[toranku]

Would love to see a Vision Ears overview.

Oh, will definitely come. VE is one of the few brands I look up to. There isn't a earphone that they make suck. Consistent and knows what they are doing.

 

[OverlordRush]

Oh, will definitely come. VE is one of the few brands I look up to. There isn't a earphone that they make suck. Consistent and knows what they are doing.

so much for all those Haze-fi jokes huh?

 

[toranku]

so much for all those Haze-fi jokes huh?

On a side note I got back my 334sr after loaning it to a friend. Totally forgot it existed. Truly haze-fi

 

[redrol]

FWIW I got the first pair of Voyager 14s after HBB and I agree with your review for the most part.

 

[Ollie the bear]

FWIW I got the first pair of Voyager 14s after HBB and I agree with your review for the most part.

You thought they were super resolving, right?

 

[redrol]

They have far far too much detail for my own mental facilities. I can't process it. I don't think of resolving as the same thing as OCD detail retrival.

 

[F700]

Brand Overview: PEARS

PEARS is a swiss IEM manufacturer. I've a soft spot for this brand as they make one of my favourite IEMs: the SH3. PEARS as a brand doesn't seem to follow market trends at all and release IEMs in their own slow pace. To give you an idea of their speed, the SH3 was launched in 2015 and had a small update in 2019. As of now, SH3 remains as their TOTL but they are seemingly looking to come up with new IEMs this year.

PEARS SH2
16 Feb 2020
SH2 is a slightly midbass boosted and uppermid dipped earphone. Has a laid-back, intimate presentation. The sound really does feel very close. It sounds "lazy" where its dynamics aren't up to par. Transients are a bit smeared as well. Bass can be a bit boxy sounding due to the wide band midbass/lowmid boost. Due to the aforementioned slight lack of uppermids (1-4khz) the sound can be a bit hazy. However what I think does work here is the overall coherence and pleasantness of the tuning. Despite it having too much lower mids over its uppermids, it somehow still manages good vocals that are thick and slightly warm. Vocals are really the star of the show here and I do enjoy the vocal tuning, surprisingly.

With the lack of pinna gain, the treble suffers. The lower treble lacks impact and crash which renders cymbals laid back and doesn't capture the energy well. Cymbals do not shine and are not billiant. In some sense they do feel like they lack focus and precision. Upper treble however manages good extension but since the low treble is dipped, it sounds uneven anyway.

Overall just passable. For something similar I prefer 4ss. 4ss has a more energetic and dynamic presentation. 4ss is however also warmer and sharper with the treble response.

PEARS SH3
6 Oct 2019
See full review here. In short, SH3 is a pretty technical IEM that places lead instruments and vocals forward with good treble extension and coherence. Plenty midrange detail but lacks in bass resolve, particularly subbass extension. Excellent vocals with a beautiful midrange tonality.

More Thoughts...
PEARS seems to take vocal rendering quite seriously. I think it sorely needs an update to their lineup and I can't wait.

I am living in Switzerland and have an appointment with them at their office next Friday. I have been offered to hear/test/buy(?) their custom UT-3. You basically take the SH-3 IEM structure, plug it to their homemade interface that allows you to tune bass/midrange/treble (5 levels for each, I think) and then your source to it. Imagine the possibilities... Price starts at CHF 1'490.- (USD 1'500.-). I will report on a dedicated thread upon my return. I also will ask what is coming next...

 

[toranku]

I am living in Switzerland and have an appointment with them at their office next Friday. I have been offered to hear/test/buy(?) their custom UT-3. You basically take the SH-3 IEM structure, plug it to their homemade interface that allows you to tune bass/midrange/treble (5 levels for each, I think) and then your source to it. Imagine the possibilities... Price starts at CHF 1'490.- (USD 1'500.-). I will report on a dedicated thread upon my return. I also will ask what is coming next...

Ah, the UT-125/UT-3. Wish my local dealer had that. Super curious about it. Please give it a go and tell me just how effective is the tuning settings! PEARS said that they will surprise us this year. They said so last year as well No choice but to wait. Say hi to the team for me

 

[F700]

Ah, the UT-125/UT-3. Wish my local dealer had that. Super curious about it. Please give it a go and tell me just how effective is the tuning settings! PEARS said that they will surprise us this year. They said so last year as well No choice but to wait. Say hi to the team for me

I'll post my impression next week. I'll pass your greetings to the team, with pleasure.

 

[toranku]

Updates: Tork Target v3


Tork Target v3​

I've adjusted the curve to peak exactly at 3000hz and following the general shape of 1-3khz closer to harman. In addition, I've given the curve 1dB more bass at 20hz (now 6dB) and 1dB more gain at 3000hz (now 7dB). Please see the comparison to v1 below:

Green: v1, Red: v3 (updated)​

5dB bass and 6dB pinna was perhaps a bit too conservative. And of course, this is just a suggested target. The actual product adhering to the curve will have to adjust the bass and pinna gain based on driver selection and acoustic properties of the design. You may ask: "where's v2?" v2 accounted for the extra 1dB gain but did not have the pinna properties/slope that followed harman better. v3 is a more complete curve.

