Timeless Impressions
NOTE: My second unit for my timeless is behaving different than my first. I have not figured out all the differences yet. I will likely put fresh evaluation in another comment.
This is my first impressions post on this forum. It will be fairly long as I will include some history to make my perspective on these IEMs make more sense. I have commented about much of this in the thread already. This is an organization of those thoughts into one consolidated super wall of text with history and more comparison.
TLDR Section at the end for those averse to verbosity.
About Me
I donât consider myself a reviewer. I donât even consider myself an audiophile. I am an enthusiast. I am looking for the best sound I can get within practical and monetary limits. I have my own preferences and I try to call out when I know my feedback is more about preference than quality.
What have I heard?
For IEMS: Dunu Zen, Blessing 2 Dusk, Audeze Euclid and, of course, the 7Hertz Timeless.
For OverEar Partial List: Arya, He6se, Lcd-X, Lcd-XC, Drop Ether Cx, Quad ERA-1, Ananda, Sundara, Ath-R70x, Ath-wp900, Drop 177x Go, and the crown king LSA HP-2 Ultra
Note: Agree or not, I compare IEMs with Over Ears. My goal is best overall experience. That has jumped back and forth between IEMs and Headphones as I have heard more options closer to my preferences.
I am constantly learning more about what I like. I try to call that out and say why. The timeless was particularly effective at teaching me more about my own preferences.
Why Timeless?
I saw the BGGAR comparison review and have been wanting a planar back in my life. All I possess right now is hp2, zen, dusk and now Timeless. I just tried the Ananda and found it to be a poor compliment to my hp2. But I still wanted a planar.
Enter Timeless, a planar IEM that is supposedly tuned better than all planar IEMs that came before. I was sold nearly instantly at this price point.
What do I listen to?
A fairly wide range of genres from Ani DiFranco to Metallica. Show tunes to Billie Eilish (I renamed my hp2 Bille after her. Yeah, I am that guy. Deal with it.) Pentatonix is a favorite any time listen for me. I have been getting into ZZ Ward which someone just introduced to me. Massive Attack is another long lived favorite. Apocalyptica. A wide range of rock and pop from the 80âs onward. Can you say Madonna? All this means I tend to appreciate headphones that can function as a generalist.
What am I using to evaluate?
Qudelix 5k on all headphones. Dunu Blanche cable. cp100 plus tips. Timeless, Zen (mmcx on left unit died during this comparison ), hp2.
Apple Lossless from iPhone or MacBook Pro. Wired to Qudelix for critical listening, but all day listening is at least 50% Bluetooth from the iPhone. I have Amazon HD to confirm some specific things as well.
Indirectly, I have comments about these compared to things I have heard in the past listed above. I do not have them for direct comparisons, but I remember how those past headphones made me feel about the sound. So when not one of these in my possession, I am using a form of audio memory. And sometimes referencing past impressions.
The 800 pound gorilla in the room: Soundstage
I donât typically spend a lot of time on this. But since it is the hottest discussion around the Timeless, I want to address it first.
Let me first say, I have yet to hear soundstage that enhances my enjoyment of a headphone or IEM. So much so, that the arya was rather unimpressive to me. It was a curiosity, not an advantage. And on some music, I felt the separation between instruments was so great, it distracted from enjoyment of the music. The arya was stunningly gorgeous, but wasnât what I was after in multiple ways. That is not to say soundstage doesnât matter, but what matters more to me is that it is coherent and not suffocating.
This brings me to my first point: Coherency. I value balance and coherency in nearly all aspects of music presentation. What does that usually mean? Nothing stands out. There is a balance within its own presentation style that smoothly flows across the attribute in question.
This is how I interpret these concepts: Soundstage is represented by the interrelationship of imaging around a 3d space. Imaging is the ability to precisely and consistently locate a source of a sound within the soundstage. The problem is, people arenât always clear if a presentation lacks good soundstage or good imaging. A good soundstage is often considered to have width, depth and height. Imaging can then pinpoint as precisely as possible within that stage. In addition, you, the listener could be placed in the middle of the soundstage, or have the entire thing essentially in front of you.
As has been beaten to death on this and other threads, the timeless as practically no depth to the soundstage. I 100% agree with this. There is no forward/behind you. There is just a wave of sound in front of you that stretches left and right. I have commented that the effect is like my experience with 2 channel audio. Others have said that is crazy pants. The point is it is a wall of sound right in front of your nose with some width and a bit of height.
