[Rockwell75]

I thought I would chime in here as an ex Ragnar owner. Even though I don't own one anymore, I still think it's one of the most technical iems out there.

- Staging is one of the widest and enveloping even vs XE6. Height is also good. Depth isnt bad, it's not as flat and "widescreen" as Traillii which got tiring after a while.

- It also has the sharpest transient response that "hollow out" the space giving it tons of room in between instruments, individualizing them. For some listeners that prefers an analogue sound, this might come off as bleached or unnatural.

- Ragnar has one the cleanest presentation out there. The bass frequencies don't bleed into the mids. This helps with the imaging. It's more of a L to R vs Mentor which is more circular and holographic.

- Ragnar had a polite amount of bass quantity but it has excellent quality. Some people have it here as their favourite DD and I can understand why. I actually Ragnars DD quality even better than the mids and treble unlike X and Annihilators which is the opposite. X' Fostex DD sounded grainy compared to its extended and weighty EST treble.

Ragnars DDs have great texture and decay. There's more information and hardness vs Traillii. Traillii has more quantity, but it sounds wooly and rounded comparitively. Kickdrums on Ragnar has that depth and dimensional realism to it like a block of ice vs a carved one.



I agree. While Ragnar was great for modern classical, the treble forwardness made it less than ideal for rock / energetic music for me. Despite that, it's nice to see iems like Trifecta and Ragnar bringing something new to the table.

The bass is an interesting one with Ragnar. I was fortunate to spend some time with @wazzupi's Viking Damascus in NYC-- even a/b'ing it directly with the Ragnar for a bit. To my ears there was more perception of bass presence and weight on the Damascus than on the Ragnar, albeit slight. Because of this I preferred the tonal balance on the Damascus overall and didn't find the top end as overwhelming as I do with Ragnar. One thing that never occurred to me until writing this now is that the two IEMs did not have the same cable when I a/b'd them and maybe that was the source of the slight differnece in sound that I heard. I actually enjoyed the Damascus quite a bit upon reflection. Were it not a really brief demo in the midst of an epic CanJam weekend I would probably be talking about it more. In fact based on that brief demo I would be tempted to say the Damascus would emerge as a top 5 IEM for me were I to ever get to properly spend time with it.

 

[audionewbi]

Even lighter than P6Pro? I thought no TOTL could be lighter.

Hmmm. It’s 365g… that isn’t “light” ??

In high end, ergonomics of LPGT is far better than P6 Pro. Yes not light, but the form makes it very much portable.

 

[Eoin]

I remember the evening I first listened to Ragnar, if I could sum it up in one word ... I'd use "incredible".

Why?, ... it may sound daft!, but I think it must be a frequency synergy, between me and Ragnar.
That sub bass, it travels in waves and flutters throughout my body, unbelievable.
The mids, the clarity, the realism.
Beautiful treble so smooth, gives air to a vastly detailed soundstage.

I'd never heard anything like it before, or since for that matter. Viking Ragnar is the one!.

My search is over A&K SP3000, Stock Viking Ragnar, I need nothing more.

 

[Frankie D]

I no longer have any of those IEMs.

Oh Storm bass is fantastic, it’s some of the best quality bass available regardless of being “BA”.

12t bass I find quite unimpressive for 2023 standards, I love the shelf from M20 but it’s really lacking in texture compared to the better BA low IEMs nowadays.

Ha! I should have known they were gone!

 

[Delitia]

The bass is an interesting one with Ragnar. I was fortunate to spend some time with @wazzupi's Viking Damascus in NYC-- even a/b'ing it directly with the Ragnar for a bit. To my ears there was more perception of bass presence and weight on the Damascus than on the Ragnar, albeit slight. Because of this I preferred the tonal balance on the Damascus overall and didn't find the top end as overwhelming as I do with Ragnar. One thing that never occurred to me until writing this now is that the two IEMs did not have the same cable when I a/b'd them and maybe that was the source of the slight differnece in sound that I heard. I actually enjoyed the Damascus quite a bit upon reflection. Were it not a really brief demo in the midst of an epic CanJam weekend I would probably be talking about it more. In fact based on that brief demo I would be tempted to say the Damascus would emerge as a top 5 IEM for me were I to ever get to properly spend time with it.

