[baskingshark]

Guys tell me what to choose t-music 300 ohm, or ry4s 300 ohm? I really like the sound of ksk300 and ps100-260 ... If there are any interesting high-ohm speakers from Aliexpress, also advise? I like the sound like ksk300, B70, mx170.

High Ohm earbuds?

Look no further than the Yinman 600 ohm. Needs amplification for sure to get the optimal sound. Sensitivity is also very low + 600 ohm impedance = needs nuclear power plant.

Warm and smooth tuning, very good to chill back to music with.

 

[Ace Bee]

Hey everyone. I've been reading through this thread and searching the internet for the last few days and am looking to buy my first pair of earbuds. I was hoping I could get some guidance or suggestions.

1) Budget:
looking to stay under the $100USD threshold. If there's a great deal well below that then great. (I could go a little above if I have to too lol)

2) Preferred Music Genres:
Dream Pop (lots of female airy vocals), Grunge/Alternative, DnB, Funk

3) Preferred Sound Signature:
Close to neutral. Like a lot of clarity in treble, audible bass but it doesn't have to hit me, mids I just don't want to be so high that it's muddy. I am looking for a good soundstage as well. I have HD 58X that I like a lot. Looking for that open back sound I suppose.

4) Other Preferences:
I would like it to have a mic or a detachable cable where I could add a mic in the future. I will use these for working form home on meetings as well. I'm not a fan of the Sennheiser MX500 design. I do like the Moondrop Chaconne or Bell style more. Looks are secondary to sound of course.

I'd prefer to not buy from AliExpress just because of shipping times, so if there are good retailers in the US, please let me know

5) Equipment:
Will mostly drive them with a FiiO K3 amp, but I want to be able to run them with a smartphone (Pixel 6 with a USB-C adapter) too

Buds I've found so far:
NiceHCK EBX (Discontinued?)
Temperament Ks LBBs
Headroom MS16
Smabat M4 or M Pro?
Yincrow RW-2000
Toneking TO65 (Would I have trouble driving these with a smartphone?)
Moondrop Chaconne (Beautiful, but too expensive. Seeing these sent me down this journey)

If you have any recommendations they are greatly appreciated!

Please let me know if this post should exist elsewhere. Thanks!

If you want an artisan bud, I would suggest Dailymusic Pipebud from South Korea. With shipping they come to around $100. They are like Rikubuds Rider 1, but with slightly more volumetric and more natural bass, and slightly deeper stage. Wonderful clarity.

But well, if you want to have the option for returning in case of preference mismatch, I would suggest go for the Fiio FF5 that's available on amazon.

 

[itwasluck]

High Ohm earbuds?

Look no further than the Yinman 600 ohm. Needs amplification for sure to get the optimal sound. Sensitivity is also very low + 600 ohm impedance = needs nuclear power plant.

Warm and smooth tuning, very good to chill back to music with.

I second this, been really enjoying them. They also have really good sub-bass! Currently WoodyLuvr's #1 as well. If you have similar sound prefs, its worth getting 100%.

EDIT: Just to make it clear, they are my favorite earbuds ATM, better than the GAS2 in bass for me. A TOTL laid-back set, so good in fact that I am looking for the MMCX (a second pair with identical tuning) version to have as my primary pair.
@JAnonymous5150 I know I started off with a different question but your recommendation led me down this path and I can't thank you enough!

 

[Vitiabr3007]

High Ohm earbuds?

Look no further than the Yinman 600 ohm. Needs amplification for sure to get the optimal sound. Sensitivity is also very low + 600 ohm impedance = needs nuclear power plant.

Warm and smooth tuning, very good to chill back to music with.

Thank you so much for the clarification... I'm listening from my phone without an amplifier.

 

[Vitiabr3007]

Guys, but if we still compare t-music and ry4s 300 ohm ... What is still more interesting to play?

 

[Reebonz]

Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） Planar Earbuds​

Website: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/631430
Driver size: 14.2mm
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Impedance: 24Ω
Sensitivity: 102dB
Price: $150

My Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） planar earbud is here, and they are a sight to behold. The purple resin shell gives them a stunning look, but unfortunately, my excitement turned to disappointment when I actually tried them out.

The sound quality is just not up to par for me. It has an overly crisp and thin sound, with almost no sub-bass to speak of. This is in stark contrast to other earbuds like the Serratus or any dynamic earbuds, which offer a much richer and fuller sound. To make matters worse, the treble is so intense that it actually hurts my ears, even with the thickest foams.

