[Malevolint]

If you want to celebrate mids...ely all day.

Treble is not rolled, though.

What are you looking for now?

I've been thinking maybe the ve8 or eve20, since apparently it's the second coming of the ve8 lol. I'm waiting to at least see some measurements though.

On the Ely, is there ever any hint of sibilance, or might there be on the universal? Suppose I should also ask @mvvRAZ. I think we have similar sibilance sensitivities.

 

[toaster]

on the uni ely i did hear some sibilance.

this was actually one of the only slight issues i had when i demoed them. definitely wasn't a major issue, but i did notice it.

at the time, i attributed this to the fact i was listening to a universal version of a custom-only model...of course, now that ve has released a universal elysium, and many will consider this option, i am more curious to know why i actually experienced this sibilance, and if something can be done to avoid sibilance on the universal ely.

and, just to be clear...i'm not talking about whether sibilance is "tolerable" or not...as you alluded to, that is subjective. i'm merely acknowledging the presence of sibilance during my time with the elysium during the demo. for me, this was certainly not significant enough to change my overall feelings about it.

paging @mvvRAZ...

 

[Malevolint]

on the uni ely i did hear some sibilance.

this was actually one of the only slight issues i had when i demoed them. definitely wasn't a major issue, but i did notice it.

at the time, i attributed this to the fact i was listening to a universal version of a custom-only model...of course, now that ve has released a universal elysium, and many will consider this option, i am more curious to know why i actually experienced this sibilance, and if something can be done to avoid sibilance on the universal ely.

and, just to be clear...i'm not talking about whether sibilance is "tolerable" or not...as you alluded to, that is subjective. i'm merely acknowledging the presence of sibilance during my time with the elysium during the demo. for me, this was certainly not significant enough to change my overall feelings about it.

paging @mvvRAZ...

Interesting. I'm hoping that maybe they addressed that in the same way they seem to have with the eve20/ve8. I'll have to wait for some measurements and impressions. Hopefully someone I know in my area will get a demo and I can check it out

 

[toaster]

good luck finding a demo.

look forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

[Deezel177]

Would you also say that it is close to the ve8?

I haven't heard the VE8 in quite a while, so I can't comfortably say.

 

[MrLocoLuciano]

Would you also say that it is close to the ve8?

I'll be able to answer that soon.

 

[Frankie D]

tbh, i never really "got" the ve8. i never experienced the wonderful mids that most people talk about, but perhaps that's because i've heard subsequent offerings from ve that, in my opinion, are improved.

vocals on the erlky are some of the best i've ever heard...incredibly full, rich, and detailed, and placed perfectly dead center around your forehead with zero obstruction ever.

...however, vocals on the elysium are downright bonkers, and vocals are the reason i feel i must have the elysium...they are that good.

I think we need to get you a sales job at VE! Thanks for the info. I would love to check them out. The fact that you also state the sound comes from a silent background intrigues me as that is one of the things I noticed about great stereo speakers. Essentially a lower noise floor. Tks.

 

[toaster]

I think we need to get you a sales job at VE! Thanks for the info. The fact that you also state the sound comes from a silent background intrigues me as that is one of the things I noticed about great stereo speakers. Essentially a lower noise floor. Tks.

Hah!...feel free to tell VE who sent you their way.

Precisely...I'm glad that's how you interpreted the description. That's exactly the feeling I get listening to the erlky; that you hear spatial cues and details in a similar way that you would hear them on a 2-channel system. The only other IEM I've heard where I experienced something similar was the Fourte (and a bit on the fir m5 as well.) But, while the Fourte has a unique sound that is quite ethereal, it's not nearly as balanced; with peaky treble and questionable levels of coherency. That said, I still feel the Fourte provides an extremely enjoyable listen and a very rare sound, if you can look past those issues. The erlky, rather, presents a supremely natural and coherent sound with its 13 BA driver setup.

To further flesh out this "2-channel" presentation, the way I'd describe it is when you're sitting in front of 2 speakers that are spread apart, you can hear sounds cleanly originating from space in places between the speakers, and with a level of depth closer to, or farther away from you. The Fourte and the erlky are both capable of presenting sound in this way in an extremely precise way. Sounds originate in their own clearly defined space and fade to black with extreme clarity. The erlky places sounds meticulously in their own spaces, and presents the most well-structured and organized stage i've yet heard in an IEM. The erlky is the first iem i've listened to where I can effortlessly make out individual instruments within the same orchestra section.

