gourab1995
100+ Head-Fier
+1 for the TFZ T2, its like the zs7 done better, more coherent and more treble presence in the right places, music sounds beautiful in general from this iem.
Tin T2 might be a bit bass light. It's definitely not one for the bass heads.
Blon BL03 is a bit lacking in detail and separation but makes up for it in musicality. Expect a bit of experimentation with eartips.
The KZ ZS10pro has probably been superceded at the price point by the ZSX. I've got the CCA C12 which is quite similar and it seems they have banished the steely timbre of old.
I've no experience of the TFZ so I can't comment on that.
I think you might also do well to research the TRN V90. It's slightly more v shaped than the CCA C12 but not to the point where mids are recessed.
I personally love the Blon, but I've a liking for valve amps, turntables and sweet musicality. I find the Blon easy to recommend as an extra set of IEMs in a collection as they are so unique but as somebody's only pair? I think that depends. Frankly I think the ZSX, C12 or V90 is more suited to being a daily driver for most people. That said, 60 euros is about the price of a pair of V90 AND a pair of BL03. That covers all the bases...
If u are gonna do commuting, u need a good isolating IEM IMHO. I commute a lot with IEMs and I can say the BLON BL-03 has bad isolation, so not the best option for travel purposes. Plus the BLON is not detailed as per your request. It excels at timbre and tonality at the expense of being less technical (not as good instrument separation, clarity, details), compared to some other CHIFI multi BA/hybrids at the same price point. And it also requires some aftermarket tips +/- cables due to the poor fit for most people with stock tips.
I extensively used the KZ ZS10 Pro previously for commuting, it has great details, clarity, instrument separation and has good isolating properties too (estimated about 15 dB isolation). Good for travel, good all rounder for most genres. I ultimately gave away the KZ ZS10 Pro as it had an artificial timbre for treble frequencies, especially for acoustic instruments as those are my main stay genres. But it is a good set for the price.
Though there are some newer CHIFI that are improvements to the ZS10 Pro in technicals and timbre such as the KZ ZSX (terminator), CCA C12, TRN V90. I've not tried those, but they are quite well regarded in reviews for giving good technical abilities at < $50 USD. U can check those out.
I don't have the TFZ T2 but it seems quite V shaped, maybe the rest can advise. I have its "successor", the TFZ No. 3, it is quite a bass head IEM. Details and clarity are quite good considering it is a single DD IEM and isolation not bad. Though it is double the price of the TFZ T2.
Tin T2 is very neutral from reviews and FR, though I don't have it. Tin T4 is an upgrade and from reviews it has more bass than T2, but a few reviewers have mentioned during commuting with it the bass is lost, as it is the usual frequency to be lost in noisy environments.
I used the ATH M50X previously and it is quite a bassy can with somewhat neutralish mids/treble, so I think something like the KZ ZS10 Pro/KZ ZSX/TRN V90/CCA C12 may suit u, though those have a bit more brighter treble than the M50X. The ZS10 Pro has better details/clarity/instrument separation than the M50X, so I think one of those above (which are successors to the ZS10 Pro will be suitable for your request). Do bear in mind that most IEMs cannot compete with headphones in the area of soundstage due to physics, so the sound may come from "inside the head", something that takes a while to get used to if u are coming from headphones.
Good luck in your search!
Take the TFZ T2 Galaxy. It's a very fun sounding IEM & it's one of my favorite. Fairly balanced sounding imo, but only some problem you'll encounter is the driver flex. for commuting, it isolate pretty well too.
Based on what you said you want, I'd pick the TFZ T2. The T2 is detailed and fun sounding. They are my daily drivers and I use them on the subway and they isolate well.
Thanks yall!
I was talking with a few friends about IEMs (they know much more than me) and they basically told me the same, while the Blons are really good they lack on proper isolation. Knowing me by the end of mid 2020 i'll have like 5 or 6 pairs of IEMs hahahah but yeah, I'm ordering a pair of TFZ T2 Galaxy right now.
Any tips and cable recommendations for that IEM? I'm looking to buy a balanced 4.4 cable to take advantage of the balanced out of my Sony DAP.
For tips, I'm using either the Aet07 or the Sedna light tips. But if you need more bass, take the Aet08Thanks yall!
