KZ D-Fi
1DD, 4 Tuning Switch
Price : $26-$33

Hi there, before I even begin this review, please forgive my weird English and grammatical mistakes.
Thanks KZ for sending me the D-Fi to make this review happens, but rest assured, this whole review is 100% my subjective opinion.

just in case you're interested after reading this review, you can purchase the D-Fi on links below

Official Website Purchase：https://www.kztws.com/products/kz-d-fi
Lazada KZ Store：https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/kz16...43fr0UO4Q&itemId=3615896965&channelSource=pdp
Lazada D-Fi：https://www.lazada.co.id/products/i...4863640.table_online_product.1.114f4edfrnvpmt

IMO just get the tunable switch version for LOTS of customization.

let's start with the Unboxing

BUILD Quality

The Build of the IEM itself is actually pretty good for the price. Its made from metal and NOT as heavy as the ZVX, though its glossy, meaning it will be a fingerprint magnet


as for the Cable, it's functional, nothing much to say but it looks like "Bihun"


now for the Fitting

Personally myself can't get a decent fit with the stock eartips except the Foamies, but I don't like the feel of the Foam so I use aftermarket eartips the Acoustune AET08 for the best fit possible


SOUND
Sound is tested using Apple Dongle and Luxury Precision W2-131, Music Source is mostly from Apple Music Lossless, Acoustune AET08 Eartips, Stock Cable

Genre : J-Pop, J-Rock, Rap, RnB, Metal, Jazz


Tonality in general, the D-Fi is very coherent, lean sounding, with tunable bass, and smooth treble

My Favorite Tuning :
D = Down
U = Up

• DDDU : It sounds almost Diffuse Field-ish albeit not True DF and not the most accurate sounding, it can still be used for audio works (Reminds me a bit of Blessing 2)
• DUDU : The bass presentation sounds like Truthear Hexa, it almost sounds like you're listening a budget Hexa with 1DD configurations, it has decent sub bass boost with very good midbass - mid transition.
• UUUD : The bassiest configurations, it sounds like your typical harman with extra midbass (Starfield, Aria, HOLA)

BASS : There is 16 different tuning for the bass, for the switch itself #1-3 is for bass boost, and #4 is for reducing the bass.
I do found the bass switch tuning is mostly affecting around 80hz and below.

The bass is very flexible, it can be made to sound like Hexa, Blessing 2, or even your typical Harman with extra midbass tuning like the Starfield, Hola, Zvx, Aria

As for the bass quantity, with the bassiest tuning used, it's NOT on a basshead level quantity, so if you're a basshead, this IEM is probably not for you.

Bass speed on the D-Fi is very nimble, it can be used for track with lots of double pedal (Metal) and you can still hear every notes with the D-Fi

MID : Overall mid presentation is lean, but not thin, vocal is forward but not shouty, free from sibilance, instruments do sound a bit on the leaner side like the vocal.
I found the mid can be made a bit thicker by using the bassiest configurations.
With the bassiest configurations, the mid sounds thicker, or probably getting a bit masked by the bass so it sounds thicker and denser.

Treble : Airy, Smooth, NOT sounding metallic, 0 Piercing treble

Timbre : Sounds natural, I cannot find anything wrong with D-Fi timbre.

Technicalities :

Detail Retrieval : Average, not the best detail extractor on its price bracket, but it has some decent detail, it's good enough for its price.

Stage : Sadly it's on the smaller side, and it doesn't have exact wall placement, it sounds like you're listening on a small void of space.

Imaging : Above average, its decent for it's price, it can images sounds pretty well compared to other IEM on its price.

Positioning & Separation : Also above average from its price category, it's even better if you use the DDDU configurations, there is ZERO overlapping on the sound, and its very easy to find sound source from your music and even footsteps for gaming.

Comparison :
Moondrop CHU : Moondrop CHU has even leaner sound compared to the D-Fi, it also sounds metallic and the timbre is somewhat wrong, though, CHU has better technicalities if compared to the D-Fi.

Truthear HOLA : HOLA Build quality if compared directly to the D-Fi feels like its very cheap and fragile, Sound on HOLA is more punchy, more thicker and denser, but sadly I found the HOLA to be a bit metallic sounding on its treble.
As for technicalities, HOLA is better on the Stage Size compared to D-Fi, but for tonality personally myself still prefer the D-Fi.

KZ ZVX : Build is very good on both IEM, but ZVX is VERY HEAVY and somewhat because of that its not comfortable for long session. As for the sounds, ZVX has more bass, more dense and thicker midrange, and more sparkle on its treble.
IMO, the D-Fi is more balanced sounding if compared directly to the ZVX, while the ZVX is more on the "Fun Side"

Conclusion :

The KZ D-Fi is Recommended if :

• You're on a budget and want an IEM that has a very coherent tonality
• You want an IEM with 16 different tuning
• You love customization
• Want an IEM that can be used for Fun but also for audio works

The KZ D-Fi is NOT so Recommended if :

• You don't want to spend extra money for tuning switch
• You don't want to spend extra money for eartips just in case you don't get decent fit with the stock one
• You want a BASSHEAD IEMs
• Want the most technical prowess with minimal cost as possible

Just in case you're Indonesian OR understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch the video review below


thats all from me for now, sorry for my weird English, I literally wrote this after waking up from sleep, lol
I probably will edit this later to edit my weird English.

thanks for reading this far,



-littlenezt

First of all sorry for my weird English and grammatical mistakes, this review is possible thanks to Hidizs Free Global Public Review Program
rest assured, my review is 100% my own subjective opinion

HIDIZS MS5 (1DD+4BA)
Pre-sale price: $379
Just in case you're interested on this IEM and supporting me after reading this review, you can purchase the MS5 using this link below
Link: https://tinyurl.com/ms5lt (affiliated)
Code: LITTLENEZT (5% off) << also usable on other item such as DAP / DAC

Spoiler: TLDR

"If I had to describe how the MS5 sounds, it's big, bold, warm, unique, and packed with resolution. Initially, the treble didn't seem to be my thing, but eventually, I found myself craving more."

Introduction :

When I hear Hidizs as a brand, I instantly think of great price to performance ratio.
Im pretty excited that Hidizs announced there will be Hidizs MS5 (their newest IEMs) because myself personally never tried Hidizs IEMs before.

So, after winning the Global Public Review lottery, I'm in for a pretty fun ride with the new MS5 from Hidizs, lets see what the MS5 has to offer for us.

Hidizs MS5 differs itself by using Hidizs New Custom Liquid Silicone Dynamic Driver for its good elasticity, quick response and high sensitivity, it also uses Denmark Sonion 4 Balanced Armature Driver and what they call Hidizs Exclusive Solder Process, it uses gold tin wire and its advantages is providing stable and durable components.

lets start with the Packaging and Accessories

Design and Build Quality (materials, shape, and size)

IEM
Design wise its pretty subjective, myself personally didn't mind the dark angel wings shaped of the MS5, though maybe your opinion might differ from me, it also has rose gold color accent, looks pretty good to me.


As for build quality of the IEM, the shell is made from CNC Aluminium and the faceplate is from skin friendly resin as it is smooth the the touch,
Also it uses 0.78 connector so you can easily replace the cable just in case you want to go balanced route or upgrade the cable.

Though I noticed some minor cosmetic defect on one of the tuning filter, C'mon Hidizs tighten the QC, you can do it, I'm rooting for you !

CABLES

The cable made of single crystal copper silver-plated wires and 6N single crystal copper wires mixed with 8 strands, which LOOKS SO PREMIUM for a stock cable, looks and build wise it make my other more premium IEM cable looks dirt cheap, sadly it terminates on 3.5 Single Ended and has weird angle on the 2pin sides, it makes fitting the IEMs a bit of a challenge at least for me.
(subjective things, your mileage may vary)

FITTING
As for shape, size and fitting, the IEM shape is very ergonomic but kinda limited by the cable being not too flexible, or the ear hooks being too thick, OR because I'm wearing glasses, so my advice is to change the cable despites it looks very cool if you're having comfort issues like me.

As for fitting with stock cable, my ears hurts after wearing it for one hours and I can't get proper seal with the stock cable.

Every time i move my jaw like yawning or opening my mouth the seal is lost, I also can't get deep insertion with the stock cable and it kinda affects the sounds as it makes the treble peaks more pronounced to the lower region (for more details on how insertion depths affect treble peaks use google)

After I changed the cable to the Moondrop Line T (kinda downgrade in a way?) the comfort is pretty good, I can wear the MS5 and aim for deep insertion to reduce the treble spiciness and I can literally wear this for like 4 hours straight without any discomfort.


SOUND

Tested using Luxury Precision W2-131 Dongle, LOTS OF EARTIPS, Moondrop Line T Cable, ALL Tuning Filters, 300 Hours of burn in.
Music is mostly from Apple Music Lossless with some offline FLAC files.
Genre : J-POP, J-Rock, Anisong, Rap, RnB, EDM, Metal, Jazz

For the Tuning Filter, it can somewhat change the treble tuning and affect the overall warmness of the MS5 to some degree.

• The “Treble Filter” as it said, makes the treble more pronounced and sparkly as it lacks tuning cottons insides.
• With the “Balanced Filter” it reduced the treble a little bit and makes it more balanced just like how it named.
• As for “Bass Filter” it really reduced the treble and somewhat helped a little bit with some issues I have with the treble (more on this later).

Tonality in General : Warm with Spiciness up top (closer to U-Shaped tuning)

Bass : Allrounder quantity bass, its boosted, but not on basshead level.

It has a big, bold, thick, deep, full, dense bass, but also speedy at the same time, can be used for songs with double pedal (metal), tested using song such as Korn – Freak on a Leash, Trivium – Throes of Perdition, Plini, the bass speed can keep up pretty well and you can easily hear each drum notes, the bass also useable for all kinds of genre, EDM, RAP, RnB, you name it, the MS5 can present the bass exceptionally well.

It doesn't only punch well, the bass also has great humming textures, lots of resolution and information on it, If you're searching for a “Hi-Fi Bass” this probably it.

Mid : Lush, thick, very musical, very textured mid, but sometimes vocal and instruments can sounds a bit sharp on some songs (Kick Back – Kenshi Yonezu, One By One – OOR) probably due to the low – mid treble boost that MS5 has and the pinna gain being more relaxed compared to typical referenced type tuning.


Treble : I have a mixed feelings on the treble region. It has good extension, pretty good resolution, smooth upper treble, but somehow the whole lush extended treble experience is a bit ruined by the boost on the low – mid treble area especially if you listen at higher volume (I did this at few first day to compensate the relaxed pinna gain / upper mid, resulting the treble to be a bit spicy)

If you use the “Bass Filter” it helped a bit with the overall spiciness of the treble.
The treble presentation also affect the sharpness of some instruments and vocal.
Though after 300hours of burn in (I know some of you might not believe in such magic) somehow I'm craving more for the treble, it has a unique sounds too it, almost reminds me of the infmaous beyer-peaks but in a good way.


