Cetric asked me about Miracle's bass performance esspecailly comparing against TF10. I thought that i should also share my thoughts with the group here.
TF10 definately have more bass. that's very obvious once you listen to both. TF10's bass is very satisfying. it's like having a Starbucks Frappuqino. It tastes good, but at the end you know that you are NOT drinking coffee. Miracle's bass aims for total accuracy, and it delivers exactly that. You hear exactly what was on the recording. Nothing more, and nothing less. Although it's impossible for me to find out whether that's really true, but you just get that feeling.
I guess it might not be the ideal IEM for R&B, Rap or heavy Rock music, since more bass is almost always better for those.
For my taste, it's just almost perfect, I say "almost", because i do wish just a little bit more. Just a little to make things a little bit more fun maybe.
I guess it's difficult for the UM engineers, since everyone's bass preference is different. They would be better off to stick with a standard which is pure accuracy, and i am VERY happy about that decision.
As an example last night i listened to The Sheffield Lab Drum & Track disc. The bass is very tight, deep, quick and full of texture. The positioning of each instruments is so spot on. On the other hand, TF10's bass seems be to bloomy, loose, slow and lack of details (never thought of that before). It is still quite good for an IEM, but in my mind (at least right now) that's just "cheap" bass, or bass without definition.
My standard in terms of bass impact and depth is the Hifiman HE-6 headphone when properly driven. Unfortunately Miracle doesn't hit quite as deep, nor does it delivers the same level of impact. NO IEM will ever be able to due to the way how they reproduce sound, but Miracle does get pretty close i would say.
btw, I highly recommend HM-602 for Miracle. The little sweet and warm sounding DAP pairs very very well with the Miracle. Miracle retains its clarity and neutrality without sounding dry or too analytical. It does make iPhone sound better, but truly shines with 602 (more details, larger sound stage and better musicality). I strongly suggest everyone not to use it straight out of an iPhone or iPad. You have spent that much on an IEM (at least the ones getting Miracle or Merlin). it would be a shame if you never get to know its real potential.
Now i am very curious about Merlin. Based on UM's web site it should perform much better in terms of bass, but i am worried whether dynamic driver will blend well with BA drivers. The sound signature is quite different between those two.
have i mentioned that i am constantly amazed by how Miracle delivers the music without being agressive on the ears? ^_^ You hear everything, but your ears are never tired or "hurt". I don't think if it's a good thing or bad thing, because i can literally listen to it for hours and hours. I can never do that with my large headphones.
