Just dug out the IE300’s again as I haven’t tried them with the L&P W2. There’s a definite improvement over last time I used them with the HipDac and/or SXFI Amp. On a side note I find them hard to drive with the W2, high gain and 55+ volume to really get the best from them without being too loud of course.
However, I’m still not totally convinced by them. I’ve been using full-BA sets ever since and the IE300’s sound slow in comparison. It’s a more rounded, softer edged, cosier sound with a noticeable mid-bass boost.
They are detailed but they don’t resolve the detail so easily, you have to listen harder to hear it than with my Aonic 5’s say but nothing is missing.
Voices aren’t that recessed as I had remembered but if there’s a lot of bass in the track the mids can feel distant. Sibilance also wasn’t an issue this time around either which was nice.
Soundstage and imaging are very good and I can’t tell much difference between them and my Aonic 5’s. They are quite 3D like with good depth and height also. They feel (literally) a lot better when there is out-of-phase sound (the type that goes around and into your head) than my Aonic 5’s, the 5’s can feel strange, it’s difficult to put to words.
The biggest weird thing for me is that instrument presence or hierarchy can be out of order. Where piano should take priority you may find bass or drums will compete too much. It throws you off a bit. This isn’t too common though.
The fit and overall build quality and package is nice. I really want to like them as they feel luxurious.
I’m stsrting to enjoy these especially if I use them as a fun use case and not a reference or analytical set. Just a set to enjoy music without thinking about it.
Yeah, me too. Not buying. I hoped for better technicalities of falcon.
Not worth to upgrade from my fd5 according comparison Rikudou_Goku made. Thanks him for this. Saved my wallet at this moment.
Even for metal/rock good tuning is only one part of image and without good tehnicalities it is like good painting made without colours. And Falcon technicalities seems like the weakest part of it. Perhaps for mainstream usual listeners it is not so big problem. But guys here are not so forgiving
That is probably an older model. The ehm…head-pipes (doesnt look like a band to me lol) is different from the metal headband on the R70x, its more like how it is on their AD lineup.
I don’t use it anymore. It’s hanging on the rack of shame in a closet with all the other unworthy headphones I have. I only used it for gaming. I bought it before I really got into collecting audiophile headphones.
Just sharing.
I thought the headband might be amazing but I hated it. Horrible design IMO.
Man, Audio Technica has been using that suspension type for ages! Even as far back as the ATH-Axxx line (these are my ATH-A700 from ~2005-6?). Pretty medicore closed backs, but MAN do they have a pretty colorway! It also has a special place in my heart as the first pair of “Hifi” headphones I ever bought, basically what got me into this hobby. I always found that suspension system to be comfy and unobtrusive, but it always fees like it might not be totally secure on the top of the head.
Jealous because I think the R70x could be my endgame cans, but I rarely ever USE full-size headphones so I have yet to bite the bullet (speakers at home, IEMs on the road).
The Tonality on it, is basically a “jack of all trades, master of none” type for my library. It doesnt do anything bad, but nothing outstanding, for a planar iem it is definitely impressive (since every other planar iem seems to have crap tonality…). Although electronic music works pretty well (for another reason).
The tech, well, specifically the soundstage depth, is quite dissapointing, it seems to be the cause for why my OST and Sawano tracks doesnt sound that good, it makes everything sounds like it is only a straight 2D line from left to right.
Which is the reason why electronic music sounds better to me, since they arent as demanding with soundstage and imaging as with acoustic music.
Like this:
Would you say that they the Timeless could be used as a reference set with semi-neutral tuning and good detail retrieval? Or is there anything else wonky that wouldn’t put them in that category?
I mean…the tonality does seem to be U-shaped, so its not really a neutral iem. Detai, seems to be good though.
At that price range, I guess the Hana 2021 is the best rec (if it is a mini Oxygen at least) for a more reference set. (excluding stuff like the Ety ER2SE/XR)
The ER line is like driving a small object in to your ear… well because that is how it works. It is definitely not a fit everyone will like so make sure if you get it you do so at a place with a reasonable return policy just in case.
That being said I do love the ER2XR despite the fit and it having a very hard to replace not good cable.
I tried that way back when I got them. I used to have long hair and the rubber bands would get caught in my hair. So then I went to string. The string felt like it was cutting into my head!
In the end, I just dealt with it feeling like is was about to fall off my head. I got used to it. It’s not for me.
Does it have enough bass (not sub-bass) for electronic?
If it does it could be great for electronic music because of the good detail and resolution and the fact that soundstage, timbre and imaging is not as needed.
