Earphone Review:
UM3X
bass: bottomless extension, flat response through the range but emphasized over the mids, excellent body of note, heavily textured and very well articulated, raw sense of power
mid: a bit recessed and overshadowed by the bass and treble, warm on lower notes, bright on the top end, excellent texture and articulation, highly detailed, open and natural presence
treble: peaky lower end that overshadows the mids but are well balanced with the bass, warm signature from low end emphasis. sharp and clean note, airy and extended shorted only by the warm gearing
stage: great sense of proximity and depth, excellent sense of space and layering, distant info sounds a little too subtle
location: pinpoint locational cues, all sounds are individual and well spread out
clarity: excellent texture and unusually high articulation for a BA earphone, highly detailed with effortless speed, natural and open
tone: bassy and powerful presentation, overall warm signature, mids are overshadowed and recessed, treble peak shows through oddly with certain songs or otherwise warm in signature
dynamics: excellent dynamic range, good linearity, shows subtlety and explosiveness well, real sense of power and presence
e-Q7
bass: excellent extension, short decay and light dynamics can make it sound slightly lean, great impact and presence from the thickly textured note, well balanced with a light, clean, and well bodied note
mid: natural and open, clean sound, excellent detail through texturing, excellent balance and natural tone, softly articulated
treble: clean and mild, slightly laid back on the top end with some lack of bite and air, can sound slightly warm or smooth from the lack of aggressiveness/edginess of note, excellent texturing, light articulation,
stage: open and highly spaced sound, excellent directional sense, softer sense of distancing from the softer articulation of notes but excellent layout of proximity and distance
location: high sense of direction, placement is soft but excellent in position
clarity: excellent speed and clean note, highly textured but softly articulated which can sound slightly laid back and subtle in detail, pleasant, non-fatiguing, quite forgiving and hides audio track flaws well despite offering a high amount of clarity and detail.
tone: slightly mid-centric presentation from the lean low end and soft top end but the frequency response is pretty much ruler flat
dynamics: thickly textured but softly articulated, dynamic range is presented through range of volume rather than impulse energy or articulation of note.
RE262
bass: excellent extension and some sense of fullness but decay pretty much stops on a dime, very lightly textured, outstanding dynamic range and articulation, effortless sound, clean, powerful in energy but light in body and presence
mid: open, very highly detailed, extremely dynamic, effortless, transparent, a good bit mid-centric with emphasis towards the high end, noticeably bright
treble: natural with a sweet and airy signature, somewhat laid back on the very top not being aggressive or edgy but highly energetic from great dynamic range, clean, very highly detailed, transparent
stage: open, dependent on the source material it can be quite spacious dynamically pretty in-head when texturing is needed to create space, well rounded and with excellent separation of sounds from extremely high clarity, great sense of direction
location: pinpoint location of sounds, excellent separation, but depth is only driven by dynamic (volume) cues with the lack of note thickness and texturing
clarity: extremely high detail, amazingly low distortion and transparency, extremely articulate but very thin note with minimal texturing
tone: quite mid-centric and somewhat bright due to lean bottom end and lower treble/high mid emphasis, low end notes have lack heft, high end notes a sweet and airy but lack edge and bite.
dynamics: outstanding dynamic range that is effortless and seemingly limitless even at very loud volumes, highly articulate, great sense of energy and impluse.
Triple.Fi 10
bass: great extension with just some roll off on the very bottom end that lightens the visceral sense but makes it sound tighter, outstanding amount of decay for a BA that's borderline muddy, very highly impactful with a great sense of power from thick note and strong impulse, and well controlled and surprisingly clean sounding despite thick note, slightly emphasized and overshadows the mids somewhat
mid: recessed at times being overshadowed by low and more so high frequencies, warm-natural-bright depending on frequency, well articulated and well bodied, clean, open
treble: excellent texture and presence, authoritative and powerful, sweet and crisp with a very refined sound, limitless extension, moderate emphasis overall that shares the dominance with the strong bass line
stage: open and well sized space, decent sense of depth but limited by compressed dynamic range which limits level of proximity and absolute distance, very directional sense of sound that really grabs your attention and moves it around
location: good pinpoint location and separation of sounds but existing in a thicker presentation of space that softens the exactness of the perception
clarity: a thick note for a BA with a lot of decay, retains excellent articulation which does help keep clarity quite high and provide a very refined signature, good detail through a robust and highly articulated note, good level of speed from the BA drivers, somewhat limited in capability due to limited dynamic range and thicker note causing finer details to be lost.
