Unique Melody Newest Flagship-- Mason Fabled Sound Special Edition/Mason Fusang CIEM&UIEM
Apr 7, 2022 at 3:34 PM Post #1,261 of 1,311
Can you give me an example of what the other sets are for you?
U12T and KR5 as mentioned before.
After that would have to go by other peoples favorites for EDM since I have not heard them or if I did it was very briefly. The fact that you said you found U12T boring is no surprise it takes hours of continuous listening before I appreciate listening to it as something more than boring.

I would say XE6 as well but that one is expensive, NE4 I did not listen too that is another option that is less money and similar, and has quite a few fans. Elysian sets which I only heard the X for a couple minutes, hard one to demo.
 
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Apr 7, 2022 at 4:06 PM Post #1,262 of 1,311
U12T and KR5 as mentioned before.
After that would have to go by other peoples favorites for EDM since I have not heard them or if I did it was very briefly. The fact that you said you found U12T boring is no surprise it takes hours of continuous listening before I appreciate listening to it as something more than boring.

I would say XE6 as well but that one is expensive, NE4 I did not listen too that is another option that is less money and similar, and has quite a few fans. Elysian sets which I only heard the X for a couple minutes, hard one to demo.
I didn't say I found U12t boring. I've never listened to it. You probably get confused with some other listener ....:wink:
 
Apr 7, 2022 at 4:09 PM Post #1,263 of 1,311
XE6 I have read that it is a rather particular iem and that you have to listen a little to immerse yourself in its reality. And I've read that it has a lot of low end, albeit a nice one. KR5 I have read that it is more balanced than XE6 and is slightly clear in the high range. But I repeat: here in Italy we do not have the opportunity to listen to iem. So what I am writing is based exclusively on a sum of opinions that obviously I have read here among you who have listened to all these iem.
 
Apr 7, 2022 at 5:02 PM Post #1,265 of 1,311
XE6 I have read that it is a rather particular iem and that you have to listen a little to immerse yourself in its reality. And I've read that it has a lot of low end, albeit a nice one. KR5 I have read that it is more balanced than XE6 and is slightly clear in the high range. But I repeat: here in Italy we do not have the opportunity to listen to iem. So what I am writing is based exclusively on a sum of opinions that obviously I have read here among you who have listened to all these iem.
Sorry thought that was you on U12T.
Pretty sure you could find that one used under 2K, the others questionable. It is a legend of a set, if color is what you want it is not the one, if you want good balance detail accuracy it could be a good one. Should be easy to sell off if you do not like it.

I have not heard that many sets at or below $2,000 USD which is crazy. Cannot believe how expensive these little things can be. And how I have been okay with spending more than $2,000 for a set. If you asked me 4 years ago I would have said no way I am doing that.

I enjoy the XE6 a lot though it does lack some speed in the bass, I think the highs are very good and the mids hold their own. As a package sound it is an addictive high energy event listening with them. Unfortunately it is almost double your budget new.
 
Apr 13, 2022 at 6:32 PM Post #1,266 of 1,311
Doing some Mason FS listening today. My sp2000 died on me (hopefully within warranty) so I'm driving my c9 with my L&P P6 pro. I don't like that DAC for the Trailli as much as I like the sp2000's immense soundstage and laid back presentation which really make the bird fly for me. When IEM's are about soundstage width I prefer to push that width as far as I can, and the bird is definitely about that. The Mason FS is not. It's about physicality, texture, weight and its sphere of a soundscape. The P6 pro is very good at providing those, especially once it gets warmed up. (I got a hint from a fellow head-fier that the p6 needs to be turned on 20 minutes for the r2r dac to relax, and its true. The sound improves)

I started with mason fs with its original Attila cable, and while its nice, I prefer the Orpheus. Sure, there's a little mid softness and perhaps even bloat that the Attila doesn't have. The attila with the mason fs is razor sharp. But Orpheus makes that soundscape sphere about 40% larger to my ears adds its unique magic smoothness. I still have a drop of that Attile dryness and subbass taming in there, since I have an Attila interconnect between P6 and C9. This keeps the sound more within original UM parameters. (Interconnect rolling is the best part about the c9, you can basically do hybrid cables!)

