If my ZX2 and SE846 are anything to go by, changes during the burn-in period are significant, which could make demos even harder to assess.
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True, I am cautious as I still have a weak heart for my Shure SE846’s…
I missed them they also belong on the list of contenders…
I have the Noble Kaisers and they’re absolutely wonderful! But I wouldn’t compare any IEM to an over the ear like the Stellia or Utopia. Totally different league. I’d love a paid of Stellias!
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Vs high end Open Back yes, I own both Utopia and Encore the SQ is not far away in many aspects
Vs Closed cans Encores will destroy many of them…
I think for Iems the problem is not the SQ vs closed headphones but the comfort / fit etc… some people can not stand IEMs, also put on put out is not very practical, they are like ski boots
Stellia we will see… to early to talk, I don’t like to pay too much money for closed backs but will see, maybe I can not resist to buy them and walk in the park with a matching coat or something :
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Sorry, I meant cans would destroy IEMs in the sound department. Talking similar price points here. At least in my experience. The key with IEMs I think, is getting the molds done by the right people. Would love Utopias, will have to sell a kidney. Would be nice if Naim made a DAP, or even a Hugo competitor to carry around with me and my laptop.
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Really ?
Sorry don’t agree. They are a different experience sure, but IEMs offer absolutely stunning headfi. If I compare my Senn HD800S,arguably one of the great open backed dynamic driver headphones and contrast it with Senn’s own ie800 or the Shure SE846 on an isolated Hugo 2 fed high bit rate, hi frequency FLAC files my IEMs can sometimes show up the hd800S as flat and thin where, while the Shures are fuller, the ie800s are just wonderfully detailed and near as full on the lower end.
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Ah, well there you go. Everything is subjective. For me the top headphones at Can Jam (Mr. Speakers, Audeze, Focal, etc…) were clearly better than IEMs, and my IEMs are said to be very good. I got IEMs, for passive noise cancellation on airplanes, sleeping on airplanes, and for use as hearing aids (see other thread here).
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I think it’s a completely different experience, but IEM’s can be very good, while different…
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My IEM blow away most full size cans.
Fiio X7ii with the AM3 with 4.4 jack balanced a DSD rip of The Gathering The West Pole from the original LP. The X7ii has 2 card slots so I have 2 x 512gb storage. Into Audeze LCDi4 balanced.
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For a month I have fun with hiby-r3 (purchased from the hiby site) and with iEM headphones KZ ed16. After 70 hours of running-in they sound great. They are cheap and are worth at least 30 times the price. Good purchases on express wings. Now I’m waiting for zs6 to arrive. Reviews in this Italian forum: https://melius.club/topic/288545-in-ear-kz-ed16/?page=51&tab=comments#comment-6319100.
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I have to say the USB DAC functionality is the icing on the cake. My only complaint really about the 1Z was that i couldn’t fit all my collection onto it. Plugged into my laptop, up it pops as a Roon endpoint and i can browse and play my whole library. Sounds bloody marvellous too.
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For me, this UPnP and Roon connectivity is of little interest, as the portable player is for when I’m not at home. Now that 512GB SD cards are fairly cheap, I don’t run out of music.
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Indeed it’s not so much about the size of the collection you carry with you. I have only a 400gb card, but also quite something. However the USB function is helpful when one wants to explore new music…
Ps I just saw that they already offer 1tb cards from not known brands, and I saw and announcement of lexar on a coming 1tb card. If that’s the case size of storage even becomes less of an issue…
I haven’t actually bought a 512 one yet, but spotted one the other day for £90, so I might go fot it.
I’ll be interested in your findings Chris. Getting a bigger card is on my list when they are more readily available.
My 400gb works very well, so assume the same counts for bigger ones…, while 1tb is a question mark…
James
Check out the iOS app CloudBeats. You can store your entire collection in the Cloud (Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive etc.) in whichever format you choose (FLAC etc.) and this app will allow you to stream your collection from the cloud.
I have a large FLAC collection in the cloud (1tb - OneDrive) and when I have my iPhone connected to the 1Z in DAC mode I can fire up this app and stream my entire collection from the cloud - in full FLAC resolution.
I need to do some further investigation. I have always felt that Tidal streaming via my Linn KDS sounds inferior to the same files played from my network storage (Simon on other threads has posted about Tidal “watermarks” affecting sound quality). In the same light I feel that Tidal streams to the 1Z sound inferior to the same files if they were stored on either the internal storage or SD card.
I have not compared the quality streaming from the cloud via CloudBeats vs. the same files if stored on the internal storage of the Sony
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