[AmericanSpirit]

Today is my luckiest day. I have never received so many IEMs in a day!
Some QKZs, KBEAR’s another pair of Lark to test if they sound consistent(or if any 4k peak silent fix is done), KB EAR’s pure silver cable(I doubt it, because it’s so soft. Not like my old pof pure silver cable that feels very very hard-to-bend Iron).

And top of that qdc Anole VX is well expected as king of IEM but I’m more surprised how good Tri Starsea is tuned!!
Will listen into Starsea. Starsea is full resin, that feels very premium and solid. Wide sound stage, great tonality, Highly coherent, I may have to A-B test between Blessing2 and Starsea later, as from the first impression they sounded as equally good.

I have to emphasize this, even after hearing Anole VX ($2.6k), Starsea(with vocal boost mode) did not disappoint me, this is quite a surprise from almost $100 IEM Best value to money for 2021 for sure!

[additions]
-Starsea’s treble is something worth “Top of the League tuning”, very accurate /detail retrieving yet not harsh at any genres.
-comparing A-B with Anole VX, I hardly could justify the price tag of VX, as the gap between those two are very sizable 15-20% if quantifying. The price could be 20-24 times gap, not performance.
Anole VX and Starsea both have EQ swtiches, VX got 3, so it’s 3x3 tuning, Starsea got 2, 2x2 tuning, They both work great! At some tuning I found they could sound alike, as both IEMs are mildly U shaped toward neutral line.

- Starfield vs Starsea? Their name and price ($129 vs $129) is very similar. But they are different category, however In terms of tonality and technicalities Starsea wins by huge margin (I’d rate Starfield as 77/100, Starsea 8X/100. So it’s a different class(B vs A) )

[package and recabling to balanced]

-very premium package(better accesories than Anole VX actually...)
Nicely feel leather case with many types of eartips, dust napkins, swtich pin, 2(!) types of foam eartips. Basically all

-recabling to KB EAR 8 core pure silver cable (4.4mm balanced)

-sound signature changed from U-shape neutral to Almost L-shape with great open-air, this closest sound signature I can think of is Thieaudio Monarch, great air presentation with tremendous sub-bass.

 

[alamnp]

The Kinera BD005 Pro is now USD30-35 on Taobao.....grab it before is gone.

Ehmmm highly doubt that it is real Be, it is a beutiful IEM though, anybody can comment?

 

[AmericanSpirit]

QKZ VK1: Budget yet some pride infused.

It’s a standard budget line KZ/CCA style packaging, one thing distinguishing QKZ from is the “aesthetic care”.
when you look closer to the package, there is a thin vinyl later cover that protects IEM to be scratched during shipping. As well as jack-covers. From this I can see QKZ do have pride in making their product, this type of craftsmanship caring is almost Japanese/German level. This kind of tiny bits of small concern will accumulate and making the product a huge difference.

Impression will follow, but as this is dynamic, I would not leave any serious one before fully burned in.
Just some overlook.

Pre-burn in impression:
-Treble is bit rough, could get sorted after burn-in
-basshead will love this! I love the curve too, it’s bass rolled flat nicely done! I would prefer this sigunature as a basshead over KBEAR KS1 and Openheart Resin.

 

[G777]

Today is my luckiest day. I have never received so many IEMs in a day!
Some QKZs, KBEAR’s another pair of Lark to test if they sound consistent(or if any 4k peak silent fix is done), KB EAR’s pure silver cable(I doubt it, because it’s so soft. Not like my old pof pure silver cable that feels very very hard-to-bend Iron).

And top of that qdc Anole VX is well expected as king of IEM but I’m more surprised how good Tri Starsea is tuned!!
Will listen into Starsea. Starsea is full resin, that feels very premium and solid. Wide sound stage, great tonality, Highly coherent, I may have to A-B test between Blessing2 and Starsea later, as from the first impression they sounded as equally good.

I have to emphasize this, even after hearing Anole VX ($2.6k), Starsea(with vocal boost mode) did not disappoint me, this is quite a surprise from almost $100 IEM Best value to money for 2021 for sure!

