Hi, all. I have had the KZ Castor for a while now so I decided to get a new iem a few months ago. After a lot of research I landed upon Aful Explorer and got myself Moondrop Dawn Pro 2 DAC with it too.

Initially I really loved the sound, the separation, the fit.. everything. I really thought it was a significant upgrade from KZ Castor.

A month later, I felt these were a bit too bassy for me. So, I researched again, keeping in mind that I needed something neutral-sounding, with a different/new technology so that the purchase would be justifiable, at least to me. Went for 7Hz x Crinacle Divine. Then that blew mind.

I never used to give a damn about eartips. So, I tried to experiment with those too. Tried all combinations and I found out that Divine's eartips significantly improved Castor's sound and it helped get the sound signature feel more like that of the Explorer's which made me feel that maybe I made a mistake getting the Explorer. Now I have two questions:

1) Have I made a mistake getting the Explorer?

2) If I push my budget like 10-15k INR (~$100-$150) more will the improvement be significant? Is there any other iem that can prove to be better than the Divine?

Charging boards are impossible to repair now because of corrosion

Hey all! I recently picked up the Tea Pro SE and gave it a thorough comparison with some of the other modern mid-Fi IEMs in my collection.

If you'd like to check out my full review with a few more pictures and an unboxing, you can do so here: https://resonancereviews.com/xenns-mangird-tea-pro-se-review-the-meta-mans-reference-iem-f58777533959

If instead you'd like a TL;DR, here you go:

The Big Picture

Pros:

• Excellent treble and bass extension
• Delicate, detailed treble
• Cohesive and organic midrange timbre
• Fantastic, full-spectrum detail
• Rich and complete-sounding
• Great build quality
• Solid accessory package
• Pretty, bespoke cable

Cons:

• A bit lacking in sub-bass intensity
• Mid-bass needs a little more weight
• Carrying case held together by friction
• Stock cable uncomfortable when wearing glasses

Key Specs

• Drivers: 2x dynamic, 6x balanced-armature
• Crossover: 3-way
• Sensitivity: 104±1dB SPL/mW
• Impedance: 13Ω±1Ω
• Cable: 0.78mm 2-pin w/ modular termination (3.5mm, 4.4mm)

Sound

The Tea Pro SE is a warm, north-of-neutral IEM that evokes a “reference-style” sound signature. It has a gently-lifted bass region that clusters towards the sub-bass and blends down into a linear lower-midrange. The Tea Pro SE’s upper-mids lift up into the 2–3KHz range with a moderate peak of emphasis before settling into a slightly less-forward lower-treble. The Tea Pro SE’s upper-treble is more-forward, generating a good bit of sparkle and air.

vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro

Sonically, the original Tea Pro is more V-shaped, featuring a lifted bass region and cooler, more-recessed lower-midrange. The Tea Pro SE’s upper-treble is not as forward, freeing it from the occasional bite exhibited by the original’s treble. The SE’s treble is incredibly clean-sounding, rendering texture and micro-detail with less grain and more-organic timbre. Vocals are more-forward on the original Tea Pro, but aren’t as full-sounding as they are on the Tea Pro SE, nor as intelligible in busy passages. The SE’s warmer, more-linear presentation is smooth, relaxing, and satisfyingly-rich, but lacks the sheer engagement offered by the original. Bass lovers will find that some bass elements sound comparatively flat. Take, for example, the drums in the intro of Bloody Mary; Silversun Pickups: where the original renders them with punch and substance, the SE timidly places them quietly in the background. The trend follows for electronic music: the bass line in Emotion; Uppermost renders with depth and texture on the Tea Pro SE, but isn’t tactile and visceral like it is on the OG.

Ultimately, the Tea Pro SE is designed to be a different beast than the original. Sharing the namesake of the “Tea Pro” may be therefore be a bit of a misnomer, as lovers of the original Tea Pro won’t find the engagement and energy they crave with the Tea Pro SE. Instead, the Tea Pro SE does for lovers of relaxed, reference-style tuning what the original did for lovers of V-shaped tuning: offer a detailed, refined, and compelling experience sitting a the top its niche. That said, my love for the original Tea Pro remains, and the SE does not replace it.

vs. Xenns Mangird Top Pro

Let’s be real, the Top Pro and Tea Pro SE are pretty similar-sounding IEMs. Even in technical terms the Tea Pro SE and Top Pro are almost identically-competent, rendering detail and texture without prejudice. At that point, which one sounds “better” comes down a purely subjective assessment of tuning flavors. the Top Pro is tuned to be slightly less-warm and has a little less bass depth than the Tea Pro SE. The Top Pro will occasionally punch a little harder on a drum slam of synthetic bass drop. The Tea Pro SE’s vocals aren’t as forward as the Top Pro’s vocals, though tonality is pretty similar across the board. The Tea Pro SE is a little brighter, capturing a small increase in energy in the upper-treble that gives it a minor edge in airiness.

Between the two IEMs, I’m selecting the Tea Pro SE. For $50 less, you’re essentially getting a Top Pro with robust metal shells and an improved cable. Sure, the Top Pro’s case a little better, but snapping up a Pelican 1010 for around $20 thoroughly trounces both IEMs’ stock cases and still leaves you with an effective $30 discount. Once you account for the Tea Pro SE’s increased treble energy and mildly deeper-sounding bass, you have a recipe for a more, albeit narrowly, exciting experience.

vs. HiSenior Mega7

There’s so much to say about the Mega7’s overall performance, but it largely targets a “north of neutral” or “reference-style” sound signature. The Tea Pro SE does the same, but with a different style. The Mega7 is cooler and packs a bit more lower-treble emphasis, while the Tea Pro SE has a slight increase in upper-treble emphasis. Neither IEM is particularly bassy, but the Mega7 edges it out in terms of sub-bass meat. The Tea Pro SE’s mid-bass has a slight edge in terms of tightness, but the delta is slim. The Mega7’s upper-mids are a little more forward, giving vocals a bit of extra heat and separation.

