Earbuds Round-Up

[fonkepala]

Just when I thought Kube V1 couldn't get any better, the Kube Plus by Willy are back in my hands after countless weeks of waiting. Well worth it.

How do they sound like?

On the other hand, I'm (trying) to enjoy the sound of the Kube v2.

 

[j4100]

What are your thoughts

No point asking me. I either like them, or I don't. I can't get my head around explaining differences or describing things.

 

[fonkepala]

No point asking me. I either like them, or I don't. I can't get my head around explaining differences or describing things.

Oookay.

 

[HungryPanda]

Yincrow RW-1000 in my ears, very comfortable. Tuned quite bright but do go deep just not bass orientated. Sound good with full foams. Will burn them in now by listening.

 

[40760]

How do they sound like?

On the other hand, I'm (trying) to enjoy the sound of the Kube v2.

Sounds like an overall more refined version of Kube V1 with a more controlled low end.

 

[waynes world]

No point asking me. I either like them, or I don't. I can't get my head around explaining differences or describing things.

Brilliant - consider that blurb to be plagiarized!

 

[mbwilson111]

Brilliant - consider that blurb to be plagiarized!

It should be in my signature.

 

[j4100]

Oookay.

I was probably a little blunt there. What I should have said was, I'm useless at it

Brilliant - consider that blurb to be plagiarized!

Plagarise away. I have to say, I did try to compare different buds a few years back and gave up. Some of you are a lot better at this than I.

It should be in my signature.

I was aware that you and I share the love of earbuds, but a dislike of explaining the sound.

Perhaps I should put something in my signature to save other earbud aficionados from wasting their time asking me stuff about the sound.

 

[citral23]

I'll be interested in you ry4s ue vs BK2 comparison. My second bud was ry4s ue and while I really liked the energy and details of it, I found the vocals/timbre quite thin and not very natural, the overall response leans toward the upper half. The bass is ok, clean and tight with decent depth, just around the minimum bearable quantity for me haha. Highs were a bit sharper than I can tolerate for more than a half an hour. But I have slight fit/seal issues with mx500 shells like most people, I hear more optimal sound when I push them into my ears with my fingers but that's not really a solution haha. (this is why I prefer Qian69 shell, it fixes this issue completely for me) While the blue qian25 is a lower tier earbud with less performance, I much prefer its balance compared to ry4s ue, it basically tilts the signature back to horizontal. (quite neutral and balanced but less aggressive and adds back the missing low mid / bass)

Finally received the ry4s, I have no problem with the fit at all, sound doesn't change if I try to push them.

I agree that the timbre is not the most natural, bass is quite good, fast and clean, and is on the upper side of my personal liking quantity wise.

I don't find them very detailed however, there's just a bit of a forced sparkle quantity that is slightly irritating, and it's the first earbud I get that barely reacts to different foams, thick full foams don't do much.

That's for the cons, but overall one could do a lot worse for 8€, they sound pretty good actually.

I just generally find plastic shells to not sound the best, probably material related, the comfort and lightweight aspect is however great.

Don't think I'll get more of them, but this one is a good disposable earbud imo, pairs well with what I generally listen to, like "Art Pepper + Eleven".

The sound is more related to the Toneking TO600 than the BK2, which sounds much fuller and rounder to me. However, my replacement BK2 doesn't sound as good as the one I had before, has a bit of shouty mids :/

Maybe needs burn-in or it's driver variation.

 

[Mhog55]

So I'm thinking perhaps going with all mmcx buds might not be the best option. Mmcx seems quite delicate. My reason was because I have two devices I like to use. My V40 has only 3.5mm single ended option, but my dap also has the 2.5mm trrs balanced option. I figured one of each cable would suffice, and I'd just switch them out, depending on which source I wanted to use. So I guess I'm just going to get a few more balanced cables and keep them attached.
I have a few questions I'd like to ask. The first one is how people are storing their buds. I don't like wrapping my cables up. I don't really want to hang them, as I don't want that tension pulling on the cable because the buds are obviously heavier. My 2nd question I'd like to ask is - what are some of your favorite sub 100 dollar buds, that have a permanently attached 2.5mm balanced cable? I'm open to slightly more expensive buds as well. I prefer buds that's are relatively well rounded for all genres, but more specifically - hard rock music. I know I've asked this previously, but there are so many different buds, it can surely make your head spin.

 

[seanc6441]

Hello all,

I am looking for an earbud with pk shell and sounds good without foam.

I currently have EMX500 (****), Faaeal rosemary, and Fengru EMX500.

The EMX500 sounds smooth and detailed without the foam, but the layering and soundstage are lackluster.

I am willing to spend up to $100. I asked Blur creator whether his earbuds sound good without foam, and he said that they do not (they need the foam).

As I understand, many of you don't mind using the foam, but strangely my ears are quite sensitive to long-term pressure, especially from the MX shell, which is straight.

