[samandhi]

Never cared for the Smabat sound myself but to each their own

They definitely aren't for everyone. One needs to be able to appreciate a good "diffuse field" tuning to appreciate them. Well, their older models like ST10S B&G, M0, M2, M2s Pro, etc... Though, even these aren't true diffuse field tuning because some of their drivers boost the bass a bit too much to be considered true. Maybe I should append the phrase to be more like "close to diffuse field" tuning.

 

[qua2k]

They definitely aren't for everyone. One needs to be able to appreciate a good "diffuse field" tuning to appreciate them. Well, their older models like ST10S B&G, M0, M2, M2s Pro, etc... Though, even these aren't true diffuse field tuning because some of their drivers boost the bass a bit too much to be considered true. Maybe I should append the phrase to be more like "close to diffuse field" tuning.

I had a few of their models and agree with your descriptor 'shouty' for them. While I like their designs, certainly interesting things there, the sound signature just is not for me. Toneking is in a similar bucket.

 

[samandhi]

I had a few of their models and agree with your descriptor 'shouty' for them. While I like their designs, certainly interesting things there, the sound signature just is not for me. Toneking is in a similar bucket.

That is one of the things that has irked me over time. Their designs are fantastic, and they look elegant and high-end. The sound (starting about around the ST20 & its variants) has been a bit of a let-down for me as well.

Having said that, with a good tube amp, and maybe even some EQ or analog tone control, they can indeed sound very good. I just hate having to depend on doing this to make them sound good. I am not against EQ, I just prefer them to not need any out of the box (at least not in the amount of sound shaping that needs to happen to make them listenable)...

 

[qua2k]

That is one of the things that has irked me over time. Their designs are fantastic, and they look elegant and high-end. The sound (starting about around the ST20 & its variants) has been a bit of a let-down for me as well.

Having said that, with a good tube amp, and maybe even some EQ or analog tone control, they can indeed sound very good. I just hate having to depend on doing this to make them sound good. I am not against EQ, I just prefer them to not need any out of the box (at least not in the amount of sound shaping that needs to happen to make them listenable)...

I am the same. The more things inbetween source and the end do put their own spin on the sound. I do not EQ at all, try to keep everything as close to what was intended by the makers.

 

[Kyonnie]

Little rituals are relaxing, untangling cables isn't!

True!!!

How do I put away earphones without getting them tangled?

Place the end of the earphone between your middle and ring fingers and hold up only your index and little fingers.
Now simply wrap the earphone cord around the two fingers in a figure of eight.
Finally, wrap the other end around the middle of the cord three or four times to secure it.

Most cables nowadays are pretty good compared to spaghetti noodles wires back then; even with careful wrapping, they become undone and tangle by themselves which really annoys me lol.

No, not really. It isn't hesitation because of price per se'. It is that I will not pay that much for a DIY set of buds. It is VERY rarely that I will pay that much for company made earbuds, because at that price point and above, the companies are just making up a price that will compete with IEM pricing (which has also gotten out of hand). At that point, it has nothing to do with value or quality. I have some of the best DIY buds that can be made, and I KNOW how much they cost to make.

Having said all of that, I don't mind PAYING for a great set of DIY buds, but I will NOT pay what amounts to summit-fi pricing (in the earbuds world) for them, because make no mistake, you can get TOTL buds for (starting at) $100 or so.

It's one of the reasons why I got into DIY buds. A lot of the earbuds on the market, even branded ones, use DIY available parts, and most of the time they're willy-nilly with the tuning and they're just assembling them. At that point, it's just better to make your own and tune it to your satisfaction.

 

[mt877]

Those look interesting, and having dual DD seems interesting as well. BUT... it still seems as though they are more focused on bass than anything else so I am not convinced that they have fixed the shouty tuning of any of their recent buds. I would be perfectly happy to be completely wrong here.

Also, if those cables are detachable, then they have become proprietary (it looks like), and that is different for Smabat. Even their cheapest sets have (mostly) always been removeable.

Overall, I think I like the look of them though (though not as elegant looking as most of their earlier works).

Because of their recent track record, I will not be participating in their crowd-funding myself. Will you be?

