[Rockwell75]

Hello Coolers.
This is a note of thanks. I have been lurking here the last couple months soaking up all the current intel on new and good releases. This is a very active and informed community and I really appreciate the friendly demeanor.
I come and go on Head Fi and have been doing so for years. This year found me buying Solaris, Penon Serial, ISN H40 and recently UM Mext. All used as this is where the tried and true value lies for me. The H40 was the redundant and unnecessary purchase but I really like the way it looks and I got it for a song. That said, for
nostalgic reasons I pulled out from retirement the Shure E500 that I purchased new 15 years ago because of feedback found on Head Fi and found even the H40 bested it. The Shure was gold to me for years and I loved it. Technology has definitely come a long way and now more than ever the forest of quality earphones is dense. I definitely look to the fine folks here to help find those special trees located within.
I will be back and look forward to what new delights are being served up. I do plan on attending Can Jam New York next year and hope to meet some of you gentlemen there.
Best,
Barry

Cheers man glad you've been enjoying the community. I think those of us in this hobby right now are fortunate to be witnessing something of a golden age of IEM development and innovation-- I've only been that this 4 years but the growth of capacity and technology of IEMs even in that time has been tremendous and doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.

Yeah it's definitely why I've amassed quite a large collection of tips, pretty much buying any new release the minute I'd hear about them. The combination of the massive difference for fit and comfort, along with the huge difference in sound - much more so than cables in my experience.

Some of my favourite tips over the last couple of years... in no particular order:

1. SpinFit W1
2. Acoustune AET07
3. Spiral Dot++
4. Symbio W / F
5. Tanchjim T300 (wide bore)
6. Azla Short / Standard (in both regular or light variants)

Have you ever tried the Azla Crystals?

I have heard nothing but good things about all the 64 Audio stuff, and I'm tempted to check them out, but visually I find them very, well, bland. I know, I know--the sound should be first and foremost. But back when I bought my first (and only) CIEMs, Noble was the only company doing these beautiful, visually gorgeous handcrafted acrylic shells. Nowadays it seems even the cheapest Chinese manufacturers are making their stuff looks beautiful. I'm certain they sound great, but it's hard for me to muster the same level of excitement looking at 64 Audios or Westones that I get looking at any of the Empire Ears stuff, or Thieaudio, or most of Nobles current offerings. My exception there is the ragnar--not certain I could ever bring myself to own them, even at discount. The shells just aren't very interesting visually.

Their IEMs for the most point look how they sound-- straightforward and to the point. I gotta say the Fourte Blanc looks rather nice.

Unrelated, I know it doesnt get much or really any love around here, but I keep coming back to my Duo. Its great. Such a pleasant set to listen to. I even popped in my szalayi and it just didnt do it for me. Probably will be going up for sale if anyone is interested.

Duo is solid-- if I it isolated better I'd probably still have it.

I am stunned that @aaf evo would sell the SP3K

I never get surprised when anyone sells anything anymore. We're all on a journey.

That makes Supermoon quite the high value for money... Trifecta uni only so to me it's disregarded
I have been away for a while need to give this a look... although I just went for the Sharona so...

Don't discount Trifecta so fast...at least until you've heard it. Pound for pound possibly the most impressive IEM release of a very impressive year imho

Gaea's Elysian treble is really impressive. I'd never imagine something could be so well extended without any hint of harshness or sibilance. Only thing is that it makes female vocals 10 years younger....I suppose that isn't too much of a problem for Jpop

+1 one for Gaea's treble...it's so well articulated and pleasant to listen to. One of the out-of-nowhere surprised hits of the year for me. It's amazing how a simple demo can lead to a cascade of events. I picked it up almost absentmindedly at Musicteck's booth at CanJam not knowing much about it, which lead me to seeking out a demo unit and ultimately going in on Annihilator.

Please tell me everyone that says phonix has good mids isn't using stock cable...

I thought it sounded great with the stock cable.

Talking about the mids, I have to say that despite dabbling in the recent heavy hitters (Traillii, Phonix, Jewel and the FuSang), I am still completely wowed by the Elysium. Especially once paired with a cable like Ode to Laura! Really solves the anemic bass issue. Currently vibing in excitement to see what our famed doctorjuggles can come up with his flagship copper cable as well.

