[mxroadie]

I’m curious; are there any common qualities noted in the new wave of e-stat tweeter iems? (Other than high price?)
I am intrigued by the Hidition Violet. Confirming it is for sale as a universal?

Affirmative. Customisable universals.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

Affirmative. Customisable universals.

That said, would be a little weird to have a Hidition Violet in any other color than purple.

 

[toranku]

Any Chances you could list the MSRP Price for your future Testing

One of my policies is avoiding price bias. I try not to find out about the price because it sets expectations earlier. I do think it can affect the perception of it after writing too. This is tricky. I'll think about it.

Hey guys, have any of you compared the Violet to the NT6 (that I owned)? I wonder why they put this out just after NT8

The Violet has more midbass (and more importantly, subbass) than the NT6. Results in a thicker and warmer midrange. Also has more treble extension. I personally think NT6's tone is more "correct". But for personal fun and enjoyment, Violet is ahead. The tonal color of violet is a bit odd. Usually when I think of warm iems, a mixture of red and brown comes to mind. Violet has a blue-ish warm color to it. Or I may just be crazy!

One thing I'd like to mention is that I think Violet can be a little intense. I personally categorize it as a slight W-shape. I've heard comments that the midbass was too much (but still not muddied) or the lower treble can be sharp.

In terms of detail retrieval, I find them to be comparable with the Violet edging out with slightly more extension in the highs. The Violet has a more natural sounding bass with slight mid-bass bump, which also helps for a easier and fatigue-free listening. That said, I purchased the NT6 because the perceived clarity is higher and the mids sounded more open. When I buy Hidition, I want the Hidition house sound and to me, the NT6 is that, with all its strengths and quirkiness.

Good choice. NT6's short nozzled demo was bright. Tried it just now with the new, longer nozzles. Got rid of that spike early into the treble. NT6 aged REALLY well.

 

[tonehk]

One of my policies is avoiding price bias. I try not to find out about the price because it sets expectations earlier. I do think it can affect the perception of it after writing too. This is tricky. I'll think about it.
.

i also agree that you don't bias your review with price. most reviewers do so and its refreshing that you don't.

expensive doesn't necessarily mean better.
also newer doesn't necessarily mean better,

 

[Mimouille]

In terms of detail retrieval, I find them to be comparable with the Violet edging out with slightly more extension in the highs. The Violet has a more natural sounding bass with slight mid-bass bump, which also helps for a easier and fatigue-free listening. That said, I purchased the NT6 because the perceived clarity is higher and the mids sounded more open. When I buy Hidition, I want the Hidition house sound and to me, the NT6 is that, with all its strengths and quirkiness.

Hum interesting. So no révolution versus NT6...thanks

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: Dunu Titan 6

Day 2 of CanJam. Didn't have enough time to try VE 4.2 and Elysium. Whoops. I'll give them a spin when local stores get their demo sets. Anyway, on to the Dunu Titan 6. I've not seen any information about this one at all. Only know it's a Bery DD.

The Titan 6 is a warm, v-shaped 1DD. The rise is positioned at the midbass and the lower treble. Mids are thick as the lower midrange has a greater emphasis over the upper midrange. The uppermidrange sounds blunted and is a little butchy. Extension on both ends is ok, but quality of the extension can be improved. Texture overall is on the smoother side of things. Due to the overly boosted midbass, the stage can turn congested with large bass notes. Overall, pretty average IEM. Thought that it was too bloated.

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: Phantom X (Phantom LE Retune)

The Phantom X is a retune of the TOTL multi BA from Empire Ears. Phantom X still holds the same idea behind the original Phantom - big, warm bass coupled with a downsloping midrange to create a rich, butchy tone. The Phantom X has a downslope signature. Midbass note is quite large and isn't very punchy. It takes a warm, slow approach to the bass. Due to how much warmth it has in the mix, the Phantom X is straight up be muddy for most. Bass is bloated. Subbass doesn't even extend that deep. It's mostly warmth in the bass.

The midrange favours the lower mids but not to such a far extent as the Phantom. Still, the upper midrange of the Phantom X sounds blunted with a really big note all the time. Lower mids are heavy and put forward in the mix along with the midbass. Lower treble is recessed, but the upper treble is actually extended decently for what it is. It's just there. Can never fatigue.

Overall, muddy and unimpressive. I rather listen to the normal Phantom because it's more exaggerated in what it's going for since it sounds more...unique. This feels like a compromise that's a little boring and frankly uninspiring.

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: Hidizs MS4 & MS1

MS4 (Hybrid DD + 3BA)
Thin midrange with a shrill tonality. Smooth textured, slightly boosted bass with decent control. Uppermids are more prominent over midrange, resulting a thinner sound. Vocals sound sucked out and unnatural. Treble is a little peaky and lacks any real extension. Nothing much to talk about. Can even be fatiguing for some. Meh.

