[Mariusik]

WARNING, long post LOL
Hello, it's been some time i'm trying to write this post but 11/11 is nearly here and after a couple of weeks reading this IEM forum, especially your topic and your review site, i made a wishlist and i'm not sure if i should buy them all, it's not about the money as it is for my local postal office, they are very slow and many times i have to wait up to three hours to get the package, they are horrifying, but a man's gotta do waht a man's gotta do LOL.. Based on your recommendation i bought the CI-880 that have yet to arrive, i was looking for a detailed IEM.
Now i'm trying to find a replacement for my Shure SE215 for stage monitoring, i play keyboards in a band and sound isolation it's the most important. I know that you don't test the IEM's for sound isolation and you prefer a flat/neutral/detailed signature, but i quite like the sound signature from my Shure's, they have a punchy bass, good mids, not so good treble (i don't hear the cymbals and hi-hat so good) but they get the job done, for listening to music too, i listen to modern gospel and pop the most. I'll definetely get the KZ ZS3, i've read that they provide an excelent isolation but i'm not quite sure they'll fit my ears properly beacuse i have small ears (maybe i'll buy some straline/foam tips to try them out), and a have a few more over-ear wearing IEM's that i'd like you to help me decide, I searched for IEM's that have a similar shape with the Shure's because they fit my ears extremely well. I think i'm looking for a U-shaped signature with emphasis on bass, but not too much.( I think LOL, i'm still learning how to express myself in ''head-fi'' terms). Some of these IEM's aren't reviewed on your site but i'm thinking you may have tested some
1.Toneking TS1
2.Kinera BD005 ( i'm afraid that being a hybrid it may affect the isolation)
3.QKZ DM300 (ZS3 on steroids on your site, i'm a little afraid that they could be too dark for me)
4.QKZ W6 PRO
5.QKZ C6 - i read that they are the same with the COSONIC W1 found on Gearbest.
6.ASY from your last post(eagerly waiting for your review)
7.Tennmak PRO( i read that it has boomy mid-bass but opinions seem to differ, also read that they have some quality issues).
8.UiiSii CM5(different form factor but i read that they are very comfortable, not so sure about sound isolation).

I am also looking for a pair of earphones for casual listening to music when i travel, i wouldn't mind microphonics so much because i don't move around. I'm looking for a fun signature and instrument separation, a punchy bass and very good mids, not sibilant treble, small form factor. I read your review's and came up with these:
UiiSii HM7
Memt X5 (although i'm not so sure that they worth double the price of the HM7)
Boarseman KR49
Einsear T2(opinions differ,some say that they are almost flat)

The bad thing for me is that im not experienced, the only headphones/IEM's i have right now are the Shures and a pair of Sennheiser HD598 which i like very much, kinda' the sound signature i'm looking for.
I wish i could buy all these from a single shop, but even PenonAudio doesn't have them all, and i wouldn't want to buy two or more IEM's with the same sound signature(like you stated a few posts above about the B3's).
I could've opened a new topic, but i thought asking here, and don't want to get banned for spamming. LOL
Thanks a lot, sorry for not having a TLDR section.

 

[Vidal]

@Mariusik I'd see what the CI880 are like for you before spending anymore money, I love my CI880s. By then I might have a review of the ASY earphones. Also the CI880 would give me a benchmark as I'm not familiar with the SE215s.

But to answer some of the points you raised - DM300 aren't dark but they do have a lot of bass. BD005 - the hybrid style doesn't impact the isolation but can't really say how good they are on that front though - foam eartips help with isolation.

Also Cosonic W1 look like a fixed cable version of the QKZ DM300.

 

[-sandro-]

Vidal I understand you like sounds with a bit of emphasis in the treble. What would you say it's the best in term of details you tested that has a more midcentric sound with less treble? And less harsh possibly. I'm comparing to the Einsear T2

 

[Vidal]

Hard to judge what earphone will suit you as the treble sensitivity could be due to a spike rather than a generally stronger treble across the board.

