[Rockwell75]

I'll have to check out some of the classical recordings @tgx78 & @drftr have been discussing. On a slightly different note-- one of my reference tracks that sounds absolutely epic on the 25ii/Reborn. The bass, as already mentioned, is wonderful, but so is the presentation of the piano which in my mind I can always separate clearly from the bass line on this combo.

Edit: More faves

 

[tgx78]

I'll have to check out some of the classical recordings @tgx78 & @drftr have been discussing. On a slightly different note-- one of my reference tracks that sounds absolutely epic on the 25ii/Reborn. The bass, as already mentioned, is wonderful, but so is the presentation of the piano which in my mind I can always separate clearly from the bass line on this combo.

Edit: More faves

Listening to all these tracks, I wish Traillii had Odin’s bass drivers.

 

[Rockwell75]

Listening to all these tracks, I wish Traillii had Odin’s bass drivers.

That's basically what I'm hoping EXT will be.

 

[gLer]

Listening to all these tracks, I wish Traillii had Odin’s bass drivers.

#1 wishlist for many

That's basically what I'm hoping EXT will be.

From everything I've read, EXT is nothing like Traillii. It's fuller, warmer, bassier and more sparkly too. Definitely won't have the staging either. But the two could prove very complementary, a-la EXT and Phõnix (though I have no personal interest in Phönix and only have eyes for EXT).

 

[DanielListening]

Wow. This is a special recording. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Rockwell75]

#1 wishlist for many

From everything I've read, EXT is nothing like Traillii. It's fuller, warmer, bassier and more sparkly too. Definitely won't have the staging either. But the two could prove very complementary, a-la EXT and Phõnix (though I have no personal interest in Phönix and only have eyes for EXT).

I gather that too. I don't really think "Traillii with Odin bass" is possible in literal terms as once you introduce that thicker dynamic timbre into the equation many of the salient features of Traillii's sound would be totally altered. I guess what I'm hoping for ultimately is a Traillii equivalent with DD bass...and the more I read about Ext the more the optimism on this front wells up in my heart.

 

[gLer]

I gather that too. I don't really think "Traillii with Odin bass" is possible in literal terms as once you introduce that thicker dynamic timbre into the equation many of the salient features of Traillii's sound would be totally altered. I guess what I'm hoping for ultimately is a Traillii equivalent with DD bass...and the more I read about Ext the more the optimism on this front wells up in my heart.

I'd love a Traillii with DD bass and/or mids but I think if anyone can pull it off, it's Oriolus. Again only from what I've read VE go for a different type of sound, which is fine, and in fact there's every chance I'll prefer EXT over Traillii with my music (in the same way I prefer EVO over Traillii for most, but not all, of my music). My hope for EXT is that it blends the best of Traillii's inoffensiveness and all-roundedness with EVO's low-end power and adds the secret sauce from the DD mids everyone keeps telling me about. If it pulls all that off, and the technicalities justify the pricetag, and it proves to be a confortable fit for long sessions, I may be done and out in this game (I've said that before, so don't bet on it).

 

[Rockwell75]

I'd love a Traillii with DD bass and/or mids but I think if anyone can pull it off, it's Oriolus.

I've spent the last few hours totally intoxicated by the Oriolus Reborn through the AK SR25MKii. The Reborn is the only Oriolus Hybrid I've heard and while it's certainly a little rougher around the edges than other IEMs and doesn't at all have the grandeur or summit fi technicalities of the Traillii-- there is an unmistakeable Oriolus-esque romance to the sound & staging and in falling in love with them again, especially in light of your comment here, has me really hoping they'll try something like a "DD Traillii" for their next flagship. Though now that I've said it I realize that if they did that it would probably be priced well beyond what I'd be comfortable paying lol

 

[Scubadevils]

I'll have to check out some of the classical recordings @tgx78 & @drftr have been discussing. On a slightly different note-- one of my reference tracks that sounds absolutely epic on the 25ii/Reborn. The bass, as already mentioned, is wonderful, but so is the presentation of the piano which in my mind I can always separate clearly from the bass line on this combo.

Edit: More faves

Man we share a lot of music tastes!

'Amazon' by Monolake is one of my favourites, such an amazing track and great for testing sound. Hong Kong as a entire album though my top choice of his discography.

 

[gLer]

I've spent the last few hours totally intoxicated by the Oriolus Reborn through the AK SR25MKii. The Reborn is the only Oriolus Hybrid I've heard and while it's certainly a little rougher around the edges than other IEMs and doesn't at all have the grandeur or summit fi technicalities of the Traillii-- there is an unmistakeable Oriolus-esque romance to the sound & staging and in falling in love with them again, especially in light of your comment here, has me really hoping they'll try something like a "DD Traillii" for their next flagship. Though now that I've said it I realize that if they did that it would probably be priced well beyond what I'd be comfortable paying lol

Hopefully they've learned from the Traillii experience and also now that the R&D costs have been recouped it might be easier to do a DD Traillii without charging the earth for it. Even if they do, the market will correct within a year, as it has now done with Traillii.

But I agree with you and others that it may not be entirely possible to replicate the Traillii's balance with DD bass. You said the same about Elysium, and it seems that's the case given EXT impressions.

So we'll just have to live with the compromises one way or the other. I'm firmly in the DD camp, even though I completely appreciate, respect and enjoy what the likes of Traillii, Phönix, Erlk and Elysium bring to the party.