And, well long story lonh, it's an amazing combination. Huge soft sphere of a soundscape. The orpheus adds some kind of seductive, soft, magical quality to the Mason FS. Yet the IEM still retains its ultra high def physical imaging where you can imagine the microscopic surfaces of sounds and view them in trippy 3d detail. The vocals are incredible, very sweet. The Orpheus does take a little from that Attila+MasonFS "air coming from the singer's mouth" realism, but it's not a downgrade. The Mason is still a very mids first / best ever mids IEM with the Orpheus, there's just a little smoothness and sweetness added to that. Detail perception is a paradox. Feels less or similar as Attila, but really detail is better. Orpheus does LOADS of details but it's not sharp and in your face. The P6 also plays well to the Mason FS's strengths. Better than Sp2000 definitely. I would say SP2000 is great for Trailli and P6 is better for Mason FS. The combination of that r2r musical magic and physicality with the Mason's bone conduction is quite special. But just a little too tight for me with the Attila. But mediated by the sultry Orpheus's dewy, misty perfection... wow man. It's quite something.

For some reason I've always thought of the Mason FS as a very digital sounding IEM. Just because of its ultradetail, and the way it zooms in on texture beyond what is, to me, natural. Like one of those Spiderman end credits where you see into DNA and cell walls or something. (Lame analogy but you get it). The bone conduction physicality is probably what makes that magic trick happen, with the weight and realism it adds to those elements. I like that hi rez digital feel, but it has three problems for me.

First, you have to listen to the Mason FS for about 40 minutes until the brain switches over -- especially if you're coming from a classically flashy IEM -- and starts appreciating, one might even say accepting, that very unique bone conduction trick. Before my brain makes that switch, the Mason often sounds quite boring and mediocre. Coming from Trailli, it's got a small undramatic soundstage. Coming from u18t it doesn't feel as open and doesn't have that TIA treble's shattering glass magic. Listen to a whole album though and things start to change. The brain somehow "accepts" those weighty sound-objects, with their huge gravity, onto whatever miracle-canvas our nerves use to paint soundscapes on. That's when the Mason really shines. There's this cool trippy effect where the bone conduction weight and texture-centric detail retrieval add up to trippy little details on the surfaces of sounds, like inspecting planets in orbit. Somehow other IEMs with vastly superior soundstages, or more striking treble for example, or more rumbling bass, never have that tactile effect. The surfaces of sound-objects are blurry, there's no tactile sense of there being something "there". Because they don't have that bone conduction weight that our brains associate with sounds originating from beyond the ear. And thus with being "real" and "weighty". One way to explain it is: when you listen to your own voice, that has huuuuuuge bone conduction. Most of what you hear is coming from your throat and through your skull -- not from your mouth and into your ear. That's why our own voices seem rich, detailed, credible, internal, and weighty to us. Listen to a recording of your own voice. Everyone is always surprised at how different (read: worse) it is sounds from their own perception of it. You sound thin without that bone conduction effect. Weightless and lacking surface. The Mason FS adds a touch (not a lot, mind you, just a tiny bit, like 10%) of that effect to everything within a recording's soundstage. And then it's also got immense technicality, so you can see a ton of timber info on those now bone-weighted instruments.

But because it only adds a bit of it -- the effect isn't in your face -- it takes time to adjust to it and appreciate it.

The other two problems are harder to solve. First is soundstage size perception. Not size itself, that's quite large, but perception. The Mason FS is ultra-focused on this one very special effect -- the one I just described -- the rest of the engineering tries to support it. So they also need this rather large soundstage to be packed tight full of instruments, because those instruments need to be BIG they take up space. The Mason does not use those popular tuning tricks that create air between instruments, because those tricks detract from the perceived size of the instruments by making them smaller. That doesn't mean that the Mason doesn't have separation between instruments, it's just not of the modern IEM airy kind (Trailli, u18t etc). Here the Orpheus helps. It keeps the soundstage circular but the circle just becomes a lot larger and there's a bit of warm, analogue but still black air between instruments.

