[Kweebs]

400-500, huh? Adding another zero to your budget, I see

To your ears, are these as ridiculous as everyone says?

Well, my ears are pretty much untrained, and I haven't listened to that many high-end iems, so it was honestly a whole another level for me, as compared to what I have (which is the shure se215)

 

[nikbr]

Well, my ears are pretty much untrained, and I haven't listened to that many high-end iems, so it was honestly a whole another level for me, as compared to what I have (which is the shure se215)

In this hobby its probably best to leave the ears as untrained as possible or it might cost you

 

[davidmolliere]

Quick impressions between RS8 and N30LE in H gain / Class AB / Solid State with RN6 listening to "For Your Love" – Jacob Gurevitsch, Arturo Sandoval:

• N30LE's – rich sound with weight to notes and instruments, strings have a lovely texture and verberation, there's excellent layering, horns are
• RS8 – noticeble difference is the sound is thinner – less intimate and rich, notes and instruments have weight though decays faster, strings also have lovely texture and verberation with faster decay
• Its an intimate track and while both share similar soundstage, N30LE sounds wider in comparison

As much as I love RS8's bass punch, RN6 just hits decisively harder with N30LE.

Both are musical though N30LE adds a richer emotive and engaging quality to the track where RS8 is "neutral" in presentation.

You've been faster than me

Let's do this... @gLer

Here are the settings for the test to level the plane field :

• Low gain
• Class A
• Turbo mode on RS8 and P+ on N30 LE (Hyper mode OFF obviously)
• Solid State on N30 LE (although it might be interesting to compare to Tubes, as R2R has its own edge here too)
• RN6 stock cable
• Red filter ON (now that's very important)

Note that RS8 has hundreds of hours on it while N30 has a mere few days burn in on it...


Bass : Here is the summary... I hear more mid bass emphasis on RS8, bass has significantly more presence overall in the range and more slam with longer decay. N30 has less mid bass presence but better slam and is significantly tighter and faster. Overall this makes bass more balanced and realistic on N30. Sub bass is great on both but again N30 feels more controlled with faster attack and decay and less bleed. Also, in relation to the rest of the range, bass has a less prominent share on N30 which is more open sounding and balanced. Here are my notes on a few test tracks among those I ran :

• Darkside "Paper Trails", I really love this slow and dark mood in the track from Nicolas Jaar that kicks off with a slow-stepping beat, rhythmic hand claps, and features reverb-soaked guitar plucks from Dave Harrington. RS8 portraits this song with superb rich bass textures and a very intimate, sensual way. The bassline is quite prominent (maybe a tad too much) and the tweaked vocals are almost saturated by bass providing a very "enveloping" portrayal. N30 has a more open presentation, the bass line is spot on and sounds just right to me, vocals are less bass saturated while keeping the low hypnotic pitch that the song is aiming for.
  
  
• Ted Poor "Emilia", is one of the tracks of the superb Album "You already know" and is one of my go to when I want to measure how a DAP / IEMs handles percussions. RS8 renders the deep percussions intro superbly with boatloads of textures, nuances of tone and proper power. On this one the gap is not that big, but N30 brings even more nuances and a more articulate stage which provides bass with more air to shine. On certain faster sequences the N30 pulls away rendering better sense of speed.
  
  
• Lucy Dixon "Stormy Weather", Lucy Dixon is one of my favorite artists with rhythmic jazz songs that make you want to dance. Stormy weather is in my bass test tracks as it’s a well recorded track that provides a lot of details in percussions with fast hits of the drums and also many percussive elements. On this track, the intro has more bass presence on the RS8 and drums hit exhibit magnificent textures, overall given the bass imprint of the signature it makes for a smoother more analog portrayal of the track. N30 even in solid state is also quite analog but there is a vibrancy in the rest of the range that makes it a less relaxed presentation and also a snappier, tighter and faster bass. I feel it's more engaging but also less relaxed.