Why mention coherency? Because within its dimensional limitations, it comes across as fairly smoothly imaged and competent. This is compared to Zen and Dusk which I have on hand. Let me put this another way: sometimes when you hear something, without comparing it to other things, it can sound a bit wrong (see arya comment above). This does not sound wrong. Without hearing other things, I would never know there is anything different about what this IEM does. Its sound is coherent within its abilities. I would say exceedingly coherent.
I have no difficulty locating instruments within the soundstage that is presented. The sound stage that is presented simply lacks depth. This has an effect of a more âeverywhereâ style presentation. In the past, I have stolen the term âwall of soundâ but that isnât a good descriptor here. This wall has lots of variations and waving/movement in it. And it is slightly in front of me.
If you listen to nothing but bubbles, chocolate chip trip and letter, yeah, the all around you is not present. Interestingly, I heard things in chocolate chip trip I hadnât heard before.
Opinion time: Do I like it? Yes. Again, compared to the Zen and the Dusk, their greater depth does very little for me in terms of music. Now, flip to movies, and I simply wonât use the Timeless. The environmental soundstage on the hp-2 makes a movie worth watching (among other things). But for my library of music, soundstage is secondary to coherency of soundstage. And the Timeless performs quite coherently for me.
Note: I severely despise music with instruments in one channel. This is one thing that keeps me tied to the Qudelix with crossfeed enabled. A small amount of crossfeed makes the Beatles Tolerable. Same is true here. Though, it seems to be less problematic here because of the soundstage lack of depth.
But, frequency response!
This IEM has been unique for me on this front. That big list of IEMs and Over Ears above? Not one of the planars is genuinely harman tuned. I put in the timeless and heard something genuinely new to me.
Note: I am using crinacleâs definitions for frequency ranges.
All about that Bass
You start with one of the most elevated bass shelves I have heard all the way through the sub bass. Even the Lcd-XC, which I like a lot, rolls off the sub bass substantially. The only over ear that comes near this was the arya I think. And that is not bass boosted, just completely neutral to the depths of the sub bass. I donât have a graph I trust for the hp2, but my ears feel the sub bass rumble there far more than on other headphones.
This bass is articulate, crisp, clean in ways only planars have done for me. Itâs a bit intoxicating. And this is from someone who really loves DD texture in the bass. I like the Zen because it gives planar speed with DD presentation. But, the sub bass on the timeless is simply a whole different level.
In a home theater setup, sub bass is what you feel from the subwoofer. Sub 80hz signals have a resonance that is felt more than heard. This is the visceral feeling that can come out of the timeless. When a song takes advantage of sub bass, it is clear and present viscerally. And, I donât say this lightly, but it is more articulate and more present than anything else I have heard. The Zen doesnât compete here. The hp2 competes in sheer rumble as a 50mm over ear driver. And, yes, I like that, but the precision on the Timeless is absolutely next level for me.
Does it slam? Um, no. Nope, nopety nopety no nope. It just doesnât. Simple as that. But, again, when the sub bass is activated by a song, it almost makes up for it. This is why I kept going back and forth on slam.
Dillard - 0742 - A song recently introduced to me by a basshead. This song has waves of intricate bass and sub bass flowing through it. The intricacies of bass on display on the Timeless is simply glorious. This is the Timeless at its best.
Do the mids even matter?
I am not one to have strong opinions on lower to center mids. They just kinda need to not suck. And they need to not be taken over by bass or go too far in any direction. The Zen has a bit leaner presentation than the timeless. The timeless stays fuller and nothing bleeds into anything. The hp2 bass comes a bit too far into the lower mids (by ears only).
But, to me, there is something a bit off that I havenât been able to put my finger on. The fullness/richness I just described compared to the Zen is something I appreciate. But I think the timbre of vocals may be the culprit. The reproduction sounds almost inhuman in its perfection. Pentatonix does not sound this clean and perfect in the real world. The Zen has this naturalness of presentation that is definitely more appealing. As does the hp2. I suspect both dynamics just bring a vocal presentation that I prefer.