The other is source pickiness. With the wrong source the Mason FS can become sterile and unmusical. It doesn't like the SP2000s laid back super detailed wideness at all. Add C9 to it and it's quite nice, but the P6 Pro really brings it to life. P6 and Orpheus together is especially nice. Things become bouncy and fun, those super detailed weighty elements attack and decay out of the soundstage in a more lively and involving manner. I love the Trailli with super analytical sources because it's so impressive and emotional already. This one needs more life.

I have a feeling I will be hooked up to P6-C9-Orpheus-MasonFS for some weeks now, learning its mysteries.
 
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Apr 13, 2022 at 6:44 PM Post #1,267 of 1,311
Doing some Mason FS listening today. My sp2000 died on me (hopefully within warranty) so I'm driving my c9 with my L&P P6 pro. I don't like that DAC for the Trailli as much as I like the sp2000's immense soundstage and laid back presentation which really make the bird fly for me. When IEM's are about soundstage width I prefer to push that width as far as I can, and the bird is definitely about that. The Mason FS is not. It's about physicality, texture, weight and its sphere of a soundscape. The P6 pro is very good at providing those, especially once it gets warmed up. (I got a hint from a fellow head-fier that the p6 needs to be turned on 20 minutes for the r2r dac to relax, and its true. The sound improves)

I started with mason fs with its original Attila cable, and while its nice, I prefer the Orpheus. Sure, there's a little mid softness and perhaps even bloat that the Attila doesn't have. The attila with the mason fs is razor sharp. But Orpheus makes that soundscape sphere about 40% larger to my ears adds its unique magic smoothness. I still have a drop of that Attile dryness and subbass taming in there, since I have an Attila interconnect between P6 and C9. This keeps the sound more within original UM parameters. (Interconnect rolling is the best part about the c9, you can basically do hybrid cables!)

And, well long story lonh, it's an amazing combination. Huge soft sphere of a soundscape. The orpheus adds some kind of seductive, soft, magical quality to the Mason FS. Yet the IEM still retains its ultra high def physical imaging where you can imagine the microscopic surfaces of sounds and view them in trippy 3d detail. The vocals are incredible, very sweet. The Orpheus does take a little from that Attila+MasonFS "air coming from the singer's mouth" realism, but it's not a downgrade. The Mason is still a very mids first / best ever mids IEM with the Orpheus, there's just a little smoothness and sweetness added to that too, and you lose a bit of texture to that. Detail perception is similar as Attila, but real detail is better I would say. The P6 also plays well to the Mason FS's strengths. Better than Sp2000 definitely. I would say SP2000 is great for Trailli and P6 is better for Mason FS. The combination of that r2r musical magic and physicality with the Mason's bone conduction is very special. But just a little too tight for me. But them, mediated by the sultry Orpheus's dewy, misty perfection... wow man. It's quite something.

For some reason I've always thought of the Mason FS as a very digital sounding IEM. Just because of its ultradetail, and the way it zooms in on texture beyond what is, to me, natural. Like one of those Spiderman end credits where you see into DNA and cell walls or something. (Lame analogy but you get it). The bone conduction physicality is probably what makes that magic trick happen, with the weight and realism it adds to those elements. I like that hi rez digital feel, but it has two problems for me.

