[HiFiHawaii808]

With all this talk of DAPs, how does one carry a Dap in his pocket when the volume wheel is on top and the headphone ports are on the bottom? I don't see any good way for this to work.

I don't have that use case. Why have a device with a screen if it is in your pocket? The BTR7 is good for that use case especially since you can use your Apple watch to change tracks or adjust volume.

I hate the ports on the top. When I am sitting at a desk, the cable needs to be on the bottom so it is out of the way and I can look at the screen to change tracks.

When I am walking, I hold the dap in my hand and I want the cable on the bottom so I can look at the screen with the cable out of the way. This is how DAPs with screens were designed to operate.

 

[Stu Paddasso]

I don't have that use case. Why have a device with a screen if it is in your pocket? The BTR7 is good for that use case especially since you can use your Apple watch to change tracks or adjust volume.

I hate the ports on the top. When I am sitting at a desk, the cable needs to be on the bottom so it is out of the way and I can look at the screen to change tracks.

When I am walking, I hold the dap in my hand and I want the cable on the bottom so I can look at the screen with the cable out of the way. This is how DAPs with screens were designed to operate.

No, I need a hands-free operation. I slide my dap into a pouch that I hock to my belt loop this way have access to volume wheel headphone ports & it can breathe. If I need to look at the screen I pull it out.

 

[main character]

Fir Neon 4 + Erua Secret Flagship (Type 7 Litz) impression: (My first impression in Head-fi)

Fir Neon 4 came from Fir Audio/Musicteck!

Unit size is smaller than U6t. Thickness is slightly thicker. Smaller size and stock foam tip result in a more comfortable fit than U6t. Long sessions would be fine with Neon4.

With stock cable and Dx220 Max(W modded. @Whitigir modded this with Organic Caps and power line cables for meatier mid/bass): Sweat, honey-like high-mid, and treble. The resolution and staging are very good. Treble is impressively detailed and pleasant. I felt some lacking in the lower mid region. Kinetic bass is interesting. Since I usually listen to lower volume, I did not notice such a big difference in Sound signature, and this is good for me. Bass is airier, less contoured. Overall, high-mid / treble-focused sound with good bass, hence V-shaped.

I felt Neon 4 needed Sony's signature lower mid and bass enhancement. Connected to ZX300 NP audio mod – Better mid, but treble/detail/soundstage score was going down.

Here, Erua Audio's secret flaghip Type 7 Litz 8 wired came for help, since I was demoing this cable thanks to @raylu . I cannot disclose pricing but I would say.. Price of this cable is higher than Neon 4.

This cable's signature is exceptional high-mid and treble performance. Lush sound throughout FR. Female vocal range's detail and sophistication are truly remarkable. With this cable, I keep wanting to listen to more vocal songs. I felt bass quantity could be slightly less since mid-high performance is so good.

When connected with this cable, even ZX300 could exhibit lush, detailed sound throughout FR. I felt kinetic bass with delayed bass decay (and ? airier bass) could harm overall detail and separation. Bass was not lacking at all, to my surprise.

I switched to WM1A(MrWalkman firmware, J3 region(newest), Z1R sig, direct sound), which has better staging/detail but slightly less bass emphasis than ZX300. This was a really good setting as well, but I felt resolution/detail was still not at 100% potential(of IEM/Cable), as I still felt airy bass was blunting overall SQ definition. Even though I tried to push iems all the way in for better contact from Kinetic bass opening.

Summary:

I went back to DX220 Max W mod – Oh, this was truly an exceptional setting. I no longer felt any lack of lower mid-area bandwidth. High-mid and treble were truly amazing. Compared with the stock cable, the high region is now very refined and not harsh at all. Yet, every detail can be appreciated. Female vocals are sublime. Male vocals are great as well. Bass is perfect. I wonder if Kinetic Bass's bass quantity follows the quantum signature, as opposed to the linear signature, as the silver-containing cable was enough for the bass. (I usually seek copper cables for the best bass)

EDMs are really enjoyable. Bass amount and decay are right on point and not fatiguing due to too high sonic pressure(?). Kinetic bass no longer bothers the overall SQ definition, somehow, I am unsure about the reason. As usual, with DX220 Max W mod(Which has a very good amp section), staging/detail and SQ are exceptional and Neon4 / Erua secret flagship cable could extract the full potential of the Dx220 Max. (And I would have bought this Erua secret flagship cable if it was not so expensive. Probably my future project. Though, due to rare materials, this Type7 model production will be limited)



Fir Audio Neon 4 – Too early to evaluate. Baby of Frontier line is my new TOTL IEM.



