[DarginMahkum]

Also very quotable.

The counter argument is, that DAPs with outdated and buggy software, inferior silicon hardware and otherwise overpriced and overkill electrical parts in them, manufactured by small size en vogue audio design companies will surely beat the phone made by companies owning (or being one of) the most prestigious audio firms of the last 100 years or so and having access to their research and staff, including their own ridiculous budgets to invest into more of it


YMMV and mine does as well. It's not a question with a definite answer

Frankly speaking, I have seen larger companies failing badly against the smaller ones when building technology products due to their size, bureaucracy, hard-lined rules, strict budgets done by non-technical people and lacking or worse, suppressing people with innovative practical ideas. That also creates a different state of mind and atmosphere among the employees that hinders the creativity. True, building a chip is a huge thing, not just the infrastructure but also a state level investment in research and education that can take decades to build up provided the human capital exists (which I think is one of the biggest reasons for conflicts -even wars- in our time), but we are not building a chip here, but a well understood area of engineering - at least well understood in terms of what it means to develop hardware that can reproduce the sound well enough that the difference to the original signal is insignificant for human hearing.

I am ready to pay the price for a smaller company when the proper engineering is in place, I even would support the idea of supporting a smaller company. But what baffles me is the repeated repackaging of the hardware under different labels while lacking any software to support that. Even today, in the age of DAPs with very powerful SoCs that include powerful DSPs, I don't see anyone implementing a proper system level PEQ or crossfeed. A&K has it but it is a stone age implementation. There is something wrong here.

I explained briefly why these measurements are meaningless and misleading.
Let me explain it now in more detail to, hopefully, close this subject.
1. Signal propagation in metal wires can be measured very precisely. One can take any arbitrary signal (pure shapes, sinusoidal, etc., or their combination, or any actual music files) and precisy compare signal in and signal out for any changes, distortions, etc. It can be done with a relatively simple equimpent (signal generator, ADC and/or oscilloscope). The fact that there are no such measurements documenting cable differences precusely are very telling, since not much difference other than simple attenuation due to cable resistance can be documented.

2. It is fare to point out that since we listens to transducers, then measuring the whole chain makes a good sense holistically. There, if measurements are done right (and it is a big "if", see below), significant effects of cables (due to their resistance, again) on low-impedance multidriver IEMs containing BAs are well-documented. In fact, CA alone could be responsible for triggering "cable listening" (and source selection, certainly) with their IEMs.
3. Now, the measurements cited by you have been performed using a coupler. Everyone using these couplers experienced how sensitive to the seal ( affecting bass) and insertion depth (treble and resonances), the measurements are. In fact, the same IEMs routinely receive different measurements by different people, a common not fully resolved problem with these coupler measurements. Standardization requires a lot of effort, and still is far from perfect.

To put it simply, I (and anyone else) can take any of three cables: A, B, and C and make three series of experiments with these couplers, where A can be demonstrated first to be "most bassy", then "most mid" and lastly "most trebly".
That what happens when the distortion of other parts of measuring chains are incomparably higher than what is tried to be measured in cables (an obvious problem of a weak link).
If cable manufacturers would try to post such measurements, they would be ripped apart, but hobbyist’s measurements are OK (and fun) as long as improper claims are not made.

I thought to tell a related story of my experience with clarinets, relevant to couplers, may be another time.

Is this post really a reply to mine? I am surprised as I didn't mention any measurements but anyway... Electromagnetic wave propagation is part of undergraduate studies in electrical engineering and I most probably solved my last hand calculated wave propagation question about 20 years ago during the finals and since then I didn't touch anything on the subject - at least I don't remember. So I won't be able to go into any details, but at least I can say the inductive and capacitive effects will be influential in much higher frequencies than 20 kHz. So yes, it is a resistive effect that might play a role combined with the high output impedance of the player and low and irregular impedance of an IEM. But the most interesting thing is, even that very obvious thing, the relation of the output impedance of a player and the impedance characteristics of an IEM, is disregarded here. What about the DC resistance of the cable? There are a lot of online tools and tables about that - you can just check and get your answer.

You can continue trying to find reasons to make engineering data to be irrelevant but the fact is, it is what makes this hobby possible. People can claim "SINAD" is irrelevant and claim to hear how wonderful the 24 bit version of the same file converted via a 256 bit floats sounds. Happens all the time. But in the end, it is just a claim against something that has been theoretically and practically proven to work.

 

[tone.texture.soul]

Hey all! Long time no talk, it's been a crazy busy summer for me. Just got home from more than two months on the road, an epic tour that both nourished my creative spirit and broke my body (and my cameras) a bit. Did a fair bit of listening as I had many hours a day to edit and process photos, with tons of plane rides and buses to boot. Finally being home with all my gear has been a joyful reunion, I missed it a lot. I've also missed you all, I am going to be more around in the next few months. I have a serious check in post to do about all that I have tested and heard, and some life experiences and feelings about audio in general, so stay tuned for that soon.

For now, what better way to come back than with another IEM cable review! This time I have the Lavricables Silver Grand and it's a wonderful cable. I really enjoyed my time with it, brought it on the road with me, (only it actually), and it's just stellar, especially considering the "budget" price when considering the insane money we spend on the gear usually talked about here.