Mids : This one was really interesting... I was more than a bit surprised to find that N30 has safer upper mids than RS8 with RN6. Not that RS8 goes over the edge but just that it has a bit more bite there which was contrary to my expectations. I also expected RS8 mids to be fuller than N30, but on RN6 at least this isn't the case. N30 is more open sounding with more space between instruments and more resolving (also thanks to its upper range performance) but it's not thinner nor is it more energetic. Quite interesting... Here are my notes on a few test tracks among those I ran :

• Hank Levy "Whiplash" : This is my go to track to test upper mids harshness, it’s absolutely ruthless and will discriminate IEMs and sources quickly. It’s highly energetic and aptly named. This comparison actually suprised me as I would have figured RS8 to be safer than N30, I pictured N30 as having more bite in the upper midrange but to my suprise I winced once or twice with RS8 and not with N30. Both DAPs do very well in this busy and crazy paced track, but the N30 feels effortless compared to RS8 which seems to follow a bit behind in terms of speed.
  
  
• Adam Ben Ezra "Bolero" : Adam Ben Ezra’s double bass on “Bolero” and the accompanying guitar strings are a good way to measure the accuracy and richness of instrumental timbre. RS8 has always been a fantastic DAP and my benchmark on instruments timbre. The double bass is portrayed beautifully on this track with a soulful and very true to life natural timbre. You can almost hear the wood, it's as analogue as it gets really and RN6 really show off how the RS8 shines there. Guitar plucks are rich in nuances while smooth as honey. N30 even in solid state shares the analogue presentation but adds more bite to the strings making it more exciting and shiver down your spine-y conveying even more emotion. Let me be unfair and activate Tube / Classic here just for good measure Things get even more soulful on N30 making it impossible to put down...overtones are richer conveying more nuances without sacrificing technicalities... Oh my...
  
  
• Etta James "At last" : Well this one doesn't need any introduction I guess I like to use this track for vocals and check how IEMs and DAPs fare with Etta's voice especially when she pushes her voice to the edge. This one can get a little edgy on some pairings. RN6 on RS8 does a very fine job on this tracks, which is soulful as it gets but with intense energy which never goes over the edge. N30 like in whiplash surprises me as I would have figured more energy and potentially a bit of edge to Etta's voice at some point but I was suprised to find a smoother delivery than RS8 (yes, in solid state...).

Treble : This is where the N30 really pulls off for me : it has a more accurate tone, is more extended which makes N30 a significantly more resolving DAP with more treble energy. RS8 on the flipside has a very personal/colored take on treble that I like a lot : it has a warmer hue and is significantly wetter, but also lower treble wise it has more weight to it which makes piano a tad more satisfying.

• The Hot Sardines "Comes Love (l'amour s'en fout)" : this is one of my favorite test tracks for lower treble weight and energy on the piano on this track. RS8 typically has a warmer hue to its treble and I must say although it's not totally an accurate portrayal it's very relaxing and the energy is not lost either. Note weight is excellent and that's a big part of what matters to me in the lower treble section. RS8 portrays this track in a slightly mellow and relaxed tone but with proper energy. Right from the start, it's clear that notes are more accurate on N30. There is still a slightly warm hue to the treble but nowhere near as pronounced as RS8. This provides a little more energy while remaining a very pleasing and slightly relaxed treble. Notes have a bit less weight compared to RS8, not that N30 is doing anything wrong but RS8 has just a little more weight to its treble and piano notes have a more satisfying strike so to speak. On the flipside N30 is clearly more resolving overall and more articulate.
  
  
• Infected Mushroom "Jeenge" : This is somewhat of a complex track, a lot is going on treble wise with Erez Aizen acoustic guitar and the airy synth sounds. On this track the N30 does very well to articulate the complexity of the tracks and the RN6 transients speed is exhibited as well as the extension of its treble. RS8 goes a different route and clearly the slower decay works very well on that track that sounded sometimes a bit "dry" on the N30. RS8 treble clearly is wetter and that's something I always loved about it. I feel it works wonder on that track making it more enjoyable and less trippy than with N30 on RN6. Interestingly, activating Tube mode Classic on N30 didn't get me as far as RS8 in terms of making the RN6 treble as wet but it was a closer call and I liked it quite better.
  
  
• Radiohead "Creep" : No introduction needed I guess... I love this tracks distorted electric guitar upper notes are intense and it's hard to keep the dense treble in that track under control and articulate. I had no doubt the RS8 would provide the extra sweetness and romanticism I like on this kind of tracks and it sure delivered a more "relaxed" (this is quite relative) take. The warm hue on the treble and the bass enhanced presence provides both a better balance and a feeling of power on the RS8. On the flipside the significantly more open stage on N30 even with more energy makes it more articulate as it's easier to pinpoint every instrument and the track feels more coherent and easy to take in with the additional space.

