[NymPHONOmaniac]

I quite agree with all your ratings, we hear gear similarly! Your blog is very good too! I check it out now and then.

ya single BA have limitations in extension at both ends, it is a physics limitation and arguably the weakest driver config.

cool mate. we seem to have similar technical and tonal balance appreciation,

are you still on audioreview.org too? make some time i didnt give a check, but hum....ok.

i will extrapolate on my sudden Headphonesty passion (i was before, but now im even more)
after a well known youtuber influencer praise the Blon B50 (Best closed headphones!), i was very curious to give it a try since I feel something isn't right....how Blon can do a great in first place was my legit question.
Then i receive the thing. construction, while ugly as a bad replica of ''Back to the futur'' inspired design, was kinda impressive in heavy weight, sturdyness, and comfort. then ive decide to give all the chance to the B50 for sounding at its best, i pair it with the Hiby RS6 balanced way (meze cable)

Then it was horror. Wonky shouty U shape or god know what since i handle it 5min and throw it on the ground and now plan to give it to a friend asap.
then i know.
then i do this post on headphone faceboo group and somebody share me an ultra grumpy 1 1/2 star review of the B50!!
then i feel less alone and super passionate about Headphonesty!
now, since 2 months i want to test the Aful P5. I will soon finaly, tx to friends again that loan stuff i cant get even as loan from Aful or hifigo (Aful want, but hifigo don't and tell them no)

so, your my hope about this: how do you find them? are they good sound value? are they as great as everybody seem to say????

 

[baskingshark]

cool mate. we seem to have similar technical and tonal balance appreciation,

are you still on audioreview.org too? make some time i didnt give a check, but hum....ok.

i will extrapolate on my sudden Headphonesty passion (i was before, but now im even more)
after a well known youtuber influencer praise the Blon B50 (Best closed headphones!), i was very curious to give it a try since I feel something isn't right....how Blon can do a great in first place was my legit question.
Then i receive the thing. construction, while ugly as a bad replica of ''Back to the futur'' inspired design, was kinda impressive in heavy weight, sturdyness, and comfort. then ive decide to give all the chance to the B50 for sounding at its best, i pair it with the Hiby RS6 balanced way (meze cable)

Then it was horror. Wonky shouty U shape or god know what since i handle it 5min and throw it on the ground and now plan to give it to a friend asap.
then i know.
then i do this post on headphone faceboo group and somebody share me an ultra grumpy 1 1/2 star review of the B50!!
then i feel less alone and super passionate about Headphonesty!
now, since 2 months i want to test the Aful P5. I will soon finaly, tx to friends again that loan stuff i cant get even as loan from Aful or hifigo (Aful want, but hifigo don't and tell them no)

so, your my hope about this: how do you find them? are they good sound value? are they as great as everybody seem to say????

For Aful Performer 5, I think it is overrated. Gave it 3.5/5 on a review (haha this pissed off the manufacturer, probably won't get any more loaners/reviews from them LOL).
The Performer 5 is quite decent, but I don't think it can beat $500 IEMs in terms of technical chops. The soundstage is small and there is BA timbre, with incoherent DD bass (slower and less textured than the faster BAs on top).

I heard though, that AFUl is releasing a Performer 8 soon (8 drivers) to the international market.

I left Audioreviews for more than a year already.

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

cool mate. we seem to have similar technical and tonal balance appreciation,

are you still on audioreview.org too? make some time i didnt give a check, but hum....ok.

i will extrapolate on my sudden Headphonesty passion (i was before, but now im even more)
after a well known youtuber influencer praise the Blon B50 (Best closed headphones!), i was very curious to give it a try since I feel something isn't right....how Blon can do a great in first place was my legit question.
Then i receive the thing. construction, while ugly as a bad replica of ''Back to the futur'' inspired design, was kinda impressive in heavy weight, sturdyness, and comfort. then ive decide to give all the chance to the B50 for sounding at its best, i pair it with the Hiby RS6 balanced way (meze cable)

Then it was horror. Wonky shouty U shape or god know what since i handle it 5min and throw it on the ground and now plan to give it to a friend asap.
then i know.
then i do this post on headphone faceboo group and somebody share me an ultra grumpy 1 1/2 star review of the B50!!
then i feel less alone and super passionate about Headphonesty!
now, since 2 months i want to test the Aful P5. I will soon finaly, tx to friends again that loan stuff i cant get even as loan from Aful or hifigo (Aful want, but hifigo don't and tell them no)

so, your my hope about this: how do you find them? are they good sound value? are they as great as everybody seem to say????

