Aune BU2 Review



TL;DR: Portable DAC/AMP. 300 USD. SE/BAL. Adequately powerful. Smooth neutral sound. Features Filter Modes and a BT receiver mode. A bit buggy. No error documentation. No LDAC Support.

Disclaimer: Aune sent this BU2 as part of their tour here and is not mine to keep. I will be fully transparent and honest for most of this review so that Aune can further improve the unit, firmware side, and their other releases.

• Packaging

Inclusions:
- Aune BU2 unit
- Short USB-C to USB-C L-plug cable
- USB-C to USB-A cable
- USB-C to Lightning Adapter
- 4.4mm to 2.5mm Adapter
- Rubber Baller for stacking

The Aune BU2 comes in a 2-part box with a sliding cardboard cover that shows its marketing. Inside the velvet-lined box is the Aune BU2 in a silky cover presumably to avoid scratches, a box section containing all the accessories, a manual and a contact card. I like the inclusion of the 4.4mm to 2.5mm for people without 2.5 BAL so usage with it would be more convenient, and is also well built.
I also noticed that some of the accessories are branded with different names (Ugreen for the USB-A, Zephone for the Lightning adapter) except the rubber baller and the USB-C to USB-C cable, just something to take note of.

• Build & Ergonomics

The Aune BU2 has a hand-sized rounded silhouette and precision-milled aluminum body with a smooth black finish that is built like a tank. The flush fit button-knob, 3.5mm and 2.5mm is placed on top while the USB-C charge and audio input is at the bottom for easy plug access when stacking on phones. Though I wish the BAL port was of stronger formats like 4.4mm.
The knob is hidden in the silhouette with a cutout on the sides to turn the knob, it helps prevent accidental turns.
The BU2 also has a small OLED screen that shows the volume level, BT/USB mode, filters and battery level.
Handling and portability-wise, the BU2 is a bit heavy to rubber-stack on my phone so I mostly used it on my desktop or the BT receiver mode for phone usage with the BU2s on my pocket, but a phone stack is still fairly pocketable with BU2 if you wear loose pants. The knob placement is kind of bad when you stack it into phones because the knob lays flat and flush on the body so it’s hard to “slide” the knob on the cutouts when you’re adjusting or pressing something. I also worry that the one button-knob solution can turn your unit into an instant brick when it breaks, something to take note of when accounting for long term usage.

• Functionality

The Aune BU2 is a DAC/AMP that’s not only capable of having USB input but can be also used as an APTX-capable Bluetooth receiver for wireless convenience which I mainly used them for.

It can decode up to 32bit/768khz PCM and DSD512 if you fancy it. You can control the menu and the volume with the knob, and you can access the volume control, USB/BT mode, battery level and filter mode on the small OLED screen. The volume control has 0-60 steps and sports an R2R circuitry for accurate volume adjustment and perfect channel matching. As for IOS compatibility, I haven't tested since I don't own an Apple product, although you can connect with BT mode albeit limited with Apple's BT codec support.

As for usage, the BU2 usually lasts 7 (DAC/Bluetooth mode, BAL) to 9 hours (DAC/Bluetooth mode, SE) after it shuts down automatically at low battery, presumably to increase longevity of the battery. It also takes 5 hours to charge with a normal non-QC charger.

Here’s the list of the filter modes for various sound fine-tuning (if you can hear the difference):

• SC: brick wall filter
• SU: hybrid fast roll-off filter
• SL: apodizing fast roll-off filter (default)
• SI: minimum phase slow roll-off filter
• SH: minimum phase fast roll-off filter
• SE: linear phase slow roll-off filter
• SD: linear phase fast roll-off filter

Now for the issues within my almost-one month of testing:

1. It has an error warning that isn’t described in the manuals. Since there’s no diagnosis on the error sign, I presume it’s referring to the battery level or the USB/BT connection.
2. Following that error warning, the unit’s OLED display just stops working or glitches out after >30 mins of use. I had to troubleshoot by turning it off and on repeatedly or plugging it in and out of charge just to see if the OLED screen blinks or works. Fortunately it only happens when that error warning shows and the occurrence isn’t common.
3. No LDAC codec, considering its price and functionality.

Hopefully the issues and needed additions I mentioned here can be fixed or implemented in the future, but for now I take these hiccups as a minus until Aune addresses these issues.

• Sound, specs and comparisons

Specifications:

• DAC: Dual ESS ES9318
• Output level: 1.8Vrms (3.5mm), 3.6Vrms (2.5mm).
• THD+N: 0.000145%.
• SNR: -120dB.
• Frequency response range: 20Hz-20kHz.
• Output Power (2.5mm BAL): Up to 265mW @ 32Ω.
• Output Power (3.5mm SE): 100mW @ 32Ω.

The Aune BU2 will give you lots of power on BAL and even in SE. It drived most of my IEMs and earbuds, although with some earbuds I have to crank the volume up without headroom. I don’t think it’ll drive your insensitive full sized headphones (maybe drive them BAL but without proper headroom) but haven’t tried such headphones so I’m completely basing that on the spec sheet.

As for the sound, I would describe the Aune BU2 as a smooth, neutral source that pairs with just about all of my IEMS and earbuds wonderfully. It also synergizes with bright pairs quite well, and controls the brightness with a smooth finish. A good example of it would be my MH755 which needed power and was very picky with the source, but the BU2 in BAL completely “smoothed” out its pesky high mid and provided me with long listening sessions that I am unable to do with other sources.

Comparison:

- Zishan AKM & ESS U1
Here, I can definitely hear the difference in terms of dynamics and transients, and the BU2 having a blacker background/ better dynamic range compared to the two.

As for the sound profile the AKM is a warm and smooth source while the ESS is a deadpan neutral one, which kind of surprises me when the ESS from U1 and the ESS from BU2 are completely far away from each other when compared. With that I still prefer the presentation of the BU2 and just by the sound alone you can see how far a 300 USD source will get you.

Power-wise (SE, since the U1 is only single ended), the U1 wins with its good driving power and headroom for hard to drive stuff like earbuds, though the BAL on the BU2 would reign supreme from the already-stout SE power of the U1.

• Conclusion

I enjoyed my time with the Aune BU2 for its great sound, driveability and convenience such as going wireless and so on. Unfortunately, the BU2’s great performance was not without its caveats. The lack of proper documentation on the errors, the glitching out screen and the lack of LDAC support, etc. They need to be fixed and implemented for better convenience of the consumers paying a lot of money (300 USD asking price). Until they fix and solve the firmware issue, a deduction will be placed for the rating.

