Earbuds Round-Up
Apr 5, 2018 at 6:49 AM Post #29,911 of 74,628
I love the sound of these tanks but the fit is a bit uncomfortable. The diameter seems a bit large for my left ear and so it's hard to sit them comfortably before feeling some strain after a few minutes. Tried over ear and different foam setups as well.

For me the most comfortable TOTL is Shozy BK which has the smallest shell.

After getting the BK, I was so happy that I bought the BK Limited with the silver cable!
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 6:56 AM Post #29,912 of 74,628
Well my monk lite 120 ohm arrived today... I’d be lying if I said I was impressed, I don’t think the price-performance can stand up to the emx500/vido etc.

It just lacks clarity for me, it’s more balanced than the monk plus but lacks the personality that bud had. With the monk plus you could appreciate the dark signature and slightly artificial but airy treble. This time around I feel as though the monk lite is trying to be a jack of all trades but ultimately it is master of none. Also it doesn’t seem to scale well to a more powerful source despite being 120 ohm. I found it no different in quality being driven from my iphone 6s than my V20 in high impendance mode. I’ll burn it in to see if anything changes though.

Ok but on to the positives. It’s balanced sounding, not so much ‘natural/neutral’ but it’s overall fairly balanced albeit slightly too rolled off in the treble and sub bass.

The size is perfect for a sleeping bud, it’s extremely thin and doesn’t protude from the ear at all.

So that’s what I’ll use it for! It’s the only bud that doesn’t hurt if I rest my head against a pillow. Even the pk shell buds are a little too thick for that.

thanks, that's one buds curiosity that i can let pass now. by the way, have you tried the zens? the zen 2 is now my new "going to bed" buds, as it sounded really pleasant, wide and airy staging, and also (because no need for foams) fit nicely on the ears
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 7:00 AM Post #29,913 of 74,628
thanks, that's one buds curiosity that i can let pass now. by the way, have you tried the zens? the zen 2 is now my new "going to bed" buds, as it sounded really pleasant, wide and airy staging, and also (because no need for foams) fit nicely on the ears
Sadly not but I can imagine that being the ultimate comfort bud for this purpose.

Even the monk plus had some benefits using thin foams (slightly more bass) but with the lites I can see none.

Infact using foams actually makes the bass a little flabby and bloated. It has an OK amount of bass without foams and has an adequate amount of treble this way (although still not enough for my liking). It most definitely sounds the most balanced and clear with decent body to the mids foamless. I feel like these buds were designed to be used without foams, they are just as comfortable and fit well without them.

I was a little harsh in my first impressions. They have a fairly pleasant sound foamless, the lack of clarity is more a lack of finer detail. Overall it’s got moderate clarity but it doesn’t really reveal too much detail, especially in the upper mids/treble and in the bass.

However for podcasts and such? I can see this being a very useful bud!
 
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Apr 5, 2018 at 8:11 AM Post #29,914 of 74,628
Have you ever listened to sennheiser mx 985?

Which of the TOTL earbuds can match or beat mx 985?

There are a few high end earbuds out. The Zen 1 and 2, TY650, K500, Diomnes, Campfred 1 and 2, Stardust and whatever new buds that have dropped since i was away from HF.

Some of these could be on par, thus said i have only heard the CF1 and CF2, also own the Diomnes. In the end its all up to the person's ear's. :)

*Edit*
 
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Apr 5, 2018 at 8:37 AM Post #29,915 of 74,628

The nicest balanced cable I have from OurArt
fiiobalanced.jpg

I have just jumped on the balanced bandwagon.
 

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Apr 5, 2018 at 9:30 AM Post #29,916 of 74,628
Im pretty sure that all earbuds allow a degree of ambient sound to enter, unless you have the volume at ear-splitting levels.

In other news, I finally located an original Monk only to find that ABnormal dont do the Diomnes conversion any more :frowning2:

In further news, Crow Audio have another bud in the pipeline. :)

That's a shame. Out of all the buds I've bought and sold, the Diomnes are still my favorite. It has the same signature as the Beryllium phones I mentioned before, but in a much less exaggerated way (with thin foams at least). Not to mention the deep soundstage.

