[Jaytiss]

That summarizes so well this thread (!)- reviewers patting each other backs on their glorious achievements...
95+% of headphone/IEM use is already with wireless brands names, so the ChiFi manufacturers and their dedicated reviewers seems to form "a even closer and closer ecosystem".
I now view reviewers as the surcharge to the cost of the products - the best to totally avoid.

I agree and disagree. Sometimes it can warrant a higher charge. But if you want cheap there are multiple good options for cheap good products. If the case of the Choppin I would have never bought it save for Timmy’s name and it helped Binary get into the west for me their next release. Everyone profits. I’ve seen a few iems just shoveled out like candy and that is a major concern. There is more than enough profit to be had in the industry that a collab cut isn’t always a bad thing. I’d gladly pay 10% for a vastly better product. Yet some of the worst iems I’ve tried are collabs, so it’s a double edged sword.
Just buy an ew200

 

[jghjkhfd]

Shozy Aqua / Midori (Planar-DD Composite, $109)

 

[PhonoPhi]

I agree and disagree. Sometimes it can warrant a higher charge. But if you want cheap there are multiple good options for cheap good products. If the case of the Choppin I would have never bought it save for Timmy’s name and it helped Binary get into the west for me their next release. Everyone profits. I’ve seen a few iems just shoveled out like candy and that is a major concern. There is more than enough profit to be had in the industry that a collab cut isn’t always a bad thing. I’d gladly pay 10% for a vastly better product. Yet some of the worst iems I’ve tried are collabs, so it’s a double edged sword.
Just buy an ew200

I already have 100++ IEMs out of which 10 or so fully satisfy my limited audio needs.
Then it is a hobby - pursuing of new experience, learning and enjoying new things. Learning in the recent three+ years about reviewers (just a Butastur story of an automotive executive
"designing" an IEM "for masses" ($600 tag) and then BGGR (bustard goblin) and his minions trashing it in Hifiguides eloquently summarizes it all - the cruel "competitive" world of reviewing ;(

P. S. Brutally murdering "Chopin" name....

 

[o0genesis0o]

I agree and disagree. Sometimes it can warrant a higher charge. But if you want cheap there are multiple good options for cheap good products. If the case of the Choppin I would have never bought it save for Timmy’s name and it helped Binary get into the west for me their next release. Everyone profits. I’ve seen a few iems just shoveled out like candy and that is a major concern. There is more than enough profit to be had in the industry that a collab cut isn’t always a bad thing. I’d gladly pay 10% for a vastly better product. Yet some of the worst iems I’ve tried are collabs, so it’s a double edged sword.
Just buy an ew200

Btw, give Precog the same medicine that he gives other IEMs, with all the nitpicking about macro dynamic and micro dynamic I’ve just burned whatever funds I have on an dingy banged up Gaea, so I’ll have to live vicariously through you with this IEM. But it’s a Dunu, approved by Precog, so the question is not “is it good” but “how good.”

 

[thaslaya]

Just buy an ew200

This is my next purchase for sure. Waiting on more linsoul codes maybe?

 

[Jaytiss]

What do you mean by etiquette? About posting review on headfi?

Exactly, what do you wish you knew before you posted your first review?

 

[Jaytiss]

Btw, give Precog the same medicine that he gives other IEMs, with all the nitpicking about macro dynamic and micro dynamic I’ve just burned whatever funds I have on an dingy banged up Gaea, so I’ll have to live vicariously through you with this IEM. But it’s a Dunu, approved by Precog, so the question is not “is it good” but “how good.”

100% will. It’s easy to clown on an iem, but to call it great or worthy of a 1100 price tag is why I need a lot of time on it before I’ll give impressions.

