[fzman]

That was a wonderful detailed discussion, and I felt myself enriched by your insights. You have reignited my passion for Isabellae.

Hay you two! Get a (listening) room!

 

[Rockwell75]

@Rockwell75 The Turii looks really intriguing Might be good to try this summer, as it seems right your alley. Single DD with somewhat similar tuning with Isa
I couldn't get to demo the Turii here, but I did hear how great the rest of Softears lineup sound
They're really good.. Especially the RSV
The RS10 and Cerberus too if you have a stronger powered source (M8), as they're harder to drive
Tonally I like the RSV better, but technically the RS10 is superior (though not $1000 more)

https://www.klauseulenbach.de/2021/03/05/softears-turii/

The Turii seems to have a larger soundstage, but I haven't heard one before
Hopefully someone could try and compare with the Isa someday, as it looks very promising

That sounds very intriguing indeed...I'm a little wary of Softears though... @SBranson had one of their IEMs (I forget which one but I think it was sub $1K) that was well regarded and I was manifestly unimpressed by it...in particular because it had such a telescopically small stage that I felt like this guy trying to find its image in my mind when listening to it.

 

[SBranson]

Something I've been think about a lot lately, in particular with respect to me weighing Isa vs. Elysium in my own life is use case. Most of my listening, as in over 95% of it, is done out and about, on the go, or otherwise preoccupied with something like marking or working on the computer. When I sit right down and listen critically it's very clear all the ways that Elysium excels Isa (and absolutely everything else I've ever heard for that matter) in terms of subtle creation of an almost living breathing atmosphere, nuance in detail and naturalness, and overall technical skill. The thing is that most of the time I'm too preoccupied with whatever else is in my sphere of activity to give Elysium the attention it deserves to really do it justice. More important to me is an IEM that can draw me in and keep the back of my mind constantly entertained and engaged in a little bubble of musical bliss whilst I go about my day. For this the thump and overall timbre of a DD is irreplacable, even in the context of a more balanced presentation like the Isa. I took Dorado on the road with me yesterday and even with the ever-present ambient noise of worldly activity I had its nice, meaty thumping bass & rich timbre keeping me moving and engaged all day. I have done this with Elysium before too and while great it's not the same. Whereas Dorado & Isa provide a backdrop to whatever else I'm doing-- Elysium commands that I stop everything and give it all my attention so it can pull me in to the proverbial palace of Elysium and lose myself in its effervescent charms. As much as I enjoy this when it happens it's not something I get to do very often due to my life and listening habits...or at least often enough that really feel I'm getting the most out of it.

I’m very glad you posted this as, in all respect, I’ve been a bit at odds with the “Isabellae is as good or better than the Elysium” sentiment and tried to balance it a little. Maybe I missed some comments along the way but this is a great explanation. I’m the complete opposite.. 95%+ of my listening is focussed quiet time lying in bed or sitting in my chair. It’s something I do at the end of the day or steal an hour here and there over the weekend.
I much better understand your position now as I didn’t realize how much your listening was “ on-the-go”.

 

[Rockwell75]

I’m very glad you posted this as, in all respect, I’ve been a bit at odds with the “Isabellae is as good or better than the Elysium” sentiment and tried to balance it a little. Maybe I missed some comments along the way but this is a great explanation. I’m the complete opposite.. 95%+ of my listening is focussed quiet time lying in bed or sitting in my chair. It’s something I do at the end of the day or steal an hour here and there over the weekend.
I much better understand your position now as I didn’t realize how much your listening was “ on-the-go”.

I feel that 100% of the variance in our respective positions on this matter stems from our individual libraries and listening habits. Given what you listen to and the manner in which you listen to it Elysium is 100% in a different league than Isabellae. However with both what I listen to and how I listen Isabellae more than holds its own and even has a few strengths Elysium doesn't. Which brings me back to the concept of "better" again. Saying that "A is a better IEM than B" is imho a mostly vacuuous statement if it's not accompanied by other statements explaining precisely what "better" means in this instance. For this reason I feel ranking lists are mostly useless unless presented as merely a measure of one's subjective enjoyment and alongside all the caveats specific to that individuals tastes, preferences, library, biases and use case.