[additions]
-Starsea’s treble is something worth “Top of the League tuning”, very accurate /detail retrieving yet not harsh at any genres.
-comparing A-B with Anole VX, I hardly could justify the price tag of VX, as the gap between those two are very sizable 15-20% if quantifying. The price could be 20-24 times gap, not performance.
Anole VX and Starsea both have EQ swtiches, VX got 3, so it’s 3x3 tuning, Starsea got 2, 2x2 tuning, They both work great! At some tuning I found they could sound alike, as both IEMs are mildly U shaped toward neutral line.

- Starfield vs Starsea? Their name and price ($129 vs $129) is very similar. But they are different category, however In terms of tonality and technicalities Starsea wins by huge margin (I’d rate Starfield as 77/100, Starsea 8X/100. So it’s a different class(B vs A) )



[package and recabling to balanced]

-very premium package(better accesories than Anole VX actually...)
Nicely feel leather case with many types of eartips, dust napkins, swtich pin, 2(!) types of foam eartips. Basically all


-recabling to KB EAR 8 core pure silver cable (4.4mm balanced)


-sound signature changed from U-shape neutral to Almost L-shape with great open-air, this closest sound signature I can think of is Thieaudio Monarch, great air presentation with tremendous sub-bass.

Which QKZ IEMs did you order?

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Which QKZ IEMs did you order?

8 of them, 4 arrived today.
VK1
VK3
VK4
KD4
KD7
CK5
CK9
CK10

 

[jmwant]

An in-depth review about Aria https://www.audiodiscourse.com/2021/05/moondrop-aria-review.html

 

[AmericanSpirit]

An in-depth review about Aria https://www.audiodiscourse.com/2021/05/moondrop-aria-review.html

Recommend removing outer filter , it will reveal Aria’s real potential

 

[speedfiend]

The closest IEM to having the 64 Audio U12T's tune/sound would be the Dunu SA6, which is a $550 mid-fi IEM. Nothing around the $100 range has a tune that's close. I have auditioned the U12T and own both the SA6 and the Starsea and the Starsea have a very different sound from the U12T/SA6, even with all the switch options.

Luna is way above my price bracket for IEMs, and getting a copy to audition is difficult even though Dunu's HQ and design team is local in Taiwan. We recently had a large Can Jam type exhibition, and Dunu only brought the Zen, SA6, and EST112, basically their best sellers.

 

[speedfiend]

Ah thanks. that’s sad to see. I was thinking a benchmark for U12t. I recall crinacle
mentioned SA6 is closest to Anole VX rather than U12t, so I was thinking how U12t would sound like, wether it’s worth to try with myself having Anole P

Ah thanks. that’s sad to see. I was thinking a benchmark for U12t. I recall crinacle
mentioned SA6 is closest to Anole VX rather than U12t, so I was thinking how U12t would sound like, wether it’s worth to try with myself having Anole VX

Ah thanks. that’s sad to see. I was thinking a benchmark for U12t. I recall crinacle
mentioned SA6 is closest to Anole VX rather than U12t, so I was thinking how U12t would sound like, wether it’s worth to try with myself having Anole VX.

Definitely give the SA6 a try if you get a chance, Personally I find it to be one of the best tuned IEM for under $1000.

I had my SA6 with me when I auditioned the U12T, thus was able to A/B their sound, and it's quite close with U12T having better stage depth and width. I have not heard the Anole VX for a long time, and don't want to give you the wrong impression.

 

[baskingshark]

from what I've heard it doesn't change the sound that much, just a minor alteration

Have you actually listened to the Starsea? The switches do change the sound signature for sure, this is even shown on graphs below. Changes in one segment eg bass, will affect the perception of the mids and treble and vice versa (AKA see saw effect).

This is in contrast to some other "tunable" IEMs I've tried like the NiceHCK M6 which has gimmicky stock tuning filters.

Graphs courtesy of KopiOKaya (IEC711 compliant coupler). 7 – 8 kHZ area is probably a resonance peak.


