Pros: What I Liked:
- Lush Musical Mids
- Excellent lows and sub extension that hits hard and has excellent MB and texture
- Balanced Highs Non fatiguing yet detailed - Customizable Shell designs only $45
- Customizable Tunings
- Semi Custom Style shells that for me fit very comfortably
- Ever so Warm and Bassy and beautifully colored tonality
- Fun factor to the 10th power while not being to serious a listen
- EST implementation is exemplary adding sparkle and details to the upper registers to complement the highs and add as certain sizzle to string instruments.
- Instruments sound full and natural
- Vocals both Male and Female are beautifully rendered
- Stage is a real standout very 3D has excellent Width , Depth, And Height
- Micro and Macro details are well executed to bring real excitement to the tracks and let you pick out the nuances.
- Excellent cable pairing with included modular cable.
Cons: What I Though Needed Improvement: (Subjective)
- You have to hunt for the information on the switches and how they effect the sound - Playing around worked as well but a chart would help
- Case(S) that are included are neither practical or pocketable
Sound Rhyme DTE900 - A Tuneable Masterpiece
I AM GIVING THIS ONE A PERFECT SCORE - BECAUSE IT IS PERFECT TO MY EARS PLAYS AT TOTL PERFORMANCE AND IS WELL UNDER KILO BUCK COST!
Thank you to PENON for the review unit for Canucks Audioholics Review Group
Lets Start Off technical stuff
Sound Rhyme DTE900 1+4+4 Tribrid IEM
1x 9.2mm Dual Magnet Titanium coated Dynamic Driver
2x Knowles 29689 Balanced Armature for the Mids
2x Knowles 31736 Balanced Armature for the Highs
4x Sonion EST65QB02 EST Drivers for the ultra sparkle
4 way X-over
Frequency response 10Hz-30KHz
Sensitivity 110db 1mW
Impedance of 21 Ohms
2 Tuning Switches (POP, Clear Voice, Deep Bass, Wide Sound Field )
EnvisionTec German 3D Printed Medical Grade Resin Shells
Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions stock cable as I found that a excellent paining.
The ISN G4 also was wonderful.
I treat fine tuning my Impressions including cables like this in my journey with IEM's.
TIPS CHANGE THE SOUND GREATER THAN ANTHING ELSE. ( Stage, bass, vocals, highs ) Can be greatly altered by tips and are first thing I try for fitment and comfort and overall shaping the sound to my desired preference.
Sources are second for me. Since my new Shanling M6 Ultra and XDUOO XD05 PRO almost rivals my desktop stack Geshelli Labs AKM J2/ Topping A90D , I stuck with the Hiby solely with this review because my DACS are out being modded by Geshelli for OP-AMP upgrades.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My references include my Softears Twilite and THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD's.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: Shanling M6 Ultra as transport into XDUOO XD05 PRO with ESS9039SPRO chip.
Tips Used for the DTE900 were JVC FX10 Spiral Dots
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey with the DTE900
I like sharing this part as it gives context on how I came upon my sound impressions:
TUNING SWITCHES:
- 2 tuning switches are not bad. On paper they don’t look they do very much and for that I was extremely thankful.
That being said it was nice to be able to fine tune the DTE900 to my personal tastes.
- I will just focus on UP UP or 11 and Down Down 00
- 11 Setting was at the end my nirvana at the beginning on first listen I found this setting a bit spicy on the very top end after about 150 Hours on the Burn rack things changes dramatically and everything settled in nicely , I actually measured the DTE900 before and after burn in and noted a slight roll off on the very end of the sub bass on the graph and this also translated to how the bottom end settled into a really nice musical sub bass and remained fast and punchy in the mid bass. With this setting it has enough high end to really bring out the stage and details without any top end fatigue or harshness my perfect tuning.
- 00 Here on this setting I found the top end was a bit too much for me on certain tracks with poorly recorded material. Because the DTE900 is so resolving the replay became a bit harsh and unforgiving also lowering the bass shelf amplifies this effect so my second favorite settings.
- Now so Antonio Teixeira (TONY TEX) reached out to me and we had a great conversation. He loved the tuning on 00 with a 25ohm impedance adapter. I just received a 4.4 Pentaconn from Penon I bought to try out. Sure enough what happens on paper the graph looks like the 11 Setting but the top end gets smoothed out more.
For me I did really enjoy this setting but found it too relaxed in the top end and found I was missing some details and the special sauce the EST's bring to the upper registers.
