[The3DCie]

Thanks for the reccommendations. The EP-05 and TMusic Beryllium I've found. Though the Tmusic seems to come in both a black plastic and sort of wood-like housing, any difference between the two except for looks?
I can't seem to find the K's or Yincrow right away.

I'm willing to try EQ, but I've never done so before. I'm assuming that's via the wavelet app?

After making my post last night, I decided to go through all my earbuds again for funsies. Coming to the Kbear Marvel (I said Stellar before, but I was mistaken. All these names are getting confusing) I was like "Wait a sec, I don't remember this thing sounding so good?". Quite enjoyed it actually. The B40 still has a better high end and vocals to me, but the Kbear definitely has the edge when it comes to lows and mids. Taking a track like Starlight Brigade from TWRP the Kbear really lets you feel those synth sounds and the bass, but Dan's voice just doesn't shine through and falls kinda flat. The B40 meanwhile let's Dan's voice really shine when he holds those higher notes, but you lose all the warmth from the synths.

Now if I could just Yu-gi-oh fusion card the best parts of the B40 and the Kbear together

You're welcome, I see that you've had a fair bit of recommendations by fellow earbuds experts in the meantime, in advance sorry for your wallet with all this choice to go through!!
Fortunately enough, earbuds are on the cheaper side (compared to full-size headphones or IEMs), even for TOTL buds, which would be considered lower mid-Fi in term of price.

As for Yincrow, you can find them here : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/32902306950.html (only 2 left according to the page, hurry up if you want one!), that's where I got mine from.
K's LBB (or LBW) can be found here : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/32902306950.html (again, only 2 LBW -with the white cable- and 3 LBB -black cable with mic-, I have LBW, so the white cable one...), I got mine from this seller too, a well recognized shop on Head-Fi.
TMusic I got from here : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005001589119116.html and yes I got the wooden version (real wood btw, not wood-like or whatever! ) and got no problem with them, though @baskingshark did get a fake tracking number and never got his set and some other have mentioned QC problems, so be aware of that! I have only praises to make about them, though.
JCALLY EP-05 : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005001547137732.html Don't buy them from Smabat official store, where they are almost double the price! I've got mine from this seller and delivery was quick, I'm waiting for the rest of JCALLY lineup from the same seller, should have them next week.

As for EQ I'm using Neutron Player or Onkyo HF Player on my iPhone and they are really good with a free curve EQ, very versatile.

 

[The3DCie]

It’s very weird that they have a bad fit even though I know you prefer an over-ear style of wearing earphones.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but looking at the design of the Smabat buds, it seems to me that the rear part of shell with its weight, plus the weight of the mmcx housing
pulls the bugs out of the ear?
M2 Pro uses 15.4mm drivers which is good because there are a number of drivers that can be tried especially DIY drivers
It is a pity that we do not have a greater variety for 14.8 mm,14.2 mm and 13.5 mm drivers

Yeah, for whatever reason, they keep coming out of my ears, they don't want to stay in place, very frustrating, i even tried different positions (and the "normal" one, ti be sure, as JCALLY EP-05 sounds good that way for me) to no available, so I decided to give up on Smabat, I have so much great other gears to listen to that it's not worth me losing time on this.

 

[Braekfast]

Thanks for all the reccommendations guys. My shopping list of possible new buds is growing, uh, concerningly large

Does anyone have an opinion on the Openheart earbuds? I know their headphone got some good reviews a while back, but I don't think I've seen much said about their two earbud models.

And is a amp/dac going to have much influence for earbuds of 16/32ohm? I did order a sonata hd pro a while ago since it had good reviews and is within my comfortable pricerange, but it arrived defective and just straight up didn't work . Got a refund though by disputing, so that's nice.

You're welcome, I see that you've had a fair bit of recommendations by fellow earbuds experts in the meantime, in advance sorry for your wallet with all this choice to go through!!
Fortunately enough, earbuds are on the cheaper side (compared to full-size headphones or IEMs), even for TOTL buds, which would be considered lower mid-Fi in term of price.

As for Yincrow, you can find them here : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/32902306950.html (only 2 left according to the page, hurry up if you want one!), that's where I got mine from.
K's LBB (or LBW) can be found here : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/32902306950.html (again, only 2 LBW -with the white cable- and 3 LBB -black cable with mic-, I have LBW, so the white cable one...), I got mine from this seller too, a well recognized shop on Head-Fi.
TMusic I got from here : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005001589119116.html and yes I got the wooden version (real wood btw, not wood-like or whatever! ) and got no problem with them, though @baskingshark did get a fake tracking number and never got his set and some other have mentioned QC problems, so be aware of that! I have only praises to make about them, though.
JCALLY EP-05 : https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005001547137732.html Don't buy them from Smabat official store, where they are almost double the price! I've got mine from this seller and delivery was quick, I'm waiting for the rest of JCALLY lineup from the same seller, should have them next week.