Erua Audio Secret Flagship Type 7 8w -- Pros: Sophisticated, refined, lush sound across FR
Truly exceptional high-mid and treble performance, open, excellent separation/detail but not harsh. Forte Blanc of cables!
Cons: Depending on the matching IEM, bass quantity (Quality is good) may be slightly low.

 

[Scubadevils]

I love your cleaning up act but there's still a lot work left!


Did you attend? No need to be specific...


I'm off to a Perpetua demo seconds from now. Have you heard them by any chance? I wonder if it's going to be the best single DD that I ever heard. But it would have to be really really good to beat Acoustune for that. More later.

drftr

No, we only really noticed the entrance towards the end - it was an adjacent exhibition hall to one of many where CES is held. We certainly saw some interesting sights even around the main entrance, but stuck for time and decided against it! Quite a few years ago, I think around 2007.

 

[maegnificant]

I was not a fan of it. It had a hard time dealing with EVO bass. Most Bluetooth makes bass sound "rubbery" to me. Ifi go blu is no exception. I love the Ifi Go Bar. I just moved so I don't know where it is at the moment, but I will find it soon.

The Bar it is then. Someday. Thanks.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Harking back to @Progisus' poll the other day about what we have in our Astute cases...I wanted to wait until I'd received this M6 Pro from @yaps66 before sharing mine. Just came in this afternoon and I've heard a bit of it so far. I've really missed the Shanling sound...this is a baby M8 to my ears & from memory. Gaea and Annihilator so far sound great...both IEMs but Annihilator in particular really appreciate the extra juice compared to the SR25ii.

I had M6 pro and M8 side by side for 9months and they are a bit different, but share same DNA.
M8 has a dead silent amp, but sounds more velvet and relaxed, M6 Pro is faster, more dynamic and a bit brighter but also less controlled.
I noticed M6 pro looks more powerfull even if it isn't and doesn't come hot as M8, they wuold have different operating class amp.

 

[Scubadevils]

Further impressions to follow, but for now I will say that Mentor wasn’t love at first listen, I dedicated about two hours last night and now again this morning before I start work - let’s just say with some hours on the clock, if I still owned Traillii and Jewel, at least one if not both would be in trouble… Phenomenal IEM.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Further impressions to follow, but for now I will say that Mentor wasn’t love at first listen, I dedicated about two hours last night and now again this morning before I start work - let’s just say with some hours on the clock, if I still owned Traillii and Jewel, at least one if not both would be in trouble… Phenomenal IEM.

@audio123 it's your turn now... ahahahah

 

[Xinlisupreme]

2022 Year of Gear​

Well, it’s been another journey around the sun while in this hobby so it’s time for me to reflect on 2022 and see what new IEMs came and went. If you’re interested, I’ve done similar posts for 2020 and 2021 which can be found here:

2020
2021

This year’s been a little quieter for me for new IEM purchases. This year, more than any other year in this game, I’ve been able to demo new stuff rather than playing the ‘blind buy and eventually sell if I don’t like it’ game. This is mostly due to covid restrictions being relaxed down here in Melbourne, so I’ve been able to utilise my local dealer (Addicted to Audio) far more often than in the past and probably saved a ton of cash in the process.

Furthermore, I’ve still got a few IEMs in my collection that I still love and have lasted since earlier days in this hobby, so I guess I’m moving further away from the “discovery” phase of this never-ending portable gear setup chase. I've also spent more time and funds on discovering DAPs and trying out different synergies with what I already own. Perhaps I’m finally getting close to that mythical oasis called EnDgAmE?? Probably not… But one can dream!

Fir XE6 – January



It took me a while to gel with XE6. Probably the longest out of any IEM I’ve owned. Initially I found it too warm, too mid-bassy and somewhat cloudy/hazy sounding. I experimented with different DAPs, cables and used the most open APEX module (black) to counter the warmth as much as I could. But as time passed, I began to appreciate Xe6 for what it was, an extremely coloured but highly technical IEM that brings a different flavour to my collection.

