Objectivism in context of rating something good/bad in this IEM/headphone hobby is impossible because everybody lives in his own reality tunnel. E.g let’s take person A who visited a lot of metal life concerts and hip-hop/techno clubs in his youth. This person A would rate some bass head IEM as good while person B who had a a classical string instrument education and liked to go to operas or whatever would rate the same IEM as bad.
Well both could agree that an IEM with a driver from 1998 built in is indeed bad while it would still be worse for one of them.
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I think lilhm just means to exaggerate less so someone would know roughly how they compare - so instead of 1/100 to show how much you’d rather take the EJ07m, you could use 65/100 or (whatever you think appropriate) so realistically how much it falls short of the EJ07m.
Unless you really think it gives only 1% of the enjoyment! 
In that case you were already objective!
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That’s right, but there are still things that are easy to notice - soundstage, technicality, dynamics, etc.
Yes. 1/100 is written quickly, but I think you can easily tell the difference if you listen to them a / b, like me! However, the reviews we read were not written in a hurry 
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Everyone likes what they like.
Let me give an example.
Just because I don’t like the Mangird Tea for my library and tastes does not mean it is a bad IEM nor that others are not going to enjoy it. But that’s fine! Tastes and preferences differ. Even though it may not be for me, I can understand and see why someone like @nymz likes it so much and shills it all the time. And the best thing? He respects my opinion, and I do his. Being understandable and respectful is very important, not just in this hobby.
Heck, I am shilling the Variations all the time. I love that set! But no set is perfect, and I won’t hide the flaws I hear in them, however few there may be to my ears. And if someone else does not like them, guess what? That does not impact my enjoyment of them in any way.
You love your set you own? Great! Who gives a damn if others don’t like it then? All that matters is that you enjoy your music. And there is not one single way to enjoy music, not even for one and the same person.
Just some thoughts that come to mind.
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I get what you’re saying…it’s just, I can’t take any review literally I have to deduct so much from each review to get something sensible out of it. Meaning you need know your reviewer. I learned with my wallet…looking at you Moondrop SSR (for example) what a pos.
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Yes, you definitely need to know your reviewer… and his library. That’s why you need to buy some “reference” iem at first: theses iems have been reviewed by almost every reviewer and can give you a base of comparison.
These reference sets are the CCA CRA and the aria. The timeless can go in this category too. There are probably many other sets you can buy as reference, but these 3 came to my mind.
You can add the bl-03 and the tin t2, t4 or T3+.
No reviewer will match you tastes completely, but you’ll be able to mix and match with this methodology.
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Even assuming the Excalibur is worse than the 07M it’s not fair to apply that logic and say the Monarch MK2 is also not as good which is what you’re implying… If I were to guess Crin would probably put the 07m around A to S-.
In the end, as a customer and an IEM hobbyist, I think I would prefer to listen to the opinion of Crin (who reviewed I think 1000 IEMs now) and other reviewers. Note that I have nothing against the 07M, in fact, I’m thinking of buying it as my endgame since I heard great things about it, but Crin aside, the general consensus from reviewers and those who own it is that the Monarch MK2 is really good.
There’s no way to be objective in ranking an IEM in your own PERSONAL list based on your OWN personal preference target and library because tuning is entirely subjective which affects the rankings. But that aside, I’m curious when you say the 07M has better technicalities than the Excalibur, like in-terms of detail and resolution? How much more are we talking here?
It would be really helpful if @Resolution (or anyone who owns both) can help us compare the 07M and the Mon MK2. If Mon MK2 is “S” tier, how would the 07M be ranked in comparison?
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The Blessing 2 for me is such a reference iem (even though not super budget). I got it for the legendary ratings and now I take every reviewer with a big grain of salt who recommends it. But there are many reviewers, who rate it rather low (I believe HBB and Dan e.g.)
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No need to guess: A-/B (no value stars)
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Oh I see, it’s under the $500 shootout. He gave it a B overall 
Now I’m REALLY curious how @Resolution ranks the two.
I haven’t hinted at that! Exactly the opposite 
Crin likes brighter sound signatures.
Yes! I had the Dusk but I had to return it due to fit. It was tuned very well imo, but I do prefer Tea more for my library and the way I listen (high volume with treble roll since I’m treble sensitive).
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He shared a lot of thoughts, but warned us that they would block us in the topic for 07m. That is why I say that “the truth is born in the dispute”, no matter how subjective it may be. 
To me, it really just comes down to personal preference. For example, I just found this guy really not liking the Mon MK2: THIEAUDIO Monarch MK2 IEM Review 👎🏼 - YouTube
whereas HBB, Headphoneshow, precog, Crin and others all really enjoy it. I mean, Crin gave the 07M a B haha!
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From the memory, I’d say Excalibur has more details, I’d dare to say to some context they’re also fake details because treble is more elevated than EJ07M.
But technicalities are a tier below EJ07M, at least I haven’t found them particularly stand out like they do on EJ.
Bear in mind their target audience is different, Excalibur is top notch V shaped set while EJ is much more balanced. So you have to choose what you’d like and how it would fit your library
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Hmm interesting 
This is exactly the paradox, according to Resolution 07m is very close to perfection, and this perfection is called Mon MK2. People don’t like it because there is no boom boom boom bass 
Have you had the chance to try the Mon MK2? Curious how it compares technically to the 07M.