[IEMusic]

Just one of each?! My goal is to get one for each day of the week + few more just for reserve. I'm 750/755 preper

What are the main places where you have been finding them?

 

[ShaneyMac]

What are the main places where you have been finding them?

Most of them I get from local classified ads from people who selling their used Xperia phones. If they want to sell earphones separated and if earphones are packed as new I buy them (most of people never use their earphones after they unbox the phone). Also, I got few from ebay, but there you need to find seller with legit ones as there is big chance to get fake 750/755s.

 

[Sebulr]

I've ordered my first set of spinfits for my tws sets. Large cp145. I'm gonna test them out when I get home. My kz s1 started working again, so I thought I'd order some. As I have to borrow tips off my other sets. Should have posted in the tws thread, but since you were talking here about tops...

I hope they fit, as they are the largest size and I normally struggle to get a seal if less than 14mm.

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

These days it's even worse.. I ordered something on 29/04 and still waiting!

And sadly it's about to get even worse thanks to border tensions. I got my parcels from April a couple of weeks back. So depending upon where you are based yours should arrive anytime India Post deems fit. Wish global and chi-fi brands launch their products in India at reasonable prices.

 

[unifutomaki]

​

So, what happens when the T2 Plus are fed through a well-regarded, price-to-performance ratio winner mini DAC/amp? In summary, the T2 Plus's strengths that I'd cited previously become even more evident.

• The soundstage opens up even more, primarily in terms of width; depth to a lesser extent. The T2 Plus already does well in this aspect on its own, but the Sonata HD Pro makes it even more evident.
• Added treble sparkle. I'm hearing richer and more ephemeral highs through the T2 Plus + Sonata HD Pro pairing compared to the T2 Plus on its own. This in turn brings out even more micro-detail, which is surprisingly carried very well by the single DD.
• Enhanced timbre. Electronic drums sound somewhat less flat and one-dimensional that they did previously. Rather than coming across as a mere "tap", there's actually some decay and resonance to the note.

There are certain aspects of the Sonata HD Pro that make it a bit more of a faff to operate than I'd have liked, and this is probably why the budget DAP market still exists and remains strong. Firstly, the included USB-C to microUSB cable has an unnaturally stiff Type-C plug; the hole in the middle seems to be a tad too narrow for the Type-C ports on my ThinkPad and is an uncomfortably tight fit for the port on my Moto g8 Power, so I've had to resort to stacking adapters for the sake of my ports.

Secondly, my preferred player app, Poweramp, ostensibly supports USB DACs, but refuses to recognise the Sonata as a high-resolution output and caps it at 16-bit/44.1kHz. HibyMusic would have been a decent alternative, but neither its hardware- nor software-based volume functions play nice with the Sonata; ditto for the Onkyo HF Player app. Neutron Player has a user interface from circa 2004.

What remains, then, is UAPP; despite its Android 4.4-era UI, at least the volume control works properly. As long as "properly" means using the physical buttons on the DAC almost as a set-it-and-forget-it "output power" selector, leaving fine adjustments to the in-app volume control (which is supposedly running in "hardware" mode, but the in-app volume control and the physical volume control seem to have nothing to do with each other?).

That went on longer than I'd expected it to. Is the sound quality worth the usability foibles? Undoubtedly yes, because a DAP of this calibre would require quite a bit more coin (Tempotec's own V1-A, which costs 2.5x as much as the Sonata HD Pro, isn't quite on the same level as far as its DAC/amp is concerned).

 

[kmmbd]

I wrote a small comparison between BLON BL-03 and Final E3000 as it seemed to be of interest to a number of people. BL-03 goes near $40 with the near mandatory cable+tip change, whereas E3000 can be found for $50 or slightly less. E3000 also has a remote-version in E3000C which costs $10 more.

Build: E3000 and BL-03 both are decently built in a sense with metal housings and mostly well put together chambers, though E3000 has better overall finish IMO. The big difference is the detachable vs fixed cable. For many the fixed cable is the biggest worry about E3000. Frankly, I've been using mine while commuting and just coiling it inside the jeans pocket for the most part for almost 6+ months and till now - zero issues. Either way, it's one thing you can be concerned about and it's natural. However, buying from an authorized seller will at least give peace of mind for a year (Final is great at customer support) so there's that.

Accessories: E3000 has miles better tips while everything on BL-03 is kind of horrible.

Comfort: E3000 is far more comfortable and lightweight and just disappears inside the ears unlike the BL-03 which can be a constant fight.

