Going into detail on bass, how the mids blend with the treble, timbre, etc etc as per most reviews is not my strong point. All I go on is simple. Do I enjoy the music more? I can usually tell a difference between equipment, dacs headphones iem's even though I wouldn't know were to start when describing what I hear. So on that basis here is my 'review' on the SS horizan. Coming from the ara the most obvious thing that hits straight away is the soundstage and detail. The drums really do sound 3D. The treble on the ara for me could get a little harsh. Not so here. All is good. Best thing to say is, I bought blind based only on reviews. They describe better than i ever could, and my own experience is that they are all spot on with there assessment!!! I will round of with one word.....BARGAIN!!!!!!!.........
This hobby has been a monumental journey for me over the past few years. I've owned dozens of IEMs, sources and cables and demoed many more than that, on occasions owning upwards of 10 different IEMs at once. Ever since hearing this particular combo a few months ago everything sort of fell into place as I discovered the sound I'd been searching for this whole time. I've been slowly selling off different pieces of gear over the past few weeks and months settling on this as my one and only (along with the Bonneville as nice change of pace whenever I feel like it). This combo has it all for me and seems to have brought my perpetual search to a grinding halt for the time being.
Do you know why the Trifecta is so polarizing? Is it regarding the presentation of the sound, DAC/AMP needs, or something else? Never seen an IEM being called out as the greatest or the worst depending on whom one asked.
I understand why some folks don't love it, but I do not for the life of me understand the hate it gets in some quarters or why some folks have made a religion out of trumpeting their dislike for it.
In my opinion a lot of the controversy around it stems from the fact that it's an unapologetic and pure manifestation of a quintessentially American tuning aesthetic, which completely flies in the face of many of the trends in recent years that have placed an emphasis on more "eastern" tuning approaches that emphasize top end air, detail and clarity above all.
I understand why some folks don't love it, but I do not for the life of me understand the hate it gets in some quarters or why some folks have made a religion out of trumpeting their dislike for it.
In my opinion a lot of the controversy around it stems from the fact that it's an unapologetic and pure manifestation of a quintessentially American tuning aesthetic, which completely flies in the face of many of the trends in recent years that have placed an emphasis on more "eastern" tuning approaches that emphasize top end air, detail and clarity above all.
And Sub bass shelves that look great in measurements but don't actually provide any heft or presence, merely a "not rolled off" low end. I'm positive the target audience for those tunings you mentioned are also not predominately listening to genres where there might actually be musical information in those elevated regions
The online hate is belonging to an in-group of haters, that's all.
Just some friends gathering around a Campfire, having a good time while discussing (some of their own & some on a loan) iems
From the top left, counter clockwise: CFA Ara / Andro ES / Solaris SH / Supermoon HK / Andro (OG) and Vega (OG)
So, what did they end up agreeing (based on their opinions and not universal facts) on?
1) That most of these iems are quite sensitive to cable / tip rolling
2) That both the original (Andro+Vega) versions can still hold their ground, compared to some of the new ones
3) That the Solaris SH was the (technically) best and most revealing of the bunch, but they also enjoyed the (more romantically and slightly darker tuned) Supermoon a lot!
Btw, they would love to hear the Bonneville or Trifecta at some time. But for now they're mainly thankful that they had the opportunity (huge 'Thank you!' to @Wyville) in life to experience the ones above