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

[AxLvR]

https://www.firaudio.com/k

Does anyone have any impressions on this from CJ NYC (I didn't get around to it) or SG?

Project K - It's a Warm and Airy IEM with plenty of details. Very nice bass slam and depth, the sub bass truly goes deep and rumbles so well, it has a physicality to it but doesn't intrude lower mids, addictive bass. Treble is on the smooth side with plenty of sparkle but never sharp, spicy or sibilant, extends well too. Mids has good body and weight but has that holography to it that gives superb separation to the instruments. It has a nice tonal balance from treble to bass with both ends extending well and no mudiness, has plenty of energy and space, dynamic but vocals are quite laid back, decently wide soundstage but nothing out of head. An engaging and fun listen with one of the best bass in the industry, if people like XE6, they will most likely also fancy Project K, it took me a while to adjust to the tuning, but after 1 track, you know you can listen to it for a long session, no fatigue. It's like if XE6 + Rn6 has a baby, this is it. But it performs at a high level. Project K is my 2 pick if i was gonna make a CIEM, the other one would be CE Omnium Ti. The universal has a nice weight and fits comfortably in the ears (as with most Fir IEMs), pretty finish too!

The most interesting part is Bogdan's cookin' on a new Titanium shell especially made for the project K (as project K is also made from Titanium), the only question is whether he'll make it matte or polished mirror finish (he did mention that polished finish is quite hard to do). Quite excited to see where he goes with it!

IIRC the MSRP for the Universal Project K is US$2,899

 

[audionewbi]

I have a soft spot for the project K name, it reminds of music sanctuary days, and their modification system. If I remember correctly, soundwriter internal name was also project K.

 

[musingclouds]

Thank you to those who have reported from the different CJ. The opinions expressed make the WC such a great place to visit. I truly value the opinions expressed and I have based a lot of my personal buying habits on those I share similar tuning preferences, etc.

One thing that is the common thread of a lot of opinion is that we have entered the golden age where gear is awesome at so many different price points.

The choices are coming at us so quickly it can make your head spin. Fugaku, Moses, Clara, Dio, Hex, Mephisto, etc.....each day it seems another new gem is being talked

about with glowing comments. I went from thinking I want to hear Dio to now I'm dismissing it because I want to hear Hex, and I haven't even heard Fugaku yet and now

Dio is being dismissed as passe without an even proper launch! I thought the same with the observation about Lee and the new company in that does Elysian even exist

anymore? All the while I finally got my reshelled X back from Elysian and am more blown away by it today than I was two years ago...so this is a gift the era we live in. But "news" is traveling at rapid fire pace today in our world.

My one observation that is becoming apparent to me is the days of my "blind" buys are over. Yes, you could argue that I should never have made a blind purchase to begin with. However, it is the power or your opinions and WC observations that have led me down the road of not regretting a single buy. I felt like I have "known" what I am buying before hearing something. But the economics set forth in today's environment make it less likely that I will be purchasing something without hearing it first. Take Fugaku...this is an investment...a system...but I simply can't, in good consciousness, pull the trigger on something that is $16+k without hearing it. Especially when some have said it's not for their metal or genre of music. There's no such thing as being able to perform at every level for every genre for everybody. At this price point I would be remiss if I felt slightly disappointed it didn't hit on something I love to listen to. Same with Dio. The way it's packaged price point wise just makes me say pass and that's been expressed a lot by others on this board. Is the price floor being set today on new offerings? If Hex is 9k is that going to be the new TOTL norm? I guess we all were saying that with AP a few years ago, but clearly limited editions create markets and buyers are buying. But I can no longer just throw caution to the wind on a blind purchase at these levels. I'm going to keep enjoying your comments. If one shows up down the line on the classifieds I would be more apt to do it. But not at launch....of course I have a Storm ordered, but that's another story......FOMO is a powerful emotion to temper for sure. Attending a CJ would negate this entire argument and I have to put it on my bucket list.

Technically you can, you just have to buy and sell frequently.

 

[Deezel177]

I have a soft spot for the project K name, it reminds of music sanctuary days, and their modification system. If I remember correctly, soundwriter internal name was also project K.

Yeah, it's their product line for anything they've modified with aftermarket wiring and solder (among other things, especially for their Walkman mod). The Soundwriter - once it left the prototyping stage - wasn't called Project K; it was a part of Project K.

 

[rush1]

Project K - It's a Warm and Airy IEM with plenty of details. Very nice bass slam and depth, the sub bass truly goes deep and rumbles so well, it has a physicality to it but doesn't intrude lower mids, addictive bass. Treble is on the smooth side with plenty of sparkle but never sharp, spicy or sibilant, extends well too. Mids has good body and weight but has that holography to it that gives superb separation to the instruments. It has a nice tonal balance from treble to bass with both ends extending well and no mudiness, has plenty of energy and space, dynamic but vocals are quite laid back, decently wide soundstage but nothing out of head. An engaging and fun listen with one of the best bass in the industry, if people like XE6, they will most likely also fancy Project K, it took me a while to adjust to the tuning, but after 1 track, you know you can listen to it for a long session, no fatigue. It's like if XE6 + Rn6 has a baby, this is it. But it performs at a high level. Project K is my 2 pick if i was gonna make a CIEM, the other one would be CE Omnium Ti. The universal has a nice weight and fits comfortably in the ears (as with most Fir IEMs), pretty finish too!

