[SBranson]

Loving the Bonneville with Eletech Victoria and Pentaconn Coreir tips through the RU7. Can’t wait for my N7 to arrive this week.

 

[FullCircle]

People being sarcastic, I assume...
EE had a mechanical design issue with their Raven IEMs. After a full recall and redesign of the shells (mechanically) - all is good now!

For what it's worth, EE is a small family business, trying to succeed in a very competitive market. Other than maybe more communications / updates - they have done everything right by dealing with the issue and making it right by their customers!

I wish people that make those sarcastic comments would try to remember these are not mega-corporations (like Sony, Sennheiser, etc.), and the little boutique guys (Noble, Empire Ears, etc.) have real people with real feelings behind the brand name. They take personal pride of their success, and work super hard to fix the hiccups!

A shout out to ZMF, MEZE, CFA,CTA, Dan Clark & a plethora of others.
Respect to Jerry, wishing him all the best.

 

[wolfstar76]

I had the opportunity to check out the Elysian Diva and Annihilator (again) from the tour. I had already written an Annihilator Review here, but now I got a chance to write a review for the Diva and it was everything I was expecting it to be. I really enjoyed it a lot and found it well priced in the current market. If I didn't have so many similar sounding IEMs, I'd probably go buy it today. I preferred it with the BASS level on high, surprisingly.

I think I am becoming more of a basshead in my older days.

Good review, and I am looking forward to demoing those two. I found both your IEM and Headphone rank list very interesting. Just wondering if you heard of CFA Bonneville and what do you think about it?

 

[Yifang]

I had the opportunity to check out the Elysian Diva and Annihilator (again) from the tour. I had already written an Annihilator Review here, but now I got a chance to write a review for the Diva and it was everything I was expecting it to be. I really enjoyed it a lot and found it well priced in the current market. If I didn't have so many similar sounding IEMs, I'd probably go buy it today. I preferred it with the BASS level on high, surprisingly.

I think I am becoming more of a basshead in my older days.

Funny how you mentioned STORM in the Annihilator review because I have the exact two for the different types of listening you mentioned.

 

[antdroid]

Good review, and I am looking forward to demoing those two. I found both your IEM and Headphone rank list very interesting. Just wondering if you heard of CFA Bonneville and what do you think about it?

You'll be getting them soon! I haven't tried the Bonneville yet, but its purple, so it already has me interested. I haven't had favorable impressions of most Campfire IEMs in the past and I just don't think their tuning style and my personal preferences align, although there's been a couple that I've really enjoyed (original Solaris, and Andromeda 2020).

Funny how you mentioned STORM in the Annihilator review because I have the exact two for the different types of listening you mentioned.

Lucky! So far, those are my two favorite IEMs I've heard.

 

[RonaldS86]

Hey Cooler Friends, I am just dropping by to drop some impressions as I have had some cool gear come across my desk and felt its only right to share these with all of you for more data points. Enjoy and hope all of you are well and have a great weekend.

FitEar Creator
W/ silver creator 4wire



The first immediate sound that struck me when I put the Creator in my ears was the Full Grand Bass. It captivates with a romantic decay which I define as a slower more rounded definition to the bass notes as they fade away. The attack is big, bold and fat but similar to the decay it is more rounded with slower transients. This gives the music a more laid back feeling with the utmost realistic timbre radiating with depth and height. The sub bass is deep and nicely textured but the mid bass is more pronounced and very textured and provides a massive warmth across the frequency response. The movement of air is evident even at first listen, it allows space for the music to breathe.

Stage width is well above average but the depth and height is what I hear to be the focus. Giving a sense of layered space and beautiful reverbs. It’s almost 3D feeling but not quite as holographic as other sets with BCD drivers. But it’s also not a flat sounding in ear. Imaging is well done and where the Creator excels is in Macro Dynamics. From the light stroke of brushes on snare skins, to the snappy hit of a hand on a Bongo skin and the stick hits of toms is all very vivid and life-like with great contrasting tones and volume levels a.k.a dynamic swings. Creator is not a focused resolution sound nor does it want or try to be. This is a tuning to get lost in the feeling of the music. If ultra detailed fast micro dynamic sound is what you’re after or makes you feel your music this set will be very disappointing.

