[Deezel177]

This is a very detailed response. My inexperience certainly shows here. While many things you said here were echoed previously in my thoughts, id like to highlight one thing drifter mentioned in his earlier response. The choice of drivers implemented is one important variable on sound. I'm sure that BA bass has a great impact on the entire presentation, because its dissipation means it will linger for less time, having the extenuated bass elapse less of the highs (if at all).

Such a design choice cant merely be overlooked as "coincidence". In this case, with people who have emphasis on driver implementation as design, its certainly intentional, and a major factor that i think cant be understated. So how much does this compensate for the difference in db you mention? when you look at the graph and talk about upper mids, i can agree that they are maybe attributing to lacking energy at times, however, i certainly wouldn't say they (vocals) are veiled or even recessed much at all. They might not be the MOST forward, but definitely not recessed. In fact, i think in many instances they can almost stand side-by-side with the bass in some tracks. If its the presence of something else residing in the the mids that is leading to this imbalance maybe i can agree, but certainly not vocals. I see no issue there. I think that it has no issues with its presentation. Personally, its missing nothing and has a fun, yet analytical, and balanced sound compared to many others.

I'm going to have to try more things. I think it would be repetitive and not constructive for me to keep sayin "everything's fine" when opinions have long been formed around this series of IEM. I take all graphs with a grain of salt after hearing Perpetua and seeing its graph. its left a burning desire to own one, and has had me rethinking graphs. I also want to hear TOTL technical monsters who maybe aren't as "fun" but are gripping with their technical prowess. Definitely have to try FW for sure. How are its technicalities?

Cheers,
Yaks

As @drftr said, 6dB is 6dB. Driver types mainly affect a note’s texture and weight. DDs are the slowest, but pack the biggest punch, ESTs are agile, but can sometimes feel wispy or floaty, and BAs are somewhere in between. But, when it comes to amplitude, they’re virtually identical.

They’re also mainly chosen based on how similar they are electrically; how difficult they are to string together with crossovers without wild impedance curves. But, that’s a convo for another time.

The Fei Wan has some of the best technical performance in IEMs today. I’ve just come back from CanJam SG comparing it against $6-8K flagships, and it easily holds its own. I’ve heard the same from friends who own said flagships. So, it’s definitely no slouch.

 

[gLer]

Which would y’all rather own XE6 or RN6

Ideally both. As a one-two punch there are very few IEM combinations that offer the same coverage with a world class bass-driven sound. As individuals, Xe6 needs to be 'tamed' to play the role of all-rounder whereas Rn6 is perfect out the box. Both are better versions of themselves in custom too. In fact I'd say the combination of custom Xe6+Rn6 is pretty much endgame if you enjoy the FIR aesthetic and sound.

 

[shinna]

It's not an upgrade option, but rather a separate cable that was for sale. Mark (the founder of MA) offered me to try the cable with Alter Ego. It was a Silver Alloy cable and i loved the pairing, it opens up the sound, gives more res, more texture to the sound. The cost of that cable was around $250.

Sorry for a late reply. But name or any information about that cable?

 

[MatW]

I'll +1 on Annihilator as being worth a look. The soundstage is not what I'd describe as massive, but then again I've never heard an IEM come close to the expansive "out of head" width you can get with open back headphones. I otherwise hear Anni's presentation to be close to what you're wanting. To my ears, excellent (yes, excellent) bass presentation in both quantity and quality, transparent yet full mids with good vocal focus if that's how the recording is mixed and a masterfully extended and present treble that's effortlessly smooth with nary a hint of metallic glare or harshness.

@MatW owns the HE1000 SE as well as "a few" TOTL IEMs so he may be able to offer some meaningful insight as to which IEMs closely match the tonality of the HEKSE / Stealth.

I own the HE1000 SE, not the Stealth version. The SE is pretty balanced, reference tuned, but with a noticeable treble presence and slightly thinner lower mids. The IEM equivalent that comes to mind is the Ragnar, but since the OP claims to be treble sensitive that option would be ruled out. The other suggestions made such as Jewel would likely be a better match.

