Beautiful pair. If you had to choose only one between 1Z and RS8, which one you would choose?
The WM1Z absolutely no question. This is the player and the sound I've been searching for high and low for years-- and it's been right under my nose the whole time. For me the WM1Z is the absolute master of musicality and refinement and, purely in terms of sound quality, I don't think this player has been topped to this day. By "musicality" I mean something close to what is generally meant by "analogue" in that it in the ultimate sense it comes down to "feel" and a perception of the sound just flowing over you in a nautural, effortless and cohesive sort of way. In this way, while it is not R2R, the WM1Z to my ears manifests similarly to R2R players I've heard like the RS8 and LP6, one of which I presently own and the other I owned for a large part of this year. The RS8 is a great player don't get me wrong but in addition to my general affection for Sony aesthetics and the Sony sound the WM1Z also has the advantage of being more compact and portable and the RS8 is quite a brick and in many ways set up (with the cable jack on the bottom) as more of a transportable desktop device. For this reason alone the WM1Z would be my choice purely in practical terms.
The sound though...I just can't get enough of it. It's got that LP6 like quality where it injects a bit of its own magic through whatever transducers are plugged into it only I've come to believe that the latent tonality of the WM1Z is just slightly more to my liking than the LP6 Gold...or at least it's more synergistic with my IEMs. My recent revelation with the Fei Wan is the most recent example. On prior demos with the FW I referred to it as technically astounding but occasionally overwhelming-- it blew my mind in one instance and then I'd be skipping tracks due to too much energy up top in the next. By the time I'd gotten my hands on the WM1Z I'd long since sent the FW kit on but once I hearing it I wondered to myself if this player might be just the fix I needed for the FW-- so I made some arrangements and due to the boundles munificence and eminene of GOAT Andrew at @MusicTeck I was able to secure the kit for one more weekend...and I'm so glad I did. Yesterday I spent about 8 hours listening to the FW through the WM1Z and it was pure bliss the whole time. WM1Z takes every single element of the sound sig and polishes/refines it to perfection. Nothing sounded too energetic, everything was just right and the bass, while not the focus or star of the show at all with FW imho, was eminently satisfying. The thing about the FW for me is that it straddles the line in a couple areas--- which is just how I like it. I'm not personally interested in a really relaxed sound...I like energy, just properly balanced and not too much of it. Because of this as @MRT-Man indicated below FW is very sensitive to sources and other tweaks as just a nudge here or there in the wrong direction can push it over the line for some...which is just what had happened with me on earlier demos.
While I'm on the topic I thought I'd share a few more thoughts on the Fei Wan. To me and to my ears and mode of classifying things it's a masterpiece of what I'd call "Asian/eastern hifi tuning". By this type of tuning I just mean that it's the sort of set where my locus of attention is skewed upward on the FR. I'm more fixated on air & space between instruments and the bass is primarily in a supporting role. This doesn't imply weak bass or overly boosted highs (though this sometimes happens)-- it's more of a top down perspective of the sound. IEMs that I would put into this category include the Annihilator, Mentor, Grand Maestro and the Fei Wan...and imho, and according to my sensibilities the Fei Wan is master of them all...assuming you can get the synergy right for your tastes. The FW stands above the others for me in that it manages to bring together a number of tremendous factors without falling prey to any of the pitfalls which have written off other, simiilar IEMs for me elsewhere-- poor bass quality, lean lower mids, excess energy up top etc. Fei Wan's strong suit imho is in its amazing holographic presentation and imaging. Every element of the sound has its own mini 360 degree atmosphere , is beautifully transparent and fully resolving within that spance, and yet blends completely and cohesively with everything around it. This is a hard balance to pull off as just a bit more and the various elements of the sound would almost mainfest as disjoint from one another, like one of those plates of food you get as a child where the peas, meat and potatoes are all completely sectioned off in their own space. The Rn6 is an example of an IEM that I'm finding to go a bit too far in this direction and feel like that.
On the other side is what I'd call an "American/western hifi tuning". This latter is characterized by a more "bass first" or bottom up perspective. IEMs in this category for me would be the Trifecta, Xe6, Raven, Bonneville...and imho the Trifecta presently stands as the towering achievement of this sort of tuning in the IEM space right now, with no signs of being bettered any time soon. Of course, YMMV and all that fully applies here
Trifecta and Fei Wan, then, represent the ultimate yin/yang for me right now.
This treble peak is why I sold my Perpetua. After awhile I couldn't unhear it, try as I might with tip, cable, and source rolling. As good as the bass and timbre was, I moved on from Perpetua thanks to the tizzzzz.
I think, as with FW, sources and personal ear anatomy will come to bear here. The Perpetua (and the Trifecta for that matter) is another IEM that really came into its own for me with the WM1Z. It's polishes and refines the whole presentation and makes it all smooth as silk. Those 3 IEMs along with that player are my holy triumverate right now. Though I totally understand that this is an entirely YMMV situation and for some the Perp just might not work.
I just lost my dog 3 days ago, he froze to death when someone at the house let him out when I was on vacation. We had our time with them, we did our duty and now they return home. Sorry for your loss, it certainly is difficult.
Brother my heart goes out to you-- I can't imagine having to deal with such a sudden and unnecessary loss.
I do a lot of business with Tony and Audio46. Always treated me well.
I got to meet Tony on a trip to Manhattan in 2019. Great guy. He tried to sell me the Noble Khan ..which it turns out was not the ideal exposure to Noble for me as I avoided their IEMs for years afterwards.
I see a blind buy in my future
Now that's a really great idea, I'd use this a lot if it existed. Or a link straight to the merch.
FINALLY, I know the name of your avatar!
LOL
The Canpur CP622B keeps being pure bliss. The most shocking fact is that no matter how much you turn the volume down, it keeps the punch and tactility. It's like it's sending these slaps and ticks from the music right into your brain. It's by far the best IEM for listening on low volume. The midrange is just fantastic, it truly reminds me of the Susvara. The top end treble extension is lacking behind my personal preference (Annihilator). Thank god for that, because otherwise i would seriously think of selling my Anni.
I have that one here this weekend also...if I can only pry the FW out of my ears.
I am aware of the negative stereotypical perception that the Chinese language all sounds the same... but I am sure you mean the Aroma Audio FEI WAN in stead of ...
Apologies for being pedantic.
Sorry I didn't mean to come off as flippant or disrespectful. There was a piece of marketing for Fei Wan somewhere in the past few weeks that had the spelling mistake "Fei Wang"...ever since in my head I've said "Fay Wang" whenever thinking of the IEM.
Right Shop emailed me this morning to confirm my order. Just waiting on that shipping confirmation.
In the interim I've spent the morning eyeing Instagram photos on various monitors and color grading is throwing me off. Obviously I'm going to have to temper my impatience and wait until these are in-hand--I've only been eyeing them for the better part of a year now--but I'm determined to find a cable that's an exact color match. Just need to determine if these are a bright yellow gold as opposed to more of a copper-y tone. Thinking it'll be my mcguffin hunt for CanJam 2024.
Awesome. It's a great feeling when you land something you've been coveting for a while. I think you'll find it looks quite stunning in person, moreso thant the pictures will convey.
Hot stuff incomingg
Epic! Can't wait to read your thoughts.
Having talked with with a few members here and they’ve told me that I should really push to get the CFA Trifecta because it is in fact the “tallest” sounding IEM they’ve heard and ultimately “height” in sound presentation is what I’m looking for.
Coming from the Atlas I don't think there is a better place to land than the Trifecta-- it's a comprehensive upgrade across the board imho (Atlas was my first TOTL CFA IEM...gosh 5 years ago now.
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