Reviews by Ali Hasan Hamim

First, I would like to thank Myer Audio for giving me a generous discount for this unit. Yes, this unit was purchased by me. I got a discount for my review and the courtesy goes to Sonic Mantra team. This review only includes my honest impressions on the gear. I didn’t get influenced by anyone to say anything biased about this product. Enjoy reading. Cheers!


The SLIIVO SLA3 is the latest addition to the Myer Audio SLIIVO lineup and is the cheapest release from them yet. It comes at around $104. It boasts a configuration of 1DD and 3BA. Considering all the previous releases by this company, this one should be another banger, or not? Let’s find out.


Package Contents:

• The earpieces
• Hand braided monocrystalline 4 core SPC modular cable
• Leather storage box
• 2 sets of ear tips and a pair of foam tips
• Paperworks

Maybe they have listened to my feedback about the package design? This time the outer sleeve has a nice design and they also included a modular cable. aside from that, the unboxing experience is the exact same as other Myer Audio IEMs.


The SLA3 shell has a medium sized shell but it is a bit bulky. The shell is smaller than the previous SL41 Mk2. Although the dimensions shrinked, other aesthetics are pretty much the same. Same dome style air vent, same recessed 2 pin connector. Fit and isolation ever so slightly varies. The shell is made of good quality resin but the nozzle is made of metal. Nozzle diameter is normal, smaller than SL41. It fits very comfortably and the nozzle length is just right, not too short or too deep. Isolation is pretty good as well.

The faceplate design is unique for each unit. The faceplate design resembles the northern lights/aurora. The faceplate design is growing on me with time. It shifts color from different angles in outdoor lighting.

The cable is a 4 core high purity SPC cable and it has modular termination with 3.5mm and 4.4mm options. The modular termination style is like DUNU ones. The cable has a dark copper color. The cores are rubber coated that feels robust yet soft enough to handle easily. It behaves pretty well and isn’t prone to showing memory. It is light enough to use on a daily basis without any comfort issue.

The storage case is the same Myer Audio signature leather case. SLIIVO lineup comes with the blue one.


I tested the IEM with its stock cable and both types of stock ear tips. This section will be based on the setup mentioned.

Bass:
The bass is powerful here with more of a sub-bass focus over mid-bass. The sub-bass presence is dominant. Subbass goes deep with good rumble. The subtleness of thumps is quite detailed and textured. Decay shows good control while leaving a satisfying after effect. In “Land Slide – Oh Wonder” the subtle yet thumpy sub-bass hits are just perfect with good depth. In the track “Paradise Circus – Massive Attack” the sub-bass thump normally feels very subtle, here with SLA3 it has the perfect amount of presence and body that sits between the subtleness and a thumpy hit. In “LOVE – Micheal Buble” sub-bass texture, detail and layering is excellent. As for deep rumbly sub-bass like in “Angle – Massive Attack” the sub-bass goes very deep with great rumble. The impressive part for me is the detail, texture and layering of the bass.

While the sub-bass is dominant, mid-bass doesn’t fall short either. The mid-bass is also powerful and is close to the level of sub-bass that it doesn’t get overshadowed. Here the mid-bass attacks are quick and precise. The tactile feedback of bass slams is powerful and full bodied. But due to not having much of a coloration, the neutral tonality of the mid-bass makes it sound crisp and occasionally the bodied weight is at a single place (namely at lower frequencies) instead of the whole mid-bass area, that’s particularly true for drums. As for bass guitar, it sounds well extended and detailed with a good amount of texture. Bass guitars and pianos are truly melodic here. Overall, the mid-bass shows a clean, controlled performance.

Mid-range:
The mid-range doesn’t fall short either. From vocals to instruments everything has a good sense of clarity. Male vocals are close to neutral with good amount of note weight. They sound very articulate with excellent texture and detail. The way this set handles the air in the male vocals is notable. There isn’t any bass bleed in the mid-range. In the track “I put a spell on you – Seal” the vocals sound wonderfully textured, airy and portrays the emotional touch in the vocals quite good as well. Higher pitched male vocals sound even more emotional and engaging. Listening to artists like 'Micheal Buble' on this set is a bliss!

Female vocals are smooth and engaging here with a touch of warmth. The balance between energy and smoothness is just perfect. The lively vocals have great clarity and articulation. There is no sibilance at all. The upper mid-range sits at a nice place that never gets over the top. The vocals go with the flow smoothly with the ascending and descending of pitch. The lushness of the female vocals is very sweet due to the added warmth/coloration. The control over the air is excellent. There isn’t any unnecessary airiness in the vocals, it stays for just the perfect amount of time and this character sounds true to life.

Instruments also sound fantastic here. The level of detail, texture and subtle layering is amazing. Tonally they are not neutral, they do show coloration to some extent. But that makes the listening experience even more immersive. Pianos, guitars, violins and cellos have excellent detail and layering with great control over texture. The micro details and nuances are effortlessly noticeable. Overall, the mid-range delivers a very fun and engaging listening experience with the slight forwardness.

Treble:
The treble performance is commendable as well. It has a detailed, extended and crispy presentation. The Lower treble is very detailed and shows great control. Tonally it isn’t quite neutral, it lean towards brightness and sounds vibrant. There is no harshness or peaks in treble. The upper treble has excellent airiness and sparkle. The cymbals sound shimmering. Hi-hats and sticks sound crispy in a natural way. There isn’t any harshness or sharpness found in the treble even on poorly mastered tracks unlike its predecessor, the SL41. While there isn’t much brightness shown here, the upfront treble presentation may be too much for some treble sensitive listeners. The excellent detail retrieval, clarity on guitar strokes and picks and other subtle nuances along with the great imaging and separation makes for a clean and fun presentation.

Technicalities:
This set excels in this area. The soundstage is big and open with excellent holographic effect. The width and height of the sound stage is decent, and depth is even better. The layering is exceptional, same goes for imaging. Its precision is on 3D plain where each note can be heard from accurate directions. This is better understandable while gaming. Its gaming performance is phenomenal. Dynamic range and transient response are also really good. Instrument separation is its another strength. While the instrument separation on each note is great, regional separation on the frequency range is better on its predecessor. Detail retrieval on this set is also amazing. It picks up micro and macro details and other nuances with a good sense of clarity and control.

Source pairing:
The SLIIVO SLA3 pairs really good with warmish dacs like Onix Alpha XI1. Bright yet musical dacs like ddhifi TC44 pro E2 also sounds good except there are some sharpness in the upper treble occasionally. Neutral or warm leaning source is recommended for this one. As for analytical sound lovers, bright leaning sources are a viable option.

As for ear tips, the stock ones are great. The black tip has a balanced warmish sound with better bass performance. There isn’t any sharpness at all. Vocals stay in a nice position too. Sub-bass is leveled with mid-bass here. The black tips has a slightly shorter stem which makes the fit slightly shallower or doesn’t provide deep fit.

On the white tip, bass sounds leaner and treble is slightly pushed forward. Male vocals occasionally sound recessed than female vocals. Female vocals are livelier here and stage is bigger as well. For 3rd party option, DUNU S&S is the best one for me. It has better balance between musicality and technicality. Bass is powerful with this tip and tonally it has a nice coloration over the whole sound spectrum. Sound stage is more open here with better surfaced subtle treble details.

Comparison against SLIIVO SL41

Up against its predecessor, the SLA3 holds out quite well. The SL41 has more mid-bass focus and that mid-bass is more colored and hard hitting than SLA3. Mids are also more colored there. Transient handling and speed are a level up on SL41. Treble is tad brighter as well with more sparkle. It shows sibilance on vocals on poorly mastered tracks.


Now on to the SLA3, the shell is smaller, sub-bass is more prominent and has better layering. Mid-bass is less colored and close to natural. Attack speed may not rival SL41 but it still has really good speed. Male vocals are more articulate and airy and it shows great texture from lows to mids. It has slightly more holographic and 3D stage. Treble is also not as bright. Not to mention the excellent modular cable it comes with, which isn’t available on SL41. The differences I talked about isn’t that far from each other, rather they are pretty similar in sound. You can only differentiate them when giving a critical listen.


Hit or Miss?

Those who like powerful bass with excellent sub-bass, airy detailed and engaging vocals, vibrant instruments and superior technical performance, not to mention top notch stock accessories, this set is absolutely recommended.

Those who don’t like authoritative sub-bass, are sensitive to treble, want more smooth, laid back kind of experience can look elsewhere.

Myer Audio once again released a wonderful set of IEMs. This is their cheapest offering for now and it sure does pack a punch. With an amazing modular copper cable and premium accessories and excellent sound quality, this is a total banger! In the current $100 market scene, this set, in my opinion, is a market disruptor. The value it provides cannot be matched at this price. If you are on the lookout for a $100 set and the sound characteristics match your requirements, absolutely go for it.

First I would like to thank ND Audio for sending this review unit This review only includes my honest impressions on the gear. I did not get paid or influenced by anyone to say anything good or bad about this product. Enjoy reading. Cheers!


ND Planet is another budget single DD offering from ND Audio. This time it costs from $15.99 to $18.99 depending on 3.5, type-C, mic and non mic versions. The one I have here is the 3.5mm mic version which costs $16.99. There are two color options, blue and orange.


Package Contents:

• The earpieces
• Four core cable
• Three pairs of ear tips
• Paperworks

The IEM has full plastic build. The 2 pin connector is QDC type. The shell is fully transparent. The build quality is just okay for the price. It does feel cheap and not very durable. The 12mm dynamic driver is covered with something like paper or plastic. The design is supposed to be of a planet but to my eyes the blue one looks more like a candy. There’s a small hole in the middle of the driver cover for air ventilation for the DD. From the inner side, the golden body of the DD is visible. It has a simple minimal design and I like it. The cable is generic thin 4-core black cable. It behaves fine and sounds alright as well. The mic is placed at the Y splitter. Although the mic is quite far down from mouth, it still picks up voice perfectly fine. The loudness of the mic is pretty good. The mic portion also has a play/pause and volume rocker combo button. It fits comfortably in ear. The light design makes it disappear in ears after wearing them for a while. Isolation is alright, nothing noteworthy. Overall it has a generic budget IEM feel to it in terms of build.


I tested the IEM with its stock cable and some of my aftermarket ear tips. I found the EPZ M100 tips to pair amazingly with the IEM. My sound evaluation will be based off the stock and M100 ear tips. I will clarify the difference between them later.

Bass:
The bass here is powerful but soft. The bass is well extended. The attacks are fast but decay is kind off slow resulting in a softer bass response, which sounds quite pleasant. Sub-bass has good presence. It has good body, and rumble feels deep. The texture is sometimes clear, sometimes vague. I found that volume plays a role on the texture part where in low to mid volume texture is fine, high volume makes the details vague. The sub-bass thump is also enjoyable and feels quite controlled in Billie Eilish tracks.

The mid-bass hits hard but the warm and slow decay makes it sound soft, which is unique at this price range. Sub-bass and mid-bass are on the same level, doesn’t overpower one another. Mid-bass notes have good weight behind them and attacks feel moderately controlled. The detail level did surprise me here. The bass sounds a bit boomy or bloated at times, especially at high volume.


Mid-range:

The mid-range of the ND Planet is recessed to a degree. The lower mids are more recessed them the upper mids. That makes the male vocals sound laidback. Male vocals don’t have anything special going on, tonally they are warm, sounds very smooth. It lacks noteweight behind the vocals. The warmth makes up for it by not making the vocals too thin. There is some bass bleeding in the lower mids that sometimes creates a boomy effect along with the male vocals but that is track dependent.

Female vocals are a charm here. They also sound recessed but more forward than male vocals. The smooth vocals along with the warmth that extends there makes a beautiful lush sound presentation. There is no sibilance whatsoever. Midrange energy sits at a pleasant place and is very enjoyable. Female artists sound very musical and relaxing.

Midrange instruments also has a touch of warmth. Electric guitars sound colored in a enjoyable way with good note weight. It reminds me of Hidizs st2 pro nebula in this particular part.


Treble:

The treble sounds very safe without any spice. The extension is decent. Energy is at a level where it doesn’t go overboard even once. Details are average at lower treble. In terms of tonality, the warmth extends here as well. The notes have good weight and macro details do surface pretty well. The separation between the notes are surprisingly decent despite the smoothness. Upper treble has enough air and sparkle to not make it sound straight up dark. But it does sound darkish for the most part. Overall treble performance is pretty good and nothing to complain for the intended tuning style. Most treble sensitive users will like this safe smooth treble.


Technicalities:

The soundstage is average. The width and depth feel the same. Imaging is nothing noteworthy but directional audio is fine here. Meaning sound cue direction is vaguely imaginable without the precise accuracy. Separation is decent here, which is a surprise for this kind of tuning. Speed is average and detail retrieval is good enough as well.


Source pairing:

I paired EPZ M100 ear tips with it, the bass texture, impact style changed noticeably which I found more enjoyable. The stock eartips don’t always give the best bass response. As the EPZ M100 is very cheap, it is recommended to upgrade. There isn’t much about source as this kind of IEM is intended to use mostly on phone without 3rd party sources. I used the Planet on my Samsung Galaxy F23 phone and warm sources like Onix Alpha XI1, Fiio Q1 where it performed well with both. Unfortunately, I couldn’t try this on bright leaning sources so I’m skipping that part. I changed the stock cable to a better OCC copper and SPC copper cable, it sounded better with those.


Hit or Miss?

Those who are looking for a warm, smooth and bassy set with safe sounding treble in budget, this set is recommended

Those who are looking for detailed, brighter treble and want neutralish tuning can skip this one.


The ND Planet is a unique one among its competition solely on tuning. The smooth warm and easygoing sound signature sure is something that most people will like. The mic on the Stock cable is pretty good as well. Although the build quality is cheap, if that isn't a deal breaker for you, this set is recommended.

First I would like to thank TINHIFI for sending this review unit and also thanks to Sonic Mantra team for giving me the opportunity to review it. This review only includes my honest impressions on the gear. I did not get paid or influenced by anyone to say anything good or bad about this product. Enjoy reading. Cheers!


TINHIFI is back with a flagship this time. It’s a flagship single dynamic driver configuration for the all new T7. For $200 this is quite a premium single DD IEM. They didn’t hold back on the design, accessories or the packaging.


Package Contents:

• The earpieces
• 0.06/54C single crystal OFC modular cable
• Leather storage box
• 2 sets of ear tips and 2 pair of foam tips
• Paperworks

The ear pieces are pretty small. The shell is made of metal with a nice matte finish. The glossy golden nozzle blends in with the black metal body. There is a little vent hole on the golden part and another vent hole right beside the MMCX connector. Yes, it has a MMCX connector and they are well built. The faceplate is dark wood underneath the clear resin. During taking pictures I dropped one of the earpieces from around 5ft height which was a nasty drop, but surprisingly there wasn’t even a single scratch or dent despite bouncing on concrete. So aside from the resin/glass faceplate (can’t tell apart) the construction is very impressive. The nozzle is somewhat on the shorter side. The fit is comfortable and they disappear after wearing due to them being lightweight. One thing to note, in my use case, the tragus part of the outer ear is constantly under pressure from the IEMs front part which is extruded when aligning with nozzle and it causes pain when I’m using them for long sessions. This issue is unique to me so keep that in mind.

The cable is gorgeus and feels premium. the modular termination is easy to swap. its on the stiffer side but not exactly stiff.

The storage box is pretty good but the foam cushioning inside made the space inside a bit cramped compared to the size of the box outside. the zipper is hard to open and close. there's a lineyard provided for the box.



I tested the IEM with its stock cable and various ear tips in my collection. I settled with KBEAR KB08 ear tips for the below sound impressions as it was a better fit and delivered better bass performance than the stock one’s.

Bass:
The bass here is very tasteful. It is well extended, well controlled and has the dynamic driver taste. The speed and transient response is very good. Sub-bass presence is good with decent rumble. It’s not all that elevated but shows good focus when needed. The rumble feels well textured but on the detail part it’s just above average. Sub-bass extension is great with adequate depth.

Mid-bass is quite thumpy with nice decay. The hits feel tactile and well controlled. The transient response, decay and the control altogether makes for a well-defined, well textured and layered bass presentation. Although the bass isn’t all that elevated to satisfy bass heads but it is enough to not sound underwhelming. The moderately quick roll off makes each note more detailed and lively. It has an ever so slight hint of warmth in bass part in addition to good body in the lows. The bass presentation sounds very rich; the word I’m looking for may be ‘organic’.

