[mbwilson111]

Yeah, K4 is a fun little IEM. Has a nice smooth and fun sound. It’s not the most analytical, but it’s built well and I enjoy mine. And it sure is good looking

I enjoy my K4 as well. Happy to have it.

 

[Otto Motor]

Thanks, actually there is something very specific I need if you could help please....
My girlfriend has Hyperacusis (very high sensitivity/pain to high freq) and needs very dark earphones.
Music is very important to her but she can rarely listen to it anymore because everything is too bright

I'd recommend Sennheiser earphones - they are known for their veil. For example the Sennheiser in-ear Momentum is universally well reviewed (the next best would be the Sennheiser CX 5.00). Also nice and smooth are the rather classy and elegant Focal Sphear, one of my favourites.

On the Chifi side, the VJJB K4S are rather dark, and even more so the Elephone E1.

If she wants to wear bigger pads, the Koss KSC75 would be a good choice, and also the new Koss KHP30i or the old Koss PortaPro. All of them are great.

If I was sensitive to treble, I would not want to stuff an iem into my ears at all.

 

[mbwilson111]

f I was sensitive to treble, I would not want to stuff an iem into my ears at all.

That is an excellent point. Too close to the eardrum.

 

[Otto Motor]

I`m also thinking about getting ZSR for gift but I want red or white with discount price... will have to wait.

My recommendations:
* Auvio S size red core wide bore
* Spiral Dot S size

Auvios got me best seal/fit with slightly "more neutral" bass response. Try them if You can.
To me it seems that IT01 needs tips that have:
* wide bore (same size to nozzle outer edge
* tip lip that is with medium strength silicone and doesn`t contract when inserted
* tip lip/tip heigth about 3mm over nozzle grill surface
* tip lip/edge underneath has to have little more "support" than regular silicones to hold ring shape
* tip shape has to be little rounded

When previous points considered, one can add spacer o-ring under tip to raise height/length of tip lip. I found about ~1.5mm o-ring providing me better fit and sound with Spiral Dots for example.

Of course, we all have different ears

Thanks Coil.
I copied your list into my notepad and will experiment. I have boxes and boxes of tips...but I won't purchase any more or any "premium tips" such as spinfits, which are cost prohibitive.

 

[Otto Motor]

The Burnt-out Burn-in

And here is yet another whacky post of mine on the topic "The Emperor's New Clothing". This time on burn-in. Mr. Grado himself once claimed that anything mechanical (e.g. membranes) require some break-in. Sennheiser claim their stuff sounds great right out of the box. Some dedicated audiophiles need to burn-in their cables, which typically takes 500 hours, in order for the electrons to align properly, which is said to improve the tonality. I'd call the cable-burn-in bogus as it is not backed by physics.

Somehow, it is claimed by some manufacturers and some earphone enthusiasts that earphones need to be burnt in, typically for at least 50 hours. What is meant is actually a break-in. Some claim, the ibasso IT01 need 100 hours of break-in to sound decent, and 200 hours to reach their full potential. Coil assured me that, after 150 hours, his IT01 were not V-shaped anymore but rather J-shaped - and that this was real and not a brain burn-in.
Others told me that 100, 150, or 200 hours of break-in made zero difference.

I have two pairs of SEAHF AWK-009 and Rock Zircon, and compared each out of the box (OOTB) against one that had been run for more than 50 hours. No difference found. It was then claimed that different earphones react differently to break-in: some change, others don't.

Tyll from innerfidelity and Hifi Chris measured frequency responses OOTB and after break-in and could not find any noticeable difference.

So far, no measured account exists that break-in alters anything measurable substantially and therefore the sound noticeably - it is all in the eye of the beholder. A testable statement.

Tyll from innerfidelity writes: "...The one thing I think I have proved, however, is that if break-in does exist, it is not a large effect. When people talk about night and day changes in headphones with break-in, they are exaggerating...."
Read more at https://www.innerfidelity.com/conte...ty-headphone-break-page-4#looYLfwEoGotlgP4.99

And here is the blind test:
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/testing-audibility-break-effects

Summing up, I wonder whether my iBasso IT01 will sound different after break-in. None of my other iems ever has according to my perception (which could be wrong).

