Reviews by ardilla
This is a summary of my full review posted here.
The Kiiboom Allure is a surprising gem from a newcomer in the world of IEMs, priced at a modest $99. It features a metal body with a single dynamic driver using a Beryllium-plated diaphragm. The diaphragm is layered with "diamond-like carbon" (DLC) polymer, which results in a light and high-quality sound. The housing is meticulously designed to minimize resonances.
The Allure impresses with its warm and detailed sound, excellent bass, detailed midrange and exquisite treble. It also has a quite wide soundstage. It excels with various music genres, from jazz to electronic.
Comparing it to other IEMs like the Kiwi Ears Quartet, Letshuoer x GIZAudio Galileo, S12 Pro, Sennheiser IE200, and Moondrop Kato, the Allure holds its own, often outperforming its peers.
In terms of amplification, I used the Allure mostly with the Monolith THX AAA 887 which sounded terrific. However, the Allure works well with portable setups too. It provides great sound quality with various dongles, such as Dragonfly Black and Red, as well as the THX Onyx.
In conclusion, the Kiiboom Allure is a fantastic IEM, offering great sound quality, build, and comfort at an affordable price. It competes favorably with more expensive IEMs, making it a compelling choice for audiophiles.
Kiiboom sent me the review unit for the purpose of this review.
You can read my full review here:
Kiiboom Allure Review
Kiiboom's official website
The Kiiboom Allure is a surprising gem from a newcomer in the world of IEMs, priced at a modest $99. It features a metal body with a single dynamic driver using a Beryllium-plated diaphragm. The diaphragm is layered with "diamond-like carbon" (DLC) polymer, which results in a light and high-quality sound. The housing is meticulously designed to minimize resonances.
The Allure impresses with its warm and detailed sound, excellent bass, detailed midrange and exquisite treble. It also has a quite wide soundstage. It excels with various music genres, from jazz to electronic.
Comparing it to other IEMs like the Kiwi Ears Quartet, Letshuoer x GIZAudio Galileo, S12 Pro, Sennheiser IE200, and Moondrop Kato, the Allure holds its own, often outperforming its peers.
In terms of amplification, I used the Allure mostly with the Monolith THX AAA 887 which sounded terrific. However, the Allure works well with portable setups too. It provides great sound quality with various dongles, such as Dragonfly Black and Red, as well as the THX Onyx.
In conclusion, the Kiiboom Allure is a fantastic IEM, offering great sound quality, build, and comfort at an affordable price. It competes favorably with more expensive IEMs, making it a compelling choice for audiophiles.
Kiiboom sent me the review unit for the purpose of this review.
You can read my full review here:
Kiiboom Allure Review
Kiiboom's official website
Redcarmoose
A Thieaudio Elixir for $100 less money! Yes! 
ardilla
Might be. Wherever they got them from it sounds good
This is not really a review, just some inital impresions I'd like to share with fellow head-fiers. I've spent some hours with the SR007 mkI and the SRM007 amp. I also compared the mkI and mkII briefly, and main difference, though subtle, was that the mkII is slightly more forward and bright sounding. I preferred the slightly more smooth mkI.
I've listened to the Stax O2 a couple of times before, but recently I was lucky enough to take it home for trial. When I rigged up the stax rig next to my HD650/Woo WA2, I was eager to see how much more I'd like the Stax rig.... Here's my short comparison
1) o2 is of course substantially more detailed
2) o2 has blacker background
3) o2 has better soundstage, but not by the large margin I'd expect
4) o2 has deeper bass by far and makes music that I really only enjoy on large speakers shine
5) HD650 is way more comfortable. Main issue is velour pads and that the o2 cups don't swivel
6) HD650 is to me less fatiguing. Every time I switched back to the HD650, I felt relief.. The Stax creates a slight vacuum, and is brighter feeling (though it isn't bright by any high end standard)
7) HD650 has better midrange tonality. The o2 has more detail, of course, but the HD650 has a better flavor. The o2 feels recessed, presenting a "neutral" or "cold" midrange, when the HD650 is warm and natural feeling.
