Yeah fair enough. In other news I'm contemplating heading to Singapore in March to check out CanJam...would get a chance to demo both there I think.
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
Yeah fair enough. In other news I'm contemplating heading to Singapore in March to check out CanJam...would get a chance to demo both there I think.
Not sure, but pretty sure that they would be there. If not, I am sure that one of the local stores would carry a demo as they seem to have everything.
toaster
Headphoneus Supremus
Quick take on the VE8…I didn’t spend much time with this one, so I am reserving detailed impressions.
VE8 - sounds very good…intimate stage and musical as most people have said. For me, biggest issue is that the high-end is somewhat subdued and less-extended compared to the Elysium (and the A18, which is my primary reference.) I am always looking for ultra-wide end to end extension, so a subdued high-end is generally not a preferred sound signature for me. So, I rather quickly moved on to the Elysium, which was the one I was most looking forward to spending time with anyway.
On to the Elysium.
To be honest, I have traditionally not been much a fan of hybrid designs, as nearly every one I’ve ever heard I perceive to have some kind of coherence issues. Empire Ears legend X is my favorite hybrid iem to date, though it’s not an all-rounder by any means…but what the W9 dynamics do to breath warmth and life into the overall signature, and how well integrated it is, is fantastic to my ears.
Indeed, my main issue with most hybrid designs is the lack of an overall coherent signature. I am generally sensitive to the sound variations when different types of drivers are producing different frequencies. I hear a somewhat uneven and disjointed overall sound. Plenty of people either don’t notice or don’t mind this and won’t be bothered by it. With that in mind…
I would say that the Elysium is one of the best multi-driver sound sigs I’ve heard to date. And it’s a tribrid design. Getting three different types of drivers to sound coherent must be quite a challenging task. To my ears, I still do perceive a slight difference in the way the ethereal and somewhat smooth highs are presented by the estats vs. the lushness and fullness of the dynamic driver-powered mids in the Elysium. To be honest, it’s tough for me to ignore this. To be sure, this is a personal issue related to my sensitivity, and to many, it will simply not be of any consequence.
As far as technical capabilities, I think the Elysium is definitely up there with the best of them. 64A’s A18 is my favorite IEM for my preferences and in many ways, I feel it has been relatively untouched. The Elysium is the first IEM I have heard that reminds me of the A18, which is impressive.
The Elysium treble coming from the estats is no doubt, excellent. Compared to the frequency extension and detail of the tia in the A18 that I am accustomed to, I find the Elysium treble to be somewhat similarly extended. Where the A18 treble is presented in near dead-evenness with the rest of the frequency spectrum, I find the estat treble on the Elysium very well-extended, though noticeably more laid back and somewhat smoother. This may be a product of the ethereal nature of estat drivers or a tuning choice by VE…I’m not sure. Either way, it’s a difference I hear between the tia treble specifically on the tuning of the A18 vs. the estat tuning on the Elysium.
Bass on the VE is interesting, specifically, the choice to use just one BA driver. If you examine the difference in philosophy between Noble’s K10, which I own in custom form, and the A18, you’ll see where my curiosity stems from. Noble went for a powerful and fun bass with the K10. In order to accomplish this, 2 very large BA drivers were used. Here, less regard was given to speed and accuracy, and priority was given to overall warmth. Compare this to the A18: 64A went straight bonkers dedicating 8 BAs to bass response. The aim here was to achieve fun, power, and speed, and it worked. So, back to the single BA bass driver on the Elysium…to get the kind of bass response out of just a single BA driver is a testament to the tuning on VE’s part. It’s very fast and generally well-textured. I do find at times that I wish there was a bit more presence down low, but again, this is based on my personal preferences. While bassheads may want to look elsewhere, I am confident that nearly everyone else will be more than happy with the bass on the Elysium. I agree that impact is actually very strong on the Elysium.
Lots of people have spoken about the mids being the star of the show with the Elysium. I agree they sound very, very good, and probably “stand out” a bit more than any other frequency on the Elysium. I like the idea of using a dynamic driver for the mids, vs. the lows as we often see. I find this to be a very interesting tuning choice. The mids on the Elysium are very organic, well-textured and smooth. There is a clear slant towards musicality vs. outright detail as we find on the A18. The midrange on both the Elysium and A18 are fantastic. It will simply be a matter of preference which you prefer or which one you want to hear at a given time.
The Elysium is a transducer with a very smooth, unique, and well-extended frequency response. If you’re a fan of the multi-type driver approach, and want a mid-centric and detailed sound, you should definitely give the Elysium a try.
Thanks for the opportunity to hear these, Barra and VE!
