I never tried the original T2 in it's hayday, I remember people taping up the vent for more bass and I figured anything that needed modding wasn't worth spending your money on.


Linsoul used the wrong graph on the purchase page, and the folks that got a pair didn't exactly have raving things to say..

But I try them and I think the bass is awesome, sub-bass is not only audible but incredibly detailed, and when I raise the volume the bass stays balanced



The treble is also a class act, it's alot better than expected, the little DD tweets like an EST.

I mostly used narrow-bore tips, the wide-bore tips sounded harsh and the foams got stuck in my ears.

I'm using Shanling UA4 and my Xperia 3.5 for almost all my listening, neither of which are really impressive or bassy sources

Also I was thinking these were a re-release of the $32 T2... but the venting on these is visibly different, Tinhifi is always doing some blackmagic with DDs, good shells and good quality drivers speaking volumes.

Did you read the pros and cons? These are the OPPOSITE of smooth and enjoyable sounding. Konoka graphs like it doesn't have a nozzle filter. There was minimal effort put into making these sound good.

The natural thing to do after realizing you'll never want to listen to these ever again, is mod your Konoka. Modding these is so easy and I've seen countless people do it already.



You can take literally any filter from any iem (Tin C2 in my case) and use it to improve the sound.

I took the black tuning mesh and placed it under the original nozzle screen



These results definitely surprised me and it shouldn't be hard to achieve something similar.

Despite the nice looking graph now, I still find there's an odd reverby-plasticky quality to the sound, and it only becomes worse with the vibrator.

The vibrator isn't bone conduction and it's weaker than imagined. It doesn't react to sub-bass and instead jolts to a small-range of midbass.

It's most pleasant with foam tips and maybe some games and movies, but it's an even further reduction in sound quality when it's turned on. It's very particular and once it settles in, pure gimmick.

QKZ is a company KNOWN for imitating brands like KZ, copying their iems and selling their own ripoff version. They have been doing this for years now.

The QKZ x HBB Khan seems to be nothing more than a Crinacle Truthear Zero copy.



The HBB Khan has the same huge nozzle, nozzle mesh, the same drivers and even the same exact crossover board as the Crinacle Truthear Zero..

The only difference is the bass is increased on the Khan.

Increasing the bass came at the cost of lowering the upper mids. This is the so-called "seesaw" effect and it's why Khan is so dark sounding.

When i asked Moondrop/Truthear if they had any relationship with QKZ, they told me they had NONE, and that QKZ simply copied their Truthear Zero.

Did a youtuber actually steal another youtuber's iem, and then put his name on top of it?

Many have asked, what's the best affordable single DD iem? Some would say Olina, others would say Aria, i would say HE01, but recently a fourth DD has joined the conversation.


Out of the box, with the included eartips, nothing about these sounded impressive. The low-end wasn't all that engaging, the treble sounded somewhat subdued and the upper mids were shouty at higher volumes.

Spring tips made these too bright sounding for me.

I tried some wide-bore KBEAR 10 eartips and the results were pretty astonishing.


The improvements were night and day. It was like i had cleaned my ears. Nothing about the treble sounded subdued now, suddenly there's an abundance of air and extension.

The mids sound (dare i say) holographic. instruments and vocals sound like a personal concert around my head.

The bass is what i can only describe as "tender" it's also very detailed. The gentle sub-bass focus becomes alot easier to appreciate after listening to something flat like the SSR.

Compared to my very best DD, The Titan S is less bassy, less sparkly and overall not as lively sounding as the HE01. Put simply, HE01 is more V shape. Titan S is more of a neutral iem. Both are excellent iems in my eyes.



Inside is a 10mm LCP driver. LCP is a kind of particularly strong plastic. You might be familiar with it in the form of kevlar, which is made out of LCP fibers. The tough opaque yellowish material of the diaphragm definitely fits the bill for LCP.

Lastly, the big vent on the back is real.




Out of the box these didn't meet expectations. But what i was eventually left with is something truly S tier.

After reading all the hype and seeing some graphs, i bought an ESX expecting them to be the best KZ yet.



