Some tips recommendation to push the mids in apx se is JVC Spiral dot++ or the Eletech baroque. For me spiral dot pushed the mid forward but not as much as the baroque.
But I’m still juggling between the stock clear silicone tips and the spiral dot.
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
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But I’m still juggling between the stock clear silicone tips and the spiral dot.
Woo-hoo! Safe flights!Spending a few days with this beauty, thanks to @Dsnuts and Emil from Lime Ears of Poland! This is the Lime Ears Terra, 6-driver hybrid, priced exactly where my other Polish iem, Custom Art F5 is at, about $1200. Lots of great stuff from Poland including the recently tested Craft Ears Omnium!
This one is also a beauty and we will get familiar over the next week!
Well, there are no evidence, only signs.
Yes, awesome pictures (and valuable reflections)!Hey friends! I’ve had two very cool demo IEMs the last few weeks or so, and I wanted to share some impressions. This could be called a mini review even, knowing my penchant for long windedness and details
The KE4
This is a new one from Kiwi Ears, a more budget minded brand from China. At $200 this is their second more expensive, but don’t let the price fool you. They sound awesome! I was really, really surprised. After 200hrs the DDs opened up and I was treated to a full on “big-Boy” IEM sound. While the stock cable is 3.5mm, and leaves A LOT to be desired, swap it out for an upgrade cable and you’ll be in for surprise. Pair this thing up with a quality DAP too, and we’re reaching far above the price tier. The tech included, like the isobaric DDs seem to come from an IEM on a totally different level. From the Kiwi Ears website:
The Kiwi Ears KE4 is a groundbreaking in-ear monitor that starts fresh with a new design,
featuring a 2 Dynamic Driver (2DD) isobaric sub-woofer system combined with 2 Balanced Armature (2BA) full-range and tweeter speakers.
The dual custom 10mm dynamic drivers are specifically tuned to focus on sub-bass impact and slam, making kick drums and bass guitars stand out with remarkable presence. Additionally, the RAD 33518 BA driver, customized with enhanced ventilation, ensures a seamless integration of bass with the midrange, providing lush, textured vocals and instruments. The inclusion of an American-made Knowles RAD 33518 tweeter delivers pristine, natural-sounding treble with excellent upper-frequency extension, resulting in an airy and detailed sound signature.
The packaging is about what you’d expect for the price. A box with some nice design, a small carrying case, the cable and IEMs. Some basic tips too. As I said, for my uses, the stock cable is basically a throw away piece. I don’t listen to 3.5mm, though I do supposed out of my old iPod Classic it could be cool. All said, I tried the stock cable and immediately swapped it out for my reference testing Astral Acoustics Silver Ref. Immediate upgrade in all aspects, big difference. I do feel perhaps Kiwi could at least offer a balanced cable option. Of course for a $200 IEM it is totally acceptable, especially given the market for this price of IEM. As time moves on though, 3.5mm won’t be used as much in lower end devices, and Daps usually have balanced out. Making the cable balanced is as simple as swapping the plug, so something to think about Kiwi?
The shells are nicely shaped, and the quality seems very good. Black resin shells and metal faceplates give me a sense of quality seemingly the same as Canpur 622B or similar. So that’s saying something. It doesn’t feel like a $200 IEM, and while the stock cable feels thin and cheap, adding an upgrade cable gives great results that also feel quite solid.
How does it sound? KE4 is great! (especially for $200) A bit on the warm side, with good note weight, and a mild V tuning with somewhat recessed mids highlighting the bass and treble. Surprisingly good resolution and details. Stage is nice too, with some decent 3D imaging and surround sound kind of presentation. Of course this isn’t summit level details, but with a good DAP and decent cable you’re getting there for sure. Overall this is a great relaxed all rounder that works with everything. It’s unapologetically smooth and enjoyable, batting far above its price range.
KE4 has, as could be expected from an isobaric dual DD setup, really great bass that has very good texture and punch. Bass is a bit lifted, as are the lower lids which only occasionally could get slightly muddy. This gives the KE4 a nice body and power. Mids are quite good, instrument placement is more to the sides, with nice natural vocals sitting right in the middle. Details seem very good, especially given the price. The Upper mids and treble are nicely resolving, with the clever use of small dip and peaks to make it more relaxed. You can hear micro details quite well, sparkle too, but other parts of the detail range can be smoothed out. I didn’t find it overly distraction or veering the tuning in a strong way, but you know it’s there. Lower treble has a touch of pinna gain, but it’s pretty minor; with most musical styles I find it blends into the mix well adding some detail, only on grainier music like rock and metal does the extra bite feel noticeable. Even then. It’s quite fine. Overall it’s a fantastic IEM with an all day all rounder sound that is very enjoyable and fatigue free. Balanced, fun, engaging and exceptionally good for $200.
