KBEAR Aurora

KB EAR Aurora- Matte grey 2022 version

KB EAR has been making budget friendly earphones for enthusiasts and now sees an earphone that is approaching a higher price category, a newer design and a new tuning. The Aurora has plenty of reviews on headfi and I suppose it was only a matter of time before it was my turn to have a crack at them.

Upon receiving the new pewter brown colored Aurora is what it looks like in person actually. This is the new 2022 version and not the chrome version. It most definitely has a much more premium look to its Oxidized aluminum alloy shell. A new color motif and a new matte grey colored cable as well. The new Aurora before you ask is a new color but with the same tuning of the previous chrome version. Sometimes a new paint job is all it takes for a fresh launch and this is exactly what the new Aurora is all about. There have been plenty of sound descriptions of the prior Aurora on headfi and other online publications but somehow this new color makes them a bit more premium.

I would like to thank Ann at Keephifi and Wendy Li of KBEAR. For the opportunity to check out the Aurora and report back how I heard them. You can purchase a set for you here and also can be found on KBEARs official page on Aliexpress. The Aurora has been burned in for a weeks' time and is now ready for evaluation using my sources the IBasso DX300Max, Fiio M15, Shanling M6 pro, M5s, M3s, Ibasso DX160, Fiio K3 2021, and IFI black label for amping.

Titanium plated dynamics for earphones has actually been around for a while, I would say at least 15 years.

According to the nets
“ Titanium is a transition metal of silver color with low density, and high strength. Titanium has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal. It is applied to earbud drivers to make sure they are as light and strong as possible. This means that the diaphragm in titanium driver earbuds is stiff and strong to resonate high-fidelity, clear sound and high quality throughout the audio spectrum, and at the same time light and precise enough to ensure super fast response times and the accurate reproduction of sounds.”

So while it isn’t something that is completely new or even cutting edge for dynamics, it is the idea behind the dynamic driver in the Aurora with a stronger lighter more agile diaphragm for sound that propels the Aurora to a nice level of sonics. I am very familiar with Titanium coated dynamics as I own at least a dozen earphones and a headphone that uses it. Titanium dynamics gives credence to bass its texture and helps with detail for a given earphone or headphone with increased speed properties to the diaphragm. Clarity, detail and a tighter response which gives the earphone that uses this driver an advantage in technicalities. The Aurora I feel follows suit.

Package
Of the Aurora includes a nice box filled with 8 pairs of silicones in various sizes, KBEARs brown faux leather magnetic square case. An 8 cored 2 pin silver plated OFC cable in single ended configuration, a lint free cloth and cleaning tool.

A side note about the cleaning tool. The cleaning tool is the one accessory that I think we all kinda overlook. I get the idea behind the cleaning tool and why manufacturers include it in the package. Ya so let's get into this a bit. If you find yourself after using IEMs leaving big chunks of wax all over your tips and such. I would suggest you try an ear cleaning regimen. Yes I bet you were not expecting a review about cleaning out your ears. But I know why some folks hear differently and let's eliminate the one thing that can cause you to not hear your earphones in a correct manner and that is to clean out your ear holes. I am just saying. A good way to gauge how clean your ears are is if you leave big globs or chunks/flakes of the stuff when taking out your earphones. Regular ear hygiene, yes there is such a thing and maybe you would never have to touch the cleaning tool. I digress, back to the review.

The build is as solid as it gets in the earphone game. Aluminum alloy is not only tough, impervious to minor nicks and scratches but keeps the weight of the earphones in check. Strong and lighter the Aurora build quality and clean modern looks make them ideal for an everyday use earphone. On a side note, I notice due to the all metal build the passive isolation here is actually decent. I would say about average for passive isolation for such builds.It does a decent job at blocking out some road noise when commuting.

The cable that the new Aurora comes with also matches up with the new brownish pewter color of the new Aurora instead of the light blue colored theme of the chrome version. This new color I believe is the same cable but different color, which I got confirmation from Ann at Keephifi. Cable being 8 cored silver plated OFC, is thicker than your average included cable so if you're not into your thicker cables just be warned. Luckily the cables are an easy switch to anything you would like to use on the Aurora due to being standard 2 pin .78mm configuration. Single ended only as well so you might have to seek out a different cable to go with them. As a bonus I will post about how the Aurora matches up with Tris two new cables that will be on the market very soon on this read later on.

