[kevin638880]

Both are very nice, I have a Fly Back Pulseometer Chronograph in white gold with blue lettering from Lange along with a Grand Lange One Moonphase in Yellow Gold. I want a Lumen Lange next.

Ah the 1815 Chrono Boutique Edition. I've considered that one purely because of the movement but it just looks way too similar to my up/down, and also just a bit too expensive. Unbeatable movement and pushers tho.

There's the new Dato Lumen Honeygold, I heard it is around 600k tho

 

[Tanalasta]

Been away from audio for a while because 1) I am happy with what I have - only a new Elysian Flagship will be able to tempt me right now, and 2) decisions between....






Sadly I cannot afford the Datograph so I am just trying it out for fun But yeah so it is between the first two, completely torn between the classic white Lange 1 or the black L1 Moonphase (I have an 1815 UP/DOWN so an L1 model seems to be the most logical new addition). Also partly the reason why I haven't been buying new audio gear because I am saving up for these

I actually like the classic rose gold Lange 1 the most. The Moonphase was rather chunky. Though Lange have one of the most beautiful moon phase implementations in the business. The ALS price rises have been astronomical over the last 2 years. I personally went for the Saxonia Thin in WG as an understated dress watch. So understated, at one of our watch meets, it was politely complimented as a "nice Longines".

Today's watch of the day. #IYKYK

Moving on to today's impressions:

These are very, very early impressions only.

Thank you DHL for very rapid delivery. And for opening the box. I know. They want to be part of the unboxing experience. They did split the cardboard box. But at least my IEM's have been security checked and actually weren't replaced with pieces of newspaper.



Unboxing: We're not here for unboxing experiences. Included are Final tips which I never used ; a suede-like case with a magnetic closure for the cable and the IEM's themselves. The case is a little small for both cable and IEM.

Cable: I don't know what the stock cable is. It could be better. I found it a little too thin in the mids and doesn't have the technical aspects of a higher quality cable. Others have commented the techs are probably not summit-fi (well they're not) but they improve significantly with a cable upgrade. The timbre however isn't bad at all.

I initially reached for my W1 tips and found them too bright. Impressions are with Azla CRYSTAL

Neutral tuning: Well controlled DD bass. Quite okay speed and impact. I prefer my bass on the lighter side ; so would say the amount is about right. Don't expect kinetic bass. Could be faster also. Mids slightly forward, a little lean on the low mids and body and would call this on the bright > warm IEM as a result with certain music. It is track dependent. Female vocals sound a little bright; tracks than emphasise the bass/low mids have a warmer emphasis. Treble could do with more extension but there are no peaks or sibilance. As I listen to this some more, the tuning is quite well done. There are no unpleasant peaks with vocals being just that little bit prominent. Perhaps a bit shouty with female classic crossover.

Warm tuning: Flick the switch with a fingernail. It's a little tight to click over. Mids become more musical ; there is more weight to the low mids and bass. Vocals sound more analogue. I personally feel it's just a bit congested at the bottom. Someone turned the bass and low mid knob clockwise a bit on the EQ sound desk.

I do not expect $5000US technicalities at this price point. This is a mid-tier IEM that does a lot of things well. Soundstage is out left and right. Not so much forward or vertical. Layering is on par for the price point. I would call MEST3 as having the superior soundstage from a technical aspect.

Cable Roll

Hybrid cable (palladium and gold plated silver ; copper). Eletech Enigma. Sorry, it's a limited release. But I thought it would be a good pairing for neutral mode and it is. Tightens up the bass, it's better controlled with less mid bass bleed. Mids are surprisingly smoother. Female vocals on this are ok but a little forward. A natural, slightly soft timbre. Softness might be the SP3k so will have to try other sources. Separation and space much improved. But I think the tuning is more balanced with the stock cable.

Dial in EDM and warm tuning. You don't get the impact from Kinetic Bass that you would on the FIR Frontier. Bass isn't as tight as I like. I still think it's a little messy personally but the tuning will appeal to many others. The Enigma is much more compatible to the natural switch. On the warm switch: Vocals have a slight unnaturally nasal, analogue tonality.