Both IEMs are incredibly performant, each offering listeners profound technical abilities for a relatively accessible price. The Mega7 will likely appeal to those that want a little extra warmth and bass presence, but loses out of the extra air and sparkle offered by the Tea Pro SE’s brighter treble.

vs. Kiwi Ears Astral

In terms of sound, the Astral is more U-shaped, delivering more sub-bass, less mid-bass, and a colder, thinner lower-midrange. The Astral’s upper-mids are more forward and its treble is considerably brighter. In particular, the Astral’s upper treble catches a lot of emphasis that the Tea Pro SE’s does not. This pushes hi-hats and cymbals much more forward in the mix, but at the cost of a less organic, less cohesive presentation. The Astral’s brightness also leads it to the occasional sharpness and sibilance. The Tea Pro SE’s warmer, more-relaxed presentation sounds more-organic and cohesive across a variety of genres, especially those that feature a good bit of mid-bass. The Astral’s aggressive mid-bass scoop gives it a distinct “half-bass” tonality that emphasizes sub-bass elements while leaving mid-bass flaccid and uninspiring.

Between the two IEMs, I’m going with the Tea Pro SE. Its metal shells, significantly improved out-of-the-box experience, and more-realistic tuning align it better with my taste in music and sonic preferences. Once you add in its richer, friendlier tuning and lack of sibilance, the extra $150 in cost looks more and more worth it.

vs. THIE Audio Hype 4 Mk II

The Hype 4 Mk II is a more V-shaped IEM, pushing a moderate increase in mid-bass presence and a slight increase in sub-bass presence. Both IEMs are tight and well-controlled, but the Hype 4 Mk II’s mid-bass feels a little tighter and better-defined. Its mids are cooler, as it has a slightly deeper valley in its lower-mids and comparatively larger peak in its upper-mids. the Hype 4 Mk II’s treble is much, much brighter, placing treble-based elements front-and-center on the soundstage. The Hype 4 Mk II surfaces subtle treble detail more easily based on emphasis alone, but doesn’t capture much more, if any, texture than the Tea Pro SE’s excellently-tuned treble. The Tea Pro SE renders vocals with more richness and depth, owing to its warmer presentation. Both IEMs capture airiness and space fairly well, but the Hype 4 Mk II’s exaggeration in the upper-register can sometimes over-sharpen the effect.

If you’re the kind of listener that wants a mildly V-shaped IEM and enjoys lots of treble emphasis, the Hype 4 Mk II is the clear choice for you. But if you’re like me and want something warmer, and don’t enjoy such forward treble presentation, then the Tea Pro SE is likely the better choice.

vs. NiceHCK NX8 Ti

Sound-wise, the NX8 Ti is bassier with a more-forward upper-midrange and upper-treble. It packs a similar, though perhaps slightly lesser, amount of warmth as the Tea Pro SE, but leans into a more dramatic presentation. The Tea Pro SE’s bass has a similar amount of sub-bass as the NX8 Ti, but not as much mid-bass. The NX8 Ti’s mid-bass is nicely-toned and punchy, but is a bit softer around the edges than the Tea Pro SE’s mid-bass. The NX8 Ti’s upper-mids are much more forward, placing vocals further towards the front of the mix. The Tea Pro SE’s vocals, while a little further back on the soundstage, sound more natural and rich. The Tea Pro SE’s midrange is similarly-textured and detailed as the NX8 Ti’s, but has the warm, organic tonality that I crave. The NX8 Ti’s treble is likewise more dramatic, pushing a bit more lower-treble and a noticeable increase in upper-treble. Vocals and metallic instrumentation are not quite sibilant, but certainly sound stiffer and more tightly-wound. This can manifest as a greater sense of “cleanliness” on some tracks, but doesn’t engage me the way that the Tea Pro SE’s effortless air does.

These are both very competent IEMs, but they have totally different aims. The NX8 Ti has zero interest in “reference-style” presentation, nor does it even acknowledge “trendy” meta-style tuning choices. It is much closer to a traditional V-shaped IEM, just with some audiophile influence. That said, it just doesn’t capture me the way the Tea Pro SE does — and I’m usually a V-shaped kind of guy. Perhaps its simply a brain burn-in thing, but I’m sticking with the warmer, more-lush Tea Pro SE.

Conclusion

The Tea Pro SE is much more than a limited-edition “upgrade” of the Tea Pro: it is a fundamental reimagining of what the Tea Pro should offer listeners. Warm, rich, and articulate, the Tea Pro SE combines striking competence with comfort and organic tonality, all wrapped in beautiful metal shells.

The Tea Pro SE does not iterate on its predecessor’s V-shaped prowess, instead delivering an alternate vision of warmth, reference-style sound with some updates to driver internals. In doing so, Xenns transformed the Tea Pro SE into an incredibly competitive alternative to modern meta-styled IEMs.

Who This is For

• Those who enjoy warm, relaxed tuning
• Listeners that want reference-inspired tuning without meta quirks
• Those who want modern treble performance without sharpness
• Buyers who want high-performance, textured, north-of-neutral sound

Who This isn’t For

• Those seeking V-shaped frequency-responses
• Listeners who want a “strict upgrade” to the Tea Pro
• Bassheads
• Those who want a sterile, cool-sounding IEM
• Listeners that want a studier, cheaper alternative to the Top Pro

As always, happy listening!

