I try to write my reviews in a slightly different style and format. The goal is to reduce it to the most useful and necessary information, making reading and skimming the review easier and faster. We all sometimes lack time to read or watch in-depth reviews, so this review should offer an alternative.

You'll find more reviews in this style here on Head-Fi on my website Flightless Bird.


Since first listening to it, the Mangird Tea is one of my favorite IEMs I keep coming back to. Despite owning significantly better (and more expensive) IEMs, the original Tea just have something special that almost no other IEMs achieved to date. The way the Tea preset vocals, putting them front and center, is almost unmatched. Obviously, I was excited, almost aroused, when I heard about the Yanyin Aladdin being close to the Teas.

Frequency Response​

This measurement has been taken with a IEC711 coupler. You can find more in my Graph Database.

About the IEM​

• Decent design; I really like the faceplates, but the shells are a tad boring
• Great fit, should also work for rather small ears
• Simple but solid and elegant cable
• Tips could be better

Sound Impressions​

• As somewhat expected, the vocal performance in most songs is just great. Female as well as male vocals are clearly the focus of the tuning.
• Separation can be a bit too unclear, especially in more "hectic" songs.
• Often lacking slightly in sub-bass (which I prefer rather impactful). Especially problematic in songs that strongly rely on sub-bass.
• Details and resolution are about what I'd expect at that price point. Quite good, but not as good as the best in the category, like the Blessing 2.
• Typically rather fun and "danceable" IEM, not that analytic or technical.

Song Impressions​

Comparisons​

Mangird Tea​

I’ve decided to compare the Yanyin Aladdin to the original Mangird Tea instead of the newer Tea MkII because I slightly enjoy them more. The original Tea just have some kind of special sauce that make listening to them a experience that not a lot of IEMs can compare to.


Advantages Tea:

• Better design. The Teas are some of the most beautiful IEMs available.
• Slightly better fit
• Vocals are a litte more „special“ and present
• Better balance between sub- and mid-bass
• A little more technical (esp. resolution)

Advantages Aladdin:

• Cheaper
• Fit probably easier for most people
• Treble a bit more laid-back
• Better cable
• Mids sometimes even more present, more „in your face“ in a good way

Winner:
When choosing between these two quite similar IEMs, I’d still go with the Tea. Their reproduction of vocals is just a little more special, making the Tea a unique IEM you just have to love. The Tea just has that special magic that not a lot of other IEMs can match.

Softears Volume​

In contrast to the Tea, the Softears Volume have quite a different tuning than the Yanyin Aladdin. Still, the Volume are an IEM around the same price that I quite like and enjoy listening to. The Volume are way more V-shaped, with more bass and especially quite more treble than the dark Aladdin.


Advantages Volume:

• Amazing design and accessories
• More fun and exciting
• Sub-bass more impactful

Advantages Aladdin:

• Cleaner, more straight-forward tuning
• Vocals way more present and resolving
• Treble less prone to be peaky

Winner:
Honestly, the choice between the Aladdin and Volume mostly comes down to preference. If you prefer a darker, litte more laidback tuning with focus on mids and vocals, then go for the Aladdin. If you’d like a little more excitement with a slightly V-shaped tuning, then go with the Volume.

Conclusion​

The Aladdin were my first experience with Yanyin IEMs and didn’t disappoint. They mostly delivered what I expected and hoped for: a tuning similar to the original IEMs, with its strength in giving the vocals the presence and place on your inner music stage they deserve.


Especially at the quite fair price of 250 USD, the Aladdin offer a great experience with a tuning that sets them apart from most other IEMs around that price. Still, while you can’t really go wrong with the Aladdin, I feel like the 50 USD more for the Mangird Tea might just be the way to go if you’re looking for that kind of tuning.

Positive:

• Vocals focused tuning
• Smooth, somewhat laid-back tuning
• Some of the clearest and most present mids
• Again, great and intimate vocals, equally for male and female singers

Negative:

• Fit can be tricky
• Limited accessories
• Bass often not detailed enough
• Not that detailed, especially compared to its competition
• Sub-bass not impactful enough

Ranking​

In my personal ranking list I’d rate the Yanyin Aladdin at a solid B- for sound quality and B for value. I wouldn’t rate it quite as good as the Mangird Tea (A-/A) or even the 7Hz Timeless (B/A-) but still a tad bit better than the Fiio FD5 or Tripowin Mele.

I try to write my reviews in a slightly different style and format. The goal is to reduce it to the most useful and necessary information, making reading and skimming the review easier and faster. We all sometimes lack time to read or watch in-depth reviews, so this review should offer an alternative.

You'll find more reviews in this style here on Head-Fi on my website Flightless Bird.

