[baskingshark]

Hahaha, EM5 on AliExpress... you can get it at 10% off, 18% off, 21% off... but they're all $299.99

Best deal I'm seeing is from 'first Fashion store'. Including store coupons, it comes to 8% off at $276 USD.

Better hurry, the sale ends in less than 48hrs!

Haha, that is a standard aliexpress trick to give "big" discounts that may not be that far off from the baseline prices.

In fact 11/11 is coming and just watch. A few days prior to the sale, they will jack up the baseline prices, but offer a "big" 70% discount during 11/11. It is a big psychological trick, but on checking the final price, it isn't that different from the baseline.

Probably more important is that 11/11 gives a lot of coupons, and with stacking, that can possibly shave off $10 - 20 USD off an item, on top of the discounted prices, so might be worth waiting to see how good the deal is on 11/11.

 

[jasswolf]

Haha, that is a standard aliexpress trick to give "big" discounts that may not be that far off from the baseline prices.

In fact 11/11 is coming and just watch. A few days prior to the sale, they will jack up the baseline prices, but offer a "big" 70% discount during 11/11. It is a big psychological trick, but on checking the final price, it isn't that different from the baseline.

Probably more important is that 11/11 gives a lot of coupons, and with stacking, that can possibly shave off $10 - 20 USD off an item, on top of the discounted prices, so might be worth waiting to see how good the deal is on 11/11.

PriceArchive is your friend here.

 

[rprodrigues]

Okay I've officially lost my pair of B40s despite them not leaving my small bedroom. I'm sure they'll turn up some year.

Looking for a replacement PK shell earbud, I wouldn't mind going up in price actually. I've so far had the Yuin PK2s (meh), and DIY PK2s (the red ones). They were all pretty damn good but I wanna see if there's any that can take it up a notch and give my Qian69s a run.

Do you mean the red film ones?

 

[jogawag]

Are there less pricey recommendations?

Then I recommend SHOZY Cygnus.
However, Penon Audio is sold out, so please wait for stock or try purchasing at the following site.
https://shopee.com.my/SHOZY-Cygnus-...diophile-Earbud-Earphone-i.33520534.645030294
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.1.72f95efcZ2Fojo&id=609666208714&ns=1

 

[baskingshark]

For our earbud friends here, what is the most basshead earbud you guys have tried (assuming with adequate amping/source)?

My vote goes to the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold. With amping, it has even more subbass quantity/extension than the regular ST10, which was my previous winner of the earbud basshead award.

I know subbass is usually a weakness in most buds and I'm very happy to have the Black Gold as my endgame earbud (basshead here), but am wondering if there's any other earbud with greater bass extension/quantity. Curiosity killed the cat and wallet, yes.

 

[mag8]

Hi, why are you asking about "MMCX CTIA cables" in this "Earbuds thread"?
Maybe there's another thread that's better suited for asking it, so you should ask in that thread.

Simple.

I need to use it with my current PT15 earbuds

 

[rkw]

Can someone please help me find a MMCX CTIA cable?

I would like to use my trusty **** PT15 connected to an Xbox Controller so i can route the audio through it, and also use it as a convenient Skype soundcard when needed.The cable i amcurrently using is apparently the other standard, and when i look online, it's hard to figure out if another cable would be CTIA compatible

To clarify... are you looking for an MMCX cable with microphone? If it's meant to plug into a 3.5mm jack on a cellphone, it should be CTIA, correct?
https://www.amazon.com/mmcx-cable-mic-Electronics/s?k=mmcx+cable+with+mic

 

[jogawag]

For our earbud friends here, what is the most basshead earbud you guys have tried (assuming with adequate amping/source)?
...
My vote goes to the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold. With amping, it has even more subbass quantity/extension than the regular ST10, which was my previous winner of the earbud basshead award.

I know subbass is usually a weakness in most buds and I'm very happy to have the Black Gold as my endgame earbud (basshead here), but am wondering if there's any other earbud with greater bass extension/quantity. Curiosity killed the cat and wallet, yes.

You may think otherwise, but the most bass-headed earbuds I've tried are the Moondrop CHACONNEs, which are sealed completely with donut foam over silicone ring (SENNHEISER 563605).
If you want to enjoy the deep bass with the CHACONNE, give it a try.

By the way, I only have the original Smabat ST-10 in Smabat products. (And the awful sounding Svara L (115Ω)...)

FR Graph of Liebesleid and CHACONNE

 

[rprodrigues]

People,

I have the Nicehck MX500 PK1 version and I didn't like them very much, but I'm intrigued by the amount of posts here about PKs ...

So, what are all that PKx stuff about?
I've read mixed reviews on them. Are they mainly mid centric buds (sound wise)?

What about the retired beauty Panda PK2s (the white ones) and all the related DIY versions on Taobao?
Are the Pandas worth it?

In a few word, should I give some Pks a try?
Have they already been overcome by newer stuff?

 

[vygas]

People,

I have the Nicehck MX500 PK1 version and I didn't like them very much, but I'm intrigued by the amount of posts here about PKs ...

