[gLer]

They trade blows and have slightly different sounds. EXT is warm with a pretty natural timbre whereas I hear X to be brighter with a more ethereal sound. I think X works better for synth stuff and the EXT is overall a better all-rounder. EXT has more mid bass and better bass quality overall, X is more sub bass focused with a dry-ish bass presentation which helps keep coherency throughout the signature. In lower mid range EXT sounds much more natural to me, it’s especially noticeable on male vocals where they have more body and sound more realistic where X’s timbre is a lighter and airier. The X has a more revealing upper mid range presence and energy whereas I hear EXT to be more laid back and organic sounding. In terms of treble both are exceptional and have top class extension. I feel if you’re an older listener and can’t quite hear up in those high upper treble frequencies, the EXT may come off on the darker side perhaps? The EXT upper treble really brings a nice energy to the highs.

X has a more open sounding soundstage, it’s quite laid back and out of head which is surprising given it’s tuning. I’d say X also has better “slam” in the transients where EXT sounds softer in comparison, it’s still a very punchy and dynamic sound but it doesn’t quite have that same initial force I hear the X to have with its notes (not to be confused with thickness).

I think in this market EXT offers the best all-rounder DD low IEM I have heard. It also reminds me a bit of the 12t with the way it’s tuned. Except I hear more mid bass here and the treble has a bit more sparkle in comparison to the 12t.

Everyone knows how much I love the A12t and the X, I can say with confidence I think the EXT is right up there also.

Thank you, that's a slam dunk for my shortlist. Only concern is midbass 'thickness', although that's the part which, from other reviews, seems to tighten up with burn-in (same as happened with EVO). It's a straight shoot-out for me between those two as to which one keeps top spot with my music library, and by no means a given considering how highly I rate EVO. Since EDM is only an occasional listen for me, that may differ from your ranking, but we'll see. Keep them impressions coming...

 

[aaf evo]

Thank you, that's a slam dunk for my shortlist. Only concern is midbass 'thickness', although that's the part which, from other reviews, seems to tighten up with burn-in (same as happened with EVO). It's a straight shoot-out for me between those two as to which one keeps top spot with my music library, and by no means a given considering how highly I rate EVO. Since EDM is only an occasional listen for me, that may differ from your ranking, but we'll see. Keep them impressions coming...

The mid bass is tastefully done I’d say, but I also would rather have a tad extra mid bass than not enough (as long as sub bass extension is there too) so my preferences could skew my perception here. I think it’s controlled just enough to not have any bleed into the lower mid range.

As far as genres go, EXT handled what I put it through very well. I threw some rap, punk/emo/alternative rock, and EDM at it. It’s fantastic with everything I tested it with. From older Kanye and Jay Z to linkin park or blink 182 and then to edm artists like Seven Lions or ILLENIUM, it handled everything very well.

 

[Skullar]

Thank you, that's a slam dunk for my shortlist. Only concern is midbass 'thickness', although that's the part which, from other reviews, seems to tighten up with burn-in (same as happened with EVO). It's a straight shoot-out for me between those two as to which one keeps top spot with my music library, and by no means a given considering how highly I rate EVO. Since EDM is only an occasional listen for me, that may differ from your ranking, but we'll see. Keep them impressions coming...

Yeh while EVO has considerably more bias on Subbass it seems. EXT should balance bass thickness out with treble. So you probably will want to check the upper registers too as you are quite sensitive to it.
I can almost bet that jumping to EXT 1st thing you would miss upper mids clarity. Wether thats a good thing or bad thats up to individual.
@aaf evo seems happier with EXT than he was with EVO due to upper mids sensitivity. I for one quite like those upper mids and i always thought LX needed a boost in that region.

 

[aaf evo]

Yeh while EVO has considerably more bias on Subbass it seems. EXT should balance bass thickness out with treble. So you probably will want to check the upper registers too as you are quite sensitive to it.
I can almost bet that jumping to EXT 1st thing you would miss upper mids clarity. Wether thats a good thing or bad thats up to individual.
@aaf evo seems happier with EXT than he was with EVO due to upper mids sensitivity. I for one quite like those upper mids and i always thought LX needed a boost in that region.

I do think EXT upper mids are tuned more towards my preferences but I also objectively think the quality of the upper mids and treble on the EXT are of a much different class to the Evo. Similarly to the X, it’s just a much smoother but still highly detailed sound. Zero harshness regardless of what tracks I throw at it

 

[Skullar]

I do think EXT upper mids are tuned more towards my preferences but I also objectively think the quality of the upper mids and treble on the EXT are of a much different class to the Evo. Similarly to the X, it’s just a much smoother but still highly detailed sound. Zero harshness regardless of what tracks I throw at it

I dont hear any harshness on EVO upper mids tbh. If anything i think its a must for EVO to stay out of dark signature without introducing treble boost and throwing it into V shape. In any case Its less elevated than Odins. As i said i actually prefer it. And this is why i want to try a around few different iems to see exactly where my preferences are at this moment. As i noticed after few auditions that i can take it more revealing signature quite well.

 

[gLer]

The mid bass is tastefully done I’d say, but I also would rather have a tad extra mid bass than not enough (as long as sub bass extension is there too) so my preferences could skew my perception here. I think it’s controlled just enough to not have any bleed into the lower mid range.

As far as genres go, EXT handled what I put it through very well. I threw some rap, punk/emo/alternative rock, and EDM at it. It’s fantastic with everything I tested it with. From older Kanye and Jay Z to linkin park or blink 182 and then to edm artists like Seven Lions or ILLENIUM, it handled everything very well.

