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Cyberspace242 OP t1_jbbla9f wrote

I have to admit the whole iem thing intrigues me. Yesterday, I read a few posts on a couple of forums where someone was asking advice on what reasonably priced iem to buy. I read these posts intently as I'm starting to develop a fascination with them despite having a real love for over ear headphones.

Long story short, many sub $100 iems were mentioned and some people even responded saying others should go right to an endgame iem at higher price point. One person however went on about how much they love their Olina for both sound and comfort and that caught my eye because iems I find can be very uncomfortable despite having a decent and/or good sound.

I ordered the Olina. It came in today and that user was bang on. They are extremely comfortable and they sound incredible. I'm absolutely stunned at how good they are. So comfortable, such incredible sound. It makes me question my over-ear collection and how much I've spent on that when a $110 iem can sound this good on all levels. So very impressed.

Ps. I ordered Hexa but I'll probably just sell them upon arrival as these Olina SE absolutely hit the right notes for me.

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mcjasonb t1_jbbtrc7 wrote

You should still try the Hexa.

I’ve been a full size headphones guy for a while, other than true wireless buds when out and about. But I got an ER4SR last summer, and then last month I got the Hexa and Timeless AE.

All 3 of these IEMs are great, and sometimes make me question why I spent $600 on the Focal Elex. IEMs for the money are the way to go. I still sometimes use the Elex and enjoy it though. The ER4SR is almost more of a tool, but the Timeless AE and the Hexa are a great combination of fun while still being technical and accurate enough.

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CraigMcMurtry t1_jbbx3qx wrote

Replying to mcjasonb (#2,181,604)

Hmmm … I ended up with the opposite impression. I’d ordered Moondrop Katos and 7hz Timeless AEs intending to keep both. The Katos were so bad I returned them immediately and I’ve kept the AEs as a reminder to never, ever buy in-ear monitors again.

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spltnalityof t1_jbc0g76 wrote

Replying to CraigMcMurtry (#2,181,741)

It all hinges on a good seal and insertion depth. I personally find the timeless to be too bright, esp. in the upper treble. However, using moondrop spring tips with them reduces their harshness and gives them a more natural sound. Even still, I can't go without EQ on them when listening to music. With EQ, they are fantastic (albeit with a narrow soundstage). Without it, they are very spicy and unpleasant.

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SoraFlame t1_jbc5b1c wrote

I don't own either but I have iems and am getting more into them too! I've been eyeing the Hexa let me know how you like it! :) rock on man

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Total_Squirrel5300 t1_jbc5cil wrote

Let us know how they compare to the hexas. I have the hexas but was eyeing the olina

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mcjasonb t1_jbceekh wrote

Replying to spltnalityof (#2,181,876)

Do you have the OG Timeless or the AE?

I have the AE, and the only EQ I do is under 1Khz. I do a low shelf to reduce some bass, and a little boost centered at 650hz to flatten the lower mids. I enjoy the treble a lot, but I also don’t listen very loud so the slight V-shape is welcome.

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daddyyeslegs t1_jbcm7lw wrote

I have the OG olina with the double filter mod, and I really enjoy them. Still no portable DAC amp, but they sound great out my phone.

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5uperman8atman t1_jbcqeyw wrote

Replying to Soggy-Ad7318 (#2,182,014)

That's an Ifi Hip DAC he's running the IEMs off of. I have both the Qudelix and the Hip DAC. Let me tell you, the Qudelix is a great little thing, but it can't hold a candle to the Hip DAC in terms of sound quality and power. The Qudelix doesn't have a lot of power, even on balanced output. It gets plenty loud on most things, but by comparison, it has a thinner sound than the Hip DAC. The Hip DAC provides a punchier, more rich and wider experience. It's basically the mobile equivalent to the Zen DAC, which is Ifi's desktop DAC amp. I use the Qudelix when I am up and moving around, doing work or cleaning up the house. It provides a good experience. I love the app and all of the features that come with it. But when I am kicking back in the recliner I wire it up to my phone or tablet and use the Hip DAC. It's a much more satisfying experience.

