The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[rantng]

So far the M21 is looking like the most tempting prospect for me as far as these sales go...though I'm curious what this will offer:

Argh, I'd forgotten about this. The multiverse event seemed promising, but I thought the selection was weird, but I guess multiverses are strange like that. I did pick up an Onyx out of curiosity, but I think I already have too many IEMs (in general) that follow the same signature. I am still curious about the Shrink Ray Solaris, but I don't know if I'm curious enough to pay the $600-900 premium over the 2020 & OG prices on the classifieds.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Not sure if he considered this but he just told me it's for the advertised version only.

drftr

Bummer. I was going to offer you a trade for one of my 1960s 2 wires plus cash for your 4 wire to help reduce the price a bit more for you.

 

[Rockwell75]

Argh, I'd forgotten about this. The multiverse event seemed promising, but I thought the selection was weird, but I guess multiverses are strange like that. I did pick up an Onyx out of curiosity, but I think I already have too many IEMs (in general) that follow the same signature. I am still curious about the Shrink Ray Solaris, but I don't know if I'm curious enough to pay the $600-900 premium over the 2020 & OG prices on the classifieds.

Yeah the Multiverse was pretty underwhelming on the whole unless viewed through the lens of them trying to be environmentally saavy by clearing out old shells & materials. I'm curious about Onyx too but it seems like essentially a baby Dorado and I've already got one of those. Short of them surprising everyone and actually releasing a whole new IEM or putting some of their super old stock (OG Solaris or Atlas) up at a massive discount I can't imagine what they could offer to tempt me.

From a cost-value perspective OG Solari going for ~700 on the used market still offer a tremendous bang for buck.

 

[rantng]

Just boxed up the IE900 as I'm leaning towards the FAudio Dark Sky. The more forward mids made up my mind for me. I generally don't like to A-B IEMs unless I feel like they are direct competitors/share the same overall signature, which I feel the IE900 & Dark Sky are/do. A-Bing only highlights differences which may or may not stand out when compared to listening to an IEM on its own. The IE900 is a great IEM, but compared directly to the Dark Sky I went with the latter. I keep going back to my thoughts on the EE Legend X vs the Legend X SE; SE's bass is just a touch tighter and the mids more forward, bringing a little more balance to the overall sound and giving the IEM a (relatively) brighter sound. Additionally, I compared the IE900 directly with the Legend X right after; if I didn't own the LX I'd keep the IE900. The IE900 is like a 'baby' Legend X. Overall sound is quite similar, but LX beats IE900 on bass texture with just a touch more body in the mids. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the IE900 to anyone who wanted a Legend X at a more affordable price as I believe it gets you most of the way there.

 

[Rockwell75]

Just boxed up the IE900 as I'm leaning towards the FAudio Dark Sky. The more forward mids made up my mind for me. I generally don't like to A-B IEMs unless I feel like they are direct competitors/share the same overall signature, which I feel the IE900 & Dark Sky are/do. A-Bing only highlights differences which may or may not stand out when compared to listening to an IEM on its own. The IE900 is a great IEM, but compared directly to the Dark Sky I went with the latter. I keep going back to my thoughts on the EE Legend X vs the Legend X SE; SE's bass is just a touch tighter and the mids more forward, bringing a little more balance to the overall sound and giving the IEM a (relatively) brighter sound. Additionally, I compared the IE900 directly with the Legend X right after; if I didn't own the LX I'd keep the IE900. The IE900 is like a 'baby' Legend X. Overall sound is quite similar, but LX beats IE900 on bass texture with just a touch more body in the mids. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the IE900 to anyone who wanted a Legend X at a more affordable price as I believe it gets you most of the way there.

I'm still curious about your favorite/desert island IEM

 

[Mehran]

Just boxed up the IE900 as I'm leaning towards the FAudio Dark Sky. The more forward mids made up my mind for me. I generally don't like to A-B IEMs unless I feel like they are direct competitors/share the same overall signature, which I feel the IE900 & Dark Sky are/do. A-Bing only highlights differences which may or may not stand out when compared to listening to an IEM on its own. The IE900 is a great IEM, but compared directly to the Dark Sky I went with the latter. I keep going back to my thoughts on the EE Legend X vs the Legend X SE; SE's bass is just a touch tighter and the mids more forward, bringing a little more balance to the overall sound and giving the IEM a (relatively) brighter sound. Additionally, I compared the IE900 directly with the Legend X right after; if I didn't own the LX I'd keep the IE900. The IE900 is like a 'baby' Legend X. Overall sound is quite similar, but LX beats IE900 on bass texture with just a touch more body in the mids. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the IE900 to anyone who wanted a Legend X at a more affordable price as I believe it gets you most of the way there.

