Vision Ears and Rhines Custom Monitors (formerly Compact Monitors)
Feb 1, 2014 at 5:52 AM Post #331 of 5,715
I revived my stage3 and it is over 200 hour run in now........
The sub bass is really can't satisfy me....
It's also made me can't engaging to the music
Anyway it is a good Ciem, very balance but I just can't feel the "emotion" of the music.

I'm think of upgrading to stage 4 to see whether can be improved, any comment ??
Sorry for my poor English.

Btw, VE told me they will have new flagship to launch in 2 months:joy:but they don't tell me what's the signature of it.
 
Feb 1, 2014 at 7:31 AM Post #332 of 5,715
Btw, VE told me they will have new flagship to launch in 2 months:joy:but they don't what's the signature of it.

 
 
I'm anticipating that 'Stage 5' (they probably won't call it that, since the split from Rhine) will probably be a high-driver-count CIEM, similar to the Noble K10/UM Mentor/JHA Roxanne.
 
I also anticipate that it will be very finely-tuned.
 
...but I'm only guessing
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Feb 1, 2014 at 7:35 AM Post #333 of 5,715
   
 
I'm anticipating that 'Stage 5' (they probably won't call it that, since the split from Rhine) will probably be a high-driver-count CIEM, similar to the Noble K10/UM Mentor/JHA Roxanne.
 
I also anticipate that it will be very finely-tuned.
 
...but I'm only guessing
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lol I hope they only come up with 5 drivers and make them sound real good ;p
 
Feb 1, 2014 at 7:42 AM Post #334 of 5,715
  lol I hope they only come up with 5 drivers and make them sound real good ;p

 
LOL - please note (this is an important distinction!):
 
What I guessed was not a wishlist, it was just a guess, plain-&-simple.
 
I don't actually care how many drivers it has (though I would like to see at least 3 drivers). Some people are saying the EM32 sounds very good and that's only 3 drivers.
 
But the reason I suspect the 'Stage 5' may be a high driver count is just because there seems to be a FOTM of vendors doing that.
 
I personally did not find the SE-5 to be a game-changer, but I have not yet heard the NT6-Pro (I would very much like to hear it), but 5 drivers with 4 crossover points does seem to relate to 2 of the highest-regarded CIEMs, so there seems little reason to exceed that, other than in an effort to increase bandwidth, but I've never heard anyone remark that the SE-5 or NT6-Pro lack bandwidth.
 
....so, yeah... it's difficult to see what is really being gained, on a practical level, by using 10 or a dozen drivers.
 
Feb 1, 2014 at 12:19 PM Post #335 of 5,715
LOL - please note (this is an important distinction!):

What I guessed was not a wishlist, it was just a guess, plain-&-simple.

I don't actually care how many drivers it has (though I would like to see at least 3 drivers). Some people are saying the EM32 sounds very good and that's only 3 drivers.

But the reason I suspect the 'Stage 5' may be a high driver count is just because there seems to be a FOTM of vendors doing that.

I personally did not find the SE-5 to be a game-changer, but I have not yet heard the NT6-Pro (I would very much like to hear it), but 5 drivers with 4 crossover points does seem to relate to 2 of the highest-regarded CIEMs, so there seems little reason to exceed that, other than in an effort to increase bandwidth, but I've never heard anyone remark that the SE-5 or NT6-Pro lack bandwidth.

....so, yeah... it's difficult to see what is really being gained, on a practical level, by using 10 or a dozen drivers.
The VE5 will actually be a 5 driver. Not much more I know other than it should also bring something new...
 
Feb 2, 2014 at 1:41 PM Post #340 of 5,715
Feb 2, 2014 at 8:47 PM Post #342 of 5,715
Ok guys... Here are some initial impressions. I haven't got excited over IEMs/CIEMs for a long time. Last time I got excited was because of 1+2. But now I can say I am soooo glad I can hear these bad boys.

Source: Anedio D2. 
Tips: I tried several, I find the stock one to be decent enough, will try more later.


I will skip all the fancy words and get straight to the point. But THIS IS JUST MY OPINION.