Ultimately I found the smooth warmth of the Shanling combined with ESS dac of the XD05 Pro and AZLA Crystal tips was the magic combination for me.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Starting from the bottom and working our way up the frequency spectrum.
Bass , I like fast tight bass with texture and depth. Sub bass needs to extend low and not have too much bass bleed into the mids to muck up the vocals.
Happy to say the DTE900 with its Ti coated driver takes on the lows with authority and play low with sign of strain or fatigue.
Mid Bass gets its own section because what I just said above applies to the DTE900, Yes the Sound Rhyme bleeds into the mids. A bad thing NO WAY a GOOD THING, because it does it in a way to just enough coloration to enhance with going to far.
Mids now you just read how the MB colors the mids and vocals but how do vocals sound… Slightly warm and perfectly balanced in the overall mix, not forward or recessed, not thin and airy nor dark and brooding. Like Mama Bears Porridge JUST RIGHT! Really well done and plays slightly colored adding in just enough huskiness to male vocals and bright and crisp female vocals with correct edge and tonality - a really hard to do balance that only TOTL can pull off.
Treble is clean, precise and well-articulated giving string instruments nice air and details. You can tell the EST drivers are working but just enhancing the presentation and not trying to overpower the highs. The way the DTE900 has amazing coherency with all 9 drivers is a testimonial to how well this IEM was retuned.
I have not heard much about why this unit was retuned or how the OG sounded but this version is BANG ON.
Stage one of the best and most enjoyable and certainly hits a TOTL level of performance and is quite 3D and expansive when it wants to be and intimate when it needs to be in order to give you the playback as the artist or engineer intended. Some IEM force the stage or is simply underwhelming and was very happy as a great ability to project you the listener into the music.
TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
"Kieth Don’t Go" Nils Loftgren
- What a playback LIQUID SMOOTH , excellent stage wide and deep. The guitar was real standout amazing bass death and detail. nails vocals were spot on silky smooth and the top end had a beautiful EST sparkle.
"Turn My Head" By Live
- Here on listening to the male vocals and there was perfect tonality just the right amount of top end to bring excitement to this track and give a really nice playback that I found was being right at the concert standing in front of a speaker stack.
"Butterflies" By Kacey Musgraves
- The DTE900 catches her voice with perfect timbre in her voice.
"DEE" by Randy Rhodes on the OZZY recording
- All the poles the slides and the plucks are all there so smoothly done and very realistic well done DTE900.
"Nothing Else Matters" by Miley Cyrus
- Bass hits are deep and detailed on this track Miley's vocals are spot on and the top end sparkle and the details in the instrumental is very balanced in the mix what a great replay.
"Superman It's Not Easy" By Five For Fighting
- Male vocals on this track are just perfect if there is any bass bleed it just works and it works to the favor of it making this track super fun and musical
"Your Song" By Eton John
- Piano sounds great and Elton's vocals have the great weight to them, very realistic
"You Must Burn" By Metallica
- slam heart and tight that was the best way to describe this bass , the guitars blend in so well and Lars's vocals are also great
"My Girl" By Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Great stage a few times you can hear a few sets of drums hit first at the back on the right and then in the mix over to the left in front closer to you really well done not a lot of IEM can pick this up with the depth let you hear this properly as intended to be able to do this just a testament to how great the DTE900 emulates the stage.
"Bring Me Some Water" By Melissa Etheridge
- The Sound Rhyme Replays the vocals on this track with her singing closer to you and it shows amazing death that DTE 900 can project again great vocals,
First time on a IEM I could really get a sense of the way this track was recorded. kind of a special realization after hearing this track countless times and not picking up on that before!
"Nothing Else Matters" By PG Roxette
- Bass tickles your ear hairs the vocals are absolutely incredible this 9.2 dynamic driver is really quite special
"You Don’t Know Me" a Duet with Ray Charles and Diana Krall
- I like listening to duets because it really gives you a good sense of whether or not this IEM can replay both male and female vocals totally correct and you can hear him in one track I think it's a great way of determining whether or not it has the right note weight and tonality to bring out the vocals correctly and naturally and the DTE900 did so beautifully.
"Bad Liar" By Selema Gomez
- One of the best playbacks I have ever heard so incredibly smooth
"Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box" By Radiohead
- The bottom end of this baselines are really well produced very wonderful the pots and pans are also incredibly realistic you sound you're right there with a wooden spoon banging on them
"Rakin" By Dead Can Dance
- Okay if the Oprah show was hosting a live band and the Dead Can Dance was playing in her studio you sound like you're right there in the crowd cheering them on was a very cool replay and again one of those tracks where I heard a different than I have ever heard it before and the sense of space was ultra realistic.
