[Deezel177]

Since someone mentioned realistic timbre, it will be interesting to talk about which driver with good implementation will have the most realistic timbre.
I personally believe that DD will be the choice.

My experiences lead me to believe DD as well, and I think I may know why. Our eardrums are essentially DDs (larger diaphragms) that capture sound, and the same goes for every microphone used to record music. The PA systems most of us associate with live sound are comprised of DDs as well, so it’s natural that our brains relate the DD sound to what’s realistic, I think.

A recent revelation to me, though, is that new xMEMS microspeaker. It was the last thing I heard at CJ SG, and it produced one of the most natural, un-tizzy, un-brittle, un-glaring treble responses I’ve heard in an in-ear. It’s still extremely early in development, and it requires an annoying, proprietary energizer to run (like Shure’s KSE1500), but there’s definitely potential there. I like it more than most e-stats I’ve heard already.

 

[stacey]

I remember when LX was TOTL...now is Mid-tier. I wouldn't be surprised if one day LX gets a MkII and becomes 3k+ IEM as well. But I'm holding on to it until EE prove me they can make it "better". (thicker shells are welcomed as well)

All hail the king LX.

Haven’t heard the LX but the Raven prototype is a bass cannon like the LX is on graph. Odyssey is downright mild in comparison in both the bass and the mids. At this point I’d have to say the Weapon IX BCD is a unique gift for audiophiles, and a EE hallmark. It’s a treat if you’re a bass junkie like me.

As for what I did at SG so far, you can take it as a brief report:

So I tried Centurion, Chiron 4w, Code 23, and Chiron Bespoke (Horus). Here’s a quick take using the Odyssey as the IEM, pictured above

Centurion: Enhanced bass, blacker background and enhanced mids. Do not remember much about the treble though

Chiron + Horus Bespoke: Similar to the Centurion, but elevated treble. The cable was just too bright for my liking.

Chiron 4w: Chiron and Centurion are similar in sound but Chiron has a bit higher mids. The 4W is much more flexible and pliable

Code 23: It has some traits of the more TOTL siblings like the elevated mids, but the ergonomics is somewhat off putting. The thickness of the cable isn’t the problem, the main thing is that it’s just not a cable that is nicely pliable like the other three mentioned.


New(ish)/ Upcoming stuff:

Trifecta:

Gave this IEM a good try but the bass was…off. Not necessarily a bad thing but it’s not to my taste.

FatFreq Scarlet:

Bass is the main character of this IEM, but it comes at the cost of the mids. Tuning isn’t finalized yet though. Despite that I think it’s a fun listen and good value at $600 or so.
Now for the fun stuff, the prototypes:

Elysian Acoustics prototype:

For the detail oriented among you, you’d notice that the cable is the Centurion, and it uses the shell of the Annihilator. Quick take is that the it has elevated base vs the Annihilator, but still retains the sparkly treble and great mids of the Annihilator. I cable swapped it with Code 23 so it was definitely the IEM tuning and not some cable magic. IIRC the DD in the prototype is all new and custom to this application.

VE: Memory is a little fuzzy on this but there was the red and blue prototypes, both with different tuning and very different configurations to achieve the sound here

Red: This IEM has a single DD, but this tuning is more centered on the bass vs the mids. It’s pretty interesting that VE was able to get such good bass response from 1DD

Blue: This one is focused on the enhanced mids despite having a 2DD setup. You would think that this configuration would have the more base centric presentation but it’s not the case at all.

Raven:

Shell isn’t the finalized version so it may change in color/faceplate slightly but be aware that it’s roughly the same size as the Odyssey, but with different contours for a better fit. Like I mentioned earlier bass is the main feature of the IEM, and unlike the Odyssey the mids are more refined. I think that this IEM takes the best parts of EVO, Odin and Odyssey and brought it into one nice bass heavy IEM. Personally I like it and thought it was the best IEM of the show

There was more stuff that I tried like the Singularity, Final A8000 and Phonix LE and while those were great IEMs, it’s also something that I never got a chance to actually type down my full thoughts before everything became a haze.

