I wasn't expecting this to be quite amazing
: Vibration driver that works and as per my testing, it starts to fade in at around 45hz, strongest vibrations peaked at 106hz or 108hz and slowly fades out at 508hz or maybe a tiny bit over that, reached quite a lot despite it being the driver that is
Surprisingly quite detailed in the treble, nice resolution too and also quite clean, crystalline and sparkly, to my ears it doesn't sound unnatural, peaky or lacking, thanks to that well regarded black-gold BA they used
Vibration motor can make things sound immersive and physical, especially in games or a live musical performance, quite heavenly
Handles complex music quite well
Great soundstage, again maybe it's my HRTF and that i always use wide bore eartips, but this is one trait that also quickly surprised me when i starts to play music on it for the first time
Actually pretty good instrument separation, it invokes that three dimensional feel to my ears
Switches that able to make the user turns the BA or the vibration motor on and off, very fun!
Tuned quite neutrally to my ears and i enjoyed it
: Disabling both of the vibration motor and BA noticeably reduces the expansiveness of the soundstage and separation
Vibration motor cuts some very small parts of the lower bass in favor for the motor, but it doesn't destroy the listening experience for me
Vibration motor can sometimes introduce sounds that i can describe it as hummy or boomy, but it doesn't really bother me much, sometimes it does and since i am sensitive to bass frequencies, positioning the IEM may reduce the vibration boominess, so keep in mind
Disabling the BA reduces the resolution and detail, but it'll present you with a slightly relaxed sound
It maybe a bit too bass-light for bassheads out there, since i'm not a basshead so just in case
The tuning might not be suitable for some people, but it sounded quite amazing to my ears
Vibration motor changes in volume depending on how you fit the Konoka in your ears, not a problem for me, but for people that have inadequate ear shapes, this IEM's vibration will may not work well, but who knows
w o a h
After 1 year of not buying IEMs and been using AS16 Pro daily, i then saw Konoka with it's interesting driver recently, i'm very curious and so i decided to dive into and bought it, ever since it arrived i've been loving it very much honestly
Although
the vibration motor varies in intensity on how you fit them in your ear,
refer to Hi-Fri's video for some tips about it (on YouTube)
My 2nd favorite IEM is the ESX, i don't use it much but sometimes i do for a short time, i use it with EQ (most of the time not) and since i got my hands on the Konoka, i thought to myself wow, this definitely replaces the ESX for me and i can see myself using Konoka far more than ESX is, it is that good, as for AS16 Pro, that one's still the king for me, but man the Konoka can actually take the same spot with AS16 Pro, even if the technicalities of Konoka is behind compared to it
Konoka is one of the IEM that i can see myself be using it without EQ, the sound just clicks with me, it's akin to AS16 Pro but a little brighter or crisper in the upper treble and also less bass than the AS16 Pro, making it sound a bit more neutral
I also recorded a video where i tested the Konoka's vibration driver at high volume, and it does vibrate like crazy xD
feel free to take a look at the recording (on Streamable)
Enjoy some pictures too
So, in conclusion, do i recommend the Konoka? Yes, it's quite good actually, it definitely gives you that unique experience that i never experienced before, if you're wondering on how the vibration feels like, try ride in a car and rest your head on the car's seat while it's driving and rumbling, the vibration from the seat will conduct into you and it should sound similar
orrrrr place your head on any vibrating machines (this'd sound weird when out of context) o.o
it's sort of strange to say this, but the bass does sound open and quite spacious with the vibration driver, which i never really experienced before, it's quite interesting and like the reviewer says way below me, Konoka is indeed in it's own league
I listen only to lossless to get the best experience out of my audio gear and i'm also a low volume listener
lastly, thank you very much for reading this and stay safe!
^-^