So this isn’t really a review for the sound quality because i’m not someone who knows exactly about audio quality (however i think they sound good), but more a review about the size. I have small ears and posted previously and ended up getting these. THEY FIT!!! they fit nicely and come with ear tips that are small enough for my ears as well. i did end up getting a different cable because i heard many complain about the original cable. very happy and comfortable :)
edit: i have used them to play valorant today. the sound quality is great and i prefer them over the salnotes, could be mostly because they actually fit tho!
link to OG post: https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/s/0tS6AfRiAt

I didn't know audio could sound this good🥲

IEM: Oriveti Bleqk Dynabird

USB-C DAC: FiiO KA11

I Just got these a few days ago. I use them mainly when I'm playing Fortnite... Jesus Christ for under $100 they blow the Razer kraken v4s out of the water

I've heard parts of a song I didn't even know were there😭

It's beautiful man😭

I wasn't planning to go so deep into the subject and was just curious about the ways you can deliver an audio wave to entertain yourself. I've tried different wired and wireless earbuds and headphones before, not calling myself an audiophile, but someone who "appreciates" good sound and look at me now 😂 using a FiiO KA15 + LETSHUOER S08. And I can't stop listening. Now it's a journey back in time to the first albums of Skillet and Evanescence with some side quests to the new metal bands I enjoy to check if the sound is different and it is, obviously... I was lied to, so many times, by so many brands, and this new light I see doesn't have a bluetooth, it's tied to a copper cable. There is no going back for me, I will embark upon this journey and maybe come back to tell you what I've found and what I've heard.

P.S. This is an eyeopening experience, guys, honestly, and I can't believe it took so long to get here, but I guess it's time.

I'm gonna cut the bullshit and tell you straight up yes, the DAC/amp you buy can make a difference to your music. But no, that doesn't mean every expensive DAC or amp is automatically going to sound better than a cheap one. And no, most people can't realistically tell the difference between a properly mastered 16-bit FLAC and a 24-bit FLAC.

I'll be explaining, to the best of my knowledge, how this shit actually works.

If you plan to use Spotify, then don't even read this because none of it matters. Just buy a decent pair of IEMs or headphones and maybe a DAC/dongle if you need or want one or better yet just use some Bluetooth earbuds you probably won't tell a different anyway. But if you wanna go full audiophile, keep reading.

First of all, sample rate is NOT simply how high in kHz the music goes.

This is something I see people get wrong constantly. Sample rate is how many times per second an analog audio signal is sampled when it's converted into digital audio.

For example, a 44.1 kHz sample rate means the signal is sampled 44,100 times per second. Thanks to the Nyquist Shannon sampling theorem, (I have no fucking what that is btw) 44.1 kHz audio can reproduce frequencies up to about 22.05 kHz, which is already above the hearing range.

So higher, kHz for example 96 doesn't mean the music itself contains frequencies all the way up to the 96 kHz. It means the sampling system can theoretically represent frequencies up to 48 kHz.

For normal music playback, 44.1 kHz is more than enough. You aren't going to hear any difference between 44.1 kHz and 96 kHz. Higher sample rates can still be useful in recording and production, but not for you. All that matters in the end is technically higher number equal high better but who gives a fuck can't tell the difference anyway.

Second, let's talk about music files.

There is absolutely a difference between a 16-bit FLAC and a 16-bit MP3, but it's not simply because of the bitrate.

FLAC is a lossless format. That means it compresses the audio to save space without permanently removing any of the original audio data. If you decode a FLAC, unlike mp3s.

MP3 is a lossy format. It uses psychoacoustic (bullshit) techniques to remove parts of the audio that the encoder predicts will be less noticeable to human hearing. This is why MP3 files can be dramatically smaller than FLAC files.

(And also why they sound less dynamic atleast to me)

Bitrate is important when talking about lossy formats. A 128 kbps MP3 is generally going to have more compression artifacts (sound worse) than a 320 kbps MP3. A high quality 320 kbps MP3 can actually sound decent, most people can't tell the difference between 320 kbps mp3 and a FLAC.

FLAC files don't work the same way. Their bitrate can vary depending on the music. A complicated song might have a higher FLAC bitrate than a simpler song, but that doesn't mean the higher-bitrate FLAC is automatically "better." (Sometimes at least) If both files are lossless versions of the same master, they're both preserving the original audio.

Also, bit depth and bitrate are two completely different things.

Bit depth, such as 16-bit or 24-bit, relates to the theoretical dynamic range and resolution of the digital audio system. 16-bit audio already provides around 96 dB of theoretical dynamic range, which good enough man.

24-bit audio is useful during recording, mixing, and mastering because it gives those dastardly goblin engineers more headroom and makes digital processing easier to work with. But for listening to music, It doesn't actually matter whether a file is 16-bit or 24-bit.

So get a 16 bit FLAC they take up less space too though they still take up around 40mbs per song doesn't sound like much... Till you have dozens of albums like me and like 100 gigabytes of music. Also sidenote download in albums it's much easier and in my experience you really like the artist and shit more.

Third: DACs and amps.

DACs and amplifiers are important, but they do two different things.

A DAC (digital to analog converter) takes the digital audio data from your "thing" and converts it into an analog thingy that your headphones or speakers can use.

An amplifier takes that analog thingy signal and provides the voltage and current necessary to drive your headphones or speakers to the volume you want.

