[Jmop]

It’s too bad Blon with it’s many iterations hasn’t really done much to improve on the 03.

 

[Jaytiss]

Just wanted to share with you guys. Very odd release. Has some value but not for most audiophiles.

 

[baskingshark]

I was even thinking to get a set of MMCX to MMCX adapters, if they exist, keep one end permanently attached to the IEMs and attach cables to the other. I'm sure this had been tried before, any opinions?

I bought a couple from Aliexpress.

While these adapters may work (I don't hear a difference in sound for these adapter thingies), it may cause the ergonomics of the IEM to be out of position. For example, the adapter extends the length of the connected cable to the IEM housing, so it may make the fit a bit iffy (cable earhook doesn't go around the ear but is now pushed way up nearer to the top of the head).


Personally, I prefer not to use the adapters as such.

It’s too bad Blon with it’s many iterations hasn’t really done much to improve on the 03.

Yep, BLON has been on a series of flops or (at best) meh releases since the BLON BL-03, and to some extent, the BL-05s.

They've been trying to capture lightning in a bottle ever since then, but I doubt they will hit the glorious days of the BL-03 era, as the tuner for the BL-03 has quit the company (incidentally he tuned the Tanchjim Oxygen too).

 

[Jmop]

I bought a couple from Aliexpress.

While these adapters may work (I don't hear a difference in sound for these adapter thingies), it may cause the ergonomics of the IEM to be out of position. For example, the adapter extends the length of the connected cable to the IEM housing, so it may make the fit a bit iffy (cable earhook doesn't go around the ear but is now pushed way up nearer to the top of the head).


Personally, I prefer not to use the adapters as such.






Yep, BLON has been on a series of flops or (at best) meh releases since the BLON BL-03, and to some extent, the BL-05s.

They've been trying to capture lightning in a bottle ever since then, but I doubt they will hit the glorious days of the BL-03 era, as the tuner for the BL-03 has quit the company (incidentally he tuned the Tanchjim Oxygen too).

I actually might grab the 01, little more energy in lower treble to balance the later peak than 03. I think this might work out ok.

 

[Jmop]

So far my fav budget IEM has been the Final E500. The positioning is a little weird within the stage for things like traditional rock but it goes great with my ambient electronic collection. I have the E1000 too which is also good but it’s not as unique sounding.

 

[thaslaya]

For those interested I posted a review for the  Acoustune HS1790TI on Head-fi and my blog. Quite a unique iem design and they sound fantastic. Shoutout to @unuselessness for letting me borrow for review.

 

[Jmop]

Yup, ordered BL01, it’ll be a nice back up just in case Tigerism Octave ends up being a depressive purchase. At least it’s from Apos in the States so it’s an easy return.

 

[Jmop]

I actually have a good chunk of gear that I need to sell but have been lazy about posting in the classifieds, unfortunate they won’t allow multiple items listed in a single post anymore.

 

[r31ya]

CCA Hydro ($116)
(1x7mm DD, 1x8mm DD, 4x31736 BA)
https://www.kztws.com/products/cca-hydro

Third party graph by OBDio from facebook

Seems to follow rhapsody and trio tuning line.

 

[baskingshark]

edit

 

[baskingshark]

CCA Hydro ($116)
(1x7mm DD, 1x8mm DD, 4x31736 BA)
https://www.kztws.com/products/cca-hydro

Third party graph by OBDio from facebook


Seems to follow rhapsody and trio tuning line.

This one costs $116 USD which is pricey for a KZ!

In general, the KZs/CCAs above $50 USD are not that good for the price. They do their best work at sub $50 USD IMO. And usually those with fewer drivers like their single DDs tend to be better than the ones stuffed with BAs.

 

[r31ya]

This one costs $116 USD which is pricey for a KZ!

In general, the KZs/CCAs above $50 USD are not that good for the price. They do their best work at sub $50 USD IMO. And usually those with fewer drivers like their single DDs tend to be better than the ones stuffed with BAs.

Yeah,
Many sub $50 KZs are highly recommended for that segment pricing.

But the $80~$120... while its not bad, some fond of it, it havent quite reach the top rec level for that price range.

Hopefully this could be great.

 

[fish1050]

Yeah, I wonder where they cut corner to make this DAP happen. Android, balanced, with some engineering efforts put in (4 DACs in two separate sound profiles, class A amp) for $250. It sounds too good to be true. I’m very eager to try this DAP.

I suspect the R4 has a pretty small profit margin and they hope to sell alot to make a profit. Hence the cool vibe design hoping to create a buzz and generate alot of sales from the mass market. This plays into the law of diminishing returns. There isn't likely as big a production cost difference between the R4 and say a $2000 DAP as you might think. Some units you make a profit by selling a high volume. Higher end DAP's you have a much higher profit margin because you will sell fewer units. This is why I will never buy a really expensive DAP, doing audio sales you really see the difference in profit margins from razor thin on some stuff and huge markup on the expensive stuff with very little real difference under the hood. It is as much about the look on the outside as it is on the components on the inside. Premium look equals premium price at least to some extent.

A&K is the king of the high profit margin DAP's. Create a reputation for making really cool DAP's and you can sell them at whatever price you want and some people will still buy them based on that reputation as much as the quality of the product.

 

[o0genesis0o]

I suspect the R4 has a pretty small profit margin and they hope to sell alot to make a profit. Hence the cool vibe design hoping to create a buzz and generate alot of sales from the mass market. This plays into the law of diminishing returns. There isn't likely as big a production cost difference between the R4 and say a $2000 DAP as you might think. Some units you make a profit by selling a high volume. Higher end DAP's you have a much higher profit margin because you will sell fewer units. This is why I will never buy a really expensive DAP, doing audio sales you really see the difference in profit margins from razor thin on some stuff and huge markup on the expensive stuff with very little real difference under the hood. It is as much about the look on the outside as it is on the components on the inside. Premium look equals premium price at least to some extent.

A&K is the king of the high profit margin DAP's. Create a reputation for making really cool DAP's and you can sell them at whatever price you want and some people will still buy them based on that reputation as much as the quality of the product.

It's a cool gadget indeed, especially if you are audio geeks who like to tweak things on the digital side. Built-in PEQ with ability to import AutoEQ profile is a big plus, plus other DSP plugins like @Joe Bloggs 's Dynamic Expander.

It does not feel as premium as A&K SR35, no doubt, but this R4 is not shabby or cheap either. I'm still amazed that HiBy managed to pull this off at $250. They must have excellent supply chain management going on there.

If one can splurge, I still recommend going up to the R6 Pro2 (and accept the lower battery life and more heat, in exchange for nicer sound). But if one just want an Android DAP, I'm not aware of an option with better value right now. The Shanling M3 Ultra is the closest, but it's $480. Topping G5 is roughly the same price, but does not have built-in DAP capability.

 

[4ceratops]

This one costs $116 USD which is pricey for a KZ!

In general, the KZs/CCAs above $50 USD are not that good for the price. They do their best work at sub $50 USD IMO. And usually those with fewer drivers like their single DDs tend to be better than the ones stuffed with BAs.

I absolutely agree, also based on my own experience. The purchase of a KZ AST (currently at 126€) that I unthinkingly made a couple of years ago (on sale for 80€) was one of the worst I've ever made. If I had heard their veiled sound before, without any detail and with massive bass bleed, I would never have sacrificed a penny on them. Ironically, these are 24 BAs that just couldn't tune. At least in my humble opinion, as I know they had fans here.
P.S. The 3 DD Trio is multiples better sounding regardless of the price difference.