[Multiverso]

FAAEAL Snow Lotus 1.0+ Blue CE (64 ohms)

This is my first earbud since using Apple earbuds roughly 8 or so years ago. I'm seriously impressed by the quality of sound that comes of this $12 bud. The treble was initially piercing and the bass a bit weak, through throwing on a set of full foams tamed the highs and boosted the lows for a relatively balanced sound. To my ear (vs HD650s and ER4XRs), it comes off as being slightly warm with a minor boost in the upper mids (which make female vocals pop). All things considered, I'm very impressed for the cost especially with how relatively tame the tuning is vs IEMs in a similar price bracket (KZ IEMs looking at you).

I am definitely looking forward to trying new buds. If anyone has any other suggestion for mid focused buds with decent bass, I'm all ears! I'm currently considering the: Penon Audio EA buds as well as the Smabat ST-10S gold.

EMX500 (brown cable) - outstanding separation and imaging; remarkable in every aspects, except the life expectancy of the drivers.
Like a convertible V8 engine in a sunset drive.

EMX500S (black or blue shell) - as the old brother, except this S version has: upper mids a tad forward (take in account for long sessions), better life expectancy of the drivers, but cable is quite stiff.
Like a V8 engine in a track race.

(I have the Snow Lotus 1.0+ blue 64 Ohms, very good build and SQ earbuds, and with a lovely color. But those EMX500/S are a step up in SQ, IMO.)
Cheers.

 

[baskingshark]

FAAEAL Snow Lotus 1.0+ Blue CE (64 ohms)

This is my first earbud since using Apple earbuds roughly 8 or so years ago. I'm seriously impressed by the quality of sound that comes of this $12 bud. The treble was initially piercing and the bass a bit weak, through throwing on a set of full foams tamed the highs and boosted the lows for a relatively balanced sound. To my ear (vs HD650s and ER4XRs), it comes off as being slightly warm with a minor boost in the upper mids (which make female vocals pop). All things considered, I'm very impressed for the cost especially with how relatively tame the tuning is vs IEMs in a similar price bracket (KZ IEMs looking at you).

I am definitely looking forward to trying new buds. If anyone has any other suggestion for mid focused buds with decent bass, I'm all ears! I'm currently considering the: Penon Audio EA buds as well as the Smabat ST-10S gold.

Just my 2 cents for your queries:

1) Penon Audio Earbuds Anonymous - this is an L shaped set, warm, bassy and smooth with rolled off treble. The bass is midbass focused and north of neutral, with slight subbass roll off. Still better than most other buds in subbass extension, but not as well extended in the bass as the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold. Bass bleeds a bit into mids. Lower mids are depressed slightly with a slight boost in the upper mids, which are nevertheless quite smooth and transparent. Minimal shoutiness in the upper mids unlike some other CHIFI tuned IEMs/earbuds. Timbre and technicalities are above average.

The treble is rolled off as discussed and hence treble nuances and microdetails are actually missing in a lot of songs I'm familiar with. So if you like sparkle and air in your music and like treble details, best to look elsewhere. The EA is a niche tuning as such, maybe for bassheads that are treble sensitive. It sells at $50 USD usually, but if you are their FB member or on some sales it can go at $25 USD. I wouldn't recommend it at full price for sure, unless this is a tuning you are sure you want. Very anonymous as per its namesake.



2) SMABAT ST10S Black Gold - neutralish set with a slight upper mids and subbass boost. The best earbud I have heard for subbass extension and quantity. It needs amping though, very high impedance. Excellent technicalities and my current end game earbud. It isn't as cold in the mids and timbre as the predecessor the SMABAT ST10 (non S). Detachable too, a lot of TOTL earbuds even in 2020 have non detachable cables, which are a potential source of failure. Can be worn over ears and cable down, so multiple fit options. Not to be mixed up with the SMABAT ST10S Black Silver, which is tuned differently (and has lower impedance).

 

[waynes world]

About: Yincrow RW-9 and Yincrow X6

After owning and listening to both the X6 and RW-9 for over 6 months, I can say that I find the RW-9 more revealing and more extended with plenty of details on both ends. Don't get me wrong, the RW-6 are a lot of fun to listen to with plenty of bass to go around, but the RW-9 just takes details and overall soundstage to another level. Now, even though the bass is not as fast or louder than the X6, in my opinion is because the RW-9's sub-bass plays on a sweeter level with more convincing texture and rumble. Here in China, the RW-9 is doing very well with sales with plenty to go around, especially in taobao. So, it's odd to me that the RW-9's are fading away anytime soon. But, if it's fading overseas do to lack of demand, I suggest everyone here should really jump on a pair, before they become really hard to get.

