[grumpy1471]

I'm definitely wondering how the BA5 and C12 compare as well. Looking at Nimweth's review of the BA5, I get the impression that it would be less harsh in the treble and more musical than the C12? Shape and design both stand out to me with the BA5, seems to have a similar level of detail and soundstage without being overly analytical from the reviews I've read.

 

[igor0203]

I've received my Blons yesteday. Put orings for keyboard on them, KZ Starline tips and goddamn they're good

 

[SomeEntityThing]

I have done some more listening with the NiceHCK P3, not much of the unimpressive sound quality changed since I started... until I tip-rolled tonight and found some old blue KZ Whirlwinds. Compared to the stock and (small, cp100) Spinfits, the small Whirlwinds, while sacrificing a decent amount of isolation, help bring out more detail in the highs and more thump in the bass... but most significant (for me) is how they bring vocals noticeably forward than before such that they don't sound as muffled or "drowned out" by the rest of the music. Sure, they could be just a tiny bit more forward for my liking but they do not sound as lifeless as before (which was a pretty annoying trait) Perhaps, then, higher vocals might be sibilant this time? Well, there is still none to be found, which I'm starting to really respect more and more since I don't recall owning a pair of IEMs in recent memory that isn't sibilant to some degree. Truly, a pleasant surprise.

 

[Nimweth]

I'm definitely wondering how the BA5 and C12 compare as well. Looking at Nimweth's review of the BA5, I get the impression that it would be less harsh in the treble and more musical than the C12? Shape and design both stand out to me with the BA5, seems to have a similar level of detail and soundstage without being overly analytical from the reviews I've read.

Yes, the BA5 is less analytical than the C12. Bass is not as deep, but has more resolution. If you are looking for something similar to the C12 with a bit more warmth, the ZSX is a good option, but you may find the fit not so good. BA5 with a bit of tip rolling is very comfortable though, and is my current favourite.

 

[voja]

Knowles and Sonion drivers are supposed to be of better quality for BA drivers and were usually found in more expensive IEMs compared to the usual cheaper Bellsing drivers we find in cheaper CHIFI like KZs.
Though ironically, the cat is out of the bag that some TOTL IEM brands use Bellsings (https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/cxqlje/knowles_files_claim_with_us_trade_commission_to/), whereas some CHIFI companies use Knowles and Sonions in their IEMs. Knowles alleges Bellsing copied their stuff, so there's a big lawsuit going on in US now in the above link.

Personally, I find Knowles are less harsh and have a less artificial timbre than the Bellsings in general, but some people find the Knowles sounds too "clean". Though as u can see, even TOTL sets use Bellsings and not many users are complaining that the sound is "off". I think the Bellsings are catching up very fast to the Knowles, and are cheaper. In fact these cheaper drivers helped to get us cheaper CHIFI products for good sound quality the past 2 - 3 years, though it is a big can of worms on the ethics of it.

Thanks for clearing it up. Very useful information.

 

[voja]

Meh. I will wait on Jade Audio reviews. I am thinking its not a great one for me. Was hard to pass at $36, but I'm not convinced. I'm thinking its a bass light treble blaster. If Im wrong I may hit it in the spring sale.

For now though I got me a LZ Z04A for $19. Hrmph!

I could've gotten the LZ Z05A for 20 bucks, but I passed since I was worried about the bass response in it compared to the V90. My dumbass here missed all the good deals, both the 11.11 sale and black friday. Now I'm crazy about these EA3's and am in the illusion that because it has such a large dynamic driver, that the bass will be deep.
Good pick as to the LZ Z05A, let us know your opinon

 

[geisterfaust]

Welcome to Head-fi! That 169x103x56mm case should hold all your future gear for at least a few weeks' worth of purchases.

You savage HAHAHAHA. Don't tell my boss but i'm already looking for new IEMs to add to my Aliexpress wishlist

 

[RicHSAD]

The **** sound pretty nice most of the times , so it's not exactly "bad" - might have to get the **** Pro at some time though since they got some nice impressions posted *shrug*

I can definitely recommend the **** Pro, especially if you like bass which is kind of funny considering the original **** were known for being bass light. The bass is violent yet somehow clean at the same time. I had issues with it's 8khz peak originally, but I managed to tame it a bit trough tip swapping and ultimately got used to it. I think it addresses two of the problems people had with the original **** which was the lack of bass and its somewhat unnatural timbre. I'm looking forward to reading more people's impression of them!

