What a great review and comparative analysis with other iems, well done Nic

Astonishing (in a good way) review mate!
Very well described and great comparisons and descriptions of your variable iems & cables.

While writing my review on the Solar, I mainly used the 2.98 on it. As you described cable choice has a big influence (I'm with you there) on the Solars performance, didn't you think the soundstage width also improved a bit with the 2.98?

Now you also got me curious about the Rti2, you shouldn't have done that
Cheers!

Thanks Steve, Erik, appreciate it I'll need to do some more listening to test that, it's been a busy couple of weeks playing around with the new iems and cables. All the different combo's need some more time!

Very fine review, my friend - you hit the nail on the head with your comparisons when describing the IEMs that we have in common. Well done.

Thanks man, I have to admit I copied the "copious bass" line from one of our earlier messages when I was still in anticipation of the 8.A. So it's fair to say you've made a contribution  

Amazing review!

If it wasn't for your comparisons with the SE 5-way, Roxanne and others I wouldn't have gotten it!

excellent review , solar seems like a gem waiting to be found - somewhere far away from the shores of hype

great job man !

Thanks @proedros! Hope you can try it sometime

Mate - what a superbly written review. One of the best reads as well as detailed. It got even better as it went along, and extra part that talked about different cables - and what music they suited best - should be a blueprint for reviews (I know we've always exchanged views on which IEMs suits particular styles).

One thing that made me chuckle - and is a great example of why non head-fi people think we all talk total b*ll*cks most of the time - was this: "natural and balanced, but in a lively and colourful way". In theory, they're either natural or colourful, and either balanced or lively, lol.

Well done and I'm now going to investigate adding Sonar with the silver/gold cable to my collection. And I blame you entirely

Thanks a lot man that's very kind of you. I try to improve my writing with each review, but to be honest I'm still catching on to the lingo..
 
Thanks for the pointers, my intial thought was that it was balanced because the full frequency range is well represented, i.e. bass is plentiful, mids are full as the 8.A (my personal reference) and treble is very extended - the full works. BUT I think you're right and that is not what is traditionally meant with balanced. They are more lively than balanced, as the upper midrange adds a nice coloration. Still have to figure out how 'natural' fits in there, but if you're making me choose I'd go with colourful and lively

If I recall your music preference correctly from the threads I would indeed highly recommend that specific combination.

Thanks again!

I absolutely love my DUNU DN-2000J UIEM and I noticed you have it too. What would you say would be the advantages (if any) of the Solar over the 2000J? I'd be very interested to know. Thanks!

Well, the Solar has a wider, deeper and taller soundstage; the overall space is a great deal larger. The 2000j's bass has nicer texture and is cleaner, the Solar has a midbass hump that gives warmth and fullness to the midrange. While the Solar also has a slight bump at 5 khz that gives it airiness and clarity, not to the extent of the 2000j. The 2000j's advantage is its treble sparkle and definition, which would make it more suitable for classical for instance. But overall, the Solar is a great deal fuller, the 2000j is a bit thin and delicate sounding. In comparison the Solar will impress with its size, while its warmer tone will give more emotion to vocals. Personally, I find the 2000j a bit of a specialist, there are only a few genres that really work with it (IMO, if you're used to other iems). The Solar is a great deal more allround, and better suited for vocals and (electric) guitars; so for a lot of band-based genres like rock etc. Hope this helps!

Hey flinkenick! Thanks a bunch for this very elaborate comparison between the Solar and the 2000J. Very much appreciated and it makes a lot of sense! About the only thing that surprises me is the Solar's overall larger soundstage, especially as the 2000J already (IMO) excels in this area. It would be interesting to hear the Solar. Maybe some day... Again, thanks!!!

No problem, glad to help