[salwani8888]

Ù

Hi Cooler gang!

I know some of you were interested to know how Ibasso DX220 Max and the Ibasso DC-Elite would compare, so I went to the store today to check that out.
I tried about 8 songs with different sets of IEMs and A/B between the two as fast as possible to avoid relying too much on auditive memory, and repeated many times over the same passages to make sure (as much as I could) that I wasn’t hallucinating stuff.
My verdict is that Ibasso is not kidding when they say DC-elite is a miniaturized version of DX220 Max! To me it sounded virtually identical on every aspect! I sometimes thought there was differences to the bass tightness or treble smoothness, but when going back to the other one, I was just realizing it was actually the same…
I mean, there might be differences some of you more experienced folks could spot out, but even if there’s differences, I think it’s so insignificant that it doesn’t really matter (to me). I mean, if it’s that difficult to see any difference on a straight A/B, I don’t think it’s gonna matter on a normal listening session… YMMV, of course.
When you factor in the size, weight and price difference, the fact that DC-elite doesn’t have internal battery (which will make it more future proof) and the fluidity of the phone OS and UI compared to the DAP, for me it’s an absolute no brainer…

Also, power wise, they are impressively close as well! They both drove all my IEMs with the same authority and had pretty much the exact same volume level on the same step of their respective 24 steps volume knobs. This is when DX220 is set to the 2nd out of 4 step on its gain mode knob.

To give an idea of DC elite power, I typically listen to my Anni 2023 (which is one of the hardest IEM to drive) at 7 out of 24 steps. The maximum I pushed was 12 and to me it was way unhealthy loud. With Ragnar I would not ever go above 5 and typically settle on 3.
With sensitive monitors, it can’t go to very quiet volume for sleeping, sadly. So that’s something to consider.

Anyways, I personally think ibasso nailed it big time with this dongle! Truly outstanding stuff! I’m still extremely satisfied and impressed after my 2 weeks of daily use. I’m even considering selling my good old and trusty LP6 Gold because of it. The convenience/performance ratio is just unbeatable imho.




I then saw the shop had the new Dita Navigator dongle, so I compared very briefly, and few seconds were enough to see they were not in the same class! DC bass presence and tightness as well as treble air and detail are next level in comparison. Driving power is also much greater on DC-elite.




All the hype lately about Perpetua made me want to give it a chance one more time. My verdict is still the same. It’s mostly a mids centric set for vocal lovers with a kind of special / interesting romantic / analog vibe to it. They’re fairly inoffensive tuning, even though I’m finding them borderline sibilant on some tracks. The bass is decent but lacking in presence for my taste, especially in the subbass region. I’m hearing Ragnar, which is considered a bass mild IEM by many, as quite a bit bassier in the sub.
looking and craftsmanship are awesome though. I’m a huge fan of the design. I’m not sure the white cable is the smartest move though… it looks great when it’s new, but on this demo unit it looks filthy disgusting now (Hard to tell on the picture, but trust me, it’s really dirty!)
Also, one thing to note is this is the Perpetua C version and not the normal version. The C version is shipped with the Kondo Celeste cable and the wiring inside the earpieces are also made of the same Celeste cable. Every sets I demoed were the C version and I never heard the normal one, so I’m not sure if there actually is any tuning difference between the two.




While I was at it, I revisited one of my favorite set, the Melodic Artification Eclipse. This set must be one of the best bang for the bucks in the high end segment! Dual DD superbly tuned, with remarkable SQ from bass to treble, great soundstage, full titanium build and exclusive liquid link cable for less than $1500. Not too shabby!
I’m definitely tempted to get one at some point, just bought too many stuff lately so I should slow down a bit… for now…




Another brand we almost never hear about here is Spear Labs, which is surprising since they are supposed to be an American company, as far as I understand. Also they do sound pretty good! Below is the Triton T0 which boasts a 10mm DD, a 7mm magneto-static driver and 2 BA.
The bass is incredible on these!! Super deep and thunderous with impressive tactile feedback. The overall tuning is leaning towards warmth and is very well executed. Soundstage size and placement isn’t the best I’ve heard but still very nice! Detail retrieval is not Ragnar’s level but excellent nonetheless considering the warmer tuning.
I’m quite pleased with this set and would recommend it for anyone looking for top bass quality and presence and warm mids.
Build quality is top notch as well. And they can be made into custom fit.



