[lackOfInspiration]

Wow thanks that's a ton of information. So basically don't expect those monks to blow the apple ones out of the water. TY Hi-Z 32 look nice but unless I'm looking in the wrong places I don't see one with a play/pause.


So are the monks just old? A ton of the information I was seeing was praising them as some of the best budget buds. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wGTZnKX1aP29c1bzs5JWgqSUlPzZqV9p_cw79VfRBpQ/pub I was looking at this one and they seemed to place ok.

Already ordered them so will just have to see how they work for me and if not keep looking.

Indeed no mic/remote fore the Ty :/ I forgot to include this criterion, sorry.

Well I don't think it's about being old. They were juste over-hyped, and also the former Monks were better so the name might have come into play. It's still great as a point of reference because they are ubiquitous. Moreover you should trust your hear, earbuds are the hardest devices to measure. I Think spending time comparing Apple buds and the monk + will teach you a lot. See if what you hear correlates with measurments, identify what part of the spectrum is critical to you... And in the end it is possible that you prefere the Monk +. But I think they are far from being a universal recomendation even if it can sound good to some ears.

So with mic and remote, you could give a try to the MS16. With a lose seal and at lower volumes they can give this very pleasent out of the head feeling. They don't lack clarity for sure, but are not as tonally accurate as the apple, and won't offer much more bass. I like them though and I guess most people would. They are crazy comfortable as well. Outdoor with noises from the street and all, voices stick out nicely but hard to hear the low frequencies.

Interesting. Is the site owner on headfi?

Ah I'd like to know! As I said previously this database is crazy but seems to be out of nowhere.... They have a contact page and seem to be very open to discussion.

 

[jogawag]

How does FiiO EM5 compare to Moondrop Chaconne?

I don't have a Fiio EM5, but I found the following review:
The Fiio EM5 has a thick sound in the mid and low range, with a reasonably spacious and dense sound, but the treble range is a bit lacking.
If you are a fan of the Moondrop CHACONNE, you may find the sound a bit lacking in clarity and vividness.
The Fiio EM5's mid-to-low range texture is one of the best earbuds available, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a laid-back, expansive sounding earbuds that doesn't find the Moondrop CHACONNE's treble too exciting.

 

[jogawag]

Well I have spent some time with the RW-9 now and honestly I think the X6 is better.

The bass on the RW-9 has more quantity but quality cant keep up and it is bleeding a bit into the mids. Although it does extend a bit lower and also has rumbles a bit more than the X6, but the X6 is faster, tighter and more textured.

Mids are slightly recessed so it gives it a v-shaped sound profile but quality is very similar.

Treble quality is also very similar but has a bit more quantity on the RW-9 However the tonality is still pretty similar because of that bass quantity that balances out the extra treble quantity.

Technicalities are similar on timbre, soundstage, imaging. But details is a bit better on the RW-9 (probably "fake details" with the added treble quantity) while instrument separation is a bit better on the X6 due to the cleaner bass.


Which one do I rec? Both of them are on the same level to me so the only differences are the sound profile (X6 = bass boosted neutral, RW-9 = V-shaped) and the cable that feels/looks better on the RW-9 (although it is quite thin). So based on my own preferences leaning towards the X6 AND because it is half the price (also not discontinued) I rec the X6 over the RW-9.


RW-9: rank A+

Certainly the RW-9 has too much volume and it is bleeding a bit into the mids.
So I sealed the six vents on each side behind the RW-9's MX500 shell. (sealing the top slit vent on the back is overkill) The resulted in moderately tighter bass and a best sound atmospherically close to the RW-2000.
If you have a RW-9, give it a try!

 

[cappuchino]

Certainly the RW-9 has too much volume and it is bleeding a bit into the mids.
So I sealed the six vents on each side behind the RW-9's MX500 shell. (sealing the top slit vent on the back is overkill) The resulted in moderately tighter bass and a best sound atmospherically close to the RW-2000.
If you have a RW-9, give it a try!

How did you seal the vents? I've got a K's Nameless and I'm planning to do easy mods to change the sound. Is there a link for those mods?