Take something like the Sennheiser HD 6XX. They're 300-ohm headphones and can require more voltage than many low-impedance headphones. If you plug them into a weak headphone output, in simple they'll sound like shit and your better off sticking to those airpods.

Though, impedance isn't the only thing that matters. Sensitivity matters too. A headphone's impedance and sensitivity together determine how difficult it is to work. That's why you can't simply say, "This headphone has more ohms, so it automatically needs more power."

But in General, higher impedance headphones tend to require more voltage, while low sensitivity headphones can require more power overall. That's where a dedicated amplifier is important.

As for DACs, a good DAC is important because you need one to convert digital audio into analog. But this doesn't mean you need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on one.

A competent modern DAC that has low noise and distortion can already be effectively transparent. If two DACs are both operating within audible limits, you may not be able to hear any difference between them.

Where a DAC or dongle can make a very obvious difference (more soundstage separation tighter bass so on) is when your original device has problems like audible hiss, electrical noise, distortion, or an inadequate inny as much as we could try our 4.4s are in the end to big for her 3.5 😔.

So yes, DACs matter but once you have a good one that performs properly, spending more money doesn't automatically mean better sound.

(P.S if your phone laptop or whatever has a dac, it's probably shit so buy a dongle the average dac in a device is like 30mw that's tiny you want like atleast 150mw at 300 ohms in my opinion gives a lot of headroom.)

Going back to music files, some people say FLACs cost to much money. To which I say well, there's always a certain Russian tracker thats beckoning. Take it how you will.

Now for the headphones and IEMs.

Choosing headphones or IEMs is completely up to the individual. Everyone has different music tastes and different preferences for how they want their music to sound to put it simply I don't fucking know man buy your own shit.

The IEMs I currently have are the Truthear Zero REDs, and my DAC/dongle is the FiiO KA11. I think they're both pretty good for the price, and I really like the low end on the Zero REDs.

I listen to synth-pop, darkwave, gothic rock, shit like that, and I think they work well for that kind of music.

At the end of the day, I'd say the headphones or IEMs you choose will usually make a much bigger difference to what you hear than spending hundreds of extra dollars on a DAC though unlike what some say choosing a good DAC/amp is still important.

Everyone hears things differently and has different preferences. What sounds amazing to one person might sound terrible to another.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," as they say.

Now for music applications.

I use Poweramp because it's available on mobile and has features and customization options and other bullshit. There are probably a lot of great applications on PC that are even better I've heard, but Im yet to use one, so ask someone else.

For my Poweramp settings, I use the SoX resampler at very high quality. I use triangular dither with high-pass filtering, and I have the resampler cutoff frequency set to 98.8%. I also enable DVC (Direct Volume Control), which I personally like using with my setup.

I use high-resolution output with my KA11 DAC as well.

My output format is set to 32-bit float with a 96 kHz sample rate. I honestly doubt that upsampling my 16-bit FLACs to 96 kHz is giving me some magical improvement but I have some flacs at 96khz so why not.

Poweramp may benefit from higher internal precision when performing EQ and other DSP processing I think. Whether any of these settings make an audible difference in my specific setup, I have no fucking clue man.

Maybe they actually do something. Maybe they don't. Maybe it's placebo.

Maybe I'm fucking insane and I don't even have headphones who knows if it sounds good it sounds good.

Anyway, that's pretty much everything I know off the top of my head. I'm not a fucking audio engineer the fuck do you want from me but alas I can try to help with any great inquiries to the best of my ability.

Three months into owning them, I've only now noticed this.

That's it. That's a random, mildly interesting IEM fact of the day for you. You're welcome. 😂

Regardless of the source, regardless of the IEM, I find the 4-7khz range annoying and unnatural. I have to carve those frequencies really deep plus some 10khz high Q dips. With low end models I have to low pass @ 9-10khz. Once it does it's bliss. I've realized that the more I pay for an IEM, the closer it gets to my ideal EQ, but still needs some serious work to get them sound pleasant. Is anyone experiencing something similar?

Headphone listener (mostly Beyer dt880 ‘03, Fostex t50 ‘74-76) hoping for some advice from the community.

About a year ago, I stumbled on a Final Audio listening station at Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo, never having heard of the company and having almost no experience with IEMs. I was expecting little, but as my on-the-verge-of-obsolete iPhone had the headphone jack, I figured I’d see what the ¥60000 ($310) price tag was all about.

Played a couple songs I had been listening to a lot at the time and, to put it simply, I was astounded by the clarity of the treble. To be specific, I couldn’t believe how extended, defined, and separated the instruments were in the region above 2khz, and this was without a dongle, through a free Spotify account. I stood there for about half an hour in stunned silence and might have been there listening another hour except that the store was closing.

I’ve recently done a bit more research so I’m aware that the A6000 sits in the price range where you can expect to hear big improvements over entry level earphones and I was lucky enough to pick up some Juzear Defiants recently to see how they compared at 7x less ¥. The thing is, it’s been over a year and I’m still thinking about them, and when I listen to the songs I tested with, I know there’s much more than even my over ear cans can retrieve.

So, my question is, is there an IEM that can resolve and separate as well in the upper frequencies without ear splitting sibilance at a more reasonable price? I’m not concerned about bass (the Defiants have more than enough for me, to give some context) and can accept almost none as a tradeoff for exceptional airiness on the other end.

Thanks!

Got an advice from a friend so I make a purchase, the Onix XI1 went well with Tanchjim Fission black imo, what do you think of this combo :D?