Mid-range:
The mids are very smooth and tonally wonderfully rich. The instruments timbre and tonality is amazing. They sound rich and organic with a hint of warmth. They do sound natural but they are colored, not totally neutral. But the coloration is very tastefully done here. The male vocals are very easygoing and smooth. They have more than enough note weight behind them with good articulation. The texture has that dynamic driver flavor here as well. it is quite airy in terms of vocals which makes the vocals sound more lifelike. The texture is smoothened out here which causes the vocals to sound very smooth and pleasant.

Female vocals are also very smooth and lush sounding. They also sound quite easygoing. The note weight is sometimes on the thinner side but that’s not always the case. The ascending and descending of low and high pitch vocals are controlled in a manner that everything sounds very smooth. There isn’t any upper midrange energy in the vocal section. It almost never sounds sibilant. The female vocal performance is good but not as great as male vocals. The control over the energetic vocals is commendable. It never sounds too much or doesn’t cause any kind of fatigue. If I had to nitpick, I would’ve liked a bit of vibrancy or liveliness in the female vocals with a bit of upper mid-range energy. But this will be a great pick for sensitive people. The cons that I talked about here doesn’t apply to jpop in my case. The female vocals are suitable for Jpop.

The instruments are a bliss! The tonality and timbre of the instruments are very rich and analogue sounding if you may. The atmosphere created with the mix with all the air, reverberation and after-effects of the notes sounds quite immersive and lets you get lost in music with little effort. From piano, string instruments to drums, snares, harmonica everything sounds wonderfully musical and engaging. I’m no expert but I think it should be quite hard to achieve with any other type of driver.

Treble:
The treble performance is one of the strengths of this set. Tonally leans toward bright side of things. The control is great which doesn’t let the IEM sound harsh or go overboard with energy that much. The lower treble is very clean, well extended, very fast and precise. The energy has great control that doesn’t let it sound harsh. The upper treble is quite airy and sparkles are very nice. Cymbals and snares don’t sound out of tone or artificial like many other bright IEMs. The dynamic range and transient response on the treble part is phenomenal. Thus the detail it can deliver is amazing. This treble is not for treble sensitive folks but treble lovers will love the fast, precise and detailed presentation.

Technicalities:
The soundstage is big and spacious. The depth isn’t as big as it is wide. The imaging is precise along with the instrument separation. Each hits and notes are easily distinguishable with good precision. Detail retrieval is one of its strong suits. It portrays macro and micro details with great precision. Dynamic range is pretty good but transient response is even better. it sounds pretty immersive but the sound it delivers isn’t all that holographic. Either way it handles fps games effortlessly in my use case.


Source pairing:
I found the T7 to sound more musical with warm to warmish neutral sources. Neutral sources are okay but the treble could be too much for some. I found it hard to settle for a single ear tip for this IEM. The differences I found with my small collection is close enough to one another. I found the KBEAR KB08 and DUNU Atmospheric ear tips to deliver better bass performance in terms of body.

Hit or Miss?

Those who are looking for a small set with premium quality build, cable and case in addition to tastefully done lows that isn’t over the top, smooth mids with great timbre and detailed analytical treble can go for it.


Those who like more bass, are sensitive to treble, want more holographic 3D kind of experience and those who hate MMCX should skip on this one.



TINHIFI made a solid premium segment single dynamic driver IEM. In the crowd of multi-brid IEMs, the T7 actually offers very competitive value in terms of both sound and accessories. The quality of the bass that the dynamic driver provides, the beautiful smooth vocal texture and instrument timbre is definitely very much praiseworthy. The midrange tonally is amazing and has great musicality. The treble is well controlled without breaking the barrier to harsh brightness. The soundstage may lack in terms of holographic effect but that’s the tradeoff for such a small shell. Overall, the this is a solid set for those with whom the quota matches.

First I would like to thank Sonic Mantra team for providing me with this retail unit for me to test out. This is not a review unit, it's a retail unit that was bought by our team. This review reflects only my honest opinion. I did not get influenced or paid to say any good or bad about the unit.


The revolutionary 7Hz Timeless now has a sequel, the Timeless II. 7Hz took their sweet time releasing the follow up. The price for the Timeless II is $229. Apart from the same form factor, the design and tuning nozzles are the main changes along with sound.

Speficification:

• THD: <0.2%/1KHz
• Driver: 14.5mm planar driver
• Impedance: 15.2 ohms
• Connector Type: 0.78mm 2-pin
• Sensitivity: 108db/V@1KHz
• Weight per earbud: 5g
• Frequency Response: 5-40000Hz

Inside the Box

• 7HZ Timeless II
• Carrying Case
• 3.5mm + 4.4mm combo adapter
• 10 Pairs of Silicone Ear Tips (S/M/L)
• User Manual

The Timeless II has a carbon fiber like faceplate that is engraved on the metal with CNC machining. They are made of solid metal. The interchangeable nozzles are of premium quality as well. Despite full metal body, the IEMs are rather lightweight. The fit is comfortable even for long listening sessions. It doesn’t go very deep but a snug fit is achievable. The Isolation isn’t all that great. With the right ear tip, a little better isolation is achievable. The cable is gorgeous and very premium. It is a bit memory prone but that’s not permanent. From the color, core thickness and covering kits, everything feels very premium and complements the IEMs pretty good. The accessories are premium as well. The storage case is made of metal with the same engraved carbon fiber pattern. the tuning nozzles are screwed on a sleek metal plate.




In my case, the storage box seems to have stronger metal than the IEM shells themselves which caused some scratches on the side of the IEMs while storing them in the box.



I used the Timeless II with the stock cable and opted for Epz M100 ear tips as they delivered the best sound to my ears. All the impressions are based on the setup mentioned here.

Golden Standard Nozzle:

Bass:
The sub-bass presence is adequate and not over your face type. The extension is enough deep and rumble reels fast. Sub-bass sounds clean and textured. it doesn’t fall short, rather complements mid-bass pretty well. The subtleness and the deep rumbles are easily distinguishable and feels very detailed. It has good body and slight hint of warmth.

The mid-bass is fast and punchy. The drum hits sound hard and tactile while the bass guitars sound crisp and detailed. Here mid-bass has slightly more focus than sub-bass. The transition from sub-bass to mid-bass is clean and controlled. The note weight is just right, not too thin or too thick.

Mid-range:

Vocals sound smooth and tonally neutral with a pinch of warmth. Male vocals are detailed and textured. Again body and note weight is just right where it doesn’t sound thin or thick. It feels rather easygoing without much going on here.

As for female vocals, they sound smooth but on the leaner side of things. They do sound smooth. The ascension and descension of low and high pitch notes are smooth and well controlled. There is no shoutiness whatsoever in both male and female vocals. The upper mid-range is well controlled and the presence is in a place where it doesn’t add any extra brightness or artifact nor does it mess up the tonality.

Instruments have neutral tonality here. The lower frequency instruments have a touch of warmth. Piano sounds pretty articulate. The instrument presentation in the mix and the control is commendable.

Treble:

Treble sounds incredibly detailed but has a planar kind of taste which I enjoyed. Lower treble extension is very good and each note sounds really controlled. The notes might sound a tad bit thinner but it offers incredible separation in return. Upper treble is airy and sparkly. The treble might sound ever so slightly brightish to some but that is the planar in work which doesn’t sound fatiguing at all and can be listened for hours.

Technicalities:

Technical performance doesn’t need much explanation given the legendary planar pioneer. From sound stage to imaging, separation, dynamic range and transient response, everything is incredible here. Sound stage is big and spacious. Imaging is precise with pin point accuracy. Instrument separation is one of the best needless to say. Same goes for detail retrieval as well.


Silver Standard Nozzle:

Bass:

The sub-bass extends deep here with deep rumble. The presence is quite good. It has enough body to make it sound powerful. But the warmth isn’t here anymore. The texture is good but in terms of details it might be a step back from the gold standard nozzle.

In terms of mid-bass, there is a loss of focus compared to gold standard nozzle and comparing with sub-bass. It is still hard hitting and punchy with tactile feedback. But the warmth can’t be found here. Some drum hit resonances may sound too much because of the off sounding tonality of some drums. Nevertheless, it is clean, precise and well controlled.

Mid-range:

Male vocals sound leaner compared to gold standard nozzle. the texture and presence is similar but it lacks warmth. As a result, the lush and rich vocals are missed here.

For female vocals, they sound smooth and lively. There is more energy compared to gold standard nozzle but that makes the vocals a bit musical. The upper midrange is pushed up a notch here and it doesn’t hold back in energy. Still it doesn’t show any sibilance but does sound analytical if you may.

The instrument tonality is a bit off as well. Due to the extra energy it sounds more analytical. Piano tonality seems more effected by this. String instruments sounds bright as well.

Treble:

The tonality is straight up bright. It sounds more energetic in lower treble and pushes with the details as well but not in a pleasant way compared to the previous nozzle. It is more analytical but due to the bright signature the planar timbre doesn’t surface as much. Upper treble is more airy and sparkly. The sparkles are sharp which is portrayed especially in snares and cymbals.

Technicalities:

It retains all the aspects as in the previous nozzle. If I had to say, the transient response seemed ever so slightly better or it could be just imagination.




Golden Dome Nozzle:

Bass:
Sub-bass presence is more prominent here. It is authoritative and powerful. Extension is very deep and rumble is more feelable than audible. It sounds more textured than other nozzles. While the sub-bass has a nice focus here it isn't enough to most satisfy bass-head folks.

Mid-bass sounds fuller with good body. Slams hit very hard with great tactility. Sub-bass and mid-bass both is presented in a way that none overpower each other. Bass performance here the best of all nozzle in terms of amount, body and dynamic range. It sounds more like a dynamic driver than a planer. It has all the good aspects of other nozzle on top of having great lush sound and good note weight. It does sound warmish here.

Mid-range:
Male vocals sound full bodied, lush and smooth with good texture. It has the most note weight in this nozzle. Texture and articulation is commendable here as well. Male vocals are beautiful and rich sounding with no flaw be it low pitch or high pitch vocals.

Female vocals sound smooth and lively without excessive energy unlike the other nozzles. Note weight is good enough here as well. The ascension and descension of vocals are handled nicely here. Moreover the upper mid-range is has good energy without ruining anything anywhere. Vocals are more lush and smooth sounding with this nozzle compared to others.

Instruments are commendable as well. The energy is handled nicely and the tonality is pleasantly warmish as well. All instruments seem to portray closer to natural sound. The blending of all the instruments sound pleasant yet detailed where needs be. The nuances like bass slide, string noises- hums, squeaks are presented in a natural manner which sounds nice.

Treble:
Treble is lively, vibrant and very detailed. In terms of tonality, it carries that energetic side without making it bright and also carries some hint of warmth. Tonality can be said natural here as well. lower treble is very detailed with good amount of energy while the upper treble has more than enough air and sparkle. In some cases, some snares might come in as too splashy or bright but that is not the case with all tracks, rather seems like a mastering thing.

Technicalities:

The same thing as all the other nozzles. The standout part with this nozzle is the better dynamic range handling, texture and macro nuances portray.


Silver Dome Nozzle:

Bass:

The sub-bass here is deep and rumbly but its less than the golden dome nozzle. Warmth is lesser here ass well. other than that, everything else is similar to other nozzles.

Mid-bass is much less pronounced here compared to golden dome nozzle. it does hit hard and has adequate body. But the amount is lesser along with warmth. The authoritative character isn’t here as much as the gold nozzles. Still it is enough and might appeal to people who seek more neutral bass tonality. Texture is more subtle than pronounced. Details is no less than any other nozzle.

Mid-range:

Male vocal is well textured and has adequate amount of weight behind them. It does come across as smooth but slightly lean sounding compared to golden nozzle. it doesn’t have that warmth like the golden nozzle but the neutral tonality is still very good for the male vocals.

Female vocals sound thin compared to gold nozzle. it is smooth and easygoing in most part but the upper mid-range energy sometimes goes up a notch but it doesn’t cause sibilance despite that. The transients are handled nicely. Other than the thinness there isn’t much of a difference elsewhere.

Instruments are more energetic with a hint of brightness tonally. But it is less energetic than silver standard nozzle. lower midrange instruments come across as neutral rather than bright. The tonality is not off by much compared to silver standard nozzle.

Treble:

Treble has hint of brightness but not as much compared to silver standard nozzle. They do sound energetic on the lower treble side while the upper treble is a bit too sparkly in certain frequencies like with snares and cymbals. Other than that everything else is lesser but similar to silver standard nozzle.

Technicalities:

Stage is as open as the other ones, might sound ever so slightly open than others. Other aspects are the same as other nozzles. Transient response is better than golden dome nozzle but the brightness is the tradeoff here.


The Timeless II performs the best with warm leaning sources. Thus a source with hint of warmth is highly recommended. For ear tips, the stock collection is generous and performs good enough. Other aftermarket ear tips I tried with it sounded decent as well. However, the Epz M100 ear tips are the best pairing for me. They Give a delicate bass performance, is enough open sounding and the overall presentation is very pleasant.


The 7Hz Timeless II does not disappoint from what is expected from it. The relatively organic or neutral analytical sound it provides with different tuning nozzles makes it a great all-rounder and more appealing for those who want different taste depending on their mood. The premium accessories and sound quality definitely is worth the price. In its price range, it is one of the best planar out there. The additional tuning modification capability is a big advantage for more versatility. Thus the Timeless II is recommended considering everything it has to offer.

I would like to thank KBEAR for sending this review unit and to my friends at Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.


The KBEAR KB02 is an interesting offering at its price segment. It comes at $40 with no mic. It doesn’t come with an attached mic version to my knowledge. The driver configuration is the stand out feature for the IEM. It features a Beryllium-plated Diaphragm Dynamic Driver and a Bone Conduction Vibrator unit hybrid setup which is the first at its price range. It comes with 3 color choices- blue, purple and orange. The bone conduction driver did create some hype around this IEM. Let’s see what the hype is truly for.

Package Contents:

1. The earpieces
2. Cable
3. 3 sets of ear tips including 3 pairs in each set
4. Paperwork

The unboxing experience was just like any other budget offering. The IEM shells were presented at top upon sliding open the cover. The cable and ear tips were inside of a box right below the shells which in my opinion is clever and easier to store or re-box them.


The KBEAR KB02 looks absolutely beautiful with the kinetic sand like faceplate design. The mixed patterns look beautiful and the KBEAR logo in the middle is of perfect size to show the beauty of the faceplate. The shells are made of resin and they do feel premium. The nicely angled nozzle is made of metal which holds the ear tips in place preventing them from slipping out. The stock cable on the other hand is disappointing. Its thin and flimsy and doesn’t do the IEM justice at all.


The shells are medium sized with good ergonomic design that fits in the ears comfortably. The Nozzle angle gives a deep and snug fit with most ear tips. The isolation is top notch here. With the right ear tip the passive noise isolation can rival some of the best ones in the market no matter the price range. The ergonomic curve fits in the ear nicely. The lightweight resin build makes for a comfortable fit for long listening sessions. The cable is soft and memory free. But it does get tangled sometimes.


The KBEAR KB02 boasts a Balanced mild V-shaped sound signature The bone conduction driver adds a unique touch to the sound experience. Let’s dive deep into it:

• Bass:
  The bass is Impactful and well controlled. The mid-bass is more focused compared to sub-bass. The sub-bass here is well extended with adequate amount of details. Sub-bass rumble is hard with ultra-low frequencies which is perfect for rap, pop type of genres. Just the presence falls behind in sub-bass section. The bone conduction driver sure does its charm to give a subtle but unique resonating atmospheric effect. It does complement the rest of the sound pretty well. Despite the not so prominent sub-bass presence, in bassy tracks with ultra-low frequencies, the sub-bass sounds very authoritative. The bone
  
  Mid-bass is more prominent here. With powerful hard hitting drums, Beautiful bass guitar playback, the mid-bass sounds complete here. It has great impactful and tactile slams. A moderately airy after-effect creates an immersive experience in some tracks where the drum acoustics are clearer like in “Amongst the Low & Empty – Signs of the Swarm”. While the bass performance isn’t overpowering, it can satisfy a couple of bass-heads out there with what it has to offer. The vibrating bone conduction driver adds an extra fun touch to the bass performance which is a stand out feature in its price range.