Technicalities

Soundstage : Above average, not exactly grand, but its big, it has exact wall placement and symmetrical in width and depth size.

Imaging : It images sounds absolutely well, It sounds holographic and very convincing.

Separation and Positioning : The MS5 has great separation and positioning, any songs I play it can handle everything pretty well without any overlapping, as for the positioning, Tested using Valorant and Apex Legends games I can pinpoint the foot steps pretty well,
tested for music, also same impression, very good separation and positioning, I can easily pinpoint which direction the instrument I'm searching for.

Comparison :
Moondrop Blessing 2: Build wise, B2 Looks more attractive IMO with the transparent resin, but the faceplate cutting on the B2 is not that smooth and has lot of minor flaws (at least on my unit).

B2 Sound is more balanced but a lot thinner than the MS5. B2 is more mids focused but the B2 sounds a bit boring for me, but hey at least the B2 doesn't sounds spicy i guess?

As for the MS5 easily beats the B2 on every aspects.
While the B2 has more balanced tuning in the treble region it has less amount of resolution compared to the MS5.

The MS5 also beats B2 in terms of resolution on the Bass and Mids region.
Soundstage on B2 has the same size to the MS5 but the MS5 presents soundstage with more exact wall placement so the overall experience of staging is better on the MS5.
Imaging also more holographic on the MS5.

As for positioning at least tested by using it for gaming, the B2 is somehow sounds wrong and not accurate for finding foot steps, it can sounds somehow cuts out, not 360 degree accurate while the MS5 didn't have any problem at all, as for music, the MS5 has more pinpoint positioning compared to the B2.

FiiO FD5 : Build wise the FD5 is made from solid stainless steel, it can scratch pretty easily, it also has tuning filter like the MS5.
Fitting wise MS5 is a lot more comfortable compared to the FD5, the FD5 can hurts my ears after only 20 minutes of use regardless of what cable and eartips I use.

Tonality wise, the FD5 sounding towards more W-shaped tuning to my ears.
The FD5 has more punch but less resolution compared to the MS5, forward vocals but less spicy on the treble area.

Technicality wise, the MS5 easily beats FD5 on all aspects.


FiiO FH7 OG : Probably the main inspiration of the MS5 existence (or the FH7s, idk never tried the s version sorry)
Build wise its similar, though FH7 has metal faceplate while the MS5 has skin friendly resin. The FH7 also has tuning filter.

As for tonality, the FH7 sounds more analytical and boring and also sounds a bit spicy up top, it sounds thinner, has less bass, and pretty boring and a bit bright to my ears.
Technicality wise, the MS5 also beats the FH7 on every aspects.


Moondrop S8 : Probably a bit unfair comparison as it is from much different price bracket, but I will put it here just for sake of comparison.

Build wise the S8 is a very beautiful, comfortable IEM and well build, well.. except for the cable, it look dirt cheap compared to the MS5 cable.

The S8 has superior tonality IMO, the S8 tonality is more towards harman target modified by Moondrop (VDSF Target) it is easier on the ears, more allrounder compared to the MS5, but might be a bit boring for some (again, personal preference)

Technicality wise, the S8 easily beats the MS5 but its not far behind.
One thing I really appreciate from the S8 is how good the resolution on all region (bass, mid, treble) without having to push the region too forward.

Conclusion :
The MS5 is a great options if you want a Warm but Spicy tuning, though do be careful if you're a treble sensitive person or not used to a U-Shaped tuning IEMs.
The MS5 is a bit of a love-hate type tuning IEM, if you like this kind of tuning, you will definitely love the MS5, if you dislike this kind of tuning then of course you will probably hate the MS5.

Personally myself after swapping the cable, aim for deep insertion, and using it for almost a month, I kinda hooked up and liking this IEM a lot, it sounds unique and great in a different way, especially in a world of all harman-esque IEM market right now that getting kinda boring TBH, all new release, harman harman and harman.
Hidizs did a great job and very brave on releasing such unique IEM.

Hidizs MS5 is recommended if :

• You like Big, Bold, Warm but Spicy Tuning
• You Want Something Different from the all harman-esque crowded market
• You like high resolution sounding IEMs
• You like some “bite” to your songs
• You like lots of customization options

Hidizs MS5 is NOT so recommended if :

• You're a treble sensitive person and listen at above average loudness / higher volume
• You dislike U-Shaped Tuning
• You dislike customization options and prefer to stick with just one fixed tuning

Further Improvements for Hidizs MS5 / Subjective Opinion :

• Please add plastic cover / inner pouch / change the cable ties as it rips the inner part of the premium quality pouch
• Tighten the QC
• Please consider increasing the pinna gain a bit, and reduce the low – mid treble for more balanced tuning.

Just in case you're Indonesian or somehow understand Bahasa Indonesia, here is my review video in Bahasa Indonesia

thats all from me for now, I probably will edit this later for correcting some of my grammatical mistakes

thanks for reading


-littlenezt

Hi there, first of all sorry for my weird English and Grammatical mistakes,
the KZ ZVX is provided for me directly by KZ in exchange for my honest opinion

KZ ZVX is a 1DD IEM priced at $19USD

Just in case you're interested on buying this IEM after reading this review, here is the link below

Lazada：https://www.lazada.co.id/shop/kz-of...1bczRaHBw&itemId=7320678853&channelSource=pdp
AliExpress：https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005272380128.html
Official Website Purchase： https://www.kztws.com/products/kz-zvx
Official Website Code：ZVXOFF




lets start with Unboxing and Build Quality

FITTING
SOUND
is tested using Redmi Note 9 Pro, Moondrop Click, iPhone Dongle, LP W2-131, Stock Cable, Stock Foamies and $1USD Sony Hybrid Eartip from local Indonesian marketplace.

Music is mostly from Apple Music and Offline FLAC files (J-Pop, J-Rock, Anisong, Rap, RnB, EDM, Metal, Jazz)

Tonality in general its like KZ's take on harman midbass tuning (like the Aria, SF, KXXS, Kato, HOLA)

BASS is weighty, has good body, dense, and the decay is kinda long. In my opinion, the bass tuning is not very well suited for fast bass track such as double pedal / metal, but very good for EDM, Rap, RnB, POP
tested with tracks such as Trivium - Throes of Perdition, the bass felt flabby, but other than metal tracks, bass is actually very satisfying (J-Pop, Anisong, Rap, RnB)

Mids positioning is rather forward, not too forward that it becomes shouty, but just right.
Though with the stock provided foam, at least on my ears the vocal is somewhat felt a bit edgy, so I decided to change tips to Sony Hybrid from local Indonesian market for around $1USD each to fix that edginess, vocal and instrument also have good note weight to it (on the thicker side).

Treble is smooth with decent air, again, with stock provided foam, it felt rather harsh, and the harshness is fixed by changing to the Sony Hybrid tips.

Timbre is fine, nothing weirds can be found after changing the eartips to Sony Hybrid

Technicalities

Stage is average, nothing special, not wide, not cramped or claustrophobic, just average, not having exact wall placement, the width and depth is symmetrical in size

Imaging is kinda decent for the price, not felt just like 2D sound passing thanks to the properly weighted and musical sound presentation

Separation and Positioning on songs like nZk - Cage is free from overlapping, tested with lots of Plini song is decent, though the bass is again felt a bit flabby, though I must say separation and positioning on ZVX is rather interesting, its very dependant on what source the ZVX is plugged in. From phone its just meh, from proper dongle such as LP W2-131, positioning and separation is actually mindblowing for the price, its well separated and well positioned and very easy to search which direction and what sound is actually playing.

Detail Retrieval is the same case with separation and positioning, its very source dependent, with decent source you get good micro details, while plugged only to phone its just meh

Scalability the ZVX is very source dependent, it scales really well with proper source, as for pairing, just choose according to your taste bruh.

Comparison

Truthear HOLA : Probably the main target why ZVX is released. Hola has thinner note weight and more sparkle compared to the ZVX. HOLA is more allrounder compared to ZVX (HOLA bass speed is speedy enough for double pedal / metal), but then again its up to you, do you like your bass to be weighty and dense or speedy like HOLA, also it depends on your playlist if you choose between the ZVX and HOLA.
Technicality on HOLA is also has the same case with ZVX, very source dependent.
as for built, HOLA is very light with plastic body and metal? faceplate and the ZVX is casted iron.
I think ZVX is better in terms of longevity.

Moondrop CHU : Chu is even more thinner and even more sparkly than both HOLA and ZVX.
Technicalities on CHU if plugged in only to phone is better than HOLA and ZVX, while HOLA and ZVX is very source dependent.
Chu cable is non detachable, so be careful when using it.
Chu is more suited for person who wants neutral - bright presentation.


Conclusion :

The KZ ZVX is recommended if :

• You want a weighty dense bit bassy IEMs on budget
• You want the most TANKiest IEMs on budget
• You like smooth treble presentation

The KZ ZVX is not so recommended if :

• You want the most technicalities from your IEMs plugged directly to your phone
• You dislike heavy IEMs dangling on your ears

thanks for reading this far, that's all from me for now,


-littlenezt

Hi there, before I even begin this review, please do forgive my weird English and grammatical mistakes and my potato camera,
the Truthear Hexa is bought with my own money and this is purely my subjective opinion.


Unboxing & Build

Fitting
is pretty comfortable despite its hexagonal pointy shape, also the IEM is pretty light in weight

Sound

Sound is tested using Moondrop Line T Cable, Stock Small Bore Eartips, FiiO K7 and Truthear Shio
Source is mostly from Apple Music Lossless and my FLAC collection
Genre : J-POP, J-Rock, Anisong, Rap, Metal, EDM, Jazz

for the sound I will compare the Hexa to Moondrop Blessing 2 A LOT as the hype said the Hexa is the "Blessing 2 Killer".

Tonality in general is closer to DF-Neutral (NOT TRUE DF) like the Blessing 2 with extra sub-bass and reduced upper midrange and lower treble.

Bass is deep, rumbly and have decent punch to it, the bass is focused on the sub-bass region.
It has pretty good bass resolution, like "hi-fi bass".
If myself going to compare the Hexa to the Blessing 2, bass on the Hexa feels MORE lively and immersive.
Very deep and more rumbly and have more punch compared to the Blessing 2, this probably due to Hexa using LCP Dynamic Driver compared to older Paper Dome Dynamic Driver that Blessing 2 use.
The Bass on Blessing 2 is somewhat feels a bit lacking both in depth and punch compared to Hexa.

Bass on Hexa is pretty safe for all type of genre, speedy enough for double pedal music (Metal) and to my ears still have decent punch for Rap and EDM, though for individual who prefer more mid-bass punch might feel the Hexa is a bit lacking in that department because the mid-bass is not that boosted.