With both switches down – “exquisite pure tone” – The tonality sounds like a mild V shape with an upper mids and treble boost, with a slight bass boost. The bass is slightly north of neutral, subbass > midbass in quantity. It is quite comfortable in the higher frequencies and balances a fine line between shoutiness and a forward upper mids/lower treble. With louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), or in poorly recorded materials, then some shoutiness may show. Lower mids are depressed but not overly so like some other deep V shaped CHIFI sets. The treble is moderately extended here.

With switch 1 down, switch 2 up – “beautiful vocals” – overall, upper mids are boosted, but the bass is decreased. Hence the ears perceive it to be somewhat bright U shaped. There’s sibilance, and the upper mids and treble can get hot (due to the corresponding bass drop). Vocals are clearer, especially female vocals, though this tuning can get fatiguing with longer sessions due to the wealth of details and clarity. It has slightly less bass than the first “exquisite pure tone” config and approaches neutral in the midbass. Subbass quantity is still more than midbass, but subbass extension isn’t very deep and sounds like a BA bass in terms of speed and extension/decay.

Both switches up – “balanced tuning” – sounds like a mild U shaped. Indeed it is the most balanced of the configs as claimed. I think it is the most inoffensive of the tunings. It is probably the tuning that is quite similar to the big brother TRI I3, though the TRI I3 has a 3 kHz peak, but the peak in this configuration in the TRI Starsea has been shifted a bit earlier to the 2ish kHz region. This tuning has the thickest lower mids of the 4 tuning configs. Bass is north of neutral but not at true basshead quantities, especially when not amped/inappropriate source pairing. Treble is not the most extended here, trebleheads may find it overly safe.

With switch 1 up and switch 2 down – “amazing bass” – sounds mild V shaped approaching L shaped, lower mids are recessed with a subbass boost. Upper mids and lower treble are boosted, but less than the bass, so the ear takes the frequency response as a whole and it is the most bassy of the 4 configurations. Subbass extension is the deepest of the 4 tunings here. But subbass is not the deepest in extension compared to other DD containing basshead IEMs. Bass is north of neutral, subbass is more than midbass in quantity but this is not at basshead levels even though it is claimed to be “amazing bass”. When not amped, or with wrong source pairing, I find it lacking a bit in midbass punch and thickness (in note weight), but then again, I’m a basshead so YMMV. The midbass thickness and quantity does improve with amping, using low output impedance sources, using narrower bore tips or perhaps copper cables (if you ain’t a cable skeptic). Instead of pursuing a basshead quantity, TRI has gone for a good quality bass. There’s no midbass bleed and quite good texturing present. The bass is on the speedier and tighter side. On this tuning, the higher frequencies are rather tamed, smooth and non fatiguing.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Definitely give the SA6 a try if you get a chance, Personally I find it to be one of the best tuned IEM for under $1000.

I had my SA6 with me when I auditioned the U12T, thus was able to A/B their sound, and it's quite close with U12T having better stage depth and width. I have not heard the Anole VX for a long time, and don't want to give you the wrong impression.

Thanks!
Actually I just got my personal Anole VX, It will be interesting comparison for Starsea/SA6/Anole VX!
They all share similar 5-6khz’s concha gain dip, and 3rd harmonics of pinna gain (11-12khz) dip, that make a sound non-fatiguing yet very detail retrieving

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Have you actually listened to the Starsea? The switches do change the sound signature for sure, this is even shown on graphs below. Even a 3dB difference is audible to the ear, and changes in one segment eg bass, will affect the perception of the mids and treble and vice versa (AKA see saw effect).

This is in contrast to some other "tunable" IEMs I've tried like the NiceHCK M6 which has gimmicky stock filters.



Graphs courtesy of KopiOKaya (IEC711 compliant coupler). 7 – 8 kHZ area is probably a resonance peak.


With both switches down – “exquisite pure tone” – The tonality sounds like a mild V shape with an upper mids and treble boost, with a slight bass boost. The bass is slightly north of neutral, subbass > midbass in quantity. It is quite comfortable in the higher frequencies and balances a fine line between shoutiness and a forward upper mids/lower treble. With louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), or in poorly recorded materials, then some shoutiness may show. Lower mids are depressed but not overly so like some other deep V shaped CHIFI sets. The treble is moderately extended here.