So sit back and enjoy the review, I hope you enjoy it!

You can read it here.

(There's another one just around the corner that I think you'll all be really excited about - lots coming! )

​

 

[tfenton02]

Give Raven a go, that’s the one that stood out to me in the sea of flagships I tested at Canjam London. I thought the same about Aura when I tested, nice but it was nothing special… especially for the price

Raven is on my list!!

 

[tfenton02]

I can see why you would experience the Aura like that.

I do think its a step up from the Phonix, and paired with the sp3000 I think it can be the “one and done” for many people. Because it does nothing wrong and gives all the details.

But thats just it, its not exciting, not making you experience something new.

I think its a very high quality IEM, just not one for someone who has multiple others. Then it becomes a little “boring” (in a good way if you want 1 IEM)

Exactly. It’s great at everything but special at none!

 

[haci]

Frankly speaking, I have seen larger companies failing badly against the smaller ones when building technology products due to their size, bureaucracy, hard-lined rules, strict budgets done by non-technical people and lacking or worse, suppressing people with innovative practical ideas. That also creates a different state of mind and atmosphere among the employees that hinders the creativity. True, building a chip is a huge thing, not just the infrastructure but also a state level investment in research and education that can take decades to build up provided the human capital exists (which I think is one of the biggest reasons for conflicts -even wars- in our time), but we are not building a chip here, but a well understood area of engineering - at least well understood in terms of what it means to develop hardware that can reproduce the sound well enough that the difference to the original signal is insignificant for human hearing.

I am ready to pay the price for a smaller company when the proper engineering is in place, I even would support the idea of supporting a smaller company. But what baffles me is the repeated repackaging of the hardware under different labels while lacking any software to support that. Even today, in the age of DAPs with very powerful SoCs that include powerful DSPs, I don't see anyone implementing a proper system level PEQ or crossfeed. A&K has it but it is a stone age implementation. There is something wrong here.

Is this post really a reply to mine? I am surprised as I didn't mention any measurements but anyway... Electromagnetic wave propagation is part of undergraduate studies in electrical engineering and I most probably solved my last hand calculated wave propagation question about 20 years ago during the finals and since then I didn't touch anything on the subject - at least I don't remember. So I won't be able to go into any details, but at least I can say the inductive and capacitive effects will be influential in much higher frequencies than 20 kHz. So yes, it is a resistive effect that might play a role combined with the high output impedance of the player and low and irregular impedance of an IEM. But the most interesting thing is, even that very obvious thing, the relation of the output impedance of a player and the impedance characteristics of an IEM, is disregarded here. What about the DC resistance of the cable? There are a lot of online tools and tables about that - you can just check and get your answer.

You can continue trying to find reasons to make engineering data to be irrelevant but the fact is, it is what makes this hobby possible. People can claim "SINAD" is irrelevant and claim to hear how wonderful the 24 bit version of the same file converted via a 256 bit floats sounds. Happens all the time. But in the end, it is just a claim against something that has been theoretically and practically proven to work.

Not to specifically you but there is also this thread going on, some might find interesting:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/testing-audiophile-claims-and-myths.486598/

 

[Jackpot77]

Evening all - for anyone who's interested, just popped up a review on the new tuneable 8BA model "Flame" model from Soundz Custom (they were making some waves at the recent London Canjam) - link below if anyone is curious:

https://audioprimate.blog/2023/08/28/soundz-custom-flame-combustible-excellence/

 

[Yifang]

Mira 4W still up on classifieds if anyone is interested!

 

[Kweebs]

So some of y’all might rmb me as the guy who wanted to buy an IEM for 400-500 dollars. I received a lot of help here so I’m really thankful, and it really made it easier for me to find the IEM I want.

Just wanna give a shout-out to Yifang for all the help and reccos, and being patient with my dumb questions.

Anyways, here’s my new (2nd hand) V16 Divinity.

(It cured my depression but I think now my wallet is depressed)

 

[Yifang]

So some of y’all might rmb me as the guy who wanted to buy an IEM for 400-500 dollars. I received a lot of help here so I’m really thankful, and it really made it easier for me to find the IEM I want.

Just wanna give a shout-out to Yifang for all the help and reccos, and being patient with my dumb questions.

Anyways, here’s my new (2nd hand) V16 Divinity.

(It cured my depression but I think now my wallet is depressed)

I recommended many things but he just has a natural eye for good things

 

[Click]

Just got my custom Gladiator Cables delivered today. Customized it for the Monarch MKIII.

Rhodium plated 2-pin connectors and pure copper 4.4mm plug.

Doesn't change the tonality of the MMK3. Enhances soundstage a bit over stock cables. Improves instrument separation and details slightly.

Lightweight, well braided, no microphonics. Doesn't have cable memory and drapes nicely over ears. Stock MMK3 cable has some cable memory and will annoyingly lift up over my ears sometimes.

Packaging was just 2 bubble wrap shipping envelops. Shipping took about 19 days. Lengthy wait from order/payment until delivery.

