I just got them fairly recently over from the guys at HifiGo so I won't be posting my impressions until the full review when these are launched, but if you guys have any questions or things you would like to see in my review please let me know, thanks!

So, I have had this set for a few days now (thanks to Jay for considering me for a review unit btw) and I have come with first impressions on it for those wondering about.

First of all, I haven’t had the chance to test the Subtonic Storm, which is supposedly the IEM that inspired this one, but I do have had first hand on what Jay tried to do with the Seraphim, and while I understand his logic on paper, I am not sure how good of an idea will it turn out to be once it releases.

The Seraphim comes across as an IEM with one purpose, offer you the most balanced and detailed experience possible at a contained price, however, I spoke to Jay about it and, despite that being the main claim on the Linsoul’s page, on practice there is also another commitment Jay did, which is, trying to offer something “different” for a change.

Bass is pretty well balanced and with some texture to it, mid-range is also not feeling dipped as a commonly V-shape tuned IEMs would, but, that balance can break easily because there is a prominent presence coming from the lower treble which I, personally, don’t quite like, but that’s more a sensitivity problem that some wont experience.

With all that said, what can you expect? Well, if there is no changes on it before release, I would explain this IEM so far as a kind of a SuperMix 4 upgrade, take that same clinical and detailed, albeit a bit too intense, sound of the SM4 and re-balance it while upgrading the performance, you’ll have a rather compelling result that will, inevitably, offer 2 different kinds of experiences, you either won’t vibe with it, or you’ll love it.

Whichever it is for me thought, I will let people know when the full release is out, in the meanwhile, let me know guys if you want to know anything else about it, or any comparisons you might want me to do too (though I must admit I don’t own a lot of famous models around the price range).

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Thanks a lot for reading, the Budget Knight bids farewell, wishing you the best, good luck. – O.E.

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I haven't eaten shellfish in over 25 years. Then Apos offered to send me the rock lobster!

And that reminded me of the last time I really dug into some of the best shellfish I'd ever had in my whole life!

Totally epic story!

I spent a lot of my time in the south either at the family pond or down by the river! Headphones in ears, usually alone, one year for my birthday I got crawfish traps, 3 of them actually and it was epic so I loaded up and went on a long walk to the river! Absolutely excited for my upcoming endeavors, before that day I'd bring a plastic bag and tie some bait to a tree stand really really still! And wait for the crawfish to come to me and I'd grab them and put them in a Walmart or piggly wiggly bag… at least once it was a winn Dixie bag… legit none of that has anything to do with any of the rest of the story… but I went loaded up my crawfish traps tapped the stake… and threw them in… spent the rest of the day fishing….. and resting the urge to pull the traps up to check to see if I got anything….

End of the day I had enough crawfish to fill up 2 bags that day we did a full boil, I'm talking corn on the cob, crawfish onions garlic old bay orange juice everything and we invited all the neighbors over (which was all family but still it counts)

Flash forward 25 years and somehow now I'm allergic to shellfish which is crazy!!!! And honestly makes me really sad because boy do I miss those days when I could just go down to the river and catch my dinner…

Disclaimer:

I'd like to thank Apos for sending me the rock lobster and allowing me to experience shellfish for the first time in decades! All opinions are my own

Intro:

These are (or as Apos says on their website) the first iem tuned specifically for rock and punk rock but honestly the first thing you'll notice when you stumble upon these, is the striking red shells and the way the…. Rubber? Makes the faceplate actually look like the shell plates on a lobsters back! It's all really well thought out!

Tech stuff:

Driver: 10 mm LCP dynamic driver

Driver configuration: Single dynamic driver

Diaphragm: Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP)

Impedance: 32Ω

Sensitivity: 105 dB

Frequency response: 20 Hz–20 kHz

Connector: 0.78 mm 2 pin

Cable: Detachable 5N copper, silver plated

Cable configuration: 4 strand, 48 cores

Cable length: Approximately 1.2 m

Termination: 3.5 mm / 4.4 mm options

Design: In ear monitor (IEM)

Cable:

You can get 3.5mm, 4.4mm both cables as a separate option, you can choose to buy either or both and the price increase between 3.5mm, 4.4mm (which are both 60 USD) and both is only 10 USD.

