[silverfishla]

I’ve got a lot of Chi-Fi gear lately. Kanas Pro, C16, Tansio Mirai 4 Pro, DM6. You could parse which one of these is better by comparing bass, treble, soundstage. But, in all honesty, the most useful piece of gear in seeing what these IEMs could really do is my source. The semi lowly Cowan Plenue D2 has some incredible DSP (capability past most DAPs) that can offer a great fitting output to each specific earphone. Take that output and send it to a portable amp, and it’s even better. 50/50 split on whether the sound you like (or don’t like) is your earphones or it is your source.
Edit: by the way, I’ve got a t800 coming too.

 

[Cevisi]

I’ve got a lot of Chi-Fi gear lately. Kanas Pro, C16, Tansio Mirai 4 Pro, DM6. You could parse which one of these is better by comparing bass, treble, soundstage. But, in all honesty, the most useful piece of gear in seeing what these IEMs could really do is my source. The semi lowly Cowan Plenue D2 has some incredible DSP (capability past most DAPs) that can offer a great fitting output to each specific earphone. Take that output and send it to a portable amp, and it’s even better. 50/50 split on whether the sound you like (or don’t like) is your earphones or it is your source.
Edit: by the way, I’ve got a t800 coming too.

wich one of these you have you like the most

ps. you will love the t800 anyway better fitting then dm6 bass like kanas detail lile dm6

 

[josesol07]

Maybe the difference came from the source he was using (vs you)?
Sources do have an effect on the sound, some are warmer than others, some dry, etc. Also, some sources are more powerful than others, have balanced vs not, and also have varying degrees of output impedance (which can have a large effect on an earphone, especially if it has BAs).

Yeah, I am starting to comprehend synergy plays a big role in this hobby, and understand why so many people have lots of IEMs, DAPs, Amps, and so on.
Hope to not get trapped in that rabbit hole myself. Maybe a second DAP and a nice IEM in the $600 - 800$ vicinity, and be done for quite some time...hopefully

 

[hemipowered007]

Yeah, I am starting to comprehend synergy plays a big role in this hobby, and understand why so many people have lots of IEMs, DAPs, Amps, and so on.
Hope to not get trapped in that rabbit hole myself. Maybe a second DAP and a nice IEM in the $600 - 800$ vicinity, and be done for quite some time...hopefully

Theres no done for the bulk of us unfortunately.

 

[baskingshark]

@Slater can you compare t800 agains your toneking ninetail when you have them both thanks appreciate it

I bought the ninetails at the recent two day Aliexpress sale as it was $83 usd and couldn't resist it, and was in the market for a well tuned DD set. Once it comes I will let u know.

The ninetail has filters to make different sound signatures (not sure how vastly significant the change in sound is?), so might be hard to compare so many different permutations to the T800.
But i suspect for a single DD set, it won't beat the T800 in areas like instrument separation/details/clarity/resolution.

 

[Slater]

I bought the ninetails at the recent two day Aliexpress sale as it was $83 usd and couldn't resist it, and was in the market for a well tuned DD set. Once it comes I will let u know.

The ninetail has filters to make different sound signatures (not sure how vastly significant the change in sound is?), so might be hard to compare so many different permutations to the T800.
But i suspect for a single DD set, it won't beat the T800 in areas like instrument separation/details/clarity/resolution.

I absolutely adore my nine tail. I love me some dynamic goodness

And yeah, the different filter combinations do make a noticeable difference.

 

[AudioObsession]

@@

Early this year I purchased Toneking T4 from a friend, and that peak above 6 Khz made for a harsh treble, sometimes inducing me headaches; so not so much joy for me with T4. After a while, I gave up and decided to place it for sale, to help to finance a new IEM. Well, fortunately, inspired by audioreview.org´s modding 101 tips, a few days back decided to try to tame the beast by covering the nozzles with a piece of tea bag I had at hand.
Voila!!! I am so glad I did try it, that simple mod works for my ears, no more harsh treble, and now I can enjoy the fantastic clear midrange and a very linear and smooth transition from midrange to upper lows rendered by Toneking T4.

Switching from BGVP Dm6 to T4 feels like lifting a veil, showing a very transparent midrange, with fantastic vocals presentation.