I had originally wanted to compare them to the Tgxear Panorama Ridge, which is another planar driver earbud, but unfortunately, the development of that model was halted due to the creator's dissatisfaction with the sub bass and timbre.

Now I understand why planar earbuds are not quite ready for prime time yet. According to Jim from Tgxear, the IA-PL1-YUI planar driver is supposed to be the same as the one he was using, and the driver was developed for IEMs, which explains why we experienced the same issues.

It's a shame, really, because I had high hopes for these earbuds based on the early positive feedback from the Japanese users. But alas, it seems that they just didn't live up to the hype.

 

[Vitiabr3007]

And another question what can be said about the sound of t-music ep4... Worse or better than ps100-260 or k's k300?

 

[baskingshark]

Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） Planar Earbuds​

Website: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/631430
Driver size: 14.2mm
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Impedance: 24Ω
Sensitivity: 102dB
Price: $150



My Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） planar earbud is here, and they are a sight to behold. The purple resin shell gives them a stunning look, but unfortunately, my excitement turned to disappointment when I actually tried them out.

The sound quality is just not up to par for me. It has an overly crisp and thin sound, with almost no sub-bass to speak of. This is in stark contrast to other earbuds like the Serratus or any dynamic earbuds, which offer a much richer and fuller sound. To make matters worse, the treble is so intense that it actually hurts my ears, even with the thickest foams.



I had originally wanted to compare them to the Tgxear Panorama Ridge, which is another planar driver earbud, but unfortunately, the development of that model was halted due to the creator's dissatisfaction with the sub bass and timbre.

Now I understand why planar earbuds are not quite ready for prime time yet. According to Jim from Tgxear, the IA-PL1-YUI planar driver is supposed to be the same as the one he was using, and the driver was developed for IEMs, which explains why we experienced the same issues.

It's a shame, really, because I had high hopes for these earbuds based on the early positive feedback from the Japanese users. But alas, it seems that they just didn't live up to the hype.

Thanks for sharing!
Yes there is a reason why 99% of earbuds stick to DDs. Not only for price to performance ratio, but for tuning reasons. Even BAs inside earbuds aren't too successful. The piezo drivers I tried in the Pislo earbuds sound decent enough, though they lack sub-bass and are extremely expensive. So DDs probably will still keep earbuds affordable for us in the near future


BTW, do these planar buds you tried scale better with amplification? I would presume based on the lowish sensitivity that they won't do well with a low powered smartphone.

 

[Reebonz]

Thanks for sharing!
Yes there is a reason why 99% of earbuds stick to DDs. Not only for price to performance ratio, but for tuning reasons. Even BAs inside earbuds aren't too successful. The piezo drivers I tried in the Pislo earbuds sound decent enough, though they lack sub-bass and are extremely expensive. So DDs probably will still keep earbuds affordable for us in the near future


BTW, do these planar buds you tried scale better with amplification? I would presume based on the lowish sensitivity that they won't do well with a low powered smartphone.

A DAP or dongle will work fine, as the sensitivity of this earbud is pretty average. I also tried it on a desktop setup, but the same treble problem made it difficult to listen for an extended period of time.

 

[mt877]

And another question what can be said about the sound of t-music ep4... Worse or better than ps100-260 or k's k300?

Be assured nobody is ignoring you, someone that has or have had the buds you're asking about would need to reply.

 

[mt877]

Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） Planar Earbuds​

Website: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/631430
Driver size: 14.2mm
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Impedance: 24Ω
Sensitivity: 102dB
Price: $150



My Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） planar earbud is here, and they are a sight to behold. The purple resin shell gives them a stunning look, but unfortunately, my excitement turned to disappointment when I actually tried them out.

The sound quality is just not up to par for me. It has an overly crisp and thin sound, with almost no sub-bass to speak of. This is in stark contrast to other earbuds like the Serratus or any dynamic earbuds, which offer a much richer and fuller sound. To make matters worse, the treble is so intense that it actually hurts my ears, even with the thickest foams.



I had originally wanted to compare them to the Tgxear Panorama Ridge, which is another planar driver earbud, but unfortunately, the development of that model was halted due to the creator's dissatisfaction with the sub bass and timbre.

Now I understand why planar earbuds are not quite ready for prime time yet. According to Jim from Tgxear, the IA-PL1-YUI planar driver is supposed to be the same as the one he was using, and the driver was developed for IEMs, which explains why we experienced the same issues.