+1 Elysium is a gem of an IEM and was my gateway to appreciating emotive seductive mids. Of all the IEMs I've heard Elysium benefits the most from lots of power.

 

[Deezel177]

Talking about the mids, I have to say that despite dabbling in the recent heavy hitters (Traillii, Phonix, Jewel and the FuSang), I am still completely wowed by the Elysium. Especially once paired with a cable like Ode to Laura! Really solves the anemic bass issue. Currently vibing in excitement to see what our famed doctorjuggles can come up with his flagship copper cable as well.

By today’s ultra-sharp, ultra-clarity-led standards, there’s a throwback, dare I say, tube-like feel to the Elysium’s sound. It’s not warm per se, but there’s a fuzz or sway to it that I actually prefer over raw precision quite a lot of the time.

 

[Rockwell75]

By today’s ultra-sharp, ultra-clarity-led standards, there’s a throwback, dare I say, tube-like feel to the Elysium’s sound. It’s not warm per se, but there’s a fuzz or sway to it that I actually prefer over raw precision quite a lot of the time.

DD mids ftw!

 

[Rockwell75]

Thanks to the munificence of Coolerite @SteveK27 I am privileged to experience this most illustrious of cables and good God it sounds nice with Supermoon-- it adds a nice dose of analogue body to the mids and eliminates all trace of glare and digital character to the timbre of Supermoon to my ears. A hell of a price to pay for more bodied mids though lmao



Very grateful for this opportunity.

 

[Precogvision]

Hey everyone, popping in to share an update to my favorite IEMs for this year if anyone wants to check them out!

Personal Favorite IEMs (2022 Update)

I've also wrapped-up a few more reviews recently, these reviews focusing on some interesting full-BA IEMs. I feel that both of these IEMs are challenges to traditional stigmas that we might associate with the BA driver topology. On one hand, the 7th Acoustics Supernova has fantastic tonality. It makes its mark as one of the most timbral-y pleasing sets that I have heard to date irrespective of driver type. On the other hand, the Symphonium Meteor has an incredibly juicy bass response, with far more impact and quantity than you'd think possible from a single BA handling the lows.

7th Acoustics Supernova

Symphonium x Nightjar Meteor

 

[MaxwellDemon]

By today’s ultra-sharp, ultra-clarity-led standards, there’s a throwback, dare I say, tube-like feel to the Elysium’s sound. It’s not warm per se, but there’s a fuzz or sway to it that I actually prefer over raw precision quite a lot of the time.

DD mids ftw!

Right! There's just something very musical and addictive to Elysium's mids in comparison to the other TOTLs that are known for their mids and I am finding myself reaching for it a lot. Granted there's also Honeymoon Period to take into calculation... It might not provide as much technical clarity, but still absolutely enjoyable.

I have been told that I should consider providing more juice to it, so now dabbling on the idea of pairing my player with a Hugo2 along with a cable upgrade for the Elysium...

 

[Rockwell75]

Right! There's just something very musical and addictive to Elysium's mids in comparison to the other TOTLs that are known for their mids and I am finding myself reaching for it a lot. Granted there's also Honeymoon Period to take into calculation... It might not provide as much technical clarity, but still absolutely enjoyable.

I have been told that I should consider providing more juice to it, so now dabbling on the idea of pairing my player with a Hugo2 along with a cable upgrade for the Elysium...

Elysium is so good. It's one of the truly visionary and enjoyable IEMs of the last few years-- and one that is still relevant today, even in the aftermath of EXT. If I ever get over my fixation on dynamic lows it will be one of the first IEMs I revisit. Some of the best mids and treble out there....still.

 

[Stu Paddasso]

Talking about the mids, I have to say that despite dabbling in the recent heavy hitters (Traillii, Phonix, Jewel and the FuSang), I am still completely wowed by the Elysium. Especially once paired with a cable like Ode to Laura! Really solves the anemic bass issue. Currently vibing in excitement to see what our famed doctorjuggles can come up with his flagship copper cable as well.

Is that the copper graphene he was using with EXT ???

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Is that the copper graphene he was using with EXT ???

I am actually not sure. I haven't asked him the difference between his flagship copper and his pure copper (also known as Shaka Power). Maybe @doctorjuggles can also provide some insight here as well so I don't accidentally misrepresent his cables!