• Mid-range:
  The mid-range is quite engaging here. From vocals to instruments, the mid-range performance is notable. The male vocals are the best in this region. Especially low pitch male vocals sound exceptional. They sound well textured, detailed and very engaging. Male vocals have the right amount of body and note weight to them which sounds very rich. The bone conduction driver seems to add a touch of liveliness with its minimal vibrations which helps in delivering beautiful texture and adequate amount of details. Tonally they fall under neutral side of things. The airiness revolving the vocalists feels amplified due to the bone conduction driver. It gives a resonating piano like sound surrounding the atmosphere which is caused by the vibrations. In songs they sound quirky but in normal media consumption when people are having conversation, the effect sometimes annoyed me.
  
  Female vocals sound airy, smooth and lively. They don’t exhibit any sibilance even in tracks with poor mastering. Female vocals sound a step or two behind compared to male vocals. They maintain a natural and neutral tonality. In some tracks the female vocals do tend to sound a tad bit thin. While the female vocals are vibrant, smooth and articulate too in some tracks, they do not sound as engaging as male vocals in this set. The lows and highs sound more prominent with a hint of recession in female vocals. But they don’t get drowned. With the right ear tips, source and upgraded cable, the female vocals can also get the focus where they somewhat lack at. They do sound easygoing, smooth without any kind of shoutyness which will be better for users who are sensitive to forward and energetic female vocals.
  
  Instruments sound quite vibrant. From string instruments, to keyboards all sound very lively with proper amount of energy. The bone conduction driver does play a role here. Even though they are supposed to show more control over the lows, it also shows some resonating effects in mid-range, especially in lower mid-range. Pianos, cellos have that atmospheric resonating effect from the vibration of bone conduction driver. In songs, they sound delightful but in normal media consumption, podcasts, that resonating effect causes the vocals to have that piano like tint over them as mentioned before. The 'ting' sound of the bone conduction driver will bother you when you're watching anime while eating. The bites makes that 'ting' sound of the bone conductor.

• Treble:
  The Treble is well extended and detailed. Tonally they fall under neutral to sometimes bright signature. Lower treble is quite detailed and articulate in some areas. Upper treble has decent amount of sparkle and air. Treble instruments have beautiful natural tonality and right amount of energy. Upper mid-range sits at a pleasant spot where it doesn’t ruin anything in the treble area. In well mastered tracks, the details are more highlighted. The KB02 portrays the true nature of the track very well. Like in the track “Another Heaven – earthmind” the IEM showed the energetic and sibilant nature without ever crossing the line. It performs very good in instrumentals. I enjoyed the natural and lifelike tonality in “Polyphia” tracks very much. The articulate and detailed nature was shown here pretty well.

• Technical Performance:
  Technicalities isn’t ground breaking but it does perform pretty good for the price. The soundstage is fairly wide with good depth and height. It doesn’t lack anything here rather sounds just right. The imaging is impressive as well. The directional audio cue is pretty good. The instrument placements are shown better here with good precision. Separation is decent here. From instrument separation to regional separation like sub-bass, mid-bass is handled pretty good. It isn’t all that holographic but for the price that would be asking too much. While dynamic range handling isn’t its strong suit, it does perform average. Transient response is above average too. In terms of detail retrieval, it shines profoundly. From macro to micro details all are highlighted so well that it is effortlessly one of the best at it in its price range. Overall technical performance is more than decent and it can handle some casual gaming good as well.

For ear tips, the KB02 pairs pretty good with most ear tips. It pairs best with narrow to normal bore ear tips. With some wide bore ear tips the treble opens up a bit more and shows a slightly brighter signature. I found the Penon Liquor Black ear tips to sound the best for me. They offer more clarity and control in both the lows and the highs. The vocals get a bit more clarity and separation from the other sound regions.


In terms of source, a neutral to warmish neutral source is recommended. Moving from the stock cable to a good quality copper cable seemed essential in my case. The stock cable didn’t let the IEM exert its peak performance.


The KBEAR KB02 in paper surely is an interesting offering. The question is whether it can stand out in the crowded market with what it has to offer. In my opinion, it sure does have some quirks that makes it a strong choice at its price bracket. It offers a balanced all rounded sound performance with a fun touch of the bone conduction driver. The powerful bass, engaging vocal performance, beautiful instrument rendering, the sound quality is great. The shells look much more premium in hand than the price implies. And the passive isolation cannot be rivaled at this price range. Considering these strong suits if they fulfill your requirements, this is definitely recommended. But too much treble sensitive people may have to pass on this one.

I would like to thank to Tinhifi for sending this review unit and to my friends at Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.


The newly launched Tinhifi C2 2025 edition is here with some improvements over the original C2. It comes at $39 for 3.5mm and $49 for USB type-C version. It features a single 10mm PU+LCP Dynamic Driver. This Mech Warrior C2 2025 comes with two color choices, black and grey.


Package Contents:

1. The earpieces
2. Cable
3. 6 pairs of ear tips (one softer set and other one with firmer wall)
4. Paperwork

The packaging is okay for the price. The outer sleeve has a nice mecha armor suit design with Mech Warrior C2 2025 branding. Upon opening the box, the IEM shells are presented at top on foam with the cable, eartips and paperworks underneath the foam.


The Tinhifi C2 2025 looks almost the same as the original C2. The sleek mecha design looks classy in black color which I have here. It has a semi open back design just like the original one. The only two things that are different from the original C2 is the build material and the cable. This time the shells are made of aluminum instead of plastic. The nozzle is made of metal with polished silver color. Although the cable is better than the original one, it’s just okay. Its flimsy but usable. But the stock cable doesn’t do it justice. I found a good cable can bring out the full potential of this IEM unlike the stock one.



The fit is pretty good on this IEM. It gives a nice snug fit with decent isolation. But the comfort part is not that well for me. For short listening periods, it doesn’t create any comfort issue. But with longer listening sessions the edges create pain and discomfort on my ear. But note that my ears are rather spread out than average people. So this particular discomfort might not affect many of you. As for the cable, it is pretty easy to manage and is as easy to get tangled.

The Tinhifi C2 2025 has a balanced mid-focused sound with some character in bass and treble. Let me break it down:

• Bass:
  The bass is not particularly powerful but I enjoyed the bass here. It has some decent speed and the fast roll off makes the hits sound cleaner which is the mid-bass part. The sub-bass has good extension and has adequate rumble which doesn’t sound all that lacking. It sounds clean without any distortion or seeming out of place. The sub-bass doesn’t overpower anything and keeps a nice presence to keep up with rest of the frequency range. The ultra-low sub-bass in “Jaws – Sleep Token” can work as a good example for.
  
  Mid-bass here is punchy and textured. the fast decay results in a cleaner and speedy mid-bass with each hit giving a satisfying tactile feedback. The fast decay means the after-effect from each drum hit is pretty short to almost none existent, which explains the clean, fast and fairly detailed mid-range. It’s definitely not at bass-head level or even close but has enough amount to satisfy majority of users. As the mid-bass decay is fast, the sub-bass rumble fills the spot for giving an immersive bass presentation which doesn’t sound lacking. Overall it can give a pleasant bass performance which I enjoyed quite a bit.

• Mid-range:
  The mid-range here is a bit forward in the presentation. The instruments seem to retain their natural tonality which is originally meant to display. The male vocals have good body but may lack a bit of fullness or warmth in stock configuration. It retains the natural tonality of the vocals here with a rich and engaging vocal presentation. Due to the clean mid-bass and slightly forward mid-range, the vocals have a nice focus in the mix resulting is engaging experience.
  
  The female vocals sound crispy yet smooth. There’s good amount of air in female vocals and quite detailed. In some tracks it can capture some articulations of the vocalist’s performance as well. The upper mid-range sits in a nice position where the female vocals benefit from harmonious, detailed and emotional presentation without exerting too much energy. It’s nothing special but sounds rather satisfying with half of the female vocals that I listened to with this IEM. The other half, not that emotional but still nice sounding.
  
  The Instruments presentation caught me off guard. I didn’t expect this kind of tonality and character from this set at all. The tonality is pretty much neutral but the slight forward mid-range and energy altogether showed an amazingly vibrant play. The notes sound musical, vibrant and engaging due to the nicely done upper-midrange. The instrument clarity and separation deserve praise as well.

• Treble:
  The treble is lively, detailed, well extended and sparkly. It sits on a place where it balances well with the lows and other frequency regions. The lower treble has good extension also has nice clarity. The detailed treble with the slightly forward upper-midrange makes for a lively presentation. The upper treble has some nice sparkle but the air is just average (average means pretty good). It can push some macro details well. The energy here is just right, enough to blend in with rest.

• Technical Performance:
  Technicalities here is above average in most part. The stage width and depth is just average but height is above average in this price range. Imaging is just okay. It can give a feel which direction the sound cues are coming from but it’s not precise. In terms of instrument separation, it can potentially compete with the best ones in its price segment. Detail retrieval is pretty good as well. dynamic range and transient response is average here.

I tried a couple of ear tips with the Tinhifi C2 2025 where the ePro Propeller and NF Audio MS42 ear tips stood out the most. The ePro Propeller sounded more open with better extension in treble also a bit more controlled mid-bass. The NF Audio MS42 Offers fuller mid-bass, smooth and engaging overall experience.

As for source pairing, it is somewhat easy to drive. Warm leaning or neutral sources are recommended here. It shows good speed, control and details in mid-bass and treble with somewhat capable clinical source as well.


Tinhifi sure has improved quite a bit here from the original C2. But the question is can it hold a spot in the crowded market? I think it can! The way the C2 2025 shows a clinical yet engaging sound signature, it can stand out in the crowd with the right setup. That being said, the stock cable can’t utilize its full potential. But if you upgrade to a good enough cable and get the right ear tip for you, this can potentially be one of the best ones in its price segment. The Tinhifi C2 2025 is one of those IEMs that I didn’t hold high expectations for but it grew on me with time. Those who like controlled, tight and speedy bass with well extended detailed and vibrant treble, and are willing to upgrade stock accessories, this set is recommended.

I would like to express my utmost thanks to Myer Audio for sending this review unit and also to my friends at Sonic Mantra for providing me with the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.



The Myer Audio CKLVX D62 is their 2nd release to their CKLVX lineup. The IEM retails for $236. This one features a configuration that boosts two dynamic drivers and six balanced armatures. It comes with a modular cable which is becoming a standard nowadays. With continuous successful launch, this is their latest addition to their CKLVX series. After the amazing CKLVX D41, the D62 is their follow up. Let’s find out if it lives up to its smaller brother.




Package Contents:

1. The earpieces
2. 4-core high purity SPC modular 2pin Cable
3. Two sets of ear tips- normal bore & narrow bore also a pair of foam tips
4. A synthetic leather carrying pouch
5. User manual

Unboxing experience is same as their SLIIVO lineup. Slide open the upper sleeve and drop open the box, there’s a light paper covering the whole thing. Under that you will find the user manual and see the ear pieces presented at top and a leather pouch at bottom. Inside the pouch there is a plastic bag with the ear tips, another with extra modular termination and the cable itself. This time it’s a black package contradictory to the other lineup with CK-D62 branding in the center. The design approach seemed elegant to me.


The Myer Audio CKLVX D62 has full resin build with metal nozzle. The faceplate is a new one from Myer Audio. It’s a wooden plate underneath the resin coating. The wooden plate is dark brown with unique pattern for every unit out there. The color also varies from red to brown with every unit as well. The one I have here is dark brown with beautiful ‘Van Gogh’ like pattern. The air vent is placed behind the shell with extruding resin dome just like the SLIIVO SL41 Mk2. The golden Cklvx fonts at the bottom pop out. The left-right markings are at the inner side of the shell which is easy to catch. In this model, the signature recessed 2-pin connection groove is missing. This time it has a fully flushed 2-pin connector. The build quality is great just as expected. The design doesn’t disappoint either. With a unique style of face plate it has quite the artistic look to it.


Myer audio has gone up a notch with their already amazing stock cables. This time it’s a 4 core cable with 12 strands of 0.08 high-purity silver plated copper each. The black and silver strand combination gives the cable a silver color that looks absolutely fantastic in person. It is thick but light weight and rather easy to handle. The Y-splitter is covered with aluminum with CK-D62 branding that looks rather simple. It has a metal chin slider which stays in place serving its purpose well. The ear hooks are long but doesn’t annoy in any way. This cable is modular now with the option of 3.5mm and 4.4mm L-shaped interchangeable termination. The terminations connect to the cable very tightly which feels totally secured while locked in. But the super tight termination connection means it is harder to change between the two terminations. The termination being L-shaped helps with that. Although the CKLVX D62 has fully flushed 2pin connector, the cable itself comes with the same old Myer Audio style recessed 2pin. This is appreciated as it will support previously released IEMs from SLIIVO lineup as well. Overall the cable wins in every aspect.




The shell is medium sized with a moderately bulky height. Due to its resin build, the IEMs are lightweight. It fits comfortably in ear and fades away after some time due to the light shells. The nozzle angle is nice and gives a comfortable and snug fit. This doesn’t go as deep as the Sliivo SL41 Mk2 but still has good isolation. The nozzle diameter is normal size that fits many ear tips easily. Although the isolation is not the best in the market but it does land somewhere up there with some of the best ones.


As for the cable, it’s pretty light weight and behaves well. It is easy to handle which makes it comfortable to use. But it seems to have some memory to it. Even though it is prone to show memory to some extent, it’s not as bad. To me, it seemed like the outer covering material of the cable is causing it to show this kind of memory. As the cable is not stiff and easy to handle, I can cast aside the memory prone character out of my mind while using it.

The CKLVX D62 is a hybrid consisting of 2DD 6BA. The 8mm and 10mm dynamic driver handles bass region and other 6 balanced armatures handle the rest. The IEM offers an energetic yet pleasing sound. The sound evaluation is based on stock cable and stock black narrow bore ear tips.

• Bass:
  The bass presentation is interesting to me. It has great control and tightness over the bass but sounds smooth and delicate. The bass response is snappy, punchy with good depth yet it sometimes feels hard hitting, sometimes soft hitting but never bad. The cleanliness shown here with the amazing layering and detail gives a pleasant bass response.
  
  The Sub-bass sounds leaner compared to mid-bass. It comes in clean with adequate presence and good extension. It has good rumble but is not deep enough. The sub-bass tends to sound on the surface level that is a hit or miss. For example, in “Something in the Water – Zayn” the sub-bass sounds great. From presence, quantity to rumble everything sounds really nice. But in “Paradise Circus – Massive Attack” it is a miss for me. Here the presence is good but the quantity and rumble doesn’t feel enough giving a feeling that it needs to be more elevated to enjoy it. It has good quantity but disappears behind rest of the sound when there’s a lot going on. The sub-bass is just audible, not feel-able in some cases. A bit more depth would’ve helped here. Although it lacks in some aspects, this is perfectly fine for slow paced genres and bass heavy tracks. Source and tip plays a big role for sub-bass about which I’ll talk later on.
  
  When it comes to mid-bass, the CKLVX D62 sounds great. It has good body and slams hits hard. The decay is fast but leaves a nice after-effect. the notes are textured and easily distinguishable due to its detailed and clean presentation. The mid-bass sounds punchy but doesn’t hit all that deep. Its properly done where it doesn’t do anything excessive. The layering and imaging helps with the drum hits sounding more immersive. The dynamics are impressive and it is pretty fast. The separation between each notes are really good and doesn’t struggle at all in superfast tracks like “Involuntary Doppleganger – Archsipre”. The mid-bass sounds pretty natural delivering a close to neutral sound. Bass Guitar notes are well textured and delivers a satisfying sound. While it is pretty natural, some bass enthusiasts might want a bit more depth and body. There is no extra emphasis where it muddies the sound or overpowers anything. It performs fantastic regardless.

• Mid-range:
  Mid-range comes in sounding very natural with beautiful rendering across the whole mid-range from vocals to instruments. They sound lively energetic and smooth. The vocals sound lovely while maintaining neutrality, the instruments sound more upfront.
  
