[Visveswaran Umashankar]

This is my subbass IEM of the year. Fantastic recommendation from @gadgetgod, deep and awesome subbass rumble with amazing clarity. I’m blown away… inaugural release from Eminent Ears, co-owner Travis is a very nice guy. @HiFiHawaii808 is working to see how a tour unit can be arranged.

Probably the one IEM I want to have from the entire show. Absolute gem.

 

[drftr]

Then, in retrospect, which cables do you prefer and would you recommend?

Cheers!

LOL - the best cables at the time I found to be Siltech but the models I sold don't exist anymore (because, well..., they were sold ). I did find you their currently most expensive speaker cable at a meagre $71,500 for a 2 meter pair. I could reach out and see if I can get you a better deal, just tell me how many meters you need

https://www.thecableco.com/cables/royal-triple-crown-speaker-cable-pair.html

Told you: It ain't much if it ain't Dutch.

drftr

 

[haci]

attenuate

most treble: cp155
least treble: final e

 

[drftr]

An extremely worthwhile read on this topic: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-iem-tips.626895/post-17885753 (thanks to @Edric Li)

Interesting read. TLDR:

Wider bore (vs narrower) = more bass, less mids, less treble
Glossier surface (vs matte) = more bass, more mids, equal treble
Dotted surface (vs no dots) = ?
Longer bore (vs shorter) = equal bass, equal mids, more treble
Deeper fit (vs shallower) = less bass, equal mids, less treble

EDIT: He didn't do the dot test, but I'd assume dotted will lead to less treble because higher tones bounce off easier than lower tones.

drftr

 

[aaf evo]

Interesting read. TLDR:

Wider bore (vs narrower) = more bass, less mids, less treble
Glossier surface (vs matte) = more bass, more mids, equal treble
Dotted surface (vs no dots) = ?
Longer bore (vs shorter) = equal bass, equal mids, more treble
Deeper fit (vs shallower) = less bass, equal mids, less treble

drftr

Is this not entirely dependent on each individual ear anatomy? Unless I am misreading the post but for me wide bore is almost always the most "open" sounding and detailed in the treble. Any time I go narrow bore the treble rolls off or can start to sound compressed.

 

[fidgeraldo]

just tell me how many meters you need

Hmm...I just spent on Supra Annorum XL (and it's marvellous) 350€.
I think it won't be a problem; just let me see how much I have left for cables...and then I will let you know

Don't go anywhere, I'll call you back

A few moments later:

Cheers!

 

[drftr]

Is this not entirely dependent on each individual ear anatomy? Unless I am misreading the post but for me wide bore is almost always the most "open" sounding and detailed in the treble. Any time I go narrow bore the treble rolls off or can start to sound compressed.

Good question to which I have no absolute answer but I'd say if there's less space then the brightness can't escape. However, lower notes can't escape either and may become relatively overpowering those higher notes, giving you that roll-off perhaps.

I actually would think this can't be up to anatomy as if a certain sound is not delivered to the end of the eartip how can the ear canal make up for the loss? Probably completely wrong reasoning here, but hey...

drftr

 

[Sajid Amit]

Canjam Day 1 Photos and Quick Impressions.

A high-protein breakfast sans the potato and the bread thingie you see at the front. The latter is an Indian snack called a Vada Pav and it tastes better at Pan Pacific than in Mumbai, I have to say.

My day started with a re-listen of the Subtonic Storm with the rather smooth sounding Sovereign Symphony cable. This IEM is as impressive as always but I still find it dry and clinical.

The duality was better but to be honest, I didn’t quite get the fuss about its bass. My supermoon hits harder and better. But enter the impedance adapter, and hello, the bass got bigger and better, and overall, the imaging seemed to benefit (could be placebo), and I’d definitely buy it if the bass-boosted profile was its stock sound. In a world of Xenon 6 and Trifecta, audiophile bass has reached a different level, IMHO.

In the same vein, the Symphonium Titan didn’t strike me as particularly hard hitting, and yes I understand it’s probably a Trifecta-effect and I also found it warm and lacking in treble clarity. Its sort of the opposite sound profile to the Helios which I absolutely loved for its brazen yet beautiful treble. The Titan plays way too safe. YMMV.

I came across a new cable brand called Verus audio and I liked the sound of their cables a lot paired with my Jewel.

Next I spent quite a bit of time at the Zeppelin booth. They had everything but jam packed into a tiny room which made movement difficult. You see me testing the iBasso PB5 and the D16 in this pic. Both devices are friggin’ awesome.

The PB5 blew me away daisy-chained with my Sony WM1ZM2. This is what I hoped the Cayin N30 would sound like: big, bold, lush, and timbrally flawless.

I love green. This is the Rolex green.

Along with the PB5, the Raal 1995 Immanis are the most impressive pieces of kit I came across today, among those I listened to for the first time. Fair warning: I am a reviewer and I had listened to a lot of the good stuff already, prior to the show.

Meanwhile the Cayin N30 wasn’t my jam. While it improves significantly on the N8ii in terms of bass and thickness of notes, the treble still has the brittleness and dryness of its predecessors. Maybe it’s a house sound thing and I am sure there are those who love it.

At the Zeppelin table, there was also gilted Raven. And I adored it. Not sure what @Jack Vang did with this one, but it sounded so damn good. Has it been retuned? Its bass is as beautiful and ballsy as bass should be but the best part is that midrange and treble timbre are also spot-on. Chef’s kiss.

