The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[Audioenophile]

This set up is absolutely gorgeous

Thanks!!

 

[Lim Rui EA]

Is this the stock cable that they provide with the Dio?

Yes but that's the prototype. Hardware will differ on the final unit!

 

[Endine]

I'm in Lotoo Wonderland now!

If only that purple were a different shade of purple...

 

[running wild]

To the users of Fei Wan and / or Ext2:
What cables are you using with them?

 

[Emvo]

To the users of Fei Wan and / or Ext2:
What cables are you using with them?

Stock cable for now for the Fei Wan. I played around with some cheaper alts for the time being and came to enjoy the lightweight stock cable, the Aroma Sparkle.

Been spending a ton of time to write an impression on them. As a new buyer going in blind with little iem experience I hope to give a perspective maybe someone similar to me could appreciate.

 

[aaf evo]

To the users of Fei Wan and / or Ext2:
What cables are you using with them?

When I had my FW CIEM I used the Blue Hour 4W from NightJar and I thought the combo was amazing. It keeps the overall sound of FW but extends the sub bass a bit.

 

[UnknownOperator]

The R8II's DAC stage is unbelievably revealing. You have to bring in the Chord stuff to compete. That Darwin architecture (or whatever) is incredibly impressive. It's battery life is also endless it seems. Great DAP.

Agreed. I had the N30LE before it, which is certainly very capable and tunable, but the R8II pairs really well with everything I've thrown at it, from Monachaa to Duality. And it always has power to spare.

 

[nikbr]

Had to take off 4 stars for the horrendous colour combination of the beautiful crimson with the orange ear tips. Audiophiles have feelings too!

drftr

Not sure you'll be too pleased with my new creation either

 

[drftr]

Not sure you'll be too pleased with my new creation either

Let's just say it's better than bright green

drftr

 

[vsrrr]

Stock cable for now for the Fei Wan. I played around with some cheaper alts for the time being and came to enjoy the lightweight stock cable, the Aroma Sparkle.

Been spending a ton of time to write an impression on them. As a new buyer going in blind with little iem experience I hope to give a perspective maybe someone similar to me could appreciate.

Tbh, I don't think the Sparkle cable shows much of what FW is capable of. Before upgrading to more expensive alternatives, I had great success with cables from Ego Audio.
The Cocktail (8W 27awg SPC+OCC Litz) and Whiskey (4W 23awg OCC) are around $200 and $300 respectively, and were both better than the stock cable.
My favorite cable in the Ego Audio line is the Gin (4W 23awg Silver) is $500 and turns the Fei Wan into an absolute beast.

 

[thaslaya]

Humpday blues in full force and effect!!! This is a spectacular sounding combo...and those blues! Lime Ears Maris and Eletech Victoria 8w look and sound insanely good!!

If you didn't use this combo to listen to Eiffel 65's Blue then you missed out

 

[fejnomit]

Agreed. I had the N30LE before it, which is certainly very capable and tunable, but the R8II pairs really well with everything I've thrown at it, from Monachaa to Duality. And it always has power to spare.

+1 for the R8II. Best-sounding, most versatile DAP I have used thus far.

 

[altomo]

Wants to add some impressions from my end as well.

It was a great day in SG. I’m completely blown away by this chance to audition TOTLs setup and hangout with some friends. The plan was very impromptu and thanks to @TheMiddleSky and @Valrhona for joining the day. Will definitely do this again next time.

Food wise yes I really really like the Salted Egg Chicken rice by 3 meals a day. I’ve never tried a salted egg chicken this good anywhere else. Very tasty and definitely a recommendation for people who like fried chicken and strong flavors.

Alright let’s head to sound impressions.

Hercules Moses

Definitely reminds me of Alter Ego but with and Elysian flavoring. You get a more revealing highs and lows that plush but had a great texture. I think it’s a great all rounder for many people. The W shape sound signature just suits me better compared to Macbeth (Edited: with stock cable). Definitely a must try for people at CJs. Moses really reminds me of APX SE but technical wise still slightly behind it but it’s a goddamn good for relaxing listening time. Hopefully it can battle the type like Forte Ears “Fauz” and the next APX mini from PMG.

Flip Ears

It is one of the “Revealing” BCD implementation. You can definitely feel the BC vibrates full range. I can feel it than other IEMs that used BCD some like Novus or Macbeth. Not saying that it’s bad it feels like the Shockz wireless thing but with extra resolution and details. This applies to the Legion and Aegis but for me I think I prefer the sound on the Aegis but will try out again in CJ. Good build quality but slight nitpick will be the cable stock aesthetic could be better.

Luxury & Precision EA4

Sounds big but still reminds me of the C9ii. Just speculating that the sound of the Korg Nutube is not as tidy as like the Raytheon JAN6418 implemented on DAC+Amps or DAPs like SP3000T. But it has massive powers and it should be capable of driving desktop Headphones well. It is massive in size and Tsuranagi is tiny like a toy compared to this beast.

Subtonic Storm with Nightjar Sovereign 8W

First time listening to the storm. Running it on AKs DAP direct it sounds ok but I can tell it really needs the juice and AK cannot provide it unless you chain it with an external amp. Running it through a amp stack for example Tsuranagi OE then now we’re talking. Expansive surround sound with easy micro detail retrieval and the bass slams even harder than I expected and I would definitely say it’s a companion to the Duality. I thought I would not like “reference” tuning but it’s really palatable for me. The more I listed to more Summit-Fi IEMs I find myself to enjoy bigger soundstage and imaging. The Storm really delivers it but it can’t deliver it in time (6 months wait is too long ).

Elysian Dio + Apex Cable

Good job on the Dio + Apex. I want it to be pinnacle of IEM but 25pcs wouldn’t cut it. I hope they can make more in the future and really show the world what Elysian are capable of. Pure technicality that strikes above most of current favorites IEMs (unfortunately not including Fugaku). The configuration sounds boring 1DD 4BA 4EST but the implementation my gosh. One of the biggest draw to me is the massive bass with it able to become lush or tight at a given recording. Ever since trying it I always wanted to call the DD as “The Turbo DD” because it really looks like a turbo with it’s gold plated chamber.

Delicate highs with exceptional positioning like things pops out from the thin air. You might say Anni could do that as well but it is refined to the tiniest detail. Though it could be bigger imaging but can be remedied with Tsu OE + Nightjar Onyx. Probably that are some that makes the heavy gravitational pull for me to the Dio.

Once again my poor financial decisions might have placed the order on Dio.

Onyx cable

I almost missed this cable but it’s really a match with the Fugaku. It gives extra large imaging and enhanced depth that I don’t get from the Shirogane. It’s not the most technical compare the Shiro but for the two points it gives it’s worth it already. Good job on the collab Chang can’t wait for mine to arrive.

Some closing note, this year CJ SG will be fun and full of discoveries. For now my ranking for portable setup I heard during the short trip would be:

1. Fugaku + Onyx
2. Dio + Apex
3. Storm + Orochi
4. Storm + Sov 8W (lower due to comfort)
5. Macbeth + Orochi
6. Moses

Should make my CJ day much simpler and just enjoy the day with friends.

 

[Rolu]

If only that purple were a different shade of purple...

I believe one needs to shell out $8299 to get that shade

 

[UnknownOperator]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHactNChZBy/?igsh=MWkybjljcmMzdDBkbA==

Has anyone heard this FAudio collaboration? I have no use for the fancy R6, but I have a lot of love for FAudio’s Mezzo.