[Otto Motor]

Here a lifetime supply of KZ Starline tips for two bucks. They are called starline tips because it took several lightyears past many stars until delivery.
Here the link: https://goo.gl/6HRNJU

Don't forget to indicate your preferred size upon ordering.

 

[HerrXRDS]

Awaiting review

Have you found anything about those DIY846?

 

[handwander]

TRN V60, just like MDK-ESS ASE rebrand, but now with 2pin connector

But those banned seller ASEs already have the 2 pin connector? They are the same shell but the V60 has a logo on it. Wonder if the tuning is different.

 

[Dustry]

Finally received my Yersen FEN-2000. As always these days, when I buy new IEM, I compare it to Tin Audio T515, my benchmark and favorite IEM ever.

To start with positives, Yersen has insanely detailed sound, 3D-imaging, instrument layering and separation are absolutely stunning. Left-right channel separation is great. Soundstage is probably the best I have heard to date. Yes, I have to admit that detail and soundstage are even better than Tin Audio T515 which is very impressive.

Unfortunately there "buts":
- Bass is just not powerful enough. It is precise, pleasant but just not loud enough, even with good seal and bass-oriented EQ. From reviews I expected much more.
- Fit: bad for me. Narrow nozzles mean that my favorite tips (M from Rock Zircon) don't work here, I need something wider to get proper isolation, but with narrower nozzle hole (or however it is called in English). So it's really hard to get good seal and comfortable fit at the same time
- Also, volume curve is strange. For outdoor use I normally set volume on my Cowon M2 at 75% of maximum and Yersen sounds fine then (broadly as loud as other IEMs from same league) but indoor I usually set volume at 25-30% of max and while other IEMs sound fine at this volume, Yersen is barely hearable. Not sure if faulty IEM, or it actually happens (I just never encountered it before) or I am simply going crazy. It is not too big of a problem as it's always easy to just increase the volume.

Looking forward to follow-up model when and if Yersen decides to create it, but this one is clearly not going to become my daily driver due to fairly disappointing bass and problems with fit.

In terms of sound, it is definitely brighter than T515 but that's probably natural effect of lack of bass. It is not as bright as Alwup UPC630 (aka E-MI CI880, TIMMKOO C630 etc) which I think belongs to the same category of mildly V-shaped, very detailed $20-30 IEMs.

I would say:
- If you like detail, impressive soundstage, and semi-dark sound, but indifferent to bass, go with Yersen FEN-2000 (you are taking chance on the fit though)
- If you like detail, energetic bass, bright sound, but not too fussed about soundstage, go with Alwup UPC630
- If you like detail, good soundstage, energetic bass, and dark sound, go with Tin Audio T515

Anyone agrees? Anyone cares?

Edit: Reading few pages back, there is not unreasonable suspicion that latest shipments of Fen-2000 are tuned differently to earlier ones. Mine is new, so maybe that explains why I feel bass is lacking while reviews few months back praise the IEM for strong bass.

So I just wanted to follow up on my previous impression of Yersen FEN-2000. After hours and hours or burn in, I am afraid they are not getting better - bass is still weak and highs are pretty damn harsh and sibilant (even if super detailed and stunningly three-dimensional). I almost think I got a faulty pair - other places (e.g. audiobudget and even feedbacks on Aliexpress from the same store) say that it is bass-heavy and no sibilance at all (obviously my experience is the opposite). I bought from Highlight Gllobal Store.

- Does everyone who has Yersen FEN-2000 agree with the above?
- Can it be bad cable rather than bad IEMs? (this is my first MMCX pair so no clue how much of a role cable plays really)

 

[Bartig]

But those banned seller ASEs already have the 2 pin connector? They are the same shell but the V60 has a logo on it. Wonder if the tuning is different.

Only one way to find out. I took one for the team!

 

[Zerohour88]

TRN V60, just like MDK-ESS ASE rebrand,
but now with 2pin connector

and KZ ZSA is up for sale on ae

Spoiler: zsa

welp, skipping straight to V60 from V20, wonder where the proposed V30 went, was waiting for that.

 

[DBaldock9]

Here a lifetime supply of KZ Starline tips for two bucks. They are called starline tips because it took several lightyears past many stars until delivery.
Here the link: https://goo.gl/6HRNJU

Don't forget to indicate your preferred size upon ordering.

I ordered 2 sets of "15 Pairs Large Black Replacement Silicone Ear Bud Tip for KZ ED12 ZS2 ATE ZS3" from the eBay vendor, but the ones I received are more like Medium size.
They only cost $1.92, but I do wish that they were as large in diameter as the other brands of large size tips I've purchased.

 

[Slater]

TRN V60, just like MDK-ESS ASE rebrand,
but now with 2pin connector

So I wonder if that just LOOKS similar to the MDK-ESS ASE (made by TRN) and w/a 2-pin connector, or if that IS a MDK-ESS ASE (made by MDK-ESS) except with a 2-pin connector?

Because I was not impressed with the MDK-ESS stuff in general - I didn't have any of the cable problems as others (which the 2-pin cable would solve), but I was quite disappointed by unglued drivers that freely rattled in the housing, as well as the housing falling apart due to weak glue.

So if it's literally just a MDK-ESS ASE (made by MDK-ESS) except with a 2-pin connector, I'm going to stay a mile away from them. Fool me once, fool me twice and all that.

 

[Slater]

I ordered 2 sets of "15 Pairs Large Black Replacement Silicone Ear Bud Tip for KZ ED12 ZS2 ATE ZS3" from the eBay vendor, but the ones I received are more like Medium size.
They only cost $1.92, but I do wish that they were as large in diameter as the other brands of large size tips I've purchased.

Have you ever used Starlines before? They are kind of in-between sizes, like the in-between sizes of JVC Spiral Dots.

