[Scubadevils]

No worries, I'm glad I could be of help!

drftr

Did you get your IEM in the end?! I forget which one you landed on... CFA?

 

[drftr]

Did you get your IEM in the end?! I forget which one you landed on... CFA?

U12t + RU6. Both finally ended up in Mexico when I had already left the country. Can I say as expected? Sending them onward to NL proved to be way too expensive and they would possibly have arrived too late there as well as I already continued to Argentina, where I won't be in the same place for more than a few days. So they're back in the US at a friend's place and I may or may not hear what I've bought in Jul/Aug when he may or may not visit me in South America. Failing logistics is simply one of the few certainties in a drftr's life. And then it's adapt or die. For now I'm much more comfortable with the first option!

drftr

 

[Scubadevils]

U12t + RU6. Both finally ended up in Mexico when I had already left the country. Can I say as expected? Sending them onward to NL proved to be way too expensive and they would possibly have arrived too late there as well as I already continued to Argentina, where I won't be in the same place for more than a few days. So they're back in the US at a friend's place and I may or may not hear what I've bought in Jul/Aug when he may or may not visit me in South America. Failing logistics is simply one of the few certainties in a drftr's life. And then it's adapt or die. For now I'm much more comfortable with the first option!

drftr

Ugh, painful! I guess the challenge of being a drifter indeed! I'm hearing amazing things about the CCA CRA, less than $20 if one you can access on your travels to keep you going.

 

[drftr]

Ugh, painful! I guess the challenge of being a drifter indeed! I'm hearing amazing things about the CCA CRA, less than $20 if one you can access on your travels to keep you going.

I'll persevere with my XM4's. I heard a big struggle is great for your character

drftr

 

[Scubadevils]

I'll persevere with my XM4's. I heard a big struggle is great for your character

drftr

I love XM4, use mine daily now! But mostly for audiobooks and work calls, sometimes music for convenience out walking.

 

[Giru]

I'm retiring the following from my list of "Wanna hear/Wanna own":

Fiio FD7/FDX - Neutral and technically proficient but lacks verve and richness. Not " Organic ". Slightly hot on certain tracks. Not my cup of tea. Soundstage and imaging is on the average side as well. Not (very) scalable either.

Dunu Zen Pro - Went in with high expectations but came away with mixed feelings. Extremely capable but tuning is slightly polarising. Mids sound a bit wonky. Again soundstage and imaging is okay. Not bad but not excellent either.

Oriolus Isabelle - Just not worth the asking price. All the above trounce it in every aspect. However it's inoffensive and could work well as a daily driver if you can score one for a low price.

Moondrop Illumination - Again not worth the ask. And the highs. Jeez. Pass.

Cayin Fantasy - No man. Just no. 799usd? You gotta be kidding me.

Final A8000 - hehehhe, what? LOL.


1. IE900
2. Dunu Luna
3. Softears Turii
4. Acoustune HS2000MX

The Ikko OH7 Musikv is joining my GOAT Club where it will sit alongside the Vsonic GR07 as the only two single DDs to reach there. Really looking forward to add more to this list. Hope at least one more makes it to here.

 

[drewbadour]

Anyone have suggestions for a good DD that is mid focused that has thicker note weight and is resolving with good separation?

 

[Ziadax]

IE900 (AET07 tips) has taken the throne of best single dynamic for me from the near 10 year ruler EX1000.

Honorable mentions go to the EX800ST/MDR7550, JVC Woodie FX850, and the Beyerdynamic Xelento.

No real itch to try anything other than the IE600 which is rumored to have a more pleasing tonality albeit slightly less technical than the IE900.

 

[KutuzovGambit]

Anyone have suggestions for a good DD that is mid focused that has thicker note weight and is resolving with good separation?

This is a bit of a tall order. Thick mids will generally make separation more difficult and resolution not that easy, especially to accomplish these and keep the focus on the mids rather than the treble. I'm not saying I know it can't be done, but it probably would come at a price point above what I myself can pay (I max out around $500).

For me, the Isabellae is a great midcentric DD with full note weight, and good enough resolution and layering (not a lot of separation again due to foregoing, but while the instruments and voices are close together I rarely find it descending into actual congestion).

 

[Rockwell75]

I forgot about this thread. I have a real soft spot for single DDs as they offer a charm, timbre and coherence that I've yet to hear replicated in any BA or multi-driver setup. My favorites that I've heard:

1) Dunu Zen Pro - the standard setter for me here...charming, technical, transparent, great mids & timbre, deceptively excellent bass. Can be source sensitive though.
2) Oriolus Isabellae - warm, intimate, not as technical as the above but equally charming
3) JVC HA-FW10000 - was really surprised by this one during my brief demo...looking forward to spending more time with it...it may attain a higher position in my rankings.
4) Senny IE900 - Great bass & treble, highs can be intense, mids too recessed for me.
5) CFA Atlas - Great bass, massive sound, recessed mids, metallic highs
6) Moondrop Kato - Great for the price but doesn't really compete with anything else on this list IMHO
7) CFA Honeydew - Best bass heavy IEM at its price tier...bass can be overwhelming, mids can be veiled at times...not the most versatile.