So that was for the "dissecting" analytical part.

One thing to consider is how it all fits together and what is the overall coherence and synergy.

My overall take on pairing with RN6 :

• RS8 makes up for a more relaxed and intimate listen than N30 with RN6, but that's true overall with any IEMs. It's a good pairing but not the best IMHO. Also, anything else than red filter will make things very bassy and darker so there is that to consider as well if you're rolling filters.
  
  
• N30 allows RN6 to shine, more in line with its DNA in my opinion which a natural and refined profile. N30 will give you more in the upper section, opening the stage by a very significant factor but also showing how resolving RN6 can get. Yes, RN6 is not a in your face detail monster like some other offerings but I don't feel it is lacking as well. Stage and imaging are just several notch above making N30 a DAP that can effortlessly handle very complex tracks with RN6. Also, it makes filter rolling interesting as you can go up to the Gold filter while not loosing too much on technicalities.

Last but not least, N30 will be more versatile once you factor in Tube modes but also Hyper Mode will just propel N30 into yet another dimension. Dynamics both macro and micro will benefit as well as resolution, treble extension and bass punch. This was not included in that fairer comparison but that's where a big difference lies IMHO that makes N30 special and so engaging.

 

[gLer]

You've been faster than me

Let's do this... @gLer



Here are the settings for the test to level the plane field :

• Low gain
• Class A
• Turbo mode on RS8 and P+ on N30 LE (Hyper mode OFF obviously)
• Solid State on N30 LE (although it might be interesting to compare to Tubes, as R2R has its own edge here too)
• RN6 stock cable
• Red filter ON (now that's very important)

Note that RS8 has hundreds of hours on it while N30 has a mere few days burn in on it...


Bass : Here is the summary... I hear more mid bass emphasis on RS8, bass has significantly more presence overall in the range and more slam with longer decay. N30 has less mid bass presence but better slam and is significantly tighter and faster. Overall this makes bass more balanced and realistic on N30. Sub bass is great on both but again N30 feels more controlled with faster attack and decay and less bleed. Also, in relation to the rest of the range, bass has a less prominent share on N30 which is more open sounding and balanced. Here are my notes on a few test tracks among those I ran :

• Darkside "Paper Trails", I really love this slow and dark mood in the track from Nicolas Jaar that kicks off with a slow-stepping beat, rhythmic hand claps, and features reverb-soaked guitar plucks from Dave Harrington. RS8 portraits this song with superb rich bass textures and a very intimate, sensual way. The bassline is quite prominent (maybe a tad too much) and the tweaked vocals are almost saturated by bass providing a very "enveloping" portrayal. N30 has a more open presentation, the bass line is spot on and sounds just right to me, vocals are less bass saturated while keeping the low hypnotic pitch that the song is aiming for.
  
  
• Ted Poor "Emilia", is one of the tracks of the superb Album "You already know" and is one of my go to when I want to measure how a DAP / IEMs handles percussions. RS8 renders the deep percussions intro superbly with boatloads of textures, nuances of tone and proper power. On this one the gap is not that big, but N30 brings even more nuances and a more articulate stage which provides bass with more air to shine. On certain faster sequences the N30 pulls away rendering better sense of speed.
  
  
• Lucy Dixon "Stormy Weather", Lucy Dixon is one of my favorite artists with rhythmic jazz songs that make you want to dance. Stormy weather is in my bass test tracks as it’s a well recorded track that provides a lot of details in percussions with fast hits of the drums and also many percussive elements. On this track, the intro has more bass presence on the RS8 and drums hit exhibit magnificent textures, overall given the bass imprint of the signature it makes for a smoother more analog portrayal of the track. N30 even in solid state is also quite analog but there is a vibrancy in the rest of the range that makes it a less relaxed presentation and also a snappier, tighter and faster bass. I feel it's more engaging but also less relaxed.

