As I write this, I just realized I never tried the Tin T1, and I know nothing about it. But that aside, the product line from Tin Hifi has been decent to good. The Tin T2 was an instant chi-fi classic, with a neutral reference-like sound signature, good build quality, and removable mmcx cables at an affordable price. The follow-up T2 Pro had a very bright signature, that some like and others hated, and the T3 took parts of the T2 and T2 Pro and added just a Balanced Armature driver to give it just a little more resolution, and slightly added warmth and was pretty successful at that.

The last Tin Hifi product I reviewed was their attempt at a Planar Magnetic IEM, the P1. This one had mild success in my eyes. It had a better out of box tuning than any other planar magnetic IEM I’ve tried (that is, default tuning with no modifications or equalizer applied), but the bar is quite low in this aspect, and the tuning still had some flaws such as overly bright tonality, and in-your-face soundstage, or lack thereof.



Introducing…

Quickly on the heels of the P1, Tin Hifi announced their latest creation, a dynamic driver, Tin T4. This new item retails for $109, but will be sold on Indiegogo at a special early bird price of $79 starting on Nov 11th.

While in some ways, this is their simplest effort yet. Unlike the previous T-series I have tried, the T4 only has a single dynamic driver, while still retaining a generally similar housing shape and size. This new housing is much more intricately designed though, with a milled design that is reminiscent of a moving turbine blade engine.

The new housing is still made from aluminum and feels rather light and nice. The connectors feel more sturdy than previous iterations, and the new cable is silver-plated and looks luxuriously braided with thick wires. In a small change from the past, the T4 is designed to be worn over-ears, instead of drop-down cable style like on the T2.

Also included are a variety of tips and a really nice fake-leather brown jewelry-style flip box that has plenty of room to house the IEMs and a couple other small accessories.

Sonic Barrier

When I first put on the Tin T4, I was quite reminded of how the Custom Art Fibae 7 sounded for some reason. It has a neutral-ish reference type sound that I like with a touch of bass elevation that gives it just enough warmth to sound balanced, and not overly bright. The T4 has that same type of sound, while perhaps being a tad brighter, but not in sounding harsh or sibilant.


Frequency Response Graph -- Note Channel Matching was exceptional!


I was actually very pleasantly surprised by this IEM. It fits closely to my ideal neutral reference sound signature. The bass levels are right about where I like it, giving more quality than quantity. There’s still enough sub-bass quantity to provide rumbling texture in songs that provide it, and a smidgen of punch when necessary, but in general, it is a little lighter than other IEMs, especially those that are coming out of the Chinese marketplace lately.

The mid-range is quite coherent and just slightly warm. It’s not thick and lush, nor does it sound thin to me. It sounds just how I’d like it so that every frequency stands on its own and doesn’t get bloated or becoming missing. The midrange is forward, just like the T2 and T3 before it. The pinna compensation begins around 1KHz as expected, and rises up quite high to a 2KHz peak and a reduction at 4KHz and another into the lower treble with a peak at 6KHz and a smaller one at 8KHz.

The 6KHz peak doesn’t bother me, and typically doesn’t unless it’s overly boosted. The 8KHz are is where I have seen issues with past in-ears, but since it’s lower than the rest of the upper-midrange and lower treble frequencies, I don’t have any issues with sibilance or edgy harshness with the T4, and I did put this IEM through several pop tracks with female vocalists and known edgy songs for me and the T4 seemed to past with flying colors.

This type of elevation in this area does make female vocals really stand out, and I do enjoy that. I love hearing vocalist’s emotion and bravado in their voices and having this type of rise really pushes that forward.




The troughs and rises do help give the T4 with an adequate soundstage width, and I found the T4 to have just enough to separate instruments clearly and deal with congestion pretty well, which isn’t something I can say with many IEMs in this type of price range.


I do think the T4 struggles a little bit with raised volume levels. While I typically do listen at around 70 dB/SPL when I’m using IEMs and headphones, occasionally I do raise the volumes a bit. I found the T4 to sound a tad strained and perhaps distorted slightly at higher volumes (I’m thinking 80dB and more). But at my moderate listening volumes, I find the T4 to sound clean, clear and actually surprisingly good.





Some Selected Comparisons:

Moondrop KXXS
Normally, I would compare it with the Moondrop Kanas Pro, but since the IEM is now discontinued, the next best thing is their successor, the KXXS. I actually think the Kanas Pro and T4 sound very similar up to about 4KHz, but the Kanas Pro has a more laidback sound with reduced treble, while the T4 has more clarity due to the increased treble presence. Ok, so I guess, I did compare to the Kanas Pro after all.

Now, the KXXS, it has noticeable more bass elevation, impact, sub-bass quantity, and longer decay than the T4. This could be good or bad depending on your tastes. For me, I like the T4’s bass levels because, in comparison, I find the KXXS’s bass decay to extend into the lower mid-range and actually that actually ends up muddying up a bit.

I also find the KXXS to sound harsher and brighter, and surprisingly the T4 doesn’t have that issue, despite having what seems to be a measured higher response in those areas. I think where it differs is that the T4 has a big roll-off in the upper registers, and the KXXS has some rise there.

So, for me, I was surprised that I prefer the T4 more than the KXXS.




Etymotics ER2 Series
I think the Tin T4 fits somewhere in-between the ER2 Studio Reference (SR) and Xtended Response (XR) models, and this is particularly where it’s bass and mid-range falls. The T4’s response is warmer than the SR, but not as warm as the XR. I think part of this is due to the T4’s higher rise in treble, which shifts the overall balance towards that area over the lower frequencies. This makes the XR have the same type of relative comparison to the T4 as the KXXS has above.

I think both are similar in terms of overall quality though, but the ER series is extremely better at isolation. The ER2 series also has a more natural timbre due to the lower treble, but some may find that to be a slightly laidback in a sense.




Blon BL-03
Both have a shallower fit, though I find the Tin T4 to be much more comfortable to wear and easier to just put on and go. I had a lot more trouble out of the box with the BL03 with finding the right fit and seal and it was pretty instant with the T4. While the BL03 is a good, even great, value, I actually didn’t like it as much as many other people have. This is partially due to the sound signature being a little too bass and treble emphasized, and lacking mid-range forwardness.

For the most part, I found the bass too heavy, and wished it was a few dB lower. That’s why I find the T4’s bass levels to be ideal for my personal preferences.


Overall

I find the Tin Hifi T4 a competent and good IEM, and I’m actually very happy with adding it to my collection. It’s the right type of sound signature for what I enjoy and I’m happy to recommend it at the introductory price, and even a strong consideration at the regular retail price. I think those who prefer a neutral sound signature will find this one right at home, and it comes with a nice set of accessories to go with it.

The Tin T4 is an improvement and easily the most complete Tin Hifi product to date, and easily out performs the recent P1, which again, wasn’t one I particular liked.

This is a quick review of the latest Digital Audio Player (DAP) by chinese brand Hiby. The R5 is the third player from the, originally, software company Hiby. They started making digital audio players with their R6 and R3 and more recently the R6 Pro. This latest R5 takes many of the lessons learned of the R6/R6 Pro, and shrinks it down into a more pocketable experience in the R5.


I pre-ordered the Hiby R5 through Hiby's website and it finally arrived at the beginning of last week. I've since used this player quite often and have been rather happy with it so far! As some background, I have used several portable players in the past, starting with the old Walkman cassette decks, to Discmans and Panasonic CD players, to the Sony MiniDisc, to iPods, Creative Zens, and others down the line. Most recently, in terms of Android-based players, I've owned and extensively have used both the Pioneer XDP-300R and Astell & Kern A&Norma SR15. I've also had several weeks of use with the Fiio M6, M9 and M11 DAPs.

So where to start? Let's take a look at it's basic features. The R5 has a very nice looking 4 inch screen, which covers most of the front surface, leaving a little bezel on the top, sides and a slightly larger bezel on the bottom. The rectangular candy bar style device, has rounded edges and all the ports are on the bottom.




The player features USB-C data and charging port, which is a standard nowadays, despite my relatively new SR15 having microUSB (!!). The R5 also has a single-ended 3.5mm stereo jack and a 4.4mm balanced jack, which is different than what I've been accustomed to in portable players. Most players have had 2.5mm balanced jacks, but recently the 4.4mm trend that Sony started has caught on.

The R5 features two Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC and can power up to 1W at 16Ohm using the balanced connection. I never found power to be an issue with IEMs I threw at it and it was able to play some of my normal headphones quite fine. The player also contains a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor which is a budget-tier phone CPU, but given the lack of significant multi-tasking and phone-needs for this type of device, it's plenty snappy for what this purpose is.

The player also features 2GB of RAM which is a little less than I'd like, but I found it does a perfectly fine job. It's not as fast as the Fiio M11, or Pioneer XDP-300R, and nowhere near as my Galaxy S10 phone, but it does the job. There's a little bit of slow caching of album art using the Hiby music player in navigation screens, but I never had much issues with loading album art in Poweramp.




That said, I did find some clicky sounds with using Poweramp, which is a third-party music player that I prefer. I found that increasing the buffer size helped remove this issue and haven't experienced it since a firmware upgrade.

In general, I found the player to be quite slick, and love the way it's sized and feels. I do miss not having a volume wheel like my previous players had, but the volume buttons are nice, large, and round and easy to use.

Sound
I find the Hiby R5 to be relatively neutral sounding, but with a splash of warmth. It also isn't quite as airy as say the M11 or XDP-300R, and nowhere near as mid-luscious as the SR15. It's just a nice balance of sound between all the players I had before, while still retaining the good detail retrieval I found on the SR15, and not the flabbiness of the M11 or the sterileness of the XDP-300R.

I think in general, I find the bass to be well layered and detailed, with a good amount of punch and well controlled. The mids are relatively smooth and are as they should sound, while the treble is airy, but not overly bright, and I end up liking this player just the way it sounds.

With an IEM like the qdc Anole VX, which is an aggressive detail monster, I was a little nervous on how it would sound given that it matches so well with the mid-centric SR15 and it's warm, detailed mid-range and tight, tight bass. It's lacking a little bit in the treble/air department, which works really well in an IEM like the VX.

Luckily, the treble is tamed enough that I don't find the VX overly aggressive. This was great news to me since I am actually quite happy to say that the VX sounds just fine and dandy on the R5.

Comparisons

A&K SR15
The SR15 is my other "current" DAP and I love it to pieces. It's got a unique shape that ends up being amazingly ergonomic, and a great volume wheel and fun tilted screen that ends up being quite useful. The player has just flat out great mid-range and tight bass response that is definitely on the colored sound type of spectrum than the R5. That said, the R5 has just enough warmth to it that it's not sterile and I find that it's a good blend to have. I still really dig the SR15's overall sound though, as it is tuned so well to be a great musical experience and extremely enjoyable.

The SR15 is a little laggy though, especially when you just turn it on, or have an app open while switching back to the main player. It's limited RAM and weaker CPU really shows it with some really random slowdowns. It's still faster than say the Fiio M6/M9, but it can be frustrating. The R5 is much, much faster and that's a great thing. I do miss the volume wheel though and that's a hardware feature I wish the R5 had.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GDf6luKj...D4tnPX0I2RBJ2utT_gCEwYBhgL/s1600/P1030689.JPG

Pioneer XDP-300R
The XDP-300R is quite sterile in my opinion, and it's a good reference DAP for that purpose. It's also very large and has a nice large screen and build that is amazing. The 300R is very fast despite being an older player, but does run an older Android 5.1 OS. The volume wheel is also on the 300R and not on the R5.

Both run Google Play store which allows for installing any android app on the market, which is quite handy. The 300R is a tad brighter sounding, and it's bass is lacking the oomph you get with the R5. In terms of sound, I really prefer the R5 over it.

Fiio M11
The M11 is the largest of the bunch I am doing the comparisons to. It's also the fastest, by quite a bit , of the players. The build on it is excellent and it also has a nice volume wheel. Where it is lacking is not having the Google Play store, but it can have side-loaded apps like the SR15, and without restrictions unlike the SR15 has.

The M11's sound has similar mids and maybe just a touch more bright treble that makes it sound more airy. The bass on the M11, however, really lacked detail, layering, and texture, and I found it was rather uncontrolled and a little flabby in comparison to the other three. The output of the headphone jacks were also audibly hissy, which does not make them a good match for BA-driven IEMs and especially the more sensitive ones from Campfire and Shure.

Conclusions
At the end of the day, I am keeping the Hiby R5 as my choice DAP for now. It's the best size, performance, sound, and feature combination of the players I have used and I haven't had any major issues with it so far. I'm really digging it and it's price of $399 is just right.

USB-C HEADPHONE ADAPTERS: IBASSO VS APPLE VS RAZER THX





iBasso DC02 vs Apple USB-C Adapter vs Razer THX USB-C Adapter

Today, I will be taking a look at three USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapters made by iBasso, Apple, and Razer. With many phones removing the 3.5mm headphone jack, the popularity of the USB-C headphone adapters have grown in popularity due to necessity more than anything. While some phones still have the headphone jack, most flagship devices have removed it for several years now.

I personally have gotten used to life without the 3.5mm jack in my phone, using a combination of a Bluetooth amp/dac adapter, a separate digital audio player, and least likely, the USB-C adapters. That said, I am not reviewing them.

First off, the iBasso DC-02 was provided free of charge to me by HifiGo Audio store. The Apple USB-C and Razer THX adapters were purchased by myself over the past couple years. The Apple one is a more recent purchase and it’s nice to see Apple switching over to the more universally acceptable I/O format.

On paper, the Apple and Razer devices are very limited in what their capabilities are. The iBasso does publish a lot of specs online and it looks rather impressive for a small adapter. It features the AKM 4490 DAC and plays native DSD files. So let’s take a look at how they compare, subjectively.

All of my testing was performed using a Samsung Galaxy S10e mobile phone, which ironically has a 3.5mm headphone jack. I tested the devices on the Sennheiser HD600 over-ears headphone, and the qdc Anole VX in-ear monitors.

Power Handling:

Right off the bat, the Apple USB-C adapter seems limited by Android. I don’t know the real reason behind this but it’s been noted by others that power output is contained. This is quite true, as maxing out the Apple USB-C adapter on my Sennheiser gets it to just about the listening volume that is slightly lower than what I like to use, but with no additional headroom at all.
With both the Razer and iBasso, volume can get very loud on the Sennheiser HD600 without a problem. The iBasso adapter is a small, tiny, bit louder, but it’s a close race.




Sennheiser HD600 and “Dreams”
The Apple C adapter wasn’t a fair match when using the HD600 here since I could not volume match the two.
Now to compare the two others, the DC02 and the Razer THX, with the Sennheiser HD600, please note that I am going to be exaggerating slightly to show off the main differences in sound. It is very, very, very, very, very subtle. Very. And for many who don’t critically listen to music, you probably won’t even hear any audible differences in normal listening.

