[gLer]

This is exactly why a streaming service or two is essential for me to get my daily fix of new music. Like, today I got a notification over night about new tracks from Angel Olsen, and The New Pornographers, so I immediately added them to my NewStuffMarch23 playlist in Tidal. That playlist has 10 tracks in it already, will probably grow to 35-40 by end of month. This would be impossible without a streaming service.

Speaking of Angel Olsen, I was very lucky to score second row seats to her show at the Opera House the other night

What an absolutely stunning vocal performance, I’m still pinching myself that it was actually real. Her own music was of course incredible, but when she one-upped Harry Nilsson in the encore of “Without You”, that just sealed the deal. I have been buzzing on this ever since.

If you have the chance to get along to one of her shows, do yourself the favour to hear a generational talent at the peak of their power.

So jelly! One of the great female vocalist of our generation, and a regular litmus test for any new IEMs. All Mirrors is an all-time classic album.

 

[kevin638880]

If you write that Trifecta is wonderful or that UM Mentor is the Top, then you could only receive unconditional praise .
Just you think that here someone so competent has defined the sound of the AK SP3000 as " Terrible " and no one , apart from me , has attacked or criticized him .
Weird rules of this thread

Eh, I demoed the Trifecta briefly yesterday, so let me be that guy....to my ears they are quite bad. Only the bass has some redeeming factors but nothing that has not been done before. Mids sounded very veiled and treble extension is not there. The biggest offender is probably the resolution, which is literally non-existent. It does sound like a pair of speakers instead of an IEM, but not in a good way. I'll just say it is definitely not the sound for me.

Though I haven't spent a lot of time on it and haven't cable/dap/tip rolled it yet, so I might go back tomorrow for another go.

 

[gLer]

Eh, I demoed the Trifecta briefly yesterday, so let me be that guy....to my ears they are quite bad. Only the bass has some redeeming factors but nothing that has not been done before. Mids sounded very veiled and treble extension is not there. The biggest offender is probably the resolution, which is literally non-existent. It does sound like a pair of speakers instead of an IEM, but not in a good way. I'll just say it is definitely not the sound for me.

Though I haven't spent a lot of time on it and haven't cable/dap/tip rolled it yet, so I might go back tomorrow for another go.

What were your test tracks Kevin? I haven't heard Trifecta myself, just curious.

 

[Neweymatt]

So jelly! One of the great female vocalist of our generation, and a regular litmus test for any new IEMs. All Mirrors is an all-time classic album.

I would go so far as to say greatest, especially when you consider the songwriting angle. Her oeuvre lines up perfectly with the type of Indie I’ve always loved.

I’m not at all afraid to admit to tearing up a few times during the show, and many times since just remembering it. This is a level of emotional connection to music I’m not sure I’ll ever reach with headfi gear.

 

[kevin638880]

What were your test tracks Kevin? I haven't heard Trifecta myself, just curious.

Not a lot of Western music - I suspect it might actually be suitable for deeper Western male/female vocals and some slower stuff. These tracks (outside of being some of my favourite tracks) I can literally remember everything by heart to the point that I can tell a driver is malfunctioning within 10 seconds of listening, so I choose these every time.

Female vocals (vocals sounded veiled, lacking resolution)



OSTs (lacking resolution, veiled strings):



Western stuff (slower stuff is acceptable but not to the point where I can justify its price / bass is a bit slow for EDM stuff):

 

[Andricop]

Also, your observations were in line with my expectations and Sony's marketing Glossies. Provided, I stuck with local playback.. So I don't think 15 hours with streaming was unrealistic.

After nearly one year I get around 40 hours off line using the Walkman App and between 10 and 12 hours streaming. Direct Source On and Android optimized according to
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-wm1am2-and-wm1zm2-android-walkman-optimization-guide.962975/

 

[yaps66]

Yeah...Ah well.

I love gold. Makes everything sound better! Seriously though, Asians love their gold.

 

[drftr]

I love gold. Makes everything sound better! Seriously though, Asians love their gold.

...with the Uzbeks topping it off with their gold teeth.

drftr

 

[Andricop]

The return of the portable cassette player. But with Bluetooth this time ...