Mids : This one was really interesting... I was more than a bit surprised to find that N30 has safer upper mids than RS8 with RN6. Not that RS8 goes over the edge but just that it has a bit more bite there which was contrary to my expectations. I also expected RS8 mids to be fuller than N30, but on RN6 at least this isn't the case. N30 is more open sounding with more space between instruments and more resolving (also thanks to its upper range performance) but it's not thinner nor is it more energetic. Quite interesting... Here are my notes on a few test tracks among those I ran :

• Hank Levy "Whiplash" : This is my go to track to test upper mids harshness, it’s absolutely ruthless and will discriminate IEMs and sources quickly. It’s highly energetic and aptly named. This comparison actually suprised me as I would have figured RS8 to be safer than N30, I pictured N30 as having more bite in the upper midrange but to my suprise I winced once or twice with RS8 and not with N30. Both DAPs do very well in this busy and crazy paced track, but the N30 feels effortless compared to RS8 which seems to follow a bit behind in terms of speed.
  
  
• Adam Ben Ezra "Bolero" : Adam Ben Ezra’s double bass on “Bolero” and the accompanying guitar strings are a good way to measure the accuracy and richness of instrumental timbre. RS8 has always been a fantastic DAP and my benchmark on instruments timbre. The double bass is portrayed beautifully on this track with a soulful and very true to life natural timbre. You can almost hear the wood, it's as analogue as it gets really and RN6 really show off how the RS8 shines there. Guitar plucks are rich in nuances while smooth as honey. N30 even in solid state shares the analogue presentation but adds more bite to the strings making it more exciting and shiver down your spine-y conveying even more emotion. Let me be unfair and activate Tube / Classic here just for good measure Things get even more soulful on N30 making it impossible to put down...overtones are richer conveying more nuances without sacrificing technicalities... Oh my...
  
  
• Etta James "At last" : Well this one doesn't need any introduction I guess I like to use this track for vocals and check how IEMs and DAPs fare with Etta's voice especially when she pushes her voice to the edge. This one can get a little edgy on some pairings. RN6 on RS8 does a very fine job on this tracks, which is soulful as it gets but with intense energy which never goes over the edge. N30 like in whiplash surprises me as I would have figured more energy and potentially a bit of edge to Etta's voice at some point but I was suprised to find a smoother delivery than RS8 (yes, in solid state...).

Treble : This is where the N30 really pulls off for me : it has a more accurate tone, is more extended which makes N30 a significantly more resolving DAP with more treble energy. RS8 on the flipside has a very personal/colored take on treble that I like a lot : it has a warmer hue and is significantly wetter, but also lower treble wise it has more weight to it which makes piano a tad more satisfying.

• The Hot Sardines "Comes Love (l'amour s'en fout)" : this is one of my favorite test tracks for lower treble weight and energy on the piano on this track. RS8 typically has a warmer hue to its treble and I must say although it's not totally an accurate portrayal it's very relaxing and the energy is not lost either. Note weight is excellent and that's a big part of what matters to me in the lower treble section. RS8 portrays this track in a slightly mellow and relaxed tone but with proper energy. Right from the start, it's clear that notes are more accurate on N30. There is still a slightly warm hue to the treble but nowhere near as pronounced as RS8. This provides a little more energy while remaining a very pleasing and slightly relaxed treble. Notes have a bit less weight compared to RS8, not that N30 is doing anything wrong but RS8 has just a little more weight to its treble and piano notes have a more satisfying strike so to speak. On the flipside N30 is clearly more resolving overall and more articulate.
  
  
• Infected Mushroom "Jeenge" : This is somewhat of a complex track, a lot is going on treble wise with Erez Aizen acoustic guitar and the airy synth sounds. On this track the N30 does very well to articulate the complexity of the tracks and the RN6 transients speed is exhibited as well as the extension of its treble. RS8 goes a different route and clearly the slower decay works very well on that track that sounded sometimes a bit "dry" on the N30. RS8 treble clearly is wetter and that's something I always loved about it. I feel it works wonder on that track making it more enjoyable and less trippy than with N30 on RN6. Interestingly, activating Tube mode Classic on N30 didn't get me as far as RS8 in terms of making the RN6 treble as wet but it was a closer call and I liked it quite better.
  
  
• Radiohead "Creep" : No introduction needed I guess... I love this tracks distorted electric guitar upper notes are intense and it's hard to keep the dense treble in that track under control and articulate. I had no doubt the RS8 would provide the extra sweetness and romanticism I like on this kind of tracks and it sure delivered a more "relaxed" (this is quite relative) take. The warm hue on the treble and the bass enhanced presence provides both a better balance and a feeling of power on the RS8. On the flipside the significantly more open stage on N30 even with more energy makes it more articulate as it's easier to pinpoint every instrument and the track feels more coherent and easy to take in with the additional space.

