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Absolutely this! I can't find a single comparison video about IEM drivers anywhere and it's hard to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of each with all the jargon everywhere.
I bought a Titan S this week and I already want S12, very curious to try the planar. This hobby is not good for my wallet. Thanks Crin for all the data! It's invaluable to make the difficult purchasing decisions.
@@rafael6769 correct! I was even curious about the IE600's and then I said....nahhh. Maybe it's my ears but it's relatively rare unless there lots of cymbal to hear that over treble that Crin talks about on the S12's.
@@MarceloLopezJr . Saaaame, i wanted to get the ie 600 to put my mind at ease mostly but after the s12(they graph so similar ) im like, dont think there is much more in that price bracket.And the trebble ?yeah i find it depends . Also tips change the treble for me but its mostly a non issue for my out and about music tastes.
2:54 Man that was LTT level smooth. Also, I recently went to an audio store and mentioned your ranking towards the seller. He looked it up and was kinda mad seeing the Utopia with "just" an S-, not knowing about your ranking style. Anyway, I got to try them and they were the best thing I ever listened to. Afterwards I bought HD 600 and couldn't be more satisfied for the price.
To me bone conduction kicks in when I lower volume. Where with other IEMs completely lose bass, HOOK-X still has some of it. It is weird though: almost no bass but subtle rumble at low volume.
The P1 Max was my fav Planer IEM!, but then I find most IEM's are tuned in a such a way that they want to make my ears bleed, the P1 is so smooth and non-fatiguing, you can actually enjoy your music without wincing, the FR drop between 1.5k and 6k region is heaven!, there are actually people out there like myself that hate that region being pushed to the sky!
To my ears, the P1 Max sounded the best. Sound is subjective at the end of the day. ALso, I felt that paired with the right source, the P1 Max really shines. They sound great with my MacBook Pro 14 inch, FiiO K5 Pro (older model), and the K3. They suck when played with my Android phone though.
The one correction I would make to this video is that the Timeless was actually not the first new planar in this new revolution. I believe that title belongs to the PMV PP. It definitely pre dates the Timeless & I strongly suspect that it uses the same driver. It’s just tuned warmer so if you feel that the Timeless is bright….. Because it was first, a lot of people balked at trying it plus I believe that there were some reports of QC issues. My set works fine & I also own the Timeless. Love them both but I will admit that the Timeless is the more technical of the two by just a bit.
I'd love to see a sequel to this video, since the Timeless, S12 and Hook X have all received sidegrades ("flankers") and it would be interesting to see if these sidegrades are actually better or worse.
I still prefer dynamics. I've heard planar and estats (iem and headphones) and I still kept coming back to dynamics. That said, dynamic for bass/mids and estat for highs are where it's at for iems. Tin p1 was boring and flat out of the box (sorry) but with heavy eq it was a beast
I had some extra final audio e type eartips laying around that i tried with the s12 that worked out great. no more harshness, shoutiness or that emphasized sibilance. ir became much more balanced sounding. with this Change i can honestly say it was an excellent deal for a great iem!
@@kimberly_lippington nothing exagerated. Also i think it fares well with some increase to balance the increased treble. I've modded mine to have some aditional dbs in the bass region.
Bonus points for knowing the U87 is the best vocal mic on planet earth. Mine have worked hard on the road for 45 years and are flawless. I have much more expensive mics and they just sit in the box. The U87 is my desert island mic, worth every penny.
I've been using bone conduction headphones for years (aftershockz). There isn't any noticeable feeling unless you really pump the volume. I think people hear "bone conduction" and expect something crazy. The surprising thing is actually how normal they feel and sound.
That's what I was thinking too. Don't most IEMs already cause bone conduction from being inside of your ear canal? You can't really "hear" bone conduction because it happens all the time, it's literally part of the way we hear.
@@protato911 sure, I'm always up for some competition. But I think the iem market is vastly more competitive than the headphone market and it will be difficult to keep the prices high.
I got the S12 for $130 direct from Letshuoer after coupon a couple months ago and I'm blown away. A quick EQ to tune down the treble just a titch (also upped the bass a hair) and it's probably the best deal I've ever got in terms of audio equipment. If you like rock and electronic music they sound so damn good. I was using the Tin T4 before this and the S12 is on a whole different plane. I also tried the Etymotic ER2XR, as well as the Tripowin Olina, before finally settling on the S12 and it is just something else entirely.
Happy with my S12, yea slightly too bright but accompanied with spring tips and colorfly cda-m1, it would at least be more bearable if not making it not sharp altogether, while maintaining its strengths to make it worthy as my daily drivers.
Do you experience some sort of driver flex when adjusting your s12 inside your ears ? or some sort of distortion on any side when adjusting it while something is playing?
@@ANOLE_VX not for me, maybe because I use those spring tips that has the flabbing noise, or maybe just your earhole not big enough to fit the S12. If there's no big problem in the listening experience itself then nothing big to worry, but if not you may need to consider a replacement or find another model that fits or performs more to your needs
Can't wait for you to give us a review of the KZ PR1 Pro, their attempt to step into the planar territory of the timeless but with a budget that is cut even more.
Your accent is really sharp and the way you can instantly end a sound makes me feel like my headphones are a lot clearer and responsive than they actually are.
i have bought the kz edx Ultra about two month ago, I found that the Edx Ultra have far more potential than they showed, so I tuned them again to get the max out of them. I used the songs as a reference: Gravity Wall and SH0ut by SawanoHiroyuki because even my best over ear headphones at Gravity Wall distort in certain places, I didn't expect very much but the Edx Ultra surprised me because I could not once detect a distortion of the background instruments. I am now very excited about some other IEMS such as the Truthear x Crinacle ZERO or Tri X HBB Kai
I've heard the 7hz timeless doesn't fit on certain ears. I'm going for the S12 since the looks reminds me of the Fiio FH3 since It fits perfectly in my ears.
