Found the NiceHCK DIY MX500s I ordered along with the Yincrow X6s last year. I might do some comparison listening later on, but immediate reaction when I put these on was that I definitely prefer these. I don't know what it is about the X6s, but they sound kind of harsh and grainy to me. Actually wondering if my pair might be defective in some way, considering all the love they get. The MX500s sound very smooth, and with a bump to the low mids to add some warmth and body to the male vocals in particular, I think they sound pretty incredible. I'm constantly shocked by how, like, tangible and meaty and BIG the sound these tiny plastic earbuds can create really is.
Boy do they feel flimsy, though. Maybe I'll get an extra pair or two just in case.
Found the NiceHCK DIY MX500s I ordered along with the Yincrow X6s last year. I might do some comparison listening later on, but immediate reaction when I put these on was that I definitely prefer these. I don't know what it is about the X6s, but they sound kind of harsh and grainy to me. Actually wondering if my pair might be defective in some way, considering all the love they get. The MX500s sound very smooth, and with a bump to the low mids to add some warmth and body to the male vocals in particular, I think they sound pretty incredible. I'm constantly shocked by how, like, tangible and meaty and BIG the sound these tiny plastic earbuds can create really is.
Boy do they feel flimsy, though. Maybe I'll get an extra pair or two just in case.
Found the NiceHCK DIY MX500s I ordered along with the Yincrow X6s last year. I might do some comparison listening later on, but immediate reaction when I put these on was that I definitely prefer these. I don't know what it is about the X6s, but they sound kind of harsh and grainy to me. Actually wondering if my pair might be defective in some way, considering all the love they get. The MX500s sound very smooth, and with a bump to the low mids to add some warmth and body to the male vocals in particular, I think they sound pretty incredible. I'm constantly shocked by how, like, tangible and meaty and BIG the sound these tiny plastic earbuds can create really is.
Boy do they feel flimsy, though. Maybe I'll get an extra pair or two just in case.
K here are some short impressions of the NiceHCK EB2S I bought from Aliexpress.
Fit is good, very light, ergonomic and comfortable. Build seems sturdy enough.
The cable has minimal microphonics but it is a bit stiff and tends to unwind very easily.
Accessories wise:
- a small carry pouch
- 3 sets of full foams - surprisingly no donut foams were provided
- anime waifu postcard - the most important accessory, more important than the earbud itself!
Tested with a Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3. This set is easy to drive.
In terms of sound, the EB2S are a warm and smooth set. Well balanced, good coherency is present. The sound lies towards more analoguish than analytical.
Timbre is excellent. Technicalities wise, soundstage is very good, very open sounding set. Micro-details, imaging, instrument separation and clarity are very decent at this price point but perhaps not class leading.
Bass is just a tinge north of neutral and mid-bass focused, with a slight sub-bass tickle, like most run-of-the-mill earbuds. Bass isn't too textured, bass speed is moderate, with no mid-bass bleed. Lower mids are quite lush, with a slight boost in the upper mids. They are not too shouty unless played at high volumes (fletcher munson curve), or on poorly recorded material. Treble is quite well rendered, with minimal sibilance. Note edges are a tinge blunted and smoothened, this aids in giving a mellow sound signature.
Quick comparisons versus HZSound Bell Rhyme and FAAEAL Datura Pro: The NiceHCK EB2S are the undisputed king over the other 2 cause of the anime packaging, enuff said. K jokes aside, compared to the FAAEAL Datura Pro (I think one member was asking about these buds), without EQ/mods to the Datura Pro, the EB2S beats the Datura Pro in almost every department - timbre, soundstage, imaging, instrument separation, clarity, micro-details. The EB2S also have more bass extension and quantity than the Datura Pro. No contest between the 2, I'd take the EB2S any day, assuming you are not gonna EQ the Datura Pro.
Now compared to the recently released HZSound Bell Rhyme, the competition is tougher. I would consider these 2 to be sidegrades. The Bell Rhyme have a smaller soundstage but slightly better imaging, micro-details, clarity and instrument separation. The EB2S and HZSound Bell Rhyme both have good tonality and timbre are asking which is better is kind of splitting hairs. I think you can't go wrong with selecting either set.
In a nutshell, the EB2S are quite a nice budget pair of earbuds. Probably those seasoned earbud fanatics in this unending rabbithole have a more expensive or technical set in their arsenal, but I would give the EB2S a recommendation for those new to the hobby who are looking for an all-rounder set with a well balanced tonality. Price-to-performance ratio is high, and they are a comfortable, lush, smooth and warm set suited for longer listening sessions. Oh ya, and one gets an anime packaging and anime waifu post card with the EB2S, so that in itself is worth the purchase price.
Excellent write-up on these. I am still awaiting mine but looking forward to them. These might be the perfect daily driver/beater for me. Most of my higher end buds aren't great for the daily rough-and-tumble day to day.
Would you call these dark then? Again, might be great for me. I don't really have anything warmish in my collection.
I am listening to the "new" (my second) Chaconne and wondering how useful measurements can be for earbuds given their great range of fit among users. My new Chaconne sound warmer than I remember and do stay in place even with the stock tips (honestly I just did not know how to fit them during my first stint, as they were my truly 1st earbuds.) They are still wonderful, and sound "reference" because of their natural tone and airy top end, but I do not expect them to measure flat from what I am listening right now. Good, even excellent bass, but bear in mind I am no basshead (I have a few bassy earphones/headphones, and lean toward a brighter and/or more "critical" presentation). Definitely more bass than an ER4SR. Their upper mids are present but not overly forward, yet the vocals are well and naturally represented. Beautiful tones.
Still, interested in results just to figure out if there is even a point. It is a very interesting endeavor indeed.
Couple questions:
1. the lack of decay from 75hz down to 20hz is a bit unnatural for earbuds. How are you connecting your earbuds to the coupler?
2. are you using smoothing or no?
3. your resonance peaks are consistent with earbuds measured on an iec 711 coupler (which is fine) but the 1k to 3k region looks like your mic isn't calibrated?
4. did you also calibrate your dac/soundcard?
Couple questions:
1. the lack of decay from 75hz down to 20hz is a bit unnatural for earbuds. How are you connecting your earbuds to the coupler?
2. are you using smoothing or no?
3. your resonance peaks are consistent with earbuds measured on an iec 711 coupler (which is fine) but the 1k to 3k region looks like your mic isn't calibrated?
4. did you also calibrate your dac/soundcard?
I am listening to the "new" (my second) Chaconne and wondering how useful measurements can be for earbuds given their great range of fit among users. My new Chaconne sound warmer than I remember and do stay in place even with the stock tips (honestly I just did not know how to fit them during my first stint, as they were my truly 1st earbuds.) They are still wonderful, and sound "reference" because of their natural tone and airy top end, but I do not expect them to measure flat from what I am listening right now. Good, even excellent bass, but bear in mind I am no basshead (I have a few bassy earphones/headphones, and lean toward a brighter and/or more "critical" presentation). Definitely more bass than an ER4SR. Their upper mids are present but not overly forward, yet the vocals are well and naturally represented. Beautiful tones.
Still, interested in results just to figure out if there is even a point. It is a very interesting endeavor indeed.
Earbuds graphs are mostly a meme at this point...with no standards and everyone doing their own thing lol.
And as you mentioned:
"My new Chaconne sound warmer than I remember and do stay in place even with the stock tips (honestly I just did not know how to fit them during my first stint, as they were my truly 1st earbuds.)"
