I’ve comparing my Olina SEs to my HD 6XXs, and something I’ve noticed between the two has kind of confused me. When listening to music, everything on the Olina SE feels like it’s further away. While on the 6XXs it feels closer and more “intimate”. Is this mainly due to the Olina having more sound stage compared to the 6XX? I remember over a year ago testing out the AKG K712s for a week or so. I did not like them due to being less enjoyable and feeling less “natural?” Like the 6XXs sound more natural to me, especially with vocals compared to the Olina SE. Probably a very obvious answer, sorry for the stupid question lol. I’m just trying to figure out if I am not a fan of sound stage in IEMs/Headphones. Could anyone try to make some sense out of this and explain it to my smooth brain?
You like what you like …! no need to look for a reason…!!
some ppl like wide stage some intimate. which one makes you enjoy the most? that’s the better one to you.
Personally I LOVE wide stage , 3D effect and instrument separation of Olina but that’s me.
I have yet to hear hd6xx, but i do own hd600.
Short answer is yes.
Long answer is there are portraiting differences, and for that the stage replay is also different. 6XX should be way more intimate and have a 3 blob stage, while Olina should expand further in front of you, like a cone.
Nice find from a badseedtech video. Steelseries GG (Sonar) has a full fledged PEQ inside. For free.
Thanks for the explanation! It confused me how the Olina should have superior mids and detail to the FH3. But the FH3 mids sound clearer to me. I still want to try the HD 800s though, cause if the king of soundstage doesn’t wow me, I’ll know for sure what my preferences are (shame there aren’t audiophile headphone stores near me).
Superior mids and detail, yes.
But you probably like more recessed mid-range/vocals than the Olina does (and the FH3 puts those more in the background, so the mid-range doesn’t get in the way of the rest of the frequency range)?
Just throwing my wild guesses
Have you played around with it? How does is compare to something like Peace?
Normally I only use the peq in Roon. This is the first system-wide one I use. Usability is top. You can set everything by mouse only.
Wow, I appreciate your help!
I only chose 5 songs so it doesn’t take up too much of your time.
I got you. I may get dragged into family stuff today so if I do I’ll get back to you tomorrow with comparisons
Olina (Tanya Filter) vs Vortex (Stock)
Setup
- Qudelix 5K
- Volume matched 85db using https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZEFb6Zi3sI&t=246s
- Using 3.5mm Olina stock cable for both
- Final Audio E tips
- Using Youtube links provided
Raw Notes
SpiritBox - Circle With Me
Olina
- Crash cymbals can be heard on the outskirts (L/R)
- Drums mainly stay on the left but have a slight 3D effect where they bounce around from left to right
- Vocals are center front and center but expansive, clear and natural sounding, really beautiful.
- Drums lack the amount of punch I prefer
- Wall of sound from the front with pretty good width and decent height but lacking depth.
- Guitars sound proper
- Nothing sticking out tonality wise, everything is pretty balanced albeit leaning bright.
Vortex
- Crash cymbals are barely audible on the outskirts (L/R). Lacking some bite/attack
- Vocals are natural and clear as well as further back compared to drums. Really great vocals
- Drums are more up front with good balance and low end however I would still prefer slightly more punch
- Guitars are expansive and fill the space
- Its a bit nit picky but it would nice to have a little more attack on drums and guitar
- Tonality wise I would say its very balanced with a hint towards warm.
The Pretty Wreckless - Death by Rock and Roll
Olina
- Intro walking has pans well left to right and almost feels like its behind me as well
- Vocals appear off to the left slightly, again clear and natural sounding
- Guitar feels like its center stage
- Drums are hanging out left of vocals but move around depending on which part of the kit is being played. Bass drums lower whereas cymbals are higher. Snares more center
- Same as above, Nothing sticking out tonality wise, everything is pretty balanced albeit leaning bright.
Vortex
- Intro walking has good left to right and is not too wide or tall
- Guitar has really good note weight, you can feel it. I really like the guitar replay with these
- Vocals have a great quality in the lower frequencies. It has a heavier, almost raspy heft to it. Vocals change depth in throughout the song from intimidate to more recessed which I really appreciate.
- cymbals continue to lack bite, although its only noticeable when looking for it
- Drums have good presence. I would say it continues the trend of the drums and guitar being closer to you than the vocals, giving good depth
- Drums could still use a bit more attack here
- Soundstage is deeper than it is wide and not particularly tall
LEPROUS - The Silent Revelation
Olina
- I get the most 3D effect from this song so far
- Vocals have such an eerie, ethereal quality. Really beautiful
- Soundstage feels taller than wider in this song with decent depth
- Everything feels a lot more centered here compared to other songs.
