[cigarello]

Have not listened to Diomnes v2 or campfred 2 before, but K's 500ohm v2 is what I consider to be among ToTL earbuds.

What kind of sound signature does the K's 500 ohm v2 have? Is it warmer or better than the Shozy BK?

 

[ctaxxxx]

Will going from the K 500ohm v2 to something ToTL like Diomnes v2 or campfred 2 make much difference for the price? Can't decide if I should just save for the ToTL earbuds instead?

TOTL buds can be a bit harder to get from individual DIY'ers. Diomnes Lv2 has a waiting list because they don't have the drivers in stock, and CampFred 2 just finished its first batch I believe. You'll have to wait for the next one now, but message Cyperus to be sure.

There's nothing like tubes I reckon... Something about the way they look and being able to roll them if your sound preference changes.

Yeah, I think I'll just stick to purchasing single ended as I have no use for the balanced earbuds if I only have a single ended Lyr

You could upgrade to the Mjolnir, but I think that is out of your price range. Users here tend to use balanced from their DAP. I typically use them for my full-sized headphones. I should try balanced with TOTL earbuds, since I got the DX200 now, but I keep forgetting to ask for it - Maybe once I get one of those fancy custom Cypherus buds. Although, the AMP2 doesn't have a balanced out (for some reason). AMP3 is supposed to be coming out with a balanced line out.

I don't really like adapters though, especially if the adapter and bud is straight. Is there an L-shaped adapter?

 

[ClieOS]

What kind of sound signature does the K's 500 ohm v2 have? Is it warmer or better than the Shozy BK?

K's 500 v2 has a warm, full and energetic sound with good end-to-end reach, pretty much spot on for mainstream music. In contrast BK is warm tilting toward neutral, and overall more smooth, mature and relax. While I still prefer BK overall, the difference is really small. For example, there are a few who said they think BK is a bit too neutral for their taste - I would think K's 500 v2 might be just their cup of tea.

 

[WayTooCrazy]

Well, I went ahead and ordered the Svara L to compare to what I currently have. Also picked up the Fiio F5 to play with. Looking at the K500 next.

 

[audio123]

i must say the Penon BS1 is one of a kind. At the price it is going for, it is really a steal in my honest opinion. Do try it earbud connoisseurs!

http://penonaudio.com/Penon-Audio-BS1-Dynamic-Driver-Earbud

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

Okay guys, big hard questions for my personal note cause I forget everything:

What's 5 best earbuds in this price range:
1-20$?
20-50$??
50-100$???

If you can be kind enough to answer this it will be a big help for my futur earbuds choice and the list I make for them.

 

[slappypete]

@slappypete beside the freq. respond on graph between Vido, NICEHCK 200 ohm and Seahf 32 ohm, how about the different in SQ from your ears?

Thanks..

All right here is my attempt at a subjective review. Please take it all with a grain of salt.

For the comparisons I used both outputs on the Chord Mojo as a source. I used my measurement mic to figure out the correct volume settings for each bud to have as fair a comparison as possible at the same SPL. I tried to switch earbuds and volume settings as fast as possible, but this still left much to be desired.

I didn't compare soundstage qualities as I don't think I'm the best suited to do that comparison. I don't usually notice much in the soundstage department until I've listened to that particular earbud for a good chunk of time and my brain gets used to it. An exception to this would be the MX980, which I immediately noticed something special going on with it. Anyway, on to it...

Seahf 32 ohm vs Vido.
vido sounds warmer with more forward mids.
bass extension sounds the same.
Seahf is what I would call V shaped and treble really stands out.
Vido sounds more balanced and smoother overall to me.

Seahf vs EB200
These two have the most in common of the three in the FR graph
EB200 mids sound slightly warmer (probably because of that hump around 120Hz) and treble sounds similar but I think because of the mids being warmer the treble sounds less in your face.
FR graphs show the EB200 has 3-4dB less energy around 12kHz as well.
Seahf has better bass extension
The lack of bass extension in the EB200 leaves me wanting more, but I prefer it overall to the Seahf because of the tamer treble.

