That z1r tally should be plus 1 now
Added the z1r to my collection a couple of weeks ago so my top 3 now reads
1 - Rn6
2 - Z1r
3 - Fibae 7u
Survey for the still interested: https://forms.gle/XoYNTZWUCSBTebFdA
(If you want your vote counted.)
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
- Start date
Survey for the still interested: https://forms.gle/XoYNTZWUCSBTebFdA
(If you want your vote counted.)
1 - Turii Ti
2 - Singularity
3 - Impact
2 - Singularity
3 - Impact
Speaking of Z1R, my left shell mmcx connector has dislodged (see pic). This is an old pair out of warranty so wondering if anyone knows of an electronics shop in the USA capable of attempting to fix. Would love to not have to buy a new set. Thanks for any suggestions.
Sorry to hear that. Did this happen with an aftermarket cable? It's why I no longer risk.aftermarket cables with Z1R. Thankfully I prefer the stock cable over just about any other cable I've heard.Speaking of Z1R, my left shell mmcx connector has dislodged (see pic). This is an old pair out of warranty so wondering if anyone knows of an electronics shop in the USA capable of attempting to fix. Would love to not have to buy a new set. Thanks for any suggestions.
the map maker can’t even correctly mark my region / country, so unfortunately I will abstain from voting ((
rootsd
New Head-Fier
Talking about middle age: how to draw correctly the borders of a failing, barbarian colonial power?
Edit: typo
Edit: typo
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Yes, that was culprit. Now I have a good right and no lefty
Z1R should come with a label warning against using third party cables...Yes, that was culprit. Now I have a good right and no lefty
Not so fat head
1000+ Head-Fier
I’m thinking of buying these a years end..Speaking of Z1R, my left shell mmcx connector has dislodged (see pic). This is an old pair out of warranty so wondering if anyone knows of an electronics shop in the USA capable of attempting to fix. Would love to not have to buy a new set. Thanks for any suggestions.
Just curious, is this caused by removing the cables often? I plan zero cable swapping, so I might avoid this…,
Thank you…
Yes, this problem was caused by swapping in a low quality (was not inexpensive at $130) cable with defective mmcx plugs. If you learn to swap properly, and only use known cables with this IEM, you'll be fine.
Unfortunately, I need some electronic maestro to fix this.
SQ13
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2017
- Posts
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Unfortunately , my Dunnu cable shield disintegarted after almost 5 year. I have a challenge removing it from the z1r. I suggest stick with the stock cable or aftermarket cable with the same m used in the stock cable.
nocturne19
100+ Head-Fier
Andddd...Here comes Part 2!Dear Watercoolers,
I am here to share my impressions of 2023 HKAV show. It is just wonderful to demo top of the line gear in a single show!
This review will be pretty long, so why not start with highlights of the show?
2023 HKAV show impressions - Part 1: IEMs
Vision Ears VEX. One thing to add is that VEX is very cable-sensitive. Equipped with baseline SPC cable, it sounds mid-forwardish neutral. With stock cable, it sounds warm neutral. With Chiron Nova, it sounds neutral with a hint of brightness. I personally like the pairing with stock cable, showcasing an organic signature.
Vision Ears X Astell & Kern Aura. Warm with a minor treble boost. In short Phonix OG with less mids and more revealing mid-highs. Highs are clear and natural, just wished it could have more extension.
Jomo Audio Alpha Ti. Mild V-shaped with boosted bass. Fun and exciting, suiting genres like EDM and pop.
Oriolus Trailli Ti. Warm and organic with slightly forward mid highs. Great technicalities with awesome dynamics and good resolution, soundstage and staging. Unfortunately it did not take my heart. I personally find it not as smooth and harmonized as Multiverse Mentor or Phonix.
Noble Audio Ronin Prestige. Warm and thick with forward mids. Compared with Ronin OG, Prestige sounds warmer and fuller with slightly bigger soundstage.
Noble Audio Viking Prestige. Bright with great technicalities. Compared with Viking Ragnar, Prestige is less sharp with enhanced technicalities (especially soundstage).
Noble Audio Stage 3. Relatively neutral with slight treble boost. Wide soundstage and accurate staging.
Noble Audio Spartacus. Warm neutral with slight treble boost. Good fit, but BCDs do not sound that apparent unfortunately.
Empire Ears Raven. An iem combining traits of Odin and Odyssey. A treble-boosted Odyssey with in your face presentation (though not as in-your-face as Odin).
