Rating: 7.1 Sound: 7 Intro CSA, CS8 & CSN. This is the name of the current line-up of newcomer CVJ. The CSN is the flagship for just under 50 € with 6 drivers in a hybrid configuration. If the 6 drivers are a real added value and if there is tuning quality under the hood will be shown. Handling If the scope of delivery of a 15 € IEM like the CSA was still sufficient and could even stand out positively through the wooden box, exactly the same scope of delivery of a nearly 50 € IEM is meanwhile a bit sobering. Don't worry, I have not been spoiled and...

Rating: 7.7 Sound: 7.6 Intro TFZ is a little bit stuck in their designs, but they have an extremely wide range of sounds to offer in all price categories. The LIVE 1 is a budget model with an 11.4mm Graphene Dynamic Driver. It is stated that it has a frequency division (treble & mid/bass), which is made possible by two magnets. However, the sound is still reproduced via a single diaphragm. At just under 35 €, it joins the S1 and S2 within the company's own products in terms of price. Handling Companies like TRN, KZ, or CCA like to use the...

Rating: 7.7 Sound: 7.7 Intro KBEAR has grown and is now offering quite good budget IEMs. They have learned to interact with the community and to implement criticism. The KS2 has an almost outrageous V-signature, but it's really fun and the mid-range is not neglected. But the KBEAR KS2 is not just a pure fun headphone, it also convinces with its very solid resolution and distinctive stage size. Handling You can't expect too much for a good 20 €, and KBEAR lives up to the savings mode in their budget models. 3 silicone tip sizes excl. the already...

Rating: 7.8 Sound: 7.7 Intro CVJ is a new and fresh brand that wants to conquer the budget market with three IEMs immediately. We are talking about the CSA, CS8 and CSN. All of them are hybrids and quite promising, because CVJ brings a fresh breeze into the budget CHI-FI world with their tuning. The CSA makes the beginning with a dynamic and a BA driver. I must reprimand CVJ however somewhat. It is quite clear to me that the young company does not have the experiences yet and is on the way of the self-discovery, but please not at expense of the...

Rating: 8.4 Sound: 8.2 Intro The SPRING 2 is, who would have thought it, the successor of the SPRING 1 and is supposed to correct some carelessness in the already successful tuning. The appearance and the driver configuration doesn't change at all and malicious tongues may claim that the SPRING 2 is basically not a worthwhile update, because the sonic changes are not very serious and no new and independent IEM is needed. Maybe the tongues are mine as well. Handling SPRING 1 = SPRING 2 BQEYZ has always been a bit minimalist with the scope of...

Rating: 8.4 Sound: 8.2 Intro BQEYZ drew attention in 2018, where they were able to cover several different musical preferences with the K(C)2, BQ3, or even KB1, thus building a solid foundation in the CHI-FI world. With the SPRING 1 they dared to take the step to the tribrid in 2019, which consists of a dynamic, BA and piezo driver. Here, each driver should cover its own frequency range and thus concentrate on its strengths, while minimizing the technical weaknesses. The SPRING 1 is definitely a very successful IEM. Although it does not provide...

Rating: 8 Sound: 7.8 Intro Don't spill it! While we've recently been inundated with budget hybrid models that rely on quantitative driver numbers, such as the TRN VX (7), or CVJ CSN (6), the CA16 even goes one better and starts with 8 drivers (1DD & 7 BA). It is well known that KZ/CCA likes to indicate their driver number without really adding value, but nevertheless one is always a bit curious what the result will be. It is a bit surreal that these 8 drivers are also available for about 50 €. There are no more drivers for less money so far, but as...

Rating: 7.7 Sound: 7.5 Intro I'm not sure if BGVP has already produced a single driver IEM, apart from their ear buds, so with all the mostly very successful multi-drivers and hybrids of the company, this is a welcome change, which at the same time raises expectations. This is not "simply" a dynamic driver, but even an electrostatic one. I have to admit that sometimes I can do more, sometimes less with the ZERO. What is certain is that it has a very unique signature, which makes it recommendable to a limited extent, depending on the music you want...

Rating: 8.3 Sound: 8.2 Intro MEZE AUDIO is known for its over-ears, for which they have won countless awards over the years, but can they also produce in-ears? Founded in 2011, the Romanian company has been conquering the IEM market since 2019 with its flagship Rai Penta hybrids, but has also experimented with wired in-ears before. However, this review is about the smaller brother, the Rai Solo with a dynamic driver. This one uses the so-called UNIFIED PISTONIC MOTION TECHNOLOGY, or UPM for short. Here, there are no wires on the membrane, but the...

Rating: 8.5 Sound: 8.3 Intro What comes after spring? Right, summer and accordingly REECHO in cooperation with PEACOCK continues its series logically with the SUMMER. A specially developed dual dynamic driver, which was also used in the SPRING, is under the hood of the SUMMER, only this time the additional BA driver is not used. The result is a bright IEM that relies on a V-signature, with a slight bass boost and a clearly raised high frequency. Handling As far as the scope of delivery of the SUMMER is concerned, it is one to one similar to that...

