Had my eye on this set once it was introduced but reading your description it might be too energetic in the mid treble area. Still love the aestetics though.
To be fair, it's not immediately in-your-face treble like my A4000. I immediately went through all the harsh and sibilant tracks in my library to hunt for the treble problem, so I noticed it quickly. And then I became fatigued If you entire library is made up of shouty and harsh music, you should stay away from these IEMs.
Maybe that's why some people prefer warm and dark IEMs
Well the AS24 is already on its way lol. Why don’t you like it? With the tuning switches it seems fairly customizable. And I loved the old ZS6 so maybe I like the armature drivers quite a bit.
AS24 is a top three of my best IEM (out of 120+ of under $150 or so) to my limited preference.
I am a fan of dry all-BAs: in one extreme of the switches, AS24 is almost as dry as Hexa (my "very dry" IEM reference) and just a touch "too dry".
Yet in another extreme of the bass "on" - AS24 gets a bit too much of the bass for my ears - so the range of the switches are just perfect to me!
I got a second copy of AS24 (sounds perfectly identical) and am still to explore all the combination of switches, especially with all the permutations of my favourite Plus4 DAC - savouring this experience for many months to come.
Finally, I also got AS16 pro X today -a semi-legitimate KZ sibling, not yet acknowledged of existence on the main KZ site:
I have removed its mesh nozzle filters right away without listening, given my previous experience with AS16 pro (2 normal & one high impedance) - will test how it sounds next.
To be fair, it's not immediately in-your-face treble like my A4000. I immediately went through all the harsh and sibilant tracks in my library to hunt for the treble problem, so I noticed it quickly. And then I became fatigued If you entire library is made up of shouty and harsh music, you should stay away from these IEMs.
Maybe that's why some people prefer warm and dark IEMs
You need a campfire IEM in your collection. Andromeda 2020, Bonneville, Andromeda 2023 (Emerald Sea). Maybe Sony IER-M9 is a good option too.
Oh, Final Audio E5000 + an amp + a nuclear powerplant to power both.
Maybe Penon Quattro is another good option
(I know you didn’t ask for options. I was just refreshing my memory )
Small update on the HiBy Project ACE.
Despite my better judgement of leaving the IEM alone on the “burn-in rack” (aka place where I procrastinate on writing review), I listened to it nonstop since yesterday. Can’t say for sure that anything has changed, since I swap sources and rolled ear tips continuously. I ended up using a pair of FiiO foam tips that I got a few years ago. These tips feel like marshmallow, bounce back slowly and does not put much pressure, and seal very well. Since there is very little material in front of the nozzle, I don’t think that the foam tips absorb the energy like putting a nozzle filter. It seems that by filling up the ear canal with foam, some sort of resonance has been absorbed. I don’t hear a loss of detail or staging performance, though some edgy resonance in the treble is definitely smoothened. I need a few volume notches up to balance the dampening. Highly recommend discoverers to add some foam tips in your collection, just in case.
Anyhow, I digressed, let’s talk about Project ACE. I’m amazed by the quality of the dynamic driver configuration being used here. It’s well controlled across the spectrum, especially the bass. There is not a lot of bass, but the bass feels so “grippy” and controlled without losing that “boomy” or “wetness” that we associate with dynamic driver bass. I love listening to drum roll panning across the stage with this IEM. Bass guitar sounds good. Kick drum sounds good. Electronic bass sounds good. Just high quality bass response in general.
Midrange is kinda … beautiful. I kept repeating four songs from the last recordings of John Denver: Take Me Home, Country Road; Perhaps Love; Love Again; and Leaving On a Jet Plane. The voice sounds right and nuanced, as if micro dynamic (those little loudness fluctuations) comes through. Piano sounds lovely too. I listened to Lang Lang’s recording of Goldberg Variations this morning and was quite happy with how the piano was presented. It was easy to follow individual voices in these compositions of Bach.
I’m unconvinced by the treble. With silicone tips, cymbals sound somewhat splashy and unrefined. With the absorbing by foam tips, the treble becomes more controlled and exposes the same refinement and control as the rest of the spectrum. The tonality of cymbals and hats in some tracks are still a bit strange, an telltale sign of 5-8kHz being pushed higher than the 3-6kHz. I think the area between 4-6kHz are quite controlled, given that the constant “ding ding” of bell sound in Leaving On a Jet Plane was not annoying at all. Still, this treble response is the potential deal breaker.
Fit is another challenge. It’s not nearly impossible to fit like, say, KiwiEars Singolo, but I kept having a feeling that my right ears do not seal well. So far, Spinfit CP145, W1, and a few foam tips (not all) work.
Isolation is good, especially with foam.
I still haven’t measured these IEM and prefer to go blind until finish writing my subjective impressions to avoid bias.
You need a campfire IEM in your collection. Andromeda 2020, Bonneville, Andromeda 2023 (Emerald Sea). Maybe Sony IER-M9 is a good option too.
Oh, Final Audio E5000 + an amp + a nuclear powerplant to power both.