So that was for the "dissecting" analytical part.

One thing to consider is how it all fits together and what is the overall coherence and synergy.

My overall take on pairing with RN6 :

• RS8 makes up for a more relaxed and intimate listen than N30 with RN6, but that's true overall with any IEMs. It's a good pairing but not the best IMHO. Also, anything else than red filter will make things very bassy and darker so there is that to consider as well if you're rolling filters.
  
  
• N30 allows RN6 to shine, more in line with its DNA in my opinion which a natural and refined profile. N30 will give you more in the upper section, opening the stage by a very significant factor but also showing how resolving RN6 can get. Yes, RN6 is not a in your face detail monster like some other offerings but I don't feel it is lacking as well. Stage and imaging are just several notch above making N30 a DAP that can effortlessly handle very complex tracks with RN6. Also, it makes filter rolling interesting as you can go up to the Gold filter while not loosing too much on technicalities.

Last but not least, N30 will be more versatile once you factor in Tube modes but also Hyper Mode will just propel N30 into yet another dimension. Dynamics both macro and micro will benefit as well as resolution, treble extension and bass punch. This was not included in that fairer comparison but that's where a big difference lies IMHO that makes N30 special and so engaging.

Fantastique!

Next up I need an N30LE vs DX300 MAX comparison (I know you don't have one so it's an open invitation to anyone who has both). The N30/3MAX share essentially the same hardware, minus the tubes, so it will be interesting to read how they compare.

 

[MatW]

Yay Venom (2023) and Yatono 8W arrived


Thanks @So11rek and @fiascogarcia



Been a while since I've compared cables. Brain burning XE6 with stock (new version XE6 before switching to Yatono)

Congrats, Nate, I hope you will like them!

This morning I received a Venom as well. I mostly buy cables for the look and feel. OK, the Venom is not the most ergonomic cable but I like the looks a lot, and it has a nice heft to it. I was thinking of pairing it with either EVO, Kublai Khan or the Erlkonig, but the latter is not an option unfortunately, as the sockets are too tight. So it will be either EVO or Kublai Khan.

 

[weexisttocease]

Soranik Basilica

6 drivers configuration: 1 DD, 1 Magnetostatic, 1 Open driver and 3 BAs.

The Basilica is for now Soranik's flagship. It costs 1.500$. There's also a real wood version which retails by around 2.600$. Build quality is impeccable and fit is excellent as expected from a proper build CIEM.

The Basilica is very sensitive to sources and cables. It's not a warm set but it's punchy. Neutral sound signature with bass boost. The presentation is energetic with very good dynamics. Bass texture is pretty good too. Treble is spicy but not fatiguing. It seems to be a versatile set too. However, the most impressive feature for me are the soundstage and imaging. Really great and very accurate, like a cinematic experience. I was told the wood version is even better.

For me best the pairings have been the Mojo2 and the 475. Not so impressed with MAX, sounds a bit lean and brighter. I'm really enjoying the Basilica. A fantastic set that definitely punches above it's weight.

Hieu, Soranik's founder, is great to deal with and he's not afraid of embracing new technologies. I'm so happy with them that decided to place an order of theirs MEMS IEMs. The MEMS-2 (1x xMEMS microspeaker, 1x USOUND microspeaker) and MEMS-3 (1x xMEMS microspeaker, 1x USOUND microspeaker, 2 BAs).

 

[Simpeler]

Jumped the gun on this one (the OG version). Cant wait to hear it!

The enthousiasme of @Sajid Amit and @Rockwell75 convinced mee

Will share impressions later.

(Also the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 is now on its way, because of you Amit )

 

[Benno1988]

Jumped the gun on this one (the OG version). Cant wait to hear it!

The enthousiasme of @Sajid Amit and @Rockwell75 convinced mee

Will share impressions later.

(Also the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 is now on its way, because of you Amit )

My condolences. Things will get better.

 

[Simpeler]

My condolences. Things will get better.

Tell that to my wallet

 

[Yifang]

I love the sound of Hifiman planars (e.g. Arya), what would be the IEM (= noise insulation) equivalent of such sound (spacious and fast, digging into infrasound yet not bloated)?