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Alternative-Koala174 t1_jbcxehz wrote

I’ve been looking at these for a while now, and also the Hip DAC. What are your thoughts on the Hip DAC?

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porkupine92 t1_jbd0bcj wrote

Replying to Alternative-Koala174 (#2,183,343)

The Hip Dac 2 with auto gain and xbass is an allrounder with clean power for my Edition XS to the Meze 99s to the Timeless and others that optimizes the sound of them all, even bringing out the sub bass of my older Tin T4s. I keep it plugged in all the time at my listening station to easily swap out headgear for different generes.

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DeltalJulietCharlie t1_jbdd01r wrote

Replying to jjfosh (#2,183,806)

I've got the S12 Pros - when I put them on after listening to the Truthear Hola it feels like a veil is lifted.

They're pretty comfortable, which I suspect the other planars aren't.

Not a huge fan of the tuning, would probably be better slightly more neutral. But even so they're amazing.

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daddyyeslegs t1_jbdj38d wrote

Replying to TraditionContent9818 (#2,184,114)

I actually don't know!! I had bought some random ass replacement tips for the tws I had like 6 years ago, and when I got the olinas I throw the replacement tips in with those, and they're both very similar. When I added the second filter, I figured I'd use the chance to tip roll to get a pair that fits nice and sounds good, and I found a nice pair but I can't tell if they're stock tips or not. I want to say they're aftermarket because they seem softer than the stock ones, but I really can't tell anymore.

I got the SMSL c200 sitting on my desk, I'll probably plug the olinas in eventually to give it a shot.

I do want to get the final E tips, I've had the e500s on my list at the start but got the quarks instead. Probably should've just gotten the e500 at the time. The narrow bore would really help to alleviate my concerns about clogging too.

Are you rocking double filters? Or are the E tips enough to get the bass where you like it and tame the treble? I found the treble to be ever so slightly hot with only 1 filter.

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TraditionContent9818 t1_jbdm7mg wrote

Replying to daddyyeslegs (#2,184,134)

I use both double filters and final e tips and that combination corrected any FR issues for me (I'm not treble happy in general) and actually made me really love this set. The new thing I tried with my olina recently is to EQ them to the HBB target using equaliser APO (using auto EQ settings I got from squiq.link) and that is something that even though I don't view it as a prerequisite I suggest you try as well at some point.

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laskitude t1_jbdswud wrote

Replying to Cyberspace242 (#2,181,207)

How much can we trust someone who resorts to such adjectival overkill as "absolutely stunned"? A reader from any other epoch than our own would have no alternative than to assume the speaker had been assaulted with a hammer or similar blunt instrument..

−5

tubby8 t1_jbdxrjm wrote

Olina SE are tuned perfectly.

People are saying Hexa but I found it to be quite boring

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MindTheGapless t1_jbdz0fm wrote

Replying to jjfosh (#2,183,806)

I love my S12. They are quite special. I must also say that the 7Hz Zero is quite amazing, not S12 amazing, but still amazing in its own way.

Waiting for the Hexa's. Looking for affordable End Game from one of these:

Audio Hekili - $300 Moondrop Variations - $530 Letshouer EJ07m - $600 Xenns Mangrid Tea 2 - $350 Thieaudio Oracle - $539 Mangrid Xenns Top - $530

The budget is $600, however, I'm concerned with Moondrop and Thieaudio QC issues. This is why the Audio Hekilis may be my final option.

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soboi12345 t1_jbe7at3 wrote

Now try the 7hz timeless ae. And get stunned, everybody thinks its a 2db bass shelf but it so much better. I wish more people bought it.

Fantastic iem with a minor tip rolling from the box.

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ritchiemcbrid t1_jbed48r wrote

Really like this set up. If I was to use an ifi hip dac with my iPhone could I use the lightening to usb-c charge cable to connect the iPhone to the dac ? Or do I need to buy the lightening to usb camera adapter ?

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Odd-Spend-8757 t1_jbehka6 wrote

When you receive Hexa please make a comparison for me, as I have Hexa but I'm always been intrigued by Olina.