Maybe Penon Quattro is another good option
(I know you didn’t ask for options. I was just refreshing my memory )
Small update on the HiBy Project ACE.
Despite my better judgement of leaving the IEM alone on the “burn-in rack” (aka place where I procrastinate on writing review), I listened to it nonstop since yesterday. Can’t say for sure that anything has changed, since I swap sources and rolled ear tips continuously. I ended up using a pair of FiiO foam tips that I got a few years ago. These tips feel like marshmallow, bounce back slowly and does not put much pressure, and seal very well. Since there is very little material in front of the nozzle, I don’t think that the foam tips absorb the energy like putting a nozzle filter. It seems that by filling up the ear canal with foam, some sort of resonance has been absorbed. I don’t hear a loss of detail or staging performance, though some edgy resonance in the treble is definitely smoothened. I need a few volume notches up to balance the dampening. Highly recommend discoverers to add some foam tips in your collection, just in case.
Anyhow, I digressed, let’s talk about Project ACE. I’m amazed by the quality of the dynamic driver configuration being used here. It’s well controlled across the spectrum, especially the bass. There is not a lot of bass, but the bass feels so “grippy” and controlled without losing that “boomy” or “wetness” that we associate with dynamic driver bass. I love listening to drum roll panning across the stage with this IEM. Bass guitar sounds good. Kick drum sounds good. Electronic bass sounds good. Just high quality bass response in general.
Midrange is kinda … beautiful. I kept repeating four songs from the last recordings of John Denver: Take Me Home, Country Road; Perhaps Love; Love Again; and Leaving On a Jet Plane. The voice sounds right and nuanced, as if micro dynamic (those little loudness fluctuations) comes through. Piano sounds lovely too. I listened to Lang Lang’s recording of Goldberg Variations this morning and was quite happy with how the piano was presented. It was easy to follow individual voices in these compositions of Bach.
I’m unconvinced by the treble. With silicone tips, cymbals sound somewhat splashy and unrefined. With the absorbing by foam tips, the treble becomes more controlled and exposes the same refinement and control as the rest of the spectrum. The tonality of cymbals and hats in some tracks are still a bit strange, an telltale sign of 5-8kHz being pushed higher than the 3-6kHz. I think the area between 4-6kHz are quite controlled, given that the constant “ding ding” of bell sound in Leaving On a Jet Plane was not annoying at all. Still, this treble response is the potential deal breaker.
Fit is another challenge. It’s not nearly impossible to fit like, say, KiwiEars Singolo, but I kept having a feeling that my right ears do not seal well. So far, Spinfit CP145, W1, and a few foam tips (not all) work.
Isolation is good, especially with foam.
I still haven’t measured these IEM and prefer to go blind until finish writing my subjective impressions to avoid bias.
I have the Bonneville coming next week in the Watercooler tour! It'll be my first CFA also. I'll have 8 days for impressions and review so it'll be listened to a lot.
I have the Bonneville coming next week in the Watercooler tour! It'll be my first CFA also. I'll have 8 days for impressions and review so it'll be listened to a lot.
Not sure this is really a “discovery,” but I realized that the KZ Symphony just has too much bass for some songs… like I don’t need every song to sound like dub step haha. Am getting the AS24 since that seems to have a better review and it has tuning switches… but the Symphony still sounds amazing and I’m very impressed with the planar driver.
In that note, which of the 3 PR models of planar from KZ sound the best? I do like bass just not quite as much as the Symphony lol.
Just got my Kefine Delcis in the mail from Aliexpress, and I'm blown away. I got a few ultra-budget IEMs prior to this (Wan'er jade, QKZ x HBB, Castor Bass) but these... these blow me away. Going from Hendrix's Little Wing, to Alice In Chains, to Aesop Rock, there's nothing these things can't handle. Absolutely in love with these right off the bat.
I have the Bonneville coming next week in the Watercooler tour! It'll be my first CFA also. I'll have 8 days for impressions and review so it'll be listened to a lot.
Awesome. . If I had iem cash to throw around, that's the one I would be getting (purely on the raves from people who used them like leonardfd and a few others with shared music interests)
And...I don't do that. I really like all the IEMs that I have, and headphones too.
I just grab one and listen—sometimes only a song or two, sometimes for a day or two or more—and then I take another one.
The benefit is that after a while, you kind of forget how they sound, and you are always surprised by how good they are.
It's always...damn, double damn, this is that good...
I consider IER Z1R the best IEM that I have...but I haven't listened to them for probably 10 days
So, for me, it's a constant circle...some wait in a drawer more, some less...but there are headphones, too...so.
Agree absolutely. I have a few budget and couple of early Midfi iems, and I do circulate em frequently. Often within a day or at least within the week. Enjoy all.
These days I have identified the genres that they sparkle in - and choose accordingly as well. Except for two that I don't use and plan to give away to friends ( Legato 7hz and Simgot ea500). They might as well find some admiring ears instead of locked in a drawer. Unfortunately the wife doesn't like over ears; she uses the bullet -styled Tanchjim One and Tanya.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
If you entire library is made up of shouty and harsh music, you should stay away from these IEMs.