But other than that, I like how the BU2 sounds. It felt like a fit for all my various pairs, almost perfect. I really enjoyed listening to Shinichi Atobe’s Butterfly Effect while I was testing the BU2 with its glitchy, skewed up techno beats with outstanding transient performance. If you think that the BU2 would give you this kind of music enjoyment, then I guess it’s worth paying for. Music is all that matters so, happy listening!

BGVP DH5 Review

Tl;dr : 75 USD. Balanced sound signature. Lean bass. Lean mids with a tinge of boxiness in the vocals. Extended treble that gets a bit too much with certain recordings.

Disclaimer:
BGVP sent this DH5 as a unit to review and evaluate, rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve BGVP’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers. You can buy the DH5 @ BGVP!

Packaging:

· The DH5 came in a box that is opened in two parts with a paper cover that has all the marketing and info printed on.
Inside the box, the case, detached IEMs and 2 S-M-L sets of different tips are placed inside a lined foam cutout with warranty, instruction and misc. info papers inside.
The IEM case contains the cable inside and a small cleaning brush for nozzle cleaning.
The 2 types of tips consist of medium bored tips with a hard stem and the second one which looks like a Frankenstein bootleg of a small bore Spinfit tip with a rotatable short and soft stem. I think this is packaged well beyond 75 USD in my opinion.

Build:

· The shape of the shells are custom-like and quite small to my ears, and the nozzle is pretty short. The overall build of the shell is light, made of resin with the faceplates designed with pieces of colorful wood chips and the BGVP logo. The shell features two vents, one big meshed one for the backside of the dynamic driver and another small one near the nozzle soundtube that exits from the side of the QDC connectors.

Regarding the insides of the IEM, it looks like the sound tubes and venting were 3D printed or drilled with a machine and I don’t see a damper for the BAs, which will be a potential cause of problem (or not? Probably intentional?) in the Sound section...

The cable consists of shiny metal wares with 2 core setup wires that consists of 2.0mm OD wires with a swirling copper/silver plated copper pattern. You might be familiar with this cable if you tried the TForce Yuan Li (I also reviewed it, here’s the link!).

Overall it is great looking and built well within tolerances but I don’t agree with the longevity of the QDC connectors, so beware with that.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit my ears really well with the large size Frankenstein spinfit bootleg tips, I needed the larger ones because the short nozzle means shallower fit. Isolation wise, it is above average despite the venting, I hear background noise but it is faint with the isolation of this IEM.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC and Zishan U1 (on my phone and laptop) and my Huawei Y9 Pro 2019 for the testing.
You could drive this well with a smartphone and gets loud easily but improvements are noticeable on amp usage but not really drastic that I would require them all the time.
My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24bit ones and also streaming on Spotify since I prefer its convenience. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: It is not lifted compared to the other BGVP model I’ve tried but this one is considerably lean. There is still sub-bass but not much, more of a mid-bass focus than anything. Thanks to its lean presentation, texturing is decent although the decay and snaps could be better. There is no bass bleed whatsoever. Bass-leaning people could be left wanting more of a meaty sub-bass kick with the DH5 though.

- Mids: Lean with minimal warmth. Vocals seem to have some form of body with the mostly lean presentation but the vocals come out a bit boxy in my ears. A problem with the DH5 is the occasional upper-mid hotness because it does get a bit over the top sometimes, but only appears with tracks/albums of dubious mastering quality.

- Treble: Well extended but almost borderline. The treble seems to focus on the 3k - 5khz and some peaks beyond. Cymbals and such have a shimmer but feels metallic to me. The peaks especially the 5khz can be problematic with some recordings and it almost became overbearing to me, and BGVP needs to fix this because it also seems like they didn’t put a damper on the sound tube, just that mere filter to even out the peaks.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is average, but more on width than depth.
Imaging is okay, it can distinguish those elements but direction/movement of those elements seems limited.
Separation is very good, with various elements layered well, thanks to the lower-upper treble presence.

Thoughts:

BGVP is in a tight position here, given the price range as it competes with the likes of Moondrop Aria and other similarly priced hypetrains. Unfortunately, BGVP still gave us a signature that is pretty prevalent on even cheaper sets nowadays. There’s also the problem peak on the 5 khz which sometimes reminds me of similarly sibilant sets at the cheaper range with certain tracks.
With a safer treble, it could’ve avoided the metallic timbre issue that hybrids or BA sets of this budget range mostly possesses, and with that, I can’t recommend these pairs to people looking for a new pair of 80 USD IEMs or even someone who is looking for a different flavour profile. You have to look somewhere else.

But nonetheless, I enjoyed my stay with the DH5 with some electronic tracks. On the positive side of things, the DH5 handled well with speedy breakbeat smacked albums such as Goreshit’s my love feels all wrong. digipack with speed and just enough boom for the lingering kicks. I hope you enjoy the music as much as I do!

Thanks for reading!

KZ ZEX Review

Tl;dr : 20 USD. U-shaped signature. Rolled off sub-bass with mid bass focus but doesn’t texture well. Lean tonality. Vocals are presented well. No upper midrange thinness. Treble extended until borderline, exhibits air well but can be detached from the signature and loud with certain tracks and albums.
A bit of background and disclaimer:

KZ Audio sent this KZ ZEX as a unit to review and evaluate, rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve KZ’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers. You can buy the KZ ZEX @ KZ Audio!

Packaging:

· The ZEX came in the standard KZ small-box affair with the earpieces encased in a plastic moulded holder with the transparent starline tips attached, SPC cable, extra 3 pairs of tips (which is completely different from the starlines already attached), and papers. Overall, not surprising and just okay value wise. I wish they just included more of those transparent starlines on the package.

Build:

· The shape of the shell should be very familiar if you used KZ’s ZSN lineup, but KZ improved upon it by making the nozzle longer for people with big ears, well done KZ! The whole shell consists of a black painted faceplate with lines with the KZ logo engraved and a glossy black resin body made out of 2 parts (nozzle, top body). It accepts QDC connectors.
The cable is a 2 core SPC cable with transparent ridged sheathing in QDC. I like how microphonic and tangle free this cable is, it's also very soft to the touch. Miles better than the ugly old KZ 4-core cables imo.
I can’t help but complain about the use of QDC since my right piece got a little crack on its connectors. At least KZ made a good move not placing those QDC together with the faceplate because you probably can’t sleep with it without busting the faceplates open. I did try and slept with it just fine until I suddenly woke up to the feeling that I’m using an IEM that’s likely to break when I sleep, thankfully I just scratched the faceplates.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit my ears really well with the pre-installed transparent starlines, combined with the nozzle length. The ZEX doesn’t really mute the surroundings with my good fit, so it’s kinda average in terms of isolation. Thankfully I don’t need further tiprolling in my case, but be prepared just in case the transparent starlines and the bundled TWS-like tips which are soft and don't fit my ears well.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC and Zishan U1 (on my phone and laptop) and my Huawei Y9 Pro 2019 for the testing.
You could drive this well with a smartphone and gets loud easily but improvements are noticeable on amp usage but not really drastic that I would require them all the time.
My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones and also streaming on Spotify since I prefer its convenience. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: The bass on these is lifted but not the usual level that KZ does surprisingly. The sub bass seems rolled off compared to the mid-bass but still has some heft in various tracks. The texturing however, is a bit muddy. I personally think it needs more tightness for better definition of texture, because the decay of 808 kicks and other bass focused instruments/elements are a bit slow.

