Earbuds Round-Up

[assassin10000]

You talking about the willsound mk2? I've probably misunderstood the original comment though.

K's LBB

 

[ValSilva]

You talking about the willsound mk2? I've probably misunderstood the original comment though.

No, @assassin10000 was talking about K's LBB.
I agree with this: K's LBB it's good to sleep with

 

[Mhog55]

It's an earbud that's rough around the edges but has lots of raw power!

Great dynamic sound but the midrange is a bit pedestrian at times. Low treble is nicely in balance though so you won't get any artificial brightness nor is it dark. Vocals are average though on occasion as there is a dip then peak in the 300-2000hz zone so you get some details pushed but the tonality can be a bit off at times IMO. Of course its not severe at all and perfectly listenable on 99% of music just not refined as much as the best midranges ive heard in earbuds.

Definitely atleast mid tier maybe mid + from what I've heard. Off the top of my head I'd say It's in my top 10 but maybe not my top 3. But its also NOT that expensive so its brilliant for the price.

Nice. Thank you. As long as it doesn't sound dark or congested. How would you rate it for hard rock music?

 

[seanc6441]

Nice. Thank you. As long as it doesn't sound dark or congested. How would you rate it for hard rock music?

Pretty good, it's what id call an all rounder earbud as it can handle most genres but won't specialise in one.

 

[Mhog55]

Clearly, I don't think any earbud can match the sub quantity of a ZS7 tbh, a few earbuds have good extension tho (EBX, RW-1000 for example) and with a bit of eq you can push it.

However I have yet to hear an IEM that has the "physical" mid-bass slam of a TO200, TO600 or some plastic buds, it seems the fact that it's inside the ear canal doesn't allow for the same sound quality to me, it's invariably softer in attack, with no feeling of air being actually, physically moved to me.

The sound of jazz kickdrums invariably makes my day on the TO200, but ymmv.

Have you compared the to200 to the 150ohm version? Everything I've read would suggest I'd like the 180 better, especially for rock and metal. It sounds like 200 is more analytical in comparison, while the 180 is more fun, engaging, and dynamic with better bass slam.

 

[SoundChoice]

Hi, I'm new to earbuds and a̶m̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶z̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶3̶0̶0̶0̶ ̶p̶a̶g̶e̶s̶ I've searched exhaustively and have questions: My non-OEM earbud experience prior to today was the MH755, which is amazing and wonderful. But I gambled on Black Friday and got two pair of Nicehck earbuds with letters and numbers in the model name. Today they arrived. My two questions are stupid ones, the first for which I expect @Slater to post "here dum-dum" images to set me straight. So how exactly are these things worn? I figure the neck of the buds goes in the notch in the lower ear, which means that the driver/speaker is not flush against anything. Coming from IEM-land of implanted nozzles, this feels like it's just resting there out in Siberia, though the sound isn't awful.

Secondly, what are the colors of foam, and how do they affect sound? I see there are blue and black, some that fully cover the speaker-driver, some that are basically big o-rings of foam. Guessing the foam-rings are more treble, and the full foam covers are to muffle the treble, like T800 dampers. So why are there two colors of each? And is there an easy way to put them on? It's like putting tiny socks on a toy doll, not wanting to rip them.

A fun experiment so far, and I'm not sure they'll take me away from IEMs, but at least now I can say with this new inventory I'm one step closer to being a snobby sneeringly arrogant audiophile™

 

[baskingshark]

Hi, I'm new to earbuds and a̶m̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶z̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶3̶0̶0̶0̶ ̶p̶a̶g̶e̶s̶ I've searched exhaustively and have questions: My non-OEM earbud experience prior to today was the MH755, which is amazing and wonderful. But I gambled on Black Friday and got two pair of Nicehck earbuds with letters and numbers in the model name. Today they arrived. My two questions are stupid ones, the first for which I expect @Slater to post "here dum-dum" images to set me straight. So how exactly are these things worn? I figure the neck of the buds goes in the notch in the lower ear, which means that the driver/speaker is not flush against anything. Coming from IEM-land of implanted nozzles, this feels like it's just resting there out in Siberia, though the sound isn't awful.