Sound performance.
The single dynamic has made a surge as of late. It seems folks are liking what a well tuned dynamic does for sound nowadays. Hence the popularity for single dynamics are at an all time high. Some benefits of a full range dynamic goes without saying. The tried and true dynamic arguably gives the most natural sound and timbre. Utilizing one capable full range Titanium dome 10mm driver means costs will be at a minimum for the manufacturer, not to mention

At the price range you can’t expect class leading or even ground breaking type of IEM but at the same time at this price range it has to clearly do one over the magic $100 IEM price bracket. Does it succeed? As a whole package for the most part, yes it does but at the same time the performance level of these earphones recently has gotten better to the point where they should be grazing that lower tier of mid fi level performance at the sub $200 price range.

The bar as they say has been raised and this seems to be a yearly trend. What we heard that was acceptable a few years ago is not such a good value this year. This happens because there are so many good sounding earphones that all try to take the piece of the pie. Earphones have to be better, not only in design but also more importantly in sound. This being said the Aurora stays fairly safe with its harmon tuning and shows its strengths on a technical foundation for its sound. In a way even though I was expecting the driver to be something new like the more recent love affair the industry has with LCP drivers. Titanium dome drivers have their strengths that show what it can do in the Aurora with a well balanced harmon tuning.

Treble
Harmon tunings in general do not have treble that sticks out of the norm but on the Aurora there is a mild 8 Khz spike which introduces a bit of an extra splash and sparkle for the treble regions. A bit of coloration to make treble sound well like treble. The Aurora for the most part plays safe here again with the treble aspect of its tuning. Its overall tonality for the treble is fairly smooth but I do notice on rock tracks with splash cymbals the Aurora can sound a touch grainy. This aspect seems to lesen as the drivers get more time on them. Extension is moderate with good clean detail for the trebles. It has the most emphasis for lower treble and then has that mild 8 Khz peak with a standard de-emphasized upper treble emphasis.

Treble here is not the most refined or does it have the best extension but does a solid job representing the high notes and balancing out the sound presentation. If I was to nitpick I would say the treble is not the most airy here but for what it's got, the treble region has just enough coloration to offset the slightly warmer lower mids in its overall presentation. Tracks can sound warm and slightly cooler at the same time due to this contrasting portions of the tuning. Treble could use a bit less of the 8 khz spike with a slight rise of the upper trebles but that is just my subjective take on how KBEAR has tuned these. However for the presentation the treble here is done well. Its got a good foundational clean treble with a nicely done precise imaging for the trebles that makes the Aurora sound complete. It has just enough of that sparkle to add to the musicality of the Aurora sound.

Cables do affect the Aurora tuning which can highlight and or smooth out the treble area to a certain degree. If you feel the Aurora can do with a bit more treble emphasis and or less you can certainly do some cable rolling to help shape the treble region to your liking.

Mids.
Mids are the foundation of any earphone and here the Aurora has a mild pinna/upper mid gain with a moderate lower mid lift that brings the Aurora mids into a well balanced signature. Some may say it is a mild v shaped signature which is the way it looks on a graph but to my ears its mids are well imaged and sounds slightly forward especially compared to more neutral and more v shaped offerings. Vocal presentations are a strong suit for both male and female vocals which shows a nice range of dynamism in space and here is the benefit of a nicely done harmon tuned IEM. Mids here have a smoothness, a slight lushness, well proportioned with a dense sound projection.