 

[Jaytiss]

I already have 100++ IEMs out of which 10 or so fully satisfy my limited audio needs.
Then it is a hobby - pursuing of new experience, learning and enjoying new things. Learning in the recent three+ years about reviewers (just a Butastur story of an automotive executive
"designing" an IEM "for masses" ($600 tag) and then BGGR (bustard goblin) and his minions trashing it in Hifiguides eloquently summarizes it all - the cruel "competitive" world of reviewing ;(

P. S. Brutally murdering "Chopin" name....

I understand all too well this drama. I think there are pacts that follow reviewers and it’s annoying. They look to them almost as an audio savior. But to be honest true freedom is knowing that this isn’t a hobby of ranking, or reviewing but finding your audio bliss. Sounds like you have heard a lot of good iems. What do you love and find enjoyment from?

 

[o0genesis0o]

I understand all too well this drama. I think there are pacts that follow reviewers and it’s annoying. They look to them almost as an audio savior. But to be honest true freedom is knowing that this isn’t a hobby of ranking, or reviewing but finding your audio bliss. Sounds like you have heard a lot of good iems. What do you love and find enjoyment from?

I thought HBB supports the project by AmericanSpirit? Not too familiar with hifiguide. Too much of a time sink here already.

There is a competition between reviewers? Didn’t know that. Though I found that many talented and / or “famous” people in audio hobby are … “interesting” individuals in real life. The better their IEMs, the more “interesting” their personality is

For your other questions:

• Have a predefined and understandable / verifiable scale when you rate stuffs. Just much easier to do consistent reviews. Hopefully one day we can quantify everything directly from FR, then we can compare IEMs as if they are graphics card.
• Don’t be too precise with scoring. In other words, if you give this IEM 7.8 midrange and the other 8.0 midrange, can you hear and explain that 0.2 score?
• Don’t shy away from jargons, but define and give examples. You can’t describe what you hear with any nuances without the jargon, but no one can understand you unless you use the predefined jargon and give example.
• Even more example is needed if you talk bad about something.
• The most difficult reviews to write are the positive ones.
• Remember, people’s hard work and livelihood are in the little IEMs you are going to write about.
• Remember, someone out there, maybe just one random person on Internet, would read your writing to decide to buy a gear. Try to give them as much detail as you can for them to decide…
• … But you don’t need to decide for them.
• It’s not “audio hobby”, it’s “content creation about audio” hobby, should you choose to get involved.
• At times, it would feel more like job with deadline. Don’t look at uber successful influencers and expect the same (all shiny $$$$$$ IEM sent over for one tweet or 5 minute videos)
• Finally, don’t sell sample. Head-fi rules forbid it. If you are given a discount, you must sell at the price lower than discount you receive.

 

[cobrabucket]

I guess I can see into the future?



These updates are listed as coming through "tomorrow." LOL.

 

[WAON303]

I got a message from Ali saying my TKZK Ouranos order was cancelled due to fake tracking number provided.

First time I've been hit with this, store was CiFi Earphone, they no longer have any Ouranoses in stock but I remember they allegedly had around 81 on stock when I bought some 3 weeks ago.

Left me waiting 3 weeks for nothing, I'll be getting Fiio JD7s for gifting then.

On the bright side, my Moondrop S8 order from 11.11 should be on hand tomorrow, can't wait to see how this 4 year old IEM stacks against the Supernova

 

[o0genesis0o]

New old toy. It’s the Effect Audio / Elysian Acoustic Labs Gaea, in case you haven’t seen it before.

It’s a divisive IEM for sure. I like it because it has wide soundstage and almost “forced/fake” clarity due to the tuning, which I enjoy. If you like your IEM to be mellow and warm, stay away from these. They would sound like banshee screeching to you.

---

Impressions from a recent visit at the local Addicted To Audio

Campfire Audio Supermoon (chromatic series revision):

• One of the most normal IEMs from campfire so far.
• Proper upper midrange that is a but too strong, creating the crisp and thin sound not unlike Moondrop Blessing 3
• Due to the thinner midrange, the bass stands out more, making the planar dynamic shines.
• Due to the thinner midrange, the stage seems larger, in the sense that everything is pushed away from the head.
• I spent quite a bit of time A/B this and the F1 Pro. I didn’t find much difference in technical performance, besides whatever baked into the tuning differences.
• Not insanely sensitive like other campfire.