For what it's worth, the timeless fits perfectly for me. Then again I've rarely had fit issues. What's unique about the timeless fit is, the big circular plate actually helps the fit as it does not push the earphone into the ear when you lie down on your side.
We should thanks the chinese company for making very good yet affordable IEM else a thieaudio monarch mk2 quality like IEM will cost you at least $4000.
Interesting. You heard the Raptgo Hook X and said it had less soundstage than the Timeless and the S12. Other reviews say the exact opposite. Is this unit variation or just different understanding of "soundstage" as a term?
@@temporoyale6251 I know HBB had a driver die on one side already, and he liked his enough that he was sort of bummed about it a week after the review video was done.
Yes, I was also a bit surprised by his referencing of the soundstage on the Hook X as 'narrow' and 'congested'... I have both the Timeless and Hook X and to my ears, the Timeless is narrower and globe-like around my head, whereas the Hook X is wide and way more 'open' and airy... which I've always somewhat attributed to the semi-open back design of the Hook X.
Personally I like the S12 better than the Timeless because it takes EQ way better than the Timeless. To me the Timeless actually sounds worst with EQ. When I EQ the S12 to IEF Neutral it turns into one of the best IEMs I've ever heard at any price point. I think Crinnacle and HBB need to tune some planar IEMs.
@@temporoyale6251 the S12 really is something else when EQd. It doesn't lose much bass impact when EQd to a neutral target. DF Neutral EQ is also crazy.
@@garfieldblessesyouwithadri3944 not at all. I’ve heard that happened but I don’t have that issue. The hook-x is exponentially better than the timeless. And for technicalities I found it to be far superior. Stage much, much wider I was actually shocked when that was his experience. The timbre are much more realistic and obviously it’s tuned better
@@garfieldblessesyouwithadri3944 I usually hear statements like this from people who haven’t experienced a fraction of my audio experience who tend to listen to music by looking at graphs. Diminishing someone’s expertise or experience when you don’t know them is really really stupid
@@garfieldblessesyouwithadri3944 put together a coherent question and I’ll answer it. I’m fully aware of psycho acoustics and how important a fr response is - however driver capability is just as important to the reproduction that to discount an Entire kind of technology that delivers the goods is foolish and boring. If you’ve ever heard planar speakers where the advantages between drivers is far more apparent- you’d have a different opinion or at the very least you wouldn’t be talking down to people on the Internet who don’t share your view
Interesting that he doesn't even mention Audeze Euclid. I'd never pay retail price ($1,300) for them but I got it brand new for $400 and think it's a very good IEM for that money. Perhaps the best IEM at that rare sale price. Audeze tuned it pretty badly though, so it does need EQ to sound up to their full potential. Not the most comfortable IEM for my ears either, as they start to hurt my ears after wearing them for over 2 hours. But the build quality, technicality, and sound quality (after EQ) is insanely great at $400.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the bone conduction driver and pizo tweeter in the Hook-X played the same role as the electrostatic ones in KZ😅 That may be the reason why you don’t perceive their traits
Most of these have been "on stage monitor" instead of foldback speakers. The have ranged from $90 to $250, and have 1 to 3 drivers in them. Some are bluetooth with perfomance issues, and the others are wired with a separate radio/wi fi body receiver.
I still use my iSine20 with their special cable. They became outdated because iPhone and iPad decided to ditch the lightning port and move to USBC. So I use an adaptive port that comes with a trade off… it doesn’t recognize the Audeze app., but it saves the last setting used. So it’s not too bad. I would love to retire them but I couldn’t find anything better at a similar price.
I picked up some S12's and they rock.....I confess I'm curious about the 7hz...but these S12's are NICE! And...$143...is possible when on sale. Only 2 stars, @crin? Damn you vicious. 🤣
S12 was about to break the ranking list so had to be held back. It's clearly better technicalities than Timeless to my ears. How Timeless can be 3 stars but S12 at 2 stars is...
Do you experience some sort of driver flex when adjusting your s12 inside your ears ? or some sort of distortion on any side when adjusting it while something is playing?
My first Planar IEM purchase received last Friday (Timeless 7Hz) and I’m Done…I really don’t need anything Sound wise that will eclipse these👍 (My Opinion Obviously) As for Planar in general then I really do think Planar will become pretty much the norm👍 as for full size cans 🎧 Nothing to me Sounds like my Audeze LCD2C Classic (although My Sennheiser HD600 through a Tube Rolled Headphone Tube Amp comes Close) so it’s nice overall to find some IEM’s that are Planar Tech and Sound great on the move.
My first 2 attempt at planar already broke.. 😛 My Ananda and gold planar iem, just one side suddenly died 🤣 on some region in the world planar is just too susceptible to Micromold and other type of damages so I still don't think they are up for prime time to be a driver for mass use product.
@@distraction2803 I duno, I'm comparing side by side with the previous, this newer one definitely seems brighter, or maybe its a color correction thing? I have 0 experience in this field tho so "it looks brighter" is the only apt description I can come up with.
Yes actually! I didn't find any difference initially but after reading your comment, I did a side by side and this video seems a bit cleaner with crin's face being a bit brighter/fairer. Probably some new post-processing stuff.
(Shouer tape)Magneto static is alternative to planar and electrostatic. Very good that takes the best aspect of these 2 into one. Korean Earbridge the manufacturer of it.
