[NymPHONOmaniac]

Nymphonomaniac I've read your review on xba 6in1. Pretty datailed review. Nice job. Your only complain is the cheap construction? You mention there is another version more expensive at 70 $ and all in metal? Are you sure there is a cheap plastic housing and a metal housing?

Thanks for the read I don't think I write that, will read back to see cause I admit that I don't always read back and errors could occur but I think you mean when I talk about **** DT2 that is a 1BA+2DD drivers too but it have yes a metal housing that look more solid and luxurious. I did not heard it tough, but one thing sure is XBA kick ass hard of the **** 4in1-more bass, more mid, more soundstage and about same details but smoother.

There a silver Painted XBA too, I think they are the exact same, just a change in the look. And by cheap construction, it's just the painting that can go easily off, housing could be durable, time will tell, but the plastic used isn't exactly cheap. At 40-50$ it's a no brainer for me and a keeper in my collection. At 70$ IMO it was too expensive cause of the DT2+ wich is 40-50 too.

 

[Slater]

There a silver Painted XBA too, I think they are the exact same, just a change in the look. And by cheap construction, it's just the painting that can go easily off, housing could be durable, time will tell, but the plastic used isn't exactly cheap.

I remember reading that (metal paint easily chipping off), and can see how it could be confused with the body being metal.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

Just telling you here that I make a (stupid) impulsive order at this (stupid) importexpress site and it's a big mistake cause I receive a message that they do not have the products (Emi CI880) I order and suggest I find another one(!?!).
It's now very complicate to have a refund and communication is very bad. Look like I will have to use Paypal protection or something....very frustrating so do-not-make-same-mistake.

To AVOID:
https://www.import-express.com/apa/index.html

 

[ChrisNoob]

Pretty much ALL ChiFis have occasional QC issues. KZs have way more reported QC issues than Magaosi by far, and that hasn't stopped tons of people from buying KZs by the boatload (myself included).

If you buy from a reputable seller, any problems you may have will get resolved no questions asked. Also buying from a reputable/authorized seller guarantees that you not only get a GENUINE product (there are fakes), but also ensures that you get the included 1 year warranty.

I've had 1 very minor issue with my Magaosi K3 Pro, which took 5 seconds to fix. Other than that, they have been flawless, and I love them to pieces.

The few reported issues with the Magaosi K3 have either been fixed by Magaosi themselves, or are easy to fix yourself (if you don't feel like making a warranty claim).

Here's the list of known issues (ranked from most common to least common, at least amongst HF owners):

1. Weak glue on the nozzle can cause the nozzle to separate when changing filters or swapping eartips. Has only happened to 1 handful of people (and only on early stock), and was recently confirmed by Magaosi to have been resolved in manufacture.
2. Loose connection causing audio cutouts (always on left side). Has only happened to 1 handful of people. Resolved by using a different cable (Magaosi provides 2, or you can buy an aftermarket cable such as SainSmart). You can also gently pinch the tip of the cable with pliers and fix the issue (verified fix by more than 1 person).
3. The BA driver on 1 of the sides can be glued such that it's angled a few degrees off-center compared to the other side. Only reported by 2 people so far, with me being the 3rd. The solution is to use a something (toothpick, needle, etc) to gently center the affected driver. Mine was off by maybe 2mm, and was simple to correct. I noticed zero sound difference when it was off-center - I just straightened it because I am a perfectionist & it only took 3 seconds to fix. Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother.
4. The BA driver on 1 of the sides can be glued slightly lower compared to the other side (1-2 mm). Has only been reported by 1 person. There is no solution to this other than regluing the driver yourself, but I am pretty sure the user did not report any issues with sound, channel imbalance, etc.

I hope that helps put your mind at ease. I would buy them again without even batting an eye.