- Drums do a good job of bouncing around similarly to other songs
- Imaging in general is pretty good on this song. Guitars are easier to place compared to other songs
Vortex
- Best drums I have heard out of all songs for both earphones. Good depth and attack as well as punch
- Drums more present than guitar
- Vocals continue having that ethereal quality
- Imaging is really good, you can place the cellos, vocals, drums all in there own place clearly with good details
- Cello note weight is great. Cello in general is really good. I didn’t really notice it with the Olina
- Stage is still narrow so when it gets busy things start to stack on each other. I can still make out each layer though. Nothing ever muddies together
Blue Pills - High Class Woman
Olina
- Vocals recessed in comparison to guitars giving a good sense of depth
- Vocals never muddied even though they appear further back
- Guitar tonality continues to be impressive, as does vocal tonality
- Drums continue to lack punch
- Good layering, you can clearly separate and locate the various guitar parts
- Drums are pushed far back but cymbals are still clear
Vortex
- From the first second you get this warm clarity laid over the whole song. I really dig it
- Vocals are recessed and very mellow. The guitar is definitely the star here
- Guitar laying shows off much better soundstage width and height than previous songs
- Guitar tonality is great with proper weight and attack
- Cymbals can be picked out with relative ease in the background and have proper bite
- Drums are a bit muddy and hard to separate from guitar
Halestorm - Love Bites
Olina
- Drums have almost no punch in this song
- Song with the smallest soundstage. Everything feels like its on top of each other, albeit clearly separated
- Vocals do break out of that small soundstage and times and bounce up/down and left/right
- Everything in general is lacking punch in the mix making the overall presentation brighter
Vortex
- Cymbals at beginning were clear and could be spotted in the up and to the right easily
- Oddly after intro the cymbals kind of just float in the background faintly, sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left, sometimes covering the whole soundstage
- Drums overall have great imaging although weight could be better.
- Vocals are not prominent but neither recessed. They are kind of just sitting at the same level as everything else
- Soundstage isn’t particularly deep here, much wider than it is tall and deep.
- Guitar tonality is great.
Summary
Olina
- Very natural sounding and balanced tuning with a slight lean towards bright
- Bass is lacking a bit for me. Specifically on drums
- Great note attack but slightly lacking note weight
- Never sibilant or harsh
- Instrument separation can get murky at times
- Soundstage is surprisingly wide and tall although depth could be improved.
Vortex
- Overall balanced sound signature tilting warmer
- Laid back presentation while still keeping really good clarity
- Soundstage is deeper than it is tall and wide. Feels bother expansive and intimate somehow. Could come off as cramped on particularly busy tracks
- Benefits from higher listening volumes in my opinion
- Softer note attack but good note weight
Final Comparisons
Soundstage: Olina
Imaging: Vortex
Tonality: Preference
Bass: Vortex
Mids: Preference
Treble: Olina
Details/Resolution: Olina
Final Words
These were a lot closer than I remember the last time I A/Bed them. I believe part of that are the songs which are not common to my library (but very enjoyable!) as well as listening volume. Imo Vortex starts to overtake Olina at higher listening volumes since its a warmer set and won’t get harsh or sibilant as quickly. Overall I think the tonality preferences will be the deciding factor here. If you are looking for something warmer and more laid back while still having good clarity the Vortex are a great buy. Those favoring more prominent, airier vocals with a broader soundstage will probably prefer the Olina (plus it’s cheaper). Last thing I will point out is that my Olina has the Tanya filter on so stock Olina is even brighter and has less bass emphasis making the difference much bigger.
EDIT: Formatting tips thanks to @nymz!
That is a very good comparison, but it’s not exactly a fair one (or at least the results will be colored) because of the source; Vortex being a warmer IEM is going to be complemented by Q5K, while Olina is going to be handicapped a little being a more neutral IEM on a neutral source.
Putting the two on a warmer source would very likely change some of the results. I only mention this because I’m reading your review while listening to Olina SE on my hip-dac, and it plays more balanced than on Q5K, you know?
You are correct in that the Qudelix is going to compliment the Vortex moreso than the Olina bkut I don’t necessarily agree on it being unfair or having a huge impact because and I purposely used the same tips, cable and source to best isolate differences in the IEM.
Also imo testing on the Qudelix is most fair since it’s a very popular source for IEMs andost people aren’t going to source roll for a specific IEM. Especially not in the Olina price bracket. Also tips are the more impacting than source as well and the final E tips don’t really favor the Vortex since it’s already a warm tip. The warmth from the final E imo balance the brightness of the Qudelix
I agree, for testing it’s a really good piece of equipment (neutral source, easier to volume match-ish than anything else I have either). But it just should be noted that way, because if I know Olina isn’t going to sound it’s best on a neutral source, I won’t listen to it on a neutral source.
If I’m being weird, I’m not arguing your process or results. Just wanting to note that you are isolating variables to test the IEMs, not putting the IEMs’ best feet forward
oh totally and I dont think you are being weird. It’s a totally valid point to bring up. I agree 100% and I should have clarified it was definitely not about trying to make each IEM sound their “best”
Decided to pull them out of the drawer on a whim, having a very dynamic time with the FW01. Can’t remember the last time I willingly and comfortably opted for cable-down.
Man, thank you very much for this detailed comparison!
I appreciate your time for testing and sharing your thoughts on both sets.
I read a lot of reviews about the Vortex and all of them has been very positive. Your comparison came as the cherry on top.
Vortex is already on my wishlist for 11.11. 
I had a whole set of advice for you, but before I even consider it I needed to ask: You’re trying to stay with 1DDs or are you open to hybrids?
That could be the case with IEMs for me. But I know that with headphones at least I am quite the slut for the 6XX sound. And they have forward mids and vocals. My main goal for an IEM was to find the 6XX in IEM form, with hopefully better bass. Good bass extension, punchy mid bass, more focus on mids/vocals, with smooth treble is what I believe to be my ideal sound profile. Definitely gonna look for something to beat the FH3, as it does feel still a bit too weak for mids.
You’ve just described the Mangird Tea 
I look forward to seeing you in the cookie cult 