I had to return the s12. The treble was unbearable. Totally agree: Technicalities without the tone. I really miss the cable though. I will save for the ie600
One interesting to note is that unlike in headphone world where each company designes and makes their own planar driver, in IEM world pretty much all 14mm and 10mm planar driver came from the EXACTLY same manufacturer in China, they're the one who first managed to miniturize planar drivers. AFAIK only Audeze makes their own 18mm planar driver for their Euclid IEM which incooperated a low of their own acoustic design (unfortunately this doesn't stop Euclid from being suck in my opinion).
I only say this _half_ jokingly, if you're going to affix letters to tiers, _hyphenate._ A-tier and _A tier_ can mean two different things based solely on hyphenation.
timeless really the craziest resolving iem. believe me! its insane! no matter how negative and pessimistic i am, its still sound very resolving hands down the best iem you can get for 200$!
Planar = massive balanced armature taken out of the tin that *can* handle the entire frequency range (coherency) without BA's annoying distortion/tinnyness + having a bit of dynamic air movement goin on
@@rhyvehr Oh... for gaming. Well, I use my 7hz timeless with Dolby Atmos in Insurgency Sandstorm and it sounds fucking amazing. Complete immersion with its ability to replicate binaural audio.
@@Ardeact Yeah it sounds amazing but for imaging its a piece of flaming dogshit. Also in insurgency you don't rely as much on knowing exactly where enemies are, you generally have to go "Welp he's boutta come around this corner at some point". Dynamics are just so much further ahead in imaging *depth* and sensing that it's not even funny.
@@rhyvehr I rarely play games anymore, so I don't have much to cry about an IEMs gaming performance, thanks for the enlightenment, I think. if you're ranking IEMs based on their imaging ability, you mind as well just rank some gaming headsets.
Hey Crin, what do you think about bluetooth adapters for IEMs? I would really like to have wireless for work and I'm wondering if I could get them for my current IEMs and not have to buy another pair.
There are 2 planar iems that ouperform all other for this moment . First is Dope Audio ( Lucid, Pure) Second is Kennerton Rig All others, including Audeze is far away from them And planar is top notch Imho
ive not used a planar IEM but i do own some hifiman arya v3 headphones and they are excellent, there are shortcomings though and i think its basically related to being a single driver, i also own 64 audio u12t in ears, as a comparison the obvious things stand out, the soundstage on the headphones is wider, the bass can be felt on the headphones and extends further especially with some EQ or ifi xbass, without EQ its very flat and the u12t presents more bass quantity but cant compete with extension. Anyway, the point i wanted to make is for as good as the planar headphones are they have significant shortcomings to at least a multi armature IEM in that its easy to drive the planar headphones hard enough to massively lose control, the IEM stays extremely clean to deafening levels which is very exciting whereas the headphones feel like they can take more... right until the point very soon after where its clear they cant take any more if that makes sense and that's a bit of a shame and an obvious shortcoming particularly on bass heavy tracks where the reverberation of the driver has a clear impact on vocals. so when i see marketing stating that planars have less distortion blah blah blah i think that's misleading actually, that may be the case for ''critical'' listening levels but ive experienced them lose control and cohesion far sooner than any multi armature IEM ive heard, the separation is out the window at that point, with that said it is at higher listening levels, like very high admittedly, there is a sweet spot i find with my planar headphones where if you dont pump enough power through the bass will be flat and lifeless, pump just the right amount in and the bass extends extremely deep and the kick is incredibly fast and responsive but push just a bit passed that and the bass then can prove too much and the whole experience is ruined. the layering of instruments is excellent, vocals are clean and clear, the speed of the driver benefits bass and treble equally but theres all that nagging feeling that if you get too excited you are quickly reminded its one driver doing far too much. it would be for that reason id be cautious buying a planar IEM for casual listening, especially for bass heavy music where having dedicated drivers brings obvious dedicated driver advantages at higher volumes. it would be easy to say dont listen at silly volume levels right, its obvious and of course that's what makes sense but its not always the way we want to enjoy music, it would be interesting to know if anybody with these in ears experiences something similar or are they sensitive enough that not much pushing for volume is required.
Lmao, did you know the Arya has slightly worse technical performance than the Edition XS? I find it hilarious that Hifiman is selling the Arya for that much, and then they release a headphone with slightly better performance, at a FRACTION of the cost. xD
I would love to try out the 7hz Timeless but design is holding me back. I own shure IEM's and they fit so comfortable, and since the timeless has a old fashioned design I'm afraid they won't fit comfortably.
I'm a drummer who is mainly concerned with hearing my kick, the bass guitar, and a bit of vocals (ideally with good separation between each.) What would you recommend?
My set of Timeless just got delivered this morning, and yeah, going from the Moondrop SSPs to these is a bit of a step up, just a _touch._That said, they are slightly bright, but otherwise perfectly cromulent. On your video on them specifically you mentioned fit as a possible negative, and whilst everyone's ears are different shaped, do you like, shove IEMs in so deep you can _smell_ the music Crin? They're totally fine for me in other words. My only complaint with them is that I now own audio equipment of high enough quality that I now have to ignore background interference when I use my BTR5 whilst it's plugged in to charge :(
I bumped the low end up a bit and dropped the high end down to cut down the brightness a bit and I’m absolutely loving them. They eq very very well and man do they punch. You may not get the rumble of a dynamic but the accuracy and tonality is unbeatable.
@@Fryloc87HVAC hunh, I might give that a go, I hadn't up to this point because all I've heard is that the Timeless EQ very poorly. That and they don't _really_ need it, it's more like squeezing an extra few % out of a 95%+ good product
@@Horizontalvertigo so I think it depends on what you’re driving them with. I use my Shanling mw200 neckband 90% of the time and it’s got a pretty good eq on it. I only bump up the lowest freqs and the 1k and 2k. Drop the 4-16k a tad to knock off the harshness to your liking. They are great out of the box but I’m not gonna shame anybody for EQ’ing to their liking. I came from starfields to these myself and I don’t think I’ve touched them since I got these a couple months ago. Just love em. EarStudio MKII is my other on the go bluetooth adapter. At home I run these off a little tube amp and it’s great.