The most interesting part is Bogdan's cookin' on a new Titanium shell especially made for the project K (as project K is also made from Titanium), the only question is whether he'll make it matte or polished mirror finish (he did mention that polished finish is quite hard to do). Quite excited to see where he goes with it!

IIRC the MSRP for the Universal Project K is US$2,899

Thanks for the detailed impressions—this sounds really promising! I’ve been eyeing the XE6, but since it’s been out for a while, I’ve been holding back on pulling the trigger.

The way you describe Project K makes it sound like a strong contender—especially with that addictive bass, smooth yet sparkly treble, and holographic mids. The blend of warmth, air, and physical bass without fatigue definitely caught my attention.

If it really feels like a cross between XE6 and RN6, that’s a combo I’d love to hear. Also, the upcoming titanium shell with either a matte or mirror finish sounds exciting—Bogdan never disappoints with the details.

Thanks again for sharing—Project K just made its way to the top of my audition list!

 

[tresvigint]

Kinera Loki Emerald
- got 2 cable, audio effect ares s and kinera custom made cable

- the custom made cable very good, but quite sibilance(little like UM jet mest black) and quite netral bright (treble quite bright but not bright tonal overall)

- huge soundstage, good height, quite airy, layering front and back, enggaging left and right

- huge soundstage, layering good, resolution good, nice!

- got body on bass, quite punchy not tight quite loose a bit )good bass btw

- 4 types of eartips
Final audio type E
Azla crystal
spinfit cp145
Symbio F (foam)

Good but the sibilance... I sell Feiwan because little sibilance on vocal, it not bad, but annoying in long term use

 

[crush]

Kinera Loki Emerald
- got 2 cable, audio effect ares s and kinera custom made cable

- the custom made cable very good, but quite sibilance(little like UM jet mest black) and quite netral bright (treble quite bright but not bright tonal overall)

- huge soundstage, good height, quite airy, layering front and back, enggaging left and right

- huge soundstage, layering good, resolution good, nice!

- got body on bass, quite punchy not tight quite loose a bit )good bass btw

- 4 types of eartips
Final audio type E
Azla crystal
spinfit cp145
Symbio F (foam)

Good but the sibilance... I sell Feiwan because little sibilance on vocal, it not bad, but annoying in long term use

Kinera is really cooking with that DD+BC combo for the bass in the Loki and Verdandi

 

[tresvigint]

Brise Fubukuro E (Orochi Interconnect)
Brise Yatono mini ultimate
Nightjar Onix

Nightjar Onix too warm but very fun and musical
Orochi IC very technical and agresive, mid bass more bold almost like shirogane but more agresive
Yatono IC less technical, forward vocal, midbass gone from shirogane or orochi, back to sub bass, normal sub bass

Im surprised shirogane more warm than Yatono

Orochi good cable good sidegrade from shirogane as long dont mind the agresive (everything come out more energetic)

 

[SbassX]

Well, we recently talked about a cable upgrade for Anni 23.

Ode To Laura: this cable is just dope - with every IEM - and Anni 23 is now hardly recognisable: a completely different league in the technicalities and in the timbre, the stage is so enormous, you can hear the mids breathing crassly and the bass is of much better quality. OTL is known for the special conical stage, and so is Anni 23. You can imagine what this means for the trebles with Anni 23. The only drawback: the mid-bass could get a little under control sometime. I think the brother SOA is THE perfect match for Anni 23.

I now think, the stock cable is just very bad in comparison, and I really, really hate to say this. I need to buy SOA. So, I'm looking for a SOA with VERSA and I'm open to offers.

I hate that such cables make such a huge difference for me. I've had them in the past and rejected them on principle, even though the improvements were more than obvious. Long story. But now, I just can't ignore them any longer

Damnn thats sounds like a match made in heaven. Man i am not entirely a cable guy, but this just makes me contemplate alota my choices.

I received my Flipears Legion from Bloom a few days ago. These were at the top of my list for IEMs when I attended Canjam NYC, so I have been eagerly awaiting their arrival to spend more time with them. Before the Legion, the only other IEM I had left in my collection was the Deuce, which I absolutely love.

I'm not as eloquent as many in here so my review/comparison will be brief.

My main concern with the Legion was size and weight during longer listening sessions. I definitely can't lay down in bed with them, but they have been perfectly fine for hours.

