Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2011
- Posts
- 7,985
- Likes
- 48,180
Nice impressions Scubi!
Which cables did you try it with?
Side note. Those cables with adapter hurts to see. Looks so fragile.
Venom - yeah adapter's not ideal!
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
- Start date
Venom - yeah adapter's not ideal!
Here is the final photo shoot for Jade Mentor. Should be shipping soon.
Wow!!!
I compared some IEMs (Campfire Supermoon, Elysian/Effect Audio Gaea, Elysian Diva) this morning over a few different tracks while by no means comprehensive cover a few major points of my library and tastes. Here are my notes.
Sultans of Swing
Supermoon
Resolving, spacious, natural, coherent, transparent. Technically superb. Bass is subby yet disciplined natural and well-articulated. SM is my current “reference” for this track. It sounds like a full size planar headphone.
Gaea
VS. SM Bass less present, not as well extended, vocals less bodied…perhaps just a hair breadth more nasal than normal. Bass lacks just that last touch of grip, grunt and extension to be fully satisfying to me. Guitars are very nice…sound stage is not as well articulated. Cymbals are more prominent and have more nuance….typical Lee treble magic.
Diva (middle bass setting)
VS. Gaea Vocals are wetter than Gaea…bass has a little more mid-bassy oomph, which suits this particular song. Sound on the whole is a little warmer more full bodied than Gaea. Because of the extra mid-bass emphasis compared to Gaea the treble doesn’t stand out as much.
Max bass setting.
On this track a more satisfying listen than on the mid-bass setting but it lacks the full on transparency & technicality of SM and the beautiful nuance in the treble of the Gaea.
Coming back to SM from Diva…stage is wider & a little deeper I think. Bass extension & body is back. Sub-bass present and midbass has sufficient oomph. Vocals are more forward in the mix…less “nasal” vocals that are a little “huskier” if not as wet as they are in Diva. Treble is nice clear, smooth and resolving though not as refined and nuanced as on Gaea.
Supermoon wins this one for me overall still—but this the very first track I ever listened to on the Supermoon and what won me over from the start. I think I could be happy with Diva here on the max bass setting if I came down to it. Gaea doesn’t work as well here.
Variant Vortexual Element 2 - Tape Session
Supermoon – beautiful top and bottom extension and resolution. Defined by a throbbing centre of bass that you almost try and become one with with swirling textures and
Gaea - This track was where I first fell in love with Gaea. On SM the focus is the bass on Gaea the bass goes from being a centre to being a foundation upon which swirling emotive textures and nuance wrap you up and absorb you. It’s an entirely different sort of experience than with SM even despite SM’s superior overall resolution and extension. Don’t know if I’ve ever heard such subtle emotiveness out of delicate textures in the highs conveyed quite like this before. I bet this would sound amazing with X or Annihilator.
Diva (max bass setting)
You get a piece of both worlds (enveloping bass and textured highs) but the best of neither when compared with SM (bass) and Gaea (highs)…in the case of this track.
Gaea wins this one for me and it's performance here will probably alone justify the purchase.
Morcheeba The Sea
I picked this track because @jwilliamhurst rec'd Diva for female vocals.
Diva
Vocals are breathy, natural and seductive. The opening of this track was a delight to listen to.
Supermoon
More resolving, bigger stage, more extended…vocals have just a smidge of digital glare and aren’t nearly as seductive as on Diva.
Female vocal afficianados would probably prefer Diva here me I could go either way.
Gaea
Oh this is nice…typical Gaea vs. Diva as I perceive it…bass emphasis is lower down the FR on Gaea and as a result the highs and mids have more room to breathe and display themselves. Compared to Diva the more bodied DD foundation of the bass compensates for the less bass presence overall. Vocals are a little more forward compared to Diva and SM which in this case I really like as they are wet, breathy, natural and seductive. Stage is nicely articulated, guitars sound nice. My favorite rendering of this track of these 3 IEMs.
Dave Brubeck - Three to Get Ready
Supermoon
This is another track that won me over to Supermoon initially. Resolution and coherence is perfect...cymbals sound right to me and decay delicately & softly into nothingness. Snares sound good too. Everything is nicely forward and placed...sax sounds wonderful (I used to play sax for what that's worth) and is nicely "breathy". Piano sounds good but I'm not an expert there or super fixated on piano generally. A win for me here and one of my favorite tracks to listen to.