I preferred listening to ASOT 2024 on the Natural Switch.

For some reason it reminds me a little of the KN5 I auditioned recently though I don't think this would be an accurate comparison. I haven't heard Annihilator but wonder if the Alter Ego (minus the treble of the Anni and perhaps not as technically competent) could trade blows.

Trifecta lovers will probably enjoy the warm tuning.

Keen to go home and see how sounds with the Cayin C9 or Hugo 2. Will also need to do more tip rolling and try the stock Final-E.



*edit- Initial impressions of SP3000 -> Eletech OTL IC -> Cayin C9 in Class A / Tube mode ... are fairly positive. I think if you prefer using the neutral tuning, Alter Ego pairs better with a warmer source. I ended up changing tips to Azla Sednafit Max but very much still in the process of rolling.

Ended up back at the stock cable and Final E tips. The final tips modulate the timbre and brightness. It's still there but less fatiguing. I can't help but think the SP3000 might not be the best pairing. Yet to try it with Hugo2

 

[chickenmcnug]

This might be a weird thing but hear me out guys, this is probably my favourite single note in any song at 36 seconds. Such an extremely satisfying hit on the floor tom.
In fact in terms of "feel" this is probably my favourite song of all time, tickles my eardrums nicely lol.



What song "tickles" your eardrums?

 

[Crazeee]

Whose going to Canjam Shanghai 8-9 June?

I will be there very likely. See you around.

 

[maegnificant]

New toy arrived yesterday, sadly with some woes...:/
I preordered the Moondrop Dusk, because I really liked the Blessing 2: Dusk back when it came out and I was interested in this new update, which promised a DSP featured sound upgrade and ways to change the sound signature. Those DSP profiles are made by people with a lot more knowledge than I have and they spent the time creating the sound signature they prefer, which I am interested in hearing. Even before the Dusk came in, people were talking about the dysfunctional app from Moondrop, that is used to change DSP settings and some QC issues like channel imbalance.

Yesterday I was really skeptical if I should even open them up, because all the negative news I have read about. But I did in the end and to my dismay, the whole package feels a lot cheaper than the Blessing 2: Dusk.

The packaging is nice enough I guess, but it already starts with the included carrying Case, which is noticably of lesser quality than before, especially the zipper.
The IEMs seem pretty flimsy themselves as well and the cables are bottom of the barrel cheapo. Everything has a plastic-y vibe to it. Because it is all plastic.

The measurements on the back of the box, which would be great to see, if Moondrop had a stricter factory tolerance.

The DSP cable makes noise. Yes you read that right. It is noisy on its own and I heard it immediately. This article backs me up as well:https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/moondrop-x-crinacle-dusk-an-inconvenient-truth
If I had read this article before I opened the box, I would not have done so. It's a complete joke to be honest. After trying for 30 minutes to get the Moondrop app working, I gave up and switched to the regular, even cheaper feeling, 3.5mm cable. Timmy from Gizaudio made the DSP profiles available as .txt files for Wavelet and added some more as well.

The stock DSP profile sounds... Okay. On some tracks it's better than the analogue tuning, on some the analogue tuning sounds better. I would still have to evaluate more thoroughly and also test the other DSP profiles. But I am disappointed. This IEM cost 350 Euros. It's of course no crazy high budget release, but these cables and the overall feel of the Dusk screams 100 bucks at best to me, even with the 2DD, 2BA, 2 Planar driver setup.
The most advertised feature of this product is faulty and borderline completely disfunctional.
When I asked Shenzhenaudio for a partial refund or the possibility to return the item for free, they denied my request, claiming their policy, as the product functions as normal. But in my opinion, this is product is not fully functional. This is my last purchase from Shenzhenaudio for sure.
I will most likely sell the Dusk here, if anyone is interested, just beware of its faults. Bad advertising, I know, but it is the truth. It's not a horrible IEM by any means. But it is certainly not what I expected it to be.

