Have you tried the OG P1s, too? If so do you have any thoughts on how the OG and Plus differ? Liking the P1s this much got me wondering about the P1+. I have tried the P1 Max, Stellaris, and the S12 Pro and I own or have owned the S12, Supermoon, Hook-X, Timeless, Muse Hifi Power, and Wu (probably leaving a couple out) and the S12s, OG P1, and Supermoon have been my favorites so far. In trying all those planars I somehow skipped the P1 and P1+ and I’m not even sure exactly how since I always had the intention of trying the P1 because I had heard good things about it. If the P1+ is anything like the OG, then I can totally understand why you dig it and it’s definitely on my must try list now.
Edit: Also owned Dioko for 72hrs. I always forget that one…
Sounds like I’m going to need to get ahold of a pair of the P1+. For right now though, I am very happy with how these P1s are performing. They definitely have some special sauce and are surprisingly versatile. I’ve been enjoying them with everything from neo-prog to jazz to indie rock. They’re a very solid pair of IEMs.
Based on their tuning and performance, I’m also thinking that these would be a pretty solid set for actual monitoring work. I’d have to play around with tips some more to see if they isolate well enough for loud venues and live work, but as I have them setup right now I think they’d perform admirably in a studio setting.
I use Final E tips on mine. Works well to tame the treble a little.
I really like the warm never muddy bass and the sweetness that the vocals have. My favorite part is the stage like soundstage that make it sound more like speakers than IEM.
The one issue I’ve found is the timbre of instrument in the upper range like violin can sound a bit off.
So far I have found the Tinhifi T2 blue foam tips to be a pretty good, comfortable option, but I have only tried a couple other tips thus far so I don’t know if they’ll be my final pick or not. I still plan to try the Final E, some Radius Deep Mounts, and a few other foam tips I have on hand. Depending on what effects I get out of those (which are my standards/favorites that I generally rotate through on IEMs that have similar tunings and needs) I have others I may try if I think I need to.
I got to listen to the Aroma Audio Jewels today and, while they were not my preferred tuning or presentation style, they were REALLY impressive. They have incredible detail retrieval and their rendering of spatial cues along with very precise imaging and abundant layering makes for a very immersive experience.
They definitely favor female vocals over male, which can come off lacking a little strength and depth to their tonality (this is slight, but for a very expensive and elite IEM it’s necessary to note it, IMO). The only other real criticism I have is that on some tracks the bass comes off as being very separate from the upper two-thirds of their sonic range, almost as if it’s being created by a separate source. I wasn’t able to do as much tip rolling and other testing as I like to pinpoint what it was that was causing the issue or what characteristics the tracks I was hearing it on had that the others that didn’t cause the problem didn’t. Overall, I spent a little over 2 hours with them and on almost every objective front (disregarding as much personal preference kinda stuff as possible) I was very impressed with what Aroma was able to due with these IEMs.
Also, the Jewels were also quite comfortable for me as well, FWIW.
I made a comment in here like a week ago or something about the UM Multiverse Mentor being a good IEM, but also being clearly overpriced as I felt it wasn’t differentiating itself much from IEMs half its price. The Aroma Jewels are overpriced in the way that any elite audio gear is IMO because that’s just the market we’re living with currently, but, unlike the UMs, the Jewels are clearly giving you a performance increase over their $2k-$2.5k bretheren. How much of an increase would take much more listening time for me to give you a decent answer on and whether it’s worth double the money is something you can really only answer yourself, but the fact that the increase is apparent and that I came away impressed is a good start for sure.
Edit: Spelling and to mention that I used my Cayin N8ii as the source for this session.
The Jewels are too rich for my blood as well. I have a friend who is VERY into high end IEMs in particular and he also happens to be the kinda guy who’s always down to let me have a listen to his latest toys. He wanted to hear my Holo Audio May KTE DAC and he happened to have the Jewels with him when he came by so while he tried out the May KTE with some of his other gear, I took the opportunity to demo the Jewels.
Edit: And you’re welcome. I post stuff like this when I can because I hope people find it interesting so it’s always nice to get some validation from guys like you Goober!
Just tested this, the mids seem a bit wonky to me from first hearing it but with this configuration I get the impression that I get a more coherent fq. However, they might be more recessed. I need to listen a bit more.
Kind of a random comment, but on the low cost end of the spectrum, I’m quite pleasantly surprised by the Hifiboy OS V3s I just picked up from @rattlingblanketwoman (thanks again bro! You’ve become one of my fav IEM stores these days ) that showed up yesterday. They have a really nice energy about them, some good bass extension, are surprisingly cohesive, and they carry a good level of clarity through the mids to the treble despite the nominally v shaped tuning.
Basically, I bought them blind because I had some vague memories of people thinking they were good back when they came out a few years back (2018). For $40 it would be hard to go wrong. So far I have found myself really enjoying them and I’ve been quite surprised at how well they’ve held up. One of the things I love most about this hobby is when you find smiles and satisfaction in unexpected places. The first thing I listened to on them was Tom Morello’s The Atlas Underground Series in hi-res and they have a combination of sub bass rumble, mid bass punch, and clarity with reasonably good detail retrieval that suited those albums and that musical style perfectly. I had so much fun.