 

[CodenameBK201]

Seems to be just another flavor. I know a few people who still prefer XE6 over RN6 based off of their time at CanJam NYC. What XE6 does (assuming you vibe with it anyways) is very special imo. Reducing the mid bass and warmth will take away from the experience it provides. I’m looking forward to owning both.

The biggest plus to me, regarding the radon, was the weight reduction. I don't mind heavy headphones, but as IEMs, the xenon presented some difficulty for me getting a consistent seal when I moved my head. At the time, I accepted it as the caveat of having something made out of metal, but comparatively, the radon weighs next to nothing. I liked the heft of the xenon in-hand, in my ears, less so.

Hmm...

https://www.pendragoncollection.com/display-cases

If I wasn't in a rental space, I'd legitimately consider getting these for my ever-dwindling hot toys collection. I've gotten rid of many of them, but there's a few like the mandos and the neon tech iron men that look too cool on display to sell off. Might have to to fund new iems though...

If you write that Trifecta is wonderful or that UM Mentor is the Top, then you could only receive unconditional praise .
Just you think that here someone so competent has defined the sound of the AK SP3000 as " Terrible " and no one , apart from me , has attacked or criticized him .
Weird rules of this thread

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I don't enjoy AK's house sound. I find it cold and analytical bordering on clinical. As a reference setup, if I were a mixing engineer, it'd probably be my go-to; as a casual music listener looking for a good time to decompress and de-stress from the day, I'd sooner opt for a warmer dap that's less reference level but more fun sounding.

Eh, I demoed the Trifecta briefly yesterday, so let me be that guy....to my ears they are quite bad. Only the bass has some redeeming factors but nothing that has not been done before. Mids sounded very veiled and treble extension is not there. The biggest offender is probably the resolution, which is literally non-existent. It does sound like a pair of speakers instead of an IEM, but not in a good way. I'll just say it is definitely not the sound for me.

Though I haven't spent a lot of time on it and haven't cable/dap/tip rolled it yet, so I might go back tomorrow for another go.

I liked Trifecta for what it was trying to do, but this ties into the above re: AK sound. It is not a reference level IEM, nor is it trying to be. You're either going to love that or hate that. I queued up some of Michael Jackson's Thriller and it was fun on them. Comparatively, though, this is my test track on just about everything I tried at CanJam:



Peep the strings/drums to piano transition at around the 37 second mark. Out of every set of IEMs I tried, xe6 was one of the few that managed to swing that section of the track and still sounded fun to my ears. Trifecta couldn't handle that transition. So yeah, for much of my orchestral selection? Couldn't recommend it. For my more vintage stuff, including my Who discography? Absolutely. Magic bus is fun on them. But again, larger question: are you looking for fun (ie, musical, head-bopping), or are you looking for reference? Chances are you'll sacrifice a portion of one for the other, and how much of a portion you're willing to compromise on determines your happy place. To me, AK house sound is one end of that spectrum, Trifecta is the other.

 

[gLer]

The biggest plus to me, regarding the radon, was the weight reduction. I don't mind heavy headphones, but as IEMs, the xenon presented some difficulty for me getting a consistent seal when I moved my head. At the time, I accepted it as the caveat of having something made out of metal, but comparatively, the radon weighs next to nothing. I liked the heft of the xenon in-hand, in my ears, less so.

If I wasn't in a rental space, I'd legitimately consider getting these for my ever-dwindling hot toys collection. I've gotten rid of many of them, but there's a few like the mandos and the neon tech iron men that look too cool on display to sell off. Might have to to fund new iems though...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I don't enjoy AK's house sound. I find it cold and analytical bordering on clinical. As a reference setup, if I were a mixing engineer, it'd probably be my go-to; as a casual music listener looking for a good time to decompress and de-stress from the day, I'd sooner opt for a warmer dap that's less reference level but more fun sounding.

I liked Trifecta for what it was trying to do, but this ties into the above re: AK sound. It is not a reference level IEM, nor is it trying to be. You're either going to love that or hate that. I queued up some of Michael Jackson's Thriller and it was fun on them. Comparatively, though, this is my test track on just about everything I tried at CanJam:



Peep the strings/drums to piano transition at around the 37 second mark. Out of every set of IEMs I tried, xe6 was one of the few that managed to swing that section of the track and still sounded fun to my ears. Trifecta couldn't handle that transition. So yeah, for much of my orchestral selection? Couldn't recommend it. For my more vintage stuff, including my Who discography? Absolutely. Magic bus is fun on them. But again, larger question: are you looking for fun (ie, musical, head-bopping), or are you looking for reference? Chances are you'll sacrifice a portion of one for the other, and how much of a portion you're willing to compromise on determines your happy place. To me, AK house sound is one end of that spectrum, Trifecta is the other.