I was talking with a few friends about IEMs (they know much more than me) and they basically told me the same, while the Blons are really good they lack on proper isolation. Knowing me by the end of mid 2020 i'll have like 5 or 6 pairs of IEMs hahahah but yeah, I'm ordering a pair of TFZ T2 Galaxy right now.
Any tips and cable recommendations for that IEM? I'm looking to buy a balanced 4.4 cable to take advantage of the balanced out of my Sony DAP.
A year-end list of Best budget chi-fi sounds like a good idea. I'll give it a shot as well:
1) For neutral sound: Moondrop Spaceship
2) For timbre/tonality: BLON BL-03 (what else?), Moondrop Crescent (shame that they got discontinued, not a 2019 IEM but I guess their hype picked up at 2019)
3) For details: KZ ZSX, Tin T3/T4, LZ A6 Mini
4) Bass-head delights: TFZ No. 3, TRN V90 (I found them to have great bass)
Here's hoping that 2020 turns out to be even more awesome, and I am yet to try out a few 2019 IEMs as well (the Hibiscus, for one).
Hello!
I've been reading and seeing a lot of videos but I'm still a bit lost with all the options. I've narrowed down my options to (open to recommendations!):
- Blon 03 (I think these are my favorite, but I've read that the connector is weird and it's a bit difficult to find a replacement cable)
- Tin T2/T3 (a bit old, T4s look like they are a better built Blon 03s but still a bit expensive).
- TFZ T2
- KZ ZSX
- KZ ZS10 Pro
Thanks!
I'm really tempted to buy these. I think that the Yincrow RW-9 is excellent, so I'm willing to trust them a bit when it comes to more expensive models too.For earbuds (it says earphones in the title, not iems so allow me to chime in) the Yincrow RW-1000 that has just been released has an astonishing clarity, detail, controlled bass with a very hifi-like neutral signature, along with a superb fit, build and finish.
I need to put double foams on them to avoid too much clarity on bright albums but they are perfect stock on smooth sounding albums.
It's a better nicehck EBX IMHO.
TRN V90 (entertaining V signature)This year has been a smash for CHIFI IMHO. I can even say it's been the best year for CHIFI since KZs first landed on earth from Mars a few years back, and the CHIFI are now dominating the budget-midfi Western segment. We've had a few CHIFI competing with TOTL sets like the QDC Anole VX even (though QDC may not like to be categorized as CHIFI hahaha). Just 3 years back, it would be near impossible to find a multi driver IEM at < $200 USD, not to mention the CHIFI now that are even < $50 or $16 USD (****) that are pretty bang for buck. Give it a few years, I think we may be seeing CHIFI that sound like TOTL gear, but maybe costing less than a western midfi set.
Anyway, now that the year is coming to an end, what are your best < $100 USD CHIFI that released this year??
My votes go to:
1) For neutral sound - Tin Hifi T2/Tin HIFI T4 - though the later has just released, but initial reviews are promising. T2 is still standing the test of time as of the time of writing as the "gold standard" for a neutral CHIFI cheap and good set IMHO.
2) For great timbre/tonality - BLON BL-03 (caveat: have to change eartips +/- cable), BLON Cardinal (slightly more expensive)
3) For details/instrument separation and clarity - TRN V90/KZ ZSX/CCA C12/****/VE Bonus IE - honourable mention goes to KZ ZS10 Pro. But unfortunately it has been superceded by the KZ ZSX that came out a few months later with improvements.
4) For analytical sound - CCA C16
5) For bassheads - TFZ no. 3/TFZ T2 galaxy
Anything I missed out?
Quick report on FAAEAL Hibiscus:
Hour 1: dry, scratchy, messy soundstage, vocals showed some promise (but too many jarring elements around them). Not enough bass. I’m a bit worried at this point
Hour 24: they’ve settled down into a very mid centric presentation that’s strong on vocals and guitars (all the emotion is there), much better sound stage / separation (but not super clear, layering is not the best). Still not enough bass extension, though what’s there is fast and tight. Tone is good though, throughout.
They’re doing well with what I bought them for (“traditional” stuff...Bach cello suites sounding particularly good), which was vocals, and they’re back on burn in, but I think I’d have preferred something with slightly less emphasis on the mids. Hopefully there’s still room for improvement over time, But I think the signature has established itself, for better or worse.
No complaints about the cable though, that thing is fab!