Earbuds Round-Up
Feb 3, 2023 at 9:31 PM Post #68,176 of 75,250
I wouldn't say that it irritates me. There is some part/peak in the lower treble that, when tracks hit just the right note, becomes a little too much, but it's pretty rare. However, I do find a little bit of grain in the treble where I would otherwise like it to be smoother and it's that bit that gets to me more often. Neither are major issues and based on reading comments and reviews from others I'm thinking it's mostly an issue with my particular HRTF.

I'm glad that so many people like them though. There's nothing better for the community as a whole than well-made, competitive, and relatively affordable buds being offered from as many makers/manufacturers in as many "flavors" as possible. I have to say though, even if the FF5s didn't have that particular issue for me, I think the FF3 is where the special sauce lies in Fiio's earbud lineup.

BTW, I have a pair of FF3s at home that I'm almost done modding to MMCX. I didn't get it done because my girl is filming and taking pics to put together written and video guides to doing the mod so I was going slow, we got interrupted, and I never got around to finishing it before I took off. Obviously, I'll post here when I finish it which may be in a few weeks when I'm home for a couple days, but, if not, it won't be until at least may.

I also ordered a couple more pairs because I have a couple mods in mind that I want to try based on a few tricks I have picked up doing DIY builds. I think and MMCX version of the FF3 would make it even better (though I like the stock cable well enough) and if one of the mods I want to try can give it just a touch more upper treble/air without sacrificing the bass, presentation, or timbre then it would be ridiculously close to perfect. I'm stoked to see if I can make it work... we'll see! 😎🧐🤘
All that fluffed-up, rockstar hair likely kills high frequencies….
 
Feb 3, 2023 at 11:03 PM Post #68,178 of 75,250
Apart from this thread, is there a good depository of knowledge about earbuds? I’m just getting started and would like to see some comparisons, what different earbuds strengths and weaknesses are, maybe recommendations by price point, etc.
While there ISN'T one singular document that does this, there is a wealth of knowledge that can be gleaned (especially a timeline from the beginning for earbuds) by looking at WoodyLuvr's Flathead Timeline (still updated currently). At the bottom (after the list) there are some links to other documents that can be useful also, even though some of them are no longer updated.

For those interested in looking at this list, you may want to bookmark it as it is no longer listed in his signature. I had to do a massive search, and dig through many many posts to find this again... :)
 
Feb 3, 2023 at 11:43 PM Post #68,179 of 75,250
SHOZY BKSE (Black) Special Edition Audiophile Earbud is avavialble now :relaxed:

https://penonaudio.com/shozy-bkse.html

A3665CEE12370DCF458439E11AB1C767.jpg
 
PENON Stay updated on PENON at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221974387914138/ https://twitter.com/PenonAudio?s=09 https://www.instagram.com/penonaudio/ https://penonaudio.com/ penonaudio@hotmail.com
Feb 4, 2023 at 12:07 PM Post #68,180 of 75,250
Looking for earbuds for tiny ear/concha, with mic preferably, lightning connection is also a plus.
They are for my wife 😅 Everything she tries is too large or/and don't stay put.
Fixed or detachable cable doesn't matter. Sound doesn't matter either 😉 Do you guys have recommendations?
 
Feb 4, 2023 at 12:43 PM Post #68,181 of 75,250
Looking for earbuds for tiny ear/concha, with mic preferably, lightning connection is also a plus.
They are for my wife 😅 Everything she tries is too large or/and don't stay put.
Fixed or detachable cable doesn't matter. Sound doesn't matter either 😉 Do you guys have recommendations?
I'm assuming the Apple Buds too big? I would try a VE Monk Lite/Qian 39, or any of the PK-style buds (which is the shell Shozy uses in Penon's post).
The Lite and PK shells pretty much disappear in my ears.
 
Feb 4, 2023 at 2:43 PM Post #68,182 of 75,250
Looking for earbuds for tiny ear/concha, with mic preferably, lightning connection is also a plus.
They are for my wife 😅 Everything she tries is too large or/and don't stay put.
Fixed or detachable cable doesn't matter. Sound doesn't matter either 😉 Do you guys have recommendations?
Or you could try something like this. These buds are already small, but the "youth" ones are smaller overall than the regular ones. Having said this neither one comes with a mic, but the youth ones don't allow you to change cables (must be too small to put in an MMCX connector). The good news though, is that they are only $18.

Also, there is the TRN EMA, which comes with the option of mic or not (on a 2 pin cable), and the diameter of the face is only 14.2mm (rather than the 15.4mm standard size) for about $20.

And I am assuming that @Ronion was talking about the Apple Earpods?! But just in case, these have a built-in mic (though no changeable cable), and also come with a lightning connector (unless you get the OG ones). They are really small (are a semi in ear, rather than flathead), and don't actually sound horrid, for about $17. And even if they don't fit, there are some adapters that you can get to add ear wings to help hold them in place.

