[AnalogandDigital]

FYI: guys who visited CanJam ...
.

 

[rantng]

Anyways, still lurking around a bit here and there, glad to see this thread very very alive and well... to the point that I usually have to skip over many pages at a time.

I jumped ahead ~700 pages; realized I was never going to catch up at the rate I was going. So, does anyone want to catch me up on what I missed from around May 15th up to this past weekend?

 

[Shecky504]

Another fantastic SoCal CanJam experience! It was also great getting to meet and hang out with some of the other members here and shout out to @HiFiHawaii808 for the bespoke nametags. Some of the highlights in my opinion (when driven by my DX320):

Empire Ears x Astell & Kern Odyssey: I hear it as a mix of the Odin and EVO, it is definitely on the warm side but has excellent balance across the spectrum. The W10 bone conduction driver really pulls everything together and creates a super wide soundstage with excellent separation. I posted more thoughts about these in the Empire Ears thread.

FATfreq Maestro (non-SE): I demoed these near the end of the day Sunday and the left channel was a bit blown but I could still hear the tuning well enough and enjoyed these the most out of the other offerings from FATfreq. The fit wasn't the most comfortable but perhaps just takes some more time to figure that out.

Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor: Excellent tuning for an all BA + BC with exemplary bass. Wished it had a bit more mids but it's a tough match since my all BA is the VE Phonix.

Noble Viking Ragnar: Unique tuning with a focus on the mids. While more revealing, I don't remember the bass being too lean and wished I had more time with these.

Campfire Supermoon: One of the best I've heard from Campfire and it can handle a good variety of genres. While not perfect and not the most natural across the spectrum, it's a fun listen and I enjoyed these more than the Trifecta.

Eletech Socrates 8 cable: Looking forward to this release. It paired extremely well with my VE Phonix and did some magic to the vocals while maintaining a natural sounding and extended treble with deep lows. To my ears it even topped the PW Audio First Times pairing with the Phonix, sounding more present and engaging.

Hifiman Edition XS: Demoed these at the very end of the show but was pleasantly surprised how nice these sounded even through my DX320. On the warmer side but with fun and engaging bass that didn't bleed into the mids. A great value for only $499 that seemed to punch well above its price point.

Lots of decisions to make, gear to list and new toys to hopefully play with!

 

[drftr]

There are no rules and this is probably good news - you can use the gain that you like more)

I tested low gain vs high gain last night and couldn't hear any difference. I consider that a luxury nowadays. Perhaps my U18t is simply not power hungry enough for the RU6 to make the differences audible, so it could be very different for others. Also (not sure if it would matter) I used 3.5mm.

But that's why I'm so positively surprised by the W1. I almost wouldn't have tried the W1, because of Spinfit, and I'm very happy to have done it.

My current preferred tip order with Trallii + Venom + n8ii (M-Gain, P+, Tube, AB):

W1 > EP/01 > Traillii OG > Symbio Peel > Azla Crystall > Azla Short Light

I absolutely love their grippiness but found them a bit too lean sounding compared to my current favourite, the 64Audio version of the Spinfit 145 (which feels more rubbery, is firm in the low end, creamy in the mids, and takes away a little bit off any sharp edges). I prefer them over the Spinfit 145s, Symbio W Peels, Final E, and a bunch of others (but I haven't found SednaEarFit Light Short nor Spiral Dot ++ yet).

The guy sit next to @Rockwell75 in arc'teryx shell reminds me lots of Asian customers who bought those expensive gears designed for alpine climbing during winter and only wear them in the urban setting.

3 years ago I was about to start climbing a still snow-covered volcano on Hokkaido and at the bottom met a group of 10 or so climbers from Shanghai dressed as if they were going to scale Mt. Everest. They were wearing gear that would have survived that mountain, they were all interconnected with climbing ropes, had their ice axes in hand, etcetera. The only thing is that they didn't have bottled oxygen with them, nor 20 porters. Me: Low Scarpa approach shoes, Fjallraven Summer pants, a t-shirt, my cap, and my 15 liter daypack with 3 liters of water and a roll of biscuits. I said hello, then goodbye, and hiked up often with the snow reaching my knees. I do admit I was slightly underdressed, but after spending 15 or so minutes on the top eating my cookies and getting friggin' cold I hiked back down and to my surprise I met them again while they were still about 25% below the top. I thought they had run into some problem at the bottom and had never started their hike! So yeah, having all the money and gear in the world certainly has its charms, but it doesn't necessarily make you enjoy any more than people with a less fat wallet.

