jello
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Post by jello on Sept 9, 2016 12:56:11 GMT
Received a pair of these in the post this morning.
I was curious to give them a try as they're an IEM that comes with a number of screw-in tuning filters that allow you to tune them to your liking.
So far I've only tried the default filters and using some comply tips I had kicking about. Not a good pairing but until I've tried a variety of filters and tips it's hard to draw any conclusions about the IEM. There are plenty of options to try though!
What I will say though is that for what I paid (around £47 after 20% head-fi discount) this is a ridiculously good package. And the price includes next working day UK delivery.
Everything comes in a very nice presentation box and along with the IEMs, which are tiny and have metal bodies, you get a very generous bundle of extras. Feels like I'm doing inventory here: a zipped carry case; 2 cables (one with memory wire for over-ear use and the other without for wearing down); a shirt clip; 7 different pairs of stock tips (mix of silicone, foam & double flange); 7 pairs of filters (4 of which come in nice metal tubes for storage); 3.5-6.35mm jack; straight to right angled 3.5mm adapter. Whew!!
In addition to this little lot I also received a pack of size M Kombi tips which seem to be foam filled silicone like Sony supply with some of their IEMs (think they call them hybrid tips).
I'll need to post up some pics later. Impressions will follow once I've had a good play around.
Edit: noticed on HF that some owners had mentioned receiving Spinfit tips with theirs so I e-mailed Trinity to ask if they'd replaced them with the Kombi tips now or if I should have received both. A mere 16 minutes later I heard back from Bob who said that as they'd run out of Spinfit they'd sent the Kombi instead. However, when stock arrives next week they're going to send me some out to try. So I won't be short of tip rolling options!!
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 9, 2016 14:08:53 GMT
Makes sense to try and tune iem's in particular as well!!
Good price as well. Look forward to seeing what you think of them Mark.
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jello
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Post by jello on Sept 9, 2016 16:33:32 GMT
My concern with these filters has always been whether there are real benefits from using them or if they indicate a lack of direction on a manufacturer's part "we're not sure how to tune them...so you decide" or simply a neat gimmick to make an IEM stand out from the crowd. Normally such IEMs sell for around £100 which I felt was just too much to find out but at sub £50 I felt these were worth a go. It seems I'm short a pair of filters and should have 8 rather than the 7 I have. The missing pair is the gunmetal without damper so have asked Bob if he can pop some in with the Spinfits. Each colour of filter has its own acoustic properties. In addition you get get a second set of the same colour which has a damper fitted that is meant to smooth the treble. (edit: theexception to this is the gunmetal. Only a pair with dampers is included) More info on them here: trinity-audio-engineering.myshopify.com/pages/filter-colours-explainedPrimarily been using the double flange tips as they fit me quite nicely and seem to work well with the Vyrus. Have only had a chance to swap between the silver w/o damper (bass boosted), purple w/o damper (reduced bass & increased treble), gold w/o damper (v-shaped) and gunmetal w/ damper (balanced but w/ smoothed treble). So far my favourite is the gold which I like quite a bit. It has quite a v-shaped 'fun' signature but with good clarity and detail. Bass is fulsome but not overpowering. To my ears with this filter the Vyper becomes a good IEM and one that is worth the admission price, filters system or not. Still plenty of tips and filters left to try but quite pleased with how things sound at the moment. Also finding that isolation is quite good and they have a very flush fit in the ears so would be good for anyone who doesn't like obtrusive IEMS, who wears a motorcycle helmet ( gadgie ) or who likes to listen in bed with the side of their head rested on a pillow. The cables seem fine but I'm not too keen on how they connect to the IEM. Trinity uses what looks like a standard 2 pin Westone style connector but the plastic housing around the connector also has a small guiding 'tab' incorporated into it (easy to miss even with good eyesight) that needs to be aligned with a groove in the IEM before the pins can be pushed into place. And even then it feels a bit imprecise and there is no audible click to let you know when they are in far enough in. Additionally although the metal housing around the cable connectors has an L or R decal applied the colour of the text, light grey I think, means it isn't the easiest to see. Although of course you shouldn't need to do this very often! So far I'm quite impressed but not yet sold on the need for replaceable filters as opposed to just tuning them a certain way and locking that sound down. Time will tell though!