 

[furyossa]

Certainly the RW-9 has too much volume and it is bleeding a bit into the mids.
So I sealed the six vents on each side behind the RW-9's MX500 shell. (sealing the top slit vent on the back is overkill) The resulted in moderately tighter bass and a best sound atmospherically close to the RW-2000.
If you have a RW-9, give it a try!

Post your impression and mod photos in the DIY Earbuds thread if it's not a problem

 

[jogawag]

How did you seal the vents? I've got a K's Nameless and I'm planning to do easy mods to change the sound. Is there a link for those mods?

Post your impression and mod photos in the DIY Earbuds thread if it's not a problem

I'm sorry for this too simple mod, but I just put two 8mm diameter circular masking paper tape paches on both sides of the shell...
It looks bad, but I don't care about it because it is hidden by foam.

 

[furyossa]

The Fiio EM5 has a thick sound in the mid and low range, with a reasonably spacious and dense sound, but the treble range is a bit lacking.

This description reminds me of a DIY 600ohm beryllium-coated driver.
Ok EM5 and CHACONNE are the first two contestants for "the best of the best" competition.
I would love to hear some experience with the lady Rose Maria
And what about the bad girls from K's Bell lineup: Bell-Ti, Bell-Blue, and Bell-We. Has anyone "dated" these girls?
Joke aside for me when it comes to industrial design, this is the most beautiful model so far.

 

[jogawag]

And what about the bad girls from K's Bell lineup: Bell-Ti, Bell-Blue, and Bell-We. Has anyone "dated" these girls?

I found the following review. Please display them on Chorome browser.:
http://headphonemetal.ldblog.jp/archives/52427612.html
http://headphonemetal.ldblog.jp/archives/52427635.html
http://headphonemetal.ldblog.jp/archives/52389687.html

 

[Sam L]

hey do you guys know a good portable amp for earbuds? Im craving for some high impendance ones, so that would be a must, i currently have a fiio btr3k but the low output makes higher impedance headphones not loud enough,I want something at max 100$

I had similar requirements, but was willing to stretch to $150. I almost went for an ifi zen dac but in the end decided to save my money and resurrect my oppo ha2 with a new battery. Turns out the oneplus 1 battery fits perfectly. The other portable amp I use is the headamp pico amp/dac. But that one is a bit out of your price range, $499 new, around $300 used.

 

[Sam L]

As shown here the Apple earpods surely are very good; especially wih foams (if you can do with the lack of bass) and you will have a hard time finding another bud that is so well tuned (there are a few though).

Now they are overpriced end fragile and most earbuds discussed here offer better bass. Here are some alternatives: (the graphs here must be compared with care as they are done wih different pieces of (very high end) equipment, but both include full pinnea simulation. Also note that the target is different, one is diffuse field, the other is Harman (essentially a tilted down diffuse filed + bass boost)).

You can see that most lack clarity. Some like it and you may will (I don't). Vidos + EQ offer great sound quality (with great bass response) and the wildest price/SQ ration in the game (sub 1$!!!). Personnaly I'm a big fan of the TY Hi-Z 32 (7$), their sound signature is very well suited to outdoor use cases (I mainly use theme on the go myself). They are my Porta Pro substitute.
You can see The Monk + seem to sound good here compare to others but the +5db @200hz combines with the nasty null @6khz make it sound muddy yet bass lite. Having small ears hence good seal with MX500 shells I hear the 200hz bump 2 or 3db higher and this really is awfull.
Keep in mind that earbuds are extremely sensible to placement and ear anatomy, and that you can gain/lose clarity/bass changing the foam you use. (The tighter the seal the more bass you get.). A lot of people here give valuable impressions that reflect this variability.

I want to get more info on how those measurements are taken (what mic, soundcard, etc.) Looking through that database, I'm seeing quite a few that match with mine but others that are quite a bit off.

The monk plus, for example, do not sound at all like that graph. It sounds like my FR.

 

[Sam L]

I've been using the apple v2 earbuds for years, as for action sports stuff being able to hear what's going on around me is super important. I had a stockpile of the 3.5mm ones from friends phones but am down to my last one. Usually I kill the cable where it meets the jack and one ear will start to go in and out.

