PinkyPowers
Reviewer: The Headphone List
Awesome write up! Thanks for sharing!Hey everyone! So, I realize my CanJam roundup is taking quite a while to finish, as usual. But, I didn’t wanna keep you waiting (or reading) for too long, so I’ve decided to split it into two halves: Pre-CanJam and CanJam Day!
This is Pre-CanJam.
So, going all the way back to the Wednesday my wife and I arrived in Singapore, the first pieces of gear I heard actually weren’t IEMs. They were STAX’s electrostatic headphones. Stopping by Plaza Singapura’s Stereo Electronics (one of my very first audio haunts when I moved here for college), I couldn’t resist auditioning the SR-009S and the L700MK2. Though their flagship, $6000 T-8000 energizer was there, I decided to test them with the $1300 SRM-400S instead, ‘cus I wanted to hear them in a setup I’d realistically buy. Feeding the energizer was the FiiO R7 DAC.
STAX SR-009S
The 009s delivered that quick, agile, uber-detailed sound they’re renowned for. Clarity and air were plentiful, and not in a way that was sharp or digital. However, I personally couldn’t jive with its midrange. I felt it was lacking around 1-2kHz - the region that determines chestiness and density - which gave off a slightly hollow timbre. Instruments felt too light; lacking substance. And, no matter what genre or mix I played, that quality was always there. So, ultimately, it was a preference mismatch that I heard off the jump and couldn’t get over. I probably would’ve liked it better with one of their tube amps, but, again, I wanted to keep the chain realistic to my budget.
STAX L700MK2
Now, this Lambda model was definitely more my speed. It had a warmer, fuller, more organic tone that rang truer to my ears. Its frequency response was a lot more even, and instruments came off meatier and fuller-formed. It didn’t quite have the agility, micro-detail retrieval or background blackness the 009S did. I think, aside from sheer technical differences, that’s inherent in their contrasting tunings too. But, honestly, I loved the headphone’s tonality enough to not care.
My only sonic qualm with the L700MK2 was a bit of treble glare around 7kHz, but a part of me feels it’s the R7’s Sabre DAC talking. I heard a similar treble timbre on FiiO’s M17. And, the ear pad openings also could’ve been a bit roomier to fit my wider ears. But, all in all, I thought it was a great headphone, and a solid buy if you want STAX's speed with a fuller, more organic tone.
The next day, after a long day out shopping and perusing with the wife, I decided to visit the famous Adelphi building - home to Jaben SG, AV One and Project Perfection - conveniently located right across our hotel. I stopped by AV One to get a balanced cable for my DCA ETHER 2 headphones, but I also decided to try a couple things while I was there. I auditioned the two DCA flagships - Stealth and Expanse - and found their tonalities not to my liking. One was a tad too bright, while the other was a tad too v-shaped. ‘Can’t recall which was which. But, before I left, I did try the Meze Audio Liric 2, which I liked far, far more.
Meze Audio Liric 2
(Photo taken from Moon Audio. ‘Forgot to take a photo of this one. Sorry.)
The Liric 2 reminded me quite a bit of the 109 Pro I tried last year. I thought that headphone was balanced, neutral-natural and versatile, if it wasn’t for a sudden 5kHz peak that gave everything a permanent tizz. The Liric 2 solved that issue entirely. Its treble region was far more linear and refined. So, it’s a balanced, neutral-natural, versatile headphone with, to me, no weak points to speak of. It’s one of those that’s hard to describe ‘cus it’s just nice, musical and appealing with anything you play through them. I think they’re the perfect coffee table headphone, where you can just sit and shuffle through your library or consume media without a care in the world.
The only reason I’m not considering one right now is because its ear pad openings were, again, a bit too narrow for me. While they weren't immediately uncomfortable, I could tell that I’d find them tight after 30-40 minutes. Fortunately, one of the Liric 2’s improvements over its predecessor are swappable, magnetic ear pads. And, I did make my complaint known to the Meze guys at CanJam. So, if they ever decide to release XL pads in the future, I’ll be the first in that queue. The Liric 2 is an excellent all-rounder of a headphone at a decent price.
Then, came Day 3, which is when I’d finally reunite with my fellow ‘Coolers. We rendezvoused in the Orchard area for lunch at my favorite fancy breakfast place, Wild Honey, and I was ecstatic to see faces; old and new. I had familiar hugs with @HiFiHawaii808, @yaps66 and @AxLvR, then shared new handshakes with @SkyWarrior and @AxLvR's friend, Bryan. We caught up, had amazing food and watched @SkyWarrior get poisoned by the Fei Wan + Orpheus combo in real-time.Then, we all bunched up in a cab and made our way to Effect Audio’s headquarters for a big round of demos.