Last time I visited an audio store, the closest I heard was actually CFA Andromeda (just didn't dig as deep, and hissed like a cat). Supermoon was also close technically, but the amount of sub-bass made it sound almost slow and pillowy (can be the fault of R2R2000 DAP). Also it had some nasty upper-mid-treble peaks, showing up on particular songs/instruments. Close, but still couldn't jump the fence. For the last 15 years I haven't used EQ, but the plan B for now is to get a DAP with an EQ and fix those issues myself..

As a headphone EQ main, I don't think EQing IEMs is the way to go because an inherent advantage IEMs have is that they can be tuned well in stock form. If this isn't the case, then that IEM might as well stop production and the company should seriously reconsider their R&D. In addition, the drivers aren't really as capable in terms of responding to EQ as you would get from planar magnetic headphones. On a side note though, the Hifiman stuff is surprisingly poor at EQ response for a planar magnetic headphone but still miles ahead of dynamic drivers and such.

The IEM that comes to mind which can sound like what you are used to is unironically the Subtonic STORM IMO, though that is a bit more difficult to access. The new Symphonium Crimson is probably worth looking at (based on graphs and previous Symphonium IEMs), and this might be exactly what you need.

Mest MK2/MK3 might be what you are after, they have excellent bass and treble, with holographic and less weighty mids, which the Hifiman Planars are also like (lean, neutral mids, with tuning trick 1-2KHz dip for staging purposes in HFM). This is probably another one of the closest picks to being what you need after the Crimson.

Elysian Diva, V16 Divinity are also excellent picks, though they won't have the same treble as the Hifiman Planars. The bass and mids on Diva are amazing, but treble is quite recessed compared to what the HFM have which are boosted. V16 Divinity also slight treble reduction but not as much as Diva, has more in mid-bass region and warmer mids. You will still really enjoy these if you enjoyed HFM headphones.

Monarch MK2/MK3 are extremely well tuned and also fit into the category, but MMK2 does sound a bit lifeless and boring if you truly get to know it. Can't personally say for MMK3.

Annihilator has amazing treble, but the mid-bass might be a bit much if you don't enjoy that as much (depending on how you listen to the Hifiman Planars, with or without EQ).

 

[Yifang]

Jumped the gun on this one (the OG version). Cant wait to hear it!

The enthousiasme of @Sajid Amit and @Rockwell75 convinced mee

Will share impressions later.

(Also the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 is now on its way, because of you Amit )

Sorry for your loss, but things will always get better!

My condolences. Things will get better.

A brighter day will come.

 

[DarginMahkum]

I really like your comments, and I learned a lot about business, marketing and humans that I greatly appreciate.
So I dare to address 3., as science questions.
The science of electrical signal transmission is completely (and it is a strong statement that can be used here) understood, e.g
nothing principally new has been discovered for about almost 100 recent years since the theories were laid out and Bell worked it out well practically into commercial products for phone lines. No quantum effects (nanoscale functional structures are unlikely, and that would be a different story to signal transmission in IEMs). Noise can be linked to metal heterojunctions and poor use of solders - something that can be fixed in good simple cables, but perhaps can be tangibly better in expensive cables, but never demonstrated by cable companies.

A great question about 1% - at this level, the alloy of close metals, like gold and silver, still has conductivity only ca. 20 lower than pure metal (which is not a significant factor), while gold-silver 50-50 at% alloy is more than 6 times less conductive and silly to use for the cables (similar to the use of palladium, rhodium and other metals in alloys). So, in this example, 1% is reasonable science employed by marketing- (this 1% does not make any positive difference in this alloy, but not very detrimental, and then, understandably, sounding expensive and advanced for up-pricing...)

Thick copper cables can be "louder" because of their better resistivity (very simple physics/math). Only ca. 5% difference in conductivity between silver and copper cables of the same diameter, while just 20% thicker copper cables (and copper is much less expensive to make thicker cables) is ca. 35% more conductive (the scaling with the thickness is of the power of 2). This difference can be easily picked up using low-resistance transducers (as per "rule of 8" in relative differences in conductivities).

Why the difference then, if not in signal transmission science, - it is clearly in psychoacoustics: e.g. nice cables surely feeling better. For instance, I can easily convince myself that my blue cables are euphonic/musical/(anything else from any marketing brochure), and the perceived difference is absolutely real for me, that is how brain operates. Further to it, related ego validation comes for reinforcement: if it is expensive - it must be good/better, especially since others can perceive it.

