[Neweymatt]

I have a question. I have and absolutely love the AK SP3000 with 64 Audio 18t custom iems. Is there any lightweight DAP or DAC dongle that will bring sound with clarity detail soundstage and reality that is close to this so I don’t have to lug the SP3000 on walks and runs. I know the SP3000 can’t be matched, but if those clear notes and soundstage for intimate piano jazz trios and classical piano can be approached in a lighter weight instrument with a reliable OS I’d be so happy. Thanks for your help with this.

Hmm, downsizing from a full-sized flagship DAP like the SP3k will come with larger or smaller SQ compromises, you'll definitely have to prepare yourself for that.

I would suggest AK's own SR35. It's an amazing sounding player and a no-brainer at the price. The CL DACs inside it provide just a touch of analogue warmth which I imagine would pair quite well with the 18t.

Absolutely, if you're after AK-but-small, the A&Norma range of players are fantastic, I've always enjoyed my SR25 for something simple and easy on the go.

That said, if you want to go another level smaller (and cheaper) again than the SR35, I'd recommend giving the HiBy R3 II a good look. It is tiny and will completely disappear in your pocket when going for a walk or a run, and yet still sounds pretty great with my Xe6, A12t, and the even-more-power-hungry Annihilator23.

Now I've got this big chonky R8 II, I'm near certain to get the baby version from HiBy for those times I don't want to carry around a brick in my pocket.

 

[CodenameBK201]

I feel bad that you went out of your way to get the exact (very rare) iteration you wanted only for it to not work out. That said one of the main pillars of my "audio credo" is: if it's not doing it for you, let it go. Sometimes we build things up in our heads and highly anticipate a piece of gear-- only to get it and find out it isn't quite what we expected, that our tastes have changed, or that it isn't really setting your world on fire like it should. I've had that happen a few times over the years-- a couple times with very storied IEMs. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that eventually you'll come around or that the right moment just to strike and then it will click. All of this to say, I sincerely hope you find a way to get it sorted-- but if you put it through its paces and its still not doing it for you then best to just cut the chord and move on.

Well, you've convinced me. They're up:
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/campfire-trifecta-hk-edition.60683/

I desperately need sleep so apologies if I don't reply until the morning, but if anyone's looking for a brand new set at a discount, this is your opportunity. To be clear, these are a great set, just not with the bulk of my library.

 

[RonaldS86]

Alright. Oriolous Szalayi and Cayin RU7. (Not pictured - Eletech Baroque tips size L)

Simple unboxing for both. The Sza box is very small, and somewhat content light. The included ear tips are fine, the cable is REALLY nice, thin and not microphonic. I kind of expected more, maybe an included carrying case, but I have enough anyway.

The aesthetics are MUCH nicer in person than on the product pages, or images. I was worried I wasn’t going to like the blue, but it’s a nice transparent shell and the faceplates are gorgeous. I especially like the bird on the left side.



The specs - the Szalayi is a tribrid. It has a BA for the treble, a 14mm Planar magnetic driver for the mids, and a 10mm DD for the bass. It comes with a 4.4mm balanced 2-pin cable, that is recessed on the shell. It retails for around $900 dollars, but can be found cheaper.

The shells are quite large, but the comfort would tell you otherwise. I usually have a hard with IEMs and my left ear, but these have given me no issues once I found a few tips I like (the baroque, divinus velvet and CORIER Brass tips are my current test subjects on sound).

The sound -
These were praised for their bass capabilities, and it delivers. The bass is beautiful. It’s full, it slams when the music calls for it, the sub bass rumble is HUGE and the most incredible part is, I have yet to find a genre where that bass is sacrificing the mids. The over all timbre leans quite warm. Vocals sound excellent, male more so than female but given the bass here, female vocals are no slouch either. The treble is maybe the only “it’s okay” things I have noticed so far, but it has gotten significantly better after tip rolling. I imagine that a lot of the treble power was sacrificed to empower EVERYTHING ELSE because the only group I cannot imagine enjoying this IEM are treble heads.