I do notice one aspect that is hampering the presentation a bit is its somewhat intimate stage. I wouldn't say the stage here is confined; it sounds a bit more intimate and compact vs a semi open in ear design with a more spacious housing that shows a much grander stage. It has a moderate stage level and I feel this has to do with its relatively flat compact housing shape and design. This is in comparison to much higher end earphones that protrude outside the ears, Sony IER-Z1R for example. Shell designs that fit almost entirely in the concha of the ears that are closed designs like the Aurora do show a more intimate stage. What makes up for that moderate stage is a well imaged sound that makes really good use of its space inside that stage. Its depth is slightly greater than the height, but the width of stage is spacious yet moderate. The housing being used is a good ergonomic, comfortable design and does not protrude too much outside the ears which some might see as a plus but I was thinking what these exact drivers and tuning would have been like inside a more roomier housing, which would have given the sound a boost in stage presentation. Again more wishful thinking on my part but for the given presentation the mids are done very nicely on the Aurora and is one of its strong suits.

Its technicalities are solid. For the presentation the imaging is a standout and I attribute this to the resolving titanium dome. Sound separation is good but shows even better with a more resolving cable, detail level is about average nowadays in comparison to others in the price bracket. Its macro detailing and layering is about as good as it gets for a dynamic earphone at this price but lacks some very minor micro aspects something like a multi BA offering does best. However it makes up for it with Its timbre which sounds accurate to my ears with a slightly warm tonality. These aspects fit right into the cost range and what a good performing earphone would be at the price but at the same time something like the Auroras ability several years back and folks would have been enamored by its technical ability.

Here is a bit of advice on how to get the very best of the Aurora and this will only apply to folks that believe in more resolving aftermarket cables. The same package that I got the new version of the Aurora, I got two new cables from Tri. The Onxy and Wolfram both are pre production units, the Wolfram costing a bit over the cost of the Aurora. I will post a pic on the bottom of the read of these two cables. But I can tell you if you feel the sound of the Aurora is constrained a bit in any part of the sound, be it detail, its resolving ability, sound stage, bass definition, treble extension and such. Yes they sound markedly better using these two upgraded cables. If you are the type that doesn't believe cables do a damn thing then you will be happy not spending for an upgraded cable. On the other hand if you're like me and want the very best of what you get and optimize each earphone sound to be the best it can be. Keep reading.

Bass
Is the strength of the Titanium dome. The bass end here shows moderate elevation, more mid bass than sub bass but the roll off here is not much. Titanium bass has always been a stand out much like how Beryllium affects bass it was Titanium that leaves some of the best heavy hitting bass for headphones and earphones. The strength of the Titanium dome being bass has never been an issue. Here we get a well defined punchy tighter bass end that is elevated enough for versatility. A well tuned earphone means it has to perform in the very important bass aspect and here the Aurora makes good use of a more resolving titanium dome dynamic. Bold when called for and rumbly when extended. The bass aspect of the Aurora benefits from burn in which I highly recommend folks do with their Auroras to get the best sound out of them.

Bass end of the Aurora is clean and mud free with enough emphasis to let you know exactly what genre of music you're hearing. It doesn't specialize in the bass region so it isn’t a bass cannon or are they the end word when it comes to bass definition, yet you're gonna get the good type of bass when called for, punchy tight, good speed and rumbly when called for.

I would have liked to see a bit more massaging of the bass here to be a bit more sub bass focused but when listening casually there is enough there to suffice for any genre. Another aspect of the titanium dome is that they can take to EQ and bass boost like a champ. If you feel you need a bit more down low. No issues with adding a bit of boost. Sounds absolutely authoritative using a bit of bass boost on my IFI Black label as well as the 6dbs of boost on the Fiio K3 2021.

As they are, the enthusiastic bass end caps off a well balanced yet technical sound signature. It has just enough emphasis to bring on a musical tilt to the sound. The tuning and balancing here is done nicely. If KBEAR added just a smidge more treble it would have sounded more analytical. If they added just a bit more bass it would have been a more L shaped signature and warm in tonality. As they are, you get the nice contrast of a clean and tight sparkly treble with a moderate warm authoritative punch add to it a rangy dense mids presentation all in a well imaged intimate sound presentation. The Aurora is the type of earphone that initially will not wow a person but the more and more you listen to them they will grow on a person as they have for me.

