Earbuds Round-Up
Jun 30, 2021 at 12:04 PM Post #55,667 of 74,621
Thanks. Trying to learn by the day. Got a couple of Buds to find my tastes, but so far, as predicted, Riku's rec is still ahead :)
Just take it easy. Not rush and don't forget to enjoy before you go deep into the :rabbit2::hole:
:wink:
 
Jun 30, 2021 at 12:09 PM Post #55,668 of 74,621
Monk Go, Monk Plus Coffee and Monk Slim Metal on the way!!
Wow, 3 in a row. If you go at that pace, you can become a monk too :wink:
 
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Jun 30, 2021 at 12:31 PM Post #55,669 of 74,621
slight update but i am now leaning towards returning the FiiO EM5. with the prime day discount and tax they came out to around $275.. the rolled off/veiled treble/upper frequencies and stuffy/closed feeling is a bit too much to overcome despite the great bass response for my library. i tried using the silicone rings and while it did open up a bit without sacrificing much bass quantity, the characteristic extension and rumble towards the lowest end is lost and it's just not the same. It sounds like an average bud that way. The highs are a bit rough/sharp sounding and then it becomes mostly midbass focused which I think you can find with better technicalities in buds a fraction of the price.

With full foams on, which still sound best to me because they leverage the shell's bass flute design thing the best, there are just too many compromises that it isn't worth it. With earbuds the main draw over IEMs for me is 1. openness 2. comfort. But because the EM5s don't sound very open to begin with I can just get a much better listening experience for the same part of my library (warning: kpop) using an IEM like, IKKO OH10 with good bass and female vocal presentation (which is also very comfortable despite their heft). I don't think additional burn-in can help the EM5, but I will try my best to get some hours in before the return window end of July.

I will say though the cable on the FiiO EM5 is great. I would probably value that at $110 alone. I might just buy a silver FiiO cable and use it with the Smabat M2S Pro if it's as good as its made out to be.

edit: also slight annoyance about the EM5 is that the shell and cable terminations are not actually black or smoke black they're like a very deep grey/blue color. I'm not tryna collect blue earbuds

edit2: another good way to summarize the EM5 vs say, the Chaconne is with the EM5 you're listening to the band and there's a vocalist. With the Chaconne you're listening to the singer and they have a band supporting them. Instruments like drums, bass, and guitar outshine female vocals in the mix on the EM5. Chaconne definitely spotlight the singer. I want to say the EM5 do better with male vocals and everything sounds a bit more balanced. I don't feel like I need to turn up the volume to hear male vocals over instruments as much, but the effect of band-first/distant vocal presentation is still there. for example, EM5 beat Chaconne at some band-supported hip hop like The Roots. Sure, the Chaconne has more vocal clarity but I don't think that's the most compelling part of music from The Roots. The EM5 fills everything out better and highlights the music's strengths rather than hampering them like they might do for a female vocal ballad

edit3: HMMMM yea EM5 slay at male vocal songs like Giveon - Heartbreak Anniversary
Not hard to beat the Chaconne for male vocals and bass though. But upper-mids to treble? Good luck. :joy:
 
Jun 30, 2021 at 12:52 PM Post #55,670 of 74,621
FiiO EM5 got here, initial impressions are. Drums sound like drums. Full, dynamic, thumpy, fast, slammin. I would say there's actual subbass extension and rumble, midbass feels clean and natural, although I do feel an overall sense of 'body' to the music. Unfortunately everything else sounds a bit distant, if not muffled. By comparison Chaconne have a bell-like clarity for female vocals and, well, bells, etc. The FiiO EM5 overall feel "thick" and "laid back", bordering on "dark" or veiled. Female vocals feel a bit hollow or thin, maaaybe even rough/sharp, and feel like they're behind me and to either side of me. The presentation isn't as intimate, emotional and forward as the other buds I have, but I guess those are more upper mid/treble-strong (EBX21, Chaconne, ME80).

I'm swapping between Chaconne and EM5 right now and the Chaconne is definitely more 'open' feeling, airy, sparkly. The EM5 by contrast feels dummy thicc, almost muffled. Like going from a concert hall (Chaconne) to a club or warehouse party (EM5). Maybe some burn in (ie: 300 hours lmao) is necessary to open these up as well. As for tips, I'm using Chaconne with a silicone ring and then a single full foam over it, with EM5 I'm just using a single full foam (same as the Chaconne one, not the provided FiiO one since I might return these.)