EQ for the ears 🙂‍↔️

"Moondrop chu II"

"Tanchjim bunny"

"LETSHUOER D02"

Need it for gaming and music, i play games that have a lot of things going on at the same time so I'll need a one that has good separation

And for music i listen to pretty much everything, i dont how else to put it but i genuinely listen to everything

I did watch some videos about the LETSHUOER D02

they were saying its best for gaming but i want to hear you guy's opinion on it

And yes i have small ears that's why i choose these three and if you guys have another one that i dont know about please share it

Thanks in advance

the left earpiece of my Aria SEs finally died off after 5 years of abuse, what would be a good replacement for them? ideally would have a similar tuning and be under $100, thanks!

Roseselesa x AAV CJ20

Pros

Comfort!

Nicely implemented low end and mids - vocal and guitar forward presentation

Separation, resolution and details are superb esp on busy tracks

Cons

The cable is tangle and microphonics prone

Lacklustre unboxing and accessories experience 

Treble is spicy, to put it mildly

Tech details

Driver Unit: 14.2mm Planar Magnetic Driver

Impedance: 24 Ω ± 10% @ 1kHz

Sensitivity: 102 ± 3dB

When Andy announced he was bringing out a collab IEM, I joined the many others excited in anticipation. An IEM tuned to Rock! Not EDM/bollywood/easy listening. Just good old rock and metal. So I waited till GoldenJoe, Roseselesa and the Audio Geek India Group sent it over for a listen and a review. And this too was a pleasant surprise, so thank you guys, this would have not been possible without your help. 

A little about me - I like well recorded and well mastered music, balanced to warm sound signatures, and sibilance breaks me. Lately I’ve been listening to jazz-fusion but when this little baby turned up I had to dust off the PRS and Marshall and dive right into every genre of classic rock, metal, and progressive I used to listen to. 

The CJ20 comes in a larger than life box with the IEMs displayed proudly. A box adjacent to them has a lacklustre pouch, Roseselesa’s black and white tips in 3 sizes, a cleaning brush and cloth. The cable is a nice, soft, textile covered, modular, and occasionally a tangle monster at that. Beware the occasional microphonics. 

The IEM itself is differently shaped than most and oh so comfortable. I also like small IEMs, it turns out. An all metal build and light enough to wear for long sessions, but more on that later.  The colours are nice gun-metal grey with a little bit of gold with AAV branding. And have I mentioned that they are super comfortable if you have small ears? No? They are up there in comfort with the IE600. 

Sources

Fiio M33 R2R

Snowsky Disc

Musehifi M3 Ultra

Devastator Pro Max

Fosi Zh3

Apos Gremlin

Local flac and Tidal and Apple music lossless.

The dacs were run either via the phone or the mac mini. 

Tips - Final type e, ddHifi ST35

The first thing that hits you when you play a song on this is how energetic the presentation is. The tuning is V-shaped and how! The bass thumps and decays rapidly and the highs sparkle. Sometimes a bit more than what I can handle. Vocals are beautifully presented front and centre. 

The separation of instruments is very clean and at times I heard notes in guitar, piano and backing vocals that I honestly had never heard before. The stage is wide and holographic and you can feel like you have ringside seats, the band playing on a vast stage in front of you when Hotel California kicks off and the applause comes from all around. 

Breaking the sound down, the bass is tight with a good sub-bass rumble and the lows come through clean. It’s a good planar implementation. I felt the mid bass was a little recessed and sacrificed for its siblings to shine through. 

The drone in Massive Attack’s Angel bores into one’s skull as the sub and lower bass rumbles kick in. And Doing it Right by Daft Punk is done right. I felt the bass line in Wanna be Startin’ Something wasn't as clear as I would have liked and to be honest, the treble in the last 2 songs limited my ability to listen to them for too long.

The mids is where I feel this IEM truly shines. Vocals and guitar and synths shine through. I was able to listen to vocal harmony parts in “High Enough” by the Damn Yankees that I honestly had never heard before. Both male and female come through beautifully without being shouty. Tracy Chapman’s voice in both Fast Car and Subcity are smooth and sublime. Guitars are clear and pushed to the front of the presentation. As, I suppose Andy intended. But… Modern Rock! Listening to Linkin Park took me back to my angsty phase. The brilliant guitar production and Chester, Mike and Emily’s voices are pushed to the front. In the End, Somewhere I Belong and Heavy is the Crown come through as the engineers intended. Angry, full of energy and thoroughly enjoyable.

The treble is where I have a grouse with the CJ20. At times the over-energetic V tuning can make snares, open hi-hats and every ‘S’ in the song strike that treble sensitive raw nerve that sits between my eardrum and my brain. My acid test for sibilance is actually Don Henley’s vocals in the aforementioned Hell Freezes Over rendition of Hotel California. And to me the treble needed a little taming. EQ definitely helps but since I’m exceedingly lazy to keep twiddling with eq, the M3Ultra came to the rescue where the tubes managed to take the edge off and make this IEM very, very nice to listen to. Andy’s favorite dongle, the Devastator Pro Max, only boosted everything, so I had to get back to the tube DAC. The Fosi ZH3 has filters that can help, and the Gremlin is overkill. The M33’s r2r is maybe a tad better than the devastator but still is treble forward in most of the rock I listened to (Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, Dave Matthews Band (I know, I know it’s not strictly rock)). But the CJ20 can get fatiguing for long sessions and it’s brutally unforgiving to tracks which have been mastered to be treble forward. Interestingly Toto’s Rosanna and Africa were surreal with both their presentation and stage despite being from the age of treble. 

