CLOSED to NEW - See AudioTiers in my Signature: US Head-Fi Tour: VISION EARS ELYSIUM vs. VE8 vs. ERLKöNIG TOTL CIEM Tour - Starting November 2019
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Headphoneus Supremus
Enjoy, buddy!
Setting 2 is my favorite.
Setting 2 is my favorite.
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Can't wait to try this, if Vision Ears give me the opportunity to be part of the tourERLKöNIG kit received from Cscol today!
Thanks, Merci, Danke
ceeloChamp
500+ Head-Fier
Is this tour still on-going, @Barra are you still the one to ping about this? I am very interested in hearing this Elky for myself.
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Headphoneus Supremus
Still going on, just ping me or submit verification info to my billb@cleardiff.com email as detailed in post 1 and 2.
Sorry for the delay in responding. I missed this post. My go-to IEM has been JH Roxanne. I've also sampled (mostly at CanJam): the entire JH lineup; Empire Legend X, Valkyrie, and Wraith; Ultimate Ear 11, 18, and Pro; Jomo Flamenco and Triniti; Noble Khan, Kaiser, and Katana; 64 Audio U12t; U18t; Tia Trio, and Tia Forte; Campfire Andromeda and Solaris; and I'm just getting started with Vision Ears VE8. For my tastes, the Erlkonig is in a league of its own. I switched between settings 2 and 4. I emailed Johannes and was unable to persuade him to make these in a custom. Probably for the best, because I couldn't afford them anyway.
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Headphoneus Supremus
hah, no need to apologize!
you’ve tried a lot of good stuff...
Stuck on setting 2 myself. Today listened to everything from heavy electronic to a string octet to rock...anything you throw at these things sounds incredible.
glad you like them.
and nice effort trying to get Johannes to agree to make these in custom...just glad they fit me so well the way they are.
you’ve tried a lot of good stuff...
Stuck on setting 2 myself. Today listened to everything from heavy electronic to a string octet to rock...anything you throw at these things sounds incredible.
glad you like them.
and nice effort trying to get Johannes to agree to make these in custom...just glad they fit me so well the way they are.
Yeah. That's just it. They do everything so well.
I'm a couple days into the VE 8 now. Not as versatile as the Erlkonig, but still a thoroughly enjoyable IEM. Like so many others, I love the warm tuning on the VE 8. Reminds me of the Ultimate Ears Live, but a bit more linear here. The vocals are not the focus on most tracks, which allows the instruments to do the singing. Strings -- especially acoustic strings -- are a pleasure to listen to. I hear a slight elevation in the upper-mids to highs that others have described. To me this is not fatiguing at all. It brings a level of detail and energy that is uncommon in other "warm" tuned IEMs. The treble is quick and clear. Jazz has never sounded better. I've had Art Blakey on repeat for the last couple days. Something about this tuning. The horns are . . . haunting. In other genres, I hear harmonies where I haven't before. I'm only two products in, but already a Vision Ears convert. If I make it through this Corona madness alive, I'll probably buy a VE 8.
I'm a couple days into the VE 8 now. Not as versatile as the Erlkonig, but still a thoroughly enjoyable IEM. Like so many others, I love the warm tuning on the VE 8. Reminds me of the Ultimate Ears Live, but a bit more linear here. The vocals are not the focus on most tracks, which allows the instruments to do the singing. Strings -- especially acoustic strings -- are a pleasure to listen to. I hear a slight elevation in the upper-mids to highs that others have described. To me this is not fatiguing at all. It brings a level of detail and energy that is uncommon in other "warm" tuned IEMs. The treble is quick and clear. Jazz has never sounded better. I've had Art Blakey on repeat for the last couple days. Something about this tuning. The horns are . . . haunting. In other genres, I hear harmonies where I haven't before. I'm only two products in, but already a Vision Ears convert. If I make it through this Corona madness alive, I'll probably buy a VE 8.
toaster
Headphoneus Supremus
Try the Elysium next.
You think the ve8 is haunting, wait until you hear the vocals and mids on that one...
You think the ve8 is haunting, wait until you hear the vocals and mids on that one...
Thank you to Barra and Vision Ears for making this tour possible! Let me start off by saying I am not a reviewer by any means. I listen to music for pleasure and to help me focus while working, so that is to say primarily for enjoyment and not critical listening, etc. Unfortunately I also only had less than 10 hours listening time with the ERLKöNIG during my week with them. Shelter in place with the entire family, including a 2 year old doesn’t leave much time to one’s self!
To make it very short and sweet, the ERLKöNIG are the best all BA set I have heard, albeit I haven’t had extensive experience with worthy competitors. I previously owned the 64 Audio U12t, which is my main basis for comparison, though I’ve listened to others, such as the Unique Melody Mason V3+ recently at CanJam NYC.
Physical characteristics:
The build quality is excellent and they feel significant in the hand, which they should at this price! The fit for me was very good. They are very heavy in the hand, but the comfort was good during normal listening. I didn’t like the wide nozzle, since that limits the amount of aftermarket tips that will fit for tip rolling. Luckily I did previously own the Audeze iSINE20 which has a similarly sized nozzle, so I used those tips rather than the included tips for hygiene reasons. All listening was with SpinFit CP155.
I liked the cable a good deal, including the splitter with a very discrete chin slider, though I did wish it was a lower gauge wire to be a little more substantial. The interchangeable faceplate is neat as is the bass settings and both were easy to adjust.
