[fairx]

1st. Comfort
2nd. Open sounding
3rd. Price performance ratio
4th. I still listen to iem, and speakers. why limit yourself

 

[Saoshyant]

For me it's mainly comfort. Most earbuds are an 8/10 or higher where IEMs are very difficult for me to find a proper & comfortable fit. I'm lucky that my IE800 is near perfect in both regards, and the Rose Pudding isn't too far off either. For most of my music something like the CampFreds is great, and Raven MK2 shows amazing promise as I think it might outperform Blue Darth for what the BD is good at.

 

[Danneq]

Guys i'm just curious, what made you choose earbuds over IEM and headphones? Is it because of the sound quality? comfort/fit? design/looks?

I cannot stand IEMs. I used to have a few portable headphones (I mainly listen to music on the go), but now I have sold everything except for ATH ES10. Earbuds are comfortable and can sound quite good.

I've also got a small collection of clip-on earphones but those isolate and leak music worse than earbuds...

 

[Majin]

Comfort and price to performance. I am already blown away what earbuds can do for under $5. None of the $15 IEM can rival them.

 

[plumpjack]

The BS1 is like a neutral BK (bk is slightly warmer) with very similar signature overall but with a bigger soundstage. I said a few months ago the similarities between the two are easily recognisable except a few nuances like less forward vocals than bk, slightly smoother treble and slightly less thick mid range but still keeping most of the texture found in the midrange of the bk.

Thanks! Yeah from everything I've been reading on this thread I had a feeling the BS1 would be one for me to try. Time to start saving for it!

 

[j4100]

Are you s*** out of luck if the earbud is defective? seeing as your purchase protection ended before you even received the package?

This almost happened to me with my Masya, I had 4 days of protection left when it arrived.

Whoah! I wasn't aware of that. I would like to think the seller is a decent enough person so sort things out if there was a problem. We'll see. I was going to report the lack of package to the seller before the two month date, but I got that "arrived in country" message, so never bothered, expecting it to turn up before too long.

Never mind, I won't be buying many more expensive buds from Ali anyway. I think I probably have enough at the moment, barring perhaps an end game bud (or two), but I imagine that would be a Blur or Cypherus, or something.

I've ordered only one other thing from Ali back in the day, and the experience soured me to the site quite a bit. Lying about shipping, begging me to give them a good review in return for a future discount, etc.

I was advised by one seller that he would give me a big discount if I reviewed the earbuds, but I declined, not least as I'm no good at reviewing. I got a discount, but I guess not as much as I might have if I had agreed to review. I do question some reviews when the reviewer got the 'phones for nothing or large discount. Might be a totally honest review, but might not be the whole truth.

Stay cynical

 

[Ceteru]

I was advised by one seller that he would give me a big discount if I reviewed the earbuds, but I declined, not least as I'm no good at reviewing. I got a discount, but I guess not as much as I might have if I had agreed to review. I do question some reviews when the reviewer got the 'phones for nothing or large discount. Might be a totally honest review, but might not be the whole truth.

Stay cynical

Haha I intend to.

In my case, I bought a pair of cheap DAPs from the seller and they lied about the shipping. My package was delayed for nearly 1 month before it shipped IIRC, and towards the end of the whole fiasco I was letting them know in no uncertain terms that they were getting a poor review. The seller of course kept calling me 'friend', but she was referring to herself as a "young enterprising girl trying to make a living" and saying that if I reviewed her store well (despite my problems with them) I would get a discount on my next purchase from them..

I basically said "There's not going to be a next purchase!" xD

 

[j4100]

(1) iems make my ear canals very itchy
(5) buds are more comfortable for sleeping with
(6) buds sound great...

(1) Yup, I'm with those. I bought two pairs of reasonably expensive IEMs before I realsied that they were way too uncomfortable to wear for long. They sound great, but I'm probably going to give them to my grandsons.
(5) I use some budget buds to listen to music before I go to sleep. More often than not, I wake up a couple of hours later wondering what on earth is going on (music-wise) with the cable wrapped around me. Hence using low cost buds. I find the Qian 39s very comfortable for sleeping with.
(6) Yes!

I also use closed back headphones for use in the living room to drown out what my wife is watching on tv, especially if I am gaming at the same time.

 

[j4100]

I have been trying the Qian25 once again after using the Vido's and RY4S for quite some time.
The Qian25 is still sooo good. Not muffled like the Vido's and so much clearer than both of the latter earbuds.
I have been looking into the Qian25 once again and they have this improved braided cable with a mic.
Did anybody try those?

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/New-...63ee-4a39-9b98-afe4c1d926c4&priceBeautifyAB=0

Is that the same shells as the older one? I notice they are different from the Qian39 and Qian69 I have.