 

[ranfan]

What the SR25Mkii brings to the table is a hefty dose of smoothness, unity, clarity & liquidity to the sound-- what it may lack in epicness it makes up for in allure. The sound has weight, body, authority and punch and is very satisfying on the whole. While it is by no means an equal anyone looking for a mini, more pocketable M8 with a hefty dose of its own secret sauce the AK SR25Mkii is worth a serious look.

Edit: Also I forgot how addictively good the sub-bass on the Reborn is.

A mini M8 is what I'd describe the MKII sound as well. I think they sound quite alike in the mids. The biggest difference were on the bass and soundstage to my ears Hoping to get mine today

 

[ian91]

But I agree with you and others that it may not be entirely possible to replicate the Traillii's balance with DD bass. You said the same about Elysium, and it seems that's the case given EXT impressions.

I would be happy to be proven wrong. Let us see what Oriolus can do...and at what price...! I think they've placed themselves in a position that they could release at a similar price as Traillii (provided it's up to snuff) and an already established population of buyers would take the dive.

 

[Ace Bee]

IMR Splash Of Red vs. Dunu Falcon Pro:


So I got the Falcon Pro today for a quick listen. The unit was well burnt-in I believe, whereas my SOR was a fresh out of the box unit.


Firstly, I could not settle for anything less than the Transparency nozzle and the Whirlwind L sized tips. Yup, I am a treble-head. But honestly, this combo sounds the best. I’m not saying the other combos are bad, but just not to my preference.

On Splash Of Red I chose the Grey Nozzle and Blue upper filter combination - moderate bass and most treble.


Now, coming to the sound, I am going to note it down pointwise:

• Low end is slightly fuller on Falcon Pro. Slams feel a tiny bit more physical and decay is slightly slower. Subbass rumbles stay longer in the scene. However, SOR is not far behind. Bass slams equally hard, just feels a tiny bit leaner and cleaner, decay is slightly faster. On Falcon pro the bass sometimes may hint at colouring the mids, but on SOR it absolutely stays out of the mids’ way. Make no mistake, Splash Of Red has a quite physical low end with a very satisfactory thump - it is certainly not weak.
• Lower mid is a bit fuller on Falcon Pro with polished upper mids. The details are well reproduced, however, the notes are quite smooth. Smooth and comfortable listening is Falcon Pro’s motto it seems. Separation is nice for the price and for a single DD. On occasions the mids may sound a bit veiled and dark. However, Splash Of Red is polar opposite - it brings life into the music! Lower mid has a very nice and full body, whereas the upper mids are sparkling and energetic! Male vocals sound equally impressive on both Falcon Pro and SOR, but female vocals are preferred to a larger extent on SOR. SOR plays the female vocals with considerably more energy and emotions. In general, SOR has noticeably higher transparency and air in the mid region than Falcon Pro - which aids in the perceived separation as well. Splash Of Red is most definitely aiming for an active listening session where the listener feels engaged and enlivened, whereas Falcon Pro has its modus operandi set on providing the listener a comfortable listening session - to kick back and relax with a healthy dose of music and nice bourbon. SOR notes have a sharper edge to them compared to Falcon Pro, which might introduce occasional peaks in harsh or sharp passages - but it never becomes noticeably uncomfortable. Falcon pro obviously handles these passages better by smoothening the edges, but it also eats the air. Acoustic string instruments sound incredible on both - slightly cleaner on SOR, slightly more organic and fuller on Falcon Pro.
• Treble is where I prefer Splash Of Red more than Falcon Pro. It took me the transparency nozzle to bring out a treble that at least hints at my preference. I prefer a sparkling and airy treble - which the Falcon Pro does not have either with reference or atmospheric immersion nozzles. Transparency nozzle makes it brighter, but still not as much as I would like, but better than the others. Dunu tuned the treble of Falcon Pro a bit too safely to complete the comfortable presentation. Splash Of Red has no such constraints - it goes with its guns blazing in the high frequencies also. Bright, sparkling, airy treble that makes the listener go WOW from the very onset. However, in case I want to smooth it down, the other upper filters are at my disposal, but I certainly prefer it this way. The extension is very good, notes are crisp and details are not held bac Well, frankly, in spite of the smooth treble, Falcon Pro also does not lack in the details section of treble. Just the extension and air are compromised a bit.
• Stage is where there is a distinct difference between the Splash Of Red and Falcon Pro. Whereas Falcon Pro has more stage height, SOR wins in width. Depth is mostly comparable on both, however, due to the laid back treble, stage of Falcon Pro mightbe perceived having a bit more depth. Splash Of Red has a noticeably more clean and transparent presentation, which, coupled with the wider stage makes it a pretty impressive experience from the get go. Separation feels to be better as well. Falcon Pro is not lacking much behind though - the experience is not very muffled, but compared to SOR the feeling of less transparency definitely lingers there.

So, that’s all. Both Splash Of Red and Falcon Pro are equally impressive, but it seems SOR is most certainly favoured by my preferences more. Also, I might be biased to it as well since it is my personal unit, so cut me some slack there.

 

[ranfan]

So I went to the store again to (finally) pick up the SR25 MKII And got a chance to hear the MKI and MKII stack up to one another. They sounded pretty similar in general, tonally laid-back and slightly warm. The MKI though had some more prominent upper-mids and lesser bass amount

The more apparent difference I could hear was probably in terms of technicalities and power. Driving power out unbalanced, the MKII performed much more efficiently requiring about 10 clicks less volume. And the background was also darker more stable. The MKII I felt had the better definition, and smoother note edges which blends well with the background

Even though it doesn't have that grand stage that the M8 has, I feel like the MKII provides a really good value for those favoring a more musical lush natural mids

 

[claud W]

Happy Thanksgiving guys !!!!!