tone: both warm or bright depending on music emphasis, V shaped overall with a heavy and impactful low end and dominant high end, on average slightly bring/lean
dynamics: excellent articulation of note, lacks breadth and doesn't really portray subtlety nor serious explosiveness of sound, takes advantage of note thickness and strong impulse to convey sense of power and presence, .
RE252
bass: linear frequency response and excellent extension, texturing is moderate but decay is short making for a hearty but ultimately light bass note, surprisingly good amount of note impact
mid: natural and excellently balanced, very highly textured and detailed, aggressive and edgy
treble: uncommonly powerful presence, edgy and aggressive, highly textured and detailed, limitless extension
stage: somewhat up front and closed in, well rounded, good sense of space and excellent separation of sounds, sense of depth is present but more subtle/hinted in perception.
location: pinpoint placement and good separation between sounds
clarity: extremely high level detail, a bit aggressive in amount of detail from compressed dynamic range (onslaught of information), heavily textured, natural articulation, short decay effortless speed helps create a clean and highly revealing sound
tone: very well balanced, natural to slightly bright, even in intensity, a little dry
dynamics: good dynamic range but noticeably controlled and limited/reigned in on the high end, very revealing portraying subtlety very easily but not explosive and can come across somewhat tamed, high sense of energy, aggressive and edgy
CK100
bass: bottomless extension, some sense of body and heft but ultimately light, definition of note mostly defined by strong dynamic range and some decay, poor texturing which gives away a lot of note heft/fullness, well balanced despite the short note, clean and energetic
mid: excellent balance, energetic and clean, open and very transparent, low texturing leans out the lower end and places more focus on the higher end
treble: excellent refinement and control, well detailed and extended, great energy and air, can be a bit strong with some songs but surprisingly non-fatiguing
stage: well rounded space, excellent separation, very directional sense of sound, sense of depth driven by great dynamic range but lacks in texturing, can be well sized or in head depending on if source material relies on dynamics or texturing to convey the presence.
location: pinpoint and excellent separation
clarity: excellent speed, peak details but lacks texturing and resulting information from that, lack of texture creates a somewhat ghostly sense of sound, clean and controlled with a very refined treble range
tone: excellent balance, largely neutral in signature with reasonable sense of bass and treble, can be well extended or slightly mid centric or bright depending on source material
dynamics: excellent dynamic range, subtle information is poorly presented but loud information is energetic and sounds powerful, sense of power and presence from impulse and dynamic range rather than texturing and note heft..
RE-ZERO
bass: excellent presentation of note with good texturing, articulation, decay, natural but lean with gradual roll off through the whole range, above average punchiness.
mid: natural sounding with good texture, decay, dynamics, good realism, slightly bright due to the gradual roll off on the low end, playful in presentation
treble: natural and again good texture, dynamics, slightly light and airy but good level of energy, great extension
stage: well rounded presentation, good directional sense, excellent separation, distancing is a little forward and depth is slightly limited a little and more softly presented by the limited dynamic range
location: pinpoint placement and separation
clarity: excellent control making a tight and clean note, highly detailed but everything is presented in a slightly softened and delicate manner, forward but pleasant and playful, not the most revealing but natural and clean
tone: slightly bright with a quieting low end and short decay, main focus towards upper mids and highs with highs retaining excellent extension and energy
dynamics: good range, good articulation, just slightly softened and delicate due to highly controlled driver but still quite energetic, good sense of subtlety, loud sections are noticeably constrained, overall range is limited but has a natural sense about it, sense of power and presence is tamed but reasonable with good decay, texturing, and dynamics only limited by the taught driver.
