shotgunshane’s IEM (custom and universal) recommendations, favorites and classics

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by shotgunshane, Jun 7, 2016.

  1. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    +1. I have one and it is good all rounder and well worth the money MD is asking for. The housing feels a bit cheap but understandable given the price.
     
  2. JayC

    JayC Resident Crash Test Dummy

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    Would you say that you find yourself preferring the Orion to the X then? I'm not looking to switch, I love my orions (thanks again for the recommendation!). I'm just curious about the Noble sound in general..
     
  3. cocolinho

    cocolinho Acquaintance

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    Got both, sold both. Noble X will be warmer with more low ends, bigger stage. I would compare Noble x to Nova instead of Orion.
    Noble X are a bargain for USD250, sold them because of the fit, they were too large for my small ears and I'm listening to my Andro only ;)
     
  4. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    For me, I prefer Orion. Orion will be airier with more sparkle and more neutral overall. But I can see some preferring the warmer, more polite X.
     
  5. sunnygsm

    sunnygsm New

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    Thanks for the input. I was looking to upgrade my SE215s. The Noble X are $100 cheaper (in Canada) than something like the Orion. Campfire products are interesting, but they don't come cheap. From a quick glance, the Orions look like they might be closer to my preferred sound signature as I do like my mids.
     
  6. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    New addition to the list on the first page:
    Lime Ears
    Aether
    – MSRP $1250. Custom. Downward sloping signature that’s somewhat similar to Andromeda but more V shaped in comparison. Aether has very slightly more bass emphasis, particularly in sub/deep bass. Excellent bass texture. Overall note thickness is slightly warmer and thicker than Andromeda. Treble is not quite as prominent as but still maintains plenty of sparkle; slightly accentuates sibilance.

    Aether is a very competent all rounder. It's not going to wow you and bring attention to itself. It will sound a little more V shaped when compared to something like Andromeda. Also, it doesn't sound as spacious as Andromeda either, and can sound a little distant, yet in-head at times too. However it has very good cohesiveness and excellent bass texture. It's just really easy to listen to and enjoy, without bringing too much attention to any one area. My only other criticism is a slight emphasis to some sibilants. Otherwise this is an iem that's easy to live with for the long haul. If someone is looking for just a hair more bass than Andromeda and a hair less treble emphasis, all in custom form, Aether should definitely be considered.
     
  7. SDVJCN

    SDVJCN New

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    hello @shotgunshane saw on the google spreadsheet that you tried the audeze isine 20, how did you find them?

    Lots of hype going around claiming that their are better than lots of TOTL iems and ciems.

    Thanks
     
  8. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    While it had good extension at both ends, I thought they were tonally and timbrely terrible. They sounded very nasally and just plain odd to me. I think I commented to someone at the time of my loaner, that they turned the music inside out.
     
  9. SDVJCN

    SDVJCN New

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    Turned the music inside out? Which means having a very weird mid-centric sound sig? Sorry I have to come and verify due to the hype on lot of sites and youtube reviewers are all seemingly a bit suffocating to me with some claiming that these Audeze isines 2 are practically portable headphones and literary beat the campfire andromedia in terms of soundstage and seemly kill all the other totl iem competitors.

    Thanks again
     
  10. Mimouille

    Mimouille Facebook Friend

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    I tried the ISine 10 briefly and came away unimpressed. The lack isolation is kind of a deal breaker for me.
     
  11. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    It just had this super accentuated nasal quality to it. It wasn't midcentric in the normal sense.

    I don't really recall the soundstage. Typically open backed iems sound open needed if not spacious.

    It's kind of hard to say much about them. Nothing was worth remembering.
     
  12. iRo

    iRo Friend

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    Hi @shotgunshane, any recommendations for IEMs with large soundstage/good separation? Looking for something that i could use at home when i can't really use main speaker system on PC (Neumann KH120) or maybe just wanna play some competitive games (can't use headphones, comfort issues).

    I mainly looking at EX1000 as it's dynamic (slight preference), known for large out of head soundstage for IEM, sound descriptions and measurements seems like right up my alley (except treble maybe) and i always wanted to try one. I don't really set on anything, but also don't really see any possible alternatives at the moment. Would like to hear your input on the matter.
     
  13. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    If you want to sick with single dynamics, then the Sony EX1000 or 7550 are still unbeaten in staging to my ears. The 7550 will sound less wide/airy as EX1000 but is easier to get along with.

    If you don't mind hybrids, both the Tralucent 1+2 and AKG K3003 sound very spacious. They both can be a little bright as well.

    Andromeda, and possibly the AR6, would be my suggestion for an a mulit-armature set up.
     
  14. SDVJCN

    SDVJCN New

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    So a sharp sounding pair of open backs? Doesn't sound like my preferred sig. Gonna go try it out if I have the time.

    Thanks once again!
     
  15. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    The AAW tour set, from the other place, is headed my way. Really looking forward to hearing the W900 hybrid.

    I should also have some thoughts on the Soranik Ion from Vietnam posted soon, including comparisons with Aether, Deca (bass enhanced version) and Andromeda. Fans of the Fit Ear TG334 and Oriolus MKII will probably be interested in this one.
     
  16. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Considering you liked the Andro, I'd think you'd like the W900. Looking forward to your thoughts since you'd get to listen to them over extended time (vs shop). W900 does bass better but is less sparkly. I like the Andro but I like the W900, just not enough to pay double for it considering I love the MG6pro.
     
  17. Mimouille

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    The AAW900 sounded nice, but lacked treble air to me.
     
  18. FallingObjects

    FallingObjects Pay It Forward

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    Price difference aside, is there anybody who's had experience with the 1more Quad and the Campfire Orion? May have to sell off my desktop rig if I get this job, so preemptively looking at mobile solutions.
     
  19. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    If I were thinking only about bass, then from the recent IEMs I've had in my hands things would rank this way:

    Bass QUALITY: W900 > tia Fourté > U18 Tzar (M15) > U18 Tzar (M20) => EE Zeus XRA
    Bass QUANTITY: W900 > U18 Tzar (M20) >= tia Fourté > U18 Tzar (M15) >= EE Zeus XRA​

    And if I were thinking only about the upper registers then I'd say:

    Treble EXTENSION: tia Fourté >= U18 Tzar >= EE Zeus XRA >= W900
    Treble SPARKLE & AIR: tia Fourté >= U18 Tzar >= EE Zeus XRA > W900
    The W900 is supposedly known for extreme treble extension. It certainly appears to comfortably out-spec all of the other units here, it just doesn't sound like it when you listen ... probably due to the lack of air/sparkle.

    For mids:

    Mids QUALITY: tia Fourté > EE Zeus XRA (in XIV mode) > U18 Tzar >= W900
    Mids PRESENCE: EE Zeus XRA (in XIV mode) > tia Fourté >= W900 > U18 Tzar
    And for raw-resolution and transparency:

    tia Fourté >= U18 Tzar (M15) > Zeus XRA (in R mode) > U18 Tzar (M20) > W900
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2017
  20. Crinacle

    Crinacle Friend

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    Just a word of caution, the A3Hv2 kinda... sucks. Or at least, my unit was. Currently in contact with AAW to see if my unit's defective (doubt it since there's near-perfect channel matching and both TWFK and DD are firing properly) but if what I heard was representative of the final product, it's not something I'd recommend.

    W500 and W900 though? Still good. Curious as to how the pure-BA M40 stacks up.
     

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