Yeah, perhaps the SuperMix4 was overhyped a bit. I think it is a very decent set but there are some flaws.
Personally, don't think it is a market disruptor as such, but YMMV.
The discovery thread!
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Yeah, perhaps the SuperMix4 was overhyped a bit. I think it is a very decent set but there are some flaws.
Personally, don't think it is a market disruptor as such, but YMMV.
OceanOfLight
100+ Head-Fier
Paul Wasabi’s Review of the Medusa.
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There is a lot of hype following Simgot which isn't necessarily unearned. But while I am absolutely curious about trying the Supermix 4 and will probably take that flyer soon, I'm definitely taking a more cautious approach.
PhonoPhi
Headphoneus Supremus
Rather than arguing about interpretations and opinions on impressions from interpretations and other mental penetrations, while trying to wean off Head-Fi...),
I will offer my humblest of the humblest opinions in The Review of Reviewers.
The review is entirely free (though one may inquire about 1-900 numbers to call for the information on special popcorn flavours carefully master-tuned by exhaustively painstaking R&D to fully embrace and enjoy the story to its very best)
Disclaimer: no reviewers have been sacrificed, decimated or otherwise damaged physically or mentally in the process; any perceived similarities with real characters are purely coincidental.
Let's begin from the very beginning and first compare reviewers with another least controversial subject in this field - cables.
There are multiple striking similarities between cables and reviewers:
1. Both do not create any extra goods (physical material things) - cables are well documented to be passive electric circuitry elements; reviewers do not make any IEMs, just transmit the knowledge of the products (and their opinions of thereof) from the source/manufacturers) to consumers/transducers.
2. The perception of the "transmission" of the information both by cables and reviewers is the complex subject of psychoacoustics and other cognitive biases.
I wanted to dwell here more upon it, but for the sake of brevity - the recent "incident" about spc vs. copper - "read the marketing description" (not trust your ears as a "believer", heh?) is so self-speaking, if one can listen....
3. What makes a good cable - nice visual appeal, e.g. being thick and sturdy, and then an essential part is someone touting their great characteristics. Similarly are the reviews - must look good, and actually need someone promoting them for the appeal/credibility. Very similar to the fashion business (thank you, Watercoolers, for this great wisdom). Fashion is not possible without promotion, etc. So while cables can't pat each other on their backs, reviewers can and more than often do. English has a penchant for different names for different groups. So would it be a "swarm of reviewers" or a "pack of reviewers"? I will leave you pondering and stop digressing.
Then all, even the very best analogies, fail at some point - the key difference between reviewers and cables is that the latter are essential to have the music playing, while the former are not. Just not. One can buy IEMs directly from manufacturers based on their previous experiences and the marketing materials presented by manufacturers. And that is exactly my personal best experience with the reviewers so far - is not to be bothered/biased by their opinions (plus I have youtube blocked on my devices). At one point I just realized thar I can find an opposite opinion for about any opinion- so it cancels out and is simply becoming white noise. Also, I have my specific preferences that are quite specific, and I am prepared to tinker a bit to make my recent IEM work or find some niche in my listening for it.
Now, a very important point to make, many like to say/claim: "one should be easily intelligent enough to read through reviews and form their own opinion about reviews and reviewers". It can be true, but in reality, it is so much limitedly true, since in order to be able to do that one needs the experience comparable or exceeding that of reviewers. I am sure many HeadFiers may have that. For me, it took at least 2-3 years to slowly learn. So many (I would say most readers of headFi rather than active participants are strongly affected by reviewers' biases.
One of the very interesting aspects of HeadFi for me to observe over the years was the "conversion" of many from pure enthusiasts to reviewers: how their rhetoric, expression of opinions, etc. often changed. Then the Rubicon line of the coming to the "dark side" (for me, IMHO) is around the narratives on cables, as the most profitable part of this hobby due to their exhaustively painstaking R&D... I will stop here.
Closing this opionated piece, I should state (and mentioning this earlier could have been socially smarter) that by "reviewer", I consider a hypothetical extreme case of the "pipeline" reviewer churning out reviews that align with the marketing descriptions. There are many enthusiasts here, who do reviews, and who are not so much "reviewers" for me, as in my limited perception of their impact on the community. Anyone doing reviews may think how they may position themselves in their opinion, and how can they be perceived by others.
I will conclude with that it is human limitations that are the weakest link in most of the things in this world. My most eye-popping "wow" (as in "yikes") experience in HeadFi was reading the Audiosense thread, where one person was promoting the Audiosense as a great small company that needs support of the community, and small people like him supporting them with their own purchases. Quite few pages forward (it is a very long thread), the same person either not caring or due to sheer boldness (stupidity(?)) was ranting about the faiing unit and mentioning that OK, at least he got his 80% discount to spread a good word around, while that happened to be not so good...
In this context, the recent Watercooler's wisdom of taking the enthusiastic opinions at face values only if they hold for more than 6 months is a very good "field guide" (especially if one may still remember what was the hype of the day 6-7 months ago
)
I will offer my humblest of the humblest opinions in The Review of Reviewers.