Some will tell me that the membranes will have been broken in after 50 hours, but the cable takes another 450 hours for a proper burn-in.

Happy Easter!

 

[Slater]

Outdated is quite the overstatement - there is a very good reason why most seasoned head-fiers still keep gr07 and er4 in high regard - because they still beat most of the competition. They are not stuck in the past, because when they came out they were way ahead of the competition, which needed years to catch up. Vsonic is the OG, who broke the mold and introduced hi-fi sound coming from China at low price. So using as an example one recent iem that maybe lived up to the hype and is quite the bang for the buck is not really an argument in the sea of hundreds of mediocre multi-driver iems being released each month. You're just proving my point citing the it01, which is a single dynamic driver iem and not a hybrid with 4+ drivers.

And let's be actually realistic, it's ridiculous when people start claiming that this or that $100 iem sounds better than flagship from few years ago that they never heard or were just overpriced. There are some older cheaper iems that are still kicking the ass of most the new ones with "advance technology" inside. Something like Gr07 is so good because of the balance it proves with its presentation staging, timbre, PRAT, articulation, tone, etc., it's not all about the details - even back then there were more detailed iems and bigger sounding iems and iems with faster bass, which gave in to it in another department. Same goes for iems like ety er4s, brainwavz b2, etc. There is a reason why when you ask someone like joker who has heard thousands of iems from all price ranges what to get if you're upgrading from gr07 and he tells you that you have to spend 300 bucks to get an flc8 or something. Brainwavz b2 is the same thing - most people who never heard it will dismiss the idea of a old dual-BA iem, but the only upgrade I've heard to its sound is a Noble 4/Savanna, which means spending 450-500 bucks. So let's be realistic, yes, there might be some great sounding new iems, but let's not put it as a given that all the older iems are inferior coz the are not - they might give in a bit in certain departments, but are still better than the random chi-fi stuff coming out every day with a handful of drivers inside, The hype should be a bit more realistic - that's what I'm just saying. Like withe the magaosi k3 pro last year where some people said it's the best thing ever and people who never heard anything actually good started believing and claiming it beats $400-500 iems, while in fact it couldn't beat a $40 vsonic vsd3s.

You can also go in crinacle's iem ranking thread and ask him why vsonic gr09, gr07x and gr07 and ranked higher than the tfz king, ibasso it03, fiio f9 and other recently hyped iems costing more.

Agreed. The VSonic GR07 is a classic, and hard to beat.

My main complaint is the build quality (and I am not alone in this complaint). The removeable cable helped sort out the cable issues, but separate from that the drivers just seem to like to die after a year or 2. My GR07s just died not to long ago, and I'm contemplating whather or not I'll get another set. I really want to, but I haven't decided for sure.

 

[Slater]

The KZ bt cable sounds fine, plenty of volume. But the signal is too weak. The sound stops if i go just two steps of the source and everytime if i am using in the street. The cellphone has to be close to the iem. Like in the upper part of the backpack.

This mod will address the KZ bluetooth: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1284#post-13623298



So if you could only choose 1 - the Z5000 or the T2 - which would it be and why?

 

[stimuz]

The Burnt-out Burn-in

I think burn in can be a thing(for drivers not cables which do next to nothing in my experience) but its a minor thing and I seriously doubt more than like 10 hours of play is required. I also noticed that when I see the strengths of a headphone/IEM I'll slowly start to gravitate towards music fit for it be it rock for more balanced headphones, DnB and other electronic stuff when I notice the headphone is bass heavy. I do it unintentionally but I do notice it, that's probably a big culprit of brain burn in.

 

[paulindss]

This mod will address the KZ bluetooth: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/kno...essions-thread.698148/page-1284#post-13623298



So if you could only choose 1 - the Z5000 or the T2 - which would it be and why?

Thx for the link.