- Mids: On the leaner side, and this is where you get the feel of its U-shape signature. There is minimal warmth in this section but never cold, and KZ struck balance on this one finally. The bass does not interfere with the midrange performance. Vocals are more forward to female vocals than it is to male ones, and to my surprise, KZ didn’t overcook the upper-mids so good job KZ!

- Treble: Well extended near the borderline. I personally think this is the star of the show for the ZEX. It’s a treble that I haven’t heard from KZ that always does the same things, the same sibilant-riddled signature for years and they finally did an actual treble tuning with these magnetostatics. Cymbals and Ssses are handled well and the presence region is not too lifted but the borderline I mentioned really shows with some tracks. Air is present on the treble performance too, and I don’t know if the magnetostatics really do work but I definitely feel the upper treble extension! Though I notice at times that the treble can be detached from the signature, maybe crossover issues?

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is average as any IEM feels to me, but the air in the treble helps to make it less claustrophobic.
Imaging is good, spatial cues are presented well but movement of some elements are limited.
Separation is excellent, it layers the various elements well without effort, and it might be due to the treble.

Thoughts:

This surprised me alot honestly. I have tried various KZ products in the start of my audio journey and found them very lacking or even overbearing with treble presence and upper mids but the ZEX proves otherwise. I think I can finally recommend a KZ to a budding audio enthusiast with this model without the usual KZ pitfalls, but I cannot recommend these to someone who has other models and has already experienced something beyond the 20 USD price range since there are still better performing pairs out there.
I thoroughly enjoyed the companionship of ZEX in my work and my college classes. I had fun listening through various albums with it and that’s all that matters. I’ve been listening to
DJ PicaPicaPica’s Planetary Natural Love Gas Webbin' 199999 DJ compilation of eclectic EDM music and the ZEX made it an enjoyable experience throughout the listening sessions.
Hope you enjoy the music as I did!

Thanks for reading!

(edit: fixed the formatting)

See Audio Bravery Review

Tl;dr : 4 BA setup, 279USD. Warm U-shape with great tonality. Bass is extended linearly, midrange is smooth and warm, and treble is extended with a balance of smoothness and definition. An all-rounder with my music library. Excellent value for your money with stock tips and cables coming from Azla and Hakugei. I love it!

A bit of background and disclaimer:

See Audio sent this Bravery as a tour unit to review and evaluate, rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve See Audio’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers. You can buy the Bravery @ HiFIGO!

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!

Packaging:

· The Bravery only came to me with the metal case with all of the necessary things inside, since this is a tour unit before prerelease, I can forgive it. The metal case is the same as what they have bundled with the Yume: the same textured metal case. It also contains the 3 pairs of Azla Xelastec tips, SML. Adding to that value is also the cable which was made by Hakugei, so I personally think it’s a solid value @ 279 retail price, and imagine more than that with its proper packaging.

Build:

· The shape of the shell is almost custom-like, as expected of most of these resin IEMs. The looks consists of a dark transparent body, and two unique swirling black and white faceplate patterns for both L and R with the logos of See Audio in the center of it. The resin seems to be semi filled from the nozzle part, which is made of metal and with some bubbles but not a problem for me look wise.
The cable consists of protruded 2 pin, splitter/cinch and jack metal wares in a dark blue-ish finish and two nylon braided cables that swirls into a 3.5mm termination. The cable transmits minimal to no microphonics. The cable does not tangle easily and the nylon does not itch my ears so it’s fairly comfortable. My problems with the cable are the nylon will wear out on frequent usage and a preformed earhook would’ve been nice.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit my ears excellent with a near custom like fit and isolation thanks to the stock Azla Xelastec M tips. The setup blocks noise nearly damn well and with my case, doesn’t require an further tiprolling because the stock tips fits me like a glove.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC and Zishan U1 (on my phone and laptop) and my Huawei Y9 Pro 2019 for the testing.
You could drive this well with a smartphone and gets loud easily but improvements are noticeable on amp usage but not really drastic that I would require them all the time.
My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones and also streaming on Spotify since I prefer its convenience. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: This range is definitely lifted but in amounts that I would call “perfect”, no bloat and no head-aching thumps either. Sub bass is visceral but not too much and mid bass with the right punches and kicks thrown; the transitions between the sub and the mid-bass is linear. Bass guitars and growling synths are textured perfectly and 808 kicks sound like an 808 kick almost coming from a dynamic driver which got me super surprised considering that it’s an all-BA setup. It’s really impressive, and I love it.

- Mids: Smooth and with a warm tilt. The midrange on these hits my sweet spot for the right tonal balance, not too warm and gooey, and not too cold and thin. Female and male voices are presented in equal terms, but it is 2 steps behind from all the elements sometimes, by which you could really feel the U-shape signature coming together. Luckily with that vocal performance, the upper midrange is properly controlled and extends without any harshness.

- Treble: Well extended and smooth! This was also surprising because I don’t feel the “BA timbre” or a sense of metallic tinge in its treble performance. The lower treble to upper treble is linearly extended without sibilance or pierce. A cymbal sounds natural and Sssses are contained, air is sufficient. They tuned it with the balance of smoothness and definition which is a plus for me.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is average; I’d say it feels like a 20ft by 20ft room with the performers just cramped in front of you. It might be due to the bass performance but I’d take that drawback for some mid-bass because it fits within the context of the signature.

Imaging is good, spatial cues are presented well and its movement but can be limited by the soundstage.

Separation is excellent, layered well with the various timbre of the musical elements separated nicely.

Comparison:

- See Audio Yume: Yume is a Harman-neutral while the Bravery is a U-shaped signature. Yume is 170USD VS Bravery at 270USD.

Bass goes to Bravery with more bass heft, texture and speeds while the Yume lacks behind with its sub-bass focused tune yet fails to texture and perform well despite having a dynamic driver for this range.

Mids goes to Bravery with a needed warm tilt and smoothness that I personally like. Yume on the other hand, is a bit dry in its tonality and can be thin sometimes but Yume has a much better vocal performance than the Bravery.

