Simgot EA1000 Fermat

"More of everything"


DISCLAIMER:


This unit was sent by Simgot. However, they do not hold any of my opinions.



WHAT’S IN THE BOX?


Watch my unboxing here:





Pretty good! You get more than what you need!


1.) The cable is pretty amazing in quality. I never thought I'd have orgasms from touching a freakin cable lol. No really, they feel amazing and built like premium.


2.) Nice eartip presentation. I think 2 sets.


3.) Nice looking case. Can pass as jewelry case for your wife haha.


4.) Interchangeable nozzles. But honestly, I only use the black ones.


5. Overall good unboxing experience. A lot of attention to detail.




BUILD and COMFORT


- they are beautuful. They arent really that heavy than it looks. You can see the placement of the passive radiator that looks like it also pushes air to your lobes.


Comfort seems good. Simgot hasnt really failed me in this department. They are flush and lightwreight.




SETUP:

-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby, apple music and stock player

-stock cable

-stock eartips




SOUND PROFILE


Watch my final review here:





The signature is approaching V shaped due to the emphasizes bass texture and elevated upper mids and treble.


Although the vocals can come across forward at some tracks, you'll loose catching up with voices when all instruments start playing together, at least in my library.


Mids actually sound clean, but can sometimes sound digital. Still I am giving it a high praise because Mids arent just vocals. Instruments sound amazing with the Fermat. Strings, pianos, etc. have great harmonics and overtones.


Treble can be a dealbreaker. It has some elevation in the upper mids and past 10k that might be a con for some. Personally, I do find them a tad forward for my preferences. Although the quality is good because cymbals sound crisp and nuanced, but they can be overbearing on some metal tracks.


The bass is what makes this set special. That passive radiator is doing something. The tactility and texture it offers is as close as you can get IRL. If you've ever played drums, you will notice how easy it is to catch rolls.




PROS

that bass texture and tactility is god send


instruments sound great overall


a lot of micro nuance. Enjoy hunting


great overall package and sound for its price



CONS

forward upper mid and treble can be bothersome


vocals can be recessed in some genres


not the best at center imaging. Not the deepest stage as well



SCORING

-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.


TUNING - 2.5

BASS - 3.5

MIDS - 3

TREBLE - 2.5

TECHS - 3


P.P SCORE = 14.5


Rank- S+ ( exceptional for the price range, consider saving if you can afford)



Check my scoring here :


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing



GRAB SCORE:

This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.


- I will never touch this again


- I grab if I remember


- Can be part of my rotation


- I break my rotation and grab this one today


- *** rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week


- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.



Fermat GRAB SCORE: 4


Yeah, I can listen to the Fermat for the whole week and forgot other IEMS I have.


COMPARISONS


Binary Chopin

- I really like the Chopin. In fact, when I got to listen to them again, I was reminded why I ranked them S. But I have to say that the Fermat is just technically more capable. You hear more and you get immersed more but the expense of getting a colored sound. Get the chopin if you want a tonally correct sounding set and fun at that same time. Get the Fermat if you want more of everything.


Mega5p

-it is one of my S rankers and I rank the mega5p higher than Aful P5. Mega5p is warmer in tonality and isnt as energetic as the Fermat. The techs on Fermat is higher than the Mega5p even if its only a single DD with a PR. Pick Mega5p if you are sensitive to treble. Pick Fermat if you want more of everything.


Planars

- this is an interesting comparison because most people, including me, think that Planars are almost always superior to DDs in terms of techs. However, the Fermat is a different story. I hear more nuance on the Fermat and the Bass performance is miles ahead in terms of texture. Both the Fermat and Planars may have peaks in the treble so they arent a good pick for treble sensitives. But if you have to choose, give Fermat a try.


Dunu Falcon Ultra

- I think both share the same characteristic of being clear sounding. Dunu Falcon Ultra sounds warmer in comparison and is more tonally pleasing because of the organic sound it produces. Although the Bass is more pronounced on the Falcon, the quality of bass goes to Fermat. Pick Falcon ultra if you need a timbrally correct set. Pick Fermat if you want more of everything.




FINAL THOUGHTS


It took me a while to publish my review, mainly because I want the hype to die down and make sure that my thoughts aren't influenced by other people, or I am just being lazy lol.


The EA1000 becomes a gatekeeper at $200 for me.


It's good enough that I cheated my own scoring for the bass haha. I mean Ive heard bone conduction drivers from Mest mkiii. Ive heard fat freq stuff. I adore acoustune DDs for the bass. But the implemenation of the bass on Fermat just hits differently. The Fermat is by no means a basshead set, but the texture it produces makes it easier for me to follow drum patterns.


So, is it really more of everything? I think it's still an understatement. Let me rephrase.


"It's the best for everything at $200"


Happy Holidays.





==========================

WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links


https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ea1000-fermat


MY LIBRARY:

I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.

The artists I regularly listen to are:


Rock-Alternative-Metal

Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,


OPM(Original Pinoy Music):

E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya


POP:

IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish


OTHERS:

Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa


I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.


Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading.

LETSHUOER X GIZAUDIO GALILEO – "Space Out"



DISCLAIMER:
This is a tour unit in the Philippines and provided by our friends at Hifigo. No compensation was given. I may be biased because I heard the prototypes when I was still in Japan.
Since this is a review unit, I was not able to spend more than a week listening to the Galileo. But I think it is enough for me to write this much. I spent most of the week listening to this beauty. We have different preferences, and so my take might be different from yours. Please cross reference reviews online. Lets start.

SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-stock cable

-stock tips, medium size

-Volume measured and listened at 75-78 dbs.

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?


When you unbox the Galileo, you are greeted with a case. I very sturdy case which needs prying to open them. Maybe you can try with your own strength, but I highly advice against it hahaha. In the box you get:

Carrying Case- which is again, built like a tank

Cable – which has very good quality for this price. Similar to the Dioko cable I think

1 set of SML narrow bore eartips

1 set SML wide bore eartips

A small broom, or whatever that is haha

Ofcourse the IEMS..

BUILD and COMFORT:
The design is just amazing. Simply amazing. If you have seen Timmy’s video, he mentioned that each set has a unique pattern. The colors are very vibrant and detailed. The inner shell is a luminescent blue that allows you to peak what’s inside. Be dazzled.

Build? Its good. The pins and connectors are not loose and they just feel very premium.

Comfort level is also nice! Very comfortable to wear and I didn’t notice any issues with fit. However, the cable curve angle is too “V’ shaped haha. Yes. Because of this, it strains some parts of my outer ear after hours of listening. Take note of this. You might want to use a blower to make the angle a more “U” than a “V”, or use another cable if you have some spare.

SOUND

I like this set so much. The tuning is heading to a relaxed neutral with very good micro details in the treble. I cannot emphasize enough how detailed this set is. At times, it made me regret my past purchases haha.

Bass is just a tad north from neutral, but still within the boundary of being called one. They are not flat and yet the bass supports the mids with warmth and macro dynamics. This area might be my least favorite, but it doesn’t mean the low-end is bad. It resolves details well but just lacks a bit of physicality and visceral impact. The Galileo is still able to resolve drop tunings but not at head bobbing levels. I must consider that this is Timmy’s tuning decision. It is interesting to note though that even if there is lesser mid-bass, the subbass is ever present to fill the gap. You can still get enough fun and macro dynamics from the Galileo. The level of the low-end compliments very well with the mids and upper mids making it sound fuller, still.

Mids on these are the best part. Simply the best. They are clean, resolving, and devoid of any bleed from the bass. Yes, there is a bit of mid-bass emphasis, but it’s not enough for me to call it intrusive. Female vocals are heavenly, and they just sound so good. All my Kpop and Jpop tracks were so engaging to listen to, and I feel like I am being immersed in a room with them. Male vocals do not sound lacking either. But I can understand if some people might want more meat and authority in lower pitches. In Marron 5’s “Sugar”, it had some very realistic space, very nuanced and detailed.

Let’s talk instruments because the Galileo is doing wonders here. You are presented with a natural tone on guitars and snares. Not to mention the resolving ability of the drivers, I could hear the last pluck of strings from Incubus tracks. I will talk about it more in the technicalities part. Going back to instruments, the peak around 3k is the G-spot for me in the presence region. The Galileo can retain the aggressiveness of distortions whilst being bearable at the same time. I have never-ending time stamps that I didn’t bother writing because the Galileo just does everything so perfectly. In the song “Song for the Suspect” by Franco, those guitar riffs was just soooo good.. ughhhh.

Treble might the one that most people worry about especially how it looks like on graphs. I was worried too. Having heard the prototypes, it was one of my issues of the set. However, Timmy has a solid tuning direction. He wanted to prove something and experiment on a tuning that very few people have tried. I believe he was aiming for a sibilant free set, but is still detailed. At first, I thought it was hard and almost impossible to achieve. Well, I am here to tell you that all those months of fine tuning the Galileo, Timmy has manifested his intent. The treble is indeed full of micro details and is devoid of any harshness and sibilance. Yes, you get less air, so what? I thought they wouldn’t sound good, but Timmy has proved me wrong. The treble on these is phenomenal to the point that “natural” is an understatement lol. I don’t really know what is going on because on graphs, the upper treble looks muted. But in my actual listening experience, there is enough nuance and definition of notes. Snares get enough snap and crispness. Cymbals sound full and the decays pretty well.

The technicalities on this is well done for the price of $110. Imaging, resolution and separation of instruments might be the best in this price point. I am continuously amazed by how it managed to extract details that were a bit quiet in some of my sets. I think the level of this might land on the Timeless on Timmy’s scale. As I have mentioned on my video, I get the feeling of listening to the Dunu Sa6 with the Galileo. Having said that, they really do sound detailed and I am completely puzzled how the Galileo is able to do it with less air in the upper treble. Center imaging for vocals are on point and it gives the impression that other instruments are floating around your head.

PROS

Very smooth, relaxed, neutral tuning
Very heavenly vocals especially females
Instrument timbre is almost on point
Very nuanced without being fatiguing
Pretty shells, good cable, and a case that is built like a tank. A win for the price.

CONS

not for bassheads
Bass may lack texture and engaging factor
Perceived "air" may be lacking for some peope especially treble heads
Cable angle can strain outer ears

SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.

TUNING - 3
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 3
TECHS - 2.5

=14 ( S rank,exceptional. A must buy for this price if you have the cash)

COMPARISONS:

PLANARS (Dioko, S12/S12 pro, Zetian Wu)

The Dioko might be the closest when it comes to tuning as it is quite neutral. However, the treble peaks and unevenness of the Dioko might not please people who are sensitive in the upper treble. The Galileo offers a smooth treble and a bit more low-end to compliment the whole signature. I would easily pick the Galileo over the Dioko.

As for the other planars like the S12/pro and Zetian Wu, the tuning is quite different because these planars have a balanced to a mild V in tonality. They offer more fun and engagement. The Galileo is tuned pretty relaxed in comparison and offers a smoother experience.

MEGA5p
Here we go. The mega5p is my current reference set. I use it before listening to other sets so that I can distinguish the tuning and peaks of an IEM. The mega5p has a bit of recession in the upper mids, around 3k-5k. What this does is, instruments don’t get enough presence in the MEGA5p, but are really clear with the Galileo. Both actually share the same glide from bass to lower mids, and the MEGA5p has a bit more air. Technicalities on the 5p are a tad better because it has more BAs, and it also has more depth when it comes to 3D staging. However, the Galileo is no slouch and I can safely say that they can also be your reference set if you are on a budget.

AFUL P5
I feel that the P5 is more detailed in the treble, but it also causes some problems for people who aren’t treble heads. Your mileage may vary and the Galileo is just straight up more comfortable in long listening sessions. The tonality is also quite different because the P5 offers more fun and engagement because of the elevation of bass and treble. As you can see, the Galileo is challenging sets that are twice or thrice its price.

Acoustune Rs1
I don’t know why it’s here haha. But since I really like this set, heck why not. Since I really like the resolution and details of the RS1, I am surprised that the Galileo tied up when it comes to this area. The tonality might be the biggest determining factor for both. The Galileo is near neutral and the RS1 is warm balanced. Very different. But I am glad that I am able to find a set that is on par with the RS1 in terms of resolution in the same price range. Galileo is a steal.

My Unboxing and first Impressions video here:



FINAL THOUGHTS:

The Galileo can easily be a reference set for people who are on a tight budget. I cannot think of other sets that can come close to the performance of the Galileo in terms of a natural presentation. Well, planars might offer more excitement and spice, but the Galileo nails it to the ground when it comes to length of listening sessions. They are smooth, non-fatiguing, yet detailed in every way.

I think Timmy hit the jackpot on this one, albeit not from luck.

But from intent, good philosophy, and the thirst for exploration.

Let’s space out together.

WHERE TO BUY: non- affiliate

HiFiGo Store：https://hifigo.com/products/letshuoer-x-gizaudio-galileo

Amazon US Store：
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV6WGJJC/letshuoer+x+gizaudio+galileo/

Amazon JP Store：
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0BV6YKL91/letshuoer+x+gizaudio+galileo/

AliExpress Store：
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005192950738.html

Gizaudio X Binary: Chopin-


"Character"


DISCLAIMER:

I’d like to thank Hifigo for giving me the opportunity to review these. Rest assured they did not influence what I am about to say, except for Timmy ahaha.

Okay another disclaimer. I know Timmy and my take is biased. Let us start with that. To balance that out, I am gonna point out so many CONS that is enough to detract potential buyers., fair enough?

Let us start.


WHAT’S IN THE BOX?


I have my unboxing and first impressions video here:



In the box you get:

1.) a rectangular carrying case

2.) 2 pcs of iem pouch

3.) a cleaning tool

4.) the iem and cable

5.) Eartips in SML


That’s pretty much it. I feel like they cut cost with the accessories to focus more on the internals and build quality. Even for the cable, I feel like other cheaper IEMS have better quality. Anyhow, that is how it is.

SPECS, BUILD and COMFORT

It is a one DD plus 3 BA hybrid. The DD is said to be an 8mm ceramic diaphragm. One custom BA for the mids and 2 customized composite BAs for the treble.

The Shell is a 3D printed resin with a stainless steel faceplate. It is worth mentioning tho that this has a recessed pin connector, which limits cable rolling options. Your normal PINS just won't go that deep because you need something longer(pun intended)

The cable is made of high purity LITZ oxygen-free copper silver-plated cable. That’s a mouthful for a cable. I got a 4.4mm balanced termination by the way.

They are actually very comfortable to wear. The nozzles are scary long when you look at them. The design concept is similar to blon03’s, but they fixed it with a better nozzle length for a more secure fit. It feels comfortable and I didn’t notice any strain even in longer listening sessions.


SETUP:

-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-stock cable

-stock eartips, TRN clarions and tangzu sancai



SOUND PROFILE

My final video review here:




The tonality of the Chopin is very balanced with a bass tuck. I can't call it a U or even a V because I get enough mids and vocal presence. But yeah, depending on eartips, it may sound either way.

Bass is tucked, yes. So what does this mean? It means that the bass response doesn’t overwhelm the vocals and instruments. It slams, it punches, decays are quick and yet the little nuances linger in the background. The bass is also very versatile because it stays true to the recording. If the mix didn’t call for much bass, then it doesn’t give out that much. It's just sooo good. It's gonna question your signature preference just like how you question your sexuality lol


Mids are so clean you can wash your hands with it. HA HA. Yeah not funny. Anyway, people might call it sterile sounding, but I get a sense of correctness. Other frequencies do not overalap. Harmonics on guitars are not overdone. Snares get the proper snap. Toms get the right tone. Female vocals are very well done on these because they don’t sound shouty, nasal or weird. As for male vocals, they are far from thin sounding, but I understand how other people might perceive this as lacking in authority. Male vocals use a lot of head voice, so they benefit with some emphasis in the lower mids because overtones are often richer sounding if given a little boost in that area. But yes, you get a flatter midrange which doesn’t emphasize emotions quite well.


Treble is implemented well. I am very keen on this area because I want my cymbals to sound right. Sounding correct is enough for me and the Chopin delivers that. I did not notice any peaks and details are just enough to compliment the whole signature. Treble extension is rather smooth than boosted. I did not get any annoying resonance. This translates to a very pleasing and longer listening experience.


Techs are good for the price. Resolution is decent. Micro details are enough to balance macro dynamics. Enough with the geeky stuff, what this translates to listening is that, I get proportionate stage and dead center imaging. This then allows for better perceived layering, instrument separation and imaging.

The best thing about chopin for me is the center imaging and I'm a sucker for that lol. I care less about stage as long as vocals are dead center. That is enough to trick my HRTF and get a very proportionate head stage, big or small. With the Chopin, I get a stage similar to small hall, maybe about 100 square meter big, tho intimate sounding vocals.


Doubts

I wasn’t expecting much about the performance of the Chopan. Having seen the graphs when Binary posted it, I thought to myself, “ Ohh another variation kind-like tuck”. Not saying that the variations is bad, but it just doesn’t give me enough heft and lushness in the lower mids. Sure it sounds good on female vocals, but I cannot really consider it as an all rounder for my library. So, I have my doubts about how these sound. I was sure enough they couldn’t play my metal tracks well.


The Surprise

And lo behold. I was scratching my head on how the Chopin handles bass on Hanabie tracks like your boss's boss. I was listening to their tracks “ I love sweets”, and I was banging so hard at around 1:18. The bass was very separate from the mix with very good decay and grunge. Small nuance were flying around my head and their cutesy “gyaru”-like voices were hard to resist. Finally, at around 1:46, I lost it. The pulls on that bass guitar was incredible. It was so so heavy that I banged so hard, I looked like giving a head lol hahaha..


Understanding the Cut

I wouldnt label chopin as thin sounding. Tho I understand why some people might perceive it as thin. Ill go with clean sounding mids.

Our brain remembers patterns and its about relativity. Its like, our brain detects this amount of bass, and predicts to have this amount of lower mids. But thats not the case. You get a cut instead, and that is not natural if you listen to real instruments. So, it is relative.

If you carefully listen to each frequency band on the chopin, male vocals sound okay, but they are on the sterile side, like without the heft. That is expected from a flat midrange from 300-800..

That is the thing about bass cuts, they sound good when played thru speakers, but does not really represent how waves travel from real instruments directly to your ears.


The Contender

Scrolling around discord, I was sharing my early impressions of the Chopin shilling like a mad man. I was the number one fan of course. It was very obvious that I was giving out my biased thoughts about the Chopin that I almost sound like a paid marketer for my friend’s collab. I don’t give a screw. Any friend would do that.


Anyhow, a few comments popped in saying that the Truthear Nova is its number one contender. When I saw the graph, they really do resemble graph wise. I knew this was going to be a bloodbath. Only time will tell depending on how much the Chopin will be.

Interestingly enough, my review sample for the Nova arrived the next day. I Filmed my first impressions and gathered some early thoughts about it.


Tonally they are close except for the bass and the treble. However, I didn’t really see any bloodbath because the Chopin owns the Nova in every possible way. Not saying that the Nova sounds bad, but I feel like both are for different audiences. The Nova does fit my preferences very well in tonal balance. However, the Chopin just sounds way more resolving and I get a 3D stage projection without giving much effort.



Honeymoon Over

I don't know, but for some reason, the Chopin does get boring the longer I listen to them. Is it because of the safe treble? Or maybe because of the lack of heft in the lower mids? Are the vocals not that forward for me?

But then Chopin does leave a good impression. Whenever I listen to other sets, I get an itch of switching back to Chopin. You know what I mean? I always feel inclined to bring the Chopin with me along with the set I was supposed to be listening.


Lost in Music

And when I switched back to Chopin,I immediately sense the lack from the previous set I was listening to. I seldom get lost in music and that is exactly what the Chopin gave me.

The openness it renders in the midrange hits the sweet spot for my ears. They have enough body in the bass and yet engaging in nature. Smooth yet nuanced treble. This delicate intricacy has molded this set to be one of the best sounding earphone in its price range. I have yet to search a set that offers a better price to performance ratio, and as of this writing, nothing comes close to the Chopin in terms of cleanliness, clarity, and overall fun factor.

Alright, enough of my enticing words. Just checking if I can do it like a real headfier lol. That paragraph turned out well NGL haha. But if you’ve been reading some of my reviews, I do it in the most practical way. I guess I was just really lost in music while writing this



PROS

the bass on these are quite addicting. They do offer enough texture and macro dynamics to keep the engagement.

treble fatigue is out of context. It is non-existent in this set.

vocal layering is actually good especially on female vocals. They carry enough presence and center imaging that makes me project the singer is in front of me.

I get really good proportion on stage width and depth. Sometimes, instruments travel at the back of my head which I didn’t really experience in this price range.

very good volume scaling. I can play this loud and cum. You think I'm kidding? Wait till you try haha


CONS

people might like a more midbass dominant set. This one is subbass over midbass so this doesn’t really carry that punchy,bloaty feeling.

Lower mids might be too sterile for some. Although I get enough presence from make vocals. I can understand that some people would wish to have more heft.


I do find the vocals are a tad behind in some tracks, and when using certain eartips. As a vocal lover, It needs to be matched with an eartip that offers better vocal forwardness.

treble, although not spiky, peaky or grainy, might be too safe for people who would like some sparkle.

the word harman or variations seems to have some cultish hate. This affects negatively when people see the graphs.

they do sound closed in at times, and people might prefer a wider sounding stage.

I honestly thought the cable could be better. This is a nitpick. But I can’t help but wonder how certain sets like the letshouer S12 and Celest Phoenixcall offer better quality cables.

At times, I do feel that the bass was a bit overpowering for my preferences on certain tracks.

Mids could benefit from more lushness. They are too clean that vocals can sometimes sound lifeless.

recessed pin connector limits cable rolling



Now how's that for some bias..


SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.


TUNING - 2.5
BASS - 3
MIDS - 2.5
TREBLE - 3
TECHS - 3

SCORE = 14

( S rank-Exceptional. Consider saving if you want an engaging set that doesn't sacrifice the midrange and a set that punches above its price point)



Check my scoring here :

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing



GRAB SCORE:

This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.

- I will never touch this again
- I grab if I remember
- Can be part of my rotation
- I break my rotation and grab this one today
- *** rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week
- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.



Chopin GRAB SCORE: 4

Yep. I can literally listen to these for a whole week and not feeling the need to switch to other sets.




COMPARISONS

Nova

-Nova is more open sounding and has a leaner bass presentation. But Chopin has more texture and realistic decay in the bass. Although the Nova fits my preferences and target really well. I just have to give Chopin the bass department because it is just that good. Nova is also smoother in the treble, no peaks whatsoever. Pick Nova if you want an objectively good sounding set for cheap. Pay extra for the Chopin if you want more value for your money and engagement.


Mega5P

-mega5p is one of my S rankers in the price range. Mega5p has a lusher lower mid and mid presentation making instruments and vocals sound organic. Chopin is cleaner sounding in that area so it sounds more open and it can extract more details. The Chopin also sounds more natural in the treble. All in all, I just really have to give it to the Chopin.


Aful P5

-P5 sounds more colored because of the more elevated bass and forward treble. The thing I don’t like about the P5 is its stage depth. The chopin has a more proportional stage presentation, so layering, imaging and separation is easier to perceive. Choose P5 if you want a more colored sound. Chopin for a cleaner presentation yet engaging at the same time.


Thieaduio Hype 2

-Both actually are similar than they are different. And that says a lot about the chopin because of how they are priced. The bass on the hype 2 is more forward and sounds more detached. I explained in my video that the bass on the hype 2 punches like triple G, heavy and strong. On the other hand, chopin is akin to a Pacquiao punch, fast and quick. If you want more bass, pay more for the Hype 2, otherwise the Chopin is a cheaper alternative.



Dunu Falcon Ultra

-I like this set a lot. I think I like the timbre on the Falcon better than the Chopin. The Falcon has some midbass to give you that natural and organic tone on instruments and cymbals. The treble on the Falcon is also more crisp. It is a tough choice for me. I can use one or the other depending on my mood. But yeah, the Falcon is a bit more expensive than the Chopin.


