[o0genesis0o]

I tried, I can hear a little difference but it is not like either of the IEMs made it sound bad or that it felt like a huge difference? I tried with the Aurora song and also with Little Lies from Fleetwood Mac. In the end I felt the Delci sounded a tad more natural to my ears. There were no cringe moments and the difference didn't seem huge either. I didn't notice any differences in the positioning but to tell the truth I already have difficulty matching the volumes of the IEMs so maybe this analyzing is not for me? But at the same time it is still highly interesting.
Now I am going to try and AB test some tracks between my Shanling M3U and Hiby R6P2, see if I can pick up anything there. I only played around a bit trying to see if I could hear the difference between class A and AB mode on the R6P2 after receiving it yesterday and while I feel I could pick up on it, it is also not a shocking difference.

Lemme tell you a secret.

Most IEM tuning is fine.

The brain can EQ itself pretty effectively as well. There might be a time when a natural tonal balance is a rare treat, but I don't think we are in that time anymore (well, certain parts of the market is still in that time, but not here). If the brain cannot EQ the sound to be somewhat natural, that's when we need to talk. For me, it's usually when the IEM FR has significant imbalance or a series of peaks and dips. Other than that, it's just colouring, which might or might not contribute to a better perceived "technical performance"

IMHO, we should aim for sustained difference, enjoyed over a period of time rather than in AB tests, because when we AB, our ears are primed to intensify the differences. That's why I personally try to postpone AB and measuring as much as possible, to "let the IEM speak for itself", if you will.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Howdy folks, R4 review is finally done

You can find the review on Head-Fi and my blog.

Spoiler: tl;dr:

As USB DAC/amp dongles continue to become more potent at a lower price point, they gradually push DAPs out of the affordable end of the market. Yet, some on a budget still prefer to use a dedicated device rather than their phones for daily music listening. Until now, unless they have an extensive collection of FLAC files, they don’t have an affordable option because budget DAPs don’t have Android and only a rudimentary ability to stream music. HiBy R4 arrives just in time to provide a much-needed option. What impresses me about R4 is how much HiBy actually tries with this device. They could have gotten away with a generic design but opted for a careful and elaborated design instead. They could have used only one signal path for both PCM and DSD but opted for separate signal paths to provide the most suitable filter design. Yes, I have some complaints about the overall sonic presentation of R4. Still, most of these can be addressed by the built-in system-wide EQs and DSP plugins because the foundation of R4 is solid. In fact, with R4, tweaking EQs and DSP plugins becomes a part of the experience.

A love letter from geeks to geeks. That’s the R4. I’m an audio geek. Therefore, I like the R4.

What I like about this device:

• Unique design
• Structural integrity of the device
• System-wide EQs
• DSP plugin systems
• Android 12 with system-wide bit-perfect output
• Good amplification
• Price

What could be improved:

• Soundstage is rather flat with PCM content
• Rather noisy with hyper-sensitive IEMs
• Screen is quite dim when using outdoor

Absolute Sonic Quality Rating: 4/5 - Great

Bias Score: 4/5 - I like this device.

Updated: May 4, 2024

 

[Singaravelan]

Finally caved in and came to your senses . I had my Magni Unity with me at work the other day and had the Hydro and Dusk to choose from. Hydro was the obvious choice as it is so much fun and engaging to listen to. Straight 5 star tuning chef they have over at CCA. My favorite of the year so far.

Oh wow! Hmmm... Chalo will still wait for aful explorer reviews and pick one of the 2..

 

[OceanOfLight]

Daily reminder: If you’re a Windows user, remember to disable Audio Enhancements from your DAC. After today’s update, I noticed something was off. It turned out the Audio Enhancements option was ON again, which means I was “enjoying” my music with Microsoft Audio Home Theater Effects.

 

[domq422]

Yo this thread is COOOOKIN' once again, I love it. I can't really check in on a daily basis due to how busy life can get, but when I do come back every few days I love seeing 5-6 new pages and I am WAY behind lol I love it and hate it but I'd rather have the enthusiasm on display here.

Here's to a good year in audio, gentlemen!

 

[Rambone]

Oh wow! Hmmm... Chalo will still wait for aful explorer reviews and pick one of the 2..

The Simgot SuperMix 4 will be a strong contender as well I bet. What a crazy year this is going to be, just when you think you got your lineup set for awhile, all sorts of new and exciting offerings get dumped on your lap and tug at your wallets heart strings.

 

[activatorfly]

2 hours in & the Rhapsody sound great (with UUUD switch config) - using MeetAlice: a chonky cable for it's bigger shells (a tad bigger than Mofo Trio.) Fatigue though is the issue, my left ear started aching within half an hour. Not buying a QDC cable for them as a normal 2-pin 0.78mm will suffice. Also they informed my decision to buy ST7 as my next set - cos paying extra for Hydro (with their improved BA's & cable) will still obviously not alleviate the fit problem (...TOTL or not !!)
That's where the Delci excel obviously in comparison, both of their soundstages are similar maybe the CCA is a tad higher & deeper? (- it's early days: so I expect that the 3D spectrum will open up post burn-in?)
Rhapsody also bring along more mid-bass (- like Akros stated the bass is kind of slidey) & also they boost the lower treble, i.e. they appear to fill in the gaps of the Kefine signature? Alas this is exactly what I wanted for a cool rotation/complimentary set.
Testing them with a specific binaural LP next, one big plus is, when using them with the Hiby R6 Pro - it features a DRX10K dynamics plugin that was totally unusable with the Delci. A/B ing this switched on - it totally improves all frequency ranges & stage of the Rhapsody...bonus !!

