Lime Ears Aether R Universal-Fit IEM Discussions | Drop

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Showing 1 of 21 conversations about:

Lime Ears Aether R Universal-Fit IEM

Audiophile

FULL DISCUSSION

Dave_jeff

Feb 15, 2020

Suggest lime ears and massdrop start at a much reduced promo price to get a rep and strong following like noble. To crack this market you need to build brand and sacrifice some margin at least in the short term to build community reviews. 1.1k too much.

Feb 15, 2020

Demiror

Feb 16, 2020

Dave_jeffI'm pretty sure they've already got a solid reputation among audiophiles (looking back on their highly regarded Model X or Aether, for example). And compared to Noble or CA, they don't have a wild charge for the brand at comparable sound quality.

Feb 16, 2020

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jaydunndiddit

3262

Feb 16, 2020

DemirorWild charge? Compared to CFA, their top two models range from $1k to $1,300 before any sort of customization OR shipping which balloons their cost pretty quick. CFA's customs are a flat $1,500 for a DD (Equinox) or all BA setup (Solstice) but no customization. And for their TOTL models, they range from $1,100 (Andro) to $1,500 (Solaris). They're literally in the same price camp. I agree about Noble though. I've always found their sound tuning way overpriced and feel you're ultimately paying for some super snazzy custom designs. Even their accessories and cables offered are shit compared to almost all others in the TOTL camp. But their designs are some of the prettiest IMO.

Feb 16, 2020

Demiror

Feb 16, 2020

jaydunndidditSo, about Noble our positions are nearly the same. And I need to clarify, in this case by sound quality I meant their basically comparable listening experience in general (simply, satisfaction). Actually, I think CA not as good as Lime on technical level side to put it mildly (of course, Solaris or especially Andro can be charming at first until you listen more closely and see obvious problems that are not acceptable for their price - at least, that's what I've experienced). Besides, I haven't forgotten that CA turned out to be one of those that used cheaper Bellsing BA instead of acclaimed Knowles drivers at least in Solaris. Further more, here you can see noticeable difference between two samples, which partly demonstrates their "real level". As a conclusion, I see companies like Noble, CA, A&K, etc. use more Apple-like model (a rough comparison, but still) producing products that are in many ways inferior to their less widely known competitors, given their cost.

Feb 16, 2020

jaydunndiddit

3262

Feb 16, 2020

DemirorSigh. The manufacturer of the drivers do not matter especially considering what they use isn't off the shelf and custom made to their specs. It's still one of a kind. Drivers and count never matter, it's always about tuning. No matter the price range. And I've seen all the noise about unit variation from just one source. As much as I appreciate what Crin provides, his measurements aren't the end all be all of anything. And that's a while whopping 3 units out of how many sold and produced? Does he do the same for everything else he measures to draw similar conclusions or cherry pick as he sees fit? If we're going to be objective, then it needs to be consistent across the board. Even ASR is doing this now with "purchased" units over sent demos. Regarding technical abilities, the Solaris and Andros have great abilities for their cost. They're generalist and balanced, and aren't trying to be "reference" or "neutral." What they do have is a very engaging, spacious, holographic sound that many others can't replicate in this price bracket. That, and they sound great with ANY genre. So many others are relegated to being so specific I couldn't justify keeping them just for classical or jazz listening sessions. Thing is nothing sounds like a Solaris or Andro, compared to so much TOTL stuff that sounds so freaking similar with stupid price tags. Let alone, have their build quality or warranty (they're quite pleasant just to chat with and are always eager to answer my questions and always upgrade my shipping to next/2-day without asking). Have you heard this IEM? I've tried their other X model and found it too mid forward and lacking in the lows for my taste. Even looking at the Aether R compared to the Solaris, they measure VERY similary matched at 1khz. The Solaris appears to be warmer even though we know that's not true in the real world. The Aether is just more forward in the mids if that's your bag. Of course, these are all just our opinions but I find the "hate" for CFA so unfounded compared to all the other overhyoed and overpriced crap I've had to purchase and send back over the years. I've yet to still find anything from Noble, 64 Audio, QDC, DUNU, Empire Ears, InEar, JH, Ultimate Ears, etc. that have wowed me enough to justify their cost. I can't deny that they don't sound good, they're all excellent in their own right. They excel at one or two things and just mess up at so many others. All my opinion of course, but when I'm spending $2-3k I expect more.

Feb 16, 2020

Demiror

Feb 17, 2020

jaydunndidditUmm... So, using less proven and definitely cheaper components for TOTL models doesn't dissapoint you at all? Whereas a lot of budget chi-fi nowadays use real Knowles. It's actually possible to draw parallels to other industries and I really want to see the joy of the user, who was told that his expensive premium product contains not quite premium parts. Speaking about Andro, I never understood them. For me, they they're far from balanced or suitable for any genre, with not the fastest bass that can break your head on some drums-heavy tracks. But it's still okay, it's just a matter of getting used to it and choosing the music. The real problem are highs, which turned out to be harsh for me, with a hint of graininess (compared to Sony ier-m7 and InEar SD-4 side-to-side). In general, a bit simple on the technical level, frankly over-colored iems. At certain melodies - may be great, but absolutely not universal imo. Maybe in a little while, I'll start to appreciate them more, but not now. I tried their earlier revision(Aether) quite a while ago and not long enough to give full description. From memory, they differ quite a lot from CA, FR shows only general trends but I think you should not compare them in this way. Honestly, I'm not quite sure why InEar are in your list. In many ways they are strikingly different from the others. They don't have unnecessary/mediocre models at all, each one is designed for specific set of tasks. My fav are SD-2,4,5 (SD-4 is in use right now) and of course PP8, which is hands down a very distinctive thing.

