shotgunshane’s IEM (custom and universal) recommendations, favorites and classics

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by shotgunshane, Jun 7, 2016.

  1. cn11

    cn11 New

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    I had and really liked the Turii... Excellent timbre, remarkable detail. Could be a tad harsh in the highs on rare occasions though, but nothing terrible to the point enjoyment of your music is reduced. I wonder if a few will pop up 2nd hand now that the Turii titanium is coming out... Maybe something to watch for.
     
  2. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    IE 900 were pretty hard to get for months for retailers. Sennheiser moved production to Ireland late last year and then had several months with some supply chain issues. End result seems like IE 900 prices went from $1300 to $1500 for MSRP but then we have the IE 600 for less than half of the price.

    Production seems to be a lot steadier on IE 600 especially going injection molding vs CNCing each shell. Though the shell of the IE 900 is gorgeous, I don't think I could personally justify spending double for a prettier shell. Especially since tuning wise I do prefer the IE 600.

    Sennheiser seems to have really kicked production into gear and we have been getting a lot more units from Sennheiser though demand has been rather nuts for the IE 600.
     
  3. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

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    I think the retail price of the ie600 went up as well, stores show a $900 price everywhere I look.
     
  4. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    yeah that’s what’s holding me back - I’m very sensitive to harshness and brightness. My current daily drivers are Sony IERM7 and Softears RSV which I’m quite happy with but I want to see what more improvements can be had.

    I got a little hyped due to the positive reception for the IE600 thinking finally something cohesive and technical in the dynamic iem world but digging a little deeper I can see it’s got some serious v shapes going on. Is it so hard to do a nice reference tuned IEM Sennheiser? No one will tune an expensive serious speaker to sound v shaped - let the music do the tuning I say..
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2022
  5. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    Still showing up as $699.95 here but like everything lately, if it changes tomorrow for USA, I wouldn't be shocked.
     
  6. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Looks like Moondrop will be joining the planar iem fray later this year. Hopefully they will be improve upon the shortcomings of the Timeless tuning.

    Westone is dropping a completely new lineup called the Mach series. Seems to be a slight evolution of the previous series, which translates to ho-hum expectation from me.
     
  7. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    Oh good news! Moondrop jumping in gives me hope we might get a somewhat more "correct" sounding planar IEM - I just hope they can ease off the harman gass a little and make it smoother sounding. Not holding my breath for Westone's efforts however..
     
  8. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    I think it is your DAP. I have no treble issues with my Shanling M6 Pr0 21, nor my M9. Both sound lovely with the Shanlings. I also broke both IEMs in for a week each. What DAP are you using?
     
  9. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    I've yet to hear any Moondrop IEM that is as impressive as the Timeless...will be interesting if they can match it.

    I'll have a universal Campfire Supermoon in my. hands tomorrow...quite curious to hear what they've done with that tech.
     
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  10. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    My issue with Moondrop is that they're too harman tuned - I don't hear neutral/natural like that, it's too harsh and forward for me. If they can just soften their harman tuning a little they'll be golden. Softears RSV is harman-soft and it's tuning is very good, but I have some issues with it's technicalities which sound mediocre to me.

    7hz would be close to my preference tuning - were it not for their massive 8khz spike. I still might give them a shot however (so much hype!) and just eq the treble down a bit.
     
  11. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    Yeah they have a very utilitarian tuning style that's never really appealed to me. I never had any issues with peaky treble or fatigue with the Timeless...they were an impeccably smooth listen for me. Every now and again the timbre felt plastic and weird to me though.
     
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  12. Biodegraded

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    I suspect that, even for people whose ears they fit into, the big weird shells of the Timeless are accounting for a lot of the divergence of how their tonal balance is being reported. I seem to hear them much like you, with the difference of maybe too much in the lows (but I know you're an unreconstructed basshead so that likely accounts for that :p ), with slightly odd treble timbre and mid-bass that, in common with others, I'd wish to be tighter like the S12. However I've also seen the bass described as tight. For the treble, @shotgunshane mentioned in his review that a peak around 7 kHz became more elevated with shallower fit.

    So, a lot of fit-dependent (and tip-dependent) subtleties with these, I think - not just the issue of whether those big outside faces will allow them inside your ears at all.