Stage is actually fairly wide, and despite the mids feeling a bit distant for my tastes, I forgot quite often I was listening to a very “budget” IEM. Despite dual DDs they are very easy to drive. While I’m not normally a fan of V shaped tunings, the KE4 works very well, and realistically I can’t find a solid complaint about them, given the price. They could be more than triple the price and I’d feel the same. This is my intro to Kiwi Ears and I must say, I am really impressed. As a summit level guy, these sort of shattered my thinking of what an IEM can do for much, much, much less money.
Lime Ears Terra
Moving to the Terra is quite a step up, coming in at 5 times the price. The Terra is more resolving, more open, more refined. It’s not really fair to compare them AB but such was my time with both of these. The fact that I can include the KE4 in the same sentence is testament enough I feel.
Lime Ears is from Poland, run by the ever funny @emil. He’s such hoot, I always enjoy getting messages from him, he’s so inspired and really enjoys what he does. The Terra is a new one, sporting very light and nicely textured green metal shells adorned with gorgeous opal faceplates that are a Lime Ears signature move. Depending on the angle they go from green and orange, to blue and red, and many combinations in-between. One of the nicest faceplates I’ve seen, they are gorgeous. The Terra is another testament to what can be done for less, with the right knowhow and vigilance. This $1100 IEM has a very top end fit and feel, with a sound to match. From the LE website:
6 drivers, hybrid construction, four-way crossover
One 7mm Titanium-Diaphragm DD for infra-sub frequencies
Two BAs for low-mid frequencies
Two BAs for mid-high frequencies
One 2023 Knowles RAU New Generation BA for ultra-high frequencies
MAIN FEATURES
TiTE™ Module
HERO Super Tweeter
VariBore™ Acoustic Design
SAAS Core
Polymer Impregnated Synthetic Opal (PISO) Multi-tone Crystalline Bello Opal Faceplate
The packaging, as would be expected of an IEM at 5x the price, is quite a bit nicer. Pretty box, custom cardboard sleeves for tips and papers, a nice green leather puck case, and a more expensive stock cable. The puck case is nice, and works well fro daily use. Unfortunately, the stock cable is almost a throw away item for me again. Looks like pure copper, and it sounds ok, but it’s so plasticky I found it hard to use. It coils up when I didn’t want it to. It’s so shiny, instead of imparting a sense of quality, it just feels cheap. It does sport custom hardware in a textured matte gunmetal, grey that is quire nice. I don’t mean to be overly harsh, and given the price of the IEM it’s probably about right, but I once again swapped it out after an hour. First was my Astral Silver Ref, and eventually I was really enjoying it with Beat Audio’s Orbit Saga. Yes, the cables costs as much as 6 of these IEMs, but it’s a very neutral and transparent cable that doesn’t affect the tuning at all, just making it all better. So I am hearing the stock tuning, just the best possible.
One thing to say right off the bat they are pretty chunky. For metal shells they are very light though, so it’s not intrusive. They are very comfortable, with a short nozzle, the shell is simply quite large, enough to stick out of your ears a bit. Also, while the nozzle is shorter, the cylindrical area at the end, where the tip sits, is longer than normal. See in the photos. Meaning, if you use lower profile tips like Baroques, when the tip is fully seated, there is less flexible area at the umbrella end, or even that the metal nozzle can stick out a bit. You can keep the tip a bit further out, but as you wear them it slides down and you have to adjust it each time. I have the same issue with Rhapsodio Supreme V3, which doesn’t have a lip to prevent sliding. The Terra does have a lip, but it’s so long that it can make the fit and comfort a bit of a challenge. Of course if you’re using full size tips it will be less of a problem, or maybe not for your ears, you be the judge.
In many ways the Terra reminds me of the Aroma Jewel, with a more reference and leaner presentation. In fact the more I listened to it, the more I felt this way. Seeing as the Jewel is around $5k this was very surprising to me. I’m not saying it’s on the same level, but I got that feeling on more than one occasion. It has that tight D bass that is on the reserved side quantity wise, but whose punch and texture are awesome. Deep and rumbly, tight, waiting to pounce when called upon. It has very clear and resolving mids, medium to neutral note weight, with a very familiar upper mid peak that adds some energy and bite, and a relaxed upper treble. Speaking of upper mids, while the pinna isn’t aggressively done, and is less bright than Jewel, it does sort of lead the sound signature. Even though it’s subtle enough, it does draw a fair amount of attention. I don’t mean this in a negative way, I know this type of tuning is very popular. It’s very resolving, clean and clear, with nice bite and clarity. Vocals don’t sound shouty or sibilant, it just leans a touch in the clarity over emotion direction. Overall it’s a very impressive sounding IEM, especially for the price.