 

[voja]

I can definitely recommend the **** Pro, especially if you like bass which is kind of funny considering the original **** were known for being bass light. The bass is violent yet somehow clean at the same time. I had issues with it's 8khz peak originally, but I managed to tame it a bit trough tip swapping and ultimately got used to it. I think it addresses two of the problems people had with the original **** which was the lack of bass and its somewhat unnatural timbre. I'm looking forward to reading more people's impression of them!

I find it very weird that you say this, because most people said that the **** had pretty deep and strong bass. So far I didn't come upon anyone who said they were bass light. Interesting to hear more about the under 20 dollar budget king.

 

[RicHSAD]

I find it very weird that you say this, because most people said that the **** had pretty deep and strong bass. So far I didn't come upon anyone who said they were bass light. Interesting to hear more about the under 20 dollar budget king.

Really? As far as I can remember everyone said they were neutral which isn't what you expect to hear from an IEM with strong and deep bass. I owned two pairs(both broken now lol) and while I can agree with the bass being deep, it certainly wasn't strong. Easily my less bassy IEM except perhaps the P1.

 

[voja]

Really? As far as I can remember everyone said they were neutral which isn't what you expect to hear from an IEM with strong and deep bass. I owned two pairs(both broken now lol) and while I can agree with the bass being deep, it certainly wasn't strong. Easily my less bassy IEM except perhaps the P1.

It's higly possible that you are correct. I should state that my memory isn't the best and there is a possibility that I got it wrong. But when I was asking for an IEM which has deep and decent bass, the **** was recommended oddly enough.

 

[BadReligionPunk]

I could've gotten the LZ Z05A for 20 bucks, but I passed since I was worried about the bass response in it compared to the V90. My dumbass here missed all the good deals, both the 11.11 sale and black friday. Now I'm crazy about these EA3's and am in the illusion that because it has such a large dynamic driver, that the bass will be deep.
Good pick as to the LZ Z05A, let us know your opinon

I got the 04 which is the bassier one. Only bought it because I had to buy somn.

Anyway the fiio house sound is pretty treble bright and those high res stickers usually mean bright/boring sound to me. Bass is the devil to religious audiofiles and that hi res sticker is suppose to be the jesus fish equivalent that businesses put on their signs to ensnare the like minded. Both are like repellant to me

Im probably wrong and just an ignorant moron, but that was/is my thinking and why I will wait. HAHA!

 

[RicHSAD]

It's higly possible that you are correct. I should state that my memory isn't the best and there is a possibility that I got it wrong. But when I was asking for an IEM which has deep and decent bass, the **** was recommended oddly enough.

It's possible that they may have changed along the way as well. Crinacle reviewed them later than most and his graph shows quite a bit more bass than the other reviewers I've seen.

 

[mbwilson111]

best case is I like them, return them and order them from somewhere much cheaper.

This seems to be a common practice...especially with headphones. I think it is horrible. I know there are people who eventually get banned from returning things.

...as they should.

 

[baskingshark]

I find it very weird that you say this, because most people said that the **** had pretty deep and strong bass. So far I didn't come upon anyone who said they were bass light. Interesting to hear more about the under 20 dollar budget king.

Really? As far as I can remember everyone said they were neutral which isn't what you expect to hear from an IEM with strong and deep bass. I owned two pairs(both broken now lol) and while I can agree with the bass being deep, it certainly wasn't strong. Easily my less bassy IEM except perhaps the P1.

I had 2 pairs of the ****, there was a bit of unit variance between the 2, one had slightly less bass than the other. It's possible you might be right that later units may have a variant tuning or the QC for unit variance is quite poor.
But overall, I thought they both had quite good quantity of midbass > subbass with not too bad subbass extension. I'm a basshead and I would say the **** bass is not at basshead levels, but definitely north of neutral.

Credit to Crinacle, this is the ****'s FR.

The bass of the **** is quite tip sensitive, so perhaps if @RicHSAD , you are finding the **** is basslight, it may be possibly due to tip fit/seal? Or u are a diehard basshead like me!!