I really, really cannot stress how good the bass is on this set. Every note is crystal clear, the mid bass hits when it needs but lets the sub emphasize when it’s supposed to, which I felt was a very big issue for my Neo 5.

The RU7 is very nice. Small, a tad longer than my Q5K. The included case is quality, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about it as much. The OLED screen is bright, the modes are incredibly simple. I need to order some line out cables to test on my desktop amp. I can’t speak to sound as I haven’t tested it on not new IEMs yet, but it powers the Sza well, currently on high gain for some extra oomph.


Other thoughts -
I will be doing a review for the Sza. Once I’m done, I’m going to revisit each of my IEMs and do full write ups/reviews on each, comparing the sets I have in my collection. They are all under the kilo buck range. At SoCal CanJam, I plan on making my first kilobuck purchase (show me those CJ discounts!), so this year will serve as a chance to start putting my audio thoughts into words. @domq422 is doing something similar, and I was waiting for this IEM to begin doing it so hopefully my thoughts assist others in their purchases. My pics will never be as incredible as his tho.

Final initial (?) Szalayi thoughts -
I love the lush bass, the vocals are incredible which seems to be an Oriolus special, it’s non-fatiguing to the point I have to remind myself to take them out. Incredibly musical IEM, which may seem like a cop out term but it truly applies here. I can see myself selling some of my other gear if I continue to feel this way about them.


I ordered both of these from @MusicTeck. Incredible service, I spent the last few weeks anguishing over what to upgrade to and they were nothing but incredible answering my insane questions. The items were shipped out within 3 hours of me ordering them. Just amazing.

I’ll answer whatever questions you have.

Can you tell me your height and weight?
j/k
Impressive review and it does looks nice. Will try it someday

 

[vaporsynthwave]

Same with me. Trying it on all of my collection, UM AP, FW, Apx and all sounds bad with baroque. After I paid so much and in the end it stays in the box for who knows how long

it happens. sometimes all those $20+ a pair eartips lose out to some random freebies

 

[Badlands]

I feel bad that you went out of your way to get the exact (very rare) iteration you wanted only for it to not work out. That said one of the main pillars of my "audio credo" is: if it's not doing it for you, let it go. Sometimes we build things up in our heads and highly anticipate a piece of gear-- only to get it and find out it isn't quite what we expected, that our tastes have changed, or that it isn't really setting your world on fire like it should. I've had that happen a few times over the years-- a couple times with very storied IEMs. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that eventually you'll come around or that the right moment just to strike and then it will click. All of this to say, I sincerely hope you find a way to get it sorted-- but if you put it through its paces and its still not doing it for you then best to just cut the chord and move on.

Brilliantly stated. Happened to me as well.

 

[theintention]

Can you tell me your height and weight?
j/k
Impressive review and it does looks nice. Will try it someday

lol mmmm I think not. Doesn’t have to do with IEMs

Genuinely unsure how it would stack up to some of the stuff yall have but I’m very happy. And the review is coming later, these are my first thoughts… I get passionate about things I like.

 

[osocan]

I have both Ronin and Fokus Prestige. Ronin still manages to romance me with it's rich and lush mids and vocals. I love it.

Fokus Prestige really surprised me, for TWS, it's probably the best I've heard so far and has put me on the market to find an IEM that has ronins tuning but with that DD tactility, rumble, and slam.

Peeps say shop or noisy environment not ideal for demoing the equipment. And due to the sheer number of IEMs available the tendency is to spend only a few seconds on each set.

But precisely because of these limitations the outstanding ones really stood out. That afternoon, besides the Acoustune Sho, it was Noble’s Zephyr and Fokus Prestige that shone. The rest, including some flagships, paled in comparison.

As usual YMMV

 

[RonaldS86]

lol mmmm I think not. Doesn’t have to do with IEMs

Genuinely unsure how it would stack up to some of the stuff yall have but I’m very happy. And the review is coming later, these are my first thoughts… I get passionate about things I like.

