Earbuds Round-Up

[Alex.Grimm]

Do any of you find that some cables are too heavy for use with earbuds?

Yes, thick veins with heavy splitter

 

[RikudouGoku]

Are there any difference between the NiceHCK MX500 and the B40? Besides the shell difference of course. What are your opinion on the MX500? They are amazing to me.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Well here is my review on the NiceHCK DIY MX500: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/nicehck-diy-mx500.24457/reviews#item-review-23882

makes moondrop look like an overpriced brand...

 

[Smugsie]

Are there any difference between the NiceHCK MX500 and the B40? Besides the shell difference of course. What are your opinion on the MX500? They are amazing to me.

Heh, that's funny, I was actually looking to get a pair of earbuds and was looking at the Nicehck MX500 after coming from the Nicehck b40. I should have listened to people and got two pairs. One for work and one for home.

I've actually been looking at the Moondrop Chaconne too, however I can't pull the trigger on it because I am very confident there lies diminishing returns especially when it comes to earbuds. My only problem is that I actually dislike headphones, a lot! I find 250+ grams an excessive weight for my neck and replacing earbud foams every other week is way more hygienic than replacing velour earpads that can cost $60. Specifically talking about the Sennheiser HD600 here. This is the reason I am able to justify the cost of the Moondrop Chaconne so I don't really need to use headphones anymore.

Although I'm kind of hoping someone will point me in the right direction as it seems the Chaconne doesn't look like it is a worthwhile purchase, I wish I had the time to sift through the thousands of information users post on this thread.
___

Any recommendations for an upgrade from the Nicehck B40 or should I just buy another pair?
- My budget is $300
- I intend to drive the earphones out of an ODAC/O2
- The type of sound profiles I enjoy reside in the headgear I use in my signature
- I listen to all music except for screamo/death metal/mumble rap

 

[assassin10000]

Do they sell those silicone rings separately from the pack?

Edit: nm found this
#Aliexpress US $4.30 14%OFF | 10 pcs Earphone ear pads Rubber ring of headset size 15.15mm
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dXEEjZS

VE doesn't. Wish shipping wasn't another $7 lol. Thanks for trying.

Do any of you find that some cables are too heavy for use with earbuds?

Yes. Also why I prefer to wear over ear.

Heh, that's funny, I was actually looking to get a pair of earbuds and was looking at the Nicehck MX500 after coming from the Nicehck b40. I should have listened to people and got two pairs. One for work and one for home.

I've actually been looking at the Moondrop Chaconne too, however I can't pull the trigger on it because I am very confident there lies diminishing returns especially when it comes to earbuds. My only problem is that I actually dislike headphones, a lot! I find 250+ grams an excessive weight for my neck and replacing earbud foams every other week is way more hygienic than replacing velour earpads that can cost $60. Specifically talking about the Sennheiser HD600 here. This is the reason I am able to justify the cost of the Moondrop Chaconne so I don't really need to use headphones anymore.

Although I'm kind of hoping someone will point me in the right direction as it seems the Chaconne doesn't look like it is a worthwhile purchase, I wish I had the time to sift through the thousands of information users post on this thread.
___

Any recommendations for an upgrade from the Nicehck B40 or should I just buy another pair?
- My budget is $300
- I intend to drive the earphones out of an ODAC/O2
- The type of sound profiles I enjoy reside in the headgear I use in my signature
- I listen to all music except for screamo/death metal/mumble rap

ST-10S gold (150Ω) maybe? See here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3174#post-15573641

If you want a more neutral sound then the original ST-10, every now and then a pair will be FS (check the FS forum).

 

[Smugsie]

ST-10S gold (150Ω) maybe? See here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3174#post-15573641

If you want a more neutral sound then the original ST-10, every now and then a pair will be FS (check the FS forum).

Thanks assassin! I'll add these to my cart and definitely consider them.
By the way is there a general preference towards buying earphones from hifigo or aliexpress?

 

[Sam L]

Heh, that's funny, I was actually looking to get a pair of earbuds and was looking at the Nicehck MX500 after coming from the Nicehck b40. I should have listened to people and got two pairs. One for work and one for home.