Well i said that the z5000 and bgvp grabs my attention to buy. I don't know if i wrote in a clear way. I don't have them nor heard. So, i can't answer your question. If someone came to me today and suggested me a blind trade betwen my t2 and a z5000 i wouldn't take the risk. The thing about the z5000 is that some people say that they are the best thing in the world, and others only talk about the driver flex and does'nt give too many credits to the sound. The signature described is also intriguing as the same time awesome. Warm with incredible sparkle and musicality ? ( i picture the sound of re-400 now when reading this, but they are'nt bass heavy, the z500 alegedly are) So, if i only had the chance to get one and haven't listened to none of them, i would bet on the consensus of tin audio t2 instead of the risky z5000. Also, i wanted the t2 as a reference of what a neutral tuned iem sound, so, the tin audio comes first for my journey of learning. If that answer your question. But i am very curious of what z5000 sounds like. BUT ALSO ON THE BGVP, holy jesus...

 

[Slater]

Thx for the link.

Well i said that the z5000 and bgvp grabs my attention to buy. I don't know if i wrote in a clear way. I don't have them nor heard. So, i can't answer your question. If someone came to me today and suggested me a blind trade betwen my t2 and a z5000 i wouldn't take the risk. The thing about the z5000 is that some people say that they are the best thing in the world, and others only talk about the driver flex and does'nt give too many credits to the sound. The signature described is also intriguing as the same time awesome. Warm with incredible sparkle and musicality ? ( i picture the sound of re-400 now when reading this, but they are'nt bass heavy, the z500 alegedly are) So, if i only had the chance to get one and haven't listened to none of them, i would bet on the consensus of tin audio t2 instead of the risky z5000. Also, i wanted the t2 as a reference of what a neutral tuned iem sound, so, the tin audio comes first for my journey of learning. If that answer your question. But i am very curious of what z5000 sounds like. BUT ALSO ON THE BGVP, holy jesus...

Ah, I understand. I thought you already owned the Z5000 - sorry!

You did answer my question though

 

[dhruvmeena96]

Thanks, actually there is something very specific I need if you could help please....
My girlfriend has Hyperacusis (very high sensitivity/pain to high freq) and needs very dark earphones.
Music is very important to her but she can rarely listen to it anymore because everything is too bright

If the issue is very serious....

1. Then get her earplugs for sleep, as it would help her eardrums to be in relaxed.

2. Dark IEM won't help in Hyperacusis..


OK....for IEM


Get any IEM you want would be fine....

Just do fostex te01 mod and get ostry 300 tips

 

[vladstef]

Today was a good day...

In the last 2 weeks i received 5 packages, one EMX500, one bluetooth adapter for zst, one Brainwavz B100. And only today by the morning i received a unexpected Tin Audio T2 aaaan, a hifiman Re-400 that the post office said that was lost. After all day listening to these 2 in the morning and after a afternoon of critical listening i will tell my casual impressions. As a revised vision on the good but not great(for my needs) b100 wich have their fans.

Tin audio and Hifiman.



I paid 25$ for the hifiman, the msrp today is around 45$. They was missed and appeared at my door as a great surprise. They come with plenty tips, and some filters that later i used on mi emi-ci880 and edr2. The cable of hifiman is'nt the nicest. They are VERY tiny and the stock tips sealed well in my ears. The construction is just ok. But the sound is where these veterans shine untill these days. Compared as my other's iems.

Tin audio
Now, lets talk about the impressions starting with the TIN AUDIO T2. I was very hyped for them and anxious to liste what "neutral bright" and the actual "benchmark" under 50$ sounds. And... I was'nt dissapointed.
I was flattered and sucked into the sound immediately. Finally i am able to enjoy a balanced sound over the super coloured sounds that started my journey. NO need for more bass and no sibilance altought being super bright. No fatigue, a good bass extension, body in the vocals and guitars. Details and body in hip-hop songs. Details and body in acoustic songs, everything sounds fine. After my comparision with other iem's i became to that conclusion, By MY standarts, the Tin Audio does nothing wrong. I.e, the emi-ci is super detailed but can be fatiguing, The b100 have plenty of punch in vocals and guitars but add colour to the sound as having to much mid-bass and little sub-bass,the Edr2 has a small hint of sibilance while not having too extended highs and a very powerfull bass(maybe too much). The T2 doesn't have any of those flaws. They are the mixed perfection of all the iem's that i have. The stage is also good as a consequence of the super mature mids session. Things while not being super distant, Are SUPER clear.



