[Raketen]

Crin’s graphs are legit.

These look like a swing and a miss to me.

Then I really don’t understand why Headfonia put Black Hole in their recommended gear...
This hobby is too subjective

with that big 6khz peak it will engage your sibilance region

The Black Hole FR doesn't look all that unusual for a certain type of bright tuning- I think ryanjsoo is onto something with the comments RE: being open/heavily vented. Consider the graph of ex1000, a very open IEM that is well regarded:

 

[ryanjsoo]

Interesting mini review.

I mainly listen to rock, vocals, live songs, acoustic and I’m looking for an IEM that has :
- a wide and holographic sense of space
- a natural sound (but still musical) with no obvious coloration (I’m really looking for a « lifelike » experience)
- a dynamic and punchy sound

Do you think the Black Hole tick all the boxes ? Or should I look elsewhere ? For info I’m not a fan of full BA iem.

Thx

I think you will have a good experience here, though take note that it is a more revealing over smooth and coherent sound. That means high clarity and the sound has a lot of "immediacy" but directional cues are still portrayed with some distance and sharp location. I would not say it has the punchiest bass, lows sit behind the mids, and there is some colouration such as the bright upper-midrange. In terms of soundstage, there are few rivals due to tot the form factor and the sound is naturally voiced to me. You may consider hunting down a Lime Ears Model X or perhaps a high-end Moondrop model around this price range for the genres you listen to!

 

[cfranchi]

I think you will have a good experience here, though take note that it is a more revealing over smooth and coherent sound. That means high clarity and the sound has a lot of "immediacy" but directional cues are still portrayed with some distance and sharp location. I would not say it has the punchiest bass, lows sit behind the mids, and there is some colouration such as the bright upper-midrange. In terms of soundstage, there are few rivals due to tot the form factor and the sound is naturally voiced to me. You may consider hunting down a Lime Ears Model X or perhaps a high-end Moondrop model around this price range for the genres you listen to!

Thank you, indeed I’m looking at the new Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk.
I’m also near to buy the Hifiman RE800s, can have very good prices on ebay (around 200 eur).

 

[cfranchi]

I think you will have a good experience here, though take note that it is a more revealing over smooth and coherent sound. That means high clarity and the sound has a lot of "immediacy" but directional cues are still portrayed with some distance and sharp location. I would not say it has the punchiest bass, lows sit behind the mids, and there is some colouration such as the bright upper-midrange. In terms of soundstage, there are few rivals due to tot the form factor and the sound is naturally voiced to me. You may consider hunting down a Lime Ears Model X or perhaps a high-end Moondrop model around this price range for the genres you listen to!

To help my understanding, in term of bass quality and impact, what are the others iems that would be comparing to the black hole ?

 

[ryanjsoo]

To help my understanding, in term of bass quality and impact, what are the others iems that would be comparing to the black hole ?

For me, whatever I've heard really. It makes most sense in my head to compare to other single DD IEMs rather than BA models though.

 

[cfranchi]

For me, whatever I've heard really. It makes most sense in my head to compare to other single DD IEMs rather than BA models though.

Ok thank you, when do you plan to post a review on theheadphonelist ?

 

[cfranchi]

And now there is the Fiio FD5, also semi open design, also 1 DD, price is 299$, quite less than Black Hole.

 

[ryanjsoo]

Ok thank you, when do you plan to post a review on theheadphonelist ?

I will be finalising the review next week most likely!

 

[llysender]

Interesting. good to know the mesurements are legit. It had me really confused because after listening to it off the dx120 i had the impression that it was harman with slightly lesser treble but very well extended.

Personally i found the tips made it quite dark and needs a tip change. Guess personal hearing it for yourself still beats trying to rely on graphs that can tell a very misleading story

 

[Virtu Fortuna]

 

[llysender]

Thanks for the vid that was really interesting. Interesting to know that the 8k resonance peak can cause such wonky results to the 6k and 10k. I'm wondering if the apperent lack of bass is due to no/very little backwave due to its semi openness. Also my bad with reguards to saying its slightly dark. Its just that my daily AAW AXH coloured my perception greatly. A/Bing with oxygen the upper mids/lower treble are around the same but with much better extension.

Btw for those that have the black hole do they come with 3.5mm or 2.5mm termination?Or is the 4.4mm termination the only cable?

 

[PineappleButtonUp]

I know this is a forum topic for an old IEM, but I got a pair of these not long ago, and I just can't figure out how to fit them in. In every situation where I want an open back, I feel like over ears are better, but when portable (when I get the most use out of in-ears), I would rather have a closed iem? Where do you guys find yourselves using the black hole?

 

[HiFlight]

I find that my Black Hole provides a more expansive soundstage than my other closed back IEMs especially when listening to large groups of players, such as orchestral. While they offer little in the way of isolation, I find the Black Hole to convey the sense realism very convincingly. They are very tip dependent for the best performance. Experimentation will be your friend!

 

[Raketen]

I know this is a forum topic for an old IEM, but I got a pair of these not long ago, and I just can't figure out how to fit them in. In every situation where I want an open back, I feel like over ears are better, but when portable (when I get the most use out of in-ears), I would rather have a closed iem? Where do you guys find yourselves using the black hole?

I don't have black hole, but with very open IEMs (for instance the old sony DDs, jvc woodies, audeze LCD-i etc...) and classic earbuds:

walks/hikes/loafing (particluarly in quieter areas). while exercising (particularly around other people). as a very portable 'open back' option to bring when travelling . in high temperature/humidity environments. listening in bed. sometimes just for the heck of it.

guess part of this is just enjoying low volume listening and a preference for being able to hear the environment/ambient noise