NOPE, major disappointment. mids sound unnatural, treble is mediocre, bass is fun and that's about it.

These are arguably just a worse DQ6S, both have a similar sound signature only ESX is more V shape, DQ6S is more balanced, without the upper mids peaks.

I see absolutely NO reason to buy this when the CRA and DQ6S exist. The CRA has better treble details and similarly deep-bass.

One thing that really concerns me is the appearant differences between the KZ ESX samples sent directly to reviewers, and the ESX units you get from retail.

Those reviewers got an ESX with a much more balanced sound signature, without the huge upper mids spike. The red graph below is Pualwasabii's review sample and the green graph is a retail unit.



Me and Paul use the same mic, our other measurements are consistent with each other (Chu for example)


HBB got his ESX from Linsoul, instead of directly from KZ. His unit matches my ESX unit and like me, he wasn't too impressed.


I spoke with KZ on this matter and was thoroughly assured that my unit was NOT defective, and considering that the channel matching is good on my pair i also didn't think my pair was defective, so why is there so much variance between units?

Has KZ already made a revision? They've done it before. They have changed nozzle filters on the ATE and ZS3, They changed the BAs in the ZS5 after release which then received criticism for sounding too harsh. KZ revisions aren't just numerous, they often make the iem significantly worse than the first batch.

If that isn't the case, could this be just poor QC? and i simply got the unlucky end of the ESX stick? Some people have told me that their ESX purchase was a similarly disappointing experience, but there are others that say ESX is the best KZ ever.

---

After a supposed 5 years of development, TRN has released their first electrostatic iem. It's an obvious mockery of DUNU's EST112, BAX even uses the exact same Sonion EST65DA01 dual-tweeter unit used in the DUNU, only the TRN is $200 cheaper.

Regarding it's internals, It's two-way frequency division, the EST is a genuine Sonion unit and the back vents are all real.






As for sound:


When i first put these in my ears, i was greeted with what sounded like plastic cups getting crushed. My pair has TERRIBLE driver flex on both sides..

When i pressed play, my ears got promptly BLASTED with bass. Bass that dominated the entire listening experience. I switched to wide bore tips to reduce some of low end, i then settled on KZ starlines for the most listenable experience.

The sub bass on these is bigger than every other iem i own. There's more bass on these than VE Bonus IE, CCA CA24, KZ ZAS. It's absolute eardrum torture.



Regarding the mids and upper mids, things sound fairly clean with the exception of a 5K emphasis that gives an artificial airy quality to the sound. This can easily be reduced with EQ to give the upper mids a softer tone.

The highs and upper treble is actually quite good. treble sounds uniquely crispy, instrument separation is great, treble rolls off smoothly but maintains blistering microdetail.

Unfortunately for me, the BAX's good qualities are pretty much entirely masked by it's GLARING oversights.

Driver flex on a $300 iem is INEXCUSABLE. And this bass response should have never come off the assembly line.


As for sound comparisons, there isn't really anything i own that can match the unique electrostatic treble of the BAX


The CVJ Mirror has much more pleasing bass, better tuned mids, and two BA tweeters in the nozzle as opposed to the BAX's two ESTs. It's a sixth of the price of BAX and offers an immediately better sound experience.

The Whizzer HE01 is a single DD iem with punchy bass, well balanced mids and very extended treble. based off the FR graph alone it's a better pick, but it's not a tribrid, and the separation, speed, and microdetail is audibly superior on the BAX.

The KZ CRN is a super affordable tribrid with tight, deep bass. neutral mids and rather smooth treble. stereo separation is also particularly good on these, maybe a step below the BAX. The CRN costs a TENTH of the price of BAX and uses low-voltage magnetostatic drivers.

All this makes BAX a tough buy, and i cannot recommend this iem at all.


$300 can buy alot of food.

Arriving in standard KZ packaging, initial inspection finds a rather nice included SPC cable, it's unlike any of the stock braided brown/silver KZ cables we've seen before, the cabling below the Y split is flattish, making these tangle and knot resistant. The thinner cabling above the Y split has a sorta rifling texture to it that also makes it tangle and knot resistant, I've only seen this type of cabling on some my Sony earphones.