Gaea
Sounds good but SM's superior resolution, coherence and overall technical chops make it really hard to stand up to here as this is one instance where SM's timbre is spot on.
Diva
Noticeably more "in your face" here than Gaea...closer to SM. Again nothing particularly wrong with the presentation. I prefer this to Gaea here and could totally live with this but at the end of the day SM is hard to compete with here for me.
Sol 1
Diva (max bass)
Nope nope nope-- the extra bass is too much here and sounds bloated and boomy. The is one of the tracks l listened to Diva too originally at CanJam
Diva (mid-bass)
Much better. This is a mid-bass dominant track so Diva is just right here. There is a nice blissful synth line up top in this track that Diva's wonderful treble puts on display beautifully...very nice.
Gaea
Lush is the only way to describe this. Bass emphasis back down low from Gaea but the obvious DD authoritative thump is very helpful. Lush textured beautiful engaging highs. Another win.
Supermoon
Bigger staging, more technical, better bass. More resolving and better extended at both ends but you lose some of the lushness and sweetness of the highs.
To me all 3 of these IEMs do this track well and I say in different and equally enjoyable ways.
Stone Temple Pilots - Crackerman
Supermoon
I picked this track because Struggles with it depending on source. I can definitely hear the "metallic glare" at times and SM is borderline sibilant here. Not ideal but it doesn't cross the line into making me want to hit skip. This song didn't sound good through SM on DX170 and isn't that great on SR25ii if there is any ambient noise cancelling out the bass and thus enhancing the upper end.
Gaea
Bass is better on SM...but timbre & tonal balance from the mids up is better here. Still a touch of glare & sibilants (as it's inherent in the recording) but less noticeable than on SM.
Diva (Max Bass)
Fuller bodied and warmer than Gaea and not as resolving as SM...but glare and sibilance are gone and vocals sound great. The best rendering of this track today.
Sultans of Swing
Supermoon
Resolving, spacious, natural, coherent, transparent. Technically superb. Bass is subby yet disciplined natural and well-articulated. SM is my current “reference” for this track. It sounds like a full size planar headphone.
Gaea
VS. SM Bass less present, not as well extended, vocals less bodied…perhaps just a hair breadth more nasal than normal. Bass lacks just that last touch of grip, grunt and extension to be fully satisfying to me. Guitars are very nice…sound stage is not as well articulated. Cymbals are more prominent and have more nuance….typical Lee treble magic.
Diva (middle bass setting)
VS. Gaea Vocals are wetter than Gaea…bass has a little more mid-bassy oomph, which suits this particular song. Sound on the whole is a little warmer more full bodied than Gaea. Because of the extra mid-bass emphasis compared to Gaea the treble doesn’t stand out as much.
Max bass setting.
On this track a more satisfying listen than on the mid-bass setting but it lacks the full on transparency & technicality of SM and the beautiful nuance in the treble of the Gaea.
Coming back to SM from Diva…stage is wider & a little deeper I think. Bass extension & body is back. Sub-bass present and midbass has sufficient oomph. Vocals are more forward in the mix…less “nasal” vocals that are a little “huskier” if not as wet as they are in Diva. Treble is nice clear, smooth and resolving though not as refined and nuanced as on Gaea.
Supermoon wins this one for me overall still—but this the very first track I ever listened to on the Supermoon and what won me over from the start. I think I could be happy with Diva here on the max bass setting if I came down to it. Gaea doesn’t work as well here.
Variant Vortexual Element 2 - Tape Session
Supermoon – beautiful top and bottom extension and resolution. Defined by a throbbing centre of bass that you almost try and become one with with swirling textures and
Gaea - This track was where I first fell in love with Gaea. On SM the focus is the bass on Gaea the bass goes from being a centre to being a foundation upon which swirling emotive textures and nuance wrap you up and absorb you. It’s an entirely different sort of experience than with SM even despite SM’s superior overall resolution and extension. Don’t know if I’ve ever heard such subtle emotiveness out of delicate textures in the highs conveyed quite like this before. I bet this would sound amazing with X or Annihilator.
Diva (max bass setting)
You get a piece of both worlds (enveloping bass and textured highs) but the best of neither when compared with SM (bass) and Gaea (highs)…in the case of this track.