Well, three actually. The third is that you have to listen to the Mason FS for about 40 minutes until the brain switches over from whatever IEM you were listening to before, and starts appreciating, one might even say accepting, that very unique presentation. Before my brain makes that switch, the Mason often sounds quite boring and mediocre. Coming from Trailli, it's got a small undramatic soundstage. Coming from u18t it doesn't feel as open and doesn't have that TIA treble's shattering glass magic. Listen to a whole album though and things start to change. The brain somehow "accepts" those weighty sound-objects, with their huge gravity, onto whatever miracle-canvas our nerves use to paint soundscapes on. That's when the Mason really shines. There's this cool trippy effect where the bone conduction weight and texture-centric detail retrieval add up to trippy little details on the surfaces of sounds, like inspecting planets in orbit. Somehow other IEMs with vastly superior soundstages, or more striking treble for example, or more rumbling bass, never have that tactile effect. The surfaces of sound-objects are blurry, there's no tactile sense of there being something "there". Because they don't have that bone conduction weight that our brains associate with sounds originating from beyond the ear. And thus with being "real" and "weighty". One way to explain it is: when you listen to your own voice, that has huuuuuuge bone conduction. Most of what you hear is coming from your throat and through your skull -- not from your mouth and into your ear. That's why our own voices seem rich, detailed, credible, internal, and weighty to us. Listen to a recording of your own voice. Everyone is always surprised at how different (read: worse) it is sounds from their own perception of it. You sound thin without that bone conduction effect. Weightless and lacking surface. The Mason FS adds a touch (not a lot, mind you, just a tiny bit, like 10%) of that effect to everything within a recording's soundstage. And then it's also got immense technicality, so you can see a ton of info on those now bone-weighted instruments.

But because it only adds a bit of it -- the effect isn't in your face -- it takes time to adjust to it and appreciate it.

The other two problems are harder to solve though. First is soundstage size perception. Not size itself, that's quite large, but perception. The Mason FS is ultra-focused on this one very special effect -- the one I just described -- the rest of the engineering tries to support it. So they also need this rather large soundstage to be packed tight full of instruments, because those instruments need to be BIG. The Mason does not use the popular tuning tricks that create air between instruments, because all of those tricks detract from the perceived size of the instruments by making them smaller. That doesn't mean that the mason doesn't have separation between instruments, it's just not of the modern IEM airy kind (Trailli, u18t etc). I believe here the Orpheus helps. It keeps the soundstage circular but the circle just becomes larger and there's a tad bit of warm, analogue but still black air between instruments.

The other is that with the wrong source/cable combo the Mason FS can become sterile and unmusical. It doesn't like the SP2000s laid back super detailed wideness at all. Add C9 to it and it's quite nice, but the P6 Pro really brings it to life. P6 and Orpheus and things become bouncy and fun, those super detailed weighty elements attack and decay out of the soundstage in a more lively and involving manner. I love the Trailli with super analytical sources because it's so impressive and emotional already. This one needs more life.

I have a feeling I will be hooked up to this P6 - C9 - Orpheus - Mason FS combo for some weeks mow, learning its mysteries.
Agree, the sound is incredible
2B93011C-A5B6-4718-913A-DF65B9A17F50.jpeg
 
Apr 13, 2022 at 7:00 PM Post #1,268 of 1,311
I love the FS with the stock cable...already a huge expense....as much as I am willing to try any updates the cost of the orpheus is actually one of the first that I find a bit absurd..so be it others feel it is worth it and more power to them
 
Apr 13, 2022 at 7:24 PM Post #1,269 of 1,311
Doing some Mason FS listening today. My sp2000 died on me (hopefully within warranty) so I'm driving my c9 with my L&P P6 pro. I don't like that DAC for the Trailli as much as I like the sp2000's immense soundstage and laid back presentation which really make the bird fly for me. When IEM's are about soundstage width I prefer to push that width as far as I can, and the bird is definitely about that. The Mason FS is not. It's about physicality, texture, weight and its sphere of a soundscape. The P6 pro is very good at providing those, especially once it gets warmed up. (I got a hint from a fellow head-fier that the p6 needs to be turned on 20 minutes for the r2r dac to relax, and its true. The sound improves)

I started with mason fs with its original Attila cable, and while its nice, I prefer the Orpheus. Sure, there's a little mid softness and perhaps even bloat that the Attila doesn't have. The attila with the mason fs is razor sharp. But Orpheus makes that soundscape sphere about 40% larger to my ears adds its unique magic smoothness. I still have a drop of that Attile dryness and subbass taming in there, since I have an Attila interconnect between P6 and C9. This keeps the sound more within original UM parameters. (Interconnect rolling is the best part about the c9, you can basically do hybrid cables!)

