[IEManiac]

You don’t hear too much about the 40X. From everything I’ve ever seen, the 50X is the one most people recommend.

And yes, there’s plenty of fakes out there. Did you get yours from an authorized AT dealer?

I’ve even heard of slime ball people who will buy a fake on purpose, then go and but the real thing. Then they put the fake in the genuine box, and return it back to the store. Since it’s still ‘brand new in box’, stores just put it right back out on the shelf.

I even knew of 2 guys in college that had their own heat shrink wrapping machine. They would buy massive amounts of CDs, DVDs, and computer software, rip the content, re-shrink wrap everything and take it back for full refund. I’m pretty sure they ran a massive warez site (or something other shady operation); they were pretty secretive about it all.

Actually the M40x are the dark horse of the series. Better bass (read, less bloated) than the M50x. I've owned the M50x (twice). Today I would buy the M40x, but not the M50x.

 

[Jonathan Lerner]

Was looking intoeasy to drive IEMs or portable headphones around 100 dollars generally have trouble with iem fit (nothing from campfire lineup works for example) I used to own the ie80 and those were probably the most comfortable IEMs I ever wore was considering getting used ie80S or rha t20 but was curious about reccomemendations prefer more v shaped sound thanks!

 

[baskingshark]

Was looking intoeasy to drive IEMs or portable headphones around 100 dollars generally have trouble with iem fit (nothing from campfire lineup works for example) I used to own the ie80 and those were probably the most comfortable IEMs I ever wore was considering getting used ie80S or rha t20 but was curious about reccomemendations prefer more v shaped sound thanks!

I would strongly discourage u from getting the Sennheiser IE80S. Most CHIFI that released the past year or so would comfortably compete or beat it in sound quality for a fraction of the price. I still regret buying it till this day. Haven't tried the RHA T20.

For V and U shaped sub $100 sets, maybe u can read up about the following and see if any suits your needs:
TRN V90
CCA C12
KZ ZS10 Pro
KBEAR Diamond
DUNU DM-480
TFZ No. 3

Good luck with your search!

 

[IEManiac]

My take on the BQEYZ BQ3 - too bassy, too dark. Will be put up for sale.

 

[eldss]

I would strongly discourage u from getting the Sennheiser IE80S. Most CHIFI that released the past year or so would comfortably compete or beat it in sound quality for a fraction of the price. I still regret buying it till this day. Haven't tried the RHA T20.

For V and U shaped sub $100 sets, maybe u can read up about the following and see if any suits your needs:
TRN V90
CCA C12
KZ ZS10 Pro
KBEAR Diamond
DUNU DM-480
TFZ No. 3

Good luck with your search!

Always been curious about the IE80S, Which of the above would you compare to it and how do they do against it? Thanks!

 

[baskingshark]

Always been curious about the IE80S, Which of the above would you compare to it and how do they do against it? Thanks!

I haven't used the IE80S for a few months after experiencing the stellar 2019 CHIFI releases, but off the top of my head, I would say the IE80S is a V shaped version of the BLON BL-03. Very recessed mids, midbass bump, warmish signature, with a 6 kHz area peak. There's a bass dial to give some adjustable bass frequencies, but overall I thought the sound signature was muddy. Soundstage is a strength of the IE80S.



****sorry about the rant****
Not only speaking about Sennheiser IEMs, but in the IEM industry since the past few years, CHIFI has caught up to the budget/midfi western segment. Sennheisers are still one of the industry leaders in headphones, no doubt, but but for the coin they are asking for the IE80S, I wasn't impressed. I know western brands have R&D, licensing, marketing and branding to take into consideration, but I wouldn't be surprised some of these western gear are made/assembled in China factories haha. CHIFI has its own issues with accusations of reverse engineering, not so robust licensing laws and QC issues, but I have a feeling this year a lot of "overpriced" western gear will suffer when Covid causes more job losses and possibly a recession; folks will go for price to performance gear. I do hope the western companies innovate and evolve to provide better bang for buck for us though, but this year will probably be a challenging market for them.
****sorry rant over****

 

[nomnomw]

My take on the BQEYZ BQ3 - too bassy, too dark. Will be put up for sale.

