[vaporsynthwave]

has anyone tried out the iBasso DC-Elite with the IER-Z1R and/or Traillii?

 

[wolfstar76]

Hello Watercooler friends, I am here to share a shoddy ad hoc review. Be warned, I'm gonna gush for a bit here...

The Canpur CP54E deserves more attention.

I have owned many IEMs and continued to climb the tiers as I've gotten into the hobby. I started with some Westone (respectable IEMs but definitely not amazing), moved on to u12t (fun, competent but not the most exciting) and then finally started to play in the top end of the IEM tiers. Namely, the bird, Anni 23 and a few others.

The kind folks at Musicteck offered an audition of the Canpur CP54E and at first I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was not your standard tuning. It was technically top shelf but the bass (which is undoubtedly the best BA bass I've ever heard) sort of grabs you first. You could quickly conclude: well that's just a big pillowy bass. But then after some time, the rest of experience reveals itself. I'm not a reviewer by any means and @F700 sums it up beautifully with the recent review. It's a world class IEM.

It is an impeccably tuned, highly technical IEM. Deeply satisfying bass, amazing cohesion across the FR and highs that are right up there with the best of them. The tuning is the star of the show here. It is a wonderfully satisfying and addictive IEM. I have a bit of an aversion to what I call muscular IEMs. IEMs that just try too hard to impress you. I tried the 622B at Canjam and it fell into that camp for me. The CP54E is Canpur doing it right. An inoffensive, yet detailed, revealing and really fun IEM. Imagine the Trifecta tightened up across the highs and mids and bass that slams but doesn't go out of control.

The CP54E is one of those IEMs that will likely go unnoticed. In my opinion, it deserves - at the very least - a cult following.

How does CP54E compared to Diva? or even with Anni 23?

 

[salwani8888]

So im interested in getting the most out of the Jewel (and ofc my other IEM’s). Plus I still need an amp that can power headphones, but especially the Meze Elite. IEM’s are more important but to give my ears some rest, I like the alternative.

Im still eyeballing the enleum hpa 23rm, but its basically the only 1 I can audition locally. And only single ended -_- which for my cables is not ideal.

How has an amp changed/improved your experience? And which would you feel is one of the best right now (and what combo)?

I might have to blind buy stuff just to test it, but rather not.

in my experience, an amp will usually improve soundstage (size and focus), bass authority / grip and can reduce background noise (but not always-depends how clean the source is)

I enjoy Ibasso D16 (Dac/Amp) on the go with a small transport DAP. It has nice pace, musicality. Neutral with a bit of warmth. And not too pricey.
RS8 with Tsuranagi is also very good. Tsu sounds powerful, quite neutral and its treble is really sweet sounding. I wouldn't take this on the go. The volume curve is too sensitive and the knob is quite loose.
RS8 with Auris HA-2SF desktop tube amp - this is my favourite. Sound is overall fuller, sounds bigger. Changing the preamp tube and playing with the impedance knob can help 'tune' the amp and improve overall synergy. But with very sensitive iems, most bigger amps will have waterfall noise. You can get ifi iematch cable that basically drops the level by 12 or 24 db to overcome this. I need to use this cable with FeiWan.

I haven't heard the Enleum but hope this helps !

 

[maegnificant]

Pulling a damz hurst, are you?

Scubi Damz Hurst, Ramen
(Translation: The holy cycle spins anew.)

 

[PassionForMusic]

Scubi Damz Hurst, Ramen
(Translation: The holy cycle spins anew.)

Becomes very confused and breaks out the secret WaterCooler decoder ring. We buy. We sell. We rebuy what we like. What does it matter as long as we are happy with our gear?

 

[maegnificant]

Becomes very confused and breaks out the secret WaterCooler decoder ring. We buy. We sell. We rebuy what we like. What does it matter as long as we are happy with our gear?

As the ancient well on the sacred rock once revealed, 75 years after it has been asked by the most devoted disciples: It matters not, yet it matters most. And thus, the well began to cool down its water, to be received as refreshment by the wandering believers, who still meet here today as pilgrims (or drifters) after every hot and draining purchase, to share their knowledge of the secret ways. Ramen.

 

[PassionForMusic]

Scubi Damz Hurst, Ramen
(Translation: The holy cycle spins anew.)

What is the Ramen portion of this?

 

[o0genesis0o]

As the ancient well on the sacred rock once revealed, 75 years after it has been asked by the most devoted disciples: It matters not, yet it matters most. And thus, the well began to cool down its water, to be received as refreshment by the wandering believers, who still meet here today as pilgrims (or drifters) after every hot and draining purchase, to share their knowledge of the secret ways. Ramen.

We should end every post on this thread with “Ramen ”

 

[maegnificant]

What is the Ramen portion of this?

Ramen is not only a delicious and fulfilling meal, it is also the most traditional greeting of the drifters around the watercooler. Over time, it has grown custom to use when citing The Old Knowledge to each other, to mark important statements or to just incite the spirit of the Cooler Community.

 

[F700]

Hello Watercooler friends, I am here to share a shoddy ad hoc review. Be warned, I'm gonna gush for a bit here...

The Canpur CP54E deserves more attention.

I have owned many IEMs and continued to climb the tiers as I've gotten into the hobby. I started with some Westone (respectable IEMs but definitely not amazing), moved on to u12t (fun, competent but not the most exciting) and then finally started to play in the top end of the IEM tiers. Namely, the bird, Anni 23 and a few others.