The guy’s also aging in reverse, Mr Wang. Must be a country called gym which I keep meaning to visit. Its even visa-free entry for everyone.

Moving on, I also tried the Dunu Glacier, which, to me, was underwhelming at best. Is it priced at $1800? Maybe I misheard the Sam Audio rep but I wouldn’t buy it for half the price given the technicalities in the offing. Tonally, it’s absolutely fine, but again, I didn’t quite get the fuss about its bass. It looks sexy though.

On the other hand, this new IEM called Alter Ego from a hitherto unknown brand, Melodic Artification, really impressed. It had some of the most beautiful treble known to man, and some decent bass, with the bass switch turned on. I would love a re-listen.

I spent a bit of time with the Mass Kobo 465, the amp every summit-fier worth her salt is now talking about. It does have great synergy with the also-Japanese Final D8000 Pro but oh man with the Susvara, its so damn perfect. The bass!! No speaker amp I have tried has delivered me this level of realism with bass on the Sus.

It was nice to also finally meet the flipears creator Aries, and what a gentleman he is. I also met his wife and they are a truly lovely couple and I would like to see them do well, not just because of how kind they are, but also because how amazing every FlipEars product I have tried, has turned out to be.

The gold-plated Aurora is such an incredible beauty.

Also beautiful were the new Unique Melody Mason Soleil (red) and Nuit (blue).

I don’t want to get into too much detail with my impressions on these $9000 IEMs because owners are likely to feel possessive about such expensive products, but I wouldn’t buy either at a third of the price, not with the likes of VEX around.

The gentleman above goes by @gadgetgod. He’s a sweetheart and he is pictured here brandishing some fine leather cases made by his friend @Visveswaran Umashankar (Vishy). If you are going to be around tomorrow, check out Vishy’s leather cases at Jaben’s booth and show him some love.

Showing love, to me, in this case, are also my friends from Fatfreq. I love hanging out with these cool kids. They love their bass and they love to chat and I always have a good time at their booth. Arguably Singapore’s finest, along with my other fave, Dita Audio, whom I’ll visit tomorrow.

The day finished with a dinner of bbq ribs near the beautiful Singapore harbor front.

No chilli crabs yet, but tomorrow for sure.

 

[phiemon]

Interesting read. TLDR:

Wider bore (vs narrower) = more bass, less mids, less treble
Glossier surface (vs matte) = more bass, more mids, equal treble
Dotted surface (vs no dots) = ?
Longer bore (vs shorter) = equal bass, equal mids, more treble
Deeper fit (vs shallower) = less bass, equal mids, less treble

EDIT: He didn't do the dot test, but I'd assume dotted will lead to less treble because higher tones bounce off easier than lower tones.

drftr

Is this not entirely dependent on each individual ear anatomy? Unless I am misreading the post but for me wide bore is almost always the most "open" sounding and detailed in the treble. Any time I go narrow bore the treble rolls off or can start to sound compressed.

Wait, I think he means:

Narrower bore: more bass, more (louder) mids, more upper-mids but less mid-treble or upper-treble -> narrower soundstage and faster [??] instrument decay and again more intimate presentation of images in the midrange.

Conversely, this means:

Wider bore: less bass, less mids, less upper-mids but more mid-treble or upper-treble -> wider soundstage and slower [??] instrument decay and again less intimate presentation of images in the midrange.

As far as I'm concerned, this fits with my perception of the Type-E (narrow bore) and AZLA Short (wide bore), which is why I don't like either. The AZLA in particular actually sounds very open with sometimes too much clarity and forwardness. I would perhaps say the opposite about decay.

 

[Noobzilla]

most treble: cp155
least treble: final e

Without reading the previous posts, I thought these were IEMs. "Canpur 1dd 5ba 5est.. interesting"

 

[chickenmcnug]

Gents,

Which non-foam eartips do attenuate treble most for you?

drftr

NF Audio MS42

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mP7Wkvo

 

[warrenpchi]

Canjam Day 2

 

[Noobzilla]

I legit thought there's fake storm circulating around.

@osocan 's pic I thought it was showing the real one (left) vs "fake" (right)

Then I saw @Sajid Amit 's "fake" storm pic then I thought, "of all people I don't think he would fall victim to a fake storm"

Asked my friends and turns out it's a real storm lol! *Shameful face palm

 

[gadgetgod]

Got to meet some good members from our WaterColler Thread today at the CanJam Day 1.

I have listened to a lot of products so far but Ice Lab Primastica and Eminent Ears Ruby have so far been my favourite <3 See you guys again tomorrow.

 

[Hypops]

Wait, I think he means:

Narrower bore: more bass, more (louder) mids, more upper-mids but less mid-treble or upper-treble -> narrower soundstage and faster [??] instrument decay and again more intimate presentation of images in the midrange.

Conversely, this means:

Wider bore: less bass, less mids, less upper-mids but more mid-treble or upper-treble -> wider soundstage and slower [??] instrument decay and again less intimate presentation of images in the midrange.

As far as I'm concerned, this fits with my perception of the Type-E (narrow bore) and AZLA Short (wide bore), which is why I don't like either. The AZLA in particular actually sounds very open with sometimes too much clarity and forwardness. I would perhaps say the opposite about decay.

No. The findings were actually the opposite. Wider bore led to more bass, narrow to less.