Earbuds Round-Up

[samandhi]

Noted, thank you too! A shame to read about the plastic tabs, but I'll pick out a hopefully dedicated cable like you did and stick with it. Apparently, there are two versions of this model and I don't know which one I picked up, but if mine can last as long as yours have so far without the drivers themselves dying or anything I think I'll be happy for what I paid hahaha. I read the sound is on the brighter and airier side so I think it's right up my alley.

You are welcome!

Yes, they are north of neutral as far as brightness is concerned, but I don't find them to be either shouty (upper mids/lower treble) nor sibilant (mid treble to upper treble). There really is something addictive about the sound on this set, and for the money I paid, I would certainly buy them again (should I need to). Not everyone is a fan of the sound of these, but I am. And, short of potential issues with those connectors mentioned, they are built like a tank (all metal shell).

Since this is a sister branch of Smabat, it is a bit disappointing to me because if Smabat's buds were tuned this way, but had the refinement of their TOTL drivers, this would be a real winner IMHO. Though I DO enjoy (to a point) their contemporary buds, it has been since the M2s Pro and ST10S (for me) since they had really good sound from a bud.

 

[h8uthemost]

Excellent to know, thank you. I'm still quite new to this earbuds rabbit hole having used IEMs and headphones for most of my music listening, so I would like some beater pairs on the cheaper side of the earbud spectrum to familiarize myself with what to expect. I love details on the high-end

Then go ahead and do yourself the favor of getting the NiceHCK EB2S or the Pro(although they sound pretty identical to my ears), before the prices go up any higher. They've already raised about $5 usd on each one. But these have really good upper mids and non sibilant treble. They have alot of detail and sound great. You can always eq more bass if what it has doesn't gel with you.

 

[mt877]

It IS a good shell as far as I am concerned.

It is a really good shell, but it doesn't want to cooperate with some other drivers I tried with it. Fortunately I hit the jackpot on one special build.

Looking back at this thread, it seems the shells are from HuaYunxin and are sold independently for DIY projects. They do look quite pretty and certainly unique amongst the wide array of generic plastic casings on AliExpress.

I'm not sure who manufactured the shell. I just saw them on AE one day and decided to give them a try for my own DIY buds. The buds turned out fantastic.

 

[samandhi]

It is a really good shell, but it doesn't want to cooperate with some other drivers I tried with it. Fortunately I hit the jackpot on one special build.

So, it was destiny?!

I'm not sure who manufactured the shell. I just saw them on AE one day and decided to give them a try for my own DIY buds. The buds turned out fantastic.

So, it WAS DESTINY?! lol

 

[mt877]

So, it was destiny?!

So, it WAS DESTINY?! lol

Are you thinking up a name for the next successful build? That does have a good ring to it.

Let me introduce you to the set of buds I built... named Destiny. Yeah, I like it. LOL!

 

[samandhi]

Are you thinking up a name for the next successful build? That does have a good ring to it.

Let me introduce you to the set of buds I built... named Destiny. Yeah, I like it. LOL!

LOL... Yeah, I actually like it as well.

 

[droenald]

Looking back at this thread, it seems the shells are from HuaYunxin and are sold independently for DIY projects. They do look quite pretty and certainly unique amongst the wide array of generic plastic casings on AliExpress.

Excellent to know, thank you. I'm still quite new to this earbuds rabbit hole having used IEMs and headphones for most of my music listening, so I would like some beater pairs on the cheaper side of the earbud spectrum to familiarize myself with what to expect. I love details on the high-end but I don't mind something a little bassier to start, especially since I've heard earbuds aren't usually in the same ballpark as IEMs when it comes to bass, especially sub-bass.

Noted, thank you too! A shame to read about the plastic tabs, but I'll pick out a hopefully dedicated cable like you did and stick with it. Apparently, there are two versions of this model and I don't know which one I picked up, but if mine can last as long as yours have so far without the drivers themselves dying or anything I think I'll be happy for what I paid hahaha. I read the sound is on the brighter and airier side so I think it's right up my alley.

