[Dsnuts]

Jim has a lot invested in his lively hood and the more I get to know him the more I am figuring out about NiceHCK and the other vendors on aliexpress. That is what they are, vendors. I don't know who it was that pointed out that they buy from an OEM and resell the products with their names on it. Those are the semicustoms like my DZ12 , I am very much convinced of this. This is the reason why so many of the vendors that sell the semi customs have exact wording and look alike. They are probably from the same OEM factory. I bet the HK6 was made by these guys as well.

Where the DT300 Pros are different is that those were made by NiceHCK a DIY slapped together earphone with parts and tuned by a supposed Shure tuner. This part I believe as the sound signature is very much a Shure house sound. However the BAs being used is probably cheap goods. There is no way they are gonna sell a 3BA earphone for $89 unless parts were cheap.

If the tuning had some good balance to it and the treble was tuned right then these would have been a good buy but they are going for a forward sound centered on vocals. Another thing I figured about NiceHCK is that they prefer to have a full forward midrange for their own earphones. Usually with bass to go along with it.

However treble is key in a signature like this and that is the big problem with the DT300 pros. The HK6 while it also is a forward sounding earphone actually has the treble to go along with the forward sound. To me it isn't because the bass is boosted more than any other iem with some semblance of musicality. It is because the whole signature is a forward one.

That lack of treble emphasis ends up making the DT300 pros sound dull and timbre is not good. If all anyone listens to is slow melodic ballads than these would be ok but as they are. They are not ready for prime time at all.

Onward and upward.

 

[HungryPanda]

Ahem .........Toneking TK2

 

[Dsnuts]

@Dsnuts,
Do not worry. These things sometimes happen. Jim made you believe they were the bomb, the only thing he did not tell you is that the gunpowder was wet.

This is also learned. Now I am alert about comments of the new FH5. I would like a comparison with the LZ A5.


Regards,

Will do for certain. I should have the FH5 here early next week. What I am curious about is just how close Fiio can get to the IT04 with their similar design in the FH5

 

[Lurk650]

Been listening to my N40 and borrowed LZA5 all week. Getting back to the HK6 now. Immediately do notice the midbass but honestly, it just warms up the sound and the vocals and treble doesn't suffer from it. Still has great imaging, separation and clarity. The treble is smooth and not super energetic like the A5 which is a nice contrast.

 

[thejoker13]

Does anyone have the HK6 and Brainwavz B400 and can compare their midbass?

 

[Lurk650]

Does anyone have the HK6 and Brainwavz B400 and can compare their midbass?

I had B400, the HK6 has more and overall sounds more full.

 

[thejoker13]

I had B400, the HK6 has more and overall sounds more full.

Okay ,thank you. I appreciate that.

 

[jant71]

So, spent a week with the Fender Puresonic. Not much has changed. Cable has relaxed a bit which is nice. Burn in has brought a bit of refinement. A bit more open and roominess to the stage. The bass has matured a bit. Higher snares are now quicker and even more distinct from kicks and lower bass notes. Tight snap with punch but the low to sub freqs still have more decay and good power w/o being overly bass heavy. Bass is still more sweet and enjoyable and properly done than pretty much all I have had recently. Semkarch is just thicker throughout and can't do a drum kit as well. Fender has more decay and punch down low and quicker tighter and more defined up higher. B400 doesn't have the reach or power nor the disparity between the types of bass notes. Pioneer is lower quality bass though was similar in doing it in the right way but not as good plus treble is not integrated into the drum kit as well. E40, another $99 model with the dual phase AT drivers, was too sealed and the bass suffered for it. Elecom CB1000 would be the closest but with another cable and is lighter as they are more towards neutral so they don't have the punch. Size, fit, isolation, and cable just outclass the Elecom and also the E40 for that matter. The Semkarch was fun for some fullness and the B400 for imaging/placement/layering Fender has the right mix of both. More powerful than the Semkarch but more separated and quick and well blended like the B400.

Of course the sound is nice but again they just edge out on quite a few other things. Isolation over things like the Pioneer, E40, and Elecom. Looks over most of them though that is subjective. Fit is as good as any. B400 has source matching issues while the Fender works very well with everything I plug it into, Cowon, Sony, iRiver, minidisc including sound settings if I want to use them.

Passed all the tests with ease. At the park playing basketball and I question needing BT as the cable behaves the isolation is good yet footfall/bone conduction and microphonics are kept in check. Best combo of this I can remember having. One minute running around shooting hoops without any bothersome running noise or cable noise and the guy with the weed wacker comes within 18 feet of me and it is still muted enough to not disturb. I went to the store and was crossing the BLVD with three lanes of busy traffic whizzing by and the cars were muted quite well. Cable does a great job. It doesn't move but isn't actually stiff so the mic pod does hit me or even seem like it is there. Probably how it keeps microphonics down. Not stiff or springy but stays put. I am using the longer Klipsch tips so the wind test was worse than with shorter ones that would not stick out as much. Still passed the wind whistle test fine but I know it could do better. Not an issue and not even thinking of changing tips but that might be the only thing I have found that I wasn't pleasantly surprised by.