The plan for this target is providing companies some direction in tuning. There's only one thing FR can tell and that's acoustic energy at which regions. Earphone design is definitely much more than just FR. Hopefully companies start adopting the target!

The raw .txt files can be found below. Cheers.

 

[F700]

Ah, the UT-125/UT-3. Wish my local dealer had that. Super curious about it. Please give it a go and tell me just how effective is the tuning settings! PEARS said that they will surprise us this year. They said so last year as well No choice but to wait. Say hi to the team for me

Hi @toranku,

As requested, here are just a few impressions and feedbacks from my today's visit in P-EAR-S premises. Firstly, they also say hi to you and they named you by your first name . Secondly, they are on something new and maybe not just one IEM. They have a lot of ideas, but they are taking their time. I did not managed to get any clue, only that they will stick with BAs for the time being. No DD, EST or Planars or anything exotic at the moment. They also are experimenting with cables, they are on something with a specific connector coming the medical field. They are not in a rush, already have a lot to do with partnerships in Switzerland and getting a bigger reputation. These 3 guys are professionals and love music above all.

Their website's gonna be updated in a few weeks and I can tell you that it will look very nice and intuitive for creating your own IEM. I saw a beta version and we are talking about a serious update.

I spent almost 4 hours with them, trying their 3 IEMS, namely the SH-2, the SH-3 and the UT-3. My sources were DTR1 + HA-2 and Calyx M. Before reading what follows, please keep in mind that you and me, we seem to like a slightly different kind of sound signature, even though your description of the SH-2 and SH-3 are spot on to me after my listening sessions. Surprisingly, I liked the SH-2 better than the SH-3, even if the clarity, the detail retrieval and the precision were better on the SH-3. The SH-2 has this cosy warmth that envelops you. Intoxicating and musical sound, especially with the genres I listen to. It lacks a bit of air in the top end and the resolution was just ok, but the bass was impressive for a BAs set and the mids exactly as I like them. I spent 1 hour with both IEMs before switching to the UT-3 and the UT-125 interface. From there, it was point of no return...

The UT-125 interface lets you fine-tuning your sound in the bass/medium/treble areas with 5 different steps. Step 1 being light bass, recessed mids, rolled-off treble. Step 5 is the opposite obviously. Nothing new for you so far. At the beginning, all switches are set in the middle (position 3). This is not a "neutral" position. There is no such thing told me Stéphane Rochat. Moving from one step to another increase the chosen parameter from approx. 2db. Very important to know, the UT-3 IEM is not a SH-3 that can be tuned with UT-125. UT-3 also sports 3 BAs, but is not tuned as the SH-3 by default. UT-3 has the same sub-bass, equivalent mids and slightly smoother treble than the SH-3. The drivers also seem to be placed differently in the shell. It was difficult to see through it (dark blue color), but it was my impression.

Oh boy, I spent 2 hours switching sources and trying to find the best combination for my tastes with all the switches. It is challenging, because DTR1 and Calyx M sound quite different. On top of that comes the recording quality of each track, the fatigue of being so focused on the music, the excitement of testing such a piece of gear, etc... long story short, I needed Samuel Harsch's bit of help for choosing the final tuning. For me, it will be bass 4, mids 3 and treble 3. A nice tuning was also bass 3, mids 2 and treble 3. Going in "1" or "5" positions was not extreme, but bass and treble were more impacted than the mids by going from one end of the spectrum to another. So, my UT-3 CIEM will have more sub-bass than the SH-3, similar mids and smoother treble while keeping the same detail retrieval, energy and air as the SH-3. At least, this is what I perceived with my sound signature preferences. I also took the recessed 2pin connectors, which are rock-solid. Shells will be clear and red.

The icing of the cake came at the end. Stéphane told me: "what about making your ear impressions right away? We recently have hired an audiologist in order to get the impression's quality we need" "For sure I said". Having made the impressions, they control it. I had my right ear canal siliconed twice, because Samuel was not 100% happy with the first result. I tell you, these guys are maniacs, but in a very good way. Then, they put the impressions in the scanner and then right on their computer. Oh, did I mention that the impressions are free of charge? I mean, guys, what a great service!!

Special mention to Robi, the new team member. I made the appointment with him. A very friendly and nice individual. Merci Robi

Now, the wait begins... but for the time being, the Phatlab Chimera amp is rocking my Final E5000 via DTR1. Guilty pleasure, I guess.

 

[papa_mia]

Now, the wait begins... but for the time being, the Phatlab Chimera amp is rocking my Final E5000 via DTR1. Guilty pleasure, I guess.

Damn man, you still need an amp for that beast? Are you making a bomb or something?