I do wonder if they're losing clarity though. Don't know if it's just me, but they have been sounding smoother. Sounds more like mid-focused bud now. Treble is no longer bright. The cable is slowly oxidizing (little spots here and there) and I don't really have the old Monk+ thin foams anymore (new ones are a little thicker).
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 9:51 AM Post #29,917 of 74,628
Pretty sure there are a few already.. The Zen 1 and 2, TY650, K500, Diomnes, Campfred 1 and 2, Stardust and whatever new buds that have dropped since i was away from HF.

Some of these would be on par or higher, thus said i have only heard the CF1 and CF2, also own the Diomnes. In the end its all up to the person's ear's. :)

Thanks for your kind information!

So I won’t spend a fortune to get MX985!
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:26 PM Post #29,919 of 74,628
Does anyone know if the Campfred2, Qfred and shozy BK sit in regards to sound quality? Is it just a difference in tonality and presentation or are they in different tiers in regards to technicalities and how good they are?
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:49 PM Post #29,920 of 74,628
Does anyone know if the Campfred2, Qfred and shozy BK sit in regards to sound quality? Is it just a difference in tonality and presentation or are they in different tiers in regards to technicalities and how good they are?

Your best bet is to use the "search this thread only" part of the search function. There have been loads of impressions here in the past.
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 1:53 PM Post #29,921 of 74,628
Does anyone know if the Campfred2, Qfred and shozy BK sit in regards to sound quality? Is it just a difference in tonality and presentation or are they in different tiers in regards to technicalities and how good they are?

IMO - CampFred 2 >= Shozy BK > QFred

While I prefer QFred's mids over the Shozy BK, they don't perform as well everywhere else. This is amplified by the fact that the initial models by Cypherus had a distortion issue at louder volumes - These models being CampFred 1 and QFred. The build quality is also not up to par as the other two.
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 4:16 PM Post #29,922 of 74,628
Just feel that a reminder needs to be mentioned. At the quality point that the MX985 sits, it’s not so much a matter of better but better suited. It’s still highly sought after for a reason.

I’ll admit it’s not well suited to me at all, but someone stating a list of better earbuds that they haven’t heard is generally frowned upon.
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 4:45 PM Post #29,923 of 74,628
Hi guys, long time no see!

I'm so happy with my TH900 since many months now, that I completely forget earbuds world since ages.

But it looks like the contrary now, and would like to go back to earbuds. Followed a bit the thread since few days and ordered both Willsound MK1 (rev2) and MK2 (rev2), and also a pair of Fengru DIY EMX500S.
Until now, my best earbuds pair (which I still own) is still definitely Blox BE3 (rev1).
Can't wait to receive Willsound ones! (especially MK2)
I also still own H180, Monk (not the plus version), etc.

I will try to make a quick comparison, especially between BE3.
Stay tuned! :)
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 5:09 PM Post #29,924 of 74,628
Hi guys, long time no see!

I'm so happy with my TH900 since many months now, that I completely forget earbuds world since ages.

But it looks like the contrary now, and would like to go back to earbuds. Followed a bit the thread since few days and ordered both Willsound MK1 (rev2) and MK2 (rev2), and also a pair of Fengru DIY EMX500S.
Until now, my best earbuds pair (which I still own) is still definitely Blox BE3 (rev1).
Can't wait to receive Willsound ones! (especially MK2)
I also still own H180, Monk (not the plus version), etc.

I will try to make a quick comparison, especially between BE3.
Stay tuned! :)
Nice purchases! Did you get combined shipping on those Willsounds from Rholupat? May have to check out some myself if that’s the case :)

Good choices you’ve obviously been keeping your ears open to the suggestions going around hete lately , will be interested to hear your comparisons!
 
Apr 5, 2018 at 5:14 PM Post #29,925 of 74,628
Just feel that a reminder needs to be mentioned. At the quality point that the MX985 sits, it’s not so much a matter of better but better suited. It’s still highly sought after for a reason.

I’ll admit it’s not well suited to me at all, but someone stating a list of better earbuds that they haven’t heard is generally frowned upon.

Highly sought after because its not made anymore.. For a collector fair enough. Frowned upon or not i stated that it depends on the persons ears in the end. I merely gave a list of earbuds that people have mentioned are on par or could be better sounding. In the end its up to the purchaser to make their decision. Is there harm in giving some direction..??
 

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