I feel like the iBasso DC02 has just a slightly brighter and airy sound than the Razer THX. It also has a small amount more resolution and detail retrieval. I hear this when I listen to “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. This is a song where I’ve listened to thousands and thousands of times, and is a standard for my headphone listening and reviews, since it has a variety of instruments and each playing in a rhythmic fashion on and stand out on their own. Stevie Nick’s voice is also slightly strained and has a lot of vibrato to it (that sheep “baaah” sound of the 70s and 80s) which allows me to hear very subtle differences in products.

With the DC02, I found that each hit of the drum had a small amount more impact and natural decay. The cymbals had just a small amount of splash to it but sounded clean and correct, and Nick’s voice had a little more depth and distinction to it. Again, this is on the Sennheiser HD600 and very strenuous amounts of A-B testing listening at very certain notes and details of the song.

Anole VX and “The Chain”

The qdc Anole VX is a much more sensitive in-ear monitor than the HD600 over-ear. This allowed the Apple USB-C Adapter to battle it out but on Android, again, it sounded quite limited. It got loud enough, but it just didn’t sound quite as clean, distinct and fun as the other two. The attack seemed blunted and strings in The Chain’s intro seemed to be missing a little big of the zing and texture I would expect when pairing it with a detail monster such as the VX.

The differences between the iBasso DC02 and the Razer THX were very negligible on this pairing with the VX. Both sounded excellent with the Anole VX, and while I found the DC02 to have a very slight edge on the depth and detail resolution, it was extremely subtle and mostly negligible and maybe attributed to short term memory optics switching adapters and cables.

Conclusions

The DC02 does seem in general to provide a slight amount more power and detail resolution, but it is also 10X the price of the hampered Apple adapter and 3.5X the price of the Razer. For Apple users or Windows 10 users, the Apple USB-C adapter kills it for price to performance, but for the more pure of audiophile nerds, the iBasso product does seem to best it out. There is also a DC01 product which is an exclusive 2.5mm balanced version with dual amps to consider as well.

True Wireless earphones have only been around a short time and for the most part, many of the models from the big names have been pretty hit or miss, and mostly misses – at least from what I could gather. I recently decided to dive into them as I wanted something that I could use for walking around, doing activities like physical exercise, yard work, chores, and just walking to and from the parking lot at work.

I did quite a bit of research into them, but the ones I’ve been most interested in didn’t seem to get either good review from people I trust, or just didn’t have the right signature for me. These included models from Sennheiser, Sony, and Audio Technica, and even ones from Master & Dynamic, Advanced Sound, and others. But more recently, the AKG-tuned Samsung Galaxy Buds appeared. At first, I didn’t even bother to look at them. Samsung headphones? Yeah.

But then I started looking into it more and found out they decided to tune it using the Harman International research that Dr Sean Olive et al. performed over the past decade on headphone psychoacoustics and audio preferences. The Harman Target curve has been developed from a series of tests over the years to get a preferential sound profile that would attract to a wide audience. Now, this isn’t the standard sound curve you’ll find in products like Beats, or Sonys or others that are found in brick and mortar stores, but it’s somewhat a cross between that type of consumer bass-heavy V-Shape sound and a more audiophile tuning. The Harman curve, though, isn’t the be-all end-all. In fact, while I actually do like the general sound tuning, I do like my target curve to be slightly warmer, more mid-focused and a little easier on the treble region.

Meanwhile, popular IEM personality Crinacle, started using them and gave me the thumbs up on them in conversation. I was curious. Really curious – the use of case of a true wireless in-ear is quite awesome. I could do so many things while enjoying tunes at the same time and not have to worry about my cable catching something, getting in the way, and continually manage them as well as the player. And so, I took a dive into the world of true wireless.




Use Case #1
Daily housework chores – vacuuming, cleaning, cooking, moving furniture around – all of these are brilliantly easy to do now without wires in the way. The Galaxy Buds not only performed well sonically in these activities but also did not ever fall out. Not even when I was moving bookshelves up and down our house from the third floor to the garage on the bottom floor. Vacuum noise still was audible, but much more muffled with music on. Cooking in isolation actually wasn’t as pleasurable as I wanted, mostly because I do use audible cues to cook food, so turning on the ambient sound mode did help in this case.

One thing to note is that I am able to leave my phone, the source, at one corner of my house and perform my tasks without dropping of connection or any hiccups. Nice to see Bluetooth 5.0 and the Samsung variable codec at work.

Use Case #2
I have some massively over-grown trees in my backyard. We have a greenbelt in the back that has a nice little wooded area and unfortunately this past year has seen the greens grow pretty heavily and quickly. One of the trees spilled well over our fence line and even touching our grass, over 12 feet in from fence and 20+ feet wide. I had to chainsaw the heck out of the branches and feed them through a mulching wood chipper. The Galaxy buds partnered with me through this exercise, providing enough sound isolation to not blow my ears from the sound of sawing and chipping, while giving me fun tunes to rock out to all the while. I never felt like the buds would fall out and get chipped away into a billion pieces either.

Use Case #3
I sometimes have to park several blocks away from my office due to limited parking and therefore, the Galaxy Buds come in quite handy. Road noise is completely eliminated, however if I turn on ambient sound, I can hear it for safety reasons. Generally, I don’t really have to worry too much about this though.


Use Case #4
I occasionally take a light rail train into our downtown area for meetings and, again, the Galaxy Buds did a good job of removing much of the train and crowd noise on the ride. One other nice things about the Galaxy Buds is that they are pretty discrete. They do stick out a tad bit from the side of your ear, but the fit is very comfortable and people may not see them in.

Use Case #5
Along the same lines, at work, because they are pretty invisible to a lot of people, I do occasionally get the colleague who thinks they are talking to me, but I can’t actually hear them. Is that a good thing? Maybe.

Sounds and Profiles

So, the Galaxy Buds – quite useful for daily activities. And the sound – they are surprisingly very good! The default tuning is a near perfect representation of the Harman Target curve, which is pretty enjoyable. It presents bass with just a tad emphasis but not over-bearing and muddy. Mid-range is a little recessed, and makes male voices a little thin, and does emphasize female vocals over males. That said, the treble is airy and maybe a tad hot for some, but is also wide and spacious.




I found the Galaxy Buds to be on-par with detail resolution, speed and just general quality as other IEMs in its price range of $129 and maybe even reaching up to $199 IEMs I’ve reviewed in the past. With the Galaxy Wearables app, which unfortunately is only available on Android, and not available on iOS, several EQ profiles can adjust the sound of the buds to your liking.





The Bass Boost EQ makes the Buds a tad muddy and really loses a lot of definition, especially if you enjoy upper-mid range presence and clarity. I am not a fan of it, but it does provide a little more subbass and noticeable rumble and punch.


The Soft EQ is one of my favorites. It provides some need warmth and richness to the bass and lower midrange that gives a little more body to male vocals and the general sound, without losing too much of the upper mid-range and treble. It does come across as a tad smeared, when compared to the Etymotics ER2XR, which shares very similar frequency response curve and sound to this EQ, but the Galaxy Buds has much better treble qualities than the well-liked ER2XR, which makes the Buds just a little more airy, wide, and versatile. If you want a direct competitor, than the Moondrop KXXS and the Soft EQ Galaxy Buds square up quite nicely. The Buds are limited by Bluetooth codec limitations, however, I find them very similar in sound, tonality, and technicalities with KXXS winning just slightly in resolution due to being wired.




The Dynamic EQ changes the Buds into a V-shaped IEM with emphasized bass and treble and drop in the mid-range. This is a more fun tuning, which is quite comparable to the TFZ No 3, which has recently come out and quite liked. I found the No 3 to have more slam and clarity, but it’s also a little brighter and harsher as well.




The Clear EQ setting gives the upper-mid range and treble a little more emphasis, by dropping some of the mid-bass a bit. This actually does make sound come out clearer and cleaner, albeit a tad lean sounding. The stock tuning and the clear EQ tuning remind me of the Moondrop Kansas Pro quite a bit, to the point where it’s hard to distinguish the two. The Kanas Pro is just a tad brighter, and has some upper end energy that may be fatiguing to some, and that also provides a little more air and a slightly wider soundstage.




Finally, the Treble Boost tuning turns the Galaxy Buds from a Harman tuning to a more traditional Diffuse Field tuning – in this case it’s comparable to the Etymotics ER series of in-ears. While the Etymotics will beat out the Galaxy Buds in resolution, detail retrieval, and isolation, the Galaxy Buds don’t sound that bad. They still have a tad more warmth to them than the DF-tuning, and actually makes them quite pleasant with the added bass boost over the normal Etymotics tuning.


Overall

So, I’ve rambled on a bit now, but I have to say, after the month and half of having these new partners-in-crime, I am just puzzled and mystified and how great of an overall package these are. They are simple to use, quick to pair, and just work right. They have great range, and touch controls that make sense and work. They have an app that has a bunch of settings and tweaks that make wise changes. And they have the sound that keeps me interested and entertained. And, most importantly, they fit really well!

Now, I don’t want to pretend these are world-beaters. These are not going to take down some of the higher end In-Ears in technicalities, resolution, or just general sound quality, but these can easily go to combat against the budget world and IEMs, including the crazy price-to-performance Chinese brands, and come out on top or at least die trying. I have no qualms as to keeping these and using them as a daily driver alongside my qdc Anole VX. They are getting equal run-time with me currently and I don’t foresee that changing until something else comes along.

These have essentially replaced my budget to mid-tier IEMs. Who knew I’d like Bluetooth IEMs? Who knew I’d like consumer-brand headphones? Who knew this would come from Samsung of all companies?

I am still surprised every day by these. That’s all. They are worth $129.

The V33 is a new earphone by Shozy, which is a company that has been making in-ears and higher end ear buds for a little while now. For me, I have yet to hear any of their ear bud offerings, which have been generally praised. As far as in-ears go, I have not liked any of the ones I've had a chance to listen to, so is the V33 any different?

The short answer is, no. It's not very good.

First off, this review sample was provided to me by Linsoul. If you still want to purchase this unit after reading this review, the direct link to the product can be found at the following links:

https://www.linsoul.com/product-page/shozy-v33-v33pro-iem

https://www.amazon.com/Linsoul-Single-Dynamic-Driver-Earphone/dp/B07TCLN2BQ

BUILD

There are two models available. The V33 is an aluminum housing, while the V33 Pro unit features a stainless steel housing. I imagine they both share identical sound signatures, but I can not confirm this. Both feature a nice and attractive silver-colored copper wire cable with metal 3.5mm stereo connector and splitter. The cable is not detachable however. The set also comes with a small quantity of silicone tips.

The V33 is a bullet-shaped IEM which means it can be worn cable-down for convenience. I found the fit to be a little tricky at times, but tip rolling does help find the right fit. The fit is rather shallow which is part of the issue.

The outer-shell features a vinyl record appearance which may be fun for nostalgia or hipsters and generally isn't too distasteful. This theme rolls into how they went about tuning it, I guess.


SOUND


The tuning is just not very good. It presents everything I heard in a low-fi haze and there's really nothing that I enjoyed when I used these earphones. I honestly don't know what Shozy was really thinking besides they wanted to get vintage look and "vintage" sound of old audio recordings and slapped this tuning onto this IEM. I guess there may be people out there who enjoy that, but I don't know if I can totally recommend this for the masses.



The upper mids are very far recessed in this IEM which I found similar to the Campfire IO I reviewed earlier this year. In fact, that was the first thing that came to mind when I put these on. They sounded like a very technically poor, cheap, and worse sounding IO -- which I did not particularly like either.

I never found myself wanting to pull these out of the drawer in the past month and half that I've had these in my possession. I would only because I knew I needed to put some feedback on these out there but they never struck me as anything I would ever want to recommend to anyone.

The tuning starts to sound wrong when you put on any female vocal track. The lack of upper mids, all sloping downward, with a rise in the treble make this IEM unique in it's tuning. With the IO, the tuning at least had some semblance of mid-range, albeit very odd in its own right. The V33 instead has very little of the area I value the most, and while there are some IEMs that do sound decent with a lack of midrange boost, like the Andromeda from Campfire, I tend to find all of these special tunings not my thing.

The brand Moondrop has quickly become one of my favorite and most consistent brands on the market today for in-ear headphones. Their line of ear buds and IEMs are all built and tuned with a purpose, and for the most part, each one seems to hit their target curve.

The Kanas Pro was released last year and was well received by many including myself. I still rank it as a baseline standard for an earphone under $250. It featured a pleasing sound that worked well for most genres, comfortable fit, and nice build and aesthetics and was priced at $179, which seemed like a good sweet spot for many people.

Moondrop recently released a new model which seems to have fully replaced the Kanas Pro now, as the Kanas Pro has since been discontinued and is becoming much harder to find except on the used marketplace. The KXXS takes the Kanas Pro and makes some subtle changes that I will explore in this review.


Bigger and Better Packaging?!

Immediately, you’ll find that the packaging is much different than the Kanas Pro’s simple compact rectangular box. The KXXS comes in a large white box with a manga-style graphic of an Asian girl. While I don’t really care for this artwork, it’s at least tasteful and I think this does draw attention from some people more into Japanese artwork than I do.



Beyond the box, Moondrop has included a nice blue case to carry the items in, as well as a small selection of tips. The cable isn’t very great though. It’s janky to use and isn’t very usable in my opinion. It’s a far cry from the nicely included cable that that Kanas Pro came with.




The KXXS shell is actually a tiny bit larger than the Kanas and Kanas Pro. This is in both height, width, and thickness, and also has a shallower stem. That said, the comfort is equally on-par with the Kanas and Kanas Pro, which I found as one of my most favorite In-Ears for comfort and pleasure.

The shell is a mirrored metal finish and has a very nice look to it that resembles jewelry in some ways. It is a bit blingy so some may not like it, but I find the IEM attractive and built very well.

Sound Qualities

The KXXS has a warmer sound than the previous Kanas Pro and is slightly warmer than the Harman Preference Target Curve. In this case, I found the bass to be just slightly elevated from the Kanas Pro and adds a little more richness to music, and making male vocals more filled in and, in most cases, improved.



The single dynamic driver produces quick bass notes and doesn’t really have a great deal of decay and slam. It’s punchy to an extent, but I didn’t find them basshead level qualities. That said, I like my basslines to be defined and fast, and powered by subbass performance. With the KXXS, it mostly delivers here. The additional added bass from the Kanas Pro gives it just a slight boost in the lower bass regions that makes it more powering, but at a slight cost of definition.

The mids benefit the most from this new tuning, and primarily male vocals. The added bass boost reaches into the lower mids and that provides a more warmer tuning. While, I never found the Kanas Pro to be lacking in this region at all, some people may enjoy this warmer tuning.

If Moondrop had stopped the tuning here and left the rest of the signature in-tact, I would probably have rated this a little higher than I have. I found the Kanas Pro to be a really wonderful sound signature that really just lacked detail resolution and maybe a little too restrained, and laid back and smooth through the treble region. Well, maybe I asked for too much.