The kind folks at Musicteck offered an audition of the Canpur CP54E and at first I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was not your standard tuning. It was technically top shelf but the bass (which is undoubtedly the best BA bass I've ever heard) sort of grabs you first. You could quickly conclude: well that's just a big pillowy bass. But then after some time, the rest of experience reveals itself. I'm not a reviewer by any means and @F700 sums it up beautifully with the recent review. It's a world class IEM.

It is an impeccably tuned, highly technical IEM. Deeply satisfying bass, amazing cohesion across the FR and highs that are right up there with the best of them. The tuning is the star of the show here. It is a wonderfully satisfying and addictive IEM. I have a bit of an aversion to what I call muscular IEMs. IEMs that just try too hard to impress you. I tried the 622B at Canjam and it fell into that camp for me. The CP54E is Canpur doing it right. An inoffensive, yet detailed, revealing and really fun IEM. Imagine the Trifecta tightened up across the highs and mids and bass that slams but doesn't go out of control.

The CP54E is one of those IEMs that will likely go unnoticed. In my opinion, it deserves - at the very least - a cult following.

Well said. We definitely hear the same « sound » out of the CP54e. What’s more is their price tag. At USD 2K, there is nothing to complain about. Quite the opposite actually, there is a lot to be praised, especially the tuning, indeed. Sure, at this level of technicalities, comparing the CP54e to his « peers » (2k - 4k price bracket) comes to personal preferences about a sound signature. Having demoed many totl recently, the CP54e revealed to be at the top of the best transducers I came across, period. I preferred them to RN6 (which also are very impressive), Anni23, Mentor, VE10, Loki, Aroma & Campfire line-up, Perpetua and Co. Call me a heretic, but that’s my opinion and it can be disturbing for some, I get that. The only IEMs that « surpassed » the CP54e were the Traillii Ti and the Rhapsodio V3 Supreme, the latter being too genre-specific and not allrounders as the CP54e are. The Simphonio P-Zero is as great as the CP54e in the Planar world. All of these 3 aforementioned IEMs just retail for 3 or 4 times more, though.

 

[Beh0lder]

.

My wife: but didn't you Damz Hurst it twice already? Also I'm not getting you a custom Viento

You know you are busted when she goes full Watercooler lore, memes and flexing

 

[Sajid Amit]

I'd say keep your expectations realistic... a lot of sets that would be considered "old" are very much still relevant now. There's so much for you to try though!

Exactly my sentiments.

Many classics from the last 2-3 years haven’t necessarily been surpassed. We just have different and interesting flavors in totl.

@twister6 I am yet to try the cma18p with super sensitive IEMs but hope to do that soon.

@PinkyPowers I personally consider the Odin’s to be a classic and Empire’s best creation till date.

 

[AnakChan]

I'd say keep your expectations realistic... a lot of sets that would be considered "old" are very much still relevant now. There's so much for you to try though!

Agreed depending on how far you go back. My TOTL would be my FitEar Titans from 2017 (2018?) and I hadn't done any critique listening till CanJam SG - after a 5 year hiatus. To my surprise a 2017 $3k TOTL sound can be achieved by a 2024 ~$1k IEM with 2024 $2k surpassing a yesteryear TOTL. Having said that, law of diminishing returns kick in - it's not a linear improvement.

the 2015-2020 dabbled with EST with a hit 'n miss, but in 2024, EST has been cohesively integrated, not to mention bone conduction too. Alas, my disposable income is a lot more limited after having kids so yesteryear TOTL will remain my TOTL.

 

[Alexzander]

has anyone tried out the iBasso DC-Elite with the IER-Z1R and/or Traillii?

Yep, tried with Traillii, what aspects are you interested about?

When driven through a good Android phone, Mac or PC it sounded almost like DX320 MAX on Gain 2. The background is black, sound is quite technical with noticeable sub bass boost and a bit of highs highlighting, the scene is very wide.
Through older iPhone like regular 11 one the sound would be more V-shaped and with a small stage.
Beware that DC Elite is quite heavy for the dongle.

 

[Simpeler]

Amps are huge, night and day difference especially with power hungry sets. I think an amp done right can easily exceed the performance of a good DAC but the sort of amps that due that are very expensive in my experience. In other words, it's my take that you can feed a great amp with a decent DAC and get exceptional results.

Well I see more and more “transportable” amps being released, like ibasso p5, ms 475, enleum hpa, etc. They especially have my interest, I like small form-factor. And ofc, an improvement in sound and power. Good to hear that IEM’s also benefit, not just headphones.

in my experience, an amp will usually improve soundstage (size and focus), bass authority / grip and can reduce background noise (but not always-depends how clean the source is)

I enjoy Ibasso D16 (Dac/Amp) on the go with a small transport DAP. It has nice pace, musicality. Neutral with a bit of warmth. And not too pricey.
RS8 with Tsuranagi is also very good. Tsu sounds powerful, quite neutral and its treble is really sweet sounding. I wouldn't take this on the go. The volume curve is too sensitive and the knob is quite loose.
RS8 with Auris HA-2SF desktop tube amp - this is my favourite. Sound is overall fuller, sounds bigger. Changing the preamp tube and playing with the impedance knob can help 'tune' the amp and improve overall synergy. But with very sensitive iems, most bigger amps will have waterfall noise. You can get ifi iematch cable that basically drops the level by 12 or 24 db to overcome this. I need to use this cable with FeiWan.

I haven't heard the Enleum but hope this helps !

Yeah quality of the device is also important, not just sound. That is why im hesitant about the tsu and mass kobo.

Ibasso p5 and enleum hpa, seem both like such better designed devices (visually and build quality).

What you are describing is what Im looking for in sound improvement. Little more bass, bigger soundstage and fuller sound.

Would be cool if someone could do a big “portable amp” comparison article