 

[SBranson]

And to be honest, as sacrilegious as it may seem, for my listening style, even against the Traillii I’m not sure there is anything I’ve heard that is as good as the Elysium. The Traillii is “better” in many ways but in vocal timbre the Elysium is nigh on peerless.

 

[Rockwell75]

And to be honest, as sacrilegious as it may seem, for my listening style, even against the Traillii I’m not sure there is anything I’ve heard that is as good as the Elysium. The Traillii is “better” in many ways but in vocal timbre the Elysium is nigh on peerless.

You're not the only one who has said that. If I remember correctly @RTodd keeps an Elysium alongside his bird primarily for that reason.

 

[fzman]

Context, or what you young-uns call 'use-case', is highly relevant to assessments of value, utility, and performance. Along with genre and goals, they form a strong core of the basis on which decisions and evaluations are made. It is not alwways clear what those bases are, but nonetheless it is useful to know what they are. (I believe they are sometimes subconsious, and not even known by their possessors.)

I use my "portable" gear to listen on the go, even if only to 'go' sit on the back porch (not sure how the neighbors would take to Zappa blasting from the kitchen speakers into the 'hood'.... Listening is the activity, not a background or an afterthought-but it is tricky to avoid danger outoors. Luckily my neighborhood is safe and not too busy, so I just have to watch out for blind alleys, and be a bit vigilant in general. But, mediocre does not cut it with me, but I get how a rig that gets the last 1/2% of performance might go undernoticed and therefore underappreciated.... Yes, I do walk around with the P6Pro and Odins, among other gear, that's why I got them.

 

[RTodd]

You're not the only one who has said that. If I remember correctly @RTodd keeps an Elysium alongside his bird primarily for that reason.

Hello all, I have three IEMs I like for vocals, the Bird the Mason FS and the Ely.
Ely and Traillii sound very close to each other with the Ely having the vocals a little more forward and intimate to my ears, they sound a little lower in frequency also to my ears.
The Mason sounds very different for vocals hard to compare them, interesting presence in a different way.

The Ely because of the sound and shell design has a permanent place next to my bed along with the M8 I use them just about every night. Great to wind down at lower volume, M8 and Code 51 take almost all the edge out of the treble region, so never notice it as an issue, unless I A/B with another IEM than I can still hear some.

I have three Use cases, portable, sitting and working, and reclining. Honestly in terms of pure enjoyment I love all three of these IEMs.

The most engaging to my ears is another IEM the Thummim using the C9 in tube mode. I have to be sitting to use that setup. And I have to not want subtle, the way that makes Double Bass sound, hard to not be thrilled.

Happy Fourth to the Americans among us, enjoy your Sunday everyone else.

 

[Rockwell75]

Hello all, I have three IEMs I like for vocals, the Bird the Mason FS and the Ely.
Ely and Traillii sound very close to each other with the Ely having the vocals a little more forward and intimate to my ears, they sound a little lower in frequency also to my ears.
The Mason sounds very different for vocals hard to compare them, interesting presence in a different way.

The Ely because of the sound and shell design has a permanent place next to my bed along with the M8 I use them just about every night. Great to wind down at lower volume, M8 and Code 51 take almost all the edge out of the treble region, so never notice it as an issue, unless I A/B with another IEM than I can still hear some.

I have three Use cases, portable, sitting and working, and reclining. Honestly in terms of pure enjoyment I love all three of these IEMs.

The most engaging to my ears is another IEM the Thummim using the C9 in tube mode. I have to be sitting to use that setup. And I have to not want subtle, the way that makes Double Bass sound, hard to not be thrilled.

Happy Fourth to the Americans among us, enjoy your Sunday everyone else.

The Thum sounds like where I'd go if I had an unlimited budget and wanted to one up the Dorado.

 

[SBranson]

I'm one of those people who doesn't even listen to music in the car. Maybe it's because I usually have a crappy car and I'm constantly listening for arising problems..