I still think that it has the same 14.x drivers as other manufacturers starting from the 7hz timeless I.

Campfire Bonneville:

• Flagship of the chromatic series and seems to be a follow up / cheaper version of the Solaris rather than Andromeda
• Not grossly sensitive
• It’s alright. It sounds better than its graph, but not special. I didn’t want to try a different song after finishing the first one. Warm-ish sound signature.
• Bass tuned toward a rich and gooey / analog sound rather than the lightning fast transient like supermoon. Not sluggish or blunted, just alright.
• The usual staging and imaging strength of Campfire were not apparent with these IEM.

Monarch III:

• Finally! I have been waiting to try this one for so long.
• The default shells are not as pretty as the MkII in person.
• Tuning is very sane. It’s a good version of “neutral”. Not thin, not thick, not bright, not dark. It’s… right. If you are used to Simgot house sound, Mk3 might sound a bit warm and muffled. If you are used to thick gooey Campfire house sound, Mk3 might be too bright and thin. A few songs would be enough to adjust your ears.
• Bass transient problem of Mk2 has been completed fixed. Bass is strong with crisp transients. (Still “slower” than planar IEM in A/B)
• Still the same level of details as Mk2, which can even give U12t a run for their money with some tracks, due to the tuning difference.
• Still the same kinda boring staging and imaging of Mk2. It’s wide enough, accurate enough, layering well enough, but it does not trigger an strong “3D” illusion.

If you don’t care / can’t hear the soundstage imaging, no kilobuck option is safer than Monarch III. For me, it does not bring anything to the table. But it’s a respectable IEM and, arguably, a good value.

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

New old toy. It’s the Effect Audio / Elysian Acoustic Labs Gaea, in case you haven’t seen it before.

It’s a divisive IEM for sure. I like it because it has wide soundstage and almost “forced/fake” clarity due to the tuning, which I enjoy. If you like your IEM to be mellow and warm, stay away from these. They would sound like banshee screeching to you.

---

Impressions from a recent visit at the local Addicted To Audio



Campfire Audio Supermoon (chromatic series revision):

• One of the most normal IEMs from campfire so far.
• Proper upper midrange that is a but too strong, creating the crisp and thin sound not unlike Moondrop Blessing 3
• Due to the thinner midrange, the bass stands out more, making the planar dynamic shines.
• Due to the thinner midrange, the stage seems larger, in the sense that everything is pushed away from the head.
• I spent quite a bit of time A/B this and the F1 Pro. I didn’t find much difference in technical performance, besides whatever baked into the tuning differences.
• Not insanely sensitive like other campfire.

I still think that it has the same 14.x drivers as other manufacturers starting from the 7hz timeless I.




Campfire Bonneville:

• Flagship of the chromatic series and seems to be a follow up / cheaper version of the Solaris rather than Andromeda
• Not grossly sensitive
• It’s alright. It sounds better than its graph, but not special. I didn’t want to try a different song after finishing the first one. Warm-ish sound signature.
• Bass tuned toward a rich and gooey / analog sound rather than the lightning fast transient like supermoon. Not sluggish or blunted, just alright.
• The usual staging and imaging strength of Campfire were not apparent with these IEM.

Monarch III:

• Finally! I have been waiting to try this one for so long.
• The default shells are not as pretty as the MkII in person.
• Tuning is very sane. It’s a good version of “neutral”. Not thin, not thick, not bright, not dark. It’s… right. If you are used to Simgot house sound, Mk3 might sound a bit warm and muffled. If you are used to thick gooey Campfire house sound, Mk3 might be too bright and thin. A few songs would be enough to adjust your ears.
• Bass transient problem of Mk2 has been completed fixed. Bass is strong with crisp transients. (Still “slower” than planar IEM in A/B)
• Still the same level of details as Mk2, which can even give U12t a run for their money with some tracks, due to the tuning difference.
• Still the same kinda boring staging and imaging of Mk2. It’s wide enough, accurate enough, layering well enough, but it does not trigger an strong “3D” illusion.

