[Carpet]

@NyPhonomaniac & @Carpet Sorry guys I can't quote users since iv updated my Samsung yo Android 13 every time I try it freezes my phone up and crashes headfi! Anyway, thanks for the help I really appreciate it out of you the ones you mentioned NytPh I'm actually really interested in the AQ4 I know you said the highs aren't it's strongest point so am I Wright thinking it's L shaped or is it still U or W but just not to extended in the highs? I'm not to bothered about it cos if need be I can use the 8ball on my R3pro to brighten it up a bit! @Carpet I actually already have the Magaosi V3 funny enough but I don't find the sub-bass that much in quantify ! quality not to bad but since I got my Starsea with a slight boost in the sub 80hz with EQ it's made the V3 redundant so iv actually got the V3+Hakugie Obsidian Cable up for sale on ebay for £49 the TRI Starsea is a fantastic monitor but I just wish it had at least an extra 3db around 40-60hz and then it would be a keeper for sure,! I have picked up one very cheap monitor from Amazon lately that's ended up being a Fantastic U Shape the KBear Rosefinch, it as I mentioned on the IMR thread it won't win any competitions for technicalities but for tone & bsub-bass it's phenomenal and on £19! it's crazy what you can get for such cheap money these days I'm actually thinking of holding off for a couple of months and saving the money and picking up a mid-TTOTL monitor? iv been eyeing up the ThieAudio Oracle Mk2? Iv read loads of reviews and it seems to hhave everything I want in a monitor and now they it has the extra sub-bass emphasis over the mk1 it's perfect, the only thing that bothers me QC issues ThieAudio had with ALL it's mk1 series! I'm not 100% sure they have been ironed out with the mk2's? When your paying £500+ the last thing you should be worrying about is QC issues lol One last thing if you guys would be so kind to help me with? other than the Rosefinch I don't have any budget chi-fi Monitor's and want something cheap to throw in my bag for gym & commuting ect. for around £30 which has the same basshead level of sub-bass as the Rosefinch but with a bit more treble extension and better technical factors(inline with the price of course lol)
Once again thanks for the help guys really appreciate it

Original CCA CRA is still great for sub-bass, or KZ EDX Ultra if you want a slightly tidied up version.
You're right about the Magaosi V3, there is a bit of roll off into sub-bass (love the mid-bass though).

 

[RumbleWeed]

@Carpet iv had the CRA in my Aliexpress cart for months but never seem to pull the trigger on it! maybe i should give it a go? So u say the EDX ULTRA has the same amount of sub-bass as CRA but a bit better all round? I'm a total bass nutter but iv been in this hobby for over 30 years all the way through personal Cassette players,mini disc's,ipods ect.. so i really NEED all the other aspects of a great sound and not just bass! For ME the emotions &:euphoria comes from the bass especially the sub frequencies! My perfect signature is warm,analog,bassy with a high level of clarity in the midrange and a relaxed treble with technicalities to match the price range. I owned the Mest mk2 for about a year and loved everything about it and would never have parted ways with it if it just had more quantity of sub-bass!"don't get me wrong the quality was fantastic it had phenomenal layering & texture and the speed was on par with a good Sonion BA BUT there was just not enough of it to satisfy me and the last thing you want to do with a kilo buck TOTL monitor is EQ it so ultimately and sadly made the decision to part ways with it!:I must say though i do regret selling it time to time, a track I love by The Police called "So Lonely" has this fantastic bassline expertly played be Sting and it gets supper fast in the chorus and the MEST MK2 handles it like a champ and you could hear the strings bouncing of the wood it was phenomenal to experience this speed & texture Because of this iv looked at MEXT since its release but the shell size really concerns me? I have medium sized ears and from what iv read and seen in videos its massive! This is another reason I'm tilted towards the Oracle mk2 the new shell is much smaller Decisions Decisions

 

[Carpet]