Good eye on fiding this...

Probably like most people here, my web browser has many open tabs and I was clicking through those tabs to see what I could close. That's how I found those buds. Smabat does have some interesting ideas and designs, but for whatever reason their tuning philosophy is questionable and once you've been burned by their ice pick tuning, it's hard to trust getting another set of buds from them. The main reason I even posted anything about their new buds is because earbuds are becoming a very small niche within a niche head gear industry, so any news of new products is welcome.

 

[baskingshark]

Smabat's new SL-10 dual diaphragm buds are in crowd funding status. They are only posted at Smabat's Chinese language website, not to their English site.

https://www.smabat.com/smabat2/products/55320201.html

Spoiler: English AI translated description

首发特惠：抢先体验SL-10 —— 全球创新的真双动圈耳机！

早鸟优惠：限时￥248！ (原价￥300)

立刻行动，率先加入音质革命！SL-10耳机，以其创新的双动圈设计，定义了听觉的新境界。

精心制作的设计图揭示了我们追求卓越的热忱，而实际产品在精细生产过程中，可能会有轻微的优化调整。

我们衷心感谢您的信任与支持，是您让我们的梦想成为可能！

抓住机会，享受前所未有的早鸟价格，未来零售价将恢复至￥300。

搭载了一个10mm高端动圈单元和一个14.2mm的低频动圈单元，后者采用了先进的碳纤维振膜技术。

这种同轴声学结构，结合了精密的分频器，确保了音质的纯净和丰富。

10mm的高端动圈单元为中高频段提供了清晰、细腻的音质，而14.2mm的低频动圈单元则确保了低频的深沉和力度。

碳纤维振膜的使用，不仅大幅度提升了音质的解析力和响应速度，

还赋予了耳机更好的耐用性和稳定性，让每一次听觉体验都变得格外震撼和动人

首次采用了双迷宫声学结构设计，这一独特创新确保了14.2mm单元能够发挥出极其惊人的低音能量，带来前所未有的震撼听觉体验。

仅优化了声音的这种精巧的声学设计不流动路径，还显著提高了声音的纯净度和动态范围，尤其是在低频部分。

通过精心设计的双迷宫结构，耳机能够捕捉并放大每一个细微的低音细节

无论是深沉的贝斯还是节奏感强烈的电子音乐，都能以更加丰满和力量感的形式呈现给听众。

Best to wait for first adopter impressions about whether there is the typical icepick shout-fest upper mids that is synonymous with their house sound.

We are spoiled for choice nowadays, too risky to do blind purchases for this brand IMHO.

 

[ttorbic]

Best to wait for first adopter impressions about whether there is the typical icepick shout-fest upper mids that is synonymous with their house sound.

We are spoiled for choice nowadays, too risky to do blind purchases for this brand IMHO.

Speaking of spoilt for choice, when are you getting a TGXEAR set

 

[baskingshark]

Speaking of spoilt for choice, when are you getting a TGXEAR set

Hope to save up money for a TGXEAR set maybe in the 2nd half of this year, once some dough comes in (currently in between jobs)! Unless if on the classified there is a worthwhile 2nd hand pair, might spring a purchase then!

 

[FranQL]

Smabat's new SL-10 dual diaphragm buds are in crowd funding status. They are only posted at Smabat's Chinese language website, not to their English site.

https://www.smabat.com/smabat2/products/55320201.html

Spoiler: English AI translated description

首发特惠：抢先体验SL-10 —— 全球创新的真双动圈耳机！

早鸟优惠：限时￥248！ (原价￥300)