Hifiman
Now, the hifiman re-400. Having the t2 as a reference. The hifiman should receive more attention. For 25$ these are AMAZING, for 50$ they are still in competition. Let me explain. At first glance, they sound just right., that's it. Just plug and enjoy. I listened easily to a lot of songs in them, the bass response is very close to "neutral" having t2 as a refence. Maybe the hifiman have a tad more. Now, the details are'nt the same as t2 and the are less bright than t2. Mind that T2 IS a very bright iem. But, they also suck me immediately to the music. And are the closest to t2 in neutral tone of all my iems. The word for these iem's is GENTLE. Very very gentle, They are also a little quieter. I tought i remember someone telling me that the EDR2 are just as good as Re-400. Well, for me they certainly are'nt. The EDR2 is awesome. But they have too much more bass and artificial mids compared to re-400. The hifiman have more sparkle, less bass, better mids. The mids of re-400 are just "better". Less sibilance in vocals while being very close to the ear. The difference of the signatures are night and day. BUT, i think that everyone should have a edr2... they are better than my modded ZST. That being said, the re-400 are stellar in refence to everything i heard, see my signature.




Brainwavz b100 and EMI ci-880.

The brainwavz have ther fans, as @Otto Motor that listen to things like hd600 and other very respected iem's and have a more trained ear than mine. But, after analysing what they do to my music, they started to catch less praise of me. They are fun and easy to listen. Lots of wheight in vocals and guitars. But after ABing i saw that the voices changed. They add a little color to my music. Having too much mid bass and little sub-bass while not having a very extended highs(they do have a gentle detail), their qualities turns out to bother me a little. The atmosphere is good, lots of wheight. Very good for commute as they fit perfectly. They are diferent and i never tought a ba could do what these iem's can do. They deserve a chance. Warm but not dark approach. But i think i will try to sell them. I don't dislike them and if i can't sell they are going to be used frequently. I just want a chance to experiment something different.



I just wanted to say that i applied the filter on the ci880 and it didn't muflled the sound. They are my reference in bightness. Brighter than t2. The t2 are more musical and i prefer it that way. But comparing to t2 and re-400 the emi-880 have the most "clear" room. In their specific way. Super analytical and adding lots of volume to the highs. A little eq or a brain burn in and these shine. I also added a filter in edr2 and the vocals became more gentle. The difference is little.



EMX 500, ez ask and KZ BT cable.

My ez ask now have a broken cable and i was unable to test them. But for my memory i think that my favourite iems are - T2, re400 and EZ ASK. I ordered a replacement cable.

The KZ bt cable sounds fine, plenty of volume. But the signal is too weak. The sound stops if i go just two steps of the source and everytime if i am using in the street. The cellphone has to be close to the iem. Like in the upper part of the backpack.

EMX500 ARE GREAT, Just that. Better than vido. I will say just that. I put them and forgot that i am listening to a earbud.



I LOVE YOU HIFIMAN RE-400 and TIN audio t2.

What bring my attention now are only zhyiin z500 because the musicality that the hifiman showed me, and the bgvp ds1 for the miracles of the neutral tuning. Musicality and neutrality are qualities atribuited to z5000 and ds1... But i have absolutely no rush. I want to enjoy my iem's.

Thank you if you are reading untill here, and i hope that my impressions of a curious listener worried of sound quality helps in something.

You and I agree on a lot of things about re400 and T2. For me, T2 lacks 2-3dB of bass to be at a point that I'd consider neutral. However, re400 has slightly more bass (and perhaps less sub bass in relation to bass as far as I remember). Mid range is similar in terms of resolution but T2 presents vocals with better body and is brighter a bit so it sounds like it's slightly more detailed. Re400 does have brightness in the upper mid-range/lower treble which isn't overblown and a bit subdued treble, while T2 has similarly bright upper mid-range + more prominent treble overall (isn't very bright as you describe it, especially with foam tips, though it is north of ideal slightly).