@Carpet iv had the CRA in my Aliexpress cart for months but never seem to pull the trigger on it! maybe i should give it a go? So u say the EDX ULTRA has the same amount of sub-bass as CRA but a bit better all round? I'm a total bass nutter but iv been in this hobby for over 30 years all the way through personal Cassette players,mini disc's,ipods ect.. so i really NEED all the other aspects of a great sound and not just bass! For ME the emotions &:euphoria comes from the bass especially the sub frequencies! My perfect signature is warm,analog,bassy with a high level of clarity in the midrange and a relaxed treble with technicalities to match the price range. I owned the Mest mk2 for about a year and loved everything about it and would never have parted ways with it if it just had more quantity of sub-bass!"don't get me wrong the quality was fantastic it had phenomenal layering & texture and the speed was on par with a good Sonion BA BUT there was just not enough of it to satisfy me and the last thing you want to do with a kilo buck TOTL monitor is EQ it so ultimately and sadly made the decision to part ways with it!:I must say though i do regret selling it time to time, a track I love by The Police called "So Lonely" has this fantastic bassline expertly played be Sting and it gets supper fast in the chorus and the MEST MK2 handles it like a champ and you could hear the strings bouncing of the wood it was phenomenal to experience this speed & texture Because of this iv looked at MEXT since its release but the shell size really concerns me? I have medium sized ears and from what iv read and seen in videos its massive! This is another reason I'm tilted towards the Oracle mk2 the new shell is much smaller Decisions Decisions

CRA has most sub-bass, but harshest in upper mids and treble, still a great beater but not best choice for all day listening. EDA balanced is best for long listening with more controlled treble. EDX Ultra is middle ground between the two. TRN MT3 is too aggressive in top end for me. I haven't heard any of the more recent KZ/CCA single DDs. KZ ZS10 Pro X was about $30 on sale when I picked them up, those are a good V tuning for all day listening, Redcarmoose and Akros put me on to those.

 

[RumbleWeed]

just checked out those ZS10 Pro X and they look great for all day beater just what I'm looking for Do they have as much bass as FR states? if they are they seem perfect? I'll wait until they are no sale and pick a set up Thanx for the rec really aappreciates help

 

[0rangutan]

Hey @RumbleWeed - Loving your posts but is your return key broken?
A few carriage returns would really help readability

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

The Truthear SHIO is very detailed and good, probably the best dongle you can get under 100$. Cirrus Logic chip has lots of microdetail if your into that, latest ESS offering I have used are actually smoother and more relaxed than the latest AKM DACs and the SHIO.

But again it also comes down to implementation.



Also 500$ for a full sized DAP with faster than average chipset and android 12 is a good deal in my book. Can even drive most full size headphones good. To some 500 is more than their yearly budget for Audio, and then it's not a good deal. Then the SHIO together with you phone is the way to go.

well....now you convince me....i would love to read a comparison again the Moondrop Dawn 4.4....because im afraid Shio sound similat to....euh, 400$ Xduoo Poke 2....which is too lean clinical for my taste. achieving naturalness and great resolution and transparency isnt easy. since i cant get review sample of these, i will buy it when i have the $. just because of this dual CS43198 lol
talking about CS43198, Ikko is selling ITM05 for 35$ on Aliexpress....seem like a crazy deal!

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

You should give the RU6 a shot. Would love to know your impressions and where it sits since you’ve used both the rs2 and rs6.

i will try mate, ive read too much good things about it and now feel its truely good...even if a bit pricey....i wonder how it compare to Tempotec V6 DAP selling for similar price...and if it sound near Hiby RS6, it will mean their sound benefit for real.
i wonder if it drown battery of the phone fast too
amping section seem hard to implement well with R2R DAC.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

OH I forgot to say? lol That 7hz Legato FR curve looks epic does anyone know if this is 100% the response it's gonna have once it's released? And talking about release does anyone have any idea when that will be and what the asking price will be? Thanks guys have a fantastic week

i do think it's official graph, but i can't fully confirm....i can try PM'img Ray. its sure look fun and different than typical ''balanced'' chifi tuning...im really a fan of some tuning work from Larry (Kopi). I still enjoy KBear Believe for ex.
Price is 110$ i think, its what Linsoul share. those that do pre-order get 10$ discount
its not the first nor the last 2DD IEM we will see in 2023!

 

[baskingshark]

Anyway, I don't receive samples from many sellers and companies anymore for that reason so it's not something new. Companies tend to avoid sending stuff to experienced ears when they can, instead, send it to hype-tubers. There is one of them that also has a very big social network group and practically never made a single critique to a product, he has always been praising every IEM he receives and some time ago started banning other honest reviewers from his group.
This is chi-fi nowadays.