The KXXS adds just a slight elevation in the upper mids and treble portions, and I ended up finding the KXXS just a tad bright and harsh on some songs – specifically modern pop recordings and dance tracks, which already accentuate this area. This wasn’t the case for every song though, and so some more toned-down music did not find any of these rougher edges.

The KXXS has a slightly more intimate soundstage than the Kanas Pro, but I found both to be wider than average. The KXXS plays well with imaging and width for its price range, but depth and height are just average. Resolution is pretty good for this price range, but it’s still not in the same realm as much higher priced in-ears, where detail retrieval of every little breath is more apparent.




I may come across slightly negative in this review of the KXXS, but that’s really when I am comparing it to the Kanas Pro, which is one of my most favorite In-Ears. It’s such a great IEM for the price – in terms of sound profile, build, comfort, and design that I find it hard to beat.

The KXXS improves upon the lower mids but I feel like they went a tad overboard on the brightness and that detracts more than the additions. This isn’t a dealbreaker though, and I find the KXXS to be a very good in-ear at this price and I’d still recommend it to many users. Just be aware that some songs may sound a little bright.

This IEM was provided for review by Linsoul. If you are intersted in purchasing this, I highly recommend checking out their storefront on Amazon (LSR-Direct) or their own website. Here is a direct link to the product: https://www.linsoul.com/product-page/moondrop-kxxs-iem

The Fragrant Zither (TFZ) has been making in-earphones for a few years now, however I have not actually had a chance to try any of them. Linsoul contacted me a couple months ago and sent me the newest TFZ, the No. 3 to try out and write a short review about, and so here I go.

The No. 3 comes in a rectangular long box and comes with a set of tips, a carrying fabric pouch, and 2-pin cables. The cable itself isn’t all that great, as it isn’t very easy to use, tangles, and just feels awkward. I opted to use my own cables to pair with the No. 3.

The shell of the TFZ No 3 looks a little large at first, but actually fits quite comfortably and does a good job of blocking out noise. The outside plate has a brushed metal look, however it’s just a decal, while the inner side of the shell is transparent showing off the driver and internals.

Sound

The TFZ No. 3 presents a V-Shaped sound signature which elevates bass and treble responses, while recessing mid-range. This typically is not a sound profile that I really like, but can tolerate when done coherently and not overly done, and for the most part the TFZ No. 3 does this well.

Bass response is the thing that sticks out the most on the No. 3. It has good sub-bass response, which is deep, impactful, rumbly, and boosted. It doesn’t feel muddy either, and sounds quite nice. The natural decay is clean and present.

Mid-range is coherent, though definitely behind the bass and treble in a typical V-sound. I found male vocals to be rich and full, while female vocals to be a little bit on the brighter side. The treble response is elevated and borders on harshness. While on most songs, I found the TFZ No. 3 to be on the good side of this fine line, there are occasional tracks where I found the treble boost to be a little fatiguing and bright.

TFZ’s only redeeming quality is its soundstage, which is wide and sometimes engulfing. The added treble boost, also gives the sound profile some air and this makes instruments sparkle a bit and give a sense of good forward details.

Comparisons



While I kept the main content a bit short, I’d like to give a quick set of comparisons here, as there is just so much out there right now in this price range that is of good quality that it’s hard to sift through it all.

TFZ No. 3 vs BGVP DMS and BGVP DMG



This the comparison I feel like people really want to know about. These three IEMs share very similar sound signatures. The DMS is open-back and will leak and let sound in. That said, I think it’s a very fun and coherent in-ear. The DMG is the same but in a closed-back form but just a little bit muddier and brighter than the DMS. Both, however, sound muddy and less resolving than the TFZ No. 3. In fact, I found the No. 3 to sound better across the board in terms of bass qualities, mid coherency than both BGVPs. I do still like the DMS for it's openness however.
TFZ No. 3 vs Moondrop Kanas Pro and Moondrop KXXS


The No. 3 has more apparent bass boost than both the Moondrop IEMs. Some may find it too much, and some may find it just right. I actually do like how much bass the TFZ presents, although I do not in any way shape or form consider myself a basshead. It’s just a fun, yet good sounding bass response at this price point. The Kanas pro and KXXS have more muted bass, but it’s clean, punchy and just enough warmth to make me happy. The Kanas Pro is a smoother overall sound than both the KXXS and No. 3 and I find the KXXS and No 3 to be equally on the brighter side of what I like, but both are just toned down enough to be overly distracting and fatiguing. I find the KXXS to actually be a little more bright than the No. 3.

TFZ vs Sony MH755


Finally, I find the TFZ No. 3 to be an improved Sony MH755 earphone. The MH755 is ultra-cheap yet very fun and sounds quite good for it’s offering price of free99, or $8 on eBay. The MH755 was a bit too bassy though, and the TFZ No. 3 has the right amount of bass reduction yet still is ever present, and also has a slightly tamer treble response and better resolution.


Overall
In the end, I find the TFZ No. 3 to be a good buy at $109 and can stack up against IEMs above it’s price range. For a V-shaped IEM, I’d take it over the BGVP series of DMS, DMG, as well as the DM6. I’d personally prefer the Moondrop Kanas Pro over it, but that’s a sound signature choice. I can definitely recommend the TFZ No. 3 as a good fun In-Ear.

If you are interested, please check out the product at Linsoul.com or on the LSR-Direct store on Amazon. The links below are direct to product links:

• https://www.linsoul.com/product-page/tfz-no3-no3ti-iem
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Linsoul-Generation-Earphone-Dynamic-Detachable/dp/B07SJZJW8B

Meze Audio is a headphone company based out of Romania and are most famous for their Meze 99 wood cup headphones, which have even recently seen a special Massdrop version made available. The company started making IEMs a couple years ago with budget offerings of the wooden Meze 11 and Meze 12, but these were targeted at entry level customers. Recently though, Meze has moved a little away from their wood crafted headphones and earphones and made an impressive looking carbon fiber and aluminum housing for their flagship planar-magnetic Empyrean and the aluminum CNC shells of the Meze Rai Penta.

The $1099 Rai Penta is the subject at hand, and this unit was provided on loan by Kitsune Hifi, who are also known as Holo Audio USA, and are a Meze Audio dealer and currently one of the few places in the world to order these in stock.

https://www.kitsunehifi.com/product...ive-driver-hybrid-technology-in-ear-monitors/






The Rai Penta gets its name from having 5 total drivers: 1 dynamic driver, 2 mid BA drivers and 2 high BA drivers – making the Rai Penta an interesting hybrid design. In addition, the CNC aluminum shell features a couple vents to equalize pressure and provided air for bass. The shell is absolutely stunning.

It’s a dark blue color in a very comfortable design that also sports anodized aluminum nozzle stem that is beautifully bored out with 3 holes at the front, and precision drilled holes for the vents. The Meze logo is milled out and engraved on the shell face giving this a very exquisite and luxurious and yet a modern simplistic look.

Fit with the Rai Penta is pain-free. This type of size and design really works well with my ears and I found them to be extremely comfortable and good enough isolating to make me happy, despite having vents.

The included cable is a tightly wound silver colored cable featuring mmcx connectors. The splitter and source connector are in a charcoal color and feature the Meze logo, and Meze Audio branding on them. Both are also made from anodized aluminum. Nice touches.

In addition to the ear-tips and cable, Meze packages the Rai Penta with a cleaning brush tool, a 1/4 inch adapter, an airplane adapter, a set of tips, and a very attractive EVA hard case. This zippered case, has a metal Meze Audio logo on the front and has storage pockets to carry accessories and the IEMs. I find these to be one of the better-looking cases included with in-ear phones.



Listener Profile

Before I hit the sound category, let me give you a little look into what I find neutral and what I am using in this review. First off, I tend to lean towards the Diffuse Field target as a neutral signature as opposed to the Harman Target curve which is popular today. My own preferred curve is somewhere in between the two, but more of a warm DF curve with less treble emphasis. As a reference, I currently am using the qdc Anole VX as my daily driver IEM, and before that the Campfire Solaris. I also really enjoy the Moondrop Kanas Pro and ER2XR as a more budget tier IEM that fits my sound signature well.

My sources used in this review include the RME ADI-2 DAC and it’s 3.5mm IEM output, and 4 different portable sources: The Astell & Kern SR15 A&Norma (warmer DAP), Pioneer XDP-300R (cooler and airy), Fiio M11 (neutral-ish airy), and the Samsung Galaxy S10e phone. I ended up using Final Audio E tips with the Fibae 7 for most of the usage.

Punchy Cleanliness

The Rai Penta presents a warm and slightly punchy diffuse-field like sound – that is, it is considered neutral with an intimate sound that doesn’t really emphasize any specific frequency over another. There is a small mid-bass hump that does pack the punchy character to an otherwise flat tuning.




I found the Penta to work really well with most genres. In London Grammar’s If You Wait album, which is a bit dark, simple yet full of intricate bass lines and guitar plucks, as well as the hallowing voice of Hannah Reid, the Rai Penta shows some good clean low end response that has impact when needed but may not rumble as hard as I want at times. Reid’s voice really does shine, while also providing a little depth and openness.

Where the Rai Penta does lack is the extension department. Subbass does roll-off slightly and the bass impact isn’t large or spectacular. It’s well-controlled, taut, and punchy. There is a small mid-bass hump, but minor enough to provide that punchy attack while not muddying up the waters in the mid range.

I found vocals to be evenly distributed across the board. Male vocals like Chris Stapleton sound accurate and warm. There’s enough thickness here to give it some meat.

There is a small dip in the lower treble which helps provide the Penta with some depth and stage but some may not like the possible hollowness it may bring. It’s not noticeable to me, as I’d take the small gain in width over a little dip here. That’s not to say the Rai Penta has a large soundstage or anything. It really doesn’t. It’s within the confines of your head space, and the lack of full treble extension in the upper bounds, does keep it from sounding refreshingly airy and sparkly. But it’s not also something I totally miss either. Rolling off treble a little early is much more preferred than say, exciting boosts to it which could create sibilance artifacts or shrill bright harsh artifacts.

The lack of treble extension does make the intro of a song like Beach House’s Lemon Glow missing the tick-tick-tick hi-hat that leads the song that extra energy to make stand out a bit. But the little bass bump does help push the kick drum up a bit to provide a little slam for an otherwise tame bassline in a song that can really shake with certain headphones. So in a sense, this song does sound a tad boring, especially when compared to a more U- or V-shaped sound profile which emphasizes the bass and treble areas.

In Norah Jones’s Seven Days, I found the Penta to be very engaging with good instrument separation between the bass strokes on the right ear and the guitar working its simple magic on the left. Jones’s voice sounds intimate and natural and coming at you right down the middle. During the section of the track where there’s a backup echo during the chorus, the vocals do seem a tad dry and missing some resolution, when compared to my qdc Anole VX, but that’s an IEM that’s double the price of this one. I did find this IEM comparable to the Custom Art Fibae 7, which I reviewed recently.

So, where does that leave the Rai Penta vs the competition?

I just hinted a little bit at this. But let’s run down a few select IEMs I’ve used a lot recently.





qdc Anole VX
The qdc Anole VX is my latest purchase and I am in love with it. It clicks a lot of boxes for me. Compared to the Meze Rai Penta is a tad unfair as it’s double the price. That said though, the Meze Rai Penta is a leaner sounding IEM compared to the VX. The flagship from qdc has a warmer rich tuning, no matter which switch you turn on versus the Rai Penta. The Penta also lacks some of the extension that the VX does, but can be punchier with that midbass hump that the VX does not exhibit. In general, the VX is an overall better IEM in technicalities, with clearer sound, detail resolution, and space, however the Meze does beat it in terms of a cleaner, more neutral sound, and a wonderful build and appearance.




Campfire Solaris
The Campfire flagship is a few hundred dollars more than the Meze flagship, and features a bigger bass boost which creates a thicker and warmer sound signature. The Meze may actually beat the Solaris in terms of bass resolution however, as the Solaris can sound sometimes a little smeared and lacking bass detail. That said, however, I like the bass decay and natural organic sound of the Solaris over the Rai Penta. The Penta does mids quite well, and tops the Solaris here working with vocals just a tad more cleanly. The Solaris however beats the Penta with it’s depth and height distance, while both are similarly wide. Treble on the Solaris sounds airier and more extended then the Penta, however with some people may find the additional treble boost a little harsh and fatiguing at times with the Solaris versus the Rai Penta.





Custom Art Fibae 7
The new flagship from Custom Art shares quite a bit of similarities to the Meze Rai Penta and I’ve captured much of it in my earlier review of the Fibae 7. Both follow a warm DF tuning, however the Penta sounds a bit punchier than the Fibae 7, and sometimes a little more detailed. The Rai Penta has the edge on soundstage over the more intimate Fibae 7, while the Fibae 7 extends slightly better. The Rai Penta design and aesthetics tops the charts for me, and the acrylic Fibae 7 housing can’t come close to the workmanship of the Rai Penta design.







Overall

The Meze Rai Penta is a solid addition to the Meze lineup. It’s tuned a tad safe, but it should be appealing for use with multiple genres. It does lack extension in subbass and treble, however, it does well with keeping a generally clean coherent sound. The mids can be a little troubled at times, but I found that the upper-mid range/lower-treble drop that is commonly done on IEMs at this level really benefits increasing soundstage, which I can accept (as per my Solaris and Anole VX purchases in the recent past).

The Rai Penta’s build is fantastic and the star of the show here. You really do get a great design that is also comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and the accessories package is on par if not topping many other IEMs in this price range.

So, at the end of the day, while I do like the Meze Rai Penta, I find it a tad boring for my tastes. I think it’s a good tuning though, and will work well for many people and I can recommend it as a purchase, however keeping in mind that there are many other IEMs in this general class that may perform at or better in one, two, three or more areas of sound.

Chapter 1: The Story Begins…

The story begins with happy antdroid listening to an enjoyable set of Campfire Audio Solaris in-ears but struggling with getting a good fit in the right ear. This was discussed in heavy detail in a previous review of the Solaris, so I’ll leave the details aside. After additional frustrations as I had now purchased a set of these to own, and battled on a daily basis on whether my ears would let me use them or not – it could have been due to sinuses/allergies, the weather, the time of day, the coffee I was drinking, or the mood I was in. Sometimes they fit effortlessly, and other times, I had to take them out due to throbbing ear pain. I started to give up…

And then the story continues on as my online audio buddy McMadFace, who I share a vast commonality of audio gear (headphones, IEMs, amps, dacs and portable players), and common music preferences, decides to go to CanJam SoCal. I was hoping to meet him up at this event, but due to some house work at home that needed to be done, I had to stay behind. So he gave me some reports through Discord, an internet chat service – like a modern IRC. The first thing that came from him was a photo of a blue box and a message that was basically, I listened to these for 10 minutes and I had to buy them. Wow. That must have left quite an impression!

This little toy was the Anole VX, a 10-BA (per side) flagship in-ear from Chinese audio company qdc. This in-ear features 4 bass BAs, 2 mid Bas and 4 treble BAs along with a 3-way crossover and 3 tuning dipswitches that can control bass, mids and treble – effectively adding a boost to each region. You can do combinations of each one as you like as well.

