Audiophilepure

https://headfonics.com/2019/10/rha-cl2-review/

“

You get some excellent depth on the CL2, no doubt about that. It is a closed headphone so it is not an expansive or super airy soundstage but it doesn’t lack in power and more than neutral of neutral sub 100Hz.

The dip in the lower-mids pulls back instruments as does the fade from 4k onwards. It is not dark though, there is a small boost from 8-10k but again, it is really that 1-4k boost that pushes everything front and center and can lead to percussion and some higher pitching vocals dominating the stage.

Lower pitching vocals can lose a little presence also, especially if pitching the same as surrounding instruments. They tend to sound a little diffuse and lacking in separation. If you need strong guitar work to resonate and step forward in staging presence the CL2 is not working to its strengths.

https://www.headfonia.com/westone-b30-b50-review/

“Treble-wise it’s the same story. The B50 has more detail, extension and air in treble with better articulation. You have more transparency and resolution in highs, resulting in a more open presentation. The distance is the same however; cymbals sounding from behind so they’re not the focal point.

Sound-stage is also better with the B50, thanks to its capabilities in the mid & treble sections. The sound has more room and width, and that creates more space between the elements of a song. This provides a better imaging with a more 3D staging performance. The overall transparency is quite good, despite the sound signature which is darker than many IEMs.”

https://www.headfonia.com/astell-kern-ak-t9ie-review/

“From a build quality perspective these are very nice. They consist of three separate parts. The bottom shell, the top shell and the face plate. Top and bottom shell are in the same gunmetal colour, but the face plate is slightly lighter. The entire body is pretty shiny and if you are worried about getting your smudgy fingerprints on there, you should be. Because the AK T9iE shows you every little bit of dirt and leaving prints on it is very easy. If you’re like me and you hate that, you’ll clean them every day.

The T9iE comes with an MMCX connection, so you can cable roll if you have a suitable cable on hand. The original AK T8iE had massive problems with its MMCX sockets. Back in 2016 I owned a pair of them as well. After two months they died on me because of a failing socket. Of course the warranty covered that, but still a bummer. With the T9iE it seems A&K/Beyerdynamic is now using a more robust socket. I haven’t had any issues in the months that I used them.”

https://headfonics.com/2019/11/aaw-canary-review/

“This is the universal version but the fit and seal are very good due to the Canary’s relatively compact size. I was looking for some sort of venting feature given the use of a dynamic driver but could not find one. I am guessing the 6mm size and push-ball isobaric technology renders one moot. Otherwise, the Canary seals as good as a balanced armature ventless driver shell with excellent passive background noise isolation.

The Canary is not quite a custom universal in shape, so there are not so many aggressive curves in its design. However, it is rounded enough with a thickish nozzle to sit securely in my ear. Even with the stock smallish silicone tips, I do not feel they are loose though they do stick out a little from my ear due to its fairly deep dimension.”

https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/campfire-audio-atlas-iems/

The treble of the Atlas falls in a more coherent and linear path than the slightly uneven frequency of the Vega. This is achieved by the elevated upper mids that naturally follow the sparkle of the lower treble. All the while, the character is smooth with a nice sense of height. Although not as sparkly as the Dita Audio Fidelity, the Atlas manages to retain an airy presentation despite its capable low-end.”

https://headfonics.com/2019/11/vision-ears-elysium-review/

“However, no one is thinking BA for the lows and a dynamic driver for the mids and that is the genius of the Elysium. It shouldn’t really work on conventional thinking but it does. The solidity and texture of the Elysium mids are to die for and just stunning because they can breathe and take center stage. Vocals are smooth, slightly to the euphonic side but thoroughly addictive to listen to. The clever transition from mids to a smooth but very detailed electrostatic treble tuning is really the icing on the cake.

The Elysium is in my bag for 90% of the time and it pretty much works for almost all of the music I listen to for hours on end. Bass heads might find this not to their taste. I suggest the Layla if you want the complete sub-bass experience from a flagship driver. But if solid mids and deep richly textured vocals are your thing then the Elysium is it, and then some.”

https://headfonics.com/2019/11/empire-ears-valkyrie-first-contact/

The Valkyrie has a very likable tuning right out of the box and should appeal to those who like a bit of power in their low-end as well as a vocal delivery that doesn’t sound veiled or pushed back.

It has a very nice harmonic balance with more of a nuanced electrostatic driver tuning that adds enough headroom and clarity but without any hardness creeping into percussion and higher pitching vocal timbre. No sibilance yet for me and that is important.

I will be keen to see how it performs with electrostatic competitors in the same price range such as the Shozy/AAW POLA39 and Wavaya’s Octa, both of which have very different driver configurations. We still have a few months left of 2019 for some more electrostatic models to be slipped into the comparison section also so stay tuned!