Timeless 7hz Ortho iem - Finally a Good Ortho iem!

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by rhythmdevils, Dec 17, 2021.

  1. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    What's all this talk about "inherent strengths" of dynamic drivers again? electrodynamic drivers are not inherently better than orthodynamic drivers in any way. You say yourself that you have not heard any other ortho headphones. And you have not heard ortho drivers in a good acoustic implementation for sure then. I much prefer a good ortho driver to any electrodynamic driver I've ever heard which is basically all of them ever made.. with the exception of a few new models that I know I wouldn't like anyways.
     
  2. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

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    Dynamics (or electrodynamic to be specific) are usually superior to their similarly priced orthos when it comes to sound tactility and imaging (not separation). Same reasons why orthos suck at low listening volumes <70dB.

    Those are my key qualities when I listen to Jazz or any percussive based music.
     
  3. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    If you like a mess of ringing peaky garbage in your ears maybe. ;)

    You can't hear some cheap Hifiman orthos and make broad statements about ortho technology as a whole.
     
  4. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    I almost pulled the trigger on the Kato but reading this has me pausing - no peaks, no treble etch, nicely tuned? Hmm I seen on Crinnacle's charts some treble peaks... I'm gonna do some more research....
     
  5. ShriKrishix

    ShriKrishix Acquaintance

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    How do they sound straight out of an android phone?
    Also, if these need an amp to sound good, doesn't that destroy the basic advantage of an IEM, i.e. portability?
     
  6. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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    You can but good IEMs will sound best out of DAP or dongle DAC/AMP while being portable.
     
  7. ShriKrishix

    ShriKrishix Acquaintance

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    Thanks, Sir. So, any basic dongle DAC/AMP will do?
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2021
  8. econaut

    econaut Almost "Made"

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    Do these have more (sub / mid) bass quantity than Kato? I sold my Katos, one of the reasons was not enough bass for me.

    EDIT:

    Seems the Timeless is also not for me. I am probably more of a Vega / Atlas guy (but haven't heard them so far):

    https://headfonics.com/7hz-timeless-review/2/
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2021
  9. econaut

    econaut Almost "Made"

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    Hm, still interested. But I haven't figured out which spec of the amp makes them bassier or less bassy.

    It's not output impedance, is it?

    Thinking about pairing with RU6, but don't know if they get more or less bassier than "average," then.
     
  10. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    If you read my comparisons with different amps, you'll see they sound better with better amps but aside from being bassy with a sliht treble boost out of the iPod touch, they sounded really good still. Then the Shanling M6 Pro AKM was a bit bass lite.

    I think it will come down to amp synergy more than amp quality to get the sound signature you're looking for. But in general, they do scale well and a better amp source will make them sound better technically.

    But if you get the sound signature you want with the right amp, I think they will impress technically out of anything. The midrange is still impressive out of the iPod touch despite the bass and treble boost.

    See above.

    I think it's more about amp synergy than needing a really good amp/source. They will scale with better amp/source but still sound good out of anything if you get the sound signature you're looking for.

    They sounded different out of different amp/sources for me (see my impressions) so you might want to wait for more impressions out of different amps to figure out a cheap solution that has the sound signature you're looking for. I don't own any dongles and the M6 Pro AKM was a bit bass lite with these.

    I will be getting the RU6 soon hopefully though and can add that to my review.
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2021
  11. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    I've been measurebating again, there's 8khz peak which seems a little too pointy vs competition like Kato/FDX1 - coupler or not, there seems to be some focus there and other reviews are mentioning some harshness. My bat ears are little concerned. I know measurements can't be trusted with the coupler resonances yada yada but I can make some correlation from my past experiences
     
  12. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    There's absolutely no treble peaks in this iem buddy.
     
  13. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    It's good you can't hear it.. i can see it on different measurements (one which is Crinnacle's) - vs kato/fdx1 they have a much smaller peak here, and reviewers have issue with it.

    Coupler related or not, seeing the jagged high treble response graphs (in comparison to other iems) I will probably have an issue - but I'm sensitive in this area.

    The only newish IEM which seems to control the treble relatively smoothly is the Kato, taking into account lesser technicalities etc
     
  14. Ox Cart

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    I had these for about a week and didn't love them. I find them both impressive and yet utterly unengaging.

    They struck me as impressive for their treble extension, level of detail and overall smoothness. They're definitely more bourbon than Islay scotch.

    The reason they're not for me is that they somehow manage to have a fun v-shaped tuning without actually sounding fun. Bass is notably elevated, but it's soft, with not much impact or rumble. Treble is quite present, but there's not much bite or attack to percussion. And the staging comes across as really flat and 2D.

    All of my criticisms are things I can live with in a reference neutral tuning, but these aren't reference neutral, with noticeably pushed back mids that are outcompeted by the bass. It's kind of like non alcoholic bourbon.

    So in short, bourbon good, non alcoholic bourbon not good.

    If they came out with a reference neutral tuned version of this with the same quality of drivers, that's something I could probably get behind.
     
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  15. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    What amp/source are you using? If you read my review and comparisons with different amps you’ll see they can have the signature you describe out of certain amps (the iPod touch headphone out for me) but with other amps they are very neutral.

    you should try them out of something else before giving up.

    if you say which amp you’re using it would also help members figure out what synergizes well with the 7hz and what does not.
     
  16. Ox Cart

    Ox Cart Facebook Friend

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    I tried them out of a Galaxy S10e and a Qudelix 5K.

    Since my days of building custom impedance adapters for the OG Andromeda and obsessing about amp pairing, I've come to a point where I want IEMs to sound decent without that kind of hassle. I happily tip roll to get the most out them, but I'm not interested in DAPs nor in being tied to a desktop amp, especially since I have plenty of IEMs that sound fine right out of my phone. If I want something more purposeful, I'll just listen to my HE6Se out of a speaker amp. :)

    None of this should take away from you or anyone else's enjoyment of these, it's just my preferences.
     
  17. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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  18. ductrung3993

    ductrung3993 Facebook Friend

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    Hmm, maybe wait for them to sort it out and then jump on?
     
  19. Africanus

    Africanus New

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    On a less serious note, I thought I would comment about a characteristic I have not seen mentioned elsewhere. As a side effect of the flat outer shell, the Timeless does not produce the annoying microphonics caused by the wind. So, if you are like me and use iems outdoors, you might consider this as an additional value (as long as the the shell fits your ears properly).
     
  20. Johnston98

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    Damn. They are good. Just got them based @rhythmdevils review. For reference, I have the Shure Kse1200, Dita Truth, and Meze Rai Penta.

    The 7hz have similar speed and detail of the kse1200 but not the treble fatigue. The bass hits hard (similar to penta) but isn’t boomy or sloppy.

    I’m using Hugo 2 and ifi go blu as sources. I had too much “bourbon mod” to remember how they sounded with the WA8. I’ll have to revisit that one.

    Thanks for the review and recommendation. I’ve been burned by HF FOTM hype. I also find crinicle’s preferences not my preference. Best $200 I’ve spent in this hobby.
     
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