These arrive with a set of these thin white tips that I couldn't get a very good seal with so i opted for some silicone tips i had lying around.

regarding sources i found these synergized particularly well with the CX-PRO CX31993 dongle.





Starting with the bass, it peaks at around 70hz, it's more midbass than subbass giving it the feeling of having good speed. sub bass is somewhat rolled as you can see from the graph, these are no VE BIE. The bass isn't hugely impactful, it's quick and light on the feet, low frequencies have good texture to them, good in quality just not the most potent in quantity.

Mids are in the form of a 2k Pinna and a 5k peak in standard KZ fashion, this particular iteration sounds very good in my listening, female vocals aren't sibilant or harsh on the ears on high volumes, it doesn't sound veiled like the singer is speaking behind a curtain, male vocals are much the same tale, listening to Sinatra and Jobin the vocals sound crisp and never muddy up the sound. Very satisfactory.

Treble is truly the star the show here, on the frequency graph we see a series of peaks starting from 8k and descending all the way to 20khz, suggesting a sparkly sound. The treble part of the frequency response is unlike any BA or DD I've ever graphed. The treble sounds crisp, very nicely detailed, not veiled in the slightest and not bright and exaggerated like ZSN PRO treble. instrument clarity is superb. The treble to me doesn't get irritating or piercing, but the peaks around 10k do give the NRA a slight sibilant emphasis, though i do not consider these sibilant.

Soundstage is at times holographic, a quality rarely encountered in Chifi. With CX-PRO the soundtage is so convincing at times it has me looking over my shoulders. This is seriously good stuff, i have a newfound love for this magnetostatic fidelity.

Imaging is impressive, instruments can be pointed out around you.

Soundstage is wider than it is tall, and more behind you than in front of you. Mids and bass sound as though they come from inside your head and treble instruments sound just the right distance away and a little behind you.



Peeking inside the housing we're met with a rather sizable DD, it is the first "triple magnetic" DD I've seen. The DD fires into a small vented cavity, airflow then goes through a small port hidden on faceplate.



The magnetostatic driver directly faces the DD and fires into the same vented cavity, the cavity has a tube that leads to the nozzle.



Magnetostatic drivers are unusual, they are different from electrostats as they do not use a high voltage step up transformer and they have only two leads, positive and negative, whereas an electrostatic has a third wire for DC biasing. A magnetostatic driver is made of two copper coils that are both facing a ferrous metal plate, The coils and plate are sandwiched between fixed magnets, for much the same reason why DD coils are surrounded by magnets. When you play music through the coils the magnetic pulses generated move the metal plate, generating sound. These drivers are physically incapable of reproducing low frequencies, every implementation of magnetostatic driver I've seen are paired with a DD to supply low-end. These drivers work the exact same way an electret microphone works, only the principal is reversed.

VALUE I just want to mention that these are the most affordable magnetostatic earphones to ever exist. Some other earphones i know to use this type of driver include the Shuoer Tape and Singer, BGVP Zero and the S*nfer MT300. The Singer, MT300, and Zero are all far from excellent according to reviews I've seen, and Tape Pro was a huge let down according to most impressions I've seen. NRA is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than competitors, and they sound delightful.

Comparisons:

MT300 (1/DD 1/BA 1/MAG) $165



This is my other magnetostatic earphone, the MT300 low end is more sub bass than mid bass, it sounds thick and impactful whereas the NRA bass sounds faster and thinner. Mids on the MT300 are not on the level of NRA, the lower mids are recessed and the upper mids are unnaturally boosted on the MT300, NRA is much more harmonius, the MT300 has brighter treble that is very much fatiguing without foam tips, the treble extension is also worse on the MT300 despite having the additional benefit of a knowles BA driver.

KZ DQ6 (3/DD) $22



Another offering from KZ. Pricing is about the same as NRA. Soundwise, the DQ6 is quite similar to NRA, the notable differences being a touch less low-end on the DQ6 and treble that is sibilant and rolled off after 10k. The mids and upper mids sound very similar between the two. if you loved the DQ6, these will sound familiar and better.

