[CodenameBK201]

Headfi seems to have a higher concentration of an older demographic which has more disposable income and buying power.

HAHAHA YES. THAT IS ME.

...sigh

 

[SQ13]

Yeah, that's the impression I get, but I placed an order, paid, then they told me it would ship next week, then nothing heard, they told me it'd ship next week again, contacted them again, they told me it'd ship the next week again and I was done playing that game and asked for a refund, which I did get. I suppose it was a communication issue on their end more than anything. Regardless, 3 weeks later I was tired of them holding onto my cash that I could put towards something else.

seems like communication and managing expectation. ordered the Impact early Feb and received it in mar. Since Impact is a new product, i assumed the are still ramping up production and ironing out issue. May be they can send you a demo unit for testing.

 

[552609]

We ought to have a best 3 or 5 IEMS that you own survey.

I was thinking a Pick your top 2 IEMs you currently own or have owned. But I was waiting until after this poll was done.

 

[Garney]

Traillii is certainly not giving up without a fight. IER Z1R hanging on like a cockroach also. Part of it is that we had more buy in than in past polls I think, judging by numbers. Here is a chart showing the results of each of the 5 such "top 3 IEM" polls.

Thanks for sharing this chart. Nice that you're storing the results from these polls.

I had a rare moment of free time and curiosity got the best of me so I grouped this data into "number of mentions by brand." Below is what I came up with (please forgive any minor errors). The only IEM I couldn't place was "Legend" from Summer '22. There are many brands that pop up and then quickly fade but we clearly have a grouping of mainstays that trade places in the top 5-10 spots.

Some additional data is total # of brands mentioned. Brands mentioned are WAY up for this poll compared to previous polls. We'll see if the newcomers can hang around with the stalwarts of the Watercooler.

Would also be interesting to break this down further by number of models mentioned by brand, release year/month of models, etc. I'm not sure if this was the case with previous polls (I took a Head-Fi hiatus last summer - winter last year) but there are quite a few IEMs mentioned this go around that aren't yet available for purchase. It'll be interesting to see where they land and if they stick around for subsequent quarters once they're released.

EDIT - Also wasn't sure which upcoming IEMs will fall under Subtonic (Storm) or Nightjar (Singularity, Duo) so those are split up in the Spring '23 columns.

 

[CodenameBK201]

I'm not surprised at all. I still haven't heard an IEM that can do what Z1R does, at any price point or with any driver configuration. If you love the Z1R sound profile and technical performance, there's still nothing quite like it.

I'll be able to chime in here in a week or two. Small correction though, R6 Pro II uses dual AK4499EX flagship DACs in 8-channel current mode. It's very much a delta sigma design, not R2R. RS8 is the R2R flagship, and I suspect we'll see an 8-series flagship delta sigma refresh from HiBy in the not too distant future.

I keep debating picking up a z1r down the line. People keep pitching it as THE IEM to own if you own a Sony DAP, but I keep on waiting for the inevitable refresh. Genuinely surprised it hasn't hit yet. That and fit are concerns, given I've always struggled with larger shells. The price secondhand for them is so good though, it seems like you really can’t lose with them.

 

[Rockwell75]

Having worked there for nearly 10 years, I'm not sure I see the connection to IBM at all tbh.

I meant it in a very general way-- they tend to focus more on the professional landscape, stick to a tried and true formula, aren't that flashy, more purely utilitarian. Whereas Fir to me more resembles Apple in the 90s with it's "Think Different" attitude and desire to push boundaries and try new things.

As someone who owned the Traillii and sold it for Mentor, I feel that they have their own distinct appeals.

I actually don't think they're anything alike at all I was just going by what others have said.

Thanks for sharing this chart. Nice that you're storing the results from these polls.

I had rare a moment of free time and curiosity got the best of me so I grouped this data into "number of mentions by brand." Below is what I came up with (please forgive any minor errors). The only IEM I couldn't place was "Legend" from Summer '22. There are many brands that pop up and then quickly fade but we clearly have a grouping of mainstays that trade places in the top 5-10 spots.



Some additional data is total # of brands mentioned. Brands mentioned are WAY up for this poll compared to previous polls. We'll see if the newcomers can hang around with the stalwarts of the Watercooler.

Would also be interesting to break this down further by number of models mentioned by brand, release year/month of models, etc. I'm not sure if this was the case with previous polls (I took a Head-Fi hiatus last summer - winter last year) but there are quite a few IEMs mentioned this go around that aren't yet available for purchase. It'll be interesting to see where they land and if they stick around for subsequent quarters once they're released.