First video of yours I have watched, though I was familiar with your channel by various references on BGGAR‘s channel. Interesting content - thanks. I got the P1 when it first came out, and liked much about it (details, transparency, responsiveness) but always EQ‘d it to add bass and treble. So I agree with your take on that. Despite liking it, it never became my go-to set, which - oddly enough - was and still is the cheap Blon 03. The Blon has magic the P1 lacks. So I left the planar bandwagon after the P1. Might give them a new try soon. P.S.: Please stop using repetitive music loops in the background. Highly annoying, and the video would be better without, or with some track that doesn’t loop so obviously.
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Why was the Libratone Track Air Plus included on the IEM ranking list but not in the TWS guide?
wait 3 days ago but it relased now? UH ALL HAIL THE NORD
crinacle+ No.
All hail bloatware
@@Dacied73 releases early to channel members or paetreon or something through unlisted links
You should do a dedicated video on each driver type would be a cool watch or one video about each type with their pros and cons
depends on implementation
yes pls
Absolutely this! I can't find a single comparison video about IEM drivers anywhere and it's hard to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of each with all the jargon everywhere.
Maybe just me. But I'd like a crash course on how crossovers work before I can understand driver types.
@@skyscall because it doesn't matter. if it produces the same frequency, it won't sound different
I bought a Titan S this week and I already want S12, very curious to try the planar. This hobby is not good for my wallet.
Thanks Crin for all the data! It's invaluable to make the difficult purchasing decisions.
I got the s12 and i am asking myself if there is any point in getting anything else sub 1k
@@rafael6769 correct!
I was even curious about the IE600's and then I said....nahhh.
Maybe it's my ears but it's relatively rare unless there lots of cymbal to hear that over treble that Crin talks about on the S12's.
@@MarceloLopezJr . Saaaame, i wanted to get the ie 600 to put my mind at ease mostly but after the s12(they graph so similar ) im like, dont think there is much more in that price bracket.And the trebble ?yeah i find it depends . Also tips change the treble for me but its mostly a non issue for my out and about music tastes.
Try to buy an used S12. It's cheaper.
@@rafael6769 Agreed....I've yet to find the song that cuts like that....The S12's should've gotten a 2.5 stars....
Crin is vicious.
2:54 Man that was LTT level smooth.
Also, I recently went to an audio store and mentioned your ranking towards the seller. He looked it up and was kinda mad seeing the Utopia with "just" an S-, not knowing about your ranking style. Anyway, I got to try them and they were the best thing I ever listened to. Afterwards I bought HD 600 and couldn't be more satisfied for the price.
Like sandpaper smooth?
@@williamadiputra2850 exactly lol
To me bone conduction kicks in when I lower volume. Where with other IEMs completely lose bass, HOOK-X still has some of it. It is weird though: almost no bass but subtle rumble at low volume.
Yes, planar
The P1 Max was my fav Planer IEM!, but then I find most IEM's are tuned in a such a way that they want to make my ears bleed, the P1 is so smooth and non-fatiguing, you can actually enjoy your music without wincing, the FR drop between 1.5k and 6k region is heaven!, there are actually people out there like myself that hate that region being pushed to the sky!
You're almost back to 100k again! Great to see the growth man!
Too my 60 year old ears 👂..the S12 is damn near perfect..also LOVE the Midnight’s 🔥
To my ears, the P1 Max sounded the best. Sound is subjective at the end of the day. ALso, I felt that paired with the right source, the P1 Max really shines. They sound great with my MacBook Pro 14 inch, FiiO K5 Pro (older model), and the K3. They suck when played with my Android phone though.
The one correction I would make to this video is that the Timeless was actually not the first new planar in this new revolution. I believe that title belongs to the PMV PP. It definitely pre dates the Timeless & I strongly suspect that it uses the same driver. It’s just tuned warmer so if you feel that the Timeless is bright….. Because it was first, a lot of people balked at trying it plus I believe that there were some reports of QC issues. My set works fine & I also own the Timeless. Love them both but I will admit that the Timeless is the more technical of the two by just a bit.
I feel like all of this man's subscribers are just there waiting for him to upload😂
Damn right you are
of course we are
@@willuigi64 I've never cared about headphones and iems until i watched one of his videos and now im addicted
You aren’t wrong lmao
I'd love to see a sequel to this video, since the Timeless, S12 and Hook X have all received sidegrades ("flankers") and it would be interesting to see if these sidegrades are actually better or worse.
No more timeless video he don't want to tell us why! 😅
@@STAYCBias It was on the previous channel which he lost access to and eventually got nuked.
I still prefer dynamics. I've heard planar and estats (iem and headphones) and I still kept coming back to dynamics. That said, dynamic for bass/mids and estat for highs are where it's at for iems. Tin p1 was boring and flat out of the box (sorry) but with heavy eq it was a beast
yes! planar magnetic or electrostatic only suitable for treble reproduction. that's right. they can't reproduce bass and midrange realistically.
@@barbasour false
@@j_a_a then it goes without saying, you don't have enough experience :)
I had some extra final audio e type eartips laying around that i tried with the s12 that worked out great. no more harshness, shoutiness or that emphasized sibilance. ir became much more balanced sounding. with this Change i can honestly say it was an excellent deal for a great iem!
how about the bass? does the final e tips increase the bass to the point where it's too much, compared to the stock wide bore?
@@kimberly_lippington nothing exagerated. Also i think it fares well with some increase to balance the increased treble. I've modded mine to have some aditional dbs in the bass region.
