The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[MakeshiftApe]

You can't go wrong with Cadenza. Punches way above its price point.

Vouch for Cadenza.
Crin Zero Red also good to look at as next step up from Cadenza, followed by Dunu Kima/Simgot EM6L after that.

Well I guess that settles it. Cadenza it is! Thanks That leaves the P1 Max for a Christmas present for me to buy myself maybe.

 

[emdeevee]

I agree...they can be...with the 'wrong' type of music. If Trifecta doesn't click with your library, you won't click with Trifecta. It's divisive for a reason. Love/hate. And yes, YMMV indeed.

PS. Earlier today I was trying to play some music that Trifecta was making unlistenable. When that happens, switch music or switch IEM. Forcing the wrong music on Trifecta is a battle you won't win.

At the outset, Trifecta is the first iem I'm hoping to try at CanJam next week.

But I have had, and fallen deep for, Xe6 for the last month since I got it. I literally cannot find anything in my library that makes me want to change it out, I guess unlike trifecta? I know it's also a divisive iem, and Rn6 has come along to make nice for all. In my experience (admittedly not much!), Xe6 also is an iem like no other, a unique design due to kinetic bass.

To me, Xe6 is as close to perfect as I've heard; I hear a highly resolving, bass forward sound that is also clear and sparkly in the treble with mids to die for set in a holographic stage that envelopes my head and projects outward (not as "in the head" as most others I've tried).

So I guess it's hard to fathom what Trifecta could not handle, or maybe I have a library that will love it? It certainly loves Xe6! I should note that I'm using a red module, so I'm using it at its least bass-heavy I think. And yes, this has become my all arounder, except at night due to leakage.

 

[phiemon]

Yes, the Trifecta has an overwhelming bass, but the Mids are muddy and highs are a painful experience. So maybe I am alone with this opinion, but for me this is nothing exceptional.

YMMV!

This was the case for me the first time I listened to it.

Maybe my ears deteriorated, maybe I have better matching tips and sources.

But in telling you, nothing is muddy, or way to sharp. (At least for my ears now )

Sure its not as detailed as some other TOTL iems, but to be honest I dont mis that

Yep, I've had Trifecta 2x, I really wanted to love it because of the (DD) bass foundation; I missed it, that's why I wanted it a 2nd time, but in the end I couldn't stand the mids (muddy), the trebles (way too sharp, metallic, bright), the resolution and microdynamics (just not TOTL-level). Still, great bass (as is to be expected) and good macrodynamics…

For that, I'm really looking forward to Xe6 right now - which I didn't like at all at first, but really didn't, and now it's just the opposite: fantastic, maybe on the top of the TOTL next to Mentor for me.

 

[emdeevee]

Yep, I've had Trifecta 2x, I really wanted to love it because of the (DD) bass foundation; I missed it, that's why I wanted it a 2nd time, but in the end I couldn't stand the mids (muddy), the trebles (way too sharp, metallic, bright), the resolution and microdynamics (just not TOTL-level). Still, great bass (as is to be expected) and good macrodynamics…

For that, I'm really looking forward to Xe6 right now - which I didn't like at all at first, but really didn't, and now it's just the opposite: fantastic, maybe on the top of the TOTL next to Mentor for me.

Xe6 provides exactly what MM is missing!

 

[gLer]

Could you give some examples of unlistenable tracks with Trifecta?

(And I love this track and artist. Thankfully I have several IEMs that it shines with.)​

 

[Kweebs]

Managed to get my hands on Annihilator today to try out. Gotta say, the clarity and openness of the soundstage are really out of this world (at least for me), and tuning wise it hits all the right spots for me. Would definitely put this as my final end-game IEM (or at least thats what I'm telling myself now).

 

[Simpeler]

Managed to get my hands on Annihilator today to try out. Gotta say, the clarity and openness of the soundstage are really out of this world (at least for me), and tuning wise it hits all the right spots for me. Would definitely put this as my final end-game IEM (or at least thats what I'm telling myself now).

And so it begins……

 

[Kobe4ever]

So I have received the famed and praised PW Orpheus (w. shielding).

I must say this was a bit of a nuts purchase that I wouldn't have considered if I hadn't read and fully trusted @gLer and @Tokpakorlo reviews and if I hadn't had the opportunity to purchase it from @mbirand second hand...



I was a bit afraid to get a case of buyer's regret as I have broken my own limit on cables with this one (by a very long stretch, my most expensive cable was Cleo II Octa). But there is a pattern here after breaking my DAP ceiling with N30 LE (and not regretting it one bit!). Note that the ergonomics is excellent given the footprint.

