Actually, on my rankings spreadsheet, Supernova is a B+/B+, without bias/with bias
EA500 is a B/B+ and EM6L is a B/B, currently.
Supernova is a better vocals set, but both Simgot have bass I would prefer, so they come down to preference.
Another example is Celest PhoenixCall. Objectively, I don’t think it’s better than Supernova, but if you put both of them in front of me, I’d pick PC more often because it’s more fun and engaging. My bias represents that
Uh oh uppermids energy—>me 
But excellent write up as always brother
I’m not saying they’re bad or shouty, and they’re not really sibilant to my ear. There’s just something I don’t like about them
So a little while back, I spent a lot of time with Shortbus Audio Glamdring and was incredibly impressed as it’s a fantastically (re)tuned IEM, that took the S12 (an IEM I didn’t care much for) and made it the best all-around IEM I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. That said, I had some personal nitpicks about it, chief amongst them that I felt at times Glamdring could be a little too clean, in the midbass. Michael Bruce answered that with his Fat Earth mod, which put plenty of midbass into the S12 and looked like an especially tasty version of his vision. But I asked a simple question: What if you give the S12 ALL of the midbass? From that question came an answer: Fat Cosmos (EDIT: no longer Fat Glamdring, my set has been rechristened because it’s not really a Glamdring. It’s fatter than Earth!)! Let me tell you about what insanity a simple question has wrought.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Swashers/Bubbles - Yosi Horikawa (For imaging/detail retrieval (:00-1:00 Swashers), general technicalities check (both), soundstage depth/dynamics/layering/separation (:00-:30 Bubbles))
The Speedwalker (Live at Madison Square Garden) - The Fearless Flyers (For bass elements, particularly sub-bass/mid-bass interplay, drum kits, soundstage/layering)
DISINTER MY HEART - TRAILS (For treble response and resolution, male vocals, midrange response)
Savior - Rise Against (For rock bass elements, male vocals, layering and imaging, treble clarity :38-1:30)
When I Fall (Outta Love) - Kevin Olusola (For Imaging/detail retrieval :00-:07, tonality, timbre, male/female vocal interplay)
Fundamental Elements of Madness - Dax Johnson (For soundstage width 1:10-1:26, piano tonality)
Holding On (Rome In Silver Remix) - Dabin (For female vocals, tonality, mid-bass response within mix From 1:12-1:36)
1 Thing - Sophie Powers (For sibilance, harshness/shoutiness, high volume listening check 1:28-2:01
*Wire & Guns - KID DAD (For general tonality (warmth vs. brightness) and note weight :10-35, for high volume listening 1:34-2:08)
I just came to my senses, I stay in another dimension; Fear is nonexistent, suit up and swing through the city; Annihilate. I’m wide awake, be very afraid; I’m in my own world, gimme space; I’m in my own universe, gimme space
Annihilate - Metro Boomin
(IEM Tuning Style: Bassy-Dark)
So in the evolution from Glamdring to Fat Earth to Fat Cosmos, the defining feature is a reduced pinna gain. While Glamdring is more sub-bass over midbass, and Fat Earth is midbass emphasized, neither measure out as having more than 5.3dB of pinna gain. Fat Cosmos was customized to have even less pinna gain, and it has measured out to actually be no pinna gain. In practice, this inverts the frequency response: Most times we see tunings that flatten out the midbass, in order to not interfere with the upper midrange. Fat Cosmos flattens the upper midrange, in order to not interfere with the midbass. You’ve probably never heard anything like this, and if you’re not someone with a vision of prioritizing bass, then this will not make any sense to you. Frankly, it’l be gross to you. In that case, you can stop reading and just move on. This ain’t it for you.
The way Michael described this set to me, after it was tuned, is something that sticks out to me: He said that for him, Fat Cosmos was as close to having speakers in an IEM as he’s heard. Spending enough time with FC, I think I am in agreement with him on this but let me explain where I’m coming from. I absolutely am not saying FC is on par with a speaker system, or can any way replicate the way sound hits your ear from a speaker system. What I am saying is I get the types of mental sensations that remind me of listening to speakers, because this IEM is tuned so radically towards the bass. The vast majority of IEMs are allergic to bass and lower-midrange, even sets with a lot of bass. This is because most sets cut the amplitude of bass off by 300Hz, so you get clean sub-bass, but often a lack of midbass and lower mids. This leaves a lot of IEMs with an antiseptic sound that prioritizes vocals and bright upper range energy. Fat Cosmos (and Fat Earth) embrace having that scruff on the music, the way you’d hear it in a club. No club I’ve ever been to sounds like Dunu Vulkan or 7th Acoustics Supernova. They sound more like Fat Cosmos.