Agreed, and further to @kevin638880's reply, it really comes down to music choice. If you enjoy the music Trifecta is great at, you'll enjoy Trifecta. If you enjoy a more technical listen and music that benefits from it, there are other IEMs like Mentor that may appeal. Money doesn't come into it if your means and music tastes align with what the IEM excels at.

 

[Nostoi]

Give us your impression when you receive it please

Just received the Pentaconn Lilium cable. First impressions: very nice!

Quite heavy, very sturdy, excellent build quality. But also ergonomic. The cable material feels good in the hands and looks great. Comes with a handy magnetic Pentaconn clip thingy. Comfort, thankfully, is spot on. The lack of memory wires works perfectly with Kennerton RIG. I'm not sure if I'd consider the Lilium an out-and-about cable, but then I only use RIG IEM at home because of its poor noise attenuation.

Sound impression: I was a little tentative the cable would be all about upper mids and airiness, but I'm very happy to discover it's nicely balanced with excellent clarity, superb dynamics, and outstanding transparency. Sounds majestic with Acoustic Research AR-M2, paired below. Without any burn-in - physically, cognitively, or emotionally - sounds wonderful straight outta the box.

Previously I was using Arctic Cables Signum cable. You can see them below compared. I'm an Arctic Cable fanboy, but have to say the Lilium trumps the Signum for build, comfort, and resolution. Definitely a keeper.

I have also ordered this Pentaconn Titantium Slider, which may improve things even more.

 

[552609]

I love gold. Makes everything sound better! Seriously though, Asians love their gold.

Ahhh. So it's the same reason I end up with weird waifu art on Moondrop/truthear IEMs.

 

[552609]

shanling gotta pay the bills…new product every year
tweak a few caps, new sound!

New software and new architecture similar to the SP3000 as well from what I've heard.

 

[kevin638880]

The biggest plus to me, regarding the radon, was the weight reduction. I don't mind heavy headphones, but as IEMs, the xenon presented some difficulty for me getting a consistent seal when I moved my head. At the time, I accepted it as the caveat of having something made out of metal, but comparatively, the radon weighs next to nothing. I liked the heft of the xenon in-hand, in my ears, less so.

If I wasn't in a rental space, I'd legitimately consider getting these for my ever-dwindling hot toys collection. I've gotten rid of many of them, but there's a few like the mandos and the neon tech iron men that look too cool on display to sell off. Might have to to fund new iems though...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I don't enjoy AK's house sound. I find it cold and analytical bordering on clinical. As a reference setup, if I were a mixing engineer, it'd probably be my go-to; as a casual music listener looking for a good time to decompress and de-stress from the day, I'd sooner opt for a warmer dap that's less reference level but more fun sounding.

I liked Trifecta for what it was trying to do, but this ties into the above re: AK sound. It is not a reference level IEM, nor is it trying to be. You're either going to love that or hate that. I queued up some of Michael Jackson's Thriller and it was fun on them. Comparatively, though, this is my test track on just about everything I tried at CanJam:



Peep the strings/drums to piano transition at around the 37 second mark. Out of every set of IEMs I tried, xe6 was one of the few that managed to swing that section of the track and still sounded fun to my ears. Trifecta couldn't handle that transition. So yeah, for much of my orchestral selection? Couldn't recommend it. For my more vintage stuff, including my Who discography? Absolutely. Magic bus is fun on them. But again, larger question: are you looking for fun (ie, musical, head-bopping), or are you looking for reference? Chances are you'll sacrifice a portion of one for the other, and how much of a portion you're willing to compromise on determines your happy place. To me, AK house sound is one end of that spectrum, Trifecta is the other.

Definitely. I agree that my selection is not suited for the Trifecta. However, to me, Trifecta is not "fun" sounding - rather, it kinda makes my music sounding like the recording/mixing has gone wrong due to the muddiness. I can definitely see it working with some "older" stuff tho.

To me a fun sound is something like the XE6 or EXT.