[efftee]

I literally hate the Venom. It feels like someone made an IEM cable out of TPU

Or it reminds me of this..

Wait till you try the Aqua (for the DC Ti), it's like cloth hanger wires! But dang, they’re good. And the sound is all that matters. To me, anyway. IMO, the Venom pairs better with the Annihilator (sound-wise) than any cable I’ve rolled with it, including the Orpheus and Centurion.

 

[Rockwell75]

I'll try one of the upcoming batch.....but personally will miss CA price-spread approach of $500-$2K......I could gobble up one or two every month an enjoy the line. Hitting at $3K a pop.....that's starting to be real money (for this non 'independently wealthy' gent at least)

CFA's $1K and up stuff imho has always hit above their respective price tier. It's their sub $1K stuff, which is always more experimental in tuning, that tends to really offend the hipsters, robots and harman enthusiasts. This new Trifecta is the most exorbitantly priced of the three new ones and of the (including Supermoon) 5 new models they're in the process of releasing 3 of them still fall within the "close to or below" $2K mark...which is good news. Furthermore as I indicated earlier the one I'm most stoked on now-- and which presently I think may have the best chance at becoming a phenomenon-- is their single driver planar which is priced at (a comparatively reasonable) $1.5K.

 

[Ace Bee]

Hello fellows at watercooler. How is it going? I know I have been out of touch for quite a while...well, had some personal problems to deal with. But anyway, let's move past that. I am delighted to mention that I am a proud owner of Shanling M7 and Shanling MG600 now! My first blind crack at a kilobuck DAP, and suffice to say I am more than pleased...I am elated! The feeling stays similar toward the MG600 as well - never heard another single DD iem that seems to be the very embodiment of the term Balance.

I have detailed out my initial impressions of both in the M7 thread. Have a read, and have fun!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/int...ble-hi-fi-android-player.962946/post-16968218

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

New CFA Trifecta…3 x 10mm DD (!!!)

Info here



Looks pretty cool but I think I'm still arguably more excited at the prospect of a uni version of the Supermoon (ie., a Planar).

Whoa, 3DD. Sounds interesting. Can't wait for impressions.

 

[JS27]

Whoa, 3DD. Sounds interesting. Can't wait for impressions.

...assuming it's not some type of reserved sell-out, I'll end up buying one. I really don't want to spend $3K+ on it......but damn, three 10mm DD's on one IEM. Ken Ball, please hear my audio prayer and make this good. I am the one guy on earth who bought a Saber......don't want to say you own me, but help me out here

 

[blotmouse]

2 very big bets on the table right now for CFA. At least it isn't more limited edition Andromeda's as I was expecting.

I have a 1more triple DD driver in a box that is basically baby thighs. Hopefully this 3xDD has some grip to it. "Hair on the beast"
We all know CFA can pummel you into submission with ham fisted bass or annoy you it isn't there at all. Hands to the sky for punch, clarity, and balance with these new tikes.

Would be cool to see an all DD use different driver materials in one iem. Like an aluminum DD for treble, beryllium for mids, and graphene for bass? The mind wanders.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

...assuming it's not some type of reserved sell-out, I'll end up buying one. I really don't want to spend $3K+ on it......but damn, three 10mm DD's on one IEM. Ken Ball, please hear my audio prayer and make this good. I am the one guy on earth who bought a Saber......don't want to say you own me, but help me out here

Awesome. I own the UM 3DT and I loved it for its natural DD timbre. This will be a TOTL of that type of sound. Buy it. If you don't like it, I'll buy it from you.

 

[JS27]

... the one I'm most stoked on now-- and which presently I think may have the best chance at becoming a phenomenon-- is their single driver planar which is priced at (a comparatively reasonable) $1.5K.

...are you going to break down and get the CIEM, or holding powder for a potential Uni?

 

[mmoderni]

I don’t think I have a particular favorite driver setup. I love tri-brids but I need it all done well. The DD bass in the Annihilator is dry and doesn’t have much texture so that’s a miss for me overall on a DD low perspective in a tribrid. It is not close to same tier as quality bass imho as the Jewel, kinetic bass, W9+, or IE900 DDs. So far the best mid ranges I have heard have all come from BA mids. As far as EST treble goes, I am impartial. I love the Jewel/Elysian highs for their lighter and more ethereal sound but I think my heart still belongs to open BA drivers for lower treble and EST for upper. To me it gives the best of both worlds as far as weight and speed goes. I love the XE6 treble for that reason as the EST driver just does the upper treble and doesn’t interfere with the overall treble timbre of the IEM, while you still get the weighted and speed of the open BA driver too for lower treble.