And, well long story lonh, it's an amazing combination. Huge soft sphere of a soundscape. The orpheus adds some kind of seductive, soft, magical quality to the Mason FS. Yet the IEM still retains its ultra high def physical imaging where you can imagine the microscopic surfaces of sounds and view them in trippy 3d detail. The vocals are incredible, very sweet. The Orpheus does take a little from that Attila+MasonFS "air coming from the singer's mouth" realism, but it's not a downgrade. The Mason is still a very mids first / best ever mids IEM with the Orpheus, there's just a little smoothness and sweetness added to that. Detail perception is a paradox. Feels less or similar as Attila, but really detail is better. Orpheus does LOADS of details but it's not sharp and in your face. The P6 also plays well to the Mason FS's strengths. Better than Sp2000 definitely. I would say SP2000 is great for Trailli and P6 is better for Mason FS. The combination of that r2r musical magic and physicality with the Mason's bone conduction is quite special. But just a little too tight for me with the Attila. But mediated by the sultry Orpheus's dewy, misty perfection... wow man. It's quite something.

For some reason I've always thought of the Mason FS as a very digital sounding IEM. Just because of its ultradetail, and the way it zooms in on texture beyond what is, to me, natural. Like one of those Spiderman end credits where you see into DNA and cell walls or something. (Lame analogy but you get it). The bone conduction physicality is probably what makes that magic trick happen, with the weight and realism it adds to those elements. I like that hi rez digital feel, but it has three problems for me.

First, you have to listen to the Mason FS for about 40 minutes until the brain switches over -- especially if you're coming from a classically flashy IEM -- and starts appreciating, one might even say accepting, that very unique bone conduction trick. Before my brain makes that switch, the Mason often sounds quite boring and mediocre. Coming from Trailli, it's got a small undramatic soundstage. Coming from u18t it doesn't feel as open and doesn't have that TIA treble's shattering glass magic. Listen to a whole album though and things start to change. The brain somehow "accepts" those weighty sound-objects, with their huge gravity, onto whatever miracle-canvas our nerves use to paint soundscapes on. That's when the Mason really shines. There's this cool trippy effect where the bone conduction weight and texture-centric detail retrieval add up to trippy little details on the surfaces of sounds, like inspecting planets in orbit. Somehow other IEMs with vastly superior soundstages, or more striking treble for example, or more rumbling bass, never have that tactile effect. The surfaces of sound-objects are blurry, there's no tactile sense of there being something "there". Because they don't have that bone conduction weight that our brains associate with sounds originating from beyond the ear. And thus with being "real" and "weighty". One way to explain it is: when you listen to your own voice, that has huuuuuuge bone conduction. Most of what you hear is coming from your throat and through your skull -- not from your mouth and into your ear. That's why our own voices seem rich, detailed, credible, internal, and weighty to us. Listen to a recording of your own voice. Everyone is always surprised at how different (read: worse) it is sounds from their own perception of it. You sound thin without that bone conduction effect. Weightless and lacking surface. The Mason FS adds a touch (not a lot, mind you, just a tiny bit, like 10%) of that effect to everything within a recording's soundstage. And then it's also got immense technicality, so you can see a ton of timber info on those now bone-weighted instruments.

But because it only adds a bit of it -- the effect isn't in your face -- it takes time to adjust to it and appreciate it.