The fit on the EM5, by the way, is maybe the best I've tried. I have no idea how it's possible, but it's super light and just.. goes in and sits where I put it. I can wear it cables down and turn my head and all that and it's fine. I don't need to readjust it like I do with the hefty Chaconne. The cable is really good too. FRICK. The more I type the more they're growing on me.

I want to say they're a "fun," "musical," "laid back," and "non-fatiguing" (in every sense of the word) bud. I'm still experimenting but they sound pretty good with some EQ upping at around 2K, which leads me to believe my next thing to try should be donut foams to open up the higher range a bit.

FiiO EM5 in a word: FULL
Moondrop Chaconne in a word: 𝒸 𝓁 𝑒 𝒶 𝓇

So, those are initial impressions. I will read some actual reviews from people who know what they're talking about, and then see if my impressions are anywhere in the ballpark.
Good summary of the EM5. The EM5 doesn't really fundamentally change the curve that is so common with buds (125hz bump, 1-3k dip), it sounds great regardless. My compensation file will bring pronounced clarity, by the way.
 
Jun 30, 2021 at 1:37 PM Post #55,672 of 74,621
Good summary of the EM5. The EM5 doesn't really fundamentally change the curve that is so common with buds (125hz bump, 1-3k dip), it sounds great regardless. My compensation file will bring pronounced clarity, by the way.
i am like 99% sure im doing this wrong. is this close to your compensation file? i checked your thread and just plugged this into my walkman since I dont run wavelet or anything. it does bring clarity, i'll give you that. in that sense it is kinda nice to, with one tap, basically change the earbuds sound signature entirely. depending on what I listen to its like I'm switching buds.
IMG_8637.jpg

edit: also, what did you find changed with significant burn in on EM5?
 
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Jun 30, 2021 at 10:03 PM Post #55,673 of 74,621
slight update but i am now leaning towards returning the FiiO EM5. with the prime day discount and tax they came out to around $275.. the rolled off/veiled treble/upper frequencies and stuffy/closed feeling is a bit too much to overcome despite the great bass response for my library. i tried using the silicone rings and while it did open up a bit without sacrificing much bass quantity, the characteristic extension and rumble towards the lowest end is lost and it's just not the same. It sounds like an average bud that way. The highs are a bit rough/sharp sounding and then it becomes mostly midbass focused which I think you can find with better technicalities in buds a fraction of the price.

With full foams on, which still sound best to me because they leverage the shell's bass flute design thing the best, there are just too many compromises that it isn't worth it. With earbuds the main draw over IEMs for me is 1. openness 2. comfort. But because the EM5s don't sound very open to begin with I can just get a much better listening experience for the same part of my library (warning: kpop) using an IEM like, IKKO OH10 with good bass and female vocal presentation (which is also very comfortable despite their heft). I don't think additional burn-in can help the EM5, but I will try my best to get some hours in before the return window end of July.

I will say though the cable on the FiiO EM5 is great. I would probably value that at $110 alone. I might just buy a silver FiiO cable and use it with the Smabat M2S Pro if it's as good as its made out to be.

edit: also slight annoyance about the EM5 is that the shell and cable terminations are not actually black or smoke black they're like a very deep grey/blue color. I'm not tryna collect blue earbuds

edit2: another good way to summarize the EM5 vs say, the Chaconne is with the EM5 you're listening to the band and there's a vocalist. With the Chaconne you're listening to the singer and they have a band supporting them. Instruments like drums, bass, and guitar outshine female vocals in the mix on the EM5. Chaconne definitely spotlight the singer. I want to say the EM5 do better with male vocals and everything sounds a bit more balanced. I don't feel like I need to turn up the volume to hear male vocals over instruments as much, but the effect of band-first/distant vocal presentation is still there. for example, EM5 beat Chaconne at some band-supported hip hop like The Roots. Sure, the Chaconne has more vocal clarity but I don't think that's the most compelling part of music from The Roots. The EM5 fills everything out better and highlights the music's strengths rather than hampering them like they might do for a female vocal ballad

edit3: HMMMM yea EM5 slay at male vocal songs like Giveon - Heartbreak Anniversary

I auditioned the Fiio EM5 for about 45 min a few months ago, wasn't too impressed with it too, considering the price. I had a major issue with the fit, but YMMV cause we have different ear anatomies. And yeah, agree the EM5 fluctuated between having too sharp highs versus too midbass focused, depending on what foams are used, couldn't find an in between tuning that suited me.

