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

[mvvRAZ]

Are those the Acoustune tips? I used those too as the APX SE is on the slightly smaller side for me. What I like about double flange tips is the guarantee of the best possible bass from an IEM!

Yessir, those solved all fit issues for me

I would either get a flush, deep fit, but then they would slowly slide out and it would get painful after a while, or I’d get a comfortable fit with a poor sound

The Acoustune double flanges are the best of both worlds. I get a really stable fit, with no sound compromise. I also used them for the Moses, I need to stack up on them for canjam London

 

[Rolu]

Yessir, those solved all fit issues for me

I would either get a flush, deep fit, but then they would slowly slide out and it would get painful after a while, or I’d get a comfortable fit with a poor sound

The Acoustune double flanges are the best of both worlds. I get a really stable fit, with no sound compromise. I also used them for the Moses, I need to stack up on them for canjam London

If you need the AET06 M+ style tips but with a slightly wider nozzle give the Oriolus double flange tips a go.

 

[Rockwell75]

Interesting article on the resurgence of cassette tapes (!!!) and physical formats generally.

"It’s a bit of a twist: nostalgia for something they never actually lived through. But there’s something about the tactile experience that streaming just can’t match. Young listeners are drawn to the feel of it all—holding the tape, admiring the artwork, flipping through liner notes. It turns listening into more than background noise.

There’s also a growing awareness that owning your music matters. With streaming, you never quite know when a song—or a whole platform—might vanish. That uncertainty doesn’t sit well with everyone.

It’s not just about ownership, either. Mixtape culture is still going strong. People want to curate their own vibe, not leave it up to an algorithm."

I fully understand these sentiments.

 

[Audioenophile]

I’m surprised that so few Satin owners have been commenting on here. I guess the now ~40 owners are just enjoying this awesome set.

I’ve been having fun with various cables over the past two weeks. Satin is a very fun set to try with different cables because it’s very cable sensitive. Its stock cable is very thick and warm sounding. I’m looking for a cable that allows the treble to shine, expands the soundstage, offers great resolution, and doesn’t add any thickness to the overall sound. But also want it to be pretty, and I want it to match Satin.

Two of my recent finds are Astral Acoustics Stage 5.5, which is my fav between these two. The other is Erua Audio Tawa. Tawa does a lot of what I’m looking for, but there’s a hint of silvery sheen up top. Stage 5.5 has none of that sheen, and is a 6W cable with a nice blend of Gold plated copper and palladium plated pure silver.

Would love to try an 8W cable with a blend of copper, gold, silver and palladium. Stage 5.5 has four GPS strands and two PPS strands, so it still has plenty of copper richness. I’d love to find an 8W that is similar.

1st photo:Stage 5.5
2nd photo: Erua Tawa

Any suggestions out there? Some folks have recommended Ode to Laura and PW First Times Shielding. I’d love to try both, but neither matches the aesthetics very well. I wish OTL weren’t so bronze-brown.

Fun with cables…

 

[Aetherhole]

I’m surprised that so few Satin owners have been commenting on here. I guess the now ~40 owners are just enjoying this awesome set.

I’ve been having fun with various cables over the past two weeks. Satin is a very fun set to try with different cables because it’s very cable sensitive. Its stock cable is very thick and warm sounding. I’m looking for a cable that allows the treble to shine, expands the soundstage, offers great resolution, and doesn’t add any thickness to the overall sound. But also want it to be pretty, and I want it to match Satin.

Two of my recent finds are Astral Acoustics Stage 5.5, which is my fav between these two. The other is Erua Audio Tawa. Tawa does a lot of what I’m looking for, but there’s a hint of silvery sheen up top. Stage 5.5 has none of that sheen, and is a 6W cable with a nice blend of Gold plated copper and palladium plated pure silver.

Would love to try an 8W cable with a blend of copper, gold, silver and palladium. Stage 5.5 has four GPS strands and two PPS strands, so it still has plenty of copper richness. I’d love to find an 8W that is similar.

1st photo:Stage 5.5
2nd photo: Erua Tawa



Any suggestions out there? Some folks have recommended Ode to Laura and PW First Times Shielding. I’d love to try both, but neither matches the aesthetics very well. I wish OTL weren’t so bronze-brown.

Fun with cables…

Good luck on your continued quest!!

I got a chance to try a bunch of cables yesterday on my Satin. One of the cables that did well was Sonnet of Adam. Another is kind of unobtainium, Ambition. It was even better than SoA. I also enjoyed many aspects of both of those and there’s also EA Centurion which also did well for what you are looking for. Cent leaned out the sound a little too much for my liking. Also tried another cable I can’t name (sorry) that did everything Centurion did, but gave back the note weight and body I wanted from Centurion.

However, I found for my preferences, I liked more of a copper-focused cable for Satin. The Fifth Ode wasn’t great with it, though. Ode to Laura was one of the better ones, too. The other one I tried was another non-production model that was exactly what I wanted. It gave additional character and sweetness to the midrange while expanding soundstage, more detail, but also a sweeter treble, too. It was so good, but another one that’s effectively unobtainium. lol

 

[Audioenophile]

Good luck on your continued quest!!