Mids is neutral, not too thin nor too thick / too weighty, not too forward either.
Vocal is free from shoutiness and no sibilance is found during use.
The effect from reducing the upper mids and lower treble is more relaxed and laidback presentation to the overall sound and more stage distance both on vocal and instruments.
I also don't have any complain for the Instruments, it has correct timbre and to be honest it sounds nice.

Previously on my Blessing 2 review, I said that Blessing 2 have somewhat 2.5D presentation to the midrange, the Hexa is safe from this problem, midrange feels cohesive and correct to my ears compared to the Blessing 2.

Treble is smooth, though the presentation is somewhat a bit masked by the sub-bass, it has decent extension, but the placement is behind the sub-bass.
The treble itself, I think Blessing 2 is better compared to the Hexa, Blessing 2 to my ears is having more detail and more sparkle and feels more lively, while the Hexa presentation is more relaxed and airy (well, personal preference I guess?)

Cohesiveness on Hexa is very good, 1DD + 3BA Hybrid but feels just like one driver, nothing sounds wrong and weird.
Transient response on Hexa is snappy and dynamic, while the decay is decently long for a hybrid model, not super short like your typical BA IEMs.

Technicality

Stage is not that wide, but it has decent stage wall image, you can feel the room while listening to Hexa, it has symmetrical shape both in width and depth. If I must compare this to the Blessing 2, the Blessing 2 has more wider stage than Hexa.

Imaging is also very good, on par with Blessing 2, the sound has decent image to it albeit not being the most holographic that I have ever heard.

Separation and Positioning is good, but again if compared to Blessing 2, the Blessing 2 have more edge both on separations and positioning of sound, the Blessing 2 feels more separated and because of that finding positions of instruments / vocals / sound in general is easier / feels more exact on the Blessing 2.
This probably due to Blessing 2 have less sub-bass compared to Hexa and the upper mids and lower treble not being reduced like Hexa.

Gaming on Hexa is very good, I can play Apex Legends and Valorant and have 0 complaints, while on Blessing 2 it somehow feels a bit weird, probably due to Blessing 2 not as cohesive as Hexa, the footsteps positioning on Blessing 2 is somewhat feels "cut-off" on some angle while Hexa is 360 degree safe (lol pardon my weird analogy)

Conclusion

My subjective conclusion for Hexa is super positive, just purchase this IEM and be happy, it's rather crazy that now $80 USD can get you sound like this.

For you guys that wanted to ask, "is the Hexa actually a Blessing 2 Killer?"
the answer is NO, on my opinion its on par with the Blessing 2, BUT both Hexa and Blessing 2 have its own strong point, like Hexa having more bass resolution and very good midrange sound, and more relaxed treble presentation.
While the Blessing 2 have more sparkle and details on its treble and more wider soundstage and better separation and positioning (at least for music usage not on gaming).

If you guys still wondering should you purchase the Hexa or pass,

the Hexa is recommended if

• You want rather Neutral with extra sub-bass presentation
• You want very good technicalities with lowest cost possible
• You need an Allrounder IEMs
• You already have Blessing 2 but want more cheaper IEMs for EDC item

the Hexa is NOT so recommended if

• You're a basshead
• You prefer more mid-bass punch rather than sub-bass rumble
• You want more treble, because Hexa's treble is more on the relaxed side
• You don't like or believe in Hype item, or not believe that Hexa indeed on par with Blessing 2, then feel free to save yourself $80 USD

just in case you're Indonesian or somehow understand Bahasa Indonesia, here is the review video in Bahasa Indonesia :



that's all from me for now, I will probably edit this later to correct some of the weird English.

thanks for reading this far and please do forgive my weird English and grammatical mistakes.


-littlenezt.

Hi there, before I even start this review let me first apologize for my weird English and grammatical mistakes.
the Quarks DSP is purchased with my own money and this is purely my subjective opinion.


Unboxing

Build


The Quarks DSP is made entirely from plastic except the filter on the nozzle itself, the cable is non detachable, there is microphone with 3 buttons (vol up, play pause, vol down) and is type-C terminated because it use DSP (EQ) to achieve the FR Target.

I also noticed that when the Quarks DSP is plugged in to my phone / windows pc, the Quarks DSP is somehow detected as a keyboard, weird.

edit :
and I just got informed that some compatibility issues with phone calls on some Android devices the sound is coming from speaker not from the Quarks DSP itself.

tips !
If you have issues with keyboard not showing up when using the Quarks DSP on Android device, try search in the settings "Use on-screen keyboard" turn on that option, it keeps the virtual keyboard active when a physical keyboard (Quarks DSP) is detected.

Sound
Tested using my potato Redmi Note 9 Pro and my potato PC, stock eartips.
Source mostly from Apple Music Lossless and some offline FLAC files.
I noticed that the Quarks DSP is locked at 16bit /48khz (checked using windows 10).

Myself personally didn't notice any hiss on my particular unit even on low volume,
though I notice sometimes early milliseconds of the tracks is cut out when playing from paused / stop condition.

Tonality in general is pretty close to Harmann target with extra few dB boost on the bass and less upper mids than true Harmann target.

Bass is boosted 10dB from neutral, the bass is focused on the sub bass area.
You can definitely feel the rumble and it has decent punch to it despite its small driver size, this bass in my opinion is pretty "balanced" and can be used for all kinds of genre, the bass is also speedy enough to be used for music with lots of double pedal (metal).

Mids is following the Harmann target but Moondrop made a few tweaks by lowering the upper mid region.
This creates a very good vocal placement in my opinion, it makes the vocal not overly forward and not shouty at all.
The vocal is also free of sibilance and harshness, if you are vocal lovers and on a very tight budget AND don't mind DSP, do consider the Quarks DSP.
For the instruments, I didn't notice any weird timbre and the placement is the same as vocal, not overly forward.

Treble is pretty smooth, not too extended either, on the plus side, it makes the Quarks DSP easy to listen for a long time, but it does feel somewhat lacks of details.

Note Weight is on the leaner side

Technicalities

Stage is decently wide, didn't have exact wall placement, symmetrical in size (width and depth).

Separation and Positioning is pretty good, no overlapping, also easy to pinpoint what sounds you're looking for.

Imaging is probably the weakest point of the Quarks DSP, to be brutally honest with you, I found the Quarks DSP to be super 2D sounding, it lacks dimension and depths to the overall sound.

Detail Retrieval is pretty average for its price, not bad but not great either.

The Quarks DSP has snappy attack(transient) but the sustain (decay) is rather short.

Comparison

Moondrop Quarks OG (non DSP)
The OG Quarks bass presentation is more on the SUB + Mid bass, while the DSP is more SUB focused.
Quarks OG bass transition to midrange felt not as effortless as the DSP, the mids is also overly forward, bit shouty.
For the treble, I found both is similarly sounding.
Technicality if both plugged directly to smartphone, is the same, but the OG Quarks is better if you plug it to external dac-amp / DAP.

Moondrop CHU
Bass quantity is smaller on the CHU, but it has more punch compared to the Quarks DSP.
Overall note weight is thinner on CHU.
Treble is more extended and sparkly on CHU
Overall technicality is better on CHU regardless of source.

7Hz Salnotes Zero
Both has similar tonality, the Zero has less bass compared to the Quarks DSP, one thing I noticed with Zero is how boring and soft the transient response of Zero making it not so dynamic sounding, especially compared to the Quarks DSP.
The Quarks DSP has better attack transient while the Zero has better technicalities if plugged in to better source (DAP / Dongle / Dac-AMP)

Conclusion / TLDR

Quarks DSP is recommended if

• You don't mind DSP (EQ)
• You're on a tight budget
• You're a vocal lovers
• You want balanced sound that works great with all kinds of genre

Quarks DSP is NOT so recommended if

• You prioritize technicalities
• You're allergic to DSP (EQ) / purist / elitist
• You want more treble energy
• You want more midbass punch
• You want detachable cable IEMs

You can watch the video in Bahasa Indonesia just in case you're Indonesian / understand Bahasa Indonesia here :

That's all from me for now,
thanks for reading and sorry for my poor English and grammatical mistakes.


-littlenezt.

Hi there, before i even start this review, let me first apologize for my weird English and grammatical mistakes.
The Tanchjim Space Dongle is purchased with my own money and this is purely my subjective opinion.

Unboxing
First off lets start with the Build of the Dongle.
The dongle case is made from what i believe Aluminium (CMIIW), there is also glass on the front panel to show the Internal of the dongle, I found the glass rather easy to scratch, though it looks beautiful.


I also found Some Issues with the Build on 2 units of the Tanchjim Space dongle.
The 1st unit has rattle and loose volume button, I immediately exchanged it to the local Indonesian seller,
the 2nd one for several day works perfectly, but then somehow the internal screw on the PCB is loose, I can feel the inside is moving everytime i plug / unplug the type c / 3.5mm / 4.4mm connector

sorry for potato quality and weird EN sub lol



for the cable it looks and build pretty good, though the included C to A adapter won't fit the included cable (the C to A adapter is too tight)

Sound
the Sound is tested after using the device for around 2 weeks.
plugged directly to my Redmi Note 9 Pro Potato Phone and my PC, tested using offline FLAC files and Apple Music Lossless files.

Tonality
I found the Space to be smooth, natural, with some midbass coloration, not too analytical but also not super musical (WARM / DARK sounding)

the midbass of the Space is somewhat colored, like its having extra weight (compared to my E1DA 9038D)
midrange is lush, nothing stands out and no extra body / weight is added
and for the treble I found it to be rather smooth but not lacking any details.

Technicality
Staging on the space is quite "Spacious" like its name, especially if you use the 4.4mm connection,
Imaging and Positioning is also decent for its price, its not the most "popping and razor sharp pinpoint intense" type but it presents sounds in more natural / smooth manners
Detail retrieval is also decent, it's not the most detail extracting dongle ever but it also didn't lack of details

the difference on tonality between 3.5mm Single Ended and 4.4mm Balanced is minimal but on the 4.4mm I found the Space having more expansive stage and more dynamic and of course more power.

Power
The Space has no problem pushing every IEM that I test and even pushing my Sundara on both 3.5mm and 4.4mm port, it has black background, and free of RF Interference

Comparison

E1DA 9038D
The E1DA 9038D is far more analytical sounding compared to the Space.
It has leaner sound compared to Space, I also found the treble on E1DA 9038D to be more bright and stands out compared to the Space.
Technicality wise, the E1DA 9038D easily beats the Space, it has sickeningly large soundstage and overall more detailed sound
though, I cannot recommend the E1DA 9038D if you plan to use it with your phone because of RF Interference issues (2G,4G,5G)

Moondrop Dawn 3.5mm
The Dawn 3.5mm to my ears is a touch more warm compared to the Space, it only has 3.5mm single ended port, but have companion app to set filters, volume, and gain.
Technicality wise, the Space is better on staging (larger, wider, taller) and Space is having more power just in case you want to plug some headphones.

