[Rockwell75]

Done and dusted

Would love to do the same for Headphones.

Headphones? What are those?

 

[nikbr]

Headphones? What are those?

Apparently something cumbersome that makes your ears sweaty and hair messed up.

 

[Scubadevils]

Had to send the N30LE back for re-biasing. Got an RS8 to tide me over. Out of curiosity, quickly cycled it through my IEMs. When it came to the Camelot, it was an epiphany.

The Camelot was always a neglected child. Its treble didn’t speak to me. On the N30LE, it’s always the MM and Rn6 that played first fiddle.

With the RS8, however, the Camelot really came into its own. The pairing is so analog and so buttery smooth. Its treble sounded so beautiful. I used to bring at least 2 pairs of IEMs when I travel but in the last one week and the short trip I made, the Camelot + RS8 is my only combo that provided me companionship. This will be my favourite combo for the rest of the year.

I love to see love for Camelot, definitely a set that deserves more attention. I acknowledge that Erebus (mentioning due to thoroughly enjoying a recent extended demo) is a step up, but the usual diminishing returns kick in as I do not find the price difference justified. I’m likewise very curious to hear Tesseract - especially having loved Eurus+ from NGaudio with a similar configuration.

My usual can’t comment on a wonderful set without a picture… my favourite pairing being mostly with the N7 - I’d love to hear R2R goodness via the likes of the RS8 at some point!

 

[soundblast75]

Two new and very different arrivals the past few days: NGaudio Erebus and Campfire Audio Bonneville. My curiosity about Erebus had been raised thanks to the few but emphatically positive impressions I read, and a good deal came up so I went for it. And Bonneville seems to be so well liked by some whose tastes are similar to mine that I had to try it, and the price made it worth a blind shot.

While I’ve only had 2-3 hours with each, so little burn in so far, here is a twofer of notes and early impressions of Erebus and Bonneville. I did not A/B these, just listened to one for awhile then the other, though with the same music and DAP. The headline is I am really enjoying each of them!

So far I’ve listened to Erebus and Bonneville with a variety of music I often listen to (primarily classic rock) but used these as my focus set:
Amy Winehouse: Me and Mrs Jones | U2: Two Hearts Best As One (Songs of Surrender Version) | Pink Floyd: Money | The Beatles: Julia | Eagles: Witchy Woman | Bill Evans Trio: Porgy (I Loves You Porgy) | Yes: Mood for a Day | Jennie Lewis: She’s Not Me | Ella Fitzgerald: Let’s Fall In Love

Erebus:
First of all, it’s not as ugly as I found it to be in photos. Though I am not a fan of purple, or gold lettering on purple. The build quality is excellent and feels premium (save for the colors), smooth, solid cohesively shaped.
The fit is pretty good for me. Not as perfect as Fei Wan is for my quirky ear anatomy but still I listened for several multi-hour sessions without discomfort, passing that test. Stays in both ears well.
Cables: I tried 3 with Erebus:
-PWA First Times Shielding - provided loads of detail and air, less quantity but sharper low end, and more fatiguing overall
-Liquid Links Venom - similar to FTS impact, with a bit less overall, and slightly too much shine on the high end
-Doctorjuggles Flagship Copper - a great match, toned down any brightness, added a bit of warmth, kept most of the detailing though slightly less than the other 2. I went with this one for now. I would like to try more copper cables with Erebus.
Tips: Erebus has a very wide and slightly long nozzle. I rolled a bunch and landed on Azla Max tips, very comfortable, good seal, and providing a bit less treble peaking than some others such as Spiral Dots, Moondrop Springtips
DAP: M9+, a nice match with its warmth and rolled off higher end.

Performance:
[note, since Erebus and Fei Wan were apparently designed and built by the same producer, and their sound is similar enough, I have been comparing them a lot.]
Erebus is easy to drive - I never topped low gain 30 in volume, zero hiss ever (I only played high def files).
Technical, clean and discrete sounds, highly detailed (especially acoustic guitar, really shines there), fast though not quite as much speed as Fei Wan.
Neutral to bright, not very warm.
Not a lot of timbre.
Energetic but not fatiguing, could listen for hours, not mellower like Rn6.
Less flavored and exhilarating than Fei Wan, but Erebus has a more ”realistic” sound.
Wide stage (close to but not Mentor level) with medium depth, I feel closer up to performers.
W shaped, well balanced. Higher end more extended than lower end.
Sub bass punch without bleed over like Grand Maestro (though not quite to GM’s level of slam - nothing is).
Not as much mid bass.
Mids are forward, not very warm, some upper mids get close to hot but not quite.
Treble airy, highly detailed and crisp, verging on bright at times, not over energized, no sibilance.
Some rock songs with female singers get close to too bright, but jazz female singers sound just right.
This is different than any other IEM I have owned. Closest would be Fei Wan.
Erebus’ closest analogues, besides Fei Wen, are IEMs I haven’t heard but have read many impressions, like maybe Ragnar or Storm.
Pricey but overall it feels like a true TOTL, for me moreso than most I have heard, in the same league as Fei Wan, the TOTL of TOTLs for me right now.
I would not call Erebus a reference set. Erebus is mostly an all rounder though for me so far is a better match for less hyper, less energetic music.

