IEM general discussion thread

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by Griffon, Nov 1, 2015.

  1. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Noble Velvet, their EDC, lower-end DDiem is in. Will listen to it soonish.

    The UE18+ is way better than the old UE18. Warm, I haven't listened much, but so far it's a quite nice multi-BA sound. Haven't put them head-to-head, but reminds me of the Noble K10 a bit.
     
  2. money4me247

    money4me247 Friend

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    recently went on an IEM listening and testing spree, so really interested to see how relatable your upcoming impressions are to mine. there are some folks here that seem to read my mind when writing impressions, but then i've also been finding some really large discrepancies that can't simply be different reference points or personal preference type issues. the whole discussion on how HRTF rly caught my interest. really just starting to see the vast array of different reference points and factors that influence perception here.
     
  3. TheBarnard

    TheBarnard Friend

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    Ended up going with the Fiio X5. Wanted something that had good Android implementation with Tidal/Spotify streaming, good form factor, and solid sound for a not so ridiculous price.

    Hoping it pairs well with the Andromedas
     
  4. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Got the Noble Velvet in, so far so good! First thought was that these would make a great gift. Could be become my go-to suggestion for nonaudiophiles who want a pair of iems.

    Further listening on train ride to come. Will comment on sound then, but passed my "No ice pick treble, no major issues" test. Basically, warm sound, low-fi done right.
     
  5. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Impressions

    Noble Velvet: For $150 plus Noble not hifiman-crap construction, I can confirm these'll be nice for non-audiophiles who want something better than $30 skullcandies to toss into carry-ons. Warm and thicker below in the midbass and lower mids, vocal ranges reasonably present but not forward and some roll-off in the treble which is likely there to keep things from getting from getting too splashy up top.

    For audiophiles, if the re-00 were in consistent production, I would choose it in spite of Hifiman build quality.

    UE18+ Holding these to a higher standard than the velvet, of course.

    Top-tier, mids are detailed and warm, but not too warm. Bass is slightly boosted, but again, enough for commuting not super bassy. Extension is okay. Treble sounds good until you compare it to something like the k10 and you see the 18+ has armature treble, cymbals have the palsy. Pretty good, what do these cost again? Oh. Hmm...

    K10 is notably smoother
    It is fuller sounding below and has better timbre up top.
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2017
  6. Panohm

    Panohm Friend

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    Hey @Kunlun can you compare the ue18+ to the mg5hx if it's not too much trouble.
     
  7. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    I am at my parents without my usual MG5hx to hand (thought the k10 would be a good comparison). However, I can say the UE18+ doesn't really impress me.

    The MG5hx will have the full air-moving bass presence and body and natural decay which an armature iem won't have. Having said that, some people will certainly prefer armature bass, which will sound faster and more clear. The MG5's quantity will be elevated, the vocal region is elevated and the treble will have better timbre and be a little darker. With another iem, it would be a bit closer in my book, but the mg5hx isn't for everyone for sure.
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2017
  8. Mimouille

    Mimouille Facebook Friend

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  9. Biscuit

    Biscuit New

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    The HA-FD01 looks pretty interesting. I’ve a been a long time fan of the HA-FX line and these might be the ticket for on the go iPhone use. My isine’s a proving too cumbersome for idgaf throw in your pocket street use.
     
  10. Arthur Chor

    Arthur Chor New

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    Hi guys. It's been a while since I posted here so...might as well start, and I hope this is appropriate here.

    I got back from my experience personally by meeting with Mr. Lee from Elysian Acoustic this afternoon, had a drink with the man behind the company and it was a lot of great exchange in information and interest. Elysian Acoustic is Malaysia's first ever CIEM company and it's a great experience all in all.

    So here are some of my initial impressions from what I get so far in a brief 2-3 hour session with the Elysian Acoustic line ups. Not really perfect by any means but I do get a lot more information than I thought I would.

    Before I begin though, I just wanna say -- my source is Fiio X1 + E12A and Zenfone 3 Max (It's all I have with me) and because of my inferior source, the sound presented here is extremely subjective to my ears and should be taken with a grain of salt, and if you have a better source than me, chances are your experience may vary from better to worse depending on your perspective. Different people have different ears and impression so they will hear different things. Hope that you guys understand that my opinion here is simply mine alone and I don't speak for any other members here. :)

    Thank you for understanding.

    So let's go.

    [​IMG]

    Elysian Acoustics EROS

    Price: MYR 1599 (About $375)


    Driver configuration: 2 Balanced Armature drivers (One low, One high)

    Tips used: Spinfit

    Initial Impression

    I am gonna be honest. This is with less doubt -- a V shaped sound. But yet it never strike me as being far too V-shaped to the point where the mids were nearly gone halfway, and that is a pleasant surprise to me.

    The bass here has a balance of both quality and quantity with a bit of elevation on the thickness and quantity, and it's got fast attack and decay.

    Midrange is the weakness of the Eros. It's retained some presence, but definitely took a step back compared to other models. If you can live with a slight recession of the midrange, then this IEM should do well up your alley.

    Treble is sparkly but not the smoothest I've heard. It doesn't extend that far either, but what could you expect from an entry model? At least the separation is quite good. Soundstage is on the intimate side though.

    [​IMG]

    ELYSIAN ACOUSTICS ARTEMIS

    Price: MYR 2499 (About $585)


    Driver Configuration: 3 Balanced Armature drivers (2 low-mids, 1 high)

    Initial Impressions

    The very first thing that hits me when I fired up my first track with Artemis plugged in was the midrange. It reminded me of VE5's lush and airy, beautiful vocal presentation.

