Annihilator 2023

Mysticraft Myth and Elysian Annihilator 2023. Really sounds amazing.

I mean sure, but at the end of any day subjective experience is paramount. I'm not trading Abyss Diana for a Kiwi Ears KE4 since the Diana smashes the shit sound wise to my preferences (and it better for like 15X the cost). Kilobuck iems are the same. Elysian Annihilator 2023 (I know people say 2021 is better but havent tried them) was the most resolving and full sound IEM, Ive ever had. The Performer 5+2 and Odyssey I have dont compare.

My personal favorite IEMs under 1k are the YU9 Que and the Pentaconn Sloflo MS001GM. Most of my listening time is spent with much more expensive sets like the Annihilator 23 and the Canpur CP622B, but I still really enjoy spending time with the Sloflo and Que.

I wish the Grand Maestro shipped with the soundstage NOAH modules, I took them from my Quantum and it really opened up the sound on the GM, but I still prefer the Elysian Annihilator 23.

YU9 Que and Elysian Annihilator

In my experience, the most expensive iems do tend to have better technical details over cheaper ones. The details on sets that cost $5k+ (Storm, Hex, CP752B, etc) are for the most part better than say the ones in the $2k bracket. Tuning does play a role, but it’s less about justifying cost and more about how warmer sets can ‘hide’ details compared to their brighter counterparts. Take the bgvp Solomon, it's the brightest iem in my comparison and it's also the most: detailed, resolving, and most unforgiving with poorly recorded tracks. My two most expensive sets atm are the annihilator 2023 and fat freq grand maestro, and to my ears they do have better technicals (for the most part) compared to the the iems I've included in this review. There are outliers though, such as the Z1R. That iem to this day has one of the most expansive soundstages I've experienced with an iem. I upgraded to the grand maestro from it, but I do miss that set at times.

It's a hard choice, especially if you're unable to demo them. I'm more of an emotive listener, as opposed to a technical one, so the Solomon is bottom of my list. I've got an annihilator 2023, so the maven doesn't get as much eartime, as the anni covers most of what the maven II can offer. So, that leaves the valhalla and dawn X.

I love it! It's probably one, if not my favourite iem. Mind you, mine has been modded (grills removed) which imparts more warmth into the mids, and gives more air in the treble region. It's basically the only iem that gives me constant goosebumps, no matter what I throw at it.

Endgame for me would be something like Annihilator 2023. I think the Mangird Xenns Top Pro is a good “endgame” iem. I have the Top OG and although it was real good, I tried the annihilator, elysian x effect, u12t so now I consider endgame to be the best possible experience for me. I upgraded to the FatFreq Quantum and I’ll keep these until I can justify spending $2k-3k on IEMs.

Moondrop blessings, but, it's more to do with what they were missing compared to real live music. When you compare it you realise that it's not quite right, it's missing detail, coherency, depth or spatial accuracy (8D audio, how well can it loop around you). The thing is even my high end ones (Elysian annihilators 23) aren't perfect. They're here for more coloured listening to your taste.

I was already aware that one of those gets up to +20db. I did not mention it because its a cheap gimmicky closed back with poor tuning. Other than that, no other headphone has a lot of bass, especially open-backs. I have a $3000 IEM called Elysian Annihilator 2023. Has like +15dB bass. There is no headphone that competes with Annihilator 2023. The headphone most similar to Annihilator is the HE 1 that costs $70,000 and only has +4dB bass.

Elysian Annihilator 2023 outclasses everything.

Elysian Annihilator 2023 annihilates the competition.

I use my Annihilator 2023 when making music but I haven't released anything yet.

https://preview.redd.it/yd1y5q8fjpnf1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=831cbc8162ca5f6ea48cdade3784e65f92625d0e Annihilator 2023. Ultra-aggressive thick bass, strong upper mids, enormous, clean treble. The ultimate v-shape. Very physical-sounding.

Elysian Annihilator 2023 IEM. Extremely intense. Supposedly the best IEM treble of all time. Might get a Subtonic Storm too.

Annihilator 2023. I'm saving for a STORM but keeping Annihilator regardless. Anni is very intense and cohesive and midbass forward and upper treble forward. STORM will be a good alternative for when I don't want that kind of bass and mids. I've never heard STORM, so I'll be blind-buying like I did with everything else.

I don't have much experience with other IEMs. I've only heard a few. It's enough of an allrounder. The bass makes the music sound glued together and powerful. The treble is not harsh whereas IE 600 is kinda harsh. Nothing clearly wrong with the mids although the 3kHz boost might not be good, but i dont know. A lot of people will find the bass too thick. Music sounds very physically present and electrified. The treble pushes the music up close and makes the timbre very strong. Nothing really pushes out way too much like IE 600 treble does. I only get coherent and tonally full bright IEMs because I'm a musician and I also just want to have decent bit of accuracy combined with extreme treble clarity with no dips or anything weird going on.