Compared to the Deuce they are just so much more full-bodied. They really fill out the mids whereas the Deuce sounds scooped out in comparison. They don't have as much sub-bass but the BCD gives the impression they do. It's quite an interesting sensation. The bass has a lot more texture to it as well. The treble is bright and detailed without being fatiguing. They are really amazing for metal (my primary genre of music).

Something to note is that they are much more sensitive compared to the Deuce. Using my DDHifi TC44pro USB-C dongle, I have to turn the volume down to around 40-50% with the Legion and up to 60-70% with the Deuce to achieve the same listening levels.

The overall packaging is really nice. The stock tips (I think they might be spiral dots) didn't give me a great seal. I threw on some Divinu Velvet wide bores and have been rocking with those. I will eventually do some tip rolling to see what impact it will have on the sound, but as of now really, I'm enjoying them with the Divinus. The case is stunning albeit gigantic and not conducive to light travel. The cable is the nicest stock cable Ive ever had (although this is my first IEM over $500, so maybe that's to be expected). I own an EA Signature Ares II and I find the stock Legion cable to be more supple and less microphonic than the Ares II. My only complaint is it doesn't have swappable terminations. I would absolutely buy this cable aftermarket if it had that.

Overall, Im extremely happy with my purchase. No regrets! I've got along day in my office tomorrow and I'm actually looking forward to working so I can listen to these all day.

Appreciate the impressions! Sounds like the Legion is really living up to all the hype surrounding it...glad it lived up to the mark for for you. That fuller, textured presentation with the BCD must be awesome, and it’s cool how it brings a different kind of energy.
The deuce comparison sounds interesting too. The legion seems to have gathered the elements lacking from the deuce. Having clocked in a solid number of hours with the deuce I am now really looking for a side by side. From your description these could work as complementary sets.
Now about the Divinus Velvets...i have been gathering only positives...these seems to be kind of those "when in doubt" savior tips.


Also, shoutout for the cable comments — love hearing when a stock cable punches above its weight. Hope the tip rolling brings even more magic!

 

[phiemon]

Damnn thats sounds like a match made in heaven. Man i am not entirely a cable guy, but this just makes me contemplate alota my choices.

I have tried so often to convince myself that such cables do make a difference, but that this difference is "not that big". It started again the other day with the Duality EU Tour Kit when I listened to Blue Hour 2W (+ Impendace adapter) with the Rn6 and realized that the difference to the stock cable was pretty notable in a very positive way. And now Ode To Laura with Anni 23. I really don't want to exaggerate and I'm the last person who wants to talk myself into things; when I used to reject cables, it was out of principle and because they were simply too expensive for me. But now I just had to give up: I simply can't ignore the huge difference. And I still can't hear Anni 23 with the stock cable. I'm still looking for SOA for Anni 23.

 

[Not so fat head]

Just curious, during the 90’s I took several business trips to Singapore. For the fun of it, I bought my wife and I fake Rolex watches; amazing knockoffs…. Can you buy $3,500 - $5,000 fake IEMs in China?
I see no reason why not.. Not the best country for respecting intellectual rights.

 

[stacey]

https://zeppelinandco.com/collectio...4ay-mWpqU1v6SS051w_aem_BPnVxWtB1twQn5WBM2RMEQ It’s out

Interesting. I’d wait to see what accessories, etc are part of Hex first, it’s not a fully fleshed product. I couldn’t buy that blind without even knowing what cable is coming with it. (They displayed 3 cables at SG.) And Hex is heavy, especially with the cable hardware but nowhere near the weight of the Rhapsaudio Supreme v2\Copper.

 

[THE 001 Music]

Just curious, during the 90’s I took several business trips to Singapore. For the fun of it, I bought my wife and I fake Rolex watches; amazing knockoffs…. Can you buy $3,500 - $5,000 fake IEMs in China?
I see no reason why not.. Not the best country for respecting intellectual rights.

A fake pair of earphones for USD$5,000 had better sound stunning.

 

[Not so fat head]

A fake pair of earphones for USD$5,000 had better sound stunning.

Well, the idea is that you won’t pay $5k, maybe $500. Yeah, I don’t like the counterfeit business in China, I’m just asking if it’s ongoing. I know China has had some halfhearted crackdowns recently…

 

[Deezel177]

Just curious, during the 90’s I took several business trips to Singapore. For the fun of it, I bought my wife and I fake Rolex watches; amazing knockoffs…. Can you buy $3,500 - $5,000 fake IEMs in China?
I see no reason why not.. Not the best country for respecting intellectual rights.

There used to be tons of IEM knock-offs on TaoBao, and they'd have the exact same components as the real thing. I remember fake Vision Ears IEMs that even replicated the blue-and-gold wiring, as well as the VE engraving on all the drivers. But, now that most high-end brands use either proprietary drivers and/or proprietary acoustic solutions, it's near-impossible for those to get faked. The only ones still vulnerable are IEMs that use off-the-shelf components like the Trailli. There were quite a few Trailli replicas floating around AFAIK. Or, you have cases like the fake IE900, where they fake the shells, but the internals are nowhere near the same.