riverground
Headphoneus Supremus
I fell in love with the 334 the same way as well, and it’s funny you say that they’re the Japanese VE , I’ve mentioned it to my other audio buddies that VE is like the German FitEar hahaI remember almost getting the 335DW and the Monet17 back in the day, but they were a bit too expensive for what I felt they offered technically. The Air 2, EST and Titan were just at the threshold for me when I tried them in Japan, though I could see how fans of “Eastern tunings” (for lack of a better term) could easily see past that. I guess you could call FitEar a Japanese VE to a degree, where they charge a bit more for that sense of prestige, and their driver-per-dollar ratios are higher than usual.
Of their line-up that I’ve personally tried, the 334 is the one I’d be willing to forgive its lack of raw resolution for (by today’s standards), simply for its musical tone. In fact, its washier sound is what gives it its smooth warmth.
I remember loving the FlipEars Ace when I tried it in Japan as well. I was cynically half-expecting an artificially heightened price for the Aurora, once I saw they put an LCD screen in its packaging. To be fair to them, it’s not too bad given the driver count. Of course, whether or not it performs to that level remains to be seen (or heard).
I forgot to add the Air 2 to my list actually. Apparently it still sounds quite different from the Titan. I still have yet to hear the 335DW, my SR version is apparently quite different as well. Now that you mentioned the Monet17, I really miss that unique tuning.
I forgot the Flipears IEM I’ve tried, but it only had dual BAs and I was pretty impressed. They were priced well too, but the Aurora is definitely on the extreme side. It was quite a shock for me that they released something that pricey. I’m still eager to try it out one day though.