Oriolus JP? The crassi doesn’t fall under their jp so it would not be there, but will be on other retailers
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Well hmmmm it’s been a little while since ive had either in house and i never had both at the same time to comapare directly so take this with a grain of salt lol
To me the sarda is more resolving especially up top due to the est treble also a warmer signature with more impact and low reaching bass, better bass texture as well as a more pleasing tonality and timbre. Very v shaped though while the fir I consider more u shaped and only slightly. The 5x5 is definitely more balanced and a neutral signature in comparison, it is a decent all rounder too while the sarda clearly has certain music genres that dont work all that well with it. The fir has a wider more open sounding stage and smoother less harsh treble at times.
The sarda is likely the one i’d pick out of all the iems mentioned just due to the immense fun it’s signature and tuning brings to the table and i’m saying that as a guy who is very much into vocals which is a defacto con to the sarda and it’s recessed midrange… but the rest of the iem is so fun and engaging it really becomes not that big of a deal unless you only listen to vocal heavy genres then i would probably point you in a different direction.
If i could have a sarda with the comfort and ergonomics of the 5x5 that would be a instabuy for me.
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I’d agree with that (although sarda is piezo not est) for the most part, although I do think the sarda generally has a technical edge over the vxv outside of stage width and smoothness
So basically that’s one of the reasons why I think the crassi is a good pick because it gets real close to the technical ability of the sarda in some aspects while having a signature that would suit things a bit better in this case for an all rounder. Comfort about the same though
I’ve got a comparison of the sarda vs crassi here
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What about something that has fallen out of style, such as Jomo lineup? Sony M9? VE8? Final A8000? Rai Penta?
Wonder if any of those have lost popularity enough to fall around 1k.
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Those are all above budget even used tbh (at least for the ones I like from jomo). Rai Penta isn’t bad could be worth mentioning, but personally I think it lags behind some of the aforementioned already viable options
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rai penta i believe can be had for around 5-600, never heard it myself tho.
The VE8 is very nice but it still holds quite a following and doesn’t dip that low in price.
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Interesting that the Andromeda is almost an after thought in this discussion, on everyone’s list but no one has them as the winner. Do the Crassi and VxV really edge out the Andromeda as a “neutral” daily-driver IEM?
The VxV and Crassi both look like really solid options the more I read. I dig the style of the VxV over the Crassi. But that’s not really the best reason to go that way. I do value durability, given these will be on-the-go with me.
Gae Bolg look killer, but probably a little more showy than I want for now. I get enough shit from my co-workers for my headphones as it is… not sure I’m ready to flash the Gae Bolg. But my god, the MMR IEMs are beautiful!
More reading needed… and more patience on my part…
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It’s like, they are there, and they are good, but there really isn’t much stand out about them outside of presentation, and that kinda wears off imo
I will say from an ergo and comfort factor the vxv likely are the better pick
lol
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Only had the Crassi since yesterday but I do think it would be a great pick. However if I wasn’t able to snag one for $750, I probably would’ve went for a VxV for solely comfort and durability reasons. The Crassi are pretty light and certainly don’t look like they’ll handle an accidental drop well since they use a resin shell. Fit was a little weird too, had to use the stock double flange tips to get a good seal, even though my Sardas fit me just fine. Think the most of the eartips it comes with are just a little too small for my ears
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I have the M9 and it’s honestly a pretty boring set imo. It does have pretty good tuning though. Just boring. Although it does have this “clean” character to the sound that some may like.
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I’ll add in the Graces again (if you can find a used deal) as I think they are real nice for most genres, the only thing I wish it had more of was a bit more bass impact but other than that I love mine. Super comfy too, the MMR GB hurt my ears a bit after an hour or so due to where the shell rests on my ears (this may only be me though).
The MMR is more interesting than the andro to me due to having more of a W signature that emphasises the regions I like most over the andro 2020, I kinda feel like the newer andro may have strayed a bit from what they were originally going for and almost sounds as if (based on reviews) that it might not be trying to go for that vocal sweetness that I see the older models getting praised for.
It’s looking like the trade I’m doing for my GB with a Sarda is possibly back on so I’ll be able to comment on the differences if I do get that but I’m expecting them to be quite different just based on what I’ve seen about the Sardas, they’re probably right up my street since my main genre of music is hip hop, but we’ll see how it goes 
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Curious if you’ve heard the Penta on the P6P? It definitely isn’t as technically proficient as some others, but I think the synergy makes up for some of that. It helps that they’re well vented and the most comfortable universal IEM I’ve had in my ear.
I didn’t have those at the same time so unfortunately not
“And there was much rejoicing.” Hope you finally get to hear the Sarda.
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I really hope so too
Has anyone heard anything from Elysian Labs like the X or Annihilator? I know a friend who has been very enthusiastic about them, but I have seen almost nothing on them, and I personally am slightly put off by the company and who they seem to be catering to
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Theres not a lot of them out in the wild as I believe it’s only one dude who makes them and it’s made to order I think so results in long wait time.From the people who have given impressions on head Fi it seems to be a really good product very competitive with the other totl sets.
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I have no real idea if this is true or not since people say that for literally anything on headfi at this point for higher end anythings, including things I’d personally never agree with, so I’m not putting much merit in what has been said there lol, but it does look promising
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There’s some impressions in this thread if you want to scroll through
Andromeda gang rise up!
… @j.fopps
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