Secondly, what are the colors of foam, and how do they affect sound? I see there are blue and black, some that fully cover the speaker-driver, some that are basically big o-rings of foam. Guessing the foam-rings are more treble, and the full foam covers are to muffle the treble, like T800 dampers. So why are there two colors of each? And is there an easy way to put them on? It's like putting tiny socks on a toy doll, not wanting to rip them.

A fun experiment so far, and I'm not sure they'll take me away from IEMs, but at least now I can say with this new inventory I'm one step closer to being a snobby sneeringly arrogant audiophile™

Welcome!! Looks like you fell down another big rabbit hole like me from the IEM rabbit hole. Sorry about your wallet in advance!

I asked this question a few weeks ago and these are the helpful responses from the folks here regarding the foam tip colours/donut foams:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3067#post-15321503
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3067#post-15321506
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3067#post-15321507

There's 2 earbud shapes in general:

Yeah as you said, just wear them at the edge of the ear with the cable pointing down. The earpiece doesn't go into the earhole unlike IEMs, just sitting outside the edge. It does feel a bit less secure coming from the world of IEMs, but it will be second nature soon.

 

[tendou]

Yes it is

Any recommendations of something around that price range that is somewhat neutral, natural and balanced for the price using offset more comfortable shell?

I got some coupon courtesy of AliExpress.

 

[tendou]

It's an earbud that's rough around the edges but has lots of raw power!

Great dynamic sound but the midrange is a bit pedestrian at times. Low treble is nicely in balance though so you won't get any artificial brightness nor is it dark. Vocals are average though on occasion as there is a dip then peak in the 300-2000hz zone so you get some details pushed but the tonality can be a bit off at times IMO. Of course its not severe at all and perfectly listenable on 99% of music just not refined as much as the best midranges ive heard in earbuds.

Definitely atleast mid tier maybe mid + from what I've heard. Off the top of my head I'd say It's in my top 10 but maybe not my top 3. But its also NOT that expensive so its brilliant for the price.

You're talking about mkii here right?

And can you tell what's your favourite 10?

 

[assassin10000]

So how exactly are these things worn? I figure the neck of the buds goes in the notch in the lower ear, which means that the driver/speaker is not flush against anything. Coming from IEM-land of implanted nozzles, this feels like it's just resting there out in Siberia, though the sound isn't awful.

Secondly, what are the colors of foam, and how do they affect sound? I see there are blue and black, some that fully cover the speaker-driver, some that are basically big o-rings of foam. Guessing the foam-rings are more treble, and the full foam covers are to muffle the treble, like T800 dampers. So why are there two colors of each? And is there an easy way to put them on? It's like putting tiny socks on a toy doll, not wanting to rip them.

A fun experiment so far, and I'm not sure they'll take me away from IEMs, but at least now I can say with this new inventory I'm one step closer to being a snobby sneeringly arrogant audiophile™

For the advanced earbud aficionado:

Foam colors don't matter. Foam density does.

There are iirc about 4 to maybe 6 different density foams. And these are also available as 'donut' style.

In general:

Extra porous/thin = similar to no foams but may retain some bass (cannot verify personally as I never bought these).

Normal thin foams = retains majority of bass but may allow better highs. These can feel itchy.

Normal thicker foams = good all rounders and not itchy.

Extra thick = retains most bass, may muffle mids/highs. Heigi and VE are the thicker ones iirc but I cannot confirm as I haven't purchased them myself.

Extra thin:

Thinner foam:

Normal/thicker:

The 'donut' style of all these allows you to retain bass and keep the mids/highs transparent as it seals around the bud, but keeps the driver exposed to your ear canal. Keep in mind, buds may be tuned with foams in mind.