"Give Life Back To Music" By Daft Punk
- THE ULTIMATE EDM IEM! ? QUITE POSSIBLY
" Conga Blue & Watermelon Man " By Poncho Sanchez
- Poncho and his signature drums have a unique sound but honestly jazz on the DTE900 is simply amazing the drums and the instrumentals are so spot on so damn good. *****
"Without Me" Lillium Remix by Halsey
- The DTE indeed goes into BASS HEAD territory FULL STOP!
"Cello Concerto" Asier Polo
- So how does the DTE900 do strings and classical well they absolutely have great depth and depth I don't mean the stage I mean a depth of the notes that this IEM can bring out in the instrument replay the attack release and decay is simply amazing in how we can project instruments and their tonality correctly both musically and emotionally.
CONCLUSION:
I try to be objective in my reviews sort of but totally know my passion leaks into my words and projects my feelings into my thoughts and subsequently effects my ability to properly reflect my sound impressions to you unobjectively.
Sorry not Sorry.
I LOVE THE DTE900 CHECKS ALL MY BOXES AND I JUST COULDN'T GET ENOUGH TIME WITH THEM IN A DAY'S SPACE.
COMPARISONS:
XENNS MARGIRD UP: $699 10mm Beryllium Coated DD 2x Sonion BA for Mids 2 Custom BA for highs and 2 Sonion EST
- One of my absolute all time favorite IEM. I love this IEM for its ability to produce not just low bass but fast slam and bass realistically one of the best replays I have ever heard the mids are also wonderful and the EST implementation well on the more tame side still does a pretty good job overall. The IEM like all IEM's in my opinion are not perfect and where the up leaves you with just a little wish that you had more resolution and top end details.
Compared to the DTE900 now takes everything that I love about the up and makes it better the EST implementation is done better it has more sparkle the vocals are cleaner more detailed and slightly less warm but just as musical and the bass is also on par with each other the difference between the two units is about $50 in retail but there is no doubt that the DTE 900 is the better of the two.
Where the UP is a wonderful piece of gear it does not play at Top Of The Line level of performance where I can clearly say the Sound Rhyme clearly does.
KINERA IMPERIAL LOKI: $3099 6mm LCP DD, 6 Knowles BA 4 Sonion EST 1 Bone Conduction Unit
- I was very fortunate to have the LOKI on loan at the same time as I did my sound impressions of the DTE900. The LOKI is a amazing IEM it has a clarity and resolution reflecting its price, the Bass is somewhat lean in the mid bass department but that 6mm plays crazy low.
- Overall the LOKI plays more vocal forward and the EST implementation was done to really showcase the effects that EST can induce and enhance the top end.
- The DTE900 in comparison plays a bit warmer less vocal forward and way more smooth than the LOKI. Bass on the Sound Rhyme is leaps and bounds better, plays with more note weight and makes string instruments like Double Bass and Cello perfect where the LOKI plays them thinner and not perfectly natural like the DTE900 did. Also that extra note weight of the DTE900 add a really nice subtle coloration to the mids that my ears find very pleasing and perfect for my tastes.
IF THE UP AND THE LOKI HAD A WILD NIGHT OF MUSIC AND A LOVE CHILD WAS BORN FROM THE CHAOS THE DTE900 WOULD BE THE RESULT OF THAT PERFECT COUPLING.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS:
AT ITS CORE THE DTE900 REMAINS A FUN AND YET TECHNICAL SET. THE TUNING SWITCHES ALLOW YOU TO FINE TUNE THIS SET TO YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCES FROM SUPER DETAILED TO SUPER LAID BACK.
FINDING GOOD BALANCE FOR MANUFACTURES IN TUNING IEM'S AND THIS TASK IS NEVER EASY TO APEASE EVERONE. FOR ME I FOUND THE DTE900 ABSOULTLY PERFECT FOR MY TASTES AND CHECKS OFF EVERY BOX ON ALL METRICS AT TOTL ENDGAME LEVELS!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
Your review inspiring me, especially given the similarity of our sound preferences. DTE900s price is seriously high to mistake in choice. I've been thinking about SR7 before and now I'm in a crossroads.
TDF -- I would easily take it over the Nostalgia Camelot (was able to do lengthy back-to-back to confirm the differences)... Only other IEM which I enjoy(ed) nearly as much or at same level was the Alambic Ears Mentawai. The 900 plays at significantly higher level than its price suggests.
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