‘This one is the more expensive set but I forgot the name… Maybe it’s Triton Infinity or something like that…
‘Same driver configuration than T0, just different housing material and tuning.
This one leans brighter with less pronounced bass and airier and detailed presentation.
This one felt a bit too aggressive for my taste and I preferred much more the T0. T0 could be a set I’d consider buying, while this one not…




That’s it for today’s expedition!

Have a nice one!

Cheers,

Julien

I ordered a DC-Elite a few days ago and now extra keen to put it thru its' paces !

MA Eclipse seems to have been discontinued, and they have a new launch - Alter Ego. No clue what the specs are but would be interested to know if anybody does have any info.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Okay. We are going to have a big group at CanJam NYC. This should be fun. We created a Watercooler Whatsapp chat for all attendees to keep us organized. If you are planning on attending and would like either a watercooler badge or get an invite to the Whatsapp chat, send me a DM.

I will need your first name and mobile number.

 

[Rockwell75]

Okay. We are going to have a big group at CanJam NYC. This should be fun. We created a Watercooler Whatsapp chat for all attendees to keep us organized. If you are planning on attending and would like either a watercooler badge or get an invite to the Whatsapp chat, send me a DM.

I will need your first name and mobile number.

@Smirk 24 ^

 

[Marrogwar]

Hello. Can someone recommend something like Campfire Holocene in terms of sound signature but cheaper?

 

[Rockwell75]

Hello. Can someone recommend something like Campfire Holocene in terms of sound signature but cheaper?

I owned the Holocene once and quite liked it as a cheaper alternative to the Andromeda. If you want a good rec in the sub $500 bracket I'd recommend heading to the Discovery Thread.

 

[drftr]

18t is like a chameleon

Agreed on the chameleon. Great for my cable tests.

Is the Perpetua C a region exclusive? I’ve never seen that version before, and it’s not mentioned on Dita’s website at all.

That's the one you demoed at CanJam Singapore. Unless... you skipped their stand...

drftr

 

[Not so fat head]

I’ve had them for a while before I got the i4 as a replacement for the ISine 20 on a Black Friday sale. Honestly I’ve never used them outside of the cipher cable, but it’s a great IEM in its own right. It’s pretty odd that it didn’t go on sale this year.

They had the LCD/i3 for I think $399 or $499.. I got the i20’s for $195, just testing the waters here…. I like’em, thanks for the info..

 

[Schmev]

Hi Cooler gang!

I know some of you were interested to know how Ibasso DX220 Max and the Ibasso DC-Elite would compare, so I went to the store today to check that out.
I tried about 8 songs with different sets of IEMs and A/B between the two as fast as possible to avoid relying too much on auditive memory, and repeated many times over the same passages to make sure (as much as I could) that I wasn’t hallucinating stuff.
My verdict is that Ibasso is not kidding when they say DC-elite is a miniaturized version of DX220 Max! To me it sounded virtually identical on every aspect! I sometimes thought there was differences to the bass tightness or treble smoothness, but when going back to the other one, I was just realizing it was actually the same…
I mean, there might be differences some of you more experienced folks could spot out, but even if there’s differences, I think it’s so insignificant that it doesn’t really matter (to me). I mean, if it’s that difficult to see any difference on a straight A/B, I don’t think it’s gonna matter on a normal listening session… YMMV, of course.
When you factor in the size, weight and price difference, the fact that DC-elite doesn’t have internal battery (which will make it more future proof) and the fluidity of the phone OS and UI compared to the DAP, for me it’s an absolute no brainer…

Also, power wise, they are impressively close as well! They both drove all my IEMs with the same authority and had pretty much the exact same volume level on the same step of their respective 24 steps volume knobs. This is when DX220 is set to the 2nd out of 4 step on its gain mode knob.