It was probably the cable, having been lucky enough myself to acquire the Viking Damascus' cable and use it with the Ragnar after having the stock magnus 4, the bass definitely gained a little bit of weight, not enough to effect the signature meaningfully, since the treble went with it, but just enough to give it a little more oomph and rumble when needed.

 

[mbirand]

I know them very well - classic compilations. Likewise Trance Europe Express, Artificial Intelligence etc. I’m very thankful to have been a teenager in the 90s as this music was emerging!

totally agree. i was in my 20s back then. i think 90s were the best of it. well, at least for my lifetime. that is for sure.

 

[drftr]

Just in case there are any readers here based in Iraq and Iran that want to connect with the Watercooler World Tour... Please send me a PM or respond to this comment. Tnx!

drftr

 

[Neweymatt]

Sunday arvo sesh

 

[Scubadevils]

I thought I would chime in here as an ex Ragnar owner. Even though I don't own one anymore, I still think its a highly technical iem.

- Staging is one of the widest and enveloping even vs XE6. Height is also good. Depth isnt the best but it's not as flat and "widescreen" as Traillii which got tiring after a while.

- It also has the sharpest transient response that "hollow out" the space giving it tons of room in between instruments, individualizing them. For some listeners that prefers an analogue sound, this might come off as bleached or unnatural.

- Ragnar has one the cleanest presentation out there. The bass frequencies don't bleed into the mids. This helps with the imaging. It's more of a L to R vs Mentor which is more circular and holographic.

- Ragnar had a polite amount of bass quantity but it has excellent quality. Some people have it here as their favourite DD and I can understand why. I actually Ragnars DD quality even better than the mids and treble unlike X and Annihilators which is the opposite. X' Fostex DD sounded grainy compared to its extended and weighty EST treble.

Ragnars DDs have great texture and decay. There's more information and hardness vs Traillii. Traillii has more quantity, but it sounds wooly and rounded comparitively. Kickdrums on Ragnar has that depth and dimensional realism to it like a block of ice vs a carved one.



I agree. While Ragnar was great for modern classical, the treble forwardness made it less than ideal for rock / energetic music for me. Despite that, it's nice to see iems like Trifecta and Ragnar bringing something new to the table that people resonate with.

Yes I found Ragnar probably the most technically impressive IEM I’ve heard to date, and modern classical sounded absolutely stunning. I was close to cracking open my piggy bank and buying a set except I encountered upper mid issues too frequently and that is now my number one reason to kill a set… an area I really struggle with!

 

[chaoslight]

I hear Annihilator as a bass light IEM. My Ely has more bass quantity. That said, both are bass light in my view on many tunes. Sure there are tracks where the Ely can shine a bit because the bass is midbass and up. But compared to my Traillii or ERLK, no contest. As an example play “So Far Away” on the Annihilator and then on Traillii. And this is not deep bass. My Ely did a better job on this track over the Annihilator as well.

You said yourself that there are times when the Anni just lets you hear soft taps. IMHO at this level, the bass just has to be better. That is why I view the Anni as a complimentary IEM only and probably not my first choice.

I had a chance to compare the 21 Anni and UM MM with different sources last week, and I would say the bass of Anni really depends on the source IMO. I tried PAW gold touch ti, LP6 Gold, P6P Obsidian, A&K3000P, and some other DAPs that I'm not familiar with. I found the bass of Anni is so much more impactful and tighter when paired with P6P, and the bass sounds so soft and dry on A&K3000P. The sub bass position of Anni is on the ground level and is more separated with mid compared to UM MM, whose sub bass is like on the same level with its mid and is more clean and less edgy. Personally, I prefer the bass signature of the UM MM as it has a more noticeable bass, but I wouldn't complain about the bass on the Anni as it really pairs with its clear and slightly thin mid and extensive treble and plays most of the genres more smooth and resolving.

 

[Scubadevils]

A beautiful morning here in the south east of Ireland. Thoroughly enjoying the iBasso DX320X and Audio-Technica WP900 in the spring sunshine.