Understand your experiences bro. I have also been banned by quite a few manufacturers after giving negative reviews for their iems.

Lol I even encountered 2 manufacturers writing in to demand I change some stuff in the review or remove the review entirely (for which I told them no).

Well I understand where the companies are coming from, they have a business to run, and will wanna send the iem to someone who is more likely to upsell their product.

The truth is things operate on a bell curve even in ChiFi. It can't be every new product that comes out gets a 5/5 - and chifi releases things weekly! Around 70% or so are sidegrades I am sure we will agree. How can every week's new iem that comes out be labelled 5/5 or a best under $200 or giant killer? And then the hypetrain crashes after a week and that iem is no longer talked about.

Thankfully, there's many fish in the ocean, and there are some good manufacturers that actually accept feedback to improve their products. Lately, I been trying to get loaners from friends or buying some second hand iems for reviews too, so don't give up, there's many ways to continue the reviewing hobby!

 

[Carpet]

just checked out those ZS10 Pro X and they look great for all day beater just what I'm looking for Do they have as much bass as FR states? if they are they seem perfect? I'll wait until they are no sale and pick a set up Thanx for the rec really aappreciates help

Yes, it's bass is as the graph suggests, not like planar or BA bass. Good sub-bass extension, not loose and enough mid-bass to add some warmth (without excessive bleed into mids). Mids aren't overly recessed. Upper mids better controlled and treble less peaky than older KZ tunings. TRN ST5 stole the limelight with being released first. I haven't heard those, but the consensus seems to be that it was a little more aggressive and had a metal shell, for 50% higher price tag. TRN ST5 has BE coated DD, KZ has more recent BAs. Both are good options depending on preference and budget.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

My god a 500 dollar single DD? That makes no sense to me. Why not put all that R&D into 2/3 drivers...You have a much lower ceiling with a single DD.

your right, from IKKO that make no sens due to low experience with DD in general....
but im, more drivers doesnt mean better sound....for ex, Auroma Thunder doesn't age like fine wine due to fast evolution of BAs and drivers tech.
but at least its not a DIta Fealty....1.5K$ for something that can be beat by a HZsound Mirror. no joke.
while my Final A8000 is indeed overpriced, at 1000$ it would not. Luna at 1000$ will still be overpriced imo, due to limited technical performance (kinda muddy)
its interesting to read this since im really trying hard to get sound benefit return correctly lately by comparing different 500 to 2500$ IEMs.
The Mangird Xenn Up beat the Aroma Thunder gloriously, while Kinera URD have more pleasant tonality and more extended treble but lack mid range fullness and layering of Aroma.
what single DD IEM blow your mind mate???

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

Ordered the AQ4. Decided it was a safer option than AQ7 as I prefer lower pina gain and the AQ7 looks quite aggressive in that area.
I'm not going to buy anything else this November...hopefully, unless....

I confirm they are both fabulous and non fatiguing.
those and T800 are my fav Audiosense IEM....
sigh....i really hope they still produce IEM, im worry they close their company in fact

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

What downsides????
Zetian Wu is one of the best at the moment!

the Wu are my fav Tangzu IEM too and i try them all...
but built quality is bad, very fragile so be cautious about nozzle especially...it can broke out of the blue!
as well, technical performance while good are not mind blowing imo, not very clean, nor transparent, so imaging is very average even if layering is good, warmish way...
i repeat myself here, but Tinhifi P1plus is on a whole other level technically speaking wise
still, i listen more to the Wu!

 

[lushmelody]

My god a 500 dollar single DD? That makes no sense to me. Why not put all that R&D into 2/3 drivers...You have a much lower ceiling with a single DD.

Me seeing Fiio and Dunu 2021 single DDs

 

[Barndoor]

I confirm they are both fabulous and non fatiguing.
those and T800 are my fav Audiosense IEM....
sigh....i really hope they still produce IEM, im worry they close their company in fact

My AQ4 were faulty. They kept saying they would send a replacement but never did, so I have no respect for this company and don't care if they do close.