-Clear

Love the RW-9's. Have the X6's on the way, and have too many buds and usually don't buy backups. But I might buy a backup pair of the RW-9's (your post isn't helping lol).

EMX500 (brown cable) - outstanding separation and imaging; remarkable in every aspects, except the life expectancy of the drivers.
Like a convertible V8 engine in a sunset drive.

I have the white cable variant:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32823569005.html

Have been listening to them for 3 weeks since getting them, and I love them as well.

 

[Sam L]

EMX500 (brown cable) - outstanding separation and imaging; remarkable in every aspects, except the life expectancy of the drivers.
Like a convertible V8 engine in a sunset drive.

EMX500S (black or blue shell) - as the old brother, except this S version has: upper mids a tad forward (take in account for long sessions), better life expectancy of the drivers, but cable is quite stiff.
Like a V8 engine in a track race.

(I have the Snow Lotus 1.0+ blue 64 Ohms, very good build and SQ earbuds, and with a lovely color. But those EMX500/S are a step up in SQ, IMO.)
Cheers.

The emx500 is one of my favorites. I didn't know there was an issue with the longevity of the drivers. What is the issue? Do they tend to die near end of life? what timeframe? I'm relatively new to earbuds so never really heard about drivers dying out (well, maybe biocellulose).

 

[Sam L]

Love the RW-9's. Have the X6's on the way, and have too many buds and usually don't buy backups. But I might buy a backup pair of the RW-9's (your post isn't helping lol).



I have the white cable variant:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32823569005.html

Have been listening to them for 3 weeks since getting them, and I love them as well.

Yeah, the rw-9's are fantastic, though I still prefer the x6's a tad. But if I'm being honest, the rw-9's are more iem friendly in sound.

 

[Sam L]

If anyone is on in 90 minutes and want to join us in our virtual meetup, PM me and I'll give you the meeting link.

We'll be on at 10pm PST.

 

[baskingshark]

The emx500 is one of my favorites. I didn't know there was an issue with the longevity of the drivers. What is the issue? Do they tend to die near end of life? what timeframe? I'm relatively new to earbuds so never really heard about drivers dying out (well, maybe biocellulose).

I'm relatively new to earbuds but have been using IEMs and headphones for about close to 20 years and I suppose the drivers can be postulated to work similarly for single DD types (which majority of earbuds are). In my journey so far, the cable is generally first area to die rather than drivers. I'm a bit wary of TOTL earbuds that come in non detachable cables even in 2020 for the above reasons. I'm quite afraid they will be a point of failure down the line, maybe unless you have the skills to recable/do MMCX mods. So I generally try not to buy anything more than $50 USD without detachable cables, YMMV.

Assuming u treat your drivers well, they can last a long time, eg no excessive sweating/humidity/temperature changes and dropping them etc, keep them in hard cases etc. I find DD in general more robust than BA drivers and I have a few IEMs that are actually almost 20 years old and are still working fine today! Biocellulose is another story though, I only have a few sets that have this material, but they are like < 2 years old so not sure what is their expected lifespan.

Anyway with how fast this rabbithole moves, nowadays we will likely get a new hypetrain in the mail way before any driver dies haha.

 

[mtl171]

The Smabat ST-10S gold may be bass focused buds.
You can try low-cost NICEHCK B40 instead.

Thanks for the recommendation! The NiceHCK B40 has been waiting in my cart as a yuin shell demo so just happens to work out. I heard the gold is less warm then the silver, though I'll have to look into it more.

EMX500 (brown cable) - outstanding separation and imaging; remarkable in every aspects, except the life expectancy of the drivers.
Like a convertible V8 engine in a sunset drive.

EMX500S (black or blue shell) - as the old brother, except this S version has: upper mids a tad forward (take in account for long sessions), better life expectancy of the drivers, but cable is quite stiff.
Like a V8 engine in a track race.