While I’m not saying you need to use a super expensive cable on this to make it sound good, not at all, I am saying the Terra scales very well, and if you have an extra cable it will probably be better than the stock. Silver Ref, Orbit Saga, a few lower end Rhapsodios I have, all made a nice improvement. And of course, adding a good source with plenty of power is always a good idea. Using stock there is less upper mid bite, but in exchange for that a modest softening of the rest of the spectrum, and a loss of some detail. Bass feels softer and less punchy, mids feel more thin and anemic comparatively. As is the case with all IEMs, singers is king. You’ll certainly enjoy the Terra with stock, I just think you’ll enjoy it much more with a better cable.
In conclusion, Terra is quite amazing for the price, and while $1100 is nothing to scoff at, it’s also pretty low considering the state of IEM pricing at the moment. Terra steps it up nicely, and we’re getting into top level here. If you liked the Aroma Jewel, you should definitely give the Terra a listen, it’s great!
The KE4 is a safe, great all rounder choice, you really can’t go wrong here. I look forward to checking out some other IEMs they make, perhaps something mid focused could be in the future for me!
I wish to thank Lime Ears’ @He_Is_Emil for sending me the demo to try. And thanks to @EvelynZ for the KE4 demo as well.
Thanks for reading friends!
(I have had to check what a hoot is, but well, I guess you're right
)
No. It will allow for stronger bass and more sub-bass if your IEM can produce it. While still allowing every detail to be heard, it will add a touch of smoothing to mids and treble. A highly detailed IEM is the perfect match for it and it is fabulous with Traillii.
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looks like my centurion has lost signal to the left, is there someone stateside I can send this to or do I have to send it all the way to effect audio?
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Nevermind it was just the connection needed to be tightened, I will never get used to recognizing thats the issue, i like the way you can swap connections but ruined my whole morning listening because I thought my dac was broke then my cable lol.
APX Se reacts wonderfully to tubes and r2r sources especially in the mids segment. Currently rocking stock cable with dark silicone tips, L&P P6 Pro, LP6 Ti and SP3000T all produce beautiful mids, I dont feel I miss anything there, even next to my Traillii. With highly analytical "neutral" coldish sources it didnt sound that good to my ear.
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yea i'm using it with my centurion + hugo2 + cdm, sublime. Is this what summit fi sounds like? seems like it might be. Centurion gives some nice extension to the sub bass, goes deeper. This is one of the best tube friendly IEM's i've ever heard, you are correct it loves tubes. Sounds so liquid warm now.
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Must be Terra week, I got one in too:
It's even better looking in real life somehow!
It's even better looking in real life somehow!
tone.texture.soul
100+ Head-Fier
Thanks bud!
I know exactly what you mean about the mids being “pushed back”, meaning away from you. That doesn’t necessarily mean recessed, but I know what you mean. One of the only tiny gripes I have with APX SE is the placement of mids being further away than I like. The OG Traillii is another one that does this.
There are some ways to balance this. One, Acoustune AEX07 tips push the mids forward, and despite not being the most comfortable they have the perfect sound for me. Unfortunately my small canals make it hard to use them often, as with the APX SE, but they’ll do the trick. Try Baroques too.
Cables are a great way to change the SE, you know I’m a big cables guy. In speaking about Orphy, which I’ve owned twice and have 1000 hours with, the definition recessed and further away become more important. Orphy does place the mids further away from you, absolutely it does. But it also makes them bigger, thicker, and far more detailed and dynamic. So they may seem more in your face, but they are placed further away from you. A quick AB with almost any other cable will show this, but that’s not important. So while Orphy will make your SE mids godly, it won’t bring them “closer” to you.
Orphy and SE is maddeningly good combo. If you can swing it financially, it’s tops. Another option is 1950s/shielding. That does bring the mids quite a bit closer, and is a lovely combo too. Less warm and spread then Orphy, a bit more surgical and clean.
I loved the SE with the BA Valhalla. While being absurdly expensive, it’s freakishly good too. It brings the mids closer, makes them bigger/thicker/ and somehow spreads them wide to the level of Orphy. It’s also kind of darkish, like Orphy, sort of. They are very different but I loved them both with SE. Both give the SE god like bass, and wonderful mids.
