Syrah
To simplify mostly international purchases from audiophiles, I came up with the idea to promote five premium colors. These were created anew according to my requests. Syrah, named after the red grapes known for the wine (also known as Shiraz), is probably my favorite color.
Waterfall
Starting with the Stage 5, I wanted to go for a more luxurious look of expensive CIEMs. I think rhines was very much on top among best build quality and I felt it deserved to go the extra mile for product shots, too. I searched out this small waterfall to create a nice bokeh and dynamic lines in the background to give the shot a stronger overall feel.
Lifestyle of the Rich
Our customers were mostly top earners looking for premium brands. I tried my best to represent that branch although I’m actually a very humble person.
Wallpaper
I am not sure why, but back then I thought people might want to have a rhines wallpaper. I took this shot and uploaded it in all kinds of resolutions, including desktop, iPad and iPhone. I don’t think anybody ever downloaded it. I didn’t even use it myself…
Cologne
rhines feels very much at home in Cologne, Germany. One customer requested for the city’s emblem to grace his monitors. I took it out to the city’s most famous place. I hope the customer appreciated it.
Bad Taste
Musicians really have different expectations of a product than audiophiles. Many pro-musicians came up with some really ridiculous designs. This is one of the positive surprises that turned out much better than expected.
Gold Tea Set
This is one of the very first photos I shot of a customer’s CIEM. I am not a big fan of gold, but I thought it matched my original Japanese tea set nicely.
Sennheiser IE 800
I like the Sennheiser IE 800. I like *easy* earphones that you just put into your ears without a lot of fiddling around to quickly enjoy music. With a high-quality appearance and a beautiful carrying case, I’m all in! You hardly notice the earphones when worn and they play incredibly airy, not even challenged with detailed reproduction of the recorded sound. Elsewhere I wrote that music resembles toys, as the instruments shrink in your head. And yet the miniature cabinet produces an incredibly powerful bass that might distract but not overshadows the rest of the spectrum. At low volume, the deficiencies I encountered are negligible (although I also suspect personal misfortune regarding channel imbalance).
Ultimately, I can also understand the price for 699 €, although I think there is better value to be had.
InEar StageDiver 2 & 3
StageDiver 2:
The clean and easy performance from upper bass all the way to the high frequencies with great extension deliver the best sonic performances with Classical, Acoustic, Vocal and instrumental music I have heard recently below the high-end customs mark. As a downside, you will have to use an EQ to get some rumble but even then the driver proves to be capable. You do get some kickbass and the bass is fast enough to punch but it definitely takes a backseat.
Separation and soundstage are simply incredible and the large acrylic shell does feature top-of-the line high-end custom crossover technology. I was wary at first, but there is no denying this is an improvement over regular small universals.
Add amazing build quality and comfort and you have a new reference for on-stage monitoring. The price is very worth it, even from a hifi enthusiast’s perspective.
StageDiver 3:
The StageDiver 3 is a fun earphone. A very good one at that. No, actually, per design it is a precise tool for on-stage musicians that need the bass to come out clearly. The tonality is warm, but also smooth and easy to get into. This is a high level custom in a universal housing that knows how to impress by technicality.
It does not have the best timbre, but within this price range it features incredible soundstage and resolution.