The Aeolian Bells are quite divisive. Please let us know your findings, once you have received your new sets!

 

[h8uthemost]

Aika and Artiste comments, I've had each for at least a week now I think:

The Aika is super impressive when it comes to bass. It's the first earbud that I've heard with sub bass. I mean these rumble deep. These are my go to when I want maybe a fun listen. I like listening to them with jazz, hearing the way that the upright bass strings slap against the wood is very satisfying. And I say that they're a fun listen because the mids and treble aren't incredibly forward. These remind me of a CCA CRA iem. So kind of a V-Shaped tuning? But the mids and treble are present. I can still hear all the details that need to be heard. Very very impressive tuning.

The Artiste Nightingale is equally impressive. The bass doesn't hit hard like the Aika's, but it's not about the bass with these buds, these buds are more about the mids and treble. These remind me of the NiceHCK EB2S, but taken up a huge level. The amount of detailts these beautiful buds spit into your ears is so impressive. I believe @samandhi called them "Chaconne'esque". Which I don't have the Moondrop Chaconne so I can't say, but from what I've read about them they are detail crazy. And I can see how they could be compared to a $300 mid cannon. I'm sensitive to harsh treble, but I can listen to these all day as well. There's no sibilance to my ears. They're just a really impressive "drag n drop" diy build. I would recommend these to anyone that's more of a treble head and are not afraid of having to do a little bit of work.

@mt877's builds are in a word...fantastic. I now question every earbud that I have up to these. Lol. They're both that impressive to me. Have I used that word enough in these thoughts?

Another huge thank you to @mt877 and @samandhi for making these buds. I can't thank you guys enough.

EDIT: I don't know how I forgot to talk about staging. The sound stage on the Aika is about the average that you usually hear from a bud. I can pick out all of the instruments without trouble and know where they're positioned. The staging on the Artiste however is something I haven't heard before. I've heard great width from a bud, but I've never heard depth. And that's what this bud gives you, width and depth, and it's something really awesome to hear.

 

[ttorbic]

Aika and Artiste comments, I've had each for at least a week now I think:

The Aika is super impressive when it comes to bass. It's the first earbud that I've heard with sub bass. I mean these rumble deep. These are my go to when I want maybe a fun listen. I like listening to them with jazz, hearing the way that the upright bass strings slap against the wood is very satisfying. And I say that they're a fun listen because the mids and treble aren't incredibly forward. These remind me of a CCA CRA iem. So kind of a V-Shaped tuning? But the mids and treble are present. I can still hear all the details that need to be heard. Very very impressive tuning.

The Artiste Nightingale is equally impressive. The bass doesn't hit hard like the Aika's, but it's not about the bass with these buds, these buds are more about the mids and treble. These remind me of the NiceHCK EB2S, but taken up a huge level. The amount of detailts these beautiful buds spit into your ears is so impressive. I believe @samandhi called them "Chaconne'esque". Which I don't have the Moondrop Chaconne so I can't say, but from what I've read about them they are detail crazy. And I can see how they could be compared to a $300 mid cannon. I'm sensitive to harsh treble, but I can listen to these all day as well. There's no sibilance to my ears. They're just a really impressive "drag n drop" diy build. I would recommend these to anyone that's more of a treble head and are not afraid of having to do a little bit of work.

@mt877's builds are in a word...fantastic. I now question every earbud that I have up to these. Lol. They're both that impressive to me. Have I used that word enough in these thoughts?

Another huge thank you to @mt877 and @samandhi for making these buds. I can't thank you guys enough.

fantastic to hear that you're loving your two new sets! thanks for reporting back!

 

[h8uthemost]

fantastic to hear that you're loving your two new sets! thanks for reporting back!

No problem!

How's your Artiste coming? I think I read that you were waiting on the parts?

 

[ttorbic]

No problem!

How's your Artiste coming? I think I read that you were waiting on the parts?

yeah i've ordered parts for the 3 of us (Ascii, ian91, and myself). Should arrive in the next week or so, then Ascii will make them for us

 

[h8uthemost]

yeah i've ordered parts for the 3 of us (Ascii, ian91, and myself). Should arrive in the next week or so, then Ascii will make them for us

That's so awesome! Very happy for you guys.