Treble goes for Bravery with an actual extention that isn’t limited to the lower treble since the Yume’s biggest issue is its lack of air. Bravery extends and defines more than its lower priced sister.

Thoughts:

I’m going to be honest, this was the most surprising and the best IEM I’ve ever tried! This hits the boxes that I was yearning for an IEM. Great OOTB package and easy drivability with a tuning that is pleasant and an all rounded listen for my library. It also surprised me with the bass response, because I was expecting limp bass but no! It impressed me even further with its DD like BA bass that got someone like me, a Dynamic Driver lover a pleasant surprise.

The Bravery is almost an endgame for me, almost because of issues such as the soundstage performance, the cable and other various things, but honestly I’ll probably stop buying other IEMs and call it a pause game. It’s an IEM that I REALLY enjoyed a lot with my music, especially DJ Screw’s All Screwed Up: Volume II compilation, handling the screwed and skewed beats with such musicality that I almost forgot I was testing it! I hope you enjoy the music as much as I had with these pairs.


Thanks for reading!

TForce Yuan Li Review

Tl;dr : 1DD setup @ 120 USD. Warm-ish, neutral-bright signature. Fast and visceral bass, smooth and intimate midrange, well extended treble. A bit unforgiving on some badly recorded tracks.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

TForce Audio sent this Yuan Li as a tour unit to review and evaluate, rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve Tforce’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers. You can buy the Yuan Li @ HiFIGO!

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!

Packaging:

· The Yuan Li came in a medium rectangular printed box that consists of two parts, the cover and the box that contain the contents. Inside the box contains three papers (warranty, social media card, and a small translucent artwork), the earpieces detached, the faux leather case with the cable inside and a foam cutout that has 3 types of eartips (“Vocal” soft, short wide bore tips x 3 SML, “Bass” red hard stem ear tips x3 SML and a pair of foam eartips). Overall, it’s a great package for 120usd, especially that faux leather case which got me surprised.

Build:

· The shape of these shells is very organic and well designed. The whole earpiece is made of aluminum with a mirror finish throughout with the TForce logo engraved and with colored red and blue marker on the faceplates and letters near the nozzle for L and R indication.
The cable consists of two cores and the wares used for the jack, splitter and 2 pin is of the same material and same mirror finish as the shells itself. It’s a bit of a tangly mess haptics-wise but I like the 2 core form factor because it feels more low-key in the eyes and comfortable to me.
The potential problem with the shells will be the mirror finish, because it’ll turn into a scratch field and a fingerprint magnet with heavy usage, but in terms of overall quality and strength I personally think TForce did well with the Yuan Li. There’s also the issue of grounding on my unit with the metal build and all, but it is definitely something to take note when buying them.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit my ears very well due to its organic shape and the fairly shallow nozzle. I needed to tiproll outside of the provided tips because nothing in the provided tips fit me snug, so I tiprolled and found great fit with wide-bore Whirlwind tips and narrow bore MH755 tips. Isolation is above average, you can still feel the traffic sounds but it is fairly drowned by the music you’re playing.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC and Zishan U1 (on my phone and laptop) for the testing. This particular pair will sing to its full potential when it’s paired with amped sources (@ 103db@1khz sensitivity)
My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones and also streaming on Spotify since I prefer its convenience. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: Sub- focused bass, mostly thumps but with a little bit of boom or punches. There is still a bit of mid bass meat in there that makes the whole signature less lean. The bass response is fast, visceral and textured well and does not bloat nor bleed. Bass guitars are well rendered and 808 kicks sounds like the 808 kick we are all familiar with, when called upon. I also found that using a narrow bore eartip like the MH755 stock tips gives the bass more presence throughout the signature so you might find it useful when you feel like having some bass.

- Mids: Lean until the upper- mid, and this part of Yuan Li is my favorite. Tonality wise, it is leaning a bit towards warmth just enough to make the midrange with sufficient body, and for my standards it hits the boxes of what’s “natural” to me, so expect a smooth midrange experience although a bit of that upper midrange energy gives it a bit of edge that the smooth lower midrange needs. Male voices are well presented and detailed but female voices are more intimate than their male counterparts. The upper midrange can be unforgiving to some poor/lo-fi recordings though so take note of that, but it is usually not a big deal for me throughout the testing.

- Treble: Lower treble focused and with just enough air to make the transitions to the upper ranges smooth and well extended. Cymbals and Sssses are handled well on the borderline of my tolerance but expect an unforgiving treble with poor or lo-fi recordings. It is extended well with very good definition while not giving the listener an overwhelming, sibilant presence, given that your tracks are well mastered.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is above average, it feels more wide compared to its depth.

Imaging is good, with spatial ques and elements presented well and their movement throughout the music.

Separation is excellent, very layered for a single DD setup, which is pretty damn surprising. It might be due to the treble performance.

Comparison:

- With Tin T2 Plus: They’re both neutral*, with the Yuan Li being more lean than the warmer T2 Plus. T2 Plus is at the 50 USD price point while the Yuan Li is @ 120 USD.

Bass goes to Yuan Li, because its better defined and textured compared to the T2 Plus where the bass is bloated and feels less detailed although in quantity the T2 Plus wins it.

Mids goes to Yuan Li with more detail from the upper midrange yet still has a certain balance of smoothness to it. T2 Plus however, is warmer and much more in line to my tonal preferences but it’s definitely less detailed.

Treble goes for Yuan Li, with more air, definition and resolution than the T2 Plus, although T2 Plus is much safer in the treble while the Yuan Li is just near at the borderline when it comes to sibilance.

Thoughts:

The Yuan Li definitely gave me a bit of a surprise while testing through it. I almost thought I’d get bored to death with its neutral signature and the usual pitfalls of neutral IEMs on my mostly varied and ever changing albums usually of dubious recording quality but it held up pretty damn well with it. I usually look for bass quantity first when analyzing for the sound since my library is unforgiving when it comes to lean pairs but this manages to catch the balance damn well although some tracks, Yuan Li did not forgive. To be honest, this is not my preferred signature, but is still an engaging listen though!

I also think this is a definite upgrade from the neutral pairs and dynamic driver IEMS you hear at under 100 USD range, especially with the T2 Plus of mine being wrecked by the Yuan Li in terms of overall resolution and quality, although for people with weaker sources like a phone might need to upgrade first since this is a pair that sings well with a bit of push (even a dongle should suffice!).
What I loved about the Yuan Li’s throughout the testing is their wonderful rendering of Duster’s Capsule Losing Contact tracks with its smooth midrange and separation that made me engaged and relive the tracks from a band that I adore so much. I hope you guys enjoy the music like I do when you get these pairs!

Thanks for reading!


Edit 1: fixed some things in the review.