This is exactly what I was looking for as I have an S12 coming in and was hoping the E type tips would help with the treble. Thanks for the comment!
The Timeless is and WILL be my last under usd250 pair of iems. Period. I actually paid usd193 for it and god knows how happy i am.
@@ACE112ACE112 what's there to doubt?
Bonus points for knowing the U87 is the best vocal mic on planet earth. Mine have worked hard on the road for 45 years and are flawless. I have much more expensive mics and they just sit in the box. The U87 is my desert island mic, worth every penny.
😯😵
But hot dam does it cost a pretty penny
"We should really capitalize on this as well"
**ad break**
Well played, Crin
I agree. These are a obvious evolution in technology. Sort of like a TV moving to 1080p and then 4k.
I've been using bone conduction headphones for years (aftershockz). There isn't any noticeable feeling unless you really pump the volume. I think people hear "bone conduction" and expect something crazy. The surprising thing is actually how normal they feel and sound.
That's what I was thinking too. Don't most IEMs already cause bone conduction from being inside of your ear canal? You can't really "hear" bone conduction because it happens all the time, it's literally part of the way we hear.
"When it comes to tonal balance the S12 dials it up to 11"
you mean.... to 12?
Sorry
lol nice pun
Was going to buy the Timeless next month so this review has great timing!
With Dan Clark audio and maybe Abyss developing their own Planar IEM, maybe single planar IEM is the future.
Those will be just as overpriced as the Audeze LCDi line. The timeless killed the game.
@@mobbaddictchannel there are still room for improvements and if people want to pay more for it, why not?
@@protato911 sure, I'm always up for some competition. But I think the iem market is vastly more competitive than the headphone market and it will be difficult to keep the prices high.
I got the S12 for $130 direct from Letshuoer after coupon a couple months ago and I'm blown away. A quick EQ to tune down the treble just a titch (also upped the bass a hair) and it's probably the best deal I've ever got in terms of audio equipment. If you like rock and electronic music they sound so damn good.
I was using the Tin T4 before this and the S12 is on a whole different plane. I also tried the Etymotic ER2XR, as well as the Tripowin Olina, before finally settling on the S12 and it is just something else entirely.
hey, i was intersted in getting the ER2XR alongside my s12, really for the isolation. how does it compare?
Hopefully you returned them or sold them. It's kinda pointless to keep multipl similar performance iems.
How do u tune your iems also, is it ok to just plug em into your phone (3.5mm) without any issues?
Happy with my S12, yea slightly too bright but accompanied with spring tips and colorfly cda-m1, it would at least be more bearable if not making it not sharp altogether, while maintaining its strengths to make it worthy as my daily drivers.
Do you experience some sort of driver flex when adjusting your s12 inside your ears ? or some sort of distortion on any side when adjusting it while something is playing?
@@ANOLE_VX not for me, maybe because I use those spring tips that has the flabbing noise, or maybe just your earhole not big enough to fit the S12. If there's no big problem in the listening experience itself then nothing big to worry, but if not you may need to consider a replacement or find another model that fits or performs more to your needs
I'm rocking it with the link2Bal. Mind blowing!
I have the s12s and wouldn't mind tips to reduce the treble a bit. Which ones would you recommend
@@Thoughtflux just ordered link2bal and thinking about what planars to buy. How wide the sound stage in this setup?
Can't wait for you to give us a review of the KZ PR1 Pro, their attempt to step into the planar territory of the timeless but with a budget that is cut even more.
Your accent is really sharp and the way you can instantly end a sound makes me feel like my headphones are a lot clearer and responsive than they actually are.
Idk why but his voice is so satisfying. i love it
9:59 anybody notice that they spelled crinacle wrong on the IEM
Excellent video! Hope you'll be reviewing the 7hz Timeless v2 as well!
@Van Life v2 mate
Wait... Is there a V2 already?
@@zamedoeswtever5267 wdym by v2
@@EduRB99 Gizaudio got the nod from 7Hz to announce that it's coming.
@@Strizz484 Yeah I saw the vid, looks like there's a planar madness coming lol
i have bought the kz edx Ultra about two month ago, I found that the Edx Ultra have far more potential than they showed, so I tuned them again to get the max out of them. I used the songs as a reference: Gravity Wall and SH0ut by SawanoHiroyuki because even my best over ear headphones at Gravity Wall distort in certain places, I didn't expect very much but the Edx Ultra surprised me because I could not once detect a distortion of the background instruments. I am now very excited about some other IEMS such as the Truthear x Crinacle ZERO or Tri X HBB Kai
I've heard the 7hz timeless doesn't fit on certain ears. I'm going for the S12 since the looks reminds me of the Fiio FH3 since It fits perfectly in my ears.
it fits fine if you have big ears like me
For what it's worth, the timeless fits perfectly for me. Then again I've rarely had fit issues.
What's unique about the timeless fit is, the big circular plate actually helps the fit as it does not push the earphone into the ear when you lie down on your side.
I also have bigger ears and they seem to work well for me. I did need to replace the tips with Sedna tho
I have tiny ears and the Timeless works for me perfectly so take that as you will
Timeless fit my Spark Plugs great but I’ve heard us Geordies have Big Ears 👂🏻 among other things.😜
Rapid progress in IEMs makes me wonder what will the future bring. Perhaps planar, BA, EST tribrid?
I was hoping for a DD subwoofer and planar with something like the Qudelix 5k as cross over.
Brain chip implants bringing lossless strait to the dome!
We should thanks the chinese company for making very good yet affordable IEM else a thieaudio monarch mk2 quality like IEM will cost you at least $4000.
@@zenniz1992 Brazil has a tribid like that.
1 planar 10mm
4 ba
4 est
@@bunth786 Audio Dream?