 

[Damz87]

Tbh idk if yall have Nando’s but try the extra bloody hot sauce with chicken nugs kinda slaps

Nandos hot perinaise with Maccas nugs is god tier.

 

[Deezel177]

This might be a weird thing but hear me out guys, this is probably my favourite single note in any song at 36 seconds. Such an extremely satisfying hit on the floor tom.
In fact in terms of "feel" this is probably my favourite song of all time, tickles my eardrums nicely lol.



What song "tickles" your eardrums?

Whenever anyone mentions the floor tom, the drummer I think of immediately is Benny Greb, particularly his performance on the VFJams Live! series:



I can't pinpoint an exact moment that tickles the ear, but it's filled with so many incredible gems... from the double kick -> floor tom -> snare fill at 1:19, to Mark Lettieri's ridiculous guitar solo from 2:02, to the floor tom fill at 3:23, to Benny's drum solo from 4:27, which, in itself, has moment like the linear fill at 4:58, then the snare hit that sounds like it broke a stick at 5:06, then an even better linear fill at 5:12, then the sick half-time groove at 5:22, then an even better linear passage at 5:25...

*long inhale* *exhale* ...just watch the whole thing.

P.S. Then, watch these when you're done.

 

[chickenmcnug]

Whenever anyone mentions the floor tom, the drummer I think of immediately is Benny Greb, particularly his performance on the VFJams Live! series:



I can't pinpoint an exact moment that tickles the ear, but it's filled with so many incredible gems... from the double kick -> floor tom -> snare fill at 1:19, to Mark Lettieri's ridiculous guitar solo from 2:02, to the floor tom fill at 3:23, to Benny's drum solo from 4:27, which, in itself, has moment like the linear fill at 4:58, then the snare hit that sounds like it broke a stick at 5:06, then an even better linear fill at 5:12, then the sick half-time groove at 5:22, then an even better linear passage at 5:25...

*long inhale* *exhale* ...just watch the whole thing.

P.S. Then, watch these when you're done.

Oh yes this hits the spot

 

[theintention]

New toy arrived yesterday, sadly with some woes...:/
I preordered the Moondrop Dusk, because I really liked the Blessing 2: Dusk back when it came out and I was interested in this new update, which promised a DSP featured sound upgrade and ways to change the sound signature. Those DSP profiles are made by people with a lot more knowledge than I have and they spent the time creating the sound signature they prefer, which I am interested in hearing. Even before the Dusk came in, people were talking about the dysfunctional app from Moondrop, that is used to change DSP settings and some QC issues like channel imbalance.

Yesterday I was really skeptical if I should even open them up, because all the negative news I have read about. But I did in the end and to my dismay, the whole package feels a lot cheaper than the Blessing 2: Dusk.

The packaging is nice enough I guess, but it already starts with the included carrying Case, which is noticably of lesser quality than before, especially the zipper.
The IEMs seem pretty flimsy themselves as well and the cables are bottom of the barrel cheapo. Everything has a plastic-y vibe to it. Because it is all plastic.

The measurements on the back of the box, which would be great to see, if Moondrop had a stricter factory tolerance.


The DSP cable makes noise. Yes you read that right. It is noisy on its own and I heard it immediately. This article backs me up as well:https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/moondrop-x-crinacle-dusk-an-inconvenient-truth
If I had read this article before I opened the box, I would not have done so. It's a complete joke to be honest. After trying for 30 minutes to get the Moondrop app working, I gave up and switched to the regular, even cheaper feeling, 3.5mm cable. Timmy from Gizaudio made the DSP profiles available as .txt files for Wavelet and added some more as well.