I like T2 better but they are close enough, although cable build quality is night and day. Also, T2 can often be found for around 30$ while re400 rarely goes below 50$ (I also got it for 25$ which was amazing).

I did notice something strange with your T2 - your unit appears to have reversed red/blue colors on mmcx. Look at pictures of T2 online and compare them with your picture - it should be blue on your picture. T2 is originally meant to be worn like this, though ymmw as always:

 

[bsoplinger]

I received my bag of 16 pairs of Tennmak Turbo / Whirlwind tips the other day. They have almost completely changed my opinion of the Tin Audio T2, especially when I use it with my laptop and Fiio Q1. I have been less than enthused about these for classical music because of a midrange hump. However, the tips help with that and the DAC/Amp really opens them up. Now I understand what all the fuss is about! However, my cables are starting to turn green...

Oh, I also received my pair of UISII CM5's, but have not had much time to listen to them yet.

I've been pushing the KZ Whirlwind ear tips since I first tried them. They really do make a difference for a number of IEMs. The Tennmak ones are nicer as in a bit stronger and less prone to tearing. Best of all they aren't crazy expensive like spin fits or next to impossible to get like the JVC spiral dot.

 

[paulindss]

You and I agree on a lot of things about re400 and T2. For me, T2 lacks 2-3dB of bass to be at a point that I'd consider neutral. However, re400 has slightly more bass (and perhaps less sub bass in relation to bass as far as I remember). Mid range is similar in terms of resolution but T2 presents vocals with better body and is brighter a bit so it sounds like it's slightly more detailed. Re400 does have brightness in the upper mid-range/lower treble which isn't overblown and a bit subdued treble, while T2 has similarly bright upper mid-range + more prominent treble overall (isn't very bright as you describe it, especially with foam tips, though it is north of ideal slightly).

I like T2 better but they are close enough, although cable build quality is night and day. Also, T2 can often be found for around 30$ while re400 rarely goes below 50$ (I also got it for 25$ which was amazing).

I did notice something strange with your T2 - your unit appears to have reversed red/blue colors on mmcx. Look at pictures of T2 online and compare them with your picture - it should be blue on your picture. T2 is originally meant to be worn like this, though ymmw as always:

The color of our iem's are the same. I put the wrong iem in the left ear just to take the picture, i was'nt listening. The blue on the left ear looks like yours. I paid 25$ for re-400 and 36$ for tin audio t2, the price value ratio was virtually the same for me. At sale the t2 is indeed a better cxb. But at normal price they cost around the same. I think they complement each other. The re-400 for a relaxed listening or for more pop songs, altought while listening to rap the deailed upper range of t2 reveals lots of layers, voices, effects and etc, Amazing. The re-400 are also more confortable and can be used for sleeping. Not everyone find a good seal with t2.

"while T2 has similarly bright upper mid-range + more prominent treble overall" thx for your explanation, now i can read better the differences beetwen the two.

 

[lordaine]

Today was a good day...

In the last 2 weeks i received 5 packages, one EMX500, one bluetooth adapter for zst, one Brainwavz B100. And only today by the morning i received a unexpected Tin Audio T2 aaaan, a hifiman Re-400 that the post office said that was lost. After all day listening to these 2 in the morning and after a afternoon of critical listening i will tell my casual impressions. As a revised vision on the good but not great(for my needs) b100 wich have their fans.

Tin audio and Hifiman.



I paid 25$ for the hifiman, the msrp today is around 45$. They was missed and appeared at my door as a great surprise. They come with plenty tips, and some filters that later i used on mi emi-ci880 and edr2. The cable of hifiman is'nt the nicest. They are VERY tiny and the stock tips sealed well in my ears. The construction is just ok. But the sound is where these veterans shine untill these days. Compared as my other's iems.