Piano sounds perfectly weighted on Creator. This is the best in ear I have heard with Piano playback. Note weight across the board is fantastic. Acoustic guitars sound like real strings against wooden bodies. Plasticky or toy-like sound does not exist here. Instruments sound large and life-like. This goes for male and female vocals alike. They resound with gravitas. They are centered and push outward in front of the head. The vocals and mid range are more intimate and this works well with Jazz, singer songwriter, small ensemble and rock. Music at higher speeds will suffer here as it will get cramped or smeared over by the bodacious Foster drivers.

The treble is nicely extended thanks to a single EST, that pushes through the swells of bass and warmth with great clarity and transparency. The EST was a good choice in my opinion as it keeps the weight and wetness that are usually associated with BA’s in the top end from blunting the signature. The EST’s lighter more ethereal notes balance out the boldness from the bottom end in a very convincing way that keeps the Creator from becoming too Dark and encapsulated feeling. I hear zero sibilance and I have not come across any annoying peaks or metallic sounds in the upper end.

I am often reminded of my meditations while listening with Creator. When I meditate, I am focused on my breathing; inhaling and exhaling and because my mind is calm I can hear sounds in-between breathes that I normally would take for granted. This is how I hear the creator. In between the attack and decays I can hear the emotional vibrato of the string, the skin of the drum, the emotion from the chest of a singer. I feel I am more at one with the music I am listening to.

The creator demands your attention with analog grandeur.

Rhapsodio Supreme V3




They sound wonky(hate this word, don’t mean it negatively) to me. Fun tuning that highlights some nuance and harmonics/reverbs I’ve not heard with other sets. Which I think is from the solid brass shell and faceplate. It doesn’t work with a lot of genres but still presents itself as its own thing unapologetically. Imaging and staging are spread very wide creating an immersive sound that is super fun at first but becomes fatiguing quickly. Timbre nor tonality is very good to my ear. Sounds great with electronic music and well produced singer songwriter music oddly enough but timbre is not natural and does not have an emotional pull, it’s mainly the imaging and staging that keeps the attention. Depth of stage is lacking in my opinion. There are some harsh peaks up top that make me wince. Layering is sub par and crowded music can sound thin and messy, but it’s a spacious sound and when it hits with the right song or music it is definitely a WOW moment. However due to the off putting timbre this is a pass for me.

TGXear Desolation Sound Steel Black Sand Earbud



I have had this bud by @tgx78 for a few weeks now and I think it’s time for some impressions as it has totally blown me away.

This is an upgraded version of the Desolation Sound that Jim graciously offered to me and that I paid for. In my opinion this upgrade to Steel shell with black sand dampening really sets the DS apart from its original counterpart and also widens the gap in sound signature from Jim’s other buds in his lineup. I am using the focused full foams that Jim includes with purchase, these are the thinnest foams and my favorite by far for this tuning.

All listening done on Cayin N30LE Hyper mode with Tube classic mode engaged using UAPP to stream Qobuz bit-perfect. As well as, Venture Electronics Prime Dac + Runabout 2BFE amp via MacBook Air running Qobuz via Roon.

For me and my library which consists mainly of well recorded Jazz music and singer-songwriter, folk, world and Classical/OST’s this earbud really hits the spot. Jim has outdone himself and honestly the DS SBS has just about made all my other buds obsolete. I am still using and loving my 600ohm buds i.e. TGX Alpha, Yinman 600, Puresounds 100-600(s) and also my favorite V-shape bud to date Ksearphone 300 Samsara and my VE APWS for specialists.

Let’s get back to the DS SBS. This bud has impeccable imaging and staging. Instruments are well separated and sound authentic. Out of all Jim’s buds, this one has the least amount of mid bass heft, which clears up the midrange allowing the beautiful timbre of tones to come through with ease. I would call this earbud a really well done W shape.