To give an idea of DC elite power, I typically listen to my Anni 2023 (which is one of the hardest IEM to drive) at 7 out of 24 steps. The maximum I pushed was 12 and to me it was way unhealthy loud. With Ragnar I would not ever go above 5 and typically settle on 3.
With sensitive monitors, it can’t go to very quiet volume for sleeping, sadly. So that’s something to consider.

Anyways, I personally think ibasso nailed it big time with this dongle! Truly outstanding stuff! I’m still extremely satisfied and impressed after my 2 weeks of daily use. I’m even considering selling my good old and trusty LP6 Gold because of it. The convenience/performance ratio is just unbeatable imho.




I then saw the shop had the new Dita Navigator dongle, so I compared very briefly, and few seconds were enough to see they were not in the same class! DC bass presence and tightness as well as treble air and detail are next level in comparison. Driving power is also much greater on DC-elite.




All the hype lately about Perpetua made me want to give it a chance one more time. My verdict is still the same. It’s mostly a mids centric set for vocal lovers with a kind of special / interesting romantic / analog vibe to it. They’re fairly inoffensive tuning, even though I’m finding them borderline sibilant on some tracks. The bass is decent but lacking in presence for my taste, especially in the subbass region. I’m hearing Ragnar, which is considered a bass mild IEM by many, as quite a bit bassier in the sub.
looking and craftsmanship are awesome though. I’m a huge fan of the design. I’m not sure the white cable is the smartest move though… it looks great when it’s new, but on this demo unit it looks filthy disgusting now (Hard to tell on the picture, but trust me, it’s really dirty!)
Also, one thing to note is this is the Perpetua C version and not the normal version. The C version is shipped with the Kondo Celeste cable and the wiring inside the earpieces are also made of the same Celeste cable. Every sets I demoed were the C version and I never heard the normal one, so I’m not sure if there actually is any tuning difference between the two.




While I was at it, I revisited one of my favorite set, the Melodic Artification Eclipse. This set must be one of the best bang for the bucks in the high end segment! Dual DD superbly tuned, with remarkable SQ from bass to treble, great soundstage, full titanium build and exclusive liquid link cable for less than $1500. Not too shabby!
I’m definitely tempted to get one at some point, just bought too many stuff lately so I should slow down a bit… for now…




Another brand we almost never hear about here is Spear Labs, which is surprising since they are supposed to be an American company, as far as I understand. Also they do sound pretty good! Below is the Triton T0 which boasts a 10mm DD, a 7mm magneto-static driver and 2 BA.
The bass is incredible on these!! Super deep and thunderous with impressive tactile feedback. The overall tuning is leaning towards warmth and is very well executed. Soundstage size and placement isn’t the best I’ve heard but still very nice! Detail retrieval is not Ragnar’s level but excellent nonetheless considering the warmer tuning.
I’m quite pleased with this set and would recommend it for anyone looking for top bass quality and presence and warm mids.
Build quality is top notch as well. And they can be made into custom fit.



‘This one is the more expensive set but I forgot the name… Maybe it’s Triton Infinity or something like that…
‘Same driver configuration than T0, just different housing material and tuning.
This one leans brighter with less pronounced bass and airier and detailed presentation.
This one felt a bit too aggressive for my taste and I preferred much more the T0. T0 could be a set I’d consider buying, while this one not…




That’s it for today’s expedition!

Have a nice one!

Cheers,

Julien

did you have any issues with the dc elite just not working? When trying to power my Symphonium Crimson through the dc elite on my iPhone it just would stop working while it would drive easier to drive like truthear Nova no problem. I thought since you´re also from the eu you might have a similar experience.

 

[Auricon]

Looking forward to experiencing what this "bass cannon" fuss is all about

 

[linux4ever]

Looking forward to experiencing what this "bass cannon" fuss is all about

Be ready for a subwoofer brain rattling experience. Fatfreq definitely deliver with their sub-bass

 

[stacey]

That's the one you demoed at CanJam Singapore. Unless... you skipped their stand...

drftr

Oh I know about the Perpetua, but I didn’t know that there’s the option to have it pre-packaged with the Celeste cable.