The other two problems are harder to solve. First is soundstage size perception. Not size itself, that's quite large, but perception. The Mason FS is ultra-focused on this one very special effect -- the one I just described -- the rest of the engineering tries to support it. So they also need this rather large soundstage to be packed tight full of instruments, because those instruments need to be BIG they take up space. The Mason does not use those popular tuning tricks that create air between instruments, because those tricks detract from the perceived size of the instruments by making them smaller. That doesn't mean that the Mason doesn't have separation between instruments, it's just not of the modern IEM airy kind (Trailli, u18t etc). Here the Orpheus helps. It keeps the soundstage circular but the circle just becomes a lot larger and there's a bit of warm, analogue but still black air between instruments.

The other is source pickiness. With the wrong source the Mason FS can become sterile and unmusical. It doesn't like the SP2000s laid back super detailed wideness at all. Add C9 to it and it's quite nice, but the P6 Pro really brings it to life. P6 and Orpheus together is especially nice. Things become bouncy and fun, those super detailed weighty elements attack and decay out of the soundstage in a more lively and involving manner. I love the Trailli with super analytical sources because it's so impressive and emotional already. This one needs more life.

I have a feeling I will be hooked up to P6-C9-Orpheus-MasonFS for some weeks now, learning its mysteries.
Very well said man!

Same here, enjoying the R2R magic from LP6 + Orpheus + FS. :)

0EEA7DA9-227F-423D-A399-61DC0D7321D4.jpeg
 
Apr 13, 2022 at 7:45 PM Post #1,270 of 1,311
Doing some Mason FS listening today. My sp2000 died on me (hopefully within warranty) so I'm driving my c9 with my L&P P6 pro. I don't like that DAC for the Trailli as much as I like the sp2000's immense soundstage and laid back presentation which really make the bird fly for me. When IEM's are about soundstage width I prefer to push that width as far as I can, and the bird is definitely about that. The Mason FS is not. It's about physicality, texture, weight and its sphere of a soundscape. The P6 pro is very good at providing those, especially once it gets warmed up. (I got a hint from a fellow head-fier that the p6 needs to be turned on 20 minutes for the r2r dac to relax, and its true. The sound improves)

I started with mason fs with its original Attila cable, and while its nice, I prefer the Orpheus. Sure, there's a little mid softness and perhaps even bloat that the Attila doesn't have. The attila with the mason fs is razor sharp. But Orpheus makes that soundscape sphere about 40% larger to my ears adds its unique magic smoothness. I still have a drop of that Attile dryness and subbass taming in there, since I have an Attila interconnect between P6 and C9. This keeps the sound more within original UM parameters. (Interconnect rolling is the best part about the c9, you can basically do hybrid cables!)

And, well long story lonh, it's an amazing combination. Huge soft sphere of a soundscape. The orpheus adds some kind of seductive, soft, magical quality to the Mason FS. Yet the IEM still retains its ultra high def physical imaging where you can imagine the microscopic surfaces of sounds and view them in trippy 3d detail. The vocals are incredible, very sweet. The Orpheus does take a little from that Attila+MasonFS "air coming from the singer's mouth" realism, but it's not a downgrade. The Mason is still a very mids first / best ever mids IEM with the Orpheus, there's just a little smoothness and sweetness added to that. Detail perception is a paradox. Feels less or similar as Attila, but really detail is better. Orpheus does LOADS of details but it's not sharp and in your face. The P6 also plays well to the Mason FS's strengths. Better than Sp2000 definitely. I would say SP2000 is great for Trailli and P6 is better for Mason FS. The combination of that r2r musical magic and physicality with the Mason's bone conduction is quite special. But just a little too tight for me with the Attila. But mediated by the sultry Orpheus's dewy, misty perfection... wow man. It's quite something.

For some reason I've always thought of the Mason FS as a very digital sounding IEM. Just because of its ultradetail, and the way it zooms in on texture beyond what is, to me, natural. Like one of those Spiderman end credits where you see into DNA and cell walls or something. (Lame analogy but you get it). The bone conduction physicality is probably what makes that magic trick happen, with the weight and realism it adds to those elements. I like that hi rez digital feel, but it has three problems for me.