In the end
The Aurora is a nice competitive offering from KBEAR. Unlike some of the reviews I have read about the aurora. I feel they resolve much better than folks that sampled them state on their reviews. My reasoning for this is that with the Aurora I got two much higher end cables for review purposes which also happened to be 2 pin. And both of them bring yet another level to the Aurora sound. The included cable is fine for its purpose but the differences for me anyways are very clear. As they are, the Aurora is a nicely positioned higher end yet affordable earphone from KBEAR. It has a versatile harmon tuning with just enough accuracy, timbre, imaging, detail dynamism and balance to sound great for just about any type of music you listen to. The Aurora is not perfect by any stretch but it does have a solid sound foundation for all things music. The strong build and their performance lives up to the cost for them but to get one more level above what you hear, your best tips and an upgraded cable most certainly applies to the Aurora. Happy listening always.

Extra
As promised this section is more of a preview on two new items from Tri. If you are a non cable believer than you dont have to read any of what I am about to write but if you love you some Aurora and want the very best Aurora possible. I present to you two brand new higher end cables from Tri. Both the cables I am about to show are pre production models meaning they are not yet available for purchase but will be sold on KBEARs and Keephifi audio site soon.

First is the Onyx.
Consists of 6 cores 252 strands is a silver plated Crystal Copper cable. Sleeved in an all black PVC color. The Onyx is thicker than the stock 8 cored silver plated OFC cable of the Aurora. Connecting this cable to the Aurora yields an expansion of its sound properties. It is the Aurora sound magnified. Bigger bolder sound properties including an expansion of stage in all directions. Thicker more substantial note weight while enhancing its technical abilities with added texture to their sound properties. The Onxy here is a direct upgrade and a much more resolving cable vs the stock cable of the Aurora. The Onyx will retail for $99.

New flagship level cable the Wolfram.
This cable is unique in several ways. While only 4 cores and with less stands at 204 from the previous Onyx cable. The grey colored fiber cloth makes the Wolfram just as thick aesthetically. What makes the Wolfram interesting is that these cable has pure silver at its cores but has a copper shielding on them. You see plenty of silver plated copper cables in the market as the previous Onyx cable is just this but the new Wolfram is the opposite. What this copper plating does is it adds a musical tilt to the traditional silver cable. Tri will be charging $200 for these cables. Yes it makes absolutely no sense to spend more money than the earphones cost but does the end result justify the cost? You better believe it.

These cables are legit. As expansive as the prior Onyx throw out on the Aurora. The Aurora with this cable is now playing on a completely different level in sound. Not only are the sound aspects enhanced much like the Onyx but now you get much better depth, the best possible stage for the Aurora with a fuller thicker note weight. Added texture to bass. Even better precision to treble notes. Adding this cable and going back to the stock cable made me realized just how resolving the Titanium dome in the Aurora really is. I have to admit it is difficult to hear the Aurora using its stock cable after using the Wolfram on it. This is boutique level cable from Tri folks keep a watch on this cable when released.

KBEar Aurora - Arctic Sunrise



KBEar Aurora is a high quality IEM priced at 169 USD, available from Amazon, and comes with a large 10mm single dynamic driver, and a nice thick blue cable. They will be compared to other high quality IEMs including Dunu Falcon PRO (220 USD), Linsoul 7Hz Timeless (220 USD), and QoA Queen of Audio Adonis (190 USD). It has been confirmed that a new version of Aurora with different aesthetics will be released soon, but I confirmed it with KB Ear and Ms. Wendy that the sound will be absolutely the same, so the review is valid for all variations of Aurora from KB Ear.

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Introduction

KBEar has long been known for high quality affordable IEMs, and good reliability both of their products, but they decided it is time to dip their toes in a higher price range, so we have the Aurora we're reviewing today, an IEM with a considerably higher price tag than previous KBEAR releases, but with a package and sonic performance to match the tag. If you want to purchase KBEar products, it is best to use Amazon and Linsoul when possible, as shipping costs quite a bit to and from China, and local / international shops usually have much quicker solution times than shipping something back to the producers in China.

It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with KBEAR, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. I'd like to thank KBEAR for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it. The purpose of this review is to help those interested in KBEAR Aurora find their next music companion.