Also that new Campfire IEM looks interesting, hopefully it’s good and available in a CIEM but let’s see!

I also have no clue why I’ve bought this DX320, I don’t know when I’m getting it and the M2 mid range has stole my <3. M2 + Jewel is just stunning.

Agree to disagree on the Annihilator, not have your massive iem totl collection to compare, but in my setup the bass is not dry, it is tight, with a nice decay, full bodied and textured.
Highs concrete and not ethereal.
Sure fir kinetic bass tops the annihilator one in quantity.
(As always all in IMHO)

 

[aaf evo]

Agree to disagree on the Annihilator, not have your massive iem totl collection to compare, but in my setup the bass is not dry, it is tight, with a nice decay, full bodied and textured.
Highs concrete and not ethereal.
Sure fir kinetic bass tops the annihilator one in quantity.
(As always all in IMHO)

I wasn't referencing quantity at all in any of the DD bass comparisons. I personally feel the Annihilator DD is towards the bottom half of the ladder in the TOTL pricing segment. I do agree its got a quick decay and full body, but I don't think it is very textured and I hear it as dry. The sub bass extension also isn't that special, it cannot push around the amount air that I hear on the XE6 (just for an example) which I also have in CIEM.

At the end of the day, and I've always stood by this point, I don't think anyone buys the Annihilator for its bass response. If so you'd be doing it wrong considering the Legend Evo exists at a much cheaper price point. I do think a source like N8ii helps the Annihilator bass texture quite a bit, but it doesn't get to the levels of other TOTL DD low IEMs.

Who knows, maybe I got a dud Annihilator CIEM, but it sounds better than the universal I demo'd. To my ears it has the most ethereal treble response I have heard, but we all hear differently and have different reference points. It is a fantastic IEM regardless and I wouldn't have spend the money on it in CIEM if I didn't think so.

 

[mmoderni]

I wasn't referencing quantity at all in any of the DD bass comparisons. I personally feel the Annihilator DD is towards the bottom half of the ladder in the TOTL pricing segment. I do agree its got a quick decay and full body, but I don't think it is very textured and I hear it as dry. The sub bass extension also isn't that special, it cannot push around the amount air that I hear on the XE6 (just for an example) which I also have in CIEM.

At the end of the day, and I've always stood by this point, I don't think anyone buys the Annihilator for its bass response. If so you'd be doing it wrong considering the Legend Evo exists at a much cheaper price point. I do think a source like N8ii helps the Annihilator bass texture quite a bit, but it doesn't get to the levels of other TOTL DD low IEMs.

Who knows, maybe I got a dud Annihilator CIEM, but it sounds better than the universal I demo'd. To my ears it has the most ethereal treble response I have heard, but we all hear differently and have different reference points. It is a fantastic IEM regardless and I wouldn't have spend the money on it in CIEM if I didn't think so.

Well, sure Annihilator is not a sub bass focused iem, nor it's tuned for a massive amount as could be a fir xe6.
Bass response is not the star of show in the annihilator, but I consider it well balanced against her treble. It is not reference tuned, EVO for sure got a better response, but I will not trade more bass quantity for a less treble extension and quality.
Dry and not textured not true for me, acoustical bass (from lower keys of cello to contrabass) in jazz and classical music is wonderful rendered, imo.

 

[aaf evo]

Well, sure Annihilator is not a sub bass focused iem, nor it's tuned for a massive amount as could be a fir xe6.
Bass response is not the star of show in the annihilator, but I consider it well balanced against her treble. It is not reference tuned, EVO for sure got a better response, but I will not trade more bass quantity for a less treble extension and quality.
Dry and not textured not true for me, acoustical bass (from lower keys of cello to contrabass) in jazz and classical music is wonderful rendered, imo.

Right, that is why I used XE6 as an example also. Because it is not sub bass focused at all either, but the depth it reaches in the sub bass frequencies is remarkable.

Anyways, let’s agree to disagree and enjoy the

 

[discord]

i just sold my odin last week, miss that DD bass, waiting for CIEM version about 3-4 weeks

Congrats on the Jewel CIEM.

I thought about CIEM vs UIEM for the Jewel but it already fits me so well in universal form so I went with that.

 

[F700]

Short musical intermission in the thread

 

[F700]

The Satin Audio Perseus is coming up my way to pair with the Jewel. Thanks @TomKorn for the good deal on it.