 

[Garney]

Spending some time getting to know the Annihilator and felt compelled to jot some down some early impressions…

I had not expected Anni to be as bassy as it is and I would not classify this as a “bright” monitor per se, which I feel is often the perception. It sounds to me like a warm-ish neutral with bass boost tuning. W shaped with all main segments of the FR getting equal pay. The mids and treble are quite standout. Vocals and guitars are appropriately forward with body and heft. Smooth, effortless, top tier resolution and detail portrayal at every turn. I’ve not uncovered any nasty peaks, glare or harshness up top. There’s a silk like quality to the treble that is rather addictive. Cymbal strikes are tactile with a lifelike vibrancy to them. I know there are a fair amount of complaints about the bass quality and I do agree that Anni is a step behind the likes of RN6’s kinetic DD, for example, but I don't find it to take away from the overall package.

Fit wise, this is about on the cusp of being too large for my ears. They protrude quite a bit but do stay put when I'm moving about. Thankfully I’m not getting any hot spots even during longer listens. These don’t disappear in my ears like the smaller shelled FiRs or 64A IEMs do, though.

All-in-all, early days are very positive. These are quite intoxicating and are working well with every genre in my library that I’ve thrown at them so far.

 

[Steranko]

Hi Cooler gang!

I know some of you were interested to know how Ibasso DX220 Max and the Ibasso DC-Elite would compare, so I went to the store today to check that out.
I tried about 8 songs with different sets of IEMs and A/B between the two as fast as possible to avoid relying too much on auditive memory, and repeated many times over the same passages to make sure (as much as I could) that I wasn’t hallucinating stuff.
My verdict is that Ibasso is not kidding when they say DC-elite is a miniaturized version of DX220 Max! To me it sounded virtually identical on every aspect! I sometimes thought there was differences to the bass tightness or treble smoothness, but when going back to the other one, I was just realizing it was actually the same…
I mean, there might be differences some of you more experienced folks could spot out, but even if there’s differences, I think it’s so insignificant that it doesn’t really matter (to me). I mean, if it’s that difficult to see any difference on a straight A/B, I don’t think it’s gonna matter on a normal listening session… YMMV, of course.
When you factor in the size, weight and price difference, the fact that DC-elite doesn’t have internal battery (which will make it more future proof) and the fluidity of the phone OS and UI compared to the DAP, for me it’s an absolute no brainer…

Also, power wise, they are impressively close as well! They both drove all my IEMs with the same authority and had pretty much the exact same volume level on the same step of their respective 24 steps volume knobs. This is when DX220 is set to the 2nd out of 4 step on its gain mode knob.

To give an idea of DC elite power, I typically listen to my Anni 2023 (which is one of the hardest IEM to drive) at 7 out of 24 steps. The maximum I pushed was 12 and to me it was way unhealthy loud. With Ragnar I would not ever go above 5 and typically settle on 3.
With sensitive monitors, it can’t go to very quiet volume for sleeping, sadly. So that’s something to consider.

Anyways, I personally think ibasso nailed it big time with this dongle! Truly outstanding stuff! I’m still extremely satisfied and impressed after my 2 weeks of daily use. I’m even considering selling my good old and trusty LP6 Gold because of it. The convenience/performance ratio is just unbeatable imho.




I then saw the shop had the new Dita Navigator dongle, so I compared very briefly, and few seconds were enough to see they were not in the same class! DC bass presence and tightness as well as treble air and detail are next level in comparison. Driving power is also much greater on DC-elite.




All the hype lately about Perpetua made me want to give it a chance one more time. My verdict is still the same. It’s mostly a mids centric set for vocal lovers with a kind of special / interesting romantic / analog vibe to it. They’re fairly inoffensive tuning, even though I’m finding them borderline sibilant on some tracks. The bass is decent but lacking in presence for my taste, especially in the subbass region. I’m hearing Ragnar, which is considered a bass mild IEM by many, as quite a bit bassier in the sub.
looking and craftsmanship are awesome though. I’m a huge fan of the design. I’m not sure the white cable is the smartest move though… it looks great when it’s new, but on this demo unit it looks filthy disgusting now (Hard to tell on the picture, but trust me, it’s really dirty!)
Also, one thing to note is this is the Perpetua C version and not the normal version. The C version is shipped with the Kondo Celeste cable and the wiring inside the earpieces are also made of the same Celeste cable. Every sets I demoed were the C version and I never heard the normal one, so I’m not sure if there actually is any tuning difference between the two.