Packaging

First things first, let's get the packaging out of the way:







The package of Aurora is actually better than what we're used to seeing from KBEAR, as this time they invested in a pretty nice box, with a few interesting extras included, the biggest one being the beautiful leather carrying case. The full package includes:

• Aurora earphones
• Stock cable
• Four pairs of colorful ear tips
• Three pairs of grey red ear tips
• Cleaning brush
• User guide

Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort

The Shell of Aurora is made from an Aluminum Alloy with vacuum plating. The shell is a bright silver in color and decorated with brilliant blue outline, writing and accents. KB Ear got quite serious with Aurora as they included a 10mm Tintanium Dome Dynamic Driver, customized for them.

The cable that is included with Aurora is a bright blue in color, which subjectively is a bit odd / weird to see, but it is of a very high quality, flexible, very safe from microphonic noise, and not tangle prone. The Cable connects to the IEM with a 2-Pin connector that has just the right tightness for actual usage, and the cable is a silver plated copper wire cable.



Aurora has an impedance of about 18 OHMs, and they are somewhat sensitive to hissing, especially from noisier sources, or sources with a high output impedance. Their rated frequency response is from 20 hz to 20 kHz, and their Sensitivity is of 105dB, but they are mostly easy to drive and won't be an issue for most smartphones and portable sources. Although KBEAR have been courageous with their photo shots, I would advice against sprinkling water on Aurora as they do not have an IPX Rating.

The actual wearing comfort is subjectively excellent, and Aurora is one of the most comfortable IEMS I had in my ears, despite their somewhat large size and slightly heavy design. They have a really ergonomic inner design, and present no driver flex for my ears, plus the default white tips installed on them work just well for me, and they have an ergonomic soft wrap for their cable. The cable is also of an excellent quality, and Aurora generally feels like a high-end IEM as far as the construction goes.



There is a lot of ventilation on Aurora, inside and lateral, so the passive noise isolation is mostly average, and I can hear myself quite clearly typing with no music on, but even at very quiet levels music will cover my typing noise. Aurora leaks very little and it is ok for portable usage if you don't want to bring too much attention your way.



Sound Quality

Before writing today's review, I have allowed about 150 hours of burn-in for Aurora, to keep things fair towards them, and I have used the cable they come with. I also used a multitude of sources, all from their single ended outputs, since Aurora does not come with a balanced cable. The list of sources includes Astell & Kern SE180, Astell & Kern SP2000T, iBasso DX240, iBasso DX300, Lotoo PAW6000, and Dethonray DTR1+ Prelude. I noticed that they prefer being paired with a stronger source, and despite their low impedance, they will become more engaging and more dynamic if the source has a good headroom, and Aurora scales well with the source. Aurora is somewhat tip dependent and you will get much better and more accurate bass and mids if using tips that compliment your ears and your fit with them.



The overall signature of Aurora can be described as slightly V-Shaped, clean, clear, it has a flat tendency where it doesn't have a strong emphasis on lows and highs and only a moderate one. The detail level is good, resolution is good, but soundstage width is extremely impressive, as Aurora produces a really wide and holographic sound with a lot of space in between, but at the cost of instrument separation, as instruments are less separated than on competitors. The fact that the company managed to design a unique tuning is surprising and I like the Aurora for ethereal and atmospheric music, but the somewhat scattered and airy presentation won't work quite as well for forward and aggressive music. The louder you go with Aurora, the more detailed, more dynamic and more engaging it sounds.

The bass of Aurora is clean, very deep and very nuanced, with beautiful subsonic presentation, and there is no significant roll off that I can detect and talk about, which puts Aurora way ahead of the competition in terms of bass. It won't cover the base for diehard bassheads, but for most users who just want a nice sub and bass, the Aurora sonic presentation is really well balanced and fun, both for EDM, Electronic, Metal, House and Rap. The mid bass in particular has some recess to it, which can make Aurora slightly cold, but avoids the boominess and bloom of the lows. The bass has natural speed, slow enough to be natural with all music, and quick enough to work for metal and rock.