Moondrop Dawn 4.4mm
The Dawn 4.4mm to my ears is a touch more leaner compared to the Space, it only has 4.4mm balanced port, but also have companion app like the Dawn 3.5mm.
Technicality and power wise, I could say its pretty identical to the Space, I suspect it shares same internal with Space, but who knows.

Conclusion / TLDR

The Space is Recommended if :

• You're in need of a natural sounding dongle
• Need dual port (3.5mm and 4.4mm)
• Want a beautiful looking dongle
• You love "Gacha" and have great lucks

The Space is NOT so Recommended if :

• You want the most analytical presentation / super detail / technicalities
• You didn't really care about looks (better off buying other dongle because the glass is easy to scratch and potential weak point)
• Have a bad luck (Questionable Build)

thats all for now, thanks for reading this far and again, sorry for my weird English / grammatical mistakes.



-littlenezt.

Hi there, before i even begin this short review, please do forgive my weird English and grammatical mistakes.
the Moondrop Dawn 4.4 is purchased with my own money and this is purely my subjective opinion.

lets start with the Packaging

Design and Build
There is also a Companion App available named "Moondrop Link" for customizing :

• Filters
• Gain
• LED
• Volume Control

For Android users, I suggest to download the APP from Moondrop websites because the playstore version is not up to date.

Battery consumption on this dongle is rather frugal for how much power it offers.

Sound

Sound is tested using "Slow Rolled Off Phase Compensated Filter"

My first impression using this dongle is that it has clean black background without any hiss or RF Interference.
I also found that midbass and uppermid on this dongle is slightly emphasized, treble is extended but smooth.
It has good dynamics, but at the same time its well controlled, clean and spacious
Detail retrieval, staging is above average for its price

I also tested this dongle to push my Sundara, it didn't have any trouble pushing it to loud listening level and still has decent dynamics.

This dongle also has leaner overall presentation, not really analytical but not exactly musical either, pretty neutral best of both worlds I would say.


Comparison

Moondrop Dawn 3.5 : Dawn 3.5 is the more musical and a bit warm if compared to the 4.4 version, the Dawn 4.4 has better dynamics and wider staging compared to the single ended brother.

E1DA 9038D : 9038D overall presentation is more towards analytical and has better detail retrieval and resolution, it also has detachable cable, sadly it picks up RF Interference and consumes more battery than the Dawn 4.4mm.

Tanchjim Space : Space technicality is very close to the Dawn 4.4mm, the only thing I notice is that Space has more neutral mids compared to the Dawn 4.4mm emphasized upper mids.


Conclusion / TLDR ;
Moondrop Dawn 4.4mm is recommended for :

• users on a tight budget
• already have balanced cable
• want a dynamic sounding dongle

Moondrop Dawn 4.4mm is NOT recommended for :

• users who appreciates removable cable
• want the most analytical and best technicalities
• didn't want to spend balanced cable for every single IEMs and Headphones

thats all from me for now,
thanks for reading and again, sorry for my weird English and grammatical mistakes.


best regards,


-littlenezt

Before I even start this review, let me first say sorry for my broken English and grammatical mistakes.
The KZ PR1 Pro is directly sent by KZ in exchange for my honest review,

Just in case you're interested on this IEMs after reading this review, you can get it here
Aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004965009239.html
Lazada: https://www.lazada.co.id/products/i...863640.table_online_product.19.114f4edfzbTmeM

Unboxing
Unboxing experience is pretty simple generic typical your KZ IEMs with simple packaging
Inside the packaging you get :

• SML Foam Tips
• 8 Strands Upgraded SPC Cable 3.5mm
• IEM itself

Build Quality
Lets start with the shell, faceplate is made from glossy metal, backside of the IEM I believe is made from transparent acrylic / plastic? also for the mesh / grill, I don't know if its for tuning purpose designed like that or only for aesthetic.
Not the most premium built IEM ever, but it works.


For the cable, it comes with upgraded 8 strand KZ SPC Cable, its supple and soft, for the connector, i believe it use 0.75 type c KZ connector / QDC
As for the foam, I don't really know what brand do KZ use for the PR1 Pro, it doesn't look like the one that KZ usually sells.



Fitting
The fitting on PR1 Pro is very comfortable, no wonky shape like other planar IEMs, pretty straight forward plug it to your ears then boom, great sound! (more on that later) I can easily wear the PR1 Pro for long hours without any discomfort on my ears.

SOUND
Sound Tested Using :
Redmi Note 9 Pro, FiiO K7, Moondrop Click, Stock Foam and Final Type E Eartips, Stock Cable
Apple Music Lossless, and offline FLAC files
Genre : J-Pop, J-Rock, Anisong, Jazz, EDM, Rap, Metal
Such as : Ado, nZk (Sawano Hiroyuki), LiSA, Aimer, Misia, Adieu, Yoasobi, Tielle, SennaRin, Hoshimachi Suisei, Ellegarden, One Ok Rock, Polkadot Stingray, Survive Said the Prophet, indigo la End, Reol, Tiesto, 2Pac, Biggie, Trivium, Plini, and much more

As for eartips, I personally dislike using foam tips, but I do try both foam and tip rolling, the sound on stock foam tips I do found it somehow has a bit bloated bass and harsher upper treble, so I use the Final Type E eartips for more comfort and the rest of the review.


Tonality in General : I'd say the PR1 Pro is Neutral with bass boost, balanced, very dynamic sounding, heavy slamming bass, not overly forward mids, and zero peaks forward treble but not presented in the usual v-shaped manner.

Bass : Boosted sub – mid bass, tight, punchy, thumpy.
IMO the PR1 Pro has really good bass quality, you can feel the heavy slams, rumble but at the same time, the bass is well controlled, speedy, and tight.
Sub bass is deep, has good rumble, mid bass slams hard and full bodied, it also has great sense of physicality, you can feel the bass moves air to your ear canal.

I remember the exact day this unit arrived, out of the box trying the PR1 Pro for the first time, when the music starts and bass slams, I instantly smiles and nod my head, “whoa, this set has really good bass”.

Mids : I love the mids on this sets, tested on song such as “Lady Funky – Misia “ It sounds full, has good note weight, a bit warm, vocal sounds right, not shouty, not sibilant, inviting but kept at a distance.
Mids on this set is very musical, instrument such as trumpet sounds correct, if planar usually present mids on analytical manner, the PR1 Pro has more musicality on it.

Treble : No peak at all, very good extension, airy, has good clarity, forward but smooth at the same time, never tiring for long listening.

Timbre : Yep it has that planar sheen because it is a real planar unit.


Technicality :

Detail Retrieval & Resolution: On par with sets like dioko, which means it has great details for its price, tho some might say dioko has better details due to its unnatural peak on the 8khz region forcing the treble to stands out like a sore thumb.

Soundstage : Huge, grand, symmetric in size (width and depth) tracks like Nier Automata OST, Genshin Impact OST is really enjoyable to listen on this set.

Imaging : Very great for the price, i dare say it “almost” sounds holographic, you can easily visualize the instruments and vocalist on their place.

Positioning & Separation : You can easily pinpoint any instrument / foot steps if you're into gaming (tested on Valorant) with this set.
Separation is also very good, remembering that this set has heavy bass, even on busy tracks such as Love (feat. pH-1) – indigo la end, the sound is not congested at all, you can discern what sound is playing on the background easily.

Transient & Decay : It has speedy and snappy transient thanks to the planar unit, as for decay its a bit on the shorter side.

Pairing :
PR1 Pro for a planar set is not very heavy to drive, you can just plug it to your phone and enjoy, but it does scale if you use better gear.
For me, the PR1 Pro has more synergies with warmer source.

Comparison :

Moondrop Stellaris :
Overal presentation of the Stellaris is more analytical, bright, but with better detail retrieval and resolution if compared directly with the PR1 Pro.
Stellaris has more neutral but wonky sound signature, it has less overall bass, peak on 2khz making the vocal sounds nassaly and instrument more specificaly electric guitar too intense.
Treble on Stellaris is also peaky, especially the peak around 8khz making vocal sounds sharp and unnatural, fitting on Stellaris is also more challenging because it affects directly how the Stellaris sounds (check my review for more detail on that matter)

7Hz Salnotes Dioko
Dioko to my ears is a lean sounding set, more or less same bass quantity as Stellaris and has weird 8khz peak that make edge of every notes sound sharp.
Mids presentation on Dioko is pushed back compared to the PR1 Pro (if your Dioko come with the correct filter that is)
Treble on Dioko to my ears sounds unnatural and forced because of the peak around 8khz, sure it might affect the perception of detail retrieval, but in a forced manner like throwing it to your face.
Technicality wise Dioko win only on detail retrieval that is also because of how forced the treble is presented on that set.

The PR1 Pro replaced both Stellaris and Dioko as my portable EDC planar IEM for me.

HiFiMan Sundara
Just for the sake of overall planar comparison, the PR1 Pro if compared to full sized headphone such as Sundara, it has the exact same planar characteristics, nothing is lost on the PR1 Pro, just different tuning and different price point and different form factor.

Sundara has HRTF / Diffuse field-ish tuning compared to the PR1 Pro bass boosted profile.
Bass on Sundara is clearly FLAT but still has that punchy planar bass.
Mids on Sundara is more forward compared to the PR1 Pro and overal sound presentation of the Sundara is more focused around mids area / mid-centric.
As for the treble Both Sundara and PR1 Pro treble is well extended without any weird peak, both has good clarity and brighness to it but the PR1 Pro is a bit smoother to my ears.

Technicality wise Sundara easily beats the PR1 Pro on all aspects, but i found myself picking up the PR1 Pro more often than my Sundara because of how fun and dynamic sounding the PR1 Pro is.

Conclusion / TLDR ;
IMHO, I can't find a fault or a reason on not to recommending the PR1 Pro especially at this price besides wishing it comes with a pouch for carrying the IEM, but for the sake helping the community :

The KZ PR1 Pro is recommended for individual who :

• Wants a Planar IEM
• Wants Allrounder Dynamic and Fun Sound
• Prefer More Musicality Presentation
• Is On a Tight Budget

The KZ PR1 Pro is NOT recommended for individual who :

• Prioritize ultimate detail retrieval (get Stellaris)
• Wants More Premium Build Quality
• Is Allergic to Bassy IEMs

thats all from me, thanks for reading and again, forgive my weird English and grammatical mistakes.
*note : I might edit this later for correcting the English / Better Picture


-littlenezt

First of all before I begin this review, sorry for my weird English and grammatical mistakes.
The Tangzu Wan'er SG is a loaner unit from my friend and the review is my personal opinion for this IEM.

lets start with the Unboxing Experience
inside the gorgeous packaging you get :

• Waifu Cloth for cleaning your IEM
• the IEM (obviously?)
• SML Eartips Wide and Small Bore
• Cable

lets start to the Build Quality of the IEM, to be honest it build just like super budget QKZ IEMs the shell is completely made of plastic, tho the faceplate has interesting and beautiful design, also the driver housing inside is branded "Tangzu" nice little touch there.





the cable also looks like build from the same material that you get from old KZ ZSN times, super tangly but it works.