 

[cqtek]

These are my first impressions after receiving the Nameless MoonDrop purchased at NiceHCK Store:

https://es.aliexpress.com/item/2017...Balanced-HIFI-13-5mm-Dynamic/32830971670.html













The first thing that is appreciated is the distinctive packaging, even if it is made of little durable plastic, any packaging different from the box with a zipper already gives it an extra value. Continuing with the design of the capsules, they remind me of a hybrid between the Mrz Tomahawk and the 1More EO320. They are metallic, very light and smaller than the Mrz Tomahawk, which I appreciate very much because it makes them very comfortable, of excellent fit, they do not move. The cable, covered with translucent plastic, shows the braided copper, it has a very good touch and gives the sensation that it is not very susceptible to rolling, nor is it very rigid. These qualities provide another added value to the whole. The plug is completely smooth, making the disconnection operation difficult. It is practically the same as the QianYun Qian69 only a little longer.

Sound?
Although I had read that the bass was "fair" and in fact it is like that, I have not noticed the apathy I felt so much with the Toneking TP16 or the Mrz Tomahawk. And it is due in large part to the great comfort of these earbuds. Without any burning I have tried them with the Zishan Z3 and they marry very well, giving them a little extra bass. I find the profile quite neutral, it does not stand out from bass region (as I say very fair bass), nor from highs (it does not look bright but it has a touch of treble that provides air, clarity and a good level of detail to the whole) and the middle region it is not over emphasized either. Although it is the highlight of the whole, being clear and smooth with a great level of detail. They are analytical earbuds, focused on the details rather than on recreating a seamless sound wall or offering a good dose of bass. On the other hand they enjoy a good level of separation, air and detail without being sibilant.

I find that the Nameless are not as sensitive as other earbuds that I have, although they do not generate any kind of problem to be moved with the simplest player that you have. What is certain is that with the current level of burning they appreciate an extra power to sound more grateful.

My biggest surprise has been that, although it lacks the power in bass that I like, they offer me other qualities that I can positively value, such as their analytical profile, their construction, packaging presentation and their great comfort. The first impression has been so positive in these aspects that I have not expected to share it with you.

 

[DJ The Rocket]

Yeah, but is it better than the 'ol Clip Zip?

I couldn't deal with that kind of storage (and lack of microsd card slot), or with no lossless support (ie flac, wav), but it's interesting!


p.s. I just passed a head-fi milestone. Time for some counselling lol.

That's a good question. I think I still have one somewhere, I'll investigate.

FWIW the Samsung YP-Z5 is of the same vintage and it's right up there with the iRiver in sound quality. It even pulls ahead with better DSP, if you need DSP for anything, and I can load music directly from my phone with an OTG cable. The T10 requires syncing with windows media player.

I've also got a small collection of clip-on earphones but those isolate and leak music worse than earbuds...

I've been wanting to try a pair like that. Is there anything worth trying for under $50? Or is the ATH-EW9 worth the price they go for at auction site #1?

 

[waynes world]

I've been wanting to try a pair like that. Is there anything worth trying for under $50? Or is the ATH-EW9 worth the price they go for at auction site #1?

Yes, for $15:
Koss KSC75's. Dont Forget This Giant Killer in all the ''Hidden Gem'' Hype.

Better yet, put the KSC75 ($15) drivers on a "parts express headband ($3):

Better yet, buy some sportapro headphones (ie $25) which have the same drivers as portapros (and therefore a bit more bass than ksc75's), and stick them on the parts express headband, and you have a rather incredible setup for cheap!

 

[Saoshyant]

@DJ The Rocket ATH-EW9 is most assuredly not worth the current cost as you're paying collector's fee. The comfort is only so-so, and it's bass-anemic if that's important to you. It is quite small and lovely looking however.

I second @waynes world for the Koss budget setup, although I personally tend to use Porta-Pros with ear clips more. I've tried 12 budget Chi-Fi clip ons, and while some of them are tolerable, the Koss options are all better. For those that remember the old Joker headphone guide, most of the Chi-Fi clip ons I've tried I prefer to the Kanen KM-95.

 

[DJ The Rocket]

KSC75

Ah, I should have been more specific. I actually have a lot of experience modding KSC75s and PortaPros, I love Koss. I agree they're great for what they are, but I'm interested in something that takes a step forward in terms of clarity, without sacrificing bass like the EW9. I guess the answer is "no" then

 

[redkingjoe]

Ok I didn't really believe that different tubes can do much, and I was using a standard RCA Clear-Top 12AU7 tube for my Project Starlight amp, but I just tried the Telefunken 12AT7 (which I got for cheap on ebay) and WOW. The bass and detailing with Zen 2.0 is probably twice as good as it was before. My only qualm with the Zen 2.0 was the sub-bass (it wasn't that amazing) but this tube has just solved that problem for me. What an incredible noticeable difference!

Tube is the soul of tube amps.

By all means try the king of 12AT7, the mighty GEC A2900 with triple getters made around 195x to 196x! Telefunken is just a better than average tube.

It will blow your mind, certainly. And you know what you have been missing.