Earbuds Round-Up

[silverszi]

I searched for threads in here and there's not much info on the DX6
and apparently the RW-1000 bass version has a good soundstage according to a guy who heard according to someone else
and I cannot recommend the LBBS for starting to break after a few days of use and destroying my ears without eq.

 

[silverszi]

Ive been thinking
I'm surprised nobody has tried to produce any portable audio that has a flatline frequency response so that it is easier to eq to target.

 

[syazwaned]

Ive been thinking
I'm surprised nobody has tried to produce any portable audio that has a flatline frequency response so that it is easier to eq to target.

qudelik 5k comes to mind

 

[Ronion]

As a Ucotech ES-P1 owner, I’m agree with you. I really like the sound of this earbud. Now I’m looking for its competitor. Have you try Yincrow RW-3000? Or Smabat st-20 pro?

ST20 pro is not neutral/bright. It’s an ice pick to your cranium.

 

[Ronion]

Ive been thinking
I'm surprised nobody has tried to produce any portable audio that has a flatline frequency response so that it is easier to eq to target.

Vido/X6. Fairly close right out of the box.

 

[mt877]

Today, my kid in lower primary school required some earbuds for some online lessons and examinations (which requires the students to plug a earbud into a laptop for the exam). Apparently it tests listening comprehension etc and it will be used weekly.

So knowing that kids don't really know how to take care of audio gear, I decided to pass her a Vido ($1 USD lol) and some cheap Faaeal Snow Lotus 1.0 Plus CE (also a cheap pair). She listened to those on some EDM tracks and she gave a "meh" grading, LOL she wasn't too impressed. The fit was okay with full foams, so it wasn't a fitting issue. Unfortunately, she saw a Smabat M2S Pro (I think it had the stock drivers) in the same compartment and immediately said she wanted to try it. Straight away she returned the Faaeal and Vido and refused to part with the M2S Pro; she packed it in her bag ASAP and left for school.

Dang, there goes my M2S Pro. Better hide the rest of the gear, in case the kid sees higher end stuff like the RW2000.

@WoodyLuvr now I know how you feel when your wife steals your earbuds. BTW my wife told me that a DUNU LUNA on loan sounded the same as a fake beats IEM she bought from a night bazaar on A/B testing. At least my kid knows the difference between a Vido and a M2S Pro, unfortunately one can't unhear the difference, and hence the M2S Pro has been stolen!

LOL! I hear you brother. Between my wife, eldest daughter, and the three to five other females that rotate and live in our home it is a wonder I have anything of value left! I literally have two small cubby hole areas that were supposedly designated as being mine... without failed they are invaded, pillaged, and/or rifled through on a daily basis without hesitation. Siamese women are unstoppable and they bite!

For the woman in your life you'll just have to step up and get them this (some guys like bling too):

NOVA H1 Audio Earrings, the only clip-on earphones on the planet (Kickstarter). Not a bud, not an IEM, it's a bluetooth clip-on audio earring.

Spoiler: NOVA H1 Audio Earrings

NOVA H1 Audio Earrings are the first clip-on earphones on the planet. These Earrings are fully packed with the latest technology embedded in real pearls to provide you with music, phone calls and digital assistants all day long.

Like conventional earrings, the NOVA H1 are placed on the earlobes and project the sound from inside the pearl straight into your ear canal.

Thanks to our worldwide patented Directional Sound Technology, the sound travels from the earlobe to the ear canal avoiding sound leakage and keeping your conversations and music private and secure.

Two tiny high-end microphones are integrated into each Earring providing the user with crystal clear phone calls and wind-noise cancelation.

 

[mt877]

speakers
lol.

Wow, did they look like this?

 

[silverszi]

Wow, did they look like this?

probably the simplest solution

 

[silverszi]

ST20 pro is not neutral/bright. It’s an ice pick to your cranium.

20dB pinna gain "neutral"

 

[o0genesis0o]

Ive been thinking
I'm surprised nobody has tried to produce any portable audio that has a flatline frequency response so that it is easier to eq to target.