The bass is working as a support and never the focus. Bass lines are well delineated and layered with precise definition and attack. Decay is natural, neither slow nor super fast. It is a perfect amount of warmth to keep in line for a reference tuning. The detail though is really quite captivating. Fingers slapping on the fretboard of an upright bass and hearing each reverberation of the strings and the body of the instrument is an astounding aural experience.

Mids are spacious and detailed with every nuance in the recording coming forth but still with an emotional weight and pulling of the heart strings, Jim’s calling card IMO. Vocals have great center imaging and escape the head. Male and Female vocals alike sound effortless and while they are not the heaviest note weight they are still grounded to the stage and not so transparent to sound like ghosts flying around your head. Guitar strums and drums have great attack and sound like the real deal. Violins, Cello, Viola are breathtaking in realism and emotion. For a reference tuning the “feeling” of the music is not lost. Dynamics are not lacking (this really shines through in classical selections) and this has a great 3-D feel to the staging with an incredible black background thanks to the black sand dampening.

The Treble here is probably the best I have ever heard in any earbud hands down. It is extended, clear and sparkling without peaks or harshness. Cymbal hits, piano strikes, harp plucks, all sound angelic as if they are coming down from heaven with perfect attack, sustain and decay. It’s marvelous to experience and very difficult to put into words.

I won’t say that the DS SBS is a high energy, in your face set, as it is not that. It is a delicate sound that will surprise and delight the longer you listen, a set that is very easy to listen to for hours on end and get lost in pure musical bliss. This is not a set for heavy, fast or RnB, hip hop music IMO. It can keep up with fast music don’t get me wrong as the resolution here is fantastic and totl. However for the above types of music, it does not have enough mid bass. A good V shape bud will work better in my opinion. However I do listen to a lot of indie rock with this earbud and it excels.

All in all this is my favorite earbud thus far in my time in the hobby. So much so that I am slowing down and thinning out my collection. I am quite content and I owe it all to the artistry and mastery of Mr. Jim Park, aka TGXear!! Thank you so much for your hard work, craftsmanship, and tuning genius.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Glad to see you again brother. How are you? I hope you're doing fine
You perfectly describe the Creator and I'm glad that you like it too

 

[maegnificant]

People being sarcastic, I assume...
EE had a mechanical design issue with their Raven IEMs. After a full recall and redesign of the shells (mechanically) - all is good now!

For what it's worth, EE is a small family business, trying to succeed in a very competitive market. Other than maybe more communications / updates - they have done everything right by dealing with the issue and making it right by their customers!

I wish people that make those sarcastic comments would try to remember these are not mega-corporations (like Sony, Sennheiser, etc.), and the little boutique guys (Noble, Empire Ears, etc.) have real people with real feelings behind the brand name. They take personal pride of their success, and work super hard to fix the hiccups!

Sennheiser is not a mega corp either they are barely a medium sized business.

 

[phiemon]

CanJam NYC IEM Impressions (Part 2):



As promised, here is part 2 of my IEM impressions from the CanJam weekend. I demoed all iems using iBasso 320MAX Ti and Azla Sedna Short tips.

The showfloor is quite loud so its difficult to ascertain the finer nuances of an IEM. I tried my best to understand the general presentation and problem areas of each set.


FiR Audio Radon 6 (RN6) ($3200 USD)



Over at the Bloom Audio booth, RN6 is the very first IEM I listened to at CJ NYC.

I found it fairly resolving, with nice sub-bass quantity, decent vocal timbre, and good dynamics. It had a well-defined transient attack and a fairly wide soundstage. I thought it was a well-balanced all-rounder.

RN6 was my introduction to FiR Audio, and an impressive one at that. Great IEM to start the weekend off with.


Oriolus Trailli Ti ($8500 USD)



I heard Trailli Ti as a thinner, more technical Trailli OG. The bass was much improved vs. the OG, sounding tighter, more textured, and more dynamic.

