IEM general discussion thread

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

  1. yablokosmonaut

    yablokosmonaut New

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    Sorry to keep you waiting. In the one sense, there’s nothing about the timbre that to me says “BA”. On the other hand I did notice if A/Bing with DD models like the FDX1, Serial, Oxygen, etc — probably due to the slow attack, plucked strings and bowed strings were better on them than the Aladdin. More realistic timbre in the plucked, and more force/resonance/friction in cellos etc.

    Coherency is superb for a hybrid.
     
  2. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    How do you like your Serial? Are you in the Triangle area?
     
  3. yablokosmonaut

    yablokosmonaut New

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    Im in Winston Salem, so part of what we call the triad? I really like it. Currently it’s what I reach for. I just got a Globe and Fan in. The Globe to see if I’d like something a little darker, and the Fan to see if Penon’s single DD delivers much of the same tone for less. I think the Globe are fantastic, I was listening with ePro EP00 tips. There are times the timbre can be noticed (but the Sonion BAs are very impressive), but most of all the bass doesn’t have quite the edge/clean impact that the Serial does. The shell is very comfortable on the Globes, and narrower nozzle, easier to find comfortable. The Fans at first had too much in trolled bass, it did obscure or garble lower mids. I thought the EP00 were wide enough bore to counteract that, but there was a drastic change when I used small sized Tenmak Whirlwind tips on them. Very wide bore, but small size allowed a deep insertion. It cleaned the bass up more than I had thought possible. The resulting signature is not miles off the serial, something I will do in the coming days when time permits is to compare the two. That would be with the goal of saving money if they are reasonably interchangeable, I have very few if any complaints with the Serial. I love the shell appearance, the bass might be my favorite of any IEM, mids are neither recessed or too prominent and nicely done, and treble is sufficient for me in its performance, it’s the area I can give the least qualified scrutiny to. It might be great or average, I’m not a good source to that.

    I had a very negative take on Penon tuning in the past, and it was largely down to tip rolling that they’ve become top picks. The Serial has a tubey/analog full bodied sound, and first rate timbre.

    Edit: honest apologies for any typos, typed quickly on my phone in the kitchen. I can either reply dailyish quickly, or properly very rarely, just family life.
     
  4. Brause

    Brause Friend

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    Got a $20 budget rec...the single DD Astrotec Vesna.

    TBH, I am not lining up for cheap iems...but I have many of them going through my hands nevertheless. Very rarely is there a real find in the pile.

    For example, the $30 Harman-tuned Moondrop Crescent were such as case. I called them "sloppy premium"...and preferred them over the $180 Kanas Pro Edition (the grandfather of the Moondrop Kato). Moondrop must have recognized this conflict of interest and pulled the Crescent fast.

    Another outstanding cheapo was the Sony MH-755 (with that awkward cable).

    Astrotec does not really ring a bell for me other than for midtier to pricey earbuds. The Vesna are just another average looking set of iems with barrel-shaped metal housings and a fixed cable. We have seen many of these before...

    ...but I am highly impressed by their sound quality and find them enjoyable independent of price. The frequency curve is rather flat with no peaks - and quite an extension into the lower treble. The signature is warm, and although not bright, it is a bit brighter than the Crescent's, probably because the low end does not dig particularly deep. But there is no sub-bass hump and no mid-bass hump, the low end is tight and nuanced.

    The lower midrange is very articulate...vocals are surprisingly well defined, they have something silky, note definition is very good. Note weight is ok, too. The Crescents are a bit weightier in the mids, but not as accentuated. Other $20 iems are rather lean and thin...and harsh. The Vesna's vocals are NOT over-energized by the upper mids.

    Extension into the treble is seamless. Although a bit in the background, cymbals sound energetic though treble resolution is not the greatest.

    Imaging, spatial cues, resolution, and the well-dosed dynamics are other strong points. The driver is rather nimble. Stage is wide enough but not particularly deep or high. Timbre is just great!

    Combining all of the above yields a cohesive sonic delivery...and what I find particularly great: you can turn these up without regret. Nothing strident at higher volumes.

    The Vesna handle the most complex jazzy and classical pieces with my Sony NW-A55 dap. BUT, there is a caveat: the stock tips don't fit me. All my listening is done with the SpinFit CP145s.

    Oh, and they come come with a USB-C dongle that does not work with any Apple device be it Mac or iPhone.

    To summarize the Astrotec Vesna: warm, nimble, cohesive, great note definition, good imaging, and well-dosed dynamics.