Despite the obvious technical advantages, I preferred the warmness and natural feeling of the HD650, though I really miss the smooth treble detail and powerful bass extension of the O2.
Again please take this "review" with a grain of salt But I wrote it as a reminder that expensive and technically superior isn't necessarily subjectively better - cost no object...
I've listened to the Stax O2 a couple of times before, but recently I was lucky enough to take it home for trial. When I rigged up the stax rig next to my HD650/Woo WA2, I was eager to see how much more I'd like the Stax rig.... Here's my short comparison
1) o2 is of course substantially more detailed
2) o2 has blacker background
3) o2 has better soundstage, but not by the large margin I'd expect
4) o2 has deeper bass by far and makes music that I really only enjoy on large speakers shine
5) HD650 is way more comfortable. Main issue is velour pads and that the o2 cups don't swivel
6) HD650 is to me less fatiguing. Every time I switched back to the HD650, I felt relief.. The Stax creates a slight vacuum, and is brighter feeling (though it isn't bright by any high end standard)
7) HD650 has better midrange tonality. The o2 has more detail, of course, but the HD650 has a better flavor. The o2 feels recessed, presenting a "neutral" or "cold" midrange, when the HD650 is warm and natural feeling.
Despite the obvious technical advantages, I preferred the warmness and natural feeling of the HD650, though I really miss the smooth treble detail and powerful bass extension of the O2.
Again please take this "review" with a grain of salt
But I wrote it as a reminder that expensive and technically superior isn't necessarily subjectively better - cost no object...
Jdiggity
Thanks for taking the time to share this!
Got these 2nd hand (but NOT yet burned in) for the wife to have at work because of comfort, looks and presumed audio quality. It filled my expectations except they were harder to drive than I thought. An iPod can bring it to moderate levels. My laptop slightly less, but my wifes laptop (hp business type) brought them to louder levels than I found safe, for me and the headphones.
They are driven to medium volume by an iPod or the headphone out of my laptop. If that is your primary use, get something else. I tried it on several amps. Woo WA2 OTL tube, Creek 5350SE integrated known for having a nice headphone out), Cary SLI-80 tube integrated, Pro-Ject Headbox mk2 and the cheap tiny Muse mini usb dac. I compared it to the HD650. Also I tried it with iPod and two laptops.
First - I always preferred the HD650. But the 242 were no slouch. The have more bass than the 650, and the bass can get bloated sometimes when paired with the wrong amp. They are quite upfront. Nice detail, nice soundstage. Warmer than the HD650, which has more air and separation.
With regards to amps - the Cary SLI-80 made them sing. But then Headbox did very well with them. The Creek wasn't a good mach beacuse of bloated bass, the WA2 had the same problem sometimes. This is probably because of impedance issues (I'm no expert). The guy I bought it from, however, thought it sounded swell from the Creek (which he also happens to own) To my surprise, the WA2 volume had to be cranked up to levels I never have used before.
The biggest surprise was the little USB-powered $25 Muse Usb Mini Dac which attatched only to the computer with the usb cable drove them satisfactory and volume as high as I prefer it, and slightly higher also. If you are in not very noisy surroundings this will do just fine.
Don't get this for an iPod, but they sound great when amped. The Project Headbox is a fine match, and if you want a usb powered dac/amp solution there are many alternatives (Fiio??) and even a $25 piece makes them sound good I must also point out that headphones I have reviewed were not burned in at tehpoint of this review - they should get better after a while. Most headphones tend to "open up" after 50 hours or so Keep in mind that I didn't compare the 242's to similarly priced headphones. They seem to be worth the money and offers amazing comfort.
They are driven to medium volume by an iPod or the headphone out of my laptop. If that is your primary use, get something else. I tried it on several amps. Woo WA2 OTL tube, Creek 5350SE integrated known for having a nice headphone out), Cary SLI-80 tube integrated, Pro-Ject Headbox mk2 and the cheap tiny Muse mini usb dac. I compared it to the HD650. Also I tried it with iPod and two laptops.