My Annihilator 2023. U-Shaped bassy clarity monster. Things sound physically present. EDM is extremely satisfying. Captures all the right parts of cymbals and snares. Has a lot of bite and sizzle but has no harshness. Not harsh at all. Huge thick bass. Full mids. It's like it's trying it's hardest to not sound boring. Can keep turning up the volume without anything poking out. Accentuates the best treble regions. Has a lot of character and excitement. I'm extremely biased in favor of bright upper treble. I also like thick bass.

Annihilator 2023. I have one. People have been saying it's the best IEM, for six years.

No headphone will sound as great as my Annihilator 2023. I find the bass to be absolutely astonishing, and that's with the bass being constantly said to be the worst part of it. I make dubstep and weird experimental music, and IEMs allow music to have power. Headphones sound lame and people think that's fine because it's "true to the source" True to which source? Everyone uses the same neutral gear to make all music? Sub-bass oriented music sounds bland on a neutral set.

Elysian Annihilator 2023 I own. Extremely thick and aggressive bass. Ultra-clear and clean treble. Proper mids. The music sounds physically present and immersive. The least boring earphone. IDK how an earphone can be better for dubstep than that thing. Boring EDM songs are forced to become satisfying. A lot of sounds have such a strong heft to them. Very coherent. People talk about how great the treble is and act like the bass is mediocre, but I find the bass extremely great. The bass is enormously powerful. Sounds like everything is attacking you.

You just gotta know what sound signature you like, and have a DAC amp with features and connections you want. I have an Elysian Annihilator 2023 IEM with a Jotunheim amp DAC. Questyle M15C for portable use. There are cheaper alternatives to that $3,000 IEM. Hype 4, Hype 10, IE 600, Glacier, Maestro Mini, etc. I also have an HD 6XX cause people like it. Pretty solid headphone but not my ideal thing. Just know what tuning you want, and see what reviewers find to be the best option for your budget. Don't worry about the vague things.

My Elysian Annihilator 2023. Extremely clear and "physical" treble. Huge mid-bass. Sounds very intense, clean, smooth, coherent. Sounds bright and warm at the same time. Treble doesn't sound veiled nor rocky nor sharp. It has an ASMR-type of sound. Sparkly noises and things like rain and vinyl crackling pop through greatly and it makes it sound like the music is alive. Possibly the best-looking stock cable ever (Liquid Links Martini). One of the best-looking IEM shells.

There's no such thing as an "IEM/headphone/speaker" for mixing. No such thing as "studio" nor "reference" nor "audiophile". I make music with my Elysian Annihilator 2023 because that's what I like, and that's what I listen to music with. If I were to use something so-called "studio" like an Audeze MM-500, it would confuse me and overcomplicate things. A lot of people would say my Annihilator would be less effective for mixing than the HD 6XX, yet the 6XX is less linear and has limited bass response and worse imaging. I'm tired of people acting like there's proper gear for mixing. The average EDM artist mixes in a mediocre room with random dual channel speakers and a DT 770 or 1990. The average musican would agree that their mixes sound better on my Annihilator than whatever they were using to mix the song. Producers rarely have a preferred sound signature, and they don't pay attention to frequency response. Also, "poor translation" just means one of your headphones are bad, if not both. A KSC75 or HD 820 would lead to poor translation because they have severe FR issues.

I somewhat agree. I have an Annihilator 2023 that is known for having huge midbass I really like.

I have an Annihilator 2023 and am considering a Valhalla as a secondary IEM. I like smooth bright treble. Are there better options? Mysticraft Myth?

Yeah I thought about that too. Might be too expensive for me to want to get as a secondary IEM. I thought about Duality as well

Annihilator 2023. But now I'm gonna sell it for STORM cause that might be the only IEM that can beat Annihilator, for me. But at that price point, this question doesn't apply.

I planned to get Genelec speakers but decided on STORM instead because it's less cumbersome and I can use it anywhere I want without anyone hearing the music, and i go on walks a lot. Could use it during work breaks and car rides. It can't get stolen at work cause there is a camera. Also, I really love how it looks. Not very worried about it getting damaged, because it's made of grade 5 titanium. I could sell it for the MSRP if I didn't want it anymore. Also, I have a small room with a small desk, and I have no room treatment. There's also the fact that I'm a music producer, and I don't want my family to constantly hear my music when I'm working on it. STORM is known to be the most speaker-like IEM, and it is knowm to have the best "resolution" and timbre and overall sense of quality.

I have owned my Annihilator 2023 and have never dropped it despite going on a walk with it over 100 times. Worst I've done is I accidentally smacked it against the plastic arm rest of my chair. Recently dropped the pouch of my Yu9 QUE while it was inside the pouch, and it's fine. Also, if there were an internal issue, the Subtonic guys would fix it, and if they can't, they could offer me a discounted unit without any accessories. The floor of my bedroom is thick carpet, and there's no way I'd drop it outside.