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 9, 2016 18:25:34 GMT
I felt that the idea of the tuning was to alter the physical impedance of the drivers so that you could tune to your own ear shape. (As far as a front filter goes) Once you find a tuning that suits your ears, then I would imagine the others might be redundant. Does the sensitivity change at all with a filter in line? Are they less sensitive?
The connection of the lead might go loose over time. I'd probably end up supergluing them in TBH. I guess if you catch the lead on something, it might be good that it pulls out but inevitably, the joins weaken and they can be a nuisance.
The do look really nice though.
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jello
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Post by jello on Sept 9, 2016 20:05:37 GMT
Ian, as you know I am a black belt when it comes to the science of physcial impedance and could talk the hind leg's off a donkey on the subject But....err....the filters probably do change it to some extent. Whilst I was e-mailing Bob about the missing filter I asked if there were any other factors that changed the acoustic properties of the Vyrus aside from filter e.g. different types of metal used in the filter housing, internal chamber dimensions (but they look the same to me), so hope he can shed a bit more light on things. My feeling is that the filters aren't used so much to tune the drivers to your own ear shape as to give you distinctly different flavours to try. It takes a wee while to remove and put back on filters and tips but I wasn't really aware of any difference in sensitivity between filters. But wasn't really listening for it so will pay more attention next time I swap them over! The connections for the lead seem like quite a snug fit at the moment but perhaps with time they will loosen as you say. Superglue could be an issue if the lead catches so possibly a less strong glue (hot glue?) or a bit of black electrical tape would do the trick. Just plugged them into the Mojo and think they sound tighter and a bit more expansive compared to my cheapo mobile 'phone and a very slight whine / hiss I was detecting on the Moto has been eliminated. May need to revisit those other filters again just in case the phone's headphone out's output impedance (may be quite high?) wasn't helping matters. The Vyrus are pretty sensitive at 16 Ohm and 108dB. And yes they are really nice Also noticed that they have a hybrid (BA & dynamic driver) IEM up for pre-order. No discounts on this one but at £60 it is nothing if not keenly priced.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 9, 2016 20:32:42 GMT
Glad you like them. They do look very interesting.
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jello
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Post by jello on Sept 9, 2016 20:54:22 GMT
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jello
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Post by jello on Sept 9, 2016 21:40:17 GMT
Removed impressions of the filters from my 1st post. A lot of the issues I experienced where I think down to my mobile phone and what I assume is an impedance mismatch. Many sounded like EQ gone wrong but with the Mojo the differences are nowhere near as severe and all are at least listenable now, so can see why someone may prefer one and someone else another. And perhaps why they may even wish to rotate between 2 or 3 depending on what they're listening to or mood Ian, paid a bit more attention when swapping over filters. Perhaps a slight change in sensitivity between the various filters but hard to tell with the delay in swapping over. It's not massive and some of it may be down to the change in tonal balance and how we perceive some frequencies as louder than others. It's certainly nothing like going from low -> mid -> high output R on the Ember say.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 9, 2016 22:06:27 GMT
If you have one filter and set the volume at barely audible and then swap, leaving the volume, you might notice then.
Useful if you pick up hiss to use perhaps a lower sensitivity, if the filters do change it slightly.
There are a !of of choices of sound, so it might be hard to settle with one!!!
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jello
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Post by jello on Sept 9, 2016 22:20:16 GMT
I'll give that a go. I did pick up some hiss (very slight) with the phone but don't think it'll be an issue with the Mojo irrespective of filters. Still don't like the silver (w/o damper) filter. Low bass just too dominant and mucks things up. Purple (w/o) damper now sounds decent but a bit too bass light. Gold (w/o) damper is still a good choice with it's v-shaped and 'fun' signature. With the phone the gunmetal (w/ damper) was oddly un-involving but now really quite good. Quite a balanced sound with a bit less bass than the gold and vocals sit nicely in the mix....so yeah, settling on one might be quite hard!! And that's before I even think about tips. I think I've only just scratched the surface. I'm warming to the idea of these filters. It's like being able to do a mod in seconds and reverse it again just as easily....where's the fun in that? Edit: With Mojo's volume set to it's very lowest: - if I use the same colour of tips the one with damper is quieter than the one without. Makes sense. - comparing purple vs gold (both without damper). Think both sound about as loud as one another and if there's a difference it's slight. Do find it easier to discern detail with the purple though but could be on account of the more elevated treble and reduced bass? -- And purple with damper seems like a good 'un too
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 10, 2016 8:00:45 GMT
Looks like purple is the one then.