    I'd put them sonically closer to the Sony MH-755 than the thicker sounding Crescent.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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    Last edited: Apr 14, 2022
  5. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    I was really bummed when I left my Crescents in a Korean taxi and found they were discontinued.
     
  6. Brause

    Brause Friend

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    Ouch! Sorry to hear!
     
  7. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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  8. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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  9. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    The Campfire Supermoon has changed the game for me. Timeless was a taster-- this is the real deal. Planars have officially arrived imho-- it will be hard for me to go back to anything else after this. I've always kind of felt that single drivers are the ideal for a variety of reasons but it's not until now that I feel we've reached a point where you can cover all technical and tonal bases with a single driver and leave nothing to be desired. Resolution on these things is insane, as is the coherence. Couple this with a nice dynamic timbre and I don't know what else one could want. Planars are the future as @rhythmdevils has said and if the Supermoon is any indicator they are officially here imho. I hope SBAF has a means of getting a demo pair somehow-- I'd be very curious to hear what everyone thinks of them.

    3E4C8C7E-812A-4D9B-A3D7-222DE20C6FD3.JPEG
     
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    Last edited: Jun 6, 2022
  10. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Awesome! I wish I could hear them. How did you get universal fit ones? On the CA website they are custom fit only. Which might be a good thing for me actually, as iems never stay in my ears very well. But then you can't try them before buying or buy used.

    And yes, orthos are the future! I've been saying that since before Audeze and Hifiman resurrected orthos and there's still a long way to go. And probably a lot more price hikes. :rolleyes:
     
  11. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    There was a limited universal release in Hong Kong and by luck I was able to grab a pair. I'm pretty sure most retailers who carry them have universal demo units for people to try-- I'm sure Campfire could send one out. That said I'm convinced they'll be eventually releasing a universal version of these-- they'd be crazy not to.
     
  12. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I would like to hear them but I’m totally uninterested in going the custom route. Hopefully they do release a universal…at a lower price point. :)
     
  13. recarcar

    recarcar Friend

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    I also really hope there is a universal version and at a lower price. I still mainly prefer single driver-based iems in all driver types and this sounds promising. How is the tonal balance compared to the Zen Pro?
     
  14. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    I haven't heard the Zen Pro in a few weeks as it's been out on loan so I haven't actually compared the two directly yet. From memory Supermoon leans warmer and has more of a sub-bass emphasis. Zen Pro I think is more energetic in the upper mids and sits right at the edge of tolerable for me there. Supermoon has a bit of glare in the upper mid/lower treble region that crops up every now and again but not enough for me to notice much or care. Like Zen Pro Supermoon seems tuned with the vocals right in the centre channel though in the Zen Pro they're more forward. Suppermoon has a bit of a bass lift but mids and treble all seem in line with each other. Supermoon is insanely resolving and has that effortless quality I'm starting to associate with planar drivers. It's evident that the bass was a focus of the tuning as is often the case with CFA but this driver is so insanely resolving that the bass doesn't come at the expense of anything else in the FR. I don't know if it's new toy syndrome for me or if I'm fundamentally a planar guy at heart who has finally connected with one...but I can't get enough of this IEM and it's made me not want to listen to anything else for the time being.
     
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  15. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    How is the vocal presentation @Rockwell ? Recessed at all?

    Do custom iems stay in your ears better than universal silicone tips? Because even the Azla Crystal tips don’t stay in my ears well enough to move around with them.
     
  16. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    Beyond a slight lift in the bass I don't feel anything recessed at all-- from mid-bass to treble it feels very balanced and linear to me. Vocals are really nice.

    I've never tried a custom so can't comment on how they fit-- I'd assume quite well based on what I've heard.
     
  17. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Okay gang, what's a good quality $50 or less MMCX cable with ear hooks I can buy that I don't have to order direct from China? I got my Timeless with a 4.4mm cable, and got an upgrade 4.4mm cable for it, and now all I have is SE gear. I'm currently using a Hart audio cable, which is fine at home but when I want to take these out it's cumbersome with the mini XLR interconnects. I don't care about ultimate resolution, just something that sounds good for the money. Thanks!
     
  18. fastfwd

    fastfwd Friend

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    Does this work? Currently on sale for $50, marked down from $100: https://www.aloaudio.com/shop/pure-copper-litz/
     
  19. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Branwavz makes a cheap iem cable that meets all your requirements. I think it’s $20 or so. If you’re happy with the Hart cable it will sound fine.
     
  20. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Damn, sold out! How are the Linsoul $20 cables on Amazon?
     

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