Tin audio
Now, lets talk about the impressions starting with the TIN AUDIO T2. I was very hyped for them and anxious to liste what "neutral bright" and the actual "benchmark" under 50$ sounds. And... I was'nt dissapointed.
I was flattered and sucked into the sound immediately. Finally i am able to enjoy a balanced sound over the super coloured sounds that started my journey. NO need for more bass and no sibilance altought being super bright. No fatigue, a good bass extension, body in the vocals and guitars. Details and body in hip-hop songs. Details and body in acoustic songs, everything sounds fine. After my comparision with other iem's i became to that conclusion, By MY standarts, the Tin Audio does nothing wrong. I.e, the emi-ci is super detailed but can be fatiguing, The b100 have plenty of punch in vocals and guitars but add colour to the sound as having to much mid-bass and little sub-bass,the Edr2 has a small hint of sibilance while not having too extended highs and a very powerfull bass(maybe too much). The T2 doesn't have any of those flaws. They are the mixed perfection of all the iem's that i have. The stage is also good as a consequence of the super mature mids session. Things while not being super distant, Are SUPER clear.



Hifiman
Now, the hifiman re-400. Having the t2 as a reference. The hifiman should receive more attention. For 25$ these are AMAZING, for 50$ they are still in competition. Let me explain. At first glance, they sound just right., that's it. Just plug and enjoy. I listened easily to a lot of songs in them, the bass response is very close to "neutral" having t2 as a refence. Maybe the hifiman have a tad more. Now, the details are'nt the same as t2 and the are less bright than t2. Mind that T2 IS a very bright iem. But, they also suck me immediately to the music. And are the closest to t2 in neutral tone of all my iems. The word for these iem's is GENTLE. Very very gentle, They are also a little quieter. I tought i remember someone telling me that the EDR2 are just as good as Re-400. Well, for me they certainly are'nt. The EDR2 is awesome. But they have too much more bass and artificial mids compared to re-400. The hifiman have more sparkle, less bass, better mids. The mids of re-400 are just "better". Less sibilance in vocals while being very close to the ear. The difference of the signatures are night and day. BUT, i think that everyone should have a edr2... they are better than my modded ZST. That being said, the re-400 are stellar in refence to everything i heard, see my signature.




Brainwavz b100 and EMI ci-880.

The brainwavz have ther fans, as @Otto Motor that listen to things like hd600 and other very respected iem's and have a more trained ear than mine. But, after analysing what they do to my music, they started to catch less praise of me. They are fun and easy to listen. Lots of wheight in vocals and guitars. But after ABing i saw that the voices changed. They add a little color to my music. Having too much mid bass and little sub-bass while not having a very extended highs(they do have a gentle detail), their qualities turns out to bother me a little. The atmosphere is good, lots of wheight. Very good for commute as they fit perfectly. They are diferent and i never tought a ba could do what these iem's can do. They deserve a chance. Warm but not dark approach. But i think i will try to sell them. I don't dislike them and if i can't sell they are going to be used frequently. I just want a chance to experiment something different.



I just wanted to say that i applied the filter on the ci880 and it didn't muflled the sound. They are my reference in bightness. Brighter than t2. The t2 are more musical and i prefer it that way. But comparing to t2 and re-400 the emi-880 have the most "clear" room. In their specific way. Super analytical and adding lots of volume to the highs. A little eq or a brain burn in and these shine. I also added a filter in edr2 and the vocals became more gentle. The difference is little.



EMX 500, ez ask and KZ BT cable.

My ez ask now have a broken cable and i was unable to test them. But for my memory i think that my favourite iems are - T2, re400 and EZ ASK. I ordered a replacement cable.

The KZ bt cable sounds fine, plenty of volume. But the signal is too weak. The sound stops if i go just two steps of the source and everytime if i am using in the street. The cellphone has to be close to the iem. Like in the upper part of the backpack.

EMX500 ARE GREAT, Just that. Better than vido. I will say just that. I put them and forgot that i am listening to a earbud.



I LOVE YOU HIFIMAN RE-400 and TIN audio t2.

What bring my attention now are only zhyiin z500 because the musicality that the hifiman showed me, and the bgvp ds1 for the miracles of the neutral tuning. Musicality and neutrality are qualities atribuited to z5000 and ds1... But i have absolutely no rush. I want to enjoy my iem's.

Thank you if you are reading untill here, and i hope that my impressions of a curious listener worried of sound quality helps in something.

Where did you buy hifiman for 25?