Toranku's Thoughts and Reviews (and target EQ filters!)

May 12, 2019 at 12:06 PM Post #436 of 1,546
@toranku I just received the ex800 and must say I am a little disappointed because the clarity is worse then my kanas pro and tanchjim oxygen for the midrange and especially vocals. It seems like the subbass and more midbass is interfering with it. Should I contact the seller for a possible faulty iem or should this be how the iem actually sounds since it's sony's 'professional line'?

No, I think thats just how it sounds. Try inserting even deeper, go as deep as you possibly can with the smallest tips. IEMs following the harman curve will have much more boosted uppermids compared to ex800st which may give the impression of a clearer sound as well.
 
Subtonic Audio Cutting-edge artisanal in-ear monitors for discerning listeners. Proudly designed and manufactured in Singapore. Stay updated on Subtonic Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Subtonic.Audio https://www.instagram.com/subtonicaudio https://subtonic.audio support@subtonic.audio
May 12, 2019 at 3:38 PM Post #437 of 1,546
No, I think thats just how it sounds. Try inserting even deeper, go as deep as you possibly can with the smallest tips. IEMs following the harman curve will have much more boosted uppermids compared to ex800st which may give the impression of a clearer sound as well.
Thank you very much for your response I tried doing that and it still sounds unclear for vocals but I just tried eq'ing down the bass through Dolby Atmos on my phone and the sound got more clearer with more details whilst still sounding rich but I can still hear that midbass bleed which is really getting rid of a lot of clarity. My phone won't eq it down any further so would you finally say it's the earphone itself or the fact that oxygen/kpe sound much more clear generally? Thanks alot I appreciate your help!
 
May 12, 2019 at 4:19 PM Post #438 of 1,546
@toranku I just received the ex800 and must say I am a little disappointed because the clarity is worse then my kanas pro and tanchjim oxygen for the midrange and especially vocals. It seems like the subbass and more midbass is interfering with it. Should I contact the seller for a possible faulty iem or should this be how the iem actually sounds since it's sony's 'professional line'?

I’d say try to listen to them with an open mind. They are quite different compared to the smooth and mid boosted KPE (and Oxygen from what I heard)
Yes, I also prefer the smooth delivery of a KPE for vocals. But the EX800ST have another kind of neutral - detailed sound. Works very well with classic and acoustic jazz IMO, especially at lower volumes. Give your brain time to adjust.
That said, I listen to my EX800 maybe 10-20% of the time, the rest goes to the (modded) FD02.
 
Last edited:
May 12, 2019 at 9:58 PM Post #439 of 1,546
Thank you very much for your response I tried doing that and it still sounds unclear for vocals but I just tried eq'ing down the bass through Dolby Atmos on my phone and the sound got more clearer with more details whilst still sounding rich but I can still hear that midbass bleed which is really getting rid of a lot of clarity. My phone won't eq it down any further so would you finally say it's the earphone itself or the fact that oxygen/kpe sound much more clear generally? Thanks alot I appreciate your help!
actually, try eqing down the uppermids. between 3-6k
 
May 12, 2019 at 10:23 PM Post #440 of 1,546
Thank you very much for your response I tried doing that and it still sounds unclear for vocals but I just tried eq'ing down the bass through Dolby Atmos on my phone and the sound got more clearer with more details whilst still sounding rich but I can still hear that midbass bleed which is really getting rid of a lot of clarity. My phone won't eq it down any further so would you finally say it's the earphone itself or the fact that oxygen/kpe sound much more clear generally? Thanks alot I appreciate your help!

Unit varience does exist for the ex800/1000 but I don't think it would be that far off. I think you prefer a more "Harman" type of midrange since it's clearer with more energy. If you don't like the ex800st, sell it off/ return and stick to IEMs with a more Harman type of tuning.
 
Subtonic Audio Cutting-edge artisanal in-ear monitors for discerning listeners. Proudly designed and manufactured in Singapore. Stay updated on Subtonic Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Subtonic.Audio https://www.instagram.com/subtonicaudio https://subtonic.audio support@subtonic.audio
May 14, 2019 at 1:28 AM Post #441 of 1,546
Any thoughts on Audio Technicavs LS line of IEMs? LS02-03-04 specifically would be appreciated~ :ksc75smile:
 
May 14, 2019 at 3:26 AM Post #442 of 1,546
Any thoughts on Audio Technicavs LS line of IEMs? LS02-03-04 specifically would be appreciated~ :ksc75smile:

LS200 has a nice overall tone but transients are quite mushy and lacking of definition. LS300 is one the worst iems I have heard. LS400 I have not tried.
 
Last edited:
Subtonic Audio Cutting-edge artisanal in-ear monitors for discerning listeners. Proudly designed and manufactured in Singapore. Stay updated on Subtonic Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Subtonic.Audio https://www.instagram.com/subtonicaudio https://subtonic.audio support@subtonic.audio
May 14, 2019 at 8:54 AM Post #443 of 1,546
I personally feel that subbass should be as fast as possible whilst rendering the distinct basslines out. But you're also right that a lot of rolled off bass iems render subbass too quickly. Either that or iems tend to have a very bloated midbass which can overshadow the sub.