BGVP NS9 Review

Tl;dr : 170usd, 2dd 7ba setup with tuning nozzle options. Signature can be an L-shaped or a V-shaped depending on the filters used. Unashamedly bassy and warm. Midrange a bit veiled with leaking bass. Decent treble extension although lacking air. Good imaging and separation. There’s a QC issue about unit variants and design issue about the nozzle filters that prevents me from suggesting this.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

BGVP gave me the opportunity to try the NS9 through a review circle tour; rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve BGVP’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers.

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!


Packaging:

· The packaging consists of a two-part box with a slide-on cover showing its marketing and specs. The two-part box opens to a velvet-lined interior on foam with inserts for the case, the IEMS detached and a foam guide for the 3 pairs of 2 type of tips given, and an envelope containing the usual warranty and manual. The case contains the cable, the two red and silver filters in a small plastic case (the stock black filter is already in the IEMs themselves). With the amount of accessories and tips provided, I think it’s a good value for 170usd, I just wished the tips included were a bit more fitting to the IEM’s nozzle.


Build:

· The shape of these shells is very BIG, sporting a design similar to the Fiio FH3s. The MMCX connector is sufficiently tight and is still easy to remove. The body and the faceplate are very thick and the length of the nozzle is super short, even for Chi-fi shallow fitting IEM standards. As you can see, it sports a screw-able nozzle for tuning your preferred sound but it seems to unscrew easily when you tip roll, especially with the given small bore tips, this is a flaw that BGVP should prevent because the nozzle filters will likely be worn down with usage, so stick to a filter you want if you want to prolong its tightness.
I also saw reports of unit variants with people hearing sibilance in their pairs, so please take note if you’re going to buy one. I suspect there’s a QC problem with their BAs, filtering and sound tube.
I’d give it a plus for giving consumers a chance to tune their sound, but negates it with its potential issues.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit decently, given that your ears is as big as mine, but the shallow fitting of the stubby nozzles might be more of a problem for some. The pair isolates noise surprisingly very good, if it fits your ears well. MANDATORY tiprolling is needed because of the small bore tips provided and the shallow nozzle, so I found a great fit with foams, reversed Starline and large MH755 tips.


Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC (on my phone and laptop) and my music player (Samsung YP-Q2) for the testing. My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: This is definitely the most prominent of the whole signature. A huge extension till the sub-bass, it is unashamedly bass heavy and sloppy. The decay of the bass is slow and the kicks are full bodied. They also leak through the mids. I just wished it was a tad tighter, textured and doesn’t intrude the midrange so much, but it definitely makes for a fun listen for electronic genres and a good supplement for bass lacking tracks especially in indie rock. The filters seem to do nothing on this range.

- Mids: Warm and a bit veiled. You can definitely see where the V-shaped sound takes its form here. The timbre of some instruments is pretty good for a hybrid but the bass really intrudes with the definition and details of them. Male vocals seem to be taking the stage in front rather than female vocals, though the silver filters seems to accentuate some of the upper-mid and give the female vocal a tiny lift. There is no upper-mid sibilance detected, even more so on the red filter which basically puts an even darker veil on the midrange.

- Treble: Decently extended but lacking air, stock and even with the silver filter. Cymbals don’t have that thin, digital quality that a hybrid usually has and Sssses are handled exceptionally, but the lack of air might be a problem for some. I personally hear good extension but people might hear the opposite, BGVP definitely played it safe in this region, and I like it. The silver filter gives it a bit of a more emphasis while the red filter just overshadows the treble somehow.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is decent, and feels like a small room, with a focus on width and sufficient depth.
Imaging is good with defined spatial cues and movements, though the bass might smudge it a bit.

Separation is also good with a semblance of definition on various elements, even with the veil and the bassy nature of the IEMs. The BAs definitely did their work with this part.

- [EXTRA] Coherence: I honestly don’t hear any crosstalk on my unit or anything that overlaps with the ranges. BGVP seems to do a great job with its crossover circuit although I don’t really mind, if I’m gonna buy an IEM, it’s gonna be for the music, though a bit of crossover QC quality for this price range should still be expected.

Comparison:

- With Seeaudio Yume: They’re basically sold more or less in the same price (170usd, 169 in other places), and both are hybrids with only difference is the driver count. The Yume sports an accurate Harman 2019 signature and the NS9 sports an L or a V shaped signature (depending on its filters).

Bass goes to NS9, because the Yume unacceptably has a lacking bass slam, though it is tighter and well textured than the NS9.

Mids goes to the Yume, being more defined and detailed and less veiled by the boisterous bass response, although the warmth factor of the NS9 is still something I’d prefer.

Treble goes for the Yume, because it’s less veiled than the NS9 and more detailed, though both lacks air.

Thoughts:

I seriously want to give the NS9 a 4 out of 5 with its fun signature and the valuable choice to tune its sound to your liking but I have to deduct some points with their overall design and quality flaws like the reported issues about unit variance, the short nozzle and its damage-prone filters screwing which can be a problem in the long run. I wouldn’t mind giving it another half if BGVP addresses the QC issues in their production, but till then, we have to wait for their response to those people that had the problem.

With the problems aside, I honestly think this is a good IEM for most of my library and my current listens, carrying an all rounded and fun listen. I had good fun relistening to Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience, and I think this is a good addition to your collection if you’re into pop, rock and electronic genres. Unfortunately I still have to hold that suggestion for now until BGVP fixes these flaws. J

Thank you for reading!

Seeaudio Yume Review

Tl;dr : 170usd, 1dd 2ba setup. Sports the Harman Target 2020 tuning.
Lacks in midbass slam, only sub bass focus like Harman does. Has a dry tonal presentation. Mids are lean and detailed though lacks in body for some instruments. Vocal performance is excellent. Treble performance is very good although lacking a bit of air. Imaging and separation are excellent but lacks in soundstage width. Overall, it’s a bit boring for my tastes.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

Seeaudio gave me the opportunity to try the Yume through a review circle tour; rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve Seeaudio’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers.

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!

Packaging:

· The packaging consists of a two part box with an anime background on the outer cover and the pair’s specs and graphs. The black box contains the pairs unconnected, the metal container that contains the cable, the four silicone tips & foam tips in different sizes and the papers, stickers and warranty in foam that fits them snuggly. It’s very good for 170usd.

Build:

· The shape of these shells is very custom-like. It’s primarily built with resin with a metal nozzle. I do notice some imperfections in the filling of the shell, I’m seeing tiny solidified droplets of resin from the faceplate. A bit iffy looking but not really noticeable, still decent looking and the sparkly holographic sparkles of the faceplate with the dark resin used makes you focus on those visuals.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit VERY well with the custom-like shells fitting my big ears properly with decent nozzle depth that is sufficient to isolate outside noise on my ears excellently. MANDATORY tiprolling is needed because of the subpar tips provided, so I found a great fit with KZ Starline tips.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC (on my phone and laptop) and my music player (Samsung YP-Q2) for the testing. My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: Super focused in sub-bass amount, extends well when tracks call for sub-bass but even though it extends, it severely lacks in mid-bass slam and weight that I personally think should be in any track.