Whizzer HE01 (1/DD + HDSS) $80



This is my current favorite earphone, the best all-rounder in my collection. Compared to NRA, HE01 has more low frequency extension. Speed and texture is similar between the two. Mids are better on the HE01 as the HE01 doesn't have the slight sibilant emphasis that the NRA has, so vocals sound cleaner and more pleasing on HE01. When it comes to treble, HE01 sound a little more airier, though for literally a fourth of the cost the NRA is basically neck and neck with HE01 in terms of fidelity and raw details.

Overall, I find it very hard to not recommend the NRA, twenty-some dollars gets you exotic driver technology and truly impressive sound.

Disclaimer: I was sent the HE01 from Whizzer for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own. I have no affiliation with the brand or company.



The Whizzer HE01 arrive in a rather substantial packaging, priced at $80, there is a heft and a feeling of quality, maybe it's just the hi-res sticker. Venturing inside i find the earphones themselves, an envelope with papers/warranty, then there's a cylindrical aluminum case with a set of Easytips reference tips and a set of Easytips vocal tips inside. Lastly there's the 4-core "5N OFC" (oxygen free copper) cable.



let's talk a little about the HE01. The HE01 are made by Whizzer as part of their "Kylin" line of iem (HE03, and the newest HE03AL) and is designed by J.IDEA+ ("Junctions IDEA") Studio, which from my understanding is the design division of Whizzer, similar to how "Operafactory" is Whizzer's division dedicated to more budget audio gear. The HE01 have Hi-res certification and also HDSS (High Definition Sound Standard) which is another type of certification for audio products that include an HDSS "ETL" module, it's the little cylindrical metal thing seen next to the driver in the marketing materials. This module, called an ETL, (Embedded Transmission Line) can be thought of as an open tuna-can filled with acoustic foam, it is meant to increase sound quality by absorbing some of the backwaves made by the dynamic driver. By absorbing some of these backwaves, the pressure fluctuations inside the housing should be reduced, theoretically reducing distortion. I have never owned a product with HDSS technology, i first saw it mentioned in the Hiby Seeds iem and at the time i didn't understand what it was. They have a website, hdss.com, there you can find technical details about HDSS, datasheets, measurements. They even go as far as to say:

"We believe that ETL is the first significant development in audio reproduction theory since the 1925 invention of the Moving Coil Speaker patented by Bell Labs"

It sure talks the talk, but does it walk the walk?





Physically inspecting the iems, there's rose gold accenting on the faceplate, nozzle, driver, the connecters, even the cable itself is a kinda rosy tinted copper that follows the whole aesthetic theme. Theres a metal damping ring on front the driver with the word "BRIGHT" and the words: "WHIZZER 10.2mm 4th Gen BRIGHT J.IDEA TYPE KYLIN HIGH-FIDELITY DESIGNED BY JUNCTIONS IDEA." marked in a ring on the front of the dynamic driver. On the nozzle is written "4TH.GEN". Personally i really like little details like these. it feels like i am inspecting a fine swiss watchpiece.



Removing the faceplate reveals the HDSS ETL module inside:







Diving into the FR graph:





using my preferred tips:



At 18 ohms and a sensitivity of 107dB per mW, the HE01 should play loud and proud on even the wimpiest of sources.

All my listening is done using an lg v30+, Neutron Player, lossless FLACs downloaded from Deezer.

Starting with the bass, it is elevated, and it sounds absolutely fantastic. It's speedy, detailed, punchy. i find the bass very satisfying. i recently reviewed the more expensive BGVP NS9, i did not like the bass on those, it sounded soft, the decay was very long and for their price they were just plain upsetting, The HE01 are MILES better in bass performance, you can hear every reverberation. Good, fast bass. Excellent.

Going into the mids department, male vocals sound rich, and the midbass isn't intrusive on the vocals, Sinatra and Jobim is just a pleasure to listen to on my HE01, and I'm able to listen loud without any protest from my ears. The amount of midbass although elevated is not too too much like the KBEAR KS1 or the BGVP NS9 midbass. In the track "RETRIEVING THE CASE" by Ludwig Goransson, the intro is a rising, intensifying bass tone, on the NS9 the intro is absolutely headache inducingly boomy, on the HE01? the intro sequence sounds ..huge.. but alot more bearable.

