Glad to hear this.
@hawaiibadboy @Resolution @Rikudou_Goku what are your favourite IEMs for classical music? I think Moondrop Illumination and LZ A7 were mentioned previously, but anything under 300 USD? How about the new Dunu Falcon Pro? Thanks in advance!
@howler Welcome. Yes, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev piano concertos demand good gear. I particularly enjoy the 4 Rachs done by Decca with London and Valentina Lisitsa.
One can argue preferences of interpretation of course, but she plays these well, imo, and the recordings have good balance. They were all recorded at Abbey Road. Here’s one. The second mvt is lovely and is on my “before bedtime” list. The 3rd is good for checking those sparkly highs. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itf12YZfQlw
PS I use Amazon Hd
Tanchjim Oxygen
I love Rachmaninoff’s piano pieces! Which IEMs would you use to listen to this piece?
For classical, I feel you have to go with a single DD and natural timbre should be very high on your list of must haves. Oxygen comes to mind.
You should be able to just cut and past the URL from youtube into the editing box here.
That Rach is nice. Sounds great on my HD660s. I’ll try on my Etymotics to compare.
I think that @Resolution 's preference for 1DD makes sense, as from what I understand an average DD is more likely to have better timbre than an average BA. That said, better BA-driven IEMs are ok, and they have other advantages. There definitely is a clear consensus in favor of the Oxygen and beyond that the Illumination. I’d love to be able to give either a try. I also think he’s right about how a single driver of whatever type offers an advantage over hybrids in terms of coherence. Of course, really good hybrids can do the job, but at a higher price point.
@hawaiibadboy seems to prefer a different sort of sound sig than what I favor. I think it reflects different musical tastes. I like the music he favors but focus on other genres…sort of, I dig the Allman Brothers but buy gear optimized for Bach–which probably would do a decent job with the Allman Brothers anyways. Our Hawaiian friend may or may not listen to Bach, but he’s into gear optimized for the Allman Brothers. Frankly, I appreciate the fact that he’s so explicit in his reviews about the music he listens to, for it helps me to understand his audio reviews.
If I were to compare my tastes with this, I’d say I favor bright neutral, where he leans a bit toward what I think ppl call “musical” or “fun.” So it’s not at all a surprise to me that he completely dismisses the Ety ER4SR, whereas I’d probably would like them a lot. I bet he’d prefer the HD650 over the HD600, and I’m the opposite.
I’ll check out the Lisitsa, I haven’t heard that one yet. I generally listen to Richter for #2 – I think that one is hors concours, nobody touches him in that piece. For #3, I generally listen to Sokolov, but the bootleg of his performance with Ollila, not his commercial release on DG with Tortelier, mostly because his piano goes out of tune on the Tortelier (it’s a live performance from the 1995 Proms), or the Argerich-Chailly or the Janis-Dorati when I feel like a wilder or delicate version, respectively. For #4, I mostly spin the Michelangeli, and I honestly never listen to #1, I don’t care for it much.
But there are so many great versions, Zimerman, Andnes, Ashkenazy, Wild, Trifonov, Thibaudet, Wang, Rudy, Kocsis, and of course Rachmaninov himself all deserve a lot of attention with this rep.
Thanks, I haven’t heard the Richter 2. You have tried more of these than I, so I’m curious
to know what you think…recording as well as performance. Fun, eh? Btw, I’ve played the
Rach. 2 several times…timpani, not piano, lol!
Better timbre and coherency. Necessities for audiophile replay of classical music.
Have you tried the Illumination?
No because of Precog’s comments. I believe him…
“Mushy transients and imaging, basically par with their other single DD’s for technicalities”.
When it comes to single DD IEMs, I’m with Timmy.
@Resolution Do you have an opinion on Hana 2021 versus Kato.
I’ve been eyeing the Hana but Timmy likes the Kato better. He said that the Kato is better than Hana on details and has slightly less energy in the highs.
Kato > Hana 2021??
From the FR, the Hana has more bass which seems better to me but also like detailed IEM.
Nope. I own Oxygen so I really don’t see the point. Oxygen > all per Timmy.
Oxygen bro. The answer is right there.
Since I’m in the same classical music boat, do the FiiO FD7 and the 7Hz Timeless fit on this list?
Tnx…
drftr
Because I’m stubborn and like to be different ( to a fault I know), I am currently considering Final A3000 and Oriolus Finschi for classical (also they are in my price range under $200).
For under $200 I’d consider the Ety models and the Hana 2021.