Planars

-The resolution and clarity of planars is really something to consider. Not to mention the price to performance ratio it offers. Although the planar timbre in the upper treble is not for everyone, they do sound more resolving than the Chopin. But if you want a much cleaner sound and a smoother treble presentation, I think you can consider getting the Chopin.


FINAL THOUGHTS

I do think the Chopin is of great value. I was really thinking about other sets that are priced similarly and if they offer better price to performance ratio. Maybe the Truthear Nova does come close, and perhaps other people might even prefer the latter just looking at tuning alone.

However, I do think that the audience for the Chopin is much wider, offering more engagement in the bass, a smoother treble for sensitive folks out there, and enough vocal presence for midcentric lovers.

That alone makes me think that Chopin has been deliberately tuned to be liked by most, not all, but most.

I am not here to shill the Chopin, although I sound like one haha. I think I have laid out enough cons to detract potential buyers,as promised in my disclaimer.

But that is the thing, PROS and CONS are relative to one’s preferences. The combination of the good and the bad creates a solid foundation of what Chopin sounds like. It sure did left a lasting impression on me.

And that is enough reason to consider Chopin as an IEM with CHARACTER.

An IEM ought to be experienced, rather than heard.



==========================



WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links

Gizaudio × Binary Chopin



HiFiGo： https://hifigo.com/products/gizaudio-binary-chopin



Aliexpress：



https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006135789174.html



Amazon US:



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL6LNF82/binary+gizaudio+chopin/



Amazon JP：



https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CL6MRTW9/binary+gizaudio+chopin/











MY LIBRARY:

I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.

The artists I regularly listen to are:


Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):

E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya
POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa


I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.


Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Softears Studio 4 - "RAW"


DISCLAIMER
This set is a tour unit provided by Hifigo. I do not get an incentive for reviewing this. I merely write my takes and opinions regarding this set using my own personal time. Please take my impressions with a grain of salt.

I will try my best to allign myself as a user, rather than a reviewer. So it is a like a personal diary of how I experience the Studio 4, which is more geared towards subjectivity. Please Cross reference other reviews, because you might not like my style of writing.

Lets start

You can watch my video here for the unboxing,what's in the box and design



Bur for the sake of writing, I'll include a simple write up for that part.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?


1.) Extra cable adapter. Well yeah, working in studio needs longer cable.

2.) 1 set of eartips in SML. They look similar to BQEYZ eartips

3.) Pelican case. For added protection when carrying around

4.) Cleaning tool

5.) Nicely braided cables. I like these a lot. The texture is good and easy to handle

6.) The IEMS

BUILD and COMFORT


Build is standard. Nothing much to say other than it is made of resin. I wish they were made of metal tho.

As for the design. I dig the all black a lot. Very simple yet classy.

Comfort wise, they're good. Though not as great as the letshuoer Cadenza 12, it does its job pretty well with seal and comfort. I didn't notice any strain even for long hours of listening.

SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-stock cable

-stock tips and aet07 SM size.

-Volume measured and listened at 75-78 dbs.

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

SOUND



"I want to be somewhere quiet"

Spending time with the S4 makes me want to be alone with myself. Just be there immersed in music. Vocals come out really nice from them. Almost at the edge of being real. The tonality helps a lot with how they sound. It is neutral with excellent extension in both ends.

They are neither lacking nor colored for my preference. It hits my G-spot bass, staying me at the edge, while the treble is being kept safe. I cant get enough of them that I would want to wake up early and experience its sound - somewhere quiet.

"Resting b*tch face"

My face of contentment. It was hard for me to hate it. I felt everything is just enough. The bass is very tight

I was vaping 500 meters from work. Drinking my favorite energy drink before the start of a busy night. I hated the fact that I have to remove them because I have to wear my helmet. And so I rode my bike and tied my helmet on my elbows-hell yeah!

Enjoying my music with the blowing wind, and with a resting b*tch face.

"I then cry"

I was listening to Yoasobi's "gunjo"- the first take version. I just like the "originality" of that video and song.

The S4 did not dissapoint. I had goosebumps listening to everyone including the "plusonica" choir. I hear everything. I hear the male vocals, I hear Ayase when whe does back vocals. Crazy. Vocals have very good presence and smoothness. Very natural and organic.

I felt that I was in there, with them - teary eyed

"Headbang"

And so I noticed the new almbum of babymetal has been released. I can't just let it go away without listening to the album using the studio 4. I have one big worry though, and that is the midbass tuck on the Studio 4.

But fck it. I would be lying if I did not like this presenation. The bass is freakin tight and fast. It does not feel like BAs. The midbass is ever present with full force, hitting my face especially on the track "Maya".

The macro dynamics is amazing on this set when listening to "Mirror mirror". That periphery-like riff in the beginning hits so hard.

No midbass on bass tuck? Hell no, I was headbanging listening to the whole album.

"Surround"

Why you gotta be so rude? The bass drums in that track has good attack and timbre. The air that the bass drum produces sounds real and tight. Insruments are well spaced and cymbals have very good decay and realism. The back vocals are clear that you can't miss every word they utter.

In the track "Drive" by Incubus, the stage depth is just studio-like. This is one of my all-time favorite tracks and I listen to it almost everyday for the past 15+ years. I have never heard it like this. The bells are so clear. The studio 4 really excels in giving you that natural timbre on instruments, particularly different cymbals and their decay. The technicalities of the studio is just pushes above its price range, giving you that surround sound.



❤PROS

smooth neutral tuning that is inoffensive.

very open mids and very transparent vocals

instrument timbre is spot on

enough bass for me even with a tuck. Midbass has enough texture to be discerned.

no harshness or sibilance. Smooth treble response

very good staging. This must be the deepest and widest I have tried on an IEM.

because of its staging, instruments separation and layering is easily outstanding. I have less effort tracking instruments.

very large stage and almost hall- like. This is very obvious in the track "Every women in the world"

In the track "piano in the dark" live by Niña, the bass lines and bass drums have very good texture, rumble and hit.. I hear how the air moves on bass drum.

I didnt know that there is a vocal reverb in the track "better days" by Franco. It was easily discernable

CONS

might not be suited for people who like contrasty signatures like U shaped or V shaped.

some people may want more air. But that would break its signature to be honest.

doesnt have an EST for its price. I mean I am just nitpicking. I just thought that ESTs would add more texture and realism to instrument timbre and vocals. There are other sets with ESTs on its price range, but ofcourse it doesnt mean they are better.

SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.

TUNING - 3
BASS - 3
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 3
TECHS - 2.5

=14.5 ( S rank,exceptional. Consider saving if you want a reference set with TOTL qualities)

Check my scoring criteria here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing

COMPARISONS:

Theiaudio oracle
-I like this set because of its tuning. The female vocals on this set is just amazing. The studio 4 on the other hand comes off less aggressive in its presentation. S4 is more natural sounding for me and much better spacing between instruments and vocals. I just like the S4 more.

Dunu sa6/ultra
-I love this set very much as well because of its tonality. However, the S4 is just a better set in terms of smoothness and balance. The SA6 mids is much clearer tho, and the treble is more nuanced. But I came to appreciate the balance of S4. The more I listened to them, the more I question my preferences haha.

EJ07M kinda lava
-just a grain of salt. There have been issues with this release because some have a lower bass shelf compared to others. The one I tried was from Timmy's which graphed with a lower bass.
The tonality is suprisingly close from memory. EJ07M also sound cleaner and more engaging especially in its treble extension. The S4 again is the smoother one. I feel that there are no pronounced emphasis on the S4. The staging is just better on the S4 as well. That 3D stage is just difficult to beat in this price range.

Monarch mk1
-they are both neutral but with a bit of difference in emphasis. The mk1 is brighter in tonality because of its earlier tuck and pronounced treble. The S4 has an atenuation around 6k so cymbals sound less aggressive and forward. If you like brighter sets with clear mids, you might like the mk1. But if you want less coloration, the S4 is the one to pick.

Planars
- I have never heard of newer planars especially the Heyday. But I have the S12 pro, Dioko and KZ pr1. I have also heard other planars like the Dunu Talos, raptgo, Zetian wu etc.

Planars might offer more fun and engagement because of its qualities. Treble is more forward in most planars, and although there are some elevation on the bass, they are resolved quite fast.

However, I found that the S4 sounds more natural compared to any other planars, with less engagement ofcourse. I do want give the natural staging on the S4, and treble air for planars. If you want more natural sounding pair and for reference maybe consider saving up for S4. If you are on a budget, and want more fun, maybe get planars first.

FINAL THOUGHTS


The studio 4 sounds very neutral for me. The speaker kind of neutral. The frequency is even except for that little dip around 6k. Bass is very tight with good presence to support lower mids. Vocals sound close and enough realism. Instruments sound almost true to life, just needs that final touches of texture. Treble is well extended and nuanced even with the attenuation.

The technicalities is really the star of the show for the S4. The stage is really studio like and I think this would also fit quite fine for studio use. The separation and layering is TOTL level because instruments and vocals have a more defined space compared to other sets in its price range.

Having said that, the terms "organic" and "natural" is an understatement. The S4 disappears on my ears after a few minutes of listening. They carry this realism in space that confuses your mind on which are ambient sounds.

Because of this, I'd like to call them "RAW"

Thanks for reading.

WHERE TO BUY:

Softears Studio4 non affiliate

HiFiGo Web：
https://hifigo.com/products/softears-studio-series-studio4?variant=43804083716335

Aliexpress：
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005268260991.html

Amazon US Store:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BX5WNW1C/softears+studio4/

AFUL PERFORMER 8 - "Effortless"



DISCLAIMER:
Same old same old. A tour unit from HiFiGo . I give my heartfelt gratitude to them. Like really.

On a serious note, nothing much to say here, other than I have my own preferences. So please cross reference reviews. My impressions are only relative to the number of IEMS I have heard.

Anyhow, this is my user experience of the Performer 8.

Let’s start

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?


Here is my unboxing video for that:



To summarize, you get the same inclusions from Performer 5, except for the cables and IEMs themselves. You get:

1.) SML aful eartips- they are awful, don’t use them

2.) Carrying case – similar to a hair pomade case haha

3.) Box – you don’t need this

4.) Papers – you don’t need this!!!

5.) The IEMS – uhmm yeah

DESIGN and COMFORT:

They fit relatively the same as the the P5s, but maybe a bit bulkier? Just from memory tho, it must be because of the internals added. They also feel a bit heavier. I do notice some strain depending on eartips, but so far, just average fit for me.

The shell design is very very similar to the P5s as well, but a bit different in color grading. Yeah that's all I can say..

THE TECHNOLOGY:
I was amazed when Aful posted their first photo of the Performer 8. They have this tube structure that looks like intestines haha. I have seen this design structure before, maybe from Fiio?

Anyhow, I will summarize what I understand about their technology.
They have implemented the same RLC technology for the performer 8 but added longer tubes for the DD. The company said that longer tubes changes the acoustic impedance.

The DD is an 8mm biological warfare, no no, diaphragm haha. The DD is being supported by two other BAs, which is quite interesting.

There are also two BAs for the midrange and three BAs for the high frequencies. So that’s a total of 8 drivers.

They also have this “high damping air pressure balance system”- that's a mouthful. Well, basically it relieves pressure in the ear canal.

Yeah this thing works. I don’t know for others, but AFUL does a great job in implementing air pressure systems. Compared to other hydrids or Full BA setups, the pressure build up on the Performer 8 is lesser and they are more comfortable to wear in long listening sessions.

SOUND:

The tuning is neutral with mids emphasis, which makes this set midcentric. Well, these also have good subbass and microdetails in the treble, but the overall tonality seem to focus more on instrument presence.

Bass texure is commendable that sits just right on my preferences. Satisfying subbass emphasis. Just clean bass.

Mids come out forward with nice tones to instruments. Guitars have good harmonics and vocals are never shouty. Although, it can do some work in proper vocal timbre.

Treble is inoffensive for me and presents a smoother response compared to P5. Cymbals still doesn’t sound that natural for me, but still good enough to enjoy my tracks.

Technicalities punches above its price point. The resolution, the texture, the stage. You get the taste what expensive sets sound like, at a lower cost. These are not better than TOTL sets, let me get that straight. But making me remember how TOTL sounds is a big complement.

The Surprise

In my video, I was constantly saying OMG like a freaking shill, well maybe I am haha. One reason for this is I had a rough idea on how they were priced. I saw a comment on facebook about someone who went to an expo in China, and posted a photo on the expected price of performer 8 which is around $360. It is an interesting price point because not a lot of sets are priced around this range. It skips the Blessing 3, while being a few dollars cheaper than some good sets in the $400 range.

Having said that, the performance of the P8 is undoubtedly great for its price. You definitely get an upgrade in sound quality from the Blessing twins, while being competitive on sets that are more expensive like the Softears Studio 4 and Dunu SA6 Mkii.

It shares a similar curve to that of the Dunu SA series and Anole VX/Gemini. The gain is tamed to prevent any shout and harshness whilst having that forward vocal presentation.

What surprised me a lot is how smooth sounding they are, relative to how they are graphed. The upper treble timbre is significantly better compared to SA6 Mkii, at least for me. The stage is wide while having enough depth, and the bass hits my preferences. All that sound for $360? Yeah, I am surprised too!

A hyped product does not mean good sound for everyone.

Okay, so the Performer 8 is hyped big time. Most reviewers including me are praising them like it’s the end game everyone can afford.

As of this writing, all the videos I watched seem to have similar findings with me. But as days passed by, I read comments that P8 wasn’t that good for them. People are starting to find weaknesses of the P8, like the honky vocals, the lack of midbass, the BA treble etc.

In all honesty, I also found the same weaknesses of the P8, but the PROS just outweighs the CONS. I have some assumptions why P8 is hyped tho.

1. Reviewers including me just have a bad taste in evaluating stuff haha

2. Reviewers including me see the larger picture having tried different sets in different price range. Trust me, there is not a lot of good stuff past $800, at least for my preferences. I can probably only count them with my fingers. Maybe around 10.

3. Reviewers including me seek validity. Humans as we are, we are prone to this. Well actually the hobby is largely run on seeking validation. Its just more fun that way. Imagine having your endgame set without no one to share it with haha.

I don’t think there is anything wrong in disliking a set tho. It is normal to be skeptical and it almost always happens on a hyped set. I explained the nocebo effect in my EA500 review.

OMG I am talking a lot, lets get back to sound

The improvement

Well yeah. Ill be honest, I did not like the P5 a lot. Well, the prototype I first tried did sound really good, and I was really guilty shilling the P5, only to find out that I didn’t really like the set when I reviewed it lol. Sorry.

The Performer 8 is undeniably better sounding than the P5 for me. Should you still believe me? Hahaha.

Anyhow, I have tried two sets of Aful performer 8. They sound the same, they graph the same, and I get the same feeling about them.

The bass is tighter and more nuanced. They have this quality of being visceral in impact. I tried EDM tracks and yeah, the quantity might not be a lot, but the quality makes up for it. The vocals and instruments are also more natural sounding. One friend mentioned that he hears some honk in the vocals. Probably that 1k elevation? At first I didn't notice this, but after hearing Ed sheerans “ shape of you”, his voice sounded like he got covid lol. Some vocal registers exhibit this, but this CON is very minor unless you are very particular on vocal timbre.

The treble is improved over the P5 too! They P8 sounds less grainy for me, smoother, but more detailed, or should I say, the decays are more natural.

It still has that little boost in the upper treble, around 13k, but not as exaggerated as the SA6 mkii.
The stage is improved too. I get better stage depth and width. They don't sound congested at all. Stage congestion was one of thr major cons of the P5 for some people. I am happy to say that instruments and vocals are well placed in the P8, not the best, but definitely better than most sets in the price range.

Why spend much?

Performer 8, along with the Studio 4, are one of the IEMS that offer great value in my opinion.

I have probably heared 30+ TOTLs when I was in Japan for two years. I was in a hunt for my own endgame, but in all honesty, it is very evasive. Because the more I hear, the more my preference get skewed to a different tonality.

TOTLs usually have ESTs and these drivers just offer better clarity in the treble when done right.

As for the Performer 8. Although no ESTs were used, I think Aful did a great job with their implemenation of the drivers and their patented technology. They sound like TOTLs for my ears really. Not a direct competetion in terms of overall performance, but I get a feeling of "why spend much?"



PROS

Great echoes and reverb. The P8 tends to mimic decay in an bigger venue. Yoasobi’s Gunjo feels like listening in a hall rather than in a room.

Great balance of bass and treble. I do not find them to be overly boomy in the bass, nor too exaggerated in the treble. The tuning is really smooth from end to end.

in the track “love moves in mysterious ways” by Nina, the soundstage is again portrayed like I am in a big hall, or at least represents the correct venue.

ever heard of "nandemonaiya" by Radwimps? The vocals presence is amazing. Separation of the two guitars is amazing, the harmonics and presence is really well executed. The low bass hit at 1:44 is surprisingly good. it reverberates like you are in a Cinema.

in the track “Face to face” by IU, the bass texture really shines on this set. I immediately knew this sound is up there man. The tone really feels like a real drum for my ears.

I thought the P8 is bass light until I tried Dua Lipa’s “don’t start now”. Oh man do they slap a** haha.

CONS
-I honestly couldn’t find any major flaws of the P8. Either it hits my preferences very well, or I'm just outright shilling this . Anyhow, I will try my best to nitpick this set.

slight honkiness of vocals in certain registers. Not apparent in every track, but worh mentioning for people who are sensitive to vocal timbre

bass level might not be for everyone. Try to Auto EQ between SA6 mkii and P8 and see which bass level hits you the best.

a little bit of gain or maybe a dip at presence can help for better vocal space. I noticed that Studio 4 has better vocal layering because the gain peaks at 2.5k and gradually declines to a dip. For me, it creates this illusion of a 3d stage.

eartips. Don’t use them

they are actually bulkier than the P5. In my first impression video, I mentioned that the fit is very good. But after using for a week, I noticed that they strain some parts of my ears when I choose the wrong eartips. Tip roll if you may.

a little bit of midbass can help a bit on metal tracks. I noticed that they are not that engaging on dj-dj dj-dj- djjjents haha.They sound dry.

COMPARISONS

DUNU SA6 mkii/ultra
-If I were to rate them, it would be ultra>p8> mkii.

They tonality is uncanny. The ultra just edges the p8 in terms of overall resolution. The mkii is also more resolving than the P8, but I am not happy with the bass and treble elevation. Maybe you will like it tho. However, considering the price point, the P8 is significantly cheaper and to think that it compete with SA6 series is a big praise.

Studio 4
If you have the extra cash to spare $80 more, I suggest just go straight to studio 4. The studio 4 is just more refined, better techs, better timbre on vocals and instruments, just better everything for me haha.

Okay I will explain. Although the P8 has a DD for the bass, I think the Studio 4 performs better. I am not saying that the bass of the P8 is a slouch, no no, they are great. However the studio 4 just sounds very revealing and tighter. You do get more vacuum from the Studio 4, so if you are sensitive to that, better pick the P8s.

Also, the stage of P8 is wider but lesser in depth. As for the Studio 4, it is more proportionate and rounded, like you are in a room with your artists. Surprisingly tho, I always feel like the reverbs and echoes of the P8 lingers longer, giving me that feeling of a more open space akin to gig outdoors or a hall.

Mega5p
-the M5p is here because these are my current reference when testing sets. Well, I must say that the P8 is better in resolution and micro details. However, for overall engagement, Mega5p still has it. There is a reason why I make the M5p my reference. I don’t want to miss out on musicality whilst resetting my ears.

SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.

TONALITY - 3
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 3

=14 ( S rank,exceptional. Consider saving if you want a reference set with TOTL qualities)

Check my scoring criteria here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing

GRAB SCORE:
This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.

- I will never touch this again

- I grab if I remember

- Can be part of my rotation

- I break my rotation and grab this one today

- *** rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week

- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.

So the Performer 8 gets a

There is something about the Performer 8's smoothness that makes me grab them for a short listening sessions. Probably because they are inoffensive? There are other fun sets tho, but this set is really perfect for morning coffee listening.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The Performer 8 does perform. They are a solid upgrade to the P5 in all honesty. But yes, also an upgrade in cost. Does it justify the price hike tho? I think so. Having compared P8 to more expensive sets make them a bang for the buck, that’s if you have the buck haha.

The price of the P8 is in a weird spot tho. You have the gatekeeping blessings at $300, and yet bottlenecked by Studio 4 above $400. Please keep in mind that I have not heard everything in this price range, so my impressions are limited.

Having said that, I can recommend the Performer 8 for people who are looking for a balanced to neutral set. It doesn’t have any annoying peaks, no boom boom bass, no shout, and better timbral accuracy compared to the P5s.

I really had a hard time thinking of what to say about the Performer 8, mainly because they are not particularly doing anything wrong and yet excels just enough to be called a great set, if not for the price as mentioned above.

Contrary to my experience in writing this review, which required a lot of mental exertion haha, the Performer 8 seems to be presenting music like a pro performer-Just effortless.

==========================
WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links

https://hifigo.com/products/aful-performer8

HiFiGo AFUL Performer8 1DD+ 7BA Driver in-Ear Monitors, Masterpieces Hybrid Drivers IEMs in-Ear Earphones with Easy Driveability (Performer 8) https://a.co/d/grpNNvw

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! ￥ 54,117 | AFUL Performer8 / Performer 8 1DD+7BA Hybrid IEMs In-ear Monitor Wired Earphones with High-purity OCC Silver-plated Cable HiFiGo
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqxwcmu

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading.

AFUL PERFORMER 8 - "Effortless"



DISCLAIMER:
Same old same old. A tour unit from HiFiGo . I give my heartfelt gratitude to them. Like really.

On a serious note, nothing much to say here, other than I have my own preferences. So please cross reference reviews. My impressions are only relative to the number of IEMS I have heard.

Anyhow, this is my user experience of the Performer 8.

Let’s start

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?


Here is my unboxing video for that:



To summarize, you get the same inclusions from Performer 5, except for the cables and IEMs themselves. You get:

1.) SML aful eartips- they are awful, don’t use them

2.) Carrying case – similar to a hair pomade case haha

3.) Box – you don’t need this

4.) Papers – you don’t need this!!!

5.) The IEMS – uhmm yeah

DESIGN and COMFORT:

They fit relatively the same as the the P5s, but maybe a bit bulkier? Just from memory tho, it must be because of the internals added. They also feel a bit heavier. I do notice some strain depending on eartips, but so far, just average fit for me.

The shell design is very very similar to the P5s as well, but a bit different in color grading. Yeah that's all I can say..

THE TECHNOLOGY:
I was amazed when Aful posted their first photo of the Performer 8. They have this tube structure that looks like intestines haha. I have seen this design structure before, maybe from Fiio?

Anyhow, I will summarize what I understand about their technology.
They have implemented the same RLC technology for the performer 8 but added longer tubes for the DD. The company said that longer tubes changes the acoustic impedance.

The DD is an 8mm biological warfare, no no, diaphragm haha. The DD is being supported by two other BAs, which is quite interesting.

There are also two BAs for the midrange and three BAs for the high frequencies. So that’s a total of 8 drivers.

They also have this “high damping air pressure balance system”- that's a mouthful. Well, basically it relieves pressure in the ear canal.

Yeah this thing works. I don’t know for others, but AFUL does a great job in implementing air pressure systems. Compared to other hydrids or Full BA setups, the pressure build up on the Performer 8 is lesser and they are more comfortable to wear in long listening sessions.

SOUND:

The tuning is neutral with mids emphasis, which makes this set midcentric. Well, these also have good subbass and microdetails in the treble, but the overall tonality seem to focus more on instrument presence.

Bass texure is commendable that sits just right on my preferences. Satisfying subbass emphasis. Just clean bass.

Mids come out forward with nice tones to instruments. Guitars have good harmonics and vocals are never shouty. Although, it can do some work in proper vocal timbre.

Treble is inoffensive for me and presents a smoother response compared to P5. Cymbals still doesn’t sound that natural for me, but still good enough to enjoy my tracks.

Technicalities punches above its price point. The resolution, the texture, the stage. You get the taste what expensive sets sound like, at a lower cost. These are not better than TOTL sets, let me get that straight. But making me remember how TOTL sounds is a big complement.