I do not find myself having to jack up the volume to bring out vocals, something i find myself trying to do on a few other sets, the mids/vocals here just blend into the mix nice and beautifully from what i hear.

Bringing our attention to the treble, i think these perform very well. The HE01 treble sounds natural. It doesn't sound metallic, the treble does not sound "forward" like how some of my cheapo balanced armature iems sound, and most importantly the treble does not sound rolled off, i am still getting great clarity and treble extension all without dedicated tweeters and such.

The treble IS missing a bit of splashiness, which would've made drums sound more realistic.

Referring to the graph, there looks to be a dip at 7k to cut out sibilance, Then there's a dip at 10k, which i believe is to help mitigate harsh or "blinky" treble. (treble that makes you wince whenever there's a cymbal strike or clap). In most iems, there's usually a point after 10k where the frequency response completely dies, some don't make it to 16k, the HE01 treble response goes all the way up to 20k on my IEC711 compliant mic, so if you're listening to music made for dogs or bats, you can rest easy knowing you'll be getting every bit of the music.

Soundstage is good, it isn't huge and the imaging isn't remarkable, the lows sound as though they are located around my ears, treble sounds like it is coming from just above my ears, there isn't much action going on behind you (NS9 in comparison sounded as though stuff was happening behind you) vocals are located mostly in my head. imaging isn't all too realistic, drums don't sound very lifelike, probably has something to do with the dips and spikes. In the track "Bucket" by Alltta, there's a short intro sequence where some sets (Sony wi-1000x for example) sound very realistic, the HE01 don't sound as convincing as some really good hybrids.


COMPARISONS:




KZ EDX: This is an $8 single DD earphone that there's a good chance you've probably tried.

Mids don't sound nearly as pleasing on the EDX as they do on the HE01, male vocals sound laid back and fairly distant, male vocals sound unusually bright too. Bass sounds a little more sub bass focused on the EDX and not as speedy as the HE01. treble quality is actually fairly comparable between the two, EDX is more tactile and snappy than HE01, you may prefer how the EDX images over the HE01.



Moondrop Sparks: This earphone costs $90, single DD, and is a prime example of Moondrop's diffuse field tuning, which alot of people i know are a fan of. The bass sounds flatter, more neutral on the Sparks and also has excellent speed like the HE01, mids don't sound as flavorful as the HE01, i like my male vocals with a little more warmth, the Sparks are alot colder. Female vocals are detailed and very good though. When it comes to treble the HE01 are noticeably airier with bigger soundstage all around your head, the Sparks are much less airy and also cannot playback any frequencies above 16k due to it's bluetooth limitations. The Sparks also cannot play nearly as loud as the HE01.

CVJ Mirror: This is a $50 hybrid 1dd + 2ba and one of my favourites from the slew of chifi hybrids I've tried. These have punchy speedy bass quite like the HE01, only a touch more potent. The mids aren't quite as good as HE01, male vocals aren't as full sounding, and the bass can be boomy on some tracks on the Mirror. The Mirror has the advantage of 2 custom balanced armatures and the result is much more precise imaging than the HE01. The treble, more crispy and finely textured than HE01. The Mirror does have some pretty bad driver flex, and the cable and accessories, nowhere near Whizzer..



I have had the HE01 for many many weeks now, they have done nothing but grow on me. These are the first iems that I've tried that i think i can safely give 5 stars to, and it will have this rating until something around the same price is able to impress me more than the HE01 (maybe Aria?) i truly love this sound, i trust the HE01 to faithfully reproduce my whole library. I think these are an excellent all-genre earphone for musical enjoyment, not for studio work.

The NS9 arrive in your typical BGVP package, a compact box with 4 different types of tips for you to pick from, 3 pairs of "bass" tips, 3 pairs of "vocal" tips a pair of good quality foam tips and the pre-applied wide bore tips.

Trying out all the tips, i find the pre-applied wide bore tips to sound the best as they seem to improve the bass just slightly.