Chapter 2: Conflicts & Resolutions



So back to the story, you see, McMadFace also owned the Campfire Solaris and Astell & Kern SR15 pairing that I was running as a daily driver setup, and we also share very similar over-ears and music as mentioned before. So, if this thing caught his eye, I knew there was a chance I would like it, and it could solve my Solaris problems.

Problem was, the qdc Anole VX is not cheap. NOT CHEAP at all. It’s a $2350 IEM for the universal fit, and $250 more for a custom version. Problem #2 was that it’s not easy to find. It’s only available through two stores in the USA, and only 1 at the time I was looking just a month and half ago – Musicteck and more recently added, Moon Audio. Getting a demo of it was challenging, as Musicteck didn’t respond to my emails about it. So, my only option was to blind buy, find someone locally and then convince them to let me demo it, or wait for a smoking good deal used and buy it on blind luck, or of course, just ignore it.

But the itch was needing to be scratched, and by chance, JeffreyRock and I exchanged some random reddit comments on a completely different thread about the VX and he put me in touch with ValarMorgouda on Reddit, who was local to me and owned the VX. The next day, I was meeting up this VX owner at a park in the area and demoing the Anole VX.

Within 1 minute of listening to the VX, I knew I had to buy it. It was exactly what I was looking for – both sonically, fit, and comfort. Details for days. Bass that was present, rumbling sub-bass, and layers upon layers of bass resolution and attack, warm mids and extended treble that provided clarity and air that did not ever sound harsh. Yea, this was 1 minute of listening. I knew it. I listened for another 15 minutes or so just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

At the same time, he tried some of my other IEMs I had with me, and we both confirmed that the VX was the best of the bunch, and I shook his hand, went home and immediately placed an order, and then texted him the good news!

Chapter 3: New Beginnings




As luck would have it, Musicteck ran out of the open-box version I ordered, and gave me a brand new one at the discounted pricing. And they came quickly. A couple days later the box arrived….

The VX comes in a very large but well-designed box. It screams premium, and it should, for the price tag. It’s not the same as Sony’s IER-Z1R box, but it’s on par with the Campfire Audio unboxing. The box comes with a variety of tips and a nice blue jewelry box case – the same one McMadface snapped a photo of back then to show off his new toy. The included cable is quite reminiscent of the one that came with the Moondrop Kanas Pro In-Ear that I also own, except with the qdc c-pin style connectors.

What surprised me was when I took them out and compared them to the Solaris, I found that they were actually very similar in size. Both are much bigger than most IEMs, and are also on-par with the Z1R in size. That said, they weigh very lightly compared to the other two, and the shell design is reminiscent of a CIEM in nature. With that in mind, I found the smallest tips I could find, and put them on and inserted these in as deep as I could and the fit is CIEM-like. The VX blocks out everything and fit is perfect, and I can wear them for hours at a time. Coming from the bulky, heavy, and oddly shaped Solaris, this is a pleasure to wear.

Chapter 4: Audio Escapades




I mentioned it before, but I’ll reiterate it again – The VX has a balanced tuning with a slightly warmer low end than neutral, and a gentle elevated treble region that I don’t find bright or harsh. It follows closely to my target preference curve, and falls in-line somewhere in-between the popular Harman target curve and the Diffuse Field reference curves in the lower end of the response curve, and has a tamer upper-midrange and treble than the two targets.




The VX features an all-BA setup, which seems to be going out of style for flagship IEMs in favor of hybrid setup combinations dynamics and balanced armatures, and in some cases, electret drivers. BAs are well known for the detail, resolution, and speed. Some people don’t like how they respond to sub-bass, bass and feel they are missing natural decay, slam, impact, and rumble. The qdc VX is tuned to actually bring out a lot of these qualities and I’m happy to report that there is good subbass performance on these, with impact and slam when needed. Rumbling subbass is present on the songs that call for it, and the speed and attack of the bass is right up my alley.

The qdc Anole VX has 3 dip switches which can change the sound profile giving it 8 total combinations of sound preferences. For my review, I am only using the stock sound signature. For the most part, I found only the mid-switch on to sound well, and sometimes I'd like it if I was planning on listening to female-only vocals, since that boost helps that upper-midrange portion a little bit.




I prefer headphones such as planar magnetics over-ears, Focal’s house sound, and more recently the ZMF Verite. All of these exhibit highly detailed and layered bass with fast attack and transient speeds. The VX exhibits all of this with ease. I never sensed any bass bleed, and found bass attacks to be taut, quick, yet present. I don’t think someone who wants mega basshead slam will be totally disappointed, but it’s not quite up there in that category. The Sony IER-Z1R and Campfire Solaris are a little more bass slam and natural decay than the VX does, for instance.

One artist who I bring up from time to time is the Cocteau Twins. Usually, I am using Liz Fraser’s voice as a test for harshness and sibilance, but in this case, their great song, “Cherry-Coloured Funk” off of Heaven or Las Vegas, has some deep bass that really excels on the VX. The bass guitar really carries the song and is full of power, energy and you can hear it set the tone of the song through and through.

Now that Tool is back in business, I can’t go past the low-end section of this review without bringing up a band that is totally driven by their drums and bass and other low end noises. The new “Fear Inoculum” track from Tool has plenty of this, and the VX handles all the noises with ease. Depth and layering and the wideness all come into play here. The speed of the BA bass drivers also help make Danny Carey’s drumming on every track I listen to come in with full force and clarity, which doesn’t ever feel congested as a busy band like Tool can easily become.

“The Pot” is one of my favorite tracks from Tool, and the introduction of the song has voices coming in different directions and depth, while the bass guitar is forward and laying down the track. Drum hits in circles around you at varying distance and this is all captured well by the VX – much better than any IEM I’ve heard. Solaris is also good at this type of holographic representation of music, but I found it to be a bit too warm and can become congested in it’s elevated bass.

The mid-range is well balanced through the lower portions with a nice rich sound that is smooth and clean. Like I said previously, the bass doesn’t bleed at all, and so vocals are clean and with energy and feel thick and full-bodied. There is a slight drop in the upper mid-range, similar to how the Solaris behaves, and this trades some female hollowness with increase in depth and soundstage. Like Solaris, I didn’t feel this impacted the sound at all for me, although some may not like it as much.

The treble region is extended and a little boosted, however for me, never harsh. These BAs blast out detail and resolution like no other, and so there is a lot of information coming at you at once. Luckily, unlike the Tin P1 for example, the wider, deeper, and taller soundstage helps move information around you and that keeps things from being too overwhelming and congested. In fact, I found the VX to handle pretty much every song with ease – songs like Daft Punk’s Contact, where the busy passages are full of kick drums, snares, hi hats, bass guitars, and heavily distorted guitars buzzing along in crazy, controlled harmony.

I’ve been using a variety of test tracks for sibilance lately – mostly in the dance music genres. Yes, the music is compressed a bit, and it’s boosted bass and treble pop music, but it is a good test of how headphones handle that type of music. For the VX, I threw it against one of my favorite fun artist, Chromeo, and they didn’t have the edgy treble artifacts that I would hear on IEMs that are overly bright. When throwing on a few sibilance tests like Alvvays “Dreams Tonite” and Norah Jones’ “Seven Years”, the VX powered through Molly Rankin and Norah Jones’s vocals with ease and did not exhibit any sibilance or harsh treble peaks.

I have seen some users say that there is a little fatiguing with the VX, however myself personally, I have not found this to be the case. Perhaps I’m just used to it at this point, but I can happily listen to the VX for hours at a time without any pain, both mentally, and physically. I find that a big plus in my books.

While I have mentioned mostly rock and pop music so far in my writings, I do want to make it a point that I do listen to quite a variety of music – from country to classical, jazz to post-rock, hip hop and EDM, and a variety of other stuff. The only genre where I think some may find a little lacking are the ones where you want extreme bass levels and a longer decay of bass notes. I found the VX to fit a nice balance of bass speed and attack with impact, but some may long for a little bit more – some thing a traditional dynamic driver can present.

Chapter 5: VX Battles



Campfire Solaris
The Campfire Solaris and the Anole VX share similar sound profiles, however they do differ in how it’s presented. The Solaris is a hybrid with a single DD and 3 BAs, while the VX is solely relying on 10 BA drivers. The Solaris bass isn’t necessarily more impactful or anything, but it is definitely more elevated and warmer. This gives the low end a thicker and rich sound, however it does occasionally get muddy when compared side-by-side with VX. The Solaris also has a little bit more natural decay and speed, where the VX is fast and quick.
The midrange and treble are quite similar between the two, and both feature a small drop off in the upper-midrange which give both the holographic soundstage. I found the Solaris just a tad more shouty and fatiguing though.
And finally, in terms of comfort and fit, the Solaris is a bit heavier and more comfortable due to this, despite being similar in general size. The shell design and build of the Solaris is quite stunning though!




Meze Rai Penta
The Rai Penta is the flagship from Meze and is quite a looker. It’s also got a metal shell that looks more premium than the VX. The Rai Penta has a warm Diffuse Field signature which means that it has slightly elevated bass, and forward mid-range. It has a smaller soundstage than the VX and doesn’t sound quite as balanced and noticeably less extended in subbass and treble. The Rai Penta actually does drop off in the upper treble region a bit early. I tend to call the Rai Penta a safer tuning.


CustomArt Fibae 7
The Fibae 7 and Rai Penta have similar tuning, though Fibae 7 may even be more forward sounding. It’s much more intimate than the VX but has really wonderful mids that accentuate the female vocals and guitar strings. Like the Rai Penta, it doesn’t have as filled-in of a mid-range tuning, nor does it come close to the resolution and detail of the VX. While I do like the Fibae 7 a lot, I prefer the balance of all-around sound of the VX more.




Campfire Andromeda
The Campfire Andromeda is the famous green IEM that is quite popular. Playing it with different sources can vastly change it’s sound signature so comparing it is going to vary. Using a low impedance output amp, the Andromeda is bassier than the VX and does not share the same type of close-to-natural response that the VX does in this region. The Andromeda also has wider sound stage, in-part due to the lack of a forward sounding mid-range. It has a treble spike that makes it sparkle, and what it is most famous for, whereas the VX doesn’t really exhibit this type of behavior.



Chapter 6: Aftermath




The VX quickly entered my life and I find it is here to stay for a long, long time. I’ve said this before and changed my mind, but I feel a little different this time. I think I found an IEM that really suits my preferences, musical interests, comfort, fit and build and that’s been something I’ve struggled with for a very long time.

The VX’s strongest suit is that it is incredibly resolving and is a detail monster. It pairs with a balanced sound signature that has enough bass presence to satisfy many genres, and a upper mid-range and treble that isn’t over-bearing and harsh, while still retaining a good sense of air and a wide and deep soundstage.

I feel like the only thing that could top this would be the same sound signature in a hybrid form. Yea, there is something out there that kind of fits this description – the Sony IER-Z1R – a dual dynamic and single BA flagship. I’ve only tried it out for about 15-20 minutes, and I was mostly concerned with how it would fit long-term, as it is also very large, heavy and has a somewhat unique design. While they had similar measurements, the sound was quite different due to the differences in driver usage as well. The Z1R’s bass was bigger but I also felt the treble was a bit sharper and bordered on being a little too hot – sort of a Sony trademark signature it seems.

I’d like to try it again with more playing time, and more tips at my disposal to test comfort and sonic changes, but in the meantime, I am quite happy with the VX overall. It’s my daily driver and makes me smile every day.

This review was originally posted on my blog: https://www.antdroid.net/2019/08/qdc-anole-vx-review.html

When I was considering buying a Custom In-Ear Monitor (CIEM) a while back, a company that seemed to get a lot of recommendation for being a good entry level audiophile CIEM was Custom Art, based in Poland. They were considered relatively inexpensive, while delivering capable and likable products.



Up until now, I still had not ever tried a Custom Art product, but with Headphones.com adding more inventory of new brands this year, and Custom Art being one of them, I was asked recently if I wanted to take advantage of the Community Preview Program at The Headphone Community, and try out the all-new flagship from Custom Art – The Fibae 7, in a limited edition universal-fit Anniversary Blue color.



The Package


The Anniversary Blue Fibae 7 was sent to me with just the neoprene zip up carrying pouch, along with a few tips and the IEMs and cable. I do not know if the real unit will have any additional packaging to go along with it at this time.



The cable features a 2-pin connection and is a bright white/silver colored cable that is thin and lightweight and very easy to handle and use. There’s a chin strap cinch that is useful if you want less cable movement and the connection at the source is a right-angled 3.5mm jack.



The Fibae 7 features 7 balanced armature drivers and features a patent-pending “Flat Impedance” design. The seven drivers include 2 sub-low, 1 low-mid, 2 mid-high, and 2 top firing tweeters and while most multi-BA IEMs feature low impedance which can cause wild fluctuations with sources, the Flat Impedance technology uses is supposed to minimize any source impact on sound.











Listener Profile
Before I hit the sound category, let me give you a little look into what I find neutral and what I am using in this review. First off, I tend to lean towards the Diffuse Field target as a neutral signature as opposed to the Harman Target curve which is popular today. My own preferred curve is somewhere in between the two, but more of a warm DF curve with less treble emphasis. As a reference, I currently am using the qdc Anole VX as my daily driver IEM, and before that the Campfire Solaris. I also really enjoy the Moondrop Kanas Pro and ER2XR as a more budget tier IEM that fits my sound signature well.



My sources used in this review include the RME ADI-2 DAC and it’s 3.5mm IEM output, and 4 different portable sources: The Astell & Kern SR15 A&Norma (warmer DAP), Pioneer XDP-300R (cooler and airy), Fiio M11 (neutral-ish airy), and the Samsung Galaxy S10e phone. I ended up using Final Audio E tips with the Fibae 7 for most of the usage.



Tuning


The CustomArt Fibae 7 quickly reminded me of a warmer, more detailed and more exacting version of the Etymotics ER-series of in-ears. That is, a diffuse-field tuned IEM that has a slight bump in the bass region that provides a little more warmth and energy. I have not heard the ER4XR before nor have I heard the ER3XR, but given that they are less elevated than the ER2XR that I do have, I imagine that the Fibae 7 is on-par with that type of sound profile.











Some will find the bass a little lacking, depending on where you come from, but for me, the bass is nicely defined, has some extension, though don’t expect any low-end rumble, or punishing impact. Bass lines are well layered and textured, and provide plenty of detail. As this is a multi-balanced armature IEM, the bass is fast and quick and may not provide a basshead that needed slow decay and punch. It’s also not tuned to do that. Instead, you’ll be rewarded with a nice clean presentation that provides enough elevation to give a little body to the male vocals and the lower midrange.



Speaking of which, the mids are very coherent. Transition between bass to lower mids and into the upper mids is smooth and I find very appetizing. Male vocals have a little bit more body than female vocals, but both are equally weighted in terms of presence.