  Male vocals have good note-weight yet sounds leaner sometimes. Some might say it needs a bit of warmth here. Still it does a great job delivering lively textured male vocal presentation. The vocals sound articulate that shows good emotion. Lower male vocals tend to sound a bit thin where they are supposed to sound a bit heavier. The transitions between low-high pitch notes are smooth and shows great control over it. One can say that male vocals sound ever so slightly recessed. It may lack in the aspect of the weight of male vocals that needs a bit more body which a bit of warmth can help. It sounds pretty good regardless with its emotional, textured male vocals.
  
  Female vocals are one of its biggest strength. They sound very melodic and true to life. The presence is a tad bit forward than male vocals. The beautiful lively vocals give a mesmerizing experience. They sound articulate, energetic yet smooth. They never sound too vibrant or doesn’t suffer from any kind of sibilance. I played “Another Heaven - Earthmind” and it simply sounded heavenly! Same experience with “You’ve Got the Love – Florence + the machine” as well. I can’t find words to express how mesmorizing they sound. The beautiful ascending and descending of vocals, the smooth overall experience is quite the treat. Although this is amazing with female vocal, it’s not something ground breaking.
  
  Even though the upper mid-range here is forward and energetic, it's never shouty. It gives some female vocals a touch more vibrancy and liveliness. The instruments are upfront. The energetic, vibrant side of mid-range is portrayed here in the instruments. The macro details are pushed forward. With well controlled dynamics and transient response, they sound amazing. They are not totally neutral, there’s a bit of added coloration. Like there’s a hint of brightness and vibrance.

• Treble:
  The treble performance is commendable as well. It leans towards the bright side of thing. While it is bright tonally, it doesn’t sound harsh or sharp. The treble is well extended, very detailed, clear and crisp. The lower treble is vibrant, detailed and energetic. It doesn’t sound sharp or aggressive when paired with a warm source. It has great control over the whole brilliance region. The upper treble is sparkly and airy without sounding too much shimmering. Moreover, instruments sound immersive with a great sense of space due to the great extension it shows with each note. Depending on the source and ear tip paired with it, it can portray the kind of quality treble that many will enjoy also perform good enough to satisfy some treble-head folks as well. The impeccably well controlled treble can deliver effortless engaging treble performance while still pushing enough macro and micro details. Even in some sibilant tracks it doesn’t cross the border showing any harshness. Some poorly mastered tracks didn’t suffer as well. But some did with minimal shoutyness here and there. But that’s with a warm source. With bright leaning source the switch can be totally flipped.

• Technical Performance:
  The technicality really impressive. The sound stage is wide and expansive. The openness alongside the amazing layering and imaging gives an immersive and engaging experience. For example, the notes in the starting of “e of s – Sawano Hiroyuki” seemed like the extensions were extending far behind the stage that shows the expansive and open character of the stage. The stage is big in width depth and height as well. While it isn’t the biggest out there, it still is pretty good. The separation is praiseworthy. The way it separately portrays macro and micro details is impressive. But it can’t keep up the same performance in macro and micro details while playing more complex tracks. However, it is perfectly fine and doesn’t sound lackluster in that aspect. Imaging is pretty amazing as well. It can locate instruments with almost pin point accuracy with its directional audio. Even in games it is able to pick up sound cues impressively with great sense of direction and distance. Although it doesn’t give the most holographic experience, it gives pretty nice immersive experience regardless which won’t disappoint anyone. The dynamic range and transient response is just as impressive. It doesn’t falter in any of these and is enough capable.

The CKLVX D62 is almost like a chameleon. It sounds different with different types of source tonally. This character can be found more in the lows. With some neutral to bright leaning sources the bass sound leaner. With warm sources the bass region and male vocals benefit from the added body which sounds fantastic. It is highly recommended to pair it with a warm source. Neutral sources are good to go as well. But some sources wit even a bit of brightness can make the upper frequencies too edgy and aggressive like I found with ddHIFI TC44Pro E2. Something like ifi Hip Dac 2 will give more engaging experience with this IEM. It’s easy to drive but scales well with more power.


As for ear tips, the stock ones are pretty good. The Dunu Candy ear tip gives the bass a bit more focus while the ePro Propeller ear tips shows great extension in both lows and highs. The ePro horn shaped ear tips gives the sub-bass extra depth which some might’ve missed. But it takes away the vibrant and engaging mid-range. I found the stock black narrow bore ear tips to deliver great vocal performance along with great bass. The treble might still sound a bit energetic but it didn’t bother me.


The Myer Audio CKLVX D62 impresses with its engaging sound signature, prioritizing clarity, detail, and vocal sweetness. Female vocals stand out as a highlight, delivering an ethereal listening experience. The treble is bright yet controlled, while the bass offers tight, textured performance, though sub-bass could be deeper. Its technical performance, including soundstage and imaging, adds to the immersion. The premium modular cable and good quality pouch means you won’t need to look elsewhere to get proper accessories for it. Paired with a warm source and the right ear tip for you, it can even overcome the drawbacks it has in sub-bass and male vocals. This might prove to be a great versatile set for many people. While this might not be suitable for treble sensitive folks, it offers an engaging and lively listening experience for those who appreciate detailed and extended high frequencies. Its balance of musicality and technicality makes it a strong contender in its price range, appealing to both casual listeners and audiophiles alike.

First I would like to thank ROSESELSA for sending this review unit and also to my friends at Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.



The Rose Technics QT-X is a premium offering from the company. The driver configuration is 1 dynamic driver and 6 balanced armatures. It comes as a bundle with DAC included in the package. ROSESELSA offers two different options for the bundle with the difference being in DAC and Cable selection. The $340 ‘Value Edition’ comes with their RZ-300m single ended DAC and Grey Rose Cable with 3.5mm termination and the $440 ‘Deluxe Edition’ comes with RS9039 DAC and Blue Rose Pro cable which comes with 4.4mm termination.


Package Contents:

1. The earpieces
2. Blue Rose Pro 4.4mm cable for Deluxe Edition & Grey Rose 3.5mm Cable for Value Edition
3. RS9039 DAC for Deluxe Edition & RZ-300m DAC for Value Edition
4. A small C to C cable
5. Four pairs of wide bore ear tips & four pairs of foam tips
6. Four pairs of extra nozzle filters
7. A leather carrying case
8. Paperworks

Unboxing experience is pretty good. Bunch of accessories in the package that gives off a premium vibe. I have the Value Edition here. Upon sliding open the upper sleeve, the main box opens up like a book. everything is organized in a way that gives a sleek look to the inner packaging.


The Rose Technics QT-X looks absolutely fabulous. It comes in four color choices- purple, white, blue and a grey metal color wavy patterned faceplate. I have the Starry Blue color. The whole shell has a sparkly resin build which is of high quality. The faceplate has more white sparkles and follows a gradient patterned light to dark color tone which actually looks like a starry sky. The angry face like logo makes it the cutest angry looking IEM! The 2pin connector protrudes out a bit from the surface and there is an air vent right next to it which is a clever design choice. One question that kept coming to mind is why there’s a gap between the shell and the faceplate. They could’ve just made it fully flush. But that’s not that big of an issue. Design and build quality wise it is top notch and oozes premiumness.


The Grey Rose is a 4 core braided 3.5mm cable which also feels premium. It has a unique metal Y-split design with Rose Technics branding. The chin slider is also made of metal which works great. Sound wise it doesn’t disappoint either but does nothing out of ordinary to be mentioned here. But it sure does complement the QT-X well in both looks and sound.


The IEM Storage case is coated with leather which gives it a premium feel. It can store the IEM and the cable with some ear tips in the pocket but can't store a DAC with the confined space inside the case.

The shells are bulky with a custom in-ear like design and a very long nozzle. Despite the bulky design it still fits pretty comfortably but not the best at that. Isolation is very good due to deep fit. The user might have to go down a size with ear tip to get a proper fit due to its deep insertion fit. With the soft stock ear tips it fits pretty comfortably. As the shells are made of resin, they are pretty light. I didn’t find any discomfort issue even with long listening sessions. The cable is soft and behaves well. It doesn’t have any memory and is easy to handle. I didn’t find any microphonics issue despite it being a paracord braided cable. It’s pretty light weight as well.




The RZ-300m is a budget dongle DAC that has a fixed braided type-C cable. It is a single ended DAC that can deliver upto 75mW of power output. It supports upto 24bit/192kHz PCM playback. The outer shell is deep purple colored metal but the bottom where the 3.5mm port has cheap plastic covering which gives away that it’s a basic budget product. It has a button which functions as play/pause button. It can also be used to trigger virtual assistant, skipping tracks, answering or ending calls and such which is convenient if you don’t want to wake the screen of your phone. Sound wise it leans toward warm side which will pair well with many IEMs. It has no issues running many less demanding IEMs.



The QT-X has a V-shaped tuning with prominent instruments and vibrant mid-range. The bass and treble performance has the main highlight in this set. The mid-range doesn't fall short at all. Let's break it down.

• Bass:
  The QT-X absolutely nails it with the bass performance. The sub-bass presence is not as prominent but it doesn’t go all out on that. The extension and rumble is decent. It gives a clean presentation with sub-bass. The roll off is pretty good and helps by giving an immersive atmosphere which can be felt in tracks like “End of The Abyss - Alaksei Yukhnevich”. It is fast and clear with the sub-bass but doesn’t go as deep to make it sound big.
  
  Mid-bass performance is up a notch. It excels here with tight and impactful hits. The textured and detailed mid-bass is its strong point. It shows good control over the mid-bass and is pretty fast to keep up with busy tracks without seeming like it’s struggling. Again the clarity and precision is very good. The layering in the bass region is amazing. It follows pretty accurate timbre without much coloration. It actually delivers more bass than what the graph shows. The sub-bass follows in and gives very good support to mid-bass that makes for an amazing overall bass performance. While the bass may not be at the level where it can satisfy bass-heads but surely it will be enough for plenty bass lovers.

• Mid-range:
  The mid-range is pretty forward and isn’t as much recessed despite having a V-shaped tuning. It has good body and note-weight. the fuller and articulate vocals deliver a detailed presentation. The upper mid-range is pretty upfront. The male vocals sound fuller and has decent weight. they sound natural. Vocals are well textured and is articulate. The lively vocals make for an engaging experience. Female vocals are lively and energetic. The energy is well under check and doesn’t go berserk with the upfront upper mid-range. While there’s no such peaks that makes it unbearable still the upper mid-range energy sometimes sounds overwhelming, especially in busier tracks. The mid-range energy is pretty tasteful for instruments. The prominent instrument sound makes the vocals fall behind.

• Treble:
  The treble is detailed, airy, and energetic, giving the QT-X an engaging and lively character. Extension is excellent, though it may become fatiguing for treble-sensitive listeners. It sounds crisp with cymbals, hi-hats and so on. The lower treble is energetic and detailed while maintaining a clean presentation and natural tone. The energetic treble doesn’t exhibit sibilance in most occasions and sounds amazing with aggressive tracks. But with poorly mastered tracks the treble is too edgy. The upper treble is airy and has good amount of sparkle. The treble performance is worth the praise as it shows pretty good control over the energy, and doesn’t break the barrier with tracks from artists like “Sleep Token”. Treble performance is another strength of the QT-X.

• Technical Performance:
  The technical performance is pretty good with one or two short comings. The QT-X offers good width in sound stage but height and depth is just average. It sounds somewhat intimate in terms of holographic experience. Imaging is pretty good with great precision. The instrument placements are accurate and layering is average with the exception in bass region. The QT-X provides excellent detail retrieval, especially in the mids and treble. Micro details are clearly rendered, making it a solid choice for analytical listening. Dynamic range is solid as well with sufficient contrast between soft and loud passages lending an engaging quality to dynamic tracks

The stock silicon ear tips are very soft and provides a good fit. The included foam tips aren’t that great. Sound experience can be enhanced with after-market ear tips like ePro Propeller. It provides a dynamic sound with clean and engaging mid-bass and mid-range. I felt like it even adds a bit of warmth, especially in the lows. The Final E-series Clear tips provide a tighter and more extended experience. ePro EP00 horn shaped ear tips gives the sub-bass more depth and makes the mid-range clearer. I used the ePro Propeller with the QT-X most of the time as it was better suited for me. Wide bore ear tips like Divinus Velvet wide bore and TRI Clarion helps with the sound stage opening up a bit more.


For source, it was tricky. The included DAC in the "Value Ediition" bundle is a budget effort which does pair good with the IEM, but leaves with room for improvement. The IEM was quite picky with source as with some of the DACs I tried it with, it sounded leaner and couldn’t unlock the full potential of the IEM. It paired well with warm-neutral and musical sources like ddHIFI TC44Pro E2, Xduoo XD05 Basic and such.


The Rose Technics QT-X impresses with its detailed punchy bass, vibrant treble. It delivers pretty good mid-range performance despite having a V-shaped tuning. The gorgeous and cute design, premium build and accessories, bundled DAC makes it a good value package. The stage may be average but it still impresses with other technical aspects. Although it may not stand out in the crowded market at its price point, it does provide a decent bundle. For those who likes vibrant V-shaped sound in a premium IEM and doesn’t want to go through the hassle of finding a better source, this can be a solid option.

Firstly, I would like to thank HIDIZS for sending this review unit, and also to my friends at Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I did not get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.


The Hidizs ST2 Pro Nebula is their first effort at a DSP IEM which in my opinion, they nailed it. This next gen DSP features a proper Dac chip that has enough power to drive most IEMs. The IEM itself is a variation of the Harman 2019 target with elevated mid-bass. Currently they are going for $39 on super early bird and $49 for early bird. This will launch at Kickstarter on 19th December.

Here is the Kickstarter purchase link if you’re interested.


Package Contents:

1. The earpieces
2. 2 core braided DSP Cable
3. Three pairs of white normal bore ear tips
4. A leather carrying pouch
5. User manual

Unboxing experience is simple with the drop style unbox. After opening you’ll be greeted with the ear pieces on top. Removing the top cover will unveil the leather carrying pouch inside which is the DSP cable and ear tips.


The Hidizs ST2 Nebula’s shells are made of resin which makes it relatively lightweight. The water drop style faceplate has a metal plate at the center with HIDIZS logo. The shell is fully transparent which allows us to see the driver and the cabling through the resin easily. Aesthetically, the transparent shell does make it quite the looker. The DSP Cable is braided and has two tone color for each cores. With the white/transparent one the cable is grey color with light and slightly dark tone on the cores. It has a mic attached to the right side. The USB type-C jack is metal built with transparent glass/plastic on each flat side to make the DAC circuit see through which looks very nice.




The shells are medium sized and lightweight making them very comfortable to wear. The nozzle angle could’ve been a bit more aggressive which I would’ve liked better, but that’s just me. It gives a snug fit which is comfortable for long periods. But the isolation is nothing amazing with this one. The cable is very soft and lightweight but is a bit tricky to handle as it tangles on its own.



This next gen DSP cable is the actual break through from the previously seen DSP’s which are basically fancy EQ. This ST2 Pro DSP Cable boasts an ES9281AC PRO chip that supports native DSD playback from DSD64 to DSD128. It also supports 8x MQA Decoding and PCM playback up to 32bit/384kHz. The DSP Cable can deliver up to 70mW power at 32 ohms, which is enough for many IEMs. The sound of the DSP cable is not neutral per say. It has a fun sound with mid-bass emphasis. The tuning is again close to 2019 Harman Curve.

I used the cable with other IEMs and it did a good job driving them. The ST2 Pro DSP Cable adds a touch of fun especially to the mid-bass. With the DSP cable, bass clarity was noticeable along with the whole separation improving. The bass feels tight and detailed. It does provide a bit analytical sound but pairing with bright IEM doesn’t result on any unwanted harshness. That shows how controlled the upper mid-range and treble region is. Technical capabilities and detail retrieval is note-worthy as well. It does play the role of an independent source pretty well which is very handy in terms of portability.


The battery drain on phones with the DSP cable is noticeable. It does drain the battery a bit fast compared to any other DSP I have tried but it is comparable to battery drain of budget dongle DACs like ddHIFI TC44Pro E2. The attached microphone is one of the best integrated mic with IEM cables. It's loud and clear, doesn't add any artificial tone unlike other mics.


