Do your friends prefer it because they listened to it or are they going strictly by reviews? I wouldn’t personally put too much stock into people’s opinions on reviews but instead compare graphs and read reviews or people who have actually listened to the headphones you are interested in. What don’t you like about the kato? What do you like about the kato? Find an IEM that matches those preferences based on graphs and reviews. Imo it’s the best way to gauge whether you will like something outside of being able to actually listen to it.
1 Like
I thought it was a common misconception that you need a DAC for a planer IEM? Any phone can run them just fine right? Or am I wrong?
A new video from the honest audiophile is saying you can’t run a planar IEM with most of these dongles… USB C dongles - Which is best for planar IEM? Which sounds best? - Honest Audiophile impressions - YouTube (edited, posted wrong video link)
newer ones are better but things like the OG Tin P1 needed more power than a phone could provide
3 Likes
It depends on the impedance and sensitivity, both are a factor in this. Of course not many phones today have a 3.5mm jack, so you will need a dongle of some type for a wired headphone.
I have run a 7Hz Timeless using an Apple USB-C dongle before, and it worked just fine, but I don’t listen at high volumes very often. That dongle isn’t enough for my HE400se, so it depends on what I am trying to drive.
2 Likes
I suggest you buy the airship. I own one and the short nozzles are not that large a problem. I think sadly this Iem will not get the credit it deserves.
1 Like
Yes, it’s fair to suggest a cheap one like the apple dongle if you don’t have a headphone jack. But I think it’s strange to say you need it for planar IEMs, especially with the wave of new planar IEMs coming out. It’s a bit misinformative to suggest you need an expensive/powerful one for planar IEMs or IEMs in general no? For example, at the 4-minute mark in the video USB C dongles - Which is best for planar IEM? Which sounds best? - Honest Audiophile impressions - YouTube (sorry I posted the wrong video link before, edited now above) he says the Lav Audio DS100 struggles with planar IEMs. That dongle is 156mW at 16Ω and 87mW at 32Ω. There nooo way that struggles with planar IEMs. He mentions the only one in the list he talks about that will drive a planar IEM and “makes them sound good” is the Hiby FC4…
2 Likes
I tend to agree, that seems like more than enough power for them. The US version of the Apple dongle is only 13 mW at 33 ohm, and 3.6 mW at 300 ohm, or 15% of the power that DS100.
Some people claim they can tell the difference in the sound when there is more headroom. I am not certain if I can, but I do use a BTR5 most of the time. It has far more power than most dongles. I bought it for my open back headphones, before I got into IEMs, and mostly for the Bluetooth features during my workday, and it is great for IEMs.
His favorite is the Periodic Rhodium, which isn’t the most powerful, so that might influence Dave’s view of dongles. 31 mW at 32 ohm
Yeah I willl keep that in mind, and no not all of my friends said or even the reviews of each IEMs said I agree with, for there is still that lingering argument of me saying “I need to hear it to believe it, if it’s true.”
It’s a shame there isn’t any audio store here for me to go to and try those IEMs they have mentioned just to hear which one I prefer. more. But overall, based on the polls I did, the Airships are winning.
1 Like
Ok so far, based on the poll that I posted back then, I am seeing a lot of folks wanted me to choose the Airships than the Elixirs. Man, it looks those are the preferred choice by the majority here. I do need some reasons on why the Airships are better though like a bit of this and that explanation, like summarized details on why it is the better deal overall. Yeah so far, the Airships are a bit overlooked.
2 Likes
Guys the deed is done, and a decision has been made today via coin toss and ordered an IEM replacing my Kato.
Since it is a coin toss, let me fill you up what IEM in the end I will get depending whether the majority of the tosses were heads or tails…
If it’s Heads = Thieaudio Elixir, if it’s Tails = Seek Real Audio Airship. 3 of the coin tosses as shown follows, 1st toss, tails, 2nd toss, heads, 3rd toss finally, tails.
In the end the Airships won and ordered for it today since it’s 7.7 sale today here. Either IEM is a win-win, but I guess it is a sign to try a new upcomer like Seek Real Audio, signifies a new beginning for me from Moondrop.
10 Likes
I come here to finish my feedback on the Sony xba n3ap.
With the default tips, it sounds weird: the low end doesn’t seem that boosted but the percussive portion of the guitar/bass guitar/bass is overdone and too forward. The treble is good, quite subdued so you won’t get many sibilance. The stage is on the smaller size.
So I tip rolled and played with 2 tips that was recommended to me: spinfit cp360 and whizzer et100.
The et100 tames the bass and brings more treble, but the nature of the iem stays the same: percussive part is too forward. The M size is a little bit too small so the seal is not 100%. The L size is a little bit too big, and given the rigidity of the parts, it is uncomfortable for me.
The cp360 extends the low-end, so you get more physicality to your music. As a by-product, the percussive part of the instruments is less obvious, giving a more natural listen. The low end is still boosted, and I consider this a proper basshead set.
