RIP
Haha. Will you be doing a detailed DM vs S12 comparison? I want to know if youāre turning into a timbrehead
They are not in the same category. I will compare DM to EJ07.
S12 is getting some food next week, as Im waiting on some hot samples. Will also be facing Teas, of course.
By category, do you mean budget category? EJ07 is a tribrid though, right? I guess itāll bring out the strongest contrast in timbre and ātechnicalities.ā Bit of an unfair comparison IMO because of all the extra drivers covering different FR. On the other hand, it may be useful in benchmarking the timbre and coherency of the EJ07.
Regardless, I look forward to reading it!
Yes. One is 150$ and the other one is 600$.
I thought u meant overall quality. Timbrewise, I love both. DD is DD, but Planar is love and a nice change of pace.
Both EJs have excelent coherency.
Tier list re-done, but still a WIP. Have a nice weekend everyone Enjoy some music!
Edit: Will share more thoughts during the weekend. I must admit that DM and CRA caught me off guard
All I can say is Buy 64Mangird Magician ST07T.
Best,
nymz, the fooled
Magicianās Assistant
Great list, thanks!
I see thereās no Thieaudio IEMās on there, do you not like them or you havenāt heard them?
We need to get you the Clairvoyance and Monarch
Just never happened I guess. Iām very impatient and the queue times always gave me shiversā¦
Iād love to try Mona2 but, fit scares me
CCA CRA Impressions
If you scroll above, you can see a post I did about how shocked I was about S12 kocking my socks off right at the begining of the year, which was only 2 weeks after I got mentally destroyed by Timeless (R.I.P.) resolving power.
All was good and golden and then, 4 days later, I got CRA thanks to @igor0203 and @Tfaduh (I luv u guys) that wanted to troll me but, oh boy, they were wrong.
Obligatory context pause:
- Below 100$, I had two default recs: Tripowin x HBB Mele and HZSound Heart Mirror.
- A giant-killer is a unicorn - In my opinion giant killers are giants that fit your library better.
- Just like regular people, thereās giant of different sizes. So how big is the giant they wanna shoot at?
First take on CRA was the usual, during work, sounded fine, maybe slight hot around 5k, nice bass texture and presence, not that bloated and more balanced than it graphs. Techs seemed ok, but given I had no way to A/B other stuff and only had over 600usd sets with me at that time, I shook it off and went back to my trusted sets, while deciding to conduct an A/B later with Mele and HM.
Life happened, CRA stood on my desk until yesterday night since I also received MiM Dark Magician and we all know how that is going for meā¦
While throwing everything I could to EJ07 and DM, I saw @Rikudou_Gokuās CRA review and decided to grab it and to put it between the two from time to time. I was a bit shocked, because I know by now how something sounds for itās price, but CRA wasnāt a first day fluke like I thought it was.
After being done with the Championās League, I decided to grab Mele and HM - I had to know it:
CRA ate them. Iām not talking āit depends on your preferenceā kind of thing. Itās just better than both. And this is where the downwards spiral started, where I disagree with Riku but where I can also see where he is coming from.
Another obligatory context pause:
First, everyone has a different opinion and is entitled to that and Iām not calling him out at all, itās probably one of the first times we actually agree on an IEM. Second, I trully believe that is in disagreements that new ideas rise. Third, as Iāve told him, I agree with half of his statements (ence āHow big is the giant?ā), as CRA itās an insane price to performance IEM but not a giant killer. Fourth and last, different people look for different qualities on an IEM.
"But daddy, how does it sound?"
U-Shaped to my ears with very present bass and loads of upper treble action/air (I love it). But you know me and yes, mids/vocals are still somewhat forward. Bass texture is great and upper mids/lower treble can get somewhat hot in the 5k zone, but not enough to kill me like its KZ brother DQ6.
Technically speaking, stage is good, imaging is not the best but fine, you can still point with some blureness, detail is average and timbre is good.
Now re-read the above two paragraphs Iāve wrote while thinking this costs around 15usd, because to me, this is where my brain went wonga-bonga error. I spend the same at a normal day at lunch where I work
"But daddy, a KZ?"
Yes. And no mods, no PEQ, no nothing.
"But daddy, how about test tracks?"
- Nina Simone - Sinnerman
- Agnes Obel - Curse
- Fleetwood Mac - Landslide
- Adele - Easy on Me
- Jay Cosmic - The tunnel
- Lykke Li - Silent my song
- Queen - Crazy thing called love
- Frank Sinatra - My way
- BeyoncƩ - Deja vu
- Hania Rani - Glass
- Larnel Lewis - Change your mind
- System 7 - Alpha wave
- KH - Only human
- Kindness - House
- AC/DC - Let there be rock
ā¦ and others that Iām too lazy to copy pasta.
"So, how big is the giant?"
First wall is Etymotic ER2XR, even tho the fit is what it is, itās simple a better IEM overall but stage. Past that, LETSHUOER S12 just eats alive in exchange of planar timbre. Given that, Iād say CRA is a solid pick below 100usd. Of course thereās some stuff Iād pick it over 100usd range like FH3, as an example. Iām waiting on a Dunu Titan S sample, and Iāll make sure to compare them on its review as well.
Conclusion: Iām shoked by how good this sounds for price. KZ/CCA hitted the nail, right on the spot. It isnāt without sadness that I took down 2 sets and CCA are now my default under 100usd rec to most people. Again, itās not perfect, itās not a giant-killer, but it costs what it costs. I think you should get it if you can and make your own mind, because this time it wonāt cost you a limb.
Tea cult approved. 5/5 value
If this is how January looks like, I canāt wait for Decemberās releasesā¦
Disclaimer: All listening was done through Topping NX7 on negative gain using a 4.4mm Xinhs Cable.
Is this a typo or do you just love pasta
But jokes aside, nice write up! Iāve been holding off on getting a CRA, but these glowing reviews are making resistance seem futile lol. Maybe once I successfully flip the Mele!
Pizza > Pasta > everything else.
I should do food reviews
I can agree with this
Love artichokes or pineapple on my pizza
Yes, dont get why some people hate it lol.
Italians are traditionalists lol
Pineapple on pizza is A+ tier.
Bacon and Peperoni are S tier.
Me neither, and some people are very vocal about it.
If I man be a little rude to those conservatives
Screw you, I put whatever I like on my food xD
Thanks guys, now Iām getting pizza for dinner
7hz is better than tea?
Love pineapple on pizza
āThe origin of the Hawaiian Pizza
And despite the name, it did not come from the US island state of Hawaii either. The pizza was actually created in Canada in 1962 by a Greek immigrant called Sam Panopoulos.ā