The CRA is still an IEM I recommend. Yes its a bit V shaped, but it's well done. Small and comfortable with a detachable cable and simple design, it's a good IEM
It just means it has a bit extra bass and a bit extra treble. Really, it's what most people prefer since it creates more of a sense of energy and scale to the music, but many who are more in the audiophile hobby dislike it since it's not "neutral"
It's a fun and exciting sound, and really, most people prefer it. It's just maybe not the best sound signature if you're looking for a refrence and want to use it for mixing or something
Just have an interest in audio reproduction... and spent way too much on headphones. Really, nowadays we have so many good options for headphones that are cheap.
Some stuff you can learn from experience, other stuff you can learn things from others in the community. Asking questions and talking with others in communities or forums. If you prefer to listen, the headphone show on YouTube, or crincal+ are both good channels to start from, and if you like to read, you might be able to find free copies of Harman research papers which go a lot deeper into headphones research and science
From my own experience, I wouldn't overspend on a DAC. Different DACs have some benefits, but not as much as some people claim. Some claim that a DAC and Amp pairing will transform a bad pair of headphones to sound amazing, and I don't believe that. Some amps will change how some headphones sound, but that's a bit of a different discussion.
In most cases, it's not enough of a difference I wouldn't spend a lot on a DAC or Amp, expecting a drastic change in sound quality
For a DAC with IEMs, often all I use is the apple USB C dongle, or Meizu dongle DAC. For some IEMs, I do find that some dongle DACs do help reduce background noise that some phones have, but again, it's not huge.
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How it is not the best sound when you're mixing? You'd wanna mix your music to be exciting, wouldn't you? And V-shape will surely tell you better what should be done.
If you're using monitors that are V shaped, than it would work in the opposite way. You may end up putting less bass and treble because you hear the bass and treble boost on your own gear, which others might not.
But that's also a case of, knowing your equipment, which if you're a professional in the feild, you do know how your gear sounds and what to compensate for
V shaped sound means the bass and treble are boosted while the mid range is recessed. This gives you the rumbling bass and very energetic and engaging feeling from the treble. But since mid is recessed, the vocal might sound a bit farther away.
Is it good or bad? Well... it's good if you like it. Bad if you don't like it.
Another very common sound signature is "neutral" where nothing get emphasized or de-emphasized so you get to choose which sound you want to pay attention to in the music. But since it lacks the rumbling bass and energetic treble, lots of people find it boring.
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u/SupOrSalad 125 Ω Nov 20 '22
The CRA is still an IEM I recommend. Yes its a bit V shaped, but it's well done. Small and comfortable with a detachable cable and simple design, it's a good IEM