Frequency Response​

This measurement has been taken with a IEC711 coupler. You can find more in my Graph Database.

About the IEM​

• Somewhat odd design that I wouldn’t really like wearing in public because of the big disk that protrudes out of the ear
• Excellent fit, that quite surprised me given the design
• Great overall package with a big selection of tips and a good-feeling cable
• Seems to have some QC problems according to other users, everything was fine with my unit

Great accessory package and good fit, somewhat hindered by a unsightly design and QC problems

Sound Impressions​

• Excellent crisp and dynamic bass
• Treble can be piercing at some points
• Tends to loose some detail and resolution in the treble region
• More suitable for male than female vocals → shown quite well in “Without a Parachute by Anna Rosinelli”
• Midbass can sometimes drown out part of the vocals and move them to the background of a track
• Vocals can further give a “metallic” impression, especially female vocals
• Average stage and imaging is too “central”
• Outstanding details and resolutions, nearly unmatched at that price point

Decent sounding IEM with a fun and entertaining tuning that excels with outstanding details and resolution

Song Impressions​

Comparisons​

Shuoer S12: The elephant in the room​

When reviewing the 7Hz Timeless, there’s one big elephant in the room: The Shuoer S12, another well-received planar IEM with a similar tuning to the Timeless. While I haven’t yet listened to the S12, most people that have heard both, tend to prefer the S12, even if it’s just because of the about $60 lower price. When you’re looking to buying the Timeless, at least keep the existence of the S12 in mind.

SeeAudio Yume:Midnight​

The Yume:Midnight are one of the benchmark IEMs at around $200 and therefore a logical comparison to the Timeless.



Advantages Timeless:

• Better fit, especially for longer listening sessions
• Better, more crispy bass
• Better details and resolution

Advantages Yume:Midnight:

• More enjoyable treble
• Better female vocals
• Stage is wider and imaging more exact

Moondrop Kato​

The Kato are another stable at the $200 mark and another clear contender.



Advantages Timeless:

• Better fit, especially for longer listening sessions
• Better, more crispy bass
• Better details and resolution

Advantages Kato:

• More enjoyable treble
• Better female vocals
• Stage is wider and imaging more exact

Conclusions​

The 7Hz Timeless are quite the success. Not only are the Timeless the first Planar IEMs that are actually good and enjoyable (sorry Tin P1…), they are just good IEMs.



They excel especially with technicalities that are almost unmatched at around $200. For IEMs that are as detailed and as resolving, you’d almost have to go to the about $100 more expensive Moondrop Blessing 2 (Dusk).

The mid bass is the one thing that’s a somewhat big downside for my personal preference. It tends to overpower and overshadow the mids and especially the vocals. Combined with a peaky treble performance, vocals aren’t necessarily the Timeless’ strength.

I try to write my reviews in a slightly different style and format. The goal is to reduce it to the most useful and necessary information, making reading and skimming the review easier and faster. We all sometimes lack time to read or watch in-depth reviews, so this review should offer an alternative.

You'll find more reviews in this style here on Head-Fi on my website Flightless Bird.



KZ has released their first tribrid with surprisingly decent tuning in cooperation with Crinacle. Is it finally KZ's great success or just too good to be true?

KZ has for quite some time now followed a principle of seemingly randomly release new IEMs and see which ones are good and get bought and which aren't. Their IEMs were usually tuned quite bass-heavy and lacking especially in Mids. So it was quite surprising to see a KZ that a lot of people wished for – a KZ IEM that's actually well tuned.



The second, newer name of the KZ ZEX Pro also hints at that defining aspect: KZ CRN, named after IEM-guru and newish YouTube star Crinacle, who tuned this IEM in cooperation with KZ. With the equally by "tuned-by-Crin"Moondrop Dusk being one of my favourite IEMs, my expectations are accordingly high for the tuning of the KZ ZEX Pro.

Frequency Response​

About the IEM​

• Beautiful design, especially in gold but body feels slightly cheap
• Adequate to good fit for me but starts to hurt a little after some time (1-2 hours) due to the "fin" pressing into the ear
• Barebones accessories, ok for price
• Cheap, plasticky and sticky cable

The accessories and cable are acceptable for the price, as are built quality. Comfort will vary highly from almost custom-fit to unbearable depending on your ears.