Puzzled by Hawaiibadboy´s review on Toneking T4, I recently listened to some Led Zeppelin tracks (Kashmir, Over The Hills And Far Away, How Many More Times, Stairway To Heaven, etc.) and Robert Plant´s voice sounds upfront and crystal clear on T4, much more so than in DM6. Even tried some female vocals (London Grammar, Alison Moyet, St. Vincent, etc,) and all sound wonderful.
Either my T4 was tuned differently to Badboy´s or they belong to different versions.

The soundstage on T4 is intimate but the sound is so engaging that I really don’t care about soundstage on this set. Nevertheless, ambiance and reverberation info varies greatly from every recording.
Ah, bass on T4 is present when called upon, and the only thing I miss is the bass extension to the lowest octave from 20 to 40 Hz.

If T800 has a midrange as transparent as T4´s, bigger soundstage, and more powerful and extended bass, then T800 will be my next purchase. But no matter what, T4 is a keeper for me; more so than DM6

Sorry for sidetracking this fabulous thread, having so much fun reading about T800 and Sony M7, the 2 IEMs currently on my radar.
Exciting times in this Chifi world.

Thanks for the really cool impressions/comparisons on the T4!
It was a very interesting read.
I love my T4!
You know, I was noticing that the T4 graph is kind of similar to an Andromeda graph; only with less bass..
It seems like the T4 is kind of a malnourished Andromeda! lol!

So it got me thinking....
Maybe I really just need an Andromeda??
I mean, everything about the impressions/reviews I've read, the Andromeda seems to fit my "ear-lust" almost perfectly.
I like the looks of the graph in the high treble, mids and bass region, and I'm okay with where it's 2k-4k region sits,

Although just a little more sub-bass would be nice but I can always EQ in a little added oomph...
(Yeah, I know....BLASPHEMY!!!)

I still have very high hopes ($300 worth!) for the T800, but after what @Extrasensory had to say, I am now even more concerned the T800's signature, might not be compatible to my ears.

So perhaps all I need to do is sell my spleen, so that I can afford an Andromeda!

Does anyone here need a used spleen??
It works pretty good... I think...

 

[AudioObsession]

Sorry for sidetracking this fabulous thread, having so much fun reading about T800

I need to apologize as well for the massive sidetrack...

I really thank all of you for your patience in helping me with impressions and suggestions of filters, cables, tips, etc etc.

This is a really awesome thread!
And I also want to say, I have no doubts that the T800 is absolutely phenomenal for the price (and above!).
My only concern here is that it won't meet my personal preferences in the low treble and midrange regions.
For those who prefer the Harman signature it seems like an amazing bargain..
So please don't think I have anything against the T800...
I'm just worried, because I spent a lot of $$ and I'm not 100% sure if it will be for me.
Carry on...

 

[morndewey]

I absolutely adore my nine tail. I love me some dynamic goodness

And yeah, the different filter combinations do make a noticeable difference.

Hi. How does 9tails compare to KPE & tfz no3? Thanks

 

[Extrasensory]

@@

Thanks for the really cool impressions/comparisons on the T4!
It was a very interesting read.
I love my T4!
You know, I was noticing that the T4 graph is kind of similar to an Andromeda graph; only with less bass..
It seems like the T4 is kind of a malnourished Andromeda! lol!

So it got me thinking....
Maybe I really just need an Andromeda??
I mean, everything about the impressions/reviews I've read, the Andromeda seems to fit my "ear-lust" almost perfectly.
I like the looks of the graph in the high treble, mids and bass region, and I'm okay with where it's 2k-4k region sits,

Although just a little more sub-bass would be nice but I can always EQ in a little added oomph...
(Yeah, I know....BLASPHEMY!!!)

I still have very high hopes ($300 worth!) for the T800, but after what @Extrasensory had to say, I am now even more concerned the T800's signature, might not be compatible to my ears.

So perhaps all I need to do is sell my spleen, so that I can afford an Andromeda!

Does anyone here need a used spleen??
It works pretty good... I think...

Sorry, if I let you down because of my words. The T800s are quite good for the price. If I hadn't been familiar with neutral-targeted tuning and expensive IEMs, I would have chosen the T800 without thinking twice and saved some amount of money to play with cables or sources. (T800s + Ibasso DC01 + 2.5 balanced preferable cable might show you how $400 could take you to heaven)

Wait for your ears to hear them. The tuning is bright but it does in the right way. Many people like it. (Actually, I didn't see any posts saying negative things about these.) I demoed them with pure silver cable, so that might get too bright. You will still have a chance to adjust the sound to your preferences by playing with cables and ear tips.