Interesting. You heard the Raptgo Hook X and said it had less soundstage than the Timeless and the S12. Other reviews say the exact opposite. Is this unit variation or just different understanding of "soundstage" as a term?
It could possibly be the bone conduction driver not working properly for his ear.
maybe so because crinacle is the only one who does not have a link to purchase the product in the description?)
For what I know, some reviewers received faulty units, with bad channel matching
@@temporoyale6251 I know HBB had a driver die on one side already, and he liked his enough that he was sort of bummed about it a week after the review video was done.
Yes, I was also a bit surprised by his referencing of the soundstage on the Hook X as 'narrow' and 'congested'... I have both the Timeless and Hook X and to my ears, the Timeless is narrower and globe-like around my head, whereas the Hook X is wide and way more 'open' and airy... which I've always somewhat attributed to the semi-open back design of the Hook X.
0:04 this camera angle is so good, with the half blurry mic, and mount Everest behind it
Personally I like the S12 better than the Timeless because it takes EQ way better than the Timeless. To me the Timeless actually sounds worst with EQ. When I EQ the S12 to IEF Neutral it turns into one of the best IEMs I've ever heard at any price point. I think Crinnacle and HBB need to tune some planar IEMs.
Hi friend, Do you tune it using AutoEQ settings ? And what software do you use ?
@@gustavoreview I use my S12 with the Qudelix 5k internal PEQ
I second you, been using mine with IEF Neltral for a week, and damn!
@@temporoyale6251 the S12 really is something else when EQd. It doesn't lose much bass impact when EQd to a neutral target. DF Neutral EQ is also crazy.
You may be onto something there @SlothNinja... CrinS12+
I like the ring of that
I think I watched your timeless video a dozen times this week. I bought a pair of S12's but decided to splurge on a pair of blessing 2's
Where is this video? I can't find it
Which do you prefer?
@@tnzno63 I love the B2's but I keep them at home and use my 7hz Zero's when I'm on the go.
I personally like the hook-X over the timeless. Have both, but the hook just does it in a way that’s special.
Couldn’t agree more
@@garfieldblessesyouwithadri3944 not at all. I’ve heard that happened but I don’t have that issue. The hook-x is exponentially better than the timeless. And for technicalities I found it to be far superior. Stage much, much wider I was actually shocked when that was his experience. The timbre are much more realistic and obviously it’s tuned better
@@garfieldblessesyouwithadri3944 I usually hear statements like this from people who haven’t experienced a fraction of my audio experience who tend to listen to music by looking at graphs. Diminishing someone’s expertise or experience when you don’t know them is really really stupid
@@garfieldblessesyouwithadri3944 put together a coherent question and I’ll answer it. I’m fully aware of psycho acoustics and how important a fr response is - however driver capability is just as important to the reproduction that to discount an Entire kind of technology that delivers the goods is foolish and boring. If you’ve ever heard planar speakers where the advantages between drivers is far more apparent- you’d have a different opinion or at the very least you wouldn’t be talking down to people on the Internet who don’t share your view
@@MrColdchillin81 I cannot agree more with that statement
I have timeless, a timeless purchase. Love it to death.
Interesting that he doesn't even mention Audeze Euclid. I'd never pay retail price ($1,300) for them but I got it brand new for $400 and think it's a very good IEM for that money. Perhaps the best IEM at that rare sale price. Audeze tuned it pretty badly though, so it does need EQ to sound up to their full potential. Not the most comfortable IEM for my ears either, as they start to hurt my ears after wearing them for over 2 hours. But the build quality, technicality, and sound quality (after EQ) is insanely great at $400.
I have a s12. Really love it. It felt shouty on the fioo ka3 but it's magic on the link2Bal. Pairing matters.
7:41 this is the best sound effect i've ever heard someone make on the fly
I wouldn’t be surprised if the bone conduction driver and pizo tweeter in the Hook-X played the same role as the electrostatic ones in KZ😅
That may be the reason why you don’t perceive their traits
I love my TIN HiFi planars. To my knowledge they were one of the pioneers.
Most of these have been "on stage monitor" instead of foldback speakers. The have ranged from $90 to $250, and have 1 to 3 drivers in them. Some are bluetooth with perfomance issues, and the others are wired with a separate radio/wi fi body receiver.
Can you explain?
@@kaeroseon No.
I still use my iSine20 with their special cable.
They became outdated because iPhone and iPad decided to ditch the lightning port and move to USBC. So I use an adaptive port that comes with a trade off… it doesn’t recognize the Audeze app., but it saves the last setting used. So it’s not too bad.
I would love to retire them but I couldn’t find anything better at a similar price.
I picked up some S12's and they rock.....I confess I'm curious about the 7hz...but these S12's are NICE!
And...$143...is possible when on sale.
Only 2 stars, @crin? Damn you vicious. 🤣
S12 was about to break the ranking list so had to be held back. It's clearly better technicalities than Timeless to my ears. How Timeless can be 3 stars but S12 at 2 stars is...
@@chaoslimits exactly... Because the rankings...
Do you experience some sort of driver flex when adjusting your s12 inside your ears ? or some sort of distortion on any side when adjusting it while something is playing?
@@ANOLE_VX Not that I've noticed.
@@chaoslimits Because your opinions are not absolute
I just boosted mids and lowered treble on my new CCA CRAs. They sound so good.
My first Planar IEM purchase received last Friday (Timeless 7Hz) and I’m Done…I really don’t need anything Sound wise that will eclipse these👍 (My Opinion Obviously)
As for Planar in general then I really do think Planar will become pretty much the norm👍
as for full size cans 🎧
Nothing to me Sounds like my Audeze LCD2C Classic (although My Sennheiser HD600 through a Tube Rolled Headphone Tube Amp comes Close) so it’s nice overall to find some IEM’s that are Planar Tech and Sound great on the move.