That said, this does limit what sounds exceptional on FC. Vocals are not great on FC: They’re not hidden or drowned out, but there is the muddy thickness that will turn off lots of people. Fat Cosmos is also genre-limited because of the nonexistent pinna gain. Fat Earth must sound better, with a wider variety of genres, because of that extra pinna gain. This set is definitely meant for a certain mood and/or type of music.
What is a sneaky important thing to note is this still has the bones of S12’s soundstage and technicalities in it, but it’s kind of on crack: The sheer amount of bass makes the soundstage feel engulfed in sound, while maintaining better than average imaging and detail retrieval. With songs that are mixed to play with these qualities, FC is on a different level than even Glamdring. In deciding to prioritize the experience over being accurate, Fat Cosmos has a lower floor for being an all-around IEM but it has a ceiling that might be unrivaled for creating a fullness of sound that is unique to anything I’ve heard.
It doesn’t mean much, but it means everything. It doesn’t mean much because you can’t get this IEM (and that might be for the best, honestly. I’m a psycho). But to me, what Michael Bruce created here is kind of everything because in an IEM world where everything is so much closer to the same than not, this IEM is a monstrosity, and I say that with a heart full of love. I’ve heard sets that you can play at a high volume that make you tap out from the upper end energy getting to that point of overwhelming. I’ve never heard an IEM that scales to the upper-mids, until you have to tap out to the bass like this before. And that’s what I was looking for when I asked for this tuning: I wanted a set that had the bones of the tuning he’s done but is like nothing else out there. This fits that bill to a tee. While I can’t put my playlists on shuffle and just enjoy, which is my usual test for greatest enjoyment, this set simply doesn’t care. I can put on my lo-fi, background instrumental playlists and be assaulted by a cacophony of sound that takes lo-fi and makes you feel like you’re IN it. It plays back metal in a way I haven’t heard before, emphasizing the low-end expressly and taking the bite out of the guitars, but leaving the treble in place, and not being overly congested. This is a concoction that should not exist, but I marvel at what it can do.
In a sea of normal, dare to be different. If you’re bored with the status quo and want something special, hit Shortbus Audio up (Find him on his discord or ask for his order sheet. If you need an in, the community will get you there). Love it or hate it, you’ll have an experience unlike any other. And that’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank for Shortbus Fat Cosmos: S
Rank With Personal Bias: S+
Recommendation Level: One-Off Custom Build (If interested, get Fat Earth)
Rank As a Food: Turducken
Pheww. What a ride. What a fucking ride reading that review
Wait goober, did you tried the Butastur?
Not yet. It’s on its way to me to demo
You guys are damn lucky with your demo gang -.-
Looking at the graphics, Glamdring will be meh for metal. I don’t understand how people who don’t listen to metal talk about how metal will sound on one or another IEM?! 
Says the one who have a shitload amount of different iems on his squig 
Uhhh… Pretty sure glamdring was made for metal. Michael Bruce was and still is a metal head.
With this FR…No thanks. Metal isn’t all about shredding guitars, but apparently that’s all people are interested in! What if there is so much midbass, you don’t need it in such quantity for metal. 
You can have whatever opinion you want, but until you hear Glamdring or Fat Earth yourself, it’s not an informed opinion.
At the end of the day hearing a set is the only way to actually know what it will do, to your ear. But good job ignoring the entire premise of my message
You are thinking of that graph as if it is a DD. I haven’t heard Goober’s set which is different than regular Fat Earth, but being planar with a big vent is not the same. But yeah, Michael has shredded lots of sets for both lack and too much midbass for metal. Goober’s set was a special version.
Haha @GooberBM set is to much for metal. Ironically though it kind of shocked me upon graphing it. During listening you’d think it graph hihlghet in the midbass but, reality is it’s just perceived that way due to the non existent pinna gain. It’s a phenomenal set just for metal it made a lot of guitars sound flat. Fat Earths extra bump in the pinna gain is just enough to balance the meatiness of the distorted guitars with a little zing.
Funny enough, I absolutely could listen to Fat Cosmos for metal…if I just wanted to focus on the drummer.
Goddamn, does this set do a drum kit!
Alright if the drummer is the sole focus I can’t argue
