[unifutomaki]

On page number one it says KZ EDR1 has ultimate value. I just received mine. They sound, frankly, terrible. To much highs, practically no bass (very shallow), and add to that, the mids are super quiet. The whole trebble is very unnatural and ear splitting. Is something wrong with my set, or is this just how they sound? Imo, my cheap Panasonic RP-HJE125 from my local store sounds Much better (with a pretty deep dip at 250Ghz and a less deep dip at 4k it sounds even better). Tried EQing KZ.. you can't fix it with a 10-band, and I'm not gonna spend hours fixing it on a 20+ custom band EQ

I mean, they aren't great, but mine don't really sound like what you describe. If anything, the overall sound is veiled and reminds me of a poorly recorded cassette tape - muddy, bloaty bass, rolled off treble. But the recommendations on Page 1 are years old at this point. ChiFi has evolved much since then

Honestly those Panasonics sound terrible too, at least to me lol

 

[Slater]

On page number one it says KZ EDR1 has ultimate value. I just received mine. They sound, frankly, terrible. To much highs, practically no bass (very shallow), and add to that, the mids are super quiet. The whole trebble is very unnatural and ear splitting. Is something wrong with my set, or is this just how they sound? Imo, my cheap Panasonic RP-HJE125 from my local store sounds Much better (with a pretty deep dip at 250Ghz and a less deep dip at 4k it sounds even better). Tried EQing KZ.. you can't fix it with a 10-band, and I'm not gonna spend hours fixing it on a 20+ custom band EQ

KZ definitely changed something, because the old EDR1 were really good. I got a set last year and they sounded poor. I had just assumed it was a fluke, but the seller sent me a replacement set and they sounded just as bad.

That’s why I don’t rec the EDR1 anymore. As @unifutomaki pointed out, there are better options nowadays.

 

[unifutomaki]

KZ definitely changed something, because the old EDR1 were really good.

I was just thinking about how my sample even sounds different compared to @Arjey's report. I certainly wouldn't put it past them to have stealth-nerfed the EDR1 a few times by now.

 

[Arjey]

Can you guys recommend something dirt cheap ($3-5) that will last a while (won't break in a month) and sounds good (something like MH755, but not so difficult to obtain)? Preferably available on AliExpress (or a trusted eBay seller)

 

[Slater]

Can you guys recommend something dirt cheap ($3-5) that will last a while (won't break in a month) and sounds good (something like MH755, but not so difficult to obtain)? Preferably available on AliExpress (or a trusted eBay seller)

KZ EDX

 

[nraymond]

I don't remember who on this forum mentioned these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0856ZJPZ6/

They said they ordered them and would write their impressions, maybe I miseed the post but I never saw anything, got curious and ordered them myself. I've had them a few days, and I'm definitely surprised at how good they are for the price. They have good mids, both male and female vocals are clear, timbre sounds right, and the bass is good, not overwhelming, and there's decent sub-bass. Treble is good, a bit less compared to mids (one peak around 9kHz when I listen to a perceptual frequency sweep), very upper treble sounds a little subdued (FYI my hearing rolls off around 17k). There are no vents I could see, they seal well and block out a lot of external noise. Standard MMCX so I was able to use a balanced cable I had lying around no problem. They came with the small tips installed, switching to the medium tips gave me a good fit (most medium tips fit me well). The nozzle is a standard size so you can try other tips easily (I tried four other types of tips but none of them were better than stock, so I've paused experimenting with tips for now). Due to the earphone shape they are very easy to take out and put in, which I find handy.

The Amazon product page claims two balanced armatures, and that'd be interesting if that's the case, the bass sounds better than pure BA bass I've heard in the past (don't get me wrong, these don't compete with the best dynamic driver bass out there, but I can listen to bassy EDM with them and enjoy the music). Design-wise, they are reminiscent of the Yamaha EPH-200 (except those have a much larger nozzle that can't be used with a lot of standard tips). I've never heard the EPH-200 so I can't compare them. The brand is DCMEKA, which I've never heard of before. On the top of ear barrel is printed "E13S". On the Amazon product page the item model number is "2020E13earphone". The box they came in was small, professional, and somewhat generic, with the earphones packed in a decent nylon drawstring pouch and the extra eartips in a small ziplock bag. The back of the box has some basic instructions, mentions a 12 month warranty, any problems contact them at service@e-chg.com (the Amazon seller is CHGUS). Going to www.e-chg.com presents you with a Chinese website with two big buttons and some pictures of stoves. The left button goes to www.dcmeka.com.cn and the about the company there, when translated by Google Translate mentions, "The company mainly produces: integrated stoves, DC fans, household heating equipment, mainly for overseas customers in Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, domestic customers TCL, Yunmi, Airmate OEM, ODM." Huh. Well, for a company that mainly makes stoves, they make pretty good inexpensive earphones!

 

[Tonymac136]

KZ EDX

Quoted for truth. For the money it's a no brainer.