Although the techs on the Ti were improved, like the Trailli OG, it still falls behind today's TOTL sets. Some of the midrange magic is missing on the Ti as well.

For my preferences, I prefer the tone, midrange, and overall balance of the OG. The Trailli Ti is also vastly overpriced.


PMG Audio Apx ($6650 USD)



Good resolution and a defined transient attack. Bright but not overly sharp, with decent sub-bass/mid-bass quantity.

The bass lacked a little weight and wasn't pillowy but a touch soft. Female vocals sounded a little strained/cold on some tracks and the lower mids were a little lean.

Overall decent set. Rumor is that a re-tuned Apx is in the works with a less elevated treble.


Canpur CP622B ($3500 USD)



622B + stock cable

This was my second demo of the 622B, having first demoed it at MusicTeck a few months ago.

I wasn't the biggest fan the first time around preferring its younger sibling, the CP54E at the time for its more exciting V-shaped sound.

I was more impressed this time. 622B has a lovely midrange that I found very natural and resolving. Normally, I run through my demo tracks methodically, but this was one of the few sets that I wanted to listen to a little longer.

622B has a really nice and elevated sub-bass. The mid-bass is decent but not super textured (Storm's bass is much more textured).

622B has good transient attack and okay dynamics. The treble had a nice tone but was a little too polite and I thought it could have been a little more resolving.

Overall great set. One thing I'd change is the the stock cable which I thought felt a little cheap.

622B + Nightjar Mira 2W cable

Cable differences are a little difficult to pick up under show floor conditions, but I tried a cable swap to the Nightjar Mira 2W cable at the recommendation of a friend who runs this exact combination.

I heard the bass as mostly the same, vocals to sound a little less lean, and the treble to have slightly more liveliness. It was an overall good pairing that added a little excitement to the overall sound.


Vision Ears VE10 (VE X) ($3000 USD)



Warm, thick timbre with an elevated bass. Good mid-bass weight and nice vocals. I thought the VE X lacked some resolution compared to top contenders in the 3k USD bracket, but it wasn't enough to bother me.

Treble also had a nice tone/weight but it lacked some resolution and sustain. Good transient attack. I thought the layering and separation was a little lackluster.

Despite lacking some techs at its pricepoint, I thought VE X was a comfortable, easy listen with exceptional timbre.


NYC CJ IEM impressions part 3 to come later this week including some of the following sets:

- Subtonic Storm + SS 8W + MK 465
- Nightjar Duality
- Elysian Pilgrim
- Symphonium Titan
- Letshuoer Cadenza 12
- Dunu x Precogvision Mirai
- Ice Labs Prismatica + Prismatica Gold
- Fatfreq Grand Maestro
- QDC 8PRO

And some prototypes:

- Symphonium Titan Prototype
- Letshuoer Prototype
- Eletech Prototype
- MusicTeck's Prototype IEM
- Soranik xMEMS Protoype

Once again great impressions from you. Also your way of honest criticism - simply fantastic!

For me personally, "ouch" for Traillii Ti and APX, and with that, my interest has disappeared since you have only confirmed my suspicions. I can only agree with the CP622B, although I would add that the soundstage is unfortunately small and not that holographic in comparison (… for example to Anni, Mentor and Rn6). As a big fan of the Rn6, I'm glad you weren't critical of it . Perhaps I can say about the Rn6 that I wish the sound was a bit "ticker". Not that it's thin though... still.

I am very curious to see what you will write about Storm.

 

[FullCircle]

Sennheiser is not a mega corp either they are barely a medium sized business.

They certainly are not in Kansas anymore.

 

[kevin638880]

Glad to see you again brother. How are you? I hope you're doing fine
You perfectly describe the Creator and I'm glad that you like it too

The Creator is everything you want for a musical, thick and emotional listen. I am really considering this to be my one-and-done as I have absolutely no interest in a "technical" listen. It doesn't help that the Creator is so realistic that anything else sounds artificial. It is a bit weaker for EDM and faster paced stuff tho due to the slower sound (IMO not as slow as the Trifecta but I am now understanding why people love it even if it is not for me) but for me it is serviceable.