Gaea wins this one for me and it's performance here will probably alone justify the purchase.
Morcheeba The Sea
I picked this track because @jwilliamhurst rec'd Diva for female vocals.
Diva
Vocals are breathy, natural and seductive. The opening of this track was a delight to listen to.
Supermoon
More resolving, bigger stage, more extended…vocals have just a smidge of digital glare and aren’t nearly as seductive as on Diva.
Female vocal afficianados would probably prefer Diva here me I could go either way.
Gaea
Oh this is nice…typical Gaea vs. Diva as I perceive it…bass emphasis is lower down the FR on Gaea and as a result the highs and mids have more room to breathe and display themselves. Compared to Diva the more bodied DD foundation of the bass compensates for the less bass presence overall. Vocals are a little more forward compared to Diva and SM which in this case I really like as they are wet, breathy, natural and seductive. Stage is nicely articulated, guitars sound nice. My favorite rendering of this track of these 3 IEMs.
Dave Brubeck - Three to Get Ready
Supermoon
This is another track that won me over to Supermoon initially. Resolution and coherence is perfect...cymbals sound right to me and decay delicately & softly into nothingness. Snares sound good too. Everything is nicely forward and placed...sax sounds wonderful (I used to play sax for what that's worth) and is nicely "breathy". Piano sounds good but I'm not an expert there or super fixated on piano generally. A win for me here and one of my favorite tracks to listen to.
Gaea
Sounds good but SM's superior resolution, coherence and overall technical chops make it really hard to stand up to here as this is one instance where SM's timbre is spot on.
Diva
Noticeably more "in your face" here than Gaea...closer to SM. Again nothing particularly wrong with the presentation. I prefer this to Gaea here and could totally live with this but at the end of the day SM is hard to compete with here for me.
Sol 1
Diva (max bass)
Nope nope nope-- the extra bass is too much here and sounds bloated and boomy. The is one of the tracks l listened to Diva too originally at CanJam
Diva (mid-bass)
Much better. This is a mid-bass dominant track so Diva is just right here. There is a nice blissful synth line up top in this track that Diva's wonderful treble puts on display beautifully...very nice.
Gaea
Lush is the only way to describe this. Bass emphasis back down low from Gaea but the obvious DD authoritative thump is very helpful. Lush textured beautiful engaging highs. Another win.
Supermoon
Bigger staging, more technical, better bass. More resolving and better extended at both ends but you lose some of the lushness and sweetness of the highs.
To me all 3 of these IEMs do this track well and I say in different and equally enjoyable ways.
Stone Temple Pilots - Crackerman
Supermoon
I picked this track because Struggles with it depending on source. I can definitely hear the "metallic glare" at times and SM is borderline sibilant here. Not ideal but it doesn't cross the line into making me want to hit skip. This song didn't sound good through SM on DX170 and isn't that great on SR25ii if there is any ambient noise cancelling out the bass and thus enhancing the upper end.
Gaea
Bass is better on SM...but timbre & tonal balance from the mids up is better here. Still a touch of glare & sibilants (as it's inherent in the recording) but less noticeable than on SM.
Diva (Max Bass)
Fuller bodied and warmer than Gaea and not as resolving as SM...but glare and sibilance are gone and vocals sound great. The best rendering of this track today.
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Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2011
- Posts
- 7,985
- Likes
- 48,180
Yes absolutely complementary - Turii offers a wonderful sense of clarity, a much more airy presentation with pinpoint imaging and layering... and of course the unbeatable DD bass impact that isn't quite achievable in Traillii's BA bass. Personally, if I was to walk away from this hobby with just three sets, Turii Ti and Traillii would be two of them... the third still to be discovered!
jwilliamhurst
Headphoneus Supremus
Wow! Thank you for this. This is really really great and helpful!
claud W
Headphoneus Supremus
Our Hawaiian cooler uses the EA Cleopatra II Octa with his SM. I use the 4 wire on mine. You are the first I have seen using Venom. I do not have your issues, but my ears are old.
Wow when I demoed your Supermoon back in CanJam, I played the exact same track as yours hence why I was blown away on how incredible SM sounded
F700
Headphoneus Supremus
The iFi Go Bar 10th Anniversary aka « Gold Bar » is a hell of a device. It sounds as good as it looks. Even better maybe.
