IEM general discussion thread

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

  1. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Yeah, when you think about it, it really is a difficult proposition to choose "one amp to rule them all". I'd argue that the difference between THX789 and Asgard3 is a choice of limited opportunity; they both sound pretty spectacular on a wide range of impedances.
     
  2. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    Have you had a chance to play with the Modi 3+ by any chance? Its the only other thing that I see "on paper" that makes sense.
     
  3. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    You mean Magni 3+? I play with both that and Modi 3. With Modi 3 I was using it on the THX AAA. Slightly warm sound that will show the limitations of the Modi 3 (gaining treble that has that gainy feeling).
     
  4. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    <face palm> - yes, that is what I meant.

    Wish I had a crystal ball to see what Schiit was up to. The 789 appeals to my brain more since I don't need the flexibility for more than balanced armatures for the most part.
     
  5. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Mangi 3+ still sucks with Andros with the IEMatch crap. I hated the Andros with IEMatch, and without it is impossible to use it. Minor vol adjustment and boom, max volume with minor volume balance issues.

    Mangi 3+ however sounds great with the Drop JVCs. The DD design really works well with the Mangi 3+. Could be the only amp you need if you have an IEM DD fetish.
     
  6. Brause

    Brause Friend

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    I am a huge fan of single DDs and the Drop JVC HA FDX1...which is not available right now. I also started to like the Cozoy Hera C103. 30% cheaper than the JVCs, these are warmer, with a forward-leaning L signature.

    [​IMG]

    They don't have the JVC's sonic edge (green filters sensu james444), they are more modest in their attack and have a tamer super midrange, but they have a wonderful timbre. Great for Bach Trio Sonatas.
     
  7. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Have you tried inserting a bit of foam into one or two of the nozzle holes? This takes the edge off a bit. Can't find the link now because I'm on my phone but it's from @Bill-P.
     
  8. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    OK, pics or it didn't happen (I'm the worst photographer ever, sorry for the awful quality)

    [​IMG]

    That's my trusty Sennheiser HD569 (I bought it in february 2019) and the Moondrop Starfield IEM (bought this one week ago). I'm using them with my cellphone (Motorola E5 Play)

    The HD569 has it's flaws, is somewhat flat and greyish sounding, the treble is somewhat rough (not much) and bass isn't the last word in definition...but it is a very enjoyable listen, I can get past those flaws and enjoy music.

    I usually leave the music player as random and put my phone as far away as possible from me. I think that skipping songs multiple times, going back and forward to hear just small fragments of it is what kills music enjoyment, it is even worse than any flaw a transducer can have IMO. Music is meant to be understood and enjoyed, and that's impossible if you skip the track every 10 seconds, that's stupid and should be only for test tones and ultrasonic weapons.

    Why do I rant about it?
    I can't listen to the Starfield for more than 20-30 minutes, and makes me want to skip songs because of listening fatigue. My opinion vs the HD569 is more or less like this:

    The very good things:
    - Black background: music just emerges from a much blacker background than with the Sennheisers.

    - Headstage and imaging: I don't know how Moondrop achieves this with an IEM, but the the imaging is more precise, and the headstage is a bit deeper (!!!), width is more or less the same, height is better (obviously) with the Sennheisers.

    Good but no better than HD569:
    - Plankton: very nice resolving capabilites, but the Sennheiser is a bit more resolving.
    - Timbre: despite the issues, it is nice, but I prefer the tone of whatever Sennheiser used in their drivers to the nanotube jizz of the Moondrop.

    The not so good things:
    - Upper mids/lower treble are shouty and harsh, like sandpaper harsh. Very offensive, it shows itself with every single song, no matter the genre, but for the more offensive version of it, try listening to a flute or a violin...damn, not for me, thanks.

    - Bloated midbass: is like the driver doesn't want to pump those extra 8-10db of bass, it just sounds wrong and bleeds into the midrange too much for my tastes. The 4 times bigger driver of the Senns shows it's advantages here, much more effortless, there's just no comparison possible.

    - Comes alive at higher volumes: no need to discuss this if you take the midbass bloat and the screechy upper mids into account, is frustrating.

    TL;DR: I don't like them, they're are going back to Amazon.

    PS: I know that the comparsion is unfair, one is a full size headphone, but I was expecting much more from the Starfields, specially coherence and smoothness. Buy if you're not sensitive to upper mids and like a "round" midbass, if you're sensitive to that, and a low volume listener, avoid at all costs IMO.
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2020
  9. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    I’m an IEM noob (really, a headphone noob) so take with a grain of salt, but considering the price, the Blon-03 sound pretty frickin great (with the right tips). At home right now running Pi2AES > Modi Multi > Vali 2 and loving it.

    4A7D4EE2-618B-4F67-B419-97D03A525E94.jpeg
     
  10. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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  11. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    Anyone got a good recommendation for a company that will change customs to iems? it's just my UE4, so should be a simple job... But I always choose a universal over them, though I guess they're good on a plane flight.
     
  12. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    ItsFit, based out of Indonesia are quite good. But given the virus situation, it may not be the best option right now. I know Perfect Seal does refit from custom to custom. You can ask them if they can do custom to uni.
     
  13. iDesign

    iDesign Almost "Made"

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    I am in the process of purchasing a new CIEM or UIEM. Can everyone weigh in with their vote for the best IEM available at any price? I'm strongly considering the 64Audio A18S. Ordinarily I would audition them myself but the COVID-19 pandemic makes that an impossibility.
     
  14. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    - U18t is one of the most impressive IEMs I have heard to date. But the tonality can be a little dry in the mids and bright in the lower treble. My friends say that the S version addresses both those issues and is now a better pick than the T version.
    - Also look into Vision Ears Elysium. It’s been getting a lot of good feedback. But it is a touch on the bright side and doesn’t slam hard in the bass apparently. Vision Ears just released a universal version which is cheaper than the custom version.
    - I have also heard great things about their Erlkonig. But it is way too expensive and is no longer in production. But I have also heard some say that it has a mid-bass hump.
     
  15. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    Has anyone laid ears on the Moondrop Blessing 2 yet?
     
  16. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    Does running iems balanced affect the volume? Are they louder, quieter or at the same volume as single-ended? I've never gotten into balanced cables or amps...
     
  17. obsiCO

    obsiCO Thai Fish Experiment Gone Wrong

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    From my experience, yes if the amp the IEM is plugged to is truly balanced. How much louder it is is going to be up to the amp, though. The cable itself, made for a balanced connection or no, shouldn't affect the volume — unless it's affecting the FR which can be perceived as volume change. This answer is probably pretty basic so I'll let others chime in. :p
     
  18. theveterans

    theveterans Facebook Friend

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    Depend on the source/DAP or amp. With my DAP, there would be substantial volume difference with any headphone or IEM, and the effect is more pronounced on oower hungry headphone such as the HEDDphone
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2020
  19. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    Those just showed on Drop: JVC HA-FW1800.
    Has anyone heard them?
     
  20. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Last edited: Jul 21, 2020

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