As mentioned earlier, it follows the 2019 Harman curve with a mid-bass boost. I found the IEM to sound best with DUNU Candy ear tips. So, the sound evaluation will be based on the mentioned ear tip and stock DSP Cable:

• Bass:
  The bass performance is remarkable here. The sub-bass has good presence and goes deep. The rumble is adequate making the lows sound powerful. The extension is good as well making it sound spacious. The mid-bass has more focus than sub-bass. Its full bodied and punchy along with the powerful tactile feedback that makes it sound prominent. The texture is decent giving an engaging experience with the mid-bass. In some occasions the mid-bass does sound overpowering over both sub-bass and mid-range. The hard hitting mid-bass even influences bass guitars and makes them as much tactile even if they are supposed to sound softer. The rumbles with the bass notes also feels powerful. In some occasions, the mid-bass does sound ‘in your face’ type if you’re listening with high volume. Ultra low frequencies don’t have that quirk which would’ve made it a bass-head level IEM. The separation in the lows is not the best, but tip rolling can help with that.

• Mid-range:
  The mid-range leans towards the warm side. The powerful mid-bass causes the mid-range to sound fuller with good amount of note-weight. But due to the recessed mid-range the vocals sound soft and smooth. Male vocals lean toward warm tone with thick note weight. They sound rich and smooth with the mix. Female vocals on the other hand sound energetic and crispier than male vocals. The upper mid-range energy gives the female vocals added focus compared to male vocals. Instruments sound both smooth and energetic where needed without going of the track with timbre. The electric guitar energy has a satisfying bite to it. Even if the mid-range is not the main focus here, it still delivers good performance within the mix.

• Treble:
  The treble sounds energetic and sparkly. The control with the sparkles are nice as it doesn’t exhibit any kind of harshness whatsoever. It renders the splashy cymbal and snare hits in an enjoyable way keeping the energy to it without exhibiting any sibilance even in sibilance drowned tracks. It is sparkly, detailed, and energetic while keeping any kind off harshness in check which won’t even bother treble sensitive people. Like I said, lower treble is detailed, well extended and energetic with a touch of fun. I won’t say it is fully transparent with the rendering but is close enough. The added color does make it sound more engaging and goes well with the rest of the sound regions pretty good. Upper treble is also nice with the sparkles and adequate amount of air. It has a fun sounding yet safe treble which doesn’t go over the top, but definitely is focused as much as the lows.

• Technical Performance:
  The technical performance is a mixed bag for me. It shows enough technical prowess where it doesn’t sound lackluster, but sometimes it seems to struggle as well. Let’s break it down.
  The sound stage is at the same time impressive and lacking. It has a rounded stage which expands equally in every side. That makes the sound cues coming from the front more noticeable. But it lacks in stage width where it could’ve benefited from a bit more refined layering. The imaging on the other hand, is pretty good. It can locate instruments pretty well in the mix but that’s not exactly precise. Instrument separation, even different sound region separation lacks a bit. Tip rolling can help a bit but that can’t be called a solution. While detail retrieval is decent, the not so great separation holds back its potential with macro and micro detail retrieval. The only complaints with technical performance would be with the stage layering and separation.

The Hidizs ST2 Pro Nebula comes with its own source being a DSP IEM. The impressive DSP or rather DAC implemented cable does pair pretty good with the IEM. With external source the IEM loses a bit of focus on mid-range whereas the ST2 Pro cable fixes that giving the needed focus. It also makes it sound a bit quirky which influences the whole frequency range. The IEM is good to go with the DSP cable or any other source which isn’t overly analytic.
As for ear tips, the stock tip does an okay job. But after-market ear tips can improve the sound by a lot. As said before, the DUNU Candy ear tips to give the best fun sound it can provide the mid-bass a bit of refinement and vocals a bit of focus. ePro Propeller 01 ear tips helps with the technical lackings. It improves separation in a whole which is especially noticeable in the mid-bass and mid-range separation giving them the much needed distance. It also retains clarity in the lows pretty good.


The Hidizs ST2 Pro Nebula provides an incredible value for its price. The IEM itself has an inoffensive V-shaped sound which is very fun and engaging. The ST2 Pro DSP cable can perform as a full-fledged source where you won’t need anything else other than your phone. The integrated DAC supports hi-res playback including DSD and MQA decoding. Not to mention the quality mic attached to it. Overall, it’s a brilliant package from Hidizs which became my favorite DSP IEM and cable. Both the Hidizs ST2 Nebula and ST2 Pro cable is highly recommended for those looking for portability without sacrificing quality audio.

First I would like to express my utmost thanks to Myer Audio for sending this review unit and also to my friends at Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.



The Myer Audio Sliivo SL-41 MK2 is their first release in "Sliivo" lineup as far as I know. Technically, Sliivo SL-41 MK2 is the final version of Sliivo SL-41 original one with more elevated lows. The Sliivo SL-41 MK2 is priced at $180. Myer Audio has impressed us with their first release; the CKLVX D41, and all of their releases were super impressive. It features a 1 dynamic driver and 4 balanced armatures configuration. Let’s find out how the Sliivo SL-41 MK2 holds up its reputation.

Package Contents:

1. The earpieces
2. White 4-core monocrystalline SPC 2pin Cable
3. Two sets of ear tips- normal bore & narrow bore also a pair of foam tips
4. A synthetic leather carrying pouch
5. User manual

Unboxing experience is straight forward. Slide open the upper sleeve, and drop open the box, there’s a light paper covering the whole thing. Under that you will find the user manual and see the ear pieces presented at top, and a leather pouch at bottom. Inside the pouch there is a bag with the ear tips and the cable itself. I liked the minimal outer design of the package. But it would be great if they use a signature design for their different series products.


The Myer Audio Sliivo SL-41 MK2 shell has all resin build with metal nozzle. There are two color choices for the faceplate, one is black faceplate with colorful sparkles, and the other one is blue faceplate with yellow lines. I got the blue one which looks stunning. It absorbs light making it look dark indoors and bright blue in sub light. The resin quality feels premium in hand, and seems robust in hand. Although, the resin seems fingerprint magnet, the faceplate design makes it very hard to notice which is good. There is the SLIIVO branding with golden fonts on bottom side of each faceplate. The left & right markings are in the inner side of the earphone which goes in your ear. The vent in this one is interesting. It’s located right in front of the 2 pin connector. The vent is a resin dome with cross vent that protrudes out of the surface that is also seen in DUNU’s higher end IEMs like the SA6 MKII. The 2 pin connector has a recessed 2 pin connecting system, but it’s not your typical recessed 2 pin. The pins are longer and the 2pin groove is deeper in the shell as well. The connection is strong so, no complaints there. Just keep in mind that the cables that will fit with the Sliivo SL-41 MK2 is limited.
Now, onto the cable, it is a thing of beauty! The thick 4-core monocrystalline silver plated copper cable feels very premium. It’s soft and tangle free with no memory at all. The ear hooks are pretty nice as well, soft and easily be reshaped. In terms of sound, I am totally satisfied with it, doesn’t leave me wanting anything more. Feels like the perfect complementary accessory for the Sliivo SL-41 MK2. One feedback will be to use more premium jack cover.

The synthetic leather pouch is pretty good. It is a handy travel buddy to carry around the IEM or store it.


The shells are medium in size. They are extremely lightweight due to the resin built shells, which allows it to provide better support for longer sessions. The nozzles are medium to wider side in diameter. Moreover, the nozzle length & angle is just perfect which allows the user to have a deep, and snug fit. The isolation is also good. It fits in very comfortably in my medium to small sized ear canals. I didn’t face any sort of fatigue or irritation in long sessions. With perfect ear tip it gives a deep and secure fit which I really dig.

Although, the cable is easy to handle, it is slightly on the heavier side. When the whole cable is floating the weight of the cable creates pressure on ear where the hook is sitting. It’s not a big issue, but I did experience it, and adjusted that by giving the cable some support by clipping it to my shirt (note that my ears are more spread and comparatively thin than others). The ear hooks are soft, thin, and barely noticeable. While wearing it I totally forgot that it has ear hook, whereas other cable hooks manage to annoy me in some way. Be it creating pressure or falling off of my ear. Aside from the issue with the cable weight, this wins big in fit and comfort section.



Now, onto the most important part, the sound quality. The Myer Audio Sliivo SL41 MK2 does not disappoint here either. It has a neutral tuning with very good control everywhere! Let’s dive deep:

• Bass:
  The bass here is excellently controlled. The sub-bass presence is good with deep rumble. The reverberation feels controlled, and roll off is adequate as well. It feels tight, and textured with great extension. It also emphasizes on the quality of sub-bass, rather than the quantity. Although, the sub-bass is deep it doesn’t go as deep which might not be enough for some sub-bass enthusiasts. The sub-bass rumble is more audible than a deep lasting vibration, which keeps a clean presentation in the low end. The layering makes the tracks feel alive, and immersive, but it never feels overdone, which will be adored by those who lrefer clean, quality subbass with good presence.
  
  The mid-bass is fantastic here. This IEM is more mid-bass focused than sub-bass, but neither one overwhelms the other. The mid-bass is impactful with excellent tactile feedback. It has impressive decay, and the speed is marvelous. The slaps sound fuller, and kicks are impactful, which leaves a satisfying after-effect to make it feel spacious, and well controlled. The speed impressed me by a lot. For example, I was able to hear each drum hits clearly without mixing together and muffling the sound in “Involuntary Doppelgänger – Archspire”, which is an insanely fast track. The way the Sliivo SL-41 MK2 handled the rapid fire of drums is definitely worth the applause. In general, the mid-bass sounds fuller with impressive dynamics and very impactful with good decay and tactility. The presentation is clean and every note sound crisp and alive where needed.

• Mid-range:
  Just like how the Sliivo SL-41 MK2 impressed me with its bass presentation, the mid-range continues to deliver excellent quality as well. From vocals to instruments, everything sounds natural, and alive. The male vocals sound clean with adequate note-weight and really good texture. Male vocals tend to sound a bit forward in some tracks that focuses on vocals. The texture, and the subtle changes in voice is picked up vividly which makes the vocals sound lively, and textured. The dynamics are great, which allows it to portray the emotional aspect of the singer’s voice nicely.
  
  Female vocals are amazing as well. Female vocals sound even more alive with added energy. They sound smooth without exhibiting any kind of sibilance. Even though female vocals have energy and a bit of spice, they still manage to deliver a smooth overall presentation. The way Sliivo SL41 MK2 handles the ascension & descension of low-high pitch voices is exceptional. The ascending & descending of vocals sound smooth, and shows excellent control once again. It picks up subtle noises from singer’s mouth movement which makes it feel more alive. But there is an issue. The Sliivo SL-41 MK2 isn’t as much forgiving for poorly mastered tracks. Poorly mastered tracks exhibit a bit of sibilance here & there, especially with the upper mid-range. Mid-range instruments sound lively, vivid maintaining natural timbre, and provides a lively presentation, making it sound smooth, and energetic where needed with the instruments.

• Treble:
  The treble performance is as commendable as the other regions. Treble is well extended and has great sparkles. The treble is slightly bright leaning. The lower treble is very detailed, and energetic making the instruments sound vivid. It sounds crisp, and energetic, due to the slight brightness which doesn’t break the barrier, making it sound shouty or unbearable. It doesn’t suffer from any kind of sibilance here either, and portrays the instrument’s sound naturally. The upper treble has good amount of sparkle, and air which makes for it to sound immersive. The treble energy might be satisfying but sometimes it spices up things when the mastering of the track isn’t good enough. Which causes them to sound sharp which isn’t bearable with high volume for much long. But dialing the volume down also helps keeping the energy in check which doesn’t sound overwhelming but that certainly is not the best solution as you might miss some micro details in the process. Other than poorly mastered tracks there isn’t any issue with the treble sounding sharp.

• Technical Performance:
  The technicality here pretty good as well. The sound stage is wide, but not the widest. It might lack a little in depth with some busy tracks, but that’s not a big issue for me. The layering of the stage is decent, which sounds immersive, and holographic in addition to the wonderful imaging. Imaging is on point with the instrument placements, which gives a pretty accurate idea of where each hits are coming from, which can be called pinpoint accurate in this case. The instrument separation is fantastic. Each region of the sound spectrum is well separated from each other, and each instruments can be heard separately in the mix vividly. I was able to hear each hits and notes clearly and well separated in heavy tracks like “Seizure – Hellana Pandora”. With all the elements together, it gives an immersive holographic feel to the whole sound.
  
  Looking at the other side of things, the detail retrieval, resolution, dynamics, and transient handling is also superb with the Sliivo SL-41 MK2. Detail retrieval is so good that it picks up small micro nuances like guitar/bass slides, cymbal decays, even vocalist’s articulatory noises are picked up which allows them to sound they have come alive. The dynamics are well controlled with both macro and micro dynamics. But even more impressive is the transient response. It is so smooth that it feels like it’s gliding through everything. The transient response is undoubtedly one of the strong points of this IEM.

Although, the stock ear tips seem good, but they can’t bring out the best from Sliivo SL-41 MK2. I tried out my small collection of ear tips which includesDunu candy, Spinfit W1, Divinus Velvet, Penon Liqueur Black, TRN T, TRI Clarion, multiple ePro tips, Final E-series black & clear, and some others. I found the IEM to sound the best with the Final E-series Clear pink tips. It adds extension to both end, bass sounds more controlled, gives overall body to both bass, and mids while still retaining clarity and that excellent separation without congesting anything or sacrificing anything.

As for source, it is absolutely a bad idea to pair it with anything that sounds digital or too analytical as the added spice would feel like a curse. A neutral or warm leaning, musical source like ibasso DC04 Pro, Ifi Hip Dac, ddHIFI TC44Pro E2, TC44C etc would be ideal choice for the Sliivo Sl-41 MK2.


The Myer Audio SL-41 MK2 shows commendable performance in every aspect. The control over almost every region of the sound spectrum is remarkable. The well controlled bass, lively and textured mids, detailed, slightly bright, and sparkly airy treble makes for a clean presentation overall, which is very much enjoyable. Despite leaning towards bright side, there isn’t any sibilance whatsoever with an exception of poorly mastered tracks exhibiting some sibilance which is overlookable. The fantastic attack speed, and transient response makes for a cleaner sound. With the impressive imaging and separation, it gives a clear and immersive experience.

Overall, the Sliivo SL-41 MK2 impresses with its blend of sound quality, build, deep fit which is comfortable for long listening sessions and technical finesse, making it a standout option in its price range for those who value detail, control, and a clean audio presentation.

A lot of thanks to Zhu Linniao for sending this review unit and to my friends at Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.


The Zhu Linniao Qing Luan Z4 goes for around $43. It features a single 10mm dynamic driver in each earpiece. This is an upgrade from the Celest Wyvern Abyss with more refined sound. The Zhu Linniao company is relatively unknown due to its inactivity in global market. Many might recognize the brand for their amazing Zhu lliniao Rhyme aka Bamboo ear tips.

Package Contents:

1. The earpieces
2. White SPC 2pin Cable with 3.5mm termination
3. One extra pair of nozzle
4. Three sets of eartips- wide bore, narrow bore, Zhu Linniao Rhyme (three pairs per set)
5. A synthetic leather carrying pouch
6. User manual

The unboxing experience was one of the best with this one. With the outer sleeve removed, the box opens from the side which is held with magnets. The accessories are nicely presented with paper works on the left and everything else in the box. The shells are presented on top left with a pair of swappable nozzle right below them. The pouch contains the cable and 5 pairs of colored ring for each pair of nozzles. The ear tips are nicely presented on the right with small, large and medium size option for each set. This kind of presentation can hardly be found even among $200-$300 IEMs. To give such a premium package at this price is very much welcomed.


The Zhu Linniao Qing Luan Z4 has a solid metal build with beautiful design. The faceplate has matte finish and a beautiful art on the side with matte and glossy finish. This surely has a unique design element to it. It has slightly recessed 2 pin connector for the cable. The metal shells feel premium and strong in hand and they have weight to them. The swappable nozzles have a glass bottle cap like grove design which holds the ear tip. The cable is 2 core silver plated copper cable which complements the IEM well in terms of design.