Pharaphrasing you - at the core of the perception of cable differences is the carefully created and reinforced perceived value for consumers based on marketing and peer validation.

That is why even mentioning of blind tests is strongly chastised and often censored here - not to shatter psychoacoustic illusions and to keep consumers happy.

If I do not see my beatiful blue cable - I can't turn on my imagination about all its great virtues anymore .

Blind testing simply removes all the marketing "everything", with only the basic underlying science remaining, leaving then "proverbial kings" in their expensive cloth naked - definitely not the feeling to experience in a hobby.

I will be really happy to be wrong here - if blind testing is done - please educate me.

As I mentioned many times before, it is all about shopping therapy and socialising. This is why the tangible and the truth is often ignored here, or even deliberately avoided. Most of the time the subjectivity is used as a mask of this avoidance, and to create an alternate reality - which is needed to justify the shopping spree.

 

[fejnomit]

I really like your comments, and I learned a lot about business, marketing and humans that I greatly appreciate.
So I dare to address 3., as science questions.
The science of electrical signal transmission is completely (and it is a strong statement that can be used here) understood, e.g
nothing principally new has been discovered for about almost 100 recent years since the theories were laid out and Bell worked it out well practically into commercial products for phone lines. No quantum effects (nanoscale functional structures are unlikely, and that would be a different story to signal transmission in IEMs). Noise can be linked to metal heterojunctions and poor use of solders - something that can be fixed in good simple cables, but perhaps can be tangibly better in expensive cables, but never demonstrated by cable companies.

A great question about 1% - at this level, the alloy of close metals, like gold and silver, still has conductivity only ca. 20 lower than pure metal (which is not a significant factor), while gold-silver 50-50 at% alloy is more than 6 times less conductive and silly to use for the cables (similar to the use of palladium, rhodium and other metals in alloys). So, in this example, 1% is reasonable science employed by marketing- (this 1% does not make any positive difference in this alloy, but not very detrimental, and then, understandably, sounding expensive and advanced for up-pricing...)

Thick copper cables can be "louder" because of their better resistivity (very simple physics/math). Only ca. 5% difference in conductivity between silver and copper cables of the same diameter, while just 20% thicker copper cables (and copper is much less expensive to make thicker cables) is ca. 35% more conductive (the scaling with the thickness is of the power of 2). This difference can be easily picked up using low-resistance transducers (as per "rule of 8" in relative differences in conductivities).

Why the difference then, if not in signal transmission science, - it is clearly in psychoacoustics: e.g. nice cables surely feeling better. For instance, I can easily convince myself that my blue cables are euphonic/musical/(anything else from any marketing brochure), and the perceived difference is absolutely real for me, that is how brain operates. Further to it, related ego validation comes for reinforcement: if it is expensive - it must be good/better, especially since others can perceive it.

Pharaphrasing you - at the core of the perception of cable differences is the carefully created and reinforced perceived value for consumers based on marketing and peer validation.

That is why even mentioning of blind tests is strongly chastised and often censored here - not to shatter psychoacoustic illusions and to keep consumers happy.

If I do not see my beatiful blue cable - I can't turn on my imagination about all its great virtues anymore .

Blind testing simply removes all the marketing "everything", with only the basic underlying science remaining, leaving then "proverbial kings" in their expensive cloth naked - definitely not the feeling to experience in a hobby.

I will be really happy to be wrong here - if blind testing is done - please educate me.

Yadda yadda yadda. Problem is you can't "shatter the psychoacoustic illusions" - last I checked, we listen with our ears, our nerves and our brains. No getting around that - so rather than use a set of assumptions to challenge empirical evidence - use the empirical evidence to challenge the assumptions!

 

[Piotr Michalak]

Soranik Basilica

How and where can we order this? They don't even have this on their website Measurements would be greatly appreciated too!

 

[Rockwell75]

Jumped the gun on this one (the OG version). Cant wait to hear it!

The enthousiasme of @Sajid Amit and @Rockwell75 convinced mee

Will share impressions later.

(Also the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 is now on its way, because of you Amit )

Congrats man you’ve made a good choice…looking forward to your impressions!