I see they are releasing a Pro line in August...
https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/20...ine-and-new-monterey-tweed-bluetooth-speaker/

If I am getting it right there is the Nine which may be the Puresonic minus the airline adapter, IPX splashproof rating, and mic/remote in exchange for a 2-pin removable cable. Nice to see them go from MMCX back to 2-pin. Some are just too pricey especially for my needs uses and I don't like the size going up with the bigger dynamics and armatures thrown in. But the hybrid Nine 1 right above the Nine should be a good one and might be popular.

Nice color scheme. Glad they went with a Black F as I already have two with the red F. Seems to follow the same scheme. They took the old $99 model and made it $49. They took the last gen 9.25mm and re-tuned it put it in a smaller 3D printed housing with a updated shape and halved the FXA2's original $199 price. So, Nine 1 would equate to the $399 original FXA6 hybrid with re-tuned 9.25 driver/armature and smaller housing and switch to the more durable 2-pin for $249 to start. I will grab one but probably wait till the first sale at $199 or thereabout. Can't see myself grabbing an FH5 as it is pretty big and heavy and already sounds like it won't have the isolation I like, and some talk of source mismatches, and the cable and plug...

^Fender plug vs. the Fiio plug^. Nine 1 is more my upgrade path since I know I will get a SQ upgrade while keeping what makes the Puresonic tick more boxes than most. Certainly would love to see some Nine vs. IT01 comparisons and Nine 1 vs. FH5 comparisons in the future

 

[chinerino]

LOL Chi-Fi Results: The operation was a success but the patient died. LOL

 

[Apputty]

I really don't like what looks to me like a kind of unwarranted personal attack (me)... over the years, I've had occasion to test out quite a few of @Dsnuts 's suggestions, and up until now he has never steered me wrong, so in my mind he's at least won big kudos for an honest point of view (and we probably share very similar tastes).

You're essentially saying that he's in love with his own opinion and twisting his mind to prove he's right (looks to me, at least). However, he also said that at the beginning bhazard's HK6 and his sounded different, and after they sounded the same ... I don't think that's something that you can trick your mind in faking... same is same, different is different, and if you have the things in front of you, it should not be that difficult to understand.

Me, with the HK6, I did not really like them for the longest time... I liked them the first day with one source (M3s), but not with others (e.g. ZX300), so they may be picky with sources. Then, after the first day, I did not like them at all, they sounded a bit bloated and muffled. So I put them on burn in, and left them there, going back from time to time to hear if I liked them or not... 5 days, nope, did not like them. 9 days, nope. 15 days, yeah, a lot better. I don't think it can be brain burn in, tbh - no time for the brain to burn in, it was go back, listen a few minutes, say like/not like (sort of like dsnuts's same/different sound from his ). I understand you don't believe in an all BA's burn in... might be that scientifically you should be right... my ears tell me different, though. The HK6 are still not my favorite IEMs, tbh ... I like them a lot better than during the whole burn in period, but I have a lot of other IEMs that I prefer. So this is one suggestion of Dsnuts's that did not really conquer my heart... but I give the guy full credit for honestly sharing his views, and I look forward to him keeping on doing it, as he may point out to me some other gem that I might otherwise overlook.

As for why bhazard did not hear any difference between before/after his HK6's stay with dsnuts, I don't really have an explanation... could be that his HK6 DID change, but not enough for him to like them. Could be that the sources he's using do not compliment the HK6, so the problem is there, instead of with the 'phones themselves. Or it could be that he's right and dsnuts is nuts ... it does look to me like it's easier to compare 2 things in front of you (dsnuts's HK6 and another one), rather than to compare things from memory, but I don't really know bhazard, and his memory may very well be much better than mine (I know that I do have problems in comparing just from memory).

Me, as I said, I'll still look forward to dsnuts's suggestions, and accept that we all hear things differently, so nobody's suggestions are perfect .... but I do not question the guy's honesty in expressing his views.

I do agree with @geagle on this.
Hk6 has been really weird in a few aspects. It sounded good from my shanling m3s but not from my pioneer xdp30r.
Again hk6 was not my favourite in terms of sound signature as well.
@Dsnuts has provided some suggestions and I really liked some of them.

 

[DarkZenith]

Hk6 has been really weird in a few aspects. It sounded good from my shanling m3s but not from my pioneer xdp30r.

Output impedance issue ?

 

[Apputty]

Output impedance issue ?

I dont feel its output impedence, as Pioneer xdp30R was also low impedence.
Anyways now really enoying my new IT04.

 

[geagle]

Yep. I really, REALLY like the IT04, too .

 

[Dsnuts]

HK6 has turned out to be a weird one. My pair I have done everything possible to make them how I like them but I know forward signatures are not everyones favorite. And I think that is where the big difference of oppinion is regarding the sound. Sometimes I enjoy a good forward signature. Puts you right in the music. I noticed forward signatures if combined with a thicker sounding source does not match up so well. Neutral sources seems to match up well with the HK6.

They still perform well for me and I rotate them and about a half dozen others during my commute every day. Currently my champ is indeed the IT04. Outstanding earphones and one that will be a classic among classics.

Eagerly awaiting the FH5. Early reports are promising.

 

[HungryPanda]

I still like my HK6 and they are still in my rotation