The « ultimate dongle » might not be an appropriate term to describe this little golden wonder. It’s beyond that. It plays in a whole another league. It’s a downscaled version of the Calyx M…so analog, slightly warm, full bodied 3D sounding.
It definitely smokes a lot of mid-ranged DAPs and maybe much more than that.
I have tried a few iFi products in the past and I wasn’t very enthusiastic about them. It’s all forgiven with this amazing portable DAC/AMP.
Yes, it drains your phone battery a bit faster than other similarly sized devices, but listening to Tidal, Bandcamp and even YT through the Gold Bar is immensely satisfying.
I am not someone who likes superlatives, but this « dongle » simply redefines portability combined with top sound quality.
Once more, blind purchase ended up being a full success.
The « ultimate dongle » might not be an appropriate term to describe this little golden wonder. It’s beyond that. It plays in a whole another league. It’s a downscaled version of the Calyx M…so analog, slightly warm, full bodied 3D sounding.
It definitely smokes a lot of mid-ranged DAPs and maybe much more than that.
I have tried a few iFi products in the past and I wasn’t very enthusiastic about them. It’s all forgiven with this amazing portable DAC/AMP.
Yes, it drains your phone battery a bit faster than other similarly sized devices, but listening to Tidal, Bandcamp and even YT through the Gold Bar is immensely satisfying.
I am not someone who likes superlatives, but this « dongle » simply redefines portability combined with top sound quality.
Once more, blind purchase ended up being a full success.
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You know, I may have to get me one of these... How does it sound with Z1R?The iFi Go Bar 10th Anniversary aka « Gold Bar » is a hell of a device. It sounds as good as it looks. Even better maybe.
The « ultimate dongle » might not be an appropriate term to describe this little golden wonder. It’s beyond that. It plays in a whole another league. It’s a downscaled version of the Calyx M…so analog, slightly warm, full bodied 3D sounding.
It definitely smokes a lot of mid-ranged DAPs and maybe much more than that.
I have tried a few iFi products in the past and I wasn’t very enthusiastic about them. It’s all forgiven with this amazing portable DAC/AMP.
Yes, it drains your phone battery a bit faster than other similarly sized devices, but listening to Tidal, Bandcamp even YT through the Gold Bar it immensely satisfying.
I am not someone who likes superlatives, but this « dongle » fully redefined portability combined with top sound quality.
Once more, blind purchase ended up being a full success.
F700
Headphoneus Supremus
Yep, treat yourself. The Z1R are handled how they deserve to be with the Gold Bar. Effortlessness at play. The bass is heavenly played back and the mids are meatier/fuller due to the Gold Bar tuning. I have no problem saying « go for it! »
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blotmouse
Headphoneus Supremus
Crosspost from the Softears thread. Like we need more Turii hype... 
A deeper impression dive comparing Turii Ti with the original Turii. More a stream of conscience jumble of notes, actually.
Turii Ti tested using its stock Liquid Links cable (Turboo wire)
Turii OG tested using the Liquid Links Martini
Cayin N8ii, N6ii Ti, and an iMac running Audirvana to Centrance DACportHD were the primarily listening devices.
Turii Ti is more comfortable to wear for longer durations than the original (OG)
The OG was Stainless Steel and brass while the Ti is, duh, a lighter Titanium but still retains the same brass basket design.
To show how close these 2 siblings are for me in performance and enjoyment (lifted and altered from @Damz87's original) I ranked them on the individual characteristics I tend to care about. Might also be more direct and helpful than the ramblings below.
Overall Turii Ti is the more laid back listen and even though it's brighter than the original it is also warmer and slightly drier. I hear it as a somewhat gentle W slanted to the bright with bass tilted to the mid bass (what is that, an italic W?)
Upper mids are slightly recessed. Treble is very well extended for a single full range DD, might be the best I’ve heard while still retaining any semblance of a low end. It’s very gentle and natural too. I love the treble.
Mids are exceptional (a little less so than the OG, but hey), and what I am starting to expect from Softears DD offerings. Mid bass gets a big lift to improve slam and impact and cover up the relative lack of deep bass extension. I don’t miss the sub on most of my material, and up to you if you do or not. It's always there but further away than it should be at times.