While I was at it, I revisited one of my favorite set, the Melodic Artification Eclipse. This set must be one of the best bang for the bucks in the high end segment! Dual DD superbly tuned, with remarkable SQ from bass to treble, great soundstage, full titanium build and exclusive liquid link cable for less than $1500. Not too shabby!
I’m definitely tempted to get one at some point, just bought too many stuff lately so I should slow down a bit… for now…




Another brand we almost never hear about here is Spear Labs, which is surprising since they are supposed to be an American company, as far as I understand. Also they do sound pretty good! Below is the Triton T0 which boasts a 10mm DD, a 7mm magneto-static driver and 2 BA.
The bass is incredible on these!! Super deep and thunderous with impressive tactile feedback. The overall tuning is leaning towards warmth and is very well executed. Soundstage size and placement isn’t the best I’ve heard but still very nice! Detail retrieval is not Ragnar’s level but excellent nonetheless considering the warmer tuning.
I’m quite pleased with this set and would recommend it for anyone looking for top bass quality and presence and warm mids.
Build quality is top notch as well. And they can be made into custom fit.



‘This one is the more expensive set but I forgot the name… Maybe it’s Triton Infinity or something like that…
‘Same driver configuration than T0, just different housing material and tuning.
This one leans brighter with less pronounced bass and airier and detailed presentation.
This one felt a bit too aggressive for my taste and I preferred much more the T0. T0 could be a set I’d consider buying, while this one not…




That’s it for today’s expedition!

Have a nice one!

Cheers,

Julien

I've been following Spear Labs for sometime. The build quality are good but they are not as popular in HK because there is too much competition and the tuning is not for the Asian market. So they've taken a hit here and prices could be had on the preowned market for a good price. Competition is very fierce now and the tuning has to be spot on in this day and age.

 

[fejnomit]

Can you stand the fit without issues?
The Bonneville was so unpleaseant for me that i could not concentrate on music.
It was even worse then on etymotic.
No problem with Supermoon and other Capmpfire products so far.
How is Cascara int this regard?
Cheers

Well, I find my Bonnevilles to be almost like a perfect custom fit, so my impressions may not work for you. I find the same with the Cascaras. Best fitting IEMs I have ever used.

it sounds quite smooth top to bottom. Where Cascara stands out for me relative to other CFA single DDs is that you get great midrange/vocal presence

however for a great "grab and go" single DD that is super fun to listen to and doesn't hit any real false notes I gotta say Cascara is pure win for me so far.

Agree about mid-range and vocals. Stage is large too. And yes, I got them to be my "walk the dog" pair, which means straight out of a phone, no dongle spaghetti, meandering through the park with my pooch jamming to rock and electronic. I also hit the gym with them already once, and went on a run, and they never once moved or lost a seal. They're almost too good for them gym in that I kept getting lost in the music and wandering from my work-out....

 

[Click]

I'm never buying something directly from FatFreq again. They've pushed back their shipment of Scarlet Mini preorders again, without telling anyone. You have to keep hounding them on their website to get an automated email telling you they're pushing back shipments again and again.

FF is prioritizing shipments to retailers like MusicTeck before people who preordered on their site. I paid in full over 2 months ago and still no shipment of my order. They're also charging a 10% refund fee, which would be $62.70, just to cancel the preorder. This should be illegal but I don't think any country has laws against it, except maybe the EU?

Sorry for this small rant. Figured I'd let people know not to buy anything from FatFreq directly, unless you don't mind waiting months for your item to arrive, with no communication from FF. Other people have had similar stories with their orders of more expensive IEMs like the Grand Maestro and Maestro SE. I should've listened to them.