It's a shame, really, because I had high hopes for these earbuds based on the early positive feedback from the Japanese users. But alas, it seems that they just didn't live up to the hype.

They are certainly visually appealing, too bad they didn't sound good.

 

[fooltoque]

Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） Planar Earbuds​

Website: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/631430
Driver size: 14.2mm
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz
Impedance: 24Ω
Sensitivity: 102dB
Price: $150



My Initial Acoustic [IA-PL1-YUI] 結 (ゆい） planar earbud is here, and they are a sight to behold. The purple resin shell gives them a stunning look, but unfortunately, my excitement turned to disappointment when I actually tried them out.

The sound quality is just not up to par for me. It has an overly crisp and thin sound, with almost no sub-bass to speak of. This is in stark contrast to other earbuds like the Serratus or any dynamic earbuds, which offer a much richer and fuller sound. To make matters worse, the treble is so intense that it actually hurts my ears, even with the thickest foams.



I had originally wanted to compare them to the Tgxear Panorama Ridge, which is another planar driver earbud, but unfortunately, the development of that model was halted due to the creator's dissatisfaction with the sub bass and timbre.

Now I understand why planar earbuds are not quite ready for prime time yet. According to Jim from Tgxear, the IA-PL1-YUI planar driver is supposed to be the same as the one he was using, and the driver was developed for IEMs, which explains why we experienced the same issues.

It's a shame, really, because I had high hopes for these earbuds based on the early positive feedback from the Japanese users. But alas, it seems that they just didn't live up to the hype.

Ahh... I was hoping those would sound as good as they looked. Thanks for taking one for the team!

 

[samandhi]

Hey everyone. I've been reading through this thread and searching the internet for the last few days and am looking to buy my first pair of earbuds. I was hoping I could get some guidance or suggestions.

1) Budget:
looking to stay under the $100USD threshold. If there's a great deal well below that then great. (I could go a little above if I have to too lol)

2) Preferred Music Genres:
Dream Pop (lots of female airy vocals), Grunge/Alternative, DnB, Funk

3) Preferred Sound Signature:
Close to neutral. Like a lot of clarity in treble, audible bass but it doesn't have to hit me, mids I just don't want to be so high that it's muddy. I am looking for a good soundstage as well. I have HD 58X that I like a lot. Looking for that open back sound I suppose.

4) Other Preferences:
I would like it to have a mic or a detachable cable where I could add a mic in the future. I will use these for working form home on meetings as well. I'm not a fan of the Sennheiser MX500 design. I do like the Moondrop Chaconne or Bell style more. Looks are secondary to sound of course.

I'd prefer to not buy from AliExpress just because of shipping times, so if there are good retailers in the US, please let me know

5) Equipment:
Will mostly drive them with a FiiO K3 amp, but I want to be able to run them with a smartphone (Pixel 6 with a USB-C adapter) too

Buds I've found so far:
NiceHCK EBX (Discontinued?)
Temperament Ks LBBs
Headroom MS16
Smabat M4 or M Pro?
Yincrow RW-2000
Toneking TO65 (Would I have trouble driving these with a smartphone?)
Moondrop Chaconne (Beautiful, but too expensive. Seeing these sent me down this journey)

If you have any recommendations they are greatly appreciated!

Please let me know if this post should exist elsewhere. Thanks!

From your prefs, an easy suggestion is to get the FiiO FF5. Buy from Amazon US, $129.00 (slightly above your budget, but worth it), excellent treble clarity with bass that can hit, but won't overwhelm you. Detachable mmcx cable, so fits that requirement. BTW, the FF5 is a great match with FiiO UTWS5 Bluetooth earhooks if you want to go wireless as well.

Edit: I just wanted to add that the other FiiO earbud that gets a big thumbs-up is the FF3. It doesn't have a detachable cable and is also known for it's bass signature, but having both FF5 and FF3 Dynamic Duo in your arsenal is worthwhile. Besides myself, others here can attest to the Dynamic Duo nature of having both FF5 and FF3.

This!

Thes FiiO FF5 are also the ones I would recommend given your list of needs. The Yincrow RW3000 also would very much fit this, except they are quite a bit out of your budget (much like the Chaconne).

Ahh... I was hoping those would sound as good as they looked. Thanks for taking one for the team!