Subatomic is coming up with some great stuff and I’m really excited to try the Tempest, an all BA IEM which will feature the bass BAs of the Storm at a much lower price point vs the Storm. I’m really looking forward to trying the Tempest, and spending more time with the Singularity.

And that was a lot of audio activity to jot down. While I was in Singapore, I enjoyed some curry, some satay and walked around the garden by the bay and saw the Merlion. Right now I’m en route to Hokkaido, then Tokyo. Fun stuff!

 

[552609]

May I ask for more opinions for TOTL iems here. Which IEM get the most realistic timbre for instruments such as violin, piano, and guitar?

Ronin is great (I'll have my review of it up in a few days), but since no one else is going to mention it, the FAudio Mezzo LE is also great for classical, and much cheaper than the other options. Something to consider is all.

 

[Kiats]

Haha I wish...I suspect it will be priced beyond my reach. I'm quite happy with LP6. The E7 is interesting though...

No worries man. When you come around next CJ, hopefully I will have both the E7 and LP7 for you to have a listen to. This year, I brought down the LP6 Ti 7AE and Obsidian P6Pro for the team to have a listen, for those who were feeling adventurous.

 

[maegnificant]

Anyone ever tried the Letshour Cadenza?

 

[Zachik]

A recent revelation to me, though, is that new xMEMS microspeaker. It was the last thing I heard at CJ SG, and it produced one of the most natural, un-tizzy, un-brittle, un-glaring treble responses I’ve heard in an in-ear.

I didn't know xMEMS was represented at CanJam Singapore...
Do you have photos? Where did you hear it at the show?

 

[wolfstar76]

I didn't know xMEMS was represented at CanJam Singapore...
Do you have photos? Where did you hear it at the show?

Faked reps with faked sample?

 

[Zachik]

Faked reps with faked sample?

 

[ejong7]

I didn't know xMEMS was represented at CanJam Singapore...
Do you have photos? Where did you hear it at the show?

One of the Soranik reps carried a prototype of their upcoming IEMs that uses MEMS running off a Diablo X. It was not exactly in the showroom, just some of us who are around the outside couches.

 

[Deezel177]

I didn't know xMEMS was represented at CanJam Singapore...
Do you have photos? Where did you hear it at the show?

What @ejong7 said. A friend of mine works with Soranik, and they brought a prototype with the xMEMS driver inside. It wasn’t technically part of the show/programme.

 

[stacey]

I did see someone with the Diablo X so there’s some credibility there.

 

[Zachik]

One of the Soranik reps carried a prototype of their upcoming IEMs that uses MEMS running off a Diablo X. It was not exactly in the showroom, just some of us who are around the outside couches.

What @ejong7 said. A friend of mine works with Soranik, and they brought a prototype with the xMEMS driver inside. It wasn’t technically part of the show/programme.

Any photos? I am very curious to see how the Soranik prototype looks like...
Very cool they demo'd it.

 

[ian91]

To each his own. What music did you listen to with it?

A broad variety and that was one undeniable appeal of Traillii. It was a versatile set. In terms of instrumental stuff where I listen more critically, my most recent review has some tracks that are representative. It's a mixture of acoustic singer/songwriter, world music, jazz and some classical.

 

[Deezel177]

Any photos? I am very curious to see how the Soranik prototype looks like...
Very cool they demo'd it.

It was a standard, black universal shell with a mesh grille faceplate, almost like the 64A Duo. I was rushing to go to the airport, so I didn’t ask what the grille was for. It certainly wasn’t an open design. It isolated like a normal IEM as far as I can remember. The connectors were actually the JH24 connectors (AKA JH Audio’s 4-pin). I was told this was for voltage delivery to the xMEMS driver. I assume it allows the amp to deliver a different voltage to the xMEMS than the BA (which was the woofer in this prototype), since you can basically hookup 1 crossover point to each pin on that JH24 connector. Then, on the other end was a 5-or-7-pin, mini-XLR-like connector to the Diablo.

 

[royiko]

Since someone mentioned realistic timbre, it will be interesting to talk about which driver with good implementation will have the most realistic timbre.
I personally believe that DD will be the choice.

Surely, after come cross many mid-tiers. I more prefer DD driver and BCD. They just make notes feel much physical