[phiemon]

My Viture XR glasses arrived, now I can play Nintendo Switch outside, how cool is that?! They even look less embarassing than I thought...

How awesome is that!! I really have to watch it ...

 

[Tex Irie]

Does anyone in here use a DAC/Amp with the Nintendo Switch?

 

[stacey]

Does anyone in here use a DAC/Amp with the Nintendo Switch?

I don’t even bother. I plug my IEMs straight in, same with my PS5.

 

[Bret Halford]

Wishing all my fellow coolers a wonderful holiday weekend!

Happy FIRiday

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Wishing all my fellow coolers a wonderful holiday weekend!

Happy FIRiday

How would you compare these to the FF Grand Maestro? Having owned Rn6 this would be helpful for me to more understand the tuning of the Grand as it’s high on my radar. Thank you for any help you can provide

 

[Bret Halford]

How would you compare these to the FF Grand Maestro? Having owned Rn6 this would be helpful for me to more understand the tuning of the Grand as it’s high on my radar. Thank you for any help you can provide

The GM is more flexible, care of the vox switch. I find Fatfreq's NOAH tuning modules make a pretty dramatic difference compared to the relative subtlety of FIR's Atoms. Both venting systems are excellent for comfort and completely eliminate driver flex.

I mainly listen to GM with black NOAH and switch in Bass mode and I prefer the red atom module on the RN6. In this configuration, the GM has a touch more subbass and the Rn6 a little more mid bass. The GM has a lot more ear gain (2-4k boost). This gives the Rn6 a slightly bigger sense of scale/stage, whereas the GM is relatively forward and intimate. It also means that despite the higher bass magnitude, when listening to actual music (with relatively broad spectrum), apparent bass is a bit more present on the Rn6 (maybe the kinetic driver is a factor here too). The GM has quite a bit more lower treble energy to my ear, more sizzle and sparkle whereas the Rn6's 15k boost is more about air.

As far as overall tuning, I'd give the nod to the Rn6 slightly. The GM however is an amazingly flexible specialist, and when it hits the target it sure nails it...

 

[RBYRER]

Wishing all my fellow coolers a wonderful holiday weekend!

Happy FIRiday

Is that a ibasso dap ? I also have the rn6 and how does it sound with that dap ? Thanks if you can reply .

 

[main character]

Thanks to @Wolfhawk46 , received Final A5000 today!!


Wrapping up my brief session with Final A5000, my first (&) Final IEM.. I preferred MAXimizing stock potential with stock eartip and stock SPC 3.5mm cable, DX300 max ti.

Dx 220 max w mod has more beefy meaty bass. When matched with Erua Tawa 8w(their previous flagship alloy cable with paladium. Very good bass and resolve), I missed some airy extension. Stock 3.5mm and Dx220 max- congested.
Tawa + Dx300max ti—> miss excellent bass. Also titanium causes slight smearing of focus in bass and mid.
PW Attila+300 max ti—-> excellent soundstage and bass. But, I think mid high extension could be better- lacks slight airyness and resolve. Mest2/Attila and 300 max ti is my Favourite, solving this problem.
Stock cable setting with Dx 300 max ti is the best so far

A5000 sq is.. to my untrained ear, less Bass hit(due to platic housing(?)) and soundstage than Dark sky stock 2.5mm cable(Due to being 3.5mm single ended maybe) but otherwise very balanced throughout FR, good airyness, good mid/ vocals as well, very very good iem? Will keep listening.

Being a light weight(literally) IEM, comfort is great. Five different sizes of eartips are provided(Final E type, I think). Eartip comfort is also great.

Comfort? Check
Tonality? Check
DD bass? Check
Price? Check
Cable? Check. No need for cable rolling unless you want grandiose soundstage/ambition
Some airyness as DD iem? Check
Good vocals? Check
Eartip synergy? Check
Your Final IEM? Check

Not giving you a hamburger with mouth-watering tomatoes, fresh crunchy lettuce and meaty..meat ingredients though.. Off for lunch~

 

[jwilliamhurst]

The GM is more flexible, care of the vox switch. I find Fatfreq's NOAH tuning modules make a pretty dramatic difference compared to the relative subtlety of FIR's Atoms. Both venting systems are excellent for comfort and completely eliminate driver flex.

I mainly listen to GM with black NOAH and switch in Bass mode and I prefer the red atom module on the RN6. In this configuration, the GM has a touch more subbass and the Rn6 a little more mid bass. The GM has a lot more ear gain (2-4k boost). This gives the Rn6 a slightly bigger sense of scale/stage, whereas the GM is relatively forward and intimate. It also means that despite the higher bass magnitude, when listening to actual music (with relatively broad spectrum), apparent bass is a bit more present on the Rn6 (maybe the kinetic driver is a factor here too). The GM has quite a bit more lower treble energy to my ear, more sizzle and sparkle whereas the Rn6's 15k boost is more about air.

As far as overall tuning, I'd give the nod to the Rn6 slightly. The GM however is an amazingly flexible specialist, and when it hits the target it sure nails it...

Thank you very much for your impressions. I really really appreciate your help and time.

This is very helpful for me.

 

[Natesdailies]

Universal Grand Maestro & CIEM Impact purchased!

Heard better things about the Grand Maestro universal fit vs MSE. Queue times seems to have gotten better for Penon, about a week before my CIEM gets shipped

 

[Bret Halford]

Is that a ibasso dap ? I also have the rn6 and how does it sound with that dap ? Thanks if you can reply .