The Surprise

In my video, I was constantly saying OMG like a freaking shill, well maybe I am haha. One reason for this is I had a rough idea on how they were priced. I saw a comment on facebook about someone who went to an expo in China, and posted a photo on the expected price of performer 8 which is around $360. It is an interesting price point because not a lot of sets are priced around this range. It skips the Blessing 3, while being a few dollars cheaper than some good sets in the $400 range.

Having said that, the performance of the P8 is undoubtedly great for its price. You definitely get an upgrade in sound quality from the Blessing twins, while being competitive on sets that are more expensive like the Softears Studio 4 and Dunu SA6 Mkii.

It shares a similar curve to that of the Dunu SA series and Anole VX/Gemini. The gain is tamed to prevent any shout and harshness whilst having that forward vocal presentation.

What surprised me a lot is how smooth sounding they are, relative to how they are graphed. The upper treble timbre is significantly better compared to SA6 Mkii, at least for me. The stage is wide while having enough depth, and the bass hits my preferences. All that sound for $360? Yeah, I am surprised too!

A hyped product does not mean good sound for everyone.

Okay, so the Performer 8 is hyped big time. Most reviewers including me are praising them like it’s the end game everyone can afford.

As of this writing, all the videos I watched seem to have similar findings with me. But as days passed by, I read comments that P8 wasn’t that good for them. People are starting to find weaknesses of the P8, like the honky vocals, the lack of midbass, the BA treble etc.

In all honesty, I also found the same weaknesses of the P8, but the PROS just outweighs the CONS. I have some assumptions why P8 is hyped tho.

1. Reviewers including me just have a bad taste in evaluating stuff haha

2. Reviewers including me see the larger picture having tried different sets in different price range. Trust me, there is not a lot of good stuff past $800, at least for my preferences. I can probably only count them with my fingers. Maybe around 10.

3. Reviewers including me seek validity. Humans as we are, we are prone to this. Well actually the hobby is largely run on seeking validation. Its just more fun that way. Imagine having your endgame set without no one to share it with haha.

I don’t think there is anything wrong in disliking a set tho. It is normal to be skeptical and it almost always happens on a hyped set. I explained the nocebo effect in my EA500 review.

OMG I am talking a lot, lets get back to sound

The improvement

Well yeah. Ill be honest, I did not like the P5 a lot. Well, the prototype I first tried did sound really good, and I was really guilty shilling the P5, only to find out that I didn’t really like the set when I reviewed it lol. Sorry.

The Performer 8 is undeniably better sounding than the P5 for me. Should you still believe me? Hahaha.

Anyhow, I have tried two sets of Aful performer 8. They sound the same, they graph the same, and I get the same feeling about them.

The bass is tighter and more nuanced. They have this quality of being visceral in impact. I tried EDM tracks and yeah, the quantity might not be a lot, but the quality makes up for it. The vocals and instruments are also more natural sounding. One friend mentioned that he hears some honk in the vocals. Probably that 1k elevation? At first I didn't notice this, but after hearing Ed sheerans “ shape of you”, his voice sounded like he got covid lol. Some vocal registers exhibit this, but this CON is very minor unless you are very particular on vocal timbre.

The treble is improved over the P5 too! They P8 sounds less grainy for me, smoother, but more detailed, or should I say, the decays are more natural.

It still has that little boost in the upper treble, around 13k, but not as exaggerated as the SA6 mkii.
The stage is improved too. I get better stage depth and width. They don't sound congested at all. Stage congestion was one of thr major cons of the P5 for some people. I am happy to say that instruments and vocals are well placed in the P8, not the best, but definitely better than most sets in the price range.

Why spend much?

Performer 8, along with the Studio 4, are one of the IEMS that offer great value in my opinion.

I have probably heared 30+ TOTLs when I was in Japan for two years. I was in a hunt for my own endgame, but in all honesty, it is very evasive. Because the more I hear, the more my preference get skewed to a different tonality.

TOTLs usually have ESTs and these drivers just offer better clarity in the treble when done right.

As for the Performer 8. Although no ESTs were used, I think Aful did a great job with their implemenation of the drivers and their patented technology. They sound like TOTLs for my ears really. Not a direct competetion in terms of overall performance, but I get a feeling of "why spend much?"



PROS

Great echoes and reverb. The P8 tends to mimic decay in an bigger venue. Yoasobi’s Gunjo feels like listening in a hall rather than in a room.

Great balance of bass and treble. I do not find them to be overly boomy in the bass, nor too exaggerated in the treble. The tuning is really smooth from end to end.

in the track “love moves in mysterious ways” by Nina, the soundstage is again portrayed like I am in a big hall, or at least represents the correct venue.

ever heard of "nandemonaiya" by Radwimps? The vocals presence is amazing. Separation of the two guitars is amazing, the harmonics and presence is really well executed. The low bass hit at 1:44 is surprisingly good. it reverberates like you are in a Cinema.

in the track “Face to face” by IU, the bass texture really shines on this set. I immediately knew this sound is up there man. The tone really feels like a real drum for my ears.

I thought the P8 is bass light until I tried Dua Lipa’s “don’t start now”. Oh man do they slap a** haha.

CONS
-I honestly couldn’t find any major flaws of the P8. Either it hits my preferences very well, or I'm just outright shilling this . Anyhow, I will try my best to nitpick this set.

slight honkiness of vocals in certain registers. Not apparent in every track, but worh mentioning for people who are sensitive to vocal timbre

bass level might not be for everyone. Try to Auto EQ between SA6 mkii and P8 and see which bass level hits you the best.

a little bit of gain or maybe a dip at presence can help for better vocal space. I noticed that Studio 4 has better vocal layering because the gain peaks at 2.5k and gradually declines to a dip. For me, it creates this illusion of a 3d stage.

eartips. Don’t use them

they are actually bulkier than the P5. In my first impression video, I mentioned that the fit is very good. But after using for a week, I noticed that they strain some parts of my ears when I choose the wrong eartips. Tip roll if you may.

a little bit of midbass can help a bit on metal tracks. I noticed that they are not that engaging on dj-dj dj-dj- djjjents haha.They sound dry.

COMPARISONS

DUNU SA6 mkii/ultra
-If I were to rate them, it would be ultra>p8> mkii.

They tonality is uncanny. The ultra just edges the p8 in terms of overall resolution. The mkii is also more resolving than the P8, but I am not happy with the bass and treble elevation. Maybe you will like it tho. However, considering the price point, the P8 is significantly cheaper and to think that it compete with SA6 series is a big praise.

Studio 4
If you have the extra cash to spare $80 more, I suggest just go straight to studio 4. The studio 4 is just more refined, better techs, better timbre on vocals and instruments, just better everything for me haha.

Okay I will explain. Although the P8 has a DD for the bass, I think the Studio 4 performs better. I am not saying that the bass of the P8 is a slouch, no no, they are great. However the studio 4 just sounds very revealing and tighter. You do get more vacuum from the Studio 4, so if you are sensitive to that, better pick the P8s.

Also, the stage of P8 is wider but lesser in depth. As for the Studio 4, it is more proportionate and rounded, like you are in a room with your artists. Surprisingly tho, I always feel like the reverbs and echoes of the P8 lingers longer, giving me that feeling of a more open space akin to gig outdoors or a hall.

Mega5p
-the M5p is here because these are my current reference when testing sets. Well, I must say that the P8 is better in resolution and micro details. However, for overall engagement, Mega5p still has it. There is a reason why I make the M5p my reference. I don’t want to miss out on musicality whilst resetting my ears.

SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.

TONALITY - 3
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 3

=14 ( S rank,exceptional. Consider saving if you want a reference set with TOTL qualities)

Check my scoring criteria here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing

GRAB SCORE:
This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.

- I will never touch this again

- I grab if I remember

- Can be part of my rotation

- I break my rotation and grab this one today

- *** rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week

- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.

So the Performer 8 gets a

There is something about the Performer 8's smoothness that makes me grab them for a short listening sessions. Probably because they are inoffensive? There are other fun sets tho, but this set is really perfect for morning coffee listening.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The Performer 8 does perform. They are a solid upgrade to the P5 in all honesty. But yes, also an upgrade in cost. Does it justify the price hike tho? I think so. Having compared P8 to more expensive sets make them a bang for the buck, that’s if you have the buck haha.

The price of the P8 is in a weird spot tho. You have the gatekeeping blessings at $300, and yet bottlenecked by Studio 4 above $400. Please keep in mind that I have not heard everything in this price range, so my impressions are limited.

Having said that, I can recommend the Performer 8 for people who are looking for a balanced to neutral set. It doesn’t have any annoying peaks, no boom boom bass, no shout, and better timbral accuracy compared to the P5s.

I really had a hard time thinking of what to say about the Performer 8, mainly because they are not particularly doing anything wrong and yet excels just enough to be called a great set, if not for the price as mentioned above.

Contrary to my experience in writing this review, which required a lot of mental exertion haha, the Performer 8 seems to be presenting music like a pro performer-Just effortless.

==========================
WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links

https://hifigo.com/products/aful-performer8

HiFiGo AFUL Performer8 1DD+ 7BA Driver in-Ear Monitors, Masterpieces Hybrid Drivers IEMs in-Ear Earphones with Easy Driveability (Performer 8) https://a.co/d/grpNNvw

Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! ￥ 54,117 | AFUL Performer8 / Performer 8 1DD+7BA Hybrid IEMs In-ear Monitor Wired Earphones with High-purity OCC Silver-plated Cable HiFiGo
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqxwcmu

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Dunu Falcon ULTRA: SOAR




DISCLAIMER:
This unit was provided by Hifigo for tour. They do not hold any of my thoughts and opinions.


I have my own ranking and scoring, so please bear that in mind.


I will be calling this my user experience, lets start.


THE BOX



I have an unboxing video here:



You get above average accessories and inclusions:


1. IEM case that can pass as a pouch


2. Cable with Interchangeable termination


3. Many many many eartips haha. I think 4 kinds of eartips (S&S included)


4.Cleaning tool


5. 6.3mm plug


6. Cleaning cloth that’s big enough to clean you face haha


7. Cleaning brush


8. Nozzle rings. I honestly don’t know why they are included


9. A small pouch for the iems


10. The iems


DESIGN



See pics


BUILD and COMFORT
The build is really premium. Quite heavy but remains comfortable in the ears. I didn’t notice any strain from use. I can also fit them deep. The deeper the better right?


SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player


-all stock(s&s eartips)


SOUND
The Falcon Ultra offers two tuning options. The blue nozzle sounds U Shaped, and pretty balanced in that regard. The gold nozzle has a more relaxing gain that makes the bass pop out more.


Bass on both nozzles sounds so creamy that will make your ear fluids drool. Okay that didn’t sound good. Anyhow, the bass impact is so visceral that it is hard for you not to jive with any songs you throw at them.


Mids sound organic with a bit of coloration. You know Samsung phones? Colors look good but you know its not natural, but still, you know what I mean? Maybe saturation is the word I am looking for. Male and female vocals are well represented with very good instrument timbre for my preferences.


Treble can be a hit or miss for some, but don’t fret because you have options. I personally like the blue nozzle because of the added energy and clarity. But sometimes I reach out for the gold nozzle that offers a smooth and relaxed listening experience.


What I like about the Falcon Ultra lies in its technicalities. I just like how it renders stage and clarity. It must be the drivers. Like really. When I listen to them, it feels like resolution is boosted to 4k from 1080p. Although stage is intimate, that must help a bit in presenting its overall signature.


DD Benchmark
We all know that tanchjim Oxygen has been a benchmark for a lot of people when it comes to single DDs. I personally like them too, but I just prefer how acoustune DDs sound. When I heard the Falcon Pro, I honestly didn’t like them. they sounded muddy and meh. So I didn’t really have much expectation from the Falcon Ultra.


The driver of the Falcons paired with the change of tuning really helps this set a lot in achieving the sound that can make this set a benchmark for some.


Personally, the Falcon Ultra made its way to my benchmark DDs in the midfi. The options to change the nozzles make them more compelling for that role.


PERFECTION
The dunu falcon ultra almost got a prefect score. In all honestly, it is hard for me to find faults with how these sound. It has its own unique sound imprint that will make you grab this set more often than usual. The bass, mids, and treble perfectly melds together and plays my music in a manner that other single DDs fail to do. In fact, it follows the curve of my balanced target pretty well.


PROS
Great timbre on instruments and vocals


Very good clarity for a single DD


Nozzle options with the two sounding very good


Great package, with interchangeable termination and S&S tips


Very good stage proportion, layering and separation


CONS
That MMCX connector is hard to take off


The boosted clarity might sound too artificial for some


Treble might be too forward with the blue nozzles. Solution: gold nozzles haha


Cable has memory. Yes they remember what you did last summer


COMPARISONS


PLANARS
-planar and DD timbre are a bit different. Planars also tend to sound dry and the staging cannot go as deep compared to single DDs. I feel that the falcon Ultra offers more engagement and options(nozzles). Although I feel at times that separation in planars are superior, especially the timeless, the Falcon Ultra doesn’t overdo it and offers that analogue feel.


Mega5p
-I have the mega5p because they are my balanced reference. The Falcon Ultra is more fun sounding and can fit better as a travel companion. The Mega5p is warmer in signature because of how it presents treble. But even when you use the gold nozzle of the Falcon Ultra, I still hear that it has more forward details. The treble on the Ultra is just really crisp and addicting. This is a tough pick. Choose Falcon Ultra if you want a more organic representation . Pick Mega5p is you are sensitive to treble.


Benchmark Single DDs
There are many benchmark single DDS recently, especially when HBB released the Olinas, which are said to have the same drivers as the Oxygens. They are cheaper too! However, I guess I will take my pick on the Falcon Ultras. Oxygens for sure sound good still, but because of how Dunu manages to give you options with the tuning nozzles, it is just more practical for me to choose the Falcon Ultra over other single DD offerings.


SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.


TONALITY - 3
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 3
TECHS - 3


=14.5( S rank,exceptional. Consider saving if you want a single DD that is an all rounder with TOTL qualities)


Check my scoring criteria here:


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing


GRAB SCORE:
This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.


- I will never touch this again


- I grab if I remember


- Can be part of my rotation


- I break my rotation and grab this one today


- *** rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week


- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.


DUNU FALCON ULTRA GRAB SCORE: 4


I can honestly listen to these for weeks without feeling the need to try out other sets.


FINAL THOUGHTS
There you have it. I wont make this review long. For $240, you get quality package, accessories, build, sound, options, except for the cable that remembers what you did last summer haha.


Not to mention its gorgeous looks. I am not really into blue, but how it reflects light is just stunning, paired with its “Egyptian” vibe encryptions. Well not really Egyptian, but you know what I mean haha.


This one is hard to beat in my opinion and I think the “Ultra” boost helped the Falcon to soar higher than its competitors.


==========================
WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links


DUNU Falcon Ultra
HiFiGo: https://hifigo.com/products/dunu-falcon-ultra


Aliexpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256805619692605.html


Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB2R3DZ7/dunu+falcon+ultra/


Amazon JP
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CB3J6K18/dunu+hayabusa+ultra/

Hisenior Mega5p – “Yes I do; A wife material with an endgame promise”


DISCLAIMER:

Please read. I bought this at a discounted price for review. I appreciate Hisnenior for the generosity.
Other than that, all thoughts and opinions are from my own and Hisenior did not ask me to write a good review. It is from my own volition to write this long haha.
So, to make it more balanced sounding, I will be scrutinizing Mega5ps flaws.

Also, my impressions are based on everything stock, and probably just a few tip rolling. I noticed that the Mega5p is a bit senstive to sources, so my balanced cable sounded a bit different. Hey, it's not about the cable, but probably the balanced out from my dap. Your mileage may vary, experiment to your liking.

FOREWORD:
I have been looking for a reference balanced set for my future reviews. Something that is not entirely neutral because I need a little bit energy in the bass for my library. I am an owner of Acoustune Rs one and I love how that Driver plays my library. It is my reference for DD techs because I just love its speed. But the tonality of Rs1 is not really my target. I have a thing for sets that can be used as stage monitors. If a company says that their products can be used by stage musicians, it must have good separation, or else you will have difficulty playing on stage.

ABOUT HISENIOR
Hisenior has been making custom IEMS for professional use. So I think they have a good grasp on the demands of their consumers. They have a good understanding on what musicians and studio engineers need, from fit to sonic performance. They offer very affordable custom IEMS from their models and have been receiving positive feedback. If you check their website and go to “About us”, you can see that they really know the problems on stage and in the studio. It seems that they have a solution to these problems and their products address these concerns.

SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-mostly stock. Tip rolled a little bit using JVC spiral dots ++.

-Volume measured and listened at 75-78 dbs.

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

WHAT’S INSIDE?
The packaging is rather simple. It does not have a box, but instead, it has this hard pelican case. What you get inside is:

Different eartips. I think two pairs of very size. There is a also a pair of foam tips. A pair of double flanged eartips and pair of triple flanged eartips

cleaning cloth. Well, it is there. Haha

A very good looking cable. I think it is 8 core OCC cable. They are actually thick. They aren’t that soft but I like how it robust it feels. They are angled 0.78 pins.

Stickers for sticking.

BUILD and COMFORT


-The build is awesome. They have this marblish design that I dig. They are quite thick but the design is well thought out. The fins sit perfectly on my ears and I do not experience fatigue at all. They are very light on hand but feels really well built and solid. I have nothing much to say, thank you.. haha

-The Mega5p is a hybrid set, 1 dynamic driver and 4 balanced armatures. I am told they are using Knowles and Sonion for the BAs.

SOUND PROFILE
The tuning of the Mega5p can be described as balanced or a neutralish warm set. I would personally go for balanced. There is really nothing in the frequency that pops out. It is even from bass to treble, very cohesive for a hybrid and very smooth sounding.

Okay, I am very particular about bass because for me, it can make or break a set. My music library is very wide, like I am listening to IU and the next track is a 20 second song from Tubero haha.Anyhow, Mega5p’s bass is approaching neutrality with a touch of warmth and presence. It is not as tight as I wanted it to be, but it does the job well in supporting the rest of the frequencies. I do not feel it is lacking, nor do I feel it is too much. It resolves details pretty well and can handle busy tracks like double peds from metal. If you go slow on Bossa, they sound rich and full with a good subbass reach, although not at bass head levels. However, there is something in the bass that is missing for me and I do not think it is the lack of slam from midbass. To put in context, I like the bass of my modded Moondrop Chu and it has a significantly lower bass shelf. Or maybe I am just spoiled by Myrinx DD which has very good speed. Nonetheless, this is just a nitpick in terms of texture preferences. When you experiment with eartips, you will find that you can fine tune how much subbass you want.

As for the mids, they are really clean. Not the crystal and lean kind of clean. It is a lush kind of clean. Very smooth and very pleasing to listen to. The mids are also very open and I find that vocals are well separated from instruments. I do find that there is some lack of bite and energy around the gain, maybe around 5k to 6k? this is not necessarily bad, but sometimes that energy can bring life to female vocals and guitar harmonics. That is why, Asuka Kirara didn’t sound that good lol haha. Okay lets go back to the topic, I find the mids of Mega5p to be really safely tuned. I did not hear any shout, I did not notice any bleed from bass, I did not hear any unevenness in the gain, apart from that small dip in 5k-6k. Because of that, it is good reference for me when reviewing other sets because it is very easy to find faults by ear. The Mega5p mids is the safest mids I have ever heard. Whether you find it unengaging or boring is up to personal preference.

Treble.. Yes.. Hmmmm. It is not bad. No really it is not. But I was just expecting it would perform better than expected. I was expecting high level EST like extension lol. But nahh, I realized that there are limitations to driver configuration. In this case, Mega5p was able to bring out the best they can do in their Knowles and Sonion BA drivers. I was thinking that if you bring up the upper treble more, the BA timbre might be more prominent. Like even with this level, I can already hear that it is a little bit plasticky, so there’s that. It has enough of everything for me. The harmonics aren’t too subdued and the clarity is overall better than other sets in the same price range. Well, maybe some people prefer the timbre of some DDs, but what Mega5p excels as is really that smooth non-fatiguing treble. There are literally no peaks to be found. I can listen to this 24/7 without getting fatigued. I understand that the tuning behind this is for actual usage. Hisenior has been making customs IEMS for musicians, and so I think the have a good understanding on how musicians use IEMS. If there is a volume mismatch on stage, I doubt Mega5p can blast your ears with uneven frequencies. The treble is just sweet and the extension is proper.

Okay onto technicalities. This is my favorite part of the Mega5p. I am a sucker for separation, imaging and layering. I prefer those three because I can just EQ tonality. Well, of course I know that some techs come from tuning, but I also understand that the driver quality has factors to it. If you doubt it, then why would companies like Knowles and Sonion continue to innovate? IEM companies can just stuff in Bellsing Ba’s and call it a day. Companies evolve from consumer feedback and there is a reason why some components are more expensive than others. So going back to Mega5p’s techs, I really like it. The stage is wide and rather tall. I think it is the first time for me to have this descriptor of a tall stage. The proportion is great which leads to better instrument separation, layering and imaging. I can easily localize an instrument with the least effort. Detail retrieval and overall resolution is great for the price as well. It was able to show details that other expensive sets can do, let’s say Yanyin Mahina or Letshuoer Ej07m for example, and Mega5p is almost half the price. Resolution is excellent and it doesn’t push details too forward in any given song. However, I felt like the cohesion is not 100% achieved. Yes, it is cohesive in a way, but I have heard better hybrids and all Bas with a much better cohesion. For the Mega5p, although the separation is good, the speed of bass compared to the upper mids and treble doesn’t match for my ears. Maybe it is just me, maybe is just placebo. I felt like transients in treble are much faster than the bass attack. Well, it is to be expected because the BA’s are handling mid to upper frequencies. Maybe it is just because of the tuning but I don’t feel the bass is as tight for my preference, so maybe that is why. This is just a nitpick really. It is not something you need to worry because the overall technicalities of Mega5p surpasses the said quirks I have.

PROS

in the track “the closer I get to you” by Nina, the stage was surprisingly realistic and I had to look at my right when I heard people clapping.

Tall and holographic stage. I think it is my first time hearing this tall stage. In the track “Mundo” by IV of Spades, sound was coming from different angles.

that bass in Bruno’s “Grenade” had some very realistic decay and texture.

Urandub’s “An Invitation” vocal reverb can be easily heard

“O.D” by Polyphia has more details and nuances presented. Layering and imaging is just superb

the back vocals and harmonies of “Are you in?” by Incubus is so well layered.

the stage is very wide and the layering is deep that you would recognize other nuances. It is not that they are absent in other sets, but because of Mega5p’s separation, they kind of pop out naturally. Notes just fly in space

Vocals are clean and mature sounding. It is so easy to localize harmonies because the mids are very open.

Non fatiguing and smooth treble

Incredible instrument separation in the track “Rondo of Nightmare”, just incredible. Isolation instruments are notch up from my RS1.

CONS

Timbre isn’t that true to life on instruments, or should I say the harmonic extension isn’t that natural. Not that it is bad, but I have heard better in expensive hybrids, and single DDs also sound more natural.

treble isn’t as crisp as I wanted. They come across a bit dry and lacks physicality.

although vocals have very good presence, they somehow sound dry or plasticky. They have this speaker like quality. I am pretty sure some people will not notice this, maybe I am just spoiled by some single DD’s natural timbre. Also, it lacks a bit of bite and energy for female vocals.

Bass could be faster in transients. The mids and highs are resolved well and I feel like the bass is a notch slower behind.

could use a bit more air past 10k so that instrument harmonics pop out a bit.

P.P SCORE

TUNING - 3
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 3

= 14( S rank, Exceptional. A compelling buy for this price if you have the cash.)

Check my scoring here :

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing

COMPARISONS


TO PLANARS (PR1, Dioko, S12, WU, Talos)
-Well this is a practical one, because planars are mostly priced below 250usd. Some of them like the s12 and Talos already sound very good for the price. So how does Mega5p fit? In my own assessment, it can stand on its own mainly because of its tuning. We know that the planar sheen or zing is not for everyone, especially to those who are treble sensitive. On the Mega5p however, you just get a smooth listening experience devoid of peaks and harshness. Like I said, the tuning is smooth like butter on Eva Elfie’s body hahaha. I personally think planars do have an edge on engagement and clarity of notes, while Mega5p for a more mature presentation. The separation of instruments and stage is also very good for the Mega5p. If you want that extra spice and engagement, choose planars. If you want an all day listen without missing out on detail, then Mega5p.