Of course the link with high-end portable gear is easily made here. Cheers to everyone who thoroughly enjoys their music on $50 IEMs!

Anyways, still lurking around a bit here and there, glad to see this thread very very alive and well... to the point that I usually have to skip over many pages at a time.

I jumped ahead ~700 pages; realized I was never going to catch up at the rate I was going. So, does anyone want to catch me up on what I missed from around May 15th up to this past weekend?

Glad to see you guys back here shortly after being washed ashore for a bit myself.

drftr

 

[wazzupi]

Another fantastic SoCal CanJam experience! It was also great getting to meet and hang out with some of the other members here and shout out to @HiFiHawaii808 for the bespoke nametags. Some of the highlights in my opinion (when driven by my DX320):

Empire Ears x Astell & Kern Odyssey: I hear it as a mix of the Odin and EVO, it is definitely on the warm side but has excellent balance across the spectrum. The W10 bone conduction driver really pulls everything together and creates a super wide soundstage with excellent separation. I posted more thoughts about these in the Empire Ears thread.

FATfreq Maestro (non-SE): I demoed these near the end of the day Sunday and the left channel was a bit blown but I could still hear the tuning well enough and enjoyed these the most out of the other offerings from FATfreq. The fit wasn't the most comfortable but perhaps just takes some more time to figure that out.

Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor: Excellent tuning for an all BA + BC with exemplary bass. Wished it had a bit more mids but it's a tough match since my all BA is the VE Phonix.

Noble Viking Ragnar: Unique tuning with a focus on the mids. While more revealing, I don't remember the bass being too lean and wished I had more time with these.

Campfire Supermoon: One of the best I've heard from Campfire and it can handle a good variety of genres. While not perfect and not the most natural across the spectrum, it's a fun listen and I enjoyed these more than the Trifecta.

Eletech Socrates 8 cable: Looking forward to this release. It paired extremely well with my VE Phonix and did some magic to the vocals while maintaining a natural sounding and extended treble with deep lows. To my ears it even topped the PW Audio First Times pairing with the Phonix, sounding more present and engaging.

Hifiman Edition XS: Demoed these at the very end of the show but was pleasantly surprised how nice these sounded even through my DX320. On the warmer side but with fun and engaging bass that didn't bleed into the mids. A great value for only $499 that seemed to punch well above its price point.

Lots of decisions to make, gear to list and new toys to hopefully play with!

Similar impressions and I was given a eletech cable to try with phoenix and it changed my perspective on the IEM I thought it was terrible because of the mids but still not my favorite with vocals even with the mids fixed via eletech cable but Its definitely a top tier IEM imo.

Caldera sounded great with my dx320 !!

Skip everything else from empire and buy the odyssey for a totl IEM imo. I should of tried my brise cable with them >.<.

 

[drftr]

Eletech Socrates 8 cable: Looking forward to this release. It paired extremely well with my VE Phonix and did some magic to the vocals while maintaining a natural sounding and extended treble with deep lows. To my ears it even topped the PW Audio First Times pairing with the Phonix, sounding more present and engaging.

That's the 2nd or 3rd report suggesting they "repaired" the lean mids of the OG which was the part I disliked (assuming fuller mids would automatically tone down the otherwise bright treble, that is). Is the price tag for this cable already public?

drftr

 

[wazzupi]

That's the 2nd or 3rd report suggesting they "repaired" the lean mids of the OG which was the part I disliked (assuming fuller mids would automatically tone down the otherwise bright treble, that is). Is the price tag for this cable already public?

drftr

Your words haha actually better than mine lol... To me it just feels the mids are being sucked through a tube a very narrow tube....

 

[Bret Halford]

FatFREQ's IEMs are great. The only reason I didn't by the mini Maestro is the lack of a vent or any kind of cover on the nozzle and totally exposed BA just sitting there-- their bass is addictively good though and I really enjoyed their sub flagship.

Did you notice if their higher end units had the BA sticking out too?