I got a chance to try a bunch of cables yesterday on my Satin. One of the cables that did well was Sonnet of Adam. Another is kind of unobtainium, Ambition. It was even better than SoA. I also enjoyed many aspects of both of those and there’s also EA Centurion which also did well for what you are looking for. Cent leaned out the sound a little too much for my liking. Also tried another cable I can’t name (sorry) that did everything Centurion did, but gave back the note weight and body I wanted from Centurion.

However, I found for my preferences, I liked more of a copper-focused cable for Satin. The Fifth Ode wasn’t great with it, though. Ode to Laura was one of the better ones, too. The other one I tried was another non-production model that was exactly what I wanted. It gave additional character and sweetness to the midrange while expanding soundstage, more detail, but also a sweeter treble, too. It was so good, but another one that’s effectively unobtainium. lol

I’ve tried a couple of unobtainium cables myself, which is how I ended up in the cable search.

I’ve considered SOA and Fifth Ode myself. Thanks for the impressions.

I am curious about the Temptation, which is 8W gold silver-copper alloy. Just a wee bit pricey though. lol

Stage 5.5 does so much of what I want and gets pretty close to my favorite, but unavailable cable. I just want to know what a great 8W cable can do. I’m curious and will keep looking before I buy Stage 5.5 or anything.

 

[Scubadevils]

I know not a whole lot of love for buds here, but I still love to indulge, and in particular for ambient and modern classical where in my experience they really shine.

With that in mind, review up for the NiceHCK EBX25 Ti HERE

 

[Frankie D]

Interesting article on the resurgence of cassette tapes (!!!) and physical formats generally.

"It’s a bit of a twist: nostalgia for something they never actually lived through. But there’s something about the tactile experience that streaming just can’t match. Young listeners are drawn to the feel of it all—holding the tape, admiring the artwork, flipping through liner notes. It turns listening into more than background noise.

There’s also a growing awareness that owning your music matters. With streaming, you never quite know when a song—or a whole platform—might vanish. That uncertainty doesn’t sit well with everyone.

It’s not just about ownership, either. Mixtape culture is still going strong. People want to curate their own vibe, not leave it up to an algorithm."

I fully understand these sentiments.

Interesting, but I do think Gen Z ( that is who the article said was driving the cassette sales ) is a bit nuts for liking cassette tapes. While I had a large collection at one time and still have my Nakamichi Deck, cassette tapes are really not the highest quality medium. If you want to own the music just purchase the download, no?

Wait till they find out about leaving them in a car in the heat! Or how they degrade over time, and then degrade even faster if not properly kept! I used to love them, but digital is much better.

Still, will be fun to see where this trend ( is 65,000 even a trend ) leads.

 

[THE 001 Music]

Tnx for that! Looked it up with those terms added and found the explanation:

https://www.reddit.com/r/petergabriel/comments/rxekat/sledgehammer_presynth_echo/

drftr

Coincidentally, in reference to the Reddit post, I almost typed, "pre-echo", as a third possible name.
I've studied audio engineering, and therefore familiar with most editing techniques.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be), the pre-echo sound seems to be edited-out of my digital copy of the Gabriel song.

 

[mattclarke18]

UM has an IEM refurbishment program going on right now until mid June. Andrew at MT has agreed to allow people to ship to MT and they will ship to UM. It does not matter how old your UM IEM is or if its under warranty. They will make it new again for FREE. You just have to pay shipping to MT and about $10 shipping to UM and of course return shipping from MT. I would use Parcel Monkey and email them a label as you will get a discounted UPS rate that way. The more IEMs MT ships tp UM the cheaper it will be. Lets all try and send in by 6-2-25. Please spread the word.

 

[RonaldS86]

Interesting article on the resurgence of cassette tapes (!!!) and physical formats generally.

"It’s a bit of a twist: nostalgia for something they never actually lived through. But there’s something about the tactile experience that streaming just can’t match. Young listeners are drawn to the feel of it all—holding the tape, admiring the artwork, flipping through liner notes. It turns listening into more than background noise.

There’s also a growing awareness that owning your music matters. With streaming, you never quite know when a song—or a whole platform—might vanish. That uncertainty doesn’t sit well with everyone.

It’s not just about ownership, either. Mixtape culture is still going strong. People want to curate their own vibe, not leave it up to an algorithm."

I fully understand these sentiments.

Interesting, but I do think Gen Z ( that is who the article said was driving the cassette sales ) is a bit nuts for liking cassette tapes. While I had a large collection at one time and still have my Nakamichi Deck, cassette tapes are really not the highest quality medium. If you want to own the music just purchase the download, no?

Wait till they find out about leaving them in a car in the heat! Or how they degrade over time, and then degrade even faster if not properly kept! I used to love them, but digital is much better.

Still, will be fun to see where this trend ( is 65,000 even a trend ) leads.