What I really want to try: Sony EX1000, Dunu Luna, Softears Turii, Rhapsodio Eden

 

[Giru]

IE900 (AET07 tips) has taken the throne of best single dynamic for me from the near 10 year ruler EX1000.

Honorable mentions go to the EX800ST/MDR7550, JVC Woodie FX850, and the Beyerdynamic Xelento.

No real itch to try anything other than the IE600 which is rumored to have a more pleasing tonality albeit slightly less technical than the IE900.

I'm really looking forward to listen to the IE900. Hopefully soon as one of my close friend bought his unit last week.

For me, the Isabellae is a great midcentric DD with full note weight, and good enough resolution and layering (not a lot of separation again due to foregoing, but while the instruments and voices are close together I rarely find it descending into actual congestion).

Agreed. Although it's still not as well fleshed out in the mids. But as an all rounder the Isabelle is a good choice. Best bought used.

I forgot about this thread. I have a real soft spot for single DDs as they offer a charm, timbre and coherence that I've yet to hear replicated in any BA or multi-driver setup. My favorites that I've heard:

1) Dunu Zen Pro - the standard setter for me here...charming, technical, transparent, great mids & timbre, deceptively excellent bass. Can be source sensitive though.
2) Oriolus Isabellae - warm, intimate, not as technical as the above but equally charming
3) JVC HA-FW10000 - was really surprised by this one during my brief demo...looking forward to spending more time with it...it may attain a higher position in my rankings.
4) Senny IE900 - Great bass & treble, highs can be intense, mids too recessed for me.
5) CFA Atlas - Great bass, massive sound, recessed mids, metallic highs
6) Moondrop Kato - Great for the price but doesn't really compete with anything else on this list IMHO
7) CFA Honeydew - Best bass heavy IEM at its price tier...bass can be overwhelming, mids can be veiled at times...not the most versatile.

What I really want to try: Sony EX1000, Dunu Luna, Softears Turii, Rhapsodio Eden

I didn't like the mids on the Dunu zen pro. Something wonky about it. Also the mids are not as detailed either.

Have owned the Atlas and while it had amazing stage, resolution and punch it was wayy to sharp in the highs for me.

I think the IKKO OH7 is exactly what the Atlas should've been. It's very well balanced, without losing the bass slam of the Atlas (atleast on par if not better).

 

[Rockwell75]

I didn't like the mids on the Dunu zen pro. Something wonky about it. Also the mids are not as detailed either.

Zen Pros mids are some of my favourite… don’t get the lacking detail comment…they’re as detailed as anything on that list to my ears (in the mids…highs and bass though -> IE900). YMMV etc.

Have owned the Atlas and while it had amazing stage, resolution and punch it was wayy to sharp in the highs for me.

Same.

I think the IKKO OH7 is exactly what the Atlas should've been. It's very well balanced, without losing the bass slam of the Atlas (atleast on par if not better).

Never heard the Ikko…Dorado 2020 perfected the Atlas for me.

 

[SQ13]

Dita iems are all single DD

 

[Giru]

Zen Pros mids are some of my favourite… don’t get the lacking detail comment…they’re as detailed as anything on that list to my ears (in the mids…highs and bass though -> IE900). YMMV etc.

Hmmm. Interesting. Dunno maybe it's just me then. I just found the mids to be oddly pushed back making the sound a bit wonky.
The mids detail is less when I compare this to say the IKKO, GR07, Xelento etc. The Dunu is a bit thin and light bodied in comparison. More "modern" kind of a sound. Although I should still say that the Dunu is not particularly bad in this regard but it's just not "there" in the mids; a sound that leans highly on it's proficiency in the highs, lows and overall coherency. Similar kind of "tuning" to most modern IEMs.

The reason I put the IKKO above all these is just coz it has a definite personality/character of it's own. Well balanced with mild emphasis on the mids and bass with an enormous soundstage (width and depth) and excellent detail retrieval. It does require better amping to open up but when it does it's all song. The texture of the notes in any band (lows, mids or highs) is excellent with a natural timbre; making the sound extremely rich, organic and life like. It does all this in a way that sets it apart from majority of the competition. Had it not been for the extremely polarizing looks, this unit would've sold like hot cakes.

Never heard the Ikko…Dorado 2020 perfected the Atlas for me.

No more campfire for me. Besides none of their single DDs come close to their market peers when it comes to techinal performance.

Dita iems are all single DD

Ex-Dita Dream dream XLS owner here. Almost all the above IEMs will give the Dream a run for it's money. Dita needs to work hard if they wanna capture back their market share. The dream was wayy too airy (and at times sibilant) for me. Sold it off in 2 months.

 

[3Putter]

Anyone have suggestions for a good DD that is mid focused that has thicker note weight and is resolving with good separation?

I really like the Periodic Audio Be and C's. Thicker note weight, try the C. I rarely hear them mentioned here but unless I'm missing out on quality sound I feel they're just tremendous.