I've actually been looking at the Moondrop Chaconne too, however I can't pull the trigger on it because I am very confident there lies diminishing returns especially when it comes to earbuds. My only problem is that I actually dislike headphones, a lot! I find 250+ grams an excessive weight for my neck and replacing earbud foams every other week is way more hygienic than replacing velour earpads that can cost $60. Specifically talking about the Sennheiser HD600 here. This is the reason I am able to justify the cost of the Moondrop Chaconne so I don't really need to use headphones anymore.

Although I'm kind of hoping someone will point me in the right direction as it seems the Chaconne doesn't look like it is a worthwhile purchase, I wish I had the time to sift through the thousands of information users post on this thread.
___

Any recommendations for an upgrade from the Nicehck B40 or should I just buy another pair?
- My budget is $300
- I intend to drive the earphones out of an ODAC/O2
- The type of sound profiles I enjoy reside in the headgear I use in my signature
- I listen to all music except for screamo/death metal/mumble rap

I was pondering a chaconne purchase a couple months ago when I stumbled on the earbuds rabbit hole.

In the end I didn't pull the trigger for the following reasons:
1. I refuse to buy any earphone / earbud that does not have a detachable cable (preferably 2 pin) priced over $150.

2. I initially thought the jump to the chaconne meant endgame territory. While that might be true, I ended up pulling the trigger on the Rambo 2 when penon was running a free isn cable deal. And since I needed a mmcx cable, I had no hesitation getting the Rambo 2. I really couldn't find any reviews for the second iteration. It looks like all the reviews are for the older nondetachable Rambo I. I get my smabat black/silvers tomorrow. I think between that and these Rambo 2's, I can confidently proclaim that earbud endgame sound quality can be had for 70-120 usd.

 

[Sam L]

What do you get with the DIY earbuds on aliexpress? Just the earbuds, less cable? Or all the parts for a fully working set after soldering parts together?

Ie:
#Aliexpress US $23.75 5%OFF | DIY pk1 earphone 150ohms transparent film vocal earphone (Selling at a loss)
https://a.aliexpress.com/_d8R7Iv2

 

[Sam L]

VE doesn't. Wish shipping wasn't another $7 lol. Thanks for trying.



Yes. Also why I prefer to wear over ear.



ST-10S gold (150Ω) maybe? See here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/page-3174#post-15573641

If you want a more neutral sound then the original ST-10, every now and then a pair will be FS (check the FS forum).

You wear your earbuds over ear like this?

 

[baskingshark]

Thanks assassin! I'll add these to my cart and definitely consider them.
By the way is there a general preference towards buying earphones from hifigo or aliexpress?

I have bought multiple times from both shops:

Pros of Aliexpress:
- generally cheaper than Hifigo for equivalent gear
- more selection
- more frequent sales/coupons available
- multiple shops to choose from -> just choose a shop that is not brand new and has good reviews (generally I look for shops > 97% rating)
- some shops give free shipping (though see the problems with delivery below under cons for free shipping)
- Aliexpress keeps money in escrow until buyer confirms he/she receives a satisfactory product

Cons of Aliexpress:
- have bad apple shops that sometimes don't deliver or give defective products; returning gear to China is a pain, sometimes the return costs are as much as the gear u bought
- during the last few weeks, deliveries have been slow/cancelled cause of covid, I had 3 out of 10 purchases from March/April sent back to seller as the gear couldn't find its way onto a plane due to the drastic cut in flights

Hifigo has good communication and so far I've gotten everything I bought from them within 2 weeks or so. Their gear is more expensive as above, and they recently cancelled their free shipping service (as there were other customers who complained they didn't get their stuff via the promised time frames via free shipping). So they have resorted to using an expediated shipping service at ~ $15 USD recently IIRC.

Generally if I can wait and I wanna save some costs via free shipping, I'll buy on Aliexpress. Though there's a chance the gear doesn't come or takes ages to, so YMMV.

 

[assassin10000]

Made some TWS earbuds.



More details/info here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy-earbuds.822327/page-130#post-15707637

Thanks assassin! I'll add these to my cart and definitely consider them.
By the way is there a general preference towards buying earphones from hifigo or aliexpress?

I've never used hifigo. Use AliExpress all the time.