The stock DSP profile sounds... Okay. On some tracks it's better than the analogue tuning, on some the analogue tuning sounds better. I would still have to evaluate more thoroughly and also test the other DSP profiles. But I am disappointed. This IEM cost 350 Euros. It's of course no crazy high budget release, but these cables and the overall feel of the Dusk screams 100 bucks at best to me, even with the 2DD, 2BA, 2 Planar driver setup.
The most advertised feature of this product is faulty and borderline completely disfunctional.
When I asked Shenzhenaudio for a partial refund or the possibility to return the item for free, they denied my request, claiming their policy, as the product functions as normal. But in my opinion, this is product is not fully functional. This is my last purchase from Shenzhenaudio for sure.
I will most likely sell the Dusk here, if anyone is interested, just beware of its faults. Bad advertising, I know, but it is the truth. It's not a horrible IEM by any means. But it is certainly not what I expected it to be.

Moondrop’s popularity continues to perplex me. Ever since I got in this hobby a year and change ago they have been coasting off the goodwill of the Blessing2 and S8, nothing but duds since.

Really unfortunate that the waifu doesn’t save all I guess.

 

[stacey]

Moondrop’s popularity continues to perplex me. Ever since I got in this hobby a year and change ago they have been coasting off the goodwill of the Blessing2 and S8, nothing but duds since.

Really unfortunate that the waifu doesn’t save all I guess.

I’ve always wondered why moondrop is so popular. Apparently they have really poor quality control among other things yet they still sell ( look at how long the Moondrop thread is on this forum). Guess the waifu does them wonders….

 

[marcusd]

Our Monachaa review is up went all dynamic with the comparisons including trifecta, dmagic 3d and e12.

https://headfonics.com/oriolus-monachaa-review/

 

[fejnomit]

I love both Xe6 and Trifecta but have to say I hear them like they graph up top, which is to say opposite to this description. Xe6 is clear but totally non-fatiguing up top, and almost immune to sibilance. While Trifecta can be smooth, but if the treble in a track aligns with its wild peaks, you'll hear them, and it won't be pleasant. It all comes down to treble sensitivity and if you prefer your sound bombastic and raw (Trifecta) or big but smooth and refined (Xe6).

I really have to listen to XE6 again. Maybe it was the GPS cable or the tips, dunno, but I would have loved them had I heard the treble response you describe.

*Edit: Sitll maintain that I have yet to hear the peakiness in the Trifectas - if anyone's keeping score, haha

 

[Rockwell75]

I really have to listen to XE6 again. Maybe it was the GPS cable or the tips, dunno, but I would have loved them had I heard the treble response you describe.

*Edit: Sitll maintain that I have yet to hear the peakiness in the Trifectas - if anyone's keeping score, haha

I posted the following in a chat when someone asked me if I heard peakiness in Trifecta's treble:

"I don’t find it to be so personally, but it is a complaint some have made. I think source, tips and ear geometry can have an impact and so I think the people who complain about it and the people who say they don’t notice an issue are all likely being sincere for the most part. I think it’s a Fei Wan-like situation in that the tuning sits right on the edge of tolerable for some and the wrong combination of tips/source/ear geometry can ruin it. I recently tried these Penon tips that @⁨Mark DeVitre (emdeevee)⁩ gave me on the Trifecta and I found it tinny and shrill to listen to, an issue I do not have with my Sedna Crystals. YMMV/Ramen.”

 

[drewbadour]

Been looking into the Elysian x Effect Pilgrim and despite initial rumors that Noir would be twice the price, it seems the Noir edition is just slightly more.

https://starspickeraudio.net/collec...-acoustic-labs-pilgrim-noir-1-custom-lsr-dd-3

It's from starspicker so it should be legit, I think?

That said, is there really any reason not to get the Noir over OG?

 

[maegnificant]

Been looking into the Elysian x Effect Pilgrim and despite initial rumors that Noir would be twice the price, it seems the Noir edition is just slightly more.

https://starspickeraudio.net/collec...-acoustic-labs-pilgrim-noir-1-custom-lsr-dd-3

It's from starspicker so it should be legit, I think?

That said, is there really any reason not to get the Noir over OG?

The sound probably