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West-Cheek-156 t1_jben12j wrote

Replying to SoraFlame (#2,182,093)

If it helps I have both the Hexa and Aria and can compare if you know what Arias sound like. Hexas are much leaner, this can either mean cleaner or thinner depending on your tastes. (For me it is a bit thin) More coherent than the Arias but have very little bass, though what it does have is well controlled. I would put them slightly ahead in terms of resolution but I find the Arias have a much fuller and more exciting sound with a satisfying bass slam that works well with all genres. The midrange can sound wonky but only if you switch back and forth between pairs a lot. Also the Hexa's nozzles are massive and a lot of 3rd party tips just wont fit lol. The tips they have are fine though.

Personally I would take the Aria, they just have more fun factor which is what I think should be the main priority at that price range. Hexas are actually a lot better for online gaming though particularly shooters because a lot of bass with gunfire makes it hard to hear anything else.

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Cyberspace242 OP t1_jbfa349 wrote

Replying to FoxlyKei (#2,183,828)

In my opinion, Yes! The comfort is key to making a pleasant experience and these are extremely comfortable. Sound wise, incredible for the price. My dabbling in iems is over with these.

I do have the Hexa coming but I don't know how it will be as these just "hit the right notes" for me.

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iFiAudio t1_jbft613 wrote

Beautiful IEMs! I bet you the combination is killer.

- Carter

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MindTheGapless t1_jbfxtm0 wrote

Replying to jjfosh (#2,186,435)

Ended ordering the Variations because they are through Amazon and if any issues they are easier to solve or return. Also I won't have to pay import tax. And finally, the Variations is on the top 10 IEM list of almost every single reviewer, listed together with IEMs priced over $1K. I hope no issues.

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pkelly500 t1_jbfz26p wrote

Replying to 5uperman8atman (#2,183,050)

True.

I owned the original hip-dac and the Qudelix 5K. The Qudelix is a marvelous little device, stuffed with cool features like onboard parametric EQ in such a tiny form factor.

But its wonky multifunction buttons suck compared to the simple ergonomics of the hip-dac, and music sounded much more organic and alive with the hip-dac due to the Burr-Brown DAC chip and bass boost button.

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zoemoff t1_jbggcfd wrote

Replying to pgfoundali (#2,183,729)

The Ifi gryphon has surprised for the better. I started out on an IFI go blu which is great for portable uses. The gryphon has lots more features like XBass II and X Space, and my favorite feature is the switch on the back that basically balances power between 3.5mm, 4.4mm and then they have IEMatch that cuts off the hiss for higher sensitivity IEMs. Not to mention it has a Bluetooth feature too

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thebardofdoom t1_jbh92tq wrote

Replying to sawtoothmassacre (#2,189,314)

The filters come with a set of tweezers, and just hitting the side of one of the preinstalled ones is enough to remove the old ones. No disassembly except removing the ear tips. May take a few tries to do but even an adequately steady hand can manage this.

The Olina filters are a soft, gauzy thing that are easy to bend, so it’s good that they include 12 in a package. They just stick on with an adhesive ring in the same place as the metal ones you removed.

I didn’t notice much of any change to the bass. The overall tonality is certainly warmer, but that may be from a loss of some of that treble spike. That much I can definitely say is affected.

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ExiledSanity t1_jbhk8mg wrote

Replying to Alternative-Koala174 (#2,183,343)

I have the first version....the blue one. It's good for headphones, but I'm not thrilled with it for IEMs, the noise floor is just not quite low enough. Maybe the V2 is better in that regard.

The iFi nano is much better since it has a jack with iematch, but not as pocketable and no balanced jack. Still sounds great.

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Cyberspace242 OP t1_jbyqsmk wrote

Replying to iFiAudio (#2,187,453)

It really is a great combo. The ifi Hip Dac is so versatile. I have powering my full size cans as well as my iems. Such a great piece of tech. The Olinas sound fantastic - truly impressed by them. Hands down best iem I've heard for the money.

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SoraFlame t1_jdel9dt wrote

Replying to West-Cheek-156 (#2,185,631)

Thank u I appreciate it! I have the Moondrop Starfields, I bought the Aria for a friend also. I wonder how I'd love the Hexas, it would probably transform really well with a bass boost from a ifi amp?

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