As for EQ I'm using Neutron Player or Onkyo HF Player on my iPhone and they are really good with a free curve EQ, very versatile.

Thanks for the links! Not sure how I managed to miss those on aliexpress. Now I gotta go through all of these options and figure out which I want . Ideally I'd get something like my HD555 but with just an extra scoop of low end. Of course no earbud can be the same as big open headphones, but it's the pair I've been wearing every day for a decade now, so I automatically compare everything to them.

 

[furyossa]

For Android 9 and up wavelet app is the right choice, and for Android 8 and below U can use RE Equalizer
Also, for local files @RikudouGoku already suggested two most powerful player apps and I will add also:
- Onkyo HF Player (Precision "free curve" EQ) comercial app
- Hiby App (MSEB tuner) free app
- FiiO Music free app

I don't know what iOS offers in terms of EQ solution, but for Windows OS there are several interesting options.
Probably one of the best free EQ for Win is EquilizerAPO + Peace (GUI). It offers a number of options like GraphicEQ, ParametricEQ, VSTpluging (proffesional EQ plugins) etc.
When it comes to commercial solutions, which in addition to EQ have several additional functions, I would single out 2.
NOTE: to be clear, this is not a recommendation for audiophiles For gaming and movie lovers, sure.
I don't know if anyone remembers the famous plugin DFX Audio Enhancer for good old Winamp. This plugin has evolved into FX Sound and now we have 2nd edition.
The GUI looks really nice , 10 or 20 bands EQ and some additional boosters : Fidelity, Ambience, 2D surroundm, Dynamic Boost and Bass. For now only Win version.

Another similar program is Boom3D. Works good on Win10 and there is also a version for Mac users and smartphone app

 

[The3DCie]

I have a Grado RS2. And as much as I want to love this headphone, I seem to can’t. The sound is not great enough for me to endure the uncomfort over my ears. My ears can’t take onear and overear headphones. My ears get hot, my head gets hot and I feel enclosed.

In ear monitors I also can’t stand. I hate the vacuum and hearing myself breath. So I see myself grabbing my Apple Airpods 2 (the wireless ones). They actually do not sound all that bad. But I want more. Better. More ‘audiophile’ soundstage, detail etc.

So looking for earbuds that are amazing. My selfemposed budget is till euro 200.

I can’t seem to find any. It’s a jungle out there. Lots of endless reviews on earbuds that don’t seem to be available anywhere anymore.... Or reading review on the Apple Airpods 2 hoping for better alternatives it usually only states “there are better earbuds available for the price” but no mention of which.....

They need to be able to be driven by an iPhone as this is my primary on the go, in the bed, on the sofa device. No need to be wireless

Any tips? More than welcome. Thanks in advance!!

As an iPhone XS owner I'll have a dissonant voice here to say that all earbuds I've tried as of yet sound really good out of Apple's adapter.
I have compared with Hiby R2, which has more power than my iPhone and I don't find a great difference, if any at all, between the two, that's why I'm selling my Hiby because I'm to used to a "real" GUI and good tactile feedback...

Ok, Hiby R2 isn't a power monster so perhaps are there any (really expensive) DAP which will show a greater difference, but that has been my experience so far so I thought I would share it.
Do notice, though, that I'm choosing my buds accordingly and I avoid 200-600 ohms earbuds for that reason, fearing that my iPhone's adapter won't be able to drive them to their full potential...

In that case I've found that, weirdly, my iPod shuffle seems to output much more power than my iPhone! My full-size can is much more lively with iPod shuffle than it is with my iPhone, go figure!...

Otherwise I do think that a "simple" Bluetooth adapter, like Fiio BTR3K, Qudelix 5K or Shanling UP2/UP4 can be a good thing, you keep your iPhone as a DAP and you have much more power to drive your gears!
Even my little Fiio uBTR is really great with them all.