Fitting : fits nicely on my big ears
SOUND

Gear I use for testing the Wan'er SG : Redmi Note 9 Pro, Moondrop Click, FiiO K7, Stock small bore eartips and Stock cable
Music Source : Apple Music Lossless and FLAC files
Genre : J-Pop, J-Rock, Anisong, EDM, Metal, Jazz, Rap

General Tonality :
the Wan'er is bass boosted, warm, with lower treble sparkle and smooth rolled off upper extensions.

for this IEMs I recommend you to try eartips rolling since it has noticeable effect on how it sounds.

BASS : is more focused on the Midbass area, it has noticeable boosted quantity, but still on the allrounder category (bassheads probably won't be satisfied), bass has nice punch, also speedy enough for double pedal and metal music, tho i notice some masking effect / bass bleeds to the midrange.

MIDS : note weight for the mids is on the thicker side, probably the effect from the forementioned bass bleeds. Male and female vocals sounds warm and lush, no noticeable shoutiness and sibilance. For things like instrument and vocal placement is positioned a bit behind the bass.

Treble : the lower treble is sparkly, not sharp, it makes the overall sounds of this IEM fun, extension is a bit rolled off.
Sounds like cymbal and hi-hats has more sparkle on the Wan'er if compared directly to the similarly priced Salnotes Zero, tho Zero has better treble extension but presented on more lush and laidback / relaxing manner.

Timbre : sounds normal and natural

Transient and Decay : attack transient is snappy, it also makes the IEM sounds more dynamic and fun, for the decay is a bit on the shorter side.

Technicality

Detail Retrieval : not the best, its just average for the price.
Stage : not claustrophobicly small but not huge either, the stage is like small space without exact wall placement but has symmetric size on the width and depth.
Imaging : also "average" for its price, its not like your ultra cheap convenient store buds 2D sounds, but its not great either
Positioning and Separation : its Decent, tested for gaming (Valorant) I can hear foot steps easily, for music I test the track such as Plini - Pan, the positioning for left and right panning is ok, separation is also decent, sound is not jumbled up together

Pairing : just plug it to your phone and enjoy, tho i must mention that technical scalability on this IEMs is not that great

Comparison :

Moondrop Chu : Chu has less bass quantity, but has a bit more punchy bass, mids on Chu is more forward and lean sounding, treble on Chu has more extension and more sparkle, for technical capabilities, Chu is better on all aspects compared to the Wan'er.

7hz Salnotes Zero : Zero has more balanced and neutral sound. Bass on Zero is more focused on the Sub-bass area, the mids position is parallel with the bass, treble has more smooth and laidback presentation but more extension compared to Wan'er. If you prefer more fun and dynamic sound, Wan'er is your best bet. For technicalities, Zero and Wan'er is really close, tho i must give Wan'er slight edge here than Zero because Wan'er has more dynamics and Zero is almost too smooth and close to being sound dull for my ears.

Conclusion / TLDR ;
The Tangzu Wan'er is great choice for individual who's :

• On limited budget
• Want warm, fun and dynamic sounding IEMs
• Want allrounder IEMs for all kind of music genre

The Tangzu Wan'er is not really recommended for if :

• You prioritize technicalities but have limited budget (Chu is your best options)
• Want more laidback and relaxing IEMs (get Zero)
• Want more Neutral IEMs (also get Zero)

that's all for now, thanks for reading this far, and again, forgive my weird English and grammatical mistakes.

-littlenezt.

Before I start this review, let me first say sorry for my broken English
the 7Hz Salnotes Zero is a loaner unit from my friend, and all of this review is my own personal opinion.

lets start from the Unboxing experience, the Zero come with a pretty "basic" box with boring unboxing experience
*tho that means all the money is invested to the IEM itself rather than some fancy box

Build of the IEM is mostly plastic with metal faceplates, it has standard 2pin 0.78 connector, but to be honest the plastic doesn't feel cheap at all.
The cable is really good considering the price of this IEMs, its not the usual thin noodle like generic chi-fi cable.
I don't use the stock eartips I replace it with $1USD Sony Hybrid Eartips from local Indonesia marketplace for better comfort

now for the Fitting, since I have big ears, the fitting is mostly YMMV things, some people have issues with the weird shapes of the shell, but myself didn't face any issues with the fitting at all
here some pics of

now lets talk about the SOUND.
the Zero is tested using

Source : Redmi Note 9 Pro, Moondrop Click, FiiO K7, Sony Hybrid eartips and Stock Cable
Apple Music Lossless,
Genre : J-Pop, J-Rock, Anisong, EDM, Metal, Jazz, Rap

Tonality

Tonality in General : Harmann Neutral with slightly less bass shelf A.k.a. Copy of Moondr*p S8 VDSF Frequency Response Graph.

Bass : The bass is focused on the Sub Bass area, its quantity is noticeably boosted but not too much (definitely not for basshead). The bass presentation is rather on the boomier and rumbly side, not really punchy, but the speed is speedy enough for metal songs.
mid-bass, upper-bass transition to the lower midrange is really well executed (duh! it copies VDSF graph).

Mids : Mids positioning is parallel with the bass, not overly forward, have great note weight, not too thin nor too thick, vocal doesn't have any sibilance, not shouty, both male and female vocal is rendered pretty nicely.
If you are in search for a great budget vocal IEMs but you also like good bass, IMO the Zero is pretty good for it.
besides that, instruments sound such as trumpet, guitar, violin, etc sounds pretty clean and i can't find anything wrong with it.

Treble : Smooth, no peak at all, it has laidback presentation

Timbre : It sounds natural and normal, nothing to fault for the timbre.

Decay & Attack Transient : it has rather quick decay and the attack is on the softer side, for me i found it affects the dynamics of overall how the Zero sounds, and the Zero sounds pretty laidback because of it.

Technicalities

Detail Retrieval : Nothing special, Average for its price
Stage : I found the Zero's stage on the smaller side, it has symmetrical size between width and depths, also I found the stage doesn't have exact wall placement
Imaging : The sounds coming from Zero doesn't sound just like its 2D passing to your ears, tho its not holographic for sure, its decent for its price.
Positioning & Separation : Also decent, not congested, but not exactly have razor sharp pinpoint accuracy (Tested on Plini - Pan, and Valorant)

Pairing :
Just plug it to your phone and enjoy. (tho if you have decent gears, the scalability on the technical side of the Zero is noticeable)

Comparison :

Moondrop CHU : CHU has less bass quantity, but it has more punch, mids on CHU is more forward and thin, treble on CHU is more sparkly and extension of the treble is more extended on CHU, technicality CHU is better than Zero on all categories (IMO).

Tangzu Wan'er SG : Wan'er is more focused on the midbass rather than sub bass like Zero, I Also found the Bass on Wan'er is somewhat more punchy overal tonality is more fun with the Wan'er (Midbass punch with more Sparkle rather than smoothed out treble presentation like Zero), technicality side, the Zero and Wan'er is pretty close


Conclusion / TLDR;
The 7Hz Salnotes Zero is recommended for individual who's:

• On a tight budget
• In search for Allrounder IEMs
• Like Bass but also vocal lovers on budget
• Like smooth treble presentation
• In search for a pretty laidback IEM presentation

The 7Hz Salnotes Zero is NOT recommended for individual who's:

• Prioritize technicalities
• In search for more intense IEM presentation
• In search for more fun tonality (more bass / more treble / v-shape, etc)

thanks for reading this far, again, sorry for my broken English,


-littlenezt

before I even start this review, let me first apologize for my weird english and grammatical mistakes.
I purchase the E1DA 9038D with my own money and this review is 100% my opinion

UNBOXING

BUILD
it made of (i believe) from aluminum, not the most premium and precise built ever, stock cable looks generic and cheap
NOTABLE MENTION :

• if you use 3pole 3.5mm jack, you need to use OMTP - CTIA adaptor to get correct signal
• it picks up RF Interference (states on their own website)
• it has its own apps called Tweak, most of the option are premium paid, the free option can be used for volume control
• get warm when in use

APP

SOUND IMPRESSIONS

tested using ddHifi OTG cable, source from Apple Music Lossless and local FLAC files
genre : J-POP, J-ROCK, EDM, Metal, Jazz
IEM : Moondrop S8, Kato, Stellaris
Headphone : Hifiman Sundara

overall character of the E1DA 9038D is precise, analytical, wide and tad bright

the bass of the 9038D if i need to describe it, its "precise" and have correct transient (both attack and decay), not having added coloration, pure

for the mids, i would describe it as very analytical, it makes you focused on what's being played on the tracks you listen, very lively, the mids if compared to other DAC, the 9038D sound a just very little... lean.

as for the treble, it didn't hide or trying to smooths out anything, full of micro detail and once again very analytical

TECHNICALITIES

STAGE : sickeningly wide, even wider than my ZEN stack setup, wider than most dongle I've previously owned (9038s, Dragonfly Red, Cobalt, ddHifi, iBasso)
IMAGING : it images sounds realistically but in analytical way, it could brings out your IEMs / Headphones potential without any problem
DETAIL RETRIEVAL : A LOT OF MICRO DETAILS!! if you like you details being thrown at your face, this is the dongle for you.

POWER : it could power my Hifiman Sundara without any problem on -20 volume on E1DA Tweaks app

PAIRING
anything, if you like your sounds very detailed, just use this dongle, but warmer cans / IEMs i think it would creates more good synergies than brighter set.