Custom 3
bass: very good extension, high amount of texturing and articulation making a thick but energetic note that has a lot of punch, thick signature creates a warm presence, sound is thick but textured and clean
mid: well balanced, heavily textured and well articulated, thick and warm but highly detailed
treble: well balanced, again heavily textured and articulated, again a thick and warm signature, thick presentation noticeably smooths details and softens the edge, rolls off on the top end although it's not particularly missed with the already smoothed signature
stage: outstanding sense of space and effortless separation from the highly textured and articulated notes, slightly exaggerated width, good sense of proximity and distancing
location: pinpoint placement and excellent spacing between sounds
clarity: surprising level of detail for a relatively thick note, a lot of detail shows through the high texturing and articulation, some of the details are smoothed/hidden for the thick and smooth note once you get into the upper midrange and high frequencies, high frequencies noticeably smoothed and lacking details, some of the finer details are hidden but can be found with effort within the smoothness of the note
tone: slightly warm from the thick note presentation although frequency response is well balanced, low end is tidy and not overbloated and despite the high end roll off it doesn't particularly sound lacking up top, just smoothed/warmed some
dynamics: great dynamic range, excellent articulation of note, excellent ability to portray explosiveness but subtlety is slightly mixed into the thicker note, sense of power and presence comes from the thick note, high texturing, and excellent dynamic range
OK1
bass: very highly impactful with a very powerful note impulse, heavily textured, very highly detailed, decay is quite short from a moderately controlled driver, not the most articulate or dynamic, bass amount as an earbud is sensitive to placement and ear shape but my testing showed some roll off for my particular anatomy and placement, roll off is minor but does brighten the signature some
mid: very highly textured, outstanding level of detail, very crisp and airy, excellent transparency
treble: very crisp with great bite, open, very highly textured and detailed, rolls off on the very top slightly softening the edge and warming the signature slightly
stage: well rounded, a bit foward and starting in-head, excellent separation, very good sense of depth and spacing but slightly subtle
location: pinpoint location and effortless separation, more distant information more subtle and harder to pinpoint
clarity: extremely high level of detail, very high speed, very high amount of texturing, very transparent, aggressive and with bite but at the same time constrained dynamically to create a non-fatiguing presentation despite the sharp and heavily detailed note.
tone: a little bright with the treble emphasis, tone sensitive to physical placement and ear shape of listener though, short decay does lean out the low end some, treble roll off does warm the top end some.
dynamics: a bit limited in range do to heavily controlled driver, only mildly articulate, very high impulse, sense of power and presence comes from raw motor power (strong impulse) and excellent texturing and note body
HJE-900
bass: excellent extension, thick note with excellent decay, hearty and full, impactful and punchy, surprisingly clean and open signature for such a thick note, moderate emphasis and does overshadow and warm the mids some, dominant but well balanced and natural through the bass range
mid: a bit overshadowed by the bass and treble, somewhat recessed, thick and well bodied note, smooth in detail, surprisingly open for a thick note
treble: excellent extension, odod presence and bite, emphasized and dominant along with the bass, still and thick and smoothed note but retains an open and even edgy sound
stage: makes good use of the long decay long notes to convey information to define space and size, pretty large, excellent separation and good sense of distancing
location: slightly softened sense of placement due to limited amount of details
clarity: surprising level of information through the thick note making use of good dynamics and decay to convey big picture information, moderately smoothed and lacking real texturing and articulation which prevents the earphone from presenting a lot of details, good speed and clarity preventing the earphone from ever sounding muddy, very minimal in terms of fine details but very reasonable level of overall discernible detail.
tone: A bit V shaped with moderate bass and treble emphasis, well balanced at the extremes making for a reasonably natural overall signature
dynamics: quite good dynamic range, lacks articulation of details, excellent impact and punch, sense of power and presence comes from the long decay, thick note, and good dynamic range.