(I have the Snow Lotus 1.0+ blue 64 Ohms, very good build and SQ earbuds, and with a lovely color. But those EMX500/S are a step up in SQ, IMO.)
Cheers.

Thanks for the recommendation! I haven't heard anything about the EMX500 buds so will need to look into those as well. I definitely have noticed that the Snow Lotus are a bit slow with fast bass but for the price I can't complain

Just my 2 cents for your queries:

1) Penon Audio Earbuds Anonymous - this is an L shaped set, warm, bassy and smooth with rolled off treble. The bass is midbass focused and north of neutral, with slight subbass roll off. Still better than most other buds in subbass extension, but not as well extended in the bass as the SMABAT ST10S Black Gold. Bass bleeds a bit into mids. Lower mids are depressed slightly with a slight boost in the upper mids, which are nevertheless quite smooth and transparent. Minimal shoutiness in the upper mids unlike some other CHIFI tuned IEMs/earbuds. Timbre and technicalities are above average.

The treble is rolled off as discussed and hence treble nuances and microdetails are actually missing in a lot of songs I'm familiar with. So if you like sparkle and air in your music and like treble details, best to look elsewhere. The EA is a niche tuning as such, maybe for bassheads that are treble sensitive. It sells at $50 USD usually, but if you are their FB member or on some sales it can go at $25 USD. I wouldn't recommend it at full price for sure, unless this is a tuning you are sure you want. Very anonymous as per its namesake.



2) SMABAT ST10S Black Gold - neutralish set with a slight upper mids and subbass boost. The best earbud I have heard for subbass extension and quantity. It needs amping though, very high impedance. Excellent technicalities and my current end game earbud. It isn't as cold in the mids and timbre as the predecessor the SMABAT ST10 (non S). Detachable too, a lot of TOTL earbuds even in 2020 have non detachable cables, which are a potential source of failure. Can be worn over ears and cable down, so multiple fit options. Not to be mixed up with the SMABAT ST10S Black Silver, which is tuned differently (and has lower impedance).

Thank you for the write up! I've been really curious about the EA buds as I've heard them talked about often on the EA group, but people don't really mention how they sound. I guess that crossing them off my list. The smambat st10s sounds like itll have a sound signature i'd appreciate plus the price and detacchable cable is a nice bonus. I do have a oppo ha2se right now, though I'm open to picking up a new amp (have my eye on a JDS atom) if need be.

 

[Sam L]

If anyone wants to drop in and say "Hi".


Join with Google Meet
meet.google.com/dzd-zprr-jga

 

[Alteria]

Just got the NiceHCK DIY MX500 with the white cable and I love it! It's my first one and I'm surprised at how good it sounds. Been using it a lot more than my headphones now.

Would love to grab more earbuds around 10USD and need some recommendations. If possible something a bit on the bright side.

 

[iemhater]

EMX500 (brown cable) - outstanding separation and imaging; remarkable in every aspects, except the life expectancy of the drivers.

I have the white cable variant:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32823569005.html

Have been listening to them for 3 weeks since getting them, and I love them as well.

Aren't the mx500s different from each vendor? They buy the mx500 shells wholesale and put a mystery driver inside them. They could even vary between each purchase or each year.

I myself bought a Nicehck one from all the recommendations here.

In my journey so far, the cable is generally first area to die rather than drivers

How do you tell if the cable is at fault? To me it seems like the cable is much less likely to be damaged, it is a very simple thing compared to a driver. The circuitry could fail, the diaphragm could be perforated or detached etc... The cable should work unless it is cut. The buds I've had that failed I assumed the driver was at fault since I couldn't see any damage on the cables.

 

[baskingshark]

How do you tell if the cable is at fault? To me it seems like the cable is much less likely to be damaged, it is a very simple thing compared to a driver. The circuitry could fail, the diaphragm could be perforated or detached etc... The cable should work unless it is cut. The buds I've had that failed I assumed the driver was at fault since I couldn't see any damage on the cables.

For detachable cable gear it is easy to tell if the cable is faulty, if there's no sound with the faulty cable, u swap a new one in and it works.

For non detachable cable that is faulty, u can tell it is the issue in a few ways
- Eg it doesn't seem to work, but you get sound by angling the cable at certain directions
- Eg u can use measuring equipment in shops (or if u have the expertise) to tell that there is no signal via the cable. I've brought a few to the shop (non detachable sets that failed at cable) and they did a MMCX or recabling mod and viola it works again.