 

[Singaravelan]

The Simgot SuperMix 4 will be a strong contender as well I bet. What a crazy year this is going to be, just when you think you got your lineup set for awhile, all sorts of new and exciting offerings get dumped on your lap and tug at your wallets heart strings.

Indeed! just when I was thinking of asking my preordered KZ ZS10 Pro 2 to be shifted towards Hydro if possible, just got a call saying it has been shipped or going to be shipped monday. Considering hydro isn't listed yet here, I said okay and didn't ask for that shift. So that too is incoming!

 

[4ceratops]

Fair enough, it is true you can always have a lemon but when you bought 3 of them that feels like a waste
Edit: I do feel like Xinhs "sales" are not actual sales?. Not that I am trying to badmouth them a lot, it seems to happen everywhere on Aliexpress that companies mess with the prices too much.

Yes, Xinhs (and of course many others) really don't know the measure in screwing their customers regarding the "original" prices of their "discounted" products. Embarrassing...

 

[pradiptacr7]

Tri-Brid Face-Off​

Today I'll discuss and share about two beautiful tri-brid IEMs that I recently auditioned for and compared.
First is Hisenior Audio Mega5EST, the flagship offering a tri-brid setup with 1DD+2BA+2EST whereas the other one is another flagship offering from Tangzu Audio XuanWu Gate, features 1DD+4BA+2EST.

The key differences between them are, that Mega5EST emphasises more lower-end warmth with Neutral Tonality, XuanWu Gate features a completely neutral and even sometimes slightly bright leaning neutral. The bass is very well textured with good quantity for Mega5EST tops the XuanWu Gate. The same can be said about the thickness of Male Vocals and Sax. Where the female vocals especially in Pop tracks are impeccable with XuanWu Gate. I heard also a difference in upper treble and micro-details are heavily present in XuanWu Gate.

To me, both are very capable sets and rightfully complement each other with different genres of music. Job well done. However, I said in the review that price could be a deciding factor between them where XuanWu Gate could suffer.
Happy Weekend Everyone..!!

 

[Danx3k]

Tri-Brid Face-Off​

Today I'll discuss and share about two beautiful tri-brid IEMs that I recently auditioned for and compared.
First is Hisenior Audio Mega5EST, the flagship offering a tri-brid setup with 1DD+2BA+2EST whereas the other one is another flagship offering from Tangzu Audio XuanWu Gate, features 1DD+4BA+2EST.

The key differences between them are, that Mega5EST emphasises more lower-end warmth with Neutral Tonality, XuanWu Gate features a completely neutral and even sometimes slightly bright leaning neutral. The bass is very well textured with good quantity for Mega5EST tops the XuanWu Gate. The same can be said about the thickness of Male Vocals and Sax. Where the female vocals especially in Pop tracks are impeccable with XuanWu Gate. I heard also a difference in upper treble and micro-details are heavily present in XuanWu Gate.

To me, both are very capable sets and rightfully complement each other with different genres of music. Job well done. However, I said in the review that price could be a deciding factor between them where XuanWu Gate could suffer.
Happy Weekend Everyone..!!

I haven’t heard the tangzu iem, but I’m quite surprised you said the M5E has more low end warmth while the XuanWu Gate is more neutral as the graphs suggest the XuanWu Gate has thicker lower mids more midbass and more low end warmth.

What are those tips you’re using on the M5E, are they foams?

 

[thaslaya]

Roseselsa
$75, ES9039Q2M, 3.5mm:240mW + 4.4mm:300mW
https://hifigo.com/products/roseselsa-rs9039



New brand?
no mention on AMP chip or whether its dual dac

It is rose technics, they have rebranded themselves I believe

Ya the little hexagon icon is Rose Technics for sure. I actually prefer that name to the new Roseselsa but . Not my company so I'm sure they won't care about my preference lol

 

[domq422]

Just received my purple Cinnos. Initial listen before burn-in; I was very surprised by the amount of bass. I think I got lucky and got one of the sets with boosted low end. Or maybe they did a silent retune with the purple and green release? Everything else is just SMOOTH even with the volume cranked up.

Fit is really good as well, just sinks in and disappears much like the Delci.

Man, the bass on the Cinno is the sneakiest thing about them in my opinion. It is so thick and thumpy, it comes out of no where! I also love how thick the mids come across without sounding muddy. I think the Cinno is one of those sets that just flew way under the radar because it didn't click with some folks.

I have posted my review for the Elysian Acoustic Labs Pilgrim

Great review, brother. I should be getting a tour unit probably by early June, yeah, it's gonna take a while lol

Roseselsa

There are so many dongles out there now, I really struggle getting excited or even interested when a new one is announced. I know there's probably something about this one that sets it apart, or else, why would they release it? But I am just so un-interested that I won't even look into it. Am I along on this?

This morning's setup with the DUNU TALOS.

Dude! The forgotten set! I haven't seen any thing about the Talos in forever, I forgot the existed lol

 

[Leonarfd]

Letshuoer Cadenza4

My new faovorite hybrid IEM under $300, refined and natural sound with a smooth and clear midrange that excel with acoustic music and vocals
Have one of the best ergonomics I have tried, solid recommendation from me.
Can read the rest in my review:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/letshuoer-cadenza-4.27127/review/33862/

Cheers, have a good weekend folks.

 

[Luke-]

As of late!
A new generation of 7Hz high quality flexible wide-bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
Tangzu Tang Sancai Wide Bore
The regular standbys have been the wide-bore purple and long wide bore clear silicones shown.

What brand are the wide bore purple please ?