Aroma Jewel – April



Jewel essentially replaced Traillii in my collection, even though they are quite different in most respects. I like how Jewel sounds so “complete”. A well balanced, reference tuned IEM with TOTL technicalities. My biggest gripe with Jewel is its treble. If I’ve been listening to energetic sets like Annihilator, it takes a while for me to adjust to Jewel’s more delicate treble tuning.

Sennheiser IE 600 - May



This was a short-lived one. Basically, it sounds like a safer tuned IE 900 that got boring to me real quick. This would be my choice if I were to recommend a high-quality IEM to someone that didn’t care about the portable audio hobby and simply wanted something that sounds great with lots of different genres. But for me, my “boring” IEM is the U12t and I’ll take that over the IE 900 10/10 times.

Noble Audio Kublai Khan – June



Easily my favourite sounding Noble to-date. I wrote a review for it here. I only sold it because it felt a bit redundant with some other IEM’s I’ve got (I prefer Indigo ever so slightly more)

Campfire Audio Supermoon – August



My first foray into single-planar IEMs, and one that’s seen plenty of hype for the latter part of 2022. I think it’s a good IEM, but I probably haven’t enjoyed it as much as others have. I like its bass and how detailed it is, but over time the mids and highs have progressively become intolerable. I’ll keep it around for now, but it may be on the chopping block some time in 2023.

Elysian Acoustic Labs Diva – September



I’ll admit it, I’m an Elysian fanboii. I probably didn’t need to add a Diva to my IEM inventory with X and Annihilator already around, but a friend was selling his one and I thought it was a good opportunity to pick one up without having to wait forever for Lee to make one. That said, I really love the Diva, especially using the maximum bass setting. It has the high-clarity Elysian house sound with a huge amount of sub bass that’s just super fun for most of my library.

Softears Turii Ti – October



This one was getting lots of hype and I’d never heard a Softears IEM before, so I thought I’d give it a crack. It’s a nice IEM, very natural sounding with impressive single-DD technicalities. The jury’s still out on whether I keep it long term, though. I only want to keep 1 high-end single DD and honestly, I prefer my IE 900 even though its not the better tuned nor more technical IEM. The IE 900 has incredibly addictive bass that’s hard for me to give up.

Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor – October



Ahhhh, my new GOAT. Love this IEM. Don’t see this one leaving anytime soon (but never say never in this hobby)

Astell & Kern x Empire Ears Odyssey – November



I’m so glad to have another EE W9+ driven IEM in my stable. I sold Evo not long after getting Xe6 earlier this year because of its mediocre treble, and thankfully Odyssey rectifies that somewhat. To my ears, Odyssey feels more like a successor to LX/LXSE than Odin or Evo. I’m enjoying it a lot, although its probably not got the attention it deserves while I’ve been on a honeymoon in the Multiverse.

64 Audio Tia Fourte Blanc - November



It’s basically a white Noir. I’ve been a Noir owner for a pretty long time now and had no intention of selling it. But it’s completely redundant now with Blanc, so it’s gone to @snapandslide

Great post Damien, thank you for sharing!
I'd add you IEMs/dap matching preferences

 

[drftr]

With all this talk of DAPs, how does one carry a Dap in his pocket when the volume wheel is on top and the headphone ports are on the bottom? I don't see any good way for this to work.

Isn't that why all these jeans have big holes in them everywhere nowadays?

It's kind of too bad you didn't demo it just for posterity.

As in: If I don't like them at all, most members here can simply blind-buy and be good?

drftr

 

[Damz87]

Great post Damien, thank you for sharing!
I'd add you IEMs/dap matching preferences

That’s coming soon

 

[Stu Paddasso]

My jeans do not have holes in them nor are they baggy.

 

[snapandslide]

Further impressions to follow, but for now I will say that Mentor wasn’t love at first listen, I dedicated about two hours last night and now again this morning before I start work - let’s just say with some hours on the clock, if I still owned Traillii and Jewel, at least one if not both would be in trouble… Phenomenal IEM.

You were so smart to chop both the bird and jewel in advance....

 

[maegnificant]

2022 Year of Gear​

Well, it’s been another journey around the sun while in this hobby so it’s time for me to reflect on 2022 and see what new IEMs came and went. If you’re interested, I’ve done similar posts for 2020 and 2021 which can be found here:

2020
2021

This year’s been a little quieter for me for new IEM purchases. This year, more than any other year in this game, I’ve been able to demo new stuff rather than playing the ‘blind buy and eventually sell if I don’t like it’ game. This is mostly due to covid restrictions being relaxed down here in Melbourne, so I’ve been able to utilise my local dealer (Addicted to Audio) far more often than in the past and probably saved a ton of cash in the process.

