[drftr]

Remind me never to post in this thread because I don't know how to use multi quote and don't want to get called out by the Watercooler godfather

Just click the +Quote for every message or selected text you want to react on, and then click on Insert Quotes when you want to respond on them, followed by clicking Quote messages.

Questions? Ask!

drftr

 

[Frankie D]

Okay, I'm so sorry to bring this up, but may I know why the lid prop is on the 1st slot? Any specific reasons? So sorry, I didn't mean to be a smartass, but my pianist background OCD is screaming for it to be put in the proper slot, which is the lower 2nd one, as it can be dangerous... The 1st slot is meant for the smaller lid prop, which is used for accompanying singers or instrumentalists as to not overtake their lead, volume wise
I will tag @RTodd as he's the owner of the beautiful Spirio!

See Todd ( @RTodd ) this is why you can’t have nice things. Man, get the lid right! Something has been bothering me all week and now I finally know.

@AxLvR you made my day. Thank you.

 

[Rockwell75]

Remind me never to post in this thread because I don't know how to use multi quote and don't want to get called out by the Watercooler godfather

Super easy.

1) See messages you want to quote, spanning many pages even. Hit quote.



When done hit “Insert quotes“



Review



Hit “Quote Messages” and voila. Helps keep this very busy thread uncluttered.

 

[Fantanest]

Interesting idea, but in reality we are not hearing how these IEMs sound in our ears, but rather a relative sound comparison as the sound gets "filtered" through laptop or smartphone speakers How did you record these?

That's right. As mentioned in the video, this is for reference only and does not represent the actual sound you hear. They were recorded using ear simulators (the IEC711 couplers).

 

[FullCircle]

Spartacus, however, is absolutely superb

 

[gryphonos]

I'm getting ready to head to Maui with some high school students in a couple days so I'm a little too busy right now to do a proper full CanJam writeup, but I thought I'd share a few picture highlights from the past few days that may not have already been shared (forgive me if they have).

Flying over Manhattan...the adventure is about to begin!




I finally got to hear a couple Acoustune IEMs thanks to @Chang. They look and feel premium and I love the unique design elements. They both sounded great but one in particular had more of aa bassy tilt that I liked quite a lot. I forget which one that was and Acoustune's naming conventions are so random I do not even know the names of these IEMs. Sadly they don't fit my ears all that well. Grateful for the opportunity though.






CFA Fathom looking rather dashing alongside my Eletech Tyrian.




Was pleasantly surprised to bump into John @Marshallfest on Saturday.




Can never go wrong with Joes...




Epic times. There was an exchange between @Frankie D and @emdeevee over dinner concerning the latter's ethnicity that I won't soon forget.




Amazing design. @bigbeans looking sharp.




Friendship and audio fellowship. Experieences shared together forge memories for a lifetime.




Enjoyng the view and scenery at Chateau @RTodd






So much on this trip was rich with historical and cultural ambiance.

A classic American Diner




A restaurant/pub on the Delaware River near Todd's place.





This section of the pub dates from the mid 1700s and the table below was a surgeons table during the revolutionary war.






I didn't know what a Spirio was until I heard this. @bigbeans dad will attest that I just about crapped my pants when it started playing.



Some quality time with @RTodd's cat Bear.



Flying home in styie...

So impressive, it just takes my breath away. Thank you for sharing your journey to Canjam.

 

[KuroKitsu]

Initially I was skeptical of bone conduction drivers. Then I heard them. It was one of the wow moments in iems.

My first BCD unit was MEST OG so I was a believer early on that. Its just that outside of UM, the BCD implementations all seemed lacking or not quite there

Its a shame that the UM TOTLs signature just aren't my cup of tea.

The Raven is the Evo but less spicy. I think its in a weird place TBH, because with EE you're after TOTL bass or after what the Odin offers within the EE family of products.

In the end its absurd bass memes and bass cannons with top tier technicalities. It gets expensive real quick

Yeah I liked Raven enough to get second one. But it felt like Odin was more my cup of tea. Its turning into a Fei Wan as a result of that.

Hi Fellas, I recently acquired the Sony WM1Z and I think it is simply one of the most amazing sounding source (for my preference at least).. it brings musicality to most amps and iems/headphones that I use it with without sacrificing details and resolution..

FYI The WM1A firmware mod in WM1Z tuning does not even come close to it..

Don't let that community hear you You're just using the wrong signature and region code on the modded 1A.

2 months with a modded 1A, while I like it overall and there are improvements, I'm not going to put it up to 1Z level.

I'd rather get a 1Z and leave it unmodded at that point.

 

[osocan]

I finally got to hear a couple Acoustune IEMs thanks to @Chang. They look and feel premium and I love the unique design elements. They both sounded great but one in particular had more of aa bassy tilt that I liked quite a lot. I forget which one that was and Acoustune's naming conventions are so random I do not even know the names of these IEMs. Sadly they don't fit my ears all that well. Grateful for the opportunity though.