 

[jant71]

I don't remember who on this forum mentioned these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0856ZJPZ6/

They said they ordered them and would write their impressions, maybe I miseed the post but I never saw anything, got curious and ordered them myself. I've had them a few days, and I'm definitely surprised at how good they are for the price. They have good mids, both male and female vocals are clear, timbre sounds right, and the bass is good, not overwhelming, and there's decent sub-bass. Treble is good, a bit less compared to mids (one peak around 9kHz when I listen to a perceptual frequency sweep), very upper treble sounds a little subdued (FYI my hearing rolls off around 17k). There are no vents I could see, they seal well and block out a lot of external noise. Standard MMCX so I was able to use a balanced cable I had lying around no problem. They came with the small tips installed, switching to the medium tips gave me a good fit (most medium tips fit me well). The nozzle is a standard size so you can try other tips easily (I tried four other types of tips but none of them were better than stock, so I've paused experimenting with tips for now). Due to the earphone shape they are very easy to take out and put in, which I find handy.

The Amazon product page claims two balanced armatures, and that'd be interesting if that's the case, the bass sounds better than pure BA bass I've heard in the past (don't get me wrong, these don't compete with the best dynamic driver bass out there, but I can listen to bassy EDM with them and enjoy the music). Design-wise, they are reminiscent of the Yamaha EPH-200 (except those have a much larger nozzle that can't be used with a lot of standard tips). I've never heard the EPH-200 so I can't compare them. The brand is DCMEKA, which I've never heard of before. On the top of ear barrel is printed "E13S". On the Amazon product page the item model number is "2020E13earphone". The box they came in was small, professional, and somewhat generic, with the earphones packed in a decent nylon drawstring pouch and the extra eartips in a small ziplock bag. The back of the box has some basic instructions, mentions a 12 month warranty, any problems contact them at service@e-chg.com (the Amazon seller is CHGUS). Going to www.e-chg.com presents you with a Chinese website with two big buttons and some pictures of stoves. The left button goes to www.dcmeka.com.cn and the about the company there, when translated by Google Translate mentions, "The company mainly produces: integrated stoves, DC fans, household heating equipment, mainly for overseas customers in Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, domestic customers TCL, Yunmi, Airmate OEM, ODM." Huh. Well, for a company that mainly makes stoves, they make pretty good inexpensive earphones!

I bought these a while back. If they say "E13S" and not "Pro" they are just a dynamic driver.

 

[nraymond]

I bought these a while back. If they say "E13S" and not "Pro" they are just a dynamic driver.

Ah, that explains the bass, and maybe why the highs aren't as extended as I expected. Good performance for a small dynamic driver though. Has anyone tried the dual balanced armature version of these?

 

[dharmasteve]

Nobody here has ordered Shini s520? It is a pity cause it is the cheapest and best sounding earphones you'll ever hear. Stunning balance and clarity. Seems like people here only consider more expensive stuff...

I ordered the Shini s-520 and the Q170 on Ebay UK. They cost £4.99 each including postage. As luck would have it I got two s-520s and couldn't be bothered returning one of them. So I've got 2 x Shini s520, one gold, one red, and both working. So you are right. Listening to the gold one now. Very nice sound with enough of everything over the FR. Very sweet midrange in particular. For a fiver exceptional sound. They are very plasticky and don't feel substantial, but then buy a few pairs and it won't matter if you sit on one. Sound is way beyond cost. They fit over the ear with an ear hook and stay quite stable. That sweet midrange could serrve as a lesson for badly tuned in ear IEM's. Of course they are neither IEMs, or Buds and that's good for they present a different type of sound and very nice indeed. They have a 3.5mm jack and I run them at 60/100 volume single ended from my HiBy R5, so they need a little pushing.

 

[Fat Larry]

Can anyone recommend some sub $100 iems that isolate a lot and are small enough to sleep with? I was looking at getting a set of Mass Drop + but the reviews on their site are really concerning regarding durability and QC so i want to see if can find a chi fi equivalent, that way i can not care if they break.

 

[unifutomaki]

Can anyone recommend some sub $100 iems that isolate a lot and are small enough to sleep with? I was looking at getting a set of Mass Drop + but the reviews on their site are really concerning regarding durability and QC so i want to see if can find a chi fi equivalent, that way i can not care if they break.

I sleep with my Moondrop SSR but am probably going to pick up some earbuds coming 11/11 to prevent my hearing from dying before its time from listening to IEMs so much

 

[Fat Larry]

I sleep with my Moondrop SSR but am probably going to pick up some earbuds coming 11/11 to prevent my hearing from dying before its time from listening to IEMs so much

Thanks. What do you mean by earbuds?

 

[unifutomaki]

Thanks. What do you mean by earbuds?

Earbuds just sit in the outer ear, like these:

I figure that they will be more comfy for sleeping with and be better for hearing health, since they wouldn't be constantly subjecting the tympanic membrane to the full force of the sound and isolation isn't really a worry for me when I sleep.

 

[seanwee]

Personally I just set a sleep timer.