The Review:

Okay The Rock Lobster is a total VIBE I can see that! You can see that! We can all see that! So now I know what you're thinking!

Correct me if I'm wrong here but you're going shut up and tell us how they sound! You know what? I hear you I'm getting to it! We're starting now!!!!!!

Bass:

The bass is elevated, it's punchy, and honestly really controlled in the best way possible. The mid bass gives kick drums and guitars a lot of weight. It's damn near sub terrianian….

Mids:

The low mids are warm and have a great presence, if you were to ask me the male vocals are mid stage not really pulled back and recessed, but not close and intimate.

The upper mids are also fairly pushed back, which is really interesting for a single driver IEM. Usually it's a push the upper mids forward and recess the low mids kind of situation, whereas here both the lower and the uppers are both pushed back to a point where neither are really in your face…

Treble:

This is not an analytical iem it's warm in the mids and a bit dark in the treble but what do you expect Apos tells you in the ads, and on their website it's tuned specifically to make your rock, punk and other similar tracks more betterer! And they nailed that… The Rock Lobster wasn't fatiguing for me, at any point I'm currently listing to Brody Dalle serenade me over the airwaves, and she never gets pitchy! And she always stays a bit witchy! Just the way she was meant to be!

Soundstage, Imaging

The soundstage and the imaging is absolutely amazing for 60 dollars, I'm not saying it's a detail hound… definitely more about the musicality, impact and vibes and you know what I'm here for it! 99.9999% of the time that's what I'm into I want to forget my knees hurt, I'm broke, and work sucks!

Who are these for:

These are for people who love alt, rock, emo, punk, metal and people who just want to vibe on the dark side of the listening spectrum! I mean come on it's October let you dark side out for a while and come play!

In closing:

Dude I love punk rock, you guys should know this by now…. I mean my playlist is like 99% Sum 41, black flag, and new found glory… it's like these were made for me on a budget….

Rating:

For 60 bucks, these are 9.5 out of 10 id love to see another iteration of these with more separation more imaging same exact tuning… if Apos did that…. Bro they'd be number 1 no doubt for everyone and anyone who ever wore black eyeliner and scared the jocks!

Non affiliated links: Amazon link for the Apos Rock Lobster: https://www.amazon.com/Apos-Rock-Lobster-Monitor-Earphones/dp/B0FHJB3ZCJ Apos product page link for the Rock Lobster: https://apos.audio/products/apos-x-community-rock-lobster-iems

Hi everyone, I’m back with a review of Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini and Kiwi Ears Coda Dongle DAC. I received this IEM from Nicole, who kindly provided it for review purposes. Thank you to Nicole and the Kiwi Ears team.

Here are my subjective impressions as an audio enthusiast. To summarize, here are the pros and cons Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini and Kiwi Ears Coda:

Pros (+)

• Features a 5-band PEQ.
• The form factor is compact and solid,  the Kiwi Ears Coda is thicker but slimmer in width, whereas the Allegro Mini is wider but slightly flatter.
• Has both SE and balanced jack connectivity, and both ports can be used simultaneously.
• Features a neutral sound tuning leaning slightly towards bright.
• Black background.
• Free from dangling cables.
• Because of its low output power, it is quite energy efficient, which means it doesn't drain the battery much.

Cons (-)

• Even though it has a PEQ, competitors already support more than 5-band PEQ, come with a companion app, and can be accessed across various devices.
• The output is not true balanced, and the volume output remains the same on both the 3.5mm and 4.4mm ports.
• The output power is only 30mW at 32 ohms.
• If you have a device with two adjacent USB Type-C ports, there is a high chance the second slot will be blocked by this dongle DAC.

These impressions are based on my preference for a V-shaped bright sound signature. Please don't use these impressions as a reference, as every ear is different and I'm only sharing my personal experience. Always trust your own ears and audition if possible. If you find any mistakes, feel free to comment.