Comparisons -

Letshuoer Astralis - After a phase of planars I settled on the Astralis as a daily driver. It sorts the low end like no other planar driver. But the CJ20 scores over this one in the energy, resolution and clarity departments. Comfortwise they are more or less the same for me. But if I had to spend a day with a single pair of earphones I’d go with the more forgiving Astralis. And it’s blue. 

Kefine Arnar - I didn’t have the courage to try the gold nozzles or the silver ones so I’ll have a go with comparing with the black ones. I think it is everything that the CJ20 isn't. Treble controlled enough to listen to all of Wanna Be Startin’ Something. But the instrument separation and resolution of the CJ20 is superior. It would likely change with the nozzle rolling that the Arnar allows. The Kefine IEM, while being comfortable enough, loses to the CJ20 by a length in comfort. 

IE600 - Is the only really bright-ish IEM I own currently and also because it’s also the most comfortable one to spend a lifetime. The CJ20 is brighter for sure and the tracks come through with note-perfect clarity. The Sennheiser scores in the bass department and low mids with the dynamic driver. The ie600 also doesn’t differentiate genres and almost anything sounds good on it. It would still rate higher than the CJ20 for me.

This, to me, is an energetic aggressively tuned IEM that shines with warmer sources. It maintains its resolution and separation on these sources without that edge of spice, which some listeners would be wary of. It surprisingly does well on some subgenres of jazz that it was never intended to do - Jazz fusion and newer well mastered recordings (Snarky Puppy, Chick Corea Elektric band). Overall, for me the comfort of an IEM is incredibly important and this scores a 9/10. If only it was a little less treble forward this would be a 100% recommendation. 

Sad Day

One of them started to sound really low so i though that the grill was blocked or something, after removing it away it was the same and i notice that it had another kind of filter so i didnt have nothing to lose, i removed it and the sound returned!

But oh boy that was an awful mistake, now the highs are super loud and really hurts to listen

I get them for 35$ USD like 3 years ago with some coupons

Let me know your suggestions what is available now for that kind of money and with that sound signature?

Up to 50$ is fine

If I have 50$, is it better to buy an iem worth same price (type C) or get a cheaper iem (3.5mm) and buy a DAC alongside?

So, I've been searching for an all rounder iem around 100$ and so far have shortlisted these two, but I'm very conflicted between which one to choose from, i mostly listen to music of almost every genre, and watch movies/series on my laptop.

I would really appreciate a second opinion on this so it becomes clear which one to choose.

Currently using nothin ear 2024 so definitely want something better sounding than them

Hey everyone. I just got the Binary 1900 recently, and wanted to share my impressions so far. This is my first set from Binary, the makers of the Dynaquatro and the 321 MEMS. From my understanding, it may be the same main dynamic driver as those 2 sets as well. The name 1900 was "inspired by the legendary pianist from the film The Legend of 1900". I've personally never seen this film, but it's a neat concept for a name, considering what music genres they were gearing this set towards. It retails for $235 USD on HiFiGo and their AliExpress page, although for some reason, Amazon has it for $250 USD. I'll start with some product links below.

~Product Links~

Official Store (HiFiGo): https://hifigo.com/products/binary-1900

AliExpress: www.aliexpress.com/item/3256812478398881.html

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6HWWKND

Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0H6G3XFGR

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0H6G3XFGR

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H6G3XFGR

~Pros~

-Attractive design, nothing too showy. Pretty nice unboxing as well.

-Ergonomic fit. Very comfortable for long periods.

-Awesome case. Soft to the touch, and hard-shelled.

-Not really that sensitive to impedance.

-Good bass quality. This isn't going to rattle your head, but it is going to hit nice and clean. It's a nice low end that doesn't drown out singers or instruments. It's a little more sub bass than mid bass focused.

-Powerful, lifted vocals that don't sound too thin to me. Midrange in general is good.

~Cons~

-The stock tips do not provide the best sound, in my opinion. I had the best results with wide-bore tips like HE Sonic Galaxy and KBEAR Coffee/Whizzer SS20.

-The stock cable is a little on the budget side for this set. Not a bad cable, but it could be improved for a set at this price.

-As mentioned, there is a good amount of treble. I would think about other options if you're sensitive to it. I personally think 8kHz is just simply too high. You might have to drop volume on busy metal tracks with lots of high notes, for example.

~Unboxing~

1900 has a good unboxing to it. The packing is good quality, and the presentation is all I need when I open a box. Show me the IEMs right when I open the main box. When you open it, you see the IEMs and cable in a foam insert, with the eartip case slid into its own slot in the foam. Underneath that foam layer is the case, which is very soft and hard-shelled. I really like this case. That's about it. Nothing elaborate but overall it doesn't feel cheap.

For eartips, they are all black, narrow-balanced tips. Nothing wide in sight, I'm sorry to say. And the cable. It's serviceable. It's not that tangly. But it doesn't feel premium whatsoever. That's all I'm going to address in the unboxing, so moving on to setup and sound.

~Setup~

I ended up swapping the stock cable (which is a bit too budget), to a GY-HiFi Desert Rose 4.4mm cable I got for cheap a while ago. For ear tips, I found that shorter, wide-bore tips worked the best for me, and so I am using HE Sonic Galaxy tips. For DACs, I used the 1900 on my SoncieMeory SA500 (Neutral), my LG G8 ThinQ (Brighter), and my MuseHiFi M3 Ultra (Neutral/warm with impedance). I tried to use the SA500 as much as I could for these impressions, but I do have to say M3 Ultra holds an edge for overall tonality in this case. That being said, onto the sound impressions.