Furthermore, I’ve still got a few IEMs in my collection that I still love and have lasted since earlier days in this hobby, so I guess I’m moving further away from the “discovery” phase of this never-ending portable gear setup chase. I've also spent more time and funds on discovering DAPs and trying out different synergies with what I already own. Perhaps I’m finally getting close to that mythical oasis called EnDgAmE?? Probably not… But one can dream!

Fir XE6 – January



It took me a while to gel with XE6. Probably the longest out of any IEM I’ve owned. Initially I found it too warm, too mid-bassy and somewhat cloudy/hazy sounding. I experimented with different DAPs, cables and used the most open APEX module (black) to counter the warmth as much as I could. But as time passed, I began to appreciate Xe6 for what it was, an extremely coloured but highly technical IEM that brings a different flavour to my collection.

Aroma Jewel – April



Jewel essentially replaced Traillii in my collection, even though they are quite different in most respects. I like how Jewel sounds so “complete”. A well balanced, reference tuned IEM with TOTL technicalities. My biggest gripe with Jewel is its treble. If I’ve been listening to energetic sets like Annihilator, it takes a while for me to adjust to Jewel’s more delicate treble tuning.

Sennheiser IE 600 - May



This was a short-lived one. Basically, it sounds like a safer tuned IE 900 that got boring to me real quick. This would be my choice if I were to recommend a high-quality IEM to someone that didn’t care about the portable audio hobby and simply wanted something that sounds great with lots of different genres. But for me, my “boring” IEM is the U12t and I’ll take that over the IE 900 10/10 times.

Noble Audio Kublai Khan – June



Easily my favourite sounding Noble to-date. I wrote a review for it here. I only sold it because it felt a bit redundant with some other IEM’s I’ve got (I prefer Indigo ever so slightly more)

Campfire Audio Supermoon – August



My first foray into single-planar IEMs, and one that’s seen plenty of hype for the latter part of 2022. I think it’s a good IEM, but I probably haven’t enjoyed it as much as others have. I like its bass and how detailed it is, but over time the mids and highs have progressively become intolerable. I’ll keep it around for now, but it may be on the chopping block some time in 2023.

Elysian Acoustic Labs Diva – September



I’ll admit it, I’m an Elysian fanboii. I probably didn’t need to add a Diva to my IEM inventory with X and Annihilator already around, but a friend was selling his one and I thought it was a good opportunity to pick one up without having to wait forever for Lee to make one. That said, I really love the Diva, especially using the maximum bass setting. It has the high-clarity Elysian house sound with a huge amount of sub bass that’s just super fun for most of my library.

Softears Turii Ti – October



This one was getting lots of hype and I’d never heard a Softears IEM before, so I thought I’d give it a crack. It’s a nice IEM, very natural sounding with impressive single-DD technicalities. The jury’s still out on whether I keep it long term, though. I only want to keep 1 high-end single DD and honestly, I prefer my IE 900 even though its not the better tuned nor more technical IEM. The IE 900 has incredibly addictive bass that’s hard for me to give up.

Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor – October



Ahhhh, my new GOAT. Love this IEM. Don’t see this one leaving anytime soon (but never say never in this hobby)

Astell & Kern x Empire Ears Odyssey – November



I’m so glad to have another EE W9+ driven IEM in my stable. I sold Evo not long after getting Xe6 earlier this year because of its mediocre treble, and thankfully Odyssey rectifies that somewhat. To my ears, Odyssey feels more like a successor to LX/LXSE than Odin or Evo. I’m enjoying it a lot, although its probably not got the attention it deserves while I’ve been on a honeymoon in the Multiverse.

64 Audio Tia Fourte Blanc - November



It’s basically a white Noir. I’ve been a Noir owner for a pretty long time now and had no intention of selling it. But it’s completely redundant now with Blanc, so it’s gone to @snapandslide

That was really interesting, thank you!

Have you ever tried the Indigo? If yes, could you compare it to the Jewel? I am interested in this one and I am still thinking about selling the Indigo.

 

[Scubadevils]

Just landed, given Mentor arrived yesterday, I’m going to park these till Christmas Day - I’m a big kid when it comes to Christmas, and love a new toy under the tree