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

auditioned the A8 briefly, it is more forward sounding, slightly less bassy but still an iem that everything is framed around lower mids/upper bass. reading the hifiplus review, it turned me off to learn that it's oem'ed in china, cable included (a non cardas cable) also its ie800 like captive cable+extension arrangement is not my favourite either.

http://www.cardas.com/a8_review_hifiplus.pdf

http://inearspace.com/2016/03/28/measurement-monday-cardas-a8-ear-speaker/

 

One more maker I'm skeptical towards, after having put out something like this for $1600:
http://clarityfidelity.blogspot.co.at/2016/06/rhapsodio-galaxy-iem.html

 

Not sure...just got the AAW900 and I really have to many iems, and clearly too many BA.

 

That triple treble peak reminds me of the JHA Layla. Amos called it flat, so hey

The v2 has a brass shell which better suits the driver, Rhapsodio claims.

 

I was not so impressed but the Galaxy V1 when I had it. Lacked emotion. I preferred the Solar by quite a margin even though it was clearly V Shaped.

 

Good to know, any DD iem that claims to be higher end has my interest, but the Galaxy doesn't have so many impressions on English audiophile websites. The v2 is supposed to be tuned differently, but we'll see.

I wrote Rhapsodio and asked if the custom version of the galaxy v2 was better. They said it was like the v1 but with less clarity
They like the universal v2 (with the brass housing and sound tubes making a difference, maybe?) the best.

I'm also interested in the Xelento, but again, not many impressions yet.

 

Oh damn, a high-end hybrid. The measurements that @La Cenric did look pretty flat and almost impossibly extended. Impressions when available please

 

At this very early stage what I can say is that the bass is very well controlled, and the sound is very coherent.

 

I don't know if you guys have any experience with Final audio products but I just bought Heaven VI based on review only and this is the best mono -BA I've ever heard. Sound coming out of these small tube is very impressive. Warm, inviting mids , impactful low and non shrill highs with good details reproduction. Comfort is good and isolation too. I'm very pleased and out of the bunch of IEMs I have right now there are the closest thing to my favorite TG334.
I have to say overall I prefer these Heaven VI to Campfire Orion or F111.
Still these VI are not flat/neutral so maybe not for the hifi purist but they know how to deliver music, which is my goal with any audio gear.

EDIT : Tips have a big influence on the sound

 

why are the cables non detachable? for an IEM it's kind of a deal breaker for me... I'm interested in the ortofon eq-8 too but it's non-detachable cable keep pushing me away!

 

I've had the VI, Fi-BA-SS and all the Piano Forte lineup. Tried the II, IV, V, VII, VIII and basically all Final audios. They're unique in a sense that the presentation is unlike any other IEMs I've ever heard. People I know either dislike them or love them. The VII and VIII sounds even "fatter" than the VI while retaining the sweetness and echo. The Piano Forte is too polarizing and song dependent.

 

i think that their new F series all have detachable mmcx cables and are single BAs like the heaven line

 

So I got the JVC FW 01s to quench my DD thirst.

A few premature day one impressions, all in reference to the Andros and all based on listening to music with real instruments as I know how those sound in real life and so have a baseline.

(+ positive, - negative, = neutral)

+ Timbre - pianos and guitars sound right, something I don't think BAs can do
+ Not too soft - I've had wood headphones before (thinksound) and brass or other "sharp" sounding instruments didn't sound right timber-wise (pun)
+ Coherency and timing - maybe it's going back to a single driver or maybe its placebo, but grooves seem more "in time". A jazz band, for example, swings better together. Similarly live music sometimes sounds a little more real like it's all coming from one place rather than recorded separately and spliced together in a studio. The flip side is you don't get the same seperation.
+ Very spacious sounding - not quite Andro level but still very good
+ From the upper bass to the highest treble seems pretty even - vocalists with range sound right throughout their range
+ Transients - Drums and guitar plucks have great impact and "explosiveness". Maybe a DD vs BA thing.

= Single driver and note thickness limits instrument separation relative to Andros. But I haven't heard it sound messy or incoherent yet even on complex tracks. Just not as intelligible as the Andros.
= Details - not at Andro level but are good enough for all but really critical listening. The treble is slightly rolled off (see below), so the details sound natural, not forced.

- Mid-bass hump - On some jazz tracks, upright acoustic bass sounds way too big, fat and loose, unnaturally dominating them. On other tracks the bass sounds more under control. This is my biggest issue with them. I'll probably try the james444 mod.
- Rolled off treble all the way at the top - lacking a little snap on string pluck and tizz on cymbals. But the treble that is there is very good quality. Not siblent at all but present and tonally right.
- Sound a little "tight", not limber - I don't know if it's DD burn in needed or the note thickness or what, and I don't know technically how to describe what I'm hearing.

edit: Listening from the GO 450 and ZX2. With Andros, ZX2 >> GO450. With JVC, GO450 > ZX2. The leaner GO sound compliments the thicker JVC sound better.

Apologies for all the typos pre-edit.

 

Nice description...sounds a bit different than the typical jvc house sound. Hate the mid bass hump. There is only one good bass... Sub bass!!

 

Pretty much agree with your description. Thing is, bass has not only more amplitude, but being DD, also slower decay than on the Andros. Hence the higher note weight / thickness. Do try the front mod, it will correct that to some extent. Post mod, the lighter note weight will also leave more room for treble, so overall timbre will become more realistic.

Maybe with certain genres like EDM, but in general a well-balanced bass tuning is best imo. Sub bass provides rumble and mid bass provides kick, and I'd say you need both for realistic bass tonality. Too much sub bass emphasis makes the mid / upper bass range sound hollow and unnatural in my book.

 

I tried the mod. It definitely made the sound thinner and cut down the mid bass. However it seemed to make the sound more diffuse and less solid, which to me is a main advantage of wood. I've taken them out and am hoping burn in will tame the bass a little (will it?).

Maybe I didn't do it right? The strips didn't end up on the same exact place on the nozzle (i.e. one is higher up and one is lower down). Not sure if this matters.

 

It doesnt lack sub bass - it's just that I've been testing with acoustic music, especially jazz, and there there's more mid-bass.

 

You know what my brain interprets that as? It lacks sub bass!!

On a serious note, I don't mind mid bass, like @james444 stated earlier, without it there is a hollow sound. I just prefer the mid bass to be flat, slightly elevated or slightly less than flat. Sub bass on the other hand, I always like elevated.