So expectations were high given the reviews and I must confess I prepared myself for at least a certain level of disappointment, but this is real... Peter Wong magic is working no matter if the cable is made of unicorn hair or some exotic copper he has the secret of... I have fond memories a few years back of the PW 1960s 4 wire but it's another league alright...

The result is here and everything has been said about this cable qualities in @gLer and @Tokpakorlo reviews is true (It's great to have such reliable reviewers when you dive in blind into such a product). Indeed the Orpheus has this analog quality that is right up my alley without any compromise on technicalities and I don't feel I am missing out in terms of resolution and detail (at all). The midrange is both fuller and more open and articulate with that cable it's a bit eerie... I also was surprised at the bite that this cable brings with RN6 on electric guitar it's quite a treat, never sounded better in fact... only similar experience was with Jolene so I can't imagine what they would sound like but 7pin socket means I can't pair it. Right now I switched to the Elysium and it's a beautiful pairing alright and the midrange is something to behold, instruments timbre are to die for...

The stage is also simply the best I have heard the few IEMs I ran it with at this point.
N30 was already mind blowing, with Orpheus and flagships CIEMs it's simply bliss and I can see hundreds of hours of eargasmic pleasure

Eye watering price but also eye watering emotions from the cable upgrade .

I must say all my cables are going to take quite a bit of dust now...

When you start using Orphy, everything else really becomes even more special.
This is the magic of Peter Wong's masterpiece.
Have fun and congratulations on joining the Orpheus Fans club

 

[hAbIrAbI]

Yes, the Trifecta has an overwhelming bass, but the Mids are muddy and highs are a painful experience. So maybe I am alone with this opinion, but for me this is nothing exceptional.

YMMV!

Totally not alone. Pretty much matches my impressions at HighEnd Munich.

Edit: Should probably add that I'm coming from a cIEM Jewel.

 

[gLer]

Totally not alone. Pretty much matches my impressions at HighEnd Munich.

Edit: Should probably add that I'm coming from a cIEM Jewel.

Talk about chalk and cheese...

 

[hAbIrAbI]

Well that’s how life is. Sometimes you eat some chalk to appreciate the cheese even more

 

[SteffSergeant]

Managed to get my hands on Annihilator today to try out. Gotta say, the clarity and openness of the soundstage are really out of this world (at least for me), and tuning wise it hits all the right spots for me. Would definitely put this as my final end-game IEM (or at least thats what I'm telling myself now).

I like the word "endgame" - but not in a way that's often connected with it. In most cases there is the connection to a video game, when the final stage is completed. But that's not the way I see this.

To my mind it's more a sporty expression. I succeeded and reached my goal, BUT only for this season and there is another one starting soon. So I am ambitious and try to win the next one also...

@Kweebs But you are absolutely right of this season - the ANNI is my ENDGAME, too. The difficulty lies in to shorten the season terms not to single games!

 

[gLer]

Well that’s how life is. Sometimes you eat some chalk to appreciate the cheese even more

One man's chalk is another man's cheese

 

[RonaldS86]

Managed to get my hands on Annihilator today to try out. Gotta say, the clarity and openness of the soundstage are really out of this world (at least for me), and tuning wise it hits all the right spots for me. Would definitely put this as my final end-game IEM (or at least thats what I'm telling myself now).

Just make sure you don't annihilate your wallet
If you have access to it, you can try many other IEM models so you know exactly what kind of tuning suits your taste

 

[davidmolliere]

When you start using Orphy, everything else really becomes even more special.
This is the magic of Peter Wong's masterpiece.
Have fun and congratulations on joining the Orpheus Fans club

Just a few hours on it and not much sleep last night but that's absolutely right

Rolling my IEM collection through it is pretty interesting in terms of pairings... one thing I was a little more dubious about was pairing with more organic IEMs that are already very analog sounding (Sharona, Volt, Legend...). I thought it would be maybe too much on the soft and mellow side as it often do with cables that have this kind of sonic profile. But after giving it a go I must say I am pretty impressed that on the contrary Orpheus provides extra liveliness and the resolution is not affected. One thing that impresses me is the fact that Orphy has energy and bite while being so smooth and analog it's really a special balance.

This being said, Orphy really shines with the likes of RN6 and Elysium because it adds so much textures, overtone beauty and special timbre but also those are the IEMs in my collection with the biggest stage and that's where things get really spectacular. You won't get the same stage bonus depending on the IEM it might be less spectacular. Orphy will make your IEMs even better in their stronger areas while adding a beautiful touch of musicality to more reference and balanced tuning.