VE8 - sounds very good…intimate stage and musical as most people have said. For me, biggest issue is that the high-end is somewhat subdued and less-extended compared to the Elysium (and the A18, which is my primary reference.) I am always looking for ultra-wide end to end extension, so a subdued high-end is generally not a preferred sound signature for me. So, I rather quickly moved on to the Elysium, which was the one I was most looking forward to spending time with anyway.
On to the Elysium.
To be honest, I have traditionally not been much a fan of hybrid designs, as nearly every one I’ve ever heard I perceive to have some kind of coherence issues. Empire Ears legend X is my favorite hybrid iem to date, though it’s not an all-rounder by any means…but what the W9 dynamics do to breath warmth and life into the overall signature, and how well integrated it is, is fantastic to my ears.
Indeed, my main issue with most hybrid designs is the lack of an overall coherent signature. I am generally sensitive to the sound variations when different types of drivers are producing different frequencies. I hear a somewhat uneven and disjointed overall sound. Plenty of people either don’t notice or don’t mind this and won’t be bothered by it. With that in mind…
I would say that the Elysium is one of the best multi-driver sound sigs I’ve heard to date. And it’s a tribrid design. Getting three different types of drivers to sound coherent must be quite a challenging task. To my ears, I still do perceive a slight difference in the way the ethereal and somewhat smooth highs are presented by the estats vs. the lushness and fullness of the dynamic driver-powered mids in the Elysium. To be honest, it’s tough for me to ignore this. To be sure, this is a personal issue related to my sensitivity, and to many, it will simply not be of any consequence.
As far as technical capabilities, I think the Elysium is definitely up there with the best of them. 64A’s A18 is my favorite IEM for my preferences and in many ways, I feel it has been relatively untouched. The Elysium is the first IEM I have heard that reminds me of the A18, which is impressive.
The Elysium treble coming from the estats is no doubt, excellent. Compared to the frequency extension and detail of the tia in the A18 that I am accustomed to, I find the Elysium treble to be somewhat similarly extended. Where the A18 treble is presented in near dead-evenness with the rest of the frequency spectrum, I find the estat treble on the Elysium very well-extended, though noticeably more laid back and somewhat smoother. This may be a product of the ethereal nature of estat drivers or a tuning choice by VE…I’m not sure. Either way, it’s a difference I hear between the tia treble specifically on the tuning of the A18 vs. the estat tuning on the Elysium.
Bass on the VE is interesting, specifically, the choice to use just one BA driver. If you examine the difference in philosophy between Noble’s K10, which I own in custom form, and the A18, you’ll see where my curiosity stems from. Noble went for a powerful and fun bass with the K10. In order to accomplish this, 2 very large BA drivers were used. Here, less regard was given to speed and accuracy, and priority was given to overall warmth. Compare this to the A18: 64A went straight bonkers dedicating 8 BAs to bass response. The aim here was to achieve fun, power, and speed, and it worked. So, back to the single BA bass driver on the Elysium…to get the kind of bass response out of just a single BA driver is a testament to the tuning on VE’s part. It’s very fast and generally well-textured. I do find at times that I wish there was a bit more presence down low, but again, this is based on my personal preferences. While bassheads may want to look elsewhere, I am confident that nearly everyone else will be more than happy with the bass on the Elysium. I agree that impact is actually very strong on the Elysium.
Lots of people have spoken about the mids being the star of the show with the Elysium. I agree they sound very, very good, and probably “stand out” a bit more than any other frequency on the Elysium. I like the idea of using a dynamic driver for the mids, vs. the lows as we often see. I find this to be a very interesting tuning choice. The mids on the Elysium are very organic, well-textured and smooth. There is a clear slant towards musicality vs. outright detail as we find on the A18. The midrange on both the Elysium and A18 are fantastic. It will simply be a matter of preference which you prefer or which one you want to hear at a given time.
The Elysium is a transducer with a very smooth, unique, and well-extended frequency response. If you’re a fan of the multi-type driver approach, and want a mid-centric and detailed sound, you should definitely give the Elysium a try.
Thanks for the opportunity to hear these, Barra and VE!
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toaster
Headphoneus Supremus
Elysium is sounding more and more like a smoother A18 to me.
Elysium has similar detail-level, but slightly less overall texture
Elysium has slightly less separation in return for more of a blended sound.
Elysium soundstage is more intimate.
Elysium frequency response is mid-focused vs. the dead-neutrality of the A18.
Elysium trades the A18's high mid and high-frequency energy for mid-range organics.
Really enjoying the vocals on the Elysium.
Sound signatures between the two are not terribly dissimilar in some ways...very interesting that the approaches between VE and 64A are completely different, but sound sigs echo one another...
Elysium has similar detail-level, but slightly less overall texture
Elysium has slightly less separation in return for more of a blended sound.
Elysium soundstage is more intimate.
