[ezekiel77]

  That's true, that's why i ordered only zen 2. Cardas is always expensive. But your decission

 

   
I think in this case you also pay premium for VE brand name.

 
Yup. I'm a cable believer but I don't think I'm making the jump here. They don't look replaceable to me. Regular Zen 2.0 will be in my sights then.

 

[golov17]

Thanks! That price jump tho... makes me think I'm paying $200 for Cardas cables and maybe $150 for the drivers.

Do not forget about the lifetime warranty

 

[vapman]

The most important difference to note about Black edition Zen 2 is lifetime warranty and upgrades. that's why i chose to replace my Zen 2 with the Black Edition

 

[music4mhell]

  The most important difference to note about Black edition Zen 2 is lifetime warranty and upgrades. that's why i chose to replace my Zen 2 with the Black Edition

How much difference between Zen 2 and black edition w.r.t SQ ?

 

[WillTirta]

is it :rolleyes:

Yes but not the transparant one.. lol..maybe faaeal make its own transparant version.. since it is is written 定制版。。custom edition

 

[audio123]

Yes but not the transparant one.. lol..maybe faaeal make its own transparant version.. since it is is written 定制版。。custom edition

ah yes i understand the words. cheers

 

[rggz]

Hey guys, after golov's posted a picture of Cygnus driver and I thought how close PK2 DIY driver looks similar I ended buying a pair to check it and the seller crafted for me, looks awesome as Cygnus too! atm I have this mic miniDSP UMIK-1 then when it arrives I'll try to measure both, maybe can we have a surprise?
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 
 

 

 

[Saoshyant]

Well, finally getting a straight down MMCX cable (just a disclaimer this one was really quite a cheap cable, so it's affect on the sound may be considered an issue for some), I'm giving the 15mm detachable earbud a try with no burn in so far.  Keeping in mind that my tastes lean towards a more bass-centric sound, the bass is light compared to the mids and treble.  I'd have to dig it out of storage, but from memory it reminds me of the Ety HF5's bass.  Vocals and instruments feel nice and clear, and Beethoven's 7th Symphony Allegretto (my copy is a vinyl rip of a 1964 performance, so not perfect) sounds really quite lovely, but not going to have the instrument separation of something like the Rose Mojito.  Nobuo Uematsu's Opera Maria and Draco off the Distant Worlds album also sounds really quite solid, so I'm guessing this earbud would be well suited with classical and maybe something like Tom Petty's Wildflowers album.
 
So, based off initial impressions, for $25 (which doesn't include a cable) I'd say it's a fairly solid earbud for classical music, but felt lackluster with Radiohead's Nude off In Rainbows, so more bass oriented music won't have the weight it deserves.  Honestly, I was expecting a bassier sound from a 15mm driver, but vocals and many instruments sound actually pretty good.

 

[ClieOS]

  Hey guys, after golov's posted a picture of Cygnus driver and I thought how close PK2 DIY driver looks similar I ended buying a pair to check it and the seller crafted for me, looks awesome as Cygnus too! atm I have this mic miniDSP UMIK-1 then when it arrives I'll try to measure both, maybe can we have a surprise?

 
They look just like the hundreds of earbuds driver I have seen from different models of different brands on different price. I think you are overthinking it.

 

[golov17]

They look just like the hundreds of earbuds driver I have seen from different models of different brands on different price. I think you are overthinking it.

agree..

 

[rggz]

   
They look just like the hundreds of earbuds driver I have seen from different models of different brands on different price. I think you are overthinking it.

That's just fun, not a big deal and I'm not telling is the same, sorry if my bad english indicated that. Ofc you have a lot more experience and probably they will sound worst than Cygnus, but for a "vintage" driver they share some characteristics as that specific Yuin driver over the Sony, Aiwa, etc... and If we look Cygnus design is just a copy of Yuin PK series. But probably those characteristics of that driver is just aesthetics and the same impedance, in the end will be fun measure and check it.

 

[golov17]

I think it can be compared with the SQ Shozy DIY earbuds, but not Cygnus, IMHO

 

[ryanjsoo]

I messaged Shozy regarding the drivers and they stated that they use "some old stuff" and are "more than responsible for transplanting the driver". So perhaps they do some additional tuning with dampening, etc? Who knows, the Cygnus subjectively sounds very good to me however; I`m not really fussed about the driver, just the end result. 

 

[ClieOS]

 
That's just fun, not a big deal and I'm not telling is the same, sorry if my bad english indicated that. Ofc you have a lot more experience and probably they will sound worst than Cygnus, but for a "vintage" driver they share some characteristics as that specific Yuin driver over the Sony, Aiwa, etc... and If we look Cygnus design is just a copy of Yuin PK series. But probably those characteristics of that driver is just aesthetics and the same impedance, in the end will be fun measure and check it.

 
Yuin might have made a name on that housing design, but for what I know, it was used by some Japanese / Korean OEM earbdus in the past. So I won't be so quick on calling who copying who - not that it matters much among the Chinese earbuds maker, since they seldom use any original design. That why you can't (and shouldn't) tell them part by look alone.

 

[AudioNewbi3]

Actually, I have been meaning to ask for a while:

How do manufactures tuned same specs driver to have somewhat different sounding? (ceteris paribus with housings, cable and jacks)

Do they flock the housing differently?
Do they perhaps solder on some resistor to the driver change the sound?

It has been a great mystery to me.....