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CHIFI LOVE Thread-A never ending IEM-Heaphones-DAP-Dongles Sound Value Quest
Sep 17, 2020 at 10:13 AM Post #25,846 of 31,833
nraymond said:
One of the things that makes some headphones more expensive than others is driver matching and quality assurance. They'll sort and bin drivers based on test results and pair the best ones so there's minimal variations as well as meet a baseline, and there will be more testing along the whole manufacturing process. I've always assumed that when I pay very little for a pair of headphones it's at least partly due to less QA and driver matching, and I figure it's going to be more of a lottery with a cheap pair of headphones, and I set my expectations appropriately.
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That’s usually my assumption. Though unfortunately, even some pricy items have poor QC. I think the QC on the BL03 seems to be quite good considering how many they produce and sell, and considering the price.
 
Sep 17, 2020 at 11:37 AM Post #25,847 of 31,833
nraymond said:
One of the things that makes some headphones more expensive than others is driver matching and quality assurance. They'll sort and bin drivers based on test results and pair the best ones so there's minimal variations as well as meet a baseline, and there will be more testing along the whole manufacturing process. I've always assumed that when I pay very little for a pair of headphones it's at least partly due to less QA and driver matching, and I figure it's going to be more of a lottery with a cheap pair of headphones, and I set my expectations appropriately.
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That's the impression i agree for upmarket gear.

But even campfire solaris seems to have unit variance among units: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/campfire-solaris.891180/page-178#post-14680087
https://preview.redd.it/124mc3jkcq6...bp&s=01757871153fe2ff7df415097e18bf3e1a22d663

Not to mention they were caught sneakily using bellsing drivers for a so called TOTL set, but that's another issue.

Campfire polaris has channel imbalance:
https://m.imgur.com/O2ycPak

Ya but maybe budget chifi has more QC problems in general as they cut costs at the QC area. But TOTL gear is not exempt from unit variance or channel imbalance, which is a bit disappointing.
 
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Sep 17, 2020 at 1:37 PM Post #25,848 of 31,833
My BL-05s now has 24 hours on it, I am very impressed by the huge soundstage. Bass is dialled down a touch from the original and the rest of the range is very balanced. Treble is open and extended. The best BLON so far, I think, although I have not tested the purple BL-03 fully yet. Love the green colour, a real 50s vibe!
 
Sep 17, 2020 at 1:43 PM Post #25,849 of 31,833
kmmbd said:
Just received the BLON BL-05s, and after listening to them for an hour I think it's time to share some first impressions.

Regarding the packaging and accessories: nothing has changed. Same old, as in: same old useless stuff. By now we all probably have a few spare eartips and cables trying to make the first BL-03 work so I guess we are well prepared.

Cable: some generic BLON specific SPC cable, Tips: Spinfit CP-100

This, IMHO, is the true upgrade to the BL-03 at least in terms of technicalities. The bass bloom is gone (and it takes away the analogue warmth along with it), a pretty neutral-ish midrange with just the slight hint of coloration/warmth, the treble is more up front than the BL-03 but not as on-your-face as the BL-05. Imaging, staging have improved noticeably over both of the previous releases, so has overall detail retrieval. Layering of instruments has esp been improved, instruments don't smear as much as they used to in the BL-03 or BL-05. Shoutiness is very much under control, going through my usual Avril Lavigne playlist and it's been fine.

There have been some subtle changes in the housing design. It's not the same as the BL-05. It's a bit more bulbous now, perhaps to accommodate the new driver. The color scheme is the biggest offender in my book but hey - I can't really see them when they're in my ears. Whether or not one should be donning these in public is a risk only the bravest among us can take.

TL;DR: these are good. Much better than BL-05. Need more time to asses the rest.

IMG_8504.JPGIMG_8509.JPG
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I can’t get past the BL-05s’ Very reminiscence of ‘70s, bathroom porcelain
 
Sep 17, 2020 at 2:04 PM Post #25,850 of 31,833
Sep 18, 2020 at 4:23 AM Post #25,853 of 31,833
Sep 18, 2020 at 6:55 AM Post #25,854 of 31,833
Sep 18, 2020 at 3:14 PM Post #25,855 of 31,833
I got my FA E3000 and really like them. Warm with the right amount of bass. But I made the terrible mistake of ordering the Etymotic ER2SE when I had to wait for the replacement (mix up from the seller). It's ruined other iems for me. Everything sounds so natural/realistic, like what I expect to hear.
 
Sep 18, 2020 at 6:47 PM Post #25,856 of 31,833
dharmasteve said:
I actually like the ZSN Pro. I immediately disposed of the rubbish cable, put on Spiral Dots and got edgy highs without glare or sibilance. KZ have ADHD and don't rest for a minute. One IEM after another. It's manic. I have now given up even looking at what they are doing. .
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If KZ was only putting out DD's I doubt they'd be putting a new one out right after the other. I heard DD's are much harder to tune.

KZ switch to DD only iems!
 
Sep 18, 2020 at 8:57 PM Post #25,858 of 31,833
boost3d said:
I got my FA E3000 and really like them. Warm with the right amount of bass. But I made the terrible mistake of ordering the Etymotic ER2SE when I had to wait for the replacement (mix up from the seller). It's ruined other iems for me. Everything sounds so natural/realistic, like what I expect to hear.
Click to expand...

Yep, Final Audio E3000 is one of my favourite sets. They need amping though, sounds very meh from a low powered source. Superb soundstage and imaging and very balanced mids. I find the midbass is a bit slow, and of course the crap non detachable cables, but otherwise, very fatigue free smooth listen.

Also, I find the Final Audio E black tips which come with the Final Audio E3000 aren't the best pairing ironically.. The Final Audio E black tips tend to tame the treble, and the Final Audio E3000's treble is already rolled off with not the best extension. If u want a bit more sparkle and treble, it might be good to tip roll to something with a wider bore silicone tip eg Tenmark Whirlwinds, YMMV we have different ear anatomies.

I really like the Final Audio E tips and have actually stocked up on these tips, but they don't really go well with the Final Audio E3000 IMHO.
 
Sep 19, 2020 at 12:41 PM Post #25,859 of 31,833
Got my T2 plus a couple days ago and I couldn't be happier with them. The shell design fits my ears perfectly. I had them in for over 8 hours the other day and felt no discomfort. I'm not good at describing sound, but I will say that these are pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. I would post a picture, but that would require me to remove them from my ears :)
 
Sep 19, 2020 at 1:42 PM Post #25,860 of 31,833
rokushoo said:
Got my T2 plus a couple days ago and I couldn't be happier with them. The shell design fits my ears perfectly. I had them in for over 8 hours the other day and felt no discomfort. I'm not good at describing sound, but I will say that these are pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. I would post a picture, but that would require me to remove them from my ears :)
Click to expand...

Yes, the T2 Plus remain my favourite "sit down and listen" IEMs by far :)
 
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