It should be noted, I still prefer Pentatonix on Timeless over hp2. The hp2 elevates vocal bass to unrealistic levels. This gives a level of punchiness that simply shouldnât be present with a-capella music. The headphone I loved the most for this continues to be the Drop Ether Cx. That also lacked a sense of ânaturalnessâ but hit the tonal qualities exceptionally.
I would love feedback on this, as I am not sure if itâs tonal balance or timbre that is the culprit here. Remember, not a reviewer. Just an enthusiast.
Pentatonix - Any song you want - The sonic clarity is unreal. Thatâs the term. The depth of the vocal detail is quite present and extremely audible. But, it all just sounds a touch fake to me.
Upper mids gets its own section? Seriously?
Yeah, because of the fedora cap in the FR. This, for me, is the biggest flaw in the Timeless. My doctor says I have ridiculously good hearing in the 1-3k range. Like I can hear the lowest tones my audiologist can test for in that range. And I am 40. So this is somewhat unusual I think. So put the following in that context.
The bright/screechy quality of this headphone was nearly unbearable for me initially on some music. Typically, upper mids are a problem with Sabotage vocals. But here, itâs metallica. Very busy music can be extremely screechy. Set me get right to the songs.
Beastie Boys - Sabotage - Typically, the singing (shouting really) is too intense for me on the Zen. Lcd-XC is even worse. But on Timeless, it stays just under control. These are things my brain adapts to, but the relaxed nature of the hp2 is much preferred. Dream on, morgan james cover is similar.
Metallica - Master of Puppets (S&M) - Earlier I described this experience as a cacophony of screeching. I have had plenty of brain adaptation time as well as tip rolling to the cp100 plus. This song has been a challenge for me on everything. This is one of the ones that made the arya sound incoherent to me. The hp2 struggles a bit with separation. The planars generally lack the feeling of power. The timeless is a good mix except it is screeching at me. Honestly, the dusk or zen probably do this one best. Itâs simply a tough song to do well across the board.
Treble/Air
For someone that is incredibly sensitive in 1-3k, I donât seem to care about treble. I think, the upper treble is contributing to the mids screeching, but I havenât been able to confirm that through EQ tests yet.
What I can say, is this IEM feels extended pretty well. Now, many of my headphones roll off or have relaxed treble presentation. (Zen, check. hp2, check).
If the timeless screechiness is contributed by treble/air, then I need to tone it down a bit. But, if not, I have nothing that stands out. Coherent.
Overall Balance
This is where it all comes together for me. I said this planar is unique in my experience. That uniqueness is a bass boosted, deeply sub bass capable but well balanced planar. This is the strength that draws me to this particular unit.
No other thing I have heard provides this combination. And, to my personal preference, it is intoxicatingly good. This is, of course, driven largely by the bass presentation. Everything else just basically manages to not mess that up. Again, with the coherency leading the way.
Outside of the issues mentioned, I find very little music that doesnât work for me on this set.
Movies
I want to touch on this again directly. The best movie experience I have had is the hp2. The second best is airpods max (ok, stop laughing please. I get it). For me, the hp2 simply wins there. The soundstage and presentation with deep rumble and slam is just fantastic. The timeless essentially lacks all of that.
I use Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring to evaluate this. And sonically, it is very good. But viscerally and environmentally, itâs a solid fail. This is slam/soundstage flaws showing their ugly head.
Other Technicalities
This should be brief. This IEM edges out the zen in articulation and detail. Itâs crisp and clean without assaulting you with pins and needles. The hp2 is uniquely liquid smooth and retains blissful detail. The Timeless has a planar version of some of that smoothness but still highlights its planar capabilities. A wonderful mix.
Conclusion
As always, itâs easier to focus on the flaws. This IEM definitely has some whoppers for flaws. I would say far more than the dusk or the Zen. However, these flaws happen to not be very important to this particularly reviewer. That makes this IEM an absolute top tier in raw value for me. And it has beaten many over ear planars as well.
I love hearing new stuff. If anyone wants me to listen to anything on these, let me know! I am obviously happy to produce walls of text about it. 
TLDR
Cons:
No Depth to soundstage
Can be screechy
Not natural timbre/mids
No Slam
Pros:
Exceptional Sub-Bass/Bass
Extremely good Detail/Articulation/Clarity
Value for Price is off the charts if it fits your preferences
May still have taken the crown from Dunu Zen for me
Fin