Aren't we all?

 

[salwani8888]

Peeps say shop or noisy environment not ideal for demoing the equipment. And due to the sheer number of IEMs available the tendency is to spend only a few seconds on each set.

But precisely because of these limitations the outstanding ones really stood out. That afternoon, besides the Acoustune Sho, it was Noble’s Zephyr and Fokus Prestige that shone. The rest, including some flagships, paled in comparison.

As usual YMMV

As a fan of Sho, i can relate to this.

 

[RonaldS86]

Will try this setup later

 

[salwani8888]

Will try this setup later

if it sucks happy to relieve you of all of it .... or any of it for that matter . dont worry, i will pay for go-pack/ship

 

[KuroKitsu]

Right, so...this happened.




(The mirror finish actually is not that gold looking, and under different lighting conditions/angles can result in different colours. I like it more than the satin finish which adamantly stays very gold at any angle.)

Raven impressions are quite well covered so I'll not repeat what everyone has said.

This is the Orpheus Lite....which is quite a misleading name because this is supposed to be a co-flagship with the Orpheus. I guess you could interpret the "Lite" as in size/weight. Anyway, this uses the same copper material as the Orphy but with a different geometry/build structure, and is even more shielded than the OrphyS (the parts above the Y-split is also shielded. Peter said in one of his videos that this is the highest level shielding out of any of his cables). It is noticeably more ergonomic and is thinner, leading to much better portability.

Packaging is only that metal case akin to the Orphy, so without the bad quality leather briefcase. I really don't mind since I don't use the case/box anyway so it saves a lot of space.

The silver polishing cloth that comes with it is supposed to be for the 4.4 connector, which is uncoated/coated with rose gold or sth, and the coating may fall off over time if you twist the connector a lot, according to Peter (but doesn't affect sound quality).

Sound wise it is somewhere in between FTS and OrphyS - still a warmish cable but is less analog than OrphyS because the sound is faster, especially in the bass regions. Bass slams harder on the Lite with better subbass extension but a bit less midbass quantity and the decay is faster. Mids are similar, extremely resolving, a touch less thick. Biggest difference is treble, which is noticeably better extended on the Lite with more air, whereas Orphy is a bit pulled back. As a result it is a touch more resolving than the OrphyS with better layering/spearation between instruments.

Soundstage stretches even wider (by a bit) on the Lite, but depth is not as prominent, so the OrphyS is still a bit more "holographic) due to more noticeable depth perception.

Both are pitch black - maybe the Lite is even blacker, if that is even a thing.

Overall I think the Lite's signature is a less warm, faster and a more modern sounding OrphyS - IMO it is not as classic analog sounding as the OrphyS so it is less "special" so to speak, but I think it is a much better all-rounder. I actually find the OrphyS not very versatile because it makes everything sound the same - warm, wet, analogue, even slow....which sometimes might not be a good thing. The Lite will be able to show the characteristics of the IEM much better as it is a bit more "natural". For example, I find OrphyS a poor match for the Raven due to its laid-back treble and slower sound, which takes away the Raven's inherent advantages. It is also not a good match for the XE6 since it is already very smooth sounding. Both IEMs match well with the Lite on the other hand because of the more "modern" sound, and especially on the treble side.

TLDR - just get both OrphyS and Lite as I think they are rather complementary. However the Lite might be the more versatile pick at this day and age because it doesn't kill the treble and is a tad less "Orphy coloured".

y'all got any more of that liquid nitrogen for my wallet?

 

[MaggotBrain]

Had an awesome time outside with the PMG Apx today. Normally it’s tough for the visuals to surpass the audio. Today was not that day

The only thing missing was a frog and a banjo!

 

[RonaldS86]

Just arrived
A rare moment actually. Maybe this is the first time in my audio journey that I feel not too excited when receiving my toys

 

[Neweymatt]

Just arrived
A rare moment actually. Maybe this is the first time in my audio journey that I feel not too excited when receiving my toys

Well, you can send it my way if you like.