[wolfstar76]

My son who is a professional photographer was visiting today from Columbus and took pictures throughout the eclipse, intending to make a collage. So I didn't need to do anything except watch. Truly a life-changing experience.

Wonderful picture, here is another one

 

[aaf evo]

My son who is a professional photographer was visiting today from Columbus and took pictures throughout the eclipse, intending to make a collage. So I didn't need to do anything except watch. Truly a life-changing experience.

Beautiful picture! Back in 2017 when the last total solar eclipse occurred in the states (if I’m not mistaken) I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise that sailed into the path of totality a little distance out off the east coast into the Atlantic ocean. Getting a view of a total solar eclipse with a wide open ocean was one of the most incredible and surreal experiences I have ever had. I need to dig for the pictures I took but wow… literally a once in a lifetime experience. It was unbelievable.

We were a little out of the path of totality here in Houston but we had thick clouds blocking the sun so it was virtually impossible to see anyways. Regardless, I am super thankful to have seen it back in 2017.

 

[warrenpchi]

A bit off topic, and out of the blue, and probably way belated, but I'd like to thank @HiFiHawaii808 for our badges.

Having a little insight into how much these things cost, and doing some dead reckoning as to how many have been made over the years, that's a non-trivial sum. But beyond that, I appreciate the extra bandwidth that it takes to organize the batches, flying them around the world, and literally hand delivering them to us.

Thank you @HiFiHawaii808!

 

[emdeevee]

A bit off topic, and out of the blue, and probably way belated, but I'd like to thank @HiFiHawaii808 for our badges.

Having a little insight into how much these things cost, and doing some dead reckoning as to how many have been made over the years, that's a non-trivial sum. But beyond that, I appreciate the extra bandwidth that it takes to organize the batches, flying them around the world, and literally hand delivering them to us.

Thank you @HiFiHawaii808!

Couldn't agree more that it's belated!! Thanks, @HiFiHawaii808, for these awesome little things (my kids laugh at it which makes me happy)! And for everything you do for us, no expectations!

 

[thaslaya]

A bit off topic, and out of the blue, and probably way belated, but I'd like to thank @HiFiHawaii808 for our badges.

Having a little insight into how much these things cost, and doing some dead reckoning as to how many have been made over the years, that's a non-trivial sum. But beyond that, I appreciate the extra bandwidth that it takes to organize the batches, flying them around the world, and literally hand delivering them to us.

Thank you @HiFiHawaii808!

I hope to earn my own at SoCal this year

 

[Frankie D]

Eclipse through the phases :

 

[Frankie D]

Eclipse from NY:

 

[warrenpchi]

I hope to earn my own at SoCal this year

And to do the traditional Watercooler pic!

Eclipse from NY:

I read that so wrong!

 

[ejong7]

Also, did anyone get to try the SoftEars x Effect Audio Enigma?

Looking for more feedback to see if I should run a tour for this one.

Copying over what I mentioned on the SG Canjam thread:

I personally think it has a surgical room level cleanliness to it’s sound - no treble glare but not overalls extended, some thump at the bass side but will lead to many think it’s bass light. Mids clear but not lush for your vocal tracks. It however makes a lot of genres easy to listen to since it does not do anything wrong.

I wouldn’t call it analytical (it’s still detailed but not cold). It just felt like it’s measuring flat if my ears are the measuring equipment. At the price range they are looking at (north of $3000), felt that it should come with an undeniable wow factor for me to part with my money. This coming from a huge fan of the Softears line of products (Tremolo, RSV, Turii Ti among my favourites).

 

[bigbeans]

Beautiful picture! Back in 2017 when the last total solar eclipse occurred in the states (if I’m not mistaken) I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise that sailed into the path of totality a little distance out off the east coast into the Atlantic ocean. Getting a view of a total solar eclipse with a wide open ocean was one of the most incredible and surreal experiences I have ever had. I need to dig for the pictures I took but wow… literally a once in a lifetime experience. It was unbelievable.

We were a little out of the path of totality here in Houston but we had thick clouds blocking the sun so it was virtually impossible to see anyways. Regardless, I am super thankful to have seen it back in 2017.

Meanwhile many of us here march on the path of ToTL'ity, with no end in sight

 

[wolfstar76]

A bit off topic, and out of the blue, and probably way belated, but I'd like to thank @HiFiHawaii808 for our badges.

Having a little insight into how much these things cost, and doing some dead reckoning as to how many have been made over the years, that's a non-trivial sum. But beyond that, I appreciate the extra bandwidth that it takes to organize the batches, flying them around the world, and literally hand delivering them to us.