First, you have to listen to the Mason FS for about 40 minutes until the brain switches over -- especially if you're coming from a classically flashy IEM -- and starts appreciating, one might even say accepting, that very unique bone conduction trick. Before my brain makes that switch, the Mason often sounds quite boring and mediocre. Coming from Trailli, it's got a small undramatic soundstage. Coming from u18t it doesn't feel as open and doesn't have that TIA treble's shattering glass magic. Listen to a whole album though and things start to change. The brain somehow "accepts" those weighty sound-objects, with their huge gravity, onto whatever miracle-canvas our nerves use to paint soundscapes on. That's when the Mason really shines. There's this cool trippy effect where the bone conduction weight and texture-centric detail retrieval add up to trippy little details on the surfaces of sounds, like inspecting planets in orbit. Somehow other IEMs with vastly superior soundstages, or more striking treble for example, or more rumbling bass, never have that tactile effect. The surfaces of sound-objects are blurry, there's no tactile sense of there being something "there". Because they don't have that bone conduction weight that our brains associate with sounds originating from beyond the ear. And thus with being "real" and "weighty". One way to explain it is: when you listen to your own voice, that has huuuuuuge bone conduction. Most of what you hear is coming from your throat and through your skull -- not from your mouth and into your ear. That's why our own voices seem rich, detailed, credible, internal, and weighty to us. Listen to a recording of your own voice. Everyone is always surprised at how different (read: worse) it is sounds from their own perception of it. You sound thin without that bone conduction effect. Weightless and lacking surface. The Mason FS adds a touch (not a lot, mind you, just a tiny bit, like 10%) of that effect to everything within a recording's soundstage. And then it's also got immense technicality, so you can see a ton of timber info on those now bone-weighted instruments.

But because it only adds a bit of it -- the effect isn't in your face -- it takes time to adjust to it and appreciate it.

The other two problems are harder to solve. First is soundstage size perception. Not size itself, that's quite large, but perception. The Mason FS is ultra-focused on this one very special effect -- the one I just described -- the rest of the engineering tries to support it. So they also need this rather large soundstage to be packed tight full of instruments, because those instruments need to be BIG they take up space. The Mason does not use those popular tuning tricks that create air between instruments, because those tricks detract from the perceived size of the instruments by making them smaller. That doesn't mean that the Mason doesn't have separation between instruments, it's just not of the modern IEM airy kind (Trailli, u18t etc). Here the Orpheus helps. It keeps the soundstage circular but the circle just becomes a lot larger and there's a bit of warm, analogue but still black air between instruments.

The other is source pickiness. With the wrong source the Mason FS can become sterile and unmusical. It doesn't like the SP2000s laid back super detailed wideness at all. Add C9 to it and it's quite nice, but the P6 Pro really brings it to life. P6 and Orpheus together is especially nice. Things become bouncy and fun, those super detailed weighty elements attack and decay out of the soundstage in a more lively and involving manner. I love the Trailli with super analytical sources because it's so impressive and emotional already. This one needs more life.

I have a feeling I will be hooked up to P6-C9-Orpheus-MasonFS for some weeks now, learning its mysteries.
I didn’t like Orphy + FS straight out of P6Pro. Same for LP6. I’m guessing C9 is adding the edge needed to shine with Orphy. I’m still enjoying FS - Attila - LP6 Ti 7AE though :wink:
 
Apr 13, 2022 at 7:54 PM Post #1,271 of 1,311
Okay, just as I finished typing my last post I found an even better pairing DAP wise than P6.

