Yesterday evening I took some more time for critical listening and switching between the 7Hz Timeless and the S12 and found that they differ more from each other than I initally thought. So instead of trying to articulate how these 2 sets differ I decided to endeavor to record sound demos. As I’m a big fan of sound demos (Shout out to Dan’s Audio Reviews, Tharbamar and Zeos) and as I recently purchased a IEM measurement kit I thought let’s give it a shot. I think the demos succeed to give you an impression about their sonic characteristics.
Most importantly I learned 2 things.
- Frequency response graphs are more misleading than I initially assumed
- Don’t assess audio gear on the sideline like I did yesterday while doing office work
Sound demos
The Recording chain was as follows:
Roon → IEM → Artificial Ear IEC711 coupler → Audacity (mono recording) → Export as wav files → Normalize wav files with iZotope Elements → Create video
Listen with neutral headphones if possible.
Here we go.
First track is a contemporary jazz piece showcasing all the good jazz stuff: Marcus Miller - Trip Trap
Second track is a female choral classical containing only strings and high pitch female singing
Third track shows the bass/hip-hop capabilites The Roots - I Don’t Care
Btw, this track must have the deepest sub-bass droning throughout the whole track. I guess this is some kind of easter egg put in by The Roots. Can you hear it too?
Fourth track is classic hard rock Thin Lizzy - Hearth Attack
Final remarks
For me the Timeless wins in the bass department. The S12 is leading the rest of the spectrum.
In the end I still like the S12 more. Also I find the S12 has a wider stage than the Timeless.