I tend to gravitate to the overall tuning of the OG and its more aggressive upper mids linear to the lower treble. Not fatiguing amounts of upper mids but right up to the region that will start giving me problems and a boxy overall midrange vibe and then slightly reduced from there. For me, this is console reference mids and perfection. Nothing juiced or cut to add pizzazz. The entire range relatively open. Both sets exemplify this.
Ti is a measurable bit more technical than OG. Detail retrieval, treble quality, and improved imaging are defining standouts. Surprisingly, the staging is about the same. OG presents the image in 720p and Ti in 1080p, but the screen size is ultimately the same.
Ti feels slightly further back by comparison and that likely adds to the additional space and imaging capability it presents.
Ti bass is better controlled and more direct, the OG is a little looser and spreads its volume out a bit more. But I wouldn’t call it slow or bleeding or anything like that. OG has longer pre and post decay's. For rock it's great, for electronic and pop with deep synth bass it can come off a bit claustrophobic but blacker.
Turii Ti adds more TOTL texture, rumble, and note weight to the experience, and has the more quintessential dynamic driver sound.
Turii OG is less DD like in texture and has less note weight. Initially it makes the OG sound super fast but in the end I think the Ti is the more resolving set. It has much better micro dynamic control. The OG is all about the macro swing but it’s detail retrieval isn’t quite as good.
As mentioned, the OG is more energetic in the mids. Has a thicker greasier bass with more overall bass presence. Kick drums hit harder. The lower midrange is more meaty and gives better body to distorted rock guitar and bass especially. OG mids are wetter and closer to neutral than Ti.
By far the OG’s achilles heel is its treble. It can be slightly grainy with a number of cables and requires a good synergy pair up to eradicate. But it can be made much better with a good aftermarket cable (I found various palladium plated silvers to be the ticket) The OG did come with its own Liquid Links cable like the Ti, but I did not enjoy it much. Treble also rolls off fairly early on the OG. A boon for metal and rock where its mostly just noise up there anyway but can make some vocals less exceptional. This same roll off can alternately favor highly compressed music like rap where throaty vocals, vinyl noises, and sample background hiss stick out on super extended sets.
in contrast the Ti's treble is wonderful. It can get a little bright leaning on some albums for me, but it’s a preference thing. Its very detailed for a full range DD beating out my previous treble DD champ Eden. Ti is smoother and can even sound great with the most extreme metal cymbal tornados.
Ti ended up being a wonderful side grade resulting in a more refined widespread appealing Turii. Unfortunately, even though it’s got all that widespread appeal, it is also a limited affair with only 88 units available. Only a few lucky folks will be able to own one. In my opinion the Turii's are a 'trip.
"But what do we call this onslaught of goats? What is their collective noun?"
"A gathering of goats is officially called a ‘trip.’"
Edit: updated the ranking graph
A deeper impression dive comparing Turii Ti with the original Turii. More a stream of conscience jumble of notes, actually.
Turii Ti tested using its stock Liquid Links cable (Turboo wire)
Turii OG tested using the Liquid Links Martini
Cayin N8ii, N6ii Ti, and an iMac running Audirvana to Centrance DACportHD were the primarily listening devices.
Turii Ti is more comfortable to wear for longer durations than the original (OG)
The OG was Stainless Steel and brass while the Ti is, duh, a lighter Titanium but still retains the same brass basket design.
To show how close these 2 siblings are for me in performance and enjoyment (lifted and altered from @Damz87's original) I ranked them on the individual characteristics I tend to care about. Might also be more direct and helpful than the ramblings below.
Overall Turii Ti is the more laid back listen and even though it's brighter than the original it is also warmer and slightly drier. I hear it as a somewhat gentle W slanted to the bright with bass tilted to the mid bass (what is that, an italic W?)
Upper mids are slightly recessed. Treble is very well extended for a single full range DD, might be the best I’ve heard while still retaining any semblance of a low end. It’s very gentle and natural too. I love the treble.
Mids are exceptional (a little less so than the OG, but hey), and what I am starting to expect from Softears DD offerings. Mid bass gets a big lift to improve slam and impact and cover up the relative lack of deep bass extension. I don’t miss the sub on most of my material, and up to you if you do or not. It's always there but further away than it should be at times.