Really should try to improve the packaging to protect the cables better and have a nicer presentation. Mine arrived safely though.

Wished the wires had a rubber wrap around it going into the termination and going into the 2-pin connectors, like my better cables all have.

Antonio, owner of Gladiator Cables, seemed like a good guy. Took his time to go through the order with me and make sure it's to my liking and specs on Discord.

Overall, high quality cables. A bit expensive for SPC but he used premium materials.

 

[Yifang]

Just got my custom Gladiator Cables delivered today. Customized it for the Monarch MKIII.

Rhodium plated 2-pin connectors and pure copper 4.4mm plug.

Doesn't change the tonality of the MMK3. Enhances soundstage a bit over stock cables. Improves instrument separation and details slightly.

Lightweight, well braided, no microphonics. Doesn't have cable memory and drapes nicely over ears. Stock MMK3 cable has some cable memory and will annoyingly lift up over my ears sometimes.





Packaging was just 2 bubble wrap shipping envelops. Shipping took about 19 days. Lengthy wait from order/payment until delivery.

Really should try to improve the packaging to protect the cables better and have a nicer presentation. Mine arrived safely though.

Wished the wires had a rubber wrap around it going into the termination and going into the 2-pin connectors, like my better cables all have.

Antonio, owner of Gladiator Cables, seemed like a good guy. Took his time to go through the order with me and make sure it's to my liking and specs on Discord.

Overall, high quality cables. A bit expensive for SPC but he used premium materials.

Antonio is a personal friend of mine, man is a legend. Highly recommend him to everyone, especially his new Cleopatra cables which is fully custom designed, it looks phenomenal! He is also updating his packaging and everything so it should only improve from here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxQh73_syPS/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg==

 

[Script999]

Hey folks. I purchased the AK Aura and sold after a few days. As many of the reviews have noted, it’s similar to Phonix LE with slightly better base. Soundstage was flat, not much depth nor width. I’m getting disillusioned with these so called flagships. Don’t get me wrong it was solid (a little sharp in the highs) but nothing really special. I expect a lot more for +4k. I think many of these IEMS flagships have extremely high prices with marginal return in sound improvement. My RN6 CIEM is so much more enjoyable (for me) than Aura. Noble and Fir seemed to be cranking out the beat IEMs these days. Aura was a big let down.

Very thankful for honest and even if sometimes brutal posts like yours.
Especially from someone with so much gear under his belt! Not everything that shines must be gold.

I have auditioned VE EXT, Phönix even the Eve 20 Limited Edition (got out of my ears after 5 seconds listening), VE 5, 6, 7 and 8 and I didn’t like them more than my IE 900, U12t and Ragnar which latter is just on a whole other level. I enjoyed the EXT way more than Phönix though. Oh and I only had a Fiio BTR7 a few months back when this happened. But to be honest the BTR7 is not bad for what it costs.
On top of that I wasn’t in cologne specifically for this reason and to be fair they only had an A&K 1000 with battery charged.
I want to get in contact with VE this week (maybe today) and ask them if they have the VE X in their shop in cologne or even the Aura to audition them with my DAPs RS8/N8ii.
Very friendly and great customer service though for my spontaneous visit.

 

[JSBachFan]

After some time of absence because I didn't feel I have to contribute anything valuable here with my outdated equipment, I stumbled upon a link, that I would like to share.

In the past, I struggled to describe a term that is used here pretty often, but seems to be very subjective. Musicality. I know that some people will stop reading at this point. That is fine. But for all others, IMO there's a perfect description of the way to perceive musicality. It is the way I have been comparing Hifi equipment of any type. But not only that. I use it to compare different publications of the same digital track, different versions of LP pressings and even different versions of a classical piece played by classical soloists or conductor/orchestra.

The method is extremely simple if you manage to be relaxed enough and open enough for it.

Once you're used to it, comparing doesn't take longer than a few seconds - as described in the article. I am doing this for decades now. A side effect being, that comparisons are an easy and relaxed task. No need for big concentration. Like most people, sometimes get lost in technicalities. But it tends to make me unsatisfied after a while so I've always returned to the musicality way of comparing.

It says saw in the paper, but I would like to confirm. To put musicality on the top of your criteria for comparing is the long-term way to keep your devices.
The method is called "Tune Method" in the article. I have heard that expression before, but I don't think that is a general term. For me it describes what I would call "Musicality Check"

Link --> Tune Method

 

[Simpeler]

So some of y’all might rmb me as the guy who wanted to buy an IEM for 400-500 dollars. I received a lot of help here so I’m really thankful, and it really made it easier for me to find the IEM I want.

Just wanna give a shout-out to Yifang for all the help and reccos, and being patient with my dumb questions.

Anyways, here’s my new (2nd hand) V16 Divinity.

(It cured my depression but I think now my wallet is depressed)

Loving the kweebs in the picture

Another rabbit-hole I dove in as well.
(Added IEM in picture fir sex-appeal)

 

[tfenton02]

Even with your sp3k and the dedicated Aura EQ setting?

Yes….don’t get me wrong, it’s a great IEM. Blind testing I would have pegged this in the 2k range, maybe 1.8k.