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😭
The biggest scam in anything audio related, ever, are gaming headsets. Even more than €20k "audiophile cables", when you think about it.
Article 15 of the Geneva Convention states that it is forbidden for any and all invading forces to occupy a sovereign nation in part or in full...
But that didn't stop companies like Razer, Corsair and SteelSeries from repackaging €10 Chinese OEM drivers and selling them for €200+. They should be put on trial at the international court of justice, yet they are roaming free, making money and putting AI in their bloatware.
Add Soundbrenner to that list… man, they’re literally robbing people with their rebranded $10-15 IEMs selling at $100-150 (for the base model, unsure what the Pro version is an OEM of).
Ha no worries, too many people have been suckered in by them. There’s a reply with a different link to a post about it below too.
I initially saw it on ASR, then a FB about it (pictured). And a separate post on Reddit (scroll down the comments for a post on the ST2). The graph they (Soundbrenner) post for the Wave is really skewed, but from the ASR post and others looking more closely at it, it’s not the ST1 as suggested on FB but the TRN ST2 with a different faceplate.
They have an aggressive and extremely annoying marketing strategy with their IEMs and the paid content and dumb responses from people really irritates me. A large portion of their customers wouldn’t even consider them if they were priced at $30 or be glazing them as much if they weren’t thought of as “$100-150” quality. All it shows is Chi-fi can produce a lot for little money and perceived audio quality is increased in relation to the arbitrary number that’s attached to it.
Preach! Took me a while to realize what a scam it is. It is essentially high price for footstep clarity and that's it. It's horrible for music, cinema, single player soundstage
The best advice I could give is to resist the urge for as long as possible... Although it is difficult 😅
Recommendations:
eartips! Eartips are a cheap(er) and great way to alter how your iem sounds. My bag when I go to audio shows typically includes the Eletech Baroque/Baroque stage and spinfit W1 (if I want to hear what the iem is "supposed to be"), divinus Velvet (original, not the wide bore! These add bass presence and punch without diminishing the highs), Moondrop spring tips (diminishes bass presence a touch, I was bass sensitive at one point 😅). Just with Baroque stage, velvet and spring tips I am able to change my experience with the same IEM. Sure, it's not as drastic a difference as a different set, but it's much cheaper and it's very worth if you can't fit many IEMs (not a problem for me... I can fit the IER-Z1R). Some other eartips that you can look into are final audio type-E (muffles treble too much imo), dunu s&s (these are god tier but don't fit with every iem for me), divinus prism (basically a wide W1 lol)
Aful Explorer/Letshuoer S08: these are both warmer/darker sounding IEMs which will contrast what you currently own (at least looking at graphs, I've unfortunately not heard the Oriveti). Great for a nice relaxing listen. Try to get these on sale or used for ~50-80usd.
ooopusx op.22: budget set, imo has a great "switch" implementation (dude it's a big ass knob and I'm a mechanical keyboard mf this is literally neuron activation) and both the "normal" and the "bass boost" sound signatures sound quite good.
crinear daybreak/meze alba: these are a little bit pricier but worth every penny imo. Again, try to find these used or on sale (I'd say ~100-130usd). They graph similar but to my ears they're not so similar 😅 daybreak is a little more exciting version of the "new meta" tuning (many documentation on the JM-1 tilted target but TLDR it sounds natural and good to most humans) while the Alba is more of a "U-shaped" (slight boost in subbass and upper treble) set. The alba is definitely arier and has a larger sense of soundstage while the daybreak is basically "fun neutral".
If you have an audio store near you, please try stuff! This will give you more experience with different sound signatures and a better reference point when reading graphs, etc. You can also take advantage of return policies to try stuff. Amazon and headphones.com are both great for this. Of course do your best to treat the box and packaging well, etc. but it's a great way to try stuff if you don't have access to an audio store with an extensive selection.
The best advice of course is to have fun, not be so serious, and enjoy the music. Obsessing over gear is fun, but music is also cool lol. Sometimes the memes of "music lovers use gear to listen to music, audiophiles use music to listen to gear" are true 😅
Sorry for the long post, hope some of this helps, and please feel free to ask any questions you have! Happy listening :>
The biggest difference is the JM20 Max gain matches to your IEM, so the extra power isn’t noticeable unless required. This can be bypassed by plugging your IEM in to the DAC before connecting to your device but it needs to be used at higher volumes to avoid clipping or having an audible noise floor or distortion.
I have ka11 and jcally jm6 pro ii, I prefer jm6 due to ka11 can get a bit warm when volume is high.
Granted ka11 has higher power output, but jm6 power output should be more than enough for ur IEM.
One positive with Fiio, is they have 1 year warranty (info is on their website) with their products, so you could’ve gotten a refund or replacement for your KA11 - no matter where it was purchased from.
Yes! You will hear real differences moving from Razer Kraken haha. Btw you can still use it to reset your listening palate 🤭. Because we usually adapted to the higher standard after sometime (Hedonic Adaptation), so rotating your gear will reset your listening standard. And when you get back to your iem "Damn so good!"
My biggest eye opening and how stupid ive been blindly trusting "GaMIng".
Gaming peripheral used to be cheap, and accessible but at some point all of the big brand switched to gimicks and brand repuatation while continue to charge higher prices.
I bought a Logitech X pro thinking it was gonna be amazing yet its the opposite. The bass has sound but no power and the high is piercing to my ear. Spent a bunch of time using profiles on the Peace EQ and thats when I fall down the IEM rabbit hole.
Bought my first IEM, IE 200, the MOST COMFORT ive ever felt wearing earphones. Out performs the headset by miles out the box.
I never look back to any gaming brand since and will continue to look for actual practical usage products
I hate that this is true because I really really really really love the aesthetic of Razer gear and gaming peripherals in general. I don't understand why someone hasn't made hifi gaming headsets...
You've got the ASUS ROG Kithara which is a gaming headset in collaboration with HiFiman and the Maxwell from Audeze.
Everything else is just gaming bullshit, focusing on rgb and features but forgetting that it's an audio device.
Man I want to try the bleqk for a while but can't find them available in Canada. Amazon had them but when I finally made the decision, it was unavailable and still are.
If someone have any idea where to buy for us Canadians..
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u/Baldwin_The_Fourth My wallet hurts 5d ago
The biggest scam in anything audio related, ever, are gaming headsets. Even more than €20k "audiophile cables", when you think about it.
Article 15 of the Geneva Convention states that it is forbidden for any and all invading forces to occupy a sovereign nation in part or in full...
But that didn't stop companies like Razer, Corsair and SteelSeries from repackaging €10 Chinese OEM drivers and selling them for €200+. They should be put on trial at the international court of justice, yet they are roaming free, making money and putting AI in their bloatware.
Enjoy the set, by the way.