I hesitate over the Ronin due to its lack of a dynamic driver for bass. I do love that physical impact. And I have had issues with the fit of Noble's older universals, like the Kaiser Encore. How does the Ronin fit, for you? Do it stick out a lot, or fit more or less flush with the ear?

The Ronin is a large IEM. I did not have issues with the fit personally, but I know others have. I am not sure I would recommend it as a HEKSE alternative, as the bass is quite loose, somewhat muddy to my ears, and the overall tuning quite flat. I do think of adding it back to the collection occasionally, but as a vocals specialist. It is one of the best looking IEMs out there.

Which would y’all rather own XE6 or RN6

Xe6 for me. Why do you ask? Didn't you own both at some point?

Camelot sounds great for its price, only notes I have are less technical than Jewel, very large and was slightly uncomfortable in my ear, also had some driver pressure/flex. I own the Jewel, passed on the Camelot. If driver flex doesn’t bother you and larger IEMs are comfortable for your ears it’s probably worth trying I think it punches above its price point sound wise but it’s not quit as technical as the Jewel.

I went the other way. Passed on the Jewel and own the Camelot. Compared to Jewel, Camelot might seem not that technical. But it has all the details. Even though the stock cable was fine, moving to Eletech Illiad, improved everything on Camelot. Camelot is no slouch with all the details, nice treble extension and beautiful bass, timbre. It is not aggressive and not in your face.Very enjoyable to my ears.

Agreed with both. I own the Jewel and had a brief listen to the Camelot. I was quite impressed, despite the short listen. I think the bass is better than the Jewel's. I may add it to the collection some day.

Interesting discussions around "fun" sounding TOTL iems; between Fei Wan, Trifecta, Xe6 and Ravens for metal music only, what would you guys choose with either an Se300 or a hugo2?

I listen to a lot of metal. For my preferences, none of the monitors mentioned here are great for metal. FW is quite energetic up top, and metal exposes the peaks like no other music genre (but I think I could get used to this one). The others mentioned have too much bass for metal imo. But it depends what type of metal you listen to. I think they would be fine for melodic metal such as Nightwish, but for faster subgenres like death and black metal I prefer the leaner, tighter bass of more reference tuned IEMs, such as Traillii, Jewel, Camelot, Kublai Khan, or those with present but slightly less boomy bass, e.g. Nio, Volür, Legend X, Bonneville, Annihilator. Fourte, Z1R and Ragnar are options too if you are not treble sensitive.

Hey guys, I'm currently demoing the Oriolus Monachaa, and I really like it. Compared to the Szalayi, it's much more resolving, has a bigger soundstage, and very good bass and subbass.

My only complaint is that it can be a bit harsh in the treble and can sound a bit sibilant in some recordings compared to the Szalayi. Does this will get better after the burn in? The only reason I returned the Szalayi was the fit. The Monachaa is better (smaller shell), but the nozzle is comparable and is causing some in-ear pressure and discomfort after 30 minutes. Do you have any tips, recommendations, or other ideas to address this problem?

The tip is to try various tips . None of the Oriolus IEMs fit me very well, but I do manage to find a good fit by experimenting with different tips.

 

[Deezel177]

FW is quite energetic up top, and metal exposes the peaks like no other music genre (but I think I could get used to this one). The others mentioned have too much bass for metal imo. But it depends what type of metal you listen to.

It depends on listening volume too, I think. I’ve long wondered why I don’t mind the FW’s treble, despite typically hating any amount of treble elevation. I’ve since discovered that I listen at a lower volume than most people, and the FW’s extra energy actually makes it super engaging at those volumes, combined with its effortless detail.