I really don’t know what the guys at Acoustune were thinking. Or perhaps it’s just a few of us, those of us who have to learn that there is a very specific way of just inserting the monitors into the ear. Not the usual insert and twist. That’s how it’s with the HS2000MX for me.

When inserted right, and with the right tips, it is OMG. The tonality is balanced. Vocals are sublime and seductive. More sub than mid bass. Treble is well extended but never bright enough to annoy. On the whole it just leaves me wanting more and more.

The Trifecta is still my favourite. But I’m deeply in love with the Sho. Listening to the Trifecta is very satisfying but with the Sho, it keeps me coming back to it night after night after night …

And with the WM1ZM2 as source, I have really found my endgame. At least for now.

 

[stacey]

As I understand it content creators use a microphone to record music playing through different headphones (or earphones, or speakers) for the YouTube viewer to 'hear' the differences between the headphones (or earphones, or speakers). I doubt this is a reliable 'demonstration' as the recording goes through YouTube uploading and then processed through the device you are watching YouTube on. But YouTube is so big that every approach has its follower. Very much YMMV

It’s pretty stupid because each microphone has its different subtleties for picking up pitch/vocals etc just like each IEM does. And there’s no promise that it hasn’t been filtered/edited etc. It’s a poor demo at best.

 

[Rockwell75]

Philosophical musing of the day. So much of what we experience in life comes down to our own attitudes. If we approach everything with an attitude of entitlement and expectation, we will be perpetually disappointed . But if instead we cultivate an attitude of reverence and gratitude everywhere we go people tend to respond in kind and no matter what happens it exceeds our expectations.

 

[btwine]

A couple new players joined my roster this week. I had never heard Amber Pearl or Jewel before after reading so many impressions and POV of these, and the time has come. I've only gotten a few hours with each so far, and much more to come. But a few quick takes:

AP is probably the best, most complete package of an IEM that I have ever heard. Major wow factor, not surprisingly given the raptures expressed about this set. And thanks to AP I've now heard top-shelf mids and have a standard to measure against. Its bass is warm, thick, and terrific - regardless of it being a BA/BCS package. It doesn't feature the definition and slam of a great DD set but I don't find myself missing that. Treble is crisp, detailed, not forward, not sibilant. No upper mids problems either. Staging isn't quite what Mentor is (from memory, having sold mine last fall) but that and AP's overall technical presentation, all very compelling. Most importantly, what a lovely immersive listening experience.

Jewel surprises me in a few ways. To me it is not quite the reference set that so many have described it as. I think of reference as being most notably neutral and balanced. However, Jewel in my experience (briefly so far) has a forward gust of upper mids / lower treble energy, close to too much for me. I was expecting maybe too-mellow treble, but in fact it is very detailed, kind of gravelly, with decent extension. And overall has more perk and is brighter than I thought it would be. Bass is also more than I was expecting.

One thing is clear: Jewel and Erebus are extremely similar, with very close sound profiles and comparable strengths and flaws. Maybe not surprising given they are probably cousins from the same manufacturing plant, as others have commented. This resemblance is partly what motivated my acquisition of Jewel, so I could A/B these sets. Some thoughts after a few hours of listening to a mix of live and studio jazz vocal and acoustic rock, with both driven by N30, using medium gain, class A/B, classic tube, P, no Hyper mode:

Jewel (with 1950s Shielding cable):
Slightly less detailed
More energetic nonetheless
Brighter
Treble more detailed, snappier transients, more extended
Forward, at times too energetic upper mids
Mids and vocals more forward
Less bass quantity and quality
More intimate stage, more sense of facing the stage instead of being surrounded by musicians

Erebus (with doctorjuggles copper cable):
Slightly more detailed
More relaxed in spite of that
Warmer
Smoother treble, and more rolled off
Similar forward, at times too energetic upper mids
Mids and vocals more receded
More bass quantity and quality
Bigger stage, more holographic, more immersive

I probably won't keep both given their overlap. But for now it is fun having variations on the same themes to go back and forth with.

 

[Leonarfd]

HIBY FC6 + 634ears Miroak-II Cocobolo
Must say I'm impressed by the R2R dongle, organic warm sound. Most musical dongle I have used, and pairing with the Japanese Miroak-II is euphoric.
Wish it had 4.4mm out, as most my cables are balanced. Adapter have to do.

 

[EnigmaFotos]

Philosophical musing of the day. So much of what we experience in life comes down to our own attitudes. If we approach everything with an attitude of entitlement and expectation, we will be perpetually disappointed . But if instead we cultivate an attitude of reverence and gratitude everywhere we go people tend to respond in kind and no matter what happens it exceeds our expectations.

Well said and perfectly sums up the mindset I had going into this CanJam and you know what? Allowed me to meet you and a few other awesome members of this community.

Went to @MusicTeck table first and was blown away by how nice everyone there was. Ended up hanging there most of the day chatting with the lovely @RTodd . Such a nice human being and easy to talk to, like you have been friends with him your entire life.

