IEM general discussion thread

I tried the Dita Dream and Brass side by side at a show in Beijing, and while the Dream is wider, more detailed, had better separation blablabla, I prefered the tonality of the brass. I am actually considering getting a pair as well, even if they are not so easy to come by. It is between the brass, the RE2000, the Xelento and the LCDi4 these days...quite different, but the only one I am interested in.

 

I'm in somewhat a similar boat, without the nerve damage, but with ears that overheat quickly. Even the HD650 is unbearably hot after about 15 mins of usage. It did give people some pause - the guy that sold me the Jot was going "so you're buying a Jot for your ...customs...???" - but yeah.

I'm not a fan of DITA tuning or sound, be it the original or the latest, but I'm a massive fan of FutureSonics, but the Acoustune 1551 does have a brass knob (that does nothing), and is rather interesting.

 

With both Sines and lcdi4 you have to like the feeling and fit. There is limited seal and no isolation. I was not impressed by the isine 20, but the Lcdi4 is something else. I did hear that the Sines benefit from the lightning cable that somehow adds impedance into the chain and improves tonality?

The RE2000 does feel like it will not age well...the print will fade for sure. At that price I will not go for it. It feel more like 500$ at most.

For comfort I still S-EM9 quite a lot.

 

If you like the Future Sonics Spectrum G10, try the Fender FXA2 / Aurisonics Kicker.

Better build quality, removable cable, over ear and semi-custom type shell.

They have a very similar sound signature.

I've had both at the same time. I still have the G10 because they're more convenient to use at work with people asking me questions (easier to get in and out frequently).

At some point I'll get a Future Sonics custom.

 

Are the newer Aurisonics better? I found the ASGs terrible.

 

The tuning is much better. After Fender acquired them, I've only heard the FXA2, and I'm not sure of the sound quality on the other new stuff.

 

I'm loving my MG5HX, will have to write a quick review when I have time. I'm at the point where i'm thinking of liquidating most of my collection.

 

You should swap the stock turquoise tip with their clarity clear tip which I find to have a more neutral tuning.

Anyway with their price and relative sound quality to their competitors, the HS1551 is the IEM to beat right now. Even the new Polaris sounds quite ordinary next to the Acoustune despite their very similar prices.

Regards,
Jeremiah

 

Did you own the AS Kicker when you tried the FXA2?

I bought the Kicker thanks to your review of it and have been really curious about the revised Fender version.
Also very curious about G10 vs Kicker/FXA2. How do they compare?

 

got to listen to the g10 and fxa2 side by side this weekend, to my ears, i preferred the fxa2 by a wide margin, found its upper mids and treble more vibrant and less reticent than the g10, which could also mean that it's more coloured but i found it rather more musically engaging. their bass is similar in asmuch that both are elevated in the subs and do not affect their mids much. the fxa2 is fun in the way that vintage jbl "blue face" monitors are, they are to me at least, Polaris done "right" and much better built than the g10 despite costing a little less here. i picked a pair up for daily otg.

 

So, I had the periodic audio Be (beryllium) for about a month. The left driver for some reason started playing high frequenices (above 1khz) at about 50% volume. I confirmed this on my amateur measurement rig. I'm not sure what could've caused that. Periodic has a 5 year warranty though, so they were good about replacing it. The only thing I can think of is that I was using them a lot, and I get a "klink" sound from the driver when I insert them with silicon tips. After doing that a few hundred times, maybe it damaged the driver. Or maybe it was the time I worked out with them and they got sweaty (there are a few ports on the Be where fluid could get in). For some reason the klink doesn't happen when I insert them with rolled Comply foam tips.

I got crazy while they were gone and bought a Campfire Vega. I knew as soon as I popped them in that I didn't like them as much as the Periodic Be. They have less sub-bass but a lot more mid-bass (to a degree bleeds into the midrange and muddies things up imho). Granted, the sound of the Vegas changes quite lot going from foam to silicon tips. With silicon the bass is taken down at least 5-6db and the bleeding into the mids is gone, but the high end gets even brighter so they become pretty treble heavy.

I'm trying not to be a fanboi schill for Periodic, but the sound of the Be is really perfect for me. If I can somehow get the soundstage of an HD800 with that frequency response and tonality, I'd be set. I was willing to try a ToTL dynamic IEM in the Vega to see what I might be missing, I don't think it's going to get better for me personally than the Be. Bonus: It's $300 not vs the Vega being $1300.

The Be has really phenomenal detail retrieval (I am hearing parts of recordings that I've listened to 100's of times for the first time). I'm not sure if this is a result of boosted upper mids or something, but I like it. Also the sub-bass on the Be is quite thunderous on music that has a lot of energy there, but it's contained into the appropriate area and doesn't bleed into the mids. Treble clear but not harsh at all; I can't discern any annoying peaks in the response.

I wish there were more reviews/measurements on it so I could see how lousy my tastes are, haha. Maybe the sub-bass will be too much for some people.

 

Look what I got for review mwahahahaha : Flat-4 Keyaki and Akakeyaki plus.

 

I didn't have the Kicker and FXA2 at the same time. The retailer who carried both said they were the same and my listening impressions confirmed as much.

The Kicker and G10 are very similar in sound, depending on the seal and tips you use. The Kicker has a bump somewhere in the treble region that some people will love.

Digging into my old measurements...

Not sanctioned, not normalized, but enough of a bump that I could detect it prior to doing any measurements. Click it if you dare.


I didn't have my measurement mic when I got the G10, but I'm certain there's less of a bump in the same region if any. I have a treble sensitivity in a couple of spots, and the Kickers could instigate fatigue if I ran them loud enough for long enough, while the G10s never do.

They do have very similar characteristics, though.

If you want something that sounds similar to the Kicker/FXA2 but darker, the G10 is it.

 

Well it's not like I am going to tell him to stop. I am just having a hard time fitting these mini engines into my ears...otherwise that sound is quite unique.

 

I'm new to IEMs, and checking out some options at the moment. I was wanting to field some general opinions on the Shure SE535s. I'm strongly considering the pair @Panohm listed today, as it seems like a great value.

I'm torn between either those or saving up for a pair of Campfire Andromedas. The andros appeal to me mainly because, above most other things, I'm a soundstage whore (and I like how they look). Obviously the two don't really compare directly due to the price difference, but that's the predicament I face.

 

Anyone know anything about the LZ-A4? It's gotten really good reviews...or would me 200 dollars be better spent elsewhere? I like bass but I need clarity too..I know tough...

 

can anyone recommend me an iem with apple earbuds shape and fit but better sound looking for a recommendation for a friend that can't stand anything else