Usage:
They are very easy to drive, requiring much less juice than my Sony IER-Z1R as an example. Isolation is just okay. I expected a little better as an all BA set with no vents, but isolation was about on par with the vented hybrids I own. Some foam tips probably would have helped here, but I’m not a fan of foam tips.
Sound:
Here’s where I don’t really have the vocabulary or knowledge to describe sound/music, but overall it sounds very nice. Very balanced and nothing jumps out as emphasized. Some would say this is a safe tuning (not in a derogatory way) and I would agree. Overall though, not a personal fit for me. I’m a bit of a basshead and that’s where it comes up short for me. Quantity was plenty at setting 1, but for my taste not enough decay and rumble you get from a good dynamic driver, which is essential for the music I listen to.
A great example would be Royals by Lorde. Right as the song starts at ~2 seconds there’s a bass drum that sounds fine, but at ~25 seconds the electronic bass kicks in and it just doesn’t do it for me compared to DD bass due to the quick decay and lack of rumble. For “real instrument” bass it sounds very good, but for electronic bass (rap, hip-hop, EDM, etc.) the BA bass holds it back for my library.
Conclusion:
For me this is more of a statement kind of piece from the shell material to the adjustable faceplates, etc. If you’re buying this it’s because it makes you feel good or as a status symbol versus the functionality, like buying a Rolex instead of a Seiko and there’s nothing wrong with that (I have an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra myself)! When it comes to basing just on the sound though, I think it’s hard to justify the asking price. For example they are not worth more than double the cost of the already expensive U12t in my opinion. Then again, this same discussion can be had for any of the astronomically priced flagships these days.
It was great to get a chance to listen to these and while they weren’t a personal match, they helped give me an excellent comparison point in my IEM journey for a top tier all BA set.
To make it very short and sweet, the ERLKöNIG are the best all BA set I have heard, albeit I haven’t had extensive experience with worthy competitors. I previously owned the 64 Audio U12t, which is my main basis for comparison, though I’ve listened to others, such as the Unique Melody Mason V3+ recently at CanJam NYC.
Physical characteristics:
The build quality is excellent and they feel significant in the hand, which they should at this price! The fit for me was very good. They are very heavy in the hand, but the comfort was good during normal listening. I didn’t like the wide nozzle, since that limits the amount of aftermarket tips that will fit for tip rolling. Luckily I did previously own the Audeze iSINE20 which has a similarly sized nozzle, so I used those tips rather than the included tips for hygiene reasons. All listening was with SpinFit CP155.
I liked the cable a good deal, including the splitter with a very discrete chin slider, though I did wish it was a lower gauge wire to be a little more substantial. The interchangeable faceplate is neat as is the bass settings and both were easy to adjust.
Usage:
They are very easy to drive, requiring much less juice than my Sony IER-Z1R as an example. Isolation is just okay. I expected a little better as an all BA set with no vents, but isolation was about on par with the vented hybrids I own. Some foam tips probably would have helped here, but I’m not a fan of foam tips.
Sound:
Here’s where I don’t really have the vocabulary or knowledge to describe sound/music, but overall it sounds very nice. Very balanced and nothing jumps out as emphasized. Some would say this is a safe tuning (not in a derogatory way) and I would agree. Overall though, not a personal fit for me. I’m a bit of a basshead and that’s where it comes up short for me. Quantity was plenty at setting 1, but for my taste not enough decay and rumble you get from a good dynamic driver, which is essential for the music I listen to.
A great example would be Royals by Lorde. Right as the song starts at ~2 seconds there’s a bass drum that sounds fine, but at ~25 seconds the electronic bass kicks in and it just doesn’t do it for me compared to DD bass due to the quick decay and lack of rumble. For “real instrument” bass it sounds very good, but for electronic bass (rap, hip-hop, EDM, etc.) the BA bass holds it back for my library.
Conclusion:
For me this is more of a statement kind of piece from the shell material to the adjustable faceplates, etc. If you’re buying this it’s because it makes you feel good or as a status symbol versus the functionality, like buying a Rolex instead of a Seiko and there’s nothing wrong with that (I have an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra myself)! When it comes to basing just on the sound though, I think it’s hard to justify the asking price. For example they are not worth more than double the cost of the already expensive U12t in my opinion. Then again, this same discussion can be had for any of the astronomically priced flagships these days.
It was great to get a chance to listen to these and while they weren’t a personal match, they helped give me an excellent comparison point in my IEM journey for a top tier all BA set.
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toaster
Headphoneus Supremus
Have you heard the fir audio m5?
the erlky bass is definitely the best ba bass I’ve heard, and competes in many ways with dd. However, it is a ba, so I agree that you will hear tighter, quicker, and more details overall, vs a dd’s slower decay and higher impact.
the fir m5 is my favorite dd iem right now...if you haven’t heard that one yet, there’s a tour going on for it as well.
the erlky bass is definitely the best ba bass I’ve heard, and competes in many ways with dd. However, it is a ba, so I agree that you will hear tighter, quicker, and more details overall, vs a dd’s slower decay and higher impact.
the fir m5 is my favorite dd iem right now...if you haven’t heard that one yet, there’s a tour going on for it as well.
Tybot
500+ Head-Fier
ERLKöNIG kit received today in perfect shape and is sitting in open-air quarantine for a day or so. I won’t be using any of the supplied tips but I think they are all there assuming the CO145-S are currently on them. I’m also assuming there are no additional faceplates included in the tour kit. There’s also a very small ziplock that’s empty and I assume previous contents are probably in another ziplock. All looks great!
toaster
Headphoneus Supremus
No additional faceplates for the tour.
All about the sound.
Enjoy!
All about the sound.
Enjoy!
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