The shells are on the smaller side with short nozzle. This one is rather tricky to get a proper fit. The included ear tips don’t complement the IEM well. Even with some aftermarket ear tips getting a proper seal is a struggle. I had decent seal with ePro EP00 and Penon Liqueur Black ear tips and good enough seal with Dunu Candy and Final E-series Clear pink ear tips. The earpieces might move around with a smooth ear tip like the Final E-series Clear pink tips. With other grippy tips they stay in ear nicely. The IEM didn’t create any discomfort wearing them for a long listening session.





The Zhu Linniao Qing Luan Z4 has a bright-neutral sound signature. While the sound leans toward a brighter signature it isn’t harsh by any means. In fact, the slightly bright treble is quite enjoyable. The stock ear tips does not do it justice. I used Dunu Candy ear tips with this one since it gives a better seal and the sound stays pretty much transparent. The sound impressions are based on the mentioned ear tip, stock white/transparent nozzles and stock cable:

• Bass:
  The bass is more mid-bass focused than sub-bass. The sub-bass is at surface level with minimal presence. It is there and fairly audible but the depth and rumble is lacking. The reverberation and presence is just enough for it to not sound timid. The decay is fast and doesn’t leave much of an after-effect. In tracks like, “Xanny - Billie Eilish” and “Old Town Road – Lil Nas X” the sub-bass presence is adequate, but the rumbles aren’t deep enough, and stays on the surface with a reverberating feel. While the sub-bass is not the main emphasis here, the mid-bass can be one of the main emphasis of this IEM. It has a smooth, punchy and textured presentation. The kicks are tight and presence is good as well. Bass extension is decent with good control. The overall bass presentation gives a delicate and lively presence with punchy slams and a natural timbre to bass-guitars.

• Mid-range:
  The mid-range here is the main character of the show. Male vocals sound well textured with the right amount of body, and note-weight. The timbre is on point with natural and neutral presentation. The smooth and textured male vocals are very much enjoyable here. The way it handles low and high pitched male vocals are excellent. Dynamics are very good as well. Female vocals are energetic yet smooth with beautiful texture as well. Female vocal transients are amazing in tracks like “Before My Body is Dry - Amalee” and “Little Miss; Twilight - BoA”. The way this IEM handles changes in pitch in these tracks is marvelous with the level of control with zero sibilance. The lively, well textured smooth presentation with the excellent transient control of the female vocals gives an amazing vocal experience regardless the price. The clean melodic or musical vocal presentation with the natural and smooth yet, energetic mid-range instruments here performs excellently.

• Treble:
  The treble here is another surprise. With the bright tonality the treble doesn’t sound harsh nor does it have any peaks at all, in my experience. The lower treble is detailed, energetic, vivid with great energetic presentation. The upper treble has enough sparkle, but lacks air. The acoustic guitar notes are vivid and doesn’t struggle much in speedy playbacks. Drum snares sound natural without the shimmering effect often found in bright sounding IEMs. Overall the vivid energetic and detailed treble with really good extension and nice sparkles complements the whole sound very well, while delivering an enjoyable musical experience. Even with it leaning towards the bright side, it is fairly comfortable to listen to for prolonged sessions.

• Technical Performance:
  The technicality here isn’t its biggest strength, but it is fairly good. The sound stage is average with decent width and moderate depth, however it doesn’t sound small or all that big either. The instrument separation is pretty good considering the price. The IEM differentiates the instruments with good precision but it isn’t pin-point. It doesn’t struggle with busy tracks that much either. With the not so big stage the imaging and separation is pretty good. Detail retrieval is decent as well. It picks up background guitar/bass slides in pretty well, where other IEMs struggle to do the same. Some micro nuances are vivid, which usually can’t be heard that prominently at this price point.

There is a selection of two different pairs of tuning nozzles with the Zhu Linniao Qing Luan Z4. The white/transparent nozzle is the default one with which the IEM comes pre-attached out of the box. The extra pair of red tuning nozzle is presented below the earpieces in the box. The white/transparent nozzle has more balanced sound with better low end performance. While with the red nozzle, the bass sounds timid, somewhat dry with a flatter presentation. Initially the white/transparent one sounds better over the red one. It is recommended to experiment both tuning nozzles with different ear tips to find the pair that suits you the best.


With the unique design it also has an unusual shape which effects what ear tips can be used with this one. The included white wide bore and grey-red narrow bore ear tips are not good enough. Moreover, they do not bring out the full extent of what the IEM can do. The Zhu Linniao Rhyme aka Bamboo ear tips are a great premium set of ear tips, but they don't go with the IEM either. I found the Rhyme tips to go the best with bullet style IEMs and some other oldies like Tinhifi T3 Plus they pair good as well. I found Dunu Candy and Final E-series Clear pink to perform better than the rest with it. Dunu Candy gives the mid-bass a meaty feel with rest of the sound region pretty neutral. And, Final E-series Clear pink gives it a bit more presence and better extension in both end. Moreover, pairing with the ePro horn shaped ear tips amazed me. If the existing bass isn’t enough for you, ePro horn shaped ear tips got you covered. Namely the ePro EP00 ear tips gave me the best seal out of all and has the deepest bass as well. Sub-bass depth is significantly improved with this one without sacrificing other sound aspects. For source, the Zhu Linniao Qing Luan Z4 is good to go with neutral to slightly warm leaning source. With the natural and bright leaning neutral sound it has, neutral source will give you the best intended sound.


The Zhu Linniao Qing is a unique one in both looks and sound. The true to life sound, excellent mid-bass and vocal presentation, lively detailed energetic yet smooth treble and overall clean sound, it is a gem at this price point. It shines even more with a musical source like ddHIFI TC44Pro E2 with the meaty mid-bass well textured mids presentation and lively detailed and energetic treble. With the above average technical performance yet, it has very good separation, which gives such a musical vibe with the whole frequency range. While it might not be for everyone, those who enjoy vocals with a balanced low and high end, this is worth considering even for keeping in collection. And, not to mention the crazy attention to detail in its design and surprisingly premium unboxing experience, this can be an amazing gift material for your non-audiophile friends and family as well!

Many thanks to KBEAR and Keephifi for sending this review unit to me and also thanks to Sonic Mantra team for creating this opportunity. This review reflects my honest opinions. I did not get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.

Here’s a non-affiliated link to purchase the KBEAR MONKIE K01.


The KBEAR MONKIE K01 is a super entry level earphone coming at only $9.99 and $10.99 for microphone option. It uses a 10mm composite diaphragm Dynamic Driver. This one has a ‘Wukong’ theme going on which is based on the recently released “Black Myth: Wukong” game as far as I can tell.


Package Contents:

• The earpieces with fixed cable
• 3 pairs of black ear tips
• Paperwork

The Unboxing is straight forward. The earphones come in a zipper poly with medium sized ear tip already attached to the earphone.

The earphones are made of transparent plastic. The faceplate has Wukong written on it with golden fonts both in English and Chinese on each ear piece. The internals namely the dynamic driver and wiring is clearly visible through the shell. The build quality seems okay. The cable on the other hand is flimsy which is soldered to the ear pieces directly. Though can’t complain much considering its price but would’ve liked detachable cable option. These come in three color choices- black, grey and purple. I got the grey one with no mic for this review.


These are small to medium sized shell. The comfort on the IEM is good. I found no discomfort or whatsoever in long uses. The cable is pretty easy to handle as well that comes with a L-shaped 3.5mm jack which is easier to clutch for mobile gaming.



The KBEAR MONKIE K01 has a V-shaped tuning. The sound evaluations are done with the stock eartips:

• Bass:
  The bass is thumpy and felt pretty fast for the price. The sub-bass is rumbly and clearly audible but doesn’t go all that deep but there is reverberation. The resonance afterward gives a boominess to the bass. Mid-bass is punchy and kicks sound thumpy and fast. The decay is good as well. Overall bass sounds big and creates a good spacious effect around the low end.
• Mid-range:
  The mid-range is neutral and has natural timbre. Male vocals have moderate note weight and texture but sounds recessed with the overpowering bass. But it’s not bad by any means. Male vocals occasionally sound a bit timid or thin but that’s track specific. Female vocals are clean, has good energy, sounds smooth without any upper mids harshness in most cases. Apart from vocals string instruments, pianos sound natural as well. There are occasions of some sibilance with some vocals.
• Treble:
  Treble sound vivid and has good extension with moderate amount of details. The lower treble is detailed with natural tone and the upper treble is airy with shimmering sparkles. The shimmering part sometimes sound unnatural or too high pitched especially drum snairs and similar instruments. This got better with more burn-in period. Electric guitars sound very energetic. Acoustic guitars and other string instruments sound energetic and detailed with good extension. The sparkles sound like they are at the end of the stage which gives it an overall sense of spaciousness.
• Technical Performance:
  The KBEAR MONKIE K01 has spacious stage with decent width for the price. Stage depth is lackluster but that’s acceptable. Imaging is good with good instrument placement. Instrument separation is average. The directional audio cues are pretty good which helps in gaming. Overall it has above average technicality for the price.

The KBEAR MONKIE K01 has decent technical performance which helps it perform better in games. The earphone is marketed as a ‘Gaming IEM’ which actually matches in performance as well. I only played Valorant with this one so I’ll only talk about this game.

The first thing I noticed while in game is how airy the end of stage sounded. Vandal was pretty loud due to elevated lows. Other loud weapons like snipers or sheriff wasn’t an issue as they don’t burst shot. The vandal sprays were kind of distracting as the resonance or boominess of its firing overpowered some ability or movement sound cues. The directional audio was pretty good and I was able to hear audio cues due to the airy resonance. For the price it did pretty good. Lowering the low end will help make the overpowering bass sound less distracting and give you a better sense of awareness.


Source and tip rolling:

This section shouldn’t exist considering its price point. I am just sharing my findings. The earphone is good to go with neutral to warm source. As for ear tips I found the Divinus Velvet ear tip to be quite a good pair for this one.


The KBEAR MONKIE K01 is a pretty good option for those looking for a super cheap IEM for casual use. The market for this one clearly isn’t audiophiles but regular consumers which I feel like will satisfy many of them. These are quite sensitive rated at 16 ohm which is easily drivable from any device. For fun V-shaped sound with overall good performance as a whole including casual gaming, this is a nice option.

This review unit was provided to me by my friends at Sonic Mantra. I want to express my gratitude to ROSESELSA and Sonic Mantra team for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.


The ROSESELSA EARFREE i5 is a stem style TWS featuring a 10mm dynamic driver. It comes in three different colors to choose from- black grey, tron blue, champagne. As of this review period, you can get these for $59.99.


Package Contents:

• The earbuds case
• A small USB-A to Type-C Cable
• 3 pairs of white silicon ear tips
• Paperwork

The Unboxing is pretty simple. The ear tips and cable is hidden inside the wide compartment on the side of the case. Medium sized ear tips are pre-installed.


The earbuds come in a Sturdy metal case with anodized aluminum outer shell. The hinge is good but when rotating with force there are some movements which isn’t that big of a deal. On the front there is an LED indicator for charging or pairing. On the bottom of the case there is type-c charging port in the middle. There is a button on the right side of the charging port which functions as a reset button. There are two T5 screws on both side of the charging port near the edge flushed with the surface which is holding the aluminum shell and the inner case together. As only the outer shell is made of aluminum, the weight of the charging case is pretty light. Due to its solid metal build it can withstand the day to day wear and tear like a champ.


The case has flat top and bottom with rounded edge which is easy to clutch and carry in pocket. The earbuds themselves look similar to Apple Airpods with some different design element like the boxy stem for example. Overall the design segment is subjective from person to person. I personally don’t love the design or don’t hate it either. I liked the aluminum case though.


Like I said, the earbud design is pretty similar to Apple Airpods. So is the fit and comfort. The buds are lightweight and disappears when wearing them. In my experience I always had isolation issue with this type of earbuds. Although I normally use medium sized ear tips, with this one I had to use large sized ear tips for better sealing and isolation which worked great for me. So I highly suggest trying all three sizes and finding out yourself which one fits you the best. ROSESELSA is also providing Super NC 200 noise cancelling memory foam ear tips for $3 extra which you might want for better isolation. My review unit didn’t include the mentioned foam tips so I cannot evaluate them or the sound aspects with them.


The ROSESELSA EARFREE i5 TWS is pretty featured packed with three noise canceling modes, four different EQ presets, proximity sensor for in-ear detection, different white noise modes to choose from, in-ear detection etc.

Noise Cancelation modes:

• ANC: With ANC mode on, the sound stage narrows down a bit with taking the vocals a step or two back. In my head the sound stage was round and ANC makes it vertically oval shaped is what I perceived. The bass gets a bit boomy but doesn’t sound too bad. The overall clarity suffers somewhat as well. Altogether it makes the whole sound slightly congested but it doesn’t sound horrendous by any means. It is still usable and once you get used to the changes it shouldn’t bother you anymore as it isn’t a huge difference.
  
  ROSESELSA claims the EARFREE i5 has 48dB noise cancellation at ultra-wide frequency range of 4000hz that can eliminate 98.3% of daily noise. I don’t exactly know what the frequency range part means but I found it hard to believe the rest of the claim.
  As for the actual noise cancelation, it cancels out many soft noises and creates a peaceful environment. As for low and high pitch sounds, also conversations, they leak in to a certain extent. For example in traffic the engine sound of the vehicle I was in leaked in significantly than the other vehicles surrounding me. Horns leak in easily and conversations can be heard but not vividly, feels like distant talking. It can block Air condition noise pretty good. All these leakage talk is with no song playing, simply wearing them on standby with noise cancelation on. When listening to music, horns and engine sound leaks in a bit and everything else is far less noticeable. So I would say the the ANC is decent and handy for daily use. This isn’t a strong point of the TWS by any means. I found it pretty comfortable than some competition. It doesn’t press down on your head or build pressure like some other ones and doesn’t need you to get used to it.
  
  
• Transparency: The transparency mode is natural, can give you a good sense of your surroundings without sounding artificial or harsh. Its soft, pretty good for holding normal conversations. As for changes in sound, the vocals loose body a bit but that’s barely noticeable. The stage gets a bit more expansive and nothing else changes with this mode. One trade of is it catches wind noises a lot. Even ceiling fan wind noise is picked by the earbuds when the wind is directly blowing onto you.
  
  
• Wind Noise Cancelation: I found this to be a pretty handy mode. It can cancel out normal to moderately strong wind noises like a champ. It also makes the bass sound a bit more open which I liked specially watching movies or series because sound tracks like “End of the Abyss by Alaksei Yukhnevich” sounds a bit bigger which gave me an immersive experience. But the change isn’t all that big or immediately noticeable unless you pay close attention.

In normal mode or with noise cancelation off, the earbuds pick up some wind noise, especially if the wind is strong, which is annoying at times. The wind noise cancelation mode fixed that issue for me.

EQ Presets:

• HIFI: This is the normal or default preset which the earbuds comes with out of the box. So every other presets will be evaluated based on this one.
  
  In this preset, the sound is V- shaped with good balance between lows and highs. The bass is prominent and forward sounding than vocals. The vocals are smooth with thick note-weight and good texture and isn’t all too laid back, just a tad bit. The overall clarity is pretty good and the sound stage is big. Treble is smooth yet sparkly while retaining good detail and enough energy. Imaging is also good, so is instruments separation. I will give proper sound impressions in the sound section of the review.
  
  
• POP: In this preset both ends are elevated a bit making the sound more V-shaped. Both the bass and treble gets more prominent with overall a bit better clarity due to the widening of presence of different regions. Vocals sound clearer due to the same reason but its unchanged mostly. Overall the separation different regions is better in this preset. Although the sound differences are there, these aren’t significant which doesn’t make it sound all that different from HIFI preset. But the amount of change is enough for you to want to use this preset.
  
  
• ROCK: This preset is straight up better for metalcore, rock genres. With the laid back vocals, depressed mid-bass the sound is more U-shaped than V-shape. I found tracks like “Death by a Thousand Cuts by Imminence” to sound best in this preset. This one is recommended for the intended genres.
  
  
• LIGHT: This is a unique one. It changes the sound the most. It is not for every genre. It is more of purposeful or use case specific preset than a genre specific one. This preset brings down the low to mid frequency range. I found it good for lo-fi type music like “Canyon by Pacific” or similar tracks and even Ghostly Kisses sounds lovely with this one with the vocals and bass not in your face like the other ones. It sounds more flatter. You can use this preset with transparency mode for holding more comfortable conversations or better hear your surroundings.

