The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first

I had a seriously rough week. Endless meetings during the day, watching a lot of TV show reruns in the evening, and occasional late evening meetings. Feeling super fatigued. Creating audio-related content gives me great pleasure and reprieve, so here's one more, lol.

Having sold my Vision Ears VE7 recently as well as a few others, I realize my IEM stable has been culled from 15 IEMs not so long ago to about 11 at present. I spent the morning organizing them and just thinking through how I would rank these babies. So here goes, in case it is of interest to anyone. Also throwing in a few other lists that was fun for me to put together (and hopefully, helpful to others).

1. Ranking of IEMs in my collection:

1. Aroma Audio Jewel: I can get it to sound like a Susvara with my EQ off my Sony DAP. On my RME ADI 2, it slams like you won't believe if you haven't heard it with the RME.

2. Empire Ears Odin: Love it for its transparency and imaging. With the Hugo 2, it is perhaps the most transparent experience I have had in portable audio.

3. Fir Audio XE6: My favorite fun and flavored IEM with thick meaty bass, lush midrange and wonderful technicalities.

4. Dita Perpetua: The IEM I would pick on a desert island because of its unparalleled timbre and smooth delivery. Perfect to relax to. Reminiscent of Sennheiser HD650 timbrally. Would pick over a Turi Tii every day.

5. 64 Audio Tia Trio: My favorite 64 Audio IEM. Powered well, it slams like a truck and has a treble liveliness that I enjoy, whilst presenting solid technicalities and the characteristic 64 Audio softness in edges of notes which I like for vocals.

6. Fir Audio KR5: My second favorite fun IEM. Its very dynamic and can sound aggressive off the wrong source but on a softer-sounding source, it is a total delight and suitable for all-day listen.

7. Noble Sultan: My favorite IEM from Noble Audio. I do wish it was more resolving but I find the tonality very pleasing and respect its rather rotund bass delivery. The Ragnar runs circles around it for technicalities but I can't appreciate the Ragnar's tuning.

8. Sennheiser IE900: This is a total joy for me to listen to. V-shaped done right. I love taking it to bed for its comfort and to workouts for its insanely fun tuning.

9. Sony IER-Z1R: I have to admit I didn't like this IEM at first. Nowadays, I love it with EQ off my Sony DAP and without EQ off my Hugo 2. I get two very different presentations that way and I consider this to be a collector's item.

10. Madoo Type 512: Super fun IEM with the loveliest build quality, A-tier comfort, and A+ tier bass. It does do a stunning midrange as well. Relatively inexpensive IEM for gym use.

11. Oriolus Szalayi: Basshead IEM. I use it for walks and in the gym. It's relatively inexpensive so I don't worry about tossing it in a bag with my FiiO BTR7.

2. Heavy-hitter IEMs I wouldn’t buy (bought and sold in some cases):

1. Oriolus Traillii: Has had surprising staying power in my opinion which goes to show how many vocal aficionados there are in this hobby. I can’t get over its lack of bass and lower treble.

2. Noble Audio Ragnar: Respect it for its technicalities but can’t own it for its tonality which never agrees with me.

3. Noble Audio Ronin: Nothing about it stood out for me. The BA bass was also underwhelming.

4. Empire Ears Legend EVO: Love it off AK DAPs, but not on much else. Becomes overbearing on the Hugo 2 and just doesn’t match timbrally with my Sony.

5. 64 Audio Tia Fourte / Noir: I appreciated these IEMs perhaps more than others on this particular subgroup but ultimately preferred the Trio even though it’s a tad less resolving than the Fourte / Noir.

3. IEMs I am tempted to buy but likely will not:

1. Empire Ears Raven / Odyssey: The Odyssey sounds better than the EVO and the Raven sounds close to the Odyssey. Neither match timbrally with my sources. For A&K users, would recommend both the Raven and Odyssey strongly. Keep in mind the Raven may or may not undergo further tuning changes before release.

2. Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor: A marvel of an IEM with some of the best BA bass in the business but to me, still lacks the tactility and naturalism of a DD. Love its note weight and imaging.

3. Subtonic Storm: Tricky one. I really respect this IEM. I don’t mind its dry mids and treble at all. It has arguably the best treble in the business. But that BA bass isn’t my cup of tea. Funnily, I liked it more off my WM1ZM2 than off the more powerful FiiO Q7 which Subtonic recommends, at least in terms of the tonal presentation.

4. Fir Audio Radon 6: Solid IEM no doubt. I would buy this if the KR5 and XE6 did not exist. However, to my ears, it is too much of a half-way house between two excellent IEMs, and I prefer the XE6 and the KR5 for their contrasting signatures.

5. Elysian Annhiliator 2023: Bass comes off slightly stronger than the 2021 because its treble is smoother (confirmed by our man Lee), but I find it to be an overall dry listen lacking soul in the mids with subpar subbass for my preferences. Impressive resolution, yes.

4. IEMs I will likely buy in the future:

1. 64 Audio Tia Fourte Blanc: I need to spend more time with it but loved what I heard during CanJam Singa. Bass cannon and I like its overall technical performance and tuning.

2. FatFreq Grand Maestro: This was something special. I really need to spend more time with it. I am quite confident it’s a keeper although I had a brief listen to it.

3. Elysian Dio: I listened to the prototype and loved it. This has the bass I wanted. I can live with the midrange which is still dry, just because the bass and the treble are so good.

4. Letshuoer Cadenza: “Chi-fi” IEM yes but this has an extraordinarily mature tuning, smooth without being overly so, and just a nice coherent sound profile that is a pleasure to listen to. I hope to get this in for a full review.

Attachments:

Sources: Sony DMP-Z1 | Sony WM1ZM2 | Brise Tsuranagi Transducers: Campfire Trifecta + Effect Audio Centurion | Dita Perpetua + Dita Celeste | Aroma Fei Wan (Incoming) + PW Audio Orpheus YT Channel: Amplify Audio Show