How do the filters attach? Just push on or screw?
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jello
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Post by jello on Sept 10, 2016 9:00:18 GMT
The jury's still out. I think I might be gravitating towards the gunmetal one....it's hard to choose.
The filters just screw in. If you look at the pic above there's a black o-ring with some threads underneath.
Once attached they form the nozzles of the IEM and the tips slide onto them.
Did briefly try the Kombi tips but much like Sony's hybrid tips I don't care for them much. Not sure if it's because of the foam filling or the smaller bore holes but the Vyrus seems less spacious sounding and volume levels seem to drop a bit. However, they do at least provide good isolation so perhaps useful in noisier surroundings.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 10, 2016 9:15:59 GMT
Great. I had a horrible suspicion that they might pop out in your ears!!!
I think probably choice of filter might take quite a long time in order to get some kind of 'average' over the music that you listen to and the player that you use the most. I always find it difficult when there are a lot of choices and sometimes one sounds better and at other times, another does.
One thing that I have found though, if it makes you feel any better about choosing. IMO, these tonal changes don't actually change the detail that you get from the drivers at all. They just highlight one or more areas but basically, you aren't missing a great deal in terms of what's coming through.
I was thinking about you and your choices yesterday and picked two extremes ......
The m-100 and (believe it or not) the Ted Baker.
They produce almost an 'opposite' kind of sound to each other, with the m-100 being bass focused and the Ted Baker being treble focused. (The Ted Baker actually isn't a bad headphone)
I went from one to the other in the same tracks and TBH, I was picking out exactly the same detail. Just a difference in timbre.
You tend to think that you're missing detail by making tonal changes, but the detail does remain, although it might not be quite so obvious with tonal changes if the changes are very large,
Those iem's sound nice actually and there is something really attractive about being able to choose a sound to your preference.
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Post by tommo21 on Sept 10, 2016 11:22:02 GMT
I have had the Sabres for a while, and simply love them, but you end up finding your favorite filter, and don't bother too much changing it around after that. I've got the Vyrus to, but haven't had the chance to listen to them yet. Got an order for the PM6's as well.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 10, 2016 12:37:12 GMT
Interesting iem. Sounds like there are quite a lot of options to choose from from Mark and it even develops too much bass with one for him and yet others are uninvolving. I might give these a go.
Looking on the site, I see that the filters just cut the top end while the shape of the barrel seems to alter the sound profile. Seems there are three choices and then the same three choices with treble cut. (Or filter)
SILVER = Enhanced bass. Offering a V shape signature while retaining plenty of musical detail GUNMETAL (Smooth) = Natural. Offering a more balanced sound signature across the frequencies. PURPLE = Treble. Offering a reduced bass signature with an focus on upper mids and treble. GOLD = Perfect balance between gunmetal and purple filters SILVER (Fun) = Enhanced bass. Offering a V shape signature while retaining plenty of musical detail SILVER (with damper) = Enhanced bass. Offering a V shape signature while retaining plenty of musical detail with smoothed treble PURPLE (With damper) = Treble. Offering a reduced bass signature with an focus on upper mids and treble. (treble smoothed) GOLD (With damper) = Perfect balance between gunmetal and purple filters (treble smoothed)
What's happened to Gunmetal with filter?
I think that's about it ......... Might be an idea to listen to a man's spoken voice in order to test bass levels, Mark. Where music can sound 'enhanced' if the bass is raised, it does also depend where it's 'enhanced'. I find spoken voice to be a great highlighter for this. For sibilance as well plus womens' spoken voice helps the higher part.
Once they both sound ok, then I listen for depth of bass as well as treble extension via music.
Mark, stop it...... I might have to actually pay for a pair of these!!!
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