Another note: I tried the set with default tips and the crinacle EQ (on qudelix 5k). The set transforms to a different animal entirely, and is way more balanced. So if you don’t like the set and won’t/can’t sell it , don’t despair: it takes EQ like a champ and you can modify it to your liking.
2 Likes
IEMs make my ear canals itch like crazy. sometimes it settles but sometimes it doesn’t.
what’s with that? what’s going on?
Likely irritation of the canals since they’re not supposed to have anything in them long term, and/or differences in moisture conditions (i.e. skin too dry, too much humidity, slight presence of wax vs none); I find that I can get an itch if I don’t use them for a couple of days, but it goes away with normal use. It could also be the tips, if you are using different types then something might be setting them off outside of a straight-up allergy (between silicone, foam or TPE). I also find that if I don’t have a solid fit (i.e. maximal contact between surface areas) that can aggravate it as well (only ever had this issue with SS and S Spinfit CP100 and Spiral Dots, in the respective sizes). I suppose that all you can do is grin and bear it, otherwise experiment with different variables of those mentioned above to eliminate potential causes.
2 Likes
Thieaudio Elixir
Still learning the lingo, apologies for confusion
After a day, I appreciate Elixir for what it is & am impressed by the details it put forward. I think this is the only DD whose treble I don’t think sounds like it’s coming from a broken device. Not Olina, not Oxygen.
People has remarked that the bass is “tastefully done” and I’m inclined to take this IEM as a benchmark for that. It’s not overpowering and has good enough presence/warmth. Another thing that I appreciate is that male voices don’t sound like they have more “body” than they should. Is this what “muddy” is?
However I can’t help but feel like someone has applied a “sharpen” filter. Vocals almost always sound like the person has a dry throat/has a husky voice. I get the impression that the “air” has been artificially boosted. Is this what people meant when they say sparkly? Sizzle is another word that comes to mind. I’ve been playing with EQ to reduce the “sharpened” effect to no success.
All this led me to believe that I dislike emphasis on upper midrange. Precog’s pondering mentioned that he has a lower pinna gain than standard. Maybe I’m the same?
Cymbals/xylophone(?) have a very sharp attack but the decay lingers around, which is a unique experience to me - I would describe the sound as damp.
Overall, I quite like this IEM. I think it’s well done. Definitely a set that you can enjoy your music with, especially those featuring electric guitars. Man those sounded good - the plucking sensation, the distortion and all. But I can say it’s not for me who would be better served with a smoother set.
EDIT: added what I like and reorganized what I dislike
4 Likes
Addendum: a few technical definitions that I can’t still wrap my head around
Texture: I just don’t get it.
Extension: how much the frequency at the edge of normal hearing range that gets emphasized (I assume), but someone mentioned that it’s related to texture & dynamics?
Transients: I vaguely think it has to do with attack-decay, but how do I know if a set gets it right or wrong.
1 Like
Texture , for me, is linked to the details you can detect in the bass: you don’t just have a thump, but you also get variations of thump.
Extension is how much the extreme part is not rolled off. Bass extension is easy to see on graphs, treble extension is more difficult. It is also more difficult to tune, because too much treble extension can be tiring/too harsh.
Transients, to me, is exactly that: attack and decay. No more no less.
1 Like
Has anyone here messed with Custom IEMs (Campfire Audio, Jerry Harvey, Ultimate Ears, et al)?
I attended my first audio show, had my ears mapped with lasers by Ultimate Ears, should I ever want to order a pair down the road. Listened to their two TOTL IEMs (UE Live, UE 18+Pro), but still kicking myself for not listening to their entire lineup.
UE’s supple, thin, strong cable and proprietary connector tech seemed to kick the crap out of two-pin and MMCX.
Wondering what the skinny is for customs. I like the idea of never dealing with tips sometimes, but would still own and buy universal IEMs too. This is a golden age for universals, after all.
1 Like
wondering if anyone here has listened to the the “AXS Audio Pro Earbuds” TWS yet? (i’d guess just a few reviewers really)
I got it through amazon about a week ago, but my best IEM before this is FH3 and this has much better technicalities so I have no real frame of reference other than @paulwasabii graph and my ears
I’m wondering how this stacks up to any other known IEMs.
Looks like they cut a lot of TWS features down (eg: ANC is about $50 tws quality) at the price and maybe put a more expensive driver in it based on my A/B with what I have for comparison
3 Likes
I think right now it is limited to a few reviewers and not much talk about it. I like it from a hobbyist perspective. I listened to it for a while and had to see what the graph looked like. I think the gist of it goes along with his production background, focus on the parts that are important to him, reduce fatiguing parts for long sessions, and a long battery life to go along with long sessions. I do think they spent some time on driver selection and tuning as you are right, it presents very well and I think part is the mids tuning and part is a decent driver. Even with SBC codec, I am kinda surprised how well it does.
2 Likes