The upper registers of the Fibae 7 are pushing the boundaries of being harsh, but is toned down just enough to provide none of the harshness to me, and also no sibilance. CustomArt made a good balancing act here, and I was rewarded with clean, airy soundscapes and clarity. Treble isn’t quite as extended as I had hoped, but still does not seem like I am missing much with it rolling off.



Imaging is pretty well done here. There’s clear separation of instruments despite it having a soundstage that is between the ears. Depth and height aren’t as big as I would like, and this IEM is more of a left to right soundstage than a 3D holographic one that I have gotten more used to with the Solaris and the VX more recently.



In some selective track listening….


Daft Punk’s Contact:

This track from Random Access Memories starts off with a spacey soundscape and radio transmissions which sound a little more intimate that I would like. The transition into the main song doesn’t quite have the impactful drum kicks and sustained decay either, but instead hit with tight precision as do the cymbals, which aren’t overly splashy and sound on point. During the busiest section of the song, which is one the most busy tracks in my normal rotation, I found that the Fibae 7 handles it well and never sounds congested or smeared. When comparing to the Campfire Solaris in this track, I found the Solaris to struggle a little bit more with the congestion, however details were more resolving and defined, and the bass impactful and bigger with the Solaris than the Fibae 7.



M83’s Atlantic Sud:

This is a track where the Fibae 7 really excels in. Despite being made by the dancey-electro-rock band M83, this is a slower piano ballad featuring Mai Lan trading her beautiful French vocals with M83’s Anthony Gonzales back and forth. The Fibae 7 handles this song with grace and elegance and is ultra-smooth throughout. Both male and female vocals bounce of each other with ease and equally distributed.



Some other genres to note:

The Fibae 7 isn’t going to be the best for music that requires a big bassline or big drums like electronic dance music, hip hop, and the like. It’s well suited for vocals, vocals and more vocals. It also plays well with most rock



Comparisons










Campfire Solaris

The Solaris is a much bigger and heavier IEM, over doubling the weight of the Fibae 7. The fit can be challenging with the Solaris, as I personally experienced this and documented it in my previous review of the Campfire product. The Solaris provides a bigger dynamic driver-led bass section that punches, extends, and feels more lively than the Fibae 7. It also provides greater warmth and musicality to the signature. The Fibae 7 is tighter, faster, and has less hollow vocals, but may sound a tad boring and sterile when compared to the Solaris. It also has a much smaller soundstage in all directions than the Solaris.











Meze Rai Penta

The new Rai Penta is the flagship IEM from the Romanian outfit, Meze. The major aesthetic difference between the two is the Rai Penta uses a very attractive CNC machined aluminum alloy shell that is quite a looker. Both feature very similar sound signatures, a warmer diffuse-field-like tuning. The Penta plays it just a tad more safe though, with less extension on both sides, but has punchier bass. On a detail resolution stand point, I find both on par with each other, with maybe a slight nod to the Penta.









Campfire Andromeda

The Andromeda features both more elevated and punchier pass than the CustomArt Fibae 7, but lacks the midrange presence and vocal clarity. The Andromeda provides much more treble sparkle than the Fibae 7 but I find the Fibae 7 more tonally correct and more coherent in general. It’s also much less sensitive to output impedance than the Andromeda due to it’s Flat Impedance technology.








Overall


At the end of the day, I find the CustomArt Fibae 7 a very appealing package despite a generally safe tuning approach. Its minor issues are really only present if you want big bass or need a grand soundstage, but other than that, this is a very engaging, coherent, and well-tuned package, and one that is an upgrade upon something like the Etymotics ER series.



I do find myself really enjoying this IEM because it works for so any of the genres I listen to the most, and that’s a big plus in my books. There are some things I wish it could do better, but I’m pleased with how this one turned out and would consider it as a good reference-type tuning if I wanted to go towards a CIEM in that profile.

In this quick review, I’ll do a shoot-out between the newly released Moondrop Spaceship and the popular Final Audio Design E1000. First off, I purchased both of these earphones through Amazon and 46 Audio websites, however the Moondrop Spaceship will be transferred over to someone else after this review is complete.



Moondrop is a Chinese brand that has made some really well-liked earphones (both IEM and earbuds) that have been tuned to their preferential tuning, which is quite similar to the Harman Target Curve. Their products have ranged from $10 to $330 ear buds and $20 to $666 in-ear monitors, with the most popular models being the Kanas Pro and the A8. The Spaceship is the newest and cheapest of the Moondrop in-ear lineup.









Final Audio Design is a Japanese company that has a large lineup of in-ear monitors, and a few headphones including the D8000 Planar Magnetic over-ear. Their entry level E-series IEMs are extremely popular as well as the included E-tips which can also be purchased separately. The E1000 is the latest and cheapest model in this series which featured the E2000 and E3000.









What’s Included


Both IEMs feature the IEMs, a series of tips, and a boxed packaging. The Moondrop Spaceship also comes with a fabric pouch and a few cards. The tips that are included with the Final E1000 are extremely popular, as mentioned previously, and are one of nicer tips available on the market, and retail for $15 on their own. So, the $25 price tag for the Final E1000 is quite nice considering this fact.



The Moondrop Spaceship comes in a very nice metal shell that is much smaller in-person that you may be led in photos. It’s simple, yet attractive and reflects everything. The cable is simple and non-detachable, but quite usable. It also features metal splitter and connectors.



In contrast, the Final E1000 has a very cheap plastic shell, thinner and more crude looking cable, but does terminate in a 90 degree 3.5mm connector, which is quite handy for using on the go. Unfortunately, that little win doesn’t take the battle here. The Spaceship’s build, cable quality, and accessory package wins here, handedly.



Sound


Both the Final E1000 and Moondrop Spaceship feature their own musical style though they do have some similarities. Both are on the lighter side in terms of bass and warmth and are more treble focused.









The E1000 sounds rather hollow. It is a little warmer sounding than the Spaceship but that’s really due to the fact that its mid-range is really unacceptable. Its flat, and sounds missing and recessed. There’s also a spike in the treble region that can cause problems with harshness occasionally, but I found this could change vastly with tips and insertion depth. But the problem still lies in the non-coherent mids, where I feel like the region after 1K and before 5K is just missing, and causes that hollow sound.



The Moondrop Spaceship, on the other hand, has much more midrange presence and that makes vocals clean, clear and more natural. It is a tad light on the bass end, but does feature a mid-bass hump that is enough to provide a little punch, when needed. Still, I found it could be a little warmer. So, instead, the Moondrop tries to approach a more Diffuse Field tuning, and for the most part it does it pretty well. Given, it’s $20 price tag, it’s really hard to kick at it for being a little bass-light and maybe a little too boosted that could some people leaving fatigued from brightness, but for me, I find it good to listen to for a period of time.



Both of these in-ears have pretty narrow soundstage and imaging is not the best. I find the Spaceship quite a bit more resolving than the E1000, and generally just easier to listen to and to perform better in all aspects. It’s not much of a contest as I had hoped going into this review, when I purchased the E1000 and then a short time after, the Spaceship.



Overall
At the end of the day, this is a really easy showdown. I like the Spaceship in pretty much every single way. It’s also less expensive. Easy peasy. It’s not a tuning for everyone, let’s just make that really clear. But if you’re looking for a lighter signature that is vocal focused, this one isn’t that bad of a choice for $20.



If you want a more bassy, richer, warmer and more exciting in-ear at budget pricing, take a look at a few others. Let’s talk about those now.









The Focal Spark


The Spark is a budget Focal that has seen some wild sales where they go as low as $20, which is much less than their original $79 price. I picked it up for $20 on Amazon last year and found them to be a very good V-Shape at that price. Extremely good to be honest. Fast transients, warm, rich sound, and a V-shape that isn’t too muddy.









Sony MH755

The Sony freebie is exceptionally good for $6-8. It’s included free with their Bluetooth adapters, and a similar model, the MH750, is included with their cell phones. It’s a warm, bassy yet quite coherent in-ear that is quite a bit bassier and warmer than the Harman Target but has a similar upper-midrange and treble curve. It’s a steal for $6 on eBay.







And now the real conclusion…
I’d take either the Focal or Sony over the Spaceship and E1000 in my battle of the Bullets, though I find the Spaceship quite good at $20, especially if you want a leaner sounding in-ear. Really, that and the Sony can be perfect partners for under $30. Not too bad.

Etymotics Research is a well-established company researching and developing products and tools for safer hearing and their ER4 series of in-ear canal phones have been around for a very long time with great popularity and success.

A few years ago, they released the latest ER4 series, the ER4SR (Studio Reference) and ER4XR (Extended Response), using their latest balanced armature driver. This was soon followed by ER3 series, which reduced the impedance and moved its production from the USA to China and reduced the price by half while providing similar sound profiles in both the SR and XR versions, named ER3SE (Studio Edition) and ER3XR (Extended Response).

Earlier this year, the ER2 series was released to market. The unique different between the ER3 and ER4 with the ER2 is the balanced armature style driver has been replaced with a more traditional dynamic driver, in a tiny micronized fashion to fit in the same shell design as the ER3/ER4 series.

THE ER2 SERIES

The ER2 series comes with the same accessories as the ER3 series – a carrying pouch, a set of small and large tri-flange silicone tips, a set of foam tips, and an extra pair of filters and a tool to remove them. Like the ER3/ER4, the cable is detachable and features an mmcx connection just like the formers. The housing and cable split are now in a royal blue color as opposed to a more traditional black and gunmetal colorway.


ER2 DYNAMIC DRIVER

Users of the BA versions of the Etymotics will be right at home with the Eytmotics house sound – a Diffuse Field signature that essentially puts every frequency on a level playing field – some may call it neutral. It’s a great reference sound signature that is easily appreciated and maybe somewhat boring.

The dynamic driver versions are actually quite nice. They add a more natural tonality to them, with ever so subtle changes in how the ear phones sound in your ear, despite measurements of the ER2 and ER3 Studio Editions being quite similar. The ER2SE does have a slightly warmer sound than the respective ER3 and ER4 siblings, and this does help make the organic sound of the dynamic driver shine a bit. The slight bass boost also gives a little more energy all around, while still being a bit sterile in nature.


The XR version features a bigger bass boost than the XRs of the BA variety and with the dynamic driver in tow, the warmer, richer sound is very engaging and just the right amount of gain that is needed to turn the sterile SE version into a musical gem. The ER2XR also has a slightly more noticeable wider soundstage, which helps a little bit with congestion.

The XR and SE pack a lot of detail retrieval and resolution into a small form factor, and outclass anything at $129 and easily above other price points until you, of course, reach its older siblings. And while the BA versions do have quite good technicalities and an airy sound to them, I still prefer the dynamic ER2 over them for their more natural tonality and timbre and their improved bass and low-end performance.

The XR in particular has a thicker sound than what I was expecting, and even has some subbass rumble to it. The mids aren’t quite as forward and clean as the SE model, but both still perform will with respect to their traits. The dynamic driver is quick and fast, and cleaner than I would ever expect one to be at the price point it’s selling for, especially for a well-established respected company like Etymotics.

ISOLATION

For isolation, I put the ER2 to the test on the Fourth of July. With fireworks booming and blasting everywhere around me outside, I stuck the ER2, tri-flange tips, in and it muffled all but the most loudest and most illegal of fireworks. And that was with no music playing! These are great for noisy environments. They won’t cut out everything, but they’ll do a lot better job than most passive and active noise cancellation systems. With a little faint volume music playing, all the fireworks celebrations vanished. Magic.

OTHER COMPARISONS

I wanted to touch base with a few other IEMs in this price range that I really like a lot. Namely, the Moondrop Kanas Pro and the BGVP DMS. They are considerably different than the ER2 but worth looking at.

Moondrop Kanas Pro
First the Moondrop Kanas Pro is a more Harman Tuning than the Diffuse Field tuned ER2SE, so right off the bat, you’re going to hear a lot more bass quantity and more recessed mids in the Kanas Pro than the ER2SE. The XR variant, however, does have a warmer bass boost, and actually results in a richer mid section that’ll make male vocals more thick and natural. The Kanas Pro will beat both variants in terms of soundstage and air, and gives it a much more open space. That said, the ER2s meet or exceed the Kanas Pro in details and just general tonality.




BGVP DMS
The BVGP DMS is almost the complete opposite, but I really like it. It’s open-back and does not seal at all. So that’s a night and day difference from the Etymotics. But the DMS has a lot more “fun” factor in that it boosts both the bass and the treble response and provides a very open soundstage that can make your feet move, much more easily than the more sterile and toned down ER2 series. This is a complete 180 from the ER2 series and both would compliment each other quite well for a fun and an analytical IEM duo.

OVERALL

At the end of the day, this review has kind of gone a little bit all over the place, and maybe I can blame that for writing bits and pieces of it over a week’s time instead of coherently writing it in a shorter period of one or two sittings. Luckily, I don’t need to say a whole lot more other than that everyone should try one of these models out. They may surprise you with how much better they work than many active noise cancellation headphones out there, and then shock you again with how good they actually sound for a great price. They do go heel to heel and perhaps best the ER3, and could even be preferred to the ER4, depending on sonic preferences.

You may ask, which do I prefer?
I prefer the ER2XR over the SE. The bass boost provides are more enjoyable warmer experience that I think will benefit for plane and train travel, as well as just giving a more relaxing listen. The SE does a lot of things right however, and I think many will enjoy the more analytical nature of it as well.

Introduction
The all-new IO is the latest from Campfire Audio, and features a whole new packaging style and build than their previous iterations. The new IO features two balanced armature drivers within each of its garnet red shells. The IO has a sensitivity of 109 dB SPL/mW and 26 ohm impedance at 1KHz, and is being offered at $299, putting it between the Campfire Comet and Campfire Orion, in terms of affordability.


I received this loaner unit as part of The Community Preview program at The HEADPHONE Community, which is hosted by headphones.com. This review was conducted over a couple weeks using various sources (DAPs, desktop amp/dacs, and out of an iPad).

This review was originally published at https://www.headphones.com/blogs/news/campfire-audio-io-dual-balanced-armature-iem-review

The All-New Campfire Package

Campfire Audio products have all featured interesting and unique sound signatures that may or may not appease everyone, including myself, but one thing that is universally praised is their packaging and bundled accessories. They’ve always hit high marks with their presentation, quality and abundant accessories and customer service, and the 2019 refresh takes the high benchmark to another level.

The new packaging is a real treat to open up and look at. CFA stepped up their already top-tier packaging and accessories bundle for this new line of IEMs. I was surprised to see that this came with 3 sets of mesh shell cases. These cases were recently offered to help protect the anodized shells from scratches and dents, and now you’ll have a few extras in case you lose one or two.

The garnet-colored shell is more of a dark red/purple tint than what I thought of in the photos, but they look stunning to me. The gold-plated screws contrast perfectly with the red shells and really make these look striking.



The IO also changed the shallower nozzles from their previous lineup and replaced them with the longer Solaris-style nozzles and this makes this shell much more comfortable for me than the Andromeda/Orion and previous generation Campfire products. I barely feel these on my ears and the sharp edges don’t touch the back of my ears anymore.