However, if you are still hesitant, consider the KZ ZS5 instead, which is an absolute steal for the asking price. You can buy (4) ZS5s for the cost of (1) Magaosi K3 Pro, and the Magaosi K3 Pro is definitely NOT 4xs better than the ZS5. Vidal recently gave the ZS5 an almost perfect score out of 128 ChiFis he's tested. Let that sink in for a second - significantly better than just shy of 130 other ChiFi IEMs. See for yourself at his site: http://www.aproear.co.uk/kz-zs5/

Thank you for the reply! In your opinion, how good is the ZS5? I already have VE Monk Plus, Rock Zircon and Dzat DF-10, and planning to get a big upgrade in both sound and build quality. The K3 Pro is said to have performance nearing earphones about double its price. Would the ZS5 be able to compete with it, with its lower price? My budget is already set to RM450 (about 100 USD), so would like to get the best bang for the buck. My previous target was the upcoming Fiio F5, but was convinced to get the K3 Pro instead.

Also, do you have any experience with returning faulty products back to sellers on Taobao? I know official Aliexpress dealers have good services, just not sure about Taobao. The K3 Pro on Taobao is cheaper and the shipping to my country (Malaysia) is faster compared to aliexpress....

 

[VinceHill24]

Just telling you here that I make a (stupid) impulsive order at this (stupid) importexpress site and it's a big mistake cause I receive a message that they do not have the products (Emi CI880) I order and suggest I find another one(!?!).
It's now very complicate to have a refund and communication is very bad. Look like I will have to use Paypal protection or something....very frustrating so do-not-make-same-mistake.

To AVOID:
https://www.import-express.com/apa/index.html

For the EMI CI880, i actually stumbled upon a company while browsing on Alibaba which happens to have this exact model but known instead as Estron C630. I'm not sure how much truth is there but they claimed they actually ODM this product to a lot of their clients overseas and basically all the same models you see sold by different merchants are the same thing actually. Anyway, have ordered one to find out soon. And i believe those merchants may even have a triple driver too coming as it was shown on their QQ a triple driver IEM under production.

Just thought if anyone may be curious to know.

 

[Slater]

Thank you for the reply! In your opinion, how good is the ZS5? I already have VE Monk Plus, Rock Zircon and Dzat DF-10, and planning to get a big upgrade in both sound and build quality. The K3 Pro is said to have performance nearing earphones about double its price. Would the ZS5 be able to compete with it, with its lower price? My budget is already set to RM450 (about 100 USD), so would like to get the best bang for the buck. My previous target was the upcoming Fiio F5, but was convinced to get the K3 Pro instead.

Sure, no problem!

I do not personally own the ZS5 (yet). With that said, it has had nothing but good reviews, and has been touted as the best sounding IEM KZ has produced to date. I love the KZ ZS3 and ZST, and the sound of the ZS5 has been compared to be right in between the 2. So I'm sure I would love the ZS5.

Again, I mention that Vidal scored the KZ ZS5 with an almost perfect score - higher than anything he has ever tested to date. And he has tested almost 130 different IEMs from many different manufacturers. He is very honest and knowledgeable, and his reviews are trustworthy.

I don't believe that he has ever heard the K3 Pro though, so you will have to find another member that can make a direct comparison between the ZS5 and the K3 Pro. I THINK some of the members that have heard both are @1clearhead, @SpiderNhan, @loomisjohnson, @B9Scrambler, and a few others. I could be wrong on a few members though, because I am going by memory.

The best thing to do is to ask on the Magaosi K3 thread, to see who owns both and can compare the K3 Pro and ZS5. The K3 thread is here: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/magaosi-k3-pro-impressions-and-discussions-thread.839011/

Also, do you have any experience with returning faulty products back to sellers on Taobao? I know official Aliexpress dealers have good services, just not sure about Taobao. The K3 Pro on Taobao is cheaper and the shipping to my country (Malaysia) is faster compared to aliexpress....

I'm sorry, I do not have any experience with Taobao. Up until recently, US customers couldn't even purchase products from Taobao.