Sound Impressions​

• Best tuned KZ IEM so far
• Technicalities still one of the problems with low resolution and lacking details, especially in vocals and instruments in treble region
• Lacking clarity in vocals – especially female
• Bass with good control, some of the best from KZ (vs. DQ6)
• Great vocal and mid presence, on of the best KZ IEMs for vocals
• "The Greatest Show" by "Panic at the Disco" sounds amazing with the ZEX Pro, plays great with its strengths in bass and vocals
• Treble tends to be piercing and unpleasant due to the 8 kHz – and to a lower degree 4 kHz – peak
• "Almost Lover" by "A Fine Frenzy" is almost unlistenable due to these peaks
• Can to some extent be fixed with EQ (lower 4kHz and 8kHz by a few dbs)

One of the best tuned IEMs KZ has released so far, showing promise for future changes to their typical tuning. Especially the bad technicalities show the limits of the drivers KZ is currently using. 8kHz peak could be a dealbreaker for some.

Comparisons​

CCA NRA​

The CCA CRA was KZ' – respectively their sister company CCA's – first try with a magnetostatic driver. For a first inexpensive the NRA were quite alright, providing a test ground for the ZEX (Pro). You can read my CCA NRA review here.



Advantages KZ ZEX Pro/CRN:

• Better fit
• More balanced tuning
• Controlled bass
• More vocals presence
• Better technicalities (slightly)

Advantages CCA CRA:

• Less painful over time
• Treble less piercing, especially no 4kHz peak

The KZ ZEX Pro is clearly the way to go in this comparison. Apart from slightly less painful and better controlled treble, the ZEX Pro does everything better and more to my liking than the NRA. Its tuning as well as the technicalities are just plain better.

KZ DQ6​

The DQ6 has so far been one of my favorite KZ IEMs and is comparatively well tuned and has a similarly good design and fit. To be the best KZ IEM, the ZEX Pro has to beat the DQ6.



Advantages KZ ZEX Pro/CRN:

• Solid, balanced tuning
• Slighly clearer details, especially in vocals
• Wider Soundstage

Advantages KZ DQ6:

• Slightly better fit despite being almost the same design
• More and better, cleaner midbass
• More intimate vocals
• More coherent
• Slightly better cable

The ZEX Pro and DQ6 are both some of the best tuned and best sounding IEMs that KZ has come up with so far. Both also lack in technicalities, even with their price in mind. Which one to choose comes mostly down to preference and music library. The DQ6 excels with better midbass and treble.

Moondrop SSP​

The Moondrop SSP is another IEM at a similar price to the ZEX Pro that’s quite well tuned with good technicalities for its price. Another “benchmark” to beat at that price point.



Advantages KZ ZEX Pro/CRN:

• More and better subbass
• Slightly better fit and isolation
• Vocals are more present and harmonic

Advantages Moondrop SSP:

• Better technicalities, especially better resolution
• Treble more controlled, way less piercing peaks
• “Calmer” vocals

The SSP and ZEX Pro have quite different tunings, varying the most in their bass performance. While I like the tonality of the ZEX Pro more, the SSP excel with way better technicalities, especially with way crispier vocals.

Conclusion​

The ZEX Pro (or CRN) are well tuned. In fact, they’re the best tuned IEM from KZ I’ve listened to so far. Crinacle, in cooperation with KZ, really did a great job on tuning these drivers to the best of their ability.

Nevertheless, the ZEX Pro are far from perfect. Their biggest flaw is the 8kHz treble-peak that can make one or the other song almost unlistenable while being mostly unnoticeable in other songs. While this can to some extend be fixed with EQ, I don’t like having to rely on EQ.



Then there are the technicalities; maybe the biggest weakness of most KZ IEMs I’ve tried. Even at its price point of around 30 USD, the ZEX Pro cannot convince with its technical abilities. The sound especially lacks details and resolution, while at least offering a quite wide and convincing soundstage.

In the end, the ZEX Pro a.k.a. CRN is still a good little piece of equipment. For around $30 USD, you can get the best-tuned KZ IEM so far with nice vocal performance. It’s also the cheapest possibility to listen to a Cain-tuned IEM, if this is something you’re interested in.

More​

• View and read the review on Flightless Bird
• My IEM ranking (in beta right now, I'll add more IEMs in the next days)
• Frequency Response Graph Database
• Favorite IEMs: Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk, Dunu SA6

I try to write my reviews in a slightly different style and format. The goal is to reduce it to the most useful and necessary information, making reading and skimming the review easier and faster. We all sometimes lack time to read or watch in-depth reviews, so this review should offer an alternative.

You'll find more reviews in this style here on Head-Fi or on my website Flightless Bird.

Frequency Response​

About the IEM​

• Great and refreshing design
• Finally a Tin IEM that fits, stays comfortable after longer usage
• Good cable for the price
• The first Tin IEM I with beautiful design and good fit

Can't really wish for more given the sub $100 price point. One of the more beautiful IEM in my collection with adequate accessories.

