[yaps66]

That's true in principle-- but science like any other human endeavour is subject to human limitations, weaknesses and dogmas and it's naive to think that entire entrenched establishments will easily and willingly overturn cherished foundational beliefs simply because new evidence emerges. A classic case of this is the extent to which much of the scientifc enterprise is currently wedded to rank materialism. This is explained rather well in this video:

A very interesting perspective. Loved the way it was illustrated!

Long post incoming…

So yesterday morning I finally got to meet @MatW, who's in South Africa for a family holiday (I also got to briefly meet his lovely family). We weren't really going to do the whole 'audio meet' thing initially, but since Mat was staying close by, and I had a free morning, we made last minute plans to bring along some IEMs we each wanted to hear.

I brought Trifecta and MSE, along with Z1R and Zeta, while Mat was kind enough to bring his Jewel, KK and Thummim just so I could hear them. We left it a bit late for listening with all the personal chatter and getting to know each other better, but still got a good hour in, and quite an enlightening hour it was.

I took down a bunch of listening notes, as much as I could cram into 15 or so minutes with each IEM (and that included a few tip rolls for fine tuning), so just going to summarise my thoughts on each IEM below:

​

Kublai Khan. This was my first ever experience of a Noble IEM, and as expected, that nozzle length is scary! I managed to get a decent fit with my smallest tips though, but preferred the shallower fit with slightly larger tips (Spiral Dot).

Overall, the most impressive thing about this IEM was build quality; really nicely made and we'll finished. I immediately found the bass lacking quantity for my liking, although it was decent enough quality. I had to tip roll three times to get more bass, eventually getting it with Spirals. The main issue for me was treble - it's far too forward and lively for my liking, making KK sound bright and thinnish. Vocals are clear and crisp, but the whole presentation lacks weight, and there's some sibiliance there too. Detail is good, stage is ok, but generally speaking, not my cup of tea at all, especially with DD bass that sounds like it's coming from a BA.

​

Jewel. So glad I finally got to hear this! Instant jump up in quality from KK. In person it actually looks and feels much nicer than any of the photos I've seen. Smaller than I expected too, but very well made. The first thing that strikes me about the sound is the detail - Jewel's reputation as a technical detail monster is absolutely justified. Unfortunately, it also makes it quite a cold analytical listen. I still prefer Jewel's bass, mids, treble and technical performance to KK, and while it lacks bass quantity for my liking, quality is very good. Just comes off a bit thin in the mids, and not something I'd use for long sessions unless I was into purely technical listening with classical music, jazz and the like. That said, it's a really smooooth listen; I put some harsher tracks through it and it smoothed over the harshness very well, despite the incredible detail. Not the most exciting listen, but if technicalities impress you, this is one of the modern poster children for reference-tuned technical ability for sure.

​

Thummim. I wasn't going to listen to this, but since we had a bit of extra time, I'm glad Mat insisted that I do. Easily my pick of the trio. I immediately took to Thummim's warmer sound, with its generous bass and super smooth and seductive tonality. Plenty of detail despite the bass being a bit one-dimensional (I later found out it uses a Foster DD, which could explain that). Still I didn't find the bass overdone at all - on the contrary it added much needed weight to the sound the other two were lacking, and the thicker lower mids gave instruments more palpable presence too. Despite the off she'll, it fit me really well, better than the other two in fact, and I can easily imagine using it for hours on end with its relaxed yet detailed tonality and one of the larger, more interesting stages I've heard in a while. Super enjoyable IEM this!

I'll let Mat chime in about his thoughts on my IEMs if he feels like it, but I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying Trifecta was his favourite, and an IEM I believe he's now considering adding to his impressive collection.

Best of all, though, was getting to know Mat a bit better, and swapping some life stories over coffee. What a privilege to meet good people and potentially lifelong friends though our shared interests. Pity his touring schedule means we won't get to meet up again on this trip, but I look forward to meeting up again in future, maybe next time I'm his beautiful home town near Amsterdam.

Kudos! Such a great read and a useful data point for us enthusiasts! Thanks!

Beautiful post man, not just for the impressions, but mainly for the loving community vibe that pervaded it...love this place. We're family...lol.

Hear, hear!

"All rounder" is an interesting term...kind of like "basshead" in that it's much more related to the preferences and tolerances of the individual than anything inherent in the IEM. For me Trifecta makes a wonderful "all rounder" simply because it is so finely tuned to my personal preferences.

"Basshead" is another interesting term-- I'm kind of curious how people define it. As is often mentioned bass presence in sound is a lot like spiciness in food-- we all have our own tolerances. I tend to think of an IEM as "basshead" when bass is the first and foremost defining element of the sound signature-- the term to me is as much about quality as quantity. Trifecta to me is perhaps the ultimate "basshead" IEM. I've heard some describe Singularity as "basshead" which surprises me as to my ears that happens to be a really well balanced IEM that happens to have great bass. YMMV etc. Curious for other people's thoughts.

I always felt that "basshead" had more of a derogatory connotation and I did feel guilty about loving bass! Since coming here, my attitude has evolved to one of "guilty pleasure". One man's bass is another man's poison is apt and I think there are differing degrees of "basshead" also! You love what you like; you do you; and all that!

 

[jwilliamhurst]

You love what you like; you do you; and all that!

Yes! Amen! Hallelujah! and all that!!

 

[named name]

AWESOME...number one thing on my radar right now. I hope it's based off the red prototype I heard in NYC

Edit: Are any Watercoolers going to be at that show this weekend?

As a very inactive Watercooler (does that even qualify?), I’ll be at the HKAV show this weekend for sure.

