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

Going by impedance measurement, it should sound brighter with higher OI.

 

perhaps that the higher OI lowers the damping factor and you end up with both more treble and looser bass?

 

Unlikely imo, that a slightly lower damping factor would make a noticeable difference with a low mass / fast decaying armature. In the blog post I linked, Rin Choi even recommends adding 33 ohms resistance to achieve a diffuse field target response, and he doesn't mention a potential problem with damping factor.

 

very helpful/illuminating blog! thanks! will soon know how the F111 behaves when it reaches me on xmas eve

 

Hi Shotgunshane, knew that you owned Westone 3 according to excel sheet you posted. How do you rate the Westone 3? I am interested in the W30 Japan version from Massdrop but I need advice from Pro so perhaps you can help me out a bit. I already have an bright CIEM which is Eartech 3-drivers so prefer something dark and bassy. I had a brief listening of Westone 3 long time back I know that it is warm and kind of muddy. Thanks.

 

Just demoed the Oriolus Forsteni and Fender FXA7, both 1DD/2BA IEMs, impressions below:

Oriolus Fosteni:
- Interesting bass tuning, in most DDs, there's a hump in the bass (50-100hz) where the frequencies roll off on both sides, not so in this, which is neutral in the mid-bass but has a downward sloping subbass emphasis all the way to 20hz (and below). This gives it a nice sense of bass rumble and power but with very little, if any bloat or bleed. I think this might help with portable use, as it is more difficult to attenuate low frequency background noise.
- Bass texture is pretty good, especially in the subbass regions in part due to the tuning
- Somewhat laid back through the upper mids, probably a few db short of "reference", but there are no sudden nulls to make it unpleasant.
- Don't detect big coherency issues, but I'm not a stickler for this sort of thing
- Surprisingly good amount of air despite the laid back tuning, treble is extended and non-peaky IMO
- Clarity and separation are good, stage is not the biggest, (slightly smaller than P1)
- Overall, for ~$400, I'd easily recommend this over something like the Lyra 2 for people who like sig a half step laid back from neutral.

Fender FXA7:
- Iffy fit, I am not finicky about fit (otherwise I would've got rid of the EX1000 a long time ago...), but the way the earpiece and nozzle are placed doesn't play well with my ears.
- Bassy, quite a bit more bassier than the Oriolus, it appears that the whole spectrum is boosted on the Fender rather than just the subbass, some bloat as a result, texture is pretty good though.
- Bass bleeds to lower mids, which gives a good sense of warmth.
- Treble is noticeably shelved compared to the Oriolus (and my P1), there's a distinct lack of air and subsequent clarity.
- Given the price these go for ($500), would only be recommended for people who want something really laid back, and even then, there should be some better options for cheap.

 

Don't have a link direct from the manufactuer, but Jaben HK is selling them for 3000 HKD which is around 400 USD: https://www.facebook.com/JabenHK/posts/1291791604174625

 

have you compared the cheaper oriolus f. with oriolus mk2? your impressions of you have please

a month ago i auditioned the Oriolus mk2, Fitear TG334 and CA Jupiter at jaben hk... i went away undecided, each was "speschul", can't afford them all... would probably gone for the TG334 had it not been the awful long lead time lol...

 

Hello, ShotgunShane!

I'm currently using SD2 and looking for an upgrade iem. I listen to 80% metal (metalcore, death, powermetal) and 20% smooth R&B. I would like to get a pair of iem with a wider soundstage and a more v-shaped sound signature. On the bass, I want it fast, precise, deep and strong. I have a budget of 1k usd. Any recommendations?

Or is Andromeda, Rosie and Prophile 8 any good for my needs?

 

is the tg334 still competitive amongst today's latest and greatest? ie against Noble Kaiser variants or Oriolus 2?

i am have posted my lcd x up for sale locally to finance this.

i already have the andro, ex1000 and soon the F111 ... it's a pathetic addiction i know but i have set my sights on the TG334 since i first listened to them last year...

feel free to tell me that it's an utter waste of money so i could be discouraged lol

much appreciated

 

I have to say, the Ibasso it03 is damn good. I'm shocked. Bass, obviously if I'm loving an iem it must hit hard and extend well. Treble extends very nice. Imaging and separation is exquisite. Really loving these. Probably one of the best iems in this price range, giving my beloved ex800st a run for their money.

Enjoying them right now with the Sony NW-WM1Z... Really incredible pairing.

@shotgunshane good rec on the it03 brother.

 

Been interested in the IT03 for a while.. can't get a good read on the midrange, though.. what's it like in terms of texture, tone, resolution, balance, etc?

 

I must say yes. The TG334 is so damn smoooooth and addictive, sort of the HD650s in IEM world. It may lacks the highest octave and ultimate refinement of more expensive customs, but has thunderous base and a sweet, musical midrange that feels just right (especially when listening to string-based instruments and vocals). I actually prefer the 334 to the Noble Kaiser 10 (older, universal version). Sure, the K10 has an edge in clarity and treble extension, but for me, its tone sometimes feels cold and uninvolving.

 

F111 first 48 hours impression, much more tonally rich than the orion and like you said, the emphasis is lower than the Orion, there is a slight "cupped" quality the ken ball mentioned, i suppose this might be the Ti waveguide and adds to the live/room sound that is very compelling in live or acoustic recordings, less so but not annoyingly so with sterile recordings.

Tonally, it reminded me of a midway between Orion and CA Nova, Nova is even thicker but to the point of being a little unnatural and noticeably masking some details.

F111, like minimonitors from harbeth, is quite astutely balanced, you don't miss much until you A/B it with wider bandwidth transducers. I doesn't sound thin on the go, something that Orion's uptilted balance is less successful at.

the fit for me was really nice, almost as comfortable as shure se215 for me.

after trying stock, spiral dots and comply, i prefer the sound of the spiral dots a little more but the comfort and isolation of the comply, so i went with comply.

currently running them off my teac desktop, with ZI set to med (approx 2 Ohm) as well as off my iphone 5. Changed the cable to the 006 because the stock cable (004?) while very pliant doesn't seem to be especially well made, i think i see soldering at the Y split which is a faux pas for me.

but all in all a lovely piece of kit and for those into small scale classical, jazz, indie and the like, it's well worth the money, wider bandwidth genres might find it too rolled off at both ends.

thanks for all the advice so far !