This is definitely the weak part of the Yume, its lumpy bass. It feels like a heartbeat more than a kick from a drum or an 808, so you could imagine the texture is very lacking too, with lesser present attack and decay.

- Mids: Lean and dry. Timbre is fairly good for a hybrid setup, though some instruments can sound body-less with the sub bass focus plus the dryness of the whole signature. Even though I said that, the sub bass focus actually help to bring the mids up despite the graphs indicating a dip as a Harman signature would show, but really lacks some body as I said earlier. It is fast and snappy in portraying instruments though (they’re using BAs afterall), but I still prefer a more slower and natural snap.
The vocals are definitely the star of the show for the Yume, with female voices portrayed with very good detail and control without being sibilant and the male voice presented decently, so it makes an engaging listen with vocal tracks for me.

- Treble: More focused on the lower treble side of things. It has decent extension for me, and very detailed without getting sibilant. Cymbals and Sssses are handled without any sibilance. Details in this range are portrayed clean, but the lack of air may bother some people. It’s energetic without being too digital sounding, although the speedy snap of BAs isn’t what I prefer.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is average, a bit claustrophobic. More on depth than the width

Imaging is excellent with well-defined spatial cues and movements.

Separation is also excellent with very good definition of various elements; I think it might have something to do with the speedy rendering of the BAs inside.

Comparison:

- With Sony MH755: They’re in the same Harman signature more or less (MH755 being exaggerated Harman VS Yume following Harman Target 2020 to a T) but with very contrasting costs (MH755 @ 5-20usd vs Yume at 170usd), I want to do this comparison despite the cost differences because both are Harman contenders, which is very interesting for me.

Bass goes to MH755, because its slams better and with desirable mid bass response compared to the Yume.

Mids goes to the Yume, being more defined and detailed, but the MH755 is more natural in that presentation than the Yume will ever be.

Treble goes for the Yume, because it’s more controlled, well defined and detailed compared to the MH755.

Thoughts:

I give the Seeaudio Yume a bit of a lukewarm response, I’m seriously being honest. It’s a bit too boring (or analytical) for my tastes, unfortunately. Add the lacking mid bass response that doesn’t scratch my bare minimum for a bass response. I guess Harman isn’t good for my preferences. I hope Seeaudio can see the lacking bass response and add at least a bit of meat to the mid bass.
However, it is very good for vocal tracks or tracks that don’t use bass that much. I found myself very engaged listening to Takagi Masakatsu’s Kagayaki, with its field recordings of grandmothers singing lullabies with accompanying piano and folk music pieces. I almost cried honestly, so I guess I can still see a golden lining for it because what matters is how it portrays the music anyway. J

Thank you for reading!

Kbear KS1 Review

Tl;dr : 1DD setup. Safe V-shaped tuning with a cool/dry tonality. Bass is plenty boomy and midrange sunken with voices not rendered properly. Highs are well controlled and extend without sibilance. It pairs well with warm and smooth sources. Very easy to drive.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

KBear gave me a large discount for my unit, rest assured my opinions are not influenced by them, I hope my review can guide Kbear on their products, and guide some curious consumers. Check them out if you wanna buy those pairs @ Lazada PH!

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!

Packaging:

· The Kbear KS1 came in a small white box with the product name and render printed on. It’s the usual KZ/TRN affair that you might have encountered giving you the pairs in its plastic holder, the cable and 3 size tips on a separate packaging and warranty and other papers. There’s nothing special.

Build:

· The shape consists of the repetitive ZSN-type shells, with a glossy plastic body that may scream cheapness or not, but they have a relatively thinner size compared to the other ZSN-type ones I tried. The cable is also the usual 4 core thin braid with an L-shaped jack, there is microphonics though but it’s alright. Overall, it’s not bad.
Be aware though, there are some reports of its nozzle falling apart by some users, so take note of that when tip rolling. I hope Kbear solves this, one way or the other.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit normally as any ZSN-type shells do but the nozzle is in decent depth on my ears. Isolation is normal but can depend on the tips. Tiprolling is VERY MANDATORY because of the subpar tips provided, did not fit or isolate well. I used a custom tip that I made mimicking Symbio Mandarines, which gave me very good results with fit and isolation of the pairs.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC (on my phone and laptop) and my music player (Samsung YP-Q2) for the testing, but mostly used the music player due to the synergy, and they’re very easy to drive. My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: Very present, but with a mid- bass focus, texture is decent, but slam is not tight for my liking, a bit boomy at times. It can also overwhelm the mids in tracks but can be well controlled in some sources like my music player.

- Mids: They are the least prominent of the whole signature, but are still present enough. It sports a cool/dry tonality. Voices are bit thin or nondescript sometimes. Timbre is average for a single DD (I was expecting more in this part), with technicalities being a bit subpar and some instruments lacking definition, but pairing them well with a warm, smooth source pretty much negated that problem.

- Treble: This is probably the star of the show for this pair, details come through. It is surprisingly well controlled and extends well, but not to the point of sibilance. Lower to upper treble shows excitement and air but almost nearing the point of being metallic sometimes. Unfortunately the lacking midrange and the boomy bass doesn’t help bring this region to its fullest potential.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is a bit below average, feels like a tight space.

Imaging is pretty OK, a bit blurry due to the bass but I can definitely feel some movement of various musical elements.

Separation is good, with well-defined spatial positions, but the cramped soundstage prevents it on getting its full potential.

Thoughts:

The KBear KS1 is a decent set of earphones, but unfortunately there is almost nothing special to talk about, a bit too safe for my liking. You won’t go wrong starting with this (a safe mainstream tuning with all the standard bells and whistles), but you have better options if you’re looking for a second pair to own. The QC issues I see in various forums also makes me prevent a full recommendation, so if you’re gonna buy one, beware.

Although, with that negatives, the enjoyment while pairing them on my music player (YP-Q2) is undeniable. The bass is now well controlled, midrange more present and treble even more refined. I thoroughly enjoyed Eggboy’s 98-05 compilation album while strolling with my small player. If you pair them well, they shine through.

Thank you for reading!

CVJ CSE Review

Tl;dr : Lean. Has a shouty upper-mid and treble performance. Bass is surprisingly good and well detailed but those glaring issues just outweigh it. One thing that saves it for me is how it plays some electronic tracks well, a very specialized IEM for me.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

CVJ sent me two samples to review and evaluate, rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve CVJ’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers.

