So what are your impressions of Airship so far? How are you liking the sound? And how has the fit of the set been in your ears?
Not just liking the sound, I love the sounds for it is just perfect and I exactly what I needed, for it can play any genre that you want, and it will produce sounds that plays to that genreās strengths both in an analytical and fun way. A very great all-arounder and pretty close with the Tanchjim Hana 2021, Tanchjim Oxygen and Tripowin X HBB Olina based on the graphs it seems, pretty much perfect for folks who still does not know their preferred sound preference.
Fit for me is just perfect but it can be a bit tricky to some with other ear holes, for I think the fit can be a bit troubling for some, but luckily itās just right for me, would probably improve with ear tips with longer stems to compensate for that lack of fit to some. Comparing this with the previous IEM that I have that is used to be the top of my collection, the Moondrop Kato, I just think these are better in terms of sound delivery and technicalities, though there are some tracks that I prefer listening with the Kato than the Airship so itās still a very good IEM, but now itās 2nd place on my list.
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I was actually looking to get those white FAudio tips too. Guess Iāll pass if they ended up getting hacked up in order to be useful
Iām fairly sure that out of the array, itās down to the Serial and the Up. Thereās a lot in common. Since running through a playlist with each, I at times forgot which I had in.
One of the ways I narrowed it down was how sets handled sub-bass. EJ07M had it too blurry and a ravine between that and the rest of the sound due to mid-bass being tuned low. Canon has great characteristics but I think the sub-bass is similarly a little too loose. Itās not well married to the mid-bass which is also a little soft.
Both Up and Serial have sub-bass that carries weight and volume but is not blurred at the edges, they can start and stop pretty nimbly which means sub-bass can offer a āpunchā like mid-bass can, and provide truer timbre/texture thanks to it. Neither lack mid-bass either, so sub-bass is properly attached an incorporated into everything else.
Timbre across frequencies is good on both. Male vocals can sound a little quieter on the Up (example: Epitaph by King Crimson) while other mids higher up (like the instruments in the same song that arenāt bass or percussion) seem equally prominent. Male vocals are not veiled or bled into mind you, very well defined just quieter.
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Have you tried the IKKO Obsidian OH10? Sounds like you would enjoy them as well.
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Twice but quite a while ago - and near instant dislike each time. Too long ago for me to go into any detail, I wouldnāt want to mislead someone on foggy impressions, that for all I know my ears as they are right now would disagree with. But I was surprised, Iād always figured it would be up my street too!
Howās the treble on the UP compared to the Serial and does that mean you are getting rid of your Vortex?
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Iāll get back to you on the treble comparison.
As far as the Vortex, I think so. It does some things other IEMs simply donāt for my senses. However it is rolled back in the sub bass. Tip rolling drags sub bass back into the fray, but by then itās not the same quality as sets that were meant to have that quantity of sub bass by design.
Iām surprised that sub bass has become my starting point for evaluating IEMs. I wouldnāt say Iām a basshead, and most of my genres arenāt focused on it (very little EDM and hip hop really). But somehow itās something I have certain expectations of in the mix of things, and itās one of the first things I miss or find fault in. A true reproduction of sound canāt just choose not to include it as a way of solving other tuning challenges.
I donāt like sub bass isolated without mid bass either, so no Variations or to an extent EJ07M.
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I hear ya. I think I have gone the other way in that I need good bass quality and decent quantity but treble extension trumps bass.
At the point Iām at I think the Serials are going to get the bump and the vortex is gonna stay. I tried listening to the serial today and it was just missing too much treble for me. I had to switch back.
I think my end game would graph like the vortex but without the sub bass roll off. If that ever pops up in snagging that immediately!
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Truthear X CRN Zero presale started couple of minutes ago on Shenzhen Audio. Here Resolveās take on them. Quite lukewarm (tldw too shouty and bassy and āworse than Ariaā). Killed my eager to pull a trigger, which I had after watching HBBs review.
Iām buying one just to have a Harman reference set. Next would probably be Fiio FH3 for basshead or Yume for mids/vocals
Precisely the reason I jumped in on the Kai, I havenāt tried the Elixir yet!
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I donāt find myself particularly amazed at the technicalities so consider yourself lucky to have saved money with KAI!
In any case Tri makes really good looking IEMs. I donāt need Tri Starsea but damn do they tempt me
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The Elixirs was one of my IEMs that I got my eyes back then when I am in need of a replacement for the Katos, but most people here had convinced me to get the Seek Real Airship. It sucks I cannot even find a single Tri x HBB Kai here at the moment, for I want to experience the sounds of it as in an Elixir Lite, for I am not going to get a lot of technical prowess for that price point, but it would have given me an idea if I chose the Elixir instead of the Airship.
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Iām sure thereāll be opportunities to try the Kai once itās in peoplesā hands; I skipped on the Airship because Iāve now got three DDs on the way: Letshuoer D13, Oriolus Isabellae and now TRI x HBB Kai.
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Crin really emphasises how Truthear X Crin ZERO is one of the only IEMs with proper crossover for duo/multi DD setsā¦I wonder if heās heard of Penon Serial, and if Serial has the āproperā implementation of the different DDs
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afaik, you cant get a bass shelf like this with a DD without a proper crossover.
and judging from the graph of the Serial.
Nothing is implied that it has a proper implementation of the DDs. Just like the DQ2 (6). 
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Interesting! I guess weāll need folks like Hi Fries to open them up and test them out. The graph looks a tad wonky though - wonder how weād perceive the steep decrease between 100-200 Hzā¦
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that shelf is in the same vein as the Monarch, Variations and the DT600.
Flat mid-bass and sub-bass focus, imo I really do not like this type of shelf, because it is pretty obvious there is a āholeā in the mid-bass. But hey, im glad this exist cuz now people can try this tuning for a very cheap price.
(that sub-bass roll-off is most likely because the 2 DDs, share the same vent, so if they didnt make it so the sub-bass rolled-off (left the vent open more) it would have likely affected the whole bass shelf. )
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