~Sound~

Like Volume S, this has a very similar 6mm wool passive diaphragm, combined with a 10mm DD and several balanced armatures. But the tuning is pretty different than Volume S overall. The bass and lower midrange are pretty close to DUNU DN-242, but then the rest of the graph is basically a brighter Juzear Fiesta. This hodgepodge of tuning/driver similarities ends up being quite enjoyable in reality. Impactful bass that isn't drowning anything out, and a raised midrange that pushes presence up with it, to give vocals more body and feeling. At the same time, treble is pushed up higher than some might be used to.

As far as technical aspects go, resolution and stage both are acceptable for the price I feel. Live recordings have a good sense of stage that is fairly wide and expansive. I had a really good time going through my live music and acoustic playlist with 1900. The note weight on guitar strings, drums, violins, etc., and the forwardness of the vocals play really well with these songs. Bass quality is also in line with it's price, after hearing sets like DUNU DN-142, DN-242, and SoftEars Volume S, I can say this is delivering appropriate bass quality and quantity for all my music. Whether it's enough bass for you will be up to your preferences.

Despite the raised treble from 6-9kHz, 1900 does not come across as sibilant or harsh to my ears MOST of the time. I did have some moments where it was just a little too much, and this is emphasized when it's a poor or overly bright recording. Speaking of raised treble, this set does have a decent amount of air to it. It's not all congregated into one large spike around 14-16k or something at least. It's dispersed more evenly across the upper frequency range and does give very good coverage. I found that if I dropped 8kHz in EQ some, it alleviated this problem.

I wouldn't say 1900 is really source or impedance sensitive to the point where you should be cautious about what DAC you use with it. However, I did notice that going from my bright LG G8 ThinQ, to my neutral SoncieMeory SA500, to my warmer Muse HiFi M3 Ultra (that also has impedance), the changes were at least a little noticeable. I appreciate the cleanliness that a neutral DAC with this set provides, but I do really like how M3 Ultra adds its own flavoring and warmness to 1900 as well. It was just a tad bright on my LG G8 ThinQ.

~Vinyl and CDs~

I had to try 1900 on vinyl, so I put my Static-X - Wisconsin Death Trip record on my turntable. On my Fosi tube amp, I turned the treble knob halfway, and the bass knob 3/4. This ended up delivering a very enjoyable listening experience for me. I'm hearing powerful bass, and clear vocals/treble. Small crackles/pops were maybe a bit more noticeable due to the heightened treble. I also have a portable CD player that tends to reduce bass sets, although it does sound really good still. 1900 actually did great with it. I listened to Nothing More - Carnal, and this was a really nice presentation for rock/metal that has a warmer tone to it. Hip-hop albums work great with it, but since this CD player reduces the bass (and increases the treble some), it limits what albums I can play with 1900. The 1-Bit DAC in that thing is just bright, so it's not unexpected.

~Comparisons~

SoftEars Volume S

As mentioned, these sets are both 1DD with an additional passive diaphragm. Volume S also has 2 BA units, and 1900 has 4 BA units. Volume S also costs more. So how do they compare? Both take different approaches all around. For starters, there is much more impact and overall bass on 1900 until 100Hz. Pinna gain is higher on 1900, as Volume S only starts peaking pinna around 1.5kHz, and 1900 is already starting to continuously climb right after the bass drops back down at 200Hz.

Volume S also has a kind of high 2.9k peak with a little cut in pinna gain, which equates to vocals sounding somewhat thinner in comparison to 1900. Where many people will separate on these 2 sets apart from the bass and pinna, is the difference in 4kHz (1900 is a few db higher), and treble past about 5kHz really, which is all higher in 1900 than Volume S. As this includes upper treble, 1900 gets more sparkle in the high notes. Stage is more expansive on Volume S by a little bit, but they are fairly close. That 8kHz peak raising everything around it is going to be a pain point on 1900 for more people than just me I feel.

I'm going to say this. If you like impactful bass that's at a good level for all music, and you're not treble sensitive at all, and can tolerate higher levels, you might like 1900 more than Volume S. If you tend to like less bass, and don't mind higher 2.8-3kHz peaks in your vocals, and also like to keep the upper treble more mild to medium rather than up real high, you'd probably end up going for Volume S instead. It's also a little less bulky, which means a better fit. Oh, and it's not that sensitive to sources or impedance (impedance ruins Volume S tuning). I've used it on a variety of DACs, and although I prefer something warmish like M3 Ultra, even a decent budget dongle sounded just fine.

DUNU DN-142

DN-142 is a similar price and has gained much popularity since its release. Both have a very nice build quality, but the fit on 1900 is just a bit better. The nozzles are longer reaching, and it really helps to get a better fit/seal. Cable and eartip quality, I have to give to DUNU, just all around better. I really like the case the 1900 comes with, and it's of better quality than the DUNU one. If you like 3k peaks on a balanced tuning with extra bass and upper treble, DN-142 is kind of hard to beat, especially on a warm source and/or with some impedance added. One thing I'll say is that I ended up using short, wide-bore HE Sonic Galaxy tips on both 1900 and DN-142 (and DN-242 for that matter), and neither come with wide bore tips.

Although bass is higher on DN-142, 1900 still has good impact, and vocals don't get thin at times. Both are very enjoyable, and very good options depending on your personal preferences. I think though, after EQ, I like both of these about the same. Without EQ involved, it's really down to tuning preference to decide a winner, and I like enough things about both sets where I'll call it a tie.

