[SerenaxD]

   
See this is exactly what I was warning about.  The overexcited froth on these Chinese IEM threads always seemed suspicious to me since listening in a month or so ago, at least compared to the more critical parts of head-fi that led me to my Koss KSC75 (long time ago) and Senn HD600 (more recent), both of which I love.  People's judgement in those other threads I found has generally been excellent and much appreciated.  But I've dealt long enough with Ali and Ebay China to know that my Easy transaction on Ali was the same as most other sellers, nothing special (shipping marked days before it actually shipped, wrong number of tips in the package, and the other Easy headphones (not the thread that got locked) that I guess I can't mention anymore that were nothing special imo).
 
 
And the fact that 'Brian' couldn't even spell his name right was a red flag.  Potential buyers, take this as a warning - dealing with China is dangerous.  Low quality control in the factories, often (not always) low customer service, and often zero integrity and sometimes outright scams or fopping you off if there's a dispute (although Ali and Ebay will step in).
 
It's the price you pay for the low price.  If you're willing to roll the dice and know your dispute rights it can be OK though.

 
In a way this case was an example of how even spreading by mouth isn't the safest method - I was legitimately about to buy one of the IEMs that shall not be named and then this whole fudgecake mudpie thing happened. I'm from HK (not really China, but China, if you get what I mean) and I'm sometimes frustrated by Chinese sellers' attitude towards their trade as well. I've run into my fair share of issues, but as long as you know where to look (e.g. as @audio123 said, VE is one company that has integrity) and stick to more reputable Chinese IEM sellers, I doubt there'll be as many issues.
 
The QC though, I agree. As wonderful as some of these IEMs sound I think QC is the issue and why these IEMs are less pricey than others - they may make good sound, but it never sticks around consistently enough. Again, it's a matter of knowing where to look. I actually remember seeing a Taobao (the domestic version of Ali) guide on "how not to be scammed" somewhere - I should try digging it out. It's worth reading even though it doesn't directly pertain to Ali.

 

[audio123]

  Do LMUE have an AE store or just their main website?

main website and amazon. i always get my gears from their physical store.

 

[OopsWrongPlanet]

Edit:
These are just amazeballs!!

I mean come on, this kind of sound quality for $65 that's just crazy.

I can say already that these are a solid step up from the original LZ-A2's for my preference

RedJohn456 Thanks a bunch for hooking me up with these

Sorry I've missed the introduction / name of these. Are they available?
Thanks

.

 

[peter123]

Sorry I've missed the introduction / name of these. Are they available?
Thanks

.

It's the LZ A2s and yes they're available on AE and Amazon. I've also asked Penon if they will stock them but no answer yet.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/812327/lz-a2s-appreciation-thread/15#post_12677965

 

[TwinACStacks]

Sorry I've missed the introduction / name of these. Are they available?
Thanks

.

They are LZ- A2S and I believe they are available on Aliexpress..
 

TWIN

 

[_gl]

Can't help wondering what you're doing in this thread if that's how you feel......

 
Was I wrong?  It seems not.  Anyway, I didn't say everyone here is tained, and I don't think that, there are clearly serious people with lots of experience and insight here.  But the thread as a whole needs to get more critical.
 
And I explained why I'm here, I roll the dice and have had many disputes and wasted time as a result, as well as some good deals.  That plus I've never used IEMs so it was a new world to learn about, and EQ correct the average model I got to make it better (see sig).

 

[TwinACStacks]

  Dudes, let's get back to budget earphones and why we love this thread so much.
 
I agree with you on some points @_gl but at the same time there are a lot of great brands in China:
 
Fidue
Dunu
LZ
Musicmaker
Macaw
Vsonic
1More
 
 
All of these companies offer products on par with some earphones that cost many times more. There are also some great sellers
 
Penon Audio
Lendmeurears
Shenzhen Audio
Gearbest
 
Everything I just listed is just as, if not better in terms of quality control and customer service.
 
If you bought a headphone in the last 10 years there's been parts from China in them.
 
Even the manufacturer or store that can't be named was doing some really cool things in our hobby. Seems they tried to get an unfair advantage. Substantiated, it has to be considered unprofessional and inappropriate. It can't be tolerated because it destroys the integrity and relevancy of this site.
 
I like Chinese earphones. The LZ A2S is awesome. The DN1000 is awesome. The Fidue Sirius is awesome. The Xiaomi headphones are awesome, The GR07BE is awesome. I can go on and on and on. I can put them in your ears and have you agree that they are something special. 
 
Cheers guys
 
I asked on the Lab. I'm wondering if you guys could also chime in and say what you think is the best sounding earphone in four ranges now.
 
#1 The $0 to $25 range
#2 The $25 to $50 range
#3 The $50 to $75 range
#4 The $75 to $100 range
 
I think a regional poll with general consensus, followed by a vote/poll would be something I could add to the Lab front page. 
 
Your input is wanted and appreciated. 
 
Cheers guys

+1000   I just can't believe I was in the MIDDLE of that crap, and didn't have a clue of what was going on. I am so disappointed in this seller and myself. Although I will say he NEVER recommended a product to me personally that wasn't quite exceptional.
 
Sorry Guys. I feel Bad. I thought I was helping my forum brothers.
 

TWIN

 

[isai]

@Hisoundfi very interesting poll I believe it deserves it's own thread here or in the labs thread those valuable inputs will be lost in the sea of posts...

 

[audio123]

#1 The $0 to $25 range = Hifiman RE300
#2 The $25 to $50 range = TFZ Series 1
#3 The $50 to $75 range = Ostry KC06
#4 The $75 to $100 range = MusicMaker TK13

 

[wastan]

Has anyone clarified the differences between the TFZ models beyond the price?

 

[audio123]

Has anyone clarified the differences between the TFZ models beyond the price?

tfz 1 is more resolving.
tfz 3 has a good subbass.
tfz 5 has good details and balanced but cold.

 

[_gl]

Originally Posted by Hisoundfi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
If you bought a headphone in the last 10 years there's been parts from China in them.  

 
Sure, most things are, but they are often made to much higher standards than the stuff that gets sold on Ali.  I'm glad there are exceptions (you listed some, I have no experience of those brands), and I understand part of the reason why so much Ali stuff is unreliable is that the workers are underpaid.  That plus as I said before, there seem to be some small IEM maker outfits that are still learning about things like QC.  And sure we all like bargain (I know I do), but I would happily pay a bit more to get less QC issues and better support.  Sometimes you wait for a month+ with the free shipping, and then if there's a major issue you have nothing to show for it even if you get your refund - or you have to pay a fortune in tracked/insured return shipping costs as you can't trust many sellers to do the right thing.  I think potential new buyers need to know the downsides before getting carried away by the hype.
 
Anyway, point made, carry on.

 

[Hisoundfi]

Thanks for all your kind words about us _gl. Your wise words will be noted and considered by all of "us" as we move forward.

Thanks for the valuable insight.

 

[Hisoundfi]

So, I think the guy who said it might be better to start a thread for each price range with a poll is on to something good.

Nice thinking. I will try to set this up this evening.

 

[peter123]

Carry on gentlemen, lmao