[RikudouGoku]

Well, this is a very well tuned BA iem. Timbre might be the best out of the BA iems I have heard, very similar to the Sony BAs.
Bass is also very good and might be my favorite out of the BA iems I have.
Mids are very natural and male vocals are great on it, female vocals do lack some brightness though.
Treble is very relaxing and non-offensive. Very atypical of knowles BA, as it isnt very aggressive as they tend to be. Although treble extension isnt that good with a noticeable roll-off in the upper-treble.

Technicalities are the biggest weakness, while soundstage isnt something I would complain about at this price. The instrument separation, imaging and details (especially micro-details) arent that good at this price. A shame, because I believe that the current market demands both tonality and technicalities, so this will bottleneck its score.

 

[baskingshark]

Well, this is a very well tuned BA iem. Timbre might be the best out of the BA iems I have heard, very similar to the Sony BAs.
Bass is also very good and might be my favorite out of the BA iems I have.
Mids are very natural and male vocals are great on it, female vocals do lack some brightness though.
Treble is very relaxing and non-offensive. Very atypical of knowles BA, as it isnt very aggressive as they tend to be. Although treble extension isnt that good with a noticeable roll-off in the upper-treble.

Technicalities are the biggest weakness, while soundstage isnt something I would complain about at this price. The instrument separation, imaging and details (especially micro-details) arent that good at this price. A shame, because I believe that the current market demands both tonality and technicalities, so this will bottleneck its score.

Thanks for the impressions. How does the DT200 compare to it?

I previously had a loaner DT200 (returned it already), and it also had good tonality but the technicalities were average at that price range. And that was already a dual BA set, so I'm wondering how much this single BA driver here can do. No doubt driver count and brand/type isn't as important as tuning and implementation, but there are some limitations for lesser drivers sometimes, for example single BAs tend to have less subbass extension.

Yep agree with you, the market is so saturated nowadays, folks are more demanding and would expect a good mix of tonality, timbre and technicalities. Too much competition now to just specialize in for example timbre, and have lousy technicalities, cause another CHIFI IEM can easily ace these areas for the same price nowadays.

 

[unifutomaki]

Thanks for the impressions. How does the DT200 compare to it?

I previously had a loaner DT200 (returned it already), and it also had good tonality but the technicalities were average at that price range. And that was already a dual BA set, so I'm wondering how much this single BA driver here can do. No doubt driver count and brand/type isn't as important as tuning and implementation, but there are some limitations for lesser drivers sometimes, for example single BAs tend to have less subbass extension.

Yep agree with you, the market is so saturated nowadays, folks are more demanding and would expect a good mix of tonality, timbre and technicalities. Too much competition now to just specialize in for example timbre, and have lousy technicalities, cause another CHIFI IEM can easily ace these areas for the same price nowadays.

Moreover, tonality can be fixed but technicalities can't. So the latter will always be of a higher priority to me.

 

[thesheik137]

tonality can be fixed

If you're talking about eq, that is dependent on how much distortion you/the transducer can handle. And it might also affect said technicalities, so not exactly that straightforward. But I get that if you had to pick one, it would be technicalities. I think for myself, it would be tonality.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Thanks for the impressions. How does the DT200 compare to it?

I previously had a loaner DT200 (returned it already), and it also had good tonality but the technicalities were average at that price range. And that was already a dual BA set, so I'm wondering how much this single BA driver here can do. No doubt driver count and brand/type isn't as important as tuning and implementation, but there are some limitations for lesser drivers sometimes, for example single BAs tend to have less subbass extension.

Yep agree with you, the market is so saturated nowadays, folks are more demanding and would expect a good mix of tonality, timbre and technicalities. Too much competition now to just specialize in for example timbre, and have lousy technicalities, cause another CHIFI IEM can easily ace these areas for the same price nowadays.

I will compare them in my review.

But the technicalities are a step down compared to even the DT200. Mids and treble are better on the DT200. But that bass and the timbre are the best I have heard in a BA iem. It actually sounds like a DD when you compare it to the other BA iems.


I think if you want tonality, timbre and technicalities, you should have an eye out for their upcoming DT300/400/600. (that DT600 has the potential to kill all other chi-fi iem if they use the same driver as the DT100 for the bass and with better technicalities.)

 

[blomman77]

Did you see my measurement with the Fiio "vocal" tips? if you have them,try them out.
To me they bring out the treble a bit better

I will compare them in my review.

But the technicalities are a step down compared to even the DT200. Mids and treble are better on the DT200. But that bass and the timbre are the best I have heard in a BA iem. It actually sounds like a DD when you compare it to the other BA iems.


I think if you want tonality, timbre and technicalities, you should have an eye out for their upcoming DT300/400/600. (that DT600 has the potential to kill all other chi-fi iem if they use the same driver as the DT100 for the bass and with better technicalities.)

 

[RikudouGoku]

Did you see my measurement with the Fiio "vocal" tips? if you have them,try them out.
To me they bring out the treble a bit better

I tried some spiral dots but I think it sounds better with the final type E or sony EP-EX11 tips.

 

[H T T]

My AQ0 arrived today. I did some off and on listening. I will give it some time on the cooker and post further observations/opinions/comparisons after it has had some out of ear burn-in.

First day impressions using stock medium silicone tips with green stems (price considered):

Beautiful IEM!
Great build!
Fantastic case!
Skimpy on tips
Cable ear guides are thicker than I like, but the cable is otherwise nice
The vent is huge! No back pressure issues at all
Better than average isolation

Tuning morphed slightly from V to U to W (nothing sounds hollowed out) with a slightly smaller middle hump within a few hours.
Very good bass timbre and amount (sub and mid)
Good bass impact and texture
Good bass decay
Mids are slanted a bit toward the upper mids
Female vocals are strong
Guitars have very good crunch
Decent note body
Crash cymbals are definitely there with a bit of splashiness

Average soundstage width but not much depth
Above average instrument separation and layering

Overall, the AQ0 seems to be an exciting but well-tuned IEM. I like it...a lot.

 

[thesheik137]

DT100 and AQ0 are no longer available from Audiosense Aliexpress store. I wonder if they're temporarily sold out or if they will no longer make them? I was looking to pick up a DT100.

 

[RikudouGoku]

DT100 and AQ0 are no longer available from Audiosense Aliexpress store. I wonder if they're temporarily sold out or if they will no longer make them? I was looking to pick up a DT100.

hmmm, weird. It hasnt been long since they released them. And there is no reason to discontinue them either (at least the DT100).....

Probably out of stock?

 

[thesheik137]

hmmm, weird. It hasnt been long since they released them. And there is no reason to discontinue them either (at least the DT100).....

Probably out of stock?

Maybe, but why would they delete the item entirely instead of saying out of stock?

 

[RikudouGoku]

Maybe, but why would they delete the item entirely instead of saying out of stock?

No idea really....

I ask them on their store about it.

 

[H T T]

hmmm, weird. It hasnt been long since they released them. And there is no reason to discontinue them either (at least the DT100).....

Probably out of stock?

And the AQ0 was just released. I would not think they would pull the plug on a brand new unit. I would agree that it is probably a stock issue.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Yup, it is out of stock. They got a lot of orders on that one.

 

[H T T]

The AQ0 is listed as out of stock. I totally understand why.

I decided to play something with some big bass:



and the AQ0 went like this: