How would something that is reputated to be unforgivable to bad recordings would do for Lo-fi stuff like sleigh bells, where the whole point and sound comes from intentionally harsh and extreme sound engineering?
Guess I do have something that is sorta similar coming my way soon too with the namis, but in a way I guess I can't see myself buying headphones that make the music I have sound unlistenable as my main driver.
I'm not sure about the Nami, since it's a generation one Flat-4 product without the anti-resonance coating, but the KII has been surprisingly tolerant of lo-fi recordings. That being said, I believe the Kaede was always the most refined of the F-4 range. It's been a very long time since I've heard the original Kaede, but I can remember Muppetface stating that the Kaede's highs weren't as harsh as SUIs. In shigzeo's latest review for Headfonia
http://www.headfonia.com/review-ocharaku-flat-4-kaede-type-ii-tremendous-wood/
he states that the Kaede Type IIs highs are again sweeter than the original Kaede's, something that seems to bear out in my time listening to it. With the original Flat-4s in general though, you wanna watch out for hot recordings, cause things like crash cymbals and vocal sibilance can come across as piercing.
That aside...
Snapped some pics of the Kaede II today. The packaging is absolutely gorgeous. The wooden box is definitely artisanal quality. I have no idea how it was assembled, you have to look pretty close just to see any seams. It's pretty tough to photograph the KII (doubly so with a smart phone), but I tried to capture the subtly golden hue imparted by the lacquer.
As for the sound, this phone is weird as fuck through tone gen. There's like... zero response at 6 kHz. None. I believe the phase tube obviates all treble energy at 6 kHz. Prior to this void, there's a huge spike at 5.5 kHz, and after the void, there's another huge spike at 8.5 kHz. 1-2 kHz is more subdued than the upper mids at 3-4 kHz. If I had to guess, this thing wouldn't graph all that pretty.
FR wonkiness aside, I just don't find the KII all that offensive with the bulk of my recordings. I remember the original Flat-4 line up feeling harsh, and although this phone does have a tendency to accentuate sibilance (which I'll probably try to rectify with some tea bag filters later), it curiously enough, never comes across as piercing. I know the Type II has that weird anti resonance coating on the inside of the wooden housing and the phase tube, so perhaps this has something to do with that.
The other thing I want to mention is... holy fuck does this extract low level detail like nothing else. It does this is in the most effortless manner too. This thing is basically a plankton machine. Heretofore unheard of textures and fine details up high, down low and in the middle are extracted out of layers and layers of music. Things like the resonance of a drum after it's struck, the way strings are articulated in the middle of a heavily distorted solo, the very faint trace of reverb against walls, instruments buried in the mix, the texture of a very, very low oscillating string/frequency. Very fine detail that's usually masked by neighboring frequencies.
It's honestly kind of shocking to me how resolving the KII is vs. the other very capable IEMs I've heard. I'm guessing that it's the absence of 6 kHz coupled with the exaggerated treble that makes these fine details stand out more. I mean, it's not like I haven't heard phones with exaggerated treble before, but none of them were capable of effortlessly bringing forward detail to this level.
Soundstage is gargantuan and very airy, bass extends incredibly low and is infused with tons of texture. Percussion is just nuts on this thing. Mids and vocals especially can come across as sort of subdued at times (that lower midrange dip), but put on something like Gsldfrapp's Felt Mountain and she practically feels
there. It definitely works better with some things vs. others, but I've been pleasantly surprised by just how accommodating it is of poorer recordings as it just slices through the haze and brings everything into razor sharp focus on even lo-fi recordings.
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