立刻行动，率先加入音质革命！SL-10耳机，以其创新的双动圈设计，定义了听觉的新境界。

精心制作的设计图揭示了我们追求卓越的热忱，而实际产品在精细生产过程中，可能会有轻微的优化调整。

我们衷心感谢您的信任与支持，是您让我们的梦想成为可能！

抓住机会，享受前所未有的早鸟价格，未来零售价将恢复至￥300。

搭载了一个10mm高端动圈单元和一个14.2mm的低频动圈单元，后者采用了先进的碳纤维振膜技术。

这种同轴声学结构，结合了精密的分频器，确保了音质的纯净和丰富。

10mm的高端动圈单元为中高频段提供了清晰、细腻的音质，而14.2mm的低频动圈单元则确保了低频的深沉和力度。

碳纤维振膜的使用，不仅大幅度提升了音质的解析力和响应速度，

还赋予了耳机更好的耐用性和稳定性，让每一次听觉体验都变得格外震撼和动人

首次采用了双迷宫声学结构设计，这一独特创新确保了14.2mm单元能够发挥出极其惊人的低音能量，带来前所未有的震撼听觉体验。

仅优化了声音的这种精巧的声学设计不流动路径，还显著提高了声音的纯净度和动态范围，尤其是在低频部分。

通过精心设计的双迷宫结构，耳机能够捕捉并放大每一个细微的低音细节

无论是深沉的贝斯还是节奏感强烈的电子音乐，都能以更加丰满和力量感的形式呈现给听众。

Look very very nice

 

[cottaudio]

Hello there!

I’m new to the thread as to be honest I've been iem, headphone, and 2 channel centric and have not considered earbuds since the early 2000s, when I was wearing pink jelly JVCs with my iPod, drying off after surfing…good times, good times.

Anyway, I recently remember seeing (although admittedly I’m not sure where) someone expressing their love for earbuds when it comes to listening to classical music, which is my primary listening material. I’d say 80% or more of my listening time is classical, and within the genre classical I listen to all and everything, chamber to symphonic, solo harp to Ligeti vocal works etc etc.

All that to say that I’m interested in walking the way of the earbud in my next purchase and wondered if you could give me some guidance of places to start looking?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[baskingshark]

Hello there!

I’m new to the thread as to be honest I've been iem, headphone, and 2 channel centric and have not considered earbuds since the early 2000s, when I was wearing pink jelly JVCs with my iPod, drying off after surfing…good times, good times.

Anyway, I recently remember seeing (although admittedly I’m not sure where) someone expressing their love for earbuds when it comes to listening to classical music, which is my primary listening material. I’d say 80% or more of my listening time is classical, and within the genre classical I listen to all and everything, chamber to symphonic, solo harp to Ligeti vocal works etc etc.

All that to say that I’m interested in walking the way of the earbud in my next purchase and wondered if you could give me some guidance of places to start looking?

Thanks in advance!!

What is your budget?

And what source are you using? As some earbuds need amplification for optimal sound: ie they can't be powered from weaker devices.

 

[fetoll123]

I did also receive the DB1

 

[cottaudio]

What is your budget?

And what source are you using? As some earbuds need amplification for optimal sound: ie they can't be powered from weaker devices.

Budget to begin with is probably up to about 400 dollars, but cheaper is fine also.

Sources are Astell and Kern SR25 and Shanling H7, the latter being the one I use most nowadays.

 

[samandhi]

Hello there!

I’m new to the thread as to be honest I've been iem, headphone, and 2 channel centric and have not considered earbuds since the early 2000s, when I was wearing pink jelly JVCs with my iPod, drying off after surfing…good times, good times.

Anyway, I recently remember seeing (although admittedly I’m not sure where) someone expressing their love for earbuds when it comes to listening to classical music, which is my primary listening material. I’d say 80% or more of my listening time is classical, and within the genre classical I listen to all and everything, chamber to symphonic, solo harp to Ligeti vocal works etc etc.

All that to say that I’m interested in walking the way of the earbud in my next purchase and wondered if you could give me some guidance of places to start looking?

Thanks in advance!!

Welcome to the flathead earbuds thread!

What is your budget? What type of sound signature do you enjoy? Do you have a preference in types of shells? These are fairly important questions because there is a huge variety of buds that you can choose from.

Having said that, the first set that comes to mind when thinking of classical is the Moondrop Chaconne. These are (hands down) the best for classical music. Keep in mind that these are very niche, and they will probably not sound good to you with any other type of music (though they also MAY sound good to you). The closest headphone that I can compare these to is the OG HD800 but without the upper spikes; meaning that they are indeed very revealing but are not fatiguing.

There are plenty of others that I could recommend as well, but this is a good start if you want to go straight to TOTL, rather than experiment...