Let us know what you think after you've spent some time with it.

 

[samandhi]

Aika and Artiste comments, I've had each for at least a week now I think:

The Aika is super impressive when it comes to bass. It's the first earbud that I've heard with sub bass. I mean these rumble deep. These are my go to when I want maybe a fun listen. I like listening to them with jazz, hearing the way that the upright bass strings slap against the wood is very satisfying. And I say that they're a fun listen because the mids and treble aren't incredibly forward. These remind me of a CCA CRA iem. So kind of a V-Shaped tuning? But the mids and treble are present. I can still hear all the details that need to be heard. Very very impressive tuning.

The Artiste Nightingale is equally impressive. The bass doesn't hit hard like the Aika's, but it's not about the bass with these buds, these buds are more about the mids and treble. These remind me of the NiceHCK EB2S, but taken up a huge level. The amount of detailts these beautiful buds spit into your ears is so impressive. I believe @samandhi called them "Chaconne'esque". Which I don't have the Moondrop Chaconne so I can't say, but from what I've read about them they are detail crazy. And I can see how they could be compared to a $300 mid cannon. I'm sensitive to harsh treble, but I can listen to these all day as well. There's no sibilance to my ears. They're just a really impressive "drag n drop" diy build. I would recommend these to anyone that's more of a treble head and are not afraid of having to do a little bit of work.

@mt877's builds are in a word...fantastic. I now question every earbud that I have up to these. Lol. They're both that impressive to me. Have I used that word enough in these thoughts?

Another huge thank you to @mt877 and @samandhi for making these buds. I can't thank you guys enough.

Great to hear your impressions are positive!

yeah i've ordered parts for the 3 of us (Ascii, ian91, and myself). Should arrive in the next week or so, then Ascii will make them for us

I am excited for you all to get your new buds.

 

[mt877]

Aika and Artiste comments, I've had each for at least a week now I think:

The Aika is super impressive when it comes to bass. It's the first earbud that I've heard with sub bass. I mean these rumble deep. These are my go to when I want maybe a fun listen. I like listening to them with jazz, hearing the way that the upright bass strings slap against the wood is very satisfying. And I say that they're a fun listen because the mids and treble aren't incredibly forward. These remind me of a CCA CRA iem. So kind of a V-Shaped tuning? But the mids and treble are present. I can still hear all the details that need to be heard. Very very impressive tuning.

The Artiste Nightingale is equally impressive. The bass doesn't hit hard like the Aika's, but it's not about the bass with these buds, these buds are more about the mids and treble. These remind me of the NiceHCK EB2S, but taken up a huge level. The amount of detailts these beautiful buds spit into your ears is so impressive. I believe @samandhi called them "Chaconne'esque". Which I don't have the Moondrop Chaconne so I can't say, but from what I've read about them they are detail crazy. And I can see how they could be compared to a $300 mid cannon. I'm sensitive to harsh treble, but I can listen to these all day as well. There's no sibilance to my ears. They're just a really impressive "drag n drop" diy build. I would recommend these to anyone that's more of a treble head and are not afraid of having to do a little bit of work.

@mt877's builds are in a word...fantastic. I now question every earbud that I have up to these. Lol. They're both that impressive to me. Have I used that word enough in these thoughts?

Another huge thank you to @mt877 and @samandhi for making these buds. I can't thank you guys enough.

EDIT: I don't know how I forgot to talk about staging. The sound stage on the Aika is about the average that you usually hear from a bud. I can pick out all of the instruments without trouble and know where they're positioned. The staging on the Artiste however is something I haven't heard before. I've heard great width from a bud, but I've never heard depth. And that's what this bud gives you, width and depth, and it's something really awesome to hear.

Oh man, thanks for the kind words. It's nice to know that both buds bring out something special in your music and will be used for a long time coming.

 

[mochill]

Go buy lavender luthenium