Earbuds Round-Up
May 25, 2018 at 10:02 AM Post #31,427 of 75,859
Hi lads, an earbud newbie here... It took me a while to go through a couple hundred last pages of this thread and finally feel confident enough to ask.

I have some experience/preference of orthodynamic circumaurals and BA/hybrid IEMs and want to try earbuds. My primary sound preferences are soundstage (more specific: stage depth/positioning) and clarity/intelligibility. From the pages of this thread that I've went through I extrapolated that Masya and/or EBX might fit my liking, but I want to hear suggestions of earbud experts. Budget wise - EBX is already stretching it, Mojito is out of reach and Black Ling is science fiction.

So - where do I start? (Thanks in advance)
Hi lads, an earbud newbie here... It took me a while to go through a couple hundred last pages of this thread and finally feel confident enough to ask.

I have some experience/preference of orthodynamic circumaurals and BA/hybrid IEMs and want to try earbuds. My primary sound preferences are soundstage (more specific: stage depth/positioning) and clarity/intelligibility. From the pages of this thread that I've went through I extrapolated that Masya and/or EBX might fit my liking, but I want to hear suggestions of earbud experts. Budget wise - EBX is already stretching it, Mojito is out of reach and Black Ling is science fiction.

So - where do I start? (Thanks in advance)
On one hand the Masya would suit your preference of spacious soundstage and clarity. But it's a lighter presentation in terms of the soundstage being more located on two planar surfaces left and right, rather than focusing on depth and holographic presentation. Now compared to many budget offerings this isn't an issue, but compared to my Black Ling for example, a bud that has amazing depth layering and accurate holografic imaging, the Masya is a lighter sound indeed (which is a nice change sometimes).

It does extend well in both directions for an earbud, bass has just enough depth and a slightly arcing mid bass for warmth and punch. Mids are crystal clear and light, treble extension is very good and it presents light and airy with good detail.

The dual driver setup and 12-16 ohm impendance can cause issues with some sources, pairing synergy can be an important factor with the masya.

Overall I'd describe it as warmer down low and brighter up top (quiet bright actually) and with a spacious soundstage but lacking in the finer imaging accuracy and 3D holographic presentation compared to some other TOTL buds around $100-250.

I have my Masya setup with my Mojito cable + white full foams (very picky about foams but these seem to give the best balance compared to some of my other black full foams, one of the only foams that took 90% of the grain out of the vocals). I'm really enjoying it for a lighter airy sound with a clear and brighter tonality.

20180525_150537.jpg

In some ways I prefer this pairing than the mojito itself... Especially for vocal and acoustic, Mojito is too recessed in the mids to enjoy those genres and has some harshness due to the extreme detail retrieval.
 
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May 25, 2018 at 10:32 AM Post #31,428 of 75,859
May 25, 2018 at 11:49 AM Post #31,431 of 75,859

Nice review! I love your list of test tracks. I hadn't heard "Shibuya by Covet" or "Two Against Nature by Steely Dan", so I checked them out. Excellent.

You seem to know your instruments and how to describe what you're hearing. Musician or recording engineer perhaps? Anyway, enjoyable read :)

Although I do hear the slightly more elevated mid-bass, I have a harder time discerning the "bleeds a bit into the mids". It's probably just my iron ears, but also it must be fairly slight. So for me there are no cons with the mk2! Actually, the cable's tangle factor is a slight niggle, but that's about it.

You also mentioned that you don't use foams. I have typically found that I need them to achieve a proper seal (ie to reduce treble or increase bass a smidge). So far I've only been using the foams supplied with the mk2's and am enjoying them. But i look forward to trying the mk2's with other foams - and without - once they are fully settled in.

Cheers
 
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May 25, 2018 at 12:31 PM Post #31,432 of 75,859
Nice review! I love your list of test tracks. I hadn't heard "Shibuya by Covet" or "Two Against Nature by Steely Dan", so I checked them out. Excellent.

You seem to know your instruments and how to describe what you're hearing. Musician or recording engineer perhaps? Anyway, enjoyable read :)

Cheers

Glad you liked it. I'm an IT consultant by profession :).

MK2 is a really great bud and I need to thank the people of this thread for introducing the bud to me.
 
May 25, 2018 at 12:53 PM Post #31,434 of 75,859

@mbwilson111


hey, i see you have MEMT T5 in your collection. how do they fare up against other earbuds in your collection?

Planning to give them a good listen this weekend. I don't really think of them the same as my buds because they are a pod. Very comfortable but it has been a couple of months since I used them. I know I liked them.

I have been getting too much...hard to keep track. I don't just use buds. I also have numerous IEMs and some very nice headphones.
 
May 25, 2018 at 1:53 PM Post #31,438 of 75,859
Thanks for describing Masya's sound to me in a way that I can really understand. I tend to have difficulties with audio-sommelierist tounge. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

So, your pick in my situation would be Masya?
I don't think I've listened to an earbud in the sub $100 range that has a truly deep and holographic soundstage like you describe. But I'm sure others have so I think it's best you hear out others opinions first and keep the Masya as an option for now.

From my collection I'd say Black Ling then Masya/Penon BS1 but the BS1 has fit issues for some and heavy cable so I've stopped recommending it for now.

Obviously the ling is way over budget (I got it for $195 on sale) though. So of the earbuds I've heard Masya is next in line that I can recommend.
 
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May 25, 2018 at 2:53 PM Post #31,439 of 75,859
EB47.jpg

Z Acoustics 'DaoMaDan' (刀马旦) balanced version
Yincrow RW-9
Hey ClieOS, I really love my X6, except for the recessed mids: love the deep bass and the extended but sweet treble. Would you say the RW-9 still keeps these characteristics, but brings forward the mids a bit more?
 
May 25, 2018 at 3:02 PM Post #31,440 of 75,859
Hey ClieOS, I really love my X6, except for the recessed mids: love the deep bass and the extended but sweet treble. Would you say the RW-9 still keeps these characteristics, but brings forward the mids a bit more?

Do you mean the Yincrow X6? I have that and a MEMT X6. Both in red:) That RW-9 looks nice.
 
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