Thank you @HiFiHawaii808!

Absolutely agree, we all thank you @HiFiHawaii808, I got mine as part of the first batch during 2022 SoCal CanJam and it becomes my headfi Avatar.

 

[Valrhona]

Well, I carried a DMP all around CanJam SG and now the SP3000Cu feels like a lego brick! I can testify that it works!

I'd do the same if I could.

 

[Rockwell75]

Hey guys! I've had an incredible week and I'm super grateful for the opportunity to connect with fellow coolers in person, including @HiFiHawaii808 @yaps66 @metaljem77 @AxLvR @RonaldS86 @lycos @SkyWarrior @Deezel177 and a few other new friends, to share our passion for this delightful head-fi rabbit hole. It is truly a once in a life time experience for me!

I spent a day and a half at the show and got the chance to demo quite a bit of gear. I was really impressed with several of the new products and I'm seriously struggling to resist the urge to snag a few for myself.

Apologies for the lengthy post, but here goes! The items I'm mentioning aren't in any particular order.

Luxury and Precision E7 Exclusive Version

This DAP is a game-changer for me, with its great technicalities and power, feeding my Mason and Creator just right. The three tuning modes really blew me away, offering different fantastic flavors—HD expanded the soundstage and brought out the sub-bass, HT smoothed out the vocals and made them lusher, and LD provided a more neutral tuning. The potential to experiment with various IEMs and tuning modes to find the perfect match is exciting.

I did an A/B comparison with my P6Pti, and while I still prefer the vocals on the P6Pti, the E7 excels in instrument presentation—perhaps it's the DAC. But considering E7's flexibility, it's probably going to be a new addition to my collection.

Melodic Artification - Alter Ego

This was the star of the show for me, a brand I wasn't familiar with until their recent splash in the Chinese market. It's an expertly tuned tri-brid set with a 1DD 4BA 4EST driver configuration and a semi-open back titanium shell that feels superb in hand. There's a tuning toggle that shifts between sound profiles; pushing it up injects more energy into the sound and enriches the vocals, reminiscent of the VE Phonix. With an MSRP around $2,500, I have no doubt this gem will take off once more people get a chance to demo it. It's a versatile tuning that's ideal for those looking to own just one IEM and perhaps bow out of the hobby.


Worth noting is I tried to pair Alter Ego with an unreleased flagship pure silver cable from China, made of pure silver with the implementation of a proprietary noise reduction fabric, it paired well with Creator, Mason IMO compared to other flagship cables I have tried, and also augmented the clarity and vocal fullness to my ear, one of the best pairing I have tried. Will share more when I get the details from the manufacturer.

Subtonic Storm with SS8 / Duality Prototype

My first encounter with Subtonic's gear was a pleasure, especially getting to meet @Chang in person during the week. The Storm has lived up to its hype for me, handling most music genres with a reference tuning that doesn't overwhelm with treble or bass. Paired with the SS8, a seriously thick cable, it takes the Storm's soundstage and detail to the next level—a true summit-fi experience. Per Ben and Jim's recommendation, I tried the SS8 with Viking and it was insanely good—the best I've experienced with Viking, though the ergonomics are a bit of a setback...

The Duality Prototype has a fun, well-articulated bass and a V-shaped tuning that I enjoyed during my brief listen. I'm looking forward to a more extensive demo session to really suss it out.

Noble Sultan Gold/ Sultan Damascus with Diamond/ Onyx


As a self-proclaimed Noble fan, it was great catching up with Jim and the crew. We had a good chat and even snapped a photo with the Sultans and my Viking Damascus.


Sultan Gold stood out to me. After a quick A/B comparison with the Sultan Damascus Diamond, I found myself favoring the Gold version every time. It offers lush vocals and superb spatial representation, surpassing my Nodachi as my preferred vocal specialist from Noble. The Sultan Damascus Diamond, while similar to the standard Damascus I've tried before, was a tad too aggressive in the treble for my taste.


I was quite taken with the Onyx—it takes the excellent tuning from the Kublai Khan up a notch with its spherical soundstage and great bass. It's particularly impressive with instrumental tracks, like soundtracks, where it strikes a fine balance of technical prowess, soundstage presence, and bass energy. It's less resolving than my Viking but a technical step up from the KK. Definitely one to acquire in the future.

Eminent Ears - Ruby/ Vortex Cables


Another newcomer from HK, the Ruby caught my attention with its bass presentation, maintaining excellent treble clarity. The Vortex Eddie silver cable enhanced its clarity without becoming piercing, meshing well with Ruby. This is another set I'm eager to spend more time with.