The last thing I’ll mention is that their technical performance was also a bit of a surprise for me. While they were in transit I read up on the OS V3s to see what I could expect. Back in 2018 several reviews mentioned that they had some decent technical chops, but I just figured that with the passage of time that performance would no longer hold up. I have to say that I was somewhat wrong. Are these technical champs? No. Can you find better technical performers for the money these days? At the $130 or whatever they sell for on Penon you definitely can. That said, you can also find worse technical performance for the money and I would say that the OS V3s perform admirably, holding up well 4+ years after their initial release. I would say that if these were released today in the $80 to $100 price range people would be impressed and positive reviews and accolades would follow. For instance, I think their performance stacks up favorably to the Hexas that are so hot right now and that I was able to also try recently.
The fact that I got just as much if not more enjoyment and fun today from a set I bought for $40 and a set worth $5k is such a cool and unique side to this hobby.
Don’t say this out on head-fi on the water cooler page. They might stone you lol
Seriously though, I agree with your sentiments here . Old tech that is good doesn’t die, like XBA-N3. But it does usually get cheaper over time as new tech or products can match it for less. And there is no wrong way for anyone to enjoy their journey through the hobby, but the only reason to spend $5000 on an IEM or headphone is because you want to. There is no material benefit to going that far, but if it makes you feel good (and you can afford it) then it’s worth it!
Enjoy em, brother. Take good care of my 2nd child, I’m trusting your baby sitting skills!
Again - obligatory thank you to @MMag05 and the still to this day anonymous king who put up the cash for allowing it to happen. I wish I had more Audio friends in the area, everyone deserves to hear the DM at least once if they’re an Audiophile.
Hold on, does this mean that people actually have to be in the Boston area to get on the OG DM review tour list? Isn’t that like discrimination or something?!?!
Seriously though, that’s crazy cool that someone gifted the DMs to you! I owned them for a short time (couldn’t get a good fit) and I can say that they’re definitely a unique and special IEM. In fact, the DMs are basically reaponsible for the current higher end single DD hunt I’m on. They are one of the IEMs that showed me how crazy special a single DD done right can be.
It’s also cool to see you loaning your new shinies to another hobbyist to share the magic. Clearly whoever chose to send the DMs to you, chose the right custodian.
Edit: BTW as of yesterday, I have the Zen Pros and the Twilights here already. The Moondrop Illuminations should be here tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest according to the tracking from Audio 64. I decided not to listen to any of them until I have them all and I’m ready to start doing the shootout (I’m only keeping one of them) with them so I’m really looking forward to it. HBB asked me to post some thoughts on his thread when I’ve had some time with them (he helped with recs) and if folks on this thread are interested I’ll make sure to crosspost in one way or another.
Ahhh hahah I had a really horrible experience when I was younger, I shipped out a really valuable pair of shoes in the hopes of getting another pair sent back to me, a trade so to speak. Unfortunately - I was cheated out of my pair. Never heard from the kid again. That provided some much needed PTSD - not to trust anyone on the internet again when it comes to their word
To be fair - since joining this forum, I have gotten rid of this aversion to shipping things out. I trust you guys. I speak to you guys every day and I may not know everyone when it comes to their faces or first names, but there’s a brother-hood here on this site and I feel it. The only thing I absolutely cannot get over (I hope to one day) is trusting the carriers. If a package were to break or be damaged, I’d be screwed. Sure, maybe I’m over thinking it - but I am acknowledging my problem and I want to get over that fear so I can start sending out my sets to my friends I’ve made on here.
Now speaking on the DMs, I too have a problem with the fit - the shell is so tiny and the nozzle is so short, my elephants ears have an issue keeping them in - even with large size tips. My right ear is particularly picky when it comes to fit. I definitely benefit from longer nozzles and the DMs have super short ones. Radius Deep mounts did the trick however - so I was thankful. My tip rolling session when I first received them was filled with anxiety and regret at the thought of not getting a good seal and fit with them. I was relieved to say the least!
I’m definitely looking forward to your TOTL single DD shoot out, man. The Twilights are such an interesting piece of kit and you’re just the right person to demo them. Your track record is stellar and I’d love to get your opinion on the Twilights Vs. other Kilobuck and above tribrids and even the Supermoons!
Dude, I really didn’t mean to make you feel bad for not lending stuff out through shipping. I swear I was just messin’ around. Now I feel like a bit of a jerk…
) that showed up yesterday. They have a really nice energy about them, some good bass extension, are surprisingly cohesive, and they carry a good level of clarity through the mids to the treble despite the nominally v shaped tuning.
. Old tech that is good doesn’t die, like XBA-N3. But it does usually get cheaper over time as new tech or products can match it for less. And there is no wrong way for anyone to enjoy their journey through the hobby, but the only reason to spend $5000 on an IEM or headphone is because you want to. There is no material benefit to going that far, but if it makes you feel good (and you can afford it) then it’s worth it!
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