 

[toranku]

Hi @toranku,

As requested, here are just a few impressions and feedbacks from my today's visit in P-EAR-S premises. Firstly, they also say hi to you and they named you by your first name . Secondly, they are on something new and maybe not just one IEM. They have a lot of ideas, but they are taking their time. I did not managed to get any clue, only that they will stick with BAs for the time being. No DD, EST or Planars or anything exotic at the moment. They also are experimenting with cables, they are on something with a specific connector coming the medical field. They are not in a rush, already have a lot to do with partnerships in Switzerland and getting a bigger reputation. These 3 guys are professionals and love music above all.

Their website's gonna be updated in a few weeks and I can tell you that it will look very nice and intuitive for creating your own IEM. I saw a beta version and we are talking about a serious update.

I spent almost 4 hours with them, trying their 3 IEMS, namely the SH-2, the SH-3 and the UT-3. My sources were DTR1 + HA-2 and Calyx M. Before reading what follows, please keep in mind that you and me, we seem to like a slightly different kind of sound signature, even though your description of the SH-2 and SH-3 are spot on to me after my listening sessions. Surprisingly, I liked the SH-2 better than the SH-3, even if the clarity, the detail retrieval and the precision were better on the SH-3. The SH-2 has this cosy warmth that envelops you. Intoxicating and musical sound, especially with the genres I listen to. It lacks a bit of air in the top end and the resolution was just ok, but the bass was impressive for a BAs set and the mids exactly as I like them. I spent 1 hour with both IEMs before switching to the UT-3 and the UT-125 interface. From there, it was point of no return...

The UT-125 interface lets you fine-tuning your sound in the bass/medium/treble areas with 5 different steps. Step 1 being light bass, recessed mids, rolled-off treble. Step 5 is the opposite obviously. Nothing new for you so far. At the beginning, all switches are set in the middle (position 3). This is not a "neutral" position. There is no such thing told me Stéphane Rochat. Moving from one step to another increase the chosen parameter from approx. 2db. Very important to know, the UT-3 IEM is not a SH-3 that can be tuned with UT-125. UT-3 also sports 3 BAs, but is not tuned as the SH-3 by default. UT-3 has the same sub-bass, equivalent mids and slightly smoother treble than the SH-3. The drivers also seem to be placed differently in the shell. It was difficult to see through it (dark blue color), but it was my impression.

Oh boy, I spent 2 hours switching sources and trying to find the best combination for my tastes with all the switches. It is challenging, because DTR1 and Calyx M sound quite different. On top of that comes the recording quality of each track, the fatigue of being so focused on the music, the excitement of testing such a piece of gear, etc... long story short, I needed Samuel Harsch's bit of help for choosing the final tuning. For me, it will be bass 4, mids 3 and treble 3. A nice tuning was also bass 3, mids 2 and treble 3. Going in "1" or "5" positions was not extreme, but bass and treble were more impacted than the mids by going from one end of the spectrum to another. So, my UT-3 CIEM will have more sub-bass than the SH-3, similar mids and smoother treble while keeping the same detail retrieval, energy and air as the SH-3. At least, this is what I perceived with my sound signature preferences. I also took the recessed 2pin connectors, which are rock-solid. Shells will be clear and red.

The icing of the cake came at the end. Stéphane told me: "what about making your ear impressions right away? We recently have hired an audiologist in order to get the impression's quality we need" "For sure I said". Having made the impressions, they control it. I had my right ear canal siliconed twice, because Samuel was not 100% happy with the first result. I tell you, these guys are maniacs, but in a very good way. Then, they put the impressions in the scanner and then right on their computer. Oh, did I mention that the impressions are free of charge? I mean, guys, what a great service!!

Special mention to Robi, the new team member. I made the appointment with him. A very friendly and nice individual. Merci Robi

Now, the wait begins... but for the time being, the Phatlab Chimera amp is rocking my Final E5000 via DTR1. Guilty pleasure, I guess.

Sounds like a worthwhile trip! Glad to see them taking action after I suggested doing recessed 2pin connection a few months back. I also did Red and Clear transparent shells. The quality on them is staggering - truly built like a tank.

I do really want to try the UT125 myself! Seems like some fun messing with the tuning. Maybe one day...

Thank you for the write-up once again

 

[F700]

Damn man, you still need an amp for that beast? Are you making a bomb or something?

This is my hidden "mad scientist" side of me, you are right. I am spotted!

 

[F700]

Sounds like a worthwhile trip! Glad to see them taking action after I suggested doing recessed 2pin connection a few months back. I also did Red and Clear transparent shells. The quality on them is staggering - truly built like a tank.

I do really want to try the UT125 myself! Seems like some fun messing with the tuning. Maybe one day...

Thank you for the write-up once again

Switzerland is a beautiful country. It definitely has more than cheese, chocolate and watches to offer Come visit us, it's worth the trip.