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

More gear impressions from some recent audio-meets. Not covering every gear I tried, but only those that left an impression on me, whether positive or negative.

-Audeze LCD i4: Not a traditional form factor - more like a mini headphone you put on your ears while you are on the go. Moreover, these IEMs are best used in a quiet environments since they do not isolate you from external noise. But all said and done, what a gorgeous sounding IEM, the i4 is. The i4 has a beautiful creamy sound that’s not too wet, while possessing tight, impactful bass, the kind you get from headphones, and a nice midrange and an interesting take on treble. Ear gain is a tad wanting, so the presentation is far from neutral, but I loved it. Really did. The pairing with the Kann Alpha was outstanding and reminiscent of proper full-sized headphones with large drivers.

Score: 8.5/10

-FiiO M11 Plus LTD: Terrible DAP. Period. The treble sounds wrong. Harsh, bright and unpleasant. The DAP looks and feels beautiful though. The DAC paired with the KSE1200 sounded quite good. Its the amp section that they screwed up, it seems.

Score: 4.5/10

-Hiby RS6: A better proposition than the M11 Pro. It’s an R2R DAC-based DAP. Vocals sound good. Intimate. Overall, treble and bass are not its forte. But of course, it is not an R2R thing to be midrange-forward, necessarily. Its just this DAP. Overall, not a bad DAP if you like intimate vocals but not my cup of tea.

Score: 6.5/10

-Shure KSE1200: I tried this for a second time, this time using the FiiO M11 DAC section. The DAC section of this DAP is decent and synergizes well with the KSE1200. The KSE1200 is a resolution monster, while retaining a sound signature that is pleasant, easy to listen to, and quite natural sounding, other than lacking the lowest reaches of bass as well as lacking bass impact.

Score: 7.5/10

While at the meet, folks also tried and were mighty impressed by the Astell&Kern Kann Alpha and the Thieaudio Monarch MK1. The Alpha, as usual, surprised people with its neutral but engaging sound, good macro dynamics, and excellent staging and imaging. Meanwhile, the Monarch impressed people with its clarity, tuning, imaging, overall technical performance and for being the subbass king (monarch?).

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