MS1 (1DD)
MS4 but with its problems all exacerbated to a higher level. Shrill, peaky and has a worse overall tonality. Only thing better is a leaner but faster bass. Terrible.

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: Lime Ears Aether R

The Aether R is a retune of the TOTL Aether. It is an Aether improved with tighter, even better controlled bass. Fantastic bass switch implementation that adds warmth and more bass into the mix without much extra bloat. Treble seems to also be slightly more peaky compared to original Aether but more extended at the same time. I find that the Aether R shares the same problem with the Violet - the treble tone sounds odd but it's well extended. Cymbals do not have that shine when struck and rather just shimmer.

Nasality in vocal range still seems to be an unsolved issue with the Aether R. If not, I thought that the retune improved the bass as well as treble. Unfortunately they did not have an Aether to AB against. One of the better BA bass out there. Pretty solid tuning bar the nasal sounding midrange. Good effort.

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: iBasso IT03W & Custom Art FIBAE Black

iBasso IT03W (1DD + 2BA)
Bass is slightly north of neutral with good speed. Vocal range seems to be lifted along with the treble as well. W-shaped signature with not much real treble extension. Slightly shrill tonality. Nothing much to say - I think the FH5 is more refined for a similar signature.

Custom Art FIBAE Black (1BA)
Warm, downslope FR with poor extension on both ends. Probably muddy and low resolution for many. Sounds like an entry level Westone but with more mids. I would rather buy Westone for a downslope signature. The Black in some ways does remind me of the Phantom. Overall, unimpressive and sounds muddied to me. Way too much warmth in the mix.

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: Stealth Sonics U2, U4 & U9

U2 (1BA + 1DD)
Bass heavy signature with a lower treble boost. A lot of warm, muddy bass and attack is overall mushy. Highs are peaky but even the highs don't have much extension. The sharper highs set a contrast to the blunt bass and midrange. Incoherent.

U4 (4BA)
More balanced compared to U2. More mids, less bloated bass. Highs are still struggling for extension, but is not boosted in terms of lower treble. As such, a somewhat midbass and lower mids oriented signature that is smooth and easy to listen. Could say it's their own take of a signature similar to the Fitear 334. Even more thickness, more warmth (with better extension at subbass) and with lesser upper frequencies. Overall, still a little muddy but I somewhat like it for what it is since it reminds me of the 334.

U9 (1DD + 8BA)
Balanced signature. Boosted bass with a forward midrange and linear highs. Follows the same meaty type of sound but vocals are nasal. Parts of the sound sound hollow as well. Most technical of the 3. Highs can be peaky but have decent extension. I do think the DD isn't as well implemented here - it doesnt feel tight enough on the low end. I find that U4 has more interesting aspects going for it since U9 just sounds awful in the midrange. Even more nasality issues than the Aether R, and Aether R is far better tuned in my opinion.

 

[stenog]

Toranku, big big respect for all your very informative impressions.

 

[toranku]

First Impressions: Kumitate KL-Proto v. 2.1

The new KL-Proto is downsized to a 14mm DD driver that powers the bass after issues with the 16mm. I've never heard the 16mm but apparently it was really good. The Proto is a hybrid product from Kumitate that uses a big Foster/Fostex DD driver for the bass and several BAs (I think 3?) for the mid and highs. One issue that is immediately apparent is that the dynamic driver sounds very distinct from it's BA. Typical hybrid incoherency problem. However I guess it helps highlight Kumitate's house sound of leaner midrange and lower treble more.

The Proto has a tunable bass that can range from slightly north of neutral to big, thunderous bass. I find that as I turn up the bass knob, more midbass gets introduced which adds warmth and muddies the IEM. I then face a dilemma - at lowest bass, vocals sound nasal. Max bass almost completely eliminates this problem. At any bass setting, mids are lean and favour the upper midrange more, typical Kumitate style. Lower treble has this spike which makes cymbals a little thin and perhaps sizzly sounding. Almost non existent extension at the top end.

The Proto is ultimately still a prototype and it has a long way to go. Perhaps in 2 years we can see this turn into an official release.

 

[papa_mia]

Did you have a chance to visit the qdc boot and try out the Anole VX?

 

[toranku]

Did you have a chance to visit the qdc boot and try out the Anole VX?

I've actually tried the VX numerous times prior to CanJam but never really wrote down impressions since the VX is very similar to the Gemini. The VX has a little more treble and I do think that due to that slight increase, it throws off tonal balance by a little and it feels forced. VX does edge it out by a little in technicalities though. I do prefer Gemini's tonality.