[cats4cans]

I think that Holocene would be a great choice for this, probably our most neutral IEM. Next up would likely be Andromeda 2019 & earlier, then Andromeda 2020 and Ponderosa.

Shouldn’t Ara be somewhere on this list? The only one on these I’ve actually heard is Holocene, so I’m a little short on reference points.

 

[Jaxz416]

I think that Holocene would be a great choice for this, probably our most neutral IEM. Next up would likely be Andromeda 2019 & earlier, then Andromeda 2020 and Ponderosa.

Thanks! I have the andro 2019 and love it. Was thinking of upgrading to the fathom but haven’t had the chance to demo. Still probably will demo, but this info helps a lot

 

[dpump]

Need a comparison between Ponderosa and Fathom. Both are all using all BA's, no dynamics I think?

 

[Jaxz416]

Ned a comparison between Ponderosa and Fathom. Both are all using all BA's, no dynamics I think?

Can't help you with the comparison as I haven't heard Fathom, but yes both are all BA. Ponderosa has 5 and Fathom has 6.

 

[CFA Chris]

Shouldn’t Ara be somewhere on this list? The only one on these I’ve actually heard is Holocene, so I’m a little short on reference points.

Yeah, I would agree that Ara could make this list as well. Ara does have a more drastic boost to its top-end than the Andro/Holocene do, but it is still very much oriented towards a spacious, crisp presentation and doesn't lend itself towards the more bass-focused end of things.

 

[Marlowe]

Has anyone heard both the Fathom and the 64 Audio U4s? I'm thinking of getting a new IEM soon and had narrowed it down to the U4s, but the Fathom looks intriguing at almost the same price. (Though 64 Audio does not include a 4.4mm cable termination, even as an option, and will ultimately cost me around $100 extra. I think this is unacceptable today on a four figure IEM when it is common on IEMs that are a mere fraction of that price.) I'm looking for an all-rounder but somewhat bassier than my Thieaudio Monarch MKII (but not as hardcore as the Symphonium Titan or FATFreq Scarlet Mini). The Fathom's bass has been pretty well reviewed, though I admit to having a (possibly unjustified) bias in favor of DD bass as in the hybrid U4s over BA bass.

 

[NewEve]

After trying the Fathoms at CanJam, I got my own set delivered yesterday.

Unfortunately, they’re so sensitive that there’s a hiss with everything I’ve tried them on. The hiss is noticeable through the iPhone dongle, and (surprisingly) obvious through the A&K KANN Ultra.

The hiss is significant enough that I can hear it as a “floor” throughout the entire track (not just during quiet parts). Super disappointing because I really like the tuning.

FWIW - the great guys at Bloom Audio also tested on an SP3000, and they said there’s hiss with that too.

I’m at a bit of a loss on how someone is supposed to use these IEMs. I would have thought / hoped that a TOTL DAP like the SP3000 would be clean.

Does anyone have ideas on sources that wouldn’t have a hiss? It’s really a bummer - the poor guys at Bloom are going to have to deal with my return and I’m out $100 bucks for restocking fee. Want to love these things - appreciate any ideas!

Sony DAPs (NW-ZX707 and up).

If you’re using them balanced, try single-ended.

 

[drews]

There's a bit of hiss (balanced mode) with the ZX707, almost none with the ZX300. The iFi IEMatch will remove all hiss.

 

[Vamp898]

After trying the Fathoms at CanJam, I got my own set delivered yesterday.

Unfortunately, they’re so sensitive that there’s a hiss with everything I’ve tried them on. The hiss is noticeable through the iPhone dongle, and (surprisingly) obvious through the A&K KANN Ultra.

The hiss is significant enough that I can hear it as a “floor” throughout the entire track (not just during quiet parts). Super disappointing because I really like the tuning.

FWIW - the great guys at Bloom Audio also tested on an SP3000, and they said there’s hiss with that too.

I’m at a bit of a loss on how someone is supposed to use these IEMs. I would have thought / hoped that a TOTL DAP like the SP3000 would be clean.

Does anyone have ideas on sources that wouldn’t have a hiss? It’s really a bummer - the poor guys at Bloom are going to have to deal with my return and I’m out $100 bucks for restocking fee. Want to love these things - appreciate any ideas!

To be fair, the SP3000 has a relatively high background noise, always had. You're not the first to complain about this.

Just because it costs a lot of money doesn't mean it is good. In most measurements it shows an Noise Floor from 4-8µV

For comparison, the 699$ M11 Plus has an Noise Floor of below 2,5µV. The cheap 50$ Moondrop Dongle has an Noise Floor of 1,3µV on balanced.

So in terms of Noise Floor, the SP3000 is worse than a 50$ dongle. Yes, the IEM is very sensitive, but at the same time, the SP3000 has a very high noise floor.