I just ordered these as I figured they would be a good start

https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Elec...ds=ve+monk+earbuds+mic&qid=1607286454&sr=8-16


After seeing all the discussion here, and the low prices I really want to try some more out as well. I'd like to stick around the <20 mark at first but I feel like with everything else I am going to end up with some 300 dollar earbuds in a few years anyways.

Most of the ones discussed here seemed discontinued, so these were just some random ones I threw in my cart from brands that I remembered as I had been browsing has anyone tried them?
https://imgur.com/a/HqC7yqK

If you have any recommendations, guides, or good technical youtubers to explain what it is I should be looking for that would be great.

Ideally I need at least one button for play/pause, and to be as durable as possible. As far as the sound, I do have a bit of a hard time with high treble but usually I can mess with the EQ on my v30.


Thanks!

just re-read your post. If you have a v30, then you can run wavelet app and run any number of my files in this thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbud-target-curve-tests.944006/page-12

I'd recommend the datura pro. I'm still waiting for mine but @furyossa has tested the compensation file on it already and gives it a strong recommendation. I'm guessing, compensated, its 90% end game sound quality.

 

[baskingshark]

Has anybody tried this earbud? Purported to have beryllium in the driver and quite cheap.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001589119116.html




Might consider getting it for 11/11!

Buyer beware! I realized I got a fake tracking number for this order when I bought it on 11/11, it was sent to somewhere in Russia (found it so on track17.net) and claimed to be delivered to me in Singapore. I just opened a dispute on aliexpress about fake tracking.

A pity as the reviews for it seem to be positive, I dunno if they had logistics problems due to 11/11, but sending a fake tracking number is not cool. =(

 

[jogawag]

hey do you guys know a good portable amp for earbuds? Im craving for some high impendance ones, so that would be a must, i currently have a fiio btr3k but the low output makes higher impedance headphones not loud enough,I want something at max 100$

How about SHANLING UP4?

 

[Sam L]

As shown here the Apple earpods surely are very good; especially wih foams (if you can do with the lack of bass) and you will have a hard time finding another bud that is so well tuned (there are a few though).

Now they are overpriced end fragile and most earbuds discussed here offer better bass. Here are some alternatives: (the graphs here must be compared with care as they are done wih different pieces of (very high end) equipment, but both include full pinnea simulation. Also note that the target is different, one is diffuse field, the other is Harman (essentially a tilted down diffuse filed + bass boost)).

You can see that most lack clarity. Some like it and you may will (I don't). Vidos + EQ offer great sound quality (with great bass response) and the wildest price/SQ ration in the game (sub 1$!!!). Personnaly I'm a big fan of the TY Hi-Z 32 (7$), their sound signature is very well suited to outdoor use cases (I mainly use theme on the go myself). They are my Porta Pro substitute.
You can see The Monk + seem to sound good here compare to others but the +5db @200hz combines with the nasty null @6khz make it sound muddy yet bass lite. Having small ears hence good seal with MX500 shells I hear the 200hz bump 2 or 3db higher and this really is awfull.
Keep in mind that earbuds are extremely sensible to placement and ear anatomy, and that you can gain/lose clarity/bass changing the foam you use. (The tighter the seal the more bass you get.). A lot of people here give valuable impressions that reflect this variability.

Interesting measurements in that dark, aggregated screen shot. There are coupler resonance points at 5k and 8.75khz that are not typical of a iec711 coupler. I'm wondering what this rig is comprised of. I'll reach out and let you guys know what I find.

 

[furyossa]

I had similar requirements, but was willing to stretch to $150. I almost went for an ifi zen dac but in the end decided to save my money and resurrect my oppo ha2 with a new battery. Turns out the oneplus 1 battery fits perfectly. The other portable amp I use is the headamp pico amp/dac. But that one is a bit out of your price range, $499 new, around $300 used.

for these models, a little stretching really pays off. They may have a New Year's discount
https://e1dashz.wixsite.com/index
https://ifi-audio.com/products/hip-dac/
https://www.fiio.com/q3
BTW...iFi Zen DAC is a very affordable device and is a good choice for desktop DAC/AMP