WHAATT the Blon B50 is the absolutely the best hearing protection you can get as long as you don't plug them in and listen to them.
Linsoul now pissed at me I am sure now too. Cut off. LOL.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

For Aful Performer 5, I think it is overrated. Gave it 3.5/5 on a review (haha this pissed off the manufacturer, probably won't get any more loaners/reviews from them LOL).
The Performer 5 is quite decent, but I don't think it can beat $500 IEMs in terms of technical chops. The soundstage is small and there is BA timbre, with incoherent DD bass (slower and less textured than the faster BAs on top).

I heard though, that AFUl is releasing a Performer 8 soon (8 drivers) to the international market.

I left Audioreviews for more than a year already.

Ok, i just find your review on Headphonesty and gladly share it on Chifi Love lol Its what my lil finger tell me, Zerstorer too is among only reviewer not giving 5stars review (on headfi) as if it was a miracle IEM. we are quite....use to this....when an IEM is above 200$ and widely gifted, it make lotta new comer reviewer become extremely sugar coated in review impressions. im not into witch hunt anymore, i just want to share my subjective impressions too.

man, reviewer like you are fewer and fewer....and i'm in an intense BS invasion crisis again due to KZ bots invasion on facebook....thats such a shame....ive not seen other bots from other brand. Some KZ bots are programmed to bash Moondrop. That tell alot about their tuning insecurity. so, i know this thread was annoy of my KZ bashing in the past, by ethically, i was right imo KZ Boss really dislike me.

anyway, i will not disgress too much.
And when i will get this Aful P5 on the way, i will see if a P8 worth the caring....since more drivers mean more tuning difficulties too and it doesnt seem super well done from what i read in your review.

Did you have a EA500 on the way? mine should arrive after 2 months...i do love EN1000 quite alot even if bass part isnt perfect to my ears...kinda too softed in definition and proper roundness.

i dont know where chifi goes....but i hope they will use new techs for better idea than KZ bots!

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

WHAATT the Blon B50 is the absolutely the best hearing protection you can get as long as you don't plug them in and listen to them.
Linsoul now pissed at me I am sure now too. Cut off. LOL.

looooooooooooooool
right...quite heavy though. prefer classic plastic one find in construction worker store for 20$!
you finally receive them. ''congrats''
and yeah....lets talk about Joyodio Shine now???

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

I quite agree with all your ratings, we hear gear similarly! Your blog is very good too! I check it out now and then.

ya single BA have limitations in extension at both ends, it is a physics limitation and arguably the weakest driver config.

I liked your review of the P5!

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

by the way, im listening to ISN D10 right now.....
not perfect but very enjoyable....but BASSHEAD ALERT! so, for those allergic to this kinda fun not suggested since we cant call basshead ''balanced tuned''
if priced 50$, i would be impress. since technical performance is average....i mean, i get these with Penon FAN2 that blow my mind....so their some ''polar opposite tuning trauma'' going on here....

Dark bassy warm V shape, bass is chunky AF, rumbly vibrant, but not killing you with fatigue (SuperTFZ Force1 can inflict fatigue of mid bass 20db punch for ex).
Simply put, imagine a KBear Rosefinch on steroid and with better layering i feel....
in all honnesty, i like them. but thread wise, sound value isnt really there...yet, whole package for 130$ isnt that bad, i love 4.4mmm balanced cable, ISN have excellent cable included.
no sibilance, smooth, so vocal while a bit behin bass is very enjoyable, male female way. soundstage is quite wide too...not bad basshead at least.