Aroma Audio Feiwan. Neutral with bass boost. Satisfying mid-bass but slightly lacking sub-bass. Technicalities are great, but staging and soundstage could be better. I personally find Jewel to be more satisfying with better technicalities and extended treble.
NGaudio Khaos, Erebus, Hercules, Eurus+. All 4 sound pretty neutral, with Erebus being darker and Eurus+ being bass boosted and slightly mid forward. Technicalities are sufficient.
What NGaudio iems stand out to me though are their cleanness. They have an extremely dark background with discernable sounds. Amazing.
64audio NIO Galaxy Limited. An organic and musical Nio with similar technicalities. Bass is well-controlled, with precise attack and decay. Easily top of the line bass. Great job 64audio!
Unique Melody Amber Pearl. A Multiverse Mentor with more treble and slightly better technicalities. Highs are smooth and well-extended. Among the best iems indeed.
Unique Melody Mest MK III. Neutral with treble boost. Technicalities are pretty good. A strong contender at ~$1900.
flipears Aether & Zurq. Both are V-shaped with bass boost. I do find Aether to be more revealing than Zurq. Technicalities are on the line.
flipears Artha. Interchangeable tuning, ranging from neutral to V-shaped. Turning switches on/off do give a discernable sound profile. Equipped with sufficient technicalities, Artha is no doubt an interesting iem at ~$1500.
Hiby Zeta. Mild V-shaped with good bass and treble extension. Could be a strong contender if it has a smoother presentation.
Madoo Typ512 and Typ821. Both sound relatively warm and thick, with Typ821 being more transparent and having better technicalities.
Acoustune HS2000MXmkii (ACT05). Mild V-shaped with good technicalities as a single DD.
Moondrop Beautiful World. Moondrop VDSF tuning with sufficient but not excessive air. Easily recommended if it had more bass and better soundstage.
Moondrop Solis II. Mid-forwardish with great technicalities. Interesting to say this would be a good complement to Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon, for which depicts instruments accurately. Shell is heavy though because of silver.
Moondrop Chu II. V-shaped with forward mid-highs. Technicalities are pretty good at ~$15 though.
Rhapsodio Supreme V3. Warm with several treble peaks. Technicalities are pretty good, with an interesting speaker-like presentation.
Nostalgia Audio Camelot Luna (CN limited) (i.e. Nostalgia Audio Camelot + PW Audio 1960MKii 2wire). Slightly thick with organic highs. I personally prefer Camelot pairing up with Lancelot which gives more extension in bass and treble.
Fir Audio Ar4. A neutral Ne4. Reminiscent of Xe6 transiting to Rn6.
Fir Audio E12. This is an iem with a single 12mm DD. Interesting signature, reminiscent of Trifecta.
Aful Flagship. Oh boy this is definitely worth talking. Imagine an iem with U12t's tuning and U18t's technicalities. An neutral + bass boost iem with top of the line technicalities at a jaw-dropping price. Be it smoother, not crazy to say a potential flagship killer.
Thieaudio Monarch MKIII. Neutral with bass boost. Technicalities are good, but I do hear occasion hints of sibilance.
Thieaudio V16 Divinity LTD. Neutral with great staging and soundstage. Occasion hints of sibilance are heard.
Starry Audio Yoru. Neutral with enhanced upper mids that suits anisong vocals.
Syphonium Meteor, Dunu SA6 MKII. Both are neutral with SA6 MKII having slightly forward mids. Good technicalities for both, I do believe SA6 MKII has an edge in resolution and soundstage.
Letshuoer Cadenza 12. Mild V-shaped with satisfying technicalities.
My personal highlights were VEX and NIO Galaxy Limited. Perhaps...shut up and take my money!
Perhaps I'll end with highlights in this post
2023 HKAV show impressions - Part 2: Cables & DAPs
Cables.
Eletech Sonnet of Adam.
Signature: Smoothened mids, enhanced mid-highs with more sparkle. Reminiscent of Eletech signature.
Technicalities: Improved details and staging.
Effect Audio Hades II.
Signature: Smoothened lows, forward mid-highs, enhanced highs.
Technicalities: Holographic soundstage with excellent depth, improved details.
Eura Audio Orca.
Signature: Organic mids, smooth and extended highs.
Technicalities: Wide soundstage, improved details and dynamics.
Eura Audio Vidar Alter II.
Signature: Concentrated bass with good attack and decay. Wipes out sibilance and odd treble peaks.
Technicalities: Improved staging and dynamics.
Kinera X Effect Audio Orlog.
Signature: Warm mids, smoothened highs.
Technicalities: Wide soundstage, improved details.
PW Audio The 1960s MK II
Signature: Neutral with a hint of warmth.
Technicalities: Wide soundstage, improved details and staging, dark background.
PW Audio Meet Agains
Signature: Relatively neutral with organic mids.
Technicalities: Wide soundstage, improved details and staging, dark background.
DAPs.
Cayin N30LE. Natural sounding with top-of-the-line technicalities. Power monster yet with excellent control. Definitely among the kings of DAPs. Smooth system, though interesting to see its local music player powered by Hiby. Only downside would be being heavy and bulky.
Astell & Kern SE300. Warm and organic sounding with sufficient technicalities. Fairly smooth system, one step behind SP3000. Gets warm quick but not hot.
Fiio M15s. Warm neutral with satisfying technicalities. Stable UI as you would expect from Fiio.
Shanling M9+. Warm neutral with flagship technicalities. Smooth and quick UI. If you are searching for a neutral yet musical DAP, the M9+ may be under your radar.
Luxury & Precision P6P. Organic sounding with excellent timbre. Satisfying technicalities. System is unfortunately a bit laggy. I do admire it being light in weight, which makes it truly portable.
Star of the show...
Lotoo Mjolnir. Highly refined tuning, somewhere between natural LPGT and neutral LPGT Ti. Summit technicalities: Holographic 3D- soundstage with accurate staging and lively dynamics. Power monster yet with excellent control, mastering iems/headphones of different sensitivities. If I have to nitpick I would say it has strong character. The Lotoo signature is omnipresent in most setups, which can be a double-edged sword.
I find it unfair to compare Mjolnir with other DAPs because of their difference in size. Yet it is not exaggerating to say Mjolnir being an excellent all-in-one portable device. A reference device for your cans and iems? This is for you.
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Andddd...Here comes Part 2!
Perhaps I'll end with highlights in this post
2023 HKAV show impressions - Part 2: Cables & DAPs
Cables.
Eletech Sonnet of Adam.
Signature: Smoothened mids, enhanced mid-highs with more sparkle. Reminiscent of Eletech signature.
Technicalities: Improved details and staging.
Effect Audio Hades II.
Signature: Smoothened lows, forward mid-highs, enhanced highs.
Technicalities: Holographic soundstage with excellent depth, improved details.
Eura Audio Orca.
Signature: Organic mids, smooth and extended highs.
Technicalities: Wide soundstage, improved details and dynamics.
Eura Audio Vidar Alter II.
Signature: Concentrated bass with good attack and decay. Wipes out sibilance and odd treble peaks.
Technicalities: Improved staging and dynamics.
Kinera X Effect Audio Orlog.
Signature: Warm mids, smoothened highs.
Technicalities: Wide soundstage, improved details.
PW Audio The 1960s MK II
Signature: Neutral with a hint of warmth.
Technicalities: Wide soundstage, improved details and staging, dark background.
PW Audio Meet Agains
Signature: Relatively neutral with organic mids.
Technicalities: Wide soundstage, improved details and staging, dark background.
DAPs.
Cayin N30LE. Natural sounding with top-of-the-line technicalities. Power monster yet with excellent control. Definitely among the kings of DAPs. Smooth system, though interesting to see its local music player powered by Hiby. Only downside would be being heavy and bulky.
Astell & Kern SE300. Warm and organic sounding with sufficient technicalities. Fairly smooth system, one step behind SP3000. Gets warm quick but not hot.
Fiio M15s. Warm neutral with satisfying technicalities. Stable UI as you would expect from Fiio.
Shanling M9+. Warm neutral with flagship technicalities. Smooth and quick UI. If you are searching for a neutral yet musical DAP, the M9+ may be under your radar.
Luxury & Precision P6P. Organic sounding with excellent timbre. Satisfying technicalities. System is unfortunately a bit laggy. I do admire it being light in weight, which makes it truly portable.
Star of the show...
Lotoo Mjolnir. Highly refined tuning, somewhere between natural LPGT and neutral LPGT Ti. Summit technicalities: Holographic 3D- soundstage with accurate staging and lively dynamics. Power monster yet with excellent control, mastering iems/headphones of different sensitivities. If I have to nitpick I would say it has strong character. The Lotoo signature is omnipresent in most setups, which is definitely a double-edged sword.
I find it unfair to compare Mjolnir with other DAPs because of their difference in size. Yet it is not exaggerating to say Mjolnir being an excellent all-in-one portable device. A reference device for your cans and iems? This is for you.
Thank you for your HKAV impressions roundup – especially for one DAP which I impulsively pre-ordered
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