Elysium frequency response is mid-focused vs. the dead-neutrality of the A18.
Elysium trades the A18's high mid and high-frequency energy for mid-range organics.
Really enjoying the vocals on the Elysium.
Sound signatures between the two are not terribly dissimilar in some ways...very interesting that the approaches between VE and 64A are completely different, but sound sigs echo one another...
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I live in San Juan Capistrano, CA and would like to participate in the tour. I agree to the terms of the tour. Thanks
hamhamhamsta
500+ Head-Fier
I live in Irvine, CA and would like to participate in the tour. I agree to the terms of the tour.
toaster
Headphoneus Supremus
...the elysium is growing on me.
that is all.
that is all.
Did I get the verification email from you to set you up? Sorry, I got buried in work emails and may have missed it. Also, did you want to do the main tour only or both including the ERLKoNIG?
BulldogXTRM
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2016
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Interesting, I wouldn't call my A18 neutral, more of a slight U shape with a slight recess in the mids. That makes me think for my ears the Elysium should be more neutral.
It's very interesting at times to see that each of us due to physiological makeup (ear canals, frequency sensitivity) find the same IEM's to have different sound signatures. I think that's why these tours and trying an IEM before you buy is nearly a must. I've bought way too many high end IEM's that were the current buzz that sounded blah to me, such as nearly every JH IEM I've ever tried...
toaster
Headphoneus Supremus
depends how you look at it...
the a18's tuning focuses on the edges of brass instruments vs. the fleshier and more recognizable bold meaty centers. despite the fact that the a18 portrays the mid frequencies with relatively even pronunciation in comparison to the highs and lows, it may sound that to some ears the mids are a bit recessed. in that case, yes, the elysium will sound more neutral, because the dynamic mids are definitely unique and sound exactly like what you'd expect; wetter and more full.
It does seem like the elysium is going for close to a neutral tuning overall. Both the a18 and elysium seem to be similarly stellar all-rounders, but the A18t may be slightly better in this regard.
at this point, i am starting to feel like I would like to have the elysium to complement my a18. it is the first transducer i've heard that competes on a technical level with the a18, and in many ways it is indeed a similarly capable iem, with some slight variations in its tuning.
bravo to vision ears for getting creative in their tuning of this monitor, and for such a flawless execution of their...
...vision.
the a18's tuning focuses on the edges of brass instruments vs. the fleshier and more recognizable bold meaty centers. despite the fact that the a18 portrays the mid frequencies with relatively even pronunciation in comparison to the highs and lows, it may sound that to some ears the mids are a bit recessed. in that case, yes, the elysium will sound more neutral, because the dynamic mids are definitely unique and sound exactly like what you'd expect; wetter and more full.
It does seem like the elysium is going for close to a neutral tuning overall. Both the a18 and elysium seem to be similarly stellar all-rounders, but the A18t may be slightly better in this regard.
at this point, i am starting to feel like I would like to have the elysium to complement my a18. it is the first transducer i've heard that competes on a technical level with the a18, and in many ways it is indeed a similarly capable iem, with some slight variations in its tuning.
bravo to vision ears for getting creative in their tuning of this monitor, and for such a flawless execution of their...
...vision.
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San Man
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2015
- Posts
- 914
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- 632
West coast tour kit on the way to fangjoker
riverred105
100+ Head-Fier
From Jason: I live in Houston, TX and would like to participate in the tour of the three. I agree to follow the terms of the tour. I have been approved.
FangJoker
Previously known as "vegasf1"
Package received from sanman. Thanks!
BONUS ROUND - The ERLKöNIG
The additional bonus round ERLKoNIG tour kit is to be shipped out today to @BulldogXTRM , so the tour begins. If you PM'd me to be on the ERLKoNIG tour, please check the list to make sure your name is on the list. If not, please let me know right away and I will add you in logistically where you should have been placed. If you have not PM'd me to be on the list and wish to join, please let me know and I can add you to the end of the list going forward.
This is a very special CIEM and not one to be missed. I consider it the best universal CIEM that I have heard. Too bad it doesn't come in a custom version as I would love to be able to do a full review. Impressions following.
The additional bonus round ERLKoNIG tour kit is to be shipped out today to @BulldogXTRM , so the tour begins. If you PM'd me to be on the ERLKoNIG tour, please check the list to make sure your name is on the list. If not, please let me know right away and I will add you in logistically where you should have been placed. If you have not PM'd me to be on the list and wish to join, please let me know and I can add you to the end of the list going forward.
This is a very special CIEM and not one to be missed. I consider it the best universal CIEM that I have heard. Too bad it doesn't come in a custom version as I would love to be able to do a full review. Impressions following.
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for those of us on the tour who haven’t received the first 2 IEMs yet, are we auto added for the erlk IEM too?
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