I want more clarity in lyrics (mids). They are still veiled (for me). Maybe because I just heard Dali Lektor with a tube amp and am trying to compare it with them. Any way this tf10 can sound more open, more lush (like more vibrato in vocals, more clarity in vocalist breathing in & out). Maybe it is too much to ask, but what can give me these things with minimal expense on pocket?
Simply put, No! If I understood your question correctly, you want to make a thick sounding BA IEM something it's not.
Hmm. See if the generators below help
http://tropicalcoder...TestFileGen.htm
http://tropicalcoder...OTestSigGen.htm
If you need a CD with tones and sweeps, download the Bink Test Audio CD (or its individual tracks). I used it to "burn-in" my IEMs, even though I'm not much of a believer in "burn-in"
http://binkster.net/extras.shtml
Thanks for the Sinewave generator link.
As for CDs, I have several options (Bink, Burn-in wave, customized CD with noise files and sweeps etc.,). But I have used only normal music to burn-in every IEM I have tried. My interest has been with frequency sweeps to judge how an IEM responds over the frequency range. The one I use most for the past couple of years has been Focal Audio Demo Disk #2, which I used back when I had the speaker setup running (At that time, I was a collector of test disks like Marantz, Usher, Chesky etc.,). It has individual tone files and broad sweeps. You cut those peaks and fill those dips (you can cut off excessive parts easily rather than bring up something that's not present) and viola! the IEM which sounded crap becomes somewhat decent.
And deprive us of the wonderful experience of being voyeurs on your audio journey ? No way
But as always, for many, your equipment would be welcome on the classifieds
That line was not written in haste. There are times in every hobby or even in life where we come to cross roads and stop to think. With my current set of IEMs, the payoff I get from 'upgraditis' is not that huge anymore i.e., I have to throw a lot of money to get something better. In addition, I have to be very careful where I put my money. It's no longer a gamble I can afford. DacMini CX and Burson HA-160 were gambles for bigger money and at the end of the day, I am left wanting more, something better. It's no longer a date, but more like a marriage (choice for life, messy if you choose to 'divorce' your equipment = heavy losses / difficulty finding a local buyer). Sometimes, you don't need that last mile of performance at all (like I don't need i7 rig if all I do is word, excel and browsing).
When you are head over heels for hobbies, you blindly collect. Then, you look around and find a laptop, a PC, two dedicated HTPCs - one for Movie and another for music. You have a full 3D home theater, then a headphone setup and then plenty of variety within the portable/transportable setup. On top of that, time gets precious and power is unavailable. Which hobby do you pursue when you are left with a total of three hours in the night (with two one hour power cuts in between) when you are tired, sweating and just want to sleep? Truth is nothing gets used on most days. FWIW, I am increasingly finding it difficult to force myself to stick something inside my ear too!
Now I am not saying I am getting out completely. Once you are used to A/c, it's hard to go back to the days when you could lay down on the floor with a power cut with a candle in the corner and still find sleep. But, I am thinking loud about what I am doing - just like I stopped the bi-annual ritual of upgrading PCs a few years ago and kept what I have for years together with only the necessary upgrades. That stage did not come about when PCs were under-powered compared to what I need, but when they became more powerful than what was demanded of them. Probably I am going to be slowing down in audio as well - fewer, better, well spaced out, well thought through buys. Even then, I have too much lying around idle, unused, occupying space, but still needs careful storage all the same. In the last 1-2 years of ownership, I have hardly used Alessandro MS1i or HRT MS2 for instance, but yet I cannot reclaim space that the Grado occupies in my headphone-cum-portable shelf. I have used Brookstone Clear Dual Drivers twice in the last 6 months of ownership. I have not even switched on ZO2 v3 since the day it arrived post the initial testing. I have been meaning to sell HM5 since the second day of listening, but have not been able to. The list goes on...
I am also bored writing about audio. I'm not even sure if my rants are useful to people. There's one review I am working on for a month and a half which is only 40% complete
. I think Hifiman will eventually release a less demanding successor to HE-6 sometime in the future. At that time, a dedicated setup would go for a toss. Another reason why I am hesitant about HE-6 is that unlike with IEMs, I do not want to collect headphones - one or at most 3 should be more than enough.