Something like the Kinera BD005 might be suitable or Havi Pro B3

 

[-sandro-]

Hard to judge what earphone will suit you as the treble sensitivity could be due to a spike rather than a generally stronger treble across the board.

Something like the Kinera BD005 might be suitable or Havi Pro B3

Do uf hifi and ci880 all share the same "spike" as einsear t2? Also seems like I should avoid the zs5 as well

 

[Mariusik]

Thanks for answering Do you happen to know something about the QKZ DM800?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/QKZ...lgo_pvid=bf6a9ac5-6f6f-496f-90bc-cb64b87b7827
In the description it says that they have a 10mm Driver vs the 9.2mm of the DM300, and they seem to cost less than the box they come with

 

[Vidal]

Do uf hifi and ci880 all share the same "spike" as einsear t2? Also seems like I should avoid the zs5 as well

I don't know whether it's a spike that you're sensitive to. You won't know either until you try them. You could try EQing the T2 to identify a frequency that causes the issue.

Thanks for answering Do you happen to know something about the QKZ DM800?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/QKZ...lgo_pvid=bf6a9ac5-6f6f-496f-90bc-cb64b87b7827
In the description it says that they have a 10mm Driver vs the 9.2mm of the DM300, and they seem to cost less than the box they come with

No, not familiar with them. I think QKZ just rebrand other earphone designs and charge a premium though.

 

[davidcotton]

WARNING, long post LOL
Hello, it's been some time i'm trying to write this post but 11/11 is nearly here and after a couple of weeks reading this IEM forum, especially your topic and your review site, i made a wishlist and i'm not sure if i should buy them all, it's not about the money as it is for my local postal office, they are very slow and many times i have to wait up to three hours to get the package, they are horrifying, but a man's gotta do waht a man's gotta do LOL.. Based on your recommendation i bought the CI-880 that have yet to arrive, i was looking for a detailed IEM.
Now i'm trying to find a replacement for my Shure SE215 for stage monitoring, i play keyboards in a band and sound isolation it's the most important. I know that you don't test the IEM's for sound isolation and you prefer a flat/neutral/detailed signature, but i quite like the sound signature from my Shure's, they have a punchy bass, good mids, not so good treble (i don't hear the cymbals and hi-hat so good) but they get the job done, for listening to music too, i listen to modern gospel and pop the most. I'll definetely get the KZ ZS3, i've read that they provide an excelent isolation but i'm not quite sure they'll fit my ears properly beacuse i have small ears (maybe i'll buy some straline/foam tips to try them out), and a have a few more over-ear wearing IEM's that i'd like you to help me decide, I searched for IEM's that have a similar shape with the Shure's because they fit my ears extremely well. I think i'm looking for a U-shaped signature with emphasis on bass, but not too much.( I think LOL, i'm still learning how to express myself in ''head-fi'' terms). Some of these IEM's aren't reviewed on your site but i'm thinking you may have tested some
1.Toneking TS1
2.Kinera BD005 ( i'm afraid that being a hybrid it may affect the isolation)
3.QKZ DM300 (ZS3 on steroids on your site, i'm a little afraid that they could be too dark for me)
4.QKZ W6 PRO
5.QKZ C6 - i read that they are the same with the COSONIC W1 found on Gearbest.
6.ASY from your last post(eagerly waiting for your review)
7.Tennmak PRO( i read that it has boomy mid-bass but opinions seem to differ, also read that they have some quality issues).
8.UiiSii CM5(different form factor but i read that they are very comfortable, not so sure about sound isolation).

I am also looking for a pair of earphones for casual listening to music when i travel, i wouldn't mind microphonics so much because i don't move around. I'm looking for a fun signature and instrument separation, a punchy bass and very good mids, not sibilant treble, small form factor. I read your review's and came up with these:
UiiSii HM7
Memt X5 (although i'm not so sure that they worth double the price of the HM7)
Boarseman KR49
Einsear T2(opinions differ,some say that they are almost flat)

The bad thing for me is that im not experienced, the only headphones/IEM's i have right now are the Shures and a pair of Sennheiser HD598 which i like very much, kinda' the sound signature i'm looking for.
I wish i could buy all these from a single shop, but even PenonAudio doesn't have them all, and i wouldn't want to buy two or more IEM's with the same sound signature(like you stated a few posts above about the B3's).
I could've opened a new topic, but i thought asking here, and don't want to get banned for spamming. LOL
Thanks a lot, sorry for not having a TLDR section.