I tend to gravitate to the overall tuning of the OG and its more aggressive upper mids linear to the lower treble. Not fatiguing amounts of upper mids but right up to the region that will start giving me problems and a boxy overall midrange vibe and then slightly reduced from there. For me, this is console reference mids and perfection. Nothing juiced or cut to add pizzazz. The entire range relatively open. Both sets exemplify this.
Ti is a measurable bit more technical than OG. Detail retrieval, treble quality, and improved imaging are defining standouts. Surprisingly, the staging is about the same. OG presents the image in 720p and Ti in 1080p, but the screen size is ultimately the same.
Ti feels slightly further back by comparison and that likely adds to the additional space and imaging capability it presents.
Ti bass is better controlled and more direct, the OG is a little looser and spreads its volume out a bit more. But I wouldn’t call it slow or bleeding or anything like that. OG has longer pre and post decay's. For rock it's great, for electronic and pop with deep synth bass it can come off a bit claustrophobic but blacker.
Turii Ti adds more TOTL texture, rumble, and note weight to the experience, and has the more quintessential dynamic driver sound.
Turii OG is less DD like in texture and has less note weight. Initially it makes the OG sound super fast but in the end I think the Ti is the more resolving set. It has much better micro dynamic control. The OG is all about the macro swing but it’s detail retrieval isn’t quite as good.
As mentioned, the OG is more energetic in the mids. Has a thicker greasier bass with more overall bass presence. Kick drums hit harder. The lower midrange is more meaty and gives better body to distorted rock guitar and bass especially. OG mids are wetter and closer to neutral than Ti.
By far the OG’s achilles heel is its treble. It can be slightly grainy with a number of cables and requires a good synergy pair up to eradicate. But it can be made much better with a good aftermarket cable (I found various palladium plated silvers to be the ticket) The OG did come with its own Liquid Links cable like the Ti, but I did not enjoy it much. Treble also rolls off fairly early on the OG. A boon for metal and rock where its mostly just noise up there anyway but can make some vocals less exceptional. This same roll off can alternately favor highly compressed music like rap where throaty vocals, vinyl noises, and sample background hiss stick out on super extended sets.
in contrast the Ti's treble is wonderful. It can get a little bright leaning on some albums for me, but it’s a preference thing. Its very detailed for a full range DD beating out my previous treble DD champ Eden. Ti is smoother and can even sound great with the most extreme metal cymbal tornados.
Ti ended up being a wonderful side grade resulting in a more refined widespread appealing Turii. Unfortunately, even though it’s got all that widespread appeal, it is also a limited affair with only 88 units available. Only a few lucky folks will be able to own one. In my opinion the Turii's are a 'trip.
"But what do we call this onslaught of goats? What is their collective noun?"
"A gathering of goats is officially called a ‘trip.’"
Edit: updated the ranking graph
Last edited:
drftr
Headphoneus Supremus
I listen quite loud but somehow am very sensitive to loudness in general. Like a single notch up can make it unlistenable and irritating, while a single notch less leaves too much involvement (is that a word?) on the table. "Back in the days" when I had my awesome Mark Levinson 390S CD processor (!) it would remember the preferred volume level of I think it was 10,000 CDs. I got spoiled for life as no matter whether a CD would need an ideal volume of 32 or 75 I would never have to think about it anymore after puttting in my ideal volume for that disk. Assuming that this function doesn't exist on portable hifi I'm looking for a compromise where I just set volume manually before I press play. I'd kill for having that old option back because as an album listener then I'd truly only need a power button, a browse function, and a start button. How awesome would that be?
Absolutely epic write-up! I can now finally accept that the Turii is not for me and I do consider it a big loss. It is what it is though, no matter how much I felt for them for 18 months or so.Crosspost from the Softears thread. Like we need more Turii hype...
A deeper impression dive comparing Turii Ti with the original Turii. More a stream of conscience jumble of notes, actually.
Turii Ti tested using its stock Liquid Links cable (Turboo wire)
Turii OG tested using the Liquid Links Martini
Cayin N8ii, N6ii Ti, and an iMac running Audirvana to Centrance DACportHD were the primarily listening devices.
Turii Ti is more comfortable to wear for longer durations than the original (OG)
The OG was Stainless Steel and brass while the Ti is, duh, a lighter Titanium but still retains the same brass basket design.