You don’t have to strictly follow what I said about the use cases that I mentioned for each preset. Explore and find out more use cases and identify the best ones to you for each case.

RoseLink App:

The RoseLink app is a dedicated app for ROSESELSA earbuds. The pairing is straight forward. Just open the app, choose your model and it will connect automatically. When inside the app, you can access every feature this TWS has to offer. You can select different noise canceling modes, different EQ presets. You can even select which Bluetooth codec you want to use (namely AAC/SBC or LDAC) from inside the app which is a nice touch. Then there is low latency ‘Game Mode’, ‘Dual Device Connection’ on/off switch, touch settings customization.


In ‘Custom Touch Settings’ there are four types of touch control option- single click, double click, triple click, long press. Each of these click options can be allocated for seven different task or no function at all. You can select different combination of touch control individually for both left and right bud.



In ‘Lab Features’ option, you can choose to turn off touch response or switch on/off the ‘In-ear Detection’ feature. I found the In-ear Detection of this one pretty snappy and almost instantaneous to play/pause music.


The app also has a dedicated ‘White Noise’ mode with various sounds to choose from like birds charping, ambient nature noises of different sort. This is also a welcomed feature which some of us can find useful. For instance, I found the white noises useful for studying peacefully.


The app has one flaw. Every time you open the app, you have to press ‘Go Connect’ in the app to actually connect the TWS to the app to access it. Although the app feels lightweight, competition has better app. ROSESELSA need to upgrade their app to the level where it can go toe to toe with competition. If they add adaptive noise cancelation feature, adaptive EQ, PEQ then it will be very much appreciated.


Now on to the main segment, the ROSESELSA EARFREE i5 features a V- shaped tuning as mentioned above. It has overall warm tonality with a good balance between highs and lows. The TWS needs a good amount of burn-in for it to open up the sound, especially treble region. Sound impressions are based on the stock ear tips and the default ‘HIFI’ EQ preset:

• Bass:
  Like I previously said, the bass is elevated. The sub-bass is deep and rumbly with good reverberation. Extension is good with proper decay. The mid-bass is deep and punchy with good tactility. Mid-bass is more elevated than sub-bass which doesn’t overwhelm anything else in my experience. The whole bass region has good body due to the added warmth. Bass is well controlled with moderately accurate kicks and doesn’t struggle in busier tracks. It doesn’t bleed in the mids and maintains good clarity. The presentation sounds big with the sub-bass reverberation and distant extension. Roll off is a bit slow which gives it a relaxing sound.
  
  
• Mid-range:
  The mid-range also has hint of warmth. Vocals sound natural and well textured without any coloration. Male vocals have good body and note weight. Male vocals sound a bit recessed in certain tracks. Female vocals sound lively and energetic with no peaks whatsoever. Some female vocals may sound a bit forward like “Ghostly kisses” but other vocals like in “Paradise Circus by Massive Attack” sound more on the neutral ground. Mid-range sounds clean and smooth while retaining good clarity here as well. The separation between bass and mids makes the vocals sound clearer.
  
  
• Treble:
  Treble is also well extended with good detail and energy. Lower treble is natural, lively with proper energy while the upper treble is sparkly and quite airy adding a sense of openness to the sound stage. While the treble leans towards a "safe" tuning due to the overall warmth of the earbuds, it retains enough detail and presence to avoid dullness, making it enjoyable across various genres. Although I would’ve liked a bit more treble energy and brightness, the existing treble compliments the intended tuning well. The spaciousness helps with instrument separation well giving the imaging an edge.
  
  
• Technical Performance:
  The earbuds have a pretty wide sound stage with good depth. The Immersive effect of this one is impressive for the price. It has really good imaging for a TWS. With well separated regions this has clearer sound and instrument placement. This might not be as precise as seen in IEMs but it’s still noteworthy. With the elevated bass, lively treble and clear vocals the whole sound makes it sound bigger than it actually is. The overall spacious immersive sound with amazing clarity this one performs really good for movies, series and performs decent in casual gaming as well.

The ROSESELSA EARFREE i5 supports AAC, SBC, mSBC and LDAC Bluetooth codecs for high quality playback. I found no issue whatsoever with the TWS regarding connectivity. It has good range, doesn’t stutter at all, not to my experience at least. LDAC works best with the source device closer to you, just stay in the same room that’s enough. It has a dedicated reset button which resets the earbud’s pairing data if you press and hold it for 10 seconds. As for pairing, the earbuds pair automatically when the case lid is opened. But like I mentioned in app section, it needs to connect to the app once more even if it’s connected to the device via Bluetooth. In the app you need to tap the ‘Go Connect’ part to connect the TWS to the app and access all the customizable options.


The battery capacity for the earbuds case is 500mAh with each earbud boasting a 40mAh battery. I tested the battery life of the TWS with 75-90% volume while burning in the drivers. It lasted 7 hours 10 minutes for the left earbud and 7 hours 30 minutes for the right earbud. I noticed that after reaching 24% battery life on both buds, the difference between the left and right buds kept increasing. Where the right bud was at 20% battery life the left one kept draining and finally turned off due to no battery life. Then the right bud started to drain as well after a halt to the battery drainage. Note that the drainage was of normal pace on both the left bud and right bud, just the right bud was stuck at 20% for couple minutes which was the weird part. The earbuds can be charged from the case for 4 times. Which means it can easily last 40+ hours with normal volume as I tested it with high volume. Which is 10 hours less than the claimed playback time of 50 hours. It supports fast charging which they claim to give 12 hours of playback with just 10 minutes of charge. The whole thing can fully charge up at around 1 hour. The case LED is a charging indicator which shows three colors namely green, white and orange. White means the case battery is 70-100% charged, green means 30-70% charged and orange means 1-30% charged.

As for microphone quality, this has a fairly clear vivid call quality where it can pick up my voice even if I talk with my voice lowered a bit. I found the voice echoing a bit while in a call in Meta’s Messenger app whereas there wasn’t any issue with cellular call or WhatsApp call.


The ROSESELSA EARFREE i5 is a promising set of True Wireless Earbuds. With a beautifully balanced warm sound signature and good technical performance and overall clean, clear, non-fatiguing sound. With a whole bunch of useful features, decent call quality, useful noise canceling modes and EQ presets, solid build quality, this earbud doesn’t have many bad sides to it. It is a solid and safe choice for many people. While the competition is tough, this is a well-defined pair of earbuds and can be a good carry buddy for those looking for a smooth sounding sturdy and feature packed TWS.

Huge thanks to Kinera/Celest for sending this review unit and to my friends at Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.


The Celest Wyvern Qing comes at $29 and $31 for mic version. It features a single 10mm LCP dynamic driver. This is an upgrade from the Celest Wyvern Abyss with more refined sound.


Package Contents:

• Earpieces
• Cable
• Three pairs of white, wide-bore ear tips
• Paperwork

The Unboxing is pretty simple. The shells come in a poly, cable comes in a zipper poly. After opening the sliding cover, There’s a dragon artwork and a brief explanation from Chinese mythology about the dragon after which the IEM’s are named.


Aesthetically this earphone is beautiful. With transparent shell, beautiful faceplate with ‘Celest’ written at the center with golden letters. With the shiny blue design illuminating light at certain angle, the earphone looks gorgeous. The driver itself and tubing is visible through the transparent blue shell. It comes in two colors- blue and green. I got the blue one for this review.


The build quality feels solid in hand. The cable could’ve been better but nothing to complain about for the price. The cable is easily manageable but gets tangled at times. The ear tips are flimsy and with short stem and wide bore. Although the stock ear tips are usable, I highly recommend getting an aftermarket ear tips for improved sound experience.


The shells are medium sized with good ergonomic design that fits in ear comfortably. It’s the same size and shape as the Wyvern Abyss and IgniteX Beast, even the vent hole is located at the exact same spot. It has a semi-custom look to it. The nozzles are medium to narrow sized where inserting different ear tips is fairly easy. The shells are lightweight and can be worn for hours without any discomfort. The cable doesn’t have a chin slider but is comfortable to wear. The ear hooks are a bit firm but doesn’t create discomfort or irritating when wearing the earphone. Overall it wins big in this category.


The Celest Wyvern Qing is tuned after a variation of the Harman 2019 target. The stock ear tips do not give the best sound, Penon Liqour Black ear tips paired better for me. Sound impressions are based on the mentioned ear tip and stock cable:

• Bass
  The bass is well extended with good definition. The sub-bass is deep and rumbly and decay is moderately fast. Mid-bass has good punch with decent tactile feedback. Bass notes do not roll of early or too slow, feels just about right. There’s a hint of warmth in the mid-bass. The overall bass presentation sounds big with deep rumble and impactful slams while retaining clarity.
• Midrange
  The mid-range is neutral. Male vocals have good body and note weight. But they sound a bit recessed in the mix. Sometimes male vocals sound a bit timid or dry but that’s track specific. Female vocals on the other hand sound clean, has good energy, sounds smooth without any upper mids harshness. Female vocals also sound a bit backward but a step or two forward from male vocals. Overall the mid-range sounds natural.
• Treble
  Treble is smooth in this one with moderate amount of details. While the lower treble is smooth with natural tone, the upper treble is airy with sparkle where needed, especially with some female vocalist and cymbals and similar instruments. There’s some sibilance but that’s track and source dependent as far as I can tell. Electric guitars sound enough energetic but would’ve liked a bit more sparkle there. Acoustic guitars and other string instruments sound smooth with good extension. Source affects treble sparkle which I will talk about in the source and ear tips section.
• Technical Performance
  The Celest Wyvern Qing has wide spacious stage with good depth for the price. It makes the overall mix sound immersive and expansive. Imaging is good with good instrument placement but that’s not pin-point or precise, but that’s just me nitpicking. Instrument separation is decent. Detail retrieval and resolution is average to above average depending on source.

Source and Tip-rolling:

I found this IEM to change sound quite noticeably depending on cable and ear tips. As for source, The earphone sound Natural with good upper midrange energy and sparkly treble with neutral to slightly bright sources. It may exhibit some sibilance in the upper mid-range female vocals and with some string instruments and snares. I didn’t face any sibilance issue with warm to source. I would recommend neutral to warmish source with the Wyvern Qing. You can also power this directly from your Phone’s 3.5mm port without missing out much.

I tried the Wyvern Qing with the stock cable of my daily driver Letshouer Galileo. The tonality slightly changed with this SPC cable. But I preferred the sound of the stock OFC cable better.

As for ear tips, I tried my small collection and found the Nf Audio MS42 and Penon Liquor Blacks to pair the best with this one. MS42 makes the overall sound smooth with good body and ever so slight warmth in the mids and other regions neutral. Penon Liqour Blacks improve bass and mids while retaining clarity throughout the whole frequency range. Bass sound more controlled with more impactful slams, Vocals come a bit forward and sounds lively with Blacks. It tames down some harshness and treble sound enough detailed. I would recommend Penon Liqour Blacks for this one if you care about your vocals.


The Celest Wyvern Qing is Quite the appeal for the price. It easily sounds better than some of the more expensive IEMs. The Aesthetically beautiful design, build quality, top notch comfort and most importantly superb sound makes it one of the best at this price bracket. As this has Harman tuning which is favored by many people, the Celest Wyvern Qing can potentially be a king at this price point.

Thanks to KZ for providing this review unit, and to Sonic Mantra for the opportunity to test it. This review reflects my honest opinions.



The Knowledge Zenith AS10 Pro offers an impressive 5 balanced armatures per side, all wrapped up in a $60 package. That’s a remarkable setup at this price point, raising expectations for the kind of sound it can deliver. So, how does it stack up? Let’s dive into the details and see if it lives up to its potential.



Package Contents:

>> The IEMs
>> Cable
>> KZ Starline and foam tips
>> Paperwork

While the IEMs themselves feel premium, the rest of the packaging and accessories are quite basic, reminiscent of KZ's entry-level offerings. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it does clash a bit with the IEMs' higher-end feel.





The KZ AS10 Pro is a chunky, bold design with a metal faceplate and a transparent inner shell, allowing a peek at the internals. A golden metal nozzle adds a bit of flair, and the faceplate’s glossy, mirror finish lends a sophisticated touch, reflecting light dynamically from different angles. The aesthetic is undeniably classy, and the overall build feels solid, with a moderate weight that balances durability with comfort. But that mirror finish means it can get scratched up easily and is a fingerprint magnet.
However, the included cable feels flimsy and basic. It’s a bit disappointing for a set that otherwise feels and looks like it’s punching above its price point.





Despite its larger shell, the AS10 Pro sits snugly and comfortably in the ear. I have average-sized ears, and I found the fit secure, with excellent passive isolation that minimizes outside noise effectively. One slight downside: it can create noticeable air pressure in the ear canal, which might cause some discomfort during extended use. But overall, it's comfortable enough for long listening sessions.





KZ’s signature V-shaped tuning makes an appearance here, though the sound leans unique due to the all-BA setup. Here’s how each range stacks up:

• Bass:
  The AS10 Pro’s bass performance is decent for a BA set. the sub-bass lacks depth and rumble, the mid-bass compensates with a satisfying, tactile slam that’s enjoyable across genres. The bass decays slowly, giving it a softer quality and less body than dynamic drivers. The bass feels soft at times, lacks extension and body. But it integrates well with the overall sound profile and rarely feels inadequate.
  
• Mid-range:
  The mid-range is distinctly colored, offering a playful, if somewhat artificial, vocal presentation. Male vocals are smooth yet lack a bit of weight, while female vocals sound lively and clean, although a bit hollow at times. The mids sit pleasantly recessed, balancing well within the V-shape tuning, making it a great fit for casual listening but perhaps less appealing to purists.
• Treble:
  Treble is undoubtedly a highlight of the AS10 Pro. The lower treble remains controlled, revealing details without veering into harshness, while the upper treble is airy and full of energy. This splashy, vibrant upper end complements the lower treble, making cymbals and other high-pitched instruments sparkle. Occasionally, there’s a touch of sibilance with certain tracks, but it’s rarely overwhelming, especially with a warm source.
• Technical Performance:
  The AS10 Pro performs admirably for its price. Its soundstage is broad, with a good sense of spaciousness, though it could benefit from more depth. Instrument separation is solid, handling busy tracks with ease, and imaging provides a decent sense of placement, even if it’s not laser-precise. The instrument presentation adds a sense of liveliness that enhances the overall experience.

The KZ AS10 Pro brings some commendable elements to the table, like punchy mid-bass and engaging treble, but it falls short in key areas that may leave discerning listeners wanting more., However, for those seeking a more refined, all-around experience, there are other options at this price point that may offer a fuller, more satisfying sound. The AS10 Pro stands as an affordable entry point into multi-BA IEMs, but it doesn’t quite break past "decent" into "great.", it will be good enough for the mainstream market.

Many thanks to NF Acous for providing this review unit, and to Sonic Mantra for the opportunity to test it. This review reflects my honest opinions.


The NF Audio RG15 x ASSASSIN’S CREED MIRAGE is a limited-edition gaming in-ear monitor (IEM), available exclusively in mainland China. Featuring a dual-cavity dynamic driver and a DSP cable, it’s designed for both immersive audio and gaming performance. While the exact price isn't globally available, it falls under the $100 range.



Package Contents:

- The IEMs
- Black Type-C cable with QDC connector
- Small cloth bag
- NF Audio MS42 ear tips
- Paperwork






The RG15 is a collaboration piece between NF Audio and Assassin's Creed Mirage, with the theme resonating through the packaging and design. The shells are constructed from metal with a glossy finish with an Assassin’s Creed-inspired pattern on the faceplate, complemented by a subtle white logo in the center. This small, golden shell exudes a premium feel and has a satisfying heft to it. The DSP-equipped cable features a golden Type-C termination and chin slider, with a built-in microphone and controls for play/pause and volume adjustment. The microphone’s close placement to the mouth enhances voice clarity.



For me, fit and comfort are essential in an IEM. The RG15 is compact and sits comfortably in my ears, but achieving a deep fit with the included accessories was challenging. If you prefer a deep, snug fit, aftermarket ear tips may be necessary. The cable and ear hook are soft but feel somewhat flimsy, with a build quality similar to cables at half the price. The QDC connectors can cause discomfort during extended listening as they create pressure on the ears where the cable rests.