The new storage case design is reminiscent of a small coin purse, and looks very nice. It’s made of real leather, and hand-made in Portugal. The outside of the case is soft, but sturdy enough, and the inside is padded with wool-like material. It definitely smells the part of genuine leather.

Finally, the new dark gray colored cable is a treat to use, especially when compared to the previous cables used in Campfire products. The cable is thinner than the ones packaged with the Andromeda and Solaris, which I have with me, but is much more usable. Gone away is the memory wire hooks, and replaced is a pre-formed hook that I very much prefer. The cable is soft and flexible, and does not tangle easily, which is a huge improvement over the previous cables.




IO's Unique Sound

The Campfire IO has an interesting, and unique signature and I think it’ll be unusual to many people. The IO is a relatively flat tuning, but has a different mids-profile than more common sound signatures do, which may put many people off. Besides, that, the IEM has very good technicalities and wide soundstage with plenty of details. But let’s go over some of the things I’ve discovered in more detail during my time with the IO.



Bass
The low end of the IO is extremely clean and has a touch of warmth to it. The subbass does dig down, but generally stays even keeled throughout. There’s a lot of good to say about how fast the bass attack is, and how good the layer is in this area. It takes a similar general approach of the Campfire Orion in this regard, but boosts the bass and extends it further down, all the while, improving upon its detail level.

This is not an IEM for bassheads. Its for someone who likes quality over quantity and I think the IO does well here, and generally recommend it for songs that are focused more on bass and treble, as it does both of those quite areas quite well.

Mids
The mids are another story though. I find them quite wonky, and it has a lot to do with the sharp peak between 1-2KHz followed by a complete cliff, which enders the upper mids almost absent. This is where I find the IO to have quite a “unique” signature. Because of this, I find that a lot of the presence energy inadequate and lacking.
In terms of listening, I find vocals are recessed and off, and specifically female vocals have a weird haze to it. Cymbals, guitars, and other string instruments also exhibit this behavior. It has a low fidelity sound to it – a veil. Deeper male vocals don’t exhibit the same issues as females, though there still is a weird tinny-haze to them occasionally.

In more detail, for a few songs I listened to which feature prominent female vocals like “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, the voice of Stevie Nicks is just off. The bass line sounds good, but the cymbals just lose their sense of splash. Nick’s voice is extremely distant, and not only that, she sounds like she’s off-stage behind the curtains somewhere. It’s like the drummer is playing on stage by himself, and the rest of the band is behind the curtains. It’s unusual to me.

In another track, Norah Jones’ “Seven Days”, the haze is not quite as apparent when listening. Jones’ voice doesn’t suffer quite as severely as Nicks does, but I can hear just the slightest of energy missing. It’s not until I start A-Bing back and forth with other IEMs that I notice the severe lack of mids.

I A-B’d many IEMs with the IOs to get a grasp of how other IEMs stack up and one by one switching between the IO and the other model (e.g. Etymotics ER3SR, BGVP DM7, Moondrop Kanas Pro, Campfire Solaris, Campfire Andromeda, Knowledge Zenith ZS7, to name a few), it was like lifting the curtains and letting the rest of the band be heard again.

Going from one of the “other” models and back to IO was like sucking the energy right out of the room. To me, it felt like a bright sunny day, with glorious spring time flowers and animals walking around, and then all of the sudden, dark clouds rolling in, darkening the scene, and the cute animals hiding in fear of the incoming weather. Maybe this is a little bit of an exaggeration, but for someone who is used to listening to more balanced mids, I find the IO tuning of this area very lacking.

Treble
The treble region performs well on the IO, despite the upper mid void. The IO extends further into the treble ladder than the Orion and with more sparkle and air than the Comet. While cymbals and hi-hats have good splashy characteristics, they do sound a tad hazy and muffled, as is the entire sound profile.

Equalizer
To attempt to see if I could adjust the frequency response to further match my preferred sound signature, I tried to elevate the upper mid between 3 and 5KHz up quite a bit to bring presence energy back and for the most part it’s successful. That said, it’s not perfection. The edges of vocals and strings have fringes of hazy artifacts remaining, and this could be a combination of the extreme equalizer gains and the remnants of the unique sound signature the IO presents.


Select Comparisons



Etymotics ER3SE
The Etymotics brand started the In-Ear headphones phenomenon and their diffuse-field tuning has remained consistent and popular over the years. The ER3SE is one of their newer single BA products and makes a great comparison and contrast to the IO. The ER3 and the Etymotics bread and butter ER4SR have similar sound profiles, so this generalization can be attributed to both models.

The IO outpaces the Etymotics in soundstage width and depth, and the dual-BA set up really help the IO extend bass and treble better than the ER3SE. I found the detail resolution of the IO to also outshine the Etymotics, however it’s the mid-range tuning that I find the ER3 outperforming the IO by a significant distance. Much of this is already covered in the main body of the review, so I won’t go over it again. The ER3 is a much more intimate sound, but is very neutral and balanced sounding, albeit maybe lacking a little bit of sub-bass and general bass response. The IO does everything right and better for me, except the mids.




Campfire Andromeda
A lot the initial discussion when IO was announced was whether it would be the “baby Andromeda” or not, much like the Orion was hyped up to be. While I find the IO is closer to the Orion as a “baby Andro” contender, it’s not quite there due to its mid-range issues. The bass is lighter on the IO than on Andromeda, but the treble region is equally as exciting and impressive. The mids, while somewhat tame and laid back on the Andromeda, is much more balanced and even-keeled, and does not sound off to me.




BGVP DM7
The latest BGVP DM7 IEM is priced similarly at $299 as the IO. The two differ quite a bit after that. The DM7 bass response is slower, but denser, but still well controlled. The IO extends higher and has a much wider soundstage and I’d also give the nod to IO for detail retrieval and general technical ability. Again, the mids is where these differ quite a bit, with the DM7 having a much more mid-forward sound, and the IO having a distant, and unique mid signature.



Moondrop Kanas Pro
The Moondrop Kanas Pro is priced at $179 and one of my favorite IEMs at any price point. The Kanas Pro follows a tuning reminiscent of the Harman IEM Target Curve with slightly less lower-bass elevation. As some may know, the mids of the Harman Curve as a little bit recessed, but I find that the Kanas Pro is still more up front in the mid-range than the IO. The bass elevation is similar on both, but the IO is quicker and has better layering. The Moondrop Kanas Pro detail is similar but may be a tad behind the IO, but the general sound signature is much more coherent across the board. The IO extends treble noticeably better than the Kanas Pro, due to its upper end energy.




Overall

Overall, I found the IO to be technically capable and having a lot to like about them, however with one single fatal flaw – the mid-range issues. To me, I enjoy upper midrange to be a little bit more forward, and to provide the energy to what I am listening to. It does not have to be over the top and doesn’t even need to be totally even – see my Solaris review – but the IO just doesn’t cut it. The excessive 1.5KHz peak topped with the absent upper-mids makes this something I personally do not enjoy for about 85% of my music library.

The few genres I did find the IO to work well in are some male-dominated acoustic music, drum and bass music, trip hop, and other genres that focus much more heavily on the upper and lower bounds of the audible spectrum. There’s just too much veil in the mids to make me content with listening to music in a different way than I have my entire life.

That’s a little bit unfortunate because I otherwise love the IO’s package. Great build, color choices, fit, accessories, and presentation, to go along with some really great detail resolution, speed, and a wide soundscape that mark the high points of the IO.

In the end, I was hoping for an improvement in the Orion, which in many ways it did, but it also killed off the best part of the Orion – the mid-range coherency.

The ZS7 has been out for a while now, but I haven’t had a chance to take a listen to it until more recently, thanks to Head-Fier, HiFlight, sending me his review sample, which was provided to him by YooAudio.com.

The ZS7 is the newest version from their line of Campfire clones, starting with the plastic ZS5, the metal ZS6, and now this. I never had the opportunity to listen to the original ZS5, but both the ZS5 v2 and ZS6 had very wide soundstage, impactful bass, but incredibly sharp, harsh, and sibilant treble.

From listening to the ZS7 now, it looks like Knowledge Zenith (KZ) has taken some of the feedback and toned down the ZS7’s treble range and made it a much more enjoyable listen, which is nice to see. The ZS7 still features a big bass boost that can occasionally bleed over and become muddy in busy sections, and struggles a bit with busy sections of songs.




The toned-down bass does also make the soundstage narrower than the ZS6, but that’s an acceptable trade-off since the ZS6 treble was piercing bright and I could not use it for more than just a few minutes.

Anyway, this is going to be a rather short review, but I believe the ZS7 is a decent purchase, but for the same price range of $50 or under, I would strongly recommend the following IEMs:

KZ ZS10 Pro – More balanced sound, slight V-shape, warmer, good extension.

Tin Audio T2 – Neutral Diffuse Field sound. Good mids. Slightly harsh, but cleaner and more detailed than ZS7

BGVP just released the BGVP DM7 and are right back at it with this new semi-open back DMS model that is seen as an upgrade on the DMG. A short time ago, someone posted a quick measurement of the DMS and it looked quite nice, especially when considering the DMG and DM6. I was busy reviewing the DM7 though and sort of forgot about the DMS at the time. The DM7 turned out to be a nice intimate sound, which was pricier than the rest of the BGVP lineup at the time. But I had the DMS in the back of mind.

Lucky for me, Linsoul sent me a review unit of the BGVP DMS recently and I had a few weeks now of listening to it, and spoilers ahead, once I put them on, I have a hard time taking them off. But there are a bunch of quality IEMs that have just come out at this price range and I’ll try my best to compare to them in this review of the DMS. So, let’s get started!

New Looks




The new DMS features a new housing that takes a lot of the stylings of the DMG, and adds a beveled circular grill on the shell. This semi-open look provides air for the single dynamic driver to play with, and that along with the 6 balanced armature drivers in each shell are packaged within this metal housing. The shell also features mmcx connections, and the included cable is a bit generic and standard. This is a bit disappointing considering the premium and attractive cables that came with the DMG, DM6 and DM7 IEMs.

In terms of fit and wearability, I found that, like the DMG, I can easily wear the DMS for hours upon hours. The shell size and shape really go well with my ear anatomy and I have nothing but good things to say about this area.

Isolation will definitely be an area of concern here for those who want to completely block off external noise. The grill on the front has large enough holes that you can hear your surroundings with no music on pretty well, and it’ll let a little bit in while music is playing. I didn’t find this too distracting, but I wouldn’t recommend these for transportation and plane travel. In addition to poorer isolation, these do leak sound out of the grill. That said, you have to be really blasting music to make your ears hurt before anyone can hear the music, unless they were right up against your ear for some reason.

The Sound

The DMS is a fun, foot-moving listen. It has a slightly less V-shaped sound than it’s older brother DMG, but it still retains a boosted bass and dipped mids, but the upper mids and treble is much smoother and restrained than the DMG and the DM6. This gives it an overall very warm, yet lively listen that is both wide, fast, and entertaining.



It’s not without faults though. The bass, while very fast and surprisingly toned down from the DMG and DM6, still is missing some key things. First, it is not very detailed and tricky bass layering and textures feel smeared and dirty. It’s weighty and has impact, but the dynamic driver is also nimble and fast. I found this to be quite enjoyable on fast-electronic dancey tracks like Chromeo’s Must’ve Been and Count Me Out.

Sub-bass has nice rumble and extends quite well. I felt it when I listen to some tracks that push those limits – for example, local Seattle drummer, KJ Sawka, and his “Subconnectors” track has some deep electronic bass lines that provide backup to his drumming. The impact of each drum hit, and the panning of the electronic samples and Christa Wells echoes feels quite wide and positioned pretty well for this type of budget class.

Pretty Lights, who I find to be a more modern DJ Shadow, and his track, “Gazing at the Glare” has similar bass impact and wide instrumentation and sampling that just works well with the DMS. In these electronic dance tracks, I don’t necessarily look for clean, taut, and well detailed bass and so the DMS does excel here in my opinion. It struggles more in rock music where I want to hear the intricacies of the bass guitar and the kick drums and what not.

The mids are recessed a few dB and in practice, this doesn’t seem to really rear any significant troubles. The lower mids are warm and rich, with male vocals slightly behind, while female vocals sound more forward. Guitar strings are accentuated slightly with this V-shape signature, but with the tamer upper-mids and treble than that of the DM6 and some other Chinese IEMs and other generic V-shape in-ears, there is never a sense of harshness at all. Sometimes that can make the mids a tad dull, but I find there is enough bite here to make it lively.

Treble, as mentioned before, is nice and relaxed, yet extended. I find it one of the strongest parts of this IEM and it has a great sense of air, especially with the open-back and open sound. The fact that it’s generally even and extended makes it a much better listen than the DMG and the DM6, which I found could be quite harsh and bright with certain genres, recordings, and songs.

Comparisons

Here is a selection of other $150 IEMs that I have enjoyed in the past or are new to the scene and would be competition to the BGVP DMS:

Etymotics ER2XR
The latest line from the original In-Ear company, Etymotics, is their dynamic driver-based ER2 series. I not had a chance to listen to the ER2SE (Studio Edition) model, but I recently purchased the ER2XR (Extended Range) version which features a warmer, and elevated bass response than the standard diffuse-field-like sound signature of the SE models. I also did try out the ER3SE (BA-based model). The ER2XR is quite a good IEM with great isolation and that trumps the open-back DMS. The DMS has punchier and more bass response, however the ER2XR has a surprisingly warm and rich sound with as quick if not quicker bass response than the DMS. ER2XR wins on clarity, imaging, and resolution, but the DMS wins out, in spades, with width and soundstage.

Moondrop Kanas Pro
The Moondrop Kanas Pro is still my top overall pick in this price class, and the reason being is that it has a great all-around sound profile that works across multiple genres. It has less bass impact and rumble than the DMS but it’s ever-present. It’s sound signature is more flat and probably more tonally correct, but it also does not extend quite as well and it’s treble isn’t as even. With the Moondrop Kanas Pro, I find it’s a great choice for everyone, while the DMS is a more fun, get your body moving type of sound.





BGVP DMG
The DMG is the predecessor to the DMS and it really doesn’t do anything better in any sound category. In terms of cable, it does beat it though. The DMG has more bass and more elevated treble, but both are borderline over-done. The saving grace for the DMG was that it had very coherent mids for a V-shaped IEM, but the DMS has taken this to another level in terms of coherency and a non-fatiguing listen.

Knowledge Zenith AS16
The newest flagship KZ IEM is the 8 BA (per side) AS16 model which recently was released. I have yet to do a full review on this (it’s coming…) but this has a much different tuning than the DMS. It’s a bright headphone that is brighter than Diffuse Field tuning, and severely lacking bass quantity. The detail level of the AS16 is better than the DMS, however the anemic bass makes this IEM very sterile and very boring, and rather harsh compared to the DMS.

