[nplateau]

 
I'd love to wait and see and still have my fingers crossed that they do arrive.  It's a little weird as people whose orders were sent out on April 7th from NiceHCK are receiving their orders but mine that was ostensibly sent out on April 1 am still waiting.
 
 
Quote:

   
Why don't you just wait until you get them to see? No need to panic just yet. It's not like there are 'widespread' QC issues. So far there's 2 reported cases of flaky cables, out of the boatloads they've sold so far. I'd say that's a pretty good track record so far.

 

[nplateau]

  i still haven't received my headphone case i ordered from him. Ordered it April 1st

 
 
Yeah I ordered my K3 Pros on March 28th and the last update to tracking was April 1st.  I'm thinking that the deluge of orders from the 7th Anniversary sale might have backlogged or messed up some shipping.  Some people whose orders were shipped out on April 7th due to backorders have already received them whereas you and I are still waiting.  I find that vexing.

 

[Slater]

  Magaosi having QC problem from HCK?

 
QC defects originate from the factory, not dealers.
 
That would be like Honda only sending their cars with defects to one dealer. It doesn't work that way. Defective products slip out no matter what the product is, and end up at random points in the distribution channel. The only exception are products that have an exclusive/single distribution channel, like Ikea for example (only being distributed through Ikea retail locations, Ikea website, and the Ikea mail order catalog).

 

[wastan]

I ordered from NiceHCK and though the last update to tracking shows they were processed through the facility in Shenzhen on April 1, I still haven't received them. I am going to contact NiceHCK this evening, but considering the quality control problems being reported I'm wondering whether I should ask for a replacement or refund. It could just be a bad batch from Magaosi, but I'm not sure that I want to go through any extra added hassle of having to send back a defective unit should that end up being the case. It's tough to pass up the deal that I was receiving, though. I guess this is part of living the Chi-Fi life.

Are you getting your tracking via aliexpress or the 17track link? I've found 17track to be more accurate and detailed than Ali.

 

[nplateau]

Yes, 17track is where I always check, too (and they do tend to be far better at being up-to-date).  I learned of them when I ordered a Burson opamp and was sent tracking information through 17track.  I also signed up with text notices with USPS, and I literally just received an update from USPS that my order has processed through LA this evening.  However, the estimated delivery date extends beyond the buyer protection period, so I asked NiceHCK to extend that period and they have agreed.  So if all goes well, I should have them next Wednesday afternoon.  Fingers remain crossed.

Quote:

 

Are you getting your tracking via aliexpress or the 17track link? I've found 17track to be more accurate and detailed than Ali.

 

[ForceMajeure]

For you guys worrying about shipping times from China...usually 1 month to 1.5 month is very common until you get the item.

 

[Skullophile]

   
QC defects originate from the factory, not dealers.
 
That would be like Honda only sending their cars with defects to one dealer. It doesn't work that way. Defective products slip out no matter what the product is, and end up at random points in the distribution channel. The only exception are products that have an exclusive/single distribution channel, like Ikea for example (only being distributed through Ikea retail locations, Ikea website, and the Ikea mail order catalog).

I'm with you there, I don't give a crap when I'm working at my job. If I had the great job of QC at an iem factory I doubt I'd give a crap about anything let alone QC for the iems.

 

[kova4a]

Well, I didn't have much time for the k3 pro last night coz I stayed at my girlfriend\s, so no bags of tips to roll or me time. So far no QC issues (the k3 is from HCK). As far as the sound goes, the k3 pro seems competent but the low end is a bit on the loose and soft side. Vocals are definitely pushed back and not as present as I would like but they do the job. Otherwise, the mids are a bit on the warmish side with good note thickness and detail. Treble has good clarity and presence with good amount of shimmer but a touch grainy and artificial in tone. Soundstage-wise, the k3 is above average - nothing impressive but has good depth although the center imaging is slightly off. Overall, there is just something I can't quite put my finger on yet presentation-wise and it just doesn't have the effortlessness of other competitors.
 
It's too early too pass judgment - I\ll burn it in and do some extensive tip rolling before that. So far, it's not bad for the 80 bucks I paid given the metal housings, detachable cables and the included accessories but IMO it's not as good as other competitors in the price range that might not have fancy hybrid designs but are more superiorly tuned like gr07, titan 1, etc. I think it's better than  the brainwavz B150 though.

 

[taz23]

So far, it's not bad for the 80 bucks I paid given the metal housings, detachable cables and the included accessories but IMO it's not as good as other competitors in the price range that might not have fancy hybrid designs but are more superiorly tuned like gr07, titan 1, etc. I think it's better than  the brainwavz B150 though.

May I ask which other hybrids do you think are more competent than the K3 Pro? I will be interested to try them out...

Still waiting for the Senndiy m1221 to arrive. But I am rather impressed by the K3 Pro paired with Aune M1s.

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

Is there any good budget 64-ohm IEM's out there? If not, maybe 32 ohms? They'd be for the Walnut v2.
 
PS: There is one headphone labeled, as being made for the Walnut, but there are no reviews.