BATTERY CONSUMPTION
not the most efficient dongle ever, i plugged this to my Redmi Note 9 Pro (5000mAh) and feels the battery draining quite quickly

COMPARISON :

E1DA 9038s G3 Susumu S3000
the older brother of the 9038D, use 2.5mm balanced connector, have more driving power, free from RF Interference, more neutral, 9038s soundstage is not as wide as the 9038D, and the detail retrieval is better on the 9038D, also the 9038s stays cool when in use

Moondrop DAWN 3.5
cheaper, more neutral, warmer, smoother, technicalities on all aspects better on the 9038D, if you need dongle with decent technicalities and safe for portable use(safe from RF interference) and on tight budget, the DAWN 3.5 is a decent option

other comparison? just ask on comment section

CONCLUSION / TLDR ;
if you need the most pure analytical dongle on tight budget, this is the one to get, though myself cannot recommend this if your purpose is for portability / plugged in to your smartphone (2G, 4G, 5G Interference), if you intend to use this with your laptop / PC then go ahead I 100% recommend this dongle

if only it didn't picks up interference (2G,4G,5G) I would 200% recommend this dongle to everyone

before i even start this review as usual, sorry for my broken english and grammatical mistakes
disclaimer :

• I purchase the Dawn 3.5 with my own money at around $65 USD
• I won't start another debate on whether "burn in" and changing "Filter" affect sound / not, it's up to you
• I tend to listen not very loud in terms of loudness, so max pushing power of this dongle can be rather subjective on how loud usually you listen to songs
• Playlist I listen consist of J-Pop, Anisong, J-Rock, EDM, Metal, Jazz

Unboxing & Pictures :

Build :
it has metal body with white matte paint on it, the build quality of it is not the best, and the cable is non detachable

Companion APP
if you use Android, DONT download the Google Playstore Version, instead download the one from Moondrop website, the Playstore version is somehow very very buggy
Items used for testing :
Redmi Note 9 Pro, DAWN 3.5, E1DA 9038D, 9038S G3 for comparison.
Source : Apple Music Lossless
IEMs / Headphone : Hifiman Sundara, Moondrop KATO, Moondrop Stellaris

MOONDROP DAWN 3.5 Sound Impressions :
Overal sound of the DAWN 3.5 out of the box with default Filter "Fast Roll-off Low-lantency filter" is pretty neutral with boring and fast decay, after i leave it for some "burn in" period and change the Filter with "Slow Roll-off Phase-compensated filter" the DAWN 3.5 atleast to my ears sounds still pretty neutral BUT now with just a hint of analogue warmness.

Bass has a rather blunt presentation of bass, its tight,, a hint dry It has fast attack , but have short sustain / decay, definition and separation of the bass is pretty good

Mids presentation has decent weight and sounding a hint of analogue / touch of warmness to it. Especially on female vocal, It sounds lively on Anisong tracks such as &Z by nZk (feat. mizuki)

Treble of the Dawn 3.5 is well extended, has a great amount of micro details, but sound smooth at the same time, its a joy to listen Moondrop Stellaris and my Sundara using the Dawn 3.5

STAGING
its small, probably the weakest points besides the build and non detachable cable of the DAWN 3.5
on nZk - Cage at minutes 1:00 sounds somewhat crowded

Detail Retrieval
in terms of detail retrieval of the DAWN 3.5 in my opinion is pretty good, its almost as good as my E1DA 9038S Gen 3, though the 9038S has the edge in terms of detail retrieval over the DAWN 3.5

Dynamic
it sounds lively, doesn't try to make things sounds super dynamic, but at the same time it doesn't present sound in a boring way

Power:
on the manual said it has 89mw @32ohm and 13mw @300ohm but it can power both my IEMs and Sundara pretty well.
though it depends on how loud your listening level, so your mileage may vary.

Pairing:
the DAWN 3.5 in my opinion can be paired with all kind of IEMs / Headphone, it doesn't really change the tonality of the IEMs / Headphone you use with it, though it might be a good pair for brighter cans because how the DAWN 3.5 presents the treble rather smoothly

Battery Consumption :
plugged in to my Redmi Note 9 Pro, the DAWN 3.5 didn;t really consume that much of the battery, I'd say its safe for portable use, also the device is only tad warm when in use

Comparison

VS E1DA 9038s G3
the E1DA 9038s G3 noticeably has A LOT more power and sounding more expansive in the staging department with better detail retrieval compared to the DAWN 3.5 tonality wise its almost identical, though the 9038s has more longer decay / "wetter" sounding than the DAWN 3.5, BUT, you need to purchase balanced cable to use it (extra cost)

VS E1DA 9038D
the E1DA 9038D also has more power and sounding even more expansive than the 9038s and DAWN 3.5, also has better overall technical performance, sounds rather analytical and a bit bright BUT the 9038D has noticeable flaws, it picks up RFI 2G and 4G signal pretty badly and, so for portable usage with smartphone i CANNOT recommend the 9038D

WHY THE DAWN 3.5 Exist ? Why don't I just purchase the 4.4mm for better performance?
in my opinion especially on budget categories, purchasing balanced DAC / AMP adds more cost because you need to purchase multiple balanced cable for your IEMs / Headphones, it defeats its purpose in the first place: bringing the most VALUE for money

Conclusion / TLDR ;
pretty good dongle for its price

+Recommended for users who needs good price to performance ratio DAC/AMP dongle without needing to spent extra cash for balanced cable

- Not recommended if you didn't have any budget limits to purchase extra balanced cable (purchase the DAWN 4.4 / Moonriver 2 / whatever dongle you want its up to you)

KZ ZNA
1DD + 1 BA

before i even begin with the review, sorry for my weird english and grammatical mistakes
the KZ ZNA is sent to me directly from KZhifi in exchange for my honest review.

you can get the KZ ZNA from
here and here

Unboxing

Build :
IEM : not the most premium built for an iem, rather light, though its only USD $29.
it has metal faceplate with plastic body, the seam between metal and plastic on my unit is perfect, no rough edges

Cable : it has that entry level dual core 2pin KZ cable, elastic, not tangly, kinda cheap feeling but it works so i cant really comment much on the cable, i believe there is also mic option for the ZNA

Fitting :
pretty straight forward good fitting with the ZNA, plug it to your ears and forget

SOUND
tested using : Redmi Note 9 Pro, E1DA 9038D, Moondrop Dawn 3.5, Moondrop Click, stock eartips, stock cable
source & genre : Apple Music Lossless - J-POP, Anisong, EDM, Rap, Metal

Tonality

Technicalities

Comparison with iem under $30USD

Pairings :
to be honest, you can just use your phone for the ZNA, though i prefer use it with my entry level dongle Moondrop Click for more body to the sound

Bonus if you want to make the ZNA sounds "flat" for whatever reason

Conclusion / TLDR ;
+Recommended if you want an allrounder budget set with rather safe tuning (you can pretty much use ZNA for all genre)

-NOT Recommended if you want the most technicalities from a really tight budget (get CHU / wait for JIU)

Hi there head-fi forum, been long time not doing any review both in my YouTube and this forum,
before starting the review, this review is NOT in any way sponsored (i bought this set myself) and is clearly my subjective opinion,
also please forgive my broken english

PACKAGING & UNBOXING :
inside the box :

• your typical Moondrop pouch that you can't really use with STELLARIS (see picture below)
• cable that looks exactly like SSR & SSP & Aria SE cable BUT now with cable slider and Stellaris color themed
• UC TIPS (SML)
• MIS-TIP T41 (SML)
• Moondrop Waifu POSTCARD, Guide, QC Card, Warranty Card, etc etc

BUILD QUALITY :
lets start with the IEM / shell build quality, the shell is painted and the finish on my unit is great, it has the same finish as Starfield, the IEM itself also pretty heavy and feels really well made,

Spoiler: the "STELLARIS"

for the cable, i cant say much about it, it works, looks pretty, but thin like noodle

FITTING :
the IEM is pretty much sits on my concha and touch a bit the outer side of my earlobe (tragus?) as well, to be honest, the weight of STELLARIS is not really fatiguing on my earlobe.
fitting itself is not that bad and i can get decent seal, but how it affects this set sounds thats the part that makes it challenging (more on this later below)

SOUND :

the STELLARIS is tested using my trusty E1DA 9038D, Audient ID4 MKii Interface and Moondrop Dawn 3,5 Edition
using Apple Music Lossless files, i listen mostly (J-POP, Anisong, Jazz, Rap&Hip-Hop, also a bit of Metal)
using A LOT of eartips brand and size

first off, let me say, the STELLARIS DIDN'T SOUND like your typical Moondrop IEMs with their VDSF target curved (Harmann-ish tuning)
for sound in general, on my ears with the right tip and insertion depth, the STELLARIS sounds more like a W shape with pronounced SUB Bass, Forward Upper MIDS and Forward Treble


POWER / PAIRING :
this set is kinda power hungry for an IEM, definitely loves power and paired well with warmer source

TIMBRE :
yes it has that "planar timbre" because this set is planar (obviously?)

Do i Recommend this IEM? / TLDR ;

YES if you want the most details and technicalities iems on a tight budget that can also easily beats probably iem cost 2x or even more than this set priced
YES if you already have your allrounder iem and want something different and willing to experiment with A LOT of eartips and insertion depths

NO if you want an allrounder IEM for daily driver
NO if you dislike forward treble
NO if you prefer warmer set and musicality

BONUS EQ just in case you've already purchase this set and didn't like how it sounds

Spoiler: last resort before selling it to another headfiers

*just in case you still didn't like it, feel free to EQ your IEM however you like, or mod using mesh filter or sell it, i did this eq like in 5 minutes lol

i guess that's all for now, if i remember something else i probably will edit this post later.
also if i have some time i will make video on this set on my YouTube as well (Bahasa Indonesia).

thanks for reading, i hope you can understand my broken English.

Hi friend, this is my written review on the IKKO OH2 single DD IEM,
first of all, sorry for my broken english since im not native English speaker.

Before i write this review, i want to thank IKKO Audio for sending me these IEM for review purpose, rest assured, this review is 100% my own subjective opinion.

just in case you interested in these IEM after reading this broken English review,
you can get the OH2 from here



what you get in the box :

• IEM
• 2 Core MMCX Silver Plated Copper Cable (3.5mm)
• Pouch
• Foam Eartips (3 Pairs)
• Silicone Oval Eartips (6 Pairs)
• MMCX Remover - Cleanup Tools
• IKKO Brooch
• Fridge Magnet?

Build & Comfort & Aesthetics :



OH2 is surprisingly small in size, the body is made from zinc copper alloy and polycarbonate (plastic) for the transparent part, you can also see the "24K Gold Board" from the plastic window.

IKKO state on the OH2 web page that the 24k gold board help to optimize the microcurrent transmission.

The nozzle have oval shape that in theory can help to reduce pressure on ear canal, it also has removable filters for easy clean-up and also included in the package spare filters just in case you somehow lose the filters.

I forgot to mention the SVAS (Separating Vector Acoustics System) on my video review, if im not mistaken the SVAS helps IKKO achieve this kind of sounds while keeping the IEM size small.

For folks who wonders if normal shape (circle shape) eartips works with the OH2, the answer is YES, you can fit practically any eartips to the oval nozzle of the OH2.

The OH2 fits really well on my big ears, i personally use the "medium large" stock oval eartips and have 0 issues with fitting and comfort, also probably the most important thing, its free from vacuum effect and driver flex.

sound isolation is not the best, probably due to the vented design.

Cable :

specs : 2 Core MMCX Silver Plated Copper Cable (3.5mm)

Cable is thin and light but well constructed, while i personally prefer 2 pin connectors, the mmcx on the cable and OH2 itself (atleast on my unit) seems to be very reliable and well built, it didn't have any wobble or spinning problem, the cable also have minimal microphonics effect if it rubs your clothes.

