Reading through some comics earlier tonight and listening to the Resin Kinda Lava. Suddenly the light of day began fading and I swapped to the OG DM with some X-Bass.
The darkness settled and with that The Dark Knights of the Round Table assembled. Not being sure if the Kinda Lavas had a place at the Table of Darkness they granted it mercy. As they felt it walked the line of darkness and light. Bridging the gab to corrupt the light and welcome it to eternal darkness. Dark chocolate cookies were served as they discussed the future of the two seats still available whose names have yet to be granted.
Someone else in this forum (I canāt remember the name - apologies) previously suggested using the wide bore tips included in the packaging to help with the weight and fit. Personally it didnāt help in my case but YMMV and I suppose it is a better option than intrusive flange tips if it works for you.
I think I found my end game, an upgrade to the Serial and in this rare case, at basically the same price. The Serial would still be my rec for up to $500 or so for anyone with similar taste.
Iām thinking I should wait until Friday or some other arbitrary time to make sure, at which point I can go into detail about the model thatās checking all the boxes. Itās not a 2022 release. Or 2021, or 2020.
My assumption is that the set is ābasically the same priceā new. Otherwise it would have made sense to distinguish that he bought it used. If it used then Sennheiser or Sony are in play. If itās the price on a new set, then I donāt know of a Sony or Sennheiser set that fits that price bracket.
Sorry for not making sense - bought used is the reason itās a comparable price. Thatās why itās a rare case, and why this is an easier decision for me than it would be if I had diminishing returns to weigh all over again. Iāve owned this before, but it was a bit beyond my budget before.
I might be making more drama by just teasing it rather than going ahead declaring it and retracting it later if need be ā itās the Thieaudio Clairvoyance.
Really good guess there. Iām still at least a little curious what the EST50 is like. But Iām more interested in selling things off and just listening now.
The stock tips have such a wide bore, I didnāt even bother. Iām currently using some KZ tips with a seriously narrow bore to help with that bass response issue I mentioned. I tried some foams this morning but the diameter of all the foams I have are too large, so they slip right off the nozzle.
The search continues! Might pickup some final E tips - Iāve never had them before due to the price but I might pull the trigger. Iāve heard great things.
Iām happy youāve finally found another set you enjoy as much as your serials. Iāve been following your journey with the serials for months now, it seemed they fit you like a glove - that was me with the timeless for a while.
Itās a fantastic feeling finding another set that scratches that itch the same as a beloved one youāve had for months.
Iām going to give the lead to the Mahina in itās natural state. Doesnāt need any EQ to hit my bass sweet spot. And itās bass glide works better as an all arounder for my library and pleasure. I would give it to the EJ07 as the imaging and seperation are phenomenal and a real pleasure but, the mid bass isnāt present enough. On EDM though and tracks that benefit from more subbass itās something else. Iād call the EJ07 the most euphoric of the bunch. My idea IEM would be the mids and treble of the EJ07 with the bass of the Mahina. If youāre into crisp cymbals and hihats though the Mahina will give you more while still not being metallic or sharp.
UP falls into an interesting spot. I love the response and texture of the bass driver. Itās biggest short fall for many will be its the least of the bunch for imaging and seperation. I donāt hold it against the UP though because the overall warmth and lack of high energy is what makes it so intimate and relaxing. Itās also the set with the least detail. Still enough to bring it out but, takes more a back seat to the others. UP is the set I like to grab for smooth listening and to completely shut my brain off from over processing.
The Kinda Lava oddly is probably my least favorite. Mainly because itās the one that doesnāt work for me at higher volumes. Brings to much energy, more so than Mahina, to electric guitars. Itās about my upper threshold to what is acceptable. Mahina and all others get my stamp of approval for high volume listening. Kinda Lava ends up being the set I either have to keep my listening sessions shorter or keep the volume lower.
OG DM is hard for me to put into more detailed thought. Itās the set with the most special sauce. Itās an absolute joy for acoustic music and vocals. Also, if you donāt mind elevated midbass or are craving it then youād be thrilled. Itās got perfect authoritive but, not overwhelming punch. Being a single DD it also has beautiful coherency. I wish thereād be more I could say but, it almost falls into UP territory where you just need to hear it. The FR charts donāt to either justice. Itās unfortunate that the OG tuning is no longer used.
Volt is a weird oddity. It has a wonky tuning that for me personally does not work at all for lower volumes. Man though when you crank the volume it opens up. Its like thereās a whole other IEM in it begging to be released. It punches firm and hits the deepest to my ears. Treble remains tolerable and imaging and seperation open up. I think the only reason it doesnāt hold the top spot is what I can only guess is the Penon house sound. Itās not bad but, it doesnāt shine for me. Overall though I think cranking it up really gives some insight into its name. Almost as if Penon knew it wanted power to shine and still remain tolerable for a majority of the market. My main gripe is the asking price new. Itās just not worth it. If they lowered price it would be more reasonable and possibly open it up to more people buying. Volt is the only IEM on this list Iād absolutely never recommend buying new. Seconded maybe by the UP but, Iām extremely biased to it as it was my first true love and entry into the dark world.
Tea remains on the list because its price to performance ratio. If you want a euphoric listen and are into darker treble itās a no brainer if you canāt shell out more money. It definitely has baby EJ07 vibes going for it . Which is amazing because it holds its own right up against the others too. Sometimes the only reason I can distuinsh it from the others is simply because I know whatās in my ears. It hits nearly every technical replay aspect of the others at half the price. Shame it has been discontinued in favor of the Tea 2. Having owned a Tea 2 it was just to similar to many other releases and doesnāt have anything to call its own.
Overall though everyone of these choices have one thing in common. Theyāre the Dark Knights in a world of IEMs shining with brightness. If youāre treble sensitive or just like the appeal of more laid back treble I think theres a perfect set at the round table that will satisfy you. If anyone has questions let me know. Itās really challenging for me to compare them all to eachother but, Iād love to try and assist if the questions are more direct.
Amazing write-up Thereās so many options these days so thanks for taking the time to compare them, and yeah, Iām very sad to see the OG Tea and DM discontinued
Thereās so many options these days so thanks for taking the time to compare them, and yeah, Iām very sad to see the OG Tea and DM discontinued 