 

[drwlf]

 

I ordered from NiceHCK and though the last update to tracking shows they were processed through the facility in Shenzhen on April 1, I still haven't received them. I am going to contact NiceHCK this evening, but considering the quality control problems being reported I'm wondering whether I should ask for a replacement or refund. It could just be a bad batch from Magaosi, but I'm not sure that I want to go through any extra added hassle of having to send back a defective unit should that end up being the case. It's tough to pass up the deal that I was receiving, though. I guess this is part of living the Chi-Fi life.

 
Why don't you just wait until you get them to see? No need to panic just yet. It's not like there are 'widespread' QC issues. So far there's 2 reported cases of flaky cables, out of the boatloads they've sold so far. I'd say that's a pretty good track record so far.

@SpiderNhan and @MontyGibon
Third reporting in, received mine yesterday evening.
 
Intermittent cutting off the sound, due to the connector being too loose? Tested with the two stock cables and a spare. The problem seems to have worsened during my work day, and after trying to find a decent tip for a proper seal/isolation.
OOTB impressions are quite meh, and so is the sound. I guess I could report back on that after 100 hours.
Nothing really to write home about after a few hours yesterday evening+burn in during the night+work nao.

 

[kova4a]

May I ask which other hybrids do you think are more competent than the K3 Pro? I will be interested to try them out...

Still waiting for the Senndiy m1221 to arrive. But I am rather impressed by the K3 Pro paired with Aune M1s.

Honestly, aside from the early hybrids of t-peos and astrotec, which were quite underwhelming, and the dunu dn1k, which I thought was good, I haven't listened to any of the more recent hybrids until the k3 pro. Personally, aside from the technological advance standpoint, which  probably draws most of the people towards hybrids, I don't think that people should necessarily expect hybrids to be superior over even single dynamic or BA iems with proper R&D involved. Right now it feels like a lot of Chinese manufacturers release hastily new products with random drivers mashed inside and the tuning is an afterthought. K3 is an example of that with 3 different versions being released in a very short period. 
 
The k3 is not bad but at full price I would be quite disappointed to be honest and even now after my early short audition there are a bunch of non-hybrid designs I would pick over it without any hesitation. That's the thing with chi-fi - there are so many new models being released on weekly basis that it's hard to follow them and in the end of the day it's easy to create hype with limited number of reviews and impressions and zero measurements. That's why nowadays I control myself and don't jump the gun every time the yet another giant killer has been proclaimed as it's rarely the actual case. I don't try to downplay anyone's contribution in the search of higher audio discoveries, but rather that people should tread carefully around all the new chi-fi from little known brands to avoid later disappointment.

 

[taz23]

  Honestly, aside from the early hybrids of t-peos and astrotec, which were quite underwhelming, and the dunu dn1k, which I thought was good, I haven't listened to any of the more recent hybrids until the k3 pro. Personally, aside from the technological advance standpoint, which  probably draws most of the people towards hybrids, I don't think that people should necessarily expect hybrids to be superior over even single dynamic or BA iems with proper R&D involved. Right now it feels like a lot of Chinese manufacturers release hastily new products with random drivers mashed inside and the tuning is an afterthought. K3 is an example of that with 3 different versions being released in a very short period. 
 
The k3 is not bad but at full price I would be quite disappointed to be honest and even now after my early short audition there are a bunch of non-hybrid designs I would pick over it without any hesitation. That's the thing with chi-fi - there are so many new models being released on weekly basis that it's hard to follow them and in the end of the day it's easy to create hype with limited number of reviews and impressions and zero measurements. That's why nowadays I control myself and don't jump the gun every time the yet another giant killer has been proclaimed as it's rarely the actual case. I don't try to downplay anyone's contribution in the search of higher audio discoveries, but rather that people should tread carefully around all the new chi-fi from little known brands to avoid later disappointment.

 
Thanks for the detailed reply, @kova4a!
Yes, I agree to a large extent.  My best IEM now is a single DD (Rhapsodio Galaxy), and I am not after the numbers (of BAs) game too. 
Given the praise of K3 Pro and Sendiy M1221, I gave in to the temptation.
 
But I am glad that I bought the Aune M1s.  It really sings despite the low price. 
 
Happy listening!

 

[anticute]

I'm waiting for the Chinese to start making good pure BA IEM's. Not a huge fan of hybrids, the ones I've heard tend to overdo bass etc, and I'm not willing to shell out hundreds of dollars on some unknown 8BA model..

 

[loomisjohnson]

  I'm waiting for the Chinese to start making good pure BA IEM's. Not a huge fan of hybrids, the ones I've heard tend to overdo bass etc, and I'm not willing to shell out hundreds of dollars on some unknown 8BA model..

my new kinera bam03 dual BA ($29 from see u again on ali) are breaking in nicely--very detailed, treble-forward and energetic, plus after switching to large starline-type tips i'm able to coax quite a bit of low end, though it won't plumb the depths. i'm conscious of not overpraising these, since there may be some shiny new toy effect going on, but i do find myself reaching for them often.