It's interesting as I own the LX, and want to buy the IE900. I like the LX except for the elevated upper mids . And based on graphs the IE900 seems brighter and less bassy with the upper mids more to my liking. I keep getting hot and cold about buying it with every impression I read. Lol

 

[drftr]

Bummer. I was going to offer you a trade for one of my 1960s 2 wires plus cash for your 4 wire to help reduce the price a bit more for you.

And if it had a 3.5 mm termination then that would probably have worked out just fine.

If he's a good business man he will wait until the sale is over though and either laugh all the way to the bank or lick his wounds and come back to me on his decision.

drftr

 

[gLer]

Additionally, I compared the IE900 directly with the Legend X right after; if I didn't own the LX I'd keep the IE900. The IE900 is like a 'baby' Legend X. Overall sound is quite similar, but LX beats IE900 on bass texture with just a touch more body in the mids. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the IE900 to anyone who wanted a Legend X at a more affordable price as I believe it gets you most of the way there.

Very astute observation

 

[rantng]

I'm still curious about your favorite/desert island IEM

I think I'd go with the Tia Fourte. I originally heard it not long after its release along with the U18t as part of a head-fi tour. I hadn't heard many TOTL IEMs at that time and I remember being somewhat overwhelmed with its sound. I remember remarking that it was too "much" without a clear understanding/explanation of what "much" was. I was instead drawn to the U18t with it's resolution; back then resolution was the most important factor/benchmark for me for a TOTL IEM, before I understood how to evaluate overall sound/before my tastes matured. Fast forward a few years and although I'd gone through many (too many) IEMs in that time I'd never heard the Fourte again after that initial listen. I read about how the Fourte was an amazing IEM even years after its release. I also read about how polarizing it was. I'm also somewhat of a treble-head and I thought it was time to revisit it. I had also recently sold my Odin after failing to fall in love with it; it just didn't click with me and I was on the search for a new TOTL IEM. Then along comes @gLer with his 64 Audio Shootout

 

[Scubadevils]

I must say, I am still tempted by Dark Sky - a stunning looking IEM and I'm very curious on the tuning. FD7 still appealing though too... I love my single DDs!

Now listening to the following on Traillii and forgetting about what I did or didn't pay for it, thanks for reminder @gLer - this is beautiful and incredible on the Bird.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I have finally reached the point in my audiophile experience where I have bought, sold and rebought an IEM. My first TOTL IEM was a custom reshelled to universal VE8 that I loved, but whose fit was off due to the reshell job, so when Vision Ears came out with a Universal version of the VE8, I knew I had to pick it up again at some point in time and I finally got the opportunity. I like the anniversary face plate, so that is the one I got. Now that I have much more experience with TOTL IEMs, I have some relevant observations that I want to share.

My first impression was not good. I had spent the better part of the year focusing on sub bass and the right bass shelf for my preferences. Right out of the box, I am thinking, how could I possibly have liked these IEMs? There is insufficient sub bass and the bass is completely bleeding into the mids. It's a very cloudy presentation in the midrange relative to the clarity of other monitors like the Thieaudio Monarch. Treble was somewhat sibilant at times like I recalled. I was wondering what the heck was wrong with me when I thought I liked these IEMs.

Then, I did what I always do. I didn't even both with that piece of crap cable that comes with it. At first I paired it with a Leonidas II cable along with Azla SednaEarfit tips which are my default to test with new IEMs. This combination clearly did not work. So, I swapped the cable with a PW Audio 1960s 2-wire. Still same problems. Ergonomics better, but sound still not good. Then, I made the change that made the biggest difference. I tip rolled to Spinfit CP145 tips and then the sibilance was gone. No more searing pain from the treble. And, I let my brain adjust to the sound. Now, the VE8 is once again in the top 5 of my collection. What does it sound best with? Vocals. I don't think I've heard my Joao Gilberto playlist sound any better than this. Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Jazz vocals, sublime. The de-emphasized sub bass with more focus on mid bass and lower mids give vocals a nice and warm body to support them. Once my mind focused on this sound, the VE8 started sounded great with other genre that seemed off at first due to its different signature. And the literally thousands of hours of listening has really fine tuned my critical listening skills.

