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AlexTrocchi
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Feb 24, 2024
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A bit late to this drop lol. I have owned a set of the EM5813s for about 5 years now and, tbh, rarely used them as I have multiple iems and headphones. The cable microphonics, even around my ears, just got to me. Plus the upper a midrange clarity could not compare to my other multiple driver iems.
However, I kept them for the bass, the cable and because the combination of cable and brass iem casing looks good on a wall.
Be that as it may, last year I purchased some focal elegias and have been since then almost exclusively shifting between these and Sennheiser ie600s, which oddly I began enjoying more as a contrast to the sound of the focal closed cans. Eventually I bought a better DAC, a Topping g5, to drive them. Which in turn led me to re-exploring my iems (previously I used either a dac dongle or fiio Btr 5).
I found the better dac brought the best out of some of my dd iems. Last night I fell asleep listening to some dark ambient (Vatican Shadow) on a set of Moondrop Starfields, which are comfortable to sleep in. I noticed them really struggling with the sub bass, although with such music I was unsure if the blow out was somewhat intentional. So this morning I tried the Cardas with similar music. Although the separation is not great (an odd aspect of this ‘speaker like’ tuning), the cardas are perhaps even better at doing full justice to the complete extension of the lower notes in a rumbling, musical manner. With my eyes closed it reminds me of the deep bass of a warehouse rave. Just stunningly musical and… what an incredible surprise after all these years.
Especially given that recently I have been thinking of forking over $500-$800 for a set of single dd iems just for this reason and this music! Instead, the g5 amped EM5813s are now giving me the exact sound I wanted.
The lesson being: these need to be amped with a good DAC. Which turns them from meh into something that, minus the separation that nonetheless oddly aids the musicality and ‘outside one’s head’ quality, I would not be disappointed with if I had paid a grand for them. The sub bass has more extension and ground than ie600 cans. If I caught these for $99 after knowing this.. well, hat a bargain.
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