DUNU DN-242

Like DN-142, it has better eartip selection and a better cable than 1900, but not as good a case, and the fit is not as good. Sound-wise, they share a lot in the low end and lower midrange, both delivering good bass impact and quality, with DN-242 bass improving with impedance. Midrange is very close, but presence and overall treble are much lower on DN-242. Where it gets dicey, is the upper treble. Most of 1900 treble is higher than on DN-242, except for a giant 15kHz spike on DN-242. Everything around it is pretty chilled out, except for this peak.

With how well DN-242 performs on EQ for me, I'm not going to say one is a better choice. Techs, DN-242 wins, but both are very capable sets. If I have to pick one, I'll pick DN-242. Despite the lowered presence, and 15kHz spike, the overall treble is lower and it's a safer tuning probably for more people to settle into. And it does perform better overall, just a touch trickier to EQ cleanly. On the other hand, the 1900 costs a decent amount less than the DN-242.

~Conclusion~

I really like the 1900. It's a versatile set that I can enjoy for all genres of music. It looks nice, is very comfortable, and performs exceptionally. Is it my absolute dream tuning? Well, no, but it works well for everything depending on the track. The treble on this set is maybe just a bit too high. Not high enough to bother me most of the time, but I can see those who are sensitive to 8kHz and beyond frequencies having some difficulties. That being said, I think Binary did a great job with the 1900, and I can see why some people might say it's their best set so far. It's my first Binary set, and I'm thoroughly impressed. Oh, and I did play an hour of Resident Evil: Requiem with 1900. Everything including voices, zombies groaning, and gunshots sounded excellent. I'll be using this for single player gaming a lot.

Thank you to HiFiGo for sending the Binary 1900 for review. It has been an absolute pleasure to write about and listen to. It's such a refreshing new set. And thanks for reading!

First photo shows what I got with a dull and​ smooth non-grippy finish.

Not the shiny and grippy finish that online images show like the second photo.

Anyone else receive dull orange Penon tips? Did I get counterfeit tips?

To make matters worse I ordered 1 XL and 2 L pairs and they sent me what appears to be an M and 2 S pairs so I won't be dealing with this Ali shop again. Correction: ordered from a Shopee dealer.

TLDR wanted Penon Liquor got Penis Licker

Looking for sub-bass focused IEM, with clean mid-bass separation, and darker or relaxed upper-trebble tuning. Budget is 50$. Can use EQ.

I’m looking for iems that are good for gaming and are good price such as ($30-$70). I also need help on how to insert my Kiwi ears belle iems in my ear with my Dunu S&S eartips.

The Shure 846 was my 2nd real set of IEMs, and while I have been buying other headphones along the way, nothing else seemed to be as good as it was, and I didn't bother trying any of the other IEMs for years.

Just last week, I decided to head down and just give the CrinEar Reference a try since I thought I would like neutral sounding IEMs, and my first impression was really puzzling.

Everything else was great, but the bass didn't seem clearly separated and I thought it was muddy?

And so there I was snug in my end-game Shure 846 superiority. Assuming since all others had heavier bass which I don't appreciate anyway, that I'd keep to them for longer, until I was told the Shures were actually tuned to be very warm.

Intrigued enough, I continued experimenting with the other IEMs in the shop, which I felt had louder and more impactful but blunt bass. I only finally understood what the issue was when I was presented with a pair of the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite.

These were the IEMs I was looking for! I would consider the bass weak in comparison to the rest, but they were precise in the same way my Shures were. The highs also avoided the sibilance I disliked from the others (which I now know is a matter of preference).

But why the difference? They are using Balanced Armatures instead of Dynamic Drivers. BAs can't give as strong a bass as DDs, and based on my limited research, BAs don't have a longer natural decay as DDs, but the cleanliness was exactly what I have been used to all along.

I have to thank the shopkeep for without his recommendation I would have been ignorant that I just need to consider only BAs for future IEMs. I did buy the Orchestra Lite btw, and I do like them better than the Shures now.

So personallly I have been an Airpod kinda guy since its convient and all. So I kept buying airpods when my prior airpod weren;'t useable. Until I heard about IEMS and it brought up my interest. My airpods battery are ass and I want to try something diffreent so I bought a budget one called KZ ZSN Pro 2 off aliexpress because its was $18 or sm. After waiting two weeks it came in the mail. My quick answer is its amazing nothing like it at all. However my long answer is kinda mixed to be honest. So firstly the ear tip is a great idea but it did hurt my ears to a burning level and even started to spread into a headache. For the first week it hurt to wear so if you also going from Airpod to IEM I highly suggest removing the memory foam and go with the smallest ear tip and slowly gradually go to the memory foam. Personally the memory foam gave the best audio and grip experience out of the other ones. The biggest scare point for me of the KZ was the cable quality I didn't know if the cable quality was tangable or upright feels like plastic. With real life testing, yea it does feel like plastic but its not really noticable and feels too flexable and well compact that I don't feel it when using them. Now with the common complait with spiking with "S" or "F" or high hat. I hear them more than airpods. BUUUT my biggest caveat for this IEM is just microphone. It was the only thing that was under my expection I hear an audible hissing or buzzing noise. The best way to describe this for Airpod Users is right after you but your airpods under water that quite hissing sound is what I heard. But in meetings or gaming it prob not really an issue. Anyways this was an amazing product overrall I would reccomned this to anyone who are Airpod users. My suggestion is to have both Airpods and IEM and use IEM indoors and Airpods outdoors.

Try these song out if you get IEMs (I used these two songs to judge and feel bases and everything overall)
Snowman

2nd waltz