To show how close these 2 siblings are for me in performance and enjoyment (lifted and altered from @Damz87's original) I ranked them on the individual characteristics I tend to care about. Might also be more direct and helpful than the ramblings below.
Overall Turii Ti is the more laid back listen and even though it's brighter than the original it is also warmer and slightly drier. I hear it as a somewhat gentle W slanted to the bright with bass tilted to the mid bass (what is that, an italic W?)
Upper mids are slightly recessed. Treble is very well extended for a single full range DD, might be the best I’ve heard while still retaining any semblance of a low end. It’s very gentle and natural too. I love the treble.
Mids are exceptional (a little less so than the OG, but hey), and what I am starting to expect from Softears DD offerings. Mid bass gets a big lift to improve slam and impact and cover up the relative lack of deep bass extension. I don’t miss the sub on most of my material, and up to you if you do or not. It's always there but further away than it should be at times.
I tend to gravitate to the overall tuning of the OG and its more aggressive upper mids linear to the lower treble. Not fatiguing amounts of upper mids but right up to the region that will start giving me problems and a boxy overall midrange vibe and then slightly reduced from there. For me, this is console reference mids and perfection. Nothing juiced or cut to add pizzazz. The entire range relatively open. Both sets exemplify this.
Ti is a measurable bit more technical than OG. Detail retrieval, treble quality, and improved imaging are defining standouts. Surprisingly, the staging is about the same. OG presents the image in 720p and Ti in 1080p, but the screen size is ultimately the same.
Ti feels slightly further back by comparison and that likely adds to the additional space and imaging capability it presents.
Ti bass is better controlled and more direct, the OG is a little looser and spreads its volume out a bit more. But I wouldn’t call it slow or bleeding or anything like that. OG has longer pre and post decay's. For rock it's great, for electronic and pop with deep synth bass it can come off a bit claustrophobic but blacker.
Turii Ti adds more TOTL texture, rumble, and note weight to the experience, and has the more quintessential dynamic driver sound.
Turii OG is less DD like in texture and has less note weight. Initially it makes the OG sound super fast but in the end I think the Ti is the more resolving set. It has much better micro dynamic control. The OG is all about the macro swing but it’s detail retrieval isn’t quite as good.
As mentioned, the OG is more energetic in the mids. Has a thicker greasier bass with more overall bass presence. Kick drums hit harder. The lower midrange is more meaty and gives better body to distorted rock guitar and bass especially. OG mids are wetter and closer to neutral than Ti.
By far the OG’s achilles heel is its treble. It can be slightly grainy with a number of cables and requires a good synergy pair up to eradicate. But it can be made much better with a good aftermarket cable (I found various palladium plated silvers to be the ticket) The OG did come with its own Liquid Links cable like the Ti, but I did not enjoy it much. Treble also rolls off fairly early on the OG. A boon for metal and rock where its mostly just noise up there anyway but can make some vocals less exceptional. This same roll off can alternately favor highly compressed music like rap where throaty vocals, vinyl noises, and sample background hiss stick out on super extended sets.
in contrast the Ti's treble is wonderful. It can get a little bright leaning on some albums for me, but it’s a preference thing. Its very detailed for a full range DD beating out my previous treble DD champ Eden. Ti is smoother and can even sound great with the most extreme metal cymbal tornados.
Ti ended up being a wonderful side grade resulting in a more refined widespread appealing Turii. Unfortunately, even though it’s got all that widespread appeal, it is also a limited affair with only 88 units available. Only a few lucky folks will be able to own one. In my opinion the Turii's are a 'trip.
"But what do we call this onslaught of goats? What is their collective noun?"
"A gathering of goats is officially called a ‘trip.’"
drftr
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blotmouse
Headphoneus Supremus
I know you didn't gel with the Ti but you should try the OG regardless of my take. It may be what you're looking for after all. I wouldn't write it off until you hear for yourself.
Doug2507
Headphoneus Supremus
I'll need to go double check but I'm pretty sure one of the apps does volume setting per album. Can't remember if it's UAPP or Neutron, or even Hiby. Remember seeing it in one of them and thinking it's a neat feature as with DSD gain added there can still be quite a difference in gain between albums.