EDIT - Also wasn't sure which upcoming IEMs will fall under Subtonic (Storm) or Nightjar (Singularity, Duo) so those are split up in the Spring '23 columns.

Very cool thanks for doing this! The only caveat is that the chart I provided only takes into account IEMs that were mentioned two times or more. In each poll there were a considerable number of IEMs mentioned only once that would not fit in a chart like that. And the Legend you're referring to is the Penon Legend.

 

[552609]

Thanks for sharing this chart. Nice that you're storing the results from these polls.

I had rare a moment of free time and curiosity got the best of me so I grouped this data into "number of mentions by brand." Below is what I came up with (please forgive any minor errors). The only IEM I couldn't place was "Legend" from Summer '22. There are many brands that pop up and then quickly fade but we clearly have a grouping of mainstays that trade places in the top 5-10 spots.



Some additional data is total # of brands mentioned. Brands mentioned are WAY up for this poll compared to previous polls. We'll see if the newcomers can hang around with the stalwarts of the Watercooler.

Would also be interesting to break this down further by number of models mentioned by brand, release year/month of models, etc. I'm not sure if this was the case with previous polls (I took a Head-Fi hiatus last summer - winter last year) but there are quite a few IEMs mentioned this go around that aren't yet available for purchase. It'll be interesting to see where they land and if they stick around for subsequent quarters once they're released.

EDIT - Also wasn't sure which upcoming IEMs will fall under Subtonic (Storm) or Nightjar (Singularity, Duo) so those are split up in the Spring '23 columns.

Man, I love data.

 

[Garney]

Very cool thanks for doing this! The only caveat is that the chart I provided only takes into account IEMs that were mentioned two times or more. In each poll there were a considerable number of IEMs mentioned only once that would not fit in a chart like that. And the Legend you're referring to is the Penon Legend.

Ah, the Penon Legend. Not heard of that one. Looks like it quickly faded from popularity as I haven't seen it mentioned since I've been back.

And yeah, I was originally going to group all of the IEMs in your result postings but that was too much. Stuck to those that received at least 2x mentions.

 

[hoofman]

This occasional lurker would like to play

Ragnar
Impact (quite sure I saw at least one other person vote for it)
HS2000MX “Sho” Mk2

Yay finally another SHO

 

[zikarus]

Reminder: If you haven't submitted your vote for "3 IEMs that own your heart and mind right now" please do so . We've had great buy in so far but the more the merrier

1. AüR Neon Pro
2. IMR Elan+
3. IE900

 

[claud W]

I dont think so, its just hard and takes a lot of time for money to get back to your side, PayPal doesn't give a crap about being scam, at least there customer service is terrible and not even helpful.

My experance with PayPal is somewhat different. They stopped two high dollar transactions before the the money passed. I was trying to buy a cat and the sellers were from Africa, but said California on line.

 

[firesign]

I feel a part of this is due to the lack of exposure in english speaking regions like North America. Iems like the Traillii and XE6 have a paywall behind it. Headfi seems to have a higher concentration of an older demographic which has more disposable income and buying power.



I think I have posted this before. It's the Canadian Census (Statscan) that breaks down pre-tax incomes for each age bracket. From my experience, meeting the attendees at Canjam NYC seemed to corroborate this. I am curious what the average age for this thread is.



As someone who owned the Traillii and sold it for Mentor, I feel that they have their own distinct appeals. Traillii has the natural euphonic mids and overall sophisticated gesalt, Mentor for its exciting highs and holographic imaging.

I liked Storm as well. I found it class leading for that flatter / neutral oriented sound. I would personally place it in a different category though compared to Traillii and Mentor which have more in common.

When I see those salaries I want to jump off a bridge ... (sic)...

 

[KKNAYANA]

Reminder: If you haven't submitted your vote for "3 IEMs that own your heart and mind right now" please do so . We've had great buy in so far but the more the merrier

1. Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator (2023)
2. Aür Audio Aure
3. Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor

 

[552609]

When I see those salaries I want to jump on a bridge ... (sic)...

On a bridge is fine, off a bridge is a problem - don't do that one.

 

[Acts]

1. Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator (2023)
2. Aür Audio Aure
3. Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor

What makes u put the annihilator over the Aure, I nvr tried the annihilator (2023) but I did try the annihilator(2021) and I preferred the Aure.