[BlinkST]

Biggest change for me during the honeymoon period is the bass presentation. It’s the refresh out-of-the-box. After burn-in for few days, it’s getting thinner and reduced. Disappointed and worried. Leave it for another few days, it start to come back full force now. At first I thought I’m hearing stuff, my ears getting used to it. Plug in my other IEMs that I’m familiar (and these are bass cannon), I’m surprised and content.

I love this sh!t and can’t wait to feed it more powah.

That’s what I’ve been doing before I swap the cable for good. But still, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the music when I last heard them.

 

[rutter]

I love this sh!t and can’t wait to feed it more powah.

What other high end iems have you heard? What kind of songs are you listening to again?

 

[toughnut]

What other high end iems have you heard? What kind of songs are you listening to again?

For recent flagship IEMs demo'd at few stores across Asia that I recall top of my memory. Among those, I also like Solaris, VE8 and Pro 18+.
CA Solaris / Atlas, IER-Z1R, Noble Khan, Jomo Trinity, VE8, UE Pro 18+ / Live!, EE Phantom / Legend X

Genre;
Pop, Rap, Rock, Metal, EDM, Trance, Electro, OST

P.S: I took leap of faith with FW10000 as it's not available for demo when I decided to purchase it. It is now available for demo at few stores.

 

[rutter]

Wow! And you like the FW10K best? You're listening to many of the genres I like.

What is the deal with seal and venting?

 

[toughnut]

Well vented which meant no driver flex like suffered on Xelento or Atlas/Vega. Also meant isolation wise not so good.

Currently using Acoustune white tip, noise isolation improved compared to stock Spiral tip. Fit security/stability, stock tip still better.

Just be mindful that due to IEM design, the “arm” with mmcx connector may touch your anti-helix and cause discomfort. Some review mentioned it but not me.

 

[rutter]

How bad is isolation and what kind of impact does that have on bass?

 

[toughnut]

Not as crap as iSine20 which I owned but not as good as custom. Slightly better than Xelento, slightly worst than Andromeda?

For dynamic driver, especially low end, you need to provide air for it to work. I don’t recall any DD-based IEM with 100% isolation. That will damage your hearing?

Here’s a recent article from crinacle on fixing DD response by controlling the vent on his custom N8.
https://crinacle.com/2019/02/23/64-audio-n8-technical-breakdown/

Key question is what you don’t like on Z1R. Lack of lower treble excitement? Bass-bleed into mid? Too much warmth?

Perhaps this might help.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/rank-the-iems-youve-heard.454855

 

[rutter]

Lack of excitement past bass. Unlistenable when overdone but also not good when lacking. I think the soundstage can use improvement too. Not sure about detail. Bass quantity isn't bad on its own but imbalanced in the sound signature. I wouldn't use the words bleed or loose. It's contained. Maybe if you like bass and don't want higher frequencies being emphasized the IER-Z1R would be excellent.

 

[toughnut]

If the Z1R sound signature bothered you, what choice do you have?

 

[rutter]

Lol, what do you mean? I'll list them here in a few days. Can't listen to any iems. What I was reading before buying did not match my impression. I would rather have the IER-Z1R over the Solaris, which I had for a couple of weeks right before and found it lacking any wow factor, but it is not what I want long term. I think its soundstage and in particular imaging is better than that of the Solaris, its bass unquestionably is. But I need the full package.

 

[toughnut]

There’s no total package. Even the best headphone have cons. Take Sennheiser HE1. Or go down a few level, Focal Utopia.

Not clear with what’s you dislike on Solaris written above. Can clarify?

 

[rutter]

How about the FW10K?

What I disliked about the Solaris is that it does nothing at a $1500-$1650 level. At my intrinsic valuation of that amount anyway. It is balanced and good but overall unexceptional relative to the absolute standard I have in my head. The IER-Z1R, despite its tuning, brought more to the table.

 

[toughnut]

The main con for FW10000, for me, I can’t listen to it at higher volume without getting fatigue on certain genre due to treble energy.

IMO, a perfect headphone IS boring (unexceptional) as it need to handle all genre equally.

 

[rutter]

Haven't people been claiming that treble calms down eventually?

 

[toughnut]

Who? To my memory, treble energy is there but it's not offensive to the point it shrill or sibilant. Overall signature a bit on bright side from get-go.