Warmth to be is well...warmth. I actually had trouble explaining warmth to a coworker. Hard to describe what it sounds like but easy to describe what causes it. Too much warmth without proper balance will blunt/round the notes and cause them to lose definition in the entire spectrum. The attack will turn bloated and undefined. Imaging to me is more of positional cues. Something with good imaging will place instruments further apart and distinct from each other. Something can be blunted and yet have good imaging. It can happen the other way around as well.

Looking forward to try Erlkonig...
Just stumbled onto this... I feel warmth is related to the relative amount of lower midrange to upper midrange and treble. It assumes at least neutral or greater bass.
I believe you can have warmth without over emphasized bass.
Lower midrange harmonics appear to be difficult to reproduce at a higher level without causing a sense of congestion, as noted above. I do not know the physical properties of this in an iem. May of the iem's that I have heard that do well with imaging and resolution shelve the lower midrange in favor of the upper midrange and treble. I suspect they are using higher frequencies to give spatial cues over phase coherency.
Full range dynamic driver iems seem to be able to do this, at the expense of treble extension.
This is thus the Shangri la of audio.... Warmth with resolution and imaging. I've achieved this in my home system with excellent electronics (Accuphase) accompanied by a unique pair of Focal Utopia speakers. The latter do this, IMHO, by have two large (but quick) midrange drivers and a separate woofer. I feel we will get there in iem's as more experience comes and hybrids are better executed.
 
May 14, 2019 at 12:55 PM Post #444 of 1,546
Just stumbled onto this... I feel warmth is related to the relative amount of lower midrange to upper midrange and treble. It assumes at least neutral or greater bass.
I believe you can have warmth without over emphasized bass.
Lower midrange harmonics appear to be difficult to reproduce at a higher level without causing a sense of congestion, as noted above. I do not know the physical properties of this in an iem. May of the iem's that I have heard that do well with imaging and resolution shelve the lower midrange in favor of the upper midrange and treble. I suspect they are using higher frequencies to give spatial cues over phase coherency.
Full range dynamic driver iems seem to be able to do this, at the expense of treble extension.
This is thus the Shangri la of audio.... Warmth with resolution and imaging. I've achieved this in my home system with excellent electronics (Accuphase) accompanied by a unique pair of Focal Utopia speakers. The latter do this, IMHO, by have two large (but quick) midrange drivers and a separate woofer. I feel we will get there in iem's as more experience comes and hybrids are better executed.

Agree. I think VE8 is a perfect example with this. Its extremely warm, yet instruments like tom drums come in clean with fantastic impact, snap and speed.
 
Subtonic Audio Cutting-edge artisanal in-ear monitors for discerning listeners. Proudly designed and manufactured in Singapore. Stay updated on Subtonic Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Subtonic.Audio https://www.instagram.com/subtonicaudio https://subtonic.audio support@subtonic.audio
May 14, 2019 at 1:54 PM Post #446 of 1,546
Have you heard the Erlkonig?

Not yet. Hard to find time now that I've work. I'll be enlisting into the army soon enough and content will slow down drastically (as if they're not already slow)
 
Subtonic Audio Cutting-edge artisanal in-ear monitors for discerning listeners. Proudly designed and manufactured in Singapore. Stay updated on Subtonic Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/Subtonic.Audio https://www.instagram.com/subtonicaudio https://subtonic.audio support@subtonic.audio
May 14, 2019 at 7:44 PM Post #447 of 1,546
@toranku

I reauditioned the Erlkonig after switching to an A12t as my daily driver and the Erlkonig sounds thin by comparison. It is still more detailed but not as obviously so. If I were to audition them again, I would listen to them for a longer period of time to allow brain burn in
 
Last edited:
May 14, 2019 at 7:48 PM Post #448 of 1,546
@toranku

I reauditioned the Erlkonig after switching to an A12t as my daily driver and the Erlkonig sounds thin by comparison. It is still more detailed but not as obviously so. If I were to audition them again, I would listen to them for a longer period of time to allow brain burn in
Which one of them do u recommend? A12t or Erlkonig?
 
May 14, 2019 at 9:10 PM Post #449 of 1,546
Which one of them do u recommend? A12t or Erlkonig?
they are very different. A12t is neutral with thicker proportions in bass and lower mids and powerful subbass with recessed upper mids. Erlkonig sounds brighter and thinner in the lower registers by comparison. It is more detailed and reveals more sounds in the entire frequency range. It's stage is also very precise and accurate. They are also very different price and different form factor. The Erlkonig is universal, the A12t is custom. Customs will always be more coherent sounding to me.
 
May 14, 2019 at 9:30 PM Post #450 of 1,546
@toranku

I reauditioned the Erlkonig after switching to an A12t as my daily driver and the Erlkonig sounds thin by comparison. It is still more detailed but not as obviously so. If I were to audition them again, I would listen to them for a longer period of time to allow brain burn in

You brought up a really good point. To my ears VE always occupies a sweet spot between JH/846/A12 type of tuning and QDC/UE/PP8 type of tuning. This is probably why VE always stands out to me in A/B comparisons as being more detailed than the former and more full-bodied than the latter. I don't really know which type of tuning I'd like the most if I had to live with one for a long period of time.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top