Rating: 9 Sound: 8.8 Intro Am I an audiophile? I think that's in the eye of the beholder and depends mainly on who I compare myself with. Compared to my girlfriend, I am audiophile to the power of 10, because she is happy if music sounds out of her headphones at all, no matter in which way. Of course, I assume here that there is simply no comparison and, moreover, no will to classify what is heard in terms of sound. If I now compare myself with someone who is always striving to take his audio pleasure into new spheres through constant expansions...

Rating: 8.1 Sound: 8.2 Intro TANCHJIM has hit the bull's eye with the OXYGEN and would now like to expand their portfolio with the BLUES with an IEM under 100 €, where so far only the CORA was the sole driving force. The CORA is the fun V-signature model, whose sound is quickly accepted by a broad mass. The BLUES, on the other hand, is more of a niche product, and with its brighter, more neutral tuning is more likely to satisfy audiophile demands, as long as a brighter orientation is preferred. For me the BLUES is a technically potent IEM, which...

Rating: 8.9 Sound: 9 Intro 2999 €, welcome to my personal utopia. First of all: The KSE1500 offers an impressive listening experience. I can say without a guilty conscience that I have never heard an IEM that delivers such a performance in terms of transparency, resolution and above all the 3D sound image. Nevertheless the KSE1500 is an IEM with which I don't get 100% warm. Objectively and at the same time subjectively seen the KSE1500 will surely be an end game for some people, at least concerning the wallet, but I guess I'm still on the never...

Rating: 8.9 Sound: 8.7 Intro The BGVP EST12 (8*BA & 4*EST) together with the V12 (12*BA) currently represents the flagship of BGVP. No less than 12 drivers try to harmonize together, which in my opinion works very well. The EST12 can be tonally influenced with the help of 3 dip-switches and we are not talking about slight nuances, but about real signature changes. This makes the EST12 of course quite versatile, but you should also have a certain preference for the basic signature, because as much as you can influence the sound, the basic...

Rating: 8.4 Sound: 8.3 Intro AUDIOSENSE surprises me again and again with their high-quality and coherent products at very reasonable prices. Recently, I have been trying to build an IEM myself and therefore I am also finding out what kind of work is behind it and what kind of financial investment (components) is necessary (now let's disregard the brainwax in advance). So if I want to build a T260 for example and offer the same scope of delivery, I can't do it for the retail price of Audiosense. For this I would always have to get the dealer price...

Rating: 8.5 Sound: 8.3 Intro TRI has launched 3 products on the market so far. The i4, which would have deserved a little more attention for my taste, the i3 and their new flagship model, the Starlight. Thus the subsidiary of KBEAR focuses more on class (which I can attest at least to the i4 and, anticipating this, also to the i3) than mass, which makes it a positive phenomenon in the fast-moving Chi-Fi world. Handling Are your hands wellwashed? Touch the i3 and we'll see quickly. With its chrome look it's a real eye-catcher (memories of the...

Rating: 8.6 Sound 8.5 Intro I'm coming out: I'm a fan of BGVP. I think the company has found out (similar to AUDIOSENSE) how to produce high quality products with good quality control and above all sound characteristics, always keeping the needs of their buyers in mind regarding price, scope of delivery and handling. In doing so, they stay with their products in the mid-class/high-class range, but also dare to take the step into the high-end range. Their current Art Magic line-up includes a wide range of products, starting with the DH3 (135 € - 1*DD...

Rating: 8 Sound: 7.8 Intro The CHI-FI world seems endless and overwhelming in its diversity and technical progress. At first glance this may seem so, but if you take a closer look, you quickly start to get behind the connections and agreements. Above all, the variety of brands reduces quite quickly, especially in the budget area. Products are constantly being redesigned and re-marketed under new names and with praise, without any noticeable sonic progress or technical innovation. Above all, the number of drivers still seems to tempt many consumers...

Rating: 8.7 Sound: 8.5 Intro The VOYAGER 3 made me want more THIEAUDIO products and fortunately I didn't have to wait too long for another listening impression. THIEAUDIO is a project of the well known and well sorted online distributor LINSOUL AUDIO, if you are looking for Asian manufacturers. I was given the LEGACY 3 and what can I say, I am more and more taken with the L3 and for me the better and more mature IEM compared to the V3. There is nothing to complain about in terms of price. Even if the LEGACY 3 is of course no endgame, it convinces me...

Rating: 8 Sound: 7.8 Intro It is always interesting to see how expectations are raised when information is leaked, or when someone better known makes a statement about something. The BLON BL-05 is such a hype phenomenon. Before it was even available, it already got a very high reputation because of its popular predecessor BL-03, without having to do anything for it. First the BL-05 was planned as a hybrid with a dynamic and a piezo driver. In the end it became a single dynamic driver, which is called "2nd Generation 10mm CNT Diaphragm Driver". With...