As for EarPods (or AirPods in your case), they are much better than the general consensus about them would like you to believe, and they come free (well, they came, as Apple has again surpassed itself in removing those from their new iPhone lineup... ) of charge! They have great bass and are on the warm side, they just lack details and are a bit fuzzy about placement but in exchange they have a WIDE soundstage! They don't sound veiled at all, even if they are really on the warmer side of tuning.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

@The3DCie A many audiophile has/have had great success in achieving listening pleasure via an Apple USB DAC dongle, iPod, and even iPhone

 

[The3DCie]

I don't know what iOS offers in terms of EQ solution, but for Windows OS there are several interesting options.

As said in my earlier post, you have Neutron Player and Onkyo HF Player on iOS, with free curve EQ, really good!

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Yeah, Boom 3D also available on iOS, great if you want to try different ambiances, although we are far from what audiophiles would consider acceptable, given all the DSP involved here!...

Another (bad) thing is that it's rental based and it can cost quite a few bucks if you want to use it extensively...

 

[The3DCie]

A many audiophile has/have had great success in achieving listening pleasure via an Apple USB DAC dongle, iPod, and even iPhone

You are preaching to a convinced guy, my friend!

 

[The3DCie]

Around $100 for BT or Portable/dongle DAC/AMP, it pays to spend.
Most of them have volume and playback control which is bonus, also MQA support.
Ok, you suggested MX500 type of buds. This will be the list for non-mx500
- Smabat lineup
- Toneking lineup
- Astrotec lineup
- K's Bell lineup
- Moondrop lineup
- OURART lineup
- Yincrow RW lineup
- ShoonTH lineup
- HIFI BOY Dream
- HE150 Pro
- TY HI-Z F300M

Now that's a list to keep anyone occupied for a few years!!

 

[furyossa]

Thanks for all the reccommendations guys. My shopping list of possible new buds is growing, uh, concerningly large

Does anyone have an opinion on the Openheart earbuds? I know their headphone got some good reviews a while back, but I don't think I've seen much said about their two earbud models.

And is a amp/dac going to have much influence for earbuds of 16/32ohm? I did order a sonata hd pro a while ago since it had good reviews and is within my comfortable pricerange, but it arrived defective and just straight up didn't work . Got a refund though by disputing, so that's nice.




Thanks for the links! Not sure how I managed to miss those on aliexpress. Now I gotta go through all of these options and figure out which I want . Ideally I'd get something like my HD555 but with just an extra scoop of low end. Of course no earbud can be the same as big open headphones, but it's the pair I've been wearing every day for a decade now, so I automatically compare everything to them.

Yes. If you use LG V or G series phone QuadDac will not work for low impedance buds (below 50ohms). If you listen FLAC files (above CD quality) then yes.
On the PC or laptop the integrated sound card is very $hity. In both cases (PC or phone) without DAC/AMP you will get enough power to drive 16/32ohm earbuds but don't expect better sound quality

Edit: About LG phone : High Impedance mode or "Auto Gain" mode will activate only if impedance of the buds exceeds 50ohms

 

[furyossa]

Now that's a list to keep anyone occupied for a few years!!

One step at a time or in this case one lineup at the year...or maybe two

 

[furyossa]

Another (bad) thing is that it's rental based and it can cost quite a few bucks if you want to use it extensively...

For Windows, Boom3D have lifetime license around $7 (75% discount)
For android i'm not sure.
FxSound 2 is subscription based

 

[Braekfast]

If you listen FLAC files (above CD quality) then yes.

I mostly listen to spotify these days, to be honest. After losing my library due to hard drive failure quite a while ago, the convenience is just nice.
Would you say EQ'ing via Sam L's profiles is a good first step before I consider getting an amp/dac?

Also, I noticed that in your previous post the bluetooth devices your reccommended tend to hover around 100 dollar (which translates into around 120 euro, unfortunately). Are lower prices options also worth considering? I'm thinking of stuff like the Fiio uBTR around 30 euro and that apple dongle around 10. Those are the only two I know of though, I might be missing other great options. I did order a sonata hd pro as I mentioned, but it arrived defective so I never got to use it.

 

[daanbr78]

Do you have a recommendation for a relatively good lightning-port DAC that is small, something like the image below. And that is a significant upgrade to the iPhone internal DAC?

Yes. If you use LG V or G series phone QuadDac will not work for low impedance buds (below 50ohms). If you listen FLAC files (above CD quality) then yes.
On the PC or laptop the integrated sound card is very $hity. In both cases (PC or phone) without DAC/AMP you will get enough power to drive 16/32ohm earbuds but don't expect better sound quality

 

[RikudouGoku]

Do you have a recommendation for a relatively good lightning-port DAC that is small, something like the image below. And that is a significant upgrade to the iPhone internal DAC?

Tempotec sonata hd pro