[McCol]

The biggest showdown on in that dept will be with my Elysian Annihilator that should arrive early next week. The Gaea is something of a baby Annihilator and as such that is where you'd find the most natural comparison at the TOTL level. Regarding TOTL in general the reality is that once you get to the summit what you find are areas of high specialization. IEMs at the $3K and above level often have as their selling feature some area of speciality that distinguishes them from the rest of the market. What this means is that the further you climb up the summit of IEMs the more specialized their appeal becomes-- IEMs that are "worth the cost" for some are not for others who happen to not be as interested in their particular area of specialty. Regarding the Gaea on the one hand I can't imagine it luring people away from their favorite summit fi IEMs. It's not what I'd call a "giant killer" generally as you can find many IEMs at the TOTL level that best it in various ways on their own terms. Gaea can't compete with the timbre of the Traillii, the masterful reference sound of the Jewel, the imaging of the Mentor, the bombastic yet highly technical insanity of the Xe6, for example. That said Gaea is a very uniquely appealing IEM and one that I have not stopped listening to in the weeks I've had it despite having many TOTL sets cross my path in that time. In my opinion Lee of Elysian might be the one true IEM tuning savant out there right now. The Gaea, based on its FR on paper should not appeal to me as much as it does...but the tuning is so masterful that I find it utterly compelling to listen to day after day.

In other news I'm sending a tour unit down to the US either today or Monday-- interested parties who haven't already should see the tour thread and sign up:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/wat...ails-see-second-post-for-active-tours.960012/

Thanks for your thoughts

They are kind of what I expected. I've had a few flagship TOTL earphones over the years although not tried the summit sets such as the Jewel or similar. I've always considered it in terms of % differences between the earphones that sit in the mid price to high price categories.

Keen to try the Gaea based on your impressions, will probably order in the next few days, I like the idea of the tuning that both you and others have described

 

[Rockwell75]

Just kicked off a US tour of the Gaea for anyone interested:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/wat...nd-post-for-active-tours.960012/post-17251675

A similar tour alongside the Elysian Diva will be kicked off in Canada soon.

 

[Damz87]

Australian Gaea tour is underway! Any Aussies interested in joining can do so here

 

[Rockwell75]

Australian Gaea tour is underway! Any Aussies interested in joining can do so here

How do you like them?

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Australian Gaea tour is underway! Any Aussies interested in joining can do so here

Looking forward to reading your thoughts soon! Love the blue they chose!

 

[Damz87]

How do you like them?

Still gathering my thoughts and I'll share some impressions in the coming days, but so far so good

 

[Kukii]

I may have found my end game IEM! (Close enough!)
All the listening is based on Fiio K7 and with Spinfit W1 tips.
The Gaea reminds me a lot of the ATH-IM02, and I always love the female vocals on it. I can say that the Gaea is close enough.
In my opinion, the ATH-IM02 still has the most beautiful female vocals. It always gives me goosebumps when listening to Japanese singers.
But it's all at the expense of clarity, resolution, and somewhat terrible imaging/soundstage.
The Gaea solves all the problems above. It sounds so clean. Everything has great separation, and the soundstage is exactly what I wanted.
The bass is super fast, but it goes deep. It's more than enough for me, and I really like it. (I am a vocal guy)
The only drawback is the male vocal comes in somewhat thin.
This is by no means an expert audiophile opinion, but it is absolutely well worth the price!
Easily one of the best IEMs I have ever had.
Become a fan of Elysian tuning LOL

(I hate MMCX/pentaconn connection LOL, wish it is a 2-pin connection)

 

[McCol]

My Gaea arrived this morning from Hifonix here in the UK. Really nice guys to deal with, currently £100 off the price for Black Friday. Used them a couple of times now and awesome customer service with a cracking range of earphones, widest selection here in the UK by far.

First thing for me is the fit, excellent fit, nice and snug in the ear and very comfortable.

They also look very nice, pictures almost don't do them justice.

Bit early for in depth sound opinions however they are very articualte in the highs with a richness present in vocals. Bass is present but not the main focus.

Edit...on further listening and with a better seal the bass is more than just present, it is actually quite impactful and what I consider to be 'clean', no bloat or bleed. There when needed.

Seem to pair very well with my N8ii.

 

[Leviathant]

My Gaea arrived this morning from Hifonix here in the UK. Really nice guys to deal with, currently £100 off the price for Black Friday. Used them a couple of times now and awesome customer service with a cracking range of earphones, widest selection here in the UK by far.

First thing for me is the fit, excellent fit, nice and snug in the ear and very comfortable.

They also look very nice, pictures almost don't do them justice.

Bit early for in depth sound opinions however they are very articualte in the highs with a richness present in vocals. Bass is present but not the main focus.

Edit...on further listening and with a better seal the bass is more than just present, it is actually quite impactful and what I consider to be 'clean', no bloat or bleed. There when needed.

Seem to pair very well with my N8ii.

Hey, I saw that Black Friday offer as well.

Wondering if you had any further impressions that might tease me into also taking advantage of the discounted price whilst it’s available.