Overall signature: E3000 is mildly V-shaped with a warm-ish bass and slightly toned down treble (but it's not dark sounding IMO). BL-03 is upper-mid and mid-bass forward and the treble takes the back seat again.

Bass: BL-03 has more volume of bass and also more sub-bass. E3000 lacks the sub-bass extension but the mid-bass punch has more impact. The bass decay is a bit slow post 60Hz on the E3000 and this is their biggest "problem" IMO. Nonetheless, neither are bass light and can deal with most bass heavy genres but you won't get the skull-shaking rumble from either. I personally find the E3000 to have slightly more textured bass. BL-03 has more extension, but the mid-bass can become boomy on some tracks. No such issues on E3000 for me.
Conclusion: Tie.

Mids: BL-03 is upper-mids forward and while female vocals sound great on BL-03 the male vocals do lack some fullness. E3000 is the opposite: fantastic male vocals and female vocals are just balanced in line. Neither overshadows another. The secret sauce of the E3000 midrange is the instrument separation. A bit of a footnote: Final tuned the E3000 to sound similar to their flagship D8000 headphone (which is one of the most expensive and awesome headphones I've heard) and really the instrument separation is pretty much best-in-class. No, it won't beat the $130 E4000 overall but really for such a low price I've never heard such instrument separation.
BL-03 has their signature "analogue" midrange and E3000 is a bit "cooler" in comparison. It's mostly the lack of mid-bass bleed that makes the E3000 midrange sound ethereal in comparison. String instruments also sound better on E3000 due to their ethereal, spacious nature.
Conclusion: E3000 (for my tastes) but BL-03 is very good as well.

Treble: E3000 treble has more details than the BL-03 and extends better. Overall detail retrieval is also better on E3000.

Soundstage: E3000 is an open-back (semi-closed?) IEM so no wonder that it wipes the floor with the BLON in soundstage department. Soundstage width, height, depth - all are far superior in E3000.

Imaging: E3000 has more accurate imaging and would be class leading in this price segment if not for Dunu Titan 1.

Amplification: E3000 needs more power and usually sounds better on a better Amp rather than just straight outta mobile phones or cheap dongles. Do note that Apple dongle sounded really good and is a fantastic option in a budget for E3000.

So yes, in conclusion, from my perspective E3000 is a better buy and true upgrade over the BL-03. Do note that they need a few days of getting used to because the signature is not aggressive/in-your-face and lacks the immediate surge of details you get from most hybrid stuff. If you get them, just listen to them for a couple days and then go back to other IEMs, that way it's easier to appreciate the mature tuning of the E3000.

 

[JEHL]

I wrote a small comparison between BLON BL-03 and Final E3000 as it seemed to be of interest to a number of people. BL-03 goes near $40 with the near mandatory cable+tip change, whereas E3000 can be found for $50 or slightly less. E3000 also has a remote-version in E3000C which costs $10 more.

Build: E3000 and BL-03 both are decently built in a sense with metal housings and mostly well put together chambers, though E3000 has better overall finish IMO. The big difference is the detachable vs fixed cable. For many the fixed cable is the biggest worry about E3000. Frankly, I've been using mine while commuting and just coiling it inside the jeans pocket for the most part for almost 6+ months and till now - zero issues. Either way, it's one thing you can be concerned about and it's natural. However, buying from an authorized seller will at least give peace of mind for a year (Final is great at customer support) so there's that.

Accessories: E3000 has miles better tips while everything on BL-03 is kind of horrible.

Comfort: E3000 is far more comfortable and lightweight and just disappears inside the ears unlike the BL-03 which can be a constant fight.

Overall signature: E3000 is mildly V-shaped with a warm-ish bass and slightly toned down treble (but it's not dark sounding IMO). BL-03 is upper-mid and mid-bass forward and the treble takes the back seat again.

Bass: BL-03 has more volume of bass and also more sub-bass. E3000 lacks the sub-bass extension but the mid-bass punch has more impact. The bass decay is a bit slow post 60Hz on the E3000 and this is their biggest "problem" IMO. Nonetheless, neither are bass light and can deal with most bass heavy genres but you won't get the skull-shaking rumble from either. I personally find the E3000 to have slightly more textured bass. BL-03 has more extension, but the mid-bass can become boomy on some tracks. No such issues on E3000 for me.
Conclusion: Tie.