Yeah when it's about the ownership of the music, then the digital files win hands down. But for the audiosensory experience, I believe a cassette tape is one of the best out there. I miss those clickity clack sounds it makes when you shake it on your hand and spinning it like some kind of toys using a pencil if you want to listen to the same side again. Ahh what a good old days

 

[warrenpchi]

Cent leaned out the sound a little too much for my liking. Also tried another cable I can’t name (sorry) that did everything Centurion did, but gave back the note weight and body I wanted from Centurion.

We'll be able to talk about it soon! For clarification, @Aetherhole, @NJoyzAudio and I met up yesterday, where we got to check out a number of prototype IEMs and cables. Was great fun!

The other one I tried was another non-production model that was exactly what I wanted.

lololol, Raph 8 wins again!

gets pretty close to my favorite, but unavailable cable.

Ooh, which one? If it's a discontinued model, can always scour the classifieds for it I guess?

 

[Tabikinoya Cephas]

Interesting article on the resurgence of cassette tapes (!!!) and physical formats generally.

"It’s a bit of a twist: nostalgia for something they never actually lived through. But there’s something about the tactile experience that streaming just can’t match. Young listeners are drawn to the feel of it all—holding the tape, admiring the artwork, flipping through liner notes. It turns listening into more than background noise.

There’s also a growing awareness that owning your music matters. With streaming, you never quite know when a song—or a whole platform—might vanish. That uncertainty doesn’t sit well with everyone.

It’s not just about ownership, either. Mixtape culture is still going strong. People want to curate their own vibe, not leave it up to an algorithm."

I fully understand these sentiments.

i prefer vinyls over cassette but its troublesome to store both. Love the warmth, and random friction of the needle and groove. The whole ritual and some have hidden tracks.

I gave up buying more after realising I am running out of space to store them. Occasionally, I still purchase vinyls that are rare or out of print.

 

[gLer]

Interesting, but I do think Gen Z ( that is who the article said was driving the cassette sales ) is a bit nuts for liking cassette tapes. While I had a large collection at one time and still have my Nakamichi Deck, cassette tapes are really not the highest quality medium. If you want to own the music just purchase the download, no?

Wait till they find out about leaving them in a car in the heat! Or how they degrade over time, and then degrade even faster if not properly kept! I used to love them, but digital is much better.

Still, will be fun to see where this trend ( is 65,000 even a trend ) leads.

I agree, this 'trend' has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with Gen Z's ADHD-driven TikTok/Insta-fuelled 'sheeping'.

It's like a commerical version of the regular cycles of 'cause' worship that's reshaping societies all over the world. Nothing to do with nostalgia. That's where us boomers come in, thinking the sudden interest in tech (and causes) we lived through are somehow indicative of their inherent meangfulness.

But even without psychoanalysing it, as much as I fondly remember the days of cassette tapes and before that, vinyl, I also clearly remember how liberating it was (and still is) to go digital.

That teens (and slightly older young adults) are turning to cassette tapes and film cameras is, however, damning evidence of how today's fast-paced, instant gratification lifestyle is not really very satisfying at all.

Slowing down and living a meaningful life can still be compatible with modern technology, but that's a whole different discussion.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I’ve tried a couple of unobtainium cables myself, which is how I ended up in the cable search.

I’ve considered SOA and Fifth Ode myself. Thanks for the impressions.

I am curious about the Temptation, which is 8W gold silver-copper alloy. Just a wee bit pricey though. lol

Stage 5.5 does so much of what I want and gets pretty close to my favorite, but unavailable cable. I just want to know what a great 8W cable can do. I’m curious and will keep looking before I buy Stage 5.5 or anything.

Ever thought of reaching out to XINHS/ivipQ and asking them to make you a spec ready custom cable? They'd done it for others, and they do make great cables, and they'll make it to your alloy specs.

Interesting, but I do think Gen Z ( that is who the article said was driving the cassette sales ) is a bit nuts for liking cassette tapes. While I had a large collection at one time and still have my Nakamichi Deck, cassette tapes are really not the highest quality medium. If you want to own the music just purchase the download, no?

Wait till they find out about leaving them in a car in the heat! Or how they degrade over time, and then degrade even faster if not properly kept! I used to love them, but digital is much better.

Still, will be fun to see where this trend ( is 65,000 even a trend ) leads.

FiiO is leading the way with the nostalgia feed. I'm not into it, but many are.

Yeah when it's about the ownership of the music, then the digital files win hands down. But for the audiosensory experience, I believe a cassette tape is one of the best out there. I miss those clickity clack sounds it makes when you shake it on your hand and spinning it like some kind of toys using a pencil if you want to listen to the same side again. Ahh what a good old days

I still have about 30 cassettes, about 20 blanks that have never been opened, and two cassette players, including a new FiiO (tip : it sucks!!), and an older Panasonic. I sold my amazing Sony recording deck several years ago, so no way to record on the blanks. The sonics are cavemanish, but I still like cracking the storage case open, and listening to those old P.O.S., but I'm not into the nostalgia kick. I love my modern gear, and how amazing it sounds, because my cassettes are the opposite of amazing.