TO SINGLE DDs
-Okay this is a tough one. I personally like DDs because of the timbre and coherence. Around $250 , there are a few good DDs like the Tanchjim Oxygen/Hana, BQEYZ Autumn, Moondrop Kato, my very own Acoustune RS one, the new Sonic Memory Sm2(I haven’t heard it yet but I can tell it sounds good since it is from NF Audio), not to mention the cheap HBB X Tripowin Collab Olina SE and the Dunu Kima. There are a lot of good sounding DDs out there, so how does the Mega5p compare? Well, it is about timbre preference and smoothness of treble extension. I personally like the timbre of single DDs, they just sound more real and natural. The Mega5p has this speaker like quality to it that makes it hard for me to be moved by my music. If you want more realism, I suggest you pick single DDs. So where does the Mega5p excel at? Well again on its tuning, treble extension, and overall technicalities. The Mega5p just sounds more extended, not bright, but you feel notes have a more natural decay. Since it is a hybrid, it is expected to handle demanding tracks, and this is where some single DDs struggle at.

TO SETS ABOVE ITS PRICE
-This is an interesting comparison and I think you are excited at reading this haha. I mean who doesn’t? we have the tendency to be proud of our sets when compared to more expensive ones. But let me break the ice by saying that sets with high-end ESTs are better, but the Mega5p is not that far behind. Let me list down the ones that are worth comparing:

See Audio Bravery- Bravery is a bit bassy when compared to Mega5p. Maybe a touch arier on the treble too. The mega5p has a more linear and smooth tuning from Bass to treble extension. This is just a question of tuning preference. If you want more engagement, then pick bravery. If you want a more smooth and matured presentation, then the Mega5p is for you.

Mangird Tea2- they are tuned very similar and also sound identical with the Tea2 being 100usd more expensive. Tea2 may come out a bit clearer. So, if the price hike justifies for you, go ahead. Hehe

Moondrop Blessing 2- Blessing 2’s bass is tighter because it is more linear. It also has more gain emphasis to make female vocals have that energy. Harmonics are also emphasized a bit of B2s. Mega5p sounds warmer on comparison and they have a similar bass shelf to Dusk. I think the main difference is on the gain emphasis, wherein the Mega5p sounds more laidback and the Blessings sound more energetic. The blessing twins are also more expensive.

Yanyin Mahina- Also very similary tuned but the Mahina came out a lot bassier. This is really the HBB signature. The gain to treble is pretty much similar to both where the Mahina edging it a little bit on clarity. The moonlight should sound less bassy but these are twice as expensive as the Mega5p. I haven’t heard the canon’s yet but I see they also share a very similar tuning, and yet again the Mega5p is cheaper.

EJ07M Kinda Lava – I don’t know if you know, but apparently there are unit variations of the Kinda Lava. The unit I heard does not sound like an HBB collab. It sounded closer to the original EJ07m. the tonality is very similar from bass to mids. I think the EJ07m is more resolving because they sound more analytical compared to a warmer approach of Mega5p. But then again, this is comparing a set that is twice as much.

DUNU SA6- Oh man, this is an S ranker in my criteria and I like this set a lot. I have to pick the SA6 of course. The realism and edge of notes just hit the right spot for me. The Ultra is also better overall, but good luck finding that..haha..Sa6 has a leaner bass, so everything sounds more transparent. If you need a little bit of warmth, the Mega5p is actually a good pick. But I just really love how Sa6 handles everything. It is more expensive tho

Thieaudio Oracle- another S ranker in my criteria and I love its tonality. Oracle has better treble details. The Mega5p is smoother in comparison and you might actually prefer this if you want a more fatigue free listen. Oracle is better overall but at a cost of money. ESTs really work wonders on my s rankers.

FINAL THOUGHTS:


I was actually going to step down the scoring of Mega5p from S to A+ based on my initial listening impression. The longer I listened to it, the mids didnt move me much even if it sounds clean. When I heard the Dunu Sa6 ultra, I was again reminded that it is the mids I have been looking for. However just recently, I tried swapping the cable from Dioko and ohh to my surprise, the Mega5p sounded more correct for my preference. Whether you believe in cables or not, your mileage may vary. So for me, I am retaining the S score for Mega5p.

There you go my friends, for me personally, the Hinsenior Mega5p is a great pause game on a budget. The sound it offers is not far ahead from the more expensive sets I mentioned. Sure this is not a perfect IEM for the price especially if the tonality does not match your preference, but the price and sound it offers is just very pleasing. Some people got this for under 200usd, I heard 180usd when they go on sale, and I think that is an absolutely crazy value. Maybe they will also have another sale this coming 11-11? You better check it out.

As for my final words, I bought this as a tonal reference when doing reviews. They are not so clinical sounding, and yet resolving. They are a warm neutral set that gives me that little bit of ommph in my library.
The Mega5p does not do anything wrong, and does not also do anything splendid. It just sits right there in the middle. A true balanced set for my ears.

The sound of Mega5p is far from being risky that is akin to teenagers who enjoy freedom and adventure. Instead, Mega5p offers you a more matured listening experience with elegance and finesse. That is wife material for me, and maybe for you as well.

VIDEO REVIEW HERE:



Here is my facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/practiphile/

Letshuoer Cadenza 12- "Alive"


DISCLAIMER:

This is a review tour unit. Thank you so much HiFiGo and LETSHUOER for trusting reviewers in the Philippines.

Let it be clear that as a reviewer, my opinions are my own and does not represent the majority, nor the intent of the companies involved.

I understand that some people may be apprehensive when reading reviews, especially when companies provide samples. I understand how you feel, I was once there, and still am actually (I still buy sets and read/watch reviews from other people)

Having said that, the least we can do is to transcribe what we hear with as much transparency as possible. The goal of the companies is to advertise their new products and we as reviewers are just the first mediums. Imagine selling a product without actual user feedback haha. So, there will always be biases in our side, albeit not from coping since we didn't spend anything.

Anyhow, I will try my best to be honest as possible, and let me start by saying that , YES I am biased. Why? Because I have my own preferences. I have my own library. I have different sets to compare. I have a different music taste. Growing up in an island (Cebu) where almost every household has at least 1 person who can play guitars, I have my own opinion on how instruments sound without going thru speakers. Recent recordings are eqed during mix to the engineers preferences on what he thinks is natural. So in theory, we listen to the engineer's HRTF.

Please cross reference reviews.

Lets start

SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-stock cable in 3.5mm

-stock balanced tips and AET07(best for me)

-Volume measured and listened at 75-78 dbs.

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?


You are greeted with a hefty box. Probably almost 2 kilos haha. Inside is properly arranged and layered to give you a slow orgasm of unboxing a TOTL set.

The box also comes with dividers if you want to use it as storage for DAPs or other sets.

What you get inside are:


1.) You get 3 kinds of eartips in SML.

there is an eartip for treble and vocal clarity. They are similar to symbio tips wherein foams are stuffed inside a silicone

a bass enhancing eartip. Well, it enhances bass

and a balanced eartip. For me they still sounded warm, or kindof U-shaped.

2.) a very premium case. They look like engagement ring cases. It's magnetic and they snap quite satisfyingly


3.) Interchangeable connector/Modular cable that is very thick and of very good quality. Nicely braided in both left and right, while the other half is wrapped with a cloth-like material. I like this cable

4.) a steel frame of an animal playing violins. Yeah you read it right haha. This thing is probably the reason why the box is so heavy.

5.) Papers

COMFORT and BUILD:


The design and build of the Cadenza is very premium. The case is made of titanium.

It houses a 10mm LSS Kevlar dome driver. Whatever that is.. I honestly do not know what that is haha.

I think Sonion BAs are handling the mids, and Knowles and Sonion ESTs for the treble.

The ergonomics is just superb. Very comfortable in my ears and I do not notice any sharp edges. Easily the most comfortable IEM I have ever worn. PERIOD


SOUND


I get a balanced tonality with good extension in both ends. This must be the most balanced TOTL set I have heard. Most sets in the $1000 and up usually excel in specific areas. The Cadenza is different though because it is an all rounder, from bass, mids, vocals, treble and technicalities. Finding the right balance in those aspects is what makes the Cadenza unique in its own.

Bass is a bit elevated to maintain warmth in vocals and in making instruments sound natural. Although they are not boosted to basshead levels, I hear very good separation of the subbass and midbass. There is sufficient kick and slam with minimal effect in the lower mids. Going back to the bass, I actually like how they are presented because there are so many nuances that can be heard in a track.

Mids, especially vocals, are not in your face forwardness. When I say this, it does not mean you don't hear the vocalist at all, because you do haha. Voices are less forward because of the bass texture and in my percetion, my attention is shifted around the upper bass to lower mids. This is not to say that vocals sound bad, ohh deng Eimi Fukada even sounds phen... - going back to vocals, they sound rich and has a natural space around them. That space is very realistic in my experience. I could close my eyes and imagine the "singer" (ehem) is by my side.

Instruments sound organic too, timbre wise. Bass guitars have enough authority and guitars aren't too edgy, but extends very well. Other string instruments like violins sound really good as well. Snares have good body and snap, and pianos have good note definition.

Treble is another part that I like from the Cadenza. Alhough it needs some refinement, I can still say that they have a very satisfying treble performance. There is enough air that gives a perception of a 3D space, and yet cymbals do not sound thin at all. I am saying this because most sets with good extension tend to screw up how cymbals sound. But not with the Cadenza. It seems that the splashes are being played by a separate speaker.

Technicalities. I dont really know what to make of this because most TOTL sets I have tried wowed me with their clarity, resolution and just with how they sound overall. Safe to say, most TOTLs sound clinical. The Cadenza is in a different approach though, because the vocals sound so real. I think the focus of Cadenza is making the timbral accuracy as close as it can get to how instruments and vocals sound in real life. The space around them is just so real for me that it always made me pause. Writing this review was really hard because my focus shifts to the emotions of Fuka.....I mean the song.

Another thing the Cadenza excels at is in separation and imaging. There is so much space between instruments and vocals, making tracking notes a breeze.

LETS TALK MUSIC


In the track "fearless" by Taylor, guitar harmonics sounded very good. The strums and plucks were very nuanced.

Bruno Mars' vocal reverb was amazing in the track "when I was your man". I was lost for words because I could feel his emotions.

In the track "plastic love", instrument separation is really good. At around 20 seconds, the guitars were plucked at the right while the drum bells were rolled, and it was very clear and very discernable.

vocal layering is crazy impressive. The vocal melodies are very seamless during chorus of "Flu" by IU

in the track "wish you were here" . I have never heard the hi tom that detailed in the intro. It was so realistic in pitch that i can almost discern the tension of the lugs. Crazy right? haha

in the track "rich kids" by Polyphia, at around 1:05, two guitars are playing simultaneously, one on the right and the other on the left. And it's quite hard to follow both because they follow the same progression but different in scale. But not with the Cadenza. It was simply crisp and detailed in both right and left channels.

another track from Polyphia, the "ABC", the Japanese lines at 1:36 were very discernable as well. I mean, I can also discern this as well with other sets, but not as realistic in tone with the Cadenza.

Big Mountain's "carribean blue" was freakin immersive. Vocals is right at the center, and instruments are around my headspace.

In the intro of Reona's Birthday , I could hear the male voicing pretty clearly like they are being played from a separate speaker and captured by a different mic, which it should be. I found it to be very surpising.

If you are looking for ultra detailed TOTL, it is not this one. There are other options with smooth yet detailed treble response. I am not saying the Cadenza is lacking in that area, but people might want more details when spending this much.

If you are looking for a basshead banger, it is not this one either. There may be other TOTLs that handle bass very well, like the Sony Z1R, Vision ears Phonix, or even the Annihilator. The bass of the Cadenza is a bit polite compared to the ones I mentioned.

Guitars may lack some edginess and aggrresiveness. Slipknot and metallica riffs weren't as satisfying as other sets. But Surprisingly good on Incubus tracks particularly "nice to know you" , so I don't really know if its a con or not.

SCORING

-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.

TUNING - 2.5
BASS - 3
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 3
TECHS - 2.5

=14 ( S rank,exceptional, but needs auditioning because of the price tag)

Check my scoring criteria here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing

COMPARISONS on similarly priced TOTLs


QDC Gemini/ Anole VX



-Both Gemini and VX share the same tonality but thelatter seems to be resolving and hurts the wallet more haha. When compared to Cadenza 12, both the Gemini and VX has more focus in the treble and are digital sounding. The Cadenza sounds more natural and organic, and it seems the vocals are better as well, at least for me. The QDC twins win it on resolution though. They sound more detailed and nuanced in exhange for drier mids.

Flipears Aurora


-The aurora comes across a bassier set compared to the Cadenza 12. It is a bit similar to fatfreq tonality wherein bass is elevated but with much better resolution and transients. In comparison to the Cadenza, the Aurora comes out to be more engaging and more suited for hiphop and rock. The Cadenza is more balanced and is a better all rounder.

FINAL THOUGHTS


In my unboxing video, I only gave it an A+ because I felt that there was something missing with the Cadenza. They did sound TOTL enough at that time, but it didn't have that last bit to make it to S in my ranking.

Here is my video for that:



However, the longer I listened to them while experimenting with other eartips, I found the right pair and the Cadenza made me shake my head, it could cum lol. I am utterly mesemerized because of how good they are in rendering stage.

This set is really skilled at giving you good music, and just pure music with natural vocal space and proper instrument timbre. Sure they graph weird and it may never pass other targets when looking at FR, that's another story. But just with sheer music indulgence, I applaud the team for creating this beauty. However, this set is not a cheap set. I do not advice blind buying TOTLs. I highly suggest auditioning this set if given the chance.

Letshuoer named the Cadenza "True Virtuoso", which I kind of agree.

They are sooo good that it makes your music ALIVE.

WHERE TO BUY(non-affiliate):

https://hifigo.com/products/letshuoer-cadenza-12

KZ PR1 HiFi - GOLD NUGGET


DISCLAIMER:


This unit was sent my KZ. Thank you Tyvan for sending this over. I really appreciate it.
So yes, they didn’t influence my impressions. There was no money involved, TRUST ME hahaha.


My descriptions might be too flowery and too good to be true, but these are merely the reflections of my emotions at the time of writing. I consider write-ups like my personal diary wherein I lay out my experience with the said set. Rest assured I will try my best to be objective as possible.
Talking about objectivity, I finally made a scoring system and ranking tier list to help me assess sound much better.

Also, I made my first impression video here:




SOUND PROFILE

Classic V shaped leaning to the brighter end. Hence the Hi-Fi, maybe? During my first impressions video, I was thinking of them being U shaped, but then decided to put them on V shaped category since they really do exhibit thay signature the longer I listened to them.


Bass is elevated with good control and with planar speed. It is north from my preferred target, but they do not sound muddy to my ears. Planar speed is just amazing, it is like a jab every hit. It slams, and they are gone before you know it. Even with this elevated bass, I did not hear them smearing the mids that much, apart from the change in tonal color of instruments and vocals. Bass texture is fine, not as realistic as Dynamic drivers, but the resolution makes up for it. You hear a lot of bass air on these. There are so many details in the lower region, but aren’t that full sounding compared to DD slam. Although I felt like the subbass is masking some of midbass and lower mids.


Mids are recessed, so is it bad? Not always, especially on nicely implemented tuning and driver capabilities. I find fundamentals aren’t too forward for my liking, and vocals aren’t in the same plane with the bass and treble. Because of the boost in bass and treble, plus the speed of planar, instrument and vocal timbre sound dry. I am pretty sure it is because of the added air in upper treble. However, as a planar, PR1 exhibits very good resolution. It is as clear as day. You will hear a lot of micro nuances. Heck you can hear dust haha. This is what planars do, and no doubt PR1 is no slouch if compared to more expensive sets.


Treble is extended. Too extended for me actually haha. They are not sibilant or harsh for me tho. I just find that cymbal resonance are too forward that I find it distracting in cymbal heavy tracks, which is like 70% of my library. The PR1 is very unforgiving in this area...You hear the completeness of harmonics..It will show the weaknesses of a track. You might even hate your favorite tracks and love the crap ones haha.


Now onto technicalities. This is amazing for the price really. It has got to be the most technical set under $90. It is so planar in technicalities. The speed, the resolution. The imaging. The layering. Everything is nicely done. Soundstage is very airy akin to a live session outdoors. I like it, but there isn’t much depth just like other planars. Imaging is accurate and ultra-focused; you hear the panning clearer than other sets. Pr1 is also able to layer instruments evenly. There is good proportion between the vocalist and instruments. The technicalities of PR1 is really a no brainer in this price range.


PROS


very good for vocals and music without much cymbals


Olivia sounds good on them. In the track "Drivers license", her vocals are very clear.. really clear that the air they produce almost sounds realistic. In Bruno mars' Versace, his voice sounded very good as well with good details.


the track "Rude" sounded new to me haha. There are so many details that are more forward than my other sets..


I thought that the bass in "hey steven" by Taylor was well resolved.. good texture without affecting much the vocals. The guitars sounded nice with good harmonics and a lot of air. Just really clear even if they are a bit recessed


The cymbals in "stay with me" by Sam Smith was surpisngly pleasing. Very good details and air. Aggressive cymbal genres definitely doesnt work with this set, but with mild ones, PR1 works wonders..


In M.J. "thriller", the opening of the door at the intro had very realistic rumble.


"I need to be in love" by carpenters had very good sounding instruments , vocals, air, and stage. it feels like a concert. Also in "yesterday once more" , those drums and tums had some very realistic texture man.. really good.


"dive" by Ed Sheeran had very airy stage stage and very clear vocals..


In "annamolly" by Incubus, the intro cymbals and guitars have very good resolution.. and that closing of hihats is so detailed.


"OD" by Polyphia sounded so atmospheric and airy demmm.


"sis anger" by Babymetal, the drum roll with other instruments at 1:24 - 1:32 were very well separated.


billie's "i love you", vocals are so damn immersive and has some very realistic layering.. even the voices talking in background had very real and clear space..


CONS


very unforgiving on the treble, its almost unlistenable to heavy cymbal tracks with bad mastering.. its not really harsh, but it becomes very distracting..


female vocals sounded a bit recessed in Millet's "ashes"


male vocals sound dry and not lush. Like any male vocal I have listened doesnt sound engaging. Kinda emotionless


late ear gain, so maybe that is the reason for dry sounding vocals


a lot of masking from subbass in the track "starlight" by baby metal. I also got the same finding in Creed's "Higher"


could have better packaging and accesories.


some sibilance. But they are surpisingly mild. I mean, it doesnt pierce as much as DDs do. I noticed this in IU's "Pallete"


P.P SCORE


TUNING - 2
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 2
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 3


= 12 ( A- rank, generally better than other sets. Very good for the price but the tonality might not match your preferences)


Check my scoring here :


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing


COMPARISONS:



I'll be honest, the PR1 does resemble the sound of most planars in the market. The only difference would probably be the tuning. Although, I have to admit that S12 and Talos have superior resolution and techs.


-P1 MAX has a warm neutral tuning. P1Max together with Talos, have the least planar sheen in all the sets I have tried. P1 MAX has better tonality. PR1 has better micro nuances


-RAPTGO HOOK X is better ofcourse. It has better bass texture and details. Better mids and vocals. More refined treble.


-MUSE POWER has an odd tuning. They were a bit shouty on vocals. So maybe PR1 is better in tonality here. techs are on par and PR1 is airier.


-ZETIAN WU is one of the best well tuned planars I have heard. The balance is just good for warm sound lovers. PR1 has better stage in terms of width and air. Other than that, I have to credit WU for the rest.


-DUNU TALOS is just superior in every aspect, and I cant get PR1 to sound like Talos even after EQ. It's probably because of the diaphragm KZ is using. I think they are using their in house ultra thin diaphragm they used on some models. I dunno. Maybe Im wrong..


-S12 is better overall as well. Even if the treble on S12 is also forward, I feel like it has better note definition and clarity. They may share the same tuning, but I have to give it to S12. But PR1 is cheaper here, so? You be the judge..


EQ

Planars are very responsive to EQ. The FR of PR1 is a perfect ground for EQing. It has a nice bass glide. Proper ear gain. And a linear extended treble. You can basically mold PR1 into anything.

My final video review here:




And for my EQ, basically it is more of a deductive one. My main concerns of stock PR1 Hifi is the amount of bass, amount of treble, and less vocal presence. So this PEQ addresses these concerns.


1. I reduced the 50-150hz region because I thought bass was not helping a lot with mid forwardness and fundamentals.


2. I increased 700hz for more accurate placement of vocals and a bit of warmth and presence. This is the only one I increased


3. I reduced 1500hz to remove unecessary shoutiness and thinness in vocals..


4. I decreased 6000 region for a less fatiguing listen. It also makes fundamentals pop up a bit. I also noticed that it lessenes a bit of planar sheen.


5. I decreased brilliance because I find it over extended and unnatural in cymbal heavy tracks.


All in all, this EQ makes PR1 HiFi sound very balanced. Very good lows with enough details. Engaging mids and forward vocals.. A less fatiguing treble with very good stage proportion. Better separation, layering and stage depth. Kinda trippy how instruments are placed really.. And I would say that this sound can easily compete with 150-200usd sets or planars, and PR1 is just around 60 bucks? Haha


I eqed this by ear. Meaning, i eqed it to my prefered sound and timbre. This might not work for you but you can adjust to your liking..


MY PEQ: Trippy


Filter 1: ON PK Fc 50 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 0.500


Filter 2: ON PK Fc 150 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 0.500


Filter 3: ON PK Fc 700 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 1.000


Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1500 Hz Gain -0.5 dB Q 0.500


Filter 5: ON PK Fc 6000 Hz Gain -2.0 dB Q 2.000


Filter 6: ON PK Fc 15000 Hz Gain -5.0 dB Q 1.000


OTHER EQ BY ASTERHYMIST:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...bjkiDaod6uuLx9kRHfLS7XEYrl&id=100076380126388


FINAL THOUGHTS


I tried EQing the PR1 and they are very responsive. Toned down the brilliance a bit, and lowered down the bass as well. They sound fuller with better dynamics and realism.


PR1 shoud be the most practical buy if you want to experience how planars sound. I mean, I hear people EQing their S12 to get the most out of it. Only that, S12 is twice as expensive. So my thoughts are, if you are gonna EQ anyway, or know how to, PR1 is a no brainer.


However in stock form, I am kinda in two minds recommending this. I like to recommend this for its planar techs at a reasonable price, but at the same time, the tuning is a bit risky and I am pretty sure there are people who are sensitive to treble. The treble did sound milder with use, probably mind burn-in or maybe the tara-labs track I always use. Nonetheless, even after more than a week of use, I still find the treble to be too forward. You can experiment with eartips too.

PR1 really needs refinement. These are easily a GOLD for the price, but a NUGGET at that.


I am thinking of giving ot a 5 star after EQ.. or 4 stars for stock.. but I am really compelled that the sound of PR1 with EQ is the best you can get under 100usd.. like I said, it sounds like a 200usd iem.. Anyhow, I will give it 5 stars because for $60, what more can you ask?




WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

-usual KZ box.
-3 sets of eartips
-one cable
-done
-haha


BUILD and COMFORT


-build is good! I like the futuristic design in silver. KZ's build quality has been consistently good by the way. They really handle aggressive use..


-Comfort is good too! Not as bulky as ESX. Maybe like how ZS10 PRO fits, or ZES. The nozzles arent too small nor big, so they dont strain my canals that much.


SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player


-Ive used many eartips! Jvc spiral dots, aex07, aet07. But finally settled for Radius Deep Mounts


-stock cable and **** 8 core balanced cable.


-Volume measured and listened at 75-78 dbs.


MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:


Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,


OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya


POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish


OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa


I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.


Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading.


WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate link


￥ 9,753 40%OFF | KZ PR1 Planar Driver In Ear Wired Earphones Music Headphones HiFi Bass Monitor Earbuds Sport Headset
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrGyNt2


https://hifigo.com/products/kz-pr1


https://amzn.asia/d/3D0QgFa

DISCLAIMER:
I bought the RS ONE as a late Christmas present for myself. Although Acoustune is one of my target endgame brands, I will try my very best to be transparent as possible, citing the PROS and CONS of this set. I am not yet very experienced in reviewing, but I see myself improving from time to time in relaying what I hear. Looking back at my first review post, I am happy that I can write this much now, and I thank the community for that. I may have different views when it comes to interpreting music, because each of us has a different sound reference. My cons might be a pro to you, and my pros might be a con for me. This is a subjective hobby after all.

PREFACE:
Months ago, I was looking for an IEM for a good playback of Babymetal tracks. Some people have suggested Acoustune and some other brands like NFAudio, etc. I somehow managed to audition some of those brands and immediately fell in love with how Acoustune sounds. The driver is fast and powerful. It was able to replay how a proper “djent” would sound. Djent usually requires at least 7 strings guitar for those drop tunings. Some would even go for 8 or 9 strings lol.

Another thing I was looking for an IEM is its ability to layer and separate instruments. It was particularly important for me because I sometimes want to breakdown a track. I am not by any means an active musician, but I can play the guitars and drums. I am assuming that some of us here play instruments, I guess. When we have heard much of our favorite tracks, we would sometimes listen for notes, chord progression, techniques etc.

My “audiophile” ears want to listen to how music is presented, but sometimes my “music enthusiast” ears would want to listen to how that music is created.

I saw a video on youtube about how musicians and audiophiles hear music, and he said “Musicians don’t really need fidelity to process information”
And quoted from a commenter “music lovers use systems to listen to music, audiophiles use music to listen to their systems”.

For me personally, it really boils down to our music library. Don’t get me wrong, I love a well-balanced tuning or harmanish for that matter. But sometimes I find it lacking in the 60-250hz where the fundamental notes are. Also the 250-500hz is a very delicate zone because it is where the lower harmonics and bass presence are. This is the reason why stage monitors like shures or Sennheiser’s have a bump in that region. Similarly, I can see how KZ and other Chi-Fi follow this mid-bass bump in their IEMS, only that, their drivers are not able to keep up and it usually results to a bloat and muddied up mids.

BUILD QUALITY and FIT:



-The build is pretty robust. It is made of high-quality polycarbonate, that is heat, shock and sweat resistant. You don’t even need to worry if you drop them accidentally. The fit is very secure and comfortable. Combined with how light weight they are, I sometimes don’t realize I am wearing an iem haha.

DRIVERS:

-The driver is a 9.2mm “myrinx EL” drivers. There is a membrane that coats the human eardrum and Acoustune uses a synthetic medical grade material to mimic that membrane. It is said to be super soft yet very durable. As a result, there is a very low distortion, making the sound clear yet full sounding at the same time. Imagine the clearness of a BA + the fullness of a DD. That’s how they sound like.

CABLE and ACCESSORIES:



-The cable is a newly developed ARM011 and uses a rather rare pentacon connector. It is more stable than MMCX. But it is said to offer better sound quality because it has more surface contact than the traditional 2 pin. The cable is made of high purity litz and is braided with a said to be” Kevlar-bullet proof” something. And honestly? It does feel one! Haha. The quality of the cable really feels good to touch and can stand a chance with heavy use.

It also comes with AET07 tips in SML size and one pair of foam AET02 tips. They seal pretty well and I didn’t have any problems with them dislodging.

SOUND:

-Okay so here we are.
Again, it all depends on our library, and this set may not be tuned like the recent harman trend. For my ears, they are warm U shaped, with a bit rolled off treble air and has mid-bass presence. I cannot say they are bloated by any means because they do not bleed anywhere. Like seriously, it is ridiculous that there is so much bass presence, but it sounds separate from the rest of the spectrum. Even the vocals have enough presence and realism. Transients, driver speed, RESOLUTION, LAYERING and SEPARATION of instruments are very very good for this price point. The stage has this 3D effect, and every sound is well defined. It is so damn good in technicalities. It sounds like each instrument has their own speaker hahaha.

What I mean by this is, when you follow a bass line, you can clearly hear it and the rest of the instruments are blurred. When you switch to listening to the cymbal attacks, the rest of instruments does not interfere. When you focus on the rhythm of the guitar, you only hear that. When you listen to vocals, well you can hear them perfectly fine. And this is only done in ONE DRIVER! Hahahaha. This is really crazy.

CONS:

midbass presence might be too much for some. Especially if you are used to flat, neutral or balanced tuning. But they are very tip dependent and the sound changes when changing different tips. There is a hole near the nozzle and that might be the reason why the sound changes when tip-rolling.

sound stage might be a bit narrow for some and when compared to similarly priced IEMS like the Final A4000 and Sennheiser IE 100 PRO. The reason might be the lack of treble air. In comparison, the Sennheiser ie100 pro has a very wide stage with good treble air and extension but can be very bright and fatiguing even in short listening sessions.

No cable rolling option. It is a new pentacon model and for now, it is impossible to cable roll this one. Even if you want to try older models of Acoustune cables, they are so expensive.

treble air might be lacking for some. They are not by any means lacking in that area. They actually have very good resolution in cymbal strikes, but I can see how other people might want more air from them.

PROS:

Bass has very good texture and definition. It extends deep and has so much authority that it might be your boss’s boss LOL (Headphonesty et al.) Djents sound so so so satisfying with them. Babymetal, Slipknot, Suicide silence, etc sounds really really good. You hear those heavy low riffs that you are forced to just bow your head and headbang using your hips. Lifting your head up just feels wrong. Yes that’s how commanding they are hahaha..

Kick drums are also very easy to catch. Listening to Babymetal's track "Arkadia", blast beats are felt pounding in your ears and never overwhelming to cloud over the spectrum

Bass notes are very easy to follow as well. You want to catch Davie504 basslines? This is for you. Haha.

Although they are a bit U-shaped, mids don’t come that recessed. They have enough presence and contains a lot of details and harmonics.
-Listening to Goo Goo dolls' track “Name”, guitars sound very full and complete, with very good timbre.

vocals have very good presence, timbre, and realism. -Listening to Oliva Rodrigo’s “traitor” gave me goosebumps. Also, from the track “Halaga” by Parokya ni Edgar, Chito sounded really intimate, and I felt like I was listening to him in a room.

-I am pleasantly surprised how the vocals can pierce thru instruments even with the bass presence. In Black pink’s track “Ice cream”, vocals sounded untouched even with those bass drops.

treble may be a bit rolled off, but it doesn’t mean they are less detailed. Again, treble is very detailed and contains upper harmonics in guitars. Cymbals have very good resolution, and you can spot which are hit even on fast metal tracks. The advantage for this roll-off is that it can be less fatiguing in long listening sessions.

the resolution is excellent for this price, and they are transparently warm. I may have made up my own description, but that is how I can really describe them! Hahaha. I did not realize that warm and transparent can go together, but hell they do. Believe it or not, but the heart mirrors would sound muffled when I switch to them, and the RS One is not even bright to begin with. That is how resolving they are.

Instrument separation is insanely good for this price point. Man, I have a never-ending list of timestamps to relay this.
-The intro of the track “brighter” by Parmore has this guitar riff, te dedeng deng, tededeng deng, and then all instruments play around 7 seconds, oh my can I clearly track everything from the bass guitar, kick drum, rhythm, and lead guitar. It sounds like every instrument have their own speaker and you can easily follow chords, tabs, notes, drum patterns easily.

Note retrieval is excellent. Polyphia’s track “GOAT”, at around 2:08, there seems to be kind of trumpet sound playing note patterns in the background, and they sound very clear even with all those instruments playing in front.

I don’t know if this a PRO, but it is transparent on how the track is mastered. So you will either love your favorite tracks more, or you will despise how they are mastered ahaha. It will show you how instruments are positioned and how much gain they gave in each instrument. Crazy.. haha.. -Rivermaya’s track “214” has some cymbals gains that are pretty inconsistent, sometimes its far, sometimes its near lol.. Of course, you can hear that in other IEMS too, but it is just more pronounced in Acoustune RS ONE

Detail retrieval is also commendable. Thanks to the very good layering, separation, and stage depth, getting details is a breeze.

Soundstage may be narrow but has a very good depth and height, giving you a 3D effect stage. Vocals are in the center, bass in front, guitars on the sides, high hats on top/further away, and further to the sides are vocal harmonies and some extra synths.

Sibilance free. Like really. Non-existent


DEVICES USED and TIP-ROLLING:

-I mainly listened using my Shanling M3X. I also used dongles like jcally JM20, VE OHD, JA21, JM04 pro, and they are very transparent in whatever source you feed them. They may exhibit the flaws of your source and may also reinforce the good qualities.

They are also very responsive to tip rolling. I noticed that there is hole just below the nozzle. I am not sure if that is a vent, but it seems like it. It kind of works like how the bass of BQEYZ autumn can change depending on the magnet filter. I have not heard the autumn but I certainly hear a difference of the bass amount when I tip roll RS ONE.



Stock AET07- Bass texture, open mids, airy highs

Sony Hybrid foams- Less overall bass, forward mids, more air in treble

Spinfit CP100- less lighter on the midbass, retains the mids, boosts treble

Final type E- Tighter bass, a bit forward mids, a tad lower treble

Stock AET02 foams- almost linear bass, forward mids and treble

There are more generic tips I rolled, so experiment to your liking. For me I ended up using Spinfit CP100

WHO ARE THESE FOR?

-They are marketed as monitors, so these are basically good for stage use. Monitors should really have good instrument separation or else it will be difficult to hear click tracks especially in loudness wars haha. The mid-bass presence also helps a lot with note tracking from bass guitars and kick drums.

SO, ARE THEY ONLY GOOD FOR MUSICIANS?

-Not at all. I have not seen the graph of this, but this can also be good for music listening.

What sets RS ONE set apart from other monitors like Sennheiser ie100pro and shure215 is that it seems to have a pinna gain for vocal presence. Most monitors skip the pinna and just go straight for treble details, making them sound overly bright or too warm, and they are not really good for music indulgence. Acoustune RS ONE is both good for music listening and for professional use.

WHAT GENRE ARE THEY GOOD AT?

-It played my library pretty well, from Metal, rock, reggae, alternative, KPOP, JPOP, Original Pinoy Music, EDM etc. I guess it is safe to say that the Acoustune RS ONE is an all-rounder. Just be mindful of that mid-bass presence and treble roll-off. But for me personally? I don’t really mind because they are so worth my money.

Acoustune RS ONE is the perfect definition of an In-Ear-Monitor, be it for professional use or for music indulgence. It may not be a perfectly tuned IEM relative to the current trend, but Acoustune did a hell of a great job on hitting two birds in ONE stone.

my unboxing and comparison here:

MEST MKII – "Definition"


DISCLAIMER:
This is tour unit provided by UM and managed by a friend Edz Cuizon.


I am not affiliated with the company, I do not get any incentives and I am not paid for this review. If there is anything involving money, it will be me paying for the shipping haha.


So, I will be sharing my user experience of the UM MEST MKIII as transparent as possible. I hope.


WHAT’S IN THE BOX?



Check my unboxing video here:





As you may have noticed, my unboxing is not that fancy. This is just a nitpick, but I did not feel like I was unboxing an expensive set. Inside you get:


1.) A Circular IEM case


2.) A thiccckk cable- it’s a pure 4-core copper in 26AWG shielded in nylon. They are thick man. It has a similar feel to my clothes iron cable- however you may take that. Also an important thing to note is that, I did not use the cable in most of my listening assessment because they were when I got them broken. I had them fixed and tried them for a day before sending to the next reviewer.


3.) Two sets of eartips- it feels like azla xelastics, in a different form. The other set has holes, and honestly, I am not sure what they are for. When I use them, I do not get any seal. Zero. Nai. It felt like the IEMS are just shoved inside my ears without any eartip. Yeah you guessed it right, it sounds awful to the point that even Vido eardbuds sound better.


4.) Eartip case - yes


5.) A leather strap – yes


6.) A small pouch for the IEMS – yes


7.) That’s it.


IEM SPECS:




1. It’s a quadbrid. A combination of 1 dynamic driver, 4 balanced armatures, 4 ESTs and 1 piezo bone conduction.


3. A two pin socket


4. 5 way crossover


5. Frequency range of 20Hz-70kHz – denngg 70Khz


BUILD and COMFORT:


Please excuse me for whining this early. After my underwhelming unboxing of a $2000 set, the build is just not acceptable when compared to other IEMS or even in the sub $1000.


But there is more than meets the eye. It is said to be constructed from carbon fiber. It has a transparent indigo shell with black webs inside, or at least that how I see it haha.


The faceplate is made of laminated wood as what I’ve read.


They are on the bigger side and its weight does not justify its size. They are really light and I did not get any strain from wearing them in long hours. Standard fit for me. They isolate well when stock eartips are used.


Honestly though, they look and feel cheap when compared to other TOTLs in its price bracket. Like really.


However, I am not judging the book by its cover, or am I? lets find out its performance in sound


SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player


-stock cable and some random cables from different IEMS
-stock eartips (non-holes) and AET07


SOUND:
Bass is clean without noticeable bleed from the mids. This is evidenced by a mild cut at 200hz. However, the vocals and instruments are not thin sounding because there is a huge hole in the upper mids. This makes the the MEST Mkiii natural and organic sounding. I think the bone conduction adds a bit of dimension and texture to bass guitars and kick drums.


Mids are not forward nor recessed, and I think the bone conduction also works by separating the vocals from the instruments, similar to BQEYZ Winter.


They are shout and fatigue free, but I sometimes feel the lack of power in certain vocal range.


Treble is a bit forward when it comes to details. The presence region to lower treble gets some focus because there is a dip before that. I must say that the treble is actually smooth even with this emphasis. Cymbal timbre is natural and extension is commendable.


A FAMILIAR SOUND


I have heard some sets from Unique Melody in Japan, particulary the UM 3DT Grain. It was almost a year ago and my memory is faint, but I feel like they tune their treble pretty forward.


As I described the MEST Mk3 in my first impressions video, I said that the they have some emphasis on the treble but without being fatiguing. I knew the sound was familiar and I have some sets in mind with this kind quality.


First, I was reminded of the BQEYZ winter vocal presentation and separation. Having a similar Piezo Bone conductor configuration might be the reason. The similarity in sound and staging is uncanny. Vocal layering is great, and I could catch harmonies with less effort. It seemed like they are being played at separate speakers.


After few hours of listening, I was then again reminded of another set, the Bravery AE. This time, the tonality and presentation are very familiar. The Mest Mkiii sounds like a buffed Bravery. As mentioned in my review of the bravery, it tends to highlight treble without being strident. This results in getting more nuance and details. My tracks always have those extra details that I did not notice with other sets, or maybe not that highlighted.


DETAILS, TONAL ACCURACY and SEPARATION


This might be an unpopular opinion, but I always thought details and nuance is a result of highlighting specific areas in the spectrum.


When I was in Japan, I had the chance to try out expensive sets and A/B them with KZ sets hahaha, not kidding. What I found was that, in my test tracks, I hear the same exact details in specific time stamps, but the tuning makes the amplitude of those details less or more noticeable.

There are some exceptions, but basically the details are not lost when switching to cheaper sets, only that, you may not notice them because the focus is on a different frequency band.


Having said that, the MEST MKIII is a set that really manages well in presenting nuances in a track. Listening to Polyphia’s “Ego Death”, the playful guitar harmonics are more evident.


So, what sets TOTL apart from cheaper sets? I think it is tonal accuracy and separation. I have always noticed that expensive sets have better tonal accuracy in instruments.


Separation also seems to be better in a way that, you would be less likely to focus hard when catching chords or notes.


The MEST MKIII for me sounds exactly that. The tonal accuracy is near realism, and they didn’t mess up cymbal timbre. Bass guitars are very textured and all the elements in the mix seem to be floating in space, waiting to be noticed. The separation is commendable especially in vocal layering, and because everything has their own space, you get the perception of “new details pop out”.


THE DIP


- there seems to be an attenuation in the upper mids with the mest mkiii.. around 4-5k. What this translates is that it makes the timbre of instruments and vocals natural and organic sounding. This is a different approach because some tunings increase the midbass to make timbre organic sounding. Because there is a harmonic cut, plus an elevated 1k region, the vocals are clear and lush.


Additionally, since the bass cut is around 200hz, the midrange remains open and devoid of any bleed from midbass. So, is the midbass not present? Not at all, you get enough amount relative to subbass level. In fact, the bass on the mest mkiii is well implemented.


The cut at 4k also makes the mest mkiii very forgiving, smooth and fatigue free. It is a unique tuning that combines being organic while being resolving at the same time.


But there is a catch. You actually loose some bite and incisiveness in the harmonics of guitars and snares.
Female vocals in higher pitches also seem to lose that realism in shout. You know what I mean? Like when Celine Dione belts, we are supposed to squint our eyes because we feel that power in her voice. But not in my experience. My eyes were wide open, hoping to get that connection.


This cut also results in a perceived warmth in its signature without sounding bloated in the bass.


This might be the reason for its organic sound, but sometimes, they are just too warm for me really..


Also interesting to note is that, this dip might be one of the reasons why instruments are well separated. It seems that they have their own individual spaces that makes discerning notes a breeze.


BONE CONDUCTION


I have to be honest. Maybe I’m not trained for this, but I do not really hear how this driver works, apart from the added texture in bass guitars and kick drums.. that’s it.


If the bone conduction targets the bass, then that’s the only thing I noticed. No visceral rumble, no bass head dream, no realistic decay, just timbral accuracy on instruments that lies around 40hz to 200hz.. Maybe it also renders better separation in the vocals and other instruments. But yeah, those are my only observations.


And then I have been told by Eric that the bone conductor is full range. Now that makes sense.


THE BORING PART


In the first few days of my listening, I get that TOTL level of sound. They are great sounding and I really enjoyed listening to them. Until the honeymoon phase is over.


It happened too quickly. I am not sure if it’s the overall tuning, or my ears get fatigued by that maximum 70Khz frequency range, but in my third day, everything gets less engaging.


It’s not the kind of set that stops you in whatever you are doing. You know what I mean? I know I am wearing them, and I hear my music, but for some reason, it does not let me connect.


PROS
natural timbre on instruments. In fact, timbral accuracy is high


good separation of instruments and vocals. This set does very well in this regard.


fatigue free and shout free. It’s a double edged sword though because you also get less intensity in higher pitches.


very good decay. The mest mkiii can capture echoes and even to the last definition of notes


Natural sounding vocals especially males.


CONS
the bass texture and overall quality might be good, but the level might not be enough for bassheads


although mid treble is forward, the attenuation in the low treble might not please some treble heads.


needs a bit of vocal and instrument intensity. Listening to “just a phase” by Incubus was not so intense in the 4:22 mark.


the harmonic cut might be bothersome for some people. In Maroon 5’ Sunday Morning, the snares sounded like they are stuffed and did not sound as snappy as I like.


COMPARISONS


Letshuoer cadenza


I think they are priced similarly (yes im talking about the red mkiii) haha


Having said that, i think the cadenza 12 has better accesories and overall value for what you pay. Like the box is filled with eartips, a portable iem drawer, interchangable cable termination, and a metal figure, which you might not need haha.


Anyhow, in terms of sounds, I do think the Cadenza 12 sounds more resolving in terms of how natural instruments and vocals are. Maybe its because of the drivers? I do think the Mest mkiii wins it on bass. But i still think the cadenza 12 is a tad better for my preference.


Aful performer 8
Why is this here? Well looking at the graph, they follow a very similar curve up until 4k, where the mest mkiii attenuates the frequency.


The mest has more subbass and i definitely hear it. Both of them share the same openness in the midrange and vocals, as evidenced by the uncanny similarity from 200hz- 2k.. however, because of the dip , the mest mkiii sounds warmer in comparison and is more forgiving.


The p8 sounds more linear in the upper mids to treble, which translates that treble can be more forward than the mest mkiii.


Both of them have great extension, but I have to give it to mest mkiii when presenting natural timbre in the treble, especially cymbal timbre.


Studio 4
The studio 4 is here because they are my current reference for neutral. Since the MEST MKiii can sound neutral, I think the comparison is valid.


There is big price gap but I think most of the cost did not go to sound implementation. Materials, construction, and different drivers have to be taken into account.


As for the sound comparison, the Studio 4 sounds more realistic for me, albeit not as resolving as the MEST MKIII.


Separation is a close tie, but the presentation is a bit different because of the perceived stage dimension. The studio 4 has equal proportions that helps with layering, while the the MEST mkiii separates instruments thru spacial projection.


The Mest MKIII sounds wider in comparison but has lesser intensity in the harmonics.


The studio 4 also has a harmonic cut, but because it also has some ear gain around 2.5k, it sounds more correct.


Take your pick $440 vs $2000


SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.


TONALITY - 2.5
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 3


=13.5 ( A + rank, generally better than other TOTL sets, but the price to performance and overall packaging hinders me from giving them a solid S rank)


Check my scoring criteria here:


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing


GRAB SCORE:
This is easy, I just rate the set whether I would grab them for listening. Very subjective.


- I will never touch this again


- I grab if I remember


- Can be part of my rotation


- I break my rotation and grab this one today


- *** rotation, I’ll listen to these for the whole week


- Im selling everything, I will only listen to these haha.


Mest MKIII GRAB SCORE: 2


They might sound good, but If I bought this set, they could only be part of my rotation. It's not quite the set that makes you feel excited when you wake up in the morning. This is a personal scoring though, dont take this seriously.


FINAL THOUGHTS


The tonality of the MEST MKiii can run between being neutral to balanced depending on eartips.


Technical ability is TOTL level when it comes to timbral accuracy and detail retrieval. Separation is some of the best out there, and as I mentioned about cymbals, it is one of the few that represents an accurate tonal color.


If I have to make an analogy, the MEST MKIII is a pro artist that portrays music with great detail and definition. Every nuance and emotion is captured.


However. Yes a big however. I honestly do not think the price justifies its overall performance, package, and build. Some of the mid fi sets look classier and sturdier than the MEST MKiii, for example the Celest Phoenixcall and some kiwi ears models.. The build quality really feels cheap, the eartips with holes is unusable, and the overall package leaves you wanting for more accessories. Well maybe the cost of drivers and building them together makes it more expensive.


A/B-ing the mest mkiii with some of my S-tiered sets (Aful P8), makes me shake my head, not because they sound extremely better, but because of how the MKiii is priced.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a very good sounding set, but how much you are willing to pay is a personal endeavor.


Having said that, the sound of the Mest Mkiii is quite opposite to its external irks. It specializes in recreating an accurate representation of instruments and has this addictive quality in texture and nuance. Every time I listen to them, I get the feeling of correctness and precision.


Just don’t ask about its price tag, because its quite a DEFINITION in terms of appearance and sonic performance.


==========================
WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links


https://shop.musicteck.com/products/um-mest-mkiii


https://hifigo.com/blogs/news/unique-melody-mest-mkiii-cf-edition-news


MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:


Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,


OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya


POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish


OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa


I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.


Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Astrotec Vesna EVO - "RESOLUTION on a BUDGET"


DISCLAIMER:
This is a review unit sent by our friends at Keephifi . I want to thank them for reaching me out. I am pleased that they have noticed my work. Well, more like a copium diary tho haha..I don’t really consider myself a “pro” reviewer. I am just a regular dude who likes to share impressions on products that I can try here in JP. Nonetheless, I will try my best to be transparent as possible. Although it is really hard to be purely objective when reviewing. There are many factors that affect listening experience like work load, stress, my mood, and my wife’s mood haha.

Anyhow, let me give a short shoutout to KeepHifi. Yes this is a “kind of” ad for them. It’s the least I can do because I got this unit for free. Consider subscribing to their website for promos and discounts. Their rep is very responsive and they ship pretty quick too.

Other than that, they do not hold any of my opinions. If I like the set, maybe it matches my library and not yours. Cross reference reviews and take my impressions with a boatload of salt. I consider this as my personal diary.

