IEM discussion thread (Part 1)

Damn - I’ve been contemplating doing the same exact thing just to get my hands on more pairs. They are so comfortable and to my ears, they open the stage quite significantly - might just have to bite the bullet and buy an entire set :upside_down_face:

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I’m going for ADV custom silicone tips for all my favorite sets eventually, figure it will one of the best (but a tad spendy) moves I could do for both audio and comfert.

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They look similar in shape/material to the Dunu S&S which have been much hyped as eartips, I have some on the way actually.

The Dunu ones look more Xelastecy, whereas the timeless from your photo look like regular soft silicone?

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That might be a good move - let us know how it goes because down the line, I’d love to get the entire experience of getting a mold done, sending them into the company to make the tips ect. It’s part of being a crazy audiophile!

I had my eyes on those once @Timmy-Gizaudio mentioned them in one of his videos … the ones that were packaged with the timeless are a super soft, regular type silicone, not sticky in the slightest. The stem and the bell? Not sure what it’s actually called, is made of the same material.

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They are a bit Xelastecy, they come with the SA6 Ultra. Extremely comfy, if you nail the right size IMO.

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sigh My new 7Hz Zeroes finally arrived and I hope I won’t lose these this time. If you want to know what happened to my original pair, no luck, I tried and I still cannot find it.

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The Zeros’ shells remind me of little mountains. Ever since the first time I saw them, that’s always what I have thought. Anyways, enough with the random thoughts. Congratulations on the new Zeros! Here’s to hoping you have a long and happy listening life together! :beers:

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Indeed they look like mountains, that’s why I bought the blue set of these in the first place. Also blue is my favorite color, now it’s gone and a shame despite it being on the budget side. The black ones look sleeker and cool though.

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Maybe black will be your lucky color! :crossed_fingers::wink:

I mean blue and black are my favorite colors, same as my father, so I wish it can be lucky.

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Dude, I would kill for some Toblerone right now…Thanks for kickin’ off the munchies bro! :joy:

Zero’s more similar to its logo LOL

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Ever since my neice told me she sees a dancing bear on the front of the Toblerone mountain I can’t unsee it. I never noticed it for the first 35 years of my life and now it’s the first thing I see when I look at the mountain/package.

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I was having a conversation with @RockinDave while listening to the Meteor and the major appeal to it clicked. Realized it on the track below. It’s the first IEM that the kickdrum and bass guitar take on nearly equal presence, and bring it with authority, while still allowing all the texture to pull through on bass guitar. All while not casting a shadow over the mids and treble. Still having a forward approach and airiness to them. Authority and texture for bass are key here for my preference. I have or heard other IEMs that give equal presence and texture but, not to this level.

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Reviews / impressions of Xenns Top are trickling in:

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Been listening to my EJ07m again since the weekend, man these things are great. Just natural sounding, well-balanced and somehow right between laid-back and vibrant depending on the track. What a treat when you can just get lost in the music!

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Speaking of getting lost in the music / everything “just working”, no need to playlist skip…

For whatever reason, giving the Sony XBA N3 another go has been a completely different visit. What a full package. Effortless.


When something like this happens (going from having a poor opinion of an IEM to venerating it) I have to evaluate my first run, I’d obviously like to avoid 180° change in opinions/recommendations where possible if there was something wrong with the first listen. A couple of things come to mind:

  1. Volume levels. When I’m comparing a lot of sets, as I was when I first tried the N3, I notice volume creeps over the several days. I think it’s from trying to get one set to match the energy I felt from a very specific part of the FR when I swap sets - even if the tuning of the second set, intentionally having a lower value in the area I’m trying to match for purely emotional reasons, sounds worse or has FR parts that are just too high / the volume has to be too high to achieve the same vibe from that exact part of the sound my mind decided to prioritize that session.

  2. Volume levels again - even if it’s not from my mind trying to match a certain part of the FR at the cost of the rest, instead of accepting the set has different emphases, some sets need volume to sound their most immersive and others don’t and actually suffer from it.

  3. Tip rolling - I’m not sure what I tried last time. I seem to remember finding the mids really recessed, so it really did sound like DD for low end, super tweeter for upper, and a sort of gap in between. I haven’t been getting that at all, possibly tip dependent for that? I’ve been using the Final E series tips, I haven’t found the midbass is overkill or bleeding whatsiever with these, and their comfy. Also wearing these down instead of forcing them into a cable-up fit, which has given a much better fit even if fit was ok before and seal had no problem.

  4. Psychology? At the time I really needed to shift things fast. I know I did have big hopes for them given the BL03 comparisons, but somehow even so, I may have been predisposed to being critical

  5. Biased stable - if I recall the other sets that were getting ear time then had something in common, elevated sub-bass. It would have felt like the norm and that something was wrong rather than different because I had not one but at least two sets that had enough in common for the N3 to feel like the odd one out.

So there’s my attempt to rationalize it, and going forward (if you’re sensible and follow what I write you may already do this, ha!) don’t pay too much heed to something I haven’t listened to for more than a week.

Likewise for me, I know my experience with the N3 became part of my advice/voiced opinion, and that’s irresponsible. I should only share as strong advice that which I’m strongly familiar with, and share anything else with clear disclaimers and caveats.

TL;DR:
I originally had little good to say about the XBA-N3, but given the last week or two I have almost nothing bad to say about it. Absolutely incredible all-rounder. Very vanilla and adaptable, I don’t think it’s strongly colored or favors certain sounds, but not sterile or reference by any stretch of the imagination. Hanging-down fit is very comfortable. Runs off any power.

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I love this! This is why I consistently go back and listen to other sets, and when A/Bing, I’ll be quietly re-grading the comparison IEMs. I constantly shift and adjust grades, as I hear more things and my brain burns-in to certain kinds of signatures.

Being on the Cadenza and other neutral-to-balanced sets for the last week and change, I put on Rosefinch and felt like “OMG I HAVEN’T HEARD THIS MUCH BASS BEFORE” because my brain had stopped being used to it. It also shows how “correct” and “accurate” bass can be potent in it’s own right, when it’s not constantly compared to “full basshead” levels of bass.

As you’re saying, conditions matter: listening conditions, IEM conditions, human conditions. Everything makes our experiences when it comes to listening to music and sound.

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