I think that the PK shell will work well as they are smaller in diameter, and their bodies are curved.

How do the Yuin PK series sound without foam? Shozy stardust is a bit too expensive, and their reviews are with foam, so I can't go with those, but cheaper option is okay.

Just a balanced sound is sufficient, nothing too special.

Thanks so much!

Have you tried a pk shell bud with foams? I can completely understand not adapting to mx500 + foam as it is quiet bulky for mid-small ears.

Pk shell on the other hand just seems to fit right, even with foams its not bulky.

Alternatively you could get a warm sounding pk bud and use the very thin foams or foamless.

But most stock tuned earbuds sound poor foamless as they need to foam to give a slightly seal for bass response and to dampen the treble slightly.

 

[seanc6441]

Finally received the ry4s, I have no problem with the fit at all, sound doesn't change if I try to push them.

I agree that the timbre is not the most natural, bass is quite good, fast and clean, and is on the upper side of my personal liking quantity wise.

I don't find them very detailed however, there's just a bit of a forced sparkle quantity that is slightly irritating, and it's the first earbud I get that barely reacts to different foams, thick full foams don't do much.

That's for the cons, but overall one could do a lot worse for 8€, they sound pretty good actually.

I just generally find plastic shells to not sound the best, probably material related, the comfort and lightweight aspect is however great.

Don't think I'll get more of them, but this one is a good disposable earbud imo, pairs well with what I generally listen to, like "Art Pepper + Eleven".

The sound is more related to the Toneking TO600 than the BK2, which sounds much fuller and rounder to me. However, my replacement BK2 doesn't sound as good as the one I had before, has a bit of shouty mids :/

Maybe needs burn-in or it's driver variation.

I really dont think its the plastic but possibly the shell dimensions and ports but not saying you are wrong, mainly I just think its the inherant characteristic of many 15.6mm drivers to have peaks and dips in certain areas, usually in the mid bass, low mids and presence region.

Its rare to find earbud drivers with minimal peaks and yet good extension thats not just over dampened.

 

[robar]

Finally received the ry4s, I have no problem with the fit at all, sound doesn't change if I try to push them.

I agree that the timbre is not the most natural, bass is quite good, fast and clean, and is on the upper side of my personal liking quantity wise.

I don't find them very detailed however, there's just a bit of a forced sparkle quantity that is slightly irritating, and it's the first earbud I get that barely reacts to different foams, thick full foams don't do much.

That's for the cons, but overall one could do a lot worse for 8€, they sound pretty good actually.

I just generally find plastic shells to not sound the best, probably material related, the comfort and lightweight aspect is however great.

Don't think I'll get more of them, but this one is a good disposable earbud imo, pairs well with what I generally listen to, like "Art Pepper + Eleven".

The sound is more related to the Toneking TO600 than the BK2, which sounds much fuller and rounder to me. However, my replacement BK2 doesn't sound as good as the one I had before, has a bit of shouty mids :/

Maybe needs burn-in or it's driver variation.

Thanks for your impressions So I think we agree in most points, apart from the fact that you prefer brighter sound compared to me (might be partly due to different sources or ear shapes really). If the BK2 sounds fuller and rounder, that's very promising for me. Sad to hear about the second copy, these cheap mass produced buds tend to have quite random QC, especially from in house products from bigger stores on Ali. Do you know any brands that have more trustworthy QC? Maybe Penon, Toneking, Willsound? (I dont have experience with them just guessing)

I really dont think its the plastic but possibly the shell dimensions and ports but not saying you are wrong, mainly I just think its the inherant characteristic of many 15.6mm drivers to have peaks and dips in certain areas, usually in the mid bass, low mids and presence region.
Its rare to find earbud drivers with minimal peaks and yet good extension thats not just over dampened.

I agree mostly, in my opinion it's more about putting cheap generic drivers in cheap generic plastic shells with rushed/inexperienced tuning. More expensive buds can afford to be designed in a more holistic way where every component is tailored to each other. I'm not sure if metal has any inherent benefit over plastic in terms of sound, but I'm not experienced at all in this topic. My guess is that the reason why metal is preferred in more expensive buds is more about maintaining consistent quality + better precision by the manufacturing process, being sturdy and well, looking/feeling more expensive.

 

[nick n]

Just when I thought Kube V1 couldn't get any better, the Kube Plus by Willy are back in my hands after countless weeks of waiting. Well worth it.

I've been rapidly losing track of the thread here it moves too fast. What happened, did one fail or have issues ?
They are tempting .

 

[40760]

I've been rapidly losing track of the thread here it moves too fast. What happened, did one fail or have issues ?
They are tempting .

No technical issues besides needing some cosmetic fixes from Willy due to my own negligence. I might have snagged another pair before the year ends if not my for my travel plans.