Be aware that there are counterfeit Magaosi K3 Pro being produced. It is strongly recommended that you buy from authorized Magaosi dealers or better yet directly from Magaosi themselves. The 1 year warranty is only honored from Magaosi. So if you buy from an unauthorized seller, there will be no warranty (and no guarantee that you will even get a genuine product).

Here is the link with information on purchasing directly from Magaosi. They DO have a Taobao store. So if it was me, I would buy it from there: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/c...phones-and-iems.820747/page-587#post-13474912

Finally, you may want to wait until the Magaosi K3 HD is released. It is supposed to have better sound than the K3 Pro, and some Head Fi members have already heard the K3 HD and agree that it is superior to the K3 Pro.

 

[chinmie]

i just want to share my impression about the Einsear T2 after a couple of days owning it:
- it really needs a considerable amount of time of burn in to smoothen the treble.. I'm using a few treble heavy and cymbals ridden tracks, and white noise at quite a high volume (while keeping in check that the driver can handle it without distorting). the bass and mids on the other hand are great from the start, but also becomes better after the burn in process

-they are very revealing... i can hear recording crackles and compression on tracks that i couldn't hear with my other gear (that includes my headphone and mixing monitor speakers). i kinda like it.. might use this to check my mixes in the future

-in comparison with the Urbanfun, the Urbanfun has bigger bass and more coherent mids. tracks seems to blend together better, making it a more "fun" sounding iem than the T2 (forgive the pun). it's also warmer sounding than the T2

-the T2 is great for listening at middle to really low volume. i can still hear the details even at near quiet level. i don't like it too much at higher volume. the urbanfun is the opposite. it is for middle to high volume where it gets great.

 

[BunchOfAtoms]

i just want to share my impression about the Einsear T2 after a couple of days owning it:
- it really needs a considerable amount of time of burn in to smoothen the treble.. I'm using a few treble heavy and cymbals ridden tracks, and white noise at quite a high volume (while keeping in check that the driver can handle it without distorting). the bass and mids on the other hand are great from the start, but also becomes better after the burn in process

-they are very revealing... i can hear recording crackles and compression on tracks that i couldn't hear with my other gear (that includes my headphone and mixing monitor speakers). i kinda like it.. might use this to check my mixes in the future

-in comparison with the Urbanfun, the Urbanfun has bigger bass and more coherent mids. tracks seems to blend together better, making it a more "fun" sounding iem than the T2 (forgive the pun). it's also warmer sounding than the T2

-the T2 is great for listening at middle to really low volume. i can still hear the details even at near quiet level. i don't like it too much at higher volume. the urbanfun is the opposite. it is for middle to high volume where it gets great.

So I guess there's little to no point in getting the T2 if you already own the Urbanfun, other than collecting. Right?

 

[chinmie]

So I guess there's little to no point in getting the T2 if you already own the Urbanfun, other than collecting. Right?

not really... based on reading the review by @loomisjohnson and @Vidal , i also think that way at first. but after trying them both, to me it's worth it to have both because of their different strengths. but if you would only get one, either one of them will not be a wrong choice

 

[xilon]

I have a pair of questions for the most expert members here (Vidal, Nymphomaniac, B9scrambler and others. .).
The first question is related to the reason for that we are here in this forum: we look for the perfect earphone, but what should be the features of this "perfect earphone" if the listening is so personal? I mean someone loves bassy boomy earphones, others like clear mids and little bass, again who dislike strong treble. Etc etc. So how do you expert guys give the score to a pair of earphones? Isn't the score biased by your personal signature?

 

[xilon]

The second question is related to this thread. Most of the discussed cheap budget earphones are sub 100 $. Some of them sound absolutely amazing. My question is: do **** xba 6in1, Kz zs5, Urbanfun, Seahf awk009 (just to name some) really equal a above 100-200 $ earphone? If so, what do a 300-500 $ earphone has more to offer you (build quality aside)? Only some more tiny details ?

 

[Vidal]

I have a pair of questions for the most expert members here (Vidal, Nymphomaniac, B9scrambler and others. .).