First - I always preferred the HD650. But the 242 were no slouch. The have more bass than the 650, and the bass can get bloated sometimes when paired with the wrong amp. They are quite upfront. Nice detail, nice soundstage. Warmer than the HD650, which has more air and separation.
With regards to amps - the Cary SLI-80 made them sing. But then Headbox did very well with them. The Creek wasn't a good mach beacuse of bloated bass, the WA2 had the same problem sometimes. This is probably because of impedance issues (I'm no expert). The guy I bought it from, however, thought it sounded swell from the Creek (which he also happens to own) To my surprise, the WA2 volume had to be cranked up to levels I never have used before.
The biggest surprise was the little USB-powered $25 Muse Usb Mini Dac which attatched only to the computer with the usb cable drove them satisfactory and volume as high as I prefer it, and slightly higher also. If you are in not very noisy surroundings this will do just fine.
Don't get this for an iPod, but they sound great when amped. The Project Headbox is a fine match, and if you want a usb powered dac/amp solution there are many alternatives (Fiio??) and even a $25 piece makes them sound good
I must also point out that headphones I have reviewed were not burned in at tehpoint of this review - they should get better after a while. Most headphones tend to "open up" after 50 hours or so Keep in mind that I didn't compare the 242's to similarly priced headphones. They seem to be worth the money and offers amazing comfort.
Nick01
Thanks for the kind review. I'll be looking into the Muse thingy.
ardilla
updated the review slightly..
Just tried the 242HD on a different laptop which surprisingly brought them to unhealty levels... Obviously there is a huge difference on built in soundcards..
There are many options that would better the Muse Mini DAC - but if your computer has a low output level and you are really on a budget it is quite ok. It'll be worth checking out something like this: Muse USB DAC + Headphone Amplifier(PCM2707+DIR9001+PCM1793)B
which is externally powered, or the Fiio E7 or something, but I haven't tried this myself.
Just tried the 242HD on a different laptop which surprisingly brought them to unhealty levels... Obviously there is a huge difference on built in soundcards..
There are many options that would better the Muse Mini DAC - but if your computer has a low output level and you are really on a budget it is quite ok. It'll be worth checking out something like this: Muse USB DAC + Headphone Amplifier(PCM2707+DIR9001+PCM1793)B
which is externally powered, or the Fiio E7 or something, but I haven't tried this myself.
1) My setup at home: Naim DAC - Naim Headline - HD650. I love it. It's like being in a dark room sitting in the midst of the band playing - or rather inside each and every instrument simultaneously. My only complaint is that sometimes on some specific recordings I get the feeling I might prefer a slightly colder, more distant soundstage. The HD650 seems to have a slight bass "hump", which usually is very enjoyable, but sometimes can get a bit too much. Can't win 'em all
I also want to add that I experienced that the 650's needed 50 hours + burn-in. I was actually quite dissapointed at first.
2) Did a comparison for an hour or so in a dealers listening-room on these three great headsets on a Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear Amp using a rather expensive firewire-dac as a source.
1) Grado GS1000i
2) Sennheiser HD800
3) Sennheiser HD650
The 650s had a presence in the mids (vocals, sax, piano etc) the others simply couldn't match. Grado's are good - but I feel they are too bright for me. HD800 felt more bright, polite and subtle than the 650's and are terribly comfy. They all deliver plenty of detail, but the 650's make you listen more to the music...
The Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear struck me as a very, very good amp with the HD650's. (EDIT
They are also great wtih the Grace m902, which I presently own.(EDIT): I have now owned the HD800 and sold them. They sounded at worst anemic and bright, but detail and soundstage to die for. Now I have the T1 and HD650 - they are a good complementary pair. I alter between them after mood and recordings. T1's advantage is in the soundstage and its more "airy" sound signature. But if I had to keep only one (ignoring financial value), it would be the HD650.