BGVP DM6
The DM6 is priced $40 above the DMS, and beats it out in terms of resolution and clarity, as well as elevated bass response and bass detail. The DMS is much tamer in upper mids and treble and this doesn’t cause the same harshness and occasional harshness I found with the DM6 set I was sent. The spaciousness of the DMS also beats out the DM6, which I found to be a bit muddled and closed-in on busier songs. The DM6 was a mixed-bag experience for me, but with the DMS, I know what I am getting.




Overall

I’ve mentioned in a few times now, but I’ll reiterate that the DMS has a very open and wider than average soundstage that keeps these IEMs on my ear with a lively, fun natured sound. The bass can feel “bleh” sometimes, but there’s always good fast punchiness and gives you good quantity without being excessive. Mids are warm and rich, and yet the added air and good treble response makes this IEM an enjoyable listen, especially for dance tracks, and sounds that require a good wide soundstage to excel.

If you are interested in this IEM, please check out Linsoul.com for more information and to purchase it. This IEM can also be found on amazon.com at the following location: https://www.amazon.com/Linsoul-Hybrid-Audiophile-Earphone-Detachable/dp/B07RDPDZ2F

Review of the Knowledge Zenith AS16 and Tripowin TP10


The latest IEMs from Knowledge Zenith and KZ-Spinoff Tripowin are the AS16 and the TP10 models. These two models have a lot of similarities so I’ll be comparing them together in this comparision review. Both of these models were provided for review by Linsoul (http://www.Linsoul.com) and both items can be found on their website directly, or through Amazon.

The AS16 features 8 balanced armatures per shell with 2 designated for bass, 2 for mids, and 4 for treble. The TP10 reduces the count to 5 BAs with 1 bass, 2 mids and 2 treble. Both share the same shell design, which is very large, has a translucent inner shell, and a metallic faceplate. Within the shells are the BA drivers as well as a white cover, which I assume is a dampener of some sort right below the nozzle. The layout is identical for both shells internally, sans the 2 additional drivers in the AS16.

The shell design is quite big, and is even larger than my Campfire Solaris. This makes the fit quite uncomfortable to wear for me for long periods of time. I never really found a tip combination I felt comfortable in with this design, and therefore had a frustrating time using these two.

Both share the same KZ-style cable, though the TP10 comes with a straight 3.5mm connector, while the AS16 comes with a right angle connector. Accessories are identical, as well as box packaging, and even the manual wording.




Neutral-like Sound
Both of these IEMs seem to be targeting a diffuse-field target, similar to how Etymotics approaches sound signature. The glaring differences in both of these is the lack of bass quantity, and overly extended treble, making them rather lean, bright, and pretty dull and boring sounding.




The TP10 actually has a more extended subbass and bass quantity in general, but also more elevated treble peaks. The KZ AS16, on the other hand, does have pretty glaringly missing bass response but a much smoother upper-mids and treble experience. The TP10’s bass is more weight and impactful than the AS16, but both fall well short of anything else I’ve tried, ever. They’re bass response is more reminiscent of classic ear bud designs.

The mids are recessed on both models, but I’d say a little less so than more KZ models. Both the mids and treble region are surprisingly detailed and clean. Imaging isn’t super great but soundstage is wide and open. They both present a very bright, airy sound signature, which is noticeably brighter and airy than the Etymotics Studio series. Even when compared to Tin Audio T2, or KZ ZSN’s or some other popular budget IEMs, these still seem quite bright. That said, I never found either of these to be sibilant, which is a bit of a surprise.

I found that these two do well for very specific genres, and I’d recommend staying clear from anything that needs a proper bassline, punch, impact, or anything with any semblance of bass required. That really kicks off the island anything EDM, most rock, pop, hip hop, rap, and a slew of other genres. It does do well for piano music, and some lighter jazz fares. It also isn’t bad for acoustic songs where bass and impactful drums are needed. You will still get a slightly brighter than normal presentation, but the lack of the low end is less effective here.

In the end, I find that neither of these are good all-around IEMS.

The AS16 is massively overpriced at $149, and you really are paying for marketing fluff and driver count. They do bring out a lot of detail and actually sound very clean, but at the asking price, I’d highly recommend at Etymotics ER2 or ER3 series, the Moondrop Kanas Pro, or a variety of other IEMs that do it better.

The Tripowin TP10 is priced more reasonable. It actually has better bass performance than the AS16 and in general, sounds similarly spacious and detailed, however it may have some occasional spikes of harshness. But at the $69 asking price, it can become a little more acceptable if you’re looking for a genre specific IEM or really like a bright diffuse tuning. But again, there are much better all-arounder options at this price point, starting with the Tin Audio T3 and the lower priced T2 and KZ ZS10 Pro.

Planar Magnetic headphones have been around for decades at this point. My first taste of planar magnetic headphones was the Fostex RP series, which is popular in the modding community and as a budget headphone with very low distortion. More recently, a small handful of companies have attempted to micronized the planar driver into a smaller form-factor for in-ears including top names like Audeze and RHA with varying success.

In my personal experience, I have owned and tried out a few of these – namely the Audeze iSine 10, the RHA CL2, and a universal and custom version of the Unique Melody ME1. These three IEMs have unique sound signatures from one another, but all have some tuning flaws that really require equalization to perform well. The Audeze series even includes a hardware-based DSP in the Cipher cables for iOS devices, as well as the Reveal plugin for computers.

So when Tin Hifi, makers of the popular T2 and T3 in-ear monitors, announced they were releasing a 10mm planar driver at budget prices, I was not only surprised, but also excited to hear how it stacks up. The CL2 is the closest to the Tin P1, as they are both closed backs. Now, I just want to mention that there have been a recent wave of Chinese planar IEMs that have come out including the Toneking BL1, **** MT100 hybrid, Nicehck F3 hybrid, Sendy Aiya, a planar from AAW, and a new one in the works by Danico Labs. I have yet to try any of these new wave of IEMs, but the reviews for each one of them (sans the unreleased Danico Labs one) have been less than appealing, each with their own unique flaws – much like what the first wave of planar IEMs experienced.

First off, I like to thank Lillian from Linsoul for providing me not only this production pre-release unit for review, but also an earlier build which was re-tuned based on initial feedback from reviewers. It seems like they’ve taken this to heart, as the new tuning is a significant improvement upon the original. I will post some links at the end of this review for presale purchasing.


Build Quality, Accessories, and Fit


The Tin P1 comes in a very cute mirrored metal shell that is very small and thin, but has a long wide nozzle. Inside houses the 10mm planar driver, and the housing also uses mmcx connections. The build is very well made, and looks from afar like the head of a golf club.

Accessories are very standard here. It comes with 2 sizes of foam tips, and a selection of silicone tips in varying sizes and shapes. The package also comes with a faux-leather pop-up case that’s pretty nice to use, and reminiscent of a narrow watch box.

I found the shell design to be less than ideal for fit in my ears. The long nozzle does not make up for the shallow and small size of the design, and getting good tip seal was a challenge. I struggled trying to find the right tips that remained in my ear and provided ample seal. Not getting good seal with these really deteriorated the sound quality and it’s very, very noticeable when you get that right tip in place. I ended up using Final Audio E tips, something I commonly have been using with other IEMs.

Power & Sourcing


This is important. The P1 has 20 ohm impedance, but it’s sensitivity is 96dB/SPL and that means that it is a little less efficient and more power hungry than many other IEMs. They still are nowhere near as power sensitive as an over-ear planar, but the P1 does require a bit of juice to make it shine. I did a bunch of testing on various sources and can safely say that more amping power provides a much better experience in terms of dynamics and bass response.

First off, the Google Pixel USB-C audio adapter is very inadequate for the P1. At max volume on my Essential PH-1 phone running stock android, I was only able to get it to lower than average listening volume. Luckily, the Apple lightning adapter proved much better results using my iPad Mini 4 as a source.

I used the RME ADI-2 DAC and I felt it was a little weak and underpowered using it’s IEM output, but at the time, I wasn’t completely settled on tips yet, so that could have played a large role in what I was hearing. I did have very good luck using a desktop Pete Millett Starving Student Tube Hybrid amp, which was a DIY creation. This one provided plenty of power and really made the P1 show it’s true potential.

I finally received the Massdrop THX-789 amplifier, and my first trial was with the RME ADI-2 DAC paired with it using balanced connectors, and with the Tin P1 plugged into the balanced XLR jack (using a 2.5mm cable and adapter). I found that I was about 10-11 o'clock on the dial using Medium Gain (Setting II) on the amp, with the RME at -10dB volume.

On the DAPs front, I own the Astell & Kern SR15 and Pioneer XDP-300R. Both were pushing higher volume requirements than most of my other IEMs, and even more than the Etymotics ER2XR that I purchased recently. The ME1, in comparison, is much less power hungry, in terms of pure volume loudness.

For bluetooth audio, I use the Radsone ES100, which features both single-ended 3.5mm and balanced 2.5mm outputs. Here's my findings:

ES100 with P1 - Source at 100% volume

• 3.5mm : I'm at a good low listening volume at -15dB (-60dB to +6dB scale) but can definitely get louder if i wanted to.
• 2.5mm : I'm good at about -15dB volume as well
• in both cases -10dB would be my "fun" listening volume.

Sound Check


The P1 has neutral-leaning warm and laid-back tuning that will remind folks of a Diffuse Field/Planar bass and mid response up to 1K and then a more tone down upper mids and treble presentation that is reminiscent of the Campfire Andromeda tonality with less bass emphasis. The treble is definitely boosted above 10KHz and this is quite audible in my listening.




The bass response is slightly rolled off, and if you do not have a good source, I felt that it was a little weak and missing something. When amped correctly, the bass is much more present, and has decent sub-bass rumble and pop. This tuning is more punchy that I expected, but still is rather lean compared to most other IEMs in this price range, and should be rather familiar if you like the Tin Audio T2/T3 bass response.

In most songs, I found the bass presence to be apparent and available. It supplies clean bass notes and good decay speed, albeit a tad fast. This does help it stay taut and controlled. It doesn't have a lot of subbass boost, but it's present enough to provide a little rumble.

Closing the front driver vent, near the nozzle, helps flatten the sub-bass and improves it’s weight and performance. I do not know if this affects anything with ear pressure or any other long lasting effects.



The mids are generally coherent and good. They are forward, but sound slightly recessed in the background, if that makes any sense, especially when compared to Etymotics or the Moondrop Kanas Pro, partially due to not having as elevated upper mid-range and lower treble response, but they do not sound bad at all. I found some female vocals to sound nice and pleasant with no sibilance issues, with the P1 going through my normal gambit of Stevie Nicks in Fleetwood Mac, Norah Jones, Molly Rankin in Alvvways, Lauren Mayberry in Chvrches, and various country singers like Catherine McGrath and Allison Krauss. They are pushing the boundaries and you can tell, but it's controlled enough with that selection of music to not cause any major problems.

However, later on, I started listening to some recommendations from reviewer Crinacle, and found excessive sibilance artifacts when listening to Rhianna tracks and some other songs I found in the pop genres. This sibilance was something I had already noticed in other songs, but really became apparent on some of these EDM and electronic-mashed pop tracks.

Male vocals sounded a little bit off to me though, like they are slightly veiled and almost having the same effect I was experiencing with female vocals on the IO but not nearly as bad. For example, I found Chris Stapleton to lose a lot of bite and grit. That said, this isn't a deal killer, as it's not as noticeable unless I A-B with other IEMs, and perhaps I prefer a little bit more warmer lower mid-range.

Sibilance and treble shrills could be related to the treble boost in the upper region, which I thought I may be immune to with age and concert-going life in the past. When I first heard the original test model of the P1, I didn’t notice it at first, but I let another audio-nerd, with ears half my age, listen and he quickly mentioned how shrill and bright the treble effected the music he was listening to. Since the tuning of the P1 was so “wrong”, I didn’t quite pick up on it then as there were many other issues with the P1 at the time. Now that the biggest issues with the P1 have been resolved, the treble edginess stands out, and can quickly make this IEM fatiguing and sound a little grainy and strained.

I find it occurring in songs like “Get Out” by Chrvches, and “Juice” by Chromeo, amongst many others. It may lend itself to the electronic-pop and EDM type tunes more so than rock songs, but it’s still noticeable even on rock tracks. I found some Smashing Pumpkin tracks to be more bright than normal with Billy Corgan’s voice just a tad more “weird” than normal. The piano, guitars and falsetto-ish voice of Andrew Wood from Mother Love Bone on “Chloe Dancer” all have a lingering high pitch shrill to it that I can find a little annoying.

Hi-Hats and Cymbal crashes have that tizzing sound from this treble spike that can add to the aforementioned fatiguing issues.

If you can get past that, the resolution is actually quite good, if not excellent, as I’d expect from the low distortion planar driver. (I did not measure distortion, but just going by generic planar experience)

The soundstage is slightly less than ear to ear (or about 0.85 MCM unit), which makes some busy tracks sound congested if there's a lot of instruments playing at once. This is partially due to really good detail retrieval and clarity at this price point, if not much higher price points. With all the little nuances of instruments present, and all of it coming at you at once, the width does make it a little over-bearing sometimes, like in "Contact" by Daft Punk. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you like. But again, the resolution is really fantastic at under $170 and I have nothing to complain about.

It’s been too long since I’ve owned the iSine 10 to really compare the two, but I feel like I am more impressed with the resolution of this one than I was with the iSine. There have been several moments in songs that I heard new things in more clarity that I have not heard before on most of my IEMs, and would only hear in my most resolute over-ears, so that is impressive. I don't remember feeling that impressed with the iSine 10 and it's definitely more resolving than the ME1 that I own. The CL2, with it's sharp 4-5K spike does resolve quite well as well, and these may be on that level of resolution, but without that harsh peak and the amount of treble veil.

Tuning

So with the stock tuning out of the way, and now that I’ve mentioned the flaws with it, I will have to say that the P1 is the best planar stock tuning I’ve heard to date. It’s only a sample size of 4 IEMs from larger companies, but it’s something to point out. Tin is the closest one so far to hitting it right. It’s not perfect though, as mentioned already. And just like the other IEMs I’ve tried out, the use of equalizer can really help make these sound much better than the stock tuning.

Throwing a low-shelf filter at +3-4dB at 125Hz, and then boosting the 2-8KHz region a couple dB and reducing the 10KHz and above by (a lot) of dB can really make this IEM sound quite pleasant, at least to my ears. I also threw a slight dip between 500 and 1KHz to give it a very shallow U-shape curve, and it’s getting pretty close to my ideal target curve, and I find the P1 to be quite good, if not outstanding for $150-170, taking on the Audeze giants.



General Overall Impressions


That was a lot of stuff, so quickly recapping my impressions thus far:

I found the build quality to be very good. The design made fitting and getting ample seal very challenging for me, but I was eventually able to find a good tip combination. They are comfortable, but not exceptionally good. I still like the comfort over T2/T3 though.

The P1 is very power hungry for an IEM, so some phones and especially the Google Pixel adapter may not cut it. I thought the lightning adapter for iOS was good though, and quite clean. A clean DAP source would be ideal, and it scaled even better with desktop amps.