 

[FooFighter]

Hi guys
I am still struggling to decide which IEM is a better complement to Jewel (which is a keeper for me)
a) MM
b) Odyssey
I have all here with me but cannot really decide.
Can you guys give me some opinions?
Don't want to tell you my own impressions to avoid creating bias for your feedback.
Only so much: Jewel seems like the best mix for me as an all-rounder.
I like a little bit more body (lower mids) though (FT is yet a nice improvement for sure in these regards) and experience something different so a complementary IEM makes sense.
Actually Trifecta could keep this place but I d like a complimentary all-rounder (rather than a Bass head specialist only) on top.
Sources are RS8 and N7 with or without C9
Thx for your feedback

 

[-rowan-]

- Ragnar had a polite amount of bass quantity but it has excellent quality. Some people have it here as their favourite DD and I can understand why. I actually Ragnars DD quality even better than the mids and treble unlike X and Annihilators which is the opposite. X' Fostex DD sounded grainy compared to its extended and weighty EST treble.

Ragnars DDs have great texture and decay. There's more information and hardness vs Traillii. Traillii has more quantity, but it sounds wooly and rounded comparitively. Kickdrums on Ragnar has that depth and dimensional realism to it like a block of ice vs a carved one.

The bass is an interesting one with Ragnar. I was fortunate to spend some time with @wazzupi's Viking Damascus in NYC-- even a/b'ing it directly with the Ragnar for a bit. To my ears there was more perception of bass presence and weight on the Damascus than on the Ragnar, albeit slight. Because of this I preferred the tonal balance on the Damascus overall and didn't find the top end as overwhelming as I do with Ragnar. One thing that never occurred to me until writing this now is that the two IEMs did not have the same cable when I a/b'd them and maybe that was the source of the slight differnece in sound that I heard. I actually enjoyed the Damascus quite a bit upon reflection. Were it not a really brief demo in the midst of an epic CanJam weekend I would probably be talking about it more. In fact based on that brief demo I would be tempted to say the Damascus would emerge as a top 5 IEM for me were I to ever get to properly spend time with it.

It was probably the cable, having been lucky enough myself to acquire the Viking Damascus' cable and use it with the Ragnar after having the stock magnus 4, the bass definitely gained a little bit of weight, not enough to effect the signature meaningfully, since the treble went with it, but just enough to give it a little more oomph and rumble when needed.

It is the cable. I hate to say it as the stock cable is otherwise very decent, but it really is the bottleneck to the Ragnar’s bass. Practically anything with more copper ramps up its bass quantity, upon which its sheer quality becomes more apparent. Currently using it with the Ronin cable, which does just that and smooths the highs and upper mids a bit as well, but I’ve found it responds to many other cables as well. It sounds much more balanced now.

It was the Ragnar’s treble that first hooked me, but its bass may well be what I’ve come to appreciate most about it. I’ve auditioned X, Anni and Mentor (although to be fair I never owned any of those or had the opportunity for an extended comparison) and my impressions of Ragnar’s bass via-à-vis those are similar to what Natesdailies describes.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Really impressed with these IEMs. Hifiman’s best work so far, as far as IEMs go.

First, it is very well-tuned:
- A good balance of mid- and sub bass.
- Smooth transition to upper mids
- Adequate ear gain but not nearly as “shouty” as some target curves can get
- Some energy around 4K which can be good for electric guitars
- Never sibilant
- Excellent cymbals and overall a smooth presentation of treble

Single dynamic drivers seldom do resolution as well as multi-driver IEMs, but the resolution here is decent, imaging and soundstage very good (in height, depth and width), while timbre is masterclass.

Dynamics are pretty great as well. Not at the level of an IE900 but quite accurate sounding.

Hard pressed to find any major flaws with this one.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Yes I found Ragnar probably the most technically impressive IEM I’ve heard to date, and modern classical sounded absolutely stunning. I was close to cracking open my piggy bank and buying a set except I encountered upper mid issues too frequently and that is now my number one reason to kill a set… an area I really struggle with!

Can’t stand the Ragnar treble peak, although I am not particularly treble-sensitive.

I am not a stickler for FR graphs but that 10db peak is pure summit-fi, literally.

The only source I liked it off is the DX320 / 320X.