Not chifi, and probably a little more than you want to spend, but considered the newly released westone um1? Same form factor as the shure's so should be good for isolation at least I would have thought.

 

[Vidal]

Just ordered some more earphones from Amazon - UiiSii T8S (dual dynamic and single BA) along with a few cheapos.

In other news we've added the thoughts of Loomis on a number of earphones - he's now got his own page so expect more from him in the coming weeks

 

[Mariusik]

My E-MI CI880 have arrived two days ago. I'm very happy i found the chi-fi forum.
Thanks @Vidal for the E-MI recommendation, i like them a lot, they are exactly as you described them in your review, they are almost perfect for me, honestly i wasn't expecting these to sound this good (better than the Shure SE215 for listening to music). The only thing i tend to do is lower the treble just a tad, and rarely feel the need to raise the bass by just a bit. The treble doesn't disturb me too much, but i think i prefer the sound to be a bit warm.
The medium silicone tips seal good, but as soon as i move a little or touch the remote, they tend to slip out of my ears, i already ordered some foam tips that may help also with the treble and bass (i think). Do you have any experience with the KZ 'starline' tips? I read in a post that they are two variants, grey and black (softer).
I wish they would have provided just a little bit more volume output, i tend to listen to music pretty loud, indoors they are ok, but in noisy environment i wish they were a little louder, if i apply an eq gain,they start to distort.
I searched the forum for an earphone with higher output, similar or a tad warmer than the CI880 and saw a post by @maxxevv in which he writes that the beryllium variant of the Urban are louder than both the E-MI and the Urban Hi-Fi and i wanted to ask you if you had any experience with the beryllium version.
Honestly, i'd opt for an over-ear design, but reading your reviews, the score system and my sound signature preference, i think the only one that would be comfortable to wear over-ear would be the Kinera BD005. I might buy the KR49 and Einsear T2 based on your graphs. I copy-pasted the graphs from your site, and put them side by side, sorry if i broke any rules.
The only thing that is still unknown for me is the isolation, but i will try different tips.

Any advice/recommendation is welcomed. Thank you.

P.S. A day before receiving the E-MI's i ordered on impulse the KZ ZS3, UiiSii HM7 and Cosonic W1 from Gearbest, they costed me 20 dollars, i'm eager to listen to them.
I think i''ll wait for the 11/11 sale, if prices will drop too much for the UF Beryllium, T2, Kinera BD005, KR49, or others i may find until then, i don't think i'll be able not to order LOL. Cheers.

 

[Vidal]

I think you'll be right about the foam eartips helping with the bass and treble. You might want to wait to try the EMI with the foamies to see how they pan out.

From what you said I think the BD005 might be a good match, mind you, you might also want to consider the BossHifi B3 as well.

 

[Mariusik]

Thanks a lot. Browsing the forum i found the **** UEs, also a hybrid. Do you happen to have any experience with them? There are two reviews that are very positive. Cheers

 

[Vidal]

I liked the **** UES a lot but time moves on and they're quite an old model

 

[letlive]

I got the Xiaomi Pro HD few days ago. I compared them to the E-MI CI880 and I was really suprised by the result.

Xiaomi Pro HD: More natural sounding, higher resolution, clearer and more detailled treble, better cable, better fit (with Spinfit eartips).

CI880: Brighter sounding (a little bit harsh and some kind of artificial compared to the Xiaomi Pro HD), more bass.

 

[Vidal]

I have given the website a little refresh to allow for more content additions in the future.

@loomisjohnson has just published his review of the highly fancied Pioneer CH9T and the Final Audio Design Heaven III

My next review will be my new love, the Moni One.