[pkcpga]

I'm looking for IEM with big full body, smooth, dynamic sound, high resolution, with nice soundstage, imaging, and layering.
IMAX like sound.

Will pair it with HiBy R8II

Feel like that’s a lot to ask from an IEM. What type of music will you be listening to?
There’s always trade offs with how warm you want the sound to be verse how big you want the sound stage?
You can try Fir RN6, Aroma Fei Wan, Campfire Trifecta, Noble Onyx(haven’t tried this one), EE Raven, UM MM (not as much bass presence)

I think the Trifecta sounds better with the Sony dap over R8II and does not play well with complex mids like classical music.
RN6 sounded good with the R8II
Never tried the Fei Wan with the R8II
Raven never tried with R8II.
MM I thought sounded nice with the R8II.

 

[fejnomit]

There’s always trade offs with how warm you want the sound to be verse how big you want the sound stage?

Not always true. Trifecta does both quite well. So does Bonneville. Also he didn't say warm, he said full body. I feel like that's different. To me that's more akin to note weight and not lower-mid coloration. Monachaa is another example - expansive sound-stage but full-sounding notes due to DDs in the mids. But not warm per se.

 

[mashuto]

Alright it's been a while since we've done any sort of survey. Now that we're 1/3 and two CanJams into 2024 what are the top 3-5 things on your radar right now?

Haven't been around much but figured I would jump in here. My list is pretty short.

1. Noble fokus Apollo.

I'm pretty much out of the iem game at this point. Was briefly interested in the symphonium titan, but I'm still very satisfied with my singularity with custom sleeves and final e5000 for more casual listening. Having a nice wireless over ear would be good. From what I can tell, the Apollo sounds great, has anc and a transparency mode, multipoint, good codec selection, and can be used wired via USB c.

Still having trouble finding more info about it, like what controls are available on the headphone, when it's actually releasing, or how well the anc performs compared to Sony or bose but my interest is piqued. Was looking at Sony and Bose, but I have the slightly older Sony xm4 and they are fine, but the anc produces white noise and the build quality feels extremely cheap. The newer Sony or bose also can't be used wired via USB c, which is something I would want.

 

[UnknownOperator]

Monachaa. R8II. Flash Acoustics Thanos.

The Thanos appears to be thickening the stew. Everything is smoother, coming at the (slight) expense of some air and instrument separation. I think this makes the Monachaa as enjoyable with raw 1980s post-punk as it is with contemporary dense bass heavy techno and dub. Also, as the R8II approaches the 100 hour mark, the Class A output is rounding into form and now resembles more of the Cayin Class A that I’m accustomed to from the N30LE and N7.

 

[aaf evo]

Monachaa. R8II. Flash Acoustics Thanos.

The Thanos appears to be thickening the stew. Everything is smoother, coming at the (slight) expense of some air and instrument separation. I think this makes the Monachaa as enjoyable with raw 1980s post-punk as it is with contemporary dense bass heavy techno and dub. Also, as the R8II approaches the 100 hour mark, the Class A output is rounding into form and now resembles more of the Cayin Class A that I’m accustomed to from the N30LE and N7.

Man the R8II looks so much better without that massive TPU case on it. Dignis needs to work their magic already.

 

[UnknownOperator]

Up next…

Judging from the serial number, it looks like I got one of the first production units.

 

[ASSAF1984]

Crosspost from Mass Kobo thread:


Alright! The mod of Mass Kobo is completed, moreover.. documented on YouTube My friend (audio reviewer and fresh YouTuber) has done an amazing job and now the op-amps are swappable in the MK 428/475 - those two “models” are exactly the same, just different usb connector. If you could give Michal’s channel some love, will be highly appreciated

For start we’ve immediately put Sparkos SS3602 in preamp stage and Muses02 in output stage. Mass Kobo has a new sound to it - I’d say it’s become meatier, namely bass is stronger and tighter and the signature has slightly more body. As for soundstage, details, etc. I’ll have to wait to receive stock JRC5532 back to compare more directly (it was 2 weeks break in between hearing MK). I will be writing conclusions after those direct comparisons with stock and some other opamps

Here are some photos when I took it apart. Easy enough for anyone, but complex enough to be satisfying as well!

Looks awesome man !

 

[UnknownOperator]

Man the R8II looks so much better without that massive TPU case on it. Dignis needs to work their magic already.

Yep. I hate that TPU case. Do it, Dignis.

 

[KuroKitsu]

Why not combine the two? Pulling a Damz Hurst

 

[nihalsharma]

Up next…

Judging from the serial number, it looks like I got one of the first production units.

Awesome. Congratulations . Cannot wait for your impressions. This iem has sneaked into every recent conversation - here, or on Facebook/Discord.

 

[Scubadevils]

Up next…

Judging from the serial number, it looks like I got one of the first production units.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts… over the last few months I’ve had moments of interest when I read reports of sets I’ve not yet heard and are receiving good to great feedback - Alter Ego is the first in a while that I’m actually very excited about and feel a tad envious as I see them start to emerge in people’s hands - the description of tuning, unique design and an awareness of how fantastic Eclipse is has me absolutely chomping at the bit! I’m still curious about others, but the interest/desire gap between Alter Ego and the next two on the list would look a bit like this…

1. Alter Ego





















2. Monachaa
3. Onyx

 

[emdeevee]

Hey guys do you generally use silicone or foam tips?
I tried the foam tips provided with the Monachaa and they improve the discomfort I was experiencing with the nozzle, improve the bass but on the other hand the soundstage is much smaller and congested (seems to be normal).
Do you have recommendations for foam tips not having that much impact on the high frequencies? The with of the tip should be on the wider side (tested already smaller silicone one and they negatively influence the soundstage)

I really like the Render foams, they're combination of silicon outside with a couple of soft foamy layers. They sound great with Monachaa and fit that stubby nozzle. For a real interesting experience, try Coreir brass tips with Monachaa.

Foam tips don’t work for me. The most comfortable without attenuating the spectrum too much for me is Eletech’s Baroque ear tips. If I want even more transparency, I use Divinus Velvet.

These 2 are my top favorites, being incredibly soft and comfortable, and smallish in shape allowing for good insertion. Great for BCD sets that need deep insertion.

 

[ZHIFENG]

This song is kind of why the Z1R didnt sit well with me, the bass and drums on this sound mushed together.

 

[drftr]

Pulling a Damz Hurst

Man, that Damn Hurts...

drftr

 

[feverfive]

If any 'cooler observers ****in the United States**** have been pondering the purchase of a IEM vacuum kit, I have one from Fir (+ 3 extra filters + a tip replacement kit) that has literally been used once since I bought it. I just re-discovered it in my storage closet.

My life has changed drastically the past ~30 months or so, and IEMs just aren't really a part of it anymore (though like @Scubadevils , my IE900 will have to be pried from my cold, dead hands).

Anyway, I'll be listing it in Classifieds this week; just wanted to give a heads up in case someone here is interested.

Hope all is well for everyone here.