On the side note I also enjoyed Minerva, quite a bang for buck cable with enhanced dynamics and clarity on my Noble MuZiGe.

Grand Maestro Anniversary Edition/ New Module


As a Grand Maestro owner, I was thrilled to hear the updated Anniversary Edition. Although the driver configuration remains the same, the new full metal shell offers improved fit and seems to bring out more detail in the treble and sub-bass, albeit subtly—it's still the Grand Maestro we know. The new module maintains the bass energy and quantity found in the black module and adds a more pronounced vocal presence akin to the blue module. It's a really well-tuned addition, in my opinion.

Other stuffs I demoed include:
- The new NGAudio Flagship prototype (Very warm, full sounding with a lush vocal presentation, well tuned treble and I like it more than Erebus)
- SP3000T (I like it better than SP3000, warmer sound with a good control of bass)
- Novus (my EE favourite since Odin, very great soundstage presentation and well balanced tuning)
- QDC Emperor (All rounded tuning but sounded a little bit boring to my ears)
- Canpur prototype (Fun, V shaped sounding IEM, solid but outshined by other releases IMO)
- Lotoo wireless receiver (Great wireless streaming sound and is capable to stream DSD, look forward to their final release)

There's still a heap of stuff worth mentioning, but I'll save that for next time...I will definitely come back again in 2025!

Great post. Novus is my favorite EE so far also.

The only thing I cant keep my mind open for is Trifecta, which sounds as wonky tuned and low res as it does.

Recently gave it another go, the things popularity remains an enigma for me.

/hide

I feel the same way about the u12t-- to me it sounds dry, dull and unnatural and it sucks the life & soul out of whatever it plays. And yet it is a very popular IEM. This used to be a great mystery to me until one day I just accepted that there is no one ideal way to hear and present sound and that many people hear, perceive and judge things differently.

Regarding your earlier comment on bass. I think that broadly speaking there are two modes of listening-- on the one hand you can listen for information, how much is there, now it is presented and organized etc. This might be called an "analytic" approach to listening. On the other end of the spectrum is listening for "feeling" which is less concerned with the presentation of information and more concerned with, as the name implies, the "feel" of the sound. Most people and transducers are a combination of both and fall somewhere in the middle however people who prefer DD presenations are generally more concerned with "feel" and people who gravitate towards BAs are more interested in the amount and quality of the information being presented. Of all ares of the FR bass seems to be the one where people most fixate on the "feel" hence DD bass being quite a popular thing in some quarters. Unfortunately the Annihilator is imho a poor example to use as for many of us it's not a great example of high quality DD bass. YMMV etc.

My son who is a professional photographer was visiting today from Columbus and took pictures throughout the eclipse, intending to make a collage. So I didn't need to do anything except watch. Truly a life-changing experience.

Wonderful thank-you for sharing.

A bit off topic, and out of the blue, and probably way belated, but I'd like to thank @HiFiHawaii808 for our badges.

Having a little insight into how much these things cost, and doing some dead reckoning as to how many have been made over the years, that's a non-trivial sum. But beyond that, I appreciate the extra bandwidth that it takes to organize the batches, flying them around the world, and literally hand delivering them to us.

Thank you @HiFiHawaii808!

I feel like such a...tw@t...for losing mine.

 

[metaljem77]

Crappy and lazy unboxing photos. Colour pairing with Blue Hour is a match made in heaven

 

[bukumurah]

I feel the same way about the u12t-- to me it sounds dry, dull and unnatural and it sucks the life & soul out of whatever it plays. And yet it is a very popular IEM. This used to be a great mystery to me until one day I just accepted that there is no one ideal way to hear and present sound and that many people hear, perceive and judge things differently.

I have a lot of personal experience driving the U12t with top-end DAPs, Amps.. as well as rolling cables (a few), and soooo many tips..

My impressions of the U12t based on the different components VARY GREATLY from them being flawless to mediocre to somewhat annoying to downright traumatic (in one case).. I would say that these U12t are very transparent and chameleon-like, and extremely system dependent.. but even in the best case synergy when they are (sort of) flawless tonality and technicality wise, I still would never call their sound soulfull or lush.. not even the venerable and 'ultra thick' WM1Z could make the U12t sound emotional AT ALL..

Nevertheless the U12t are excellent monitor and reference IEMs.. an honest impression from me for people who might be considering these

Cheers and thanks so much!