Even compared to a detail monster like the u/a18t, the erlky somehow manages to one up it.

Considering how fantastic the A18t is, that's really something.

 

[Spie1904]

Hah!...feel free to tell VE who sent you their way.

Precisely...I'm glad that's how you interpreted the description. That's exactly the feeling I get listening to the erlky; that you hear spatial cues and details in a similar way that you would hear them on a 2-channel system. The only other IEM I've heard where I experienced something similar was the Fourte (and a bit on the fir m5 as well.) But, while the Fourte has a unique sound that is quite ethereal, it's not nearly as balanced; with peaky treble and questionable levels of coherency. That said, I still feel the Fourte provides an extremely enjoyable listen and a very rare sound, if you can look past those issues. The erlky, rather, presents a supremely natural and coherent sound with its 13 BA driver setup.

To further flesh out this "2-channel" presentation, the way I'd describe it is when you're sitting in front of 2 speakers that are spread apart, you can hear sounds cleanly originating from space in places between the speakers, and with a level of depth closer to, or farther away from you. The Fourte and the erlky are both capable of presenting sound in this way in an extremely precise way. Sounds originate in their own clearly defined space and fade to black with extreme clarity. The erlky places sounds meticulously in their own spaces, and presents the most well-structured and organized stage i've yet heard in an IEM. The erlky is the first iem i've listened to where I can effortlessly make out individual instruments within the same orchestra section.

Even compared to a detail monster like the u/a18t, the erlky somehow manages to one up it.

Considering how fantastic the A18t is, that's really something.

Since I love Hans Zimmer orchestral music you are making me doubt again..Ve8 or Elysium (Want a custom) to listen to a multitude of genres from orchestral and piano to rock / heavy metal and indie mostly

 

[toaster]

Since I love Hans Zimmer orchestral music you are making me doubt again..Ve8 or Elysium (Want a custom) to listen to a multitude of genres from orchestral and piano to rock / heavy metal and indie mostly

Hans Zimmer is a legend.

If that's your kind of music, elysium...without question.

edit: i realize you mentioned lots of genres besides orchestral. I definitely think the elysium is a better all-rounder than the ve8, so i'd still go with that. as long as you're not a basshead, i think it's hard to be displeased with much the elysium does.

vocals on the elysium are the best i've ever heard, so that applies to essentially all music.

 

[Frankie D]

Since I love Hans Zimmer orchestral music you are making me doubt again..Ve8 or Elysium (Want a custom) to listen to a multitude of genres from orchestral and piano to rock / heavy metal and indie mostly

I would like to add a little to what Toaster said with my opinion. Both are excellent, but if you want to hear and feel the bass properly, ( you did mention orchestral music) then it is the VE-8 hands down. I find both to be close in the mids and treble, but the difference in the bass is larger than the mids advantage the Elysium has in my opinion. Now, I have found you will not hear it this way with the standard cable that VE ships on the VE-8. I also have a Horus cable that I connected to the VE-8 and I was shocked at the difference. The VE-8 was a bit lackluster to me till I connected it with this cable. It was very easy to hear the difference, and I got what the VE-8 is all about.

If the bass is not that big to you, and mids are most important, then the Elysium. The Elysium also ships with a better cable.

I was just listening to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” earlier today and decided to compare both. I liked both. I also have a JH Layla and both were superior to it with this track. There was a little more presence with the VE-8. The Elysium may have been a bit better with some of the vocals. Both were great! I did find the VE-8 did a better job at lower volumes. The Elysium needs to be in its power range to come alive. Tks.

 

[toaster]

I agree with @Frankie D, that the bass is a bit light on the Elysium. I have talked about this before, and I always mention it when discussing the Elysium.

It just depends in whether or not a bass light signature is alright with you.

 

[aaf evo]

Universal Elysium arrived today! Here’s some of my sloppy unboxing pictures.

 

[aaf evo]

Whoops, missed this completely until I realized I didn’t have a case.

 

[Rockwell75]

Universal Elysium arrived today! Here’s some of my sloppy unboxing pictures.

Nice man...looks amazing.