I've since switched to audiobooks or podcasts at work for when it's appropriate so squeezing that last little bit out of my home set up is paramount and I've discovered that "home setuo" for me is a dap and iems... I don't like having amps and such as I like to lie in bed or get up and sit in my chair..

For me the difference in the Traillii and Elysium where I prefer the Elysium is in the vocals. Even that is a bit of a trade off. The Traillii has a more open spacious sound overall and the detail is phenomenal. I'm hearing things I've never heard in recordings. But vocals are a bit sacrificed in this overall presentation... Listening to Joni Mitchell's Hejira, or KD Lang on Hymns of the 49th Parallel there's an ever so slight hollowness to the voice. When I go back to the Elysium, the image shrinks, and the vocalist comes closer and smaller but there is a timbre richness that comes back.. It's not a gigantic difference and involves the trade off of the spacious open sound.
For my library of small ensemble baroque, some (mostly female) vocalists, and piano based modern classical crossover like Hania Rani, Olafur Arnalds or Nils Frahm its becoming a difficult choice. Unfortunately it will come down to a choice as I can't keep both.

 

[RTodd]

The Thum sounds like where I'd go if I had an unlimited budget and wanted to one up the Dorado.

Has anyone compared them, Dorado To Thummim? I had a quick listen to Dorado and you could be on to something. If I did not already hear the Thummim I probably would have got that set. I was going off how the sound stayed with me long after the demo and created a longing for it.

 

[Rockwell75]

I'm one of those people who doesn't even listen to music in the car.

Given where you live that makes total sense-- I live at the end of a 100KM highway, which is lovely to drive with some music in my ears. I'd never listen to my IEMs when driving in an area with even moderate traffic though.

 

[RTodd]

I'm one of those people who doesn't even listen to music in the car. Maybe it's because I usually have a crappy car and I'm constantly listening for arising problems..

I've since switched to audiobooks or podcasts at work for when it's appropriate so squeezing that last little bit out of my home set up is paramount and I've discovered that "home setuo" for me is a dap and iems... I don't like having amps and such as I like to lie in bed or get up and sit in my chair..

For me the difference in the Traillii and Elysium where I prefer the Elysium is in the vocals. Even that is a bit of a trade off. The Traillii has a more open spacious sound overall and the detail is phenomenal. I'm hearing things I've never heard in recordings. But vocals are a bit sacrificed in this overall presentation... Listening to Joni Mitchell's Hejira, or KD Lang on Hymns of the 49th Parallel there's an ever so slight hollowness to the voice. When I go back to the Elysium, the image shrinks, and the vocalist comes closer and smaller but there is a timbre richness that comes back.. It's not a gigantic difference and involves the trade off of the spacious open sound.
For my library of small ensemble baroque, some (mostly female) vocalists, and piano based modern classical crossover like Hania Rani, Olafur Arnalds or Nils Frahm its becoming a difficult choice. Unfortunately it will come down to a choice as I can't keep both.

Hats off, you said it much better than I did, the way you describe it is what I hear too.

 

[Rockwell75]

Has anyone compared them, Dorado To Thummim? I had a quick listen to Dorado and you could be on to something. If I did not already hear the Thummim I probably would have got that set. I was going off how the sound stayed with me long after the demo and created a longing for it.

No I don't think so. It's an IEM I think many overlooked due to a brigad- I mean string of almost unprecedentedly negative reviews from influential quarters early on. While it's certainly not for everyone it's one of the most uniquely engaging IEMs with probably the most satisfying mid-bass response I've ever heard. I really hope CFA keeps experimenting with their ceramic shells as it's a source of a good deal of the Dorado's magic. The Shanling M8 really helps as well.

 

[SBranson]

Given where you live that makes total sense-- I live at the end of a 100KM highway, which is lovely to drive with some music in my ears. I'd never listen to my IEMs when driving in an area with even moderate traffic though.

I don’t mean with iems, I mean with the car stereo. I like to listen to my surroundings or just think. Sometimes an audiobook though as I’m currently on a history of WW2 binge.
I worked up North in forestry 25 years ago and the drives were epically long so I can certainly understand your position.