The midrange of Aurora is unique. They clearly have a large shape inside the IEM with the function to create dispersion, or the driver is tuned quite uniquely, because they have a huge soundstage to my ears, with a ton of width, and a really holographic presentation, but at the cost of instrument separation which is fair rather than good. The midrange has a sweet tonality and works perfectly for female voices, guitars, and even more aggressive instruments such as trumpets sound enjoyable and non-fatiguing, non-harsh. The midrange has a natural speed to it, and the character of Aurora is slightly wet and splashy, which makes it fluid and musical with pretty much all music styles. Aurora is fairly engaging and dynamic, without a visible compression for their sound.

We have a nicely extended treble with Aurora, as it reaches about 14kHz, which is quite good for the price. The treble lacks the last few sparkles of air, but has excellent resolution until the 14kHz it presents, and it has a ton of detail, Aurora doing quite good with their treble. The treble speed is quick, but has a somewhat wet character, so the treble is harshness free and sibilance free at the same time. The treble quantity relative to the midrange is somewhat high and Aurora has both ends uplifted above the mids, but the midrange isn't distant or too recessed, just moderately so with most music. Most people will hear Aurora as balanced-natural-slightly V-Shaped.



Comparisons



KBEar Aurora vs Linsoul 7Hz Timeless (169 USD vs 220 USD) - Timeless seems to have received mostly love, although like any thing that exists in this lovely world, there are those who didn't like it quite as much. The comfort is comparable between them, although the faceplates of Timeless that are large are slightly less comfortable for me, Aurora winning in the comfort aspect. The sound is more technical and more detailed on Timeless, but it also has much stronger treble and a more fatiguing sound that's brighter, despite also having more sub bass as well, being more aggressively V-Shaped. Timeless is more technical, and also more pricey, but Aurora has a more enjoyable midrange, with a more natural tonality, and is more musical as well as smoother in the mids and less aggressive, which works well with all music styles as long as you're not looking for an aggressive signature on purpose.

KBEar Aurora vs Queen of Audio QOA Adonis (169 USD vs 190 USD) - Adonis is a great IEM, and one that I recommend heavily, but as far as comfort goes, Aurora is slightly more comfortable than Adonis, which tends to be slightly larger despite being slightly more rounded. The sound is more analytical from Adonis, with a brighter, more technical approach, as they have a more detailed sound, and a quicker speed to bass, treble and midrange. Aurora sounds more natural, and it is easier to enjoy with rock, metal as well as electronic music, despite the slightly lower resolution. For those who are detail addicts and who want a really quick and revealing sound, Adonis is still awesome, but for those who want a stronger sub bass, and a more balanced tonality, Aurora is easier to recommend, and should bring a smile to your face quicker.

KBEar Aurora vs Dunu Falcon PRO (169 USD vs 220 USD) - Dunu Falcon-Pro is slightly larger than Aurora, and Aurora is generally slightly more comfortable than Falcon Pro, also slightly less dependent on tip rolling. Having tested them side by side, Falcon Pro is considerably warmer in the midrange and mid bass, it has more warmth, slightly more thickness and more substance, where Aurora has a colder, brighter sound that's more sparkly. Dunu is more open, as in wider, but not necessarily more holographic than Aurora. Aurora extends better in both the sub bass and the upper treble, where Falcon-Pro's performance is slightly worse at both ends. Aurora does really well for those who want a more technical sound with more focus on detail, where Falcon Pro is more romantic, and better for those who appreciate a warmer sound with less focus on the technical aspect.



Value and Conclusion

KBEar seriously outdone themselves with Aurora, and this is the kind of IEM that I enjoyed a lot and can safely recommend to friends, close ones and those looking for a high price / performance ratio. Everything, from the package, build quality, and the sonic performance is excellent with Aurora and I consider KBEar to be improving and providing better and better products every day, Aurora being a good example of it, as they punch nicely for their 169 USD price point. I have enjoyed my time with Aurora quite a bit, despite having pretty low expectations and I find it to be fun to the point where I will listen to it even after posting today's review.



At the end of the day, if you're looking for a natural sounding IEM with a good amount of width, a fair instrument separation and excellent overall detail for the money, Aurora is an excellent choice, and as long as you remember to try some tip rolling, you should have an excellent experience with them, and they are a fully recommended purchase.