 

[nxnje]

For Aful Performer 5, I think it is overrated. Gave it 3.5/5 on a review (haha this pissed off the manufacturer, probably won't get any more loaners/reviews from them LOL).
The Performer 5 is quite decent, but I don't think it can beat $500 IEMs in terms of technical chops. The soundstage is small and there is BA timbre, with incoherent DD bass (slower and less textured than the faster BAs on top).

I heard though, that AFUl is releasing a Performer 8 soon (8 drivers) to the international market.

I left Audioreviews for more than a year already.

Didn't know you were not in audioreviews(dot)org anymore.

Anyway, I don't receive samples from many sellers and companies anymore for that reason so it's not something new. Companies tend to avoid sending stuff to experienced ears when they can, instead, send it to hype-tubers. There is one of them that also has a very big social network group and practically never made a single critique to a product, he has always been praising every IEM he receives and some time ago started banning other honest reviewers from his group.
This is chi-fi nowadays.

 

[Leonarfd]

oH! an Hiby R6iii??
that sure intrigue me, sub-500$ DAP competitivity is a bit stagnant it seem....so I wonder what this one offer....i might try one too since im really into Hiby DAP lately....
i wanna underline that i have nothing with audiophile non budget minded quest, nor not high sound value, its just that this thread will focus on this, but we need to know about what other products sound like too.

for ex, in term of sound value, which IEM will you consider exceptional mate?

dongle wise, Jcally JM20 for 20$, Moondrop Dawn 4.4 for 65$ is my go too choice, both use 1 or 2 CS43131, a dac chip im very afound of.

i was expecting more and longer hyping of the Truthear Shio since its cheapest dongle ever using dual CS43138, yet, this dac isnt as easy as CS43131 to implement it seem....have you try it?

highest sound value price range is 100-300$ for me. in that range, it can be legit to say it can compete with 500-1000$ IEM for ex...
im still trying to conclude if Penon Fan2 is among those, but while comparing to 500$ Kinera Skuld, my answer tend to be big yes. Raptgo Hook X HBB too. Hisenior Mega5P as well. Tinhifi P1plus intense big yes....etc

EDIT: PS: see, i just read this (on NBBA) after making this headfi post
''I've had the fiio m11 plus ltm and I like the cayin ru6 much better. I think the hifiman will be much better?! I don't know maybe yes. thanks for your help and time''
so, i might be wrong about RU6 sound value! lol

The Truthear SHIO is very detailed and good, probably the best dongle you can get under 100$. Cirrus Logic chip has lots of microdetail if your into that, latest ESS offering I have used are actually smoother and more relaxed than the latest AKM DACs and the SHIO.

But again it also comes down to implementation.



Also 500$ for a full sized DAP with faster than average chipset and android 12 is a good deal in my book. Can even drive most full size headphones good. To some 500 is more than their yearly budget for Audio, and then it's not a good deal. Then the SHIO together with you phone is the way to go.

 

[RumbleWeed]

@NyPhonomaniac & @Carpet Sorry guys I can't quote users since iv updated my Samsung yo Android 13 every time I try it freezes my phone up and crashes headfi! Anyway, thanks for the help I really appreciate it out of you the ones you mentioned NytPh I'm actually really interested in the AQ4 I know you said the highs aren't it's strongest point so am I Wright thinking it's L shaped or is it still U or W but just not to extended in the highs? I'm not to bothered about it cos if need be I can use the 8ball on my R3pro to brighten it up a bit! @Carpet I actually already have the Magaosi V3 funny enough but I don't find the sub-bass that much in quantify ! quality not to bad but since I got my Starsea with a slight boost in the sub 80hz with EQ it's made the V3 redundant so iv actually got the V3+Hakugie Obsidian Cable up for sale on ebay for £49 the TRI Starsea is a fantastic monitor but I just wish it had at least an extra 3db around 40-60hz and then it would be a keeper for sure,! I have picked up one very cheap monitor from Amazon lately that's ended up being a Fantastic U Shape the KBear Rosefinch, it as I mentioned on the IMR thread it won't win any competitions for technicalities but for tone & bsub-bass it's phenomenal and on £19! it's crazy what you can get for such cheap money these days I'm actually thinking of holding off for a couple of months and saving the money and picking up a mid-TTOTL monitor? iv been eyeing up the ThieAudio Oracle Mk2? Iv read loads of reviews and it seems to hhave everything I want in a monitor and now they it has the extra sub-bass emphasis over the mk1 it's perfect, the only thing that bothers me QC issues ThieAudio had with ALL it's mk1 series! I'm not 100% sure they have been ironed out with the mk2's? When your paying £500+ the last thing you should be worrying about is QC issues lol One last thing if you guys would be so kind to help me with? other than the Rosefinch I don't have any budget chi-fi Monitor's and want something cheap to throw in my bag for gym & commuting ect. for around £30 which has the same basshead level of sub-bass as the Rosefinch but with a bit more treble extension and better technical factors(inline with the price of course lol)
Once again thanks for the help guys really appreciate it