Also in the box is a hard shell case, a very nice 4-core SPC cable, velcro strap, warranty info, and a small plastic container with 2 interchangeable "tuning filters" to try.

Cracking open the NS9 shell and looking inside reveals a seriously impressive assortment drivers..


Two "FDK-60718" This is one of those double package ba units, it's two knowles drivers, one 60318 and one 30017, sandwiched onto each other. Said to cover the mids.

A Knowles RAF-32873, a balanced armature who's solder contacts are on the unit's side, and on the back is a this rubber gasket thingy. A full range BA that is said to be an upper mids tweeter.

A Sonion E50dt, this BA looks just like any other armature driver. a peek at the datasheet reveals this driver actually dual balanced armature, very interesting as these aren't nearly as large as the double package FDK-60718s we see. Said to cover the highs & ultra highs.

One Coaxial dual dynamic driver. This is 2 dynamic drivers integrated into one package. The diaphragm material is advertised as being "liquid silicone" i believe this is a similar material as the hard silica gel balls you can find in those silica gel packets.

let's dive into the fr graph:


the 3 tuning filters


combinations of tips+filters




At first glance, these look like a basshead's delight, there is full extension on both ends of the spectrum with the bass peaking at 20hz and treble information present around and after 16khz.

You may notice the lack of really any sort of upper mids emphasis, typically you see some sort of climb after 1k before dipping around 6k. listening to the NS9, this translates into a very laid back mids/treble experience.

While on the graph all may look well, the actual listening experience leaves alot to be desired.

Let's talk about the bass, it is very very "slow" bass. It sounds mushy, soft, it is severely lacking in texture, i believe this is due the combination of having two dynamic drivers playing over each other and the bass being centered around 20hz.

On tracks with a heavy bassline, the NS9 totally lack impact and texture.

Visually i can show you how slow the bass is by looking at the decay of the low frequencies:




The BGVP DMS for comparison




You can see how much quicker the decay of the BGVP DMS is when compared against the NS9's decay.

It takes about 300 milliseconds for a 20hz impulse to fully decay on the NS9..

Focusing our attention on the mids, it's another area where the NS9 fail to impress. vocals are distant, instinctively while listening you will increase the volume to liven up the mids but doing so will only flood your ears with loud, dreaded mushy bass.

Due to the lack of upper mid energy, overall clarity is lacking. Not for mids lovers.

The treble can be described as being good in quality, but lacking on quantity. A boost in the upper mids or treble would have greatly improved the perceived clarity of music.

After 10k we see a drop, I say this is good as too much 12k will make the sound very unnatural (I'm looking at you V90S).

Then we see 3 peaks around 16khz giving the NS9 some much needed treble resolution, this is one of the strong points of the NS9, the treble sounds extended with good air.

The soundtage is good, instruments are placed mostly away and behind you, treble instruments are placed a short distance away from your ears and the bass sounds like it's coming from the same spot, the overall presentation isn't convincingly realistic, there isn't much sound coming from above or in front of you, everything is mostly localized either away, behind, or in your head.

The "tuning" filters that come with the NS9 are total gimmicks, they do little to nothing to alter the sound.

From the moment i layed eyes on the filters and inspected them it was clear to me that the only physical differences between the 3 were simply the different styles of metal mesh, ofcourse I can't just claim such a thing without proving my theory, so i did an experiment. i removed the metal screens on one of each filter type and i meaured them, expecting to see identical performance between the three.

The results of my experiment? well you can see for yourself, the filters are IDENTICAL to each other with the only difference being the color and the way the mesh screen looks.




So that's it, we have extremely capable hardware. Somehow 7 balanced armatures equate to a lackluster upper mids/treble experience and the two dynamic drivers working in tandem are just flat out inferior to something like the single DD in the BGVP DMS. That, coupled with tuning filters that don't actually tune anything. What we're left with is an earphone that is at the very least, comfortable, and comes with very nice accessories.

The included cable is a thick, 4-core silver plated copper (SPC) with half the cable being insulted with clear insulation, and the other half being insulated with grayish clear insulation. Looking at the structure up close it looks to be a litz wire but isn't advertised as such.


I bought my NS9 during the march ali sales as it was selling for $160.