Color accuracy isn't as subjective as percieved frequency response. If i preferred a neutral headphone, I would've stuck with the HE1000 Stealth I had. HD 6XX is considered neutral enough for music production, yet it sounds horrendous compared to even mediocre IEMs, let alone Annihilator 2023. Sounds far less realistic and immersive despite being ostensibly very neutral. Open back headphones almost always have recessed bass and so do studio monitors without a subwoofer. IEMs offer better extension that anything else. There's also the fact that neutral gear can still have dips and peaks while being vaguely neutral in general. Annihilator 2023 has the greatest timbre and realism and clarity and "dynamics" out of anything I've heard. An audio mix is limited by the potential of the quality of the gear.

The DT 770 is a godawful disaster of a headphone. You didn't give a budget, so here's a bunch of IEMs that define their price bracket, at random prices: Tangzu Red Lion, Juzear Defiant, Yu9 QUE, Mysticraft Myth, Letshuoer Mystic 8, Symphonium Europa/Crimson/Zenith, ThieAudio Valhalla, Elysian Annihilator 2023, Subtonic STORM, Brise Fugaku. Maybe you didn't have them in your ears deep enough or didn't have a tip seal or something.

https://preview.redd.it/f18ckk4fi6pg1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53aa1ff93152031ac11ef2bf16573aa39f29c88c $230 DT 770 Pro X vs a $23 IEM Music producers of all experience levels recommend horrendous headphones, (I produce music) and gamers (I am one) usually don't understand sound quality, and think there's headphones for gaming as opposed to headphones for music. I own $400 Yu9 QUE and $3,000 Elysian Annihilator 2023. I'll eventually buy the Subtonic STORM. I know what headphones are good. I had the $330 Martilo and it's really bad compared to the Yu9 QUE that replaced it. This graph isn't even a taste difference. The bass is extremely incoherent, and there's a huge peak in the lower treble. I owned original DT 770 (which is about the same) and the bass was so bad I knew it was bad before I became an audiophile. Apologies if I come off as rude.

My ranking of IEMs/headphones I've owned: (Many of these I don't remember, but this is close enough) Annihilator 2023 ($3,000) 10/10 Yu9 QUE ($400) 9/10 IE 600 ($900) 7/10 HE1000 Stealth ($1,400) 6/10 Martilo ($330) 5/10 Nova ($150) 5/10 Red Lion ($23) 4/10 Salnotes Zero 2 ($23) 4/10 Kato ($190) 4/10 Blessing 2 ($320) 4/10 Buds3 Pro ($250) 4/10 ER2SE ($150) 4/10 HD 600 ($400) 3/10 HD 6XX ($200) 3/10 Space Travel ($25) 2/10 DT 770/M50x ($150) 1/10 Walmart Onn Earphone ($4) 1/10

My Annihilator 2023. I like the bass on it a lot more than other people do. Very aggressive and engaging. Very clear. I listen to a lot of dubstep, and it's extremely satisfying. I earn less than $30,000 annually, and I've still kept it for over a year because I like it a lot. Yu9 QUE is a great cheaper alternative.

I was fine with my IE 600 not having a waifu on the box but WHY THE FUCK DOESN'T MY ANNIHILATOR HAVE A TOMBOY WAIFU ON THE FUCKING BOX, LEE? WHERE IS MY BLESSING 2-STYLE ENGRAVED WAIFU ON THE FACEPLATE? (not enough budget i guess)

I'd recommend $25 Zero 2. Great comfort and good sound other than the highs being too dark for me. But instead of that, you could try $100 Juzear Defiant or $300 Elysian Pilgrim. There's also the Yu9 QUE which will be available soon. $400 QUE might be the best option if you want something of decent price. I haven't heard any of those three I just mentioned, but they are probably pretty great. Universally liked. I have a $3,000 Elysian Annihilator.

Just use something that sounds good. The only good mixing headphone is one that sounds good. I have a "summit-fi" IEM (Annihilator) I use for everything including music production. Just get a good earphone/headphone/whatever and stick to it and you'll know what good mixes sound like. Zero 2 is a good choice.

Best is what you prefer to listen to music with. Neutral sound doesn't matter. I make music with a $3,000 IEM that has +15dB bass and huge upper treble. (Elysian Annihilator) I find headphones boring and annoying. People will say "but HD 600 is suitable for mixing" meanwhile my HD 6XX sounds massively worse than my Annihilator no matter what I'm listening to. I even prefer my $25 IEM over HD 6XX. People who say neutral means "natural" or "honest" are implying that all music is made with the same headphone they are using.

U-Shape with extreme bass and a lot of mid bass. Full mids. Extended bright upper treble. I own the Annihilator and nothing else. That's all you need to know about my preferences. Annihilator has pounding bass. The treble has no harshness at all. Incredibly airy. Things sound proper and physically present. Can turn the volume up a lot without things poking out too much. It is the ultimate colored sound-signature. Least boring. Makes dubstep and hardtechno sound awesome.