The cable can actually look intact but it may have lost soldering points or something internally. From my experience ( i had 5 non detachable IEMs die at the cable), they usually die at the cable insertion point to the IEM housing, as that's where it bends the most I suppose. For detachable sets, they usually fail at the MMCX point (become too loose and start spinning like a wind vane).

 

[Multiverso]

The emx500 is one of my favorites. I didn't know there was an issue with the longevity of the drivers. What is the issue? Do they tend to die near end of life? what timeframe? I'm relatively new to earbuds so never really heard about drivers dying out (well, maybe biocellulose).

Hi. Well, i just saw my order history in Aliexpress for the EMX500 version (not the S version). The first was in 14-July-2017, in a total of 13 units (one is on the way).

For the 12 units used, i would say about 8 to 9 of them ended up having the same problem: reverberation in low and sub-low notes, at least in one of the drivers (sometimes in the left, other times in the right driver).

It can happen in the first week, the first month or in the following months. But i'm pretty sure that one variable is determinant to make it happen: the volume. More specifically, the louder volume with bass and sub-bass notes among it. Or using technical terms, the more SPL (Sound Pressure Level) present in listening music sessions, the more likelihood for the reverberation arises.

Very likely the problem is located in the diaphragm (membrane), which being dynamic driver is much more evident when the low notes are being produced.

(In a speculative sentence, perhaps their biggest strength, could simultaneously be their biggest weakness.)

Some say to take off the shell and try to make a soft blow with the mouth to remove any possible dust or microscopic hair, but that never worked for me.

For the last and more recent units i tried to give them purposefully an initial burn-in in a very moderate volume to see if there's any kind of strengthen/adaptation of the diaphragms, but still hard to say if it works because the sample is small.

Other minor problem is the trend to microphonics (small noises of the wires inside the shell), but only when we are on the move, in body movement like walking or running.

Despite all of this, it's delightful what they provide! In love since the first pair.

 

[jogawag]

Hi. Well, i just saw my order history in Aliexpress for the EMX500 version (not the S version). The first was in 14-July-2017, in a total of 13 units (one is on the way).

For the 12 units used, i would say about 8 to 9 of them ended up having the same problem: reverberation in low and sub-low notes, at least in one of the drivers (sometimes in the left, other times in the right driver).

It can happen in the first week, the first month or in the following months. But i'm pretty sure that one variable is determinant to make it happen: the volume. More specifically, the louder volume with bass and sub-bass notes among it. Or using technical terms, the more SPL (Sound Pressure Level) present in listening music sessions, the more likelihood for the reverberation arises.

Very likely the problem is located in the diaphragm (membrane), which being dynamic driver is much more evident when the low notes are being produced.

(In a speculative sentence, perhaps their biggest strength, could simultaneously be their biggest weakness.)

Some say to take off the shell and try to make a soft blow with the mouth to remove any possible dust or microscopic hair, but that never worked for me.

For the last and more recent units i tried to give them purposefully an initial burn-in in a very moderate volume to see if there's any kind of strengthen/adaptation of the diaphragms, but still hard to say if it works because the sample is small.

Other minor problem is the trend to microphonics (small noises of the wires inside the shell), but only when we are on the move, in body movement like walking or running.

Despite all of this, it's delightful what they provide! In love since the first pair.

I don't know what kind of loud volume listening to the EMX500 will break the driver, but for you, I recommend the FENGRU DIY MMCX MX500 and the following MMCX OFC cable.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000455867566.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32974773971.html

If you buy 4 pairs of FENGRU DIY MMCX MX500 and one cable for about $29, you can survive 6 broken drivers.

 

[furyossa]

I don't know what kind of loud volume listening to the EMX500 will break the driver, but for you, I recommend the FENGRU DIY MMCX MX500 and the following MMCX OFC cable.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000455867566.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32974773971.html

If you buy 4 pairs of FENGRU DIY MMCX MX500 and one cable for about $29, you can survive 6 broken drivers.

You figured this out really well
If you want to go even lower, then it is better to take the cables in the same store. Here he can find probably something at a good price
https://gratituding.aliexpress.com/store/group/Headphone-Accessories/1422180_511085230.html