 

[DynamicEars]

Here are my unbiased impressions for the T800 with Spinfit, 3rd party 99.57% pure silver cable, Galaxy S10+ (short listening session in audio shop).

- The bass sounded exactly like DD bass which I don't like. The speed was noticeably slower than normal BA drivers. The quantity was not enough for me (maybe because of pure silver cable or my preference of BA bass). I think I did not feel that the bass was elevated or forward)
- They are far from neutral. They are quite bright and have very lively signature. So, coherency was not found (at least for me). I think they are brighter than the FH7. Everything will be thrown onto your face.
- Treble was forward but controlled well as I never felt piercing. Treble had good extension.
- Detail pickup was amazing. I heard something new in tracks as small details were being louder.
- Vocals were quite recessed on many tracks but vocals had thickness and were prominent in the stage (without standing in front of other frequencies). I assume this way of tuning can create height while the vocals can still be enjoyable.
- Clarity is good but it is not the main strength of them as I think there are also some other IEMs in the same or slightly above its price range that can provide the same level of clarity.
- Sound stage was the biggest thing that made them unenjoyable for me. It was noticeably narrower than what I am familiar with. But I currently own a set of IEMs that cost 3.5 - 4x more; so I don't blame them (But I expected them to be wider than that.)

I don't believe that these are a giant killer. But they are 100% a step up from those IEMs in sub $300 and they provide excellent value for $300 spent. I believe this is one of the best choices you can get in this price range. (Personally, the T800 is best value for me for $300 or even $450, along with TinHiFi P1). They are a good alternative to the slightly-higher-priced FH7, DM7 and so on with the same level on sound quality. (I never heard the A8, sorry.)

If these are the most expensive IEMs you have ever bought, I am sure you made the right decision!

Nice honest review! thanks for this. Direct comparison with your IER-M9 ?

 

[Pizza Funghi]

I'm just worried, because I spent a lot of $$ and I'm not 100% sure if it will be for me.
Carry on.

Once you receive the T800 give them some time. Don't judge them out of the box. I've been trying to reproduce the shrillness in treble I've found when I first listened to some classical music but haven't succeeded. It's gone. I tried every possible combination(tips, DAPs, cables). It's not there anymore.

Anyway, now that they get some attention they should be really easy to sell.

 

[AudioObsession]

Sorry, if I let you down because of my words. The T800s are quite good for the price. If I hadn't been familiar with neutral-targeted tuning and expensive IEMs, I would have chosen the T800 without thinking twice and saved some amount of money to play with cables or sources. (T800s + Ibasso DC01 + 2.5 balanced preferable cable might show you how $400 could take you to heaven)

Wait for your ears to hear them. The tuning is bright but it does in the right way. Many people like it. (Actually, I didn't see any posts saying negative things about these.) I demoed them with pure silver cable, so that might get too bright. You will still have a chance to adjust the sound to your preferences by playing with cables and ear tips.

Hahaha, no it's not a problem at all man!
You actually confirmed all the things that I was starting to fear after I really studied the graph...

I was just getting so freaked out by all the money I just spent (on cables, filters, and the T800s) along with the "potential" disappointment of it all, that I literally almost bought an Andromeda from @SilverEars just to ease my fears!
Ugh! This hobby can be a disturbing illness sometimes...lol!

I'm still very intrigued and excited about trying some Knowles filters.
I mean, according to the various Knowles filter graphs; it seems like the T800 could potentially be tuned very close to my ideal signature.
I also ordered a balanced copper cable, so that might help as well...

Basically, I just need to settle down and wait till everything gets here.
(my T800s should be here very soon)
Then give them an honest try -BEFORE- publicly freaking out over something I haven't even heard yet.

 

[Evoke]

Nice honest review! thanks for this. Direct comparison with your IER-M9 ?

Interested to know this too

 

[Extrasensory]

Nice honest review! thanks for this. Direct comparison with your IER-M9 ?

Interested to know this too

I just wanted to listen to the T800. It wasn't my intention to compare those two directly. What I wrote was the things that stood out for me. But since I have been familiar with the M9 for months, those impressions can be considered as the direct comparison. For example, the vocals/mids on the IER-M9 are slightly recessed already. I could feel it is more recessed on the T800. Some instruments sounded far away.