The sound impressions are based on the stock DSP cable and MS42 ear tips.

• Bass:
  The RG15’s bass performance is respectable, with a warm, punchy mid-bass that provides depth without overwhelming the rest of the sound. The sub-bass, while present, doesn’t reach as deeply as some listeners may prefer; it delivers a gentle rumble rather than intense vibration. The mid-bass, however, shines with a satisfying punch and a relaxed decay that adds a sense of smoothness to the overall sound. This gives the bass a well-controlled presence that is enjoyable for genres like pop and rock, though some bass lovers may wish for a little more quantity.

• Mid-range:
  The mid-range is neutral and uncolored, offering natural male vocals with enough body for a rich sound, though they can feel slightly recessed in some tracks. Female vocals are smooth and pleasant, with a relaxing presence, and the upper mid-range tends to stay gentle. There’s some sibilance in certain tracks but that’s very rare. The mid-range is balanced and neutral, delivering male and female vocals with clarity and minimal coloration. Male vocals sound natural and rich, though they can feel slightly recessed in some tracks. Female vocals are handled beautifully, with a smooth, airy quality that is enjoyable over extended listening sessions. While the upper mid-range generally stays gentle, there’s a hint of sibilance on certain tracks, but it is rare. Overall the clarity of mid-section is commendable which gives a pleasant listening experience separating the other frequency regions apart.

• Treble:
  The RG15’s treble is undoubtedly its most distinctive feature. Detailed, sparkly, and airy, the high-end frequencies are finely tuned to bring out intricate details in instruments, making it ideal for complex music or gaming environments where clarity is key. The lower treble is precise and detalied, while the upper treble extends well, adding an airy, expansive feel that enhances the overall soundstage. It picks up on subtle micro-details, even in busy tracks, making it a fantastic choice for treble enthusiasts.

• Technical Performance:
  On the technical front, the RG15 performs impressively. The soundstage is wide and tall, with a notable sense of depth that creates an immersive, almost holographic listening experience. Imaging is sharp and precise, an advantage in gaming where sound cues are essential for positioning. Instrument separation is clear, making it easy to distinguish individual elements in the mix. This clarity also benefits gaming by highlighting subtle in-game sounds, adding an extra layer of engagement for gamers who rely on audio for spatial awareness.

In summary, the NF Audio RG15 x ASSASSIN’S CREED MIRAGE IEM is a compelling option for both music and gaming enthusiasts. Its unique design, along with the Assassin’s Creed Mirage theme, offers a sense of exclusivity and makes it stand out among budget-friendly IEMs. With its balanced and detailed sound signature, the RG15 provides a pleasant, immersive listening experience. The treble tuning, while vivid and enjoyable, may be a bit intense for those who are sensitive to high frequencies.

For those who appreciate clear and articulate sound with a strong treble presence, the RG15 is a great choice that performs well beyond its price range. The build, design, and overall execution make it a standout option, especially for fans of Assassin’s Creed or anyone seeking an IEM that performs well in both music and gaming contexts.

Disclaimer:
Thanks to TRI for sending this review unit and to Sonic Mantra for allowing me to test it. This review is solely my honest opinion.
The testing was done with the stock TRI Clarion ear tips.

Package contents:

• The earphone itself
• White 2-core 2-pin cable with 3.5mm termination
• A hard-shell carrying pouch
• TRI Clarion ear tips (S, M, L)
• Wide bore ear tips (S, M, L)
• Narrow bore ear tips (S, M, L)

Build and design:
The TRI Draco is an open-back earphone featuring dual dynamic driver configuration. The shells are made from metal but it's very lightweight giving them an edge on comfort. The back vent is covered by a plastic grill giving the earphone a sleek look. The faceplate is completely flat with ever so slightly rounded edges. The beautiful white cable with silver jack and y-splitter complements the Draco very well. Although the cable looks good, it could've been of a better quality. The left and right indicators on the cable are barely visible. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out where the indicator is, it's a very subtle dot indicator that can be found on the bottom of the 2-pin connector as shown in the picture below. The indicators are hidden away after connecting the earphones to the cable.

Comfort and fit:
The TRI Draco fits very well in my average to slightly small ears. The sealing is good with the stock TRI Clarion ear tips but the isolation is not the best, which is expected since it's it has an open-back style. I could use the earphones for long listening sessions without any discomfort or fatigue. I used it while lying in bed and didn't have much issue either. One thing to note, due to the flat faceplate design, the edges are somewhat sharp, which may cause discomfort for some of you if the protruding part touches your ears as I have faced while using them while lying sideways, especially those with smaller ears.

Sound Performance:

• Bass: The bass response is punchy and fun, with a particular emphasis on mid-bass. It provides enough note weight and energy to keep things exciting without becoming overpowering or bloated. Sub-bass extension is present but not the deepest. The sub-bass shows a noticeable roll-off, leading to a less impactful low-end response that sounds more on the surface level. The mid-bass is impactful, has body and a moderate amount of detail. The bass region is by no means emphasized or boosted, but the warm engaging bass is one of its strong points. For most genres, it delivers a satisfying, engaging low-end. This makes it ideal for genres like pop, rock, and electronic music.

• Mids: One of the standout features of the Draco is its vocal presentation. Vocals shine with a thick, rich, and well-textured presentation, making them sound lush and intimate. Male vocals have body, sound natural and balanced for the most part. Female vocals sound a little bit forward which actually sounds good. There's no shoutyness or peak in the upper midrange which allows the female vocals to sound smooth and engaging with a natural presentation. I found some sibilance with the 's' sound in certain tracks but that's rare. Overall the vocals are natural with a touch of warmth that gives the vocals body and a lush sound.

• Treble: The treble on the TRI Draco is smooth and non-fatiguing. It doesn’t exhibit any harshness or sibilance, making it ideal for long listening sessions. While the lower treble is fairly detailed, the upper treble could benefit from a bit more energy and sparkle to add air and extension to the overall presentation. It doesn't lack in air region by any means, there's a bit of energy in the cymbal area, but I missed sparkle and energy in the upper treble. But the existing sparkle is decent and goes well with this particular tuning.

• Technicalities: One of the major strengths of the TRI Draco is its expansive soundstage. The open-back design contributes to a big, spacious and airy presentation. Instrument separation is above average, the same goes for imaging. The stage is big and spacious with expansive character but the height and width aren't a wow factor which some of you may expect from an open-back style earphone. The stage layering is decent, offering moderate depth and separation, though the instrument placement lacks precise definition.

As for source and tip rolling, you are good to go with a neutral or slightly warm source and the stock Clarion ear tips. But something like the Epro E00 or Dunu Candy ear tips give the sub-bass more depth which makes the rumbles more enjoyable.

Conclusion:
The TRI Draco took a different approach from the market with its distinctive warm mid-centric tuning. Their punchy mid-bass and natural treble make them a solid choice for those who prefer a relaxed, non-fatiguing sound. While the upper treble could use more energy for added sparkle, it is a well-rounded pair of earphones nonetheless. If you’re looking for a warm, mid-centric IEM with an expansive soundstage and a comfortable fit, the TRI Draco is definitely worth considering. Although this isn't a bass-head certified set, it will satisfy many bass and vocal lovers out there.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Linsoul for sending this review unit and also thanks to Md. Rohit from Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to review this earphone.

Introduction:
From the name Kiwi Ears Singolo x Crinacle, you can already tell that Crinacle is the man behind this one. The Singolo has a unique attribute, a "Helmholtz Resonance" adaptive resonator inside the shell which is visible through the transparent shell. Basically, it's a thing that kills certain frequencies intended by the tuner (fancy names to call an analog eq). Nonetheless, this $79 set oozes beauty both in appearance and sound.

What's in the box:
> The earphone itself
> White cable with 3.5mm termination
> Two sets of eartips
> Paperworks

Build & Accessories:
The beautiful transparent shell is made of resin. The build is solid. The faceplates look like sand on blue ocean water. The driver and the resonator can be seen clearly through the transparent shell. The nozzle isn't too long or too short but isn't the best for short-stem eartips. The cable is flimsy but very easy to manage and I liked the 2pin termination and ear hook because they didn't create pressure on my ear where they sit, unlike some other cables. So it's a love/hate relationship with the cable for me. The ear tips confused me because they didn't compliment the item well because of their short nozzle and thin wall.

Bass:
The bass is prominent in this set. The sub-bass has good precision, punch, and depth. Sub-bass is more boosted than mid-bass. Midbass has a good texture. Mid-bass doesn't sound too thin or thick and feels adequately defined. Mid-bass sounds flexible/versatile and compliments the sub-bass and lower mids well. Overall the bass section is very good with a nice punch, decent rumble, good depth, and precision with nothing much to complain about except a bit more body would've been appreciated then again that's just me.

Mid-range:
Mid-range sounds clear, smooth, and engaging despite it being linear. The vocals sound natural. Male vocals have good resonance and tend to sound a little backward, more so on bass-heavy tracks but that doesn't sound too laid back. Male vocals might sound lean on wide bore tips but narrow bore tip gives the male vocals more body and note weight and fixes the sunken male vocals on bass-heavy tracks. Female vocals sound rich and have good noteweight. On Narrow bore tips, female vocals sound more lush smooth, and delicate. Overall the mids section is clean and engaging.

Treble:
The treble section is interesting. The brilliance area is well-rounded. The Lower treble has good details with a good amount of micro nuances. The upper treble is airy and has beautiful sparkle which I liked the most about the Singolo. For a warmish set, the treble doesn't lack anything. The treble has good extension, has some nice sparkle, and is more than enough airy. The treble is smooth yet sparkly with an adequate amount of details. I wish it had a bit more energy in the treble region. Also, the air region gave off a more spacious vibe than the stage actually is.

Technicalities:
The stage is very spacious with both good width and height. Layering is decent. The imaging was good but not that precise. The stage gave off an immersive feeling. When listening to tracks, it feels like I am at the center of the stage. Some far-away snares sound like in After Dark- Mr.Kitty sounds like it's coming from right in front of you but at a distance. What I meant to say is the stage isn't limited to around the back of your head unlike some similarly priced iems, it sounds like the distance is consistent all around you no matter left, right, behind, or in front of you. Though it's not that noticeable in every track but it's there.

Conclusion:
This set has great clarity throughout the whole frequency range. In short, The Kiwi Ears x Crinacle Singolo is a well-tuned warm-neutral iem with good clarity and balance between smoothness and details in both lower and upper frequencies. It's a "there's more than meets the eye"- type of iem. This is an easy choice for those who are looking for a neutral set that sounds smooth yet detailed and sparkly and is enjoyable for many genres.

Disclaimer:-

First I would like to thank NF Acous for sending this review unit and special thanks to Sonic Mantra (Md. Rohit behind the scene) for arranging this tour unit for me to test it out. I am not an audiophile, just someone who likes audio gears. This review is concluded with my honest takes on this iem.

Box content, build & design:-

The NF Audio RA15 is a single dynamic driver set costing $89 during this review. The packaging was well thought out with the black and orange theme going on on the outside. The unboxing experience was decent. The package contents are the earpieces themselves, a lightweight white oxygen-free copper cable with a 3.5 mm termination, a synthetic white leather pouch, four pairs of NF Audio MS42 ear tips coming in extra small, small, medium, and large sizes, an extra pair of nozzles (brass and steel nozzle).

The earpieces are small and have heft to them as they are metal built with a nice gunmetal matte finish that doesn't attract any fingerprints or smudges. The iems are beautiful and minimalistic with a concaved design on the back of the shells.

Ear tips:-

The MS42 is a great set of eartip with a soft and smooth surface and a short stem, the stem itself is thick with a striped design on the outside. I use the MS42 tips as my go-to with my Letshouer Galileo which I bought separately long before reviewing this iem. But the MS42 tips doesn't go well with the RA15 set due to its short nozzle which causes poor isolation.


I used KZ foam tips, Epro E00 tips, and Zhulinniao Zhu Rythme aka Bamboo ear tips on the RA15. For me, the Epro E00 tips were a better match than the rest with this iem. Sound impressions are based on stock ear tips and I will talk about tip rolling later on.

Nozzles:-

There are two pairs of nozzles, one is brass made and the other one is steel. The brass nozzle is a little bit narrower on the inner diameter whereas the silver nozzle is a little bit wider than that of the brass one. The brass nozzle seems to dampen the sound, especially in the upper midrange and treble. And the silver nozzle makes the iem more energetic. Overall the nozzles give the iem two different types of tonality, the brass one is more lush and smooth, and the silver one is more energetic, exciting and more detailed sounding but somewhat dry sounding. The nozzles also affect the technicality of the iem which I will discuss in the sound section.


Sound:-

The RA15 is a well tuned neutral set with a hint of brightness. The midbass is sightly emphasized. The bass is fast and has good extension. The sub-bass lacks both quantity and quality. The Sub-bass rumble is inadequate. But the midbass is on point both in quantity and quality, it is fast and precise with good noteweight and didn't bleed into the mids. The nozzles do not have a noticeable change in the lows. The brass nozzle gives a little more noteweight and body to the midbass but that's all. The nozzles do not boost or tame down the bass in any way.

The mids are clean, smooth and somewhat forward which is really enjoyable. The Male vocal has enough body and is smooth and soothing. The female vocals are exciting, airy and energetic. The nozzles come into play here. The brass nozzle gives the iem somewhat warm tonality and tames down the upper mids energy. On the brass nozzle, the male vocals sound thick, lush, smooth and the female vocals sound smooth. On the silver nozzle, the male vocals sound clean and neutral. The female vocals sound exciting, energetic and airy. But it sounds somewhat dry and there's some peakiness at the upper mids with the silver nozzle.

The treble region is interesting as the nozzles change the sound a lot here. On the brass nozzle, the treble sounds clean, enough detailed and airy. The lower treble sounds good but the upper treble lacks extension. On the silver nozzle, the treble gets more energetic, exciting, and even more airy. But this time the treble sounds harsh and and dry. Although there's more detail with the silver nozzle, the drawback is it gets unbearable with higher volume on longer listening sessions.

The technicality of the RA15 is decent. The sound stage is just average on the brass nozzle whereas the stage opens up a bit more on the silver nozzle. The stage is wider but doesn't have amazing depth. Layering is good given its price, imaging is good enough with adequate immersiveness. Instrument separation is just above average. This set doesn't have amazing technicalities but has enough for it to not sound too tiny.

Comparison:-

For comparison, I will hold the NF Audio RA15 up against Simgot EA500LM as they are similarly priced and similar sounding (on specific tuning nozzle setup)

vs Simgot EA500LM:-

The EA500LM is more energetic, has more sub-bass rumble, is more detailed in the treble region, and is more technical than the RA15. However, the RA15 has much better vocal and overall better balanced tuning. The upper midrange is more peaky on the EA500LM. Instrument separation is better on the EA500LM and is the better set for those who love listening to detailed lively instruments and don't mind a laid back vocal. But the RA15 is the better overall all-rounder for all genres as it is more balanced and is non-fatiguing for longer listening sessions.


As for source, The RA15 pairs well with warm source which gives the iem more body and sounds lusher. It can also be paired with a neutral source while still being a good all-rounder for the price. Bright sources are not recommended for this set. Tip rolling is recommended for the RA15 as the stock MS42 tips aren't a great match for it. The KZ foam tips fit well with the iem but not everyone likes foam tips. The Epro E00 ear tip tames the upper mids down and gives better sealing and isolation and boosts the lows allowing the iem to give more balanced output. The earhook on the stock cable is aggressive which affects fit with the stock MS42 tips. A hairdryer can be used to shape the earhook to the user's preference and a long stem ear tip helps with the isolation and secure fit.

Conclusion:-

The 80-100 dollar price point has so many options that it's really confusing to choose the right neutral set that can play everything well. The NF Audio RA15 is more than a decent neutral iem which gives better value as an all-rounder. It's more like a jack of all trades but master at none type of iem. It has amazing midbass speed and great vocals with smooth yet detailed treble and an immersive sound. The tuning nozzles can spice things up if you want a different taste. You can enjoy quite fun listening sessions with the NF Audio RA15.

That being said, this set is not for bass heads and treble-sensitive people. For those of you who like detailed treble, smooth vocals, and fast punchy midbass, and are looking for a set that can play many genres well, this can be a good set to consider.