I understand that as one goes up the ladder, diminishing returns kick in hard, but the biggest dealbreaker for me was the fixed cables - yes the EM5 has some distal modular thingy to connect other 3.5mm/balance connectors, but the proximal cable part is non detachable, some of us may wanna use BT adapters with it, or are just worried about non detachable cable lifespan. Well other TOTL earbuds may also not have detachable cables, so different strokes for different folks, I know some really like the EM5.
 
Jul 1, 2021 at 3:12 AM Post #55,677 of 74,621
'Curiouser and curiouser' (as Alice in Wonderland exclaimed), the shell material is rather dark... it appears to be brushed magnesium-iron alloy as the brushed molding grade of titanium is usually much lighter in color and shinier (more mirror like) and brushed aluminum of course is much whiter in color and duller (due to that it shows casting/machining marks more clearly).
So the new Bell-TI Plus shell is indeed a CNC'd iron alloy (ferroalloy) shell... however, not an alloy of magnesium as I had first suspected but rather indeed titanium. They have gone with 钛合金 ferrotitanium (10–20% iron; 45–75% titanium; ~% carbon) this time around instead of pure titanium as it is much much easier (cheaper) to mold, machine, and finish. The grade of ferrotitanium that they have chosen must be very high in carbon, perhaps may even have a small amount of magnesium or manganese in it left over from the alloying process, which would explain the rather dark color and brush finish seen in the official store pictures.

Here are the specs:

2021 Ks Temperament 钛铃 Bell-Ti Plus (30Ω)
1625119517823.png


As compared to the original Bell-Ti the Plus has a larger diameter driver and is only offered in 30Ω with a sensitivity 3dB lower @ 103dB.

2018 K's Temperament 钛铃 Bell-Ti (30Ω/120Ω)
Bell-Ti Specs.PNG
 
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Jul 1, 2021 at 3:47 AM Post #55,678 of 74,621
Guys, since I'm new, I need your opinion. What do you think about the VE Zen 2.0? There's a bundle atm with the SLQ version + the Amp that I'm thinking about buying

I find the Zen 2.0 SLQ and RAP5 bundle to be a really good deal. The SLQ version removes the "veil" of the regular version which some do not like. I will put it somewhere between the regular Zen 2.0 and Sun series.

I have yet really played with RAP5 amp as I'm still waiting for a pair 3.5mm to 2x RCA cables to use with my iFi ZEN DAC.
 
Jul 1, 2021 at 4:31 AM Post #55,679 of 74,621
Hi there :wink: This is are little "earbud" joke here on this thread regarding the X6 buds.
If you follow this thread, you will probably notice that Yincrow X6 is the most recommended and most popular bud here and is mentioned on literally every page. Also, this model has great value for the price.
A recent question was regarding the DAC/AMP recommendation. I am currently using iFi Zen DAC with all my earbuds (16Ω-600Ω), it performs really great, and I'm perfectly happy with it. Your new DIablo is probably the most beautiful DAC that I saw because of that "Ferrari" red color and of course small and compact design.
The name "Diablo" matches the color, but the X6 has a red color, so it fits perfectly in that combination. Are you agree? :wink:

Thanks, I'll investigate these earbuds. Just took a look at their price and was like, wow. As for looks, with Diablo this would look awesome, but I don't think that many folks would aim for this pairing :D
 
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Jul 1, 2021 at 5:20 AM Post #55,680 of 74,621
Thanks, I'll investigate these earbuds. Just took a look at their price and was like, wow. As for looks, with Diablo this would look awesome, but I don't think that many folks would aim for this pairing :D
Most folks underestimated or avoided earbuds until they tried them and then became permanent members of this thread :wink:
And to be honest the only things that is allowed to touch my ears on this hot summer days are a pair of earbuds :beerchug:
If you are looking a bit more serious candidate for Diablo this pair will probably shine with it https://penonaudio.com/earphones/earbuds/ty-hi-z-hp-650.html
 

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