Here is a pic from my mini, it's def a bit nerve wracking lol

 

[Rockwell75]

Did you notice if their higher end units had the BA sticking out too?

Here is a pic from my mini, it's def a bit nerve wracking lol

No I didn't notice that-- it explains how seductively intimate and detailed the mids & highs are though. But they need to sort that out-- it would take so little for something to get in there and destroy that driver. Unacceptable for an IEM of any price tier simply for how nerve wracking it would to have out and about. If there was something protecting the driver I would have bought the mini-- I was really taken with it.

 

[fabio19]

I guess I am taking off a little earlier today!

Let me know your opinions .....

 

[maegnificant]

I absolutely love their grippiness but found them a bit too lean sounding compared to my current favourite, the 64Audio version of the Spinfit 145 (which feels more rubbery, is firm in the low end, creamy in the mids, and takes away a little bit off any sharp edges). I prefer them over the Spinfit 145s, Symbio W Peels, Final E, and a bunch of others (but I haven't found SednaEarFit Light Short nor Spiral Dot ++ yet).

Spiraldot++ with free shipping:
https://www.mtmtaudio.com/en-de/pro...ilicon-earphone-eartips-medium-m-size-2-pairs

 

[drftr]

Spiraldot++ with free shipping:
https://www.mtmtaudio.com/en-de/pro...ilicon-earphone-eartips-medium-m-size-2-pairs

Ha ha! No more MTM for me my friend... My Azla's arrived in the Netherlands 10 days after I had left! Story of my life

drftr

 

[theveterans]

FYI: guys who visited CanJam ...
.

Get well soon fellow Head-Fier. I'm one of those fortunate ones to never ever got covid and never been sick for a couple of years already

Caldera sounded great with my dx320 !!

My SP2000 was clipping constantly with ZMF Caldera on 2.5mm balanced even when there's still plenty of headroom left. Surprisingly, the SP2000 drove the Dan Clark Expanse fine albeit with very little headroom left. I think the Caldera is very current hungry while the Expanse is just voltage hungry despite being planar

 

[maegnificant]

Ha ha! No more MTM for me my friend... My Azla's arrived in the Netherlands 10 days after I had left! Story of my life

drftr

Ah I see :s did not think about that.

 

[metaljem77]

Another fantastic SoCal CanJam experience! It was also great getting to meet and hang out with some of the other members here and shout out to @HiFiHawaii808 for the bespoke nametags. Some of the highlights in my opinion (when driven by my DX320):

Empire Ears x Astell & Kern Odyssey: I hear it as a mix of the Odin and EVO, it is definitely on the warm side but has excellent balance across the spectrum. The W10 bone conduction driver really pulls everything together and creates a super wide soundstage with excellent separation. I posted more thoughts about these in the Empire Ears thread.

FATfreq Maestro (non-SE): I demoed these near the end of the day Sunday and the left channel was a bit blown but I could still hear the tuning well enough and enjoyed these the most out of the other offerings from FATfreq. The fit wasn't the most comfortable but perhaps just takes some more time to figure that out.

Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor: Excellent tuning for an all BA + BC with exemplary bass. Wished it had a bit more mids but it's a tough match since my all BA is the VE Phonix.

Noble Viking Ragnar: Unique tuning with a focus on the mids. While more revealing, I don't remember the bass being too lean and wished I had more time with these.

Campfire Supermoon: One of the best I've heard from Campfire and it can handle a good variety of genres. While not perfect and not the most natural across the spectrum, it's a fun listen and I enjoyed these more than the Trifecta.

Eletech Socrates 8 cable: Looking forward to this release. It paired extremely well with my VE Phonix and did some magic to the vocals while maintaining a natural sounding and extended treble with deep lows. To my ears it even topped the PW Audio First Times pairing with the Phonix, sounding more present and engaging.

Hifiman Edition XS: Demoed these at the very end of the show but was pleasantly surprised how nice these sounded even through my DX320. On the warmer side but with fun and engaging bass that didn't bleed into the mids. A great value for only $499 that seemed to punch well above its price point.

Lots of decisions to make, gear to list and new toys to hopefully play with!

I heard the Socrates8 prototype during CJ SG, and felt it had fantastic synergy with EXT. Proj P+S is my current preferred pairing with EXT