Stage 4
I talk about it first because I found 4 demo is the the most colored IEM out of the three. Overall it's more like a fun sounding IEM to my ears. I agree with most people here, Stage 4 is slightly V shaped. But overall it's detailed and smooth in terms of sound signature. It has a slight lifted mid-treble (11- 14k Hz) which doesn't bother me much as it makes Stage 4 sounds detailed and sparkle. But the hump at upper bass - lower mid is where the majority of the unnaturalness comes in. It not only enhanced the drums, but also makes every vocal I listen to cover with a extra layer of vocal bass. Bass extension is decent. Although overall the bass is definitely enhanced, it didn't impressive me much. Another reason why Stage 4 is V shaped is because of it's recessed upper mids. The vocal didn't have much presence/clearness compared to the other two. IMO, 4 is more suitable for stage use rather than listening to music.

Stage 3:
Stage 3 demo is a very neutral IEM to my ears. Definitely the clearest in the group as Joe said, but also the thinnest too. It has a very spacious and clean sound signature. Mid and treble are much more linear compared to Stage 4. Treble extension is on par with 4 too. It integrated beautifully with the mid resulting in accurate/neutral imaging, soundstage and depth. There is just really nothing I dislike about the mid and treble. However the bass is on the lighter side of neutral to my ears which might be because of the demos? I didn't get that "hollow bass feeling“ in JH13 due to its imbalanced between sub-bass and mid-upper bass, it's just not dominant overall. Extension is OK. But in terms of capacity and impact, it's not on par with other neutral CIEMs like NT6 or SE5. If Stage 3 has NT6's bass and more mid presentation, I would call it the most accurate sounding CIEM (above NT6) I have ever heard.

Update: the bass improved a lot with smaller tips that go deeper~ But still the lightest within the three.

Stage 2:
From Stage 3, I realized that number of driver doesn't mean anything in CIEM world. Stage 2 really shocked me how much potential two drivers can deliver.  Maybe it's source I use, I don't know. It sounds absolutely incredible as a 2-driver CIEM! It's as balanced as the 3 to my ears if not more. 3 is more like mixing/reference type of IEM, while 2 is more like a music listening IEM. The bass impact is decent. Mid is closer to 3, treble is extended and detailed sharing both 3 and 4's characters. I don't want to hype joe's comment, but this proves once again how accurate he can hear things. Stage 2 just place you right in the music without knowing you are listening to a CIEMs. It just sounds so right. I don't know if I can pick any flaw in terms of frequency balance. It just fits my taste so well. If I have to pick anything, the presentation a little bit more forward than "neutral". Technically, of course it's not on the level of SE5 or NT6 in terms of ultimate extension, detail, bass control and resolution. However it would be such a good choice for daily music listening.


Overall I would rate Stage 2 > Stage 3>>>>Stage4.  THAT'S JUST MY OPINION.:p
Take my word with a pinch of salt because sound can vary a lot upon different tips.


Your experience is very close to my findings too. I have the Stage 3, but I never feel the bass is lacking in anyway. The bass reproduced is so "true" to the music. It might be the lightest of all, but not lacking in anyway to me :) like you have said, Stage 3 is the most neutral I've ever find. It is simply amazing with really good recordings.
 
Feb 3, 2014 at 5:59 AM Post #343 of 5,715
Your experience is very close to my findings too. I have the Stage 3, but I never feel the bass is lacking in anyway. The bass reproduced is so "true" to the music. It might be the lightest of all, but not lacking in anyway to me
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like you have said, Stage 3 is the most neutral I've ever find. It is simply amazing with really good recordings.

which type of music do you listen to? i using stage3, the sub bass is weak on rock/classical music, less impact in some moment.....
 
Feb 3, 2014 at 11:59 AM Post #344 of 5,715
Rhines announced the Stage 5 on Facebook today!
 
 
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=717580564928205&set=a.563977706955159.1073741828.561117580574505&type=1&theater
 
It's not the announcement I expected because I heard a new model with three drivers at their store not long ago. It's basically a Stage 3 with more sub-bass. The overall sound was much smoother and the soundstage appeared deeper and not so in-your-face. It sounded really, really amazing and I am absolutely sure some of you guys will love it.
I actually expected them to announce it already!
 
Unfortunately I haven't heard the Stage 5 yet - I guess I have to pay Felix a visit soon again. :)
 

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