sodesuka
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2015
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So, due to my newfound interest in BA drivers, a kind friend graciously lent me his Ortofon e-Q8 to compare to Binary Acoustic Unicorn that's taken me by surprise
I was honestly expecting a handy beat down but instead it was more like a pick your poison test. My observation:
- Ortofon e-Q8 has more prominent upper mids to highs, making them more energetic, extended yet prone to sibilance with better perceived clarity
- Unicorn is more linear, with better bass, smoother high and comparatively shelved-in treble extensions
- Female vocals sound close and personal on Q8 due to the above, also could sound glossy depending on the tracks, guitar riffs sound really great here. They're perhaps a bit like grados.
- Female vocals sound front and center on Unicorn, smoother than Q8 but retain just enough clarity to rivals it. Really great timbre and presence.
- Soundstage on Q8 suffers as a result, it feels a bit too closed in, however separation is pretty good
- Unicorn has a wide around your head soundstage in comparison, with separations and positioning that may or may not rival my Flares Gold, I thought this was just normal with modern day single BA, apparently it may not be the case? also they have to be worn over ear for this effect, at least in my case
- Q8's bass is pretty 'tight', or should I say rather weak, they can hit when called to but only at some very specific songs and not too hard (compared to Unicorn, against dynamic drivers, there's no contest)
- Unicorn bass is about one to two levels above Q8 in term of quantity, not dynamic level by any means but they have enough to not drag down the whole spectrum into sounding dry IMO.
Quality wise, I think both are similar. NOTE, look elsewhere if you want bass even if you don't think you want more bass, you want more bass.
- Q8 is super easy to drive, enough to make it pick up hiss on my Mojo
- Unicorn is about on par with Flares Pro/Gold in term of drivability, which are already harder to drive than some fullsize (like MSR7), no hiss on Mojo
In essence I think Q8 is a bit too specialized in its genres though it should sound great on those specific genres, while Unicorn is a more versatile jack of all trades type that goes well and inoffensive with almost all types of music but not excels in anything (though honestly, I think it's very good with female vocals in a different way to Q8). Or perhaps I just don't have the right amp to elevate Q8 to its greatest height, I dunno and will probably never find out.
I really don't want to hype these IEMs as I stand to gain absolutely nothing here, I'm just telling it like I'm hearing it which may or may not fit yours, so please do take note and don't take my impressions as gospel. Hearing is believing.
I was honestly expecting a handy beat down but instead it was more like a pick your poison test. My observation:
- Ortofon e-Q8 has more prominent upper mids to highs, making them more energetic, extended yet prone to sibilance with better perceived clarity
- Unicorn is more linear, with better bass, smoother high and comparatively shelved-in treble extensions
- Female vocals sound close and personal on Q8 due to the above, also could sound glossy depending on the tracks, guitar riffs sound really great here. They're perhaps a bit like grados.
- Female vocals sound front and center on Unicorn, smoother than Q8 but retain just enough clarity to rivals it. Really great timbre and presence.
- Soundstage on Q8 suffers as a result, it feels a bit too closed in, however separation is pretty good
- Unicorn has a wide around your head soundstage in comparison, with separations and positioning that may or may not rival my Flares Gold, I thought this was just normal with modern day single BA, apparently it may not be the case? also they have to be worn over ear for this effect, at least in my case
- Q8's bass is pretty 'tight', or should I say rather weak, they can hit when called to but only at some very specific songs and not too hard (compared to Unicorn, against dynamic drivers, there's no contest)
- Unicorn bass is about one to two levels above Q8 in term of quantity, not dynamic level by any means but they have enough to not drag down the whole spectrum into sounding dry IMO.
Quality wise, I think both are similar. NOTE, look elsewhere if you want bass even if you don't think you want more bass, you want more bass.
- Q8 is super easy to drive, enough to make it pick up hiss on my Mojo
- Unicorn is about on par with Flares Pro/Gold in term of drivability, which are already harder to drive than some fullsize (like MSR7), no hiss on Mojo
In essence I think Q8 is a bit too specialized in its genres though it should sound great on those specific genres, while Unicorn is a more versatile jack of all trades type that goes well and inoffensive with almost all types of music but not excels in anything (though honestly, I think it's very good with female vocals in a different way to Q8). Or perhaps I just don't have the right amp to elevate Q8 to its greatest height, I dunno and will probably never find out.
I really don't want to hype these IEMs as I stand to gain absolutely nothing here, I'm just telling it like I'm hearing it which may or may not fit yours, so please do take note and don't take my impressions as gospel. Hearing is believing.
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