Very comprehensive and detailed review. Noted, thank you. Will give karma

 

[IEManiac]

Very comprehensive and detailed review. Noted, thank you. Will give karma

No one purported it to be a review. If I write a dissertation on it, the conclusion would remain the same. Too bassy, too dark, rejected. There.

 

[IEManiac]

No one purported it to be a review. If I write a dissertation on it, the conclusion would remain the same. Too bassy, too dark, rejected. There.

I'll add this. If you want a 'fun', bassy IEM, the BQ3 are not it; it is too dark. In the 'fun' & bassy segment my top pick is still the TFZ T2 Galaxy.

 

[Jonathan Lerner]

Tfz no 3 seem perfect but look kinda big how does the size compare to something like campfire Io I have smallish ears than for the recommendations!

 

[baskingshark]

Tfz no 3 seem perfect but look kinda big how does the size compare to something like campfire Io I have smallish ears than for the recommendations!

Don't have campfire IO, but if I compare it with a similar IO like shell (like the KZ ZS6), the TFZ No.3 is larger for sure.
@RikudouGoku previously said he had some issues with the TFZ No. 3's fit, though personally I have average sized ears and find the TFZ No. 3 decent in comfort and fit, not the best, but nothing uncomfortable. If u are after comfort, I like the comfort and fit of the DUNU DM480 in the above list, they use 3D modelling to scan ear shapes of people to come up with their final resin shell.

TFZ No. 3 is a basshead IEM though, the midbass and subbass quantity is on the strong side, so I know friends of mine who find the rattling bass fatiguing. As such it is a fun sounding set, and I do find it good for EDM and bass heavy music. Soundstage is average, technical aspects are above average considering it is a single DD set, but it may be a one trick pony occasionally due to the tuning.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Dcell7]

Tfz no 3 seem perfect but look kinda big how does the size compare to something like campfire Io I have smallish ears than for the recommendations!

Here are two pictures with TFZ No.3 and CA Polaris V1. Polaris is probably the same size as IO (?). I have small ears and don’t have much trouble fitting the TFZ No.3.

 

[nomnomw]

Here are two pictures with TFZ No.3 and CA Polaris V1. Polaris is probably the same size as IO (?). I have small ears and don’t have much trouble fitting the TFZ No.3.

Polaris is very similar in size as IO, yes.

 

[Almazbek]

I'll add this. If you want a 'fun', bassy IEM, the BQ3 are not it; it is too dark. In the 'fun' & bassy segment my top pick is still the TFZ T2 Galaxy.

The mid-highs are very spiky tho. I thought I could handle them, but sometimes they are too harsh.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Don't have campfire IO, but if I compare it with a similar IO like shell (like the KZ ZS6), the TFZ No.3 is larger for sure.
@RikudouGoku previously said he had some issues with the TFZ No. 3's fit, though personally I have average sized ears and find the TFZ No. 3 decent in comfort and fit, not the best, but nothing uncomfortable. If u are after comfort, I like the comfort and fit of the DUNU DM480 in the above list, they use 3D modelling to scan ear shapes of people to come up with their final resin shell.

TFZ No. 3 is a basshead IEM though, the midbass and subbass quantity is on the strong side, so I know friends of mine who find the rattling bass fatiguing. As such it is a fun sounding set, and I do find it good for EDM and bass heavy music. Soundstage is average, technical aspects are above average considering it is a single DD set, but it may be a one trick pony occasionally due to the tuning.

Good luck in your search!

I think it was bad luck that made the No.3 uncomfortable for me, I have the Moondrop blessing 2 that is quite a bit bigger than the no.3 but yet it fits me better. I think it has something to do with the shape of the no.3 that made it bad for me and not so much its physical size.