which side of the Trifecta camp you're in.

On the Sovereign Symphony 8W (a roughly $15k cable that can double as a weapon):

Trifecta cleaned up considerably on the SS 8W cable.

Gone was the center image skew, and the bass sounded tighter as well. A more "normal" presentation if you will.

If this was how the Trifecta sounded stock, I think it would be a lot less polarizing. Then again, maybe Trifecta fans would find it less charming.


Nostalgia Audio Tesseract ($3700 USD)

Delitia was also gracious enough to let me try his Tesseract which wasn't at the show otherwise.

I found it to be a very balanced, enjoyable set overall.

The bass had a sub-bass focus, and overall bass levels weren't super elevated, but rather well-balanced with the rest of the frequency spectrum.

Vocals had a nice tone, and the treble sounded very linear without any problem spots. Resolution, dynamics, and transient attack were all decent.

A very pleasant set overall. Big thanks to Delitia for his generosity and company!


NYC CJ IEM impressions parts 2 and 3 to come later this week including the following sets:

- Subtonic Storm + SS 8W + MK 465
- Nightjar Duality
- Elysian Pilgrim
- Trailli Ti
- RN6
- 622B
- VE X
- PMG Audio Apx
- Dunu x Precogvision Mirai
- Ice Labs Prismatica + Prismatica Gold
- Fatfreq Grand Maestro

And some prototypes:

- Symphonium Titan Prototype
- Letshuoer Prototype
- Eletech Prototype
- MusicTeck's Prototype IEM
- Soranik xMEMS Protoype

 

[Click]

Just want to say, the FatFreq crew were very kind, accommodating, and patient this weekend at CanJam. They brought a huge number of different IEMs and for every preference to audition, complete with a lot of beautiful faceplates/shells options for people to see. One of the most impressive showings at CanJam. Everyone wanted to test the Maestro series but there were many other good options besides the Maestros.

@Sebastien Chiu took the photo of FatFreq's crew. I just corrected the colors and made it look better.












Grand Maestro was just an incredible demo. One of my favorite IEMs at the show and in my opinion, one of the best IEMs in the world. I think I might save up for a custom version some day. After considering the 64 Audio Volur and Fir Xenon 6, I think GM might be my first truly expensive IEM. Oh, there will be an upcoming GM limited edition / anniversary edition coming soon.

 

[phiemon]

CanJam NYC IEM Impressions (Part I):



Had a great experience attending my first CanJam over the weekend trying out new gear and meeting a bunch of cool people!

Here are some IEM impressions from the weekend. I demoed all iems using iBasso 320MAX Ti and Azla Sedna Short tips.

The showfloor is quite loud so its difficult to ascertain the finer nuances of an iem. I tried my best to understand the general presentation and problem areas of each set.


Noble Onyx ($3200 USD)



Onyx was an enjoyable, easy listen.

Nice sub-bass/mid-bass quantity. Mid-bass is a bit soft sounding, lacking impact and maybe a little pillowy. I thought the dynamics could have been better and the staging was unremarkable. Decent resolution.

Nice voicing, no shout. No upper-mids to lower-treble sharpness. Overall very well-tuned.

I didn't know the price going in and I thought it was a 1k to 2k USD set max. Very enjoyable listen though and I like the shell design.


A&K x EE Novus ($5000 USD)



I was keen to demo Novus because I thought Odin and Raven did a lot of things well.

Immediately, I thought Novus could use more sub-bass quantity. Mid-bass had a good initial edge and then quickly loses body.

Vocal timbre sounded a little off, possibly tinny. Transient attack sounded slightly artificial and/or forced. There was also a touch of upper-mid to lower-treble sharpness.

Overall, I don't think Novus did anything particularly well. Perhaps it's an issue of synergy with the 320MAX Ti.

I'd be happy to give it a re-demo at some point but I left largely unconvinced.


Rhapsodio Supreme V3 ($6400 USD)



Eye-watering price aside, I thought the Sup V3 was a decent set.

I would have liked a little more sub-bass and mid-bass quantity, but the bass quality was fine.

Great resolution, imaging, and transient attack. I thought the timbre leaned a little cold but not overly so.

There was a hint of sharpness in the upper-mids to lower treble but the treble was otherwise enjoyable.

Overall a good set. Could have used a little more bass quantity to add to its engagement factor.


Campfire Audio Trifecta ($3300 USD)




Stopped by the Effect Audio booth to meet @Delitia where he let me try his Trifecta I think on a EA Cleopatra(?) cable. I also demoed Trifecta a second time with a group of friends, using Nightjar's Sovereign Symphony 8W cable for kicks.

On the EA cable:

I found Trifecta to have good sub-bass quantity and quality, but the bass wasn't super clean on faster tracks.

The vocal timbre was pleasant and the dynamics were pretty good. There was a touch of sharpness in the upper-mids to lower-treble but not overly so.

The major issue with Trifecta was a center image wonkiness/skew that threw off the entire presentation. It's very strange, or unique sounding, depending on which side of the Trifecta camp you're in.

On the Sovereign Symphony 8W (a roughly $15k cable that can double as a weapon):

Trifecta cleaned up considerably on the SS 8W cable.

Gone was the center image skew, and the bass sounded tighter as well. A more "normal" presentation if you will.

If this was how the Trifecta sounded stock, I think it would be a lot less polarizing. Then again, maybe Trifecta fans would find it less charming.