Specifications

Driver unit: 10mm Strong Magnetic Nano Titanium-plated Diaphragm
Earphone shell: High grade aluminum alloy
Interface/Connector：2PIN 0.78MM
Plug type: 3.5MM
Impedance: 18±2Ω
Sensitivity: 105±3dB
Frequency response：20hz-20KHZ
Cable length: 1.2m
Cable material: 8 core OFC silver-plated cable without microphone

It was in the Beijing’ exhibition that I heard some news about KBEAR Aurora. It is praised by a lot of friends of mine, so that I am wondering that how Aurora sounds like. A friend lent me his but I didn’t have any square time to review it. Now the new Version comes and I received the review sample of KBEAR, wish KBEAR will better and better.

Before writing, here is what I declare:
1.I will return the sample after review it. and it won’t be a full review.
2.I just review the sound.
3.My words is exactly what I thought.

Sound:
The driver is a 10mm Titanium-coated diaphragm single DD, and I was told it is a good unit with a high cost, I tell the good or bad only from the sound.

Part one: IKKO ITM01 & stock cable

This combination provide a very “right” sound. I bought ITM01 for my phone when I am out. I didn’t review ITM01 before, the sound of ITM01 is not tasted but very simple and natural. The Aurora with ITM01 sounds right, reasonable and regular but dry. The images are condensed but not stabilize enough. But I like warm and tasted so that I don’t think it is enjoyable combination. According most of people, these units may sound good, at least not bad.

Part two: Dethonray DTR1+ & TRI Grace-S

You can easily tell the sound is more powerful and stabilize in many ways. Yes, Aurora shows its huge potential, bigger sound field and regular images like a real flagship(I know someone would say that no flagship under $500 or $1000 so I say like a flagship). the sound is balanced and tasted with a good texture.

The bass is faster and more powerful, I think the sub-bass is not enough so that the texture is not perfect, if you are not too picky it sounds good. And the mids is shinning and near, cohesive and smooth, when it turns to some IF instruments, Oh great resolution and right position.

Yes the sound has a lot to do with DTR1+ and Grace-S, but what I want to say is that the cable, player and the earphones are working together for better sound, everything matters and manages to prove what Aurora could be.

Compare:
There are a lot of excellent competitors at such a price, and many are good enough.

Falcon Pro:
Yes it is more expensive, and I think Falcon Pro is better than Aurora in many ways. But Falcon is not too much expensive IMO. If you don’t have a good source to drive them well, you may find Falcon really better, the sound is more exquisite and regular than Aurora. When you have some thing good to drive them things changes, Aurora will be a good competitor of Falcon in some ways, such as the mids and resolution. But I think if someone has a good DAP he will not just buy a IEM at this price. He may turn to JVC FW10000 or Turii.

KATO:
The same price and a star product from Moondrop. If you drive them with ITM01, the power will be almost enough for KATO while not for Aurora. While I think it is not reasonable to release some IEM which are hard to drive in this price since reviewers are not your customers, reviewers have good source while most of users may just drive them by some portable DAPs like DC05, UA2 or ITM01. Luckily that Aurora works well with such portable DAPs and will be much better when meeting good source.I think KATO is just the opposite, it is funny and tasted when you drive it casually but bad with big-power DAPs.
KATO has a good sub-bass, it is not like moondrop, at least not like the moondrops I heard before.
Nice try.

Whizzer HE03D：
If you like the design of HE03D, just pick it because it is really beautiful. As for the sound, HE03D is a little exquisite, but I think Aurora sound better than HE03D and HE03D has little potential in many ways IMO. So Aurora for sound and HE03D for design.

IE40 Pro:
I think Aurora will be more fit with music while ie40pro are just for someone to work. The bass of IE40Pro is a little werid for me. but it is right in some way according to my friend, a drummer. Once I kept listening to IE40Pro for a week because this is my only one left, I think that week was helpless.

While I want to talk more and write more, But English is not my first language, I post NA2+ and NM2+ and HANA in my Chinese review, if some one want to have a discuss, it is my pleasure.