ABOUT THE COMPANY:

It is my first time reviewing Astrotec's product. They recently got a VGP award of VESNA EVO and LYRA MINI earbuds. I know they are the kind of company that takes time developing their products. I admire such company direction.

In their website, the meaning of Astrotec says "an endless pursuit of exploration in acoustic technology and the combination of acoustics and aesthetics"

Now let us uncover this and see..

PACKAGING and ACCESSORIES:



-I have the EVO version which has a removable cable. The Box is small but presented nicely. There is a small pouch included, and 3 pairs of eartips in SML.
-the cable is of really nice quality. They seem sturdy and probably can withstand abuse haha. I do not have the regular version tho, so I am not sure if a 15usd increase in price is reasonable. I also noticed in other reviews that the regular version has that dongle included. The EVO version does not have it.

BUILD and COMFORT:



-Bullet type. They are very light and very solid to feel. I think its made of aircraft grade aluminum alloy.

-They can fit deep depending on eartips. But because of the added weight from the upgraded cable, they dangle a bit if I shallow insert them. So the way to go for me is deep insertion. Tho not as deep as etymotics.
They are comfortable. I have no issues whatsoever.

-They use an LCP driver and is said to be imported from Japan. On their page, it also says “Accurately restore every note as an elf whispering in your ear”
“listen to the bass with weight, graceful midrange, ethereal treble”

Hmmm an elf whispering in my ear and an ethereal treble. This got me hyped really..

SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-stock tips

-stock cable

-Volume measured and listend at 75-78 dbs.

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

Sound impression relative to price and performance : 20- 40usd

SOUND PROFILE:

Balanced with emphasis at presence.

Bass is actually not too boosted in them. A little bit north from neutral. Depending on fit depth and eartips, you can turn this into a bass monster or a neutral set. However, I will be reviewing them using stock tips and most of my impressions will be based on that. Going back, they have good texture and detail in the lower region. Good attack and decay that doesn’t smear the lower mids that much. I hear a bit of subbass presence but not as much as midbass. It is quick and not the boomy type.

Mids have very good resolution on them really. It might be the most resolving driver I have heard in this price range. However, the tuning is a little bit different from the usual trend. They don’t seem to have a lot of gain around 2-3k which makes vocals and instruments a bit retracted. It then goes up at presence for clarity. The result of this is a smooth yet detailed listening experience. Vocals are not placed too forward and instrument harmonics and decay seem to envelope them. Imagine you are listening to a live music wherein the vocalist is at the center and the instruments are encircling the vocals haha. Strange setup, nonetheless its not something that can turn someone off, I hope....

Treble is focused at presence and rolls off quite early. There is also not enough air on the EVO that is why it is affecting its soundstage. However, because of the focus around 5-7k, there is ample of harmonics from instruments and perceived detail. They don’t really sound harsh for me. Maybe my descriptor would be “energetic”.

Technicalities are above average. Let us start with the stage, they are not that big and airy. They do remind me of Heart Mirrors, only that the mirrors have an airy one. As for the EVO, reverb does not travel that far but the space is proportional. There is enough height and depth. Width is somewhat smaller. Resolution is really good at this price point. I was expecting a budget performance from them, but I guess I was wrong. I felt that there are enough details in the three main frequencies and I could hear new details from my library, which was surprising really. Imaging and separation are also above average. However, the tuning is really odd for me, they are detailed but unengaging. I can’t explain haha. It’s like everyone is tired of singing and playing music but still doing their best lol. Timbre is on the leaner side, near analytical. Even if there is some midbass emphasis, I find the vocals to be lacking in body at times.

PROS
I thought that the track closer was very detailed on these. The bass, vocals, synths were clear to listen to.

I was able to hear a lot detail on the track BXMXC by Babymetal. It is a very busy track with a lot of synths in the background, but EVO managed to retrieve them. Separation is also commendable

I really hear a lot of nuances in my library. I know that these things are already present in the track if I pay more attention, it is just that the signature and tuning of EVO presents it in a way that you hear them better, So I could hear things that I did not notice before.

In the track “Rude” by Magic, there is a good balance of vocals and instruments. Bass did not come across too much in your face like how other sets would do. Cymbals were not overemphasized with good resolution and timbre.

Bon Jovi’s vocals are very airy on the “livin on a prayer”. The stage was deep as well. Reverbs were realistic without timbral changes.

Female vocals are properly placed, avoiding shout. Taylor, Olivia, Celine etc sound really soothing yet clear

Very good balance of the three frequencies. Like really. I did not really find the bass to be too much nor lacking. The mids are properly defined. Treble is not dark nor too colored. Although it leans a bit on the energetic side, they are not harsh or fatiguing in my ears.

I thought in the track Caribbean Blue by Big mountain, everything sounds even and instruments are not congested. Vocals have enough presence without being intrusive.

very nice guitar harmonics in the track “11am” by Incubus. Also in the track “Dig” by the same artist, instruments were layered nicely and I could track where they are from.

CONS
fundamentals and vocals are a bit retracted on some tracks. It is not that it is hard to hear them, but the staging is a bit different from the usual iems I have tried in this range. It feels likes all instrument reverbs are running around a small space.

too much presence. Like you hear the harmonics but there is not enough fundamentals to support them. For example listening to Greenday’s “basketcase”, the intro riff sounds like all distortion.

vocals and instruments (cymbals, guitar, bass guitar) might not have enough body for some people.

thinnish timbre on male vocals. This may be tip dependent. You can get enough bass if you insert deeper. But they are very far from being warm and analogue sounding.

lacks vocal texture. They sound dry at times and they are very unforgiving to badly mastered tracks. The lack of air and the thinnish timbre all contributes to this small nitpick

soundstage is actually small in them. It is like listening up close in a performance. Notes don’t travel that far and everything seems all in your head.

unengaging. I don’t know why, there is something about the tuning that is “off”, they are detailed, not too analytic, but there is lacking.

hard to drive. I always have to push my volume higher than normal levels to get good sound. If you are getting the regular VESNA, I think they include a dongle, so it wont be a problem.

TIP ROLLING:
I did mention about the bass that changes? Let me just include this here. The vent is located below the nozzle. Almost the same location as with my acoustune RS1. Which means they are fit and tip sensitive. If you use an eartip that will cover the vent when deep inserted, they will be very bassy, like basshead level lol. If the eartip dome doesn’t cover the vent hole, they sound balanced and sometimes neutral on foam tips. So yeah, experiment to your liking and find the fit and tips that sound right for you.
But for this review, I used the stock tips for a proper impression on how this product sounds with its included package.

COMPARISONS relative to PRICE and PERFORMANCE:

CHU
- Chu has lighter bass and has upper mids emphasis. Vesna has some midbass punch, yet smooth sounding. Both are unengaging haha. Well, if you want a brighter presentation, go for chu. If you want good balance of frequencies, go for vesna

EDA balanced
-EDA is more engaging and a fun listen overall, but resolution goes to Vesna, EDA balanced also has more textured bass, clean mids and more treble sparkle. Vesna has better imaging of instruments and fine nuances and details. Pick you poison.

CCA LYRA
-hmmm. Lyra is very musical and has more forward vocals if you are into iku iku., Id give overall tonality to the Lyra because it is more palatable. Vesna offers a good listening experience too but it loses out on timbre and fun. Vesna is more technical and more resolving but the tonality is something you have to get used to.

WHAT ELSE?
Comment down below. I'll try to give a short comparison if I have heard od them.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I am ambivalent with the Lyra. I like its resolution, but the tonality is something I always have to adjust every time I listen to them. The resolution it gives is a surprise and the tonality it offers is something refreshing. I have not tried the regular VESNA. I was given the option to review both, but I chose to only review the EVO because I thought it’s a waste of resource haha.

If the regular VESNA and EVO sounds the same, think the regular VESNA at 20 usd is a good alternative for CHU if you want a bit more bass whilst still having clean mids. if you want more fun bass, go for KZs.

Also, there seems to be divisive impressions on reviewers on both regular VESNA and EVO. Akros also noticed that two of his EVOs graphed differently. I am not sure how prevalent these issues are, or if Astrotec knows about this. What I know is I like the unit I have now.

They are not by any means a giant killer, nor do they dominate the range in terms of price to performance ratio, but they offer a different flavor and approach to your listening experiences.

Is this an EVO-lution? Probably not quite there yet. However, I am excited how the company will make future tuning changes or improvements. Astotrec has already proven themselves with the VGP award of the VESNA EVO and Lyra Mini. They take their time in developing and I am pretty sure they have something up their sleeves.

COSPA RATING: 7.5/10

WHERE TO BUY:
non-affiliate link:
https://keephifi.com/products/astrotec-vesna-evo?_pos=1&_sid=669c25f0f&_ss=r

Truthears X Crinacle : Project Red




DISCLAIMER:


This unit is provided by ShenzenAudio. Crinacle announced that reviewers can apply for a review unit. Very thankful that I am given the opportunity to review this set.


Having said that. There was very little to no converasation between me and the vendor, even with Crinacle haha.


The unit was just sent without me knowing lol. I said "thank you so much" blablabla, and our ever dear Cloris just hearts my message lol hahaha.


I have my own preferences so please cross reference other reviews. I will call this write up my USER EXPERIENCE.


Let's start


WHAT’S IN THE BOX?



The box is similar to that of the Hexa. Everything is the same, except for the box art and the iems.


Here is my unboxing and first impressions video:





No internet data for video? Okay here is what’s in the box haha:


1. The box with box art and some papers


2. Carrying pouch similar to the Hexa and Zero


3. Two sets of eartips in SML similar to the Hexa and Zero


4. Cables similar to Hexa and Zero


5. The units- in Red haha


BUILD and COMFORT:


Build is well, the OG Zero. Comfort is well, again the OG Zero hahaha..


Okay okay, for me, they are a bit big, especially the nozzles. I cannot insert them deeper if I use the wrong ear tips. I want to insert them deeper so that I can have more treble presence. Your ears may vary.


I do not notice any stress or strain during long listening sessions. But I do find them a bit finnicky to get a proper seal. So yeah, tip roll as much as you can and find that perfect comfort for your ears.


SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player


-stock cable and **** 4.4 balanced
-azla sedna shorts


SOUND:


“Nothing to talk about”


-In my first listening impressions, I mentioned that the signature is kinda boring. The overall signature is very smooth and I was really looking for that bite in the upper mids to lower treble. The red is inoffensive and defines what neutral should be.. or not.


I have heard other neutral sets that are more engaging and it really didn’t make sense to me why the Red sounded like this, relative to its tuning. Because on paper, this should sound enough for my preference.
It knew it will be hard for me to write about the Red, simply because the way they sounded was too safe for me. There was really nothing to talk about, or is there?


“10 ohm adapter”


-This is a very smart move. Basically, it gives a bass boost to the Red. It does make the signature more engaging and makes the mids fuller sounding. You also get some midbass for that punchy slaps and kicks.


Also worth mentioning is that, it doesn’t really make the red “harder” to drive. You would probably only lose like 1-2volume steps with the adapter. Somehow, you retain the treble and that open midrange even with the adapter. I know some people might prefer this, but personally, I still like the bass level without the 10 ohm.


“Balanced is the key”


-It took me a few days to finally write something about the Red. I knew this was hard to drive because I am 10 volume steps more in my Shanling M3x with the Red. That’s still a lot of headroom of course, but the red really felt Lo-res haha.


I always had a feeling that this dual DD setup has some bottlenecks. I noticed this with the QKZ X HBB Khan, wherein they don’t really sound good until you run them with more power.


And so, I tried running the Red on balanced, and boom. This is the tuning that I have been waiting to listen to.


Bass is at the right level that is very well separated from the rest. The center imaging of vocals is more accurate and the details pop out better. Instruments also sounded more full and is more natural sounding. The most important change for me is the upper mids and treble presence. Somehow, the red gained some emphasis in that area, giving that bite and presence to instruments. Treble sounds more bodied and cymbals gained definition. Balanced is the key


“Are they worth for the price or is better to just go straight to Hexa?”


-This is a tough one. I do think that there is no other tuning than this. This is the cheapest reference set you can get. I also think that the overall tuning is superior to the Hexa. What the Hexa edges out is in the technical aspect and overall resolution. The hybrid setup just helps the Hexa separates better and get better staging. Honestly, Red on balanced is not far ahead, but then, you have to factor in source, which some people may not have access to.


So to answer the question, it is more practical to buy the Hexa if you are just starting out in the hobby and is looking for a reference set. If you have a good source, probably buy red for a natural sound and for novelty, coz its Crin..


PROS


Inoffensive neutral tuning. No peaks whatsoever. Very safe tuning and easy to listen to


Nice treble smoothness. Yeah they are smooth and fatigue free


Two options for Bass level. The adapter is a nice inclusion. If you find the stock tuning to be less engaging, the 10ohm adapter might help you in reaching eargasmic levels.


Mids are clean sounding. Vocals and instruments have natural timbre.


Good separation and layering, but, go to CONS


Nice vocal presence


CONS


Upper mids might lack bite for some people. But I find this to be tip dependent. If you manage to insert them deeper, you may get some treble presence.


The overall tonality can be dry sounding. Not in a way that its analytical sounding. I can’t explain. Maybe just less engaging. It must be the drivers.


Overall resolution can be better.


Treble extension can also be better so that more micro details pop out.


COMPARISONS


There is a lot going on in this price range and the competition is really tough. There are budget planars, budget hybrids, good sounding DDs, all BAs and switches. I will try my best to compare them with sets I have heard.


Celest Pandamon
-Both share a neutral and smooth signature but with different emphasis. The Red is subbass focused while the Pandamon has a more linear bass and some midbass emphasis. Vocals are more forward on the Pandamon and can be shouty for some people with its early gain.


The red is safer in the vocals and sounds more open. Treble on both are smooth but Pandamon edges out on micro details and separation. Red wins for a more natural replay.


QKZ x HBB Khan
-Both share the same dual DD setup and technology. The Khan is more bass focused, as should be. Red sounds more balanced and fits my preference better. Khan is more engaging but just too much for me really. I feel a big disconnect in the bass with the steep tuck. Red is more linear sounding in the bass even with the adapter. Mids and treble are also more correct sounding with the Red and pop out more compared to the Khan. Choose Khan if you love bass. Choose red if you need a reference.


KZ PLANARS
-I have not heard of the recent PR2. I have only heard of the KZ PR1 Hifi and the Pro. Having said that, I think this comparison is interesting because of how KZ planars are priced. I do think planars might offer better techs, and is more superior in layering and separation. What Red might appeal to is in its smoother signature and a more natural sound on instruments. The PR2 might actually beat the Red, but considering some issues currently with the PR2, where newer units have boosted treble, I would probably advice getting red for a more natural replay. Get KZ planars if you want better separation, but there is a risk of getting those sets with high treble on the PR2.


-HEXA
Well I know the Hexa is more expensive than the Red. But since they are from the same company, I hope think this comparison will be helpful. The Hexa is superior when it comes to technicalities and separation. The bass is also more linear and more nuanced even if it is graphed lesser. Maybe the quality of the DD? The bass of the Red is in the slower side, but the level might be enough for you. The Hexa mids are thinner sounding so the Red’s tonality might appeal to you better. Treble is also more natural on the Red, but the Hexa has better extension. Choose you poison. Red for a smoother sounding reference, or Hexa for a more analytical reference, but a few dollars more.


SCORING

-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.


TONALITY - 3
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 2.5


=13.5 ( A+ rank, generally better than other sets. Very good for the price but the tonality might not match your preferences)


Check my scoring criteria here:


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing


FINAL THOUGHTS


The Project Red has been carefully tuned by Crin. It offers a very smooth neutral signature with a subbass boost, and a 10 ohm adapter for more boost! Haha


Bass is tight and you definitely feel the subbass rumble. It offers enough engagement especially when run on balanced, at least for me. I do feel the driver is in the slower side.


Mids are very open sounding, lush and full. Vocals come out with a natural timbre with adequate space around. It does not have any shout and this area is finely tuned I suppose.


Treble doesn’t sound as energetic as other sets, but you will be surprised how smooth the implementation is. It might be on the safer side, but it offers enough details to complement the boost in the bass.
As for technicalities, I do wish it had more resolution. I know you get better resolving sets when you go up. But we often forget that there are also sets have are resolving even in the budget area, like the pandamon and KZ planars. The Red is better tuned tho.


Crinacle Project Red is a solid release in my honest opinion. This set is the only one in the price range that can be used as a reference or a resetter. There are no significant boosts that colors the tone, apart from the subbass boost.


So yeah, this may be my first review without some fancy titles. Why?


Just like how the Red sounds, no fancy s***t, just dead neutral.


==========================
WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links


https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/...ero-red-dual-dynamic-drivers-in-ear-headphone


MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:


Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,


OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya


POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish


OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa


I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.


Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading.

DUNU SA6 MK2 - "Is love better the second time around?"


DISCLAIMER:


This is a Philippine tour unit from Hifigo. If you think my impressions are being affected by this fact, it is your prerogative to think so.


As for this review, I only wrote down my interptetation of how they sound for me. It is subjective and biased because, yeah who isnt?


I will try my best to give metrics tho, alteast there is objectivity in my observation.


Consider this review, a personal user experience. Let's start.


SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby, Neutron and stock player


-Dunu SnS tips.


-stock cable in both 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced


MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:


Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,


OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya


POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish


OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa


I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.


WHAT'S IN THE BOX?




Dunu does not dissappoint when it comes to its packaging. You get enough accesories for the price. In the box, you get:


1.) Many eartips including the S and S tips. They look like reverse starline tips and they seal very well.


2. IEM case. It's always nice to have one.


3. Cable with interchangable termination. I find the cable to be of good quality and sturdy enough. They feel like a rope to be honest haha. You also get a 6.3mm adapter.


4. How can i miss the iems..


BUILD and COMFORT


The build is made of a plastic resin material that is similar to the ultras.
They are quite nice to wear. When paired with the SnS tips, they feel snug and secure. However, the nozzle doesnt have an eartip stopper, or whatever you call that. Meaning, when you want to tip roll, some eartips will not stay in the nozzle and gets left in your ears when you take them out haha.


As for the design. Well, you can see from the pictures. I dont need to describe every detail and color. They look gorgeous!


Reminiscing


I love the OG SA6, so as the SA6 Ultra. I immediately fell in love with them at my first listen, especially the Ultras. I was really excited to hear the MK2 since it follows the same midrange and treble, except for the extension in both ends.


The SA6 MK2 has more subbass and much more upper treble boost than both the OG and Ultra. The mids and treble are almost identical really.
How do they sound? You guessed it right. Just how they are graphed. I hear more subbass and more airy presentation in the treble. I was a bit underwhelmed because this was not the one I was longing for. The sound signature is approaching a V tonality, albeit having forward vocals. I am very particular on cymbal timbre. I keep repeating this because, as a drum enthusiast, I need to figure out hi-hats, rides and crash strikes. I then reminisce about the sound that I fell in love with.


I kept looking


I kept looking for that sound I missed. I changed eartips, turned on the bass switch, which actually works!


When I turned on the switch, I get better balance between the extremes. It doesn’t mean that the treble gets lowered, but at least the bass balances them out. They are fun sounding and very engaging. I like it.


Perceived stage is better too! Oh the stage is actually very spacious. But too stretched-out for my preference. Maybe I don’t like wide stages after all.


Anyhow, layering is good, and resolution is TOTL level. It seemed like instruments were being played in one plane, but I can still distinguish each nuance.


With all the good things about the SA6 MK2, I still found myself not satisfied, and so I kept looking.


It must be me


Is there something wrong with the SA6 MK2?


After a few days listening. I find myself grabbing other sets. I grab the Galileo. I grab some KZ sets. Heck I grab anything, like a banana for no reason..haha.


So what is wrong with the MK2? I am not sure.


I am thinking it is the overall tonality. Since the bass is elevated, It seems to mask that openness in the midrange. They are not muddy in any way, but I feel like I do not really need much bass to enjoy my music. Heck I even enjoy heart mirror’s bass on stock.


The overall tonality just did not click. Yes they give me the intimacy in sound and the resolution, but it does not let my heart sing. Is there something wrong with the SA6 MK2? I don’t think so. It must be me.


Is it a true successor then?


Well, probably yes. But more like an alternative to the Ultra. Some people might actually like this if they feel the Ultras lack the bass and treble. But if you already have the Ultra, I don’t think you are missing a lot.


As for the OG SA6, this is better I suppose. But I highly suggest you audition these. The boost in bass and treble might not please you.


So to answer the question. I do think it is a successor to the OG SA6, but not really with the Ultras, unless you like bass and treble.


The Twist


I lost hope. The Dunu SA6 MK2 was just sitting on my desk waiting to be sent to the next reviewer. I was thinking of giving one last listen and thought of using the 4.4mm balanced plug. I didnt really think they needed that. They are very easy to drive. Heck im only at volume 20 on my m3x at 3.5mm


I tried the balance anyway. And I am very glad I did.


I now hear the heart and core of this set. My heart beats fast. Listening to Celine's "All by myself". The clarity is now on another level. Yes I still hear the boosted treble but the bass seemed cleaner and has a more natural decay. The bass has become really quick and the treble has smoothened a bit. Listening to Yorushika's "bomber" is heaven. The bass riff was just satisfyingly good.


I moved on to the next track. "All out of love". Nice! Very lovely. The center imaging is back. The one I was longing for from the Ultras is here, now. That laser focus resolution paired with a nice bass decay.. ughh.. this is it. What a twist!


PROS


I like the note definition on this set. In the track "Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu" by Hanabie , the shamisen retained its tone and timbre even on heavy distortion guitars at the background.


bass is textured and fast. At least on 4.4mm balanced. Ed Sheeran's Dive has a very very punchy kick drum definition. Vocals are also well centered and presents that naturalness without the bloat from bass


Vocal texture is really good. In the track Drive by Inucubus. Vocals are articulate and almost realistic. Also in the track "Love Hurts", instruments seem to be dancing around my head and the micro details are just excellent. Except for the cymbal timbre..


Yoasobi's vocals in the track comet is also very good. You hear every layer with nuances.


CONS


some people might find it lacking in the presence area and gain region. This might be beneficial for some people because there is lesser shout, but I am not used to this staging especially with boosts in the bass and treble.


the boosted air changes the timbre on cymbals for me. I dont find them natural sounding for my preference. In the track Cebuana by Urbandub, the hi hats sounded close to crash cymbals, which was a bummer.


no eartip lock or lip lock on the nozzles. I have had many instanced where the eartips stay stuck on my ears when removing the set haha.


not as clean and open sounding as the Ultras. It's just my preference, so you might like these.


sounds are coming in my head rather than being projected in front. I would prefer a projected staging because it is easy for me to distinguish everything.


COMPARISONS


OG SA6 and ULTRA


- Ultra > SA6 MK2 > OG SA6


Soft ears studio 4
- This is an interesting comparison because I really love the studio 4. The tonality is a bit different though because the Studio 4 is more geared to a more natural replay of instruments, while the SA6 Mk2 is for more engagement and fun factor. Personally, I would probably pick the Studio 4 because of its overall tonality. They don’t seem to boost important parts of the frequency. The SA6 is more resolving though, and has a wider stage, but too stretched out for me.


Mega5p
-It is very clear that the Dunu SA6 MK2 is more resolving when talking about micro nuances. However, I do think the Mega5p has better macro dynamics that can pull out emotions from a track. It is also easier for me to project frontal staging on the Mega5ps. The Dunu has better extension in both ends and has switches for your preference.


OG Oracle
- The tonality is also a bit different. The oracle is leaner in the bass but the mids are more open sounding. But the treble can come off grainy because there is not enough bass to compensate for. The MK2 is more engaging if you like bass. But personally, I think the bass of the Oracle is just enough for me.


QDC ANOLE VX and GEMINI
- Well as I have mentioned, the resolution of MK2 is top notch and is reminiscent of TOTL sets. They share a similar curve in the gain. Yes they resemble, but I do think that the balance in TOTL sets is better implemented and cleaner in note definition. But still, we are talking hundreds of dollars in price difference.


SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.