As far as putting them on, well thats down to dexterity. There are a couple tricks that may help.
1st pre stretch the foams in multiple directions.
2nd I like to pinch or pull one side of the opening to over on one side and then work the rest of the foam over.
3rd for full foams, if you can't quite get a good pinch/pull, you can blow in the center hole quickly and it may help puff the foam up.

If you decide to double foam, I would recommend using a pre-installed & fully stretched foam over a new one. It can be done but it is a bit difficult. You may have to use tweezers to position the outer foam.

 

[Mhog55]

You're talking about mkii here right?

And can you tell what's your favourite 10?

I only have a few buds atm. I have the bgvp dx5 and don't care for it. I have the Smabat M1 incoming. As of right now, my favorite is the **** Bk2.

 

[seanc6441]

You're talking about mkii here right?

And can you tell what's your favourite 10?

Yes the mk2.


No i cant sorry that's why i said its off the top of my head. Meaning it's definitely within the 10 best earbuds ive owned but I couldn't place it anywhere because I've been unable to listen to earbuds much with my tinnitus so cant keep a reliable 'list' of top 10 earbuds. All I can say is its very good and one of the best in its price point.

The mk2 has an interesting driver, it has back ports behind the two driver domes like many headphones do it, not just tge outer dome like most mx500 drivers have. You can actually tune both ports independently, to my knowledge you want both ports to have the same acoustic impedance or resistance to airflow. I found that apply a tiny amount of loose cotton wool into the central port does help control the bass response which is a little bloated in stock tuning (hence why they ship with thin foams as stock to help reduce low end bloat). Anything more than a tiny amount ruins the sound though.

 

[subwoof3r]

Anything more than a tiny amount ruins the sound though.

Definitely!

 

[citral23]

Have you compared the to200 to the 150ohm version? Everything I've read would suggest I'd like the 180 better, especially for rock and metal. It sounds like 200 is more analytical in comparison, while the 180 is more fun, engaging, and dynamic with better bass slam.

Hi, I just received the TO180 (the 150 ohms one) and yes it has more bass than the TO200, sounds therefore maybe more "fun" if that's a thing, but definitely quite a bit warmer. Not as warm as the TO600 tho. It has the same kind of physical slam the TO200 has, but with the "bass boost" of my amp turned on if you like. For mids and highs it's difficult to say as I don't have the TO200 at hand and won't before monday, but it seems to me that it's more weighted towards the high mids than the TO200 which is more weighted towards low mids, as pushing the volume results in a bit of discomfort, which doesn't happen on the TO200 (but burn-in might change it a bit, possibly)

The TO180 sounds very, very similar so far to the Tomahawk which was in the same parcel, the latter just being easier to drive (it's a quick impression after a 5 minutes sessions mind you, I'll come back to it this evening, no time for now)

 

[Mhog55]

Hi, I just received the TO180 (the 150 ohms one) and yes it has more bass than the TO200, sounds therefore maybe more "fun" if that's a thing, but definitely quite a bit warmer. Not as warm as the TO600 tho. It has the same kind of physical slam the TO200 has, but with the "bass boost" of my amp turned on if you like. For mids and highs it's difficult to say as I don't have the TO200 at hand and won't before monday, but it seems to me that it's more weighted towards the high mids than the TO200 which is more weighted towards low mids, as pushing the volume results in a bit of discomfort, which doesn't happen on the TO200 (but burn-in might change it a bit, possibly)

The TO180 sounds very, very similar so far to the Tomahawk which was in the same parcel, the latter just being easier to drive (it's a quick impression after a 5 minutes sessions mind you, I'll come back to it this evening, no time for now)

Does the sub bass over power, distort, or bleed into the other frequencies on the 180? And are the high mids too much, causing fatigue and discomfort? I don't want a hot and bright sound, but I also don't want an analytical sound. The mid bass slam is what I'm after - would you say both buds are equal in that regard? I want a warmer sound, but not overly so. My music is primarily hair metal and classic rock. Which would you recommend for this? I'm exchanging an earbud at Penon Audio, and I can't decide between these 2. My primary source will be my Opus#1s balanced.