Mids: BL-03 is upper-mids forward and while female vocals sound great on BL-03 the male vocals do lack some fullness. E3000 is the opposite: fantastic male vocals and female vocals are just balanced in line. Neither overshadows another. The secret sauce of the E3000 midrange is the instrument separation. A bit of a footnote: Final tuned the E3000 to sound similar to their flagship D8000 headphone (which is one of the most expensive and awesome headphones I've heard) and really the instrument separation is pretty much best-in-class. No, it won't beat the $130 E4000 overall but really for such a low price I've never heard such instrument separation.
BL-03 has their signature "analogue" midrange and E3000 is a bit "cooler" in comparison. It's mostly the lack of mid-bass bleed that makes the E3000 midrange sound ethereal in comparison. String instruments also sound better on E3000 due to their ethereal, spacious nature.
Conclusion: E3000 (for my tastes) but BL-03 is very good as well.

Treble: E3000 treble has more details than the BL-03 and extends better. Overall detail retrieval is also better on E3000.

Soundstage: E3000 is an open-back (semi-closed?) IEM so no wonder that it wipes the floor with the BLON in soundstage department. Soundstage width, height, depth - all are far superior in E3000.

Imaging: E3000 has more accurate imaging and would be class leading in this price segment if not for Dunu Titan 1.

Amplification: E3000 needs more power and usually sounds better on a better Amp rather than just straight outta mobile phones or cheap dongles. Do note that Apple dongle sounded really good and is a fantastic option in a budget for E3000.

So yes, in conclusion, from my perspective E3000 is a better buy and true upgrade over the BL-03. Do note that they need a few days of getting used to because the signature is not aggressive/in-your-face and lacks the immediate surge of details you get from most hybrid stuff. If you get them, just listen to them for a couple days and then go back to other IEMs, that way it's easier to appreciate the mature tuning of the E3000.

Well feel free to fight me, but E3000 is probably as open back as it gets specially in the sub $50 budget iSine and clones notwithstanding. This probably makes it THE selling point of it. A true open back IEM.

 

[seanwee]

Well feel free to fight me, but E3000 is probably as open back as it gets specially in the sub $50 budget iSine and clones notwithstanding. This probably makes it THE selling point of it. A true open back IEM.

The iSines / LCDis are garbage (even compared to sub $50 iems) without the cypher cables

 

[xuan87]

The iSines / LCDis are garbage (even compared to sub $50 iems) without the cypher cables

LOL so true. I was shocked when I first tried the i10 with 3.5mm. My i10 was gathering dust for a long while when I moved away from an iPhone, but now I'm using the bluetooth cable.

 

[seanwee]

LOL so true. I was shocked when I first tried the i10 with 3.5mm. My i10 was gathering dust for a long while when I moved away from an iPhone, but now I'm using the bluetooth cable.

You'll be surprised at the amount of garbage iems present at higher price points. The most monumental disappointment for me was the Shure KSE 1500 and 1200 electrostatic iems which reviewers and owners claim to have extreme detail and clarity. As in the best you can get in an IEM bar none.

In a blind test I would just say it's a mediocre budget iem I would never consider buying.

Price doesn't dictate how good an iems sounds. There's just too much variance in what people consider good and far too often people listen to the price and not the IEM.

 

[xuan87]

I think you misunderstood me. The Sine earphones were amazing with the Cypher cables, but total garbage without them. This was and still is the only instance that I can think of where the IEMs sounded so different with different sources. It's not a matter of "night and day" but they legit sounded like different earphones with and without the cypher cables.

 

[OpiateSkittles]

As long as "properly" means using the physical buttons on the DAC almost as a set-it-and-forget-it "output power" selector, leaving fine adjustments to the in-app volume control (which is supposedly running in "hardware" mode, but the in-app volume control and the physical volume control seem to have nothing to do with each other?).

This is indeed "proper" behavior for the Sonata hardware volume.

 

[seanwee]

I think you misunderstood me. The Sine earphones were amazing with the Cypher cables, but total garbage without them. This was and still is the only instance that I can think of where the IEMs sounded so different with different sources. It's not a matter of "night and day" but they legit sounded like different earphones with and without the cypher cables.

The Sines were practically just untuned drivers in a housing. The cypher cables were the ones that contained all the dsp and tuning.

 

[unifutomaki]

This is indeed "proper" behavior for the Sonata hardware volume.

Good to know that I am indeed not going crazy

It's also probably for the best that my Moto happens to have a honkin' battery because this little Sonata certainly uses the juice... everything in service of the sound eh

 

[harry501501]

My KB 100 didn't last long. There's a high pitched metallic reverb screech thingy sound in the left side on treble frequencies. Not sure I can be bothered sending back to penon lol