A Brief Synopsis
I initially received the Traillii for an audition. I first listened to it with the included ear tips and was not overly impressed. I could tell this was an excellent IEM, but it was no threat to the Erlkonig. However, when I put on the Azla SednaEarFitLight Short tips, they were a perfect fit for my ears and the fun began. I started listening and comparing using some EDM and some of the tracks @Rockwell has been recommending on the VE thread for the Elysium (thanks Rock!). I found the Traillii to have a slightly smoother upper midrange and treble (very close) and much more bass than the Ely. The Traillii provided this bass impact without impacting the mids and treble in any negative way. As I was listening, I found the Traillii to be involving me more into the music than the Elysium. The Erlkonig proved to have a fuller bass and a slightly softer yet extended treble.
On “Can’t Stop Running” by Adam Ben Ezra, a track that is literally in the wheelhouse of the Elysium, the Traillii provided more bass on each note, and all of the detail just as clear. The Erlkonig provided a fuller sounding bass with the hand hits very clear and sounding great! The Traillii’s bass, though a touch less powerful, was just a tiny bit tighter. The Ely with its less bass heavy presentation was great, but each bass note was missing the power portrayed by both the Traillii and Erlkonig. In my notes I wrote: “is the Traillii and Ely with bass?” I think it is and a few others on head-fi have mentioned this. I would agree. The mids are not an advantage for the Ely vs the Traillii.
I am not a big soundstage person, but I am interested in instrument and vocalist placement. Both the Erlk and Traillii are excellent in this regard. The Traillii has a wide soundstage and as Alex (@Twister6) has already stated, it is pretty much like that of the Ely. I would agree. I am positive no one will be upset by its soundstage.
I then moved on to some well recorded rock albums. What I quickly found was that the Erlkonig and Traillii were in a class of their own. On “Brothers in Arms,” with its wider range of sound and dynamics, the Elysium could not keep up. Its presentation was just too light, and it had the incorrect timbre (in comparison). The same was true for all kinds of reasons for the VE-8, VX, Layla, Luna, Fourte, etc. As soon as I switched to one of them, it was easy to see they were no competition for the Erlk and Traillii. I just wanted to put them back in my ears. I even tried listening to the other IEM’s first, getting adjusted to their sound, to give them any advantage possible (including volume at times). However, as soon as I listened again to the Traillii, it was night and day. I tried this with a few more albums, both rock and jazz, and then stopped. It was abundantly clear the Traillii and Erlk both sounded better than everything else I could throw at them.
Listening to “Brothers In Arms,” the Traillii had a bit brighter presentation than the Erlk but still smooth, great timbre and bass. The vocals come across as they should. The Erlk was also excellent. It was a touch darker than the Traillii, but also had excellent timbre and bass. The vocals are excellent. I might like the Traillii’s rendition a bit better here. As the bass on this album (though a great recording) could be a bit better, the little bit of extra tightness on the Traillii along with its slightly brighter presentation gives it a slight advantage. A battle for sure though.
Listening to “Graceland” The Erlkonig had a touch of darkness which smooths out the tracks and overall provides a better sound to my ears. However, the Traillii is right there, though on some tracks I did have to lower the volume as it is just a touch brighter and more open and that did not always work the best on this album. And quite often it was a toss-up. Overall, on this album I give the edge to the Erlkonig, but awfully close.
On “Abraxas,” the Erlkonig sounded best. The heavier note weight provided a more intense listen. Traillii was excellent, but Erlk had the edge. It also seemed a bit smoother on some vocals which played better on this album.
On L.A. Woman, the Traillii sounded best. It sounded a little more open and added a touch of brightness to the vocals which played well. Both sound great though, and the details in this recording all come through letting you easily hear the driving rhythms.
On some jazz albums by Chick Corea they were both terrific. If I made my home 2-channel system neutral, then the Erlkonig is a little darker than neutral (which makes sense as I have previously described the Erlkonig as neutral leaning Romantic in any deviation from neutral), while the Traillii is a touch brighter than neutral. And it is terrific.
And this went on an on. Each one terrific and outclassing every other IEM I have heard. In my view, not the Ely, T...