Feb 17, 2020

jaydunndiddit

3262

Feb 17, 2020

DemirorUnless you know the cost of their CUSTOM driver, you can't make that claim. It's pure heresay. I'd also equate anything that's CUSTOM "HiFi" as it isn't off-the-shelf and already inherently more exotic. Just because "ChiFi" can buy mass-produced Knowles drivers in bulk, still doesn't equate to sonic quality. If it did, they would be producing more unique units with better tuning instead of buying the latest Knowles, throwing it into an un-tuned shell, and charging hundreds for something that costs them probably less than ~$50 to mass produce and sell. What's wild to me in your perception of the Andro is how very close it measures to the SD4. They are pretty dead even until a little after 1k hz. Even more interesting, is that 8k hz spike in the SD4 sticks out like a sore thumb. Let alone, the Andro have more energy, "air," in comparison after 10k hz:

Even just eyeballing the graph, the Andro looks substantially more balanced. It also sounds that way too. It is very OI sensitive so maybe that played a part in what you were hearing as it can definitely get a bit warm as your OI rises. But, you at least have that option to suit your taste. Realistically, it seems odd to call the Andro's all that colored compared to what you're comparing them to. They are "warmish-neutral" with some treble sparkle and a 3D soundstage, but overall pretty balanced if I had to quantify them. And pretty much all who won them agree on this. It's kinda what they're known for. I think you just may not like them and that's fine too. I am going to assume you like a "brighter" signature and aren't a fan of warmth as almost everything you've mentioned is boosted around the 2k hz and 5-8k hz regions. Again, nothing wrong with that, but at least you know your preference. I know there's a whole buncha well regarded stuff people go on about I flatout didn't enjoy (enter HD650). And you're right about the PP8 being weird. It's thin down low and has too much energy in the upper mids/lower treble for my taste. As far as IEM tuning, I was not a fan. But, I at least tried them for myself and tried to keep an open mind. I'm the type of person to try anything and would rather make up my mind on my own instead of listening to folks on the internet. That, and I genuinely like hearing what all manufacturers have to offer. I went through InEars lineup, didn't love it, and moved on. For me, CFA isn't trying to make anything neutral and I appreciate that and they're typically not forward in the mids which my ears very much appreciate. For me, they're balanced in all the genres I listen to: rock, metal, rap, EDM, blues, jazz, classical, etc. within a given day. That and they're not bass light which I appreciate as I use my IEMs mostly on the go so that extra kick is nice. I do njoy some thump with my kicks and timpanis. I have reference monitors and headphones that do the whole "neutral" thing much better so my IEMs are my travel tools of choice. I'm sure that has a big impression on why I enjoy what I do (much like the Atlas or Andro Gold as my typical daily drivers). I also agree about FR. I'm just using it as context here for our conversation as it still does apply to some degree and how we all generally talk about this stuff anyhow. Didn't want to get into distortion, square waves, impedance/phase, etc. let alone tip choice and OI. Too much for this conversation, ha.

Feb 17, 2020

Demiror

Feb 18, 2020

jaydunndiddit>>Too much for this conversation, ha. Yep)) I admit I've oversimplified the driver situation, definitely needs more research on my side. As for Andro vs SD-4, I really like the analytical and somewhat cold InEar signature, without Andro's 'wow' effect, full-bodied sound and bloating instruments images. As I said, most likely I'll start to appreciate their sound, but later. Thanks for your opinions, it was very informative overall.

Feb 18, 2020

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Evshrug

3773

Community

Feb 18, 2020

DemirorHi, just going to put it out there: I bet @jaydunndiddit is using the CFA abbreviation for Campfire Audio because CA was already used as an abbreviation for Custom Art CIEMs since before ALO started making IEMs. Also, was the unit to unit variance for UIEMs or CIEMs?

(Edited)

Feb 18, 2020

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Demiror

Feb 19, 2020

EvshrugSure, I'll keep it in mind. I've met discussions including graphs about Solaris for now, which is UIEM only. But, as @jaydunndiddit mentioned, with the current state and amount of measurements, maybe it's too early to draw sudden conclusions (I didn't really dig into the subject, however CFA certainly tarnished its reputation in the light of recent events).

(Edited)

Feb 19, 2020

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Evshrug

3773

Community

Feb 19, 2020

DemirorI can’t really make a fair judgement on CFA: the sharp angles on their shells made them uncomfortable for me to wear, so I haven’t done research on them apart from seeing so many people compare them to the Noble Kaiser, and say favorable things about both while the Andromeda cost less (and I love the Andromeda green). The nebula color for this drop looks really cool, and the universal form factor/smooth body has me interested enough to look into reviews and the tech used a bit more. Headfonia’s review looks promising.

Feb 19, 2020

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