[o0genesis0o]

AFUL Explorer (P3) is good. Imagine taking the Magic One, improve its bass, whilst keeping everything else mostly the same. That’s would be a good description of Explorer.

The bass quality is better than the P5 (more textured). The bass quantity is more indulgent than P8. I love cellos and doublebass on this IEM.

P8 is still the king of resolution in AFUL line up.

 

[szore]

I use higher gain for the better performance of sound, not for volume level. Better controlled bass, more smoother treble, more realistic weight of notes, better soundstage and imagine. Sometimes even timbre can become better with higher gain. There's one reservation: high gain is about not only the voltage level but the current level also (depends on amping type), therefore it needs to be controlled to avoid distortions.

But if you go too high on gain it can get fatiguing and shouty. My M8 has low, high, and turbo, so for iems i use high.

 

[PhonoPhi]

Hopefully KZ/CCA would soon figure out how to make a true isobaric dual DD woofer. I really like the sound of that woofer setup on any IEM that I have tried, including some ancient JH Audio ones.

if they can make a $200 with 2DD+4BA+PZT and tune it sanely, it will be great. (PZT here since there is no way they can source Sonion EST and make $200 IEM, unless Bellsing develops their own copy of Sonion EST).

Still waiting for the simgot SuperMix4. I'm hyping that one up in my head so much now I just learned today that PZT driver here seems to be similar to the vibrating ceramic plates in Unique Melody IEMs. It seems to vibrate the shells rather than pushing air in the nozzles.

KZ seems to be reluctant to use both piezo (that I would love ideally to see in their IEMs,) and EST (that I fully support - grossly expensive, electrets may lose polarization, and I am personally not putting high voltage in my ears even for free samples - not greatest technology overall, IMHO).
Piezo is used in science for amazingly precise sub-nm displacement in the scanning probe microscopy - so the great implementation potential is definitely there.
MT300 (if one knows what I mean, of the totally banned here brand) claimed EST, but most likely used TDK piezo drivers (quite nicely, IMO).

Then the controversy in piezo that you touched upon is that they can be used for both treble (more common, as in simple piezo buzzers and that is my limited experience with piezos in IEMs) and then in some body conduction that is more involved transduction and I can't comment much about it. @baskingshark put a lot of great information on BC, while I was slowly putting together this post today.

For the "isobaric" or"push-pull" - it sounds good scientifically. Then, I remember Dunu had one of their IEMs for $80 or so (I was thinking of getting it) but it did not become overly popular.
So it is implementation vs. technologies, as the 2-nd law of successful IEM design by Prof. @baskingshark clearly states

Recent KZ DDs are really decent the very least - for instance quite acclaimed Trio and Hydro (and ZAT to my ears/taste).

I just want to say I didn’t mean to sound accusational or question what someone believes in.

If someone believes or perceives increasing gain improves the sound/dynamics or a new cable increases the soundstage, then more power to them.

I only posted because it was stated that increasing gain increases voltage and current, which isn’t the case.

Sorry if I offended anyone.

Higher gain increases available power, most commonly through the higher voltage available. The IEM impedance remains the same, so it is true that the peak power/voltage remain the same at stationary loads. What changes though is how fast power can be available, so often transients become better and dynamics improves. With the portable sources, it is hard to get clean fast power, so a lot varies on case-by-case basics. I used to prefer lower gains just because of the noise on older sources. Nowadays, some high gain options sound good, like my recent toy, A&K HC2, that does not have any options but seems to be locked in the high gain + steroids for mids - totally great synergy with the V-shaped IEMs nothing short of IEM rediscoveries

 

[Hypops]

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.

...so you're saying we need IEMs that can drill directly into our skulls. Ok. I'm down.

 

[gadgetgod]

...so you're saying we need IEMs that can drill directly into our skulls. Ok. I'm down.

It is 7 AM here in India, I just woke up, thought of opening up Head-Fi and check the discovery thread, and now we are drilling into our skulls. Okay I am back to sleep, good night fellas.

 

[Singaravelan]

<Snip great Kubrick joke>

Anyhow, I’m much more interested in IEMs that use alternative means of delivering sound rather than just via the ear canal. Think of those ceramic plates that vibrate the shells of MEST IEMs, DD woofers firing against the concha of FirAudio, or these “passive radiator”

Next, you would want the 'anal shiver' tech. Also uses a canal I believe.

 

[gadgetgod]

Next, you would want the 'anal shiver' tech. Also uses a canal I believe.

Bro first drilling now this, pleasee make this early wakeup washroom call a decent one

 

[o0genesis0o]

Next, you would want the 'anal shiver' tech. Also uses a canal I believe.

 

[Rambone]

Oh Aliexpress, why must you taunt me with fake deals

 

[kaeswiss]

Oh Aliexpress, why must you taunt me with fake deals

That would be a great deal. The ear tips you get with those IEMs cost more than $30 lol.

 

[lgcubana]

I hate when super experienced people hype something... it always results in these strangely red numbers on my account and I have no clue what they mean.

@Admins: Please put a frickin disclaimer on this thread! ...like "Before entering the Discovery Thread, check your finances!" or "Enter at your own risk,"

Once you get your post count up, you’ll be afforded a BS filter option

 

[thaslaya]

AFUL Explorer (P3) is good. Imagine taking the Magic One, improve its bass, whilst keeping everything else mostly the same. That’s would be a good description of Explorer.

The bass quality is better than the P5 (more textured). The bass quantity is more indulgent than P8. I love cellos and doublebass on this IEM.

P8 is still the king of resolution in AFUL line up.

Sounds very promising! Will most likely be ordering one as soon as it's avaliable. MagicOne with more bass and cheaper (if rumors of the price tag can be trusted)? Count me in!

 

[Rambone]

That would be a great deal. The ear tips you get with those IEMs cost more than $30 lol.

Crazy right? I think the deal must be bogus as the buy button is disabled, sadly.

 

[Tamizhan]

I guess it depends on the amp design. Topping G5 sounds noticeably different between gain modes. Later I learned that G5 changes the amp circuitry to implement gain. Regardless, I’m not listening to that DAC/amp on low and high gain. They are yucky

But I think I have seen a manufacturer implementing “gain” by changing the volume curve of the pot. Joe @ HiBy told me that most of time gain is implemented by volume limiting (implying I was hallucinating when I asked whether R4 sounds different between gain modes )

Do you mean G5/NX7 gets separate circuits for low, mid and high gains?
Also, if low and high gains are yucky, do you leave them at mid gain mostly?

 

[o0genesis0o]

Sounds very promising! Will most likely be ordering one as soon as it's avaliable. MagicOne with more bass and cheaper (if rumors of the price tag can be trusted)? Count me in!

It sounds impressive with this album out of my L&P W4, especially the bass and the stage.

I don't have the Magic one with me at the moment, but from memory, the P3 feels boomier than Magic One, so that's something to consider. And the resolution has not been improved. It sits at the level when I say "I don't mind" (3/5) but not noteworthy (4/5) or TOTL (5/5). But anyhow, it's an easy going IEM with natural but dynamic and satisfying bass. I have been listening to nothing but Anni 2023 and EA1000, so listening to P3 is like sitting back and relax next to a heater in the winter.

Now, if AFUL can keep the same tuning, same bass quality, and bump up the resolution to 5/5 with the Cantor, it's going to be great.