Overall i find the NS9 hard to recommend.

Let's take a look at the frequency graph:


(measurements made using an IEC711 Occluded Ear Simulator)

The bass on the TA1 is great in my opinion, it has good weight to it and is in balance with the rest of the sound signature, i didn't feel as though the midbass was too much or that the sub bass was lacking oomf.

The mids sounds good, it is for the most part natural with nothing obvious that needs correcting, however i did prefer the the sound when i decreased the 1.6khz by a few dB.. and increased the 6.3khz by a few dB...

let's talk about the treble, the treble is quite gutted, there is a ~14db GOUGE in the treble, and it's audible, the treble is fairly veiled because of it. is it the fault of the tuner? or tuning? i don't think so. You see, the MT300 is another iem that uses the Knowles 33518, the same BA as the one in the TA1, right in the nozzle just like the TA1, it also has that huge cutout in the highs, leading me to believe that it's not the fault of poor tuning or implementation, but due to limitations with the 33518 BA itself. I don't believe there's any way to alleviate that dip without using a totally different balanced armature. imho, I'm not a huge fan of the TA1 treble, or the 33518 driver itself.





The soundstage is mostly localized in your head, imaging is actually good for the most part, treble instruments are placed away from your ears and are easy to pin point, despite this, i wouldn't call the overall experience realistic sounding.

The TA1 cost me 30 bucks and the MT300 $74, the MT300 is basically the upgraded version of the TA1 with more upper treble extension and definition and more low frequency extension. but for $30, the TA1 sure gives the MT300 a run for it's money.

The Audbos p4 have been my daily driver for around 5 months and have since showed the test of time, being tossed in bookbags, crammed in my pockets even surviving drop after drop I am thoroughly surprised they haven't kicked the bucket entirely! There is a reason however as to why I continue to have these Monitors by my side and it's simply due to it's fantastic sound performance for the money.


These Monitors were purchased with my own money on AliExpress for a measly 78$ (down from 211$). Yes 78$ for quad balanced armatures, leather case and all. Tested using my trusty LG V30+ with local FLACs from Deezer.

Overview
The Audbos p4 arrived in a fairly professional pull tab packaging, The leather case was however very cheap feeling and even had it's internal pocket (for eartips probably) torn. The tips, the same red bore standard tips found in many other earphone products alongside some nice quality foamies, were nice though they were immediatly discarded in favor of some stock Akg x Samsung Galaxy stock silicone ear tips which I have grown to love. Let it be known that these earphones are warm sounding they are not bright or v-shaped in it's sound signature they sacrifice peaky treble for excellent mid and mid-bass and present a natural overall sound.

Dat Bass 8/10
The bass on these were fantastic, being clear all through the low end spectrum. The bass was clear, being very discernable from the mids and mid-bass. They are moderately tight with average sub-bass extension. These babies have rumble, which may be suprising to some considering a lack of dynamic drives. The bass continues to shine despite not being the forte of these earphones. That title belongs quite simply to it's mids.

Mid-range 10/10
The mid-range on these are the reason you would want to get these if you can. They are very detailed with male and female vocals sounding forward and tonally accurate. Details in sound are very well separated from each other with no frequencies overpowering others. Very very good especially considering the mere 78$

Highs/Treble 9/10
The highs on the Audbos p4 sacrifice bright, saturated, super detailed sound in favor of a more rolled off, sibilance free sound signature that greatly complements it's overall warm sound signature. Hi hats and cymbals are beautifully represented as they lack pierce present on most low cost high frequency balanced armatures and female voices are perfectly forward and sound very well balanced.

Isolation & Comfort
The plastic housing of the Audbos p4 though big, I find very very comfortable almost feeling as though they were molded to my ears. Because of the big-in-size nature of them with it's nicely modelled exterior shape they have excellent isolation. They even lack ports or vents because of it's all armature build which add to it's excellent isolation.

In Conclusion
Find an excuse to dish out the money for these monitors and I can guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised with it's pleasant, warm and balanced sound. These will continue to stay tossed around and abused at my side until another earphone challenges it's unique combination of sound, build and price.