Earbuds Round-Up
Apr 22, 2020 at 11:17 PM Post #47,611 of 74,632
Thanks for the tips. Do u know if the Svara earbuds are still being sold? Or they ain't in production anymore.

I'm fairly certain that the Svara-L is no longer available on AliExpress.
I haven't checked any of the other Asian websites, that sometimes gets mentioned here.
There's also the possibility of someone having a set on eBay.
 
Apr 22, 2020 at 11:29 PM Post #47,612 of 74,632
I've got the original Svara-L (115Ω) and (32Ω) (precursors of the Smabat ST-10), and the Smabat ST-10 (45Ω).
To me, they rank in "warmth" (most -> least) like this: Svara-L (115Ω), Smabat ST-10 (45Ω), Svara-L (32Ω).
However, for an MMCX earbud that's got even more Sub-Bass, it would be the NiceHCK EBX (32Ω) - but they're not quite as comfortable in my ears.

I have the Svara-L (32Ω) which I love. I'm pretty sure that the Svara-L (115Ω) would be too warm for me, but your remarks still kinda make me want the Smabat ST-10 (45Ω) (or ST-10S I suppose).
 
Apr 23, 2020 at 3:27 PM Post #47,615 of 74,632
Would I be setting myself up for disappointment if I were to drop $200 on a Turandot expecting as much detail, separation and timbre as my favourite $200 iem? My inability to notice any radical difference between my $10 yuki and $65 smabat makes me wonder if I'll appreciate the difference between a $65 bud and a $200 bud?? I desperately want to find a bud that im happy with :frowning2:

The answer is its possible, but it depends. Your sound profile that you like sounds to me like Final Audio's house sound (you should consider getting a pair if you don't have some already). I personally am not a big fan of this sound profile, as I like things to have less mid-bass and less lower midrange that makes notes too thick. I currently own the Shozy BK which is a PK shell headphone at $160. Its basically a mini-version of my AKG K7XX headphones. Obviously the soundstage isn't as large, nor is the bass as accurate in the lower regions, but it has a very similar sound signature, with great timbre and much better soundstage than any of my iems (Yamaha EPH100, Final Audio E2000). I'm not saying you should buy the Shozys, as I don't think they fit your profile, but I am saying you can find $200 earbuds that sound as good as a $200 iem--but there will be tradeoffs.
 
Apr 23, 2020 at 9:23 PM Post #47,617 of 74,632
Could you compare smabat st10s to yincrow rw-1000 bass enhanced edition ?

ST-10S is neutral tilting toward warmth, where RW-1000 Bass is most definitely warm sounding with a rather forwarded presentation. I won't say one is technically noticeably better than the other, though RW-1000 is the more musical / funner sounding of the two where ST-10S is calmer / more matured sound.

Again however, Black Gold is better than both.
 
Apr 23, 2020 at 10:02 PM Post #47,618 of 74,632
I have the Svara-L (32Ω) which I love. I'm pretty sure that the Svara-L (115Ω) would be too warm for me, but your remarks still kinda make me want the Smabat ST-10 (45Ω) (or ST-10S I suppose).

I do have a set of the new Black / Gold on order.
Looking forward to trying them.
 
Apr 24, 2020 at 2:38 AM Post #47,619 of 74,632
IMG_20200424_141953.jpg

Recabled my white Vidos!
 
Apr 24, 2020 at 7:57 AM Post #47,620 of 74,632
With the amount of earbuds I have, lately I'm looking for ones, that have a lot of clarity in the middle zone, definition, but without losing sight of the lower zone. I like it to have a good amount of bass and sub bass.
I like the middle zone of the EB2, but the profile I'm looking for, is similar to the Smabat M1, but with more definition.
The new Smabat ST-10s silver are on the way, I couldn't get enough money for the gold...maybe I regret it...
Suggestions?
 
Apr 25, 2020 at 7:42 AM Post #47,623 of 74,632
How does the Smabat ST-10S gold compare to the DQSM Turandot?

ST-10S Black Gold for reference and authority, Turandot for fun and musicality.
 
Apr 25, 2020 at 8:07 AM Post #47,624 of 74,632
ST-10S Black Gold for reference and authority, Turandot for fun and musicality.

Sounds like I need the new ST-10S Black Gold. Do you think the Fiio uTWS1 can power them well?

I've been thinking of picking them up after the TRN BT20S came and had the MMCX rip out less than 24 hours in. I have a solder iron and wire strippers but I am so bad at using them I don't dare trying to fix it (I've destroyed a lot of practice cables). I somehow think Fiio will have better QC. I expect the sound to be the same though given that they use the same dac/amp chip, and they had a little bit of a hiss with my ST-10, so hopefully the higher impedence will eliminate the ground noise.
 
Apr 25, 2020 at 8:34 AM Post #47,625 of 74,632
Sounds like I need the new ST-10S Black Gold. Do you think the Fiio uTWS1 can power them well?

I've been thinking of picking them up after the TRN BT20S came and had the MMCX rip out less than 24 hours in. I have a solder iron and wire strippers but I am so bad at using them I don't dare trying to fix it (I've destroyed a lot of practice cables). I somehow think Fiio will have better QC. I expect the sound to be the same though given that they use the same dac/amp chip, and they had a little bit of a hiss with my ST-10, so hopefully the higher impedence will eliminate the ground noise.

TRN is the OEM for FiiO UTWS1, so hardware difference is minimum. However, I do find UTWS1 to be better than the original BT-20S on the fact that UTWS1 has much less distortion and supports TWS+ mode (*also a lesser output volume, though I already find UTWS1 enough for what I used it for, mainly Smabat M1 pro). It was however speculated that TRN changed the later production BT-20S to be closer to UTWS1, though I can't confirm it myself

You can push UTWS1 loud enough for ST-10S Black Gold, but overall performance will suffer. I'll say you are probably only getting 70~80% of what ST-10S Black Gold is capable of. Not even BTR3K's 3.5mm has the needed power and control for ST-10S Black Gold to sound at its best.
 

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