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!

Packaging:

· The CVJ CSE came in a small rectangular printed paper box similar to KZ’s and TRN’s packaging where they showcase the IEMs detached and pairs of Large and Small tips in a cutout part of the box, with the medium tips on the IEMs itself. Beneath the cutout is a small string bag containing the 4 core 2-pin 0.78 cable and an instruction manual with the “warranty” card inside. It was good to include a string bag for storage, compared to KZ and TRN. For less than 20USD, it’s definitely good value.

Build:

· The shape of these shells is very similar to ZSN and other IEMS that boasts this shape before. Most of the shell is made out of transparent glossy plastic that consists of a green faceplate, amber body and a metal gold nozzle. The looks for me, is pretty beautiful, but feel/haptic-wise, you can definitely assume on its weight that this is a budget model.

I have a glaring issue about my unit though, mine came with a loose filter on the pressure vent where it sits on my ears, creating an imbalance in the bass. I hope CVJ can tighten their QC next time. I fixed it with some micropore tape placed on the pressure vents.

Fit and isolation:

· They fit normal as the ZSN-type shells do but the shallowness of the nozzle is usually my problem for these kinds of IEMs, I really need to tip roll to accommodate my ears. Isolation is average. After some MANDATORY tiprolling, I found a great fit with wide-bored Whirlwind tips.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC (on my phone and laptop) and my music player (Samsung YP-Q2) for the testing. My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: Very lean in quantity. It’s very fast and tight, the sub-bass and mid-bass is a bit linear and almost punch-less for my taste but still present enough. It textures bass well, with speed and lesser sense of decay but it gets overpowered by the most prominent section of the sound signature on some complex tracks.

- Mids: Lean until the upper-mid. The tonality is almost thin, which I find a bit “off” on my ears. It makes most of instruments intimate at times and male vocals quieter than female vocals. With its thin tonality, it’s almost a bit digital-sounding, and feels like there’s almost a gaping hole in some tracks. It would be more correct to my ears without the highest peak of the sound signature: the glare on the upper-mid till the lower treble (2khz to a 4khz slope downwards), tracks that are prominent on this region might give a slight ear-drill sensation. Turning down the volume helps but does not fix the other problems.

- Treble: Crisp, airy and lower treble as present as the upper mid glare. This accentuated section makes cymbals a bit too hot, too digital for my liking. The air factor is pretty good but lower treble’s too hot to notice sometimes. The heightened treble makes separation and details pretty good but the cons outweigh this pro for me unfortunately.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is average, but doesn’t feel like a cramped room like some IEMs feel like.

Imaging is pretty great, with well-defined positions and movement from one space to another.

Separation is good, but gets limited by the overwhelming presence of the treble.

Comparison:

- With Nicehck DB3: They’re in the same price bracket but with different sound signatures (< 20usd).

DB3 is more warm and balanced while the CSE being more lean, thin and upper mid- treble focused compared to the DB3

Bass goes to CSE, because its better defined and textured compared to the DB3 where the bass is weightier but lacks texture sometimes.

Mids goes to the DB3, being more warm to my liking and doesn’t have the upper mid glare that drills your eardrums.

Treble goes for the DB3, because this simply doesn’t have the glare continuing to the lower treble.

Thoughts:

I honestly give the CVJ CSE a lukewarm reception, it just doesn’t do some things right, and when compared to a lot of the same Chi-Fi IEMs of its price range, it gets bogstandard with the some of the usual pitfalls of those typical offerings present in the model like an ear drilling upper-mid to treble. It is EQ-able but you have better options at this point. Also add the QC issue that I experienced which I hope CVJ gets sorted in the future.

If you’re starting out on the hobby with 20 USD to spend, this isn’t a good option. There are lots of safer options out there like the Nicehck DB3 which has an almost non-offensive sound signature and presents the same good value of packaging that the CVJ has and more accessories like tips for more tiprolling options. But if you’re willing to spend 20USD for the eccentricity and collection, I think it does well as a specialized pair in genres like electronic music for cheap. I listened to Takashi Kokubo’s The Day I Saw the Rainbow with its wonderful, ambient electronic soundscapes featuring a harp, and the CSE presented those beautiful sweeps of harp strums really well! I guess there’s a silver lining for these flawed IEMs sometimes.

Thank you for reading!

CVJ Mirror Review

Tl;dr : Nice pair with a signature that has a flat and smooth yet detailed treble and excels in separation, deceptively looks like a KZ/TRN but the sound signature shows otherwise. Has a tough competition from other brands. Good value for your money nonetheless. I still prefer a more coherent signature.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

CVJ sent me two samples to review and evaluate (this and the CSE with the review coming in a few weeks!), rest assured they won’t influence my review. I hope my criticisms can be used to improve CVJ’s future releases and current ones, and guide some curious consumers.

I'm also new on reviewing so please tell me your inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!

Packaging:

· The CVJ Mirror came in a small rectangular printed paper box that is similar to KZ’s and TRN’s packaging where they showcase the pairs detached and 2 pairs of Large and Small tips in a cutout part of the box, with the medium sized tips already in the pairs. Beneath the cutout is a small string bag containing the 4 core cable and an instruction manual with the “warranty” card inside. It was good to include a string bag for storage, considering their other budget competitors such as TRN and KZ. It shows good value.

Build:

· The build of the shells is pretty good, feel and aesthetic-wise. The promotion material stated that the shells are made of an aluminum-magnesium alloy that is CNC milled. The shape resembles a leaf (or an eighth note if you also include the shape of the 2-pin connectors, lol) and looks organic with a ridge detail and a non-functional small vent. They’re coated with a matte finish with L and R markings on the shell body and a “镜-Mirror” along the faceplates. The matte finishes of the shells are a bit of an skin oil magnet though.

Fit and isolation:

· With the organic shape of the shells, it fits me comfortably well due to the fact that the shells don’t fit as shallow as other usual Chi-fi shells out there (Especially those repetitive ZSN-type shells). Isolation is unfortunately average. After a bit of tip-rolling, I found a great fit with the MH755 tips.

Sound:

A bit of background for the source, I used my Meizu DAC (on my phone and laptop) and my music player (Samsung YP-Q2) for the testing. My library consists of MP3 and FLAC albums on 16/44khz and few 24/96khz ones. Here is my lastfm account to see what I listen to: https://www.last.fm/user/varia_ble

- Bass: There is a supple amount in this section, although not as detailed and fast as I wanted it to be, with sub-bass growls sounding a bit smooth and almost one-note and the mid-bass kicks with a bit of boomyness. There is some perceived leakage of the bass throughout the mids, but never overbearing, in fact, very supplemental to the smoothness of the signature and prevents it from sounding thin for me.