Or there is something like the Ludos Nova buds. They are shaped much like the Earpods, but they also come with ear wings to hold them in place, a pretty nice-looking nylon coated cable, and are really cheap ($12).

That's all I got for now... :)

Edit: And don't forget that with the style of shell the the Smabat and TRN EMA have, you COULD always use a molded MMCX cable that makes them overear (for more stability).
 
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Feb 4, 2023 at 3:22 PM Post #68,183 of 75,250
Looking for earbuds for tiny ear/concha, with mic preferably, lightning connection is also a plus.
They are for my wife 😅 Everything she tries is too large or/and don't stay put.
Fixed or detachable cable doesn't matter. Sound doesn't matter either 😉 Do you guys have recommendations?
If you want earbuds with mic and a small comfortable shell, you can choose the Ksearphone Bell-LB. (3rd color on the page below)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002788439606.html
 
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Feb 4, 2023 at 4:19 PM Post #68,184 of 75,250
I'm assuming the Apple Buds too big? I would try a VE Monk Lite/Qian 39, or any of the PK-style buds (which is the shell Shozy uses in Penon's post).
The Lite and PK shells pretty much disappear in my ears.
Earpods are too big, you are right about that.
Monk Lite is out of stock right now, but good suggestion. I will look for other PK shell buds out there. Thanks.
 
Feb 4, 2023 at 4:26 PM Post #68,185 of 75,250
Or you could try something like this. These buds are already small, but the "youth" ones are smaller overall than the regular ones. Having said this neither one comes with a mic, but the youth ones don't allow you to change cables (must be too small to put in an MMCX connector). The good news though, is that they are only $18.

Also, there is the TRN EMA, which comes with the option of mic or not (on a 2 pin cable), and the diameter of the face is only 14.2mm (rather than the 15.4mm standard size) for about $20.

And I am assuming that @Ronion was talking about the Apple Earpods?! But just in case, these have a built-in mic (though no changeable cable), and also come with a lightning connector (unless you get the OG ones). They are really small (are a semi in ear, rather than flathead), and don't actually sound horrid, for about $17. And even if they don't fit, there are some adapters that you can get to add ear wings to help hold them in place.

Or there is something like the Ludos Nova buds. They are shaped much like the Earpods, but they also come with ear wings to hold them in place, a pretty nice-looking nylon coated cable, and are really cheap ($12).

That's all I got for now... :)

Edit: And don't forget that with the style of shell the the Smabat and TRN EMA have, you COULD always use a molded MMCX cable that makes them overear (for more stability).
Too bad those Smabat youth doesn't have mic/replacable cable. But they are still somewhat interesting.

TRN EMA I will look closer at 👌

Earpods is too big. But that style of buds she like.

Ludos seems similar size as earpods I guess, if they would be smaller they would be interesting.
 
Feb 4, 2023 at 5:16 PM Post #68,188 of 75,250
Anyone get experience with Lrey Portable Earbuds? Some of them look amazing. Im curious the tuning.Screenshot_20230203-203554_Facebook.jpg

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No experience with those, but they certainly look nice... Though they look big enough to be "on ear" rather that in ear... :)
 
Feb 4, 2023 at 5:53 PM Post #68,189 of 75,250
TRN EMA I will look closer at 👌
Was just looking some more, and there is also the TRN EMX, which is also a 14.2mm size. While the cable doesn't have a mic, it is replaceable (and also modular, if that matters to you), and it is over ear (which might help with moving around stability).
 
Feb 4, 2023 at 10:25 PM Post #68,190 of 75,250
Hello everyone! I'm new to this earbud world and audio equipment in general but I really like to go through this thread.

I was thinking of buying the ry4s mmcx plus and was wondering how they compare with the Yuin pk2. I assume the pk2 would be better because they are more expensive (but I know that's not always the case). However I saw that apparently Yuin drivers were modified in recent times:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/post-17154727
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/post-17154781

Personally I loved my Yuin pk2 (bought in 2019) until the wire broke. Its the best earbud I have until now. After the wire broke I decided to buy a new earbud but now my budget is lower so I decided to buy a budget earbud. I considered the ry4s mmcx because of the reviews and I liked that the cable is detachable.

I saw that ry4s has a V-shaped sound. I don't know how to describe the Yuin pk2 sound but I felt that it had a lot of bass (which I liked it). I guess I could say that the Yuin pk2 has a V-shaped sound too? My experience with earbuds is narrow so idk...

I understand that is not the ideal to compare two earbuds from different price ranges (yuin pk2 and ry4s), but If anyone could I would be thankful! Thank you!
After trying most of budget earbuds in last 2 years, I can say the RY4s Plus is still among the best value in earbuds (it can be excellent when retuned).
I've tried the pk2 only briefly.... it sounded fine to me (little less V-shape sig when compared to RY4s Plus), but I think it is overpriced.

PS: Your Yuin pk2 might be easy to repair, just find someone with soldering skills....
 
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