I like how you said this, because this is where Ive been lately regarding the hobby…well, at least the consumerism part. Yet, in my case, it seemed to be a sprint followed by a swan dive off a cliff While I initially purchased a lot of gear so that I could build my experience, I’ve now reached the point where I’m mostly enjoying what I have (and considering selling redundant sets) and expanding my love of music/audio using my gear. I think i jumped on the gear train and initially lost my connection to the music, if that makes sense.
That said, these have been my recent gotos:
Dita Project M - just love the sound signature for natural music. My 52 year old ears don’t mind the treble at all .
Oriolus szalayi - I love the overall warm presentation. Relaxing vs. being a detail monster.
Aür Ascension- what a perfect all- rounder to my ears.
Samsung Galaxy Pro 2/ Sony XM4 - my nightly listens for podcasts, audiobooks, and drifting off to sleep
It feels good to have gotten to where I’m foregrounding the music and appreciating the gear I’ve got - sounds like you’re in a similar place, so good on ya!
Moondrop variations is currently my most-used IEM. It took that spot from my Tia Trios, which are super-engaging but I don’t like the fit and I’m very sensitive to channel matching, which is almost flawless on the Variations but not the best on the Trios. I also have Truthear Reds and Tangzu Waners that I use sometimes. Oh and Er4Xrs are the IEM of choice for trips. I abuse the EQ on the Qudelix 5k because I have a background in audio engineering so I can get all of these to sound very similar—essentially Harman with more sub, slightly less mid treble and pretty airy upper treble. I am one of those psychos that likes the pulled-back lower mids lol
Agree with you on Project M, I was joking with Kenneth and said they are the IEM for 50+ , put them on a warm sources and rock away.
Still trying to wrap my head around how they present as Project M does something differently in the stage and the time alignment between the BA and the DD.
Welcome back, and nice to see some things never change.
That is such a great way of putting it.
I feel like I fell into a completely new hobby, flathead earbuds. They are the cheapest entry point into the hobby and almost give an open back sound experience. There are very good sounding earbuds under $10, which is absurd. I have been listening to the Faaeal Iris 2.0 and Iris Ancestor at home, and took the KBear Stellar to work.
@astr0
Not sure where to put this… but here we are:
7Hz x HBB Elua:
1st impressions done using RU7 and with stock tips and cable.
Bass: a lot of sub-bass, good mid-bass presence still-no mid-bass scoop but also no bleeding
Mids: male vocals are forward but correct, upper midrange is a bit recessed (pinna probably follows IEF neutral but because of the amount of bass it takes a back seat). Classical music still sounds good thanks to the good separation and timbre.
Treble: cymbals are pronounced but not sibilant (I’m typically sensitive to 5-6k and 10k peaks and I find 8k peak to make it sound unnatural)
Techs: this is where I got very surprised, because looking at the $29 price tagI would have expected a great tuning with bad techs. The imaging and instrument separation is surprisingly good making the large amount of bass work really well because it doesn’t crowd other instruments together. Stage width is average, meaning that the sound seems to come from slightly out of your head. Stage depth is great.
Summary: to me it sounds like a very dynamic V shape set that can actually be a good budget basshead rec. It is a pretty versatile IEM thanks to the mids not being as recessed as on typical V shape IEMs. It works especially well for techno/EDM, hip-hop and movies but still good for rock and metal.
Basically I started testing this IEM with my bassy tracks, then I realized that it could flex into other genres like vocals and classical. Cewl!
Songs highlight: great sub-bass rumble in “Freeze Rael”, good presence of the cymbals and drums in “I Put a Spell on You”, mid-bass and male vocals in “Soutra”, female vocals in “Weird Fishes” (especially in the acapella section when you can clearly hear her breathing and her lips with Elua), the shimmering intro in “Lose Yourself to Dance” has depth and details.
Useful descriptions, and neat to have them photographed next to a well-known set for size reference. I like having a song for each part of the FR it can shine in at the end.
The fit is great.
Compared to Olina SE, since the nozzle on Elua is shorter and at a different angle it sits better in my ears. Olina always felt like it was hanging off from the tips.
I have been known to like me some bass… It’s be nice to have another easy to carry cheap set to bring out with me. As much as I keep telling my self I want a budget set to bring out with me, I usually just take my more expensive sets when I head out to work. Maybe it’s a gamble, but I do it anyways… I just don’t take my big big boys out.
I always had good luck with the fit on the Olina and Mele, but the nozzle angle was nearly perfect for me. I find the weight of metal shells combined with the wrong angle can be a killer.
You just nailed it right on the head, John. Weird nozzle angles destroy me in terms of comfort. Heavy shells aren’t that much of a problem for me as long as the nozzles are long enough to support the entire IEM within my ear canal not just the outside. But everyone’s ears are so different I bet it’s so hard to find that happy medium.
I hear you on the bass! I’ve been loving the bass on my Deuce, especially with the adapter—it’s hitting just right. Totally agree that fit and nozzle angle make all the difference; it’s hard to find that perfect combo.
The 3 wired iem in my backpack are the u12t, ie200, and blessing 3. I also have pixel buds, beats fit pro, new Nothing ear, and the Moondrop space traveler.
And… Yes, I literally keep them in the backpack I take to work daily along with the Btr7 and Hiby R4 Evo… lol
I have an audiophile problem
And I rotate them all the time, just depends on my mood and what I’m actually doing at the time.
As i only took one set with me on my travel it is my bass boosted Kinda Lava and oh boi did I fall in love again with this set.
It’s a little dark in nature but on high gain on my Hiby R6III it really opens up on top and is definitely not really lacking and just perfect for long listening sessions and getting lost in the music.
It seems to be doing what the AFUL Explorer does, it simply let’s you enjoy the music
I havent heard so many of the newer stets but EJ07M will probably still be endgame for most folks.
Technicalities are at a level where they are good enough…actually pretty decent.
When a set grabs you into the music you will forget about that anyway