Not too bass light then? What sort of music are you trying them with?

 

[McCol]

Hey, I saw that Black Friday offer as well.

Wondering if you had any further impressions that might tease me into also taking advantage of the discounted price whilst it’s available.

Not too bass light then? What sort of music are you trying them with?

Not bass light to me, I guess compared to my Legend X with its 2xsubwoofer drivers then its not as bass driven!

The bass is definitely present and if the track requires a bass presence then it is there and does go quite deep in its impact

I've been listening to quite a variety bit most of music is indie/alternative type based

The few hours I've used then has been mainly as follows,

The Smiths
The Fall
Yard Act
Velvet Underground
Lou Reed
Bowie
New Order
Pet Shop Boys
Mogwai - excellent tester for most kit I buy

There is one particular track I've been using the last few days to test bass and vocals

 

[Rockwell75]

Bass is an interesting one on Gaea. It's a very high-mid/treble centric tuning...which means the bass not absent so much as in the background. You're taking in the sound from the vantage point of the highs. Once I'm settled in to the sound everything is there and in its place...it's just a different perspective coming from (for me) a more bass-centric IEM like Supermoon. What I really love about Gaea though is how artfully and engagingly tuned the upper echelon's of Gaea's sound are. I have the Elysian Diva here also and this is an IEM with a more meaty and bass centric sound. Whenever I switch from Gaea to Diva I miss the more open mids and highs that Gaea has. I don't know if it's part of a phase I'm going through right now or what but I'm really enjoying this approach to tuning. In terms of bass though, it's definitely a supporting player on Gaea (as it is on the Annihilator) and while it's not an IEM I would rec specifically for bass I have no problem with the bass in the context of the signature...and weak bass is one of the most common deal breakers for me. YMMV and all that.

 

[McCol]

Bass is an interesting one on Gaea. It's a very high-mid/treble centric tuning...which means the bass not absent so much as in the background. You're taking in the sound from the vantage point of the highs. Once I'm settled in to the sound everything is there and in its place...it's just a different perspective coming from (for me) a more bass-centric IEM like Supermoon. What I really love about Gaea though is how artfully and engagingly tuned the upper echelon's of Gaea's sound are. I have the Elysian Diva here also and this is an IEM with a more meaty and bass centric sound. Whenever I switch from Gaea to Diva I miss the more open mids and highs that Gaea has. I don't know if it's part of a phase I'm going through right now or what but I'm really enjoying this approach to tuning. In terms of bass though, it's definitely a supporting player on Gaea (as it is on the Annihilator) and while it's not an IEM I would rec specifically for bass I have no problem with the bass in the context of the signature...and weak bass is one of the most common deal breakers for me. YMMV and all that.

You have summed that up far better than I could've, I think that's what I was trying to say (rather poorly). The Gaea is not by any stretch a bass head's IEM however it never disappoints in the bass department.

 

[SlydZ]

The Gaea sounds really great, but is really bright? I have the Trio and I'm missing sometimes a more midforward IEM for Vocals. I'm sensitive for brightness like the Fostex TH900 or Hifiman Arya (as allrounder). Would be really interesting what the Gaea owners think, if they think that the Gaea is really bright or more midforward or both?

 

[lycos]

Starting Australian tour for Effect Audio x Elysian Gaea. Thanks @JordonEA and @Damz87 for organising this tour.

First impression, this iem simply looks stunning. Faceplate, splitter and 4.4mm have matching stabilised wood pattern.
The cable colour combination also complements the iem aesthetic.

More impression to follow once my brain is fully burned-in. So far, I really enjoy female vocal with this iem.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

I may have found my end game IEM! (Close enough!)
All the listening is based on Fiio K7 and with Spinfit W1 tips.
The Gaea reminds me a lot of the ATH-IM02, and I always love the female vocals on it. I can say that the Gaea is close enough.
In my opinion, the ATH-IM02 still has the most beautiful female vocals. It always gives me goosebumps when listening to Japanese singers.
But it's all at the expense of clarity, resolution, and somewhat terrible imaging/soundstage.
The Gaea solves all the problems above. It sounds so clean. Everything has great separation, and the soundstage is exactly what I wanted.
The bass is super fast, but it goes deep. It's more than enough for me, and I really like it. (I am a vocal guy)
The only drawback is the male vocal comes in somewhat thin.
This is by no means an expert audiophile opinion, but it is absolutely well worth the price!
Easily one of the best IEMs I have ever had.
Become a fan of Elysian tuning LOL

(I hate MMCX/pentaconn connection LOL, wish it is a 2-pin connection)

Nice line-up there!

Starting Australian tour for Effect Audio x Elysian Gaea. Thanks Minidisc Australia and @Damz87 for organising this tour.

First impression, this iem simply looks stunning. Faceplate, splitter and 4.4mm have matching stabilised wood pattern.
The cable colour combination also complements the iem aesthetic.

More impression to follow once my brain is fully burned-in. So far, I really enjoy female vocal with this iem.

Love the blue in this photo!