 

[drftr]

the bass is quite loose, somewhat muddy to my ears

First time I see this about Ronin and interesting because of its BA drivers. Can you describe why it comes across muddy for you?

drftr

 

[MatW]

First time I see this about Ronin and interesting because of its BA drivers. Can you describe why it comes across muddy for you?

I am certainly not the only one. It was described here as 'mushy' just yesterday I think, by @Deezel177. I bought the Ronin at the same time as (rebuying) the Traillii and Jewel, and in direct comparison I found it muddy sounding in the bass/lower mids area, and decided to let it go. In hindsight maybe I should have judged it on its merits, e.g. the mids which are very nice, and then I might have kept it as a specialist. As an allrounder though, it was not at the same level in my opinion.

 

[GiullianSN]

So much talk about U12t a few pages back that got me to dust them off to test this little beast. And a good cable in between.

 

[PinkyPowers]

I own the HE1000 SE, not the Stealth version. The SE is pretty balanced, reference tuned, but with a noticeable treble presence and slightly thinner lower mids. The IEM equivalent that comes to mind is the Ragnar, but since the OP claims to be treble sensitive that option would be ruled out. The other suggestions made such as Jewel would likely be a better match.

Thank you for the reply!

So you'd say the Jewel has smoother, less bright treble than Ragnar? How do their mids and bass compare?

 

[drftr]

mushy

Ah! I thought that was referring to the reduced impact of the bass. Tnx...

drftr

 

[MatW]

Thank you for the reply!

So you'd say the Jewel has smoother, less bright treble than Ragnar? How do their mids and bass compare?

For sure. The Jewel is comparatively subdued in the treble, esp. the lower treble. I think the bass is good on both, with nice texture, but quite reserved in terms of quantity on both. In part for that reason, both can come across as thin/clinical/analytical. The detail retrieval is excellent though.

If we are talking about generalists, I think I would still prefer the Traillii over either. Yes, the bass is BA but good quality and more elevated, extending a bit further into the lower mids and therebey adding some weight to the sound. The mids are great on both imo, with the Jewel sounding a tad more forward, but not too much for my taste.

 

[Lucikun]

So I’ve decided on buying an Rn6 to replace my over ear headphones. Recommendations on portable amp/dacs?

 

[rantng]

To me Kr5 had too little upper mids and treble to shine through the "bass cloud", exactly as in your picture.

drftr

LOL, bass cloud! Love that!

 

[Deezel177]

First time I see this about Ronin and interesting because of its BA drivers. Can you describe why it comes across muddy for you?

drftr

For me, the Ronin’s mushiness isn’t ‘cus of its drivers. It’s the tuning. Either it’s a bit rich in the upper-bass/low-mids, or it doesn’t quite have enough treble to cut that richness with IMO (they’re basically the same thing). I mean, that’s part of its romantic, lush appeal. It just didn’t work for me, personally, along with its massive footprint.

Thank you for the reply!

So you'd say the Jewel has smoother, less bright treble than Ragnar? How do their mids and bass compare?

Everything has smoother, less bright highs than Ragnar.

 

[PinkyPowers]

With Fir IEM's a topic of discussion, can someone explain how one can be described as "energetic", and another "dark" and "bright"? No pun-intended with the dark bright comment. These descriptors can be confusing, although i would say its a pretty apt description of the KR5, regardless of the wording used.
I can see the presence in the 2k range the KR5 lacks, and the difference in treble. Maybe a better topic would be a comparison of bass. I'm just intrigued with how similar the two graphs are really. Especially with how many compliments the FW gets from its improvements of Jewel. For KR5 its bass bloat though. Fei wan is carried by brand? Maybe fans really enjoy it. I should try it and compare.

Here's photos of my KR5 from my travels

If you think of treble as a light which reveals the details of a room, which, sonically, it does, then the more treble, the brighter the tonality. The less treble, the darker the tonality. Mid-bass does play a role in this, as well, as it can balance and counter the treble by thickening the midrange. This is how you can get what is known as Dark Bright; lots of mid-bass and lots of treble.