With switch 1 down, switch 2 up – “beautiful vocals” – overall, upper mids are boosted, but the bass is decreased. Hence the ears perceive it to be somewhat bright U shaped. There’s sibilance, and the upper mids and treble can get hot (due to the corresponding bass drop). Vocals are clearer, especially female vocals, though this tuning can get fatiguing with longer sessions due to the wealth of details and clarity. It has slightly less bass than the first “exquisite pure tone” config and approaches neutral in the midbass. Subbass quantity is still more than midbass, but subbass extension isn’t very deep and sounds like a BA bass in terms of speed and extension/decay.

Both switches up – “balanced tuning” – sounds like a mild U shaped. Indeed it is the most balanced of the configs as claimed. I think it is the most inoffensive of the tunings. It is probably the tuning that is quite similar to the big brother TRI I3, though the TRI I3 has a 3 kHz peak, but the peak in this configuration in the TRI Starsea has been shifted a bit earlier to the 2ish kHz region. This tuning has the thickest lower mids of the 4 tuning configs. Bass is north of neutral but not at true basshead quantities, especially when not amped/inappropriate source pairing. Treble is not the most extended here, trebleheads may find it overly safe.

With switch 1 up and switch 2 down – “amazing bass” – sounds mild V shaped approaching L shaped, lower mids are recessed with a subbass boost. Upper mids and lower treble are boosted, but less than the bass, so the ear takes the frequency response as a whole and it is the most bassy of the 4 configurations. Subbass extension is the deepest of the 4 tunings here. But subbass is not the deepest in extension compared to other DD containing basshead IEMs. Bass is north of neutral, subbass is more than midbass in quantity but this is not at basshead levels even though it is claimed to be “amazing bass”. When not amped, or with wrong source pairing, I find it lacking a bit in midbass punch and thickness (in note weight), but then again, I’m a basshead so YMMV. The midbass thickness and quantity does improve with amping, using low output impedance sources, using narrower bore tips or perhaps copper cables (if you ain’t a cable skeptic). Instead of pursuing a basshead quantity, TRI has gone for a good quality bass. There’s no midbass bleed and quite good texturing present. The bass is on the speedier and tighter side. On this tuning, the higher frequencies are rather tamed, smooth and non fatiguing.

Yup switches make huge huge difference. For an audiophile it’s huge at least.
honestly Starsea is a big hit for me, I’m ok to set this as my endgame of 2021

 

[speedfiend]

would you mind sharing your experience with the starsea?

I can't listen to it for more than 30mins at a time, even on the bass setting. The bright lower treble, though toned down in this setting, is still present, and gets fatiguing quite quickly for me. But some people really likes having a brighter lower treble because it's gives "breath" to female vocals. Thus, for me, I'll put it on when I want to listen to a specific female vocal.

In the same price bracket as the TRI Starsea, I find I vastly prefer AAW's A3H+ for long periods of easy listening.

 

[baskingshark]

Ehmmm highly doubt that it is real Be, it is a beutiful IEM though, anybody can comment?

The Kinera BD005 Pro is touted to have a beryllium DD for the bass, I can't verify this, but it doesn't sound like a typical beryllium DD to my ears. Of the other beryllium sets I've tried, they generally have fast transients and good bass texture. Some of these beryllium sets also take EQ very well.

For the Kinera BD005 Pro, the bass is on the slower side, with a mild midbass bleed and average texturing/details. The note weight is a bit thick and nebulous. Some folks may not like the midbass quality as such, but I liked that it added some warmth to the lower mids. The bass may smear in some fast bass movements and hence bass quality isn’t the tightest compared to comparatively priced competitors in the same price bracket.

Otherwise, the Kinera BD005 Pro is very beautiful looking, nice accessories for a budget set. It has a very atypical Kinera tuning, different from their usual house sound (which is usually bright boosted upper mids/treble). I would call this set a jack of all trades, other than looks, it scores above average points in most areas (eg timbre, technicalities, tonality), but doesn’t have a particular area that it truly excels at. It sports a rather balanced warmish V shaped tuning that is safe for the upper frequencies (compared to the usual CHIFI tuning). Unfortunately, at this cut throat budget price bracket, that makes the BD005 Pro quite hard to stand out from the extremely stiff competition (eg there are some sets that excel at timbre, though at the expense of technicalities, and vice versa).