Arriving there, we were graciously attended to by Suyang and the ever-lovely @JordonEA. And, we were very pleased to see Elysian Acoustic Labs’ Lee, Lime Ears’ Emil and Vision Ears’ Oliver, Amin and Marcel in attendance as well. After settling in, juice box and DAPs in hand, we started going at the in-ears they had on show, and first up was:
Elysian Acoustic Labs Pilgrim
The Pilgrim is an enjoyable, safe-sounding monitor, and I do mean that in the best way possible. It had a neutral-natural tonality with thumpy, just-warm-enough lows, a clean, yet well-supported midrange and a linear, unintrusive treble. I was surprised by reports that it was on the drier or leaner side, because I personally thought it had a good amount of mid-bass. As always, YMMV. And, I thought its sub-bass extended very nicely; level with (if not a tad above) the mid-bass. I felt it had a nice, physical thump, so those who found the Anni’s bottom-end lacking should have no complaints here (especially given the price point).
Its midrange was tight, yet dense and present; indicative of a low-mid dip, followed by a 1-2kHz rise. Though, I felt the warmth of the mid-bass was more-than-enough to compensate. So, while vocals did seem tightened, they were always cushioned by a light, trailing shadow of mid-bass. Up high, I was impressed to hear a linear, decently-extended treble. I appreciated the fact that it had no sudden peaks in a desperate grasp for clarity. Instead, cymbals and hi-hats were even, refined and focused; ever-so-slightly soft on the transient, but effortless in cutting through the mix. The treble as a whole was positioned below the apex of the midrange to my ears, which, again, serves to boost both the in-ear’s naturalness and versatility.
Technically, I think the in-ear punched decently above its price point. Though its staging was a bit on the tighter side - barely out-of-head in width, and even less so in depth - I thought it had the accuracy and organization to not let it be a problem. Notes were well-separated and placed, and they were resolved decently well too. It’s not gonna pull any trees out the ground, but for the price, you’d be hard-pressed to ask for more. That’s not even to mention its lovely metal build. ‘Great work from Lee altogether.
Elysian Acoustic Labs x Effect Audio Pilgrim Noir (with a prototype shell)
Now, the Noir edition of the Pilgrim - with its additional mid-driver and more complex crossover - was a punchier, more saturated version of the IEM. Technically, I felt its left-right separation was improved. Stereo spread was a bit cleaner and more convincing. And, it had stronger dynamics too, both ‘cus of the fuller tuning, as well as a deeper sense of oomph overall. The Noir didn’t seem as bassy to me, because of its further-pushed midrange, the lower half of which sounded meatier, while the upper half gained vibrance.
To me, though, I didn’t feel the Noir was a strict upgrade over the original. Sure, it had technical improvements here and there, but it was enough of a tonal and presentational change that it felt more like a sidegrade than an upgrade to me. I personally think both versions are equally viable. Heck, ‘gun to my head, I preferred the overall balance of the OG. So, if you’re torn about which version to get or feeling any FOMO towards the pricier Noir, know that it’s not as clear of a decision as you may think. It’s ultimately down to what kinda sound you prefer more.
Lime Ears Terra (Green)
The next in-ear I tried was a prototype of Lime Ears’ upcoming (AFAIK, not-flagship) Terra. Emil brought a silver and a green prototype, the former safer-sounding - more subdued - than the latter, and I strongly preferred the latter. It was an addictively-musical, vividly-melodic singer of an IEM. Whether it was vocals, horns, keys or strings, the Terra made them beam in a captivating way; as if the performer was pushing that extra bit harder. It never got too upper-mid forward or forceful either. The in-ear had strong, open dynamics, which meant those ebbs and flows of energy felt natural and cohesive. To a degree, it was like a brighter (or lighter) version of the Vision Ears VE X; both adept at invoking soul out of every recording.
The in-ear’s spatial presentation reflected this as well. It’s not an in-ear where everything’s laid out super-evenly in a concave hall. It’s an intimate, groovy, you’re-on-stage-with-them kind of image. But, instruments remained well-separated, clean-cut and sufficiently organized. For me, the only thing Emil could improve is a tiny bit of sub-bass. I felt the lows were high-quality, and it didn’t necessarily need any more for, say, jazz or acoustic. But, to make it a stronger all-rounder, it wouldn’t hurt to have 1-2 more dB of sub-bass. When I told Emil this, he said that he actually took a couple dB of sub-bass away from this unit before he brought it to Singapore. So, as soon as he puts at least a little bit of it back, I think he’s got a winner on his hands; some of the most addictive mids I’ve heard in recent memory.