Finally, the tuning has shortcomings that can be overcome with Equalization. Even without it, the P1 is the best out-of-the-box Planar IEM tuning I’ve heard yet, in my limited experience with planars (check introduction for the list). The subbass is rolled off, but can be patched with vent hole mod or eq. The mids are mostly good except male vocals sound recessed and tingy. The treble is consistent but then peaks up very bright in the upper registers which seems to affect how splashy some instruments sound, which can be very fatiguing.

Resolution, width, depth, and general technicalities is excellent for this price range, and is only improved with equalization.

So, there’s my short impressions of the Tin P1. I hope I gave you, the reader, a good overview of the pros and cons of it. There are definitely trade-offs here, and you’ll have to weigh your decisions accordingly.

For me, I have some mixed feelings about it. I would prefer to not have to EQ but I have the ability to. The stock tuning, even without it’s treble flaws, is still not my ideal sound, but it does follow the popular Andromeda mid-range and lower/mid-treble tuning with less bass weight, and that should make a lot of people happy. That’s not my ideal or preferred tuning though, as I mentioned in a previous Andromeda review posted last week. I like a little more presence region boost (2-5KHz) and the P1 doesn’t do that without EQ.


So, at the end of the day, I still give this IEM a cautious and mild recommendation. I would stay clear if you do like a little more bass emphasis or tend to listen to genres like EDM, modern pop, and hip hop and rap music. The leaner subbass and upper treble elevation may make those genres less enjoyable and in some cases sharp. I have been enjoying listening to it, despite its flaws. It's a very intriguing IEM at this budget price point and is really a sign of how things have changed in the headphone/IEM market in the past couple years. It's an exciting time right now and the P1 is an IEM that can rock the boat a bit, even with its flaws.
Purchasing Info


To purchase the Tin Audio P1, Linsoul is selling them on their Linsoul.com website, and they’ll also be released on Drop.com using the following links:

Linsoul Audio:https://www.linsoul.com/product-page/tinhifi-p1-iem
Massdrop: https://drop.com/buy/tin-audio-p1-iem

Introduction

The Simgot EN700 Pro is a single dynamic driver IEM that has an interesting design that is a lot better looking in person than in photos. I had not had a chance to listen to any other Simgot IEM in the past, so this was my first opportunity to do so, and I’d like to thank, and also provide the disclaimer than this IEM was provided to me by Alan of Simgot for reviewing.

The EN700 Pro comes packaged with a nice array of accessories: A series of tips, a carrying case, and a thin, braided black cable. The cable is lightweight and works well enough. It does sometimes tangle but for the most part, I found it very usable. It has preformed soft hooks, and 2-pin connection.

The EN700 Pro itself is a very nice metal shell, that is very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. It’s lightweight and ergonomic. The detail on the faceplate, also metal, is very nice and is much more attractive in-person.

How does it sound?

The Simgot has a gentle V-shaped sound signature, meaning there is a slight dip in the mids and accentuated bass and treble. I found the general sound signature to be lean and clean in the upper end, but a tad bloaty in the lower end, and this varies with volume.




The Fletcher-Munson curve is really apparent on this IEM, more so than others I’ve tried. At lower level listening, this IEM sounds very lean and airy, but as you raise the volume up, the bass becomes more impactful and the midbass becomes more prominent. While it does generate some fast rumble, it also does muddy up the lower mids as well, which is something I am not a huge fan of myself.

The mids on this unit were slightly recessed and vocals, again, felt a little thin. That’s not to say they were bad, but just thinner sounding. I feel like where this IEM excels the most is the upper mids and treble, where it has a good cohesion as it moves up and has a good sense of air and detail. I never found this IEM to be sibilant and I threw my sibilance tests at it with an array of music from Norah Jones, Cocteau Twins, and Alvvays without any trouble.

The EN700 Pro does have an average-width soundstage and does sometimes feel a little congested during more hectic moments with more things going on in the scene.

Comparisons



Moondrop Kanas Pro
The Moondrop Kanas Pro follows a Harman Target curve for the most part and is rather smooth, just like this model is. The EN700 Pro has much more bass feels to it than the KP, and more air. The KP’s mids are more balanced and even, despite being a tad recessed. Detail-wise, I feel like they’re comparable with a slight nod to the EN700 Pro. Where the EN700 Pro fails is the occasional muddiness at higher volumes, where the KP improves with volume, the EN700 Pro starts to fall apart.

BGVP DMG
The DMG does share similarities to the EN700 Pro in that they are both v-shaped with coherent mids. The DMG treble is much more-harsh than the EN700 Pro, but I found the DMG bass to be cleaner and less muddy.

Etymotics ER3SR
The Etymotics ER3SR is essentially the same IEM as the ER4SR but manufactured in China instead of the USA and with slightly lower tolerances. It follows the diffuse-field target which is more balanced and mid-forward than the EN700 Pro. The ER3SR does not have anywhere near the same bass performance as the EN700 Pro but doesn’t exhibit muddiness either. Small microdetails are more apparent on the ER3SR and coherency is unquestionably better. The upper end extension however gets the EN700 Pro a slight nod with more air and space.


Overall

The EN700 Pro is a generally decent IEM. I found the upper mids and treble to be coherent and with good air. I did not like the bass performance on it as I found it a little too muddy due to the boosted bass and lower-mids dip, and slower bass decay. The whole package does come with a nice set of accessories and a very comfortable and well crafted shell design.

This price in the market is very full of competition and the EN700 Pro sort of carves itself a spot somewhere in the middle of it all.

This short review will cover two of the latest In-Ear Monitors from Knowledge Zenith: The ZSN Pro and the ZS10 Pro. They both were released last month at around the same time and share so many similarities, I won’t bother making separate reviews.

The ZSN Pro is a dual driver – Single Balanced Armature and Single Dynamic Driver, while the ZS10 Pro is a five-driver setup with 4 Bas and 1 DD. Both are updated models from the previous ones released last year. I never had a chance to listen or review the ZS10, but I did really enjoy the ZSN as a budget pick with it’s neutral-ish sound signature that was only $20.

So what’s new?

Well, first off, the shell design on both is slightly changed. They both feature faceplates on their respective shells that are quite similar. The ZS10 shell faceplate actually looks like the ZSN original but in a reflective chrome color, while the ZSN Pro’s chevron marks are lifted off the faceplate, as opposed to the cut-out look on the ZS10 Pro.

The accessories package is the same as before with the newer 2-pin cable and attachment style.

The major difference, of course, is the sound tuning.




For me, these sound almost identical except one thing: the ZSN Pro is brighter and I don’t really recommend it. The ZS10, however, is tuned to have less treble and that makes it more listenable.

In general, both IEMs have similar bass and mid performance, and are improvements in that regard over the original ZSN. The bass is slightly elevated making the overall sound profile a tad warmer, and the mids are not as recessed as before. The upper-mids, which boosted on the ZSN original, has been tamed down, and the lower treble is more even on both IEMs. The ZSN Pro, again, has more treble in the middle to upper portions of the treble region, making them pretty bright.

If you’ve listened to the T2 Pro and the T2, the ZSN Pro is similar to that tuning, albeit slightly warmer. The ZS10 Pro is closer to the T3, but tamer in the upper-mids and treble. Detail retrieval on the T3 seemed better, from memory, but that could also be due to the boosted treble.

Quick Conclusions

Again, this is just a quick review, as I do have large queue I am working through and I’d like to spend more time on other headphone reviews in the future. The ZS10 Pro is worth consideration. I would skip the ZSN Pro altogether, as I prefer the ZS10 Pro more and the ZSN more as well – along with a host of other budget IEMs like the Tin Audio T2, Final Audio E2000, and others.

I’d like to thank Lillian for Linsoul for providing the KZ ZS10 Pro for review. I personally purchased the disappointing ZSN Pro myself from their Amazon storefront at LSR-Direct. They are also located at http://www.Linsoul.com if you are interested in either of these two IEMs.

Introduction
BGVP has had a couple successful In-Ear Monitors (IEM) come out recently with the V-shaped DMG and DM6. Both featured nice quality builds, accessories, and generally/mostly pleasant fun sound-signatures with respect to their prices at $150 and $200.

The company is following up the success of these two with a new model, the DM7, which will be released for pre-order exclusively on Drop.com on May 6, 2019. This preview unit was sent to me by way of Linsoul.

Product Specs:
· Driving unit: six balanced armature units
· Sensitivity: ≥115dB SPL/MW
· Input impedance: 13.5 Ω
· Frequency response: 10 Hz-40 kHz
· The distortion rate: ≤0.5%(1 KHZ)
· Cable length: 1.2m ± 5%
· Weight: around5.3g
· Cable: Single crystal copper + single crystal copper silver foil wire.
· Standard equipment: vocal sleeve S/M/L, equalizing sleeve S/M/L, packing package X1, brush X1

The new DM7 sports a familiar shell design that sports 6 Balanced Armature (BA) drivers in each shell: a Knowles SWFK-31376, Knowles ED-29689, Sonion 33AP007 and Knowles CI-22955 with a 4-way cross-over.

The acrylic shell design is similar to that of the DM6 before it. So far, the only color I’ve seen is the white/pearl faceplate design with clear ear-side acrylic color. At this time, I do not know what other color options are available, but I imagine there will be the ability to customize it like the DM6 had. The white pearl color is pretty striking, and I really like how it looks. The shell is comfortable to wear with shallower tips for my ears. With lengthier tips, I had a very compressed sensation while wearing them, and it bothered me to wear over long periods of time – which is similar to the feeling I had wearing the BGVP DM7 and Fearless Audio S4, which have similar housings.

The new cable included is very attractive, with a copper/gray intertwined 8-core design. MMCX connectors are used again on this model, and the cable also has pre-formed hooks, which I personally prefer over memory wire. The cable plays nicely and has good ergonomics, and overall, is an improvement over the DMG and DM6 cables.



Sources
This review will be performed with a mixed playlist of rock, jazz, country, rap, and EDM. The sources used during playback on the DM7 were the RME ADI-2 DAC, the Astell & Kern SR15 A&Norma, and the Pioneer XDP-300R digital audio players. I used a combination of the included 3.5mm cable as well as a Kinboofi 2.5mm balanced cable for this review, as well as JVC SpiralDot tips.

Sound
The BGVP DM7 isn’t as similar to the BGVP DM6 as I thought it would given it’s naming convention and what not. Instead, the issues I personally had with the DM6 seem mostly addressed in the DM7. This model has a warm, smooth presentation that has good detail retrieval for this price range. It isn’t without flaws however, but let’s discuss it in more detail.




The bass region has good rumble in the songs the demand it. The intro of “Unfinished Sympathy” by Massive Attack has plenty of shake to it and transitions quickly. In Sigur Ros’ “Sven-g-englar”, the bass guitar has plenty of texture and detail, and has a very nice feel to it. It’s soft and subtle, but that’s expected in that song. The e-bow Jonsi uses on his electric guitar has plenty of sustained layering which seems to reproduced well on this IEM. In general, I found that the bass is well controlled and doesn’t exhibit much muddiness at all. It’s warm, and defined, but not bombastic.

The bass transition to mids is generally clean, though there are at times when the bass is slightly over-bearing over the male vocal range of the mids. I felt every 1970s Elton John track I listened to had Sir Elton further back in the recording than I am used to. Male voices in general, felt a little lean. Chris Stapleton, for example, doesn’t have gritty bite that I am used to in songs like “Broken Halos” and “Whiskey and You”. Part of this could partially be due to the dip in the mids before a rise in the upper mids, which puts female voices and guitars a little more forward than the lower mids.
I don’t find this very distracting from the overall sound though, and generally this helps create a little space. In the case of the DM7, it’s generally a more forward presentation, despite this little key difference, and is quite common tuning.

Whether it’s because I’ve been listening to Andromeda and Solaris lately or not, I found the DM7 to be missing a little upper end sparkle. When looking at the Frequency Response chart, it does appear that there’s big roll-off in the upper treble, and that would explain why some of that magic in the higher tier IEMs is missing. The DM6 also presented upper end boost, but generally had higher treble response resulting in what I found a harsher and strained experience.

The DM7 handles treble quite well despite missing the airy presentation of the aforementioned IEMs. The treble response is consistent and smooth. I never felt any sense of harsh peakiness, sibilance and anything other than a comforting presentation with good detail. One thing I did not like about the DM6 was the rise and peak at around 8KHz. The DM7, luckily, has a small rise at around 6.5KHz, and then drops off around 8KHz, and that alleviates the occasional sibilance I heard with the DM6, especially on poorer quality tracks and EDM music.

I found the DM7 to have a medium-to-wide soundstage while easily hearing instrument separation. I never found this IEM to sound congested as I occasionally did with the DM6 model before that. This may have to do with the more balanced sound signature versus the V-shaped sound signature of the DM6.

Comparisons

BGVP DM6:
I went over this in the review quite a bit, but to recap, the DM7 is a more balanced tuning, but still leans on the warmer side. It does not have a big of a bass response or as high of a treble response as the DM6, but has a more mid-forward presentation than the DM6. The DM6 is an IEM that you want for a more fun listen or if you want to hear every little detail up front. The DM7 is a smoother and more relaxing listen in comparison.

Fearless S4:
The Fearless S4 comparison to the DM7 is pretty much exactly the same as what I wrote above for the DM6. At around the same price, I think it’s going to depend on preferences here. The S4, I found to be V-Shaped like the DM6, but with just slightly better instrument separation and detail retrieval, but not 100% sure it’s worth the extra $80 over the DM6. The DM7 is an easier recommendation over the S4 for most people given the tuning.



The following are just “from memory” comparisons, as I do not have them to compare side-by-side:

Audio Technica LS200iS:
More diffuse-field tuning than the DM7, which is closer to a Harman Tuning, but more mid-forward. Both are technically proficient, but DM7 would be my pick over it for better bass response, and better resolution. The LS200iS does extend treble more and provides more air.

Campfire Orion:
Orion is also a DF-like tuning, however has poor extension on both ends of the spectrum with rolled off sub-bass and rolled-off treble. While the mids are quite nice on the Orion, the DM7 offers a much better package overall in terms of sound quality at less the price.




Overall
The BGVP DM7 is my favorite BGVP product to date. They do have a quite a few more coming out in the near future and it’ll be interesting to see how the BGVP DMS sounds like. The early FR chart shows a similar sound signature with the extended treble to provide an airier presentation, which I criticized in this review on the DM7. We’ll have to wait and see though whether that FR is “real” and when it’ll be released.

That said though, the DM7 is a nice tuning and provides a clean, warm, inviting presentation that could easily be listened to for hours. I find it to be a warmer improved Moondrop Kanas Pro, which I reviewed with high acclaim earlier this year. Similarly, it is missing some treble spark, which I wished both of these had.

Despite that, I found the DM7 to be appealing to my tastes and an improvement over the DM6, DMG and other IEMs released recently in this price range that I have had a chance to audition.