Luna is way above my price bracket for IEMs, and getting a copy to audition is difficult even though Dunu's HQ and design team is local in Taiwan. We recently had a large Can Jam type exhibition, and Dunu only brought the Zen, SA6, and EST112, basically their best sellers.

I had the privilege to loan the DUNU LUNA for a review tour, I really like that it blended tonality, timbre and technicalities into a nice blend, definitely my most favourite single DD I've tried so far. Resolution can rival some multi BA/hybrid types even, but maybe the Final Audio A8000 has even better technicalities than the LUNA. Mids are very sweet and lush. The LUNA however has a subbass and higher treble roll off, even considering it is a TOTL set. And of course, the price is very prohibitive.

The KBEAR BElieve ($159 USD) (which is unfortunately not in production any more) is actually not too far away in sound quality from the $1700 USD DUNU LUNA, I would say ballpark it can hit about 70% of the sound of the LUNA. So huge diminishing returns as usual, when browsing in the summitFI segment, compared to midfi gear.

But maybe some cannot unhear what they have heard in the LUNA and will chase the last 30% sound for huge diminishing returns for 10 times the price, but for the rest of us, we can be very thankful that at least we can get access to relatively high quality stuff without needing to sell a kidney.

 

[speedfiend]

The Kinera BD005 Pro is touted to have a beryllium DD for the bass, I can't verify this, but it doesn't sound like a typical beryllium DD to my ears. Of the other beryllium sets I've tried, they generally have fast transients and good bass texture. Some of these beryllium sets also take EQ very well.

For the Kinera BD005 Pro, the bass is on the slower side, with a mild midbass bleed and average texturing/details. The note weight is a bit thick and nebulous. Some folks may not like the midbass quality as such, but I liked that it added some warmth to the lower mids. The bass may smear in some fast bass movements and hence bass quality isn’t the tightest compared to comparatively priced competitors in the same price bracket.

Otherwise, the Kinera BD005 Pro is very beautiful looking, nice accessories for a budget set. It has a very atypical Kinera tuning, different from their usual house sound (which is usually bright boosted upper mids/treble). I would call this set a jack of all trades, other than looks, it scores above average points in most areas (eg timbre, technicalities, tonality), but doesn’t have a particular area that it truly excels at. It sports a rather balanced warmish V shaped tuning that is safe for the upper frequencies (compared to the usual CHIFI tuning). Unfortunately, at this cut throat budget price bracket, that makes the BD005 Pro quite hard to stand out from the extremely stiff competition (eg there are some sets that excel at timbre, though at the expense of technicalities, and vice versa).




I had the privilege to loan the DUNU LUNA for a review tour, I really like that it blended tonality, timbre and technicalities into a nice blend, definitely my most favourite single DD I've tried so far. Resolution can rival some multi BA/hybrid types even, but maybe the Final Audio A8000 has even better technicalities than the LUNA. Mids are very sweet and lush. The LUNA however has a subbass and higher treble roll off, even considering it is a TOTL set. And of course, the price is very prohibitive.

The KBEAR BElieve ($159 USD) (which is unfortunately not in production any more) is actually not too far away in sound quality from the $1700 USD DUNU LUNA, I would say ballpark it can hit about 70% of the sound of the LUNA. So huge diminishing returns as usual, when browsing in the summitFI segment, compared to midfi gear.

But maybe some cannot unhear what they have heard in the LUNA and will chase the last 30% sound for huge diminishing returns for 10 times the price, but for the rest of us, we can be very thankful that at least we can get access to relatively high quality stuff without needing to sell a kidney.

I wouldn't be surprised if KBEAR discontinued the Believe because of the small amount of margin they are making on the model from to the bad yield on the BE driver. They are still selling their Diamond model, basically a DLC single DD in the same shell as the Believe.