So, what are all that PKx stuff about?
I've read mixed reviews on them. Are they mainly mid centric buds (sound wise)?

What about the retired beauty Panda PK2s (the white ones) and all the related DIY versions on Taobao?
Are the Pandas worth it?

In a few word, should I give some Pks a try?
Have them been already overcome by newer stuff?

The PK series are essentially mid centric with the sound becoming thinner the higher the number, which is why I really dislike pair of PK3's (slight exaggeration but not far from reality). In my opinion, the Z&W PK2 Panda are definitely a better buy than the PK3. I also have a HDD-1 which is essentially just a PK1 inside a long docomo shell and it's probably one of my, if not the, favourite pairs I own. But, you should definitely should give these styles of bud a shot (maybe slip in a long docomo shell too), even if it's just because of their decreased size being slightly comfier .

 

[jogawag]

People,

I have the Nicehck MX500 PK1 version and I didn't like them very much, but I'm intrigued by the amount of posts here about PKs ...

So, what are all that PKx stuff about?
I've read mixed reviews on them. Are they mainly mid centric buds (sound wise)?

What about the retired beauty Panda PK2s (the white ones) and all the related DIY versions on Taobao?
Are the Pandas worth it?

In a few word, should I give some Pks a try?
Have they already been overcome by newer stuff?

In contrast to the slightly larger MX500 type shell, the PK type shell is popular as smaller type shell.

To understand PK types, you should first read @WoodyLuvr's hard work on the History of EARBUDS (Key Models Timeline) post.

SILVER AGE
As first PK type shaped earbuds, the "2006 - NTT DoCoMo New Variant (16Ω)" which was an accessory of the NTT DoCoMo mobile phones was quietly released in Japan. This is now known as "docomo earbuds" and their driver is known as "docomo driver".

Next, the "2006 - Yuin PK Series (PK1 150Ω; PK2 16Ω; PK3 32Ω)" were released in China, which was a copy of the "docomo earbuds" shape. The Yuin PK1 150Ω became especially popular and this series is still on sale.
The driver for the Yuin PK1 150Ω is called the red film driver, and it is also sold as the red film DIY PK1.

And a modified version of the Yuin PK1 is still available as "2008 - Yuin OK1 (150Ω)".

Next, a slightly larger version of the PK type "2013 - Sunrise Dragon 2 aka SWD2 (120 ohm)" was released from Sunrize and the anniversary edition is still available.

MODERN AGE
The following 2 earbuds with the PK type of "docomo earbuds" shape and with the drivers "docomo driver" were released from Shozy who found that "docomo driver" sounds great. And now they are known as masterpieces and are still sold today, with occasional shortages.
"2016 - Shozy Cygnus (18Ω)"
"2016 - Shozy BK Stardust (16Ω; NTT DoCoMo New Variant driver)"

And the successor to the Sunrise Dragon 2 aka SWD2 has been released and is still available as "2017 - Simphonio (Sunrise) Dragon 2 Plus aka SWD2+ (16Ω)".

Although not in this timeline, the "2017 - NiceHCK DIY PK2" using the "docomo earbuds" or "docomo driver" as parts was released but sold out on Taobao and Aliexpress.
I think that other than this NiceHCK DIY PK2, no other products with the DIY PK2 name use the "docomo driver" after this.

Many kinds of PK type earbuds are released...

Now, "2019 - NiceHCK B40", a slightly larger version of the PK type, is on the market.

 

[jibberish]

For our earbud friends here, what is the most basshead earbud you guys have tried (assuming with adequate amping/source)?



My vote goes to the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold. With amping, it has even more subbass quantity/extension than the regular ST10, which was my previous winner of the earbud basshead award.

I know subbass is usually a weakness in most buds and I'm very happy to have the Black Gold as my endgame earbud (basshead here), but am wondering if there's any other earbud with greater bass extension/quantity. Curiosity killed the cat and wallet, yes.

Willsound MK2, for me. They are actually outstanding when it comes to many aspects, including vocals, soundstage and separation. Above all else however, the bass dominates the tuning. Depending on the song, it can either be a lot of fun, or it can overwhelm the mids.

If it had more sub bass emphasis instead of the mid bass emphasis it has, I think it would be incredible. As is, however, its difficult to use as an all-rounder.

One of these days I need to try one of their other models that has less bass. All the other technical aspects are fantastic, and the cable is very nice as well.

 

[Nool]

Here's v1.4 for the bk2. Less treble roll off. Lot more detail retrieval now. I'm still listening and evaluating.

Let me know what you think @Nool

Definitely sounds better without the 10k+ rolloff. Also 4-8k still sounds a tad too hot to me, I'd lower it maybe 1, 1.5db but that's just me. It's only really apparent on sharp drum hits like in this track (not my favorite tune but works well as a test track), just a tad sibilant imo.