 

[RumbleWeed]

OH I forgot to say? lol That 7hz Legato FR curve looks epic does anyone know if this is 100% the response it's gonna have once it's released? And talking about release does anyone have any idea when that will be and what the asking price will be? Thanks guys have a fantastic week

 

[donkashyap]

You missed out on a great deal, Now Sony WM1A MK1 is available at a crazy deal. If I were at your place I would have grabbed that in an instant.

I agree on that but don’t have the money .

 

[donkashyap]

how much mate? not online??
while my Questyle QP2R im listening right now could be my End Game DAP when it come to natural musicality (just crazy how it pair well with Penon Fan2 right now....) its not the most powerful and battery life suck due to being a old batch....

im seeking for my end game DAP....non Android way....sub 1000$ used or new if possible. any suggestions VERY welcome!

The Sony dap is available at 500$ with an extra battery.

 

[donkashyap]

I have the rs2 mate. And for some reason, I liked it more than the Questyle qp2r. which @NymPHONOmaniac and @Zerstorer_GOhren have. and me as well. My sound preference leaning to more natural and organic- analog sound which the rs2 justified for my ears. If you are into this kind of sound, the rs2 will give you eargasm. some users say it is better than ru6, but I haven't tried that dongle yet, so I can't really say. Despite the analog sound signature, rs2 is still saturated and rich in details.

the rs2 sound opens up a little bit more after the 100 hour mark. I didn't kept track what hour I'm at with my rs2, but I think it is opening up quite nicely. If I have to guess, I'm at 85 hour maybe.

I'm pretty sure for a first dap, the rs2 will not disappoint.

cheers!

Thanks for the impressions mate.

I’ll keep an eye out for when the next one hits the used market here.

 

[donkashyap]

oH! an Hiby R6iii??
that sure intrigue me, sub-500$ DAP competitivity is a bit stagnant it seem....so I wonder what this one offer....i might try one too since im really into Hiby DAP lately....
i wanna underline that i have nothing with audiophile non budget minded quest, nor not high sound value, its just that this thread will focus on this, but we need to know about what other products sound like too.

for ex, in term of sound value, which IEM will you consider exceptional mate?

dongle wise, Jcally JM20 for 20$, Moondrop Dawn 4.4 for 65$ is my go too choice, both use 1 or 2 CS43131, a dac chip im very afound of.

i was expecting more and longer hyping of the Truthear Shio since its cheapest dongle ever using dual CS43138, yet, this dac isnt as easy as CS43131 to implement it seem....have you try it?

highest sound value price range is 100-300$ for me. in that range, it can be legit to say it can compete with 500-1000$ IEM for ex...
im still trying to conclude if Penon Fan2 is among those, but while comparing to 500$ Kinera Skuld, my answer tend to be big yes. Raptgo Hook X HBB too. Hisenior Mega5P as well. Tinhifi P1plus intense big yes....etc

EDIT: PS: see, i just read this (on NBBA) after making this headfi post
''I've had the fiio m11 plus ltm and I like the cayin ru6 much better. I think the hifiman will be much better?! I don't know maybe yes. thanks for your help and time''
so, i might be wrong about RU6 sound value! lol

You should give the RU6 a shot. Would love to know your impressions and where it sits since you’ve used both the rs2 and rs6.