My first 2 attempt at planar already broke.. 😛
My Ananda and gold planar iem, just one side suddenly died 🤣 on some region in the world planar is just too susceptible to Micromold and other type of damages so I still don't think they are up for prime time to be a driver for mass use product.
1:30 "people should really capitalise on this.."
Said whilst he's secretly got his own Dioko planar iem in production 😅
7:42 what kind of dinosaur is trapped in crin's chest
Hey Crin, is it just me or is this video kinda really bright compared to your earlier ones, lighting wise?
It's exactly the same as every other video
@@distraction2803 I duno, I'm comparing side by side with the previous, this newer one definitely seems brighter, or maybe its a color correction thing? I have 0 experience in this field tho so "it looks brighter" is the only apt description I can come up with.
Yes actually! I didn't find any difference initially but after reading your comment, I did a side by side and this video seems a bit cleaner with crin's face being a bit brighter/fairer. Probably some new post-processing stuff.
Was genuinely super interested on your opinion on planar. Thanks.
(Shouer tape)Magneto static is alternative to planar and electrostatic. Very good that takes the best aspect of these 2 into one. Korean Earbridge the manufacturer of it.
Oh Damn the U87 sounded so gooood...
I had to return the s12. The treble was unbearable. Totally agree: Technicalities without the tone. I really miss the cable though. I will save for the ie600
One interesting to note is that unlike in headphone world where each company designes and makes their own planar driver, in IEM world pretty much all 14mm and 10mm planar driver came from the EXACTLY same manufacturer in China, they're the one who first managed to miniturize planar drivers. AFAIK only Audeze makes their own 18mm planar driver for their Euclid IEM which incooperated a low of their own acoustic design (unfortunately this doesn't stop Euclid from being suck in my opinion).
Only china brand. Not like japan brand or other outside china
I love to see those super expensive mics being mounted on the 20$ arm
Almost bought a Timeless but I’ve read too many concerns on build quality and longevity.
Well I'm a daily user of the Timeless since boxing day last year and I have had no issues what so ever so it all depends who you ask.
Timeless is not that good value anymore.
I only say this _half_ jokingly, if you're going to affix letters to tiers, _hyphenate._ A-tier and _A tier_ can mean two different things based solely on hyphenation.
timeless really the craziest resolving iem. believe me! its insane! no matter how negative and pessimistic i am, its still sound very resolving hands down the best iem you can get for 200$!
Been waiting for the main to speak up on this current gen of planars (post Timeless)
I've listened to a lot of different headphones, but the Hook X is the best. Without a doubt.
Заказал их сегодня..они лучше hana?) Едут ещё Като...хотел разные наушники
@@olegok3051 Хану я не слышал, но Kato и Timless явно уступают Хукам.
@@narzi88 спасибо.. заказал хуки вчера)))
Forget about tuning. Just get the IEM with the best technical performance and use EQ.
Ok I get it. Ill buy the timeless
Bruh, when did you get the U87 AI mic? Looks amazing and sounds amazing.
Couldn't agree more on your point regarding the "peizo electric treble". Too artificial and a strangely unnatural, unpleasant sound. Great video. 👍
Agreed timeless is shouti , I personally don't find it fatiguing
got these for $107 during the holiday season
@crinacle+ you have the best outro on youtube. I wait for it every time!
guy got a frickin u87
Blessing 2 Dusk or 7hz Timeless?
I find that unless very precisely designed and manufactured, small planar drivers can exhibit chaotic behavior, especially at high frequencies.
Planar = massive balanced armature taken out of the tin that *can* handle the entire frequency range (coherency) without BA's annoying distortion/tinnyness + having a bit of dynamic air movement goin on
Planar = sounds sexy and modern, and is a flex
@@Ardeact Not really, I havent enjoyed anything planar for gaming. Not even close
@@rhyvehr Oh... for gaming. Well, I use my 7hz timeless with Dolby Atmos in Insurgency Sandstorm and it sounds fucking amazing. Complete immersion with its ability to replicate binaural audio.
@@Ardeact Yeah it sounds amazing but for imaging its a piece of flaming dogshit. Also in insurgency you don't rely as much on knowing exactly where enemies are, you generally have to go "Welp he's boutta come around this corner at some point".
Dynamics are just so much further ahead in imaging *depth* and sensing that it's not even funny.
@@rhyvehr I rarely play games anymore, so I don't have much to cry about an IEMs gaming performance, thanks for the enlightenment, I think. if you're ranking IEMs based on their imaging ability, you mind as well just rank some gaming headsets.
Hey Crin, what do you think about bluetooth adapters for IEMs? I would really like to have wireless for work and I'm wondering if I could get them for my current IEMs and not have to buy another pair.
There are 2 planar iems that ouperform all other for this moment .
First is Dope Audio ( Lucid, Pure)
Second is Kennerton Rig
All others, including Audeze is far away from them
And planar is top notch
Imho
ive not used a planar IEM but i do own some hifiman arya v3 headphones and they are excellent, there are shortcomings though and i think its basically related to being a single driver, i also own 64 audio u12t in ears, as a comparison the obvious things stand out, the soundstage on the headphones is wider, the bass can be felt on the headphones and extends further especially with some EQ or ifi xbass, without EQ its very flat and the u12t presents more bass quantity but cant compete with extension. Anyway, the point i wanted to make is for as good as the planar headphones are they have significant shortcomings to at least a multi armature IEM in that its easy to drive the planar headphones hard enough to massively lose control, the IEM stays extremely clean to deafening levels which is very exciting whereas the headphones feel like they can take more... right until the point very soon after where its clear they cant take any more if that makes sense and that's a bit of a shame and an obvious shortcoming particularly on bass heavy tracks where the reverberation of the driver has a clear impact on vocals. so when i see marketing stating that planars have less distortion blah blah blah i think that's misleading actually, that may be the case for ''critical'' listening levels but ive experienced them lose control and cohesion far sooner than any multi armature IEM ive heard, the separation is out the window at that point, with that said it is at higher listening levels, like very high admittedly, there is a sweet spot i find with my planar headphones where if you dont pump enough power through the bass will be flat and lifeless, pump just the right amount in and the bass extends extremely deep and the kick is incredibly fast and responsive but push just a bit passed that and the bass then can prove too much and the whole experience is ruined. the layering of instruments is excellent, vocals are clean and clear, the speed of the driver benefits bass and treble equally but theres all that nagging feeling that if you get too excited you are quickly reminded its one driver doing far too much.