I was hoping the same thing as well (being a planar nut and all )

 

[mt877]

After about a week of listening to the Temperament DB1, here's my impressions. I've been wearing them with the provided full foams and over ear hook style instead of cable hanging down. It was already reported by @omerad (in post 68,697) that they sounded better when worn over ear versus cable down and I can confirm that. The bass and lower midrange presence is much better when worn over ear. In contrast, the sound appears to lose some of the nice bass, lower midrange timbre when worn cable down. I guess the sound difference might be useful for different types of music or to suit your musical mood.

My first general impression is that they have a balanced warmish sound with some boost in the midrange. I can't really put my finger on it, but the midrange has this sort of transparency that draws you in, like you're not wearing any buds. We'll have to wait for @JAnonymous5150's impressions to see if he's hearing the same sort of thing.

The low end is very good. While not in your face, the bass / upper bass have this nice body filling timbre which I like. Going to the opposite extreme, the treble is smooth, yet detailed. Definitely not lacking in resolution or having treble roll off.

The only comparison I'll make is with K's LBBS buds. If you have the LBBS, then expect a somewhat similar K's family sound signature with enhanced low end. I don't think you can just EQ the LBBS to sound like the DB1 though.

Would I recommend the Temperament DB1? I would. If you already have the K's LBBS and like how they sound, then the DB1 is in the same wheelhouse and definitely a step up in performance.

The burning question is how do they compare to the lower cost DB1e? We'll have to wait for @JAnonymous5150's DB1 vs DB1e comparison.

EDIT #2: Per a description I found on AE, both of them have similar sound styles and are classic tunings, and db1 has a better extension of density sound field information at both ends. We'll have to wait for JA's comparison to confirm that claim.

EDIT #1: Did some internet searching and found this DB1 FR graph and translated information which describes the internal structure of the shell which enhances the low and intermediate frequencies. So rather than a midrange boost as described above, it looks like the internal shell structure helps with midrange transparency.

 

[samandhi]

After about a week of listening to the Temperament DB1, here's my impressions. I've been wearing them with the provided full foams and over ear hook style instead of cable hanging down. It was already reported by @omerad (in post 68,697) that they sounded better when worn over ear versus cable down and I can confirm that. The bass and lower midrange presence is much better when worn over ear. In contrast, the sound appears to lose some of the nice bass, lower midrange timbre when worn cable down. I guess the sound difference might be useful for different types of music or to suit your musical mood.

My first general impression is that they have a balanced warmish sound with some boost in the midrange. I can't really put my finger on it, but the midrange has this sort of transparency that draws you in, like you're not wearing any buds. We'll have to wait for @JAnonymous5150's impressions to see if he's hearing the same sort of thing.

The low end is very good. While not in your face, the bass / upper bass have this nice body filling timbre which I like. Going to the opposite extreme, the treble is smooth, yet detailed. Definitely not lacking in resolution or having treble roll off.

The only comparison I'll make is with K's LBBS buds. If you have the LBBS, then expect a somewhat similar K's family sound signature with enhanced low end. I don't think you can just EQ the LBBS to sound like the DB1 though.

Would I recommend the Temperament DB1? I would. If you already have the K's LBBS and like how they sound, then the DB1 is in the same wheelhouse and definitely a step up in performance.

The burning question is how do they compare to the lower cost DB1e? We'll have to wait for @JAnonymous5150's DB1 vs DB1e comparison.

Was JUST going to ask if you had both until I read the final line in your post.... Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the tips! Do you have any recommendations for a cable with a mic? Also does anyone make an MMCX to usb-c cable so I can lose the dongle?

I haven't found any doing a quick search. I am sure there are some available, but they are probably going to cost a bit more because you can't just throw any USB adapter on there, it has to be a DAC/AMP. Most of the phones that don't have a headphone jack also don't have a built in DAC. Having said that, there are some decent adapters that are very small and aren't much bigger than the cable itself. Something like this. I haven't tried this one, but it is just one that I found on Amazon, so take that rec with a "grain of salt"...

I second this, been really enjoying them. They also have really good sub-bass! Currently WoodyLuvr's #1 as well. If you have similar sound prefs, its worth getting 100%.

They also happen to be my current favorite off the shelf buds... (pretty much have been since I bought them).

Thank you so much for the clarification... I'm listening from my phone without an amplifier.

Keep in mind that these buds will still sound very good even from a phone. They DO sound immensely better with more power, but the quality of the driver in these allow them to "just work" if you will.

If you never plan on getting something that is capable of outputting something like 1W @32Ohms, then I might pass, but if you ever plan on getting/having something with the power, these are definitely TOTL buds. Just my $.02 and as always YMMV.