TUNING - 2.5
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 3


=13.5 ( A+ rank, generally better than other sets. Very good for the price but the tonality might not match your preferences)


Check my scoring criteria here:


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing


FINAL THOUGHTS


What can I say. I think I have said everything in this writing. The SA6 MK2 is a wonderful set if it matches your preference. I highly recommend auditioning these unless your wallet has been itching to buy a new pair haha.


As for my scoring, even if I liked them during the last days, I still think the Ultra’s are a tad better for my preference. I was really considering if I gave them an S rank, but it just feels wrong. You know what I mean?


Although some people say that it is an alternative to the Ultra’s, well yes. But it was really hard for me to enjoy the Dunu SA6 MK2. The twist I mentioned when changing the termination to 4.4 might even be placebo haha.


Having said that, this has been my user experience of the DUNU SA6 MK2. They present a balanced sound with good extension in both ends. Bass is tight and does not feel like a BA at all. Mids are well resolved and vocals are forward sounding even with a lesser gain in 2-5k. Treble is well extended but I thought they could use a bit of presence and body on cymbal attacks. Technicalities are comparable to TOTL sets, if you are after that kind of sound.


As you can see in my first impressions video here:





I was not that impressed and I was a bit disappointed. Or maybe my expectations were too high haha.


Good thing I gave them a chance because,


Love is always better the second time around.. Happy mother's day.


WHERE TO BUY: Non-affiliate


https://hifigo.com/products/dunu-sa6-mkii-iems


￥ 80,751 1%OFF | DUNU SA6 MKII / MK2 6BA In-Ear Monitors IEMs 6 Balance Armature Drivers Earphones 2 Tuning Switch Solid Wooden Covers Headphone
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EvQYX1f

KZ AS16 PRO- "SOULFUL"


DISCLAIMER:
This unit was sent by KZ Official Store . Thank you Tyvan Lam. I really appreciate the generosity. But we all know this is not a thanksgiving write up. This will be my personal impression on the product and KZ does not have any control as to what I will say. But it doesn’t let me just talk crap about their product. I have to be professional because I did not buy this. If I had bought them, then it will be a different story. That’s just how it works. That is the limitation of human nature, or at least in the culture I grew up in.

Please consider this review my subjective diary. You know what? I do not copy paste my disclaimer. It is different every review if you may have noticed. The reason for this is, I want you to know how serious I am in this part, and I want to give my utmost importance in disclaimers. You just can’t skip it. It’s always after my title... Unless you scroll down too soon? haha

Cross reference other reviews and take a sack of salt and bathe with it. I consider this my personal diary wherein I try my best to layout my listening experiences as objective as possible, even if I know I end up being subjective because our brain adapts to different tunings.

UNBOXING:

This is not the typical KZ box from their budget models. It think this is the box from their expensive sets. The AS16PROs are presented quite nicely. They include:

-1 pair of cables

-3 pairs of the old,black starlines tips in SML

-Left and Right AS16pros, wow

FIT and COMFORT:

Uh Oh. Too soon for a con! I hate to say it but these are chunky, big, and they protrude on my ears. Although they are not heavy, but the fit is very dependent on which eartips you will use. With the stock tips, I can fit them a bit deeper but it hurts my ears in long sessions. Your mileage may vary.

These may fit you well and with the eartips im using now(jvc spriral dots),they fit just fine luckily.

SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-jvc spiral dots. The stock eartips are fine at first, but my left earhole is bigger and I couldnt get a proper seal. But your mileage may vary.

-stock cable and the KZ cable that came with ZES.

-with and without 30ohm impedance adapter

-Volume measured and listened at 75-78 dbs.

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

Sound impression relative to price and performance : 40-100usd

SOUND PROFILE:

Warm Midcentric with vocal emphasis. Yeah, I think this the first set from KZ that ive heard that focuses on vocal reproduction.

Bass is elevated in graphs. But I don’t really hear them to be overpowering that much in the spectrum. Maybe because it is just the eartips I am using, but I cant say there is leakage because I get a good seal with spiral dots and they still vacuum like hell..haha.. The AS16 PRO has a decent subbass rumble and not the boomy kind of midbass. It transitions quite smoothly giving male vocals a rich tone. Female vocals also benefit with this organic sound.

Mids are pleasing and sweet. They are a bit forward, including vocals. They can sometimes come across unnaturally forward that it scares me of how near and believable they are.. a bit honky but not the offender kind. I really like how the mids and vocals are done on the AS16 PRO. There is so much air around instruments. There is an occasional shout to female vocals when volume is increased, but not the headache inducing kind lol.

Treble is in the smoother side. Zero harshness and sharpness. There is a dip at presence and compensated with a rise. This is the reason why vocals have good definition and emotion. You lose a bit of harmonics and bite from instruments, but nothing much of a problem for me. A little less in the sparkle part but still able to retrieve details, tho it may not be the best.

I think what this set is lacking is an EST for the high treble. If KZ boosted the treble using a cheap BA, I think it would sound harsher. If an EST is added, I believe this can make the AS16 PRO sound near TOTL.

Technicalities are good as expected from an all-BA setup. Transients and decays are quick. I mentioned about the bass being elevated, but the decays are quick and goes for another punch. But BA bass is different from DD bass. There is more physicality to DD bass and BA bass is softer in presentation. It is not a bad thing for me, just something to take note of. Layering and staging is my favorite part of the AS16 PRO. They layer things like your mama folding your underwear lol- Neat, clean, well separated. The stage has good proportions that can extend at the back of your ear. It is like a U shaped projection so it feels like you are watching a live performance. I can close my eyes and have a trip with these haha. Detail retrieval is just average because of the treble tuning. Nothing spectacular. However, I do agree with Paul Wasabi when he said to not underestimate a smooth treble response. It is true, I can listen to these for hours, the whole day 24 hours, without being fatigued by its sound signature. This is where you will realize that you spent your money wisely when you can use a product as much as you can

PROS

In the track Suroy-suroy by Missing Felimon, the vocals and staging was really good. It was intimate yet full of emotions.

it is so hard to skip songs with the AS16 PRO really hahaha. The way vocals are reproduced is so addicting to me. Both male and female voices have very good definition and presence.

In the track Anna Molly by Incubus, instrument separation was a breeze. The AS16 Pro was not even trying ahahah.

Very soothing guitar harmonics in the track “One last breath” by Creed. They are not that lacking even with the dip, and they are not sharp as expected.

I find the AS16 PRO to have very good dynamics.

In the track “Lets stay together” by Big Mountain, the AS16 pro has very good realism in space, stage, decay and vocals. It sounds like a live. It is good. It is hypnotic haha. Also, Coldplay’s “fix you” has a similar reproduction. Very spacious stage with natural decay of instruments and vocals. The cymbals, although not as sparkly as I wanted them to be, seemed to have good transients.

One of my favorite tracks by Incubus, “Are you in?” Yes I was in, and it was hypnotic.

IU voice in “Epilogue” is so captivating.

the intro riff of “ignorance” by Paramore is damn expressive on these. Powerful, gritty, complete.

Man, how many times to I say vocals haha. Bamboo’s “light years” sounded really good. Very believable that I can close my eyes and imagine he is singing in front of me in a pub.

“One” by creed was hypnotic as well haha.

CONS

shouty female vocals at higher volumes

can be a bit congested in busy tracks with lots of harmonics. I noticed this in the track stigmatized.

Not really the best in micro nuances because the treble is tuned smoother, plus the presence dip. Well its just a nitpick, but people might expect a lot of details with them because its an all BA.

very big con for me is the size. I did mention that I can wear this the whole day. Well yes, but when I take them off, I do feel a strain point on my ears. The shell is freaking big and I had to find an eartip that doesn’t fit too deep, nor too shallow for it to dangle. So yeah, if you have small ears, too bad.,.haha

the vocals might be too forward for some.

you might need to pay extra cash for the impedance adapter to sound “better”

air pressure vaccum. Quite common in all-BA setup. But an easy fix is to pull your ears up or down to depressurize before removing the set.

WITH IMPEDANCE:

The vocals aren’t unnaturally forward anymore. But this will be perceived as recessed at first because your brain is tuned into that overly forward vocal.

Bass is tighter but still BA bass.

Gained some details in the treble but still has that dip. I don’t mind really, this helps vocals a lot. Harmonics are cut in exchange for captivating vocals.

smoother treble with better details than stock

better balance overall really

you get two tunings in one..

lost a bit of stage width.

my dap looks like a two-way radio. Very hard to navigate the volumes when they are in my pocket.

might be a bit hard to drive depending on your source

I do like the sound on both with and without the impedance. I might even prefer without the impedance when I am outside, just because of the mobility it provides.. but that's just me..

COMPARISONS to other KZ sets:

No, there is no comparison, this is the best KZ I have heard. For now that is..haha.

And I don’t really think you will be tempted to upgrade on next KZ releases, unless they add ESTs for treble cleanliness and clarity.

I have a short video too! You can check them here:



FINAL THOUGHTS:

This is a good set. There are stores that sell this for 40 bucks and I think it is a steal. I don’t really mind if you call me a shill or a KZ endorser or whatever. All I know is, this is an impressive set for its price. Yes, it is not tuned perfectly, there needs to be some improvement. But then audio is consumption, just like food. I don’t think I can eat the same dish three times a day for a month haha. No matter how perfectly tuned an IEM is, we will always be looking for something different.
The AS16 PRO fits that change. An all-BA set. A gain that follows diffused field. Non-fatiguing and smooth treble. And the first midcentric-vocal focused KZ I have heard.

The price where it is at is a battlefield. There is the new crinacle collab and other sets that have proven to be great for their price. So, it seems like only reviewers can experience AS16 PRO’s magic, and probably some brave ones.

Unfortunately, I cannot fully recommend the AS16 PROs because of two main Cons.

First is the big shell that might not fit well for everyone. If it does not fit you well, then most likely you won’t be getting good sound from it. You need to tip roll, and not everyone has that option.

Second is the impedance adapter thing. Well, yes, they do sound good with it but I've heard people saying they cant get them in their area.

For me personally, it limits my mobility. I always listen to music while commuting, walking, during lunch etc. and I always have to be careful with the way I move because that impedance and the plug stick out in my pocket like an erected p***s haha.

If you don’t mind the Two Cons, go ahead brave one, you will be rewarded with its sound.

Nevertheless, I honestly think KZ is in the right direction. If you think reviewers are shilling the recent KZ sound quality, check their content because they also have reviews from other companies. You will be surprised that some reviewers almost share the same premise that KZ sound quality is indeed getting better every release after the fiasco. You don’t have to believe it. Heck you don’t even need to buy AS16PRO just yet. Just wait and see for more positive reviews while we relax and chill with this soulful set.

“A presence that is timeless, reliably calm and detached from the daily drama that pulls us in many directions” – PsychCentral

A perfect description of how the AS16PRO sounds. The soulful kind

DISCLAIMER:
I bought them at a discounted price in exchange for a biased review. No! hahaha just kidding. I have to commend Sir Kent Adrianne Alfonso for accommodating my purchase and the TangZu Audio team for being very professional
Anyhow, same as usual. I will lay out my listening experiences with this set as accurate as possible. Please do not forget that my take might be different from yours. And so why am I even writing a review? Haha. Well I consider this as my diary and I just enjoy writing. Please cross reference other reviews online because this set is going to be very, very polarizing.


ABOUT THE COMPANY
-I actually had 2 cancelled purchases with this one, but the team was just very responsive in guiding me what to do even at midnight! They really went further with this release and added that extra passion by working in the wee hours. This company know what they are doing. To prove a point, when they released Yuan Li, I was surprised that their first model is carried by e-earphones. I mean, not all manufacturers get the chance to be distributed by e-earphones. Just shows their dedication of their goals. They dream big.
I also asked them on their Telegram server if their tuning on Shiminli is deliberate, and they responded that they are fans of ER2Se. So there is that.


PACKAGE and ACCESRIES
Tangzu is very generous with this package. This includes:
-3 pairs (S, M , L) aet08 clones
-3 pairs (S, M, L ) aet07 clones
-the cables are thick and they look very durable. But I find them stiff


COMFORT and BUILD:
- They look amazing. It is my first gold IEM and the design is intricate. They feel premium to hold and they are also quite heavy.
-They also have fins to secure the fit but the nozzles are a bit long, which renders the fins useless on my ears. And so, the round edge actually strains my anthelix in about an hour of use. Not really painful, but enough to be noticed. That is just me okay? You might get very good fit with them.


SETUP
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player
-Different tips used including Radius Deep Mount, Moondrop spring tips, and Nuarl Foams. The stock tips just didn’t work for me. I had to figure out the right distance to reduce shout.
-stock cable and **** 8 core balanced.
-Volume measured and listend at 75-78 dbs.



MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:
Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,
OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya
POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish
OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa
I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.


SOUND PROFILE

Warm midcentric with emphasis on vocals. It follows a diffused style gain akin to the etymotic target. Not close, but I can hear the resemblance. At first, the closest graph I could think of was that of the OG Hana, but as I listened more, Shimin Li, OG Hana and ER2XR are kindof in the same ballpark in terms of sound presentation. Not quality okay? Sound presentation

Bass has enough presence and they are there to complete the whole mix. Not really contributing a lot, but probably supporting warmth on vocals as to not making them artificial sounding. They are a bit north of neutral, and for me it is good because it adds a bit of musicality. Still not bass head levels though so keep that in mind for those of you who loves bass.

Mids are well presented in a very uncolored way. There are no boosted harmonics to smear the tones of instruments and vocals. But sometimes I feel like a little boost in presence might make them a little more engaging. But I guess the tuning on these are deliberate in not following harman gain. They are aiming for diffused style so this is usually what you get in this kind of sound.

Vocals sound forward and can be shouty in higher volumes. Fundamentals are well reproduced and is not suffering from any bleeding from the bass.

Treble is in the smoother side. Some people call this bright, but for me, it is the gain that makes people perceive them as bright, not the treble per se. Some people can also perceive this as dark especially if the ears are accustomed to harman steady gain until 6k. Shimili has a dip at presence and is not compensated with air, so I understand why people call this dark sounding. But hey, its not like the cymbals are missing haha. You hear them of course, but just not as forward as how IEMS are tuned recently. They provide a fatigue free experience in the treble, except for the occasional shout at the mids.

TECHNICALITIES:
Very good tones on instruments. The stage isn’t that airy but I perceive them to have a good depth in space, albeit not that wide. Separation and Layering are decent, maybe above average at most. Resolution can be perceived as lacking at times because of how Shimili represents treble. The lack of treble air gets in the way of perceiving details and it make Shimi Li sound less resolving. Nothing to talk much about technicalities really. They are not doing something bad, but not doing great either.


PROS
snappy bass on “burglar” by Yorushika. The details were not buried and the transients were commendable as well.

I thought “wish you were here” by Incubus sounded good with them. It was very neutral in that playback. There were no frequencies overlapping each other. Everything was just uncolored in this track.

the bass reminded me of zex pro wherein it doesn’t really get in the way.

Non-fatiguing treble. Very smooth. I don’t want to use the word “dark” to represent its treble response. Probably the word “uncolored” is the closest to how I perceive them.

I thought the vocal reproduction is better than the kc2. They sound cleaner, accurate and more natural on the Shimin Li.

In the track “I Miss you”, brandon sounded uncolored. The bass was just enough to support his lower registers and the treble was not overdoing the air.

they are really good on vocals. If you like forward sounding vocals uninterrupted by instruments, Shimin Li might work for you. It was very nostalgic listening to “I need to be in love”.

a good mix of macro and micro dynamics. IU's tracks sounded amazing with them. I enjoyed Blueming so much..


CONS
the worst by Polyphia struggled a little bit at separation of low notes around 1:19. This track benefits a lot from sets with wide soundstage, but it sounds too compressed for me. On a side note, I do like the tones of the instruments here.

Ride and crash cymbals sound very far in the track “Circles” by Incubus haha. I felt like they are being played in another room and the hihats are in this room.

sometimes vocals can be too forward. When listening to Celine Dion’s "My heart will go on", her voice did go on in the entire track haha. I mean, instruments didn’t have much presence. You can hear them, but the balance wasn’t that appropriate for my preference.

although the bass has good presence and supports the vocals at times. I find them to be lacking in texture at times. It’s like a security guard standing at the entrance of a restaurant, it is there, but does not really represent something.

that 2k shout oh man. I spent hours in finding the right eartips. And did different kinds of burn. Brain burn-in, white noise, pink noise, placebo burn in, you name it! Haha. But yeah seriously, it really hindered my listening experience. I just can’t listen to them on the first day.

guitars and other instruments may lack the desired harmonics. The dip favors forward sounding vocals, so at times, you really need that extra focus on instruments.

treble may lack sparkle for some. Even for ESX, I already find them to be a bit lacking in air. Shimin Li will have lesser on that.

I always had to adjust my volume like no other haha. I look like a horny Asian on the train when I reach out for that volume in my pocket, fiddling something lol hahaha..


COMPARISONS relative to PRICE and PERFORMANCE

my video comparison here:


EDA bal
-eda bal sounds airier and more energetic than the Shimin Li, but the treble on EDA bal can sometimes sound artificial in terms of tonal accuracy. Vocals are more forward on Shiminli but EDA bal is smoother in presentation because Shimin Li can get shouty at times with “iku iku” and “yamete”. Bass is more textured and engaging with EDA bal and neutral sounding with Shimin Li.

This comparison is hard. They play my library differently. But if you want to know how DF on etymotic sounds like, shimin Li might be the closest contender without the deep insertion. And if you don’t want to take risks and want a safer set, then EDA bal. One thing to note tho, the inclusions of Shiminli at 35usd is very good. EDA bal can be bought separately for 11-20 usd, with just the typical KZ packaging.


HEART MIRROR
-Hmmmm. Shiminli has more bass presence but I find the bass on HM to be better in quality and cleaner. Vocals on HM sounds thinner compared to Shiminli. Shiminli offers a more warm and organic vocals, while HM offers a cleaner and energetic presentation. Instrument harmonics are more pronounced in HM and are more tamed on ShiminLi. Treble is definitely night and day on both. HM has boosted air while Shimin Li is the complete opposite. I also feel like the technicalities on HM are better than Shimin Li. So which should you choose? Well if you are more into technical listening sessions and you don’t mint the treble boost, I would probably vote for HM. If you want organic sound, vocal-centric and non-fatiguing treble, then Shimin Li


CHU
-Chu and HM are in the same ballpark so see above comparison.
But how do they compare with Shimin Li?
They both approach neutrality but with a slightly different take. Shiminli for a warmer neutral while chu in the brighter side.
Fundamentals are better heard on Shimin Li, while they sound clean and lean on the Chu. Which one should you get? Figure your preference first.


BQEYZ KC2
-Yes, my old time favorite. Both of them kind of share the same presentation on being midcentric. Also, both have dips at presence but KC2 compensates air in the treble so it maintains sparkle and details. Shimin Li on the other hand is smoother and offers a more uncolored sound. Both reproduce vocals nicely, but KC2 might be more engaging because of the added treble details. The vocals on Shimin Li are more natural sounding though and KC2 is less shouty. This is a hard fight.. HMMM..
Okay, if you want a better deal in terms of packaging, like tips and better cable, then go for shimin Li. If you are sensitive to shout and want a bit of presence in treble but still midcentric , then KC2.


TIP ROLLING
This is worth including in my review. I am very sensitive to that 2k shout. I have tried a lot of eartips in this set. Almost the same energy I went through with my RS1 haha. But it is all worth it. I needed to find the right distance and maximize how the nozzles are firing in my ears. A mix of seal, comfort and distance just to find that perfect pairing. However, this will be a personal part of my review, you can skip this because it might not even apply to your ears.
There are many eartips that pairs well with Shimin Li. The few ones that worked for me are Moondrop spring tips, Radius Deep Mount and Nuarl Magic foams. But the one that wowed me the most would probably be JVC spiral dots ++.

JVC spiral dots ++ on SHIMINLI
easily beats the ones I made for comparison. Miles better.

bass is right off the bat on my target shelf. Clean, complete, the right amount of everything.

dark treble? Nope. this is very natural sounding just how they are supposed to be.

vocals are more defined and the space around benefits with added air.

soundstage attained the right proportion. Depth, width and height. Very 3d so to speak on the track Death Note by Polyphia.

Very clear vocals and note definition on "Is this love" by uncle Marley. Really, I felt like he is singing in front of me

again, very good soundstage with very good instruments presence and air. I was listening to "Making love out of nothing at all" and damn it sounds so realistic! Very natural

Very good bass definition and texture on Higher by Creed.

perceived resolution improved. “1 step forward” by Olivia just sounds so real. The birds, the chair. Phew!

the shout is still there occasionally, but lesser in intensity

the discomfort on my anthelix still present

this eartip costs almost same as chu haha..


FINAL THOUGHTS
I personally like them because they offer a different playback of my library. I like variety in my listening experience. I mean, If I have to buy new IEMS, I welcome a differently tuned one than buying a set that shares the same curve as others. That is just my take, you might have different approaches to your purchases.
At the same time, I don’t really see them to be giant killers of some sort, but the inclusions included are so well worth. Some might counter this by saying sound is more important, but hey, there are beginners in this hobby who values the overall purchase. This might not be important for the ones who have owned a lot of sets because they have more cables and eartips to roll. But for the beginners, this is an absolute package.
As for the sound, I find that shimin Li detracts from the usual harman gain, so the target audience is kinda niche, or if you have them, they can just slowly grow on you.

Honestly, I did not like my first impression on the Shimin Li. At the same time, I knew that this has more to offer, and I was not disappointed to find my perfect pairing with them. The 2-3khz peak has been known to be really polarizing in any IEM release. There is a mod by Akros, just replace the nozzle filter with 500 mesh and the gain will sound harmanish, but still graphs pretty mildy DF.

What surprised me though is that the Tangzu team seems to know the effects on that mesh, and yet still decided to choose this tuning instead. I call that "company direction", and I was taken aback when I recognized it.
The real emperor reveals himself to those who are willing to listen.


“I’m a fan of polarization. If you make something that is palatable to everybody, it’s like making vanilla ice cream, and I think we have enough of that” -Chris Stapleton

WHERE TO BUY:
￥ 4,845 | TANGZU Shimin Li Hifi Earphone Single Dynamic Driver N52 Magnet In Ear Monitors with 0.78 2pin Socket Cable IEM Headphones
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMO2cQq
https://shopee.ph/product/46885516/21707029710...
https://amzn.asia/d/7PU0FxO

TRI Audio X HBB KAI- "Immerse"


DISCLAIMER:

This was sent by our friends at Keephifi . I want to thank Ms. Weiyan for sending me a pair. Yeah the usual disclaimer, you know I am not paid for this right? Haha.

You can check keep hifi's website for promos and discounts, they have interesting sets too. Yes this is an AD sorry. It is the least I can do for them. Wouldn’t you do the same?

But here comes the interesting part. They do not hold any of my opinions. And I think they respect that. They didn’t even say anything as to how I would do my reviews.

Be guided that I consider this review my subjective diary. I layout my listening impressions with KAI as objective as possible. Uhmm, let me correct that. I will be reviewing these being in the shoes of HBB fans. So this impression is very very SUS. But it makes sense for me, because why would you buy this if you don’t like his tuning to begin with. So yeah, since the KAI is tuned to a specific library, this impression is also targeted to a specific audience. If you are not one of them, you can scroll down for other posts in this group haha. Let us begin.

FOREWORD:

This is an important part of my review. I have to internalize how is it being a fan of HBB tuning. I have to have the library to appreciate his work. Good thing is, I have some tracks to test his preferences.
Why should I act like a fan of his tuning? Simple. If I have to be a normal reviewer writing CONS, and not even a fan of this signature to begin with, it will not make sense. Why would a non-fan buy his products? You get my point? Haha.

I would sound like a total mess blabbering about its misses if I bought his product, and me being bass shy. So, I hope this is clear.
So, I will be reviewing this in the perspective of me acting or at least listening to his preferences. It's not that hard for me tho, I used to be in a show band so theres that..

SOUND PROFILE:


Warm L shaped with emphasis in bass details.