Behold this antique treasure:

IMG-0222.jpg


I know what you're thinking. What the hell is that? That, Meine Damer Und Härrer, is IBasso Dx200 Titanium. Restricted to 100 units, vastly improved internal wiring and loads of other goodies thrown in, something with the DAC too I remember, not just a reshell. This is a very special source, I always loved it. It has RAZOR sharp detail, some would say its too sharp and bright, but I love it. Its main characteristic, however, is a strange super-enveloping soundstage unlike I've heard anywhere. It puts you right in the centre of the sound. Like you're in a large rehearsal space and the band is playing everywhere, on the sides, in front of you, and even (a little) behind you. It's way more "all around you" than anything else I've ever heard, SP2000, LP6 -- you think those put you "in" the sound? No. Dx200 Ti does that. It's even a little disorienting at first, it's so extreme.

But that's not even the main thing here. The main thing is that Ibasso does amp modules and that there is AMP3 which has that rarest of things -- 2.5 balanced line out. True line out, none of that DAP pseudo line out stuff where you flick a setting in the menu. This thing BYPASSES the internal amp and sends its razor sharp surround-sound straight into the C9. Now, I thought "true LO" is hifi elitism and splitting hairs -- until 20 minutes ago, when I first heard the c9 with a true LO DAC. Wowzers. That's WAY more detailed, naked. This (essentially) double-amping I've done with SP2000 and P6 really does blur up the C9 a bit.

So, after dx 200 into C9 I still have Orpheus into Mason FS here. And goddamn... This is one special combo. Probably very few people out there, if any, who can set it up, since you need to have Dx200Ti (100 people), Orpheus (similar) and Mason FS was also limited under 100 I think. Not good odds. So you're gonna have to take my word for it, but that razor sharp and pitch black DX200 source gives Mason FS massive air and separation. And that "you're in the middle" soundstage plays incredibly well with the Mason FS sphere. You're straight in the middle of a very large sphere. It's... almost as if some of the sounds are below you. Merged twin spheres, basically. The DX200Ti is spherical, and Mason FS is spherical. Very very cool effect. I tried this same combo with the Trailli and got thrown off before, thinkin Dx200 Ti to c9 doesn't work. It just didn't work with Trailli, that becomes way too thin and wispy because Trailli is very light and wide. But the massive weight of the FS makes sure that never happens.

This combo has a soundstage comparable to Trailli out of c9. Not as colossal of course. But still very large, and in some ways superior: the strange "you're in the middle" effect is incredible.

If you ever get your hands on it, try it! It also looks very sexy.

PS To both of you with LP Ti-s, Ti must be very nice with the Mason. I've heard its colder and more resolving than P6. Can't shake the feeling P6 is too warm for my tastes. The dx200 is cold as ice but still somehow very punchy and musical, not cold like sp2000 is.
 
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Apr 13, 2022 at 8:46 PM Post #1,272 of 1,311
Li Le from UM used to use DX220 Max to tune iems. So I think there’s some ibasso synergy here. :)
 
Apr 13, 2022 at 9:00 PM Post #1,273 of 1,311
I didn’t like Orphy + FS straight out of P6Pro. Same for LP6. I’m guessing C9 is adding the edge needed to shine with Orphy. I’m still enjoying FS - Attila - LP6 Ti 7AE though :wink:

P6 straight to FS doesn't work for me either. Actually, FS straight to anything hasn't worked for me, and I've tried 4 DAPs, and one with multiple amp modules. Unbelievably picky. Only the C9 works thus far. That LP6ti and that LP6 gold on those @bluestorm1992 and @ajlolo pics might disagree though... Haven't tried that.
 
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Apr 13, 2022 at 9:32 PM Post #1,274 of 1,311
I haven't yet had a chance to try out too many of the DAPs, but from what I have I do agree that sp2000 is not a good fit with FS however C9 might improve its sound for sure, my best combo right now is LPGT Ti with C9 for the Mason FS with Metropolis ft 50. But still do wanna look for something else if possible to improve the performance of Mason FS. :)
IMG_0383.jpg
 
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Apr 13, 2022 at 10:18 PM Post #1,275 of 1,311
the orpheus fascinates me...do you realize that you can buy a well cared for used chord dave for the cost of this cable....it is remarkable...how many of these cables do they sell out of curiousity?
 

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