Lime Ears Anima V2
After the Terra prototypes, I heard the second revision of Emil’s flagship IEM: The Anima. I reviewed the original some time ago, and I found it expansive, spacious and ultra airy (almost too much so), but it was tough to fit and properly drive. With the V2, Emil cut down the shell’s size by 25%, and he replaced the ESTs with brand-new, easier-to-drive, BA supertweeters.
Sonically, the Anima V2 was somewhat U-shaped. It pushed its midrange back for that open, hall-like presentation. Its resolution and detail retrieval were top-notch like the V1’s were, which was a welcome sight. Its bass was also as impressive as the OG’s in my opinion; full, weighty and nicely-paced. It had a thumpy, thwock-y slam to it, which I found super-satisfying. Its vocals were neutral as mentioned, shining through detail and texture, rather than presence or soul like the Terra’s did.
My only qualm with the in-ear was its treble. I felt like the Anima V2 was headed in a downward trend from its centre-mids to its high-mids, only to suddenly jump up in presence as it hit the treble. Its highs were a bit too edgy for a midrange this neutral, I feel, and they needed to sorta meet in the middle. So, the Anima V2 had stellar detail, space and bass, but lacked cohesion between the mids and highs, unfortunately.
And, that wraps up everything I tried at Effect Audio’s HQ (or, everything I can publicly talk about, anyway).
Next on the itinerary was Zeppelin & Co.’s massive, pre-CanJam event, and I think these pictures pretty much sum up how massive it really was:
In attendance were folks from Jomo Audio, Flash Acoustics, Icelab HK, DITA, Nostalgia Audio, Canpur, HEDD, dCS, 7th Acoustic, Elysian Acoustic Labs, Nightjar Acoustics and Subtonic Audio. ‘Apologies, if I’m forgetting anyone.
Also in attendance was the man himself, @jude Mansilla.
And, joining us later in the event were Empire Ears’ very own Jack Vang, Vision Ears’ Amin, Marcel and Oliver, Lime Ears’ Emil and Mass-Kobo’s Matsuda-san.
The event was an awesome chance to hear each person talk about their brand, their ambitions and tease what they were bringing to CanJam Singapore. There were also a couple games that involved audience participation. And, I also got to meet @Crazeee for the first time, who, like all the other ‘Coolers, was just a pleasure to talk to and be around all weekend.
But, cutting right to the chase, there, Jack graciously gave us the opportunity to try out EE’s brand-new prototype: The Triton.
Empire Ears Triton
To me, the Triton is Empire’s first basshead IEM since their venerable Legend X. It’s a warm, thumping in-ear with a convex (or slow-falling) drop from the sub-bass to low-mids, resulting in a lush, syrupy timbre throughout. From its low-mids, it only rises slightly in its upper-mids, so you won’t get that brassy, saturated tonality that made the ODIN and Legend EVO such divisive in-ears. Instead, lead instruments here have a deep, earthy, husky tone; a bit darker than they are vibrant. The treble follows suit, opting for linear uniformity over sheer cut. I heard a slight 5kHz peak for clarity, a dip in the mid-treble to avoid etches and ticks, then a very stable, sufficiently airy upper-treble.
Despite its fatter, smokier notes and mellower transients, I found the Triton quite impressive in technical performance. It wasn’t the sharpest imager or the keenest detailer, but I thought it was superb in background blackness - allowing those huskier notes to still stand out and leap off the backdrop - and in staging. It was a wide, open in-ear with solidly-built, strongly-tactile notes. So, it probably won’t dethrone any of your more reference-y flagships, and it probably isn't the most versatile in-ear in the world. But, if you’re specifically after that basshead sound or, moreover, were an admirer of the OG Legend X, the Triton is as good a candidate (and successor) as you can get.
P.S. I’ve heard word that EE may seek to give the Triton a wee bit more balance, without losing its basshead sensibilities. If they can pull that off, my 2nd criticism may not even apply. Fingers crossed! Also, there’s reason to believe that it won’t have eye-watering, flagship pricing. So, do keep that in mind.
And, that’s a wrap on Part 1! As always, I hope you guys enjoy what limited coverage I have to share. The CanJam Day portion is even longer, so please wait while I finish it up; hopefully, by the end of the week. In any case (and I’ll say this again in Part 2), I can’t express how much of a joy it was to spend time with the incredible individuals I’m honored to call my friends. Every new ‘Cooler I meet is always the kindest, warmest soul with a unique (and equally-fiery) passion for music, and I couldn’t be happier with how this community @Rockwell75 started has grown and developed. Again, I'll have more to say in Part 2, I hope you guys had a good time reading, and I’ll see y'all later!
In other news...
The new V281 Reissue sure looks nice sitting on my desk. Sounds even better.