    It's easily one of the lushest, airy, and lively midrange I've heard since the old days of Vision Ears VE5 and the audition of Empire Ears Athena non-ADEL. The beauty in listening to "Fuel to Fire" is filled to the brim with emotion and layered detail. It's truly something pleasant.

    The bass wasn't bad for a 3 BA IEM, but definitely not for bassheads, it's got the quality but certainly not the quantity.

    The treble is very well done but could have been extended further and had a bit more sparkle and air to it.

    Soundstage is bigger than Eros but only by a slight margin, though has a bit more accurate imaging and separation.

    [​IMG]

    ELYSIAN ACOUSTIC MINERVA

    Price: MYR 3499 (About $820)


    Driver Configuration: 4 Balanced Armature Drivers (2 low-mids 1 highs, 1 Super-high)

    Initial Impressions


    Just like Artemis, the strength of Minerva is the midrange, but has better treble extension with more sparkle to it.

    Mr. Lee himself told me that I should expect a bit of sibilance due to the added tweeter in the IEM, but I don't find it sibilant, if anything it just makes most of my vocal tracks stand out and has more life to it. The midrange of Artemis is there but has that lift of brightness to make the IEM sound more energetic. But depending on different listeners who have different levels of tolerance on brightness, you might want to give this a try and see if the sibilance level is acceptable for you before you pull the trigger.

    Bass is punchy and fast without bleed or bloat. It has the quality, but still not enough quantity to be called a bassy CIEM.

    The added tweeter really put energy into the songs of my library and as always -- it's nigh sibilant free tuned for lengthy listening and it extends quite far with a generous amount of sparkle and airiness to it

    Soundstage is similar to Artemis but with very subtle additional of width.

    ELYSIAN ACOUSTIC HADES

    Price: MYR 5999 (About $1400)

    Driver Configuration: 6 Balanced Armature Drivers (2 lows, 2 mids, 2 highs)

    Initial Impressions


    Flagship unit. The high frequency of Hades just soars right off the stratosphere on my first listen. The treble is just so incredibly smooth. The soundstage is also very impressive, and it has this big presentation all around. It actually felt like listening to Campfire Andromeda again (Been a while since I heard that) , I keep hearing micro-details that I won't normally hear in other IEMs, and coming from Campfire Andromeda this is something impressive to my ears. A treble presentation that's grand, packed full of air, sparkle and best of all -- free of sibilance that will often be viewed as invasive to my listening immersion.

    Midrange is packed full of natural presentation and effortless layering. While not as personal up close as Artemis, the big soundstage helps for a more immersive live performance experience, with soaring treble extension adding more to sibilance-free experience.

    Bass is again, quality over quantity, very natural fast attack decay that a balanced armature bass would sound. Very impressive presentation that doesn't try hard to impress.

    Note: I hope this isn't too overly lengthy that it's considered spam.
     
  11. lolhart

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    I don't suppose anyone has heard Alclair's newish 10 driver CIEM RevX? There don't seem to be any reviews online.
     
  12. Arthur Chor

    Arthur Chor New

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    Sorry, no experience with that IEM. But sharing an impression would be great. :)
     
  13. Mimouille

    Mimouille Facebook Friend

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    And here we are...16 drivers...the race continues. Sounds nice so far though.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    To think the Sleek Audio (RIP) CT20 used to be an April's fool joke.
     
  15. Arthur Chor

    Arthur Chor New

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    Looks great.

    What are your impressions on the Unique Melody Mason V3?
     
  16. Mimouille

    Mimouille Facebook Friend

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    I just spent a few hours listening: to the Mason V3:

    • Tips are critical as usual. I settled on the Symbio mandarins for now
    • Impressive built : pretty, small (more or less the size of the universal Zeus), super well finished, robust connectors and dials
    • The dial positioning is akward because you have to push on it when you put them in
    • Really cool stock cable
    • The cable switching principle is a bit weird, but interesting still
    • The dial works well if you want to relieve the pressure / reduce or raise bass
    • The overall sound is super resolving and detailed, with very tight bass and crisp highs
    • At this stage I need to do more source rolling as I get some harshness in the lower mids / highs with LPG. I will try the WM1Z (the mojo wasn't so convincing). The issue is that I prefer the WM1Z balanced, and don't have the adequate cable

    What I am liking, that I don't see enough these days, is a well finished product. Not so half baked half engineered concept. UM is really stepping up their game. I am still unsure of the benefits of the included gimmicks (new cable connector, two cables in one, dial).
     
  17. Arthur Chor

    Arthur Chor New

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    Much appreciated for the input, it sure sounds promising from what you describe. And honestly, IMO, WM1Z is not worth the investment unless you got the cable that utilize its 4.4mm balanced output since that's where it really shines most, regardless of which IEM is paired. The 3.5mm just doesn't do it for me.
     
  18. Vorlon

    Vorlon self-important, pompous ass

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    Fresh out of CES 2018, N5005 the new flagship IEM from Harman
    • Ceramic shell, 1 dynamic and 4 BA drivers
    • Release this Spring, 1000 dollars/euros
    • Four tuning filters
    • 3.5mm and 2.5mm cables + bluetooth dongle
    • Some additional pictures at WhatHifi
    Not listed on the AKG website yet, but should be soon...
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2018
  19. JuniorsGradez

    JuniorsGradez New

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    I only knew the U12+ was available...U18+ is as well? Ah nevermind I found it A18+
     
  20. TomHP

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    Anyone else amused by the inherent contradiction in this product?

    Harman IEM tuning target good for everyone <-> flagship Harman IEM with 4 tuning filters :D
     

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