Nostalgia Audio Tesseract ($3700 USD)



Delitia was also gracious enough to let me try his Tesseract which wasn't at the show otherwise.

I found it to be a very balanced, enjoyable set overall.

The bass had a sub-bass focus, and overall bass levels weren't super elevated, but rather well-balanced with the rest of the frequency spectrum.

Vocals had a nice tone, and the treble sounded very linear without any problem spots. Resolution, dynamics, and transient attack were all decent.

A very pleasant set overall. Big thanks to Delitia for his generosity and company!


NYC CJ IEM impressions parts 2 and 3 to come later this week including the following sets:

- Subtonic Storm + SS 8W + MK 465
- Nightjar Duality
- Elysian Pilgrim
- Trailli Ti
- RN6
- 622B
- VE X
- PMG Audio Apx
- Dunu x Precogvision Mirai
- Ice Labs Prismatica + Prismatica Gold
- Fatfreq Grand Maestro

And some prototypes:

- Symphonium Titan Prototype
- Letshuoer Prototype
- Eletech Prototype
- MusicTeck's Prototype IEM
- Soranik xMems Protoype

Many thanks for the interesting impressions.

Is there an IEM at all that you really like? What else are your favorites in general? DAPs? You are quite critical - which I personally wouldn't take negatively, on the contrary, I think that WT really needs more of it.

 

[CodenameBK201]

'The Pilgrim' Sorry guys but

 

[tjzurlaaa]

After many mentions of Campfire Trifecta in the CanJam NYC Impressions thread, it made this I-don't-have-any-IEMs guy intrigued. I've got Sony XM5s for portable use, and like that I can basically muck about with the equalizer on the app.

But I'd really like a proper IEM, and descriptions of the Trifecta sound pretty cool.

What I'm wondering though, as a fan of Abyss 1266 particularly, what are the IEMs (any price range) considered to have insane technicalities? Whether it's insane resolution, clarity, details or soundstage? In short, what's the Abyss 1266 of the IEM world?

I would consider giving the Fir Xe6/Rn6 a shot

 

[Rockwell75]

Hangarjam 2024, hosted by @RTodd

 

[Smirk 24]

Many thanks for the interesting impressions.

Is there an IEM at all that you really like? What else are your favorites in general? DAPs? You are quite critical - which I personally wouldn't take negatively, on the contrary, I think that WT really needs more of it.

Hi there, I hope I don't come across as overly critical. It's not my intention to be a contrarian or to be critical just to criticize.

Here are some of my favorite DAPs:
- 320MAX Ti
- Shanling M9+
- Cayin N7
- HiBy R6 Pro II

I haven't heard N30LE, RS8, SP3K, or some other favorites.

Some IEMs I like (none of which are perfect and in no particular order):
- STORM
- Annihilator 23
- Amber Pearl
- CP622B (I've come around on it recently)
- CP54E
- Trailli + Trailli Ti
- Singularity
- EE Odin
- U4s
- Ice Labs Prismatica
- DUNU Mirai
- Letshuoer Cadenza 12

…and many more.

Hope this helps!

 

[soundblast75]

Something special came today Utsusemi Sinfonía and Haru Afterglow Diva

 

[bossfan48009]

Thanks for all of the NYC CanJam impressions. Sounded like a meaningful time spent with great gear and people.

It was mentioned in a previous post that there was a STORM that was available for purchase?

Did anyone bite the bullet and purchase, and if so, what was the price?

Any updates on more mass production of them in 2024?

Thanks everyone!

Tom

 

[Deezel177]

Yet another ’ed film. I have an addiction to recommending this movie to everyone I know.

Thanks for all of the NYC CanJam impressions. Sounded like a meaningful time spent with great gear and people.

It was mentioned in a previous post that there was a STORM that was available for purchase?

Did anyone bite the bullet and purchase, and if so, what was the price?

Any updates on more mass production of them in 2024?

Thanks everyone!

Tom

I’ve heard it’s likely to come next month; I’m guessing around CanJam SG time. Pricing will be similar, I believe.

 

[Rockwell75]

Post CanJam mini CanJam

 

[drftr]

I hope I don't come across as overly critical.

You do and I love it! It's easy to hear the good things in an IEM, but reading why others have their reservations makes me "investigate the issue" myself more lengthy; which can be a real challenge with short demos. If I don't hear the issue no damage is done, while if I do hear it and could see it as a dealbreaker then you really saved my life wallet.

I like this way better than reading about someone's new love that is way better than anything in existance, then see it back on the Classifieds 3 weeks later. To each their own though and no offense meant to anyone.

drftr

 

[tjzurlaaa]

Anyone attending Singapore can jam.. New York was so good but I want more

 

[Smirk 24]

You do and I love it! It's easy to hear the good things in an IEM, but reading why others have their reservations makes me "investigate the issue" myself more lengthy; which can be a real challenge with short demos. If I don't hear the issue no damage is done, while if I do hear it and could see it as a dealbreaker then you really saved my life wallet.

I like this way better than reading about someone's new love that is way better than anything in existance, then see it back on the Classifieds 3 weeks later. To each their own though and no offense meant to anyone.

drftr

Thanks for letting me know. It’s good to get an understanding of how I’m perceived.

I’m glad some people find it useful and I’ll consider highlighting more positives in my future impressions as well.

Thanks!