The only other IEM I kept is the Annihilator because it is virtually the opposite signature with the best treble performance, but still a more musical than an analytical listen albeit more focused on treble.

 

[maegnificant]

They certainly are not in Kansas anymore.

Well I was there and Sennheiser Consumer still only has about 100 people working for them. Just because they are owned by a larger company, doesn't mean that their actual day to day business works on the same scale.
There is also still Sennheiser Pro Audio, which released the 490 Pro recently, they are still a family business.

Speaking of mega corporations, I really really REALLY despise music streaming services and the music industry and this video helped to cement my stance on that:


So to strengthen my own insignificant role in the anti-streaming movement, here is our new EP on Bandcamp, owned by Epic Games, but operating on their own , to download (up to 48khz 24bit) for free, before the actual release:



Please share it around if you like it. And still, if you don't, maybe someone else will. Thanks.

 

[Deezel177]

Well I was there and Sennheiser Consumer still only has about 100 people working for them. Just because they are owned by a larger company, doesn't mean that their actual day to day business works on the same scale.
There is also still Sennheiser Pro Audio, which released the 490 Pro recently, they are still a family business.

Speaking of mega corporations, I really really REALLY despise music streaming services and the music industry and this video helped to cement my stance on that:


So to strengthen my own insignificant role in the anti-streaming movement, here is our new EP on Bandcamp, owned by Epic Games, but operating on their own , to download (up to 48khz 24bit) for free, before the actual release:



Please share it around if you like it. And still, if you don't, maybe someone else will. Thanks.

'Really good stuff, man! I'd love to hear more, including the names of your bandmates here. Bandcamp is also my preferred way to get music, always. It generates the most revenue for the artist, you're allowed to give tips and messages, and you usually get tons of hi-res download options too.

 

[RonaldS86]

The Creator is everything you want for a musical, thick and emotional listen. I am really considering this to be my one-and-done as I have absolutely no interest in a "technical" listen. It doesn't help that the Creator is so realistic that anything else sounds artificial. It is a bit weaker for EDM and faster paced stuff tho due to the slower sound (IMO not as slow as the Trifecta but I am now understanding why people love it even if it is not for me) but for me it is serviceable.

The only other IEM I kept is the Annihilator because it is virtually the opposite signature with the best treble performance, but still a more musical than an analytical listen albeit more focused on treble.

It's Creator and APX/FW for me. I think I don't need anything else after this. UM AP is collecting dust in my Van Nuys case

 

[maegnificant]

'Really good stuff, man! I'd love to hear more, including the names of your bandmates here. Bandcamp is also my preferred way to get music, always. It generates the most revenue for the artist, you're allowed to give tips and messages, and you usually get tons of hi-res download options too.

Thanks a lot!
The real names are on the bandcamp page

Max also goes under the name of Second Harbor, he makes a lot of lofi beat type of music and some handpan stuff. You can find him on Instagram, Youtube, Spotify etc.

 

[Tristy]

People being sarcastic, I assume...
EE had a mechanical design issue with their Raven IEMs. After a full recall and redesign of the shells (mechanically) - all is good now!

For what it's worth, EE is a small family business, trying to succeed in a very competitive market. Other than maybe more communications / updates - they have done everything right by dealing with the issue and making it right by their customers!

I wish people that make those sarcastic comments would try to remember these are not mega-corporations (like Sony, Sennheiser, etc.), and the little boutique guys (Noble, Empire Ears, etc.) have real people with real feelings behind the brand name. They take personal pride of their success, and work super hard to fix the hiccups!

It was more to highlight that not many brands are without their miss-steps when it comes to IEM launches and I commend the way that EE handled the issue. It was more in reference to the issues which led to the subsequent release of the Khan “gen 2” (for those who have been around this forum a little longer…)