IEM general discussion thread

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

  1. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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  2. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I've got a brand new Brainwavz cable I've never used, still in the package. You can have it for 10$ shipped. PM if interested. :)
     
  3. jaker782

    jaker782 Friend

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  4. lagadu

    lagadu Almost "Made"

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    I have a 4.4 Linsoul cable that I bought from amazon (Tripowin something something). It's surprisingly good value, very supple and no microphonics. Can't speak for durability as I only ever popped it in once and haven't removed it since for half a year now but I haven't detected any problems so far. I'd buy it again if I needed a cable.

    edit: was this one but it's $30 so I think @jaker782 has the better deal.
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2022
  5. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    If you want/need an MMCX cable, ALO has excellent MMCX connectors. Just about all the cables mentioned are 3.5 and MMCX. I would not choose a 3.5 unless you are desperate for funds. Balanced is always best.
     
  6. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    On the off-chance that anybody out there has a Timeless with the 2.5 plug but would prefer the 4.4: I have a 3.5 but would like a 2.5 - so maybe you, me & @Merrick could organize a threesome.
     
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  7. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Good idea! However, I already gave my stock 4.4mm to @Azimuth. I do have an upgraded 4.4mm cable but would prefer to hold on to that in case I end up with another 4.4mm device in the future.

    All of my gear is currently SE, and I already have a balanced cable for the future should I need it. Thanks!
     
  8. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    I don’t have a 2.5 but I want in on this threesome with you and Merrick.
     
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  9. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    @Merrick Apparently XINHS (on AliExpress) is the OEM behind most of these low cost cables. Any that you can get on Amazon US, you can obviously get faster but will pay a bit more. Mostly they are very similar in quality just different aesthetics. Just go for whatever you like the looks of and just make sure reviews are happy with flexibility, as the exterior sleeve could be very pliable or very stiff or somewhere in between. Oh and pay attention to gauge size. Sometimes 8 core wires are thinner and more manageable than the 4 core alternatives. Then there are 16 core options too. I never understood wanting thick audio-nerd jewelry for IEMs.
     
  10. Bina

    Bina MOT - Shanling

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    It's easy logic - "Thicker cables sounds warmer". I heard this from way too many people over the years.
     
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  11. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I'm a bit skeptical about the new CFA Supermoon. I'm just thinking about timing. I wonder when development of the Supermoon started. Because before the Timeless was introduced into the US, to my knowledge ortho iems were not a thing. I'm guessing Ken got the idea from the Timeless and started production on it then, but that isn't enough time to develop a tiny ortho driver in house which would make it an OEM, which makes me wonder if it is any better than the Chi-fi ortho iems which probably all use OEM drivers, probably many of them the same driver. Or maybe not.

    I don't know, I'm just a bit skeptical of how fast Ken went from BA's to an ortho iem, which was a completely new technology for him to develop and if he did it from scratch I would think it would take a few years at least to get it right.

    I would love to compare the micropore tape modded Shueor S12 with the Supermoon. Maybe I need to send mine to @Rockwell to compare.
     
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  12. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    There have been a few planar IEMs out over the last few years. The following list was posted on HF:

    • Tin P1/plus: 10mm planar ($170)
    • Tin P2/plus: 12mm planar ($370, $620)
    • 7hz Timeless: 14mm planar ($220)
    • Tin P1 Max: 14.2mm planar ($190)
    • Shuoer S12: 14.8mm planar ($170)
    • AAW Nightingale 15mm planar ($1000)
    • Audeze Euclid: 18mm planar ($1300)
    • Audeze LCDi4: 30mm planar ($2500)
    The Supermoon and Timeless both have the same size driver...are they the same driver? I don't know and personally I'm not really concerned. I owned the Timeless for a bit last year but sold it as I much preferred the Zen Pro I got around the same time. Supermoon to me is a big step up over the Timeless in sound but also in build quality. I can't comment on whether the Supermoon sounds better than the modded S12...but it sounds better than pretty much every IEM I've heard at this point. I sold my EXT upon getting the Supermoon and I've just listed my Zen Pro. I guess for me it's kind of a moot point whether CFA has had this in development for years or if it's something they jumped on following the success of Timeless. The bottom line is that it's providing me with a degree of satisfaction I've not yet experienced with IEMs and I guess that's good enough for me. I appreciate the offer for you to send me your S12...but USPS has been a little sketchy and slow for me over boarders lately so I'd prefer to hold off on that for the time being.

    Edit: Lifting the following from another HeadFi Post:

    "One thing to note is that the Supermoon appears to use a single-sided magnet array as per the visual breakdown. All other 14mm planar offerings have been double-sided as far as I know. So the driver is indeed custom, but I suspect they still source it from China."

    Supermoon12-1050x1050.jpg
     
  13. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Good info I was just curious. Maybe he has had the time. But also implementation is very important with orthos so even if the driver is not all original like Audeze’s Euclid driver it could still sound better than others or really good. A well implemented ortho will sound better than a poorly implemented ortho with a technically better driver. Potential doesn’t equate to ultimate fidelity.