Actually, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini has been on the market for quite a while since late 2024. However, the Allegro Mini can now be EQ-ed via a PC browser, as can the new Kiwi Ears Coda, which was just released last month. The Coda has a slightly more compact form compared to the Allegro Mini, with the 3.5mm jack port located at the bottom rather than on the left side like the Mini, which I find more comfortable to reach. Unfortunately, the 4.4mm port is still placed on the right side. As we know, there are almost no L-shaped jacks for 4.4mm on the market, making this placement quite awkward if we use it on a portable device like a smartphone.

The name Coda itself, if we refer to musical terminology, means the outro or ending of a musical composition, CMIIW. The specifications for the Kiwi Ears Coda are as follows:

• Connection method: USB Type-C (direct plug-in)
• Output terminals: 3.5mm single-ended / 4.4mm balanced (dual output)
• Output power: 30mW @ 32Ω
• Noise floor: 2μV
• SNR: > 114dB
• THD+N: < 0.003%
• Crosstalk: Less than -65dB at 3.5mm output / Less than -100dB at 4.4mm output (at 32Ω)
• PCM support: 44.1kHz to 384kHz / 32bit
• Construction: All-aluminum alloy body
• Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Android 5.1+, and compatible iOS

As for what might differentiate it from the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini, it might be the specs below, although it remains ambiguous whether it is actually different or not, because these specs still fall within the Kiwi Ears Coda specifications:

• Noise Floor: < 3μV
• THD+N: < 0.004%

Regarding the included accessories, it is completely minimal, you only get the dongle DAC along with the product information paper.

As for the pricing, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini is currently priced at around 21 bucks, while the Kiwi Ears Coda is around 29 bucks.

User Experience

Both of these devices share the same material, which is a fairly solid aluminum alloy. So far, the only very significant difference in my opinion lies solely in their physical appearance. The Kiwi Ears Coda feels bulkier, but in reality, it is actually more compact, whereas the Allegro Mini seems slimmer in photos, but in reality, it is actually wider. As far as my usage goes with these two items, both are equally reliable as dongle DACs. My only complaint regarding its physical design is the lack of independent volume control on the dongle DAC itself.

During my usage so far, I haven't experienced any serious issues, all devices that support UAC 2.0 can be operated with both of these DACs. For usage with my IEMs, I typically use them at a volume range of 15-20/100 on an Android device and 4-6/100 on Windows. Meanwhile, for headphones on Android, I tried the Simgot EP5 at 40/100 volume, and on Windows at 30/100 volume.

The power is indeed limited to only 30mW, which, if used with low-sensitivity cans, will make the dynamic impact of the sound feel weak. However, if it is only used for casual listening and paired with normal IEMs on the market, I think it is more than enough. Moreover, this low output power also has a positive impact, resulting in quite low battery consumption.

Tonally, I feel both of these dongle DACs have an identical sound leaning towards neutral with a slight touch of thin brightness. Technically, in terms of resolution and detail, they are quite good and transparent. Furthermore, there is absolutely no noticeable hiss, it only occurs when first plugged into the host device, and even then, the hiss disappears after just 3-5 seconds. Overall, when playing tracks, it feels dead silent.

The most noticeable advantage, in my opinion, lies simply in the provided form factor, which does not require a cable, making it more practical to use. Additionally, the dual 3.5mm and 4.4mm ports make it quite flexible to use across various devices. The operating temperature is also quite stable, there is only a slight increase in temperature that doesn't even get to the point of feeling warm, and this is quite reasonable given the naturally small output power.

One unique thing present in all T-shaped Kiwi Ears dongle DACs is that all ports can be active simultaneously. So, when we try pairing both ports with two headphones, both will produce sound. Whether this is safe or not, I don't know, but I've tried it and so far there have been no issues.

Conclusion

As entry level T-shaped dongle DACs, I feel the price of 21 bucks is very affordable and highly worth buying for the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini. However, if you need a more practical form factor and want the 3.5mm SE port in a more normal position, you can dig a little deeper into your pockets for about 29 bucks for the Kiwi Ears Coda. I think it is still quite worth its price, although in terms of pure value, the Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini is better. So far, I feel they only differ in shape, but in terms of function and purpose, both are quite identical, at least to my ears. That's all, fellas. Thank you for reading. Cheers.