The review is entirely free (though one may inquire about 1-900 numbers to call for the information on special popcorn flavours carefully master-tuned by exhaustively painstaking R&D to fully embrace and enjoy the story to its very best)
Disclaimer: no reviewers have been sacrificed, decimated or otherwise damaged physically or mentally in the process; any perceived similarities with real characters are purely coincidental.
Let's begin from the very beginning and first compare reviewers with another least controversial subject in this field - cables.
There are multiple striking similarities between cables and reviewers:
1. Both do not create any extra goods (physical material things) - cables are well documented to be passive electric circuitry elements; reviewers do not make any IEMs, just transmit the knowledge of the products (and their opinions of thereof) from the source/manufacturers) to consumers/transducers.
2. The perception of the "transmission" of the information both by cables and reviewers is the complex subject of psychoacoustics and other cognitive biases.
I wanted to dwell here more upon it, but for the sake of brevity - the recent "incident" about spc vs. copper - "read the marketing description" (not trust your ears as a "believer", heh?) is so self-speaking, if one can listen....
3. What makes a good cable - nice visual appeal, e.g. being thick and sturdy, and then an essential part is someone touting their great characteristics. Similarly are the reviews - must look good, and actually need someone promoting them for the appeal/credibility. Very similar to the fashion business (thank you, Watercoolers, for this great wisdom). Fashion is not possible without promotion, etc. So while cables can't pat each other on their backs, reviewers can and more than often do. English has a penchant for different names for different groups. So would it be a "swarm of reviewers" or a "pack of reviewers"? I will leave you pondering and stop digressing.
Then all, even the very best analogies, fail at some point - the key difference between reviewers and cables is that the latter are essential to have the music playing, while the former are not. Just not. One can buy IEMs directly from manufacturers based on their previous experiences and the marketing materials presented by manufacturers. And that is exactly my personal best experience with the reviewers so far - is not to be bothered/biased by their opinions (plus I have youtube blocked on my devices). At one point I just realized thar I can find an opposite opinion for about any opinion- so it cancels out and is simply becoming white noise. Also, I have my specific preferences that are quite specific, and I am prepared to tinker a bit to make my recent IEM work or find some niche in my listening for it.
Now, a very important point to make, many like to say/claim: "one should be easily intelligent enough to read through reviews and form their own opinion about reviews and reviewers". It can be true, but in reality, it is so much limitedly true, since in order to be able to do that one needs the experience comparable or exceeding that of reviewers. I am sure many HeadFiers may have that. For me, it took at least 2-3 years to slowly learn. So many (I would say most readers of headFi rather than active participants are strongly affected by reviewers' biases.
One of the very interesting aspects of HeadFi for me to observe over the years was the "conversion" of many from pure enthusiasts to reviewers: how their rhetoric, expression of opinions, etc. often changed. Then the Rubicon line of the coming to the "dark side" (for me, IMHO) is around the narratives on cables, as the most profitable part of this hobby due to their exhaustively painstaking R&D... I will stop here.
Closing this opionated piece, I should state (and mentioning this earlier could have been socially smarter) that by "reviewer", I consider a hypothetical extreme case of the "pipeline" reviewer churning out reviews that align with the marketing descriptions. There are many enthusiasts here, who do reviews, and who are not so much "reviewers" for me, as in my limited perception of their impact on the community. Anyone doing reviews may think how they may position themselves in their opinion, and how can they be perceived by others.
I will conclude with that it is human limitations that are the weakest link in most of the things in this world. My most eye-popping "wow" (as in "yikes") experience in HeadFi was reading the Audiosense thread, where one person was promoting the Audiosense as a great small company that needs support of the community, and small people like him supporting them with their own purchases. Quite few pages forward (it is a very long thread), the same person either not caring or due to sheer boldness (stupidity(?)) was ranting about the faiing unit and mentioning that OK, at least he got his 80% discount to spread a good word around, while that happened to be not so good...
In this context, the recent Watercooler's wisdom of taking the enthusiastic opinions at face values only if they hold for more than 6 months is a very good "field guide" (especially if one may still remember what was the hype of the day 6-7 months ago
)
Last edited:
pk4425
1000+ Head-Fier
I bought Dunu S&S tips and TRN ST7.
Ineras
100+ Head-Fier
Volare at $500 has been giving me that come hither look, but I must resist.
Performer 8 at $232... NOOOO
Performer 8 at $232... NOOOO
Last edited:
activatorfly
500+ Head-Fier
Are there any similar tips with a height (C) greater than 9mm ??....11-13 mm would be cool af.
Last edited:
Ineras
100+ Head-Fier
Spinfit has these. There are also those extra long foams from Isotunes. Not S&S style though.
Still waiting for those new 7Hz tips with Aurora to release separately.
Last edited:
Jmop
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2014
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I had these before the CP500 for standard wide nozzles but they don’t have a lip to keep the tip secure. The CP500 has a bit less length though.
Spinfit has these. There are also those extra long foams from Isotunes. Not S&S style though.
Still waiting for those new 7Hz tips with Aurora to release separately.
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