Except for a few recent lost packages (covid delay related) it's been relatively painless. I've had a few other items either bad or not show up, but the AE refund process has worked for me (so far).

I was pondering a chaconne purchase a couple months ago when I stumbled on the earbuds rabbit hole.

In the end I didn't pull the trigger for the following reasons:
1. I refuse to buy any earphone / earbud that does not have a detachable cable (preferably 2 pin) priced over $150.

2. I initially thought the jump to the chaconne meant endgame territory. While that might be true, I ended up pulling the trigger on the Rambo 2 when penon was running a free isn cable deal. And since I needed a mmcx cable, I had no hesitation getting the Rambo 2. I really couldn't find any reviews for the second iteration. It looks like all the reviews are for the older nondetachable Rambo I. I get my smabat black/silvers tomorrow. I think between that and these Rambo 2's, I can confidently proclaim that earbud endgame sound quality can be had for 70-120 usd.

Most detachable cable earbuds are MMCX.

I think Rose (Masya 1 & 2, Maria) are one of the few manufacturers that use 2-pin. Fit didn't appeal to me on them.

What do you get with the DIY earbuds on aliexpress? Just the earbuds, less cable? Or all the parts for a fully working set after soldering parts together?

Ie:
#Aliexpress US $23.75 5%OFF | DIY pk1 earphone 150ohms transparent film vocal earphone (Selling at a loss)
https://a.aliexpress.com/_d8R7Iv2

Those are complete units, DIY built by the store selling them.

You wear your earbuds over ear like this?

Exactly.

Often with my BT20S, that I modified.

 

[CRML]

My SenferPT15 Finally Arrived,
I Was Expecting To Be Way More Bright When Its Acctually Very Neutral...Present Bass N SubBass,Detailed Treble With Barelly No Piercing Feel N Warm/Detailed Vocals With Some Bright On It N Very Clear/Extended Trebles...Its Problity The Second Version With More Balanced Timbre But Still Love Them,Especially Due Tô Its Expansive Sound Stage,They Sound Beautiful...I Recomend.

 

[SweetEars]

I just ordered the MEMT's latest earbuds, the MEMT R7 earbud!

They've been getting rave reviews here in China! So, I've got to check what's the rave all about!

Link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...sY54W&id=617864666332&ns=1&abbucket=18#detail

I'll keep everyone here up-to-date and see if they dethrone any of my current earbuds.

-Clear

give us a review thanks

 

[Promenadeplatz]

I have bought multiple times from both shops:

Pros of AliExpress:
- generally cheaper than Hifigo for equivalent gear
- more selection
- more frequent sales/coupons available
- multiple shops to choose from -> just choose a shop that is not brand new and has good reviews (generally I look for shops > 97% rating)
- some shops give free shipping (though see the problems with delivery below under cons for free shipping)
- Aliexpress keeps money in escrow until buyer confirms he/she receives a satisfactory product

Cons of Aliexpress:
- have bad apple shops that sometimes don't deliver or give defective products; returning gear to China is a pain, sometimes the return costs are as much as the gear u bought
- during the last few weeks, deliveries have been slow/cancelled cause of covid, I had 3 out of 10 purchases from March/April sent back to seller as the gear couldn't find its way onto a plane due to the drastic cut in flights

Hifigo has good communication and so far I've gotten everything I bought from them within 2 weeks or so. Their gear is more expensive as above, and they recently cancelled their free shipping service (as there were other customers who complained they didn't get their stuff via the promised time frames via free shipping). So they have resorted to using an expediated shipping service at ~ $15 USD recently IIRC.

Generally if I can wait and I wanna save some costs via free shipping, I'll buy on Aliexpress. Though there's a chance the gear doesn't come or takes ages to, so YMMV.

Agreed. Aliexpress is only good for items around US$ 5 or so.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Well...diminishing return hit me like a truck after going from the NiceHCK DIY MX500 to the Turandot. The SQ definitely is better but no where near what I was hopping with the price increase and it seems that earbuds are physically unable to rumble anywhere near what iems are capable of.

I will definitely review this but was honestly expecting more.

(those 2 last pictures were taken with a macro lens for my LG G7 and the scratches are not visible to my naked eye.)