Sunday ran into @bigbeans and had one hell of an awesome time. We had the same time for the HE 1. Then he and his father graciously invited me to join them to listen to the Narukami. To top it off he let me enjoy music on his Amber Pearl + Cayin N30LE + Sony DMP Z1= WOW. You and your dad are wonderful and I truly enjoyed meeting you. Thank you!
Also found out my white brother from another mother @Visceral totally copies my taste in IEM's - great talking to you about IEM's and parenting brother.

Fun time hanging out with @daijobudes at @Audio46 after the show!

All In all a wonderful time. Here is a cool picture of the Project M that I just got from @MusicTeck yesterday - Macro lenses are fun

 

[bigbeans]

Sunday ran into @bigbeans and had one hell of an awesome time. We had the same time for the HE 1. Then he and his father graciously invited me to join them to listen to the Narukami. To top it off he let me enjoy music on his Amber Pearl + Cayin N30LE + Sony DMP Z1= WOW. You and your dad are wonderful and I truly enjoyed meeting you. Thank you!

great to meet you as well, I'm so glad the timing worked and we could experience Narukami together, even if it's out of our price ranges. Would you be able to post the track you used during the demo? You have excellent taste, I recall the AT rep liked it as well. Shoutout to @HiFiHawaii808 for facilitating his Susvara to allow us to compare the AWKG and the Susvara on the amp. Audio Technica hit it out of the park with this one, they didn't just try for a 'Orpheus' copy but a truly unique approach to a halo product.

Also found out my white brother from another mother @Visceral

hahaha, you gave me the first laugh of the day with this

I hope to see you at SoCal!

 

[dleblanc343]

Made a video comparing these totl iems! Subscribe if you think that's helpful!

Hey man, thanks for this!

I decided to have fun with this while finishing up some work. I take these types of "demos" with a grain of salt, but always still try at it. I decided to use Volur (a neutral/ish monitor) and EQ'd it to Crinacle target to have a "sorta neutral" baseline.

On the first track, I liked CP622B, but it being the first to play, it's hard to cross-examine. Anni23 was my favorite then Feiwan was okay. D, E & F all sounded pretty unnatural.

From here on I decided to try blind notes. So here's my on-the-fly live listen quicknotes. Absolutely no predisposed biases at play:

Track 2 - Piano + Male Vocals

• A Nice, upper mid-forward, bit nasal. Good bass. (turns out to be Feiwan)
• B Very nice, mid-forward (turns out to be CB622B)
• C Very nice, bit upper mid-forward (turns out to be NGaudio Erebus)
• D Bad, cuppy and hollow, low treble focused (turns out to be Jewel)
• E Nice, Good midrange, lusher (turns out to be Trailli Ti)
• F Very warm & punchy, great treble (turns out to be Noble Onyx)

Main takeaway here is how correct Canpur sounds, how nice Feiwans low end is, how dark the Onyx is and how unnatural Jewel sounds. Erebus also sounded great from this "listening test"


Track 3 - Female vocals EDM

• A Guitars sound muffled. Thin vocals, edge of sibilance (turns out to be Mentor)
• B Vocal compression, very nasal (turns out to be Jewel)
• C Vocals more on the tooth punchy midbass, but no great texture (turns out to be Trailli Ti)
• D Horrible sibilance. Tighter satisfying bass. Punchy (turns out to be AME Gaia)
• E Bloated mess, lot of sub bass. Vocals are timbrally most accurate so far and actually good considering all the bass. (turns out to be Nuit Étoilée)
• F More technical while maintaining very nice vocals. Most neutral mids so far I think, but lacking a bit of forwardness if critical. Bass is fabulous in accuracy (turns out to be CP622B)

Main takeaway here is how spot-on my notes match Mentor's FR, but it didn't sound great with this track at all. Bass was surprisingly very very nice at the beat drop. Jewel sounds totally off, again for my ears. Nuit Étoilée's rendering really was not coherent between bass and upper range, surprisingly (bloated lows, amazing mids).

In both cases, the worst sounding was the Gaia. Tight punch bass is its only redeeming factor here, but it sounds terribly grainy and etched otherwise.

In both cases, Trailli Ti were just both kinda alright, kind of a does no wrong impression. Seems technically outclassed by many.


Of course, this type of demo while not 100% accurate to assessing gear actually does turn out to be somewhat helpful. Variables to consider is what is being used to listen to the video & does BCD sets come at a disadvantage because it can't be conveyed via recording?

great to meet you as well, I'm so glad the timing worked and we could experience Narukami together, even if it's out of our price ranges. Would you be able to post the track you used during the demo? You have excellent taste, I recall the AT rep liked it as well. Shoutout to @HiFiHawaii808 for facilitating his Susvara to allow us to compare the AWKG and the Susvara on the amp. Audio Technica hit it out of the park with this one, they didn't just try for a 'Orpheus' copy but a truly unique approach to a halo product.


hahaha, you gave me the first laugh of the day with this

I hope to see you at SoCal!

My colleague mentioned being impressed by an electronic song with a bunch of holographic stereo cues - guessing that must be the same track. I'd be curious too!

Glad you enjoyed it as did most who tried Narukami, definitely is a product that has been in the works for several years now.