Bass. The highlight of this set. It is so well done on these. They don’t particularly come across the boomy type. They have good details not because they are boosted in the lower region, but because of the reduction in treble. Check squigs, heck KZ releases are even bassier in quantity than the KAI. Kai’s bass has very good definition and texture that can resolve notes that are satisfying and sweet. It’s clean, with subbass emphasis and with a good mix of midbass. It is complete for my ears, the rumble of bass guitars with the right amount of fundamentals. It also gets better with use. The melding of subbass and midbass fits like a condom, ready for thrusting the….. ears..haha

Mids are organic and warm in tone color. They are pleasing. I am listening to Polyphia’s “YAS” while writing this and it took me the whole song to finish this one sentence.. hahaha. The KAI just stops me from being analytical. Focused in music. And then the next song comes in, Jamming by Bob. Chill. Clean. Vocals have good definition and space. There is magic in the vocals with the KAI. This is presence dip done right paired with the capability of the DLC driver. The vocals are warm yet nuanced.

Treble. Okay the part where the non-fans should avoid. Well I don’t really think so. Yes I understand the lack of sparkle in this one. But after reviewing the AS16pros, it kinda gave me a new perspective that the amount of treble defines the number of hours you will be listening to a set. They are smooth. Non fatiguing. They are actually thin sounding and far. It feels like they are detached from the bass and mids. It seems that cymbals lack the body even with the warmth from the bass. Probably this is because of the driver. But it is not particularly bad personally. It is different in way that, the treble does not distract you. There are enough details for me, albiet softer in presentation. Similar to BQEYZ’s Topaz.

Technicalities is one of the things I Iike about this pair. It is not overdone. I just like how Kai extracts emotions in a song. It presents a wide stage even without treble air. It is almost 3d in pyschoacoustics. Good layering and decent imaging. They are just very immersive and it is really easy to get lost in music. Detail retrieval is in the lower region. This is the opposite of bright sets where you get lots of details in treble. For the Kai, you get lots of details in the bass and mids. “Pardon me” is the track now, and nothing wrong with instrument separation. It is decent. Good timbre and tone to male and even female vocals. And now its “Nice to know you”, that bass intro? Very good details without overpowering the whole frequency. Because again, this is bass focused by not boosting the lower region, but in lowering treble.

PROS

Clean and well resolved bass. It is not about the quantity but the quality. It is not even much in db, but it is the focus of the signature. 25 minutes by MLTR was very pleasant to listen to and the bass drum had enough “kick” haha.

Great soundstage, almost 3d in presentation. Listening to “making love out of nothing at all” was so spacious.

It is emphasizing bass without boosting it, so it gives me a very musical experience.

Drop D was a breeze on Creed’s “higher”. Bass guitar was so meaty and the notes are well resolved. Kai was not even trying lol. Surprisingly, the snares also sounded tight and I love the playback of it.

I love how this DLC driver is tuned. It has a character different from CNT. It is not as sharp as CNT but still manages to make instruments edgy enough.

“Are you in” bass guitar is so well textured. It is just clean, non-elevated bass with a lot of resolution in the low end. If there are signatures with sparkly highs, this signature has wagyu quality lows. It is just tasteful and meaty.

Sad but true riff was so grungy. Vocals also got good space and definition. Stage was wide as well.

“Circles” by Incubus was so heavy in a clean way. I cant help but make an ugly face haha. Yes you can imagine how heavy it was. Bass wasn’t muddying the whole track that much and it was very engaging.

“So strange” by Polyphia was not strange at all. It replayed it quite nice with good amount of oomph and musicality. Also the track “Nasty” was so nasty in the first 58 seconds y’all! That riff was so good.

Mids are legit good on the KAI, especially electric guitars. The harmonic cut works so well in this set.

The vocals in the track “the warmth” has so much presence. Good space between instruments without affecting vocal timbre.

CONS

female vocals may not sound heavenly. I mean they are not bad, but it definitely has lesser energy in exchange for being emotional sounding. Tested it with Taylor, Olivia and some Jpop like Yoasobi

bass might be a bit loose. The opposite of tight. But they are not that muddy in anyway. I think it is because of the harmonic cut.

thin sounding cymbals. They are not particularly recessed, but thin sounding and lacking body in the track “under my umbrella”.

In the track “cebuana” by urbandub, cymbals were a bit far sounding.

this signature could use a bit of air in upper treble, especially past 10k. I don’t know if it is the limitation of driver or just some dampening. But I am pretty sure this will sound much better if it has some extension up top.

vocals may not be forward. I mean I understand that this is HBB tuning, but with DQ6s, the vocals were actually quite forward.

COMPARISONS:
I don’t have much to compare with other HBB collabs really. I only have the DQ6s and KAI and of course the latte is way better. Probably the closest I can compare these would be the Topaz and AS16 pro. All three gives you a long listening, fatigue free and relaxed session. But the signature of the three are different.

I give Topaz the smoothest treble response and a linear bass.
AS16 pro for technicalities and layering.
Kai for musicality and quality of bass.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Phew! It was fun reviewing these. Please do take note that I was trying my best to be on the shoes of HBB fans who appreciate his tuning. I can suggest Kai if you share the same library as his. This is a good set.

And say what if I review this Vs. my own preference? Well, it is still a good set, there is really nothing wrong with it apart from the treble extension and unless the person is really bass shy. I think it can still be in my rotation when assessing bass quality, and if I want a chill listening session.

I read Kai means “Sea” in Hawaiian? It is a good name. It is summer here, and I really want to immerse my self in the sea and the KAI..

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

Well these are packaged well for the price. You get a good amount of accessories for the money you pay for. In the box you have:

-the IEM
-SPC cable. Good looking cable actually. The gold pin really matches the gold color of the iem.
-narrow bore tips in SML
-Wide bore tips in SML
-iem cleaner
-iem case
-fabric cloth

Quite generous right? You really feel that you get a good value from your purchase

BUILD and COMFORT

Build is beautiful. At first, I thought they share the same shell as Tangzu Shiminli. But they don’t. they just look similar. In fact, Kai is lighter in weight and built pretty solid as well. I cant really comment on the colorway haha. Maybe because I already have a gold set?(Shimnli). It’s not something I dislike, nor is it something I adore.

Even with the mentioned similarity on shiminli shell, the Kai actually fits better in my ears. They are comfortable and fits perfectly. I have no issues wearing them for a long time.

SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-I used sedna shorts in this review. The stock tips gave me a headache with how much bass it produced haha.. but yeah, they also dont work well for my ears, it doesnt seal well with long use because the material is kinda slippery when wet..ehem..

-stock cable

-Volume measured and listened at 75-78 dbs.

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

Thanks for reaching here.

WHERE TO BUY:

Non-affiliate link

https://keephifi.com/products/tri-x-hbb-kai

https://a.co/d/6iDDfPW

￥ 11,739 | KEEPHIFI TRI x HBB KAI In-ear Monitor DLC Diaphragm Dynamic Earphone HiFi Headphone 2Pin Wired Earbud Music Sports DJ Headset
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EIqs4GX

SIMGOT EA500 – “The Playful Kind-
Friday Every Day”



DISCLAIMER:
This set was provided by Simgot . I really thank them for their generosity. They did not ask me to write a good review of the EA500 haha. In fact, my first impressions video was not good lol. Here:



To give a summary of that, I received 4 black nozzles! I do not have the red nozzles in my package. However, the team immediately sent me the red nozzles in no time. I am probably treated that way because I am going to review them. But I really hope that customers are also treated that way. But for my experience, the team has been very responsive with my concerns and the service is top notch.

I am going to start calling these write ups “User experience”. I feel like the word “reviewer” is losing its credibility because some people believe that we are being paid or something like that haha. I am going to make a video about the truth and secrets of reviewing IEMS, so stay tuned!

But for now, this is my user experience of the Simgot EA500

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?


It’s a nicely packed set. Premium design of the box, which will probably end up somewhere hidden in my room haha, lets get real .

Inside the box you get:

1.) The beautiful shiny EA500

2.) Very good quality cable- I like. It’s nicely braided and feels very good to touch.

3.) My 4 black nozzles hahaha. But now I have 4 red nozzles too, coz they sent me 4. So that's a total of 8 nozzles hahaha.

4.) Eartips in SML- but I don’t like how they pair with the set because they don’t seal well. The eartips are fine with other IEMS though.

5.) It’s always good to have a carrying case, and they have one

6.) Black and red rings- I honestly do not know why it is here haha.

COMFORT and BUILD

Good build, all metal and yeah a scratch magnet. The vents are near the nozzle which I prefer. I dunno, I feel like vents near the nozzles have better resolution, at least in my experience with listening to 200+ sets in Japan.

Fit and comfort is commendable. I really like how comfortable they are in my ears. I do not notice any strain and I can fit them deeper too!

SOUND


"The Nocebo"

As you may have noticed in my video. I placed myself in a nocebo mode. What is a Nocebo? Well yeah, just exactly what you are thinking. It is a kind of placebo, but the effects are the opposite.

“The minute a listener is challenged to hear differences in a stereo system using the double blind method, his defenses are put on high alert - fundamentally changing his abilities to hear differences, thus negating the results” – Paul McGowan et.al.

Why did I do this though? Haha. Well I just find it fascinating to play with my mind. I tried to counter the hype and understand why other people do not like this set.

To cut the story short, my first impressions of the set were not amazing. I only saw its flaws, especially in the bass. I felt that it did not have enough subbass to complement the brightness in the treble. And yeah, the treble was also too forward for me, it boosted some cymbal attacks making them sound a bit colored.

"I don’t stop until I understand"

But I did not stop. I listened to the EA500 for a good two weeks to analyze its sound signature. This is a balanced set with emphasis on lower -mid treble. Yeah it is kinda bright with its overall signature. That must be the reason why people are putting on some tapes on the vents to compensate for the treble energy. Mind you though, it is not the strident kind of bright. They are actually pleasing, but you feel like the overall sound would be much more complete if it had some energy in the subbass.

Although there is forwardness in the treble, I enjoyed how it replayed my library. I tried to understand what the fuzz was all about. When you listen to other sets after listening to the EA500, believe me, they will sound Lo-Res hahaha. Sometimes, you feel that others sets are dark, even if they are not. This is again because of the forwardness of the treble. If I am going to nitpick this set, I find that the timbre on some instruments aren’t really that perfect. I find them colored.

However, they are very pleasing to listen to. You may not hear realism in timbre, but you will have loads of fun listening to the EA500

And now I understand what the hype is all about.

"The waiting game: Project Red"

No. it is not the project red from Crinacle haha. But I have the Crinacle red and here is my unboxing and first impressions for that haha.. plugging in..



What I meant is the red nozzles, as I have mentioned in my unboxing and first impressions of the EA500. I did not receive my red nozzles. I only got 4 black nozzles. They have foams stuffed in. I emailed Simgot about this and asked if it was possible for me to replicate the red nozzles by removing the foams, and just replace the rings with red haha.

They replied that the red nozzles do have a different filter, and that they would be sending me the red nozzles.

Having said that, I carried on with my MOD while waiting- The black nozzles without foams.

How do they sound? Amazing! But maybe a bit grainy in the treble. The bass is tighter without the foam and the clarity is a notch up. You get a very crisp sound straight from the driver ahaha.

Graph wise, there isn’t any noticeable difference. But on ears? Pretty big actually. This is a perfect example that graphs are not all, or at least the mics cannot capture everything.

If someone disagrees that the sound of the black nozzle with and without foams sound the same, I do not know what to say about that because for me, the biggest difference is in the bass decay and treble forwardness.

"And so the red nozzles arrive"

I was so excited when the nozzles arrived. I immediately listened to them and measured the difference. There is really a difference and I think it is in the filter they used. The red nozzles does not have the foams like the black ones have. Even if you remove the foams from the black nozzles, the sound is still different when compared to the red nozzles. They even measured differently.

I now understand the hype. I understand why so many people like it. I understand why many praise it. I understand the price to performance ratio. Because this set, with the red nozzles, really deserve the title.

The bass is tight and clean. It still has the midbass emphasis and that fundamental forwardness, but this time, it is better presented. Mids are more correct sounding and the timbre of instruments are more pleasing to my ears. Vocals are nuanced especially female vocals. Treble energy is tamed in a good way. I do not hear aggressiveness like what I hear on black nozzles. It carries a better extension and the balance across the frequency is more even.

I like this a lot. and so let is start in the actual review hahaha.

"What sounds good, sounds good"

And so I was done with my Nocebo. I tried changing eartips that matched my ear holes. Slowly, reality was sinking in and I could hear why this set is hyped to the moon. This driver is actually pretty good for its price. The clarity of everything is just superb on the EA500. This set has the tendency to highlight the trailing end of notes, making them pop longer in the background. The Technicalities of this set is just too good. The separation and layering is approaching near 3D, almost holographic. I found myself enjoying this set quite a lot. Who wouldn’t? What sounds good, sounds good.

"Are they one the best in the sub $100?"

I honestly think they are. The EA500 is very easy to like and you would really have to load yourself with Nocebo to dislike them. I saw other graphs comparing them to the Olina SE, and they are probably not wrong about it. The upper mids and treble elevation resembles the Olina SE, except for the Bass. I do feel that the Olinas sound more complete and more balanced, but what would Simgot get if it copied the exact tuning of the Olinas?

Instead, the EA500 made its way to the sub $100 with its own unique tuning, interchangeable nozzles and a well-planned package and accessories.

PROS

A very good all-rounder. Like really. I tried scrolling my library and any genre I play, the EA500 just plays it with finesse. The ability of the EA500 to extract details and dynamics is simply amazing.

the micro details is amazing on this set. It tends to make the trailing end of notes pop and make them linger longer. I have noticed that I do not even need to focus much on chords and guitar solos because the EA500 displays them in a clear manner.

Great vocal presence. And when I say presence, I mean the space around them is well defined. You hear the breaths, layering and melodies. I was surprised at how clear the vocals were in the track “Replicant” by Yorushika.

any track with guitars sound amazing on the EA500. Acoustic tracks also excel. Listening to Taylor swift is perfect with these. The harmonics of guitars are well portrayed, and female vocals also benefit from the treble forwardness.

CONS

although the stage is almost holographic, the midbass emphasis is preventing them to sound more open. They are not compressed in any way, but I feel like a little less midbass would make the balance better so that the stage is more natural. I noticed that in the track Gunjo by Yoasobi, the venue was like in a small room.

at times, the upper mids to low treble can actually be a bit much for some, especially the black nozzles. It feels like Chu treble forwardness, but with better transparency. But still, it prevents the EA500 to have that realism in cymbal timbre.

the stock eartips just don’t work for me. It doesn’t seal! The eartips itself is not the problem, because the eartips works fine with other iems. But the pairing of this eartip and the structure of the EA500 creates a leak, and I hear a loud pop similar to that of a driver flex, but louder. Why do I know it’s not driver flex? Because I know it is not sealing well and I hear outside noise like I am not wearing an IEM haha.

the overall tonality might not be for everyone. I have talked about this in some disord servers (Mike Bruce's). One person commented that they are not good for metal tracks, and I do kind of agree. The signature cannot resolve drop tunings well, because it does not have enough subbass extension.

SCORING
-Please be reminded that my scoring is always based on its price range.

TONALITY - 2.5
BASS - 2.5
MIDS - 3
TREBLE - 2.5
TECHS - 3

=13.5 ( A+ rank, generally better than other sets. Very good for the price but the tonality might not match your preferences)

Check my scoring criteria here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WhgCgiMzWfF3ccgB8SK5-Cg7m87kpIShtxsyg2u-AI/edit?usp=sharing

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is a balanced set. I would not call it neutral. There is a bit of elevation in the midbass and lower mids that gives enough coloration. There is also some emphasis on the mid treble that makes tracks more engaging and playful.

Bass is not basshead level but gives me the enough level to enjoy riffs in metal tracks. It is fast and snappy. I do wish it had a little bit of subbass to make it more linear.

Mids are full and lush sounding, with a lot of focus in fundamentals. It just sounds very clear but you notice that little coloration, albeit in a nice way.

Treble is forward, but not the strident kind. It is very playful in this area. Again, a little bit of coloration because I do think cymbals don’t sound as natural as should be, but this presentation is still very enjoyable for me.

Technicalities are what makes this set special. The resolution and clarity is really good and the positional cues, although not accurate, renders stage like you are in a small pub. The separation of instruments is well done for a single driver, almost on par with my RS1 in terms of layering really. The microdetails and nuance are also emphasized and they are just very fun when finding out a lot of stuff in tracks.

Countless mods exist because they are not perfect. It just means that there is lacking with the EA500, or probably something too much, and people are trying to find that sweet spot of this beautiful set.

Simgot has provided different options for users to play with the EA500. The two tuning nozzles, and a DIY kit that includes different filters.

I had an amazing time with this set in all honesty. They went from Zero to Hero, from B+ to A+ in my scoring. Because again, what sounds good, sounds good.

They did not reach an S however, because I thought the overall tonality can still be improved. But still, it's a good score and I can safely recommend these to anyone looking for an all rounder.

In the box, there is a quote that says: “ Don’t try to add more years to your life. Better add more life to your years”.


Hell yeah! When I put them in my ears, it is like I am in a bar, and I feel like it’s Friday every day.

Simgot EA500, the playful kind

==========================
WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links

http://www.simgot.com/en/products/detail/26.html#!/detail

https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ea500

https://hifigo.com/products/simgot-ea500

SETUP:
-Shanling M3X using UAPP, Hiby ang stock player

-stock cable
-radius deep mount eartips

MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:

Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,

OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya

POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish

OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa

I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.

Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading.

DISCLAIMER:
I know, the title is clickbaity lol. But hear me out
This is my personal review diary. I am not paid nor swayed by the generosity of KZ. I was supposed to buy this IEM with my own money, but I did not expect to receive a review unit. Nonetheless, I am still grateful. Thank you Tyvan Lam from KZ Official Store .


Please see my impressions with as much salt as you want. We have different preferences and targets. If you find my use of words to be rather enticing and flowery, they may have been a product of my emotions at the time of writing. I will transcribe my hearing experiences as accurate as possible, but I know that subjectivity can creep in at any given moment. Please bear that in mind.


WHAT’S INSIDE?
1 pair of EDA balanced
1 pair of EDA hires
1 pair of EDA bass
1 pair of eartips for SML lol
1 cable hahaha


FIT and COMFORT
-They are actually comfortable. They don’t have fins but have good curves to match my fit.


SETUP
-shanling m3x using stock player, hiby and UAPP
-various tips like spring tips, bqeyz tips, foam tips to name a few.
-Volume measured and listened at 75-78 dbs.


MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:
Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,
OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya
POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish
OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa
I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.



SOUND PROFILES:



EDA BALANCED

This is the smoothest of the bunch. A well-balanced tuning with lush mids and a good all-rounder.
Bass has very good texture, attack and decay. They exhibit good command and control that does not interfere or bleed into the mids.
Mids are just lush. Instrument timbre is organic and pleasant. Vocals sound natural both male and female. Never did it come to my perception that “it sounds off”. You can listen for hours long and indulge yourself with correctness.
Non fatiguing treble. Very good body on cymbals but could use a little bit of air. No instances of peakiness. It rolls off quite well, but can sound dull depending on tracks.


PROS
very textured bass on the track “Adrienne”. Quick yet thick on the initial attack.
Very, I mean very lush mids. Vocals, guitars, pianos, violins, they are just so organic sounding.
very well-done theatre like staging. That note weight on the bass, lush mids, treble body, all of these combinations make you associate them to a theatre really.
vocals are forward, intimate and very organic. Never have I lost my focus in feeling the intended emotions in a track.
commanding yet well controlled bass. It has good presence in any track. Just ugghhh. So good. Not in quantity, but in the way it delivers it.


CONS
lacking some bite on electronic guitars when I was listening to “love song” by 311.
in the track “anthem” by Urbaddub, distortions are on the lush side. I mean this can be a preference as well. Distortions are done to relay strong emotions. But for EDA bal, they’re a bit too smooth and lush for my taste.
EDA bal could use a bit more treble air. Just a bit. And yes I am nitpicking
bass may some “one note” on some tracks. This is just my perception and nitpick. This happens especially when switching from Acoustune RS1 which has very good bass layers. On EDA bal, you feel them before you hear them, so perceived bass attack may appear one note at times, if that makes sense. You can try it on the track “drown” by Polyphia.
verdict: the best of the three. The safest. The smoothest. The most correct



EDA HIRES



Very similar sounding to EDA bal, but with a little more gain in the 2k region. So this may be perceived as energetic, aggressive, or even shouty on vocals. They sound really good on instruments though.
Bass almost has the same quality and texture but it can be perceived a little bit tighter because of the added air from the treble
Mids are clean compared to the lush presentation of EDA bal. String instruments have more presence on Hires. Vocals may sound shouty and thin, but I am fine with it. It is far from being inorganic.
Perceived treble may be “clear”. Well, they actually are airier than EDA bal. This provides more layers and separation on instrument heavy tracks. They may sound aggressive for some, but they are far way cleaner than OG CRA.


PROS
clear and engaging at the same time when I was listening to 25k Magic by Bruno Mars. Bass was tight and controlled.
Intimate and energetic vocals in “You belong to me” by Taylor
Very good note retrieval, harmonics and treble decay on the new Polyphia single “playing god”. That ride at 0:59-1:00 is just…uuughhhh..
In the track “frailty” by Urbandub, surprised it has a good and powerful subbass rumble.
snares on the tracks “nebula” and “amber” were tight and complete.
airy treble


CONS
more pronounced peaks which might be too intense for some.
mids aren’t as lush as the EDA bal. But this can be a preference because in some tracks, I favor how Hires handles them.
they almost share the same cons I have with EDA bal, only that, this set might be too aggressive in cymbal heavy and instrument heavy tracks.
verdict: the most intense. The one with the most bite. Best on aggresive tracks.



EDA bass



Bass. Yes. Haha. If you look at the graph, they actually look like the blon03. Very interesting. However, they do not sound alike.
Bass here is just strong with good decay. The driver on EDAs already renders thick note weights, and they just pound your library like an angry librarian. Other reviewers mentioned this has subwoofer like qualities, well maybe. I may be more inclined on my rs1 as reference. RS1 has some realistic subwoofer like qualities I have ever heard. EDA bass is far behind from it, not in quantity but in quality.
Mids almost shares the same traits as EDA hires. But they do not have that glare because, obviously it is compensated by the lower frequencies. They somehow managed to make the mids clean. But, bass is just really in front of everything.
Treble has good sparkle and body as well.


PROS
bass

CONS
bass

verdict: Bass


COMPARISONS
I have already compared EDA to CCA CRA+, EDX ULTRA and Chu in my previous reviews. If you have time, you can check my page for detailed comparisons. But since you are already here, this will be my take.
my facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/practiphile

1st- I rate EDA balanced and Chu in the same level. Both of them actually complement each other very well. Chu being clean sounding, and EDA bal being lush and matured.

2nd - And then I would rank EDA Hires and EDX ULTRA at second. I actually like these sets because they give me a different listening experience. But then I have to factor in duration of listening sessions. Both EDA bal and Chu are just smoother compared to EDA hires and Ultra.

3rd- EDA BASS and CRA+ would be at third. They are not bad sets. They might work on someone else’s library, but not on mine. They also do not have a place in my rotation. I have my acoustune rs1 for my bass fix which is far way superior than the two.

SUMMARY:
EDAs are a game changer in my very honest opinion. Probably not for the seasoned enthusiasts, but for the newcomers, EDA offers a learning curve for their preferences. I know it’s a waste of plastic, but still better than a wasted purchase.
So is KZ EDA really a giant killer this time? I do not think that is the right premise.
Instead, what KZ is trying to say is:
Some giants are just overpriced, and you don’t actually have to spend much in order to get a good sounding set.

WHERE TO BUY: non-affiliate

Aliexpress:
CCA Official Store
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqHFLxA
Lazada:
Shop online with CCA headphone shop now! Visit CCA headphone shop on Lazada. | https://s.lazada.com.ph/s.ViOPq
Shopee:
https://shopee.ph/gkearphones.ph?smtt=0.0.9
website：https://www.kztws.com