So the large is what I would consider a ML, and medium is what I would call a SM.

But those banned seller ASEs already have the 2 pin connector? They are the same shell but the V60 has a logo on it. Wonder if the tuning is different.

ASE isn't made by a banned seller. MSK-ESS is their own brand.

 

[Slater]

Most of the Baseus audio stuff I've heard has been very average. I do have a Baseus magnet mount for my car that I love.

I really like the idea that they spent time dampening the IEM shell. I think that is the exact reason you mentioned "impressive detail, and actually detailed bass and mids."

Dampening full size headphones can often have a dramatic improvement, and I myself have been experimenting with dampening the shells of IEMs with good results.

I guess for the low cost, I'll give it a try!

So I have an update on the Baseus H07.

I should have trusted the feeling in my gut, based on my previous experience with Baseus's earphones being very 'average'.

The bottom line is they are very mediocre and underwhelming. It's not the worst IEM I've ever heard. If my plane crashed on a deserted island, and these were the only thing I had to listen to, they would be fine.

Desite being advertised as having multiple types of dampening inside, the shells feel extremely light. My guess is there's nothing but hot air inside.

Also, the cable is thin, fragile, and microphonic (reminds me of the paper thin apple earbuds cable). Both sides have crinkly driver flex, which is odd because they have front vents on the shell, which should vent insertion pressure.

As far as the sound, they are very slightly v-shaped, with an overall dark and veiled sound. The mids are distant, tinny, and lack detail, and male vocals suffer as a result. The treble does have good extension (which is obviously how they got High-Res certification), but it's slightly sibilant, screechy, and can get fatiguing after a short period depending on the genre.

I'll try to mod them to improve the sound, before sending them to the DoFI (Drawer of Forgotten IEMs).

For less money, the KZ EDR1 is light years better than the H07 in every respect, and it's half the cost to boot.

 

[Otto Motor]

I ordered 2 sets of "15 Pairs Large Black Replacement Silicone Ear Bud Tip for KZ ED12 ZS2 ATE ZS3" from the eBay vendor, but the ones I received are more like Medium size.
They only cost $1.92, but I do wish that they were as large in diameter as the other brands of large size tips I've purchased.

Mine are the real thing in the real size!

 

[handwander]

ASE isn't made by a banned seller. MSK-ESS is their own brand.

Look up "ase hybrid" on AliExpress and check the titles of the listings. Isn't that a banned seller? The images say MDK-ESS but the titles say something else.

And I'm not even typing the name since simply doing that has resulted in my posts getting deleted before lol.

 

[NeonHD]

I think it's funny how thephonograph has literally reviewed every single KZ earphone out there including the latest KZ ZS10, yet doesn't even bother reviewing some of the other amazing chi-fi out there like the highly lauded Tin Audio T2 or the TRN V20, which—no offense—sounds way better than any of KZ's flagships.

Seems like they have some sort of bias towards Knowledge Zenith.

I mean, nothing is stopping them from buying them, and the T2 is literally all the rave now in the chi-fi community, so they must have a bias.

 

[Slater]

Look up "ase hybrid" on AliExpress and check the titles of the listings. Isn't that a banned seller? The images say MDK-ESS but the titles say something else.

And I'm not even typing the name since simply doing that has resulted in my posts getting deleted before lol.

You'll see that on a lot of IEMs, because that banned seller carries lots of different brands.

So think of it like a store like Best Buy (I don't think they have those in Japan?). Best Buy is just an electronics store, and they carry brands like Sony, JVC, Pioneer, Beats etc. They also have their own "in-house brand" of gear. If Best Buy itself was banned on HeadFi, that means we couldn't talk about Best Buy or their "in-house" brand. But the other brands that Best Buy carries (Sony, JVC, Pioneer, Beats etc) are OK, because those brands are not MADE by Best Buy.

Make sense?

I think it's funny how thephonograph has literally reviewed every single KZ earphone out there including the latest KZ ZS10, yet doesn't even bother reviewing some of the other amazing chi-fi out there like the highly lauded Tin Audio T2 or the TRN V20, which—no offense—sounds way better than any of KZ's flagships.

Seems like they have some sort of bias towards Knowledge Zenith.

I mean, nothing is stopping them from buying them, and the T2 is literally all the rave now in the chi-fi community, so they must have a bias.

I guess it's possible that KZ is thephonograph.net.

Some movie studios have shell companies set up that are movie review/movie critic websites (or at least funded by the studio). And of course, those "movie critics" always rate the movies highly, to generate excitement so that the regular public goes and sees the movie.

In that old days you had truly independent reviewers, like Siskel and Ebert and those that worked at large newspapers. Those days are gone, and all of the lines are blurred and greyed now. The Internet allows anonymity that companies can hide behind and no one would ever know.

I'm not saying that's what KZ is doing, but when a company like KZ does no marketing in the traditional sense (that I know of), you have to figure that they have to get the word out somehow. Sure, reviews are an important parts of that, but those aren't done by KZ directly (rather by individual dealers and Joe Blow customers on YouTube).

 

[durwood]

I think it's funny how thephonograph has literally reviewed every single KZ earphone out there including the latest KZ ZS10, yet doesn't even bother reviewing some of the other amazing chi-fi out there like the highly lauded Tin Audio T2 or the TRN V20, which—no offense—sounds way better than any of KZ's flagships.

Seems like they have some sort of bias towards Knowledge Zenith.

I mean, nothing is stopping them from buying them, and the T2 is literally all the rave now in the chi-fi community, so they must have a bias.

Well they did review the TRN V20...
http://www.thephonograph.net/trn-v20-review/
i just go there for the graphs and I find their testing of how much can we boost to see if it has headroom in certain areas.