Good eye, that is my DX320. Running the stock amp, whatever that is.

With the Rn6 there is maybe just a hint of hiss audible with nothing playing, not noticeable with music or real sound. More disturbing is that if I am charging the 320 with USB and am using an insulating case (like the stock leather), there is a parasitic short on the volume dial, combined with the Rn6's kinetic port this causes a small current loop and I am treated to a bit of buzzing if I adjust the volume.

Really sloppy stuff even if only an issue while charging. It is easily enough circumvented by just taking the case off and holding the DAP itself (thus bypassing the parasitic).

There's other stuff that's super annoying generally too, go search the 320 thread and see how many people have issues with chargers... I have to reboot mine into Mango OS to work correctly with any of my USB chargers. I appreciate their other models are probably better, but I'm gonna avoid iBasso in the future.

 

[rootsd]

Is that a ibasso dap ? I also have the rn6 and how does it sound with that dap ? Thanks if you can reply .

I could check lately my rn6 with a dx320. I would call it a very nice pairing (but i don't know which amp was installed. Probably stock) and an honor for both sides. If you like rn6's punchy bass and technalities, you don't fall into a trap going for that pairing.

 

[bigbeans]

Good eye, that is my DX320. Running the stock amp, whatever that is.

With the Rn6 there is maybe just a hint of hiss audible with nothing playing, not noticeable with music or real sound. More disturbing is that if I am charging the 320 with USB and am using an insulating case (like the stock leather), there is a parasitic short on the volume dial, combined with the Rn6's kinetic port this causes a small current loop and I am treated to a bit of buzzing if I adjust the volume.

Really sloppy stuff even if only an issue while charging. It is easily enough circumvented by just taking the case off and holding the DAP itself (thus bypassing the parasitic).

There's other stuff that's super annoying generally too, go search the 320 thread and see how many people have issues with chargers... I have to reboot mine into Mango OS to work correctly with any of my USB chargers. I appreciate their other models are probably better, but I'm gonna avoid iBasso in the future.

SP3000 is a great DAP, I've been using it for a couple of weeks now. Build quality is stellar and doesn't imbue much character on iems, yet is very detailed. You will also get the blackest background on the current generation DAPs.

 

[dleblanc343]

But that looks really awesome, respect!


Please excuse my critical observation, but I am basically interested in Anni, so I ask.

You talk in your impressions about "nice quality DD bass , good mid bass and sub bass... good treble". All this somehow doesn't sound excellent to me and that overall gives me the feeling that Anni is not at all technically on the highest level like - say: - Mentor. Maybe you can say something about that? I read that you also have Mentor. How would you compare the two technically?

+1 for the question

I'm currently enjoying Annihilator 2023 a lot and Mentor is also a favorite.

They're actually quite similar to my ears through the low mids and most of the midrange until you hit the pinna region where the Mentor is quite a bit more relaxed.

Now how the Mentor graphs in the pinna region seem a bit more relaxed than I hear it, where I believe the BCD actually adds 2-3dB more energy that isn't captured by measurement. I still hear it as neutral/warm, but honestly the mids sound divine on Mentor where I'd say it's very natural but with smoothing. Annihlator upper mids are more forward giving guitars more bite, female vocals sound a bit more clean and vivid, but not shouty like Gaea or Odin for example.

The treble on both sets is also boosted, but so Hi-Res that it's not grating. The Mentors treble sounds hotter due to the relaxed upper mids accentuating the gap, but I do not find it problematic. The Annihilator however does execution of treble better, especially in the upper treble and trailing ends. It's incredible really.

The bass boost is very noticeable below 100Hz on Annihilator making it both more punch and slammy, and quite generously bassy whereas Mentor opts for a neutral/ warm tilt with thick midbass/ low mid weight.

All in all, two of the best tuned iem's I've heard to date, Mentor favoring a natural/ neutral warm tone with a bit of a treble boost to keep the dynamics alive & Annihilator 2023 being natural sounding with tilted bass & treble (U-shape), as if turning on Loudness or High Gain on your amplifier to make the sound more exciting.

Both iem's excel at anything you throw at it due to solid tuning, but Mentor wins in the midrange; Annihilator 2023 wins in engagement and dynamism. Both are amongst the best in terms of raw technical ability. Mentor is the most holograhpic iem I've heard to date (along with Red Halo FE but its tuning is not ideal to me).

Here's how they graph along HBB's Target which I kind of agree with for my preferences. I do listen to a lot of rock & various other genres. A lot of electronic stuff too. I do not listen to KPop, JPop or much country music. I am quite sensitive to forward upper mids, and have a lower tolerance than average in midbass-to-low mids sloping (midrange veil).

Hey, my Audio Technic connection!!
Lower those ATH-WB2022 beauties to under $1.5 to $2k, so us poor folks can buy'em...

I wish they could! The costs on producing these units is indeed very high due to the wood crafting process, and the very fancy Zero Halliburton case also contributes to that (there doesn't seem to be any real-life photos of the packaging out in the wild, but it's next level stuff)... Perhaps we will have a trickle-down, non-anniversary model in the near future

 

[aaf evo]

Shameless but if anyone is after an RN6 CIEM message me. I’ve confirmed with FiR they’ll reshell them for a new owner. I unfortunately just don’t click too much with these even though on paper it’s exactly what I wanted from the Frontier series.