it would be for that reason id be cautious buying a planar IEM for casual listening, especially for bass heavy music where having dedicated drivers brings obvious dedicated driver advantages at higher volumes. it would be easy to say dont listen at silly volume levels right, its obvious and of course that's what makes sense but its not always the way we want to enjoy music, it would be interesting to know if anybody with these in ears experiences something similar or are they sensitive enough that not much pushing for volume is required.
Lmao, did you know the Arya has slightly worse technical performance than the Edition XS? I find it hilarious that Hifiman is selling the Arya for that much, and then they release a headphone with slightly better performance, at a FRACTION of the cost. xD
But you forgot MY favorite! The Megalonautic Centauri 420JNC 7 Ultra Gen 5+ Silver Surfer edition!
I would love to try out the 7hz Timeless but design is holding me back. I own shure IEM's and they fit so comfortable, and since the timeless has a old fashioned design I'm afraid they won't fit comfortably.
You’re absolutely right about the audezes needing eq but i have isine 10s with the cypher cable. Eqed with the audeze app they can sound incredible.
I'm a drummer who is mainly concerned with hearing my kick, the bass guitar, and a bit of vocals (ideally with good separation between each.) What would you recommend?
"1more" triple or quad
Decided to kick the bucket and get a Neumann U 87 Ai? A big leap! Huh!
I think bone conduction driver give the Hook-X some openness even though it’s actually a “closed-back”
nice mic upgrade sir, neumann should sponsor you
thank you so much for putting me on to the timeless
always a great day when new crinacle video pops up
Oh snap! Stepping up to the u87. Very nice Crin!
9:59 - "To:Crinalce"
A new mic as well....the legendary U87?
When I round planar I found what I was looking for in my audio journey.
I have s12 pro and hook X... the s12pro is good bass and more detail, but hook X is exceptionally very special...
My set of Timeless just got delivered this morning, and yeah, going from the Moondrop SSPs to these is a bit of a step up, just a _touch._That said, they are slightly bright, but otherwise perfectly cromulent.
On your video on them specifically you mentioned fit as a possible negative, and whilst everyone's ears are different shaped, do you like, shove IEMs in so deep you can _smell_ the music Crin? They're totally fine for me in other words.
My only complaint with them is that I now own audio equipment of high enough quality that I now have to ignore background interference when I use my BTR5 whilst it's plugged in to charge :(
I bumped the low end up a bit and dropped the high end down to cut down the brightness a bit and I’m absolutely loving them. They eq very very well and man do they punch. You may not get the rumble of a dynamic but the accuracy and tonality is unbeatable.
@@Fryloc87HVAC hunh, I might give that a go, I hadn't up to this point because all I've heard is that the Timeless EQ very poorly. That and they don't _really_ need it, it's more like squeezing an extra few % out of a 95%+ good product
@@Horizontalvertigo so I think it depends on what you’re driving them with. I use my Shanling mw200 neckband 90% of the time and it’s got a pretty good eq on it. I only bump up the lowest freqs and the 1k and 2k. Drop the 4-16k a tad to knock off the harshness to your liking. They are great out of the box but I’m not gonna shame anybody for EQ’ing to their liking. I came from starfields to these myself and I don’t think I’ve touched them since I got these a couple months ago. Just love em. EarStudio MKII is my other on the go bluetooth adapter. At home I run these off a little tube amp and it’s great.
@@Fryloc87HVAC cheers for the advice :) I'll have to see what my little BTR5 can manage, but I might update soon enough
7Hz : *cough*
All other IEM makers: *cough cough cough cough cough*
7hz : *umm..burp...*
All other IEM makers: *burp burp burp burp burp burp burp burp*
what does that mean?
@@BG4life13 imitation
YOU HAVE THE U 87 🥳 GOOD CHOICE great mic I would recommend a noise gate and a desser aka the dbx 286s to make that mic sound better
did you get a U87ai just so i can hear the room some more
I use my Timeless with Hidizs DH80S, it's soooo nice!
YOU GOT THE Neumann U87 CRIN!!!? DAMNN!!!!!!
First video of yours I have watched, though I was familiar with your channel by various references on BGGAR‘s channel. Interesting content - thanks. I got the P1 when it first came out, and liked much about it (details, transparency, responsiveness) but always EQ‘d it to add bass and treble. So I agree with your take on that. Despite liking it, it never became my go-to set, which - oddly enough - was and still is the cheap Blon 03. The Blon has magic the P1 lacks. So I left the planar bandwagon after the P1. Might give them a new try soon. P.S.: Please stop using repetitive music loops in the background. Highly annoying, and the video would be better without, or with some track that doesn’t loop so obviously.
The music looping every 5 sec was outrageously annoying!
what is the current best single planar iem?
I REALLY WANT THAT AUDEZE EUCLID
so I tried it at my local store and you know...?
It's.. not entirely that great.. surprisingly..