Since the cable is thin and light, it didn't add unnecessary weight on your ear and is super comfortable.

Sound :
tested using E1DA 9038D dongle dac, Apple Music Lossless, Mostly J-Pop, Anisong, Metal (Trivium, KORN), RAP (Eminem, NWA) Stock Oval Eartips, Stock Cable

overall tonality atleast on my ears it sounds like diffuse-warm / HRTF-ish target tuned

BASS : neutral, non boosted bass quantity, mid bass focused, while the bass quantity is not huge, it has good weight and satisfying impact.
Due to the neutral bass tuning, it won't bleed to the mids at all.
Bass speed is not the speediest one i ever heard from a DD but still usable for double pedal / metal music.

MIDS : THICC, LUSH, somehow the OH2 mids reminds me of the Sennheiser HD580, 650 and 660s series, if you love that cans, there is strong chance that you will also love the OH2.
the mids have a smooth, laidback, "organic" and musical presentation, some who prefers more bright energetic sounds might call it "veiled".

Vocal presentation is NOT too intimate like it sounds from inside your nose / forehead, not shouty, also free from sibilance.
Instrument like piano / violin sounds pretty realistic and meaty.
To put it simply because of my broken english, the mids presentation is really similar to HD650 - 660s and i really love it.

TREBLE : Smooth, non offensive treble, but still have some air so overall tuning is not too thicc / dark.
Treble presentation from these sets really reminds me of the Starfield from Moondrop,
the treble mostly focused on the lower - mid treble, there is noticeable smoothing on the higher treble.
cymbal crashes might sound tad recessed but is really enjoyable for long listening session, i even use the OH2 while i nap

Technicalities :

Stage : on the small side, kinda large for diffuse / HRTF-ish tuned IEM, not claustrophobic, have symmetric shape in terms of depth and width size.

Imaging : vocal and object have some sense of physicality, not mindblowingly holographic, but not 2D either. For the asking price of $80 USD, its completely acceptable or i dare to say its great for the price.

Separation : not razor sharp separation, but definitely not congested on busy part of tracks.

Positioning : tested using FPS games (Apex Legends, CSGO) i have 0 issues pinpointing exact steps location, heck, it perform better than my logitech G435 gaming headset

Detail Retrieval : not the best detail extractor, not trying to punch above its price, sounds just like IEM on its price class (Aria, Starfield)

Comparison :
Moondrop Aria : tuned more to the harman modified by Moondrop (VDSF Target), definitely have more BASS and Treble compared to the OH2, Aria have more leaner mids, Aria treble presentation is noticeably have metallic timbre compared to the OH2.

Moondrop Starfield : also tuned to VDSF Target by Moondrop, the Starfield also have thicc mids like OH2, but it also has more BASS than OH2, treble presentation is really similar, but Starfield atleast on my ears sounds more grainy than the OH2.

technicality of the Aria and Starfield is really close to OH2 so i won't elaborate any further.

Tanchjim OLA : not a fair comparison price wise TBH, but i will mention it since both have HRTF / diffuse-ish tuning.
OLA have more leaner bass and mids and analytical presentation compared to OH2.

OLA have more extended treble, but dry presentation, OLA if compared directly a-b to OH2, OLA sounds more like a tools to monitor / mix rather than to enjoy your music and relax.
technicalities of OH2 is noticeably better on all aspects even with its smooth / rolled-off treble presentation.

Conclusion :
If you search for an IEM that have somehow similar presentation to the Sennheiser HD580, 650, 660s series, with its THICC mids sound with only fraction of it's price, there is strong chance that you will love the OH2.
For $80USD, the price is definitely justified for its sounds, packaging, and accessories that you get in the package.

Myself personally really love the OH2 and these IEM definitely will be my every day carry item (EDC) because of its lush, thicc, smooth presentation.

thanks for reading !
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

you can find this review in video here (Bahasa Indonesia)

Hi Friend ! this is my take on the Moondrop Blessing 2 IEM, first of all sorry for my broken english,
this review is non-sponsored, i paid full price for the IEM also this review is 100% my personal opinion.

i previously have tried the blessing 2, i got a loaner unit from my friend, and now i decided to purchase one for myself
*i have OCD and this might affect my rating on the build quality of the Blessing 2.

Packaging and Unboxing

first of all lets begin with the Packaging and Unboxing, as usuall Moondrop with their waifu artworks.

Unboxing experience is just OK, nothing luxurious feeling is presented or trying to be represented here.

inside the box you're greeted with some kind of Vinyl? material Pouch, my pouch also have strange marks that looks like "Dead by Daylight"game logo,
inside this dbd limited edition pouch, you can find the Blessing 2 resting safely between thick foam
Packaging seems to be decent also the iem is well protected between the foam, but sadly the faceplate quality come with scuff marks from factory.
more about this "marks" on the build quality.

inside the rectangular box, you can find :
4 Core Moondrop "Lace" Cable
6 pieces of silicone eartips S,M,L size small bore 2pairs for each size
and an airplane adaptor ,weird my unit didn't come with any spare mesh filter.

and there's some card writen on Mandarin that i cant read without Google Translate.

Build Quality
first of all lets enjoy the beauty of the Blessing 2


The Blessing 2 is built mainly from 3D printed resin from HeyGears and Stainless Steel faceplate with the so called "Precision CNC" that are not so precise and brushing process so you can "sharpen your nail on it" <---this is what they claim on the marketing material.

the stainless steel have some imperfection / scuff marks from the factory, as someone who suffers from OCD and perfectionism, the CNC process on Blessing 2 faceplate is killing me
i guess its only my unit that have imperfections... but actually NO, my friend unit also have imperfection on his faceplate

okay enough ramble with my obsession with perfection, i know nothing is perfect on this world (like my broken english) , but hey if the build can be improved, everyone would be happier right?

with the imperfection on the faceplate out of the way, lets get into the "HeyGears" 3D Printing part, the shell is 100% transparent with almost 0 air bubble on the resin ! now this is what im talking about, the resin quality is absolutely great, almost as good as the Moondrop S8 build quality ! but hey i guess if i expect the Blessing 2 to be built like the S8, the price tag probably would jump to something around 400$ or more.

on the Stainless Steel version, you can order custom engraving so you can wear your Blessing 2 with your waifu picture on it,
also for 30$ extra, you can have the Blessing 2 with wooden faceplate. Why didnt i order the wood version? because one of my viewers on YouTube said he bought the wood version of Blessing 2 and he said the faceplate of the wood version is more easier to scratch that he cant even stand it he sold his wood version and purchase the regular stainless steel version.

Cable
actually i really like the cable, the provided Lace cable is really soft with almost 0 microphonics and it just works,
*probably gonna add the cable picture later since im currently using the Blessing 2 as i write this broken english review.

Pouch
my pouch come with some weird marks and creases also the zipper is a bit misaligned and when i open the pouch the left side is crooked a bit (my ocd bias hit again)

Eartips
the stock silicone eartips is comfortable for my ears and super easy to fit to the iem since it has the proper nozzle size (duh!)

Fitting
the Blessing 2 size is a bit on the larger side, if you have small ears you probably will feel some discomfort while placing or removing the IEM from your ears. Also the Blessing 2 kinda sticks out from your ears 100% cannot be used for side sleeping.

Sound Quality
the Moondrop Blessing 2 is a 5-Driver Hybrid IEM, single PAPER Dynamic Driver, dual "SoftEars" balanced armature for mids, and dual knowles armature for the treble.

i use Hiby R5 Saber, Redmi Note 9 Pro, AK PEE51, FiiO K5 Pro, stock cable and stock eartips for the setup.
my playlist is J-Pop, J-Rock, Jazz and Anisong, also some RAP (Eminem, Dr. DRE, Snoop Dogg) also some metal (Trivium)

Tonality : diffuse field neutral with a touch of boosted bass from "real diffuse field"

BASS : Bass is handled by "PAPER DYNAMIC DRIVER" <--- they write this on the Blessing 2 product Page.
i really like the bass of the Blessing 2. To my ears, the Blessing 2 reach deep with controlled quantity, snappy punchy bass without covering the mids at all. This set is clearly not made for basshead, probably even casual listener will also crave for more bass quantity.

the dynamic driver is speedy enough to handle double pedal on Trivium songs also reach deep with nice controlled rumble for "Cafe Ghibli" Jazzy music.
what about RAP or RnB song on this set? since im not a basshead i can see myself enjoying REOL, snoop dogg, Eminem songs with the Blessing 2.

i heard that there is some inconsistency between Blessing 2 for the Bass, but from my memory my friends Blessing 2 bass also sounds exactly like mine.

MIDS : Mids is handled by proprietary dual balanced armature from "SoftEars"
the mids sounds a bit on the leaner side like reaaaally just a bit (compared to the HD600) vocal is not shouty at all, also free from sibilance,
for music like "Cafe Ghibli" and Violet Evergarden, Nier Automata sound track, this set is killing it, i like it A LOT.
but vocal on some singers like songs titled "Yoru Ga Akeruyo" from supercell, also "Sayuri" songs, the vocal somehow felt like 2D to my ears, im guessing because my ears is used to have more weighty presentation from the HD600 vs leaner mids on the Blessing 2.

TREBLE : Treble is handled by dual knowles armature, the treble is smooth without sounding dull with a lot of micro details and proper treble layering.
The Blessing 2 really blow my mind, how can a set cost around 300$ present this level of detail retrieval, the treble decay is just a bit short from what i personally like, but i prefer the treble on Blessing 2 compared to the Moondrop S8.
I previously have tried the S8 and the treble is sounding super "wet" the decay is somehow too long for rock and metal songs, the cymball and hi-hat notes on the S8 is somehow mixed while the Blessing 2 i can easily count how many times the sticks hit the cymbal and hi-hat. Granted, while the S8 have superior detail retrieval compared to the Blessing 2, i just dont really like how S8 handled rock and metal music.

songs i used for the test : i-mage - SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Aimer, narrative - SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:LiSA, Roselia, Polaris - Fujifabric, Trivium


Technicality

Soundstage : Wide and large, if i have to describe it, the Blessing 2 soundstage sounds like orchestra room to my ears.

Imaging and Separation : as a multi driver IEM, this set can provide you sharp sound separation not the sharpest set in the world, but you can easily identify what instruments are playing in the background, also the imaging is "holographic" enough for my ears except the vocal on some singers as i mentioned earlier above.

Detail Retrieval : LOTS of micro details especially for the under 500$ marks, one IEM that i can name having better detail retrieval on this price bracket is the Campfire IO, but the IO have some weirdness on the tonality and sounds super dry compared to the Blessing 2.