 

[lycos]

bass was exceptional it was a little bright (for me)

Have you tried the stock tips?
I found the transparent silicone tips like CP145 can be too lean and possibly elevate treble slightly on singularity.

I agree the box and presentation is beautiful!
It can be a good wedding ring box for audiophile wedding

 

[ttt123]

No one is expected to eat poisonous mushrooms to experience that they are poisonous, unless some cults may be involved.
There is a simple objective kmowledge of poisons and their effects.
There is a knowledge of placebo effects, and subjective reasoning of people clinging to their beliefs, such as "tribal" allegiance and ego preservation.

Objective evidence is an objective evidence. In absence of any objective evidences, the subjective sentiments of "beliefs", "good faith", audiophiles, community, "we all hear it" and personal attacks take place.

Once again, an old good classic tale sums it up so perfectly.

Trying to add to personal attacks as a tribe, only highlights your own insecurities. If another good tale is needed about it - Tabaqui from the stories of Rudyard Kipling comes to mind.

Lastly, sadly, in science writing papers to "expectations" is quite common, but this subject is well beyond the scope of discussions here.


To answer your points briefly:

First, personal experience becomes scientific knowledge only if it can be reproduced by all people of similar qualifications. There are more criteria to it, but reproducibility suffices for this discussion.

The Q about L and C is a good one; there was some trend trying to use them to justify IEM cable differences. Yet, the reality is that L and C are very small and do not vary much for IEM cables, so no any effect of them were demonstrated (for IEM cables, again).
For the speaker cables, if one's speakers are 8 Ohms or less, the wire capacitance starts to matter, so I would consider auditioning cables for such speakers.

Next, the metallurgy of copper and silver is well understood. Many cable manufacturers cite credible scientific facts. The question is whether the difference e.g. between 4N and 7N copper, can be audible or at least measurable. Again, good measurements would offer some proof, but none is shown.

No current interest to cables from science, since this subject was understood 100+ years ago, and no new evidence brought to light. (I can tell some quite peculiar graphene story, but again it is not directly relevant to the main topics discussed).

It is then exactly amazing how $1k+ cables can be sold, but the science of it would not be physics or metallurgy, but psychology.

I applaud you! Your pseudo science is highly advanced, as is your willingness to sacrifice yourself on the altar of science, so that others can be saved/enlightened. (kind of reminds me of Jim Jones...)

I have a strong suspicion that you are an extraterrestrial that purposely stirs up feelings by insulting people, so that you can feed on the energy created, and expand your "essence", with the eventual goal of replacing all other opinions with your own superior wisdom.

We have been warned, and will continue to resist, by believing in our own observations, and continuing to experiment in arcane audio technologies and cables (the horror!).

The Dark Side shall not prevail.

 

[Andykong]

As a very inactive Watercooler (does that even qualify?), I’ll be at the HKAV show this weekend for sure.

If you run into a 100kg big fellow at C01 booth of Hall 3, say Hi Watercooler, then we know we have run into each other.

 

[F208Frank]

I tried the FIR RN6 today. The bass was addictive and amazing. Over time though the warmth of the IEM as a whole slowly got to me and I would have liked it just a wee bit leaner/neutral.

Overall very fun IEM though. I may still consider it in future.

 

[Natesdailies]

Recieved the Singularity demo thanks to @Rockwell75 and @tgx78. Ignore the DAP above in the picture. I already prefer it more with R6P2.

Sounds awesome for EDM ️. There is nice bounce to it with its deep digging sub bass / mid bass punch. Treble lines are present. I'll get more detailed impressions out after a few days.

 

[boromcom]

Recieved the Singularity demo thanks to @Rockwell75 and @tgx78. Ignore the DAP above in the picture. I already prefer it more with R6P2.

Sounds awesome for EDM ️. There is nice bounce to it with it's deep digging sub bass / mid bass punch. Treble lines are present. I'll get more detailed impressions after a few days.

Can’t wait!

 

[Neweymatt]

To you- it is 30%
To me - it is 0%.

You need multikilobuck cables to your happiness in this hobby.
For me - cables of $20-30 fully suffices

Ok then don’t buy expensive cables. But…

I just hope people will think about these points to make their purchase decisions

I’ve listened to different cables, thought about the differences I heard, and bought some.
You’re concern is appreciated but not needed, thanks!!

 

[TheRH]

Oh, I love it!!!

 

[Deezel177]

Have you tried the stock tips?
I found the transparent silicone tips like CP145 can be too lean and possibly elevate treble slightly on singularity.

I agree the box and presentation is beautiful!
It can be a good wedding ring box for audiophile wedding

That’s interesting, ‘cus I had the opposite experience. The black tips made the Singularity lean, dry and v-shaped, whilst the clear ones made them sound heaps more organic and full-bodied, as I’d originally heard them in SG. It just goes to show how different our ear anatomies (and how they react to tips) can be.

 

[gLer]

I tried the FIR RN6 today. The bass was addictive and amazing. Over time though the warmth of the IEM as a whole slowly got to me and I would have liked it just a wee bit leaner/neutral.

Overall very fun IEM though. I may still consider it in future.

Which modules were installed when you heard them? There's a big bass/warmth difference between red on the one end and gold on the other.

 

[DaveStarWalker]

I tried the FIR RN6 today. The bass was addictive and amazing. Over time though the warmth of the IEM as a whole slowly got to me and I would have liked it just a wee bit leaner/neutral.

Overall very fun IEM though. I may still consider it in future.

A wee little leaner (neutral... Hum... ).

Kr5

 

[F208Frank]

Which modules were installed when you heard them? There's a big bass/warmth difference between red on the one end and gold on the other.

Very good point, I totally forgot to notice.