    Edit: So many thanks again for the loaner. If I hadn't been able to hear them first, worries about fit and the divergence of impressions would probably have put me off buying a pair.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2022
  13. Grattle

    Grattle Friend

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    I'm looking for a good wired IEM for work. I work as a software engineer in an office of IT technicians, so I have difficulty concentrating due to the high noise levels. I have Apple AirPod Pro's, but the battery life kind of sucks, and the active noise cancelling doesn't really cut it for voices and conversations. I also use EMU Teak semi-closed backs, but they let in quite a bit of noise too.

    That said, I'm considering a Senn IE300 or IE600 or possibley an Entymotic XR model. I fear that the deep insertion of the Enty's will be a dealbreaker. Have any of you folks used an IE300/600? I would rate comfort and long term usability (3-4 hours at a time) at 50% importance, and great sound quality at 50%. I'd prefer to not have to crank the volume to block out the noise as well.

    TLDR: Anybody use the IE300/600? How is the comfort and sound quality?

    My work setup is: Macbook Pro => Airplay => Raspberry PI Zero w/Hifiberry Digi => Modi Multibit (output opamps upgraded) => ZDT Jr. Will replace the ZDT Jr. with a Shortest Way if @Zampotech can navigate the quagmire that is Russian exports these days.
     
  14. YMO

    YMO John Bomber

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    f**k the Senn IEMs IMO. Since you are running a darker/warmer setup Moondrop Kato or 7hz Timeless should be the ones to start looking. I really prefer the Moondrop Kato.
     
  15. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    If you want a Sennheiser IEM, go for the IE 600. Its way better than the other two. If you want to save some money, The Kato is great. I have both.
    What are you going to use for your DAP?
     
  16. Grattle

    Grattle Friend

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    My work system, see post #2413 at the bottom. The headphone out on the M1 Pro based Macbook Pro is actually pretty good for a laptop.
     
  17. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Regarding isolation-
    • Nothing is really going to beat an Ety for isolation. They isolate as well or better than many customs. Maybe a silicone based custom will beat it. However if you need to remove and re-insert the iem fairly often/regularly, I wouldn’t want an Ety. The deep fit is a PIA if you need to constantly take it out. If you can leave it be for long stretches, the isolation may be worth it.
    • For normal universals, meaning shallowly fitting iems, the more the housing body fills the ear, typically the more isolation it gives. At least this is my experience.
    • Of course any venting may undo any extra isolation help you get from the housing and dynamic based iems typically have some venting, be it small pinhole nozzle placed front vents to relieve pressure or larger rear vents. Front vents impact on isolation can be negligible for the most part but rear vents will have a large impact on reducing isolation. There can be large venting on the underside of the housing, like the Moondrop Illumination, which will still isolate better than something with back venting but will still be somewhat compromised.
    • Sealed balanced armature universals will seal better than dynamic based universals due to lack of venting. However the downside is you could possibly experience a vacuum seal at times, which will impact sound quality and cause fatigue, assuming the housing really locks into your ear. Usually backing the iem out a little, to break that vacuum seal will resolve the issue, at least for a while.
    The Senn IE housings are pretty small, so most of your isolation is going to come from the tip seal. The housing won’t help much. I can’t really recall how isolating the IE900 was we had on tour. Hopefully some IE owners can compare to some larger housing iems they may own.
     
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  18. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    Have you tried a Cayin RU6? Sounds lovely coming out of my iMac.
     
  19. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    @shotgunshane or anyone with a Solaris 2020 (or Campfire IEM) have a great mid-fi recommended cable upgrade over the Dunu DUW02 ?
    I like the interchangeable plug system of Dunu (for 3.5mm single and 4.4mm balanced), am considering the DUW03 if it provides more clarity, precision or staging but not sure if it's worth the price tag?

    this potential new cable might be used for Timeless 7hz at times also.
     
  20. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    @jexby I won’t be able to help here. I choose cables based on aesthetic and usability (memory, pliability, etc) factors only. I know others will probably have some SQ options for you though.

    I will say that if the DUW03 is the same as what came on the original Zen, that is a very thick cable. So for me, I will say I didn’t find usability very good and for the most part, I don’t think thick iem cables look all that good. The Dunu Blanche cable though was pretty nice, albeit pretty pricey.
     

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