Then, I remember @gLer, mentioning he didn't like the Isabellae because of the sub bass roll off. I love sub bass, but not for all music. So, I decided to compare the graphs of the Elysium, Isabellae and VE8 and look what I found. I found the magical bass to mids transition that is the @Rockwell75 romantic vocals signature. There is no more romantic music to me than Bossa Nova Jazz. It is mostly male vocals based and is really enhanced by this signature.

I was focusing my attention on the EXT, but I am beginning to think that the EXT is very much like the EVO. When you look at the FR graphs, they are much more similar than these. I am now for the first time ever interested in the Elysium. I think it might be the much more complementary monitor for my EVO.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

For comparison purposes, here is EVO and EXT.

 

[aaf evo]

For comparison purposes, here is EVO and EXT.

These two don’t sound much alike at all. The Evo is a thinner and more revealing sound, with much more present upper mid range and bigger bass. The EXT in comparison is a warmer, smoother, richer, thicker timbre, and more laid back sound.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

These two don’t sound much alike at all. The Evo is a thinner and more revealing sound, with much more present upper mid range and bigger bass. The EXT in comparison is a warmer, smoother, richer, thicker timbre, and more laid back sound.

Sure, no two IEMs sound the same. The question is will you listen to the same music with them. If the answer is yes, they are redundant.

The Isabellae and VE8 don't sound the same but they are both great for vocals

 

[Tristy]

I have finally reached the point in my audiophile experience where I have bought, sold and rebought an IEM. My first TOTL IEM was a custom reshelled to universal VE8 that I loved, but whose fit was off due to the reshell job, so when Vision Ears came out with a Universal version of the VE8, I knew I had to pick it up again at some point in time and I finally got the opportunity. I like the anniversary face plate, so that is the one I got. Now that I have much more experience with TOTL IEMs, I have some relevant observations that I want to share.

My first impression was not good. I had spent the better part of the year focusing on sub bass and the right bass shelf for my preferences. Right out of the box, I am thinking, how could I possibly have liked these IEMs? There is insufficient sub bass and the bass is completely bleeding into the mids. It's a very cloudy presentation in the midrange relative to the clarity of other monitors like the Thieaudio Monarch. Treble was somewhat sibilant at times like I recalled. I was wondering what the heck was wrong with me when I thought I liked these IEMs.

Then, I did what I always do. I didn't even both with that piece of crap cable that comes with it. At first I paired it with a Leonidas II cable along with Azla SednaEarfit tips which are my default to test with new IEMs. This combination clearly did not work. So, I swapped the cable with a PW Audio 1960s 2-wire. Still same problems. Ergonomics better, but sound still not good. Then, I made the change that made the biggest difference. I tip rolled to Spinfit CP145 tips and then the sibilance was gone. No more searing pain from the treble. And, I let my brain adjust to the sound. Now, the VE8 is once again in the top 5 of my collection. What does it sound best with? Vocals. I don't think I've heard my Joao Gilberto playlist sound any better than this. Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Jazz vocals, sublime. The de-emphasized sub bass with more focus on mid bass and lower mids give vocals a nice and warm body to support them. Once my mind focused on this sound, the VE8 started sounded great with other genre that seemed off at first due to its different signature. And the literally thousands of hours of listening has really fine tuned my critical listening skills.

Then, I remember @gLer, mentioning he didn't like the Isabellae because of the sub bass roll off. I love sub bass, but not for all music. So, I decided to compare the graphs of the Elysium, Isabellae and VE8 and look what I found. I found the magical bass to mids transition that is the @Rockwell75 romantic vocals signature. There is no more romantic music to me than Bossa Nova Jazz. It is mostly male vocals based and is really enhanced by this signature.

I was focusing my attention on the EXT, but I am beginning to think that the EXT is very much like the EVO. When you look at the FR graphs, they are much more similar than these. I am now for the first time ever interested in the Elysium. I think it might be the much more complementary monitor for my EVO.

Hmm having had the universal VE8 just before I managed to get an EXT, the first thing I thought when hearing EXT is that it has a similar mid bass response to VE8 (albeit more textured and higher resolution due to the DD). I think I mentioned this a few times on my initial impressions. Apart from that I didn’t hear many similarities. They differ a lot in the sub bass where EXT extends a lot deeper and has more quantity / presence.