Word of caution, the Moondrop Variations has questionable QC, quite a few cases of the faceplate dropping out from forum members. Including myself: It sounds good though, for a MidFI hybrid. Harmanish tuned, which will make any measurebator worth their salt weak in the knees. Big sub-bass...

Yeah the Cantor was overly bright and fatiguing at the Can Jam Singapore booth, good that they are retuning it.

Both are single-ended only dongles. Tempotec Sonata HD Pro is dead neutral, whereas the KA11 is a warmer dongle with some bass emphasis. The Sonata HD Pro has volume controllers and a detachable cable, which is not present in the KA11. The HD Pro is limited to 60 mW at 32 ohms, and it cannot...

The mesh plays a part in tuning the sound, usually to damp certain frequencies. It is their "trade secret", but there must be a reason why they are using certain meshes in synergy with certain driver/shell acoustics. Companies nowadays know how to release something that shouldn't sink, eg by...

KA17 on desktop mode has quite nice imaging and soundstage. Best part is it has 650 mW output on 4.4 mm desktop mode, which as of the time of writing, is probably the most powerful dongle. Easily beats other dongles and even some other DAPs. It also has PEQ for Android devices on Fiio's app, so...

There are some outlier IEMs like the Final E5000 (low sensitivity) that will benefit from desktop mode, in terms of bass tightness and dynamics, but by and large, most IEMs would probably not need the desktop mode. You have to factor in battery drain and heat on this mode for the IEMs (which...

If it has to be a planar IEM, consider the Hidizs MP145. Has 3 tuning nozzles to vary the sound signature, massive soundstage, and doesn't have the typical planar timbre. Only thing is the shells are huge. It is going at $99 USD during sales now I think.

The AFUL Explorer is a 1DD + 2BA hybrid, that was previously called the Performer 3 during pre-production. Tech-wise, AFUL has installed some special resonating acoustic tube in this IEM, unlike a conventional acoustic tubing. Sound-wise the Explorer can be described as neutral with a...

E500 has excellent tonality and timbre, one of my daily drivers when I go to the gym. Not too technical though, but shines for binaural tracks in soundstage and imaging. Solid set for movies and games too, though cable is non-detachable and microphonic. Really glad it comes with a set of Final...

Yeah Star River gets my vote for worst IEM of 2023. It garnered initial hype cause of the 2DD and tuning switch craze combined into 1 IEM. But it is so bad that I won't even give it to my enemy. Would grade it 1.5/5. Scam switches - 2 tunings out of a promised 4. Sub-par technicalities...

Here's a review of the Celest Relentless: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/celest-relentless.27144/reviews#review-33905 This is a technical bright V-shaped pair, very good soundstage and micro-detailing. Even has a touching backstory: Pros: Princely accessory line-up, including...

I bought the KA11 3 months ago and have no issues with it, but I am using Android (seems some Apple users have issues). I think it will pair well with the PR2, as the KA11 will tame the highs and also provide sufficient power for the low sensitivity PR2.

Yep I sign off on audiometries daily as my jobscope and indeed, bone conduction needs to be pressed on a bone or cartilage of the skull area to transmit sounds. You are right that the mastoid bone transmits much more effective for BC than the cartilage of the ear, but there are hybrid BC IEMs I...

I tried this at Can Jam Singapore. It has 4 tuning options via a bass dial vent located at the inner aspect of the IEM, something akin to the Sennheiser IE80S. Would have wanted to jack up the bass to check out the bassier tunings, but alas they didn't have the device available at the booth...

The Tempotec Sonata HD Pro is an old model, but it is still decent in 2024, neutralish sound with not much battery drain. Not the most powerful or resolving, but does a good job for low powered IEMs. Only comes in 3.5 mm single-ended though. But I think in 2024, there are some advancements in...

Eartips can literally make or break an IEM - see case in point with the BLON BL-03 with its too short nozzles, necessitating some consumers to buy aftermarket longer nozzle tips or do mods to salvage the fit. Not only do eartips affect comfort, but they affect seal and isolation (seal plays a...

Yes the shells are of the same dimensions and sizing. Weight may be a tinge different cause of the different drivers inside.

I tried the Alba at Can Jam. It did fix the tonal issues of the Advar, and the Alba was very smooth in the treble regions. However, the Alba's technicalities were not that great, and sounded quite veiled. They are retailing at different price points though, their rep was saying the Alba was...

I have mixed feelings about the Advar. I tested it twice and while it is technically competent for a single DD, there was a mammoth 6 -7 kHz area peak that may add sibilance and fatigue to the mix. So there are some tonal flaws unless you are open to EQing this area down.

This is based on aural memory, so take it with a pinch of salt. I think the Hype 4 was bassier with a thicker note weight, the sub-bass on the Hype 4 sounded quite subwoofer like. Similar technicalities thereabouts, perhaps Da Vinci could be a tinge more balanced. Doscinco is definitely a...