Bonneville:
Build design is okay for me but the chrome attracts fingerprints and the shape overall is not that attractive. The monitors feel like they have two pieces welded together but not cohesive in aesthetic.
Decently comfortable, not perfect, but I’ve been able to listen without discomfort so it passes that test. Pops out of my right ear at times, needing adjustment.
Cables: I tried 3 with Bonneville, and would like to have tried more but it has MMCX connectors so I was limited to what’s on hand:
- Doctorjuggles Flagship Gold/Silver 8 wire: great detailing, higher energy, a bit too much verve in the upper mids and treble for me.
- Effect Audio Cleo II 8 wire: nullified a lot of Bonneville’s bass and warmth. Surprising given what a great match it is with a similarly profiled Rn6.
- Stock cable: The most balanced of the three, with Bonneville’s warmth, timbre, and sparkle all playing well. I went with this one. Not bad for such a relatively inexpensive cable! Though it does remind me of old-school ribbon printer cables.
Tips: Bonneville has a somewhat narrow and slightly long nozzle. After rolling a bunch I landed on Moondrop Springtips, whose flexibility helped the slighly strange shape get a good seal.

Performance:
Easy to drive. I never went above low gain mid 20s volume on M9+. But slight hiss at times even with high def files.
Not technical, medium detail, some softer edges and bleed between sounds.
Not fast but more speed than Trifecta.
Medium width and depth of staging - not vast, but not too intimate.
Not fatiguing, could listen all day.
Flavored sound, warm with some nice timbre. Less realistic sound than Erebus.
U shape (as I understand that to be balanced but with slightly less prominent mids). Fairly extended low and high end.
Really nice warm, reverberating bass. Similar to Trifecta that way but with less of it. Mid bass forward, not a lot of sub bass. Not a lot of slam.
Mids are slightly recessed and warm overall. Upper mids and lower treble seem to blend together.
Treble has nice sparkle, not sibilant, occasionally some diffuse sizzle effect. At times a touch metallic treble on rock songs, moreso on female vocals, particularly those that were not as dynamically recorded/mastered.
Plays well with all of my music so far.
The closest analogue to IEMs I have owned would be Rn6 with red Atom, which is more precise, technical and detailed but with similar warmth and music use case.
Great value - Erebus retail is 3x Bonneville but the enjoyment delta is much narrower.
Bonneville is an all rounder (so far).

That’s it for now. With any luck both IEMs will continue to mature in SQ with burn-in. I will be comparing Erebus with Fei Wan a lot to ensure they are different enough to both stay on my roster. And I will be enjoying Bonneville on its own merits while on holiday vacation!

If you aren’t hearing a lot of slam with B something with tips isn’t right

 

[Royal Navy]

75 submissions to the year end poll so far. Here is a word cloud generated by the answers to the "desert island 7" question to this point.



Keep voting folks!

Seeing the image, this was the first thing that came to my mind.

 

[Valrhona]

I love to see love for Camelot, definitely a set that deserves more attention. I acknowledge that Erebus (mentioning due to thoroughly enjoying a recent extended demo) is a step up, but the usual diminishing returns kick in as I do not find the price difference justified. I’m likewise very curious to hear Tesseract - especially having loved Eurus+ from NGaudio with a similar configuration.

My usual can’t comment on a wonderful set without a picture… my favourite pairing being mostly with the N7 - I’d love to hear R2R goodness via the likes of the RS8 at some point!

A man enjoyed the Camelot review.

 

[deep2285]

1. Hidition. I need to fly to Korea to listen to it.

2. Dio.

Zeppelin & Co, SGP

I keep hearing DIO, is it pending launch or an old model.

 

[drftr]

I didn't answer in the sense I didn't connect to them.
I read @Rockwell75 s comment on question 1 shortly after he posted the two questions and took my answer in that sense.



Yes, as everybody likes it I also want to experience Traillii or even more IEMs from Oriolus. In Germany there are not many opportunities to demo or experience TOTL IEMs. And I can't get a demo of the Traillii here. As it is way over my budget also I won't buy it. So just waiting for an opportunity to demo Traillii which not happened the last year.

Edit: I'm quite new to the hobby so I didn't look for opportunities to demo for years. I started at the beginning of 2022 and still on a way to learn to listen

Have you tried their dealer in Switzerland?

drftr

 

[Damz87]

Zeppelin & Co, SGP

I keep hearing DIO, is it pending launch or an old model.

It’s a future model. There was a prototype at CanJam Singapore this year. Apparently we might see it released some time in 2024.

 

[Voltriant]

Have you tried their dealer in Switzerland?

drftr

No.
Thanks for your suggestion.
Just googled and found it. It wasn't on my radar.

 

[RonaldS86]

Zeppelin & Co, SGP

I keep hearing DIO, is it pending launch or an old model.

You calling me? The great DIO?

 

[linux4ever]

I am a newbie to this thread and have not been here long enough to tell. Based on what I have read here, Nostalgia Audio is underrepresented. Now that I see what the RS8 is capable of doing with the Camelot, I’m very curious to try out their flagship Tesseract which was too spicy at the top for me back then.

I've an incoming Camelot. Looking forward to pairing it with Cayin N30LE, Sony WM1Z & Sony WM1AM2.

Tesseract is an all BA iem whereas the camelot has the magic of the double dynamic driver of Camelot. I already have an all BA iem and wanted to try the unique design approach and drivers used in Camelot.

 

[RonaldS86]

Thank you @Tokpakorlo for giving me the courage of a tiger to purchase this tiger looking IEM. As a man with a tiger chinese zodiac, I think this one will suits me well

 

[linux4ever]

I love to see love for Camelot, definitely a set that deserves more attention. I acknowledge that Erebus (mentioning due to thoroughly enjoying a recent extended demo) is a step up, but the usual diminishing returns kick in as I do not find the price difference justified. I’m likewise very curious to hear Tesseract - especially having loved Eurus+ from NGaudio with a similar configuration.

My usual can’t comment on a wonderful set without a picture… my favourite pairing being mostly with the N7 - I’d love to hear R2R goodness via the likes of the RS8 at some point!

Thank you for your detailed reviews. Very helpful to hear such honest & detailed reviews.

 

[pradiptacr7]

Headphones? What are those?