If you don’t care / can’t hear the soundstage imaging, no kilobuck option is safer than Monarch III. For me, it does not bring anything to the table. But it’s a respectable IEM and, arguably, a good value.

I don't know but I'm not that really impressed on Gaea when I tested it last year. Typical harman-tuned. Female vocals sounds a bit scratchy and shrilly. A bit artificially and lean sounding to my ears.

 

[Zerstorer_GOhren]

New old toy. It’s the Effect Audio / Elysian Acoustic Labs Gaea, in case you haven’t seen it before.

It’s a divisive IEM for sure. I like it because it has wide soundstage and almost “forced/fake” clarity due to the tuning, which I enjoy. If you like your IEM to be mellow and warm, stay away from these. They would sound like banshee screeching to you.

---

Impressions from a recent visit at the local Addicted To Audio



Campfire Audio Supermoon (chromatic series revision):

• One of the most normal IEMs from campfire so far.
• Proper upper midrange that is a but too strong, creating the crisp and thin sound not unlike Moondrop Blessing 3
• Due to the thinner midrange, the bass stands out more, making the planar dynamic shines.
• Due to the thinner midrange, the stage seems larger, in the sense that everything is pushed away from the head.
• I spent quite a bit of time A/B this and the F1 Pro. I didn’t find much difference in technical performance, besides whatever baked into the tuning differences.
• Not insanely sensitive like other campfire.

I still think that it has the same 14.x drivers as other manufacturers starting from the 7hz timeless I.




Campfire Bonneville:

• Flagship of the chromatic series and seems to be a follow up / cheaper version of the Solaris rather than Andromeda
• Not grossly sensitive
• It’s alright. It sounds better than its graph, but not special. I didn’t want to try a different song after finishing the first one. Warm-ish sound signature.
• Bass tuned toward a rich and gooey / analog sound rather than the lightning fast transient like supermoon. Not sluggish or blunted, just alright.
• The usual staging and imaging strength of Campfire were not apparent with these IEM.

Monarch III:

• Finally! I have been waiting to try this one for so long.
• The default shells are not as pretty as the MkII in person.
• Tuning is very sane. It’s a good version of “neutral”. Not thin, not thick, not bright, not dark. It’s… right. If you are used to Simgot house sound, Mk3 might sound a bit warm and muffled. If you are used to thick gooey Campfire house sound, Mk3 might be too bright and thin. A few songs would be enough to adjust your ears.
• Bass transient problem of Mk2 has been completed fixed. Bass is strong with crisp transients. (Still “slower” than planar IEM in A/B)
• Still the same level of details as Mk2, which can even give U12t a run for their money with some tracks, due to the tuning difference.
• Still the same kinda boring staging and imaging of Mk2. It’s wide enough, accurate enough, layering well enough, but it does not trigger an strong “3D” illusion.

If you don’t care / can’t hear the soundstage imaging, no kilobuck option is safer than Monarch III. For me, it does not bring anything to the table. But it’s a respectable IEM and, arguably, a good value.

Monarch III looks interesting as you describe them, mate..

 

[o0genesis0o]

I don't know but I'm not that really impressed on Gaea when I tested it last year. Typical harman-tuned. Female vocals sounds a bit scratchy and shrilly. A bit artificially and lean sounding to my ears.

Agree. In fact everyone in my circle convinced me not to get it. But I like it All points and comparisons in my review last year still hold, btw. It’s a niche recommendation (though it seems fc-construct and Precog like this IEM as well)

Edit: Re: Monarch III: yup, that’s why my “job” is to describe, and readers can decide rather than taking my commentary as the conclusion about a piece of equipment. Personally, I think at AUD $1600, gears should be a bit quirky rather than clean, clear, and correct. Our brain would equalise the tonal difference quickly. That’s when the oddity creates interesting experiences.