- Mids: The timbre of instruments is decent and smooth overall but shines on genres like acoustic, folk and classical. Both female and male voices are very smooth and intimate though not overshadowed by the bloat that I mentioned. The upper-mids are flat until the lower treble so there’s a lack of energy in that region as far as my preferences goes.

- Treble: This is definitely the star of the show, with peaks that I perceive from 4khz-10khz, it gives a sense of air and detail that I haven’t experienced in other IEM’s of this price range, although very digital and sharp in cymbals and other instruments that shines in those ranges. There’s a bit of congestion and rare sibilance in this part when confusing passages that takes advantage of this region on my library, but it honestly depends on the track s you play with. They’re very good in synthpop and electroacoustic genres, which really shines with crisp treble.

- Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: The soundstaging is very good, a bit more wide than deep; the smoothness of the lower and middle sections really lends itself well to the soundstage IMO.

Imaging is only decent, with spatial locations being limited to the depth and stereo sweeps a bit blurry. Separation almost had me amazed, with near perfect layering towards instruments and elements except when it comes to the treble on complex music, though still pretty good.

Comparison:

- With Tin T2 Plus: They share the same neutral profile and price range (2.4 to 2.5k PHP range on both of them). Build aesthetics and presentation goes to Tin T2 Plus while the build quality goes to the Mirror because it uses a 2-pin connector and is less prone to damage compared my already-flawed T2 Plus that had a slightly loose right mmcx connector.

T2 Plus is more warm and coherent while the Mirror being a bit more linear but with a bright treble that excels in separation and detail.

Bass goes to T2 Plus, which excels at its sub-bass detail and growl and fast and weighty mid-bass punch, but the Mirror has a bit more sub-bass amount.

Mids goes to the T2 Plus, being more natural in instrument presentation vocals and with some excitement on the upper-mids that the Mirror lacked for me.

Treble goes for the Mirror, with its performance aiding its excellent detail and separation that gave me a bit of wow factor, though natural presentation-wise, the T2 Plus has that going for it.

Thoughts:

The CVJ Mirror is a pretty solid set of IEMS for a person who wants to swim away from the vast oceans of typical sounding budget Chi-fi, boasting a house sound that is linear and bright. Unfortunately, they’re at a tough competition with other brands that also offers such signatures like Tin HIFI or BQEYZ. I hope to see more from them and proceed to break away from the rest, subverting our expectations. But for now, it’s only good for me, and nothing else. As much as this hybrid excels in their detailing and separation, it does it at the expense of a natural presentation. I got a bit spoiled with my earbuds and other dynamic driver favorites I guess LOL.

Considering the value, it’s definitely not a waste of your money’s worth if you’re looking for such signature at the price range.

Thank you for reading!

Tin T2 Plus Review

Tl;dr : It’s good! Almost a bit boring for my taste but might be amazing for neutral and midrange-loving folks. Watch out for the MMCX issues.

A bit of background and disclaimer:

Keephifi gave me a heavy discount for these in exchange for a review. They have been nice with the shipping and processing, and the items arrived after a month here in the Philippines. You folks said I can be honest and I'll definitely be honest about it!

I'm also fairly new on reviewing so please tell me your criticism or inputs about it! I'm happy to listen and learn from you guys!



Packaging: The Tin T2 Plus came with a rectangular box, with another box that contains the earpiece and the accessories, all in very good quality. It comes with the pairs detached with an M size eartip attached, a cable, 10 pairs of eartips (2x each for S/M/L) and the famous Tin Audio grey foam tips (1x). Pretty good value for 50 USD or less.

Build: The build is good, aesthetic-wise. The shells are made of “aluminum alloy” according to Tin Audio, with a brushed metal-like look, with a sleek silhouette reminiscent of the Blon BL-03, and it looks really clean in my opinion. The MMCX cable is made of braided 4 cores SPC wires, a metal straight 3.5mm jack, a metal splitter with the Tin Audio Logo, a plastic chin cinch and the metal male MMCX connectors with L and R labels. The metal parts also have that brushed metal look that the shell has, so it matches the whole look well enough.

Quality wise, well, I’m worried. When I plugged the cables for the first time, the right side of the mmcx cable wiggled slightly on the connectors. When I tried another MMCX cable with a different locking method, the left side attached with no problems but the right side fits in loosely and loses its connection. Plugging the stock cable works fine but the “wiggle” still persists. Maybe poorly machined? I’ll never know. Tin Audio, please fix.

Fit: It fits me well, comfortable, nothing sticks out. Doesn’t isolate much although that’s pretty dependent on the tips. I used eartips from my MH755s for the entirety of the listening. I have fairly big ears so YMMV!

Sound:
A bit of background for the source, I use my phone (Huawei Y6 Pro) and my music player (Samsung YP-Q2) for the testing.

• Bass: It’s punchy! Present, but not overly so to obscure some of the mids. The sub bass performance is very good, it played Sunn O)))’s It Took The Night To Believe perfectly, with the impending doom of the bass droning in very good amount. The texture is well defined, but gets smeared with complex tracks, but not frequent in my test tracks or library.
• Mids: The timbre of instruments is very natural, added with a bit of warmth for that feeling of musicality. The upper midrange has a bit of energy but I didn’t find anything sibilant unless you played badly mastered or low quality audio. The voices of Elizabeth Fraser and Phil Elverum sound much more breath-y and detailed because of the overall tonal balance.
• Treble: I can feel the sparkle and air on this one. Cymbals are well presented without excess energy. I would’ve liked a bit more bite in the air region, but it’s there. It presented Muslimgauze’s album, Azzazin with its glitchy synth bleeps and bloops a good snap and crispness that isn’t too sibilant.
• Soundstage and Imaging: Very good for an IEM! Almost U-shaped in terms of the panning that I hear from its excellent imaging combined. Works well enough for gaming too, although directional “cues” is a bit limited for front and back.

Thoughts:I honestly think this is a good value for 50 USD, with all of the goodies, the build (well, some parts of it) and the looks combined, this should be an easy recommendation for someone starting their audio journey at 50 dollars, but the MMCX issue I have is making me doubt about it. There have been tons of reports of the Tin models with MMCX connectors failing and I don’t want to experience that in my pair.

The sound signature is inoffensive to be honest. It kind of bored me at some point and made me go back to my earbuds, which gave me a more engaging experience to the music I’m listening, and well, I’m more of an earbuds guy. With the consideration of the sound quality and its unexciting nature, it’s a good recommendation for those who want it. YMMV though!

Overall, I liked it. There’s almost nothing wrong with it except for the MMCX which some of you may or may not experience, but it definitely plays my tunes well.

Thank you for reading!