Not earbuds (since I have zero experience beside FF3 and Apple dirty buds), but there are some IEMs tuned the way you mentioned. Jerry Harvey seems to emphasise “flat line to 20k”. Fiio FA7 and FA7s are also unusually flat around ear gain region.

Noted that all of the IEMs I mentioned sound kind of weird (to me)

 

[weexisttocease]

Listening to Susanne Sundfor. Female vocals are intoxicating with the PXVV.

 

[Ronion]

20dB pinna gain "neutral"

That said, with an EQ it’s an awesome bud!

 

[o0genesis0o]

That said, with an EQ it’s an awesome bud!

Is there anyway to physically retune it to reduce the ear gain?

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Simphonio Dragon 3 first impressions:

When I first looked at the pictures of the Dragon 3 on the webpage offering them for sale I couldn't help but think: "$400+ for some earbuds with a fixed cable and a plastic PK shell seems a bit steep for me. These better be something special." The ONLY reason I went through with purchasing these is because one of the people who was recommending them and telling me how impressive they are is a friend, audio enthusiast, and musician whose opinions on audio matters I respect and value highly.

Upon opening the box containing the Dragon 3s this morning, I again had the same thought. However, I will say that once you pick them up and inspect them you can tell that they are actually quite well made. I would still greatly prefer a detachable cable and earbuds are the only medium I have encountered where they aren't standard on premium products. Some of that, I'm told, is because of the way attaching connectors to pk, MX500, and similar shells apparently negatively effects the acoustic properties of the shells. I'll leave my beliefs on that for another time. Suffice to say that I have bitten yhe bullet and bought many fixed cable premium buds because many of the supposed best out there have them.

Rant over and back to the Dragon 3s. The cable is actually very nice. As a guy who braids and makes my own cables, I can say that this cable is braided cleanly, it's reasonably thick and supple, made of quality materials, etc. The shells have are in fact plastic, but they have a nice kinda shimmery finish that gives them a bit of a premium look to make you feel okay spending that cash lol!

Remember when I said that these buds better be something special for that kinda money? Well they definitely seem to be! They have a big 3D soundstage and great imaging abilities to place sources within that soundstage, but, more importantly, the Dragon 3s have this incredible combination of tons of detail, snappy attack, and natural decay alongside a very laid back and smooth musical presentation that makes it so the listener can decide to engage in a full on critical examination of the music or let themselves slip into an audio reverie as they please. Whichever they prefer at any given time. This is a decidedly rare quality in any transducer medium, IMO and is actually very reminiscent of the qualities I love in ZMF headphones and their presentation that led me to owning two of their sets.

The Dragon 3s have a bass section that goes reasonably deep and is nimble and punchy that makes listening to funky bass lines and driving percussion very fun. The mids are packed, and I mean packed, with detail equal to some of the best earbuds I have heard and offer great instrument separation and balance to boot. The treble is very nicely extended and gives cymbals some of the most realistic decay I have yet heard. The Dragon 3s do an insane job making the music feel like it's being played for you by the artists rather than coming through a set of earbuds. When you open your eyes and look at the fairly humble package producing this musical experience it's hard not to be a little awed by the whole thing.

I can say for sure that the Dragon 3s are staying. Of all the premium buds I have tried over the last week or so only the Yincrow RW-3000, the Shozy BK, and these badass Dragon 3s have for sure worked their way into my lineup and none did it quicker or with a bigger splash than the Dragon 3s. I'm very impressed with these earbuds. I can't overstate that.

The Rose Technics Mojitos are up next for their trial run...

 

[o0genesis0o]

Simphonio Dragon 3

Oh my they are expensive.

I mean I know that these standard shells are perhaps the most practical from both wearing and acoustic point of view, but the way they look makes their pricing feel really steep. It's shallow, but I would have no trust blind buying these buds for that price.

* Edit for grammar. What's wrong with my grammar nowadays