IEM discussion thread (Part 1)

I loved my Shanling Q1. It is a DAP that has it all apart from streaming. WiFi transfer, DLNA, BT, AirPlay. You name it.
It is great in a hand too (though A55 is even more sleek).

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My Oracle MKII impressions, and some ramblings on graphs and tips.

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Great write-up!

I also just came across this, have it on the background as we speak

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Iā€™m super impressed with the driver capabilities of the IE600. It sounds really great for such a small driver. Itā€™s probably my favorite stock tuning I have heard so far although itā€™s not perfect. The mids are a tad thin sounding however with filter over the nozzle it takes the treble enough to shift the signature towards more neutral with bass boost.

At this point I am done with IEMs between the moonlight and ie600. Once I figure out my source issue Iā€™ll probably dive into headphones before being happy with my gear

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I have a question for the more experienced IEM listeners, as Iā€™m trying to get a better grasp on something. Iā€™m trying to figure something out regarding soundstage, imaging, and perceived 3D effect.

So there are times Iā€™m listening to an IEM and itā€™s just listening to music. Then there are certain sets I listen to (I wonā€™t say which IEMs yet, because if it is a thing, I have a write-up idea) and with the right tips and a great seal and Iā€™ll think as Iā€™m listening ā€œthis must be what it would feel like if we had a chip in our head and the music was transmitted directly to our brains for interpretation.ā€ The feeling of not hearing music, but physically experiencing it.

Is there an actual name to this effect? Is it actually 3D effect? Because it would be great to be able to define those moments when the music sounds just so CLEAN AND COMPLETE, in my own head

Iā€™d just say ā€œ3D effectā€; itā€™s kind of a result of imaging, soundstage and separation/layering combined, IMO. More of a composite ā€œsenseā€ rather than its own specific technicality.

So have you had that kind of feeling in your head Iā€™m describing? Am I just a witch? Donā€™t burn me at the stake!

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Wonderful description! However I will keep my answer short,

What you described is what I lived last with Kinera Hodur 4.4mm dx300 combination.

"You have a very different sensation (after 4.4 and dx300) when it comes to Polyphia Playing God. The music is all around you and you can feel every guitar as if you can touch! This is totally new for me, an advanced 3d imaging here. After itā€™s vinyl-esque moments in the beginning, the dream-like moments beginā€¦ And leave the room for Jason Mraz.

Now he is singing his unique vocal not to my face but itā€™s like there is no distance between us. But things got different when The Electro Suite began. Now you know your position, you are like covering the whole floor and they are performing just for you. Elegant and balanced at everything. After the meteor falling and sinking deep near 04:00, it is displaying extension capabilities and organic bass thump (which is not bumpy now due to the distance between you and the stage)"

This is a combination of 3d imaging, stereo crosstalk and results of great sound engineering.

My limited knowledge says so.

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The first time Iā€™ve ever experienced this so called ā€œ3Dā€ effect is with the Monarchā€™s. The imaging, tuning and Stage performance of those to me create this illusion of a bubble that surrounds you and the music is literally playing in this bubble around your head, rather than IN your head. You have great center imaging where the vocalist is right in front of you, the guitars and bassist are to the left and right of you but still in front and the drummer Is almost below/behind you.

I remember sitting on my couch, dead silent environment, with the right tips on my monarch listening to Zeppelin - the goosebumps I got once I realized what was happening with the imaging was immense. Literally almost brought me to tears.

When we meet up, Iā€™m sure youā€™ll hear it too :sunglasses:

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Lol Iā€™d never set you aflame, rest assured. Yes, I have had that from headphones (distinctly different from just ā€œgood imaging and wide soundstageā€) but never truly as prolific as it is with a properly-implemented 2-channel speaker setup.

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I am not sure if it exact same feeling, but in my opinion it is more of a mindset and general condition of a listener kind of thing than intrinsic particular IEM property. There are days when I listen to some set and I immediately melt into a music nirvana and I feel everything is in a right place.

There are days when I listen to same set, same track in same setting and on those days music is just something in the background or even some kind of annoyance.

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The Moondrop Stellaris is a disappointing first entry by Moondrop into the planar-magnetic IEM space. This is an IEM that could have used more time in development and has unfortunately become a victim of the Chi-Fi industryā€™s breakneck rush to capitalize on a new driver type trend.
My full review is available here on HiFi Guides and on my blog.

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So I had some back and forth with Qudelix and the quick story is they werenā€™t that helpful. They are having a hard time understanding what my issue is. They claim that due to the integrated DAC/amp nature of the chip if there is sound then it should be working as intended. Iā€™m going to get a db meter to double check that something is going wrong but they did say I could mail them my unit. Iā€™m not sure what they will do with it if they donā€™t think itā€™s broken though

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image

:wink:

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Tanchjim filter cures all

Haha, yeah, there might be more mods u can use for the nozzle but this seems the most simple. (although also most expensive cuz u need that 20 usd tanya to get the filters at least.)

What about Mele/Olina filters?

Should work, they seem pretty high density as well, so probably also around that 500 grade area.

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Idk about the mele fiilters but the Olina ones are slightly less dense and the adhesive ring is thinner so depending on the opening of your nozzle the Tanya filters will do more dampening.

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hmm, the stellaris nozzle seem pretty wide.