    And Ken has tons of experience with the acoustics in these little housings.

    If I had a bigger budget I’d buy one today.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2022
  14. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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  15. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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    I feel an iem is only worth the purchase if it objectively undeniable in being better because of a new breakthrough. Like oled with superior blacks and contrast. It just all seems flavors at this point. Cfa hasn’t hit a real home run since the og andromeda and the house tuning(preferring bass), which the super moon seems to follow seems emphasized there as well according to their graph. Unless it really is groundbreaking.

    No offense to @Rockwell but your favorite iem changed too rapidly with the new fomo, and at the same time you hardly take a definitive stance in your opinions. It would be more helpful. Like I remember you flirting with the Sony ier z1r wtvr that trihybrid was and you were praising it for a bit, then the Solaris then the anole vx, which I don’t get because the z1r was straight up a trash iem, with coherence problems, a terrible upper mid range spike with ba timbre, while the Solaris has dipped mids, and Anole is again raised upper mids. It’s ok to enjoy all flavors/tunings but I still to this day cannot triangulate your preference on what you look for in an iem, other than it being the new kid on the block.
     
  16. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Well this is probably going to be offensive to @Rockwell . I don't really like the whole "no offense, but here's an offensive comment" thing. I agree with what you're saying, I have a hard time figuring out his preferences, I thought the Dorado 2020 was terrible. But he's a really good guy and I would rather have him sharing here and participating than alienated and not sharing his impressions of new iems.

    Also, no offense because @Cellist88 I really like you and think you're are a good guy as well, but I don't really like the way you criticize other people's reviews. I think it often goes too far and make people not want to write reviews. Write your own reviews the way you want them written.

    Again, I love both of you, just trying to make peace here and make a few points. I love both of your presences in the SBAF community and am grateful for both of you. Just making a few points.

    :bow:
     
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  17. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    Part of the problem is simply that I don't post here that often- I'm considerably more active on Head Fi. Another thing for me is that I'm relatively new to audio. I started looking into IEMs seriously in about 2019 with no prior history in 2 channel or headphones so during that time you reference where I had the Solaris, IER Z1R and Anole VX (all IEMs I owned in 2019) I was really just getting started and had no real baseline for the lay of the land, what I like and don't like etc. I still buy and sell IEMs more than many but I would wager that if you take into account what I post in my thread on Head Fi my journey and what I like will seem a lot less haphazard and mystifying than if you just go by what I post here.

    That's just part of who I am I think-- and one of the reasons I suspect that I don't post here as often as I do other places is because of a tacit recognition that my approach and ideals are perhaps not entirely in line with the general orthodoxy of this community. I stop by here a lot to share things here and there as I have a lot of respect for many of the members here and am very grateful for all the useful info I have gotten from this place. I once heard SBAF described as "too subjective for the objectivists and too objective for the subjectivists". I am by temperament probably too far on the subjective spectrum for many/most here as much of my impressions & reviews are more fixated on my subjective/emotional response to gear. This hobby is as much about self discovery for me as anything else. I find myself consciously avoiding trying to make "definitive stances" because I don't feel really qualified to do so a lot of time and I'm conscious of how differently people can hear things sometimes.

    I'm not alienated-- it's all good...but I at the same time I recognize that in many ways I don't fit in around here. RE my tastes I like a variety of different presentations and have a variety of different use cases. I've gone through phases-- when I first started out I wanted bass, then staging, then detail & clarity, then I got into mids and have as of the Supermoon just fallen in love with planars. I do love the Dorado 2020 though-- it's one of those IEMs that's indulgent in all the ways that I like.

    Love you too man you've always been very thoughtful and welcoming to me.
     
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    Last edited: Jun 14, 2022
  18. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    There's also the Dethonray Tender 1, about which there's very limited information. Dethonray's reputation for good sounding if rudimentary DAPs and DAC/Amps is strong, however. What information is available suggests that the Tender 1 needs a ton of current to shine..
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2022
  19. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    This is the one I ultimately went with. The sale price seemed fair and it’s nice and thin but feels quality. I could have got a LunaShops one for a little less total but I didn’t want to wait and didn’t want a cable as thick as the LunaShops one.
     
  20. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Oh man, it's not quality at all. All of the Smokey Litz cables get incredibly stiff after about 6 months or less. At least here in California. All my Smokey Litz cables have done this, including the older generation clear/white Super Litz cables. They're unusable after this.

    You should cancel the order if you can.

    This one is a little more expensive and I haven't tried it because I prefer OCC Copper, but the company seems to be all about quality. It doesn't look like it has an ear hook but neither does the cable you just bought.

    https://oeaudio.shop/products/2dualcdc-oxygen-free-copper-hi-end-iem-upgrade-cable

    The Smokey Litz cables are literally defective and should be recalled. I returned 4 of them to CFA and they replaced them and the replacements got stiff too. I'm talking like they stick out sideways from the iem stiff.
     

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