Vido vs EB200
Vido sounds warmer with more forward mids
Vido has much better bass extension
The EB200's treble actually didn't stand out nearly as much to me as in the Seahf comparison, which was a surprise.
The Vido still sounds more balanced and smoother to me.

Overall my personal preference would be Vido>EB200>Seahf. I prefer the vido to both of them by quite a large margin. The Vido is just more in line with my tastes and what I would consider more natural or neutral sounding. My idea of neutral is probably a lot different from most. Idealy I want a headphone to sound as speaker-like as possible, which to me means a little extra warmth in the bass, mids a touch to the warm and forward side, and relaxed yet not recessed treble. I only really care about bass extension to 40hz, and treble roll off beyond 10kHz is fine with me too. Building loudspeakers is another hobby of mine. I am a big fan of single full range driver setups and earbuds in general remind me of that sound, which is why I like them so much. The Vido I think does a great job all-round and really out performs its price range in my opinion.

 

[audio123]

Okay guys, big hard questions for my personal note cause I forget everything:

What's 5 best earbuds in this price range:
1-20$?
20-50$??
50-100$???

If you can be kind enough to answer this it will be a big help for my futur earbuds choice and the list I make for them.

musicmaker tp16

penon bs1

ty hiz 400 se

 

[CharlesRievone]

Okay guys, big hard questions for my personal note cause I forget everything:

What's 5 best earbuds in this price range:
1-20$?
20-50$??
50-100$???

If you can be kind enough to answer this it will be a big help for my futur earbuds choice and the list I make for them.

No particular order, only from what I can remember on top of my head:

<$20:
EXM500
NiceHCK PK2
Yincrow X6
RY4S
Vido

<$100:
Uairekko Custom Earbuds
Shozy Cygnus
Edimun V3
TY Hi-Z 650
VE Zen

 

[audio123]

No particular order, only from what I can remember on top of my head:

<$20:
EXM500
NiceHCK PK2
Yincrow X6
RY4S
Vido

<$100:
Uairekko Custom Earbuds
Shozy Cygnus
Edimun V3
TY Hi-Z 650
VE Zen

cygnus 650 zen are more than 100

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

cygnus 650 zen are more than 100

Yeah, I see this when searching price for VE Zen...cause of this I fall on headfi review that compare them to sennheiser HD600 and was like Whaaaaaaat?! IS it possible to be enveloppe in a soundstage like HD600.

So much great earbuds, the Penon BS1 look incredibly well constructed, how would you describe the sound? Especially soundstage and clarity?

And I must admit i'm a little reluctant about buying high impendance earbud, especially more than 150ohm cause i'm afraid my Ibasso DX90 will no drive them properly (Xduoo X3 struggle with 32ohm earbuds so). I see high impendance are Always mroe expensive, and don't really understand why....as my Fiio E7 is must likely broken I don't have portable amp, perhaps should buy one but in sub-100$ amp I really don't know what to choose.

 

[CharlesRievone]

cygnus 650 zen are more than 100

Cygnus is around 90 usd. One can get TY650 for around 100-110 usd if you ask for discount. VE Zen is indeed more than 100 but I couldn't really think of anything else to suggest.

 

[noknok23]

Blur very good for <$100. However 300 ohm...
**** Epk1 <$20
Can't really think of anything for 20<50 range... perhaps Eliking at $30seems very promising but it's not easy to get (DIY from Vietnam, only contact through messenger)

 

[KookaBurrra]

And I must admit i'm a little reluctant about buying high impendance earbud, especially more than 150ohm cause i'm afraid my Ibasso DX90 will no drive them properly (Xduoo X3 struggle with 32ohm earbuds so). I see high impendance are Always mroe expensive, and don't really understand why....as my Fiio E7 is must likely broken I don't have portable amp, perhaps should buy one but in sub-100$ amp I really don't know what to choose.

Same question here... Aside from the cable upgrade I do not understand the big price increase ... (maybe just the hype ?? )

 

[KookaBurrra]

Thank you for your kind words. The Rose Masya is really good for the price. Smooth Operator.

@audio123 : I see you also have the TY Hi-Z HP 400 SE and the TY Hi-Z HP 650... Can you compare them to Rose Masya, in a few words, please ?