If you absolutely need mids to be front and center, APX SE isn’t that. You can change it somewhat, but nothing will completely change an IEM. You can also just enjoy it for what it is
MRT-Man
500+ Head-Fier
I tried Orpheus, Shirogane and Fifth Ode on the APX SE. All were great, in different ways, and definitely a step up from the stock cable. Found the stage too narrow with the stock and the mid bass too thick.
Shiro was firmly my favorite. It leans out the mid bass while making the sub bass very impactful and articulate.
bossfan48009
100+ Head-Fier
Great impressions. Thank you. Did you ever try the Nightjar SS 8W on the SE? I would be curious of your impressions. ThanksThanks bud!
I know exactly what you mean about the mids being “pushed back”, meaning away from you. That doesn’t necessarily mean recessed, but I know what you mean. One of the only tiny gripes I have with APX SE is the placement of mids being further away than I like. The OG Traillii is another one that does this.
There are some ways to balance this. One, Acoustune AEX07 tips push the mids forward, and despite not being the most comfortable they have the perfect sound for me. Unfortunately my small canals make it hard to use them often, as with the APX SE, but they’ll do the trick. Try Baroques too.
Cables are a great way to change the SE, you know I’m a big cables guy. In speaking about Orphy, which I’ve owned twice and have 1000 hours with, the definition recessed and further away become more important. Orphy does place the mids further away from you, absolutely it does. But it also makes them bigger, thicker, and far more detailed and dynamic. So they may seem more in your face, but they are placed further away from you. A quick AB with almost any other cable will show this, but that’s not important. So while Orphy will make your SE mids godly, it won’t bring them “closer” to you.
Orphy and SE is maddeningly good combo. If you can swing it financially, it’s tops. Another option is 1950s/shielding. That does bring the mids quite a bit closer, and is a lovely combo too. Less warm and spread then Orphy, a bit more surgical and clean.
I loved the SE with the BA Valhalla. While being absurdly expensive, it’s freakishly good too. It brings the mids closer, makes them bigger/thicker/ and somehow spreads them wide to the level of Orphy. It’s also kind of darkish, like Orphy, sort of. They are very different but I loved them both with SE. Both give the SE god like bass, and wonderful mids.
If you absolutely need mids to be front and center, APX SE isn’t that. You can change it somewhat, but nothing will completely change an IEM. You can also just enjoy it for what it is
tone.texture.soul
100+ Head-Fier
Thanks ! I did try the SS4 and it was fabulous. (I didn’t have the SS8 at the time) Super organic and huge. it does add some extra quantity to the bass, which for some things was legend, and others pushed it over the limit. SE is already on the edge of too much bass for me, so keep that in mind. If you have an SS stick it one there.
One thing to consider, SE doesn’t have recessed sockets so be careful with the 2pins on fatboy cables
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Thanks bud!
I know exactly what you mean about the mids being “pushed back”, meaning away from you. That doesn’t necessarily mean recessed, but I know what you mean. One of the only tiny gripes I have with APX SE is the placement of mids being further away than I like. The OG Traillii is another one that does this.
There are some ways to balance this. One, Acoustune AEX07 tips push the mids forward, and despite not being the most comfortable they have the perfect sound for me. Unfortunately my small canals make it hard to use them often, as with the APX SE, but they’ll do the trick. Try Baroques too.
Cables are a great way to change the SE, you know I’m a big cables guy. In speaking about Orphy, which I’ve owned twice and have 1000 hours with, the definition recessed and further away become more important. Orphy does place the mids further away from you, absolutely it does. But it also makes them bigger, thicker, and far more detailed and dynamic. So they may seem more in your face, but they are placed further away from you. A quick AB with almost any other cable will show this, but that’s not important. So while Orphy will make your SE mids godly, it won’t bring them “closer” to you.
Orphy and SE is maddeningly good combo. If you can swing it financially, it’s tops. Another option is 1950s/shielding. That does bring the mids quite a bit closer, and is a lovely combo too. Less warm and spread then Orphy, a bit more surgical and clean.
I loved the SE with the BA Valhalla. While being absurdly expensive, it’s freakishly good too. It brings the mids closer, makes them bigger/thicker/ and somehow spreads them wide to the level of Orphy. It’s also kind of darkish, like Orphy, sort of. They are very different but I loved them both with SE. Both give the SE god like bass, and wonderful mids.
If you absolutely need mids to be front and center, APX SE isn’t that. You can change it somewhat, but nothing will completely change an IEM. You can also just enjoy it for what it is
Awesome thanks.