First I wouldn't describe myself as an expert. I've listened to a lot of earphones but not an expert reviewer, that's partly why I keep my review brief as I don't want to oversell something so I comment only on what I'm certain of. But I'm sure there will be some errors in the 128 reviews I've done, as I'm not infallible.

I will take feedback and look at something again.

When it comes to scoring, I declare my preference and score the earphone based on my own preference. I can't assess what other's enjoyment would be, only my own, but sometimes I like an earphone that's not 100% to my preference, e.g. Boarseman K49. That's also why I say get as many opinions as you can and why I try to show the comparative scores for bass/treble etc. so that a basshead might look at my review of the Memt X5 and say, you know what that sounds like an earphone I'd like to own. I keep south of $40 with my reviews but I know some sub $40 earphones out perform far more expensive earphones. I've never listened to any IEM costing more than £150 as it's ever decreasing gains.

I used to have a collection of +£300 headphones but sold them as I enjoy the excitement of ChiFi more, the discovering of a hidden gem and trying out lots of new toys.

 

[xilon]

Thanks Vidal for your answer. IMO having heard and compared more than 128 (!!!!) DO Qualifies you as an expert.
My second question was arisen by the fact that this "Chi-Fi" phenomena in few years brought us many absolutely astounding good earphones at ridiculous prices. If something so good is offered at so low cost means that the manufacturing cost is cheap too. Then why do some chinese brands for example DUNU sells its DN-2002 for 350 $ when KZ sells the ZS5 for less than 30 $? Afterall they're both 2ba+2dd and the Zs5 sounds immensely good (score 9.7 on Vidal site) so the question: because DUNU DN-2002 is simply overpriced or it can actually offer something more in sound quality? Something that a budget ZS5 cannot give you? (I am not referring to build quality or warranty, but simply sound wise aspect)

 

[vladstef]

First I wouldn't describe myself as an expert. I've listened to a lot of earphones but not an expert reviewer, that's partly why I keep my review brief as I don't want to oversell something so I comment only on what I'm certain of. But I'm sure there will be some errors in the 128 reviews I've done, as I'm not infallible.

I will take feedback and look at something again.

When it comes to scoring, I declare my preference and score the earphone based on my own preference. I can't assess what other's enjoyment would be, only my own, but sometimes I like an earphone that's not 100% to my preference, e.g. Boarseman K49. That's also why I say get as many opinions as you can and why I try to show the comparative scores for bass/treble etc. so that a basshead might look at my review of the Memt X5 and say, you know what that sounds like an earphone I'd like to own. I keep south of $40 with my reviews but I know some sub $40 earphones out perform far more expensive earphones. I've never listened to any IEM costing more than £150 as it's ever decreasing gains.

I used to have a collection of +£300 headphones but sold them as I enjoy the excitement of ChiFi more, the discovering of a hidden gem and trying out lots of new toys.

Slightly off topic, as a new member I have to say I love the way you do reviews on your website, everything is on point.
Now, there is a thing that is really confusing and almost surreal. You've mentioned that VSonic VC1000 doesn't even compete with many times cheaper ChiFi headphones. But at the same time, Joker puts VC1000 sound at 9.2 and IE800 at 9.3....
Taking into account your scores, does this mean that KZ ZS5 is effectively better than IE800?? You might not have had much experience with IE800, but don't you think that it is a very interesting phenomena almost? Do you think that personal preference plays a much more significant role than we would like or is the market really ready to make once 1000$ flagship (still a flagship) totally obsolete?

 

[xilon]

Vlasdstaf post is closely related to mine: I don't think Vidal has ever heard a IE800 but if we assume that ZS5 really sounds on pair, if not better, than a once 1000 $ flagship IE800 then the latter's price is simply SPECULATIVE? now I can understand that a western manufacturer like Sennheiser could sell their earphones at speculative price but a company like chinese Dunu too? or the Dn-2002 really offerssomething that budget zs5 will never offer