Pairings
anything that have warmer tonality DAC / DAP work best ! why warmer? to compensate the leaner note weight presentation of the Blessing 2.
i mainly prefer the Tonality of AK PEE51 + Blessing 2 vs the Hiby R5 Saber and the FiiO K5 Pro.

also for anyone asking, YES if your smartphone still have 3.5mm jacks you can absolutely use the Blessing 2 with it.

Comparison
Just ask if you need some comparison, i can help you if i have tried the IEM / Headphones you mentioned.

Conclusion
do i recommend the Moondrop Blessing 2 ? ABSOLUTELY this set is super easy to listen, minimal wearing fatigue (atleast for my ears), reasonable price, you dont need to sell your kidney to have great listening experience, great technicalities also great tonality, you can also use this for mixing / editing audio related works.
but please note that if you have OCD and obsessed with perfection, this set might not be for you.

thanks for reading and sorry if i sounds like whining a lot on the build quality since i cant help my OCD from getting triggered.

you can also find the video review (Indonesian) of the Blessing 2 on my YT Channel, just search for littlenezt .

have a great day and stay healthy !

-littlenezt

first of all i would like to thank HiFiGo for providing me with this IEM
disclaimer : this item is provided from HiFiGo for me to review but this whole review is entirely my opinion and not altered in any way at all.

shipping :
would be great if shipping have more protection (bubble wrap) and use another express expedition if possible in the future

the IEM :
superb build quality, no driver flex at all, comfortable for my ears even with provided generic eartips, the cable somehow looked like one comes with the iBasso AM05 but the TA1 cable is only 3.5mm

for the tonality and technical review of this IEM, i use Final Type E black eartips, stock cable, and Astel n Kern PEE51 Dongle DAC.
TONALITY :

"w shaped" tuning

BASS :
a bit bassy (focusing on mid bass and upper bass) but surely not a bass canon model, bass is punchy, speedy enough for metal genre use. IMO, somehow the bass is making you crave more rumble around the sub-bass area.

MIDS :
kinda forward mids, intimate vocal representation, very good with jpop genre music and anime ost
if i have to nitpick the midrange area, the vocal is somehow sounding a bit "nassaly" like just a little bit (and again im comparing the vocal with my daily driver HD600 so its kinda not fair)

TREBLE :
a bit smooth treble but still airy enough to not making the sound dull, the treble is sparkly without sounding metalic thanks to the knowles driver use on this iem

TECHNICAL :

Detail Retrieval:
it can show some detail but not many micro detail like say more premium and expensive model, but for the price bracket around $50 is decent.

Soundstage :
not the largest soundstage ive heard but have symmetrical width and depth also works great for gaming (FPS)

Imaging :
seems OK, not the most "holographical" imaging but
still decent especially this thing only cost around $38

Positioning and Separation :

for music : decent, not the most razor sharp pinpoint positioning and separation but you can still hear which instrument is playing or which vocalist is singing
for gaming : works well for FPS gaming, i can hear which way the footsteps come from without any problem and the bass is NOT overpowering or covering the footsteps

Timbre :
seems decent enough, pretty usable for me, the balanced armature not sounding metalic at all but not the most organic sounding ive ever heard

Coherent :
the dynamic driver and balanced armature is coherent enough to be usable for my ears, especially if i have to compare it with another model, its not as bad like kz hybrid (zsx / zs10pro)

*my only cons is a bit stretched and nitpicking since this is clearly a budget model, but a bit more detail retrieval and larger soundstage, and a bit deeper sub-bass would be nice to hear

overall in my opinion this is a decent model for someone who likes a bit more bass, having a forward intimate midrange and smooth treble.
just in case youre interested, you can get this item here : TRN TA1 on HiFiGo

would give this a 4.5 stars since the iem is exceptionally well built and fun sounding without getting too bassy or too sharp on the treble.

you can also find this review in Indonesian on YouTube : littlenezt near the future since im still recovering from covid.

FiiO FA7 Quad Balanced Armature In-Ears Monitors

the unit is purchased with my own money

Packaging and Unboxing :
Unboxing experience is pretty luxurious for an IEM at this price range, once you open the outer box,

you're greeted with a heart shaped cable with your jewelry like shiny Red and Blue IEM

and below this beautifully presented IEM,, there's a LOT of eartips selection, a hard case, pouch,inside the soft pouch there is a brush to clean your iem nozzle, and a magnetic clip.


Design,Build Quality, Comfort, and Fit :
this IEM is build from German Medical Grade Resin, super clear transparent and feels premium on the hand.

For the first few hours of owning this IEM, i was like zoning out looking at how beautifully the red and blue with clear transparent shell that shows the Quad BA of this IEM, like how can you not love the look of this ?




okay, enough of praising how this iem looks, about the comfort and fit, i have try every single one of the eartips provided by FiiO on this set,, all of them (atleast for my ears) are not very comfortable to wear, the concave part around the nozzle of this IEM are touching and kind of pressuring my upper earlobes if use the balanced tips, bass tips, foam, and if i for some reason need to open up my mouth (like for yawning) the seal breaks off so its a little bit annoying, as for the double flange, this has the best fit for my ears but after wearing them for like 45minutes, i feel my ear canal is getting sore, now the vocal tips,, this tips have the best comfort and seals pretty well on my ear because of the longer tube, BUT, for some reason if i use the vocal tips,, the change on the sound signature is putting me off from wearing this IEM completely.

and this is where SpinFit CP145 come to the rescue, i order one of this tips from my local store, the medium size fits perfectly on my ears and fix all of my complaints about the other tips above.

and sound isolation on this set is pretty good, i cant hear properly what others talking even when the music is not playing.

Sound :
disclaimer : im not some hardcore audiophiles who enjoy music with all kind of premium luxurious hardware, i just enjoy listening to great sound with my limited resource and equipment. so what i think great about something, might not be great for you, since sound is pretty subjective anyway.

all of the sound part of this review here is done with FiiO M6 + FiiO LC-3.5B Cable and LC-3.5C Cable + SpinFit CP145 Eartips

Bass / Low :
the low frequency emphasis on FA7 is more on the bass to mid bass range, this creates overall tonality of this IEM to warm almost darker sounding, the bass quantity is great, a lot of bass, and a fast bass thanks to the balanced armature driver on this set, if you like to listen to rock music with a lot of electric bass guitar, this IEM able to reproduce a lot of detail of the bass strings from the music, and for RnB, Rap music, this have more than enough punch to make the music feel alive.

with LC3.5C cable :
i think the quantity of the bass is a little bit reduced, causing less bass bleeds into the lower mid

Mid :
thanks to the bass - mid bass emphasis, the mid on FA7 is sounds rounder, full, warm, vocal both male and female on this set sounds great but sometime male vocal especially male with bassy sounding voice sounds a bit weird or sounding a bit too authoritive if i would say.
Instruments like guitar, violin, bass guitar, trumpet sounds very detailed and sweet on this set

with LC3.5C cable :
Mids sounds more cleaner especially on the male vocal, the resolution, layering of overall instrument is enhanced

Treble :
Treble / high frequency on this set is very detailed,relax without sounding harsh and did not have any weird sibilant or peaky sound. if i would like to describe the treble on this set, its like you're listening from an expensive speakers and tone down the volume of the higher frequency without reducing the detail and resolution.
but sometimes i do miss the attack of more aggresive treble presentation (its just my personal taste though)

with LC3.5C cable :
treble resolution and layering is enhanced, everything else is the same

Soundstage and Imaging :
for my ear this set has the best soundstage depth and imaging i have ever heard from an IEM,
the track i use for testing this part is Innocence - Evan Call, and torment, OST from Violet Evergarden anime.
for me. when listening to those track i felt like i was sitting in the front row of an orchestra, you can feel the distance and where every single one instrument is placed, the separation on the left and right channel is superb, you can hear the sound is moving around from left to your right ear.

for the width, i think FiiO FH5 have a slight edge than this one since the FH5 sound presentation is more wide and open than the FA7

with LC3.5C cable :
besides separation and layering enhanced there is nothing worth mentioning here

Comparison :

FiiO FA7 vs FH5

on my case, i purchase the FA7 first before the FH5 (upcoming review for the FH5)

the FA7 is warmer and a bit darker than the FH5, probably because of the bass-mid bass emphasis,
the mid of FA7 sounds fuller, meatier, rounder than FH5, the FH5 have a nice bump around upper mids so female vocal on FH5 sounds more appealing than the FA7, but for instrument detail and separation FA7 has an edge compared to FH5.
treble on the FA7 sounds more detailed but with less quantity than the FH5

so if you prefer more relaxed listening type, FA7 is the right choice for you.

Campfire Audio Comet :

the FA7 if compared to CA Comet it has different overall sound signature, the comet is more on the warmer side neutral type with a little reduction on the treble presentation rather than V sounding type

if you like intimate sounding type, and focused more on the mids rather than other frequency, the CA Comet have a pretty good warm and inviting instrument and vocal, but kinda lacks the bass and treble extension of multiple driver model type IEM,

soundstage and imaging on the comet is pretty average not too boxed in but not wide either.
instrument separation is a little bit downgrade from the one on FA7.

iBasso IT01
lets add this one just for fun *or in case you want to upgrade from IT01*


the iBasso IT01 is more on the V shaped side compared to the FA7, it has more bass quantity punch but not the quality and resolution of FA7, the mid is a lot more recessed on the IT01 and the treble is more sparkly than the FA7.
the quality on resolution, detail, soundstage, imaging of FA7 to be honest is on another level if compared to IT01

if you like the brigher sound signature of IT01, i would suggest you to upgrade to FH5 / FH7 instead. if you like IT01 with reduced treble quantity, by all mean, get the FA7 right away.

DAP Pairing :
previously i own Shanling M0, and FiiO BTR3 (not exactly a DAP though)

Shanling M0 : the M0 already warm and bass boosted character, paired with the FA7 is not exactly the pair you want to use to be honest, the bass bleed more into the mid frequency and overall tonality balance is not enjoyable (for my ear)
FiiO BTR3 : i think the BTR3 neutral sounding is a good pair for FiiO FA7,since it doesnt add or reduce the bass of the FA7.
the FA7 itself didnt need a lot of power to begin with, so if youre thinking if your BTR3 can handle the FA7, yes it can and probably FA7 + BTR3 is a great combo for under 400USD

Conclusion :
( + )
+ Great Build Quality
+Looks absolutely beautiful
+Great Separation, Soundstage, Imaging
+Warm, inviting mids
+Fast Punchy Bass
+Resolution
+Detail Retrieval

( - )
-Sometimes bassy male voice felt a bit too authoritive
-Need EQ / Cable rolling to reduce the bass bleed to the lower mid

below are more like nitpicking rather than a cons
-More treble quantity like +1db / 2db would have been nice (atleast for my taste)
-i wish SpinFit CP145 was included on the box

thanks for reading my first review about audio products, and sorry for my weird english (not my main language)

have a great day.