Sound Impressions​

• Great consumer-focused tuning
• Bass is fast and has power while never overwhelming the rest
• Treble sometimes a little weak to non-existent
• Vocals have good presence
• Lacking in detail and resolution, especially noticable compared to Aria/Starfield
• Suprisingly big soundstage

Solid sonic performance that doesn't really do anything wrong while not excelling at anything either. The best sounding Tin IEM for my taste so far.

Comparisons​

T3 Plus vs. Moondrop Starfield​

Since I don't own the Moondrop Aria, I'll compare the T3 Plus to the somewhat similar Moondrop Starfield. Given the price difference, the Aria would be a fairer comparison.



Advantages Tin T3 Plus:

• Fit and design
• More and better bass quantity and quality
• More relaxed treble
• Bigger soundstage
• More exciting sound

Advantages Moondrop Starfield:

• Better technicalities, especially more detailed and higher resolution
• Treble is more accurate and present, altough sometimes slightly piercing
• Vocals more present and clearer

T3 Plus vs. Tripowin Mele​

The Mele are one of the defacto recommendations for great IEMs under $100. Their focus is on reproducing great bass (quality and quantity) and offering a more "fun" sound signature.



Advantages Tin T3 Plus:

• More balanced sound
• Better representation of vocals
• Better treble response

Advantages Tripowin Mele:

• More bass and more "slam"
• Especially more prominent subbass
• Slightly better cable

Conclusion​

The Tin T3 Plus might just be one of the best options under 100 Dollars. A pleasant sound signature that should fit most tastes with enough and qualitative bass coupled with good-enough resolution and details present a quite great package at that price point.

Additionally, the Tin T3 Plus have great fit and are well-crafted and well-designed. From a look-and-feel-perspective, the T3+ might just be one of the best Sub-100$ IEMs available right now.



With their quite similar frequency response – though vastly different quality in technicalities – the T3+ can offer a little taste of more expensive and better IEMs like Moondrop's Blessing 2 Dusk.

Now, finally, after I've disliked all IEMs from Tin HiFi I tested – including the highly acclaimend Tin T2 – I've liked a Tin product. The T3 Plus is by quite a margin their best IEM. Here's to hoping that Tin will follow this trend and their next releases will be closer to the T3 Plus – in design as well as sound.

More​

• View and read the review on Flightless Bird
• My IEM ranking (in beta right now, I'll add more IEMs in the next days)
• Frequency Response Graph Database
• Favorite IEMs: Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk, Dunu SA6

For this this review I've decided to test a somewhat new format. I've tried to reduce it to the most useful and necessary information, making reading and especially skimming easier. We all sometimes lack time to read in-depth articles, so this review should offer an alternative. Let me know how you like this format.

You'll find more reviews in this style here on Head-Fi or on my website Flightless Bird.

​

​

Frequency Response​

About the IEM​

• Good and comfortable fit, even for longer periods of time
• Somewhat generic design we've seen plenty times from CCA/KZ and others
• Small scope of delivery, only 3 different tip sizes of rather basic tips
• Mediocre cable at best, just good enough at that price point
• EST resp. MST-drover (magnetostatic) as unique selling proposition at this price point.

Honestly, at that price point, the IEM and its accessories are good enough, no more and no less.

Sound Impressions​

• Subbass virtually non-existent
• Pleasant, relaxed treble attributable to EST/MST-driver?
• Unnatural timbre, sound feels somewhat artificial and robotic
• Lack of detail, especially on male vocals
• Overall relaxed, not very intrusive sound

Even at roughly 20 US-Dollar, the sound just isn't good enough anymore. While this also speaks for the good alternatives at that price point, this also shows that the focus probably was more on the driver technology than the sound.

Comparisons​

Blon BL03​

Advantages CCA NRA:
+ Treble
+ Relaxed sound
+ Comfort
+ Design

Advantages Blon BL03:
+ Bass
+ Details
+ Cable
+ More exciting sound

KZ DQ6​

Advantages CCA NRA:
+ Treble
+ Relaxed sound
+ Cable
+ Details

Advantages KZ DQ6:
+ Fit and comfort
+ Bass
+ Vocals
+ One (if not the) best KZ/CCA IEMs tonality wise

Conclusion​

The CCA NRA isn't necessarily a bad product. I'd just prefer a couple of other IEMs at the same price over the NRA. Blon's BL03, KZ's (CCA's sister) own DQ6 or Moondrop's SSP are all similarly priced but offer a more complete and mostly better sounding package.

The NRA might still be a nice experience for interested buyers, offering a somewhat unique driver configuration at such a low price. Especially the treble region really profits from the magnetostatic driver.

All in all, the NRA aren't a must-have IEM for every collector like the BL03 might be, but they surely are worth a look if you're looking for something (technically) different. The sound isn't disappointing but also not overwhelmingly amazing.