One thing I think is a safe catch-all, you can boost the subbass 2-3db. The poor staging still sort of neuters it but it does add some overall warmth. Not sure how sharp the transition to the mids should be but I figure a boost out to 50hz or so is appropriate. You'll hear an apparant difference starting at 1:25 here

The mids seem okay, overall it sounds a bit thin to me but I'm not sure how warm/thick it'd sound with slightly less treble and a subbass boost.

Of course all this is my subjective opinion, don't beat yourself up trying to get it perfect, cuz that's probably impossible lol. I'm pretty happy with the AIMP eq I posted earlier, after hearing this I might try lowering the mids another decibel, and refocus where the treble is boosted. Though honestly I don't use my bk2 much, I'm mostly on the Rambo2, I'm surprised how much soundstage can impact things. The EQ you provided for that seems spot on to me, though I'd cut the treble on that by another db or so as well.

 

[rkw]

In contrast to the slightly larger MX500 type shell, the PK type shell is popular as smaller type shell.

To understand PK types, you should first read @WoodyLuvr's hard work on the "History of EARBUDS (Key Models Timeline)" post.

SILVER AGE
First, PK-type shaped earbuds originated as an accessory to the NTT docomo Feature Phone "2006 - NTT DoCoMo New Variant (16Ω)". These are known as "docomo earbuds" and their drivers are known as "docomo driver".

Next, the "2006 - Yuin PK Series (PK1 150Ω; PK2 16Ω; PK3 32Ω)" were released, which was a copy of the PK type shape. The Yuin PK1 150Ω was especially popular and this series is still on sale.
The driver for the Yuin PK1 150Ω is called the red film driver, and it is also sold as the red film DIY PK1.

And a modified version of the Yuin PK1 is still available as "2008 - Yuin OK1 (150Ω)".

Next, a slightly larger version of the PK type "2013 - Sunrise Dragon 2 aka SWD2 (120 ohm)" was released from Sunrize and the anniversary edition is still available.

MODERN AGE
The following earbuds in the original PK type shape (the drivers are "docomo driver") were released from Shozy and are known as masterpieces and are still sold today, with occasional shortages.
"2016 - Shozy Cygnus (18Ω)"
"2016 - Shozy BK Stardust (16 ohm; NTT DoCoMo New Variant driver)"

And the successor to the Sunrise Dragon 2 aka SWD2 has been released and is still available.
"2017 - Simphonio (Sunrise) Dragon 2 Plus aka SWD2+ (16 ohm)"

Although not in this timeline, the "2017 - NiceHCK DIY PK2" using the "docomo earbuds" or "docomo driver" as parts was released but sold out on Taobao and Aliexpress.
I think that other than this NiceHCK DIY PK2, no other products with the DIY PK2 name use the "docomo driver" after this.

Finally, "2019 - NiceHCK B40", a slightly larger version of the PK type, is now on the market.

DQSM Turandot (2019) should also be on this list, uniquely a PK style made of metal.

 

[rprodrigues]

In contrast to the slightly larger MX500 type shell, the PK type shell is popular as smaller type shell.

To understand PK types, you should first read @WoodyLuvr's hard work on the "History of EARBUDS (Key Models Timeline)" post.

SILVER AGE
As first PK type shaped earbuds, the "2006 - NTT DoCoMo New Variant (16Ω)" which was an accessory of the NTT DoCoMo feature phones was quietly released in Japan. This is now known as "docomo earbuds" and their driver is known as "docomo driver".

Next, the "2006 - Yuin PK Series (PK1 150Ω; PK2 16Ω; PK3 32Ω)" were released in China, where there is no concept of design rights, which was a copy of the docomo earbuds shape. The Yuin PK1 150Ω became especially popular and this series is still on sale.
The driver for the Yuin PK1 150Ω is called the red film driver, and it is also sold as the red film DIY PK1.

And a modified version of the Yuin PK1 is still available as "2008 - Yuin OK1 (150Ω)".

Next, a slightly larger version of the PK type "2013 - Sunrise Dragon 2 aka SWD2 (120 ohm)" was released from Sunrize and the anniversary edition is still available.

MODERN AGE
The following 2 earbuds with the PK type of "docomo earbuds" shape and with the drivers "docomo driver" were released from Shozy who found that "docomo driver" sounds great and are known as masterpieces and are still sold today, with occasional shortages.
"2016 - Shozy Cygnus (18Ω)"
"2016 - Shozy BK Stardust (16 ohm; NTT DoCoMo New Variant driver)"

And the successor to the Sunrise Dragon 2 aka SWD2 has been released and is still available as "2017 - Simphonio (Sunrise) Dragon 2 Plus aka SWD2+ (16 ohm)".

Although not in this timeline, the "2017 - NiceHCK DIY PK2" using the "docomo earbuds" or "docomo driver" as parts was released but sold out on Taobao and Aliexpress.
I think that other than this NiceHCK DIY PK2, no other products with the DIY PK2 name use the "docomo driver" after this.

Many kinds of PK type earbuds are released...

Finally, "2019 - NiceHCK B40", a slightly larger version of the PK type, is now on the market.

Impressive!
Thank you!

By the way, it is a pity that models from Shozy are that expensive, otherwise I would try them.