 

[yaps66]

Mini-cooler meetup with @drftr aka Joop.

11am - Hello! Quick introductions and catchup and off to lunch we go.

Walked to a nearby food street where we each had a salad followed by a drink at Starbucks.

1300 - Joop in my office getting acquainted with some of my collection.

Joop then showing me his empty box explaining that he had sold his U18t! In his other hand are some of the iems that he was about to blow his mind with!

Joop is here in my office as I am updating head-fi. He will be here till Tuesday next week where he will make his way to Singapore to pick up his special edition Sultans!

 

[maegnificant]

Oh my... Oh my oh my... I think my OCD just fell in love with you. That looks so super nice and clean. I have been meaning to replace my PS4 and when I see this I so badly want to go back to a PC.

Yeah I get you! PC gaming has many hurdles to go over but in the end it has a lot going for it

The used market for amd gpus is pretty good right now... Just sayin

 

[efftee]

Seemed there's a sudden re-interest in Storm, had a few PMs so thought I just share my short reply in public —
Been a while since I listened to Storm. It’s neutral-to-warm, monitor like, rather balanced but very listenable/enjoyable. Great resolution, micro-details and good all-rounder. Doesn’t have the best bass, but for an all-BA, the bass is as good as can be expected. Can't compare with Jewel, different animal; my thoughts on the Jewel is that it’s quite specifically tuned for certain genre, for me, it was female vocals, ballads… Storm on the other hand, is more a generalist, I can’t think of any genre that it's particularly tuned for. I listen mostly to classical, jazz and crossover stuff, but really, other than country, which I don’t like, I don’t recall Storm being less than stellar on anything I’ve thrown at it.

It’s not the easiest IEM to drive; that is not to say, it sounds crappy with substandard gear but it just scales so excellently with TOTL DAPs, especially when amped, that you'll come to expect more from it every time you put it on. With that all said, I would not say Storm is for everyone. Not just about synergy with gear you have or music you listen to, I think I is more about what you want it for. Is it your only IEM? Would you be using it to enjoy your music or for critical listening, testing gear? Perhaps to fit into your collection where you are short of a pair of good monitors? Whatever it is, I know the people behind Storm are putting together a cost no object IEM — choice of rather exotic material, artisan handicraft on the shells, even down to the limited edition bespoke designer case, Storm is about as special as it gets IMHO.

Haha! I sound like a Storm salesman. Last word, if you could get a chance to demo before buying, I’d strongly advise it. Most importantly thing I’ve said so far — Storm is not for everyone, especially not at its asking price. Hope that helps!

ps. I saw a commercial unit of Storm today and I must say it looks downright sick! Wait for official pics and announcements to come real soon…

 

[maegnificant]

I have actually also been leaning towards getting both. The PS5 is mostly interesting for the exclusives and the fact that my PS4 rarely accepts discs these days, so the PS5 would replace my PS4 for PS4 games as well. But I do like the Xbox better. That said, PC gaming keeps calling me back.

You do get many ps games for pc now and there will be more in the future

 

[Stu Paddasso]

I am actually not sure. I haven't asked him the difference between his flagship copper and his pure copper (also known as Shaka Power). Maybe @doctorjuggles can also provide some insight here as well so I don't accidentally misrepresent his cables!

It's hard to keep up with all his cables with no website. I did try the copper graphene on VE Elysium and it's too much of a good thing. There's a big boost in bass but it is more mid-bass & not sub-bass also it's not quite right like your asking the bass to do more than it was intended to do. Mids were deliciously rich and full. Treble seemed a little tame. Due to the tight fit of Elysium, I find heavy cables do not sit comfortably on my ears so going back to 4-wire EA Cleopatra.

 

[SteveK27]

Mini-cooler meetup with @drftr aka Joop.

11am - Hello! Quick introductions and catchup and off to lunch we go.

Walked to a nearby food street where we each had a salad followed by a drink at Starbucks.



1300 - Joop in my office getting acquainted with some of my collection.



Joop then showing me his empty box explaining that he had sold his U18t! In his other hand are some of the iems that he was about to blow his mind with!



Joop is here in my office as I am updating head-fi. He will be here till Tuesday next week where he will make his way to Singapore to pick up his special edition Sultans!

I love the photo!!
@drftr its good to see you guys together here

I'm sure one day we'll all congregate at the same place haha