Would you mind trying some singer songwriter (female) and maybe some indie female, if that's your thing at all?

Yeh while EVO has considerably more bias on Subbass it seems. EXT should balance bass thickness out with treble. So you probably will want to check the upper registers too as you are quite sensitive to it.
I can almost bet that jumping to EXT 1st thing you would miss upper mids clarity. Wether thats a good thing or bad thats up to individual.
@aaf evo seems happier with EXT than he was with EVO due to upper mids sensitivity. I for one quite like those upper mids and i always thought LX needed a boost in that region.

And yet EVO is on sale?

I do think EXT upper mids are tuned more towards my preferences but I also objectively think the quality of the upper mids and treble on the EXT are of a much different class to the Evo. Similarly to the X, it’s just a much smoother but still highly detailed sound. Zero harshness regardless of what tracks I throw at it

Aside from some initial upper mid harshness I haven't come across any harshness at all with EVO, but I would like vocals to come forward just a touch on occasion. EVO treble is silky smooth so no issues there.

 

[Skullar]

And yet EVO is on sale?

I am not selling EVO because i dont like them. Because i like them a lot for what they do.
Im selling them to fund my other purchases that i am interested in.

You should know by now that sensible and logical spending in this hobby is rare lol.

 

[gLer]

I am not selling EVO because i dont like them. Because i like them a lot for what they do.
Im selling them to fund my other purchases that i am interested in.

You should know by now that sensible and logical spending in this hobby is rare lol.

Oh I do, that's the conundrum for me too. I can't and won't own two multi-kilobuck IEMs because it doesn't make sense to me, which is why EXT poses an existential thread to EVO Your way is definitely the right way IMO!

 

[uckexk]

being able to play synth/edm stuff incredibly well

I'm quite curious about this part as I think electronic music really demands a high degree of speed, a quality that EXT doesn't possess. Do you notice any lagging when using EXT in fast-tempo tracks?

 

[gLer]

I'm quite curious about this part as I think electronic music really demands a high degree of speed, a quality that EXT doesn't possess. Do you notice any lagging when using EXT in fast-tempo tracks?

For my taste any good TOTL IEM should be able to nail electronic music. For me it's not so much about speed (important, but most IEMs are decently fast), but more about harshness. I want my electronica/EDM to be as clean and smooth as possible, with no treble peaks or boomy bass veil. Vocal trance is the hardest to do well because then you have to nail vocal purity without sibilance, glassiness or hollowness and get all the synths sounding clean. And of course, the drop or electronic synth bass kick is absolutely critical. If it's dance music, the subwoofer is part and parcel of the sound.

 

[gryphonos]

I would like to ask you guys:
EXT's strengths obviously lie in the area of EDM (and hard rock/heavy metal?) due to the contributions in this thread.
how does the EXT perform with classical music, jazz and adjacent music genres?
Or might the A18s (an ciem I'm thinking about for quiet a long time) better suited to my preferred music genres?
Has someone of you an idea of how they compare to each other?

 

[Skullar]

I'm quite curious about this part as I think electronic music really demands a high degree of speed, a quality that EXT doesn't possess. Do you notice any lagging when using EXT in fast-tempo tracks?

May i ask what genre?

 

[uckexk]

May i ask what genre?

Electronic, rock, classical, jazz, ... I listed tracks I use for demo in my signature. It's really an inherent problem with IEMs for me as I rarely find IEMs that have great speed, but EXT was almost instantly noticeable in this department.

I would like to ask you guys:
EXT's strengths obviously lie in the area of EDM (and hard rock/heavy metal?) due to the contributions in this thread.
how does the EXT perform with classical music, jazz and adjacent music genres?
Or might the A18s (an ciem I'm thinking about for quiet a long time) better suited to my preferred music genres?
Has someone of you an idea of how they compare to each other?

I actually think it might be more suited for jazz compared to electronic.

 

[Skullar]

Electronic, rock, classical, jazz, ... I listed tracks I use for demo in my signature. It's really an inherent problem with IEMs for me as I rarely find IEMs that have great speed, but EXT was almost instantly noticeable in this department.

Well cant help in comparison against EXT yet. But EVO is a massive step up in bass speed department ove LX. It is faster than Sultans or Laylas for sure. And its a lot more textured than either of those. But it will still not be BA like. Beryllium DD might work for you but their DD potential is lost in its lean tuning in A8000.. Dont see this being different in Luna either.
Effect Audio announced iem with beryllium DD. So might check that.

 

[uckexk]

Well cant help in comparison against EXT yet. But EVO is a massive step up in bass speed department ove LX. It is faster than Sultans or Laylas for sure. And its a lot more textured than either of those. But it will still not be BA like. Beryllium DD might work for you but their DD potential is lost in its lean tuning in A8000.. Dont see this being different in Luna either.
Effect Audio announced iem with beryllium DD. So might check that.

Might need to hear EVO, but I have no doubt that its bass quantity will be too much for me haha.

I spent three hours with EXT on two different occasions, so I think I have a relatively complete impression that its bass sounds slower than what I'm used to, even for DD. It comes a bit surprising to me that here no one mentioned it. I guess I'm just interested in how other folks would compare its